Our first daughter,Kitty  was born early.  We had spent the day at the drag strip and I stood all day.  Marvin blew the clutch in his 55 Chevy and we rode home in low gear about 15 miles.  I laid in the back seat and my back hurt so much, I could not believe it could hurt this bad, but only my back hurt.  After we got home, I bathed and went to bed about 9:00.  Marvin went down the street to his sister's to visit her husband and she came up to see me.  We were laying on my bed when my water broke.  I know I had a funny look on my face, because she asked me what was wrong.  I told her either my water broke or I just peed all over myself.  We called the Dr and he said go straight to St. Lukes Hospital.  I wasn't even packed, we weren't due for another 3-4 weeks.  We went to the hospital and got all admitted and put into a room.  This was the first grandchild on both sides, so everyone was in the room with me.  I had my first contraction.  It wasn't so bad and we decided to time them, like we were supposed to do.  Well, 3 minutes later I had another one, it hurt a lot more.  Then about 2 minutes later, another one and 30 seconds later another one and it hurt like the devil.  I felt funny down there and Marvin went and got the nurse.  She shooed everyone out and proceeded to lift the sheets and plopped them right back down and headed out of the room.  Well, things began to happen fast then and they wheeled me into the delivery room and I was given a sedative and put to sleep.  

     I didn't know anything for about 2 hours.  When I woke, everything was over. I had a single footling breech birth.  I think I am glad I was out.  Marvin was sitting by my bed.  He told me we had a problem and our daughter had a birth defect.  He said she had a short leg.  It never occurred to me that anything would be wrong with our child, my life had always been right on track and this was a curve I didn't anticipate.  When they finally finished her exam and brought her to me, yes she was perfect except for a short leg.  We had picked the name of Katrina Kay for a girl and Mitchell Dean for a boy.  We stayed in the hospital for 5 days making sure everything else was ok before they released her to come home.  I was a young nervous mother and thought babies were supposed to eat, sleep, poop and repeat.  Kitty cried and cried.  I seem to remember not sleeping for days.  When Marvin would come home from work, I said she is yours also, you hold her while she cries.  I think she was 8 months old before she slept all night.
     We were sent to a hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan that specialized in birth defects and the state paid for the medical expenses but we had travel expenses to get there and back. It seems Kitty had a Thalomide type of defect, she was born without a thigh bone and had only muscles to connect her leg to her torso.  She had a small foot with 4 toes that were webbed.  She was given an artifical leg when she was 16 months old and the next day she started walking and hasn't slowed down since.  We made regular trips to Grand Rapids during the early 60s to adjust her artifical leg to her growth.  Before she started to school, she had surgery to remove her toes and made her heel into a stump that fitted down inside an artifical leg.  She was in the hospital for several weeks, recuperating and learning how to walk again.  We couldn't afford to stay with her, so after her surgery, we came home and left her in the hospital alone.  When we came to pick her up, she called me Nurse.  It really about broke my heart.  It is not known what caused her problem, but she deals with it.  When she was a little girl, I told her she would always stand out in a crowd and that she could make that work to her advantage.  And I told her that people would remember her for how she acted more than anything else.  Kitty is my hero even as a small child.  We didn't treat her special and told her that she could try anything she wanted to do.  When the other kids went roller skating, she did also.  We went water skiing and she wanted to try, Marvin put her on a slalom ski between his legs and skiied with her.  Before long, she could come right up on one ski.  We lived in the country on a small acreage and she wanted to take horseback lessons. So she did and we bought her a horse.  She loved Isit.  She was just a grade mare but with enough spirit to enjoy and gentle enough for all of us to enjoy.
     It took a long time, but we decided to have another child.  Casandra Ann was born when Kitty was 7 and our family was complete.  The Dr told me at the first sign of labor to head for the hospital.  I worked at the IRS at the time and went in for my weekly visit at 8 months and he made me quit work that day.  He said I was 3 cm dilated and could deliver any time.  She didn't arrive for another 10 days so I had plenty of time to clean house, wash windows and get my nest ready for a newborn.  Again I had a terrific backache.  We went to the drive in and I ate pizza, popcorn, pretzels, candy and pop.  Along about 2:00am I decided something was up.  I took a shower and had a contraction in the shower.  We hurried and got on the road to StLukes in downtown KC and I had another contraction on the way.  It was a real gripper.  Marvin let me out and I waddled to the emergency room while he parked the car.  I told them I thought I wanted to be admitted.  They scrambled and found a wheel chair and got me to the correct floor.  The nurse checked me over and said I was at 4 and called the doctor.  She stood with her hand on my stomach for about 25 minutes to watch for contractions.  I could have told her that I wasn't having any.  When Dr. Shockley came to the hospital, he checked me and said I was a 10.  The nurse stuttered and said "But she didn't have any contractions."  I had another contraction as I was being put onto the labor table and getting my feet into the stirrups.  I had no anesthetic and it was to late for anything to take effect.  Casandra was on her way into the world.  We had another daughter and I was pleased with that.  I really wanted another daughter.  We only stayed a short time before we were sent home.  Candy slept like a baby was supposed to do.  Of course, I was more mature and could handle stress better myself.  But another problem developed, I started hemmoraging when Candy was about 3 weeks old.  I had to go to the hospital for an emergency D&C.  I had not had enough contractions to shedd all the after birth and when it finally came loose, I started bleeding.  I think that had it been 20 or 25 years earlier in time, I would probably have died giving birth.  Anyway I didn't and life rolled along.

