Check Out Maddie Playing RUGBY!!

This is from Mike:

For anybody that hasn't heard (and this is only a couple months old), Maddie started playing rugby this spring, mostly for a team that combines a few high schools (since there aren't that many girls who play).  

An interesting development - after her second tournament (so - 8 games of experience) she was recruited to play for Scion Rugby Academy (a travel team at the high school and elite levels) at a tournament in Atlanta.  First class operation , coaches were awesome, great experience all the way around.  And... the head coach of Scion is also the head coach of women's rugby at Annapolis!  (At the tournament - which also included college teams in their own brackets, as well as women's national teams - Maddie met and exchanged information with the coaches from A&M, soooo...who knows).

She has a lot to learn, but she is having a blast and has some skill (mostly she's fast, doesn't panic, and isn't scared of contact, hard work or getting dirty - which is a pretty good place to start.  And, you may have noticed, she's really, really competitive.  That's from Kelly.)












Looks like a lot of fun to me!  
Love, Leslie

Why We Let Those Who Dun Us Wrong Continue to Live

Everytime I hear this song, Stripes, by Brandy Clark, it makes me laugh out loud!  

You were lyin' there with nothing on
But a goofy little grin and a platinum blonde
I can't believe you'd do that on our bed
I got a pistol and I got a bullet
And a pissed off finger just'a itchin' to pull it
The only thing keepin' me from losin' my head

Is I hate stripes and orange ain't my color
And if I squeeze that trigger tonight
I'll be wearin' one or the other
There's no crime of passion worth a crime of fashion
The only thing savin' your life
Is that I don't look good in orange and I hate stripes

Woah, woah, woah

I could fall in love with the prison guard
I could sell cigarettes in the prison yard
Don't think hard time would be that hard on me
I could pick up trash on the side of the road
But I'd die if I saw someone I know
Ain't the chains, it's the clothes that's stoppin' me

I hate stripes and orange ain't my color
And if I squeeze that trigger tonight
I'll be wearin' one or the other
There's no crime of passion worth a crime of fashion
The only thing savin' your life
Is that I don't look good in orange and I hate stripes

Oh, and one shot ain't worth a bad mugshot
God knows I wouldn't be caught holdin' up a number
While the whole town's starin' at the picture
In the paper of me wearin' stripes

There's no crime of passion worth a crime of fashion
The only thing savin' your life
Is that I don't look good in orange and I hate stripes
And orange ain't my color
And if I squeeze that trigger tonight
I'll be wearin' one or the other
There's no crime of passion worth a crime of fashion
The only thing savin' your life
Is that I don't look good in orange and I hate stripes

Quiet Saturday....

It is a beautiful Saturday morning.  Amy is off riding Jake.  I just took the dogs, Bennett, Melanie and Loki, outside and played ball with them.  All are, for the moment, exhausted. That will last about 30 minutes.

Amy took Mom and Nana over to a friend of Nana's horse farm.  And they had a wonderful time!  Plus, no one fell or sustained an injury!  A win win!!!!!!!!

I have put out the hummingbird feeder last week and a hummingbird was there yesterday!  A small green one.  I made new sugar water this morning and refilled it, so I hope to see the hummingbird again.  

At my bird feeder I have a pair of Bluebirds, mourning doves, sparrows, Eastern Towhees, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Tufted Titmice, Carolina Chickadees, House Wrens, and Gold Finches. And lots of squirrels!  

Lori and Jim have been busy cleaning ~ getting their house ready for Carolyn, who is coming home for a couple of days.  And bringing her current young man, David Robinson.  Not the retired basketball player - but we are looking forward to meeting him

I am slowly working on getting the outside ready to go for summer - I did go to Home Depot and got two new pots for the front, and investigated river rock for the bed that is against the front of the house and miserable.  AND, I bought my own battery powered drill!  

I got it so I can drill some holes in the bottom of the new pots for the front and for the pots on the back deck.  Now if I can just get the drill off the battery pack.

On the Mom health front.  We went back to the dermatologist.  Mom's arm is MUCH better, but still a long way from 100%.  In talking to the doctor, Mom of course went right back to the mysterious bumps on her head that NO ONE has seen!  And then mom told the doctor that she wanted something oral that could cure this dermatitis, even though she is allergic to anything that will help.  

So, the doctor took two biopsies and prescribed a stronger antibiotic to put on the arm. Hopefully this continues to get better.  But honestly, I think Mom enjoys being waited on.  A lot!

