Yesterday I started writing a post to report on Pop (he’s doing great!) and showing some pictures of that sweet and precious Baby Levi.

That was about all there was to report on…it had been kinda of a ‘slow news week’ around here.  Not that I was complaining, mind you…just reporting the facts.  And, I know that there’s the old saying about ‘knock on wood’ that is appropriate at such times so as to ward off any bad luck.  If you believe in that sort of thing.  I don’t.  Therefore, I didn’t.  Knock on wood, that is.  But, perhaps I should rethink that considering the events of today.  Hold on…I’ve got some reporting to do now…if my fingers will hold up!

FRIDAY:   Last week I asked Adam if he would take Finn to the Vet for me because he needed his shots and his annual checkup.  He is just hard for me to manage, with his jumping and pulling.  Adam said he would be happy to and he called yesterday and planned to take him.  But things happened and he got busy and couldn’t.  So, I told him I would make an appointment for Friday…which I did.  And, all was going as planned.  Life is good.

Today (Friday) Adam came to get Finn and took him to the vet.  About 2 hours later, I called to see what was going on, since it usually doesn’t take that long.  He said they had gotten behind and said for him to leave Finn and they would call him when he was finished.  “Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll get him and bring him home as soon as they call.”  Life…still good.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I have been in ‘bad back’ mode.   I finally took some stronger pain meds about midnight Thursday.  I slept then, and till about 9 this morning.  My back was feeling better, but I planned to take some muscle relaxers today and keep heat on it.  So, I did not plan to leave the house at all…all day long.  And, in Tonjaville that means that I am in comfy, baggy pants, the biggest t-shirt that I can find and no make up….and that I may or may not have on upper body underwear.  Today, it so happens, I did. And, why I feel the need to share all the intimate details of my life with the blogosphere…I just don’t know. Except, I tell you everything else, so why not. And, it was to my advantage today that it so happened I was totally clothed.  Life is comfortable!

After I talked to Adam, I lay back down, until the phone woke me up…and everything broke loose…

RING-RING

ADAM…”mom, can you go get Finn?  I have to go pick up Levi from Suzanne at Circuit City and get him home.  I have a client to meet with at 5.”  [Suzanne and her Mom were going to Kid’s Market, a yearly sale of used baby and children’s clothes and toys and paraphernalia…sold so cheap you can get a whole wardrobe for $20!]

TONJA…(in her dishevelled state) ” sure.  Or, why don’t you get Finn and I will go and get Levi and bring him back to the house.  We’ll just meet up here”.  [See, I knew I could get Levi and bring him home and not have to get out of my car and be seen by anyone other that Levi’s other Grandmother, Mary.

RING-RING

SUZANNE…”Thanks for helping me out Mrs. Tonja, Call Mother and let her know where you are parked to get Levi.  But, don’t leave till I get there cause I have to smother my little boy with kisses because I haven’t seen him since this morning!”

TONJA...”no problem, Babe.”

I arrive in the parking lot and parked in a conspicuous space and soon Mary came and we switched Levi from one grandmother’s car to the other.  We sat and visited, and  talked about how blessed we were to have Levi and what a terrific baby he is, and how fortunate he is to have such wonderful grandparents! 😀  Life is sweet!

RING—RING

ADAM…”Mom, I need you to come on home right now because Finn jumped up and hit the door and it slammed shut and my keys were in the car and I have called a locksmith to come and open the car and I need to use your car to get to my house to meet with the bride and then I will come back and get Levi and leave your car and get mine.”

TONJA…”you do not have any spare keys?”

I see no need to share his response to that query.  I told him I was on my way.  I put the sweet baby in the car seat and headed toward home.  Life is messy!

“Do everything without grumbling or complaining.” Phillipians 2:14

RING-RING

SUZANNE…”Mrs. Tonja, Adam has locked his keys…”

TONJA…”I know…I’m on my way.  Tell Adam not to call a locksmith…it’s so expensive…let his Dad try to help him get it open.”

