Family picture

 We finally got around to taking the family picture today.  I'm not sending Christmas letters any more, so people will get this photo instead.

I checked with our family portrait from last year and my 50 lb weight loss is very evident!

Thanksgiving

 What a great day we had.  I started the morning watching the Thanksgiving day parade.  I decided I'm entirely too old.  Of all the performers, I only recognized the names of two and with all those big balloons, I didn't  recognize most of the characters.  I did recognize Snoopy.

And of course I enjoyed seeing Santa.

After that I watched the dog show and we were all happy to see that Vito, the pug, ended up being the Best in Show.

In the afternoon, Ned made dinner.  I offered to help, but he told me that all I had to do was to taste.  I told him I thought I could handle it.   

He gave us a full table of food, including fresh green beans that Marta made.

And, of course, there was that delicious pumpkin pie for dessert.  Surprisingly my blood sugar didn't skyrocket this morning.  And I managed to have a full night of sleep.

Much to be thankful for!

Getting ready

I was so proud of Ned today. After watching a video I made for Jeri about how to make pie crust he made pie crust while I was napping, then made a beautiful pumpkin pie. So happy to see the beautiful pie!

He also redressed the sore on my arm, gave me a sponge bath, redressed my legs and took Walt to Kaiser for his final rabies shot. 

I am so thankful for Ned today — and every day 

ouch again

I was going to write yesterday, but I was too sore to sit at my desk.

I had written that I had a fall.  That was a few weeks ago.  Then on Saturday, I had another fall.  Ned and Marta were out and I was going  to feed the dog. The bowl was just a bit farther down than it was easy to reach and  grabbed onto my walker, but lost my footing and fell over backwards, hitting my head and scraping my arm rather badly.

With Ned and Marta not here, we had to call 911 and six firemen came out to lift me up and check to make sure I was OK.  I'm going to send them a food package as a thank you.  This is the third time they have come to lift me up.

I am feeling SO uncomfortable walking anywhere.  I'm afraid I'm going to fall and if Ned isn't home, I'd  rather just sit in my recliner and not chance another fall.

Depression

 I have had some messages from readers wondering where Funny the World has gone and I promised to  get an entry up today, though it may be shorter than I intended...but I will put an entry up tomorrow too.

Charlotte's death has affected me more  than I expected.  I was sitting in my recliner the other day wondering why I just didn't have the energy or interest in getting up, writing a journal entry and making a dent in all the letters I have to answer.  I finally decided it was depression.  She is in my dreams (and I don't normally dream) and several times a day I think of things I want to share with her.  Tom told me the other day he plans to come up with Walt's sister for the memorial service and that got me crying.  I just miss her, dammit.

I bought a pair of earrings that I paid too much for but it just was so Char that I had to get them.

I decided for the first time since Jeri was a baby, I am not writing a Christmas letter this year.  I just can't seem to sit down and talk about how our year has gone when Char's death is such a huge cloud over everything.

In addition to that, I am feeling weak physically.  I have had another fall and did not injure myself, but I am afraid to do anything without my walker and am actually nervous doing anything if I know Ned is not at home.  It's too easy to sit in my recliner and watch the squirrels (the dad and 2 youngsters) play while an NCIS marathon is on.

We got Char's wheelchair which is a godsend.  Ned and I went to the doctor the other day and the clinic we had to go to was w-a-y at the other end of a long hall.  No way I could have made it with my walker.

So there are reasons I have not been writing, but I hope to get back to regular entries again.  Next time I'll talk about my legs and what a godsend Ned has been, but I find that an hour is about all my body can handle at my desk for now.  I hope  to work up to more.

Out for dinner

 Ned's friend Adrian's band was giving a concert at Sudwerk last night and we went to listen to the music and to have dinner.

If there was any event that made me realize how bad I've become this was it.  Ned parked right by the handicap access and had to help me out of the car because I couldn't get my legs out.  Then walking with my walker to a table took forEVer.  We finally got to a table and I sat in my walker (because I couldn't get into the bench at the table).  Walt ordered us dinner -- mushroom burgers and fries.  The plate arrived and the fried covered it and I knew I couldn't eat them.  I also didn't think I could finish the burger, so cut it in half to bring the other half home.

But even eating the half burger was difficult but I struggled to finish it.  My voice was very weak and I couldn't  talk to anybody because nobody could hear me.  The concert was about 2 hours long, but I was fading after an hour.  I enjoyed the rest of the music, but really just wanted to go home and be in my recliner.

We finally left and it took me forever to get to the car.  I had to stop several times to rest.  Then Ned had to get me in the car because I couldn't lift my legs high enough to get into the car.

When Harris gave her big speech on the elipse the other day, she talked about how she wanted to make Medicare cover older people and it made me think about how blessed we are  to have Ned living with us and willing to do so much to take care of me.  If Ned didn't live here, I don't know what I would do.

But I do know that unless I have a wheelchair, I won't go to another Adrian concert!