Watching, waiting

Good New Years' Eve to you all. Today is also the third wedding anniversary of my beautiful daughter Mary, and my favorite son-in-law, Mike. The picture to the left is the Interfaith Chapel here at Strong Hospital. It's not such a great pic, but the words are the 23rd Psalm inlaid in tile. It's a beautiful, peaceful area.

Update on my mom- last night was quite disconcerting. She has been yelling out for help and moving her arm around. It seems to be an issue that she can not relax more than one of pain. We now have her on anxiety meds and pain medication every hour. Unfortunately, that also means she has fewer moments of lucidity. It seems the nights are the worse for her. During one moment when she was aware of us here she called Beth closer to her and just stared at her. Beth asked her "What are you looking at, Gammie?" She replied. "You". Beth said "Me? Why?" and mom answered, "Because you are so beautiful!" There was also a moment last night when she pulled Beth close to her, kissed her cheek and said "Good-Bye". This is such a difficult time, and I want to thank all of you for you help, you good thoughts, and your prayers. Thank you Dad and Gail and thank you Tom.

Hospice

Just some background for those of you who do not know...the day after Christmas, my mother was taken to the hospital because her temperature was 95 degrees. The doctor contacted me the next day to tell me that she was experiencing kidney failure due to her diabetes and fragile health. When the doc called, I was in Jackson, Tennessee on my way back to Oklahoma from Beth's house in North Carolina. I flew up to Buffalo, N. Y. from Oklahoma City on Monday afternoon and Beth took a flight out of Raleigh. We met in Buffalo. My favorite brother-in-law, Tom, was at the airport with a rental car for us. It was nice to see a friendly face after so much stress and hurry. Beth and I drove to Rochester last night and are now at my mom's room in hospice. This unit of the hospital is brand new and located right next to the pediatric intensive care unit. The horse in the picture is right off the elevator. She is not doing well, but she is at peace. No pain, no discomfort, but she has been sleeping much. This has been so unexpected and quick. Send good thoughts.

love,

mommy

Merry Christmas!!!

When life hands you lemons, make Lemoncello liquor! We made the best of A.J. not being here by hooking up the webcam and not only did we have A.J. share the gift opening, but Erica was also able to be with us. It rained all day today here in Raleigh, but back in Oklahoma, they have a glorious white Christmas. We are leaving tomorrow about noon or so and the weather should be clear the whole way home. Hope you all are well,

love, mommy

The Weather outside is frightful...

The good new is that every one is well and healthy. The bad news is that flights were canceled in Oklahoma City due to the massive blizzard hitting the Midwest. Erica took A.J. to the airport, but his flight was canceled and no others going out tonight. They have white out conditions right now. Erica took him to her house in Norman and the normally 30 minute drive took almost 5 hours. All of the interstates have been closed and they are now snowed in. He can't come here for Christmas. So we did the next best thing...webcam the dirty Santa game! A.J. hooked up his computer and we hooked up ours and opened dirty Santa gifts. We will do the same webcam Christmas in the morning with all the gifts. Don't you just love technology???

Hope you all are well and safe,

love,

mommy

Twas the night before Christmas

I forgot to post a picture of A.J.'s birthday cake. This is it! It is Red Velvet with a cream cheese frosting and then covered with fondant. The only thing NOT edible is the rubber duckie. We took him out to a neat Irish pub in OKC. We are at Beth's in North Carolina with Dad and Gail and, weather permitting, A.J. will be with us tonight. There is a raging snow storm making it's way across the Midwest, but we are hoping he will make it through. Then we will have a dirty Santa exchange tonight. The weather here has been chilly, but no more snow. We are leaving Saturday morning, and may run into the snow, but should be alright.

