Nancy Drew and The Mystery of a Patient Portal

 In my best Nancy Drew writing voice I'm about to tell the story of The Secret Report or The Mystery of a Patient Portal. Monday marks two weeks since my echo/stress test with no results actually conveyed. Roy and I were outside in the early evening when the delivery of the heart monitor arrived. This time three days wearing. Once we got back inside, I got to thinking about the report and the lack of correspondence from the cardiologist office in the recent week. Before closing down my computer last night I signed onto the patient portal remembering the notes of each visit posts rather quickly. I went through the the options and came across the  notes from both the office visit and the echo/stress test visit at the hospital. Not all of my questions are answered but I feel more confident the direction my heart health is taking, at least in my mind. Since the test I have adjusted a few things to see if there is a better result and some of those changes seem to be making a difference. I've also adjusted the Bible verses I am reading and believing that God will answer my prayer and honor His Word. Maybe, I'll share later but I will share this. Several months ago while finishing up teaching Exodus, I took a little detour into Numbers. In Numbers 21:17-18, the Israelites come to a spring of water...The Bible says the people sang unto the well. They were expressing thanksgiving and gratitude to the Lord and several commentaries say while singing to this particular spring, they were also singing to remind themselves the next time they were looking for provision. In their case, water. I remember saying to the class when there are problems, things we don't understand, we can thank God that He knows and we should sing to our problem or needed answer. This morning I have been singing and I plan on more music playing in the house. Roy has been playing The Psalms accompanied by music in the morning and evening. This is so different for Roy because music doesn't mean that much to him but I love seeing this change. Community Bible Study is studying The Psalms in the fall. Maybe I will join an online class. 

This has been a week with more freedom to take care of stuff around here since I have additional time. I stepped aside from teaching for the summer and will re-access health and other things in September. Since I was enjoying a book on the Psalms, I'll continue to read it. I decided to order a new Bible because the one I use for teaching is just that. Sometimes, not always, there is a difference in how God speaks when you are studying to teach than when you are reading and studying for that quiet time with the Lord. And this is the best, I found a new NLT Bible on Thrift books that has a center reference column which I love! And the cover is pink and gold. 

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Seems strange that usually this time I am in the Sunday School room waiting for the class to arrive. Today, I'm sitting here at the computer in my jammies. I made a list of architectural churches we want to visit this summer and maybe add a couple of just regular churches, even different denominations.  There are a lot, more than I thought, but there are a lot of independent Baptist churches in the area. 

Our attention is on the Men's College World Series as we root for LSU. If Roy hadn't gone to LSU we would probably be rooting for Coastal Carolina. With the temps being what they are both teams are used to hot and humid weather. We are having to acclimate to this hot weather for the month of June. We are having temps in the 90's and that is July or August temperatures. 

LSU won! Yay! 

A little rain shower has moved through and we are hoping that will help. Roy has gotten things gathered to take the trash down to the road. Oh and it is recycle week. The power washer guys come tomorrow afternoon. 

This week I cleaned out a couple of boxes and much to my surprise I found CDs from Houston's First Baptist Choir, the songs I love so much and define in a huge way that time in my life. I have been singing so much this weekend. I had a small CD player that I used for choir here but since we haven't had a choir in a long time, who knows where the player went. Roy ordered a player so I could listen and of course sing along. What a great surprise! I know I wrote a little about this in the first paragraph but it is such a special thing. 

Cats, Stories, and Produce Stands

 The song Fare Thee Well keeps rolling around in my brain. Guess I've heard it several times in the past few days since discovering the two CD set of the Houston's First Baptist Choir in a box in the back of a bedroom closet. I remember Gerald telling us, it is not a fare thee well as a goodbye but may you fare well in that great getting up morning. 

Ours is a battle of keeping the flowerbeds weeded. It is an impossible task cause the weed coalition is strong. Some of the flowerbeds we admit defeat and have just turned them back over to the wild side but we are vigilant in our task in the beds we are trying to keep clear. We mistook a weed for the ever present four 'clock that fills our side flowerbed. So, we will be getting to that sooner than later. 

