12/28/08

Christmas is over

Christmas is over and done with for another year. I really love the season, but frankly am happy that all of the running around is done with. I went to my family's last Sunday without Sue because she ahd the flu all week long and we did not want to expose my dad to it because of all of his health issues and then later went back on Christmas Eve for dinner. It was really good and one brother had taken hiss kids to Charleston and had brought back a bushel of oysters which we steamed, and let me tell you, those things were really good too. We spent Christmas Day with Sue's mom and had dinner and brakfast with her brother and sister-in-law and then Friday evening went with the remainder of Sue's other brother's family at Ryan's and then went back to her mom's house for a while too. It got kind of tiring, but am thankful that most of the family live so near us that it is not that bad of a drive too.
It is nice and quiet here now and Sue is asleep. She has develped a cough this past week and has not really spept well all week and that really concerns me but until she decides to do something about it, there is not much that I can do too.

12/18/08

Sue is still sick

Sue is still really sick. I really think that she had no business going back to work yesterday, but she had an evaluation she had to finish up and one to finish up today but think that they are going to do a conference call alter on because she is frankly too sick to go anywhere.
We are supposed to be going to my parents house for supper on Saturday with the rest of my family and think if she is not much better that she will drop me off at mom and dad's and then go to the motel that we are planning on staying at and then get one of my brother's to drop me back off at the motel after supper. We just do not want my dad to be exposed to it if we can help it too.

The 12 Puppy Days of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas my puppy gave to meThe Santa topper from the Christmas tree.On the second day of Christmas my puppy gave to meTwo leaking bubble lightsAnd the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.On the third day of Christmas my puppy gave to meThree punctured ornamentsTwo leaking bubble lightsAnd the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.On the fourth day of Christmas my puppy gave to meFour broken window candlesThree punctured ornamentsTwo leaking bubble lightsAnd the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.On the fifth day of Christmas my puppy gave to meFive chewed-up stockingsFour broken window candlesThree punctured ornamentsTwo leaking bubble lightsAnd the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.On the sixth day of Christmas my puppy gave to meSix yards of soggy ribbonFive chewed-up stockingsFour broken window candlesThree punctured ornamentsTwo leaking bubble lightsAnd the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.On the seventh day of Christmas my puppy gave to meSeven scraps of wrapping paperSix yards of soggy ribbonFive chewed-up stockingsFour broken window candlesThree punctured ornaments
Two leaking bubble lightsAnd the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.On the eighth day of Christmas my puppy gave to meEight tiny reindeer fragmentsSeven scraps of wrapping paperSix yards of soggy ribbonFive chewed-up stockingsFour broken window candlesThree punctured ornamentsTwo leaking bubble lightsAnd the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.On the ninth day of Christmas my puppy gave to meMy wreath in nine piecesEight tiny reindeer fragmentsSeven scraps of wrapping paperSix yards of soggy ribbonFive chewed-up stockingsFour broken window candlesThree punctured ornamentsTwo leaking bubble lightsAnd the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.On the tenth day of Christmas my puppy gave to meTen Christmas cards I shoulda mailedMy wreath in nine piecesEight tiny reindeer fragmentsSeven scraps of wrapping paperSix yards of soggy ribbonFive chewed-up stockingsFour broken window candlesThree punctured ornamentsTwo leaking bubble lightsAnd the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.On the eleventh day of Christmas my puppy gave to meEleven unwrapped presentsTen Christmas cards I shoulda mailedMy wreath in nine piecesEight tiny reindeer fragmentsSeven scraps of wrapping paperSix yards of soggy ribbonFive chewed-up stockingsFour broken window candlesThree punctured ornamentsTwo leaking bubble lightsAnd the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.On the twelfth day of Christmas my puppy gave to meA dozen puppy kisses And I forgot all aboutthe other eleven days.Merry Christmas from Abe and me.

12/17/08

Another really long night

It was another really long night last night. After watching the finale of the Biggest Loser, Sue decided that we needed to finish up the last evaluation that she was in charge of. This one took much longer than the previous one we tackled on Sunday night. We started around 10:00 and did not finish until 3:00. I am really tired today and ahve just dragged and do not plan to even ride my exercise bike. I am going to go and get the mail and the trash can and just crash again. I know that Sue slept just about all day yesterday because she had the flu bug and just needed to sleep, but I had not slept at all yesterday and that made a big difference and the only way that I made it through all of it was to make a pot of coffee. Sue said it might keep me u all night long and I told her that was the plan and as sleepy and tired as I was getting, it was effecting my typing as well so the caffeine helped too.
I hope she had a better day today and will be going to the store this afternoon because there are things we need here for the house too.

12/16/08

An interesting week

It has been an interesting week so far. I helped Sue type up an evaluation on Sunday evening and it took forever, but now I can see what she goes through with those things and I don't know how she stands it all of the time too. We were supposed to finish the second one yesterday but she came home with the flu and has basically been inthe bed ever since then. I know that is not what she wanted right before Christmas vacation and our big Christmas celebration with my family as well.
I really hope that goes well because for the first time in years there has not been the horrible commotion planning it like it usually is and that has been kind of nice too.

12/12/08

A pet peave

I have a real pet peave with people that put music on their blogs and it covers up the text of what they have been bloggin about. Since I do not see nad use a screen reader, the music is so loud that most times I cannot hear what the text is reading to me and think that this is really inconsiderate. I don't deny that music sounds good and also creates many moods as well to fit what is being written, but when I cannot read what is written for the music, then it is fruitless to even try.
I just had to get that out of my system this morning because it is really aggravating to try and read a blog with music screaming over the top of it.

12/9/08

Just venting this morning

I just need to vent a little this morning and I am so glad that I have this blog to do it. Sue came home late because she was shopping after school and that was fine event hough she spent more money than she was intending, but that was ok because most of our bills so far this month are caught up and since we paid off the truck and our renter has been paying rent regularly we are ok. I am just frustrated because Sue just will not take care of herself. She ate something or did not eat something like she should have and that got her stomach all fouled up. I am so sick and tired of her being sick and tired and really wish that she would take care of herself. I really think that she has a serious sleep apnea problem. I think if she would just start using the CPAP machine I have and am no longer using, that would help her tremendously. I know that there is a lot going on at school and that she is stressed out over it and her stress relates to here at the house and I am getting stressed over her being so stressed. I will be really happy when her Christmas break gets here and then maybe she will get some rest and we can get the stuff that has been needed to be done around here for so long accomplished.
Our house looks horrible and I will gladly help her if she would just get off of her butt and turn the television off. She will turn it on and just sit there and sleep all day long and I know that is not healthy too. I really wish that she would at least ride my exercise bike for just five minutes and that would definitely hlep her to feel better too.

12/8/08

Ready forSue's Christmas break

I am really ready for Sue to have her Christmas break. She is really exhausted and some of it is not sleeping well and I have a sneaky feeling that she has some sleep apnea and wish that she would just start using the CPAP machine that I no longer am using. I lost so much weight that I no longer need it and sleep well and she doesn't and many nights is getting up and sleeping on the love seat inn the living room and I know that is not good too.
School has really overwhelmed her this semester and besides having some really unruly kids, she is the lead on two teacher evaluation teams that have to have their evaluations in next Monday and on top of all of that, the district is coming to see the school on Wednesday and I have a feeling that it will be more of a dog and pony show than anyting else and that just adds to the pressure of what is going on now.
I am really hoping that she can get a little rest while on vacation even though the day after she gets out of oschool, we will have my family's Christmas celebration and that is somewhat of a dog and pony show too. At least having Christmas with her mom, brother and sister-in-law won't be too much of a production and will be more of a quiet day than anything else.

