Weekend:

Friday:
The day started off on the wrong foot (literally!) and only got worse as the day wore on.
I was to take a vegetable dish to church for Imogene Gray's funeral dinner. I had made my corn casserole the night before and had planned on putting it in a glass dish, then I remembered I still had a disposable aluminum pan with a lid so I used that.
I start down the front steps to go to work, carrying the dish, my purse, a cup of milk and who knows what else. I always try to carry as much as I can so I don't have to make more than one trip. Well, about half way down I slipped on the ice and landed very hard on my back on one of the steps. The dish went flying out of my hand and luckily landed face up. The lid had come off but the casserole dish was still okay, minus a few dents. Dwayne heard me yell and came out in his bare feet. Bless him, he helped me up and carried my stuff to the truck with his feet freezing. It hurt so bad I couldn't help crying but I went on to work. It still hurts today but not too bad.
That night when I got home, Dwayne actually pampered me by fixing supper and bringing it to me in the living room. I later went to bed and started reading the book mentioned below. I stayed up until 2 a.m. to finish it. It is a good story and anyone who has adult children can understand the turmoil of how much to be there for your son/daughter or how hard it is to practice tough love.

Saturday:
I love to sleep late and I was happily snoozing away when all of a sudden someone is in my face saying, wake-up sleepy head! Scared me to death!! It was my darling daughter.
April needed to go to St. James to take some pictures for a news photo for the paper and I went with her. We probably looked like Thelma and Louise driving around town doing drive-by shooting. (with a camera) We also went to an anitique shop and looked around then on to Lowe's to pick up a gallon of paint. We always have a good time when we're together.
When we got home, Dwayne had a beautiful flower arrangement on the table. I didn't even notice it until I'd been home a couple hours. Reminded me of when I used to get the kids baby pictures back and would put one on the TV for Dwayne to see when he got home. I cannot remember a time that he actually noticed the pictures without me having to point them out.
Desmon:

Desmon came and spent the night with me and Dwayne. He can be such a little stinker one minute but then so loving the next. Me and Desmon usually play farmer with the little cows and hay set Chad had when he was young. We have a routine of feeding the cows on the feeders, hauling the hay in the back of the truck and we have two cows that look like they have mud on them. These two are always in a mud pond. There are two long horn steers that are his best buddies. Mister Dwayne will play feeding cows with him but he says he dosen't do it like Miss Connie. When he got there, he ran up and gave me a big hug and said I've sure been missing you Miss Connie, melts my heart. Later when April and Mike got home he took some of the cows, hay and trucks down for Mike to play but he said Mike doesn't know how to do it right, either. LOL Guess I'm the official cow feeding person! (Lucky me)
Desmon is usually only around adults and they all pester him and think it's so funny if he does something he shouldn't. The other day Todd was there and as he was leaving, Desmon asked why he was going. Todd told him it was because he was being so mean. Desmon goes, well come back tomorrow Todd and I won't be so mean. LOL I mean how can you not laugh at the kid and the funny things he says.
Desmon and Dwayne camped out in the living room. Desmon woke up a little before daylight and came in my room crying, he had lost Mister Dwayne. I thought Dwayne may have gotten up early and was upstairs painting the bathroom. I look upstairs but he's not there then I looked in the living room and Mister Dwayne was laying there asleep. I guess Desmon only looked to one side of him and didn't see Mister Dwayne laying there. Luckily, he went back to sleep after finding Mister Dwayne.
Sunday:
I had planned on going to church but played hooky. We watched a movie and then went to Mom's for Sunday dinner. Mom had chicken-n-dumplings, a very good dinner. Desmon then went back home with Chad.
That afternoon, Dwayne and I went to Vichy for our friends, Dennis & Joyce Tipton, 40th Wedding Anniversary. We had a good time visiting with friends we hadn't seen in a long time.
Every year for Valentine's Day, I fix a heart shaped meatloaf. Dwayne, April, Mike and I had a nice Valentine's Day dinner and an evening of watching TV.

Time in a bottle:

If I could save time in a bottle............... by Jim Croce
For the past two weeks, I wish I could have put time in a bottle. Work has been so busy with year end paperwork and pet food sales going great that I haven't had time to blog. A friend told me that when pet food and beer sales go down you know the economy is bad. I can say the economy has not affected dog food sales yet.
February 1:

My sister Judy's birthday. Mom fixed Judy a birthday dinner on Sunday the 31st. Judy always requests a gooseberry cake. It is a yellow cake (made from scratch) with gooseberry filling in the middle and seven minute frosting. Mom has always made this for Judy's birthday but for the past several years Dad has made the cake. He is so proud of himself! And this from the Dad who couldn't even get his own glass of water while I was living at home. We had a great time visiting with family. It is always a treat when Judy's daughter, Tammy and her sons, Josh and Cody can come down for a visit. They lives in De Soto.

