Transient Ischemic Attack

Whaaat?!! Dear Friends, today I came home from St. Mary-Corwin Hospital in Pueblo after a 2 day stay for that weird bunch of words in my title. TIA is commonly called a mini stroke.

Derek, Granddaughter, Lindsay, and Great Grandbaby Shawn.

The past 2 weeks, as I have been quite busy taxiing Mom to doctor and dentist appointments and preparing for the annual family get together in Fowler for Missouri Day, I have gotten progressively weaker and tireder and more forgetful than usual. Since their was no food left in Mom's house, where we were all going to be staying, I had to plan, and shop for food and supplies, as well as get some necessary items in our "new" retro camper trailer, so Joe and I would have a place to sleep. I knew something was wrong to make me so weak and tired, but I didn't have time to think about it, and next week I would call the doctor to discuss the problem.



On the way down, Mom and I followed Joe pulling the trailer with his business small truck, which we had not used before. We were concerned that the tires might not hold up. They did. The truck ran over something and had a blowout, and since it came without a spare, we had to find someplace to buy a new tire and have it mounted at 8 o'clock in the evening. We drove to a nearby WalMart which had a tire store and found that they had closed at 8, but we found a worker about to close one of the big pull down doors and when he heard our sad tale, he agreed to sell us a tire and mount it for us. Sometimes you still come upon an angel unawares.



Mom and I got to Fowler at around 11 at night and I was falling down, crying exhausted (well I didn't but I wanted to). We enjoyed the parade the next morning at which my children's father and his sister were parade marshall's, and had a great day walking in the park and visiting with old friends and watching Grandson Evan and Great Grandaughter Kaylee riding ponies.


It was my brother, Steve's, 50th high school reunion and he had been invited to display some of his photographs in the art show. He presented them in the form of giclee prints on canvas and they are even more spectacular than seeing them online.




We went to bed late and when I woke in the middle of the night, for the reason that old women have to get up in the middle of the night, my lower left face felt as if I had been to the dentist and had a shot as well as feeling as if there was a strange thick portion of my inside cheek. I didn't feel bad, just strange, so I went back to bed. When I finally came to the front of the one bathroom line, I looked at my face and saw that my left side of my mouth and my left jowel were drooping. I've worked for so many years with seniors I realized that this was not a good sign. I went to the living room and told Joe that we needed to get me to a hospital right away, even though it was hard to take it seriously since I didn't feel any worse than I had for a while.


The ER took it seriously and I went to the head of the class and after a short time of examination, explanation and a cat scan of my brain (I really have one) I was sent upstairs and hooked up to monitors and switched from Ursula to the hospital oxygen. I will not discuss trying to rest or sleep in a hospital, but they treated me very well. First thing next morning I was wheeled for an ultra sound of my Carotid Arteries and an MRI of my brain. I then received an Echo Cardiogram (remember my piece "What I Did on My Summer Vacation" from last July's
hospitalization? In the meantime I tried to pass out in the bathroom while washing my face and soon had an unbelievable number of people and equipment in my room and was no longer allowed to walk across the few steps to the bathroom without assistance. [I learned that I have to be careful of being active in hot places or outside on hot days, as heat is also a stressor for me, which explains my bad experiences the last 2 Julys. The thermostat in my room was malfunctioning and the heat got up to 80 with it turned completely down.]


By the end of the day the facial numbness and droop went away and I was just so tired and had a miserable headache all night. The Neurologist/Neuro Surgeon was supposed to come review my case and see me at about 8 in the evening to make the final decision of what was wrong and what treatment I needed. I finally gave up and tried to sleep at a little after 10. At a quarter to 11 the lights came on and the poor, extremely busy Neurologist touched my shoulder to wake me and discuss my case.


The good news came this morning that I could go home before noon. I had had a TIA, which unlike an actual stroke, did not leave me with permanent after effects. The best news is that the Carotid Arteries are not blocked and I am not in danger of another TIA or full blown stroke if I am a good girl and take care of myself. I have a new, expensive prescription to keep the platelets from clumping, and I am to eat the same type of diet I've used the last month to lose fat, exercise moderately, and not get overly tired.


"Tenting tonight in the old Metzner National Campground." [The small two bedroom house could not contain all of us, so we camped.]



