A new adventure away from Pooh Acres

 My sister called and said she needed to have her knee replaced.  After thinking about it a while I decided that I would travel to Oregon to help her.  I thought about it a lot and decided I would book a train trip and see the country.  I spent several months preparing for this trip, and deciding what I was going to do. I'm sure my friends were tired of hearing about my pending trip. I finally left Omaha on September 17, heading toward Denver and then the Pacific Northwest.  

My friend Melissa dropped me off at the Amtrack station around 10 PM.  The train was due around midnight but was a little late.  I was guided into the train car and thankfully got a window seat all by myself.  Everyone was pretty quiet on the ride into Lincoln.  It seemed like most people were sleeping.  We pulled into a small town east of Lincoln about a while later and onboarded a few people.  The woman seated in front of me turned around to talk with me.  She was quite a Chatty Cathy.  I learned she was going to the Denver terminal then North to go back home.  She had been visiting her parents in a small town for the last few weeks.  Her Dad is dying from cancer and she wanted to be with him as much as possible.  She lugged a huge suitcase with her (the stop was so small she could not check her luggage).  She got into her suitcase several times to pull out a Mountain Dew, or a sandwich, or a candy bar that her Mom had packed for her.  Apparently that huge suitcase held mostly food for her trip.  I had planned to sleep until daylight when I could see the scenery, but she wanted to talk, so talk we did.  

Along the way we picked up more people.  A woman who was always suffering from "I need a cigarette" got on.  She tried to get off the train at every stop to have a smoke.  The conductor got very frustrated with her and stopped opening the door on our car so she could not get off.  I learned along the way that this woman spent most of her life addicted to drugs and alcohol.  She lost custody of her children when they were quite young.  She has been estranged from her parents and siblings for many years.  Thankfully she has kicked the addiction and was traveling to California to meet her brother.  She was very nervous.  When we got to Sacramento, I had a long layover and she had to wait for her brother.  We spent some time one on one talking and I had the chance to pray with her and hopefully help her feel a little calmer before the big meeting. When her brother got there they hugged, cried and talked like nothing had ever happened.  She looked back at me, waved and gave me a big thumbs up sign!

Another woman I met on the train is Tess.  She is a little older than me and has been widowed for 10+ years.  Her husband left her with plenty of money so she travels a lot.  She loves traveling by train for short trips, but flies for longer trips.  We spent hours talking about all kinds of of things, especially being widows, and our relationship with God.  We exchanged contact information.  I believe we will stay in touch with each other.  At my stop, she was going on further, she asked if we could pray together.    It was so wonderful to meet another woman I felt I could talk with and share my sorrow of loosing my Phil.  She understood and shared her sorrow with me.  

Friday afternoon we arrived in Sacramento, and an 8 hour layover.  I had planned to call and meet with one of Phil's friends.  They had been friends since grade school and I had talked to him on the phone many time when he and Phil were chatting.  Phil had been trying to witness to Alan for months.  Not long before he died he went to the Bible book store and bought a book on the gospel of John and another on Romans.  He had intended to send both of these books to Alan but never got around to it.    That was the perfect reason to meet up with Alan while I was so close to him.  Alan picked me up and took me back to his apartment.  It was good to finally meet him.  I must say his driving scared me more than a little.  I don't think I would like to drive in Sacramento!

My train left the station in Sacramento around 11 PM.  I was finally on my way to Oregon to see my sisters, nieces and nephew.  I was to excited to sleep ... ready to get to my family.  

One more T post

I like to do things for myself whenever possible.  Phil likes to have Cooper do as many chores as possible.  I stood my ground recently and was able to pound one last T post into the ground.  

My bird feeder was really wobbly and blowing in the wind.  I was afraid it was going to fall over every time I hung up a bird feeder.  It needed to be stabilized with a Post and tied to it.  It felt so good to pound that T post and see my bird feeder nice and stable.  

I am getting older and less able to do the things I used to do with no problems.  I keep trying, I don't want to give up and loose the last years of my life.  I want to keep moving and keep trying to do things on my own.  

Memorial Day

 We live a very quiet life.  We don't go out much, we don't see many friends.  

Today we had a wonderful surprise.  Phil was napping and I was watching a movie when out friends Marsha and Randy came to visit.  I didn't know what to do, invite them in, stand outside and talk?  Offer then water?  We just don't have friends who stop by.  

It was a wonderful visit.  We sat out on the back deck and talked for an hour or so.  I miss having friends.  I miss talking to people.  I love living in the middle of nowhere, but I do wish we had more interaction with people.  

Feeling Sorry for myself.