12/5/08

About to get new internet

It has been on really frustrating day with Bellsouth, so I have decided to call Road Runner either tonight or first thing in the morning. It has gotten so bad that if I use the house phone, then I have to reboot the computer to make the internet work and I have had to do that three different times today and that has just gotten really old. They have a really good special going on right now and we can definitely afford it and that is the package I will be going with.
I am hoping that Sue has had a better day too because she was really tired last night after the PTO meeting and the meet the parents. Her one little bad boy was there with his brother and she said that it was really obvious that the foster parents did not ever discipline them and they were all over the room trying to make a mess while she was trying to talk to the foster parents and I know that she was relly frustrated with all of them by the time that she got home too and it was nearly 8:30 before she got home and that made for a really long day and I know that she was whipped.

12/1/08

A rather chilly day

I think that this subject says it all. It is really chilly here today and really windy and that makes it feel that much colder. I am just taking things easy today and really do not plan to go out anymore until I take Major back out later this afternoon to go potty and take some trash out as well.
We had a great Thanksgiving and Sue did not want to get up and go to work today as well, and frankly with what she has had going on lately, I cannot blame her for that too.

11/25/08

A great presentation

Major and I had a great presentation yesterday. Lake Carolina Elementary School has taken on Southeastern as a great service project and we were there on their morningnews yesterday morning to let the students and teachers see what a working guide dog looked like. We were warmly greeted by everyone there including their principal and I really wish that Sue could work in that kind of environment. I realize that it is too far for her to travel from West Columbia, but really wish that she could teach in that kind of enthusiastic environment. I realize that all schools are not perfect, but I loved what I saw there and am glad to see that they are excited about what guide dogs can do for a blind person like myself and I am glad that they ahve gotten behind it. I love the guide dog movement and really love the toools that Southeastern has given me. I really believe that for guide work, Major is by far the best of the three dogs I have had over the past 24 1/2 years as well. He is really soft but extremely confident and his guide work is really outstanding. he handled all of the obstacles at the school whether we were in the parking lot or in the hallways of the school and I just love that because if I had been using a cane, I guarantee I would have hit everyone of them and that is no fun. It is great having the mobility that Major affords me.
I am looking forward to working him tomorrow at both our doctor's office for Sue's appointment in the morning as well as going to see the surgeon tomorrow afternoon to get the stitches and staples out from my gall bladder surgery and I am sure that he will rise to the occasion like he always does.

11/24/08

I don't understand

I just do not understand why some people have to be so vulgar when they are posting things to a internet blog. I am on a different blog system where friends mostly can see my comments and there is one person that constantly talkes about her church and then writes some really vulgar things, especially in the way of language. Now I am not saying that I am perfect in my language as a Christian most of the time either, but give me a break. If you are going to write that crap all of the time, either you are one huge pity party which I have no time for, or you are just plain stupid and incompitent.
I hear this stuff enough all of the time and just get tired of reading it and Ihave offended some people asking this person not to post this kind of stuff, but that is ok too. I realize that they have the right to post whatever they want, I just do not have to read it.
I guess I will get off of my soapbox for now since today has been a really great day. We had a presentation at Lake Carolina Elementary School this morning and it went really well. They have sponsored a guide dog in training and we went there to show them a working guide dog and the kids and teachers alike were really enamored with Major and how well behaved he was and how well he worked. I really love doing this kind of thing because I am so passionate about guide dogs and the school that I attended for Major as well.
To me it is a privilege and a joy to do this kind of thing and I am really proud to represent Southeastern Guide Dogs because of the great training and dog that they have given me.

11/23/08

Rememberances

This is kind of a sad week for me. It was Novmeber 27 last year when we were forced to lay my beloved retired guide dog Hickory down. He had been semi-retired since a auto accident in early 2000 because of some serious noise issues stemming from the wreck. I had worked him just enough every year to keep his skills sharp and he had always risen to the task. Even after losing a good bit of weight due to gastric bypass surgery in 2006, he was going downhill due to cataracts and arthritis but still enjoyed working until the end of April 2007 when he told me in his own way that it was time to just be a dog. In February of that year we had a cancerous tumor removed from his right rear leg and were afraid that it would come back and in November of last year, we thought he was losing weight and was just not himself, so the day before Thanksgiving, we had taken him to the vet and had found out that he had another cancerous tumor in his rear end. We decided that we would hold out as long as we could with him and just let him enjoy whatever life he had left and little did we know that six short days later we would be saying good-bye to such a sweet and loyal dog. The day after Thanksgiving, he started not to eat and that was the beginning of the end. Little did we know that not only was he in renal failure, but in atrial fibrillation as well and that was why he was not eating.
I still feel at times like I killed my best friend, but it was for his benefit and definitely not mine and I am so glad that I went when I did to received Major.
Major is definitely not the same dog as Hickory and there will never be another one. Major is a sweet dog and I love him dearly most of the time, but it has been really hard getting over Hickory because of all we had been through together. I will always remember his loyal and silly side and I love the memories that I still and will always have of him even though it has been really hard letting him go.

11/22/08

Too cold

It is too cold for my likings right now. It seems like our bedroom really has a draft in it and that is just not fun. I turned theheat up one degree after getting up this morning and that seemed to help especially since it was 21 out when I took Major out to eat and potty around 8:30 and that is just too cold for my likings this early in the season. I understand that it is supposed to warm back up into the 60's next week and that is just fine with me too.
Sue is really tired out today and I am just letting her sleep. School has really overwhelmed her and she just needs the rest and Major and I will just try to be as quiet as we can for a little while longer.

11/19/08

A really cold day

It has been quite cold here today and I am not really ready for it to be this cold, but I guess we must take what we are given too. I am so thankful for a really warm coat and warm leather gloves while it was 22 this morning when I took Major out as well as taking the trash down too. I am finding out that the coffee I really like has a little too much acid in it and has made me sick, so we will be trying something totally different in the morning as well and will just have to see if my body adjusts so that I can go back to the really strong Jamaican blend that I love so much.
Sue is really tired today and it will be late when she gets home because of a seminar that she had to go to at 5:00 and won't get out until 6:30 and then will pick up something to eat on the way home as well. I know that she is really ready for this semester to be over and done with because of all of the stuff that they want between now and then end of the semester. It is such a shame that teachers just cannot just teach anymore and have to be glorified secretaries as well.

11/18/08

A cold morning

It is a cold morning, but that puts me more in the mood for the holidays. I am enjoying my usual pot of coffee and that is always a good thing. I am beginning to feel better from my gall bladder surgery from last week and that is good too. I am stillhaving to be really careful about what I am eating and drinking, but that is a good thing too.
We are looking forward to seeing one of Sue's cousins and his family this weekend as they head for Florida to Disnewy World and then to see them again on their return trip to Pennsylvania, and that should be fun too.