SUZANNE…”I can not get him to answer his phone.  I have called and called.  OK Bye”

RING-RING

ADAM…”Mom, this is what we are going to do.  The locksmith is coming and when you get here, I will take your car home and go meet my client and then come back and pick up Levi.”

TONJA…”Sounds fine.  I’ll be there in 5 minutes.”

I made it home and got Levi out of the car and inside.  And, after I changed his diaper, I said, “Levi, let’s go rock and chill out a little.”  I could tell Levi liked that idea…I know these things.  I asked Alex to wait for the locksmith to get here.  And, Adam left in my car. Sometimes, Life works out well!

Then Alex came down the hall with Finn close behind.

ALEX..”Mom, look at his face.  Something is wrong with his face.  Mom, LOOK!”

And with Levi on my hip, I looked down and sweet Finn looked like a Shar-pei.  You know those big wrinkly dogs?  And, he is a rat terrier.  His face was huge!  His eyes were almost swollen shut.  I was worried that, even though he was breathing fine at the time, it might not last.  And, while I know very well how to do CPR on an adult…I am just not up to date on canine CPR!”

I handed Levi off to Alex and headed to the phone.  The vets office said to come right on back in.

OK.  So I got the leash, and headed out the door and there was Adam’s car and the doors were still locked.  I realized quickly that I was not going anywhere.  Life is unpredictable!

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not

in despair…”2 Corinthians 4:8,9

RING-RING

ALEX..”Adam this is Alex.  Finn is having an allergic reaction to something and his face is getting bigger and bigger and his eyes are nearly closed and he needs to go to the vet and we don’t have a car.  When is the locksmith coming?”

ADAM… “they should be there any minute.”

And, they were.  Alex told them we had a dog in distress and the man said get your dog and I will have this opened before you get back and he did.  I fixed a bottle for the baby,  and told Alex what to do with Levi and headed out with Finn.

We made it to the vet before they closed and they called him a ‘shar-pei’ also.  The vet said he was allergic either to the flu shot or the rabies vaccine.  They gave him 2 shots and said he should be better by tomorrow.

Adam came in while I was still at the vet.  He was so worried about Finn, he called his client and rescheduled. He has a tender heart for animals…well, except deer, of course.  (You know deer season starts about now. I’d rather not talk about it.)

The vets then gave Finn 2 shots to counteract whatever gave him ‘Shar Pei face’.  We got him home, and there was Alex giving Levi a bottle. He was obviously still hungry so I sat down then, and fed him his food.   And breathed.  Life is exhausting!

“Let us be concerned with one another in order to promote love and good deeds.”  Hebrews 10:24

A baby and a Mama and a Daddy and a Lulu, an Uncle and a dog...all doing the crazy dance of life on this late November day.  Working together, changing directions as needed, to get all taken care of...seeing to it that all were well and happy and safe and sound.  Isn't that what a family is supposed to do?  What a blessing to be a part of one who loves each other...

…Loves each other enough NOT to say, “YOU LOCKED THE KEYS IN THE CAR?”…even though one may have thought it.

…Loves each other enough NOT to say, “YOU FED HIM HIS BOTTLE AND FOOD AT 5:30?…Gee, thanks, now he’ll be up all night!”

…Loves each other enough NOT to say. “$65.00!  $65 TO UNLOCK YOUR CAR!”  (Oh, wait, I think I did hear that one!)  Said in love, of course.

LIFE IS GOOD!  And, all is well.

"I'm afraid my family tree is full of nuts!

But, don't tell them I said so."  Levi

1.  It is possible for a newscaster to talk from 6:00AM…till the present time (11:26 AM)  about 1 story.  I have been witness to such.  The Sandusky scandal and Joe Paterno’s knowledge and involvement in it has been examined in every way possible.  Every player and every ‘man on the street’ has given their viewpoint.  Everyone finds it despicable, and everyone has an opinion as to what should be done.  But really, do we care about what a player who was on the team 10 years ago thinks?  Why do we even need to know what anyone thinks?  Report the news…have a scheduled news conference if need be and then let it be.  Update occasionally until a decision is reached.  We don’t need to know what color of socks Paterno wore when he was coach.  We don’t need to know what he instilled in his players.  He, along with the others involved, dropped the ball.  Innocent children were irreparably damaged and they are all guilty in one degree or another.

