DR. WOLFE TAKING HERBIE TO SURGERY

NEUTERED HERBIE MILLER

SLEEPING

Olivia is cuddling Little Phineas while Sadie and Lydia sleep at her feet.

NEUTERING HERBIE

Herbie Miller goes in for surgery in the morning. He will be a much calmer bunny and hopefully will not try to bite me again. He doesn't know about the surgery yet, poor Herbie, he will be so surprised.
I've been reading about rabbit neutering and am a bit concerned that the vet doesn't know enough about rabbits. I was told not to feed him after midnight. Everything I have read says to not withhold food until 2 hours before surgery. Bunnies don't vomit and their digestive tract can shut down if it is empty too long. I also read that the stress of surgery and being away from people they know can make them give up. If I don't like the looks of things in the morning I won't leave him there. I'll have to find another vet for Herbie.

MY DAUGHTER

LEAH

BIG BAD LEAH

OLIVIA

FOOD

I haven't eaten anything today that I much liked. The best thing was 2 biscuits with gravy and a coke early this morning. After that, nothing has come close. For lunch, I had a bowl of Special K. The best part of that lunch was eating it out of the Halloween bowl that Jeanie gave me, 2 bowls actually, both filled with candy, which I promptly ate. The candy, not the bowls. Since I seem to live from meal to meal, I've been thinking about breakfast for tomorrow. I will want something really good that will require very little effort on my part. Olivia is here and she will be hungry much earlier that me. Maybe I should have a snack now, just to tide me over.

NOVEMBER

November. I don't know how this happened. The months have gone on and left me floating along. I have done very few of the things I set out to do this year. I guess I still have time to do a thing or two.
I was going to have a yard sale but the building leaked. I threw away my yard sale stuff. At least, that's one good thing that came out of the leaky roof.
I just finished reading three books by Sonny Brewer. I wish I had three more, I liked them all. My favorite is A SOUND LIKE THUNDER.
Sonny, I hope you are writing.

MY GRANDFATHER'S DESK

SALVAGING

It was a Thursday. Tracy had been here cleaning the house. I had actually worked hard, putting away things, hanging up clothes, just being domestic. With the house clean and not having to cook supper, I decided I would read and take a nap on the couch. I gathered my book, reading glasses, diet cherry 7-UP, a few fun size Snickers, a toothpick, the inhaler and nose spray, Bucky pillow and the velour blanket. Just as I got myself wrapped in the blanket, my reading glasses on and my book open, the phone rang. It was Mama. She said she had an awful mess, the roof in the white building had leaked and it was bad. Oh no, I thought, here goes my nap. I reluctantly lifted myself off the couch, folded the blanket and put on my shoes.
I drove the car into Mama's back yard, close to the building. Mama was already pulling things out and giving them a sling. I looked in the building and she was right, it was bad. I started filling trash bags and moving things around but it was about too much for me to handle. Mama had called John, her neighbor across the street. I have never been so glad to see anybody. He dug into the mess and soon had a path and was making some order of it all. We were able to salvage the most important things, except one. But that's too sad for me to think about now.
Meanwhile, Mama is in the yard trying to move things around, but they are moving her instead. She kept toppling over and we would have to help her up. Then I heard her calling me. I went to the back of the house and she had fallen in the well. It's a good thing we had been filling in the well for the last several years. She had fallen backwards, she was nearly folded in half, her head and feet sticking out of the well. She was laughing so I knew she wasn't hurt. Or at least I didn't think she was hurt. While I was trying to get her out of the well, I got so tickled at her that I couldn't pull her out. Finally, John had to come help. He didn't know what to think of either one of us. Falling was funny until she tripped on a cord, hitting her head on a metal table, and hurting her foot and arm. A big blue knot popped out on her forehead. She assured us she was fine but that was the end of her trying to help. She was also getting cold so I sent her in the house. Every few minutes she would come to the back door and tell us how sorry she was that she wasn't helping, we would be dead (we weren't), my back would hurt (it did), we would get dirty (we did), did we want anything to drink (we didn't), were the trash bags too heavy (they were), would I have asthma (probably), was I still coughing (yes, I was), how much longer (much too long), what would we do with the trash (who knows), were we hungry (no), were we ruining our clothes (no doubt, we were), did we like her (not a bit).
As night came on, I put much of the salvaged things in Mama's car. The car was already about full but I found room to stuff more in every nook and cranny. The car serves as a nice storage building. The keys have been lost for years.
Some salvaged things went to St. Vincent de Paul and to the Mountain Mission building. I brought papers and books to my hosue to dry. I managed to save all the papers that were important.
I'm going to repair my grandfather's desk. It is wet but not totally ruined. The Furniture Medic will probably have to be called in for consultation.
There is a lot more work to be done but today I'd rather read. I'll think about the building tomorrow.