Love, Leslie

Mom Dermatologist Update

We survived the dermatologist.  We went so they could look at Mom's right arm.  When talking to Mom, Mom brought up the mystery blisters that no one, including the doctor with a magnifying glass could see and the fact that she had scars from a previous case on the tops of her legs that no one had ever treated.

I said to Mom that I see her legs every day and I have never seen anything ~ when did this occur?  She could not come up with a date or time.  

The doctor agreed that it was contact dermatitis and prescribed a topical antibiotic and a cream steroid that I can mix together and rub onto her arm.  

Hopefully this will solve the problem.  The scars on the tops of the legs?  Well, I will look and see what is going on.  

To our dermatologist in the family, don't let Mom get you to diagnose or treat!  Save yourself now!!!!!!!!

Love, Leslie

In an effort to educate, I am reading a great book, Being Mortal, by Atul Gawande.  It is as good as Dying Well by Ira Byock, MD.  I know what you are thinking:  depressing, blah blah blah.  Nope, informative and very interesting.  Knowledge for life.

Anyway, I know I am a touch anal about Mom falling.  But here is why we all should be concerned.  "Each year, about 350,000 Americans fall and break a hip  Of those, 40% end up in a nursing home and 20% are never able to walk again.  The three primary risk factors for falling are poor balance, taking more than 4 prescription medications and muscle weakness.  Elderly people without these risk factors have a 12% chance of falling in a year. Those with all three risk factors have almost a 100% chance."

A Day of Firsts an Yes, We are the Weird Neighbors

Loki went for his second walk in the neighborhood with the big dogs.  What firsts you ask? He peed and pooped for the first time on the walk!!!!!!!  I know, too much information!!!!!!

And, here is Amy in the backyard with the puppy:

Yes, we are the weird neighbors!  Amy is wearing some lighted thing around her neck and Loki's eyes are reflecting the light.  

Oh, and Amy rode Jake for the first time since Christmas!  

Nothing like a bird's eye view.

Love, Leslie

Lies, Lies and More Lies

Good Morning and what a morning it has been!!!!!!!

Mom got us up at 5:30am.  I am going to start bringing my cell phone around because I would have taken a picture.  She was sitting on the floor, with her black chair over on its side.  Now for you who have not seen the chair, it is a pretty solid black leather lounge chair on a round base.  Not easy to knock over.
She told me she had been sitting in the chair at 4am and she saw Dad sitting on the horse (the exercise bike) and she leaped forward out of the chair and went over.  But she WAITED until 5:30am to wake me up because she is so nice.  

I am no so sure that I really believe anything that was said.  Is that callous?

So, I got up Amy, which means the puppy had to go out first, so I took Bennett and the puppy out while Amy got herself together.  Then we went to get Mom.

I got Mom back in bed and she wanted coffee ~ she did say she would make it herself, but I told her to stay in bed and I would bring her coffee.  And I did.

There is no way to go back to sleep, and Bennett decided that since he was up he might as well eat also.

Oh, the picture of Amy.  I haven't explained what happened.  She went to open the front door to let in Snoopy and she hit herself in the face with the front door.  The glass of ice is to help the swelling and to hopefully help prevent the black eye.  

I did not hit her.  

Hope your day goes well.
Love, Leslie

PS ~ Amy is full of crap.  My so called right hook is not as good as it used to be.  And I have no bruising.

PSS ~ Mom just told me that the only reason Amy and I don't want her to fall is because taking her to the emergency room would infringe on our day.  Really?

Amy Comes Home

Amy came home and saved me from my puppy sitting duties.  I am exhausted!!!!! 

Amy got a couple of souvenirs:  

30 Years??????

And she received a "Customer Service Award" ~ and strangely enough, every time I try to upload the picture, it comes in upside down.  And suddenly, I hear "The X-Files" theme song.

Love, Leslie

Home Alone

Home alone (except for Mom) ~ sounds like a vacation right?  Nope, Amy is on the vacation! She had to go to the Trademark office in DC, mandatory visual training for all employees who work from home - they had to be seen by their boss.  

Not really a vacation, after all, it is work related.  But, she left me with the puppy.  How hard can it be, you ask.  Not hard, but he is on his own little schedule, which is not the big dog schedule.  Plus, he eats anything and everything he can get a hold of outside.  He appears to love mulch, grass, worms, ANYTHING!!!!!!!!! And that includes poop of all kinds.  He is very tricky and sneaky fast.  And disgusting.  At least he is cute.

