After Thanksgiving,---

we never seem to walk off the pounds, do we? Instead, we did a great deal of sitting, rocking, reading, knitting, and napping. All excellent occupations.

Dad and I spent Thanksgiving with Mary Beth, Ken and my granddogs (and grandcat). Dinner was great. Sarah was there, with Qualan and Marshall, Brandon came and after work, Janet (Marshall's mom) stopped by for turkey. Speaking of turkey, it was a free range one and realllly good! All the contributions to the dinner were excellent and we had a great time. I sent home a pile of scarves with Sarah for her to take to school and try to sell (cross your fingers!).

For my family - I need for all of you to know that I made the decision last weekend to stop taking the massive doses of statin drugs I have been on. They were really making me sick. While at MB's I had a bad withdrawal episode from this - glad I was with both MB and Dad to help me. It was not pretty. Since being home, I have found two friends who have both experienced this and they tell me the whole clearing out will take about a month. I may even have a brain when this is over. There are other things I can take and do which will help the cholesterol level, although I still think the physician's goal of a score of 75 is unrealistic. I also realize that this decision may shorten my life, but I feel that the quality of life will be much better. Please pray for my health. I already am beginning to feel more 'myself'.

We are giving thanks for all the blessings we have - our wonderful family and friends, our comfortable home, enough to eat and each other -especially each other. Blessings to you, also.

What a long time

it's been since I posted. Going backwards, I drove to Denton and spent a fun day with MB at a regional DOK meeting. I have become a daughter at large. Then drove home for a stewardship dinner here. Son Don came to visit for a couple of days and we really enjoyed having him. It just happened that he got a real taste of our world. The first night, we met Nancy and kids for dinner, then church and our Bible study, which he seemed to enjoy. The next night happened to be the monthly birthday dinner for our senior citizen community. He got his fill of looking at the bent and lame and white haired, but the food is always good. Sadly, our entertainment was a local church bringing their bell choir to us. I'm sure it was good and I could hear most of it, but a great many of our residents are pretty hard of hearing and so tried to talk through it, which enraged those who could actually hear. Not pretty.
We've been to various doctors. Dad had a steroid shot in his hip and says it is minimally better. I had two and I feel the same way. Steroids used to cure me, but at least it helps. My eye is healing slowly but I still need readers. I think I maybe also read too much. I've quit posting all the books I read - from now on, only the best of the best make it.
Now, Susan and Adam are with Scooter, visiting the ranch. I know Adam was really disappointed to miss the family reunion out there a while back. Then they are to come in and visit us, have dinner with the Scotts, and again sleep out there. Back here tomorrow for a visit before they have to go back to Midland and another plane trip. We are really anxious to see them and are so pleased they added us to their itinerary.
Don left a set of clubs here, which will make it easier for him to drop in for a day or so on his travels, for a game with Dad. They really enjoyed playing when he was here. So Adam can use those if he is interested in a game. Otherwise, there is the Chicken Art Farm tomorrow, and really good art museum and Fort Concho. This is an interesting small city - made up of many very community minded folks, so the whole town turns out for most happenings. And there are always happenings.
I am still praying about the seminary. So far, no answer, except that sometimes no answer means "no". So, no decision right now. I am writing personal interviews with our communicants for the monthly bulletin, and while I am pretty much a last minute person, I somehow manage to get them all in in time. This last one is a high school senior who is headed for medical school. All in all, an amazing girl and I loved getting to visit with her.

Tuesday

We looked very carefully at all the pictures shown of the Manhattan marathon. Granddaughter Susan and her DH were both running, but we didn't spot them. Granted, they showed very little of the race except for the winners. Dean, Barbara and Katie were there to cheer them on.

My tree is turning. I am not sure whether it will be brownish red or really red this year. We seem to perpetually be in a season of drought and this takes the real red out of the leaves. Maybe when more turn, I can spot some really red ones. I hope.

I saw the doctor today and he changed the anti cholesterol meds yet again. They are causing the severe muscle cramps and the mood changes. These people just insist I have to have a level of 75 or less and I can't seem to break 100. Considering that, untreated, my level is about 350, 105 sounds pretty good to me. Not so, I guess.

Dad has been having lots of back pain. He thought it was kidneys so went to the nephrologist who x-rayed and did other tests and he can't find a thing. At least we know what it isn't.

Don will be here next week for a couple of days and he and Dad will golf. No surprises there. It seems that the Continental flight out here has bitten the dust also, so Don is flying into Midland. It seems to me that even a couple of flights a week iinto San Angelo would be better than none.

I'm leaving for Denton on Friday where MB and I will attend a regional DOK conference on Saturday. Driving home again on Sunday morning as Dad and I are part of the hosts for the every member canvass dinner on Sunday night and I have a dessert to make. I stopped by the library again today and picked up some extra book CD's for the trip.

I learned today that fingernails and toenails grow more rapidly in November than in any other month. Do you believe that? I have a book that says so.

Actually,

daughter Sarah tells me that she does her baked potatoes in the microwave with damp paper towels wrapped around them. This way, armadillo potatoes could be nuked. I seldom bake in the real oven until really cold weather. By the same token, the automatic oven cleaner (for which I give thanks) is only run in the winter. For some reason I used to feel strongly that I had to clean the oven every time my mother came to see me. I think the reason was that I'm sure she checked to be sure I'd done it. ahhhhh-guilt.....

No Halloween party tonight. Or last night. Symphony tonight and looking forward to it!. I do wish for cold weather.

No red on the Texas oak as yet....