 I found some bargains with shopping for groceries; pork tenderloin filets 10/$10.00.    My sister came for a visit and brought her 2 dogs.   I served my pork tenderloins all wrapped in bacon.  We were visiting and chatting as I removed the plastic meat pic from my bacon. And OOPS!  It fell on the floor and with 4 dogs watching us eat, it didn't last long.  My dachshund, Mini made a grab for it.  I grabbed for her harness and tried to pull her back, but she was too fast.   The meat pic disappeared.  I knew where it went and we discussed making her vomit and what would the prongs on the pic do if they got stuck going or coming back up.  We rushed across Kansas City to an Emergence Vet Clinic in Overland Park.  We could have gone somewhere closer, but I had experience with this clinic and trusted their services.  Since Mini is my first born of dogs, I wanted to get her the best treatment.  They took her back and did an x-ray and sure enough, it was right there in the middle of her stomach.  They suggested making her vomit as a first round of treatment, but she would not eat for them.  They wanted something else in her stomach to surround the pronged pic.   They ask us if we could get her to eat.  We made her do some tricks and used the food as a treat.  Then away she went for 15 minutes.  Then they tried peroxide to make her vomit and still the pic would not come up.  We were then given 3 treatment options:

  l.  Do nothing and wait for it to pass. (If it got stuck some where along her digestive tract, they could operate.  But if the prongs punctured her intestines, that could lead to complications I did not want to think about.)

2.  Sedate her and run a scope down her throat and hope the pic had not moved from its original location.  Catch it and remove it that way.

3.  Operate on her now and remove the plastic prong meat pic.

The first option had too many ifs and I didn't want to take the chance of puncturing her intestines and could still lead to surgery.

The third option sounded too expensive, but we could fall back onto it if necessary.

The second option was the best and they quoted us a price in case we changed our minds about the procedure.  We did not hesitate.  Mini's future was at stake.  I was really hoping for an inexpensive month as last months credit card bills were staggering (We went on vacation to California).  We stayed for the procedure and yes they found the meat pic right where it was on the x-ray.  They presented the pic to us and said they would like to keep her the rest of the night and feed her intraveniously.  It was 2:30 in the morning by this time, again we said whatever is best for Mini.  They told us if we did not want to incur another days expense, we could pick her up at 7:00am. 

We left and returned home feeling drained emotionally and financially, but glad that everything worked out for the best for our beloved and spoiled Mini.  We fell into bed at 3:30 and jumped up at 5:30 to clean up and get back across town in rush hour traffic to pick Mini up before 7am. 