The above came up in FB memories this morning and coincidently I was thinking this very thought yesterday. The stories that make up our lives become more compact, a little more organized and a whole lot shorter than the stories we talked of just ten years ago. Basically, our natural lives here are a compilation of short stories that define us or we make the stories define us or we are looking for a new definition and do a lot of editing. Also the natural progression of forgetting plays a part. 

Part of the stories of my life will be that I am easily entertained and amused. Like yesterday, we went to the DMV to get the license tag for the Mustang. Afterwards, we went next door to the huge and above average Ingles. Wow! Presentation of products is through the roof beautiful. The dull beige and brown tones that accompany anything Ingles was dwarfed by the displays and the openness of the store. Of course our basket or buggy as is said here, was filled with all those products that makes it look like we are shopping as college students. Popcorn  and  Pepsi products. We stopped by church and while Roy turned in his deacon book, he rolls off June 30th, and his VBS t-shirts, I stayed in the truck. Good thing cause I got a call from the cardiologist office to do another stent with a heart monitor. Got all the instructions again and by this time Roy had returned. We went to exciting Publix where the atmosphere was totally weird, but it was Wednesday and the all important discount makes people do crazy things. While doing all of these things, I was talking with another representative from the cardiologist office because I had received a text that I had an appointment that morning. Clearly, I knew nothing about that appointment but everything got resolved. I left a message with the nurse of my doctor again asking why my results have not been given to me if the NP had someone call last Thursday but with the wrong answer to the reason for the stress test and echo. I'll remain proactive but I'm getting ready to tell them I am about to release Roy on them. He has the time and patience to deal with tedious things and he doesn't give up. I had a great day after a bit of a blip with afib in the night on Tuesday. 

 Our prodigal cat is home! Coco hasn't been around for about two weeks. There might have been a sighting from someone down the road but the pic was blurry. Last night Roy was making his last rounds to make sure the Feral Fam had water and a little dry food and there she was waiting by the door. She has slept mostly and hasn't missed any wet food offerings for those who visit the garage once or twice a day. Fido came in with her. He has been rather regular again to show up for meals and want to spend the night in the garage. In other cat news, We have trouble a brewin' in our own home. It seems Willie and Mr Mo are upset with one another. Willie won't go to bed in the bonus room and now Mr Mo is hiding and he has some really good hiding place because we could not find him. He finally showed his face for supper but he thought he saw Willie. Back upstairs. I will go up there in a bit but we're thrilled he is not hurt or dead in his hiding. 

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This morning we headed over to Duckett's Produce for some Lou Lou salsa and whatever else she has been canning of late. We got some tomato sauce and vegetable soup. Also, peaches, tomatoes and those delicious little plums. We were able to also stop at Clementine's in downtown Canton. The same people own it but it is more clothing now with a few pieces of jewelry as well as paper goods...stop drooling Nancy, and local artists creations. I didn't stay long but I didn't leave empty handed. We came home to indoor and outdoor cats acting like it has been a week since they last ate. Fido came running across the yard leaving his cool retreat in the fir trees. Everyone has settled in for a nap, including Roy. 

We are finishing up the last bucket of strawberries for the season. Seems like strawberry season went by so quickly this year. It was a good season and now peach season is upon us. 

Celebrations and Echoes

 I streamed the Celebration of Life service for Gerald Ray Friday afternoon from Houston's First Baptist Church. His creative touches and his gift for helping us remember was so evident in the service. He had sat down with his daughter Kristy about a year ago to go through what music, who would speak and details planning for that great and glorious morning, fare thee well. The family sat in the center section and those who have been in Gerald's choirs over the years sat all around them. What a wonderful and thoughtful touch.

Being Gerald's choir at First Baptist was so special. That is when I started making friends at HFBC. Everyone told me that I should meet Peggy Bain cause we'd be good friends. She was recovering from major knee surgery and was out of choir for a while. We finally met at a Camp Sponsor meeting for Camp Houston. She came up to me all 5'1" to my 6' and said, heard you're funny. My very cool response, can be. She asked me to rewrite the words to Do You Love Me for the Clean Cabin Girls. Said, yep, I'll do it. I cannot tell you how excited I was, really thrilled and enthusiastic. Even call Roy from my car phone on a thirty minute plan cause why would I need more minutes? Told him I had finally met Peggy and that my friends is the start of a beautiful friendship. Yep, right there in choir, who knew? I loved the songs we learned even the ones that were loved by the musical type but not the average choir person. I was remembering the signs that Gerald had to help us with those memorized words. The video of Wonderful Name, yes I remembered to sing soft on the first Jesus just like many of you. Gerald had such a good reading voice. I told him once I would pay him to record reading a book cause his voice was so kind. Gerald told Peggy and me about all the tapes people sent to him of their singing or songs they wrote. If he didn't like them, he threw them out the window of the car. Peggy and I said if we ever recorded a tape for him we would call it, Going Out the Window With God. 

