* QUITE A FEW CHALLENGES *

You know how sometimes it seems like a lot of good things happen all at once?
No, me neither!

But, it does seem like challenges, crises, stressful situations kind of come in bunches. I'm going through some of those right now.

Charlie is getting surgery tomorrow morning to have a cyst removed and checked for cancer. (This is our first doggie to ever need surgery.)

My oldest son, Scott, has been going through A LOT for way too long and doesn't seem to think he needs help.

I've got some health issues that don't seem to be serious, but have been stressful and a bit worrisome.

Well....isn't this a cheerful blog post?!

I just felt the need to share these things tonight and to ask for well wishes/prayers/etc. I will post updates on Charlie as soon as possible, and on any other happenings concerning the above info.

And below are some favorite photos/jokes from long ago blog posts. 

* HAPPY BIRTHDAY! *

Today is my oldest son's birthday. I was a mere child myself when Scott was born on this day, July 28. The following is the first couple of paragraphs in the chapter titled, "Were Those Salad Tongs?" from my memoir, From Pigtails to Chin Hairs: A Memoir & More.

~~~

The U.S. Army almost killed my newborn son and me. Actually, it wasn’t the entire Army—just a few medical personnel at William Beaumont Hospital in Ft. Bliss, Texas.

It was the end of July 1972, a week before my due date. I was swollen, bloated, and miserable. Our living room “furniture” provided zero comfort, such as it was. Two webbed lawn chairs near the black and white TV were the sum of our décor. My only alternative was to lie on our bed with its saggy, lumpy mattress.

 

~~~

 

Scott and me in Germany, 1973

 

 

 

As you can see from the photo above, we both made it through the horrible delivery. Scott was a plump, happy, and healthy little guy! (Ah, for me...it would be nice to be that slender again...and young, but in totally different circumstances.)

 

I know, too, that I wouldn't be the person I am today, had I not lived through all the ups and downs in my life, and that makes it all worth it.

 

Some of you will remember the very frightening time in the summer of 2010 when Scott had a burst appendix, while being in England for business. http://beckypovich.blogspot.com/2010/07/happy-birthday-scott.html

 

 

Happy Birthday, Scott! I love you humongously! J

 

 

 

 

"Grown don't mean nothing to a mother. A child is a child. They get bigger, older, but grown? What's that suppose to mean? In my heart it don't mean a thing." ~ Toni Morrison, Beloved, 1987

 

 

"There is an enduring tenderness in the love of a mother to a son that transcends all other affections of the heart." – Washington Irving

 

  

 

* NOSTALGIC SUNDAY *

It's Time for Another Nostalgic Sunday

 

 

 

Once again, it's been a long time since I wrote a Nostalgic Sunday post. A few days ago, I decided Mother's Day would be a good time for another one.

 

Below are excerpts from my memoir pertaining to my love for my two sons. The first is from pages 128 & 129 of the chapter "Were Those Salad Tongs?" It's about my first son, Scott, who was born when I was only 19 years old.

 



 

      After being in labor off and on for more than14 hours, I finally was wheeled into a delivery room. I couldn't wait to be relieved of my agony and experience childbirth. The only problem with that was by the time I got the spinal, I instantly fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. I woke up briefly to the sensation of my innards being tugged on—a definite pulling, but not painful. Raising my head slightly, I gazed down toward the obstetrician. My vision was blurry, but I thought I saw some tongs, and then my head plopped back down. I had peculiar dreams but at the same time, felt awake and wondered how many hours had gone by and would I ever see my baby. Then a miracle happened. A nurse gently woke me and showed me the most beautiful, little face peeking out from a pastel blue blanket.

"You have a son!"