MOONFLOWER

The moonflower bloomed tonight. I just happened to see it when I went out to cover up the bunny. It is just beautiful.

DRESSING UP

At the beginning of summer I spent a day working on John Michael's flower beds. I accidently soaked my shoes and socks. Since I was meeting Jeanie for lunch, I had to have dry shoes. I made a quick trip to Walmart, thinking I could get some flip flops that would get me through the rest of the day with dry feet. Instead of flip flops I found the most wonderful pair of sandals for a mere $18. My feet were so happy to be dry and to have sandals that actually felt good. They have been my favorite summer shoes. And then one day not long ago, lo and behold, Walmart was having a summer shoe sale. Half price! I searched the shelves and found another pair of the sandals in my size so I bought them, thinking I could have them for next summer, being sure they wouldn't have the same style again.
The shoes sat in the box under the dining room table for days and days. The rabbit needed a new box for his bed so I dumped the shoes out and put the box in the cage. Herbie Miller made himself a nice bed with Timothy Hay and was quite content. Of course, he poops in his box. I switch out the box top and bottom, shaking out the dirty one and letting it air. He likes a clean bed.
Last week I was to meet writer friends for a book event and supper. I had to take Olivia to school and since I wasn't coming home I decided it would be a good day to get a hair cut and a pedicure. And I could wear my new shoes.
I went to John Michael's house to take a nap and change my clothes. I got all spiffied up but I had left my shoes in the car. I drove across town, parked the car, got my shoes out of the back seat, sat them on the ground and stuck my feet in them. My left foot slid right in and felt fine, but something was amiss with the right foot. I wiggled my foot around and it still didn't feel good. Then I took a good look at the shoes, two left feet.
My pedicure looked great with my old shoes.

MY LEFT FEET

OKRA

Back in the spring I bought one lone okra plant. I bought it because it was sitting there on the shelf all by itself. I planted it in the grass clippings with the tomato plants. It grew slowly at first and then took a growing jag. I had no idea what okra would look like on the vine so missed it until the first mess was way too big to eat. I took it to Mama and she said it was too hard to even cut with a hatchet. I began to watch it and the next mess was just right. I have taken it all to Mama, it was just too scary for me. Now the plant is blooming. It's a delicate white bloom with a purple center, much prettier that I would expect to find on an okra plant. Mama will have a bit more okra to fry and eat. Then the plant will go to seed and wait for winter.

A VISIT

Uncle Joe, Aunt Jeane, & K. Joe came for a visit today. It was good to have them here. Mama had spaghetti and meatballs for lunch. K. Joe & I went for a drive while the rest of them napped. We visited our relatives in the cemetery and drove the back country roads. We didn't take our relatives though.

CABBAGE ROLLS AND A TRUCK

The day started out with plans to do a couple of errands with Mama. As often happens with us, we ended up doing more than we planned. We finished our errands and, of course, we had to eat. Mama said she had heard of a good place to eat in Beaver Dam, The Bluegrass Cafe. She said it was on a street that turned off the main street. This wasn't the first time we had looked for this place. Finally, after driving several streets, I saw a sign that read The Wagon Wheel Cafe. I asked her if she thought that might be the one. She agreed it probably was. It seemed a good enough place to eat so I parked, warning Mama not to fall in the ditch when she got out of the car. The walls were decorated with wagon wheels, of course. The building was built in the shotgun style, two dining rooms, the kitchen along the side. The menu was lengthy, a wide variety of items. We both decided on cabbage rolls and mashed potatoes. I also had white beans and cornbread. Mama had beets. A lot of beets. She was quite concerned that the beets would get on her other food so the waitress assured her that the beets would be in a bowl. When asked what she wanted to drink, Mama replied, whiskey. The poor girl didn't know what to think but laughed. She told the other waitress what she had said and they both had a good laugh. We did not go away hungry, the food was good and the place was interesting. Mama wondered if the other people wondered why we were there. I told her I doubted anybody had noticed we were there. She asked me if we were the only women there. We weren't. She asked me if I thought the same people ate there every day. I had no idea. How long had the cafe been open, she asked. I didn't know.

Our next stop was St. Vincent de Paul. Mama didn't find anything she wanted. She liked a butter dish but it was $2.00. She would have bought it for a quarter, she said. I bought a glass, a white saucer, and two crocheted collars, each for a quarter.