11/14/08

Gall bladder is gone

My subject line says it all. The gall bladder is gone and the surgery went really well. I was really groggy late yesterday afternoon and was feeling better this morning, but was not feeling that great this afternoon, so I am just taking it easy.
I do feel better and I have not had a bowel movement yet, but have passed a good bit of gas as well as having to urinate a bit, and that is a good thing.
I guess that it is going to take some time as to when my body will catch up. The best thing was that it was an outpatient procedure and done laparoscopically, so the recovery time should be better than if I had had an open incision.

11/11/08

Two days to go

I only have two eays to go before my gall bladder goes. This week has been a little rough and I am really ready to get this thing over and done with. Sunday night's supper made me royally sick and everything I ate yesterday bloated me and made me feel generally yucky, so it is time.
I am really hoping that I will feel immediate relief after the pain of the surgery wears off. I am really thankful that is an outpatient procedure and laparoscopicially done too.

11/10/08

A fun evening

We had a really fun evening last night. Trans Siberian Orchestra was in town and I had been wanting to see them for several years and let me tell you, that was one great concert. I have never seen a light show like that ever before and they had everything from lasers to a flame bar and it was Sue's first rock concert and I think she enjoyed the first half that was all Christmas, but did not enjoy the second half as much as I did and it was a great show. I would definitely go back and see them again. We don't go to things like that often, but it is a nice treat to go out every now and then because the life around school is really a a rat race and with my surgery coming up later on this week, it was definitely a nice diversion.
Mom and I went to lunch today and got a great hamburger at a local place in South Congaree that we like to go to as well and it was nice too.

11/6/08

I just do not understand something

I just do not understand something. Why is it when people have blogs that they ahve to put music on top of them and for those of us who are using screen readers to read the text, it makes it impossible to read the text because the music is so overpowering that I cannot hear the text of the blog.
I have not been able yet to find a way to get rid of this music when it starts and it seems rather inconsiderate to me. I guess that is just my own opinion, but it really makes things difficult and it makes me not to want to go to these people's blogs as well.

11/2/08

A quiet Dunday

It is a really quiet Sunday here today. Sue has been really tired all week and school has really gotten her down because of the craziness of report cards and teacher conferences with parents as well. Her one child has been really horrendous all week and I think that something really needs to be done. I know that she will have no kids tomorrow and that is a good thing so maybe she can get some work in her room done. I have offered to go with her and do some typing for her, but she has not taken me up on that yet.
We watched church from First Baptist downtown Columbia and it was a good service. I know that we are looking for a church home, but it does provide a great service too. I am hoping that we can find somewhere where we really will be comfortable and something a little smaller than we have been visiting. I really don't want to go to where her mom goes because it is too small and is dying because there is just no life there. I like the pastor, but he needs to retire and if he does, I am sure that church will die, but it is on the other side of Columbia from where we live and it is just too far to go and not get fed.
We are just taking things easy otherwise and I will be watching the race later on this afternoon and that should be fun too.
Sue fixed banana nut pancakes this mroning and they were great. It was definitely something different and I always like stuff like that too.

10/31/08

A rough week

It has been kind of a rough week for me. I have not felt really great all week long and this gall bladder thing has really gotten me down. Yesterday I had no energy and really hurt all day long as well as burped so much that I could not quit hurting. I did not ride my bike yesterday but tried riding today and had the tension level too high and it literally made me sick, so I had to get off and will lower it the next time that I ride.
Tonight has been better and I have not hurt as badly and that is a good thing, but cannot wait for the 13th when it will be coming out.
I also found out that the surgeon and his nurse have been talking about Major all week long and evidently he made one heck of an impression on them as well.

10/28/08

Finally some answers

I think I have finally gotten some answers. I went to see the surgeon yesterday and he confirmed that the gall bladder has gone bad and needs to come out before I get major gall stones and then have real problems. I am now waiting on their office to call me so that I can set up the date and time to have the surgery. I cannot wait until it is done. Major was a real flirt yesterday and really showed off to both the dietician and the nurse for the surgeon who would have taken him home with her if I had turned my back fast enough too. He is such a silly boy and he really loves working so that he can go and show off, and I have to really love that about him.
I just wish that the surgeon's office would hurry up and give me a call and I think that might even make me feel better about having to wait so long.

10/25/08

A lazy day

It is becoming a lazy day here today. It has finally quit raining and we are just taking it easy for right now. We have to go to my parents for dinner tonight and other than doing some laundry, we really have nothing planned and that is a good thing. The nice thing is that there is not a Carolina game and I can always listen to the Nationwide race on the radio going out to the house, so it should be fun.
Sue is really tired out and her one student has really given her a run for her money. He is a foster child and it seems like every time he goes and sees his biological mom, he comes back giving everyone a really hard time including his foster mom and I have a feeling that she is to the point of wanting to get rid of him too and sending him to another foster home. I really feel for the child, but after awhile you have to have abreak too.

10/24/08

A little frustrated

I am getting just a little frustrated with friends that are forwarding me stuff that they don't even check out as a urban legend or hoax. One such example was a I got an email last night telling me to not take the new dollar coins because they had left out IN God We Trust, but after going to snopes.com, I found out that this was a hoax and I get annoyed at these "well meaning People" that send this stuff out. I do forward things, but have learned to check them out if something just doesn't seem right. I am also sick of the crap that I amg etting in my in box from my friends that are bashing candidate Obama. I am not saying that I totally agree with everything that he stands for, but the continual bashing by "Christians" is really leaving me lacking and it would not want me to become one with these kinds of attitudes and it makes me not want to vote for a single Republican and the way that things are going, I will be voiting third party for President and more than likely Democrat for everything else.
I think that if we would stop and serve our fellow man and even the church get more involved with the community outside of it instead of letting the government take care of the world, then we would be much better off as a society.

10/22/08

A rough day

Yesterday was a really rough day for me. I had eaten the leftovers from the night before and the leftover hamburger steak evidently did not set well with all of the problems I have been having with my gall bladder. It took me well over two hours to eat lunch and still even supper was making me burp badly. I am so looking forward to seeing the surgeon on Monday afternoon because this is really getting old and I am really uncomfortable.
Sue is really tired and I am hoping that our doctor will get off of his rear and see about getting something done for her and maybe demanding that the insurance company see her problem ass a matter of life and death because she is so tired all of the time and I know that it has to be from her weight and not sleeping like she should be. I have a sneaky feeling that she is dealing with a sleep apnea issue and the CPAP machine is here since I no longer need it. It is hers at her disposal and I think that she would really benefit from it because before I lost so much weight, it really helped me sleep too. There was a time that I could not sleep well without the thing, but now that I have lost so much weight, it really does me no good.

10/20/08

Nice and quiet

It is nice and quiet here this morning and that is just the way that I like it. It is chilly and am happy to see some fall weather finally getting here. I cannot believe that we had some frost this morning and that the temperatures were in the uper 30's too. I love this time of the year because the nights are chilly and the days are nice and mild. It is peaceful here right now and I like it that way too and I can even enjoy my morning coffee that much more.