We returned home and all of us took a morning nap.  Mini never acted like she was in any pain and was hungry  as she had not eaten the night before. 

But all is well in the Brown household and everyone is back to normal.   Thank goodness  Diane

Well, I have not gotten to participate in the Neighborhood garage sale because I was always working and didn't feel I had enough time to take off for a garage sale.  I would rather spend my vacation time on a real vacation.  But since I've retired, I decided to give it a go this year and I drug stuff out of several corners of the basement and even went through trying on clothes.  Some fit and some don't.  Then I had to decide what I would wear and what I wouldn't ever wear.  I printed up sale tags with prices and got to work deciding how much would some one really pay for this and that.  I spent the better part of 2 weeks cleaning sorting and even throwing away. 

My sister brought some things over and said just take them and make them go away.  My neighbor brought over 4 real nice oak kitchen chairs and said she didn't have enough to have a sale herself, so would I mind if she sat them out.  I had a washer, coffee table, serger, halloween costumes, Christmas decorations, fall decorations, planters, scarves and clothes of all kinds.  We have lived here since 1992 and I had donated stuff to local shelters and centers, but this was a chance to make a little profit myself.

Today went well, I got up early and take my bath and got all dressed then made mistake of sitting down and leaning my head back on the sofa.  Well I was asleep in a flash.  An hour later, I wake up, look at the clock and it is time to open the doors.  There were 23 homes in our little neighborhood participating so we had quite a variety of items to look thru.  My husband and I sat out and visited and we met more of our own neighbors making the rounds themselves.  Yes, I went down the street and reinvested some of our profit in a driver(golf) and a case for my laptop.  You know money was made round to roll and i enjoy rolling it.

Today was the first time in a long time, I've just sat and done nothing for a day.  It makes me nervous, I keep thinking of all the things I need to do inside.  All the visitors nearly drove our dogs wild.  I am sure they are hoarse from barking. And we are dog-sitting my sisters 2 dogs also.  So we kept busy in the off time walking dogs, 2 at a time.  Ginger is a golden retreiver and Katie is a rat terrier.  Mini and Max, our dogs are dachschunds.  I have to feed Max separately, he is small and all the girls are more dominant.  Ginger is gentle, except around food.  Katie was named after our mother, she is a little snippy at times, just like our mother.  Mini is the queen and she feels displaced when all the dogs are here.  She gets her nose in a twit and acts put out, but she recovers nicely when they leave.

Tomorrow is supposed to be in the low 90s.  It was warm today and the humidity was high.  I don't expect as much traffic tomorrow, but we will see what happens.  We are on a cul-de-sac and there are only 2 of us on this end participating.  Everything we make is profit and we will start on Friday "Make us an offer"    Many folks have specific things they are looking to purchase.  Old records, 45s and costume jewelry, hunting and fishing equipment, tools of all sorts.  I have albums of my mothers and my husbands mothers, but I didn't have time to sort thru them.  Maybe that will be on my list of things to sell next year.

Anyway, we had a great day and plan to enjoy tomorrow and all the events it brings our way.

We got a late start after a full day around the house.  We set up camp at 7 in the evening.  We were the only ones at the lake camping.  There were some fishermen down and around the corner, but they left before dark.  We ate and sat around for the evening, just relaxing.  I don't often just get to set and do nothing, but thanks to camping, I just sat and did nothing.   We went to bed early, about 10:30, and of course the dogs were sleeping between us.  Mini and Max really enjoy camping.  Mini takes it all in stride and does not get anxious, but Max has to be kennelled in the car.  When I sat the kennel in the hall before loading the car, Max went in and would not come out.  He knew we were going and he didn't want to get left behind.

I woke up about 6:00 and got up to take the dogs out for a stroll.  (We can't use the WALK word, because they know it and get all hyper).  We did a short stroll around the empty park.  They were content to lay in the sunshine before the heat hit. 