Our next order of business was to decide whether to stop at Walmart to get breadsticks or wait and get fresh ones in the morning. We knocked this around at considerable length. She wanted me to decide and I didn't care one way or the other. We finally settled on getting fresh ones tomorrow. With that settled I told her I wanted to stop and look at a truck. Mama got out of the car with me to look at the truck. The salesman laughed and told us he got a kick out of a woman her age looking at a heavy duty truck. She assured him she wished she could drive it right off the lot. I don't think he would have been a bit surprised if she had done just that. Neither would I.

OLIVIA

OLIVIA TURNS 5

Olivia is 5 years old today. She had a princess cake which was mostly what she ate for supper. She did eat 4 lima beans! Her presents were her favorite part of her birthday, she said. She was excited with all her gifts and had so much fun opening them. Herbie Miller, the rabbit, gave her a present, a stuffed pink sand crab. She just couldn't figure it out, asking me if he went with me to shop. Singing was not part of this birthday party, she made us all promise that we would not sing. So we didn't.
I wish for her, carefree days, books, and joy.

MASHED POTATOES

Back Row L to R : Anna Ruth holding Jane Ellen, Billy holding Joe David, Jeane, Joe holding K. Joe.

Front Row L to R: Uncle B with me in his lap, Pole, Grandy, Mama, Daddy.

This photo was taken in the living room of my grandparent's house. It probably wasn't long before the death of my grandfather. We all spent a lot of time in this house, gathering to settle ourselves around the kitchen table, to celebrate birthdays or holidays, to talk and listen, just to be there.

As usual, I found my way to sit in Uncle B's lap. Pictures show that this was my favorite place to sit. I can't remember when this picture was taken but I can remember the comfort of being with my Uncle B. He never gave me a harsh word or looked at me without anything but love.

Uncle B was always up for fun, meals being no exception. Mashed potatoes were usually a part of any meal we had at my grandmother's house. We would all gather around the big round table in the kitchen, me always sitting by Uncle B. When the mashed potatoes came to us, I knew what was going to happen. He would ask me if I wanted potatoes, and I did. The spoon would go deep into the fluffy heap of mashed potatoes, slowly Uncle B would take it out, hold it high above my plate, with a quick flick of his wrist the potatoes would leave the spoon where they would splat all over my plate, and often on the table and me. I thought it was the funniest thing ever. After we finished eating, we would all go to the living room. I listened to every story Uncle B told and as always, I was sitting close to him.

A RABBIT, A CAT, & A CLEAN FLOOR

I love a clean floor, although I don't like to vacuum. Today the floor is clean, freshly vacuumed, thanks to Tracy, who cleans the house from time to time. How nice to come home to a clean house after a day of substituting.
The bunny rabbit, Herbie Miller, hasn't been out of his cage for a couple of days so I brought him in the house to get some exercise. He was so excited, hopping all over the house, taking time to rest under the bed, then hopping around again. I fixed him a plate of lettuce, cabbage, and carrots, prepackaged, organic, and set it on a towel in the middle of the living room floor. Going back into the kitchen I hear Lydia scratching at the back door. Then I get myself all settled in the chair with the computer. Herbie MIller soon found his food and joyfully started eating. Here comes Lydia! She creeps under the rocking chair, never taking her eyes off the rabbit. Herbie Miller is so busy eating that he doesn't see Lydia. Right in the middle of a tasty morsel, Lydia pounces. Herbie jumps sky high, his back legs landing right in the middle of his plate. As he lifts off with his strong back legs, his supper goes in every direction, scaring Lydia so bad, she runs in the opposite direction. All I could do was laugh, even if my clean floor was covered in lettuce, cabbage, and carrots.

HERBIE MILLER EATS HIS SUPPER

LYDIA STALKS HERBIE MILLER

LYDIA SURPRISES HERBIE MILLER

WATERMELON

While I was gathering tomatoes for supper, Mama called to tell me to come get half of a watermelon. JW relayed the message but I was cooking supper and decided to wait to return her call. During our supper she called again, asking me if he told me she had called and did I want the watermelon. I explained that we were eating and I would come when we were finished. Which I did. She had the watermelon in a large metal bowl. She asked me if I really wanted it. I told her, of course. I really didn't care one way or the other. I stayed to talk for a bit. I carried the bowl of watermelon out and sat it on the trunk of car so I could open the door. The next thing I knew the bowl and watermelon were on the ground. It was a hard fall for the watermelon but the bowl didn't seem to have any damage at all. I put the watermelon back in the bowl and brought it home. I left Mama's yard littered with pieces of watermelon. It gave us both a good laugh and didn't hurt the taste of the watermelon at all.