What could make a weekend better than one of my sons getting hurt or sick. The week before Todd called at one in the morning that he was sick with the flu. This weekend, it was Chad. Chad and Desmon had went to Rolla in the snow and on their way back home, they slid on the ice on the gravel road not too far from Chad's house. The truck hit a soft spot on the side of the road and slowly turned over. Desmon was buckled in his car seat and did not get hurt, just a little scared. Chad, on the other hand,( my accident prone child) did not get hurt when the truck turned over but as he was getting out of the truck on the passenger side (the driver's side was on the ground) he stepped down onto ice, slipped and landed on his right arm. Todd called and Dwayne was then off to take him to the emergency room. They stopped by the house first. Without health insurance, there is always the worry over the cost. Not to say your health doesn't come first, but if you can wait it out a little that's what we'll do. Chad was in alot of pain and the elbow was swollen to twice the normal size. Chad has a pretty high pain threshold and you could tell he was in enormous pain so we knew it hurt alot. Chad waited until Saturday and called a local doctor. He said even if the arm/elbow was broken, it could not be set for a few days until the swelling went down. Long story short, I took Chad to an orthopedic surgeon in Jefferson City. He took an x-ray and the arm wasn't broken but the tendons and muscle were very bruised. Chad elected to do his own physical therapy with guidelines to go by. Even when you think, what else could happen, you still feel thankful that it wasn't worse. So when you say your prayers, Chad could always use an extra thought sent his way as if someone is going to get hurt, it's Chad. (or Chadley, as Desmon calls him)

Happy Anniversary:

Our good friends, Mike and Susan Southard celebrated their 33rd anniversary on Friday, February 5th. The weather was pretty much the same Friday as it was the day they got married as we had a huge snowfall then. 1977 was the year for weddings in our circle as Chris and Sherie got married on March 5th, Kevin and Karen on May 15th and Dwayne and I on September 10th. Seems so long ago and then again it just seems like it was yesterday. Once again, time in a bottle.........

February 5th, 1998 also marks a very horrific time in all of our lives. Our good friend, Susan along with her children, Adrian and Kyle, were found murdered in a neighboring pond. I won't elaborate more as the memories of that time are so emotional and hard to deal with to this day. Susan (Southard) Brouk is our good friend, Mike's, sister. They were actually killed on February 1st but their bodies weren't found until the 5th of February, so that is the legal date listed as time of death. The 5th of February is a bittersweet day for Mike and Susan, a time to rejoice in their married life but over shadowed by the tragic events of their sister, niece and nephew's death. As hard as it is/was, the whole Vichy community and friends are there for each of the Southard siblings and especially for our good friends, Mike and Susan, who've endured alot of emotional pain on their anniversary.

Randy's Road Kill Grill:
We have a restaurant only about five miles from our house. When you live outside of town, this is a real treat to only go a few miles to eat. (Poet and don't know it! LOL) Despite the name of road kill, it is a great place to eat barbeque. Dwayne, April and I ate there Friday night. The dining room is decorated really neat with various deer heads, bear skins, etc. and you can look out the windows at the lake. With the snow on the ground Friday, the view was beautiful. If you are familiar with Highway E out of Rolla, Randy's Road Kill Grill is about half way from Rolla to Highway A going to our house.

Nathan Time:

Our friends, Kenny and Shelley, took their little boy, Blake to St. Louis to see Monster Jam. We happily volunteered to keep Nathan for the night. He is such a good baby, always laughing and cooing. When our babies were small, I got up with them during the night. I never thought anything about Dwayne not helping as I was a stay at home Mom and he got up for work around 4:30 each morning. But I am so fortunate that when we keep Nathan, Dwayne gets up with him and seems to enjoy that time. April and Mike brought Nathan to church with them and it seemed to make heads roll as people were trying to figure out the relationship of April, Mike and a baby. I'm sure there's alot of speculation going on this week. LOL Mom had Sunday dinner and we took Nathan with us. All of the kids took turns holding him. Ashlyne and Lizzie came home with us for the afternoon. When Kenny and Shelley came to pick up Nathan, Blake had alot of stories to tell of the Monster Jam. He had a great time and was surprised at the show as he thought it would be like the Monster Jam Cartoons him and April used to watch.

I'm not into sports, so the girls and me watched tv upstairs. Later, Judy came and picked Ashlyne up for church and Zach stayed with Dwayne to watch the game. I had fixed beans and cornbread, fried potatoes and smoked pork chops. Well first, Dwayne let the beans go dry while I took a nap and then I let the beans get scorched when I was visiting with Billy for awhile. Liz and Zach were there for supper and they kept us entertained with their goofiness. Liz asked us if we knew why she always knows things (as she KNOWS EVERYTHING) and she said it was because her initials are EAR, Elizabeth Ann Rowe. I asked if someone told her that and she said, no, I just came up with it. And she probably did, she's just like that. You can't get much on Liz, she's pretty quick with a comeback. Dwayne, April and Mike watched the game and I went to bed early.

