I have my doctor 's appointment tomorrow afternoon at 1 : 15 p . m . The weather forecast is for more snow tonight and freezing rain starting at noon tomorrow . I will try to get downtown early and hopefully will be taken in early . I need a doctor 's note to go back to work . I am worried about driving in freezing rain . Even though the hospital is in Philadelphia , it is about 15 miles from my house . The trouble with living in a large city - - everything is spread out . I would take public transportation down , but then I would need to walk about 1 / 2 mile in the freezing rain . Not a good idea . Oh well , I 'm sure everything will work out . It always does . We went to church this morning even though it was icy . Not many people showed up , but that was certainly understandable . It was not nice to either walk or drive . After church we had to stop for a couple of things at the supermarket and then made our way ( very carefully ) home . When we pulled up someone had shoveled snow in front of our parking space and we couldn 't get in . Joe got out , went into the house , got the shovel and started digging out the street so I could park . I had just gotten my car into the space when a truck pulled up in front of our house . A man got out and asked if we lived here . Joe said yes . He said , " Are you Joseph ? " Again Joe said yes . He then handed Joe an Edible Arrangement . My sister had sent it to us with a nice note that said " With my deepest sympathy on the loss of your dad and all you two are going through right now . Love , Elaine . " It was very sweet of her to do that . Joe called to thank her . She said flowers would only be thrown away and she wanted to do something nice for only us . So we had fruit for lunch . Of course I took pictures before we started pulling it apart . Thank you , Elaine . You are the best sister anyone could ever have . Posted by Everything is finally over for our sad weekend . The viewing last night was very long . Joe 's family was OK except for a few people , but we just avoided them . The two people he supposedly hurt were fine with him , said he made a mistake posting on facebook , but who doesn 't and everything was cool . Joe got to see his aunt and lots of his cousins which was very nice for him . Most of the time I just sat there by myself . The Marine League and the American Legion were there and each had a military ceremony for him . Dad was a two - time recipient of the purple heart plus many other medals for his work in Viet Nam . The ceremonies were very nice and very moving . We were told last night to go directly to the church today instead of the funeral home , which we did . Two of our closest friends from our church were there for us and we sat toward the back of the church with them . We didn 't know that the entire family had met at the funeral home , came in with the coffin and sat together at the front of the church . Oh well . We didn 't want to sit with them anyway . The service was very hard to sit through , but we got through it . Everyone was invited back to Joe 's nephew 's house , but we didn 't go . Instead we took our friends to lunch and then went home and took naps . Dad is being cremated and the actual interment is happening on Tuesday . Joe says we are not going to that . Tuesday is also the day I have an appointment to see my surgeon for my second check - up and hopefully will get the OK to return to work . He says that is more important and his dad would feel the same way . He is right . His dad was always looking out for me and was very concerned that I recover from this surgery . He used to call me even from the hospital to see how I was feeling . We are exhausted both physically and emotionally . We thank you all for surrounding us with your prayers . We couldn 't have made it through otherwise . We want this all to be over and to start living our lives again without a lot of turmoil . This evening is going to be hard for us . It is always hard to say goodbye to someone . Even harder when it is a separation by death . And harder still when the people you have to be with for two hours hate you . Thinking of these things I was actually reading someone else 's blog when these verses popped out at me . These are the two verses I took when a teenager as my life verses . I 'm sort of ashamed of myself that I haven 't brought them to mind sooner , but glad I am now . Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding . In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths . Pray for us that there will be peace tonight . The viewing is 7 - 9 p . m . Tomorrow there is another viewing at 9 a . m . and then the Mass at 10 : 30 a . m . We got 15 inches of snow here in Philly . More snow is expected Saturday , Sunday , Tuesday and Wednesday . I am so ready for summer ! My car at 1 a . m . while it was still snowing . The building across the street from my house . Notice the snow sticking to the bricks . You can see how deep the snow is from where Joe shoveled our front walk . My car after the snow stopped . My back yard with the trellis . Cookout anyone ? Another picture of the yard . Look at my gazing ball ! My neighbor 's trellis , our solar lights , flags and the fence . This really shows how much we got . Joe was very busy today . Nothing is easy in our lives . So many lies are being told about us . I was raised in a Christian home , have Christian friends and family . When my parents died my family was there to support me and I was there for them . Not so now . I had no idea there was so much evil in the world . It is a real eye opener . Another funny poem from my friend Diane . ' Twas the month after Christmas , and all through the house , Nothing would fit me , not even a blouse . The cookies I 'd nibbled , the chocolate I 'd taste At the holiday parties had gone to my waist . When I got on the scales there arose such a number ! When I walked to the store ( less a walk than a lumber ) , I 'd remember the marvelous meals I 'd prepared ; The gravies , the sauces and beef nicely rared , The wine and the rum balls , the bread and the cheese And the way I 'd never said , " No thank you , please . " As I dressed myself in my husband 's old shirt And prepared once again to do battle with dirt . . . I said to myself , as only I can , " You can 't spend the winter , disguised as a man ! " So , away with the last of the sour cream dip . Get rid of the fruit cake , every cracker and chip . Every last bit of food that I like must be banished Till all the additional ounces have vanished . I won 't have a cookie , not even a lick . I 'll want only to chew on a long celery stick . I won 't have hot biscuits , corn bread or pie . I 'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry . I 'm hungry , I 'm lonesome and life is a bore . . . But isn 't that what January is for ? Unable to giggle , no longer a riot . Happy New Year to all , and to all a good diet . Posted by Joe 's dad went to be with the Lord last night . Around 10 p . m . he sat up , said , " I 've had enough of this " , took off his breathing mask , took 3 breaths and died . Some of his family ( including his wife ) were with him . At least he is not suffering any more . Joe 's sister - in - law called to tell us . Joe was naturally upset and posted it on his facebook page so his prayer partners would know . We suddenly get a phone call from his sister - in - law screaming and cursing at him because he had done this . Not all of the family knew and some of the kids had found out on facebook that their granddad had died . She ended up hanging up on him . I called her back and tried to smooth things out , said he didn 't do it to have them find out that way , etc . and she cursed and hung up on me . Families are so wonderful . Especially when they are upset . We need to pray for them because no one in his family is saved . They think we are the weird ones and need mental help because we believe there is a God and that Jesus died for our sins . So sad that they don 't believe . Hopefully things will calm down and we will be able to attend the funeral . Right now I believe we are not invited to show up . Please keep Joe in your prayers . He is putting on a good face , but I know from losing my dad how torn up he must be . At least he was able to have alone time with his dad and have a good conversation with him the day before he died . Strange thing : Joe 's mom also died on January 25th , 5 years ago . Joe 's son D . J . , Joe Jr . , and Joe Sr . taken last May . I 'll miss you Dad . Posted by Well it looks like I was wrong about Joe 's dad . We got a call this morning to come to the hospital right away , he was asking for us . He is being moved to hospice care tonight . He is given days or weeks to live . Of course we know that only God knows when He will call Dad home . Joe talked to him when we got to the hospital and he knows the Lord and is looking forward to being with Him . It is so sad . I will let everyone know what happens . Also , Joe was feeling better , but being up and about he is now doing much worse . I made him some scrambled eggs for dinner , gave him lots to drink and made him go to bed . From being the sick one in the family , I 'm now the one that 's the healthiest . Go figure . Thank you to everyone who has been praying for Joe . He is much better today . His fever broke and he actually got up to eat breakfast today . He was up for awhile , and said he did not feel sick at all . I sent him back to bed for some more rest . We really appreciate the love that people feel for us . As for my dad - in - law , he has been moved to ICU and since he has been there is doing much better . The entire family has been in and out of the hospital to visit except for us . We didn 't want him to get whatever it is that Joe has had . I think the family assume Dad is going to die soon . I don 't think so . I did the other day , but he is so much better now . The day before Dad got moved to ICU