10/17/08

Finally a decision

I fianally got a decision from the surgeon's office this morning. The surgeon that I wanted said that he would gladly see me and it still baffles me as to why there was so much drama in getting this accomplished. I have a feeling that they saw I was not just going to lay down and die for them and since I had already talked to the insurance company, that gave me real leverage and they could not dispute that and had to give in. I will be going on Monday, October 27 at 3:30 and we will just see what happens after that. I have a sneaky feeling that after what the ultrasound showed, that the gall bladder will be coming out and if so, then I want to schedule the surgery as soon as possible. I know that it will be an outpatient procedure as well as being done laproscoprically. I know that will be better for me and the recovery time will be easier than an open incision. I kow that this group will not do anything with an open incision unless they absolutely have to and i greatly appreciate that too.
It will definitely be interesting to see what actually happens.

10/16/08

Finally getting somewhere

I think I am finally getting somewhere with the surgeon's office. I fiannaly got the office manager and have no clue why she did not return any of our calls. She is going to talk with the surgeon that I want to use and said that she did not think that there would be a problem doing that, and my question was why could not someone in that office told us that yesterday afternoon when we first started calling. If I can get the consult with the surgeon that I want, then maybe we can go ahead and schedule the surgery and get things over and done with. It will be interesting to see if I hear from them before the end of business today.

10/15/08

Finally getting somewhere

I think I am finally getting somewhere about getting an appointment to see the surgeon about my gall bladder issue. I found out just a few minutes ago the referral has not even been started. I got the song and dance about the priorities about appendicitis and kidney stones, but excuse me a gall bladder going bad should be up there too. It has been one week since they were supposed to have started on this and are now getting to it. I find this unacceptable and it is obvious that the office has gotten too big for its personnel and that is just wrong. I have spoken to the office manager as well as my doctor's nurse about this problem and will talk to them again if necessary. I will even call someone in the administrator's office at the hospital if need be to see if this problem can be quickly taken care of.
The referral secretary said that she would start working on this right away and hopefully will be able to call me back later on today with an appointment. I know that the surgeon I want has openings on Monday at this point and maybe I can get one for Monday or next Thursday and that would give Sue time to either take the day off or be able to get her mom to take me. It has gotten aggravating, but think I am finally getting somewhere. I have heard that the squeaking weheel always gets the grease.

10/14/08

Still waiting

I am still waiting on the doctor's office to call and give me an appointment for the surgeon's office. I called the appointment secretary at the surgeon's office to see if an appointment had been mae, but all I got was her voice mail, so I left a message in hopes that she will call me back soon to let me know what is going on. This is really ridiculous having to wait five days at least to get a referral to see the surgeon. This stuff with the gall bladder is really getting uncomfortable and I really wish that something could hurry up and get done. Last night was really aggravating because I kept burping and after awhile my belly ached so badly that I ended up taking one of the pain pills that the doctor's nurse practitioner had prescribed for me and that really helped. If they are going to do surgery, then I want it to be done as quicly as possible so that the holidays can be enjoyed without having this over my head too.
I guess things will get taken care of in the next day or wo.

10/13/08

Really excited

I got an email earlier today telling me that the lady who had fostered Major throughut his training has finally become an apprentice trainer at Southeastern. I know that Jessi had been a kennel assistant and had been promoted back in July to a trainer assistant and that was a good thing and knew that in time she would be in line for one of the next apprenticeships available and to her creditt, she got the next one available.
I am really proud of her and for her as well because she really loves the dogs and will do a great job and will be apprenticing under some really good trainers that will definitely teach her plenty. I am hoping that we can get a group together to go down to the walk in February and I would love to hear her say hi Handsome to Major and I know that he would jump on her too.
It was funny because any time that she would come around during training, all she would ahve to say was hi handsome and he would turn toward her and sometimes would even jump up on her too. It was kind of funny to see.
Major is such a silly dog and many people down at the school said that he had no personality, but that is not true, it just takes him a little bit to warm up to you if he doesn't know you. I can definitely remember our first day, he did not really warm up to me until the next morning when I was getting out of the tub/shower combination and stepped on 97 pounds of black Labrador named Major. It really cracked me up and after I told Raymond my trainer, he laughed and said that was him showing me his silly side and that he was bonding with me and he has done things over and over again in the almost 15 months that we ahve been partners to show me he is a silly dog and that he is definitely a daddy's boy.

10/11/08

A long week

It has been kind of a long week. I was finally happy to get the results of my ultrasound and am now waiting somewhat inpatiently on the doctor's office to get off of their butts and get me an appointment with the surgeon. I would like to go ahead and get this taken care of before the holidays so that I will be able to enjoy them with my family as well. Sue had a long week and we are just relaxing right now. It has just been a long year for her adn we desperately need to get out of town for a few days and right now are planning on escaping to the mountains in two weeks if I don't have to have surgery before. We have only been up there once this year and that was with her mom back in March and we have not been able to get there by ourselves and that is what we want to do and have no interruptions and no visitors while we are there. I really love going up there because it is so peaceful and private and we just go to get away from it all.
I know that my parents go and come all the time while they are there, but we take our own food and only eat out a couple of times and that is usuallygoing up and coming home and sometimes even get tot he bakery in Brevard for fresh bread and cookies. I love the pastries there too, but cannot eat too many of them especially because of the sugar content, but it is good stuff. I can remember our honeymoon up there where we spent nearly 100.00 that week and let me tell you, it was definitely worth all of the money we spent int hat place.
I think we are just going to cool out this weekend and try to get a few things done in the house and I am definitely going to be watching football and see if my beloved Gamecocks can get business taken care of in Kentucky.

10/8/08

Finally some news

I finally have news on my gall bladder ultrasound. It seems that the gall bladder if full of sludge and the lining is full too so the next step is to have a consult with a surgeon and I have selected the surgeon that assisted in my gastric bypass surgery because he and I do well with each other. I am now waiting on the them to make the appointment and figure that if they need a consult then surgery is imminent and if so, then I want it done as soon as possible so that it won't interfere with any of the holidays as well.
The great news is that the other bloodwork that they did last week came back normal and my blood sugar was 77. I was really surprised at that considering I had eaten lunch about 4 1/2 hours before they did the blood work, so that lets me know that the surgery was definitely worth it and it worked as well.

10/7/08

Sick of politics

I am really sick of all of the political stuff right now. I have a couple of "well meaning" people bombarding my email in box with all sorts of crap and I am absolutely sick of it. They claim to be Christians and think that since I am a Christian, I am going to vote the way that theya re and it is just not going to happen. I really tried making one of them mad at me the other day just to shut him up and it looks like it did not even work. I will be so glad when the election is over and we can go back to a normal life.
I think if people are going to be so darn political then they need to run for office and not harrass their friends with their junk.

10/6/08

A rough night

It was a nother really rough night last night. I tried the leftover roast and it bit me again, so I guess until we find out what is going on in my system, any kind of roast like that is definitely out of the question. It is really strange that the sausage on the pizza we had Saturday night did not bother me that much and the same with my morning coffee and I am not brewing it any less strong than I normally do. It will definitely be interesting to see what the ultrasound showed that we had done on Riday and then decide what to do after that. If I have to have surgery, I would like to go ahead and get it done before any of the real holidays get here so that I can enjoy them too.