Work has been so busy, it was nice to just relax for the weekend.

Chickens:

This morning before I went to work I stopped by Mom and Dad's. Dad had just fed the chickens and they were all eating and strutting about. They looked so pretty and fascinating to watch. Anyone that knows me knows I'm not much for animals, even though I grew up on a farm. They are just animals to me and as long as they leave me alone, that's the way I like it. (Be it dog, cat, cow, etc.) But this morning I really enjoyed watching the chickens eat and strut about as if bragging to their fellow mates. It reminded me of going to see Grandma and Grandpa Feeler when I was growing up. Each evening, Grandma would go out and make sure the chickens were in their coop. Whenever I hear a rooster crowing, I automatically relate that sound to being at Grandma's house. A lovely memory, as I loved my Grandma very much. I even lived with her for a couple weeks in 1974 after my Grandpa died. I wish now I would have taken more time to enjoy the privilege of being with my grandma and not being the teenager that I was, thinking about going places with my friends or just missing being at home. If I had ever voiced those feelings to Grandma she would have understood and told me that was normal. So, whenever I see or hear chickens it brings back fond memories of being at Grandma and Grandpa's. Even to this day, I sometimes dream about being at Grandma's house and I always seem to wake up with a peaceful feeling.
What a legacy of love my Grandma left me (and all of her grand kids). She made each one of feel as if we were special. My cousin even wrote a song about her. I'll have to get a copy sometime and share the special words the song reveals about Grandma.
I did not have the opportunity to know my Mom's parents. Grandma Williams died when my Mom was only ten years old and Grandpa Williams died a couple years before I was born. As a child, I don't remember feeling as if I was missing out on not knowing my other grandparents. It was just a fact of life. Now I can look back and realize how much more blessed my life would have been knowing them.
So my feelings of melancholy at the beginning of the week are residing some now. I need to realize life is a series of ebbs and flows and you need to just be grateful for each day God gives you. I am extremely grateful for the family I've been blessed with.

Winter Blahs!

The weekend was basically a time of reflection of my life, past and future. I try not to put much emphasis on age but occasionally the thought creeps in. I'm over the fifty year mark, have I made a difference in my children's life, have I made an impact on people I've met? I think if the first part of my life has passed this fast, how much faster the remainder of my life will go. This type of thinking causes much melancholy. Is the weather being so gloomy a cause of my negative thoughts or just a natural response to life changing and getting older. Do other people feel this way? Don't get me wrong, I love my life and basically would not change any aspect of it. It's just the approaching years and where I thought my life would be like. Dwayne and I would love to have grandchildren but our children have not found their life mate and made a commitment. I am glad they haven't made a commitment that they are not ready for. It would be so hard to have a grandchild torn in opposite directions if their parents were divorced or a child born to someone my kids aren't married to. I have seen this struggle with my own nieces and nephews and no matter how much everyone loves and cares for them, there is still pain at the loss of an intact family. I think it bothers Dwayne much more than me. He feels he's missing the opportunity of teaching his grand kids things. We do watch our great nieces and nephews often and our friend's little boys, Blake and Nathan. This helps to feel the void in our "biological grandparent timeline." LOL
On a brighter note, my Mom fixed Sunday dinner once again. Even that makes me feel a sense of sadness. Don't get me wrong, I love that my Mom is still able to fix dinner for us but I also feel a sadness that my time with Mom and Dad gets shorter all the time. Most of the time, I cherish and treasure these times, but that sadness at becoming the next generation raises it's ugly head.
And what right do I have to feel that time slipping away when I am so lucky and fortunate to have my parents still with me when so many people don't.
We had a nice family meal last night. Dwayne, me, Todd, Mike and April had a good evening visiting and playing cards. The meal was nothing special, roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, cauliflower and custard pie.
Overall, another weekend of special family times.

Weekend:

Saturday:





Chad brought Desmon over to open his Christmas presents. He loves to help Chad work so Dwayne and I bought him a tool set. It is so cute, even has little work gloves. Uncle David bought him the little set of construction vehicles. He had to ask Chad about each one and if Chad had drove any of them. For a little kid, Desmon loves to work. He helps Chad cut and haul wood, work on the house, work with the mules, etc. He loves his "Chadley", as he calls him.
That afternoon, Dwayne and Zach cut cedars out of the fence row and I did some spring cleaning.
Sunday:
I went to church and then to Mom's for Sunday dinner. It is so amazing that at age 80, she made homemade beef 'n noodles, rolls and alot of side dishes.
I actually had one more for our Sunday evening supper, Todd. I had made meatloaf, scalloped potatoes, corn, peas and I cheated on dessert and fixed cinnamon rolls from a can.
Overall, it was a relaxing weekend and enjoyed visiting with the kids.