he asked me for some of my bread pudding . So I made it and took it to him . Don 't know if he ever got a chance to eat it because he was really sick that night . Here is a picture of it when it first came out of the oven . It is my great - grandmother 's recipe and , in fact , it is my great - grandmother 's casserole dish it is baked in . I think it might have been the only piece of Pyrex she owned and it is still in perfect condition . Not a chip in it . I love this bread pudding . It is all gone now . I am going to have to make some more for myself . Posted by Joe has been sick all day . He is sicker than I have ever seen him . He threw up this afternoon and he has never done that in all the years I have known him . I gave him some compazine which helped some , but now his fever is up to 102 degrees . I am very worried . I don 't think I can wait until the doctor comes into the office on Monday morning . I think I will have to take him to the Emergency Room . I 'll let you know what happens . Please pray . Joe , me and his step - mom all got sick last night . At first Joe and I thought that we had eaten something that didn 't agree with us , but when we found out that MaryAnn had also been sick we figured we must have picked up something at the hospital . In any case Joe was not well enough to go to the farm with me to pick up our CSA share . I called my friend Carole and she was able to go . I still can 't handle carrying a share by myself , even though this week it was rather lightweight . The theme this week was " sandwiches " . We got : - - a head of Boston lettuce - - a bag of pea shoots - - 4 Cameo apples - - 2 lbs . of carrots ( they were so big that 3 carrots made a little over 2 lbs ! ) - - 2 Focaccia rolls ( yum ! ) - - 1 / 2 lb . smoked turkey - - a package of Allegheny Chevre cheese ( a goat milk cheese ) - - 1 / 2 gallon milk ( yes , it comes in a glass bottle ) - - 1 / 2 lb . Amish roll butterI was going to buy some of the pierogies that Joe likes from the lady that is always there but all she had left was buffalo chicken pierogies and that would have been too much for my stomach . Maybe next time . = = = = = = = = = = = = My father - in - law had a bad night last night and has been moved to ICU . Joe just spoke to his step - mother and she said he is doing better . Please keep praying for Joe , Sr . Pray for Joe , Jr . too . He is very sick . MaryAnn and I are feeling OK now , but he is still nauseous . One of my friends sent me this in an email . Those of you who live in Pennsylvania will be able to identify with it . It 's very appropriate with our third snow storm ( in the last two weeks ) last night and another one on the way on Tuesday . Enjoy ! WINTER POEM It 's winter in Pennsylvania And the gentle breezes blow Seventy miles an hour At five below . Oh , how I love Pennsylvania When the snow 's up to your butt You take a breath of winter And your nose gets frozen shut . Yes , The weather here is wonderful So I guess I 'll hang around I could never leave Pennsylvania Cuz I 'm frozen to the ground ! Posted by I had a lot of running around to do today . I wanted to get it done before the snow tomorrow . So I got Joe to go with me to help carry the heavy stuff . First we went to the library I work at . It just so happened that our Area Administrator was there visiting my boss . She is his boss . So I got to talk with both of them . I told them that I hoped to be back to work in two weeks . They both told me that they would work with me in any way I needed them too . Do I need to start out part - time ? That was fine . Do a whole day ? That was fine too . And my co - workers offered to shelve any books I couldn 't , lift and carry for me , etc . That was really nice and I feel much better about returning to work . Next we went to the library I used to work at because I was looking for a particular book and they had it there . I got to see one of my best friends , Carol , and a few other people I used to work with . That was nice . We went to the bank so I could deposit a check my step - mom sent to me for Christmas . Then off to a store across the street to buy Joe a chain for the cross I gave him for Christmas . The chain on it was too short for him . And then the Hallmark store for some candles . By this time we were hungry , so I suggested going back across the street to the Chinese restaurant which is one of our favorites . This is the first time we have gone out to eat in 6 months because of me being sick . I was very careful about what and how much I ate , but I did it ! I actually ate in a restaurant without getting sick ! It felt so good to do that . It was still early , so we decided to go to the hospital and see Joe 's dad . When we got there we found he was not doing well at all . He had a lot of trouble breathing . I was talking to Joe 's step - mom and she started crying and saying that the nurses were talking to her about a hospice and asking her if everything was set for his funeral . That is unreal ! And the doctor had actually said these things to Dad and so he is telling us that he is not going to make it and he loves us and he hopes we won 't be too upsetKathy For about a week now I have been saying I should make some bread . I don 't know why , but I have been wanting some homemade bread . And every day I get so tired I end up not doing it . So today I got up and before I even ate breakfast I started on my bread . I use a recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook my mom gave me when I was in high school . I like this recipe because there is no kneading involved . STREAMLINED BATTER BREAD Ingredients : 1 package active dry yeast1 1 / 4 cups warm water ( 105 - 115 degrees ) 2 tablespoons shortening2 tablespoons sugar2 teaspoons salt2 2 / 3 cups all - purpose flourMelted butter , margarine or shorteningIn a large mixer bowl , dissolve yeast in warm water . Add shortening , sugar , salt and 2 cups of the flour . Blend 1 / 2 minute on low speed , scraping bowl constantly . Beat 2 minutes medium speed , scraping bowl occasionally . ( By hand , beat 300 vigorous strokes . ) Stir in remaining flour until smooth . Scrape batter from side of bowl . Cover ; let rise in warm place until double , about 30 minutes . Stir down batter by beating about 25 strokes . Spread evenly in greased loaf pan , 9x5x3 inches . Smooth out top of batter by patting into shape with floured hand . Cover ; let rise until double , about 40 minutes . Heat oven to 375 degrees . Bake 45 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped . Brush top with melted butter . Remove loaf from pan ; cool on wire rack . It is half gone . Guess that tells you how good it is . About 2 months ago the container that holds my flour broke . I had had it for somewhere around 10 years ( I know I got it right after my dad died ) and it was only plastic , so that 's pretty good . To surprise me Joe ordered some containers from a mail order place . They came yesterday . Aren 't they cute ? I 've already filled them and put them away . It 's the little things that make me happy . Posted by This may look like snow on my car , but it 's really ice . The street in the background is also solid ice . Dangerous ! I had an appointment this morning with my surgeon . It is my second post - op consultation and hopefully she would say I could return to work next week . But God had other plans . Joe and I got up this morning and had a surprise . We knew we were going to get an ice storm , but everyone said it would be over by rush hour and everything would be a little slow , but OK to get around . It wasn 't . I took my shower first and while Joe was in the tub I went outside to clean off my car . I took one step and had to go back inside and get the shovel to clean off the pavement and steps which were a solid sheet of ice . I promised Joe I would not do something that would hurt me , but it was very easy to move off of the sidewalk . By the time he came downstairs the whole thing was done . He cleaned it up a little and put ice melt down . But when we went to clean off the car , the whole thing was encased in a sheet of ice . We couldn 't even open the door in order to get the ice scraper out of the front seat . So I ended up calling the surgeon 's office and telling the receptionist that I couldn 't get there because of the ice . She gave me the next available appointment which is February 1st . I really didn 't want to wait that long , but Joe says that gives me two more weeks to get well . God knows what He is doing . I was worried about going back because I know I 'm really not able to do my job yet ( I 'm not even eating solid food yet - - still on a soft diet ) . God knows best what is good for me . There must be some reason I was not able to get to the doctor 's today . I just have to trust that this is what He wants because I sure didn 't want the ice ! I saw this is our neighborhood newspaper . Since I just blogged about liking history , I thought I would share this . Here are some statistics from 1910 . What a difference a century makes ! The average life expectancy for men was 47 years . Fuel for a Model T Ford was sold only in drug stores . Only 14 % of homes had a bathtub . Only 8 % of homes had a telephone . There were only 8 , 000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads . The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph . The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower . The average U . S . wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour . The average U . S . worker made between $ 200 and $ 400 per year . A competent accountant could expect to earn $ 2 , 000 per year , a dentist $ 2 , 500 per year , a veterinarian between $ 1 , 500 and $ 4 , 000 per year , and a mechanical engineer about $ 5 , 000 per year . More than 95 % of all births took place at home . 