Clutter

So my mother in law is embarking on a journey we all dread... cleaning out other people’s collected stuff. Her mom is getting new carpet and things need to be rearranged in order to make that happen. This is the reason I have not installed new carpet, y’all. I knew it would not be worth it. I will walk on that nasty threadbare stuff as long as I can take it. She has all my sympathy.

Clutter can be an amazing journey but only for the clutter-er. For me, I love to go through my stuff but rarely make a lot of progress. I may reorganize, regroup, but many of my things contain that intangible sentimental value that keep me from saying a forever farewell... and I actually am still angry with myself for throwing stuff that really was needed after a purge... So it’s a journey for me. No worries, I can still walk around my house without knocking piles down (most of the time).

When my Grandma was cleaning out after Grandpa passed away, she came to me with a box of watch parts. It was a small box, 3x5 inches in size, I think dentures actually came in the box. “Can you believe he kept this crippy crap!” Actually, as hobbies go, that’s not a bad one for value-to-space ratio. I couldn’t find it in me to condemn poor Grandpa his little collection which may have spared a watch or two from the junkpile through different parts of his life.

I kept the box, minus the obviously unusable parts, with some other jewelry items of his. Why? I’m not a guy and the chance of bolo ties coming back in style... well, it’s a little piece of his life I can appreciate.

And more than I thought, too. My oldest boy bought his first tux, complete with accoutraments, including cuff links. If you buy a shirt that requires cuff links, it requires them, and there’s not much way around it... anyway, night of prom, the new links are nowhere to be found. Panicking, his last item missing... I calm him down and pull out the little box. Inside is a pair of cuff links. One is plain gold, the other a matching timepiece. It doesn’t keep time, but that’s not important. It was beautiful and antique, and had belonged to his great grandfather. It was perfect. So, Thanks, Grandpa, for hanging onto cuff links long after you tossed the last cuff link requiring shirt. Your great grandson will cherish these links always.

Oh, and the theme of the Prom? “Timeless”.

Flowers and Presents

My dear mother in law is recently in a task for which I know she will garner your instant sympathy...
Her mom is getting new carpet, so she's moving things around to get the furniture up.
If her mom is anything like me, she has found a lot of nooks and crannies to put things.
THESE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT! Pieces of paper with information on them, boxes of similar objects, books, gifts for which a better place was not yet found....
Oh you know... clutter. One man's clutter is another man's mess sure enough too.
I don't like going through my own stuff. It's rampant with memories and "I may use that" or "I should save this for the kids." So it takes a long time. And if I get anxious or hurry about it I make mistakes, like throwing away something I actually do need the next week.
Lots of shows tell you about how fast you should do it, get out boxes labeled "Give away" "Throw Away" "Put Away" and everything has to go in a box. Yes, I understand about people buried in their own junk. But seriously, there is a perspective here...
My grandma was cleaning out stuff from my grandpa's side of the bed and came across a box, a three inch by five inch box, seriously, I think dentures may have come in it and it was a sturdy little box, full of broken watch parts. Some people still actually do take this stuff apart and put it back together successfully, so when she said, "Just look at all this crippy crap he was saving! For what?" Well, knowing how bad my eyes are at my age, I can't imagine having patience to actually work on watch parts, but it was something he felt was valuable and enjoyed. In that mess, which she tossed, could have been the parts I needed to fix something else Grandpa left behind, a beautiful set of cuff links, one which was just gold, the other was a watch. How classy it was! I kept it. How often do you need or find cuff links... I should have tossed it... but then my oldest boy purchased a tuxedo with all the accoutraments. Including cuff links which he immediately lost, gone forever with all those other socks... anyway he panicked and I pulled out these lovely antique cuff links and he immediately fell in love with them. I wasn't getting them back. Even though the timepiece was stopped, it was a link with his grandfather that was priceless.
The theme of the prom? "Timeless.

Bilateral Diskectomy with Fusion (and a side of Ranch)

So I finally got back in to see the doc, and he said let's do it tomorrow, so we did.
As far as surgery goes, they treated me really well. The anesthesia was perfect. I am wearing one of two neck braces all the time and 4 hours a day of a stimulator that is supposed to help my bones fuse.
Details: They pulled out my herniated C5-6 and C6-7 disks and instead of putting pieces of my hip in there they put in plastic (probably recycled from old milk jugs LOL!) circles with holes in them so my bones will grow through them. Instead of the H bar it's just an I bar now. So waiting two years was a leap in technology I am happy about. My throat hurts and my incision is noticiable and the muscle pain is manageable. The rest of me feels great. I got real ambitious this morning and took a shower (can't get the incision wet though) and got dressed all by myself then had Greg help me wash my nasty hair. After that I was pooped. Still don't know how to use the neck brace right to support either. Working on it.
I got flowers from the office and from Awbreys (Thanks!!) and I have a stack of movies and gallons of koolaid so I am feeling loved!

Kids in a tree

Finally got out to get a pic for the calendar. I did this one the tall way so I can't use it but I thought you'd like it :D

Everyone Else

So this is what happens when Mom goes back to work and Mom has a herniated disk or two... no pictures for the calendar yet, except what I took in Oregon and Washington in January. So go ahead, chew me out, I deserve it! Please keep me in your prayers, I have one week of physical therapy before I go to the neurosurgeon and let him at me. Nothing has helped this time. I have heard great things from other people who have had this surgery about how much better they feel. I am ready to feel better, sure enough, but am a total chicken about surgery. I am really getting more and more ready all the time though. Thanks for your understanding and prayers!

The girls are signed up for free bowling this summer and went today. Alexander is planning on boy scout camp then who knows! Philip working full time with me and part time at Chic Fil A and working on college in the fall. Dad still working school stuff and flying. Love y'all!

Our Grad and Dad

The pic from the Advertiser was better. I am still trying to figure out my lenses. And the light was difficult and the movement and all. I was so glad to see this on the cover of the paper! I knew this was going to be All About Philip month with Scouts, Prom, Graduation, etc. Oh and he tries out for the UL Marching band tomorrow.More on that as it develops. Anyway, we are so glad to have a grad!!

Graduating Senior gets Tux

Against all odds, crazy teachers, last minutes projects, lost ID and other mishaps, my oldest kid is graduating Saturday after next. Here he is in his very own tuxedo getting ready for prom. He's awesome! The tux was spendy but going to the scout office to get all the fruit salad he needs for his Eagle Board of Review is going to be just as bad LOL! And this is the year I don't get that extra tax credit for him because he turns 18.
Philip, you are so worth it all... we are so proud of you!!