John’s thoughts, rants, and crazy ideas
I’ve never seen a ‘Chicken with its head cut off’ but that saying sure was meant for me today. My day was pre-determined when the first question I asked Suzanne was “Today is Thursday, right?” At that point, I hit the ground running in so many different directions that I knew there had to be more than just four. Cleaning the woodstove out was first on the agenda to ensure that the living room stays toasty for the wife. Then…
We had two pairs of cardinals show up at our feeder this week. They have been gone all winter and to show up this week in these snow-covered near-zero conditions makes us wonder that their internal clocks were off by a couple of weeks this year. But what a joy and wonder to see that bright red spot amongst the mass of regular birds at the feeder. You can also spot them in the trees west of the house just…
Warning: Ensure Plus with Fiber may cause gastric issues including extreme flatulence and diarrhea in some people. I’m sure if are one of the regulars, you are puzzled by this topic. Well, It’s a public service announcement that I hope my previous training in Search Engine Optimization is written in such a way that Search Engines like Google and Bing pick it up. You see, it’s the ‘With Fiber’ version of Ensure Plus, not regular Ensure, or even the old…
The morning was going well, stayed in bed a little longer than normal in each other’s arms; had our second cup of coffee; heard the weather for the week ahead; and finished breakfast when the phone rang. “Good morning daughter” I answered as we proceeded to talk about schedules for the upcoming weeks. What about visits from the grandkids and keeping her safe? How I’ll deal with my mother-in-law’s upcoming cancer surgery next week and fitting that into Suzanne’s schedule….
You’ve probably never heard of, let alone watched ‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’, a show on NBC. Don’t worry, your not alone as this show is very eclectic. Much like me, the main character of the show, Zoey, has a musical affliction. In my case, I hear in my head music that fits the situation around me. In Zoey’s case, she sees the people around her perform musical numbers that display how they are feeling. For me, her affliction seems much more…
Fun Fact: I was a dance minor in College. You wern’t expecting that were you? While in college, dance is what brought Cindy and me together. We would go and square dance, round dance, line dance, or folk dance any chance we got. I learned to call square dancing and made a pretty good second income for a number of years. I also taught international folk dancing to schools and groups who wanted to learn. Dance is still in my…
Suzanne is scheduled for surgery Tuesday, a throat biopsy at Rush in Chicago. Have you looked at the radar lately? There is suppose to be a blizzard there Monday & Tuesday. As if this coming event wasn’t stressful enough, we’ve been hearing about the impending snowstorm for a week now. You can imagine all the ‘What ifs’ that were running through our heads; What if we can’t get there, what if the doctor can’t get there, cancel the surgery, can’t…
A 1977 Mel Books movie by that name describes what I perceive as the phenomenon prevalent in our household these past few weeks. Suzanne and I are both suffering from what I assume is anxiety as we continue to wait and wait for definitive answers and the next steps that will dictate our lives. As I went into ‘Internet Doctor’ mode to see what I could find, I discovered there was no easy explanation of our emotions. In Fact, everything…
On Sunday we were surrounded physically and remotely with our many wonderful friends and family. That day Suzanne & I were at our local church, prayed, sang, and read a little from the bible, all with the hope that God will place his healing hand on her. I shared with those in attendance that praying aloud was not my forte, not in my wheelhouse, just not something I’m comfortable with. I do it all the time; every meal Suzanne &…
This week, our journey in life is at a crossroad that we knew was coming. This week has been in our crosshairs since mid-August when Suzanne’s cancer treatment plan was discussed and implemented. This week, the success of Suzanne’s treatments will be revealed. I would like to share with you how we got to this week and how prayers have been answered. August 1st we met a Dr in Gibson City who told Suzanne that she had a large mass…