Not home and odds and ends

Thank you all for your kind words on the last two posts.

So glad dear Madeline is home from the hospital. Thank you for your prayers.

To answer Roxanne's question about finances - yes and no. At least right now there aren't two house payments plus helping daughter with living expenses. However, repairs on our car just cost us more than a brand new car cost us in 1977. Read on...

Guess what? I'm not home (although most everything from Mom's has been moved there). I have been plant and cat sitting at my daughter's apartment for the past two weeks.

M has a smug, almost "gangster" look to him, but he is very affectionate.

V, that is a rather expensive toy you have there. Also, you really don't look very comfortable...

As a member of the Vandaleers (U of I's elite choir), Daughter has been in Austria, the Czech Republic, and Germany with most of the other members and a few "groupies" (some parents, spouses, other instructors. Oh, I would have so loved to have gone, too!)

This trip has been one mix up after another. It seems that every week all year something would happen that jeopardized the trip. The choir was originally supposed to perform in seven different locales then the number was reduced to three. It has been cold and rainy the whole time they have been there. And, one huge disappointment for Daughter was that they were supposed to have a day to spend with her music history professor who has for several summers lived in Vienna. Because of a change in plans, they only got to visit with "Ms.Professor" for about 10 minutes right before a performance.

Because of the unions striking in France, would you believe that the group is now stranded in Berlin? I wonder how much this is costing us?! It will have to be us paying for it, because Daughter has already paid for summer school. (She is taking a traditions and history of clothing class for this part of the summer session. Yes, I think I'm jealous about this, too. lol)

(Packrat, quit complaining!) Daughter is fulfilling her lifetime dream (almost literally) of visiting Europe. Even as a toddler she would sit for hours looking at pictures of castles, palaces, cathedrals and even the landscape. Even when she was tiny she would tell me she was going to go visit those places. This desire to travel and see new places has never died.

I sure never imagined that she would get to sing in any of these places even with a choir. I'm not sure why. She started singing before she ever started to talk. She would sing to herself for hours. (naps? not her!) And, horrible mother that I was, I used to tell her to be quiet...

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What have I done besides take care of plants and the cats? Not much. I spent my 56th birthday in the recliner trying not to move any more than I absolutely had to alternating between trying to read and wishing someone would shoot me . Whine, whine. (The day after my birthday, my husband drove up and took me out to dinner. I had what was called shrimp cocktail, but it was more like warm spicy tomato, shrimp and avocado soup. It was wonderfully delicious.)

Of all crazy things, it all started with some pressure in my right ear. Suddenly, the whole right side of head starting hurting so bad that it gave a whole new meaning to the term "splitting headache". (Think headache after having a spinal.) After several sleepless days and nights, I thought maybe I should go to the doctor.

Interesting how our bodies work. My left ear was actually more infected that my right, but the left ear didn't hurt at all! But, I did (do) have a sinus infection that I didn't even know about - the cause of the headaches. As of today, the headaches are now mild instead of almost blinding. And, I have been so cranky. Must be getting well. ;)

Also, can I tell you something really kind of odd (maybe even a little disgusting depending on how you feel about it). I complained to the doctor that for a while I haven't been able to hear well with my right ear. The doctor said that it wasn't because of wax, because there was actually no wax at all in my right ear. Now, how in the world is that possible? Shouldn't I have some wax buildup? Even babies get wax in their ears. (I didn't think about this until later.)

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Do any of you remember reading A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle? It was one of my all time favorite books when I was in grade school. For some reason, I had never read any of her many other books. I just finished An Acceptable Time, the fourth book in the "Time" series. I loved this one, too. I am still a tad confused about the grandparents' attitude in the story, but maybe I missed something by not reading books two and three? Her books are definitely on my "to read" list. Don't want to say more in case you haven't read the books.

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Hope everyone is doing okay. Here at the apartment, the lilacs, locust trees, peonies, and spirea are just now starting to bloom. It has been cold, damp and/or rainy everyday. Am getting a little jealous of all the beautiful garden pictures and even fresh produce pictures floating around the blogs. You know who you are. LOL (Truly, I love seeing them. Keep the pictures coming.)