Hope all of your Christmas' are well.

love,

mommy

Winter Wonderland

In October of this year, there was a major rock slide on Interstate 40 going through the Great Smokey Mountains. We are now detoured around the spot by taking the original pass through the mountains. We should take the detour all the time as the view is just breath taking. The big winter storm passed through a few days prior and provided a glorious winter wonderland. Rick, Katie, and I are in North Carolina with Beth and Mike. Dad and Gail will join us on Wednesday and A.J. will be here Christmas Eve. Beth has snow here, but not as much as is pictured. Hope all is well.

Happy Birthday, A.J.!!!!

How on earth can 25 years go by so quickly? My baby boy is 25 years old today. I got him a special cake, which I will post after he sees it, and then dinner at a nice Irish pub in downtown Oklahoma City.

Happy Birthday, booger!

love, mom

Dr. Mom

It's now official...I am Dr. Mom! The hooding ceremony was last night and in honor of the event, Katie made me a cake! She is so Rachel Ray...it's a dark chocolate with coffee icing. The ring is chocolate covered espresso beans that she hand made.

The "Hood" in academia, is the sash that is placed around the neck signifying rank. Mine is made out of velvet and is multi colored, but predominantly black, orange, and a lovely navy blue.

love,

mommy

Pretty Fall Day...before the freeze!

This is the last pretty day for a while. A cold front is coming through tonight and it might even snow tomorrow. Temps were in the mid-60's today, so Rick and I went out mountain biking. It was really great and I didn't even hurt my knee that bad.

Good news for Christmas...I just got a plane ticket for A.J. and he will be flying out to Beth's on Christmas Eve so we can all be together for Christmas! He has never seen Beth's house, so this will be nice to have the whole family together.

Hope you are all well,

mommy

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I hope all of the followers of this blog are in good health, have plenty of good food, and are surrounded by those who love you (and your cats!). Since there are no children at our home any longer, Rick and I opted to come to Wichita,, Kansas. His son, Jonathon is here visiting also, so it was a good meeting place. Rick and Jon went out bowling last night while I finished up an article I am working on.
My knee is better with the Naproxen and I had an MRI yesterday, so I will find out next week what the damage is on the thing. I really don't think it is anything horrid. Hopefully, just a little therapy or something.
I will be finalizing everything for my doctorate on Monday the 30th and then the hooding ceremony on Dec. 11th. Donna, you should go to your ceremony! You worked hard for it. We are going to get a video camera and I will post the clip.
Have a very wonderful day and enjoy your Tofurky,
love, mommy

New Ortho lady!

I went to the ortho today and I love her!!! What a true test of a quality doctor when they know that your birthday on Oct. 20th is on the cusp of Libra and Scorpio? I had X-Rays done and then saw her. She did all the bendy, poky, things to my knee and she heard how it pops (and HURTS) when I bend it. She said that the X-ray is perfect and the bones look great so it must be something with the meniscus or perhaps a piece of cartilage is catching on something. So I go next week for an MRI and then see her again on Dec. 9th. She recommended no walking, running, or biking if it hurts, but to start swimming again. I have to do something to keep the weight off because the more weight I gain, the worse it is for the knee....jeez.
Hope you are all well,
mommy

Not such a bad week after all

The antibiotics are finally working on my sinus infection and a week off from running has helped. I went bicycling a little this week and it didn't hurt my knee too bad. Then tonight, I decided to try a walk at the airport. It was such a lovely day that I needed to get out. All in all, my knee doesn't hurt too much. I'm going to keep babying it though. I finished the edits on Chapter 4 and all I have is 5 to go. Then I should be able to file it with the grad college. I hope it goes well because I bought my velvet tam for graduation. Hope you are all well, love mommy

Repressing the Daylight

-Today we turn back our clocks an hour for Standard Time. Yes, we get an extra hour of sleep, but it's 6:00 P.M. and pitch dark outside. When I am able to get back on the bike, it will have to be right after school.
-In keeping with this darkness, I have had a rather heartbreaking month, of sorts. My mom, who had a stroke in September, is in a rehab/nursing home to recover. She is slowly making progress, but her mind still fights for moments of lucidity. As of today, she does not remember the stroke and thinks that I concocted a scheme to have her put in a nursing home and taken away from my sister. This is so horrific for me, because no matter what I say, she believes what she thinks is the truth.
-So for my children, I am feeling so far away from all of you. I know you are strong, independent, and wonderful and I am proud of you all. However, as life marches inexorably onward, I hope you remember one thing from me: I love you all so much. I hope this video always reminds you of how much you all mean to me.
love mom

Turn 50 and the warranty expires!