Adam and I  have been held hostage by a big screen TV set to ESPN…and unable to be changed.  I know all I never even wanted to know about the abuse and it sickens me.  And, there were 2 others set the same, so there was no getting away from it.

2.  I despise those paper towel dispensers in rest rooms that you have to wave your hand in front of and get a tiny square of sandpaper.  Every restroom at this hospital has them.  It makes me want to get a wad of tissues and bring with me to use instead.  What disturbs me even  more is that if you get one square to come out…it is nigh unto impossible to get another one to dispense…without waiting several minutes for the machine to collect it’s thoughts and get back to its job.  What just TOTALLY UNNERVES ME is the fact that Sister can stand there with a satisfied look on her face and get it to send out rolls and rolls of the stuff.  And then she offers to share hers with me.
Fact..she’s better at dispensing towels than I.  I can live with that.  She also had that’ car on the sidewalk’ episode at this hospital…just saying.

3.  The chairs that line the walls in waiting rooms are designed by a sadist.  Pleather seats with no…read it…NO padding.  Hard wooden slats for arm rests.  The little couches that seat 2 are better padded,  and easy to sink into…but nearly impossible to get out of without help.   And v.e.r.y. hard to get into a decent position to blog.  And isn’t that what hospital waiting rooms are for, after all. I learned that I can only cross my legs and balance my laptop for a limited time.  Then, parts of me need to take a break.  But, that’s probably more than you needed to know, isn’t it?

4  .Obviously those who installed the vending machine at this hospital, had a wicked sense of humor.

Joy and I went to get a snack and something to drink because that dry biscuit we got this morning from the motel was fading fast.  So, we stopped at the snack machine first and were able to both get something to eat with no trouble whatsoever…EASY PEASY.  I mean we have used a few thousand vending machines in our lifetimes.

I then moved on down to the drink machine.YEA!  They have Diet Dr. Pepper…in bottles!!! Life is good.  UM  I’ve never seen this before…machine only accepts $1.00 or $5.00 bills.  Well, I know the drinks are more than a dollar, but I can’t see any price but ‘takes $1 or$5 bills’.  OK.  Well, I’ll try a dollar first.  Money in and it gives me 4 quarters back.  Obviously it is more than $1…so I put in a $5 dollar bill, and mashed the DDP picture.  Nothing comes out…except a BIG pile of change.  Sooooooo, I put in two dollars worth of change…and push the DDP sign again…all my change comes back…and no DDP comes out.  I turn around and tell Joy that these are the dumbest machines I’ve ever seen.  Well, what’s wrong says she-as she’s drinking her Coke.  I keep putting my money in and it sends it back in change and it doesn’t give me my drink.

Then she starts laughing like a crazy, maniacal, possessed woman…with no empathy in her soul at all.  She asked me where are you putting in the money and I showed her and she just pointed…here, I’ll show you…

Yes…I was putting my money in the change machine and and pushing the DDP picture.  I’ll wait while you stop laughing.  Sister is still laughing.  But, in my defense…do you see how hard it is to see the money slot for the drinks?  Stupid machine placement, if you ask me…I would have hit her but there were several other people there obviously enjoying these 2 daft old women from who knows where trying to figure out a simple drink machine.

5.  Well, that episode gave us a little break…and in just a few minutes, they called us back to recovery.  So, Joy comes down, and tells Adam to go and get the car and after leaving the deck to turn RIGHT, then RIGHT, then RIGHT  and into the patient pick up lane.  So Adam gets to the car and turns…..LEFT!!!!!!!  We stood outside and waited for about 15 minutes and I called him.  Is something wrong?  No, I’m just lost.  Where are you?  I’ll call you back…I think I see it.  Wait…10 minutes…call again, while standing next to the road in the rain so he could see me.  Where are you now?  3rd Ave N.   I ask the escort who brought us out and he just laughed and said that’s a long way from here and heading the wrong way.  I told Adam to turn around…he did…and FINALLY after another 5 minutes, he makes it.  We all just laughed.  Cause what else can you do?  This was the same hospital where Joy drove dowm the sidewalk to pick us up last year.  Either it’s really a difficult thing to do, or our whole family is one brick shy of a load.