I went fishing, just about 20 feet from the camper.  I think the fish were waiting for me.  Before my line could straighten out, I would have a nibble.  I had taken worms from my flower beds and the fish were ready for them.  I fished most of the day, catching about 45 blue gill and crappie.  I even thru some of the smaller ones back,  assuming they didn't swallow the hooks.  I am not a real fisherman, but enjoy the suspense of a bobble in my cork.  It is amazing how relaxing, it is to watch the rings around my bobber and wonder if the fish is large enough to take the bobber under or if I should try to snag him when he runs with the hook.  During the heat of the afternoon, I fished deeper and they just kept biting.

But the most exciting event of the day was in the sky,  almost breath taking.  I heard a noise, unlike a low-flying airplane, but still in the sky.  I looked up and there was a STEALTH B-2 bomber, flying ever so slow, so it seemed.  It is awesome to think so much power is involved in one airplane.  If it was an enemy plane, my heart would have been in my throat.  As I think back, it was in my throat.  We were near Knob Noster Air Force Base where all the STEALTHs are located so I suppose it should not have been such a total surprise.  We have seen them several times at Chiefs games around Veteran's Day.  There is usually a fly-over and frequently it is a STEALTH.  They fly over our house while waiting for the proper time to fly over the stadium.  They seem to slice through the air, not making the sound of a jet or a prop plane, something entirely different, hard to explain.   Sinister is a word that would describe the sound.  Anyway the B-2 is a huge plane,  I guess I have seen the fighters more often and even saw one at an air show.  Of course, it was circled by Airmen and we could only observe at a distance.   My husband is a plane freak, that is airplane freak.  He was a private pilot, but because of the medicine he takes now, he can not fly.  That does not dim his enjoyment of any flying instrument.

We came home and I cleaned fish for about 1.5 hours.  Mostly I skinned them as scaling them is just too messy.  We ate them the following evening and I am sure my Lipitor got quite a workout, as I FRIED them.  To bad FRIED is such a dirty work to my health, because they tasted so good.   

I used to wonder why my Mother enjoyed fishing so much, maybe I am more like her than I realize.  I really started fishing to take my grandsons and granddaughter.  They live in such a cultured world.  I want them to enjoy nature. 

Their life seems so far from the way I lived in my childhood, the lifestyle is so different now.  They have soccer, baseball games, video games and dance routines and fancy dance costumes.  My favorite pastimes were a stick horse named Seabiscuit, riding in the wagon with my Granddad.  We lived with my Grandparents for a while and I loved it.  The barn, the horses and the cows were my prized memories, along with the smells.  My Grandad milked a Jersey cow for milk and cream.  The cat and kittens would line up for a squirt of milk.   We had a separator that allowed the cream to rise to the top and we drank the milk that drained out at the bottom.  Grandma had a Daisy churn and I was allowed to turn it until the butter chips formed and she would save the butter and we fed the leftover milk to the chicken, pigs and whoever ate at the feed trough.

My Granddad was my favorite person in the whole world.  He put up with me tagging along in my overalls.  We would go to the feed store and I got to pick out the feed sacks that would be my dresses in the fall.  I wore a lot of feed sack dresses.  My grandma sewed, embroidedry (sp) tatted, crocheted. mended and remended.  My Granddad always wore bib-overalls.  He lost 2 fingers on one of his hands in a sawing accident when he was much younger, but his hands where so strong.  It always amazed me that he could pick up so many eggs with that hand.  And I had 5 fingers and could only pick up 2 at a time.  And he could pluck a chicken so quickly .  Funny the things we remember.

My Grandfather was the oldest son of 13 children.  In the pictures I have, he was a handsome man, strong features and tall.  I can see why my grandmother married him.  I don't know if it was unusal for a man to be over 6 feet, but even when I knew him, stooped and bent with age, he still stood tall.  He smoked a pipe, Prince Albert was his brand of  tobacco and the smoke would swirl around his head.