While our home was being built in Rancho de Five, my job was to go through stuff we had moved from the townhouse to the condo to discard or donate. I did one clean out early on and once we were closer to moving in to our new home, there had been delays due to shortages, I went through everything again. The wadded up Kleenex in a zip lock bag did not make it through the second round. If one looked closely enough a small note could be seen and if one was so inclined to be interested the small printing said, tissue used for drying my tears at Trevleyn's memorial service. That little Kleenex filled baggie was a remembrance that I needed to hold onto, for awhile, out of honor for her life, her love in serving her Lord and I just wasn't ready to say goodbye. We were not close but Peggy shared the greatest and funniest stories about Trev before she became so ill and the fatigue kept her from doing a lot of things. Joining choir was a such a time as this moment in life. It seemed so difficult to make friends in a large church and Sunday School was less than desirable for us. Too competitive on accumulating stuff, too much. I was a late bloomer in that regard. When I joined choir and when the CLC gym was built that is when we made friends and a big church felt less lonely. 

I have had all kinds of echocardiograms and stress tests beginning in 2009. They have come a long way technologically since then. In fact, this was the best experience ever and I have to tell you, I wasn't expecting that. I had to go to Mission Hospital to have the test done. From the front desk person to the nurses performing the tests I was so pleased, but when you have friends specifically praying for everything, all I could do was take in the wonder and blessings that the Lord gives. A humorous thing, I was sitting by an older woman in the waiting area, older than me and guessing she might be about 88 or so. Her phone rang and her ring tone was, The Thrill is Gone by BB King. If I was drinking water or anything, I would have spit it out laughing. Nurse Katherine came and got me from the waiting area and she said to Roy, we will try to have all this done in an hour, we will be overachievers. As we went toward the echo lab, I told her my husband will love that because he is an over achiever but as for me, I just chieve. No under or over for me, I am just a chiever. We hit it off, you know best friends for the hour or so and talked about a lot during all the prep. She asked me why I said my husband is an overachiever so I told her. Passed CPA exam the first time back in the olden days when you took all four parts of the exam over the course of two days. He went to grad school working full time and got a MBA in finance. Then he decided to apply for Law School and was accepted despite the fact he was in his early forties. He was laid off in the middle of law school but worked contract jobs, graduated and passed the bar on the first try. He was one of the first Accredited Petroleum Accounting holders in the county. He took the Certified Internal Auditor exam, given world wide and he was in the top five of over two thousand people that took the exam that year from around the world. His specialties, Sarbanes Oxley, Risk Control and Compliance. That is why he is an overachiever. She was blown away and after writing this afresh this morning, I am blown away too. I added my overachieving was being on time for my appointment. They did the echo and added all the stuff in my IV to make my heart react as if I were exercising. I needed to reach a certain number and I was about twelve points below where I needed it to be. So, I was pumping heart softies, pedaling my ankles and feet as well as doing a one landed jumping jack. I might keep checking out America's Funniest Videos to see if I am on cause it was foolish looking on that table with my left arm overhead. I got the number up to 129 and we ended the session, one point above the requirement. In the procedure I got to watch the screen as well as they explained or merely reported what they were seeing. The nurse said to me, if you had any other of the nurses here, they would have stopped everything in defeat and a long afternoon would be ahead of me going to the heart cath lab but she knew I could do it. The scheduler forgot to tell me not to take my beta blocker twenty four hours before. They left me to change back into my clothes and she would escort me out to the waiting room. Before taking me out there, she took me by the shoulders and told me, now who says they aren't an overachiever. We almost made the hour time limit but we were over just be a few minutes. A concern though, my BP was through the roof which is unusual for me. Most of the time my BP is normal or in a very low range. This was very high. They asked me if I was nervous for the test, no I said. Do you have something you are stressed over? Yes and Sunday night didn't help that. 

