Busy, Busy, Busy

Well, so much for promises. Right? But this is the first chance I've had to actually sit down at the computer and write. Hubby has kept us hopping. His neck needs surgery and we have been having tests run with various doctor appointments. We had to go to Sonora yesterday to see one of the doctors at the Northern California Spinal Institute for an EMG. Hubby was not too happy having needles inserted into all his muscles on the right side. I told him he was lucky that he only had to have one side done. When I had mine done it was for both sides. It is a very unpleasant test, I'll give him that. With the test done we left the office with orders in hands for another MRI and an epidural at the hospital scheduled for the 14th. Also we had orders to schedule an appointment to see another one of the doctors who specializes in the cervical spine. We are hoping to have the surgery ASAP. Hopefully the epidural will give hubby some pain relief until we can get the actual surgery done. Last time we went over and saw the doctor he was given some morphine for the pain but was unable to keep it down so he's back on norco which helps some but he remains in a lot of pain. I'm really hoping that we can get his surgery over and done with before the fall. When you live up in the mountains, things take time. I will keep you posted and I covet your prayers for my hubby. That the epidural will alleviate his pain and that his surgery can be done soon.

We are in the middle of a heatwave here. Yesterday we drove over to see the doctor in 110 degree heat. When we got back home our thermometer showed that our high here had been 113 degrees! That's really too hot for anyone. It made for a hot trip over to Sonora and back. At least it cooled off a little last night. Night before last I had the intake fans in our bedroom window blowing across me and still I slept on top of the covers, too hot even for just the sheet. Last night was much better. It is supposed to be hot again today but not as hot as yesterday.


I made the painful decision to have my dog Pepper put down. I don't know yet when I'll have it done but probably before too awfully long. There are dozens of reasons for doing it, not least of which is his sudden tendency to snap and growl at everybody. Even me! And he worships the ground I walk on. The problem is that I love him in spite of his personality. I won't try to find another home for him because of his biting (and a few other flaws). I would just be putting his new owners at risk for being bitten. But I really do love this dog. Or I guess more accurately I should say that I love the dog he could be if he didn't have all these things wrong with him. It's a lot like being in an abusive relationship. Women stay in those relationships because they love the man that their man could be, if he just wouldn't beat her up all the time. It's like that with Pepper. I love the dog he could be if he just wouldn't bite and misbehave. But the facts are that he does bite and misbehave and he's getting worse. It will break my heart but I've decided that it has to be done. After he's gone we will bring Mama (our feral outdoor cat) inside (Pepper would never stand for us bringing another animal into the house). She is the sweetest thing and hopefully she'll get along with Mario and Punky (the cats we already have) and I won't have to worry about her being outside all the time. It's always a struggle to get her into the garage at night but there are too many animals up here that prey on domestic cats to leave her completely outside. That will still leave Little Mario outside but he is still very feral. I can stroke him once or twice when I put the food out but he hisses at me when I do it. Hubby has never been able to touch him. He is really truly wild and I am not attached to him like I am with Mama and I have no plans to get attached to him. Anyway, it will break my heart to put Pepper down but I've made up my mind to do it. Just not sure exactly when. Pepper is always close to me. He follows me from room to room. Sleeps curled against my side at night and beside me on the couch when I'm knitting. If I go outside, he goes outside. He follows me everywhere so it will be like severing me from my shadow.

I am busy reading the Bible. Since the first of the year I have been reading through the Every Day Bible which is the NIV divided into 365 sections to take you through the year. So far I've stayed faithful to that. Then a couple weeks ago our pastor challenged us to read through the Bible in 90 days and I have a schedule to follow that will get me completely through it in 90 days. So far so good on that one but I've got a long way to go. It takes about an hour maybe an hour and a half to read using that schedule. I'm going to really try to keep up with both of them but some days it really is a challenge to read through all that material.

My Bible study of the various disciplines of the Christian life is on hold until I get the 90-day reading done. Because that usually takes an hour by itself and that's just too much. I do miss it though. At least each chapter stands on it's own. I'm not going to suffer by taking a break from it. I can just pick it up right where I dropped off.

We have had a family of Gold Finches visiting our hummingbird feeder the past couple of weeks. My they are such beautiful birds. All that bright yellow flashing around. They can really drain the nectar out of the feeder in a hurry I'll say that much for them. But they are so pretty.

I'm still knitting. I've started a new afghan after finishing the white one last week. It is a pale yellow. I don't like the stiffness of the yarn but it's yarn that I've hung onto for 20 years and I'd like to get it used up and out of the way. What am I going to do with all these afghans??? I have the yarn for one more and then I will move on to something else. Oh, and I've learned to knit in the round! Yea for me!! I don't like it though. I just don't find it fun to work. But I'm currently knitting a pair of wrist warmers in the round. I've taken the first one as far as I know how to take it. I will need to have my teacher show me how to do the next step and she and her hubby are out of state right now so it's just sitting in the spare room until she gets back. That's why I went ahead and started the yellow afghan. I needed something to work on.

Well this hasn't been much of a blog but I've got to get busy around here. I don't even have my bed made yet. I woke up just before 5:00 this morning and hubby was still asleep. And then I started my Bible readings, then I moved to this blog. Hubby is up now so I'm going to close and get it made. Oh and I guess I should get dressed sometime today too! I feel like my blogs are boring now without writing a devotional but it has been a nice break for me. Maybe sometime in the fall I will get back to writing one occasionally. In the mean time stay close to the Lord. He's the best friend you'll ever have. And I praise Him this morning and give Him the credit for anything good in me. On my own I am like filthy rags, but with Him I am dressed in glorious splendor. He is my righteousness. And I praise Him for all the things He's doing in my life. He gives me strength and the will to continue during difficult times. Some days are just hard, let's face it, but we can make it through victoriously if we will cling to Him. His hand is always out-stretched toward us. All we have to do is take hold of it. Praise God!!!