Looking at him, I realized that with his birth I, too, was reborn. I was no longer a teenage girl but a young mother, experiencing all the emotions of motherhood: cherishing, protecting, and nurturing. But most of all, an abundance of unconditional love. All I could say was, "Ohhhh," knowing my life would never be the same again.

~~~

 



 

This next one is from pages 193, 194, & 195 of the chapter "A Joyous Journey." It's about my second son, Mark, who was born when I was 34 years old.

 

 

     We had not planned on having a child of our own. We both had been married once before. He had two sons: a 20 year old, and a 16 year old, and I had my son, Scott, age 14. For one thing, we thought we were too old! We were dealing with teenage boys and trying to “semi” blend our sons into a family. (And as I’ve professed many times since then, “Real life ain't like The Brady Bunch!”)

       But as it happened, it seemed there was another plan for our lives that we weren’t aware of at the time.

On October 20, 1987, Mark was born by a scheduled C-section. Another boy! We were thrilled! Ron was able to be in the operating room with me, and I was so happy that he was able to share this miracle with me. But the nurses whisked Mark away, (Oh no. It's déjà vu, just like when Scott was born. What could be wrong?) Soon we were told that our baby had some fluid in his lungs and wasn’t breathing properly. He was kept in a special area of the nursery, with tubes attached in various places. It was heartbreaking, not being able to pick him up and cuddle him. Ron and I would walk down the hallway to see him and touch his little fingers and toes, and caress his little face, but we weren’t allowed to hold him or give him a bottle.
       I begged my doctor to let me stay in the hospital until Mark was well enough to come home. But insurance companies have their rules. I was forced, for lack of a better word, to leave the hospital without my newborn son.

After arriving home, all I could do was gaze at Mark’s new crib and his tiny clothes. I said about a million prayers, asking for a miracle, if that’s what it was going to take to bring him home.

Astonishingly, he began to improve immediately, and we were told we could take him home on October 26, which was only two days after my release. Joy set in, but also fear. What if he really wasn’t ready to be released from the hospital? What if he needed the expert care that he could only get there? The nurses assured both Ron and me that our baby was fine and ready to go home with his adoring, devoted, and doting parents! Bringing him home was one of the happiest days of our lives. We would jokingly argue over whose turn it was to give him his bottle, even those middle of the night feedings.

~~~

 



 A quote from my mother; also in my memoir, page 113.

 

"You know, Becky, you haven't been the same since that crowbar fell on your head."

 

~~~

 

 

 

(Please remember to stop by Maryann Miller's blog for her review of my memoir. It's supposed to be posted sometime Sunday, the 11th)

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The birth of my sons. The birth of new emotions...what a privilege. What a blessing." Elle Macpherson  





An Anniversary, More Laptop Problems, Free Books, & More

Today is a wedding anniversary for The Ronald & me: 31 Years! I don't know how this can be possible since I'm only 35 years old! J

Seriously, where have the years gone?? Sure, we've had our ups and downs over the years, but managed to always work things out, and keep loving each other. A story I wrote about our marriage is in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Love Stories (2007)

(I think he has something planned because last night he said, "We can exchange our anniversary cards later this week, ok?" And I replied, "Sure!" Good idea since I hadn't gotten anything for him yet...either!)

Notice the jagged edge on the left bottom? Our big, ol' puppy at that time, Rocky, decided a few of our wedding pictures were quite tasty. That little bit of information is included in a story I wrote for NYMB...On Dogs (2012)

~~~

 

My son, Scott, worked on my laptop for a couple of hours last night, figured out what the problem was, and fixed it...

(image from Google)

 

BUT the never-ending-saga of my computer problems continues....Late last night I began having problems sending and receiving e-mails. So, if you are expecting an e-mail from me, please don't fret. I'll get this straightened out as soon as possible.

I'd finally realized, too, I was getting down in the dumps, not because of the frigid temperatures, but because I couldn't use my laptop properly! Yes, it's a large part of my life!

No wonder I feel like this!

