Sadness Fills My Heart

 Life can sure throw you a curve ball when you least expect it.

Got word yesterday that a nephew had passed. And, I just gotta ask God... why! 

He was 64, healthy, vibrant, needed, talented, a really good guy. Both parents are gone so he and his sister live near each other on a hillside in Eastern Tennessee. They were big buddies and he helped her alot. Neither were married.

The sister drove up the lane to her house, saw his car sitting in the driveway as he was waiting on her to get home. He'd just taken a picture of an upcoming storm and sent it to her. He never got a chance to post it on facebook.... the cellphone dropped into his lap and he was gone. 

He was a talented musician, sort of a country-blues sort of music. He wrote songs, played several instruments, painted beautiful pictures, did wood-carvings, grew mushrooms, loved to garden and cook healthy dishes. I loved to listen to him play the harmonica. He was GOOD! 

He was a mountain man... loved the outdoors, was a spelunker (cave wanderer), worked as a smoke jumper in Alaska and out west in his earlier years.

I just don't understand it. And, I hurt, not only for everyone who loved him but especially for the sister he was so close to. She is gonna be lost. 

Just please say a prayer for this family. Thank you. 

Them Camptown Races, do-da!!

 So much fun last Saturday night...

Don't tell me old folks don't know how to have fun!!

We had races...

One you rolled the die and moved your 'horse' how ever many dots your die had on it.  

There was one where you picked a winner for the Kentucky Derby and placed your choice in a cup... I didn't win.  

Then there was the Rollator/walker race. Some of these gals borrowed rollators to use. And, some definately use theirs all the time. The winners were always those more at a 'disadvantage' than the healthier one. It was a riot. 

Miss P won one of the rollator races.

You just got to know about Miss P. She is 92 years old, always dressed to the hilt, big jewelry, sparkly outfits, hats, and heels!! 

That woman outdid the rest of the gals and she was wearing stilletoes! I mean 4 or 5 inches high. Pointy toes, skinny little heels. We were scared to death she'd fall but she did just fine... and won one race. 

These two girls were so busy, as were several others, making sure the event ran smoothly. 

And, they are such fun to be around... I think you can tell that from this picture.

Derby Party Fun

The Kentucky Derby was run Saturday evening. For the first time,here at Centerbrooke, we had a Derby party. Wow, what fun. A whole slew of gals cooked and decorated, held games and took pictures.... we all had a blast! 

First I will entice you with the food.... 

Kentucky Bourbon Meatballs, Southern potato salad, Pimento cheese sandwiches, Kentucky pasta salad, fruit, cheese straws.... I know I've left stuff out. So hard to keep up with it all. For desert we ate Toasted Pecan Cupcakes and banana pudding. 

Oh good grief.... I thought I had more pictures of the food than just this one. I am sure there are a bunch of pics floating around....I just didn't get them. 

At our "meet and greet" Lois gave everyone virgin mint juleps. No alcohol allowed... oh well, Who needed it to have fun?

As we registered we were given a ticket which we then took to the betting table and dropped it in "OUR" horses cup. I chose Forever Young... wouldn't you know it.. when the race was run that horse came in 3rd. But, hey, it wasn't last!! 

Most of the women wore their fascinators (hats) and some of the men had on hats or bowties. And we sat around drinking our mint juleps and laughing and having a great time. 

I am sorry but I have to break this up into two or more posts. There was just so much going on! 

I'll be back soon with more Kentucky Derby Party fun. 

The Crow and the Mocking Bird

             Sometimes you just get entertained without even trying! 

I was sitting on my balcony watching a mocking bird which was stretching his feathers to get some sun. He was atop the street light across the driveway. 

All of a sudden here comes a big black crow and just shoved that mocking bird off it's perch. 

Made that mocking bird madder than an old wet hen. So, he started dive-bombing the crow. He wasn't successful in making that crow move but he sure did pester the heck outta him. 

Making Fascinators for the Kentucky Derby

 Man, I was one tired punkin last night. I had quite a day. Dau. Shirley has been heading up our activities on a volunteer basis since the office manager here at Centerbrooke wasn't available. We have a new office manager now but this big to-do was already in the works.

We are having a BIG Kentucky Derby Party next Saturday. So, of course we gals have to have our fancy hats to wear. Yesterday was a brunch followed by a session of us making our own 'fascinators' to wear. I tell you, we have some creative people. We had so much fun. Everyone just loved it! 

This is just some of the supplies we had to work from. 

Here is part of the group busy constructing hats to fit their own personalities. That's Shirley (the second one seated at the table) helping the other Shirley decided what to put on her hat. 

I loved the purple and yellow that Shirley decorated her hat with. But, then I am partial to purple. 

Teresa went with purple and red roses with a big fluff of netting to top her's off. She looks pretty pleased, don't you think?

Loretta has a ton of health issues so it was nice to see her attend. Just look at that hat she made all by herself! We will soon lose her here at Centerbrooke since she will be moving into an assisted living place. She just can't make it without help now. She's very talented and a sweet lady. 

I love Evelyn's hat. And, I just love Evelyn. She is such a sweet person and I always feel great just being around her. She wears those cute little over the ear pigtails fastened off with barrettes. I asked her  many barrettes she has and she said she used to have about a hundred but had given them all away except for this pair. She's been looking for some more so I got online and tried to find her some. I found it difficult. But, maybe I did find one set of 4 pair that might work. We'll see. 

Our brunch at 10 proceeded our hat making. Our new staff member furnished that! 

and here is our new staff. Jamilynn! 

Any of you gonna watch the Derby? Get out your hat and join in the fun wherever you are! 

Oh, I forgot to tell you....

After we were finished around 1:30 Shirley and I went to Burger King. That brunch food we ate was long gone by then. Guess we worked it off. 😉

It was 4:30 when we finally peeled ourselves off our chairs in that place and headed home. She's been gone a week so we had a lot of catching up to do. 

So, yes. I was tired, my feet were swollen but I felt great. 

I'd been with my daughter... and my friends. Nothing can beat that. 

Good News on the Alzheimers front

 I just got my newsletter from AARP and was thrilled to see an article about Alzheimers. Seems they have a new blood test that has proved to be 90% effective in detecting Alzheimers. I know my children are thrilled about this, as am I.

Elbert (on the right with two of our children)

You see, their active, fun-loving, joke-telling Dad got Alzheimers. That was determined in 2001. He was 71 years old. 

We'd just moved to Virginia to be closer to our children and I had this vision of him and me just sitting on the porch holding hands, watching the sunset until we both were so old we had to pass on to another life. 

My vision which changed drastically

That vision became a nightmare. I cared for him for 10 1/2 years. He forgot who his family was, he tried to 'go home' more often than I want to admit. He thought he was still in the Navy and was AWOL because he wasn't on the ship. He fell so often I couldn't be out of his sight. 

He could still fit in his old uniform and he still knew how to salute. 2007

My children worried about getting Alzheimers, especially my son. So, this is great news .... that research is making great strides in detecting it. Now, if they could just figure out how to cure it! 

2009 just over one year before he was gone.