When we got home I was completely wiped out and I am having the emotional fall out that comes with these types of episodes. I felt that having finally started to improve my health this past month, I didn't deserve this. My daughter, Kat, told me it's like when you start deep cleaning your skin, for a while you break out worse because the toxins and impurities are coming out. She said that having made this healthly change and started on a new path, the toxins are coming out, and I can then be much better. I like to think she is right, and I am already seeing how continuing to drive myself all my life, using food as the carrot in front of the donkey to keep driving myself when I should rest is probably one of the things that has brought this on; especially this past year when I have been so physically stressed by the horrible side effects of Lipitor, not to mention the loss of my father and taking on the responsibility of looking after my Mom. [My typing is worse than usual due to my brain being a bit jumbled by the TIA, I'm constantly having to type backwards and then forwards again.]


My daughter, Michal Ann, is coming down to help me tomorrow, and my foster Granddaughter, Amber is staying with me, to help out, tonight and tomorrow till she goes to work at 6 pm. The family is rallying and we will work out how to handle the things that need to be handled without stressing myself. What was the old song, "I will survive"? I think I may have made it to the Graduate Institute of the School of Hard Knocks.


To make up for all this venting and and warning to others, I am including some photos of the good times at Fowler's Annual Missouri Day 2008.


When I checked my e-mail back log this evening I got a very pleasant surprise from Debra S. in
her blog; she has chosen Toad Haven Annex to receive one of her
Brilliante Weblog Premio 2008 Award awards. I felt so honored to receive this from my online quilt and blog mentor, when I have been feeling that I hadn't been doing a very good job recently. I will be considering this award and will make my choices in the near future, "God willing and the creek don't rise."

God Bless America!

God Bless America With--

Peace for all who are troubled;

Grace for all who are needy;

Courage for all who fear;

Strength for all who are weary;

Faith for all who are seeking;

Hope for all who are uncertain;

Protection for all who serve;

Wisdom for all who lead.

-Roy Lessin


Like all the other kids, I loved the fireworks,last night, over Skyline Drive.


Check out my post on Quilter's Lounge to see why Fran has been so scarce lately, not quilting, doing little blogging, and not getting around to reading blogs very often.


As a bonus I have some great info for those of you who are trying to shed some pounds, or just eat more healthily.


Sorry for the difficult to read big blob of a blog, but Blogspot isn't taking directions too well and refuses to put in my paragraph breaks.

Homecoming Queen

Mother and I were not able to attend the Metzner Family Reunion in Bakersfield, California this weekend, as we had planned, due to my ill health again. I was really disappointed as I haven't seen some of my cousins in over 45 years, and so wanted to compare family stories with them all, as well as meet their children and grandchildren. In a later posting I will share some photos and info that my cousin, Jeanne, got in May on her trip to Vienna, Austria.


But the assisted living center that Mom lives in had it's 84th Annual Homecoming today; when it was started it was a home for orphaned children of Odd Fellows and Rebekahs, and known as the Odd Fellows Home. It has been run as an assisted care center for seniors for many years and after the recent renovation the name was changed to the Friendship House (of course, we all still call it the Odd Fellows Home). As you can see in the photos, the grounds of the Odd Fellows complex are like a lovely landscaped park, with a nice picnic area near the Home. The high rise in the back is a senior citizens apartment building, endearingly known in the area as "The High Rise". Canon City has no other high rises. This is another of the five buildings in the complex, which is near the hospital. Before my retirement I managed the other senior apartment building (only three stories, not a high rise). There is also a new assisted living home and a nursing home.


Mother was chosen to be the Homecoming Queen, and although I was unable to attend, Joe went and took some great photos and enjoyed the picnic with Mom.


This is her Garden Party hat that we got her to wear when she rode on the float at Blossom Festival.





Here she is in her crown. One of the gentlemen who lives in the Home asked her when he was supposed to start treating her as a queen, and I told her to tell him "You should always treat me as a queen." The gentleman bowed to her twice and kissed her hand. Her family sure thinks of her as Queen Evy.

Here are King Jim and Queen Evelyn. As you can see, in Colorado, every event has to have some Broncos involvement.

Happy Summer!

These are a few of my favorite things seen on the first day of Summer:











Rafters enjoying the second crest of mountain snow runoff in the Arkansas River at Centennial Park, Canon City. It is painful to see all this water flowing througoh while the prairies around here are so dry and we keep hearing about wildfires. At least the farmers will have irrigation water in their canals.













A Thunderhead over the Mesa and the Wet Mountains. We get these big clouds to the South, over the Wet Mountains, and to the North, over Pikes Peak, but here in the donut hole we aren't getting any rain from them.


My favorite kind of weedeaters on a field close to the Arkansas River. I'd prefer weedeaters like this in place of my small electric one or Joe's big gasoline one.












Enjoying the water and shade on the Arkansas Riverwalk.