6.  Seriously.  no one should ever send an elderly person to a hospital by themselves.  Everyone deserves to have some help maneuvering the ‘wait here’ and the ‘go to third floor waiting’  and ‘go back to the lobby’.  We observed several elderly folks who were so turned around and no one to help them.  And, that little twirp of a receptionist keeps using her ‘irritated voice’ when they get confused.  She has also been reported to the supervisor.  We are so fortunate that our family is as close as it is and that we know we can call on any member at any time.  But, all are not so lucky.  We must be available to fill in that gap.

_________________________________

O.K. the waiting room ordeal is over and we are all back at the hotel.  We stopped at McDonalds to eat because Pop wanted a Fish Sandwich.  And, now, Adam and Pop are going to take a nap.  And, Joy and I are going to take the car for a little spin and perhaps stop if something catches our fancy.  No need to hang around watching them sleep, is there?

Last night, Ian met us after work and took us all downtown to a local spot.  He surely knows the locations of some fine restauraunts…this was no exception.  We enjoyed our dinner and our time together, then turned in early since Pop had to be at the hospital at 6:00.

I wonder if I could tell this story any more out of order?  Sorry.  Adam was such a big help and right there with his Pop the whole time.  Thanks, Adam!

We went back to the hospital the morning after the surgery to check in with the doctor.  He had to dilate his eyes 3 separate times in order to check them well.  They were much more swollen than he thought they would be.  But..all was well, and he was very pleased.  He has to be very careful and follow Dr.’s orders until he returns in 2 weeks.

Joy, Pop and I were glad to have one more step in this saga taken care of.

As we travelled around town and thre and back, we were delighted to see such beauty in the trees.  The leaves were trying to out glow one another.  

Yes. Yes that is a reindeer head sticking up in that picture.  The trees were decoration enough without adding Christmas in so early.  What, we can not even enjoy Thanksgiving anymore?  In store after store, the Fall merchandise along with the Thanksgiving items were already slashed to less than half price.  Bad news if you’d like to purchase something for your Thanksgiving Dinner table.  Crazy.

Joy and I made a quick stop at Pottery Barn and found nothing we needed.  Right next door was PBKids, so we thought we just peruse their wares in case Sweet John Thomas or Baby Levi needed a thing or two.  Bought a few cute little items and then, I totally lost my mind…totally!  I bought a bean bag chair.  A B I G bean bag chair.  I forgot we were a little crowded already…so Joy and I rode to Dothan with a bean bag chair undulating in whatever spaces it could in the back seat.  A convenient place to rest your head, though!

We are so thankful for the way the Lord answered our prayers.  Pop is doing well and each day his eye improves.  God, alone, gets the glory.

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”    Philippians 4:19    AMEN.

FIRST…..

From the Los Angeles Times…11-11-11…by Deborah Netburn

Happy 11-11-11, everyone!

No matter how much thought you’ve given the numerical significance of Friday, Nov. 11, 2011 (11-11-11), we suggest that Aziz Inan, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Portland, has thought about it more than you have.

In an email missive, Inan explains that 11-11-11 is a once-in-a-century repunit palindrome day. If you’ve never heard of the word “repunit”, it means a number such as 11, 111, or 1111 that contains only the digit 1. 

Furthermore, he explains that 111111 equals the product of two palindrome numbers written as 111111=111 x 1001.

He points out that, this year, the month of November has been rich with palindrome days including 1-1-11 (another repunit day), 11-2-11, 11-3-11, 11-4-11, 11-5-11, 11-6-11, 11-7-11, 11-8-11, 11-9-11 and coming soon — 11-22-11.