And I pretty much look like it, too!

~~~

* To those who are interested in winning a print copy of my memoir, either click on these words: GOODREADS GIVEWAY 

Or, go to the gadget on the right column and click on just these 2 words: giveaway details right above the Enter to win box.

I'm giving away FOUR print copies, so stop on over there! *

~~~

** Welcome to my two newest followers, B.A. Wilson & Carrie at Cottage Cozy. I hope you both will stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you so much! **

~~~

I have so much more to post, but won't do anymore here. I don't want information to get lost due to TMI. I'll just say some topics include: Melissa Goodwin, Jack Zerr, Shirley Showalter, Women's Memoirs, Under the Tiki Hut, Karen Lange, Juanita Nobles, & more!

 ~~~

And now a few humorous quotes.....

"Helpdesk: There is an icon on your computer labeled "My Computer". Double click on it.
User: What's your computer doing on mine?"

 

"See daddy ? All the keys are in alphabetical order now."

"I realized I was officially a professional writer when all my plans began with "drink coffee" and ended with "take a nap." -- Cassandra Duffy

* Nostalgic Sunday *

Two Saturdays ago, my oldest son, Scott turned 40. (Yes, I was a child bride!)

I made him a card/book to celebrate the occasion, using eight pages (sixteen sides) of 12x12 construction paper, 3-hole punched, and laminated with a Lifetime Guarantee, from me! 

The below page is the first one in the card/book. I've always loved this photo of him. He was so cute and sweet, and his pose looks like Jack Benny's!

I dug through boxes of loose photos, and searched through photo albums, looking for the ones that were Just Right. Then I used stickers and did a little of my own printing. I used binder rings to keep it all together, and he really loved it, which made me very happy.


The below page explains what pictures are on it; Germany 1973. Scott was only three months old when he and I flew by ourselves from St. Louis to Frankfurt, Germany. 

Scott sent the below photo of himself standing in front of Stonehenge in June 2010. I think it was the very next day he was rushed to a hospital in London for emergency removal of his burst appendix. It was a very scary time, as you can imagine. If you'd like to read my posts from then, just click on appendix in the Labels below. 

Happy Birthday, again, Scott. I love you!

"Grown don't mean nothing to a mother. A child is a child. They get bigger, older, but grown? What's that suppose to mean? In my heart it don't mean a thing." ~ Toni Morrison, Beloved, 1987 

* Nostalgic Sunday * (With Pets)

It's Time for Another Nostalgic Sunday!

Lately I've been thinking about my age, (I just can't be that old!) and the wedding anniversary coming up for The Ronald and me in February. (Can it really be 30 years?!) And during all these years of marriage, we've had three dogs (not all at the same time!) who quickly became part of our family.

First, there was Rocky. (1983) We got him when he was just a pup, a mixed-breed. As I wrote in a story about him, I said he was "part Gordon Setter and part some kind of big dog."

Rocky, and my oldest son Scott, and a much younger, thinner me!

Rocky lived to be about 14 years old and I was so sad when we had to say good-bye to him. I didn't even want to think about getting another dog for at least six months,

but a month later we brought Tiger (Gal) home from the Humane Society. She was 6 months old and we fell in love with her, partly because she resembled Rocky so much.

(Tiger: January 2009)

Tiger was such a sweet companion. I worked from home most of those years and was even more attached to her than I had been to Rocky. When we had to say good-bye to her a couple of weeks before Christmas in 2010, I was devastated. I couldn't even think about getting another dog, yet I knew we would someday because our home was empty without a beloved pet. 

          On March 12, 2011 we brought home our newest family member: Vern!

Vern is a Lab Mix and is the sweetest, smartest dog. He has a real personality & we get such a kick out of him. (As you can see, I've always preferred larger mixed-breeds, bi-colors, and with long noses!) And we've always been so fortunate to have good, healthy, well behaved dogs, who lived long lives. We adopted Vern from the Humane Society when he was almost 10 years old, and we obviously hope he has many more good years ahead. 