Happy Halloween to all! It is a beautiful fall day here and the temps are gorgeous. Rick and I went out on the mountain bikes, but my knee is swollen and painful. Had to stop after 2 miles. I just woke up on Wednesday with my knee hurting and swollen. I also have a lump in my breast that the doc is investigating and my eye sight is going! My mini-me icon from Nike will not be happy, but I need to take a rest for a while until the swelling goes down. Ah... getting old...well, it's better than the alternative.
love you all,
mommy

Beautiful Fall Day

Well, it didn't begin quite so beautiful, but the clouds and the gloom finally gave way to a gorgeous sunny afternoon. This is my favorite time of year and all the leaves are falling and the brilliant colors of the trees are just stunning. However, it was still a chilly 57 degrees when I decided to go for a run around the Airport. And of course, it's windy there too. But the sunshine made it well worth the effort. I got news today that a manuscript I sent in to a journal has been accepted for publication! It should be printed by summer. That makes six articles in print. If I can just finish up the dissertation by Dec. 4th, maybe universities will be adequately impressed and give me a job! Hope you are all well,

love, mommy

Birthdays and more birthdays!

Happy Birthday to my favorite Mother-in-Law - Gail! And Happy Birthday to my good friend Dr. Donna Maynard! All the brightest people are Libras!

A Wonderful Fall Break!

It's Sunday night and I have finished scooping litter, refilling food bowls, and starting laundry. Yes...back to reality. After 4 days in paradise, I guess it's good to be back home with my furry loved ones. We spent two days in HOT San Antonio and then travelled down to the border to South Padre Island. It was so gorgeous!!! We brought the bikes and rode all over the island. They had the Castles in the Sand contest going on. You will notice everyone in masks and coughing? That's due to Red Tide. It's a nasty algae that blooms abundantly every now and then. Come to find out, I am quite allergic to it! I was coughing and sneezing quite a bit, but the beauty of the place was worth it. It was a nice birthday vacation. Will post more pics later.

love,

mommy

2 Donna's, 2 Doctors

While it might not look good to most people, this is a plate of the most delicious food on earth...Cheese enchiladas with mole. We went to Rosario's Restaurant in San Antonio for my birthday dinner. You can see the Mojito at the top of the plate. But the best gift was a sunny sky and 92 degree temps. After a week of cold rain in Shawnee, this was very nice.

Another doctor! My friend, Donna Maynard (yes, like my adorable grand-kitten) just successfully defended her dissertation and is now a doctor. I met her when we were both finishing up our Master's. Congratulations Dr. Maynard!

The best uplift ever!!!

Is it legal to post these things to a blog? Guess I will find out. This is the week of Fall Break! Yeah, yeah, and yeah.

Too funny for just Facebook

I don't know if this will work or if I will go to jail, but the clip is SOOOOO funny.

Weather in Oklahoma

Yesterday, the weather was so fantastic! I went for a 20 mile bike ride through the rural roadways around my home. I let the kitties outside to soak up some sun. Today....(sigh) rainy and cold. You can see from the picture on the left the rain starting to puddle up on the front lawn. It's a good thing I mowed Friday afternoon. That left yesterday for play. Today, scooping, scrubbing, and shopping. Oh yes, and finishing the final edits on my dissertation. Hope you are all warm, well, and content.

love,

mom

You can call me Doctor!