 You may have already surmised that after this Friday, the next time 11-11-11 will occur is 100 years from now in 2111.

Happy 11-11-11!

SECOND…

I do not understand much about the preceding article, but I know EXACTLY why 11-11-11 is such a significant day…

It is my middle son’s birthday!!!

Yes, today, the sweetest son any mother could have, is turning 30.  It can’t be possible, can it?  How can 30 years have past since this gentle soul came into our lives?  From the very beginning, Alex always had the sweetest temperament.  Smart as can be, and twice as clever, he had as his willing accomplice his younger brother, Ian.  While Alex always tried hard to obey, he had no qualms about thinking of things that COULD be done and convincing Ian that it would be great fun.  Ian, on the other hand, obeyed if it suited him at the time, and willingly took his punishment in exchange for being able to do as he pleased…and as his older brother pleased!  Those 2 were quite the pair.  Born 20 months apart, they were as different as night and day…but loved each other fiercely.  Along with their older brother Adam, who was 7 when Alex was born, they were brothers and enemies on alternating days!

[Alex does not have crossed eyes or a ‘wonky’ leg as it appears here!  He always did this in pictures when he was young.]

This little incident, captured on film, was probably Adam’s idea to get his brothers to help him push that heavy lawn mower.  Oh those boys!

But, today is about Alex.  I have trouble writing this because my eyes keep filling with tears.  I love this young man so much, and I feel as if I fail him so often.  Alex is so kind and gentle and patient and loving…and all the while his life is filled with pain from morning to night.  It is so rare to hear him complain…He takes each day and gets through it as well as he can.  Very rarely is he able to leave the house, but does his best to get up and speak to each person who comes to our house.

I do not know why God has allowed Alex to suffer so much and I don’t know why it is that we can not find any better help for him.  I don’t know why he has to be the one to suffer this horrid disease, and I don’t know why no doctor has come upon a treatment for it.  I don’t know why his life has been destined to be lived in such a restrictive manner and I don’t know how he continues day after day after day…after day.

But, I do know that one day we will know why.  One day it will all be clear.  One day he will be able to run and jump and roll around with Finn and Scooter…and maybe even chase his brothers again.  One day, God will make his suffering a thing forgotten…and there will be a shining light in his eyes.  I will be there to see it, as will all of his family.

But, until then, our prayer is that his life will serve to remind others not to take anything or anyone for granted.  If you can walk down the driveway to the mailbox, thank God.  If you can run across the yard with your dog, thank God.  If you can join friends and go to a movie or out to eat, thank God.  If you can take a road trip with your brothers, be thankful.  If you can get together with friends and laugh about old times, be grateful.  If you feel like celebrating your birthday with a party and cake and ice cream and friends and family and presents…do it.  And make a wish for those who can’t.

You are my sunshine, Alex.  I’m thankful God sent you to us.  You inspire me to be a better person.  I love you.

When we were young, and through out our childhood, most of our lives revolved around our church and our faith.  Friends from church were the friends we grew up with.  Friends who shared our faith were the girls we shared our lives with, giggled about first loves with and stood up with when we married.  The activities we were involved with during the week were usually on Wednesday night at church when we would have choir practice and missions study.  And another afternoon for piano lessons.  Sometimes Mom or Pop would have a class meeting or Brotherhood group.  They had other interests, as well,but the main focus of our lives was Jesus Christ.

Therefore, from the time we knew what was going on…we knew Sunday was church day.  We went Sunday morning and Sunday evening and that was that.  There was never any plans made to do anything different.  Unless we were sick, we were there.  But, that wasn’t a BAD thing…we loved church and the people there.  And, all our friends were there, too.  It was where we wanted to be.

There was one night, however, every year when we were allowed to stay home on Sunday night.  It was for the yearly showing of “The Wizard of Oz”.  Now, in those years, this show was THE show.  It was a big deal when it came on.  There were no DVR’s or DVD’s or BluRay or anything.  You saw it when they played it once a year.  They would begin promoting it early, so there was never any idea as to when the one showing for the year would be.

