Another Funny Email

I thought this was so funny . . . . my sis probably sent it to me because while I was at their house I mentioned that every time I went to another medical facility, they want to know if I have a living will . . . . . which always makes wonder , " Do I really trust you??"

Yes, I did a little editing, to personalize it . . 

This may be the best Living Will I've Seen

 I,__________________, being of sound mind and body, do not wish to be kept alive
 indefinitely by artificial means.

  Under no circumstances should my fate be put in the hands of pinhead politicians who couldn't pass ninth grade biology if their lives depended on it, or lawyers/doctors
 interested in simply running up the bills.

 If a reasonable amount of time passes and I fail to ask for at least one of the following:

                             Glass of lemonade
                             Corn Chips
                             Margarita
                             Enchiladas
                             Cold Pepsi
                             Salsa
                             Chicken fried steak
                             Cream gravy
                             Buttermilk biscuits
                             Mexican food
                             Ginger ale
                             French fries
                             Chocolate
                             Onion rings
                             Movie
                             Ice cream
                             Cup of cocoa
                             Chocolate chip cookies
                            Chocolate covered nuts
                             Doggie snuggles
                             Cheetos
It should be presumed that I won't ever get better. When such a determination is reached,

 I hereby instruct my appointed person and attending physicians to pull the plug, reel in the tubes, let the 'fat lady sing,' and call it a day!

Dedicated to All Dog Lovers & Wise Learners . . . . .

A Dog's Purpose? (from a 6-year-old).

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker 's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. 
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ''I know why.''

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.

He said,''People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?'' The Six-year-old continued, 

''Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.''

.

• Live simply.
• Love generously.
• Care deeply.
• Speak kindly.
• Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
• When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
• Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
• Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
• Take naps.
• Stretch before rising.
• Run, romp, and play daily.
• Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
• Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
• On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
• On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
• When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
• Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
• Be loyal.
• Never pretend to be something you're not.
• If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
• When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

Smart Little Guy!!!

"My Sister's Hands"

Took a breather this afternoon and found this wonderful video through a couple of other blogs. Since I enjoy watching the hands of those who serve and this music, I really appreciated it. Hope you do to.

So Here is the Next Part of the "Plan" . . . .

Now that I have shown my new "exercise plan", NOT (yuck, can you imagine being able to do all that?), I will share my eating plan.

I signed up for SparkPeople on the internet a long time ago because it seemed to have a lot of good advise that were reasonable and do-able. I have found some great guide lines for helping me lose and then hold my weight. Isn't it great what we can find, at no cost?

This morning I found the website showing Chef Meg's videos where she is demonstrating ways to make healthier versions of some pretty yummy foods. Check it out HERE. I cruised through a few of them. They sound delicious, many can be used as leftovers, a must in my house, and pretty simple to make . . . . without too much invested time.

Sparkpeople also is publishing some top tips for losing weight and improving health, successfully. By successfully, I mean, permanently. You can find the first nine tips HERE.

Life's Disappointments . . . . or . . . . I Really Feel Old Now!

As I was shaking my can of spray primer, I decided to cruise through some blogs to see what Rachel is having, how Stephanie is doing, who else has found time to post on their blogs . . . . I followed a link on the nienie blog and found this video. (multi-tasking proves that one is still young minded, right?)

This, just a few days after it hit me . . . I have never done a cartwheel in my life. All because of fear, fear that my arms would not hold up my weight. Even though I was skinny, wiry, and tough as nails and strong as a little oxette when I was a kid.

Isn't it funny what will cross our minds from time to time. I have no idea what made me think of that last week. All I can think is that Satan does know us too well. He can zero in on the most innocent remote ideas and create disappointments that though they are so small, can become so large that they loom over us and our hearts.

This Beautiful World

I have mentioned from time to time how I love to go and peek at sleeping children. I did it as long as my kids lived at home. Still peek in at Sarah when she occasionally stays the night (wonder if she knows that?)

I also have posted pictures of my grand children when they are sleeping with beautiful peacefulness laying so sweetly on their faces. You've only seen a handful of the pictures I have :+)

Today as the boys were dropping off, one at a time, I felt so grateful that we can spend time with our grand kids. Those boys are so full of energy that it hasn't made me feel young yet. Then they snuggle down in the covers, close their bright little eyes and drift off into dreamland.

Lincoln has decided that when he is tired, just hug me, scrunch up a blanket for me to drape over, cover me and leave me alone already!

Garrett and I have a special deal. He picks out some books, I read them, snuggle him and if Gabriel isn't home from school yet, I get to take a little nap with him . . . . . sometimes as long as 10-15 minutes, before he kicks me black and blue. Mom & Dad don't always have the time to read & snuggle at home, so he can't demand it of his parents. We made this deal when I got grounded from story reading because of tantrums at home. Ha! I showed them! Gabriel even came in today and snuggled in to listen to the stories. . . then quietly told me that it was his turn now. Funny kid.

If Gabriel is here, I put on a lame, boring movie, snuggle up to him and we watch it. That requires a specific routine:

• Throw all the back pillows on the floor.
• I lay down on the couch on my side.
• He snuggles in with his had on my shoulder, drapes his legs over my bent legs (that have a pillow between them to prevent sore hips with the extra weight on them).
• Drape a blanket over us, leaving room for the dogs to climb under and nap (totally cool BTW)
• We lay there with him asking questions about everything in the movie, no matter how many times he has seen it.
• After a while he decides that he needs a pillow. He has to get the pillow and put it in place just right because my arm is already numb.
• If that doesn't send him to the Land of Nod, we have some wonderful a quiet time just talking about the most interesting ideas and things. Sure don't know how he observes so much when he is so random and going full speed ahead all the time.

I haven't had as much time with the girls the last few months, and I miss having the same sweet experiences with them. I have as many pictures of them sleeping . . . in the funniest most random places. So funny. Tati loves to be read to, but Arianna prefers movies much of the time. If I read the stories just "right" I can usually draw her in too. Love to pull that little trick ;-)

Grand motherhood really is a special time. It was so hard to make this time when our kids were little. We had several acres that took a lot of work to make productive. No dryer, just a clothes line full of very wrinkled clothes to be ironed. Goats to milk and process all the milk, make cheese or whatever I could so it didn't go to waste. Quarter to half acre gardens that had to be preserved. Always cooking from scratch to help make ends meet. Mending out the wazoo most of the time because of our rustic life style and Jon's work in communications. Hard wind that created house repairs on a regular basis, Jon traveled a lot, so much of this fell to me. Splitting or cutting up wood to heat the house if Jon wasn't able to get enough done when he was home on weekends. Let me tell you, I was one buff old gal . . . OK, just middle aged.

Now I can just tell the world to stuff it, and I do, so that I can relish and embrace this short time before it is too late. Jon is even focusing in on how quickly they are growing up. It has shown him what he missed when our kids were little and he had to work so many hours to keep us going financially. I hope our kids realize that he had no choice and now he wants to do these things with their children. In his own way, he is doing it for/with them. He gets the sweetest expression on his face when he is having a special moment with one of our little stinkers!!

Once again, life is good in this beautiful world . . . . so very good.

So here we sit, two bumps on a log. . . . . and you will notice by this picture what speed we are sitting at. We offer no apology, we don't feel guilty, and we are rather enjoying it . . . . anyone got a problem with it? And so be it . . . . . . .

oops, time to move the wash to the dryer. Oh well, it was wonderful while it lasted . . . almost through dinner!

My chuckling partner in crime concurs.