 I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and hashimoto's thyroiditis about 6 or so years ago.  At the time I thought it was really no big deal.  I had a lot more pain but nothing I could not live with.  I refused the pain medication, I don't want to live like that.  I just went on with my life.

Fast forward to today.  I wake up every morning wishing I didn't have to get out of bed.  It hurts to walk.  It hurts to move my fingers.  Somedays it hurts if I am touched on the arm or shoulder.  This is not a disease that plays fair.  There is no cure.  There is no way to know if you are going to wake up feeling OK or more often to wake up wishing you could just sleep the day away.  

I used to love spring.  It was a time for the world to wake up and start to live again after the long winter.  This year spring means only work to me.  I don't enjoy working in the garden anymore.  If I had things my way there would be no garden.  I still enjoy the flowers and planting some things close to the house in pots, they are pretty easy to care for.  I love my chickens and I look forward to seeing them every day, but I don't want to raise meat birds anymore, I just don't want to butcher.  It is hard work and I am not sure I could do it again this year.  I am not sure how I am going to butcher the "old girls" this fall to make room for the young ones.  I feel very inadequate.  I feel used up!

I try not to complain.  It honestly does no good to burden anyone else with what I am feeling.  Phil will ask me how I feel, I normally say I am OK, what else can I do?  

I fought the Jenny Wren

 Every spring a Jenny Wren tries to built a nest in my clothes pin bag.  She sneaks in between laundry days with her twigs and string waiting to build a new nest and lay her eggs.  Every year I have to kick her out so I can hang out my laundry.  

This week I sewed up a new clothes pin bag because the old one is rotting away.  I moved my clothes pens into the new bag and gave her my old one.  I will be excited to see if she continues to build her nest and lay some eggs.  I wonder if she will divebomb me every time I hang out laundry.  

It's been a long time

I have been absent for a very long time.  I'm not sure why I quit blogging, but I think it is time to start up again.   The last few months have been very eventful.  In May we had to put Molly to sleep.  She was no longer able to get up and walk any more.  It was a horrible day but I believe we did the right thing.  She looked up at me with her sad eyes and I believe she thanked me.  She had always had terrible smelly gas.  Her last "gift" to me was a smelly toot just before she died.  It made me laugh and cry at the same time. 

We made a huge decision around that time as well.   We kicked around all the numbers and decided that I would be able to quit working.  The difference on Social Security benefits now as opposed to 7 years from now is not that much different.  My last day at work was August 1.  I have been home a week so this is not really "real" to me yet.  So far it just feels like a vacation. 

Phil had another heart attack in July.  He had not been feeling well for a week or so prior, so this episode may have been happening for a while before he was hospitalized.  The doctors did another angioplasty and found the stints that were put in in December were starting to clog again.  They cleaned him out and put him on new medications.  He is still very tired and doesn't feel well.   We are praying he will start to feel better soon.

We are looking forward to our retired life.  We have never had the opportunity to travel or play very much.  It will be an adjustment learning to be together so much of the time, but I think it is a good thing.  The O'Learys are going to start having fun!!

A few thoughts on the first day of November

Living in the middle of nowhere I see some strange things on my commute to and from the city evey day.  This summer I caught something out of the corner of my eye and slowed down to see a huge moose in someones field.  It turned out to be a 7 or 8 foot life sized target with quite a few arrows sticking out of it.  At first it looked like an elephant to me … but it was in the first rays of sunlight that I saw it. 

Last night driving home I saw a guy throwing old wood into what was obviously going to be a bonfire.  The only surprising thing was there were two recliners sitting in front of the fire.  I thought it would have been fun to come back last night and join the party. 

Driving home is always fun in the fall.  I am always anxious to see how many crops the farmers have harvested, or where a farmer has moved his cows.  I am even happy to see chickens from the house up the road running around on the road looking for food.  Our chickens must be so well fed they never venture down as far as the road. 

I know that many of my co-workers and other casual acquaintances think I am a bit strange … OK maybe more than a bit.  I guess I can’t blame them when they look in my SUV and see the back stuffed with straw bales.  I know that my local HY-Vee store clearances their straw on Halloween day, I so plan to go there over lunch every day for the week and pick up a load.  When my co-workers pass my car …they just can’t help but look and wonder …….

We have spent most of 2016 with our house in total disarray remodeling the common rooms.  It has been a long and difficult process.  I haven’t been able to make soap or do any of the project I enjoy until a few weeks ago.  Now I am scrambling to catch up and get soaps made for Christmas baskets etc.   I have a few people who have inquired about purchasing for gift giving.  Unless I can get some things on the drying rack I will never be able to supply these people with goodies.  My goal has always been to build a cottage industry to help make money if/when I am able to retire.