10/3/08

ultrasound over and done with

The ultrasound is over and done with. It went prety easy and now all we need are th results which will come either Monday or Tuesday. The radiologist will have to read it and then send the report to my doctor and then they will cal me with the results. If the gall bladder is bad, then I am going to see about getting the surgeon that assisted with my gastric bypass surgery and see about scheduling it as soon as we possibly can. I would love to get it out of the way if that is where we are headed.
Major was great and got lots of compliments on how nice looking he was and how well he works and that always makes me msile. It is nice tohave such a confident dog that enjoys his work too. He was really good in IHOP since I could not eat or drink anything before the test and then we went and had our Trailblzer serviced and the cashier at Herndon had to come and talk to him. I think that she would steal him if she were given half the chance. It was kind of a busy morning, but am happy to be back home too.

10/2/08

My silly dog

I had to go to the doctor's office yesterday to see if my gall bladder is going bad. Major did a great job of guiding me, but he really shoed off his silly side and then one of the nurses that my doctor uses came out to talk to him, and what did he do but roll on his back in harness with all four paws to the wind expecting to be petted.
I really liked the nurse practitioner and she had a Labrador and then asked many great questions aboutguide dogs and guide dog work. I love it when people ask questions because I am alwasy glad to answer them andd educate them about guide dog work. It is a passion for me and it helps because Major is such a nice looking dog and a looker as well. It was just a shame that I was single and will just leave it at that.

10/1/08

A rough night

It was a really rough night for me last night. For the past week I have been wondering if my gall bladder is going south on me. We went over to Sue's mom's for pot roast and vegetables for supper last night and after eating my portion of roast and a few carrots, I got sick. Usually if I have eaten something too fast, I feel it in my throat, but lately it has been in my gut and it was on fire. I ended up throwing everything I had eaten for supper up and then tried eating some of the wilted lettuce and the potato I had not eaten and that made things even worse, but I was still hungry. I waited until we got home and threw up some more and then had a couple of ice cream sandwiches and they made me sick, so I waited a little while and then tried eating a bag of soy chips and then they made me throw up too. I had taken Tums, Pepto-Bismol and even Maalox and I ended up throwing all of that stuff up too. Needless to say Sue was quite worried about me and I have scheduled a doctor's appointment for this afternoon. Unfortunately our doctor is on vacation and will not be back until Monday, but this cannot wait so I am going to see the nurse practitioner this afternoon and see if I can get them to refer me for a gall bladder ultrasound. I think that is the only thing that is going to rule this out and if it looks like it is going bad, then I will get with the surgeon's office and schedule surgery. I think that this kind of surgery is outpatient now and that is definitely a good thing too.The last time I was in the hospital was for my gastric bypass surgery and that was not the most pleasant experience I have ever had too, so if I can get away with having outpatient surgery, that will be the thing to do.

9/29/08

It's Monday

I think that the title says it all today. I have had trouble getting going today. I guess I went to bed too late last night and Sue's alarm went off too early this morning. I hate it when she keeps hitting that stupid snooze button. After she left, I rolled over and did not wak up until 8:30, and that is really late for me, but it felt really good and now I am finishing up my first cup of coffee and am going to go and finish up some laundry that needs to be dried and then hung up. I hope I can get to my exercise bike too because I have been under the weather off and on for the last couple of weeks and I have not riddent like I like to and can really feel lit, but am getting back on track with it and will be all right.
It is much warmer today than I would like it to be but it looks like the wonderful fall weather that we were having will be back by the middle of the week and I can definitely handle that too.

9/25/08

A cool morning

It was nice and cool out this morning. I like this kind of weather and I am definitely ready for fall to come. I know that it is supposed to warm back up over the weekend, but if this is what the rest of fall is going to be like, I am definitely ready for it.

9/23/08

A rough few days

It has been a rough few days. Somehow on Saturday I got a stomach bug that kept me running all day long Sunday and I really felt wiped out and was still feeling kind of woozy yesterday but am all right now. It is nice and cool out this morning and that is really nice. I am just taking it easy as usual and am enjoying my morning pot of coffee, and not decaf either, it really gets my day going and I enjoy it while things are peaceful and quiet here in the house as well.
I will be getting on my bike hopefully in a little while and hopefully Sue will be haing another good day at work too.

9/19/08

What a busy morning

I think that says it all. It has been a rather busy morning for me and that is a good thing. I moved the base for our new cordless phone system from the bedroom to the office because were having real difficulty with the handset in the den. I have a feeling that it had to do with the wiring in the back wall of the house and now since I went trhough the trouble to move it, the phone in the den sounds great. I think that was all that it needed and I am happy that I was able to get it done.
I really hope that Sue is having a good day today since her one student is in in school suspension and I know that she had a pretty good day yesterday as well as more participation from her parents last night buy coming out and meeting her. It is really unusual for her to have more than one parent, but this time she had nearly half of her parents come out and that is a really good thing because there were some that she really needed to talk to and was able to accomplish that too.

9/18/08

Major and peanut butter

Major loves peanut butter. I would have never known that if he had not gotten into a jar of peanut butter that Sue had in a bag that was unopened. I was in the bathroom and the cell phone rang and while there I thought he was in the bedroom, but little did I know that he was in the den helping himself to a jar. He chewed the lid off and then proceeded to eat as much as he could get with that long nose and tongue of his. Needless to say that when Sue got home last night, she found it and was not happy with him at all. The funny thing was that it was not the Aldi's brand, it was the reduced fat Peter Pan, the really good stuff, so he has expensive taste in peanut butter.
Needless to say, he was in the dog house for that one and I put him on leash for the rest of the evening, because he did not want to listen to mee at all. He has definitely been much better today because I am learning that with Major, I ahve to use different tactics than with the other two dogs that I ahve had. I realize that it is all a learning process just like life, but he is a sweet dog and I would not have it any other way.

9/16/08

Really sore

I think that the subject line says it all tonight. I am really sore. My tail bone really hurts tonight and I have taken some Excedrin back and body to see if that will take the edge off of it before I go to bed. I definitely got on the bike today and it felt good to bump up the tension level back to where I had been riding it too, and maybe that did not help, but I have to get back into the groove of exercising too. I really missed the week that I had to take off because I was sick and now I am having to work back up to where I was before I got sick.
I think I definitely need to go and just get on it earlier than I have been and that way I will be in the mood to ride it five days a week. I like the tension level where it is because it gives me just enough of a workout and then easy enough to be enjoyable as well.
I am really hoping my tail bone feels much better in the morning too.

Nice and quiet

I love it because it is so nice and quiet here in the house. It really looks like it is going to pour at any time now and we could use more rain. We got about two inches last night and some of it was really hard and we could use a couple of days where we could just have soaking rain would be really nice.
I am really hoping that Sue is having a better day today and that school won't be so frustrating.

9/13/08

A great presentation

We had a great presentation from our puppy group at the downtown library today. The kids have a story time every Saturday and then we had Major and all of our puppies that are being raised by our group. It was a lot of fun and major was great. All of the kids really loved petting him and he was the star of the show. I am hoping that we got some interest from the adults about becoming puppy raisers as well. That is something that we still definitely need more of and I was proud to represent Southeastern by doing this presentation.
I was also asked by one of the raisers who is a lawyer working for our local Protection and Advocacy agency to help draft legislation to procure entrance for puppies in training like I have with Major. We are one of a few Southeasterrn states that do not have this protection and it is great that we have a puppy raiser with these kinds of credentials. I think it will b really interesting to see if we can go ahead and get some of our legislators on board as well and that will make the process easier as well.
I really enjoyed the day and did not enjoy watching the USC-Georgia game this afternoon because frankly we did not play well and it definitely showed, but am enjoying the rest of the weekend while it is here.