That's right...I passed! I do have some revisions to complete by Nov. 1st, but I will be able to walk across the stage on December 11th. Actually, I will officially be a doctor when the final copy of the dissertation is submitted to the graduate college, but who is quibbling? Gosh, I don't know what to do next?
:)

M-i-c-k-e-y

Here's Mickey! She is still pretty depressed about being away from the home she has known for most of her life. Rick has been petting her and loving her. She reminds me of a skinny Shadow!

Moving Day for fosters

I spent the day helping a co-worker move out of her house and into a new apartment. She has two cats, but her room-mate has a very elderly, sick cat, and Kinsey cat "Turtle" is not in good health. So they elected to take those two and left Mickey all alone. So we are fostering her until Kinsey can take her back. It may be a while. She is living in the upstairs apartment. I can't get a picture because she is hiding, but will get one soon. I am scared about Monday...

Here comes the Sun!!!

After seven days of continual rains and clouds, today we had sunny weather!!! Rick is officiating, but I am going out on the bike. I did the mowing this morning, as did all of my neighbors. This was a tropical low that was stalled over Oklahoma, so although it wasn't very hot, it was quite muggy and humid. I haven't seen the grass this thick and green in a long time. We are expecting another cool front that should knock the humidity down and bring in some good Fall weather. I am making a big batch of Potato Corn Chowder this week! I got the go-ahead to print the dissertation and get it to my committee. I will be presenting next Monday (28th). I made a PowerPoint today and will start practicing. I am trying to anticipate all of the questions they might ask.

Hope you all are well,

mommy

PLEASE give me some....

Evidently, Thursday thinks Rick's funnel cakes are the best in the world! Fat cats love the deep fried goodness dipped in confectioners' sugar as much as I do. Rick has been in the habit of making either beginets or funnel cakes for breakfast on the weekends. (I don't why I am gaining weight???)

It's a rained out weekend, so we are forced to do house cleaning today. One of Rick's friends was killed in a motorcycle accident and we are going to the funereal tomorrow. The rest of the week is going to be busy as I have parent/teacher conferences on Tuesday and Thursday evening. Ah well...keeps us out of trouble.

love,

mommy

Assistance from the Dead ...

...dog, that is. No she's not really dead. I know that most of you have heard the story of Jessie, the adorable Corgi. Beth had rescued her many years ago. The vet told her that the dog had heartworms and if they didn't pay the $1,000 treatment cost, she would only last for 6 months. Beth and Mike didn't have the money at that time and Jess was about 10 years old, so she asked me if I would provide hospice for doggy and make the last few months of her life comfortable. That was about 7 years ago. The dog is still alive, but we call her "the dead dog". Either the vet was totally incompetent, or very corrupt. Anyhow, Rick is building a deck addition off our bedroom and he had the pad all nice and level and ready for concrete, but JESSIE thought it should have more holes in it! Isn't she cute???

-Update... I will defend my dissertation on Sept. 28th. I am profoundly frightened of this, but immediately, I have to finish editing the draft. I should be done on Sunday.

-Katie is back home and doing well, but the specialist told her that there is too much damage and she will need a cornea transplant. I think this will happen within a few months. She starts school on the 29th.

-Rick and I have been bicycling quite a bit and A.J. has even joined us for a ride or two.

-On a more somber note...my mom was rushed to the hospital on Saturday because she was paralyzed on her left side. My sister thought she had a stroke. Testing showed she did not have a stroke, but she is still unable to walk. She is lucid and getting stronger every day. Last night she was moved to a nursing home for rehabilitation. I think the source of the problem is her inability to take her medication regularly and her diabetes got the best of her. She will be getting good care at the nursing home. Keep her in your prayers.

I hope you are all well. We have a rainy weekend in store.

She is a Pip!

Katie just returned home to Chicago this afternoon and met the new lady in her life ...Pip! Hayley, Kate's room-mate adopted her from a rescue organization. Now Bruce has a little friend to entertain him when the girls are in class. I need to give a huge thank you to Beth and Mike for taking such good care of little sis during her recuperation process. The infection is gone and she is no longer in any pain. Her eyesight has not returned completely, but it is getting better. On top of that, Katie has a job! She interviewed before she got sick and they help it for her. Looks like we all are getting back on our schedules.