I decided to sleep downstairs on the sofa in the living room ~ to avoid trouble with Bennett, Melanie and the puppy on my bed upstairs.  It was like a slumber party.  It took the puppy a while to settle down - his mom was not there, we were in the living room......I got a couple of hours sleep, but we had no accidents.  

And now it is naptime......for them.

Here are the little darlings this morning - proof of life.

So life it good.  One more full day and night and then Amy comes home.  What makes it better?  It is raining today.  4 wet dogs.  

Love, Leslie

PS ~ on the mom update, she has decided that she has shingles.  (She doesn't).  She tells everyone she can't see, but she can see enough to use her ipad and read webmd to self diagnose.

Spring??????????

Here it is April 7th, and we just had a frost.  It is supposed to be 27 degrees Sunday night, so I have to cover the fig tree and the hydranga ~ they got a little frosted and I want to make sure they don't die on Sunday!!!!

In the interest of Spring, look at this:

this is one of Mom's seedlings that she has grown and it has NEVER bloomed ~ but it is blooming it's heart out in the garage!  It is amazing and would love to be on the deck!!!!!! Come on warm weather!!!!!!!

I took Mom for her ultrasound today and the tech told me that she didn't see anything ~ so no clots.  She sees a dermatologist on the 18th, but hopefully this contact dermatitis is better.

I am watching alot of baseball ~ thank goodness it is back!!!!! Even though several of the games looked miserable from the cold, wind and rain, it does tell me we are one day closer to summer weather!!!!!!!!

Love, 
Leslie

PS:  the puppy is a bit bigger ~

Bennett and Loki

Summer Inspiration

Spring is toying with us here in Durham.  We will be 75 on Monday, then 57 on Tuesday with a couple of close to freezing nights.  But, I got Amy an early birthday present because we like to sit out in the yard with the dogs ~

These are made of Trex and are almost indestructable.  Nancy gave me mine on the left.  I think I will have to get a couple more.....we are "fantasizing" about a sweet firepit I saw on DIY's I Want That Show.

And Carole sent this photo of the roses growing on her fence in her back yard:

These are Lady Banks roses ~ gorgeous!!!

I am waiting for summer!
Love, 
Leslie

Mom Update and Good News About Jane

I took Mom to the doctor yesterday ~ her arm was worse.  Her doctor is now wondering if she has a clot, but since she takes blood thinners she shouldn't.  But I am taking her for an ultrasound.
I did have a thought.  I remember a case where a woman only used soap, wipes, etc for sensitive skin for her new baby.  And the baby developed a bad diaper rash, she thought. Turns out, there was an ingredient in the sensitive wipes that caused the baby to have a reaction.

Holly just sent me this piece about personal care wipes:

You remember correctly, lots of  scary looking skin due to preservative in wipes, sunscreen and such. I was on this same search last year for Robbie (Heathers son). His was a terrible trio of tick bite, medication and folliculitis from sweating in the Frederick "Keyote" mascot costume.

"The culprit is a preservative called methylisothiazolinone (MI), which is found in personal care and household products. This is the first time MI in wet wipes has been reported to cause the allergic skin rash, called allergic contact dermatitis, in the United States, according to the report’s authors.

“The current trend toward the use of wipes in personal hygiene products is not without consequence,” wrote the authors, led by Dr. Mary Wu Chang, a pediatrician at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington. “As wet wipes are being increasingly marketed as personal care products for all ages, MI exposure and contact sensitization will likely increase.”

MI has been included in household products in combination form with another chemical, methylchloroisothiazolinonm (MCI) since the 1980s, sold as Dow Chemical’s Kathon "

Thank you so much Holly!

So I asked Mom IF she was using the sensitive skin wipes that she uses for her face on her arm.  Her answer to me was "Maybe."  Hmmmm.  So, I have asked her to only use water on that arm - no to wipes, no to soaps, no to everything.  
Mom also told the doctor that her stools were cream in color.  (Don't forget she doesn't see to well.) So now I get to investigate those. What a thrill.  

On the good side of life, Jane has been selected to attend the summer program at Northwestern University.  It is the Medill Cherubs journalism summer program.  And Jane is thrilled.  

Jane and her Zanzibar buddy, Sylvia ~ So Cute!!!!!

She has also been invited to go with family friends to Zanzibar.  Wow.  I am thinking back to my summer before my senior year in high school.  What did I do?  I believe I had a summer job.  I believe I spent alot of time at our local pool.  What did you do?

Seriously rethinking summer.....
Love, 
Leslie