“You can say any fool thing to a dog and the dog will just give you this look that says, 'My GOSH, you're RIGHT! I NEVER would've thought of that!” -- Dave Barry 

“Petting, scratching, and cuddling a dog could be as soothing to the mind and heart as deep meditation and almost as good for the soul as prayer.” -- Dean Koontz, False Memory

Contest & Susan Bono Interview Part 2

First of all, Happy Birthday to my son, Scott! If you've been visiting my blog since last summer, you'll remember that while in England on business last June, his appendix burst and he spent about a week in a hospital there. I was a nervous wreck, as you can imagine, until he came back home, although he still had problems for quite some time after he was back. So, I'm especially joyful to wish him another Happy Birthday! (Link below is from last June)

http://beckypovich.blogspot.com/search/label/Scott

OKAY....Now promised in yesterday's post, below are the final questions and answers in Susan's interview.
Remember to read both days of interviews because you'll need to know information from them for my newest Contest/Give-Away! .....*Rules posted at end of this blog post.*

4)      Do you have a set writing schedule?

I wish! The only writing I am devoted to is my postcard-a-day project, which I’ve kept up with for 2 ½ years, and even then, I don’t write one every day. I usually end up doing 7 or 10 cards at a time. But I love that I’ve used up at least 800 postcards collected over the years. It’s a reminder that you can move a mountain one pebble at a time.

5)      How often do you participate in Open Mic events, seminars, etc?

Remember how I confessed to wanting to be a celeb? Teaching my weekly writing workshops in my office fulfills some of that longing to be a big shot. I also co-host a quarterly literary evening at a local coffee house, and am looking forward to introducing presenters at the upcoming Mendocino Writers Conference and Sonoma County Book Festival.  I will go just about anywhere to be on a panel!  I get to co-facilitate an annual writing retreat at Point Reyes every spring, and there’s a weekend at Spirit Mountain in Idyllwild with my friend Joan Zerrien coming up in October. I’m over the moon about pairing up with Sheila Bender and taking writers to Istanbul next May! Life doesn’t get any better than that!

6)      Are you a bookaholic? Do you have stacks and stacks of books in your home? Some you can’t part with?

Remember that I’m someone who managed to save over 800 postcards? I’m that way with books. My house and office are full of them, and I was seriously planning to build more bookshelves when my parents died and I suddenly had another house full of books to deal with. This got me thinking about the books I am holding onto so greedily. Am I really going to need them? What am I leaving for my kids to clean up? My oldest son Lucius and I talk about doing a variation on “The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written” (I have a set of those leather bound books from Easton Press that I inherited from a family friend). What if you made a collection of YOUR 100 greatest books? And any time you wanted to add a new one, you had to get rid of an old one. I don’t think I’m ready to do that yet, but I have started forcing myself to give books to new homes. I like the idea of growing less encumbered as I get older.

7)      What are your thoughts on how the publishing industry has changed in the past 10 years? 5 years? ONE YEAR?

The dinosaur stands blinking in her dying kingdom—I feel like nothing is the same as it was 10 years ago, or even a year ago. I wish I had recorded all the voices saying “There will ALWAYS be hard copy books!” because I know that isn’t true. I’m not sure how long it will take, and I’m in no hurry for it to happen, but like my grandmother, who saw the end of the horse and buggy and the gaslight and the gramophone, I’ve already lived long enough to see entire libraries that could fit into a shoebox. What hasn’t changed is people’s hunger for connection and story. I think the audiences are going to get smaller for every book out there, but those circles will be warm, loyal and loving—more tribal in nature. That’s what I keep trying to remember as I whine about having to change with the times—the thrill I got when my teachers praised me all those years ago—with the right audience, that feeling can always be mine.

Thank you again Susan for allowing us to get to know more about you! And readers, don't forget to check out the Tiny Lights website.

Contest/Give-Away Rules:  (note: although sometimes I don't require people to be followers, I am doing so this time.)

1)  Be a follower. If you already follow my blog, please remind me!

2) Leave a comment or question directed to Susan, pertaining to something specific she said. (It will be my decision as to if it's "specific" enough to apply.)

3) Post something on your blog about this contest.

~~ Sorry, open to US residents only. Postage is outrageous out of the country. Sorry! ~~

I think it's pretty simple, and hope y'all will, too. I'm not asking for you to post about it in a zillion places and then you get more chances, etc. Nope....Just all three are required for one chance in the random drawing on August 2nd. I'll post the one winner on August 3rd.