A bee collecting nectar from a Milkweed blossom in an irrigation ditch bank garden. I always think these look like they were blown from glass. I'm so thrilled, for 3 years I've had a volunteer Milkweed come up in the Toad Haven Prairie, and this year it is are going to bloom!














What's happenin' at my beloved Toad Haven:


The Lilliputian Prairie with raised veggie garden beds seen behind the Catalpa tree in the top right.
















Single Coreopsis, I also have doubles but the miniature ones with lacy leaves didn't make it through the Winter.











Stella d' Oro Daylilies.














Jupiter's Beard is beginning to bloom; I need to get more of these. It appears that my garden is running to gold and I need more blues, reds, and whites. The wild blue Flax is blooming, but only in the morning so I didn't get a photo (except for that trace behind the pink flower at upper right. The blue Veronicas and pink Echineas haven't bloomed yet. There is Baby's Breath in bloom but it doesn't photograph well.






Mexican Hats are a native prairie flower that I love.













In the same bed with this Catmint, the Mexican Hats, and Jupiter's Beard, I also have Russian Sage but it will bloom later.



Hope you are having a beautiful Summer wherever you are.



[I sure would like to be able to have this show up as I so carefully arrange it, instead of having it rearrange itself.]

Other Ways To Spend Time

My quilting muse seems to have taken a Spring Break! The only quilting effort I've made recently is to download the block patterns for my Quilting the Names of God group, preparing the tracing paper piecing templates, and choosing the fabrics. The sewing machine is setting on the table with it's dust cover, waiting....



What little energy I can drag out is spent doing routine homemaking absolute necessities and gardening. I somehow seem to be able to find the energy to garden, probably because it develops more energy.



Cousin Don with Joe at the reunion.


Another thing I've been doing the last two months is genealogy. My Metzner family will have a reunion in Bakersfield, California at the end of June; and the Pinzenscham branch of Joe's family (his Dad's sister Blanche married Leonard Pinzenscham) had a reunion in Bennett, Colorado in May. I printed out charts and large copies of old family photos to display, as well as taking many of the books that have helped our research. It was wonderful to see the large turnout and visit with known family members as well as meeting the younger generations and in laws. It is amazing how many persons accumulate from the marriage of two people in 80+ years.



The original Van Schaick, Cornelis Aertsen, arrived in New Amsterdam in 1636 when Manhattan Island looked like this. At that time the Dutch used patronyms rather than family surnames, and Aertsen translates as Adrian's son. The family did not begin calling themselves Van Schaick after the English took over New Amsterdam and renamed it New York. As we researched the family's moves from New Amsterdam to Long Island, to Gettysberg, Pennsylvania, to Washington County Pennsylvania, thru Indiana, to Iowa, to western Nebraska, and then to Eastern Colorado early in the 20th Century (they were always on the western advance into the wilderness), we also traced the changes in the name from Van Schaick, Van Scoyock, Van Syoc, and finally Vansyoc. There are still family members on Long Island with the spelling of Van Scoy. There are over 100 versions in use across the U. S. today, my favorite being Van Sky Hawk, which sounds like the joining of Dutch and American Indian.


When we first traced the family back to New Amsterdam in the Seventeenth Century we purchased a number of books about the history of Manhattan Island, and New York, and were thrilled to find a copy of a 17th Century map showing Cornelis Aertsen's home to the east of what is now Broadway, and just north of the Wall, which is now Wall Street. Another map in the book showed the farms that Cornelis leased and farmed, which stretched from the Hudsen to the East River. ["The Historical Atlas of New York City", Homberger & Hudson.] We were thrilled to discover that he farmed the land where the World Trade Center was built so many years later.


Joe is the 10th generation of his family in the U. S., which makes our grandsons, Ben and Evan, the 12th generation. In contrast, I am a 2nd generation American Metzner, as my father's father, Frank Ignatius Metzner came from Walla, (now Wallern) Austria in 1904 on the steamship Ultonia through Ellis Island. My mother's family came to Colonial America from England, after our ancestor John Shinn, a Quaker, in 1663 was imprisoned in the Hartford gaol
for absence from his parish church services.


The reason the Metzner family reunion is being held in Bakersfield, is that when I was a baby (1939), most of Dad's family moved to California to the agricultural area in Kern County, so there are more of the family there now than still in Colorado. I call them late Okies who didn't have enough sense to go clear to the ocean but stopped in definitely unsexy Bakersfield.


I so love finding out about the history of our families and will bore anyone to death talking about it, if I get the chance. The greatest thing is finding other family members who are just a compulsive about researching so we can compare notes and assist each other.