9/10/08

A frustrating morning

I think that this title says it all. This morning started with a bang. I guess I should have just gone back to bed after trying to prepare breakfast. It started with my otameal cooking over in the microwave and then after getting all of that cleaned up, Major was trying to eat garbage out of the garbage can in the kitchen that I had accidently left open. I really had to get onto him because it was like when I told him no, he was not even hearing me, then he did not want to listen when I called him to come into the house.
At least going down to take the garbage went well, but when I came back in the house, I tripped over a box and fell on my butt. I think I may have bruised my tailbone and maybe my pride as well, but at least the coffee turned out well and hopefully Sue is having a better day than she did yesterday with her kids too. I really felt sorry for her this morning because the stress of at least of one the kids is really tiring her out and today of all days is her birthday and to have to work on your birthday is not really fair, even though I ahve had to do that myself a few times too.
I just hope that the rest of the day goes better and hopefully my cold will be better too.

9/8/08

Not feeling well

I think that the subject line says it all. I have had a bad cold since Friday afternoon and I am tired of it already. I think I got it from Sue and she has had one all week long too and we are both drained from it. We were going to church yesterday, but neither one of us felt like getting ready and sitting through a service. I know that sounds really bad, but that was where we were at the time. I am hoping that we can go this coming Sunday and hopeefully we will both feel better.
I am looking forward to the presentation for kids at the library on Saturday. We are going to have all of the puppies in our puppy group and of course Major and I will be the mainn attraction. I always enjoy doing presentations and am going to go ahead an start thining about what I am going to say. It is always a little different when you are talking to kids rather than adultss, so I will figure out what will be the best thing to say and how to go ahead and say it too. I think it will be really interesting and I also hope that they come loaded with some really good questions as well.

9/5/08

Sleepy this morning

I think that just says it all. I am a little sleepy this morning because I stayed up too late last night watching my beloved Gamecocks get their butts beat on national tv. It should have been a blowout, but they melted down instead. It is the usual stuff that I have been hearing all of my life and as a fan, I am getting sick of it. If the coaching is that bad, then we need to hire someone young and upcoming that is not afraid to take some chances with the players that we already have.
My sinuses have been draining the last couple of days and I am afraid that I am getting the cold that Sue had, and I guess share and share alike.
I think that this is going to be a really laid back weekend and I think we are just going to take it easy because neither one of us has really felt good the last couple of days too.

9/4/08

A quiet morning

It is a nice and quiet morning here. Major has been out and we are going to go and get the trash can from the end of the driveway after the mail comes, so we can go and get it at the same time too. I have had part of my morning pot of coffee and will finish it after I go and ride my Recumbent bike here in just a few minutes. Sue slept better after getting some muscle relaxers from her mom last night. She had some really bad cramps in her legs causing her not to be able to sleep and after taking them, she slept much better and I think she feels just a little better this morning too.
We are just hanging out and are enjoying the peace and quiet.

9/3/08

Exciting news

When I called to check on my dad this morning, I got the surprise of my life. It was dad that answered the phone and he sounded really good. He is being able now to bathe himself and said that he enjoyed his shower this morning as well and that is definitely a good thing. He went to the neuro surgeon this morning and he told him that the back looked great and to start doing things as he felt like doing them and to make sure that he was walking as much as he could.
I kow that the therapy is going really well too and the fact that he was able to go into the front yard yesterday was a huge accomplishment as well. I know that all of this really tires him out, but am also sure that this is the only way that he is going to get his strength back as well.

9/2/08

Encouraging news

I got some really encouraging news on my dad today. It seems that he is really walking around the house well and has been able to start bathing himself as well as being able to take his dishes into the kitchen too. I really find this encouraging especially since it has only been three weeks since his back surgery and then only about three weeks since he was in icu from the bacterial infection. I am really thankful that he is still alive as well as that he is doing so well with his recovery and rehab.
I know that he has a long way to go still, but at leasst he is getting better every day that passes and that is what we were looking for and it looks like this surgery wasa a success.

9/1/08

A great supper tonight

We had a great supper tonight. The turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes were awesome as always. WWe love having that meal as often as we can and don't just have to have it for Christmas or Thanksgiving Day. I love a good turkey anyhow and it is really good for you as well.
We watched Facing the Giants and my brother-in-law and sister-in-law had not seen it. It is a great movie about facing the giants in life and letting God overcome them for you. We watched Flywheel over the weekend and it was just as good and was produced by the same church that produced Facing the Giants. They have a new one coming out in the theaters soon and hopefully it will be just as good and cannot wait to see it or buy the dvd when it comes out too.

A quiet day

It has been a relatively quiet day here today. We have gotten some laundry done and Sue had to go and help her mom stuff the turkey for tonight's supper. For some odd reason, she is not feeling well and thinks that maybe she got the upper respiratory infection from our niece who just had it because she was holding her Saturday afternoon.
We are going to go and watch Facing the Giants with Sue's brother and his family. What a great movie that is and I ahve also seen Flywheel and it is worth buying too.

8/31/08

A really quiet Sunday

It is a really quiet Sunday today. Sue and I are both really tired out and I know that it has come from the stress of the two week old school year. She has some kids that are really trying her patience and I guess that the stress of it all is pouring over to the house too. I think we are just going to have to not let it get to us and go from there. We had company this weekend, but Teressa had to leave early so it is really quiet here today and that is a good thing too.
We are still going to Sue's mom's for dinner tomorrow and that should be good too and I know that there will be plenty of leftovers to bring home and that never hurts my feelings.
I just talked to my mom and dad is not having as good of a day today, but that is the way that it goes with him too, and hopefully tomorrow will be a better day for him too.
I was really happy this weekend because my beloved Gamecocks won big on Thursday night and my hate Clemson Tigers got embarrassed last night on national television. I personally think that they were grossly overrated and Alabama really humbled them and that made me really happy too.

8/29/08

A Major brag

I have to brag on Major. I justwent out to the mailbox to get the mail and took Major just on leash. I like taking him when I do things like this because the contrast on the driveway is terrible and you definitely need either the cane or the dog to work it without getting hurt. About the time I was getting to the end of the driveway, two cars whizzed past us and he stopped right on a dime like he was taught. I really love that too. We then crossed the street and turned up toward the mailbox. I then told him to find it and that is where he really shone. Southeeastern doesn't teach leash guiding, but I have taught him where the mailbox is and he will do it on or off leash. He took him right in front of it and then turned toward it and stopped allowing me to reach out and find it.
I really love his quiet confidence while working either in harness or on leash. He is really laid back and that was definitely what I was looking for in my guide dog. He is farily slow and soft, but that is what I was wanting and I got it and more.
I hope that we are together for quite a while and hopefully I will not need another one for at least 10 years. Thank you Major.