90 % of all doctors had no college education ! Instead , they attended so - called medical schools , many of which were condemned as " substandard " both in the press and by the government . Sugar cost 4 cents per pound . Eggs cost 14 cents per dozen . Coffee was 15 cents per pound . Most women only washed their hair once a month , and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo . Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason . The 5 leading causes of death were : ( 1 ) pneumonia and influenza , ( 2 ) tuberculosis , ( 3 ) diarrhea , ( 4 ) heart disease , and ( 5 ) stroke . 20 % of adults couldn 't read or write and only 6 % of all Americans had graduated from high school . Try to imagine what it will be like 100 years from today . What will life expectancy be 100 years from now ? How much will sugar , eggs and coffee cost ? What will be the average wage ? All questions that make you say hmmm . . . . . I tell her she is going to burn her little feet when she puts them right up to the vent , but she doesn 't listen to me . " Let Mommy and Daddy be a little chilly while I block the heat coming into the room , " she says . Jenny comes first in her mind . As long as she is warm that is all that matters . Isn 't that just like a cat ? I have SO MANY library books out . I don 't know why I thought I could read so much while I was sick . I had great ambitions for myself , but it turned out that I couldn 't even hold a book , let alone concentrate on what I was reading . I ended up spending the first two or three weeks laying on the sofa and watching mindless TV that I didn 't have to think about . I guess pain - killing drugs will do that to you . For the past two weeks or so I have decided I really need to get these books read and back to the library . My co - workers have been great renewing them all the time , but I really have to return some . Today I finished the third book . Three books in two weeks isn 't so bad . This was a children 's history book , but was so good ! It 's called The American Story : 100 true tales from American history by Jennifer Armstrong . It starts in the 1600s and ends up in the year 2000 . Most of it I already knew , but I actually learned some things from it . I was a history major in college and love reading history books . I always say you can 't know where you 're going , if you don 't know where you 've been . I wish I had a time machine and could visit some of these places in the past . But I have a feeling that the past we glamorize so much wouldn 't really be as much fun as we think it was if we actually had to live in it . Posted by For the past three days I have been feeling blah . I thought it was my depression kicking in . I was told by a couple of nurses and doctors that after major surgery depression is a problem . Especially in people who have suffered from depression in the past as I have . I have been just laying around and had no energy at all . Then yesterday at lunch time Joe started getting sick . His stomach was upset and he had to keep running to the bathroom . Last night it started with me . The doctor had given him some medicine for this when we went to see him a couple of weeks ago . It worked for him , so I took some too and it worked on me . We ended up laying in bed watching an old British show called " Mulberry " which my sister , Elaine , had taped for us a while back . Even though we had seen it before we still enjoyed it . Today I am feeling better , but still not myself . So maybe it wasn 't my depression . I think I may have just been getting sick . Whatever it is , I hope it goes away fast for both Joe and I . Posted by Look what I miss by being out sick . Scott Prior came to the library today and did a program called " Snakes Alive . " Wish I could have been there . This is the librarian , Jerry , holding a very large snake . Here is the reason for our 7 inches of snow . I decorated my window with white lights and snowflakes . Within 24 hours of doing this , the snow started . So for everyone who got our latest snowfall on the east coast , I 'm sorry . It 's all my fault . : ( On top of this , we got a phone call early yesterday afternoon from my step - mom - in - law that my dad - in - law is back in the hospital . He had been home for 4 days . When the visiting nurse came , she saw his oxygen level was down to 84 , his skin was gray and he was not able to breathe well . So they called 911 and back into the hospital he went . Joe and I went to the Emergency Room to be with him and stayed when they moved him into a step - down room . Please continue to pray for him ( Joe , Sr . ) . His oxygen level came up to 92 , but he is not out of the woods yet . I don 't know what I did differently this year , but my Christmas cactus must have liked it . When I came home from my sister 's house the day after Christmas there were 8 buds on the plant . At first I thought I must be mistaken , but all of these little knobs became buds and then developed into flowers . One of them got knocked off before it fully bloomed , but the others did great . This is the only