Bud's Ramblings

This is another one of those weekends where Margaret is down in her back. She lifted some bags of top soil the other day at Lowe's and then out of the car at home. We have a bunch of flowers and shrubs we want to plant. So/she's planted two rows of pink and white begonias as a border in our mulch bed in the back. There are more flowers yet to plant.

It really can't decide if it wants to rain or not. It will sprinkle a while, then the sun will come out and it's very pretty outside. The forecast is for scattered showers then some thunder showers in the evening and night.

Our daughter came buy a while ago and brought us a bowl of spaghetti for supper. I think Marg is going to go to the store and get us some salad fixings to go with it. That'll be a very good supper.

While I'm working on the blog, Margaret is capping strawberries to make some freezer jam. She makes it using Splenda. I really like it. It's great on toast and also as an ice cream topping. She always saves some to slice up and put Splenda on them just to eat. You have to have a slice of sour cream pound cake tho.

Yesterday was a very pretty Spring day. I got out in my power chair and rode around. Margaret worked in the yard some and planted some Gerber daisies.

Today is church, so we'll go to the early service, then go to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. This evening we're having a birthday pizza party and make home made ice cream. We're also having some dip and chips. It's my birthday, then Tuesday Margaret has her birthday, and the other day it was Tena's. Tena is our next door neighbor, so we're celebrating all our birthdays today.

Margaret has been battling with some little birds who are bound and determined to build a nest on our front porch. She's been battling them off with her broom, and has been taring down what nest they've been starting. Tena's husband is going to put some boards up there so they won't have room to build anymore.

Thursday I went to the pulmonary doctor. They did a chest x-ray and a breathing test of my lung volume. My volume was at 31%, which is severe. If it was 29% it would be in the very severe category. He said to come back in 4 months.

Friday at dialysis, I weighed out at 101kg. That's the leas I've weighed out in a long time. I really have to watch it this week end.

This morning (Saturday) we kinda slept in. I did get up before Margaret and did a breathing treatment and checked out the forum.

Margaret finally got up and we had our usual coffee and sat and talked for a while. We had our Bible readings and then fixed breakfast. After breakfast, we went outside and planted some more pansies in our front bed. We need to dig up some of the day lilies and give some to Jennifer. They need thinning in a bad way. I guess we'll do that later in the day. We just finished lunch. That sun is pretty warm outside right now. I think Marg is resting for now. I see her in the living room all rared back in her recliner. : )

This is written by Leah Richardson Pruitt of Endurance Ministries. I included it in this blog entry.

When we are preparing to go on a great vacation to an exciting destination, we spend a lot of time thinking about it, planning for it, shopping, packing, etc. What if we viewed this life as our prep time for going to the greatest destination EVER?

How much time do you spend planning for meeting God? Do you read up on what it will be like in heaven, which builds your anticipation? How much time do you spend making sure you have the right clothes? (He said be clothed in righteousness, to put on mercy and humility and kindness) Have you told everybody about it b/c you are so excited you can't contain yourself? And invited all your friends to come too? Most importantly, have you downloaded your FREE airline ticket? Looking at my life this way has helped me to keep eternal things first, and temporal things in their place. Stew on it today, and see what God shows you.

Reading what Leah wrote brought my mind back to one night I was in the hospital last year. This particular night is when I was real bad. That night Margaret said I was moving my arms around up in the air telling her I could see a lot of mist. I don't know what that was unless I was about to die. The doctors had already told Margaret they had done all they knew to do. They had even asked her if she wanted the paddles used on me if it came to that, and she said no. Thinking back on that night, I really believe I was just about to die. If that is what it was, I guess God has left me here for some reason.

Thursday: I have really been having a lot of trouble lately following dialysis. I have been pretty weak. I am sure it's because of my blood pressure dropping so low during dialysis. By the time I get home, around 12:30, I just go to bed. I don't even eat any lunch. I usually sleep for a couple hours.

It's been raining here ever since last night. It's raining all day today and into tomorrow. We're suppose to get at least 2 in. of rain out of this front before it moves on off.

I had a roast beef sandwich, Fritos, and iced tea for lunch. Supper is going to be some stuffed turkey roll, green beans, corn, scalloped potatoes, and iced tea.

Saturday: Well, it was the same thing yesterday at dialysis. They took me off of the machine about 30 min. before I was finished on account of my blood pressure being so low. When I got home, I used my Jazzy to come into the house instead of my walker. I just went on to bed. This morning I feel pretty good. I hope we can go out and about some today.

Tomorrow at church, our pastor is giving his testimony. It's really something, he was an alcoholic, and drug addict, but the Lord lead him to salvation, and now he has gone to the Seminary, and has his Doctorate in Ministry. They are having six services tomorrow, three in the morning and three at night to get all the people in. They are expecting 4-5,000 people to hear him tell about his life.

Sunday we went to Cracker Barrel this afternoon for an early supper. I had roast beef, macaroni, green beans, fried okra, cornbread and iced tea. We came home and are having coffee and a piece of apple pie now.

We went to Micheal’s and Home Goods looking for an Easter twig tree to hang our miniature Easter Eggs on. We finally found one, but we don't like it. Margaret is going to look somewhere else in the morning and see if she can find a different one. She's been decorating for Easter the last day or so. She sure does a good job with her decorating. We had Christmas decorations, then she did decorating for St. Valentine's Day and then St. Pat's Day. Now it's time to decorated for Easter. Easter will be the last decorating she's going to do for this year until Christmas.

Continued Tuesday: I think they're going to change my dialysis time from 10:30AM to 8:00AM. This is really going to mess up the schedule we're accustomed to. We'll have to get up and eat breakfast earlier. Margaret wants to go get her hair cut sometime today if her hairdresser is going to be in.

It's cold outside. It was cold and windy yesterday too. There is a little snow up on Signal and Lookout Mts. The northern part of TN has got a good bunch of the white stuff on the ground. The pictures on the Weather Channel this morning from Knoxville, TN were real pretty.

It is a very beautiful day here. It's close to 70 degrees, or maybe a little warmer. Margaret and I went out this morning around the neighborhood. She walked and I rode in my Jazzy. We looked at the pretty flowers some of the residents have planted and talked to a few people. Our next door neighbors were gone, but came in while we were out. We stayed out and talked to the wife for quiet a long time. The husband left to go do some work somewhere. She finally went in, and we went to talk to another lady who had come out of her house. It's just like a good Spring day.

Well, it's later in the day now, and our daughter, Jennifer, has come by to grill some beef patties for supper. That's real nice of her. She''s going to take a couple of them with her for her and her hubby to eat for supper. He is at work and doesn't get off till 6PM. She said he was real tired, and would probably eat supper and go right to bed. I don't know what we'll have with ours. I don't want a bun, since I've had bread two times today. I'll just eat the beef patty and some vegetables.

We're planning on getting up and going to early church in the morning. The preacher is preaching on the Crucifixion of Jesus. Tomorrow's sermon is titled, “MY GOD, MY GOD, Why have YOU forsaken me”? He said this was one of his hardest sermons to preach.