Ahhhhhhh. Summer.......

It has arrived. 80+ degrees at 7:30 am as I left to go to the doctor this morning. It's gonna be a hot one again. But, I can't complain. I am in the air conditioning. But poor Greg is another story. I hate that he is out there working his butt off in this heat and humidity. I hope you all are well and keeping cool.

Brayden is doing well, I'm told. I haven't seen him in several weeks :(  and this makes me sad. But he and I are not easy to travel with. With me having trouble walking, and him with all the tubes, machines, etc. I hate that I can't see him more, but, it's out of my hands. Hopefully soon he will be off the vent and it will be much less stress on him. He is scheduled to have surgery to repair his cleft palate on July 15th, so please say some prayers for our precious little one.

Greg is doing better. Still hobbling and needs to ice his knee at the end of the day. But he needs surgery badly, but that's not possible at the present time. Guess I need to play the lottery......

As for me, same old shit, just another day. I wish the people that do the lymphedema therapy would hurry up and get here. They are coming to our town and moving in with my doc's office. I was told I will have the first appointment. That will be nice. Meanwhile I keep putting on weight (fluid) and my legs keep getting more swollen. Two more pounds in the last two weeks. Which may not seem like alot. But since december I've gained 22 lbs. More than 3 gallons of fluid. And that fluid my friends is mostly in my calves, ankles and feet. The left leg is worse then the right. And I'm having a hard time finding pants in my size to fit the swollen bottom half of my legs. I have to go a couple of sizes larger and make alterations I guess. And I hate that several months ago I donated all my larger clothes as I had lost more weight. Oh well..........

Next week I will see the orthopaedic doc for my knees. I am hoping he will at least be able to give me a cortizone injection. I know he's gonna say I have to have the surgery, but with my circulatory and heart issues, it's just not an option at the moment. To get my mind off this crap, I busied myself with organizing my office/studio/craft room. Even made a window shelf with a tufted cushion for my furbabies. My studio is looking good, but I still have several boxes of stuff to get out of there. They are full of garage sale stuff and some things to donate to the Humane Society. I am slowly trying to downsize and get rid of stuff. I just have too much stuff!! And quite frankly, I could use the money. My mounting medical bills are killing me. And yes, I have insurance. So, I shouldn't complain. But 15.00 copay for my reg doc 2 - 4 times a month, then the cardiologist is 35.00, my rheumatologist is 35.00, and we won't talk about the copays for the 17 meds I take. (down from 22!) And I know you guys know what I mean. Most of you are in the same boat I am! And I don't know how many days a week I will have to go for the lymphedema therapy, and the gas back and forth! Oh my. But it could be worse. I could NOT have insurance or a car to get there........ But sometimes it's hard to take. I mean, I have the insurance but CAN'T have the surgery. Greg needs to have the surgery far worse than me, but he doesn't have insurance. Ugh!

Moving on......I am hoping we can get some things done outside this weekend. The grass needs to be cut badly, and weeds are sprouting everywhere. And I have a front porch full of plants that need to get in pots. I have never been this late putting in the garden. But we just haven't been in shape to get it done! Luckily we have a long growing season here, so it won't make much of a difference.

I know I promised you I'd let you know about how my couponing thing is going, but I have to tell you, it's not anything like on TV. That's just to nutts for me to even comprehend, and while it may be nice to have a "stockpile" I really to have an issue with people that clear off the whole shelf and buy 50 hand soaps or 40 containers of mustard, just because they can. This will make all stores start changing their policies and limiting quantities, etc. So if you are doing the coupon thing, be considerate of others. Don't swipe all the blinkies or catalinas, and don't remove the peelies off the products if you're not gonna buy the product now. And don't clear the shelf. It's rude and inconsiderate of others that are trying to get by just like you! And most important, don't STEAL the newspapers. If you want 5 papers, don't pay for 1 and take 5 out of the paper box. The carrier will be responsible for that shortage. And they're trying to make a living too! And I want to encourage you to spread the blessings around. If you find some great deals or freebies, remember the food pantry or food bank in your area and share some of your stash. And if you don't have pets, but find freebies, share them with your local Humane Society. In these hard times more and more people are having a hard time feeding their pets and have to give them up. And with the recent natural disasters in the south, there are sooooo many pets that are homeless and the shelters and Humane Society need help and they will happily take your pet food/ treat/toy donations!

That's all for today my friends. I badly need my coffee, and I have orders to rest, put up my legs, and ice my knees! And I guarantee Greg will sneak home and check on me, so I better listen. ;)
Have a wonderful day my friends. Love and hugs! XOXOXOXOX  Marlene