He retired, sold the farm and moved to town and it broke my heart. but he only lived about 2 blocks from us and I walked past his house every day to go to school.   He stayed retired about 9 months, then he went to work in the local locker.  He just could not take sitting around doing nothing.  I can't tell you how old he was at the time he retired, but his hair was white.  He had a large garden in town and gave away lost of extras.  He worked at the locker for a long time and again I can't say how long it was, because time didn't mean anything to me.  After he was unable to work at the locker, he managed the local pool hall.  (I don't know if he couldn't stand to be around Grandma all day or what ever the reason was, he needed to work.)  He was well like by his fellow gentlemen friends and was voted Mayor of Cairo, Mo.  I was so proud to say my Granddad was Mayor.  I think he got paid $1.00 a year for the honor.  Cairo wasn't such a big place, only about 200 or so folks and a lot of them were related to the family.  Even now, when I go back for a reunion, Cairo is still about 200 or so and there are still a lot of relatives live there. 

Well enough of my rambling.  From a STEALTH to my Grandpa.  I admire both and respect them both, but for different reasons.  So long for a while.  Diane  Best wishes to all.

Today I was in the basement in my office, playing with my pc and heard the doorbell ring.  Of course our dogs have a barking routine, when we have company and I didn't go up to see what the racket was all about.  My husband came to the basement door and said, "Diane, come up stairs, NOW."  Well he doesn't usually talk like that to me and I didn't answer back.  But standing in the background was our best friends from Gainesville, Florida.  They originally lived here but Richard retired from GM in Ohio and did consulting work for a GM plant in Atlanta, anyway they ended up in Florida and where home on a family visit.

We sat around and told stories on each other and laughed at our aging processes.  And other body processes that have shown up as we have gotten older.  It is amazing that you can not see each other for so long and as soon as you are back together, it is like we see each other every day.

They raised foster children.  Glenda was adopted and this was her way of repaying society.  When they would come out to our house for a meal.  I just started handing out plates until everyone had a plate.  I never knew if there were going to be 8,9, or 13 coming for a meal, so I fixed plenty.  Tacos were the special.  Their own son holds the record for eating 18 tacos in one meal.  

When Marvin's mother passed away, I called Glenda and asked her to pick up my children from school.  I did not tell  her why or anything else.  She said OK and I didn't worry about them.  Once or maybe several times, we were invited out to dinner at their house and if we got there early, we just walked in and cleared the table from the last meal and started a new one.  Then when they got home, we ate.  

We square danced for years together and all the after parties we attended brought a flush of tears and memories of fun times, jokes and good friends to mind.  Once in the middle of a joke Marvin was telling, his teeth dropped out of his mouth and into his lap.  Of course, no one could remember the content of the joke, only Marvin and his teeth.

Another time, Marvin was giving Glenda a swing and her wig fell off and went sailing across the floor.  Just a few times, Glenda stopped a square, because she lost a contact lens and we all dropped to the floor feeling for her lens.  One night after leaving an after party, we got into the parking lot of the Blue Ridge Mall and were worried that we would never find our way out.  Richard would work the pedals of the little Opel and Glenda did the steering and shifting while Richard leaned over the driver seat and talked to us in the back seat.  I really think the caller was worried about us getting home that night.  He was serving Harvey Wallbangers and we tried a few.

They were home for a visit during Christmas and of course we couldn't find time to get together before the holiday, so we went out, we three couples and met at a little resturant/bar at Lake Lotawanna on Dec 26.  Well there was no one there but us and we closed the place down at three.  The weather was nasty and we drove that night.  When we got to Richard's sisters home, Marvin drove right up to the front door.  Richard got out and promptly disappeared.  He slipped on ice and fell under our car.  I could only imagine us slidding backwards over Richard and killing him.  He said later that would have been a merciful way to go,  Glenda said he laid in bed and moaned all night and had a huge hangover the next. day.  I was at work shortly after 6:00am that morning.  I told my boss, "I am not hung-over, I am still drunk."  I made it till 11:30 and asked if I could go home.  My stomach was not feeling so good.  I don't let my social life interfer with my work life very often, but that was one time it did.