A little frustrated with my computer

I think that this says it all. I am a little frustrated with my computer this afternoon because it evidently is having a mind of its own today. I was trying to sign into my Google acount and it did not want to take my user name or keep the check box where I wanted it stay logged in on this computer. I guess that they have bad days and minds of their own at times. It is Friday and I am really happy aboutthat too. I am going to go and ride my bike here in a few minutes and maybe get in the shower after I get on the bike. It has been really quiet around here and that is a good thing too. Sue hopefully is having a better day than she has had lately. I hope that the student that was withdrawing, withdrew this mkorning and that the other two that she was having problems out of either did not come today or cooled their jets as well. I know that she is already ready for a vacation and she has only been teaching for two weeks now. I know that it is good that she has a much smaller class this year, but a couple of students are giving her a real run for her money right now and I know that can be really tiring as well.
I am hoping that she will have a really good weekend since our friend Teressa is coming up from Charleston as well, of course I plan to watch some NASCAR and as much football as I can get in too.
I think it will be a really good weekend and will be topped off by home made turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes on Monday. I think that Sue is going to try her hand at making a homemade cheese cake as well. I know that it will not be sugar free, so if I have any on Monday, it will be a little piece. I think I have been ingesting too many carbohydrates and not enough protein lately and am diligently working on that too.
I also enjoyed the USC game last night. It was kind of boring and exasperating until the fourth quarter when our coach put in what should have been the starting quarterback and then things started rolling and that please me mightily, so we shall see what kind of season we end up having too.

8/27/08

AAnother stormy night

It was another really stormy night last night. It was the second night we had really tough thunderstorms. I know that we desperately need the rain, but can live without the really harsh thunder and vivid lightning that seeme like it was striking near the house.
I am hoping that we will get more rain tonight, but no thunder and lightning.
Dad did not have as good of a night last night and am hoping that he had a better day today. The home health person was supposed to have come after lunch and I have not heard yet how that went for them. I am really hoping that it went really well and that good things are coming out of this too.

8/26/08

A quiet day

It has been a nice and quiet day here. It was so stormy last night that it was quite a while before I was able to get on line again. We desperately needed the rain, but did not need the hard thunder and vivid lightning. I am so glad that Major is not phased by storms like this because Hickory would have either been under my legs or under Sue's legs. He was so afraid of loud noises and really felt sorry for him when it came to either thunder or fireworks. I know that the wreck that we were in about 8 years ago never helped that and he only got worse over time, but he is not in pain any more and is happy running across the Rainbow Bridge with his predecessor Pilot too.
Dad seems to be doing well today and was able to shave by himself this morning as well as has been sitting up most of the morning. I know that really tires him out, but it will help him get his strength back too. They are really fortunate because their church has a nurse on staff and that is a really neat ministry to have her and others in the congregation help out people like mom and dad as well, this is a really cool ministry and wish them real success with it.

8/25/08

A good day

It has been a really good day here. I found out earlier this morning that my dad was being released from the hospital and instead of keeping him in the rehab unit, they let him come home and will be using the home health rehab personnel. I know that he is much happier to already be home even though it has really tired him out, but I think that is normal.
Mom said that he was sleeping when I called and the home health person will give them a really good idea what they need in the house in the way of safety bars and other items that will help dad get around the house that much better and safer all at the very same time.
I know that it is really going to take time for him to get back to as normal as possible, but this is a good sign and the great thing is that he is beginning to get stronger every day that passes and that has really encouraged me and the rest of my family too.
This just goes to show that the power of prayer really works and you cannot deny it because of the amount of people that were praying for him especially over the last weekend when he was in such critical condition.

8/24/08

Dad better

We went to see my dad this afternoon and he is much better. He is being able to do more for himself and that makes me feel good. They have had him walking and sitting up as much as he can and that is a very good thing. It really tires him out, but that is to be expected as well. It looks like he will be going home somewhere around Tuesday and that is a good thing too and I know that he is really ready to get home too. They did some testing over the weekend afound that his blood platelets are about normal and that the infection is basically gone and that is definitely a good thing. It was pretty scary this time last week, but we are fortunate that all prayer worked and the antibiotics were the right ones to use as well.
We are just chilling out otherwise this afternoon and will be watching the closing ceremonies from the Olympics as well.I know that Sue is really tired and the last two weeks of really pushing to get ready for school have really gotten to her too. I am hoping that this will be a much better week and that some of her students will calm down a little too.

8/23/08

A Major story

I have a really funny story to tell on my dog. About 2:15 yesterday morning my house phone rang. After I answered it and all I heard was my voice echoing, I realized that something had really gone wrong. Evidently I had left my blue tooth device in the pockett of my shorts and Major had rolled over on to my shorts which I had thrown in the corner and had somehow turned the blue tooth on and then somehow pushed the button again and it called the house. It was not funny at the time since my dad has been in the hospital and been so sick, but later on we were able to laugh about it. I am really happy that I was the last number that I had called from my cell phone and last night I made sure that the blue tooth was no where near the bedroom and that I had deleted my entire call history for yesterday too.
It is amazing what these crazy animals can do if you let them.

8/22/08

A beautiful day

It is a beautiful day here today. It was raining about two hours ago when I took Major out to feed him and let him go potty. I know that many people would think me strange for saying that this is a beautiful day, but we have had so little rain this summer and we need it so badly. It was moderate rain so it went into the ground without running off so badly. We just need several days of good soaking rain and that will definitely help our deficit.
Dad is doing well this morning and he was enjoying a bath mom was giving him this morning too and they are still not sure if they are going to move him later on today too.

8/21/08

Nice and quiet here

It is nice and quiet here this morning. Sue has gone and I am just enjoying the peace and quiet. We are planning on going up to the hospital and seeing dad this afternoon and I will be calling mom this morning to get directions to the room. I am glad that he seems to be doing so much better and that is definitely a good thing.
They still have no idea when he will be going home because of the infection still in his system. It was really nasty and I personally think that the hospital should be held responsible considering how they handled him when they tried to catherize him. I think that some serious education in is order for the nursing staff on that floor too. I guess that this is how things are going in the industry right now and I really do not like what I am seeing there too.
I am getting ready to take care of Major and then I will be getting my morning coffee and then getting on the bike before getting ready to go and see dad.

8/20/08

Encouraging news

I got encouraging news on dad this afternoon. It seems that the infection is much better and his blood platelets are up significantly, even though they are still only about one half of where they need to be, but this is good news. He was able to walk down the hall and back to his room even though he was with the therapist, he did better than he expected to do and this is definitely goo dnad encouraging news.
It looks like the worst is behind him and for that we are really thankful too.

A better morning

It is a better morning. I went to bed really early last night and just died. I know that I was mentally and physically tired out and the stress from school is already getting to Sue and me if I am not careful too.
I am just sitting here and am going to start my morning with my usual coffee too shortly. I am hoping that thoday will be a much better day.