Pop would stay home with us.  Oh, but it was much more than staying home and watching a show together.  It was a ‘tradition’.  Mom would fix us supper early before she went to church.  And, she would set it up in front of the TV so we could watch while we ate.  That was a treat in itself.  Then, when the show started Joy and I would sit and watch and try to sing the ‘Rainbow’ song with Judy Garland.  Pop sat back in his recliner and watched with us….and watched us.

Joy would start off beside me but when things started getting scary with the witch and the flying monkeys and the hour glass…Joy would be gone.  And, Pop would have a little body in the chair with him.  And, she would be crying.

I was never really scared…it was just make believe…and I knew it wasn’t real.  And, so did Joy.  But, there was always that point in the show when her feelings of fear for Dorothy would take over her sense of reality.  And, she believed.  And, she cried and Daddy was there for her to remind her that it wasn’t real and that she was just fine.

And, the next year…the same scene would play out.  And it did until we quit watching.  (Betcha Joy would still cry today, though, if she were to watch)

I don’t remember when it was that we stopped.  I suppose we grew out of it and had other things going on at the time that we were involved with.  Perhaps, they just stopped showing it.  But, we watched it long enough that it became a special time between Pop and us that was etched forever in our hearts.  We mention it all along when something brings it to mind.  And laugh, again, at Joy’s tears.

I was unable to attend church today because I was sick, so after Charles Stanley went off, I was flipping through the channels.  I came upon ‘The Wizard of Oz.’  It was stuck on an obscure channel…and there were no special announcements telling the viewers it was coming on.  It played through and they showed the credits and started it over immediately.  No big deal…just play it over and over.  I suppose that kids today would probably not find it very exciting.  The very primitive special effects would seem boring, I’d imagine.

But, for two little girls and their daddy, just hearing the words ‘The Wizard of Oz’ brings back sweet memories and cherished time together.  It reminds me that my daddy knew what was important.  Our first allegiance was to the Lord and that I knew well.  But, he knew that little girls need a little fantasy.  They need the excitement of looking forward to spending a special evening with their daddy.  And, they need a safe place to run to when the flying monkeys of the world show their ugly little heads.

Joy and I and Adam and Pop will be leaving on Tuesday for Birmingham.  Pop will have surgery on Wednesday morning, and after seeing the doctor again on Thursday morning, we will be coming home, God willing.  This eye that will be operated on is Pop’s good eye.  He has no discernible vision in the other eye, so he is understandably nervous.  We are putting our trust in the doctor’s capable hands…but our faith is in God.  He has led us to this point…He has put no stumbling blocks in our way, as we prayed He would if this was not wise…and He has given Joy and I peace in our hearts about the procedure.  Please keep us in your prayers.

On Saturday, our church hosted a Fall Festival for the community.  There was nice weather…a little cool, a little windy…but no complaints from the kids who were playing games, getting faces painted, munching on pop corn, winning prizes, and jumping around in a huge inflatable!  Then there were hot dogs for everyone…as well as a fleet of cars, full of candy, waiting for ‘Trunk or Treat’!  I didn’t really get to observe the other areas, because my friend, Monty, and I painted without stopping for the whole time!  Such fun!  Too bad several of the festival go-ers wanted much more elaborate art work than we were qualified to perform.

We were distracted at one point by the cutest little monkey!  He didn’t have any interest in having his face painted…but was happy to steal a hug and a kiss from us!

They then went to Abbeville to see John Thomas and the Fall Festival at Will and Tara’s church.

Hooking up with John Thomas, they stopped long enough to pose for a picture together…

Hold up for just a minute, John Thomas…we want to see your turtle costume…

Since Saturday, Levi has developed a cold.  Teething and runny noses…they all go together.  But, he put on his best face and made it through Trick or Treating (his version).  First stop…Levi and Grandaddy…

And, one more…smile for the camera…

Isn’t that sweet face just the picture of happiness ?  OK  here’s a couple of cartoons…

Why, you use a PUMPKIN PATCH, of course!

Forgive me…only 1 joke.  I’m  about to fall asleep…