I was so tired afterwards and kind of hungry since I had to semi fast. We stopped to pick up a milkshake and then continued home. I was told my heart had just run the equivalent to a 5K race. Easy evening around home, even got to talk with Peggy for a few minutes.  

Just Put a Ribbon in Your Hair and Act Happy

 Roy and I were riding around the countryside yesterday taking in all vibrant greens and the once plentiful blooms of spring have winnowed down into a few flowers here and there. Mostly, the flowers are along the roadside. My friend Inez told me once that her sister called them God's flowers. I agree whether He uses the wind, birds or squirrels for distribution. Several years ago in the ditch/culvert daylilies appeared. Mike never mows over them and what started as a small plant has grown into one that likes the wide open spaces. As we took all of this in, I made the comment about what a difference eleven years has made. In 2014 while here looking for a home to purchase I could not get over how many junkers I saw. Not classic cars or trucks but cars and trucks duct taped together or so it seemed. Now, there are more Lexis', BMWs', Mercedes, and the like hitting these back roads in the country. One of the other observations I made so long ago was over the price of groceries. There is a local to other southern states grocery store chain that was the queen bee for so long. Nothing, like having an H-E-B or Kroger in Houston where sales were good and eating was cheap, well cheaper than here. That in itself seems strange right here in the middle of produce fields and orchards. Then in 2017 Publix changed the landscape in the grocery world when it opened in Weaverville. The local store across the road from the new store, cleaned up and semi-modernized their store to compete against this latest foe. When store colors are brown and beige, it is hard to compete with green and white and yes bright interiors of Publix. Publix brought in more BOGOs to entice the unbelievers in. Some converted quickly and there are others who swear by the local store whose prices might be a little lower but not by much. Recently, local has advertised a few BOGOs but still penurious in sharing the discount. 

I realized this morning while attempting to put a bowl away in a bottom cabinet I bent over and looked like my Grandma B. What an honor of keeping the don't bend your knees tradition in our family. Need to start wearing a house dress to complete the total look. 

The heart monitor people called yesterday wondering why I hadn't activated the monitor. Well, because it hadn't arrived but blessed be the name of the Lord and He is a right on time God, as we were speaking it was delivered. I have this leftover symptom from the October sickness and every once in a while my rims of the eyelids want to stick together which kind of fuzzies things. Yesterday was a bad day for it and with all the books and notebooks littering the daybed I was having a difficult time of focusing on instructions and calling etc...  I read the booklet and finally put it all down because it would look different to me the next morning and so it did. My most difficult feat was getting the template in place. Roy had gone outside so I got a piece of handy dandy scotch tape and got that template taped and placed in order to get that monitor thing going. These monitors are getting easier and easier to use. Gone are the days of having to have a landline and calling in fits, bits and afibs for the record. I don't think I ever did one of those correctly nor the thirty day monitor I was wearing during the whole grief time when my mother passed away and her weird and odd graveside service. There are many changes in medicine these days; mainly ones I don't like but upgrading heart monitors...I am all in for change. 

I love this statement. It is a welcome thing to see a pastor encourage coming to the Word with expectancy. Many a time I've heard a pastor say things about reading the Bible that were merely aside comments, although that is where truth is found, doing year through the Bible programs and quiet times are boring. Maybe in an attempt to say hey, I'm no different...this is hard to do, the OT can be dust dry etc...heard once you could not go to the Word every time and think you would receive a joyful or exciting word or even an eye opening word, just do the duty of quiet time. I always think of this book from the 1950s on how to have a happy home. Just put a ribbon in your hair and act happy. 

What is left of the pasture land across the road has been doing all the hay prep work and last night while dead heading roses, I watched just like in times past, in awe of how the work is done. Grabbed a couple of quick pics because each time I see this happening I think this might be the last time. What talented farmers in that they were able to maneuver around the stakes in the field. Some of our tomato plants have little tiny tomatoes on them. Yay! The bell pepper plants are developing nicely as well. While I was at Bible study, Roy did some trimming and shaping up on several shrubs. Sometimes taking care of everything is overwhelming. Yet, we muster up the strength. We just came home with more zinnias.  

