Longest, but Most Interesting Post Ever... I Had to Write That to Keep You Reading

It was the all too familiar ring tone of my father that momentarily stopped Roy and I from our cleaning duties yesterday. I hesitated to even answer the phone because there are times it is best the calls go to voicemail and then have time to pray and think before calling back. Sometimes time diminishes the drama or whatever was so urgent a couple of hours ago, cannot even be recalled. Since my dad is anticipating heart surgery sometime after March 23, I thought best to answer. He began saying what he always says, "Nancy, this is your father." Yep a little too Star Wars but I don't think he has ever seen the movies to enjoy the humor of his words. And the next statement always holds an element of surprise, "Do you have a few minutes to talk?" OK, at that point my brain is sounding the alert alarm and calling my body to all hands on deck. As he begins to talk I either heightens the alarm to Anne Frank sounding siren's or the three buzz sounds on the radio for the prepare alert during bad weather. He asks me about my blood type, which is O-. He says did you say B, did you say B? I have type B and type B's have more tendencies to get cancer. I'm sorry, but you are going to get cancer. Me thinking, what the heck? I again told him O-. He was rather disappointed to hear that news. Then he gleefully told me well, I wasn't out of the woods, I could get cancer. Who does this? It is usually an over worrying and micro managing mom who calls with this kind of information.


Roy had suggested he call my dad over the weekend and remind him that my stamina hasn't quite returned. So, he used the availability of the call to begin to set the framework. My dad thinks Roy is soft spoken and he is. He thinks that Roy isn't all that smart (Dad doesn't have a clue on this) and doesn't have any leadership abilities. My dad has never seen Roy in work mode and that is how Roy attacked this phone call. Roy gave my dad assignments to be done by the 23rd and very little options on calling the shots. I sat there watching my hero in action and only imagining the shock registering on my dad. Roy so shocked him that we were able to find out that his surgery is not on the 23rd as he has been telling us but he is having some tests run in the hospital before the course of surgery is determined. He would have my mother worn out over nothing on Monday. He would have us all worn out. There is an "if" in the surgery Roy detected. So if you have a moment to think of us and pray, we are asking for God's healing on his valve so that surgery is not needed. It will be so helpful for my mom not to have to "worry" with this even as she faces continuing procedures for her recovery. With her dementia, stress spirals her quickly. As I have written before there is added drama to most circumstances if my dad has anything to say about it. And none of us needs the unnecessary drama. We are fully supportive and helpful to health concerns that are really just that. We caught him in another "story" last week and dealing with these issues suck the life out of us. Oh, this is not new behavior in that he has been like this for as long as I have known him but it has been awhile since dealing with it on a consistent basis. I am parenting now. Does Dobson have a book on The Strong Willed Parent? Or a class, Growing Older Parents God's Way?


Quick update on Roy's mom, still not walking. She is willing to stand but that's about it. I told Roy he and Jerrell Altic should go pray for his mom. She would be walking and leaping and praising God after that prayer. She'd be like Peter's mother in law and go fix supper. If those two got together and prayed for her, I imagine her standing in the water fountains at the hospital trying to walk on water...


Now to much more fun things. On Thursday Dena and I went out to the rodeo to do some rodeo shopping and eating. Oh yes and to look at the animals.... :) We parked in the cash lot which in doing so have determined if we do this again, we will take the bus from 288. It wasn't a problem for the Houston Livestock and Rodeo to get us to the happenings but they weren't as quick or hospitable to get you back to your car. We must have waited over 45 minutes for a transportation golf cart to take us back to our drop off point to catch the trolley. There were some cheaters in line but the few carts that were committed to this run were just about non existent. Now I don't want to shade the fact that we really had a good time and I learned an important lesson in all the mess up with the Transportation Comm of the rodeo... We heard over and over, no I can't do that, it would be breaking the rules. We found a member of the comm breaking the rules by going to his personal car in the lot in a golf cart and putting a bag in his car. So rules can be broken only if it is beneficial to the rule breaker. Hmmm... Since we caught him, he broke the rules and gave us a ride to the only working trolley. Gee... Anyway, the eating and shopping were awesome. Dena and I had a great time and started out with lunch. We did good and didn't even have a fried Twinkie, Snickers Bar or Oreo. Shopping was calling out to us and of course it is our duty to help the economy. Our plan was to see the big picture of wares before buying, but we found a booth that sold cowboy and cowgirl pajamas and that plan went out the window. Another love language of mine, cute jammies. The ladies Rhea and Nancy also sold cute clothes and jewelery. They were fun to talk with and the day had been filled with grouchy rodeo-ers and rodeo-ettes and we were a ray of sunshine. Now the Transportation Comm might have another view of us. Dena and I found Yellow Box shoes, jewelery and some of the best cinnamon pecans ever! Actually, Dena found the best buys and got some very cute things. When we had enough fun we decided to leave and eat dinner off site. That was a good decision. We ate at Outback and had delicious steaks, fresh from product of the rodeo. No not really, but it is sad thinking that we probably ate some cow's cousin for dinner. I love that Dena and I are so comfortable in our friendship, we know when someone needs to sit, that would be me, when someone needs extended time in a shop, that would be both of us, and keep a steady pace and eyes open for goodies that need to be discovered. A good time was had by all except for cow who gave their life for hamburgers, fajitas and steak.


On Friday Lisa P and I were in the Land of Sugar for haircuts and highlights for me. Such fun! Afterwards we went to Lupe's and got the beef fajitas, best in town Sugar or Houston bar none. We spent several hours catching up and munching down the best chips. We made a stop at Whole Foods for goodies to take home to our fams. I had dressed so that I could go work out and stop to do so on the way back in. What was I thinking? A nap was calling my name. Roy came home tired and we stayed in on Friday night. I watched Double Indemnity and Mildred Pierce on TCM. He watch Sci Fi on FX. Our tastes are so different.


Saturday morning, I eased into the day. My knees and feet were still complaining to me about the cold concrete and the cold rain from Thursday. Even Roy slept in till 9:00 where upon waking up he felt guilty for sleeping in. Not me, I stayed in bed another 30 minutes. He helped me with some cleaning around the home and then we headed out for lunch. We felt so good we decided a trip was in order to the new Academy at Bunker Hill. Hit the jack pot on some things we both had been looking for. Still feeling spry, we went to Target at Memorial City...on a Saturday...on a rainy day with three million others. We were there for Diet Cokes and once they run out of them when on sale, there doesn't seem to be restocking. Didn't matter we carried on with our list and got out of there in record time. We came on home after that.


This morning at church I finally got to meet Ali who is in Houston for a few days. How exciting! She brought St Paddy Day gifts and I am in love with mine. Ali is from Ireland and she has the coolest accent. She got a lovely Texan welcome with the implosion of the Compass Bank Building at 7:00 am, which is very near her hotel.


Longest post ever. If you have completed reading this I commend you.