Trisky!

Dad & Mom with Mules which I purchased for Dwayne:

My Dad:
I don't think trisky is a real word but when you are excited at the outcome of your father's surgery you run words together. Judy called Joe and told him the surgery was trisky! What she had meant to say was Dr. Kim said the surgery was very tricky and risky and she was so excited the words came out as one-trisky. I kind of like that word and Dad's surgery certainly was tricky/risky aka trisky!
We are so fortunate to have such a fine surgeon as Dr. Kim at St. John's in Springfield. When Dad had his initial heart attack April 15th, 2008, Dr. Kim was his surgeon. When he started the procedure he found Dad's arteries were very damaged and he could not do a bypass and it was very risky to try to put in stents. Mom told him to do what he could and God would take of the rest. We were not given hardly any hope that Dad would make it through the procedure. But God had other plans!! Dr. Kim linked three stents together (essentially, not sure all the right medical terms) and opened up an artery. He was so amazed by this that he took our whole family into a room and showed us the visual pictures of how bad Dad's heart was blocked and how the artery was opened up with the stents. The artery was to make a C and Dad's artery was only open at the very top with no tail on it at all. Then he showed the pictures of how the stents opened up the artery to flow and form the C in his heart. A true miracle!! Dr. Kim was even totally blown away about it.
And this wasn't the first miracle Dr. Kim (and God) performed that day. Dad was flown to St. John's at night on the 15th. We all arrived later around 10 p.m. We were not allowed to see Dad until the next morning. There was another family that arrived in the waiting room during the night. Their husband/father had a heart attack during the night and an agiogram/stents had been done when they got there.
Around 8 a.m., we were allowed to see Dad. While in his room in ICU, a code blue went off in the room next to us and we found out it was the young father (42) that had come in during the night. His daughter (age 16) was in the hallway sobbing and said they were working on her dad. I stayed with her (her Mom and brother had gone to the cafeteria) and we prayed. I remember asking God to save her Dad and if he had to take my Dad that was okay, I had had many years with him and Dad had lived a long good life, was a Christian and knew he would go to heaven, but her father was so young, with a full life ahead of him. There is no way I wanted to lose my Dad and I know God doesn't bargain like that but I really felt she needed her Dad. Then her grandmother came out of her Dad's room and said, "We lost him." It was so sad! A horrible image of a family falling apart at such devistating news, I felt so bad for her and her family.
We then learned Dad's doctor had performed her Dad's surgery during the night and we were concerned he would be exhausted and wanted a different surgeon but we didn't pursue it. Later in the day I saw this girl in the hallway and asked how they were and if they got all the arrangements made to move her Dad and she says, "He's alive!!" I don't know all the details that led up to them taking him to surgery and Dr. Kim performing bypass and saving his life but I do know the family had been told he had died in ICU. I hear of miracles and I thought I kind of believed in them but this miracle I saw and witnessed. It was totally awesome!! Not a word I use much but this was AWESOME!!
Since Dr. Kim had done this man's surgery, it wasn't until around 3 p.m. they took Dad in for his, we were still nervous as to him being exhausted. I believe in God but I am not one to talk or witness to people (I should be but I fall short in this area). But I want to shout praises to God in saving my Dad's life and putting Dr. Kim as Dad's surgeon. (Dad did not have a doctor in Springfield at the time)
And yesterday, once again God and Dr. Kim's skill were at work. Dr. Kim said the artery was very fragile and a risk to work on. But trisky prevailed and
the surgery was a success.
I am SO GRATEFUL for the blessing of my family and still having my parents alive and a big part of my life.

My Daughter and I:

Here is how we communicate during the day:
From April:
To: Connie Elrod
Subject: Gordoz
Gordoz is moving by Taco Bell. Their not tearing down that building just gutting it!

Back to April:
Subject: RE: Gordoz
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:31:46 -0600
Their………….. They’re not tearing down… (I like to correct her spelling)

What building?

That will be good for them as not many people know about them.

From April:
Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 3:40 PM
To: Connie Elrod
Subject: RE: Gordoz

I think it used to be a clinic!

From Connie:
Subject: RE: Gordoz
Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 3:42 PM
To: April Elrod

Oh! I used to work there!!! For Dr. Werth one day a week!!!! You were born while I was working there!! Wait, that isn’t right, I worked there at the time you were born. No, no, that isn’t right either. I only worked ONE DAY per week and Miss Hoity Toity had to be born on my only working day of the week!! So, I was employed by Dr. Werth when you were born but I had you at the hospital.
Finally!! I got it right this time.


LOL