I've always been a history nut and genealogy has given me the story of how my family branches have fit into history as a whole. It has given me a better appreciation of my forebears and helped me accept who I am and how I fit into the cycle of life.


When we attended the Pinzenscham reunion there were only 2 of the 6 children still with us. Cousin Marge who passed away at the New Year was the oldest of the P. children. Brother Don and sister Joyce were at the reunion with their families. This weekend we got a call from Joyce that Don had passed away, so we will be attending his memorial service next Monday in Aurora.



Now Joyce is the last of her generation and Joe is the last of his, both were youngest in their families, and close to the same age. They grew up together and have always been close.



This is the fourth death of a close family member since Dad passed away at Thanksgiving. I think this large dose of grief has something to do with my lack of energy these days. Thank God for gardens, and even wild grass and elm seedlings that continuously need to be grubbed out, and flowers that bring peace and joy into my sore heart.





This is the pile of grass, weeds, and elm seedlings that I pulled from this border by the driveway.

Spring Hinting at Summer

It has felt wonderful to be working in the garden this week. I work a while until I lose my breath and leg strength, then I sit at the patio table with my feet up on the stool and drink water for a while, while enjoying the view of what I've accomplished. The problem is there is so much more that needs to be done.

Here is how the back dooryard Lavender Garden and Patio, that I built last Spring, look a year later. I love the California Poppies that reseeded themselves all over the area, but I wish that the German Chamomile that I seeded last spring, and this, would come up and bloom with the poppies. I look forward to the Lavender blooms later in the year.

I planted a couple of catnip plants between the house and patio and have to cover them with an old metal refrigerator basket, that Joe dug out his his stash, so that the cats can't roll on the plants or eat them down to the roots. I have a big plant of cat mint in the same bed along with some Mexican Tarragon, but the cats aren't as compulsive about the catmint. I wish I could grow real French Tarragon, but it doesn't winter over, so I just have to use it like an annual, and bring it into the sunporch in a pot in the winter.

I've gotten various kinds of tomatoes, peppers, tomatillas, marigolds, and zinnias transplanted into the veggie garden, and the spinach and mesclun lettuces are seeded. It is so late this year because we kept having frost even after we were having temps in the 80s during the day. We even made it up to 95 this week, (it is not normal for us to have such hot weather this early in the spring, and I'd just as soon it stayed in the 60s and 70s, but I don't get a vote in the matter) and it doesn't seem like we should have any more night frosts. The other unusual weather issue this spring is the nearly constant high winds (we're all sick of wind, but you do what you gotta). Don't you love the circular designs of the tomato cages against the squares of the raised gardens?!

The kittens are running all over the yard, now and even learning how to climb the, so far, leafless Catalpa tree by the veggie garden and Lilliputian Prairie.

I finished cleaning out my miniature Prairie Pond yesterday and have the fountain running, but have lost the fountain head that makes a pretty bell shape of the water, so need to find another to take it's place, and get some pond plants to help keep the water fresh. I will not try any more goldfish, since Slytherin Garter Snake ate them the year before last. He (they) can find his (their) own fish in the irrigation canal out back. I refuse to run a snake sushi bar.

After taking and processing these photos on the computer, I went out to change the water (please note the green hoses so prominent in all my garden photos; without irrigation this area is the Great American Desert in shades of tan and tawney. A lot of my gardening time is taken up in moving the sprinklers from place to place each day. Luckily, even though it is so dry down here, we are beginning to get the runoff from the large snowpack in the high mountains, so have plenty of water to irrigate.) To get back to my original thought, a small dust devil (whirlwind) had blown through the patio and knocked over the umbrella table, breaking a couple of favorite collectibles, an old crock that GranPoppa used to feed his market rabbits in the 50s and a very unusual heavy clear pressed glass pitcher, that was probably a give away with juice or something like it many decades ago.

I cleaned up the mess and can't gripe, because it is so small compared to what our near and far neighbors have been going through with bad winds recently. Last Thursday a unusual large tornado blew through several small towns in Northeast Colorado and damaged over 500 houses, plus destrying 100, with one life lost. Then in the past couple of days a young couple from Rocky Ford (where I was born) were killed in Kansas when their car was blown from the highway into a wheat field but one of a rash of tornadoes in that state. The our neighbors in Asia have gone through such a catastrophe that it is almost impossible to conceive of such damage and loss of life.

The very nature that gives us so much joy can also be the cause of terrible pain and suffering. I choose to continue to appreciate the peace and satisfaction that working in the garden provides to me. Praise the LORD who giveth and taketh away!