yellow Christmas cactus I have ever seen . Mostly you see the dark pink variety . I have had those in the past . I have also had an Easter Cactus which blooms close to Easter in the spring . That was also a deep pink . I love my Christmas cactus . I just hope I can get it to repeat its performance next year . My cat - daughter , Jenny , has mentioned to me that I don 't talk about her enough so today 's post is about her . Jenny is my third cat . My first cat , Fluffy , was also black , but a long haired cat with white on her belly and a little bit on one paw . Fluffy came to me from a girl I worked with at the time . This girl 's mom was going in a nursing home and she was trying to find homes for her mom 's cats and dogs . I took Fluffy on a two week trial basis and had her for 10 years . My second cat was Emily . Emily was my dad 's cat . She was a brown , cream and black striped cat with a little pink nose . She had more personality than most people . When my dad died I took Emily . My step - mom had a LOT of cats ( about 30 ! ) so any that she could place , she did . I liked having my dad 's cat . Both Fluffy and Emily died of cancer of the mouth and stomach . Joe thinks it 's because we live 2 streets away from a chemical plant and both of them would go into the yard and eat the grass . Jenny was a rescue cat . She was very scared of us when I brought her home from the vet 's office . She wouldn 't eat or drink if we were watching . We couldn 't pet her . If we went to rub her on the head , she would cringe and cry . We think she must have been abused by her former owners . Jenny is still afraid of many things . She will go to the door , but refuses to go outside . She is curious when someone comes into the house , but will not approach them . When she is spooked , she will run upstairs faster than I 've ever seen any animal go . Joe and I were engaged when I brought Jenny home . He did not want a cat . He said it would tie us down and we couldn 't travel . Besides , he is allergic to cats . Guess whose cat Jenny is ? Even though I feed her , clean her litter , and am even the one who brought her home out of that little cage she was living in , her heart belongs to " Daddy . " And his belongs to her . Jenny loves to watch TV . She insists Daddy watch Animal Planet with her . Today was the first pickup of the year at our farm co - op . We got some great stuff today . The theme was " breakfast " and the people there really outdid themselves . We got : - a package of Rainbow Microgreens - - having them for dinner with a sliced tomato . - 1 pound of crimini mushrooms - - thinking of using them in a mushroom and onion tart . - 4 York apples - - another apple and cranberry pie coming up ! - 2 pounds of onions - - red and yellow - 2 pounds of sweet potatoes - 3 bagels - - one plain , one poppy seed , and one everything ( that one 's mine ! ) - 1 / 2 pound of mild cheddar cheese - - I can see macaroni and cheese in my future - 2 vanilla yogurts - 1 dozen eggs , and - 1 / 2 pound baconSome of this I can eat , and some will have to wait . But I 'm very happy with our selection . While we were waiting for our turn to get to the refrigerator at the farm , I was standing next to two women who each had a little boy about 4 or 5 years old . It was obvious they did not know each other , but the two boys started talking to each other . One said , " I live in Philly - del - phee . " The other boy 's mouth dropped open in surprise and he said , " You do ? Guess what ! I live in Philly - del - phee too . " The two ladies and I couldn 't help but laugh . They were so serious about it . We got more snow today . In fact it is still snowing . It was a little slippery trying to get there , but God kept us safe and we made it both ways . We didn 't know if the farm market would be closing early , so we went almost as soon as they opened . A lot of the streets hadn 't been plowed yet . We got about another 3 inches on top of the 1 we had the other day . The forecast is for another big storm on Tuesday . Our car is going back in the shop on Monday . The check engine light went on yesterday and will not go off . So back it goes . We are going to have a hard time paying for another repair . Our money for this month is almost gone . I hope when I see the doctor on the 18th she says I can go back to work . I need the paycheck . I want to finish cleaning up the house so it 's goodbye for now . DoPosted by We woke up this morning to a coating of snow . Fortunately it wasn 't a lot like last time , but just an inch , most of which is already gone . One of our friends slid a shovel across the pavement and made a path . Thanks , Nate ! By this afternoon all of the snow on our pavement was gone and the concrete was actually dry . This makes me very happy ! We went food shopping this afternoon . It is one of my least favorite things to do since it usually takes 2 hours to get through the supermarket . Today was no exception . But we ended up saving