What is the prize, you ask? Well.... How ab out prizes? How about 20 things??

 The above photo shows everything the winner will receive! There are 12 colorful folders, a package of 2 magnetic list pads that coordinate with the folders, 1 set of pink floral note cards, 1 small hardcover book called "Tea Among Friends". It's adorable! It doesn't have any recipes, but wonderful little stories about tea and friendships. Then there's a small burgundy color mini notebook with pen (magnetic closure). Then a cute matchbox folder that also coordinates with the folders and list pads. And finally 2 paper back books: "Of Mice and Men", purchased at Main Street Books in St. Charles, Mo. And "Rosie" by Anne Lamott.....Yes, that same fabulous Anne Lamott, author of "Bird by Bird"....a book all writers should own and read dozens of times. (And yes I have it and yes I do....and no, it's not included in this give-away!)

I chose these items because I believe there's a little bit for everyone!

I look forward to reading everyone's questions for Susan!

Also welcome to my newest follower: Life's Beautiful Path! I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you!

"Can you imagine a world without men? No crime and lots of happy, fat women." -- Nicole Hollander

(This quote doesn't really have anything to do with today's post, but I think it's hilarious and I had to post it!)

** Fractured Friday **

How many remember the Fractured Fairy Tales? It was a segment on the Rocky and Bullwinkle TV Show, in the 1960's. That cartoon show was a classic! I guess it was meant to be geared toward children, but the humor was really hip! Each one was loosely based on a "real" fairy tale (isn't that an oxymoron??), but was slighty fractured!

That's what popped into my mind when I thought of a title for today's post. Yeah, my mind works in funny, fractured ways sometimes....groan!

Today was fractured because:

a)  My son, Scott, spent another night in the hospital last night, due to pains and swelling in his abdominal area. I didn't know much for over 24 hours and was quite frantic, to put it mildly. Turns out it's still issues from his ruptured appendix and resulting surgery in June. More tests were done, and so I (guess I)  feel better about it all.....for now, anyway.

b)  Today was my mom's birthday. She's been deceased since 1989. I'm so glad she was able to see Mark a few times before she died. She lived in Iowa and we drove there a few times and she traveled here a time or two, also. She would've been 95 years old today.

c)  I'm really perturbed at AOL. It seems they have decided to LIMIT some of the e-mails we AOL users can send, in a given amount of time! I first noticed it yesterday, when I tried to send an e-mail, I received the following error message: You are blocked from sending email messages. See KW:RATE LIMITS for details.  And, of course, I immediately thought, Huh?...Well, that's obviously a mistake. I'm not on any kind of rate limit on my Aol account. But, when it continued, I put my mail in the "Send Later" folder. After a while, I could go into that folder and click "Send" and off it went.  BUT, this evening, after attempting to send 5 different e-mail.....mostly my "thank you for your comments on my blog" e-mail,  I decided to see if I could find the "rate limits" info. Long story short.....(I know, it's already too long)......It has to do with some kind of spam problems associated with Aol Instant Messaging and Chat Rooms. (which I don't even use)  I then contacted AOL through their Live Chat System and after the usual niceties was told, quote: "Meantime, if you really need to send mail I strongly suggest to use the AOL webmail.On the Internet Explorer address bar please typehttp://mail.aol.com/lite
Sign on with your AOL screen name and password to send the E-mail."

WHAT?? If I wanted to send mail that way, I wouldn't have AOL! Acccckkkkk!!!  I have a new abbreviation for them......SOL

“We have no reliable guarantee that the afterlife will be any less exasperating than this one, have we?” -- Noel Coward

** Tidbits on a Tuesday Night **

Hey Everyone! I'm a happy mama tonight, because Scott is coming home tomorrow night!!  I heard about it from my daughter-in-law earlier today, and then he called me this evening. We talked for 19 whole minutes this time! Woo-hoo!
His plane is scheduled to arrive here at 6:15pm. I wanted to go to the airport, but will stay with Scotty instead. After he walks into his house, and I can hug him, I think I'll be able to breathe again......heavy sigh...