Empty Motor Home Syndrome

Haven't felt moved to post this month. As time seems to move faster, I find that I move slower, and I'm overwhelmed and exhausted, physically and emotionally. The symptoms that led to hospitalisation last summer with suspected heart failure, which turned out not to be heart failure, have started again, and I can't seem to find the energy to do the things I want to do (quilting, gardening, etc.), let alone those I don't want to (house cleaning). The doctors and I are working on plans to improve my health again (stopping the Lipitor removed the symptoms for several months, but now the Crestor, that took it's place, seems to be doing the same thing again). My Googling has shown me that some people just can't tolerate the Statins and that seems to run in my genes, since a cousin has the same problem. So what do we do about high cholesterol?

Which brings me to the subject I chose to write on tonight. A few months ago a cute, small, calico cat started coming to my back door for food. Soon she looked like she had swallowed a basketball. One day the basketball was gone and we assumed that she had had several kittens, probably under the house through the hole that had been dug by our visiting skunks or raccoons. One night a horrendous smell (like burning rubber) drove us out of the house, and after checking everything out, the police and volunteer firemen determined that nothing was burning; a skunk had evidently met Mamma Callie and her kittens under the house and when she attacked the skunk all stink let loose. We are still fighting the smell in our house, there simply is no product out there that will remove that particular scent, you just try to air it out, spray a lot of Febreeze to cover it, and let time take it's course.

The next morning I saw Mamma Callie walking through the back yard with something in her mouth, a kitten; she was moving them from the skunk and odor into the old motor home stored at the back of our lot, which we had hoped to fix up and use when we got around to it. (Joe has promised me that some day he will give me a Round To-it). I kept checking the inside of the motor home for evidence of kittens but saw and heard nothing. Finally, several days later when I checked again, I discovered Callie feeding 6, yes, six, kittens; a yellow striped, a silver gray. a solid black, a calico, and 2 black ones with white feet and tummies. They were quite shy and ran away and hid whenever I tried to visit them.

I kept waiting for Momma Callie to bring them with her to the cat bowl, and when she didn't, and I figured they were old enough to begin eating cat food, I took some dry kitten food with kitty tuna spread over the top to the home and left it in the middle of the floor while I sat on the back couch and watched. Callie started eating and calling the kittens who came out one at a time and started eating as if they had been eating cat food forever. Since my Aunt Emmy wanted 2 of them and the others will have to go to the Humane Society to be adopted out, I started spending time with them and playing with kitty toys with them each day after I fed them to socialize them. They still ran if I tried to pick them up, but if I kept still they would come around sniffing at my shoes and ankles. I was finally able to pet them while they ate and was even able to pick some of them up and pet them.

This week the kittens were 8 weeks old, and started coming out of the motor home to play around the garage/shop, lavender garden and back door patio, and even eat a bit at the back door cat dish. We decided they were ready to be adopted out so my cousin Verna brought Aunt Emmy down from Colorado Springs to pick up her two; she had chosen the yellow one and the gray one. In that way that cats have, they knew something was going on and I had to wait a long time for 3 of them to come out and start eating. Luckily, the yellow and gray ones were there as well as the little miniature calico cat, but they were wary and kept running to hide when I tried to pick them up. Finally, with Joe's help, I was able to get the little yellow one picked up, it was terrified, but when I took it to Aunt Emmy, who was sitting in the shade of the carport on her walker with a seat, she put it under her over shirt and petted it and it calmed down and went to sleep. The little gray one hid so well we could not find him, so yellow had to go home in the carrier by herself, until we can catch the gray one to join her in their happy new home.

So, this soft hearted cat lover, is beginning to feel Empty Motor Home Syndrome. The yellow was one of my favorites and there is a large void where she used to be. Momma Callie spent quite a bit of time calling around the carport (where she last saw little yellow) this afternoon and evening, so I'm sure she can tell that one is missing, also.

Verna and I figured that the other little kittens were huddled somewhere, quietly talking to each other about the horrible trolls that carried away their brother and were probably eating him.

I would love to adopt Mamma Callie, but from day one she has made it clear that she hates my cats, she attacks them any time she has a chance, and even tries to attack them through the glass or the screen of the doors. She is sweet and friendly, and would love to live in the house, but my cats are so terrified of her they are afraid to stick their noses out the door anymore, and any time she can she runs into the house to find them, so she needs to be adopted by a household that has no other cats; she also needs to be spayed, as much as I love kittens, I hate to see so many unwanted and abandoned cats roaming around creating more cats.