For This We Give Thanks

 In the past few months several Houston friends from long ago passed away. Although through the years we lost touch it was merely a case of being busy people who knew if we ran into one another we would just pick up where we last stopped. All three friends were joy bringers and that joy came in different ways. The first friend was so generous with time and resources. Oops, I just dropped into 1960's Baptist speak. She helped many in the academic world, in completing degrees at the university and college level. It certainly helped that it was also her line of work and passion. Funny as all get out. Just last week my church friend passed away from ALS. She too, funny as all get out. When Roy and I first joined HFBC, she and Buster invited us over for dinner. Had a blast, until her son brought out his pet hamster and wanted me to hold it. All things mice or rodent cousin related is not a good fit for me. In fact I had a fit of trying to get away. Years later we were in the same Bunko group and that whole group of friends were some of the funniest and funnest times ever. On Friday, Peggy called to let me know my third friend, Gerald Ray, had passed away. He had fallen, broken his hip and as many have in their 90's, can't have surgery. He held on for much longer than expected and friends came to see him and sing with him. You see, Gerald was the minister of music at Houston's First Baptist Church for twenty eight years. One of the most creative and talented people I have ever met. What a gift God gave him and he shared it with the world. His hymn sings were wonderful. Ever busy for the Kingdom even after retiring.   

We know we shall see them again and we rejoice in that, but we are saddened that we no longer have access to their brilliant minds, academically, comedy, and worship-wise. For their lives, we give thanks.

We will begin the Psalms this Sunday but I did an intro last week. Kind of set the foundation with knowing in the Psalms God is always the center of all 150 of them. Roy's reading plan has had him in Proverbs lately and he said, the Proverbs are wisdom based, the Psalms, God based. We start with Psalm 1and it lays out that use of comparison brilliantly. I have always loved tree verses so I am extremely happy this week while I study. Words that are pointedly drawing me in, delight, not so, and of course the trees. Planted and fruitful, not withering in time of drought. 

With the rain we've had these past few weeks, all the veggies and flower beds are doing well. Some of those tomato plants are so very tall. I have most everything else planted and last week dead headed roses on several front yard and most of the backyard roses. Have more to do, that's for sure. 

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Second day of hurricane season and all is well. This is the first time since moving here that the thought of being hurricane prepared has entered my mind. Got to check the expiration date of the Pop Tarts. This past week, the last week in May, had cooler temps than normal and for this we give thanks. Now, the pattern looks to be normal warm temps in the daytime. I'd say we broke even in getting spring chores done. Still many remain but not as many as last spring. 

Yesterday was homecoming Sunday and not one of us wore a mum. Well, only Texas people know when there is a homecoming football game or as it is referred to now, HOCO, that girls get larger than life, several flowery pounds of flowers on a ribbon and sash. It didn't seem any different from any other Sunday but we had lunch afterwards. Back in the day it would be called dinner on the grounds. I am really glad that fellowship lunches and fifth Sunday evening fellowships are back. That kind of died under our previous pastor's watch, until it was revived again by church members. Other ministry that was cut back is slowly but surely coming back. And for this we give thanks. 

The wheel moves slowly here and maybe always has, but for medical appointments and such, that has been my experience. Once you are in the system it speeds up a bit but not much. Had my cardiologist appointment. EKG looked good but in the late afternoon to early evenings I experience more heart thumps than beats. Supposed to get a monitor and be scheduled for stress test and echo. Got the call for the tests, but treadmill test had been ordered not the other kind. With head shoulder knees and toes and hips...haha, I know that it would not be a long test. So, back in touch with doctor office and also check on a monitor. In theory all was resolved except the actual possession of a monitor and the scheduling call. For this we give thanks.

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Made a quick trip to Burnsville today. It has been over a year since I have been there. Went to the new location of The Find Vintage Warehouse. Very cute things. We had lunch at Pig and Grits and it was soooo good! Then we made our way home. Then I had the most fun conversation with a friend in Houston and that conversation gave me some pep cause of all the laughing. After supper I joined Roy out in the yard and we planted some flowers and picked some peaches. For this we give thanks.