Hope you are all well, mommy

Let's Fall in love

For those of you who know me, I change the dining room decor to reflect the seasons...just like my hero Martha! Since Rick spilled coffee on the table cloth this morning, I thought it would be an opportune time to change into the Fall theme. LeeLoo grabbed the black Halloween cat off the table along with the OSU football toy and had a jolly old time! She is feeling much better after her dental disaster.

-Update on Kate - She is no longer in pain and doesn't need to take the Vicidin. Her eyesight has not returned, but there is still time. She may be returning to Chicago in a few weeks.

-Things are getting into a routine here. I am teaching at university on Monday and I just took on a home bound student who I will teach on Thursday's after school. Rick is getting wrapped up in football (for Donna... not the classy British game we call soccer, but the much more violent American game) and he is gone several evenings a week to referee. Lots of quiet in the Sayman household!

Hope you are all well...

Happy Birthday, Nana!

Most of you who read my blog did not know my Nana, but today is her birthday. She would have been 93 years old! She died March 8, 2003. She was born August 18, 1916. She taught me how to cook, how to knit, and how to cuss like a drunken sailor. I named my first born daughter after her and I miss her every day that I draw breath. I love you, Nana.

**In the black and white, she is on the left. The pic of her with the baby is me!

And the blind shall see

It has been a busy week as I started back to school right after my return from North Carolina. Even though the students didn't start school until Wednesday, it was the longest three day school week on record! We all need to adjust to the two month summer break.
Good news concerning Katie - She got her new glasses yesterday and the color of her iris is beginning to return! When this started it was Zombie white, then morphed to old sick dog blue, and is now healing to her beautiful, natural, emerald green. The doctor said she is doing very well. Thank you all for your prayers and good energy.
I start teaching a night class at university starting Monday and Rick is preparing to go TDY at a base in Dallas, Texas for a week. He is quite excited for the opportunity to play golf every night of the week!
Hope you are all well...

Happy Birthday, Elizabeth!!!!

To my eldest, beautiful daughter, Happy Birthday. I hope you had a great day with your baby sis there. I am glad I got to make you some special fondue for your birthday dinner. I love you!

Happy Birthday, Teri!

It is a popular day for birthdays! First, Teri, Happy Birthday. Rick did try to call earlier and I know he will try again. Hope you have a fantastic day.

No Pictures, please!

I just returned back home from North Carolina this afternoon. I am so glad that I went there to see my two girls. We took Katie to the doctors yesterday and he said that she has turned the corner and is doing better. She is able to get out and do more things, but she has to wear sunglasses and a big floppy hat. Beth and I felt as though we were shuttling around a famous movie star who wanted to stay in cognito! The best news the doc gave Kate is that she can sleep for a full 8 hours at night. For the past 3 weeks she has had to put eye drops in every 2 hours. Last week, they said she could put in a ointment at midnight and sleep for 4 hours. Now she can get a full night's rest. i am sure that will improve her healing very much. Thank you all for the prayers for her healing. They were so appreciated. We are now praying that her cornea won't be too badly damaged and she can regain her sight in her left eye. At least I know that she is getting world class care from the Duke Eye Center and from her favorite sister and brother-in-law.

Just me and the chickens

I went to the barn with Beth this evening. It had been raining since morning and a damp, humid day turned into a cool, refreshing evening. While Beth rode her horse Magic, I sat under the pavilion and read "The Time Traveller's Wife". Katie and Mike were home sleeping. Kate is doing a little bit better. She is still in a lot of pain but the resident we saw on Friday gave her an ointment to put in at midnight so she could sleep for a full 4 hours! This is a step in the right direction. During the day she still has to put in the drops every 2 hours. She has an appointment with the her doctor on Tuesday. If all goes well, I will leave for Oklahoma on Wednesday morning.

love,

mommy

Update on the update

After visiting Artist Point in Arkansas, I decided to create my own little haven for hummingbirds. Rick placed this feeder right outside the living room window and we had visitors almost immediately.