Have you noticed the "She Writes" button thingy on the right side of my blog? I haven't really gotten into it that much, being busy with all this blogging, you know, but they do have a lot of things going on that look well worth looking into. All you have to do is "join", but there is No Fee. It is nationwide. In fact, I was invited to a local get together this evening, celebrating the First Anniversary of She Writes. (I wasn't able to attend, but I hope to meet up with the local ladies sometime soon.) So, you can see it's a new organization, geared toward women writers. I'm particularly mentioning this tonight because they have a fantastic contest, beginning today and ending sometime in August. You do have to be a member, so jump on over there and sign up.The contest is called the Passion Project.  (*disclaimer: I'm not getting paid or anything for this. I just think it looks like a good place and great contest for us writer-gals!)

My last tidbit of the evening: One of my friends' husband was the lucky recipient of a colonoscopy yesterday. When I replied to her e-mail, stating that "everything went great".....my response was, "So glad the invasion of his private parts went well!! :)
Hey, I like to do all I can to spread cheer and laughter around the world. Maybe someone would like to use that as a title to their book or screenplay....You have my permission. Although, you could mention my name, too.

Labels: appendix, emergency, England, Scott, Stonehenge, Summer Solstic
"My feet are completely flat, but for most of my life they were still shaped like feet. Now, thanks to bunions, they're shaped more like states, wide boring ones that nobody wants to drive through." — David Sedaris (When You Are Engulfed in Flames)

** Another Day In The Life....**

I was able to talk with Scott this morning… for over 12 minutes!! He sounded sooo much better than when we spoke last week. He sounded like the Scott I know and love! He said he's feeling much better, too! I don't remember when he said he might be released, but some of his stats still had to improve...and his flight is this Thursday.


He said his company has been wonderful through all this. They've had guys from Global Rescue visiting him and seeing how everything is going. They also upgraded his flight home to first class, and a Global Rescue team member will accompany him!

We had such a nice talk and I can't wait to see him in person!!

Thanks again to all of you who have e-mailed me and/or left comments concerning Scott. I truly, truly appreciate it.


Labels: appendix, emergency, England, Scott, Stonehenge, Summer Solstic

"A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work". -- John Lubbock

* Several Thoughts On a Very Early Saturday AM *

Still no "new" news about Scott. I hope I'll be able to talk with or text with him sometime today.

Had lunch with Tammy and Teri Friday at a favorite "Girly" Tea Room, Miss Aimee B's. Besides the yummy food, being with them was so therapuetic. We talked about our writing, we laughed, we giggled....I might have snorted once or twice. It was wonderful! For those two hours, I didn't dwell on any worries. And I was pumped up and ready to work on my book, so that's exactly what I did when I got home. I got some good stuff written today!

Speaking of writing, I'm looking forward to attending the Saturday Writers monthly meeting today! Many times the day consists of an after-meeting lunch, where....you guessed it!....More great food and talk about writing!

I had a really fun afternoon with Scott's youngest son, Scotty, on Thursday. A week or so ago, I also gave him a "journal" that I put together for him. Believe me, it is nothing fancy! More about that another time.

I've been meaning to point out the new photo I posted at the top right corner....the stack of books, a pair of glasses, a tiny vase of flowers and a beautiful tea cup! After blog buddy and follower, Carmelina, commented on how much she loved a similar picture I posted a while back, I wanted to post one of my own belongings, not one I found on the internet.

One more thing.....The ever famous striped tents have popped up in our area again. The ones that sell fireworks. Every year I dread seeing them for a couple of reason. First, I think they are unsightly. And, second, seeing them makes me a bit sad, because I know it means summer is practically half-over already!