LOUISVILLE

I'm in Louisville. I love being in the city. This afternoon I made a walking trip to Borders. Being with books was just the thing for a Sunday afternoon.
Several streets were closed and traffic was being re-routed. Every kind of vehicle imaginable was trying to go in every direction when one SUV stopped and a woman yelled at the policeman that she needed to go up 3rd St. He told her 3rd St was closed, she said she wanted to go on 3rd St. How am I supposed to get home, she asked. It's closed, he said. She got out of her vehicle and walked across the intersection, throwing her arms and yelling, How am I supposed to get home! 3rd St. is closed, he said. I don't know how she got home.
The sounds of the city are just the best, chimes, horns, helicopters, clip clop of horses, children yelling, people talking, laughing, sacks rattling.
We ate at Morton's. When we walked onto the street the sun was just setting, turning the buildings a golden hue, setting the windows ablaze with light. The light breeze cooled my skin and lifted my spirits. Ah, the city.

ROSINE WITH MY MOTHER

Thursday is the day my mother goes to the beauty shop. Now and then we take off in the car with no particular destination in mind. This Thursday Mama said she thought we should go to St. Vincent de Paul in Beaver Dam. I thought that was a good idea. As soon as we got in the store Mama had to go to the bathroom, said she couldn't wait. But there was no public restroom. I told her we would go find a bathroom and then come back. She said she thought she could wait. She went to get a shopping basket, I found her a small one but she said she might want a big one. Armed with my camera I headed to find the underwear. I was happy to get several good shots. Also made some great shots of neckties. When I found Mama she was still shopping but had nothing in her basket. She had found something though, and she wanted me to look at it, a white oblong dish. The price was fifty cents. I told her to buy it and finally she put it in her basket. In the meantime I started looking at the books. I found 3 that I couldn't live without, BETWEEN THE APPLE-BLOSSOM & THE WATER - Women Writing about Gardens edited by Pamela Norris, THE POET AT THE PIANO by Michiko Kakutani and a signed copy of THE QUEEN OF THE BIG TIME by Adriana Trigiani, all for $1.35 each. Then I found 4 matching glasses and one mismatched glass that I just needed. We checked out and went back to the car. The next order of business was deciding where to eat supper. Mama said she would like a fish sandwich from Long John Silver. She was hesitant since she knows this is not my favorite but I told her that was fine. (I had a very unpleasant experience in the bathroom there once, I just opened the door and -you don't want to know the rest!) On the way we passed by Taco Bell. She then had to decide which place she wanted to eat, finally saying she thought we should just eat both places. We went for fish first. As we were ordering, one of the employees opened the door going into the kitchen and yelled at the top of lungs, "Would you all get out here and do something!" This set the mood quiet nicely. After much discussion, we decided we would each pay for our own food. I could hardly eat just thinking of the bathroom. I pushed the food around in the cardboard container and threw most of it away. Mama ate every bite of hers and part of mine. Then off we went to Taco Bell. Mama said she was too weak to go inside so we ordered it to go. I was too full for a taco so I had spicy cheesy potatoes and an apple pie. Mama ate every bite and said it was so good, didn't know when she had eaten anything she liked any better. I needed a few things at Walmart. Mama said she would wait in the car and finish her water and last few crumbs of her taco. I left the car running and promised to hurry. When I got back to the car she was asleep, laid back in the seat, her mouth wide open. I was glad she wasn't dead. I would have been arrested for elder abuse. I had bought her band aids for her arm that had bled all over the sleeve of her blouse. I gave her 2 boxes and she went on and on that I should have just gotten one box, why did I get 2, she hated for me to do so much for her. I finally told her to hush and fix her arm. Then she said she didn't like her taco very well, it didn't have much taste. Her taste buds were rekindled when I showed her what I had got for our after supper snack, a can of Pepperidge Farm French Vanilla Pirouettes.
As we started to head for home Mama said she thought we should take a more indirect way to get there. I gave her the choice of Hwy 1414 or through Rosine. Rosine seemed best to her. I was in agreement. I turned the car around and headed for Rosine. We soon passed the sign designating the highway as the BLUE MOON OF KENTUCKY HIGHWAY. Then we passed the sign to JERUSALEM RIDGE, birthplace of Bill Monroe. We drove all through Rosine, up and down the streets, across the railroad tracks, by the barn and the country store where bluegrass music is played every weekend.
The cemetery was our next stop. Bill Monroe is buried here. We walked to the grave site and sat on the bench at the foot of the grave. I read the inscription on the monument and Mama asked me to read it again. We were there late in the afternoon, the gloaming, the best part of the day. Bill Monroe parents and some of his brothers and sisters are also buried close by. We stayed a long time, just talking and walking around, me reading the tombstones to Mama.
She wondered if we could find postcards with the inscription so we went to the BLUE MOON VARIETY STORE. Mama waited in the car. I didn't find that particular postcard but I did find other wonderful things - a cross-stitched cloth, a white meat platter, Bill Monroe postcards, a small wooden grip with a leather handle and leather straps that attach to metal buckles and most importantly - a book. LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT - Gandhi & the Way to Peace by Vincent Sheean.
When I was a little girl, my Uncle B told me stories about Mahatma Gandhi. He told me that Gandhi's favorite hymn was Lead, Kindly Light. I never heard or read this anywhere else but I never forgot it. I have told this story but always got the same reaction, disbelief or boredom. When I saw this book, just waiting for me there, I knew Uncle B would have been as excited as I was to find this book. Now this book will be with for the rest of my life.
I knew Mama would have a blast with all the wonderful things I had found in the Blue Moon Variety Store. We had the most fun looking at them. She asked me the usual question, what are you going to do with all this stuff. I don't know, I told her, but I really like it all.
I told her the story about Gandhi and Lead, KIndly LIght. She hadn't heard it before. We talked a lot about Uncle B. We miss him.
By the time we got home it was dark. I took Mama home and got all her things in the house.
I happened to think that I never did take her to the bathroom. I told her I was sorry. She said she had forgotten she had to go.
It took me longer to get all my purchases in my house. They are fine things.
It was a good day, a good trip. Many of the best things in life are close to home. I am truly blessed to have had this day with Mama. I wonder where we will go tomorrow.
Pictures of our day can be seen by clicking here:
www.picasaweb.google.com/bubbealice/ROSINE