Update on Katie: She is now under the care of Dr. Carlson at the Duke Eye Clinic at Duke University. He prescribed her some awesome pain pills so she can sleep and eat. Mike has been making her good, home cooked dinners and she is able to rest. thank you Beth, you have really helped out your sister tremendously. I decided that I want to see my girls in this week that I have before returning to work at the high school. Today was my last class teaching at the university and I have to report on Wednesday morning at the high school, so i am leaving tomorrow morning for a 20 hour road trip...BY MYSELF! I guess my dear British friend, Donna, was correct, I do have a Gypsy soul.

love to all,

mommy

Katie Update

Just a quick update on Katie's eye. The doctors at U. Chicago have determined that the infection has not spread to her retina. That is very good news! The bad part is that the psuedonoma that she has is a penicillin resistant bacteria that will take a month to clear up. She is still blind in that eye and the cornea has scarring. She is flying out Sunday so her big sis and favorite brother -in-law can take her to the Duke Eye Center to see Dr. Alan Carlson. Even her doctors in Chicago were thrilled that she was going there. Please continue to keep her in your prayers.

Kat's Eye

I think I have told most of you, but for those who did not hear, Katie has a severe cornea infection. It is a bacteria and she has been going to a doctor at the U. Chicago medical center. As of now, she is blind in that eye and has suffered scarring on the cornea. She will see a specialist tomorrow. In the mean time, her wonderful sis and bro-in-law have offered to have her come to Durham for medical care. Beth is going to contact a specialist at Duke University tomorrow. Gosh Kate, you have some of the best medical care in the world available to you! Katie is in a lot of pain, so please send her good energy and healing thoughts. Perhaps light a candle and keep her in your prayers.

love,

mommy

Weekly Update

I knew that regular readers of my blog would crave updated pics of Keiko, so here they are! The intense heat wave that were experiencing here has finally broken. Instead of temps hovering around 110 degrees, they are now where they should be for this time of year in the low 90's. I went for a 14 mile long bike ride this morning and it was 70 degrees outside! What luxury. I have been busy with the class I am teaching at OSU. It is so much fun and I am learning quite a bit about teaching a grad level class. I even have a spiffy little office up there. I will post pictures of it next week. I hope you all are well.

love,

mommy

THE cutest kitten in the Universe

This is Bruce! He is Katie's new kitten.

Artist Point

After our wonderful breakfast at Rick's Iron Skillet Cafe in Fayetteville, we took a tour around the university of Arkansas. It is so pretty here! The entire town is on the side of a mountain. It reminds me of Ithaca. We took the scenic drive back to Oklahoma through the Boston Mountain Trail and stopped at a lookout called Artist Point. They have a dozen hummingbird feeders lined up by the observation glass and it was so very relaxing to watch these little wonders come flying by for food. Hope you are all well,

mommy

The 4th with the Devil!

Happy Fourth of July to all! We decided this morning to go to Devil's Den State Park in Arkansas. It was so beautiful! It's north of the state by Fayetteville and quite mountainous. Yesterday at home, the temp was 104 degrees. Today it was cooler, but it was raining when we started out so by the time it stopped, it was quite muggy and humid. The scenery more than made up for the heat though. We also found some caches here. Beth and Mike, you would have liked this place as they had a large and full horse camping area. We are camping at Rick's favorite rough site...The Best Western of Fayetteville... complete with a jacuzzi tub. I was getting out the tent and sleeping bags, but he said "NO!"

Hope you are all well,

love,

mommy

Photo Album

I am trying to get better at this thing! I found a photo album that I could post here so if you click on the pic that says "Chicago" to the left of this post, it will take you to the photo album.

Chicago!

As you can see, we are back from Chicago! We really had a wonderful time there. It was so awesome that all of my children and my mom could all be together. I will post more pics later on today. I have to scoop litter you know!