"If I did not wear torn pants, orthopedic shoes, frantic disheveled hair, that is to say, if I did not tone down my beauty, people would go mad. Married men would run amok."-Brenda Ueland

Labels: appendix, emergency, England, Scott, Stonehenge, Summer Solstic

(Frantic Mommy blog recently posted the above quote, and I just had to borrow it! Hilarious!!)

** Friday Bunny Wabbits **

I don't have any news to share about Scott. I guess I'll stick with the old saying, "No news is good news". I still feel myself barely breathing from time to time, and can only seem to perform mindless tasks around the house. Thus, dishes are getting washed (by hand!) and laundry is getting washed (by machine!)

I have lots of different things I've jotted down over the past week or so that I wanted to post on my blog. I decided to begin with some adorable Bunny Wabbit pictures!


Labels: appendix, emergency, England, Scott, Stonehenge, Summer Solstic

This first picture is one of our back-yard bunnies, stretched out and enjoying himself in a little patch of dirt, among the grass. This part of the yard is right next to our deck.

This little bunny is standing on our front door mat, right next to the front door! The glass is part of our storm door and I took pictures while hiding behind the front door. I took the pictures sideways, looking through the crack where the hinges are. (Hope that makes sense.)

This picture is of the bunny biting at and trying to get pieces of the mat! I don't know if he was eating them, or wanted to take some "home". He was jumping and pouncing on the mat and really pulling at it with his teeth. It was hilarious! I also managed to get a short video of it, on the same camera, which I've been wanting to post, also. BUT, I took the pictures and video sideways, and for some reason, my photo program won't allow me to flip/turn a video, like it will a photo! Anyone have any ideas??

Animals never cease to amaze me and bring me such joy...even the squirrels who steal a lot of the bird seed we put out for our fine-feathered friends!

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." ~ Anatole France

** A Cautious Sigh of Relief **

Thanks to all of you that left heartfelt comments and/or sent e-mails of prayers and well wishes.

The family member who had emergency surgery is my oldest son, Scott, who I'd just wrote about on Monday, the 21st. He is in England for business and I posted the photo of him visiting Stonehenge.

(Scott and me the day before he flew to England)

I'm not exactly sure of the time of events, but sometime soon after that tour at Stonehenge, he was rushed to a hospital for emergency removal of his burst appendix, which also resulted in having some gangrene.

That was all I knew for many hours, which was the reason for my intense fear. And obviously, with him being a zillion miles from home, made it all the worse.

This afternoon, Scott called me from his cell phone and we were able to talk for quite a few minutes. His voice was weak, but oh how wonderful it was to hear it and to talk with him! He wasn't sure when he was going to be released from the hospital, but thought it would be at least a couple of days from now. After that, he said he'll stay at his hotel and rest up until his already scheduled flight home, which is on July 1st.

His British supervisor has been so wonderful through all this, keeping in touch with Cindy, Scott's wife, and notifying her whenever he knew anything.

I titled this post "A Cautious Sigh of Relief" because although it appears that Scott's surgery was successful and all the gangrene was removed, I won't be able to actually sigh with relief and/or breathe properly until he is safely back at home.

(*Note to Chatty Crone. Yes, I am indeed Scott's mom. I was a mere child when I was married the first time, so I was a very young mom!)

"Grown don't mean nothing to a mother. A child is a child. They get bigger, older, but grown? What's that suppose to mean? In my heart it don't mean a thing." ~ Toni Morrison, Beloved, 1987

** Please Keep Me in Your Thoughts **

We've all heard sayings about not taking life for granted, take time to smell the roses, and we don't know what tomorrow may bring.

The past 24 hours or so have been difficult for me. A very close family member had emergency surgery, and I don't know much else than that. It's something that can be quite serious, though, and I've been really worried and fearful.

I'm sorry if I seem secretive, but I don't want to divulge anything else at this time.

If you'd like, please send good thoughts and wishes my way.
I'll also accept prayers, good karma, peace....whatever you'd care to send....including virtual hugs....(thank you, Karrie!)

Hopefully, I'll have some good news to post sometime tomorrow.

"Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Being alive is the special occasion". ~Author Unknown