8/19/08

Needing to vent

I think that says it all. I just need to vent tonight. My mom mad ea "family deision" and I was not even consulted. It seems that my sister, her husband and the pastor of their church consist of my family. To say the very least I am hurt and do not appreciate this kind of a stunt. I don't know if they are really ashamed of the fact that I am blind and will not be pushed around by them or they just do not respect me too. I am sure that my two brothers that live out of town were not consulted too and am sure that they may not be really ahppy about this as well.
I am getting really tired of being brushed aside and am not calling tonight and may not call int he morning. Mom can call me if she wants to and I want to know how my dad is doing, but hthis has gotten beyond ridiculous and I just do not need the stress.
it has already been one stressful week with school starting and Sue already having a rough class to deal with too.c

An interesting morning

It is an interesting morning here. It has been quiet in hte house, but found out that our new area coordinator was working with one of the puppies that is being raised in our group and they were asked to leave a Food Lion grocery store. I think that is a shame and am in the process of contacting Food Lion to see if I can rectify this. I realize that in many states, the puppy raisers do not have the same rights as the handler like I am, but this is ridiculous and I guess he is just being a jerk. I know that this kind of socialization is really vital for the raising of a guide dog puppy and it helps make them a confident and competent dog in the long run.
My dad is progressing, I think. I have not been really able to talk to mom for more than just a minute or two at a time and it is getting rustrating. I think that dad is really tired because he is still so weak.
I am just hanging out and am going to fix a sandwich soon and then get on either the Recumbent bike or the rowing machine which I really do need to start using.

8/18/08

Dad getting better

I was reallyhappy to hear tonight that my dad is finally moving out of the intensive care unit. They are moving him to the cardiac floor because his heart rate is so erratic right now. I am really happy that they are doing this because they can really monitor things properly. He is nowhere near being out of danger even though he is better than what he was on Friday afternoon. I am still rather upset with the nursing staff that tried to catherize him and did not sterilize him correctly and ZI am realtively sure that is where the severe infection has come from too.

I know that they are going to continue his physical therapy as well and that will be good too and that will help his back continue to get better and stronger too.

A quiet day

It has been a pretty quiet day here even though the day started off earl;ier than I would ahve liked it too. Sue did not get to bed until around 1:30 because she was working on stuff for the opening day of school and the got back up at 5:15 so that she could leave here by 6:00. I never really went back to sleep and finally did sneak in a nap after I ate lunch because of that and the stress of the weekend with my dad, I was really whipped.
He is doing much better now and is waiting to get into a room and will be in the hospital for several more days, but the worst is behind us and that is the best news of all. I do know that he will be moving back to the orthopedic floor sometime this evening, but is still very much not out of the woods with this infection. Hie heart rate is very unstable and because fo the infection, his blood is extremely thin and with his heart problems, this is not good too, so we are still believing in the power of prayer too, but at least he will be moving to a room later on and I know that he and mom are really tired and he will get some better rest there too. The best thing is that he has been eating well and that is a good sign.

8/17/08

A little frustrated

I am just a little frustrated with my wife. It seems that even when she is not really tired, it takes her forever to get ready to go and do something. She is really taking her time etting moving this morning and I was already hoping to have been at the hospital. I really wish that she would lose some weight because that would help her so much and she wouldnot be as tired out as she alwasy seems to be. I kow that the state's insurcance still will not pay for the surgery, but I also know that you need to want to do it as well.
I am just frustrated and was hoping to be at the hospital already to see my brother before he leaves as well as my niece and her boyfriend as well.

A Major brag

I have to really brag on my boy Major. This week my dad has been in the hospital and every time we have been up there Major has been totally awesome, not only in his work, but while having to wait as well.
This weekend my dad developed a severe bladder infection with Ecoli bacteria stemming from the nursing staff trying to catherize him after surgery Tuesday night. I did not take him on Friday evening when we all rushed to the intensive care unit, but had him with me all day long yesterday and he was great. He just lies there and enjoyed getting all sorts of attention from my family while I was in the back with my dad as well as his work going into the hospital and then back out was outstanding. I could tell he was ready to leave because we just flew past Sue going down the hall to the elevator and then across the crosswalk out to the truck as well. He is going to stay home today because we are not going to be there all afternoon. Sue has to finish up some stuff for school and I am sure that we will stop by the store and get some milk and a few other things that we need as well andd I have a race to watch this afternoon as well.

8/15/08

Really good news

We got some really good news this morning. My dad is being released from the hospital and he is happy. It has not been the greatest experience for him, even though they did nothave the problems with his gluten free diet this time like they did in early June. I am glad to hear that he was feeling better and that makes me feel really good because with all of the stuff with the spinal stenosis and the Parkinsons and even some of his heart issues, it has been a really tough year for him.
They are waiting for the home rehab to be set up as well as they are waiting on dad to be able to use the bathroom by himself since they just took the catheter out too.
I am sure that he will be home by the afternoon and hopefully will get some rest in his own bed.

8/13/08

A great outing

Major and I had a great outing this afternoon. We went to see my dad in the hospital and since Sue did not feel like doing the walking that we had to do, she stayed in the truck and I took my mom her supper that we had bought her. Sue parked with the back of the truck in front of the crosswalk to go into the hospital and after telling Major to find the door and then encouraging him to find it, we were headed across the crosswalk before I knew it. He id d agreat job and was askingwhere the elevator was that I needed to find when my sister walked up behind me and that was great and it even helped when she walked down with me since I am not really that familiar with Baptist Hospital here in Columbia.
The more I work Major, the more I really enjoy his laid back confident pace and the confidence that he exudes makes me feel that much more confident and I can easily assert my independence when it is needed as well.

A beautiful day

It is a beautiful day. I know that some people would think it really strange for me to say that about rain. We have needed it so desperately for so long that an all day rain affair is beautiful. I know that it makes going out in it messy, but that is ok too. Dad had a pretty rough night last night, but seems to be doing better this morning as well. I am really thankful for that and we will more than likely be going to see him later on this afternoon. I know that his blood pressure is still higher than we would like to see it, but I am sure that since he had a bit of trauma last night, he will be getting better soon. I know that he will be getting up later on this morning and that will be good for him too.
It is nice and quiet here and I really like that too because the morning started out with the normal drama from Sue and I hope that this will not keep going on for the rest of the school year, or we may have to say something and that would not be pretty too.

8/12/08

A really long day

It has been a really long day. I spent the afternoon at the hospital because my dad was having back surgery this afternoon. The surgery went really well, but it was a late afternoon surgery and we are all really tired tonight. Major was awesome in his work and I got many really nice comments on how nice he looked and what a great guide he was. I had two different people walk out in front of us back to back and he just stopped on a dime as well as he worked around all of the obstacles that were there too.
I am glad that he does his job so well, but he like the rest of us were really ready tocome home too and now he is snoring in the bedroom in his spot. I think I am just about ready to joinhim too and am sure that we will be going back up to see dad tomorrow or Wednesday.

A really quiet morning

It is a really quiet morning here. I am drinking my usual pot of coffee and just getting started. It is nice to finally have the house all to myself and that is just the way that I like ti too.
Sue has her convocation this morning and then will have the rest of the day to work in her room as well as the next two days. It will be interesting to see what kind of kids she will get this year too.

8/11/08

A good day

My wife Sue finally had a good day in spite of it being the first day back to school. She found out that they hired a new kindergarten teacher and that now gives them three five year old classes and she is really happy about that too. It will cut the class size down to about 15 a piece and that is better than what she had last year, when she has 27. It is really hard to get anything done with that many people in a class like that and fortunately it looks like she will have the same assistant that she has had for the past four years as well. This is really good because she and Cynthia really get along well and they have made a great eam too.
I will be going with her on Wednesday to help her move furniture and set up her room and all she has to do is to feed me and I am hers.