We vacationed with them for many years at the Lake of the Ozarks.  A third couple had a 3 bedroom cabin on the Nianga Arm of the lake near Camdenton.  We would work around the cabin and do the housekeeping jobs and any repairs that needed to be done on the cabin in the morning.  Then in the afternoon, it was swim and play time.  Karl & Sue had 3 children, we had 2 and Richard & Glenda had whoever was in their care at the time.  We had a runabout with a 110 Mercury and I can't tell how many children we have taught how to water ski and ride a saucer.  One year our youngest developed the mumps during vacation and couldn't get in the water, but by the time we figured out what it was, everyone was exposed anyway.  They would bring their pop-up camper and all the kids slept in the camper and the adults had a bedroom in the house.  Lunch was usually sandwiches and each of us took a turn at the evening meal, planning and preparing.  After dinner and after dark, it was cards.  At the time a card game, called Screw your neighbor was popular.  Nothing kinky was going on between any of the couples, that was just the name of the game.  I don't remember how it went, but we played and laughed for hours each night.

We promise we will visit them in Florida and I hope we do, a better set of friends could not be found.

  Today when I pulled up my  e-mail, there was an article about the most aggressive dogs.  The article specifically named the breed of dog that I love.  I have had many different dogs during my lifetime and find that this breed (dachshund) has endeared itself to me. They are independent and think they are bigger than they are (more spirit than size). 

Yes, I have a rescue dog that was a biter and he still is.  He was abused and I think he had been kicked because of the way he acts when a leg moves fast in his direction.  But he is so loving also and loves children.  He prefers women over men and will growl if he thinks my husband is getting to close to me.  I also have a female dachshund that has never known a rough day in her life.  She is a sweetheart and tries to please us in every way she can. 

In 2003 I lost another rescue dachshund to cancer.  I have never seen a smarter dog.  He did not like violence at all.  He would watch TV and if a fight scene came on, he would become upset and would bark at the TV.  He liked to watch Wild About Animals and would sit right in front of the TV all the time his show was on.  He could recognize another dog in a mirror.  He was only 3,  and we only had him 2 1/2 years, but I hold him dear in my heart.

I understand the small dog aggressiveness.  They have to protect themselves from much bigger foes, but to specifically name the breed, hurts.  They are loyal and a great friend. 

I suppose all dog owners feel that way about their companions and four-legged friends.  If you are a true dog person, I am sure you would take offense at naming your breed as the most aggressive.

 Kitty called Friday afternoon looking for me, but we were out so she left my present on the table.  The most beautiful tall glass vase with orchids in it.  It is still beautiful on Monday.  We were going to leave early Saturday, but sleep sounded to good, so we left at 10:00 instead of 6:00.  Took a break at Osceola and got cheese and crackers to tide us over until Branson.  Stopped at a Visitor Center and found out Yakov show was in 20 minutes, so we made a mad dash back the same route to his show.  It was wonderful.  Interesting, thoughtful, inspiring and questioning all at the same time.  I would recommend it to all,  maybe not children because I don't think they would connect.  We drove to downtown Branson and went to the 5&10 store, then ate at the cafe that is right next door.  We have gone there for years, good food and blackberry cobbler.  We stayed at the Steamboad Inn and just got inside when the sirens went off, tornado warning.  There was a tornado just north of town about 5 miles from where we were.  We fell into bed about 9:15 and just slept like a log.  We went to Tanger Outlet Mall and got a few things, but the Springmaid store was not there and I wanted to get some more towels and washcloths.  Then we drove on the Silver Dollar City and parked close by and made it in to one of the Blue-Grey Pickers shows.  We stayed afterward and talked to them and stayed for another show.  We went by the knife store and they no longer carry the Chalupa knives.  That was the other thing I specifically wanted to get in Branson.  Strike 2.  But one of the men whispered.  Go to Walmart, they carry them under another name.  We started home and stopped at Lamberts Cafe for the throwed rolls,  There was a 55 minute wait, so we got ours to go in about 5 minutes and sat in the backseat of the van and had lunch.  Marv drove the rest of the way home.  Got in about 7:30  

My blood pressure is still running in the 160/90 to 170/100 range and I think I need to call O'Keefe.