almost $ 25 in coupons , so that was good . Food was getting scarce in this house . Now we are stocked up for the rest of the month . We got a rotisserie chicken for dinner . I was so tired when I got home , so was very thankful for this . I made some baked potatoes and peas to go with it . I was able to eat some of the chicken and ( surprise ! ) the small potato I made for myself . A couple of weeks ago I couldn 't swallow a baked potato so this was a very pleasant surprise . I am so sick of instant mashed potatoes which has become a staple of my diet . The peas , however , were not agreeing with my throat . Just couldn 't get them down . So my wonderful husband Joe helped out by finishing up my peas . Well I am doing better in my eating and that is a good thing . Tomorrow we go to the farm to get our co - op share . The theme this week is breakfast . I will show you what I get in my next post . Don 't know what has gotten into me , but I was very lazy today . Every time I got up to do something , I would feel so tired . I actually ended up sleeping most of the day even though I got a good night 's sleep last night . I guess we all get these kind of days . Glad I was home and could just lay down and sleep . What happens when I go back to work ? ! While I slept Joe took the car into the garage ( again ! ) . One day last week we started smelling oil burning when we drove . The warmer the engine got , the more we smelled the oil smell . Joe added oil and then added anti - freeze , both of which were down . The smell stopped and we thought it had been fixed , but since I needed an oil change anyway and I wasn 't working and didn 't need the car , we decided to get it checked out . It turned out besides an oil change we needed a new valve gasket . So it ended up costing a lot more than we anticipated . That 's the way our life seems to go . But God is good . Joe got a ride back home from the garage and then a ride back to the garage when it was done . It is very cold here , so I was so grateful he didn 't have to stand on the corner waiting for 2 buses . And we had enough money to pay for the work that was done . Now we 're ready for the snow coming tomorrow . Bring it on ! Yesterday I went to see my oncologist for my regular checkup . It is the first time I 've seen him since the surgery . He brought me in a month early because he wanted to make sure everything was OK with me . Dr . Bryansmith is such a good doctor and really keeps on top of all his patients . I am very fortunate to have such good doctors to take care of me . He was very pleased with what he saw . He says the incisions are healing right on target . He told Joe and me that he also has scars from the adhesive from his surgery . He didn 't know he was allergic to adhesive until he had to have bandages . So he was very sympathetic with what was going on with my skin . He also thought I was ahead of schedule with what I can eat . Probably in another 2 months I will be able to eat just about everything . The only problem was that my iron level was low . The normal hemoglobin count is 11 to 15 . I was right on 11 . 0 . I feel my best at 13 . 0 and above . This is why I am so tired and still take naps during the day . He told me that this is normal after surgery , that the body puts all its energy to healing and not to getting the blood up to par . I see him again May 5th and he expects everything to be back to normal by then . I sure hope so . Happy New Year , everyone ! Hope everyone had a safe night last night . I did what I swore not to do . I fell asleep on the sofa watching TV . Joe came downstairs a few minutes before midnight and kissed me . That woke me up . So we saw the new year in and then went back to bed . I 've been watching the Rose Bowl Parade this morning . I will watch the end of the Mummers ' Parade this afternoon . The string bands are always at the end and that is my favorite part . We usually have our friends Carole and Walt over for dinner on New Year 's Day , but I just wasn 't up to it this year . Instead they came over after dinner for dessert . I had some apples and cranberries I had to use up so I made a pie . I couldn 't eat it , but everyone raved about it . Joe said it was " slamming " and Carole said I had outdone myself . : ) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I tried to post this yesterday , but the internet went out and I couldn 't get back on to save , post , nothing . So this is really supposed to be the post for the first , not today . Oh well . That 's how it goes sometimes . Hi , I 'm Kathy and I live in historic Philadelphia , PA . I 've been married for 10 years to Joe , my best friend . Being the oldest of 10 children I have lots of family and absolutely love it . I retired in January 2016 so I am finding my way through being a stay - at - home wife after spending 20 years working for a public library system . Come along with me as I explore my new role as a homemaker . It is never dull in my world .