WHAT WE'VE BEEN EATING

We have been having wonderful things to eat. Mama has been cooking most of our supper for the last several nights. We have had green beans, new potatoes, black eyed peas, hull-outs, fried corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, fried squash, fried cornbread. Yum, yum!!

SLEEPING, NOT SLEEPING

I would love to be able to go to bed and go to sleep. But the night owl in me keeps me up to all hours. I'll plan to go to bed early, find my favorite pillow, gather my books, look for a pencil, take my medicine, eat something decadent, decide which bed to sleep in, take more books to bed, fluff my bucky pillow. I get myself all settled, the fan blowing in my face, the light tilted just out of my eyes, my books in a pile, the cat asleep at the foot of the bed. I read. My eyes get heavy and grainy. I turn off the light, flop around, dig a hole, now I'm ready to sleep. But then, I can't breathe, I have to go to the bathroom, I'm thirsty, I'm hot, I'm wide awake. Back downstairs I have another snack with diet cherry 7-up, watch CSI:Miami, fold clothes, play solitaire, read e-mail, send e-mail, order books, read, write, become Theodosia, feed the rabbit, read blogs, watch for kittens at the back door, scan pictures, listen for the clock to strike. Finally I'm sleepy again. It might be 3 in the morning. I sleep really well in the wee hours of the morning. My best sleep is usually the nap I take just after I get out of bed in the morning.

Kristin

Elizabeth

Olivia & Leah

Silas, Lisa, Jane, Alice

HOME

I'm settling in at home after being away for two weeks.
The first week away was spent in Perdido Key, Florida. It was our first trip back since Ivan turned the key upside down. The beach was white, the wter blue, the waves white. The temperature was near perfect, hot, but not too hot to walk barefoot in the sand. The girls spent lots of time in the pool and on the beach. Olivia liked the pool the best, Leah like them both. Kristin and Elizabeth spent time both places. I liked sitting in the surf in my sand chair. Getting out of the chair was another matter. Bo & Jeanie came down on Sunday. We all had the best time.
My second week away from home was spent in Hindman at the writer's workshop. It's always good to spend time with my Hindman family. It was a great week, good conversation, reading, writing, listening, eating, books.
The bridge over Troublesome Creek has new boards but the spiders were the same. A new walkway has replaced the gravel walk under the trees. Change is hard but necessary for the settlement school and library since they serve so many people and support so many programs. It is a busy place.
Now that I'm home, I'm encouraged to make time for writing. It's easy now, I just have to continue to make the time. Theodosia is talking.