Race City Chihuahua

Meet the newest addition to my ever growing family! Her name is "Sugar" and she belongs to my nephew Nathan and his family. Now she is just 8 weeks old and is quite the little charmer! Seems that she thinks she rules the house here whenever she comes to visit. Of course my Sadie Bella & Lucky are not to sure what to make of her as of yet. Sadie Bella though does act as if she is Sugar's Mom. LOL I caught her the other day licking her all over and being playful with her and all. But of course Lucky just snarls at her and then goes outside to bask in the sun. Sort of like "Well, you are getting on my last nerve!" :-) I just laugh at them all and think to myself that I truly have gone to the dogs!!!!




So, anyway this past Tuesday, Natan came over with his daughter Kaydence to visit while his wife was at work. We were sitting around doing much of nothing but listening to KayKay being vocal. For being 8 months old she sure has a good set of lungs on her! Well Sugar had to go outside to take care of business. Of course we do not let her go out there by herself right now. So Nathan picked her up and off he went. About the time he headed out the door my phone rang. So he grabbed Kaydence to go out with them. While on the phone I heard all of the dogs raising such a ruckus. The next thing I knew I heard Lil Sugar howling in pain. I quickly got off the phone and got up to see my neighbors Rottweiler on my back porch. Of course "Max" is a friendly Rotty and such a big old baby. But Lord knows he has not been over in ages. Let alone climbed the fence in the last 6 months. To say I was surprise is putting it mildly!!! Before I could get the door opened Nathan came flying through it with Sugar and Kay Kay and said "I think her leg is broke!" I just stared at him and then said whos?" He said Sugars.... I took her from him and look at her front left leg. She was howling up a storm. For such a small dog she sure could howl! After inspecting her it appeared her leg was broke. I immediately called my vet. Unfortunately he had just left his office. Now it was just 6:00 PM. which was the way my luck was going this past couple of weeks! So his nurse told me to take her to the Emergency Vets office. Well I got ready to hit the road. But first I had to make sure that Max got back into his yard. Which his owner had already got him back there. Then asked what happened. We told him how Max decided to visit, and in the process of climbing the fence to come play with Sadie Bella and Lucky, he accidently ran over Sugar! Guess she was so small he did not see her. :-( Luckily for us my neighbor said he would take care of all of the vet bills. Just let him know how Sugar was and all. After that I called Mike as I headed out for the 20 mile one way trip with Sugar curled on my chest.



Well we got there and had to wait. Seems the "Full Moon made for a busy night at the Vets office. Yep, the evilness was out in full swing for the animals. The vet finally got us back there and after the exam, and x-ray it did not sound good. Nope, the surgeon thought Sugars growth plate had been broken!!!! I just cried, and cried. She recommended that I leave her overnight and let the head surgeon take a look at her and call me in the morning. So that is what I did. Of course I said my see ya in the morning to Sugar for I left and just cried all the way home.


We got the call from the head surgeon about 9 am and he said that the leg was broke at the wrist area and the growth plate was pushed out. But he did not recommend the $1200.00 suregery. WHEW, talk about relief. Instead he wanted to push the growth plate back into place and put her into a cast. I told him that sounded good. he next told me we could come pick her up after lunch. So about 12 noon I went to get Sugar. Talk about love, and tears of joy. Oh my how happy she was to see me and I to see her. As for the ride home, it truly was a challenging one. But she is now safely back home. And Max is got a new collar to keep him back in his yard. Seems that his battery had died in his that keeps him inside his yard. As for the Vet bill........ well the grand total so far that I had to pay in full was $583.42. :-() Was it worth it???? You bet your sweet hiney it was. Will I be reimbursed by my neighbor? Yep, at the first of the month! Thank ya sweet Jesus. And thank goodness for VISA!!!!!!

Here Is What Is Happening....

Hi all. First I am truly sorry for not being able to do "Tastier Tuesdays," this past week. Now will I be able to this week. See today is the first day I have been able to use a computer since the debut of my "Swiss Steak" recipe.

Plus I am n ot sure when I will be able to use one again for a very long period of time. The reason for this is that I am in the hospital.........This is my 8th day and there looks like no definite date as to when I will be going home either. What started out as so called "Flu-Bug symptoms" on Tuesday, October 14, 2008, turned into something much worse we discovered. That finally on that Friday, the 17th, my Doctor decided to send me to the ER, who then admitted me into the hospital. So here I am still today.

The only thing we know so far is that after being in "Isolation" for 7 days, I am no longer contagious, nor was I ever! That I do not have pneumona, nor the flu. Nor have I had for the last 24 hours anymore of the 102 -104 degree temperatures! The broncoscopy thingy the Dr. did came back negative. Although the other folks would have liked more tissue samples than what they got! Still I will take the good news anyday!

Now as to why I am still here. Well, seems that I still do have this mass in my right lung. And that yes it did go from being 3cm in size to 6cm in size in just 3 days. Though by all Medical Doctors who have seen me all agree it is not cancer. They do want to perform another procedure on me! And it is one that I am very familiar with. It is an "Open Lung Biopsy." That we will be talking to the Pulmonary Cardiologist about everything Friday sometime as to the when, whats and hows of it all.

Till then just know that I honestly did not abandon you all, nor my blog. I have just been out of touch with the world the last week is all. And once we get everything settled back down I will post those recipes. Plus it will be more than one at a time. At least till I catch them up! Just know that my energy is very low to nothing now . But it will be back soon..... So enjoy your weekend everyone. Plus take care and let someone somewhere know you love them!

Blessings,
Nana Net

Tastier Tuesdays'

Okay everyone I have come up with an idea. Hopefully you all might like it. That by now most of you have read my profile and seen where I do "LOVE" to cook! Well needless to say it got me to thinking. Which in a nutshell means "Watch Out" here we go again. :0) But no not this time. Instead I want to propose to you the following.

That starting next Tuesday, October 14, 2008, I will start listing some of my recipes! These will be ones that I have either made up myself or have had handed down to me from family and friends throughout my lifetime. Now I choosen this day because it is the best time for me to do it on. Plus I figured everyone would be able to either use the recipe during the week or on the weekend!

Of course I will do my upmost best to include pictures to go along with it. As well as my own recommendations of what side dishes to use. Plus if the food can be cooked using the oven, crock pot, or stove-top! And other little tid-bits of info.Also, you would be able to go back and look at other "Tastier Tuesday" recipes you might have missed, cause they all would be under one link!

So please tell me if you would like for me to give this a whirl or not. I just know that "Cooking is great for the soul." And it surely does fill my heart with joy! Plus it truly makes for some great memories to come back into my mind again and again! And for me to make some new ones too!

Okay, I await your responses....

Blessings,

Nana Net

Just Thinking Out Loud

You know today is just one of them there days. The kind where all you do is get lost within yourself! Your thoughts are running rampant within your head and you realize that you are starting to "Think Out Loud!" Well that is what has been happening with me ever since late last night and all day today! Not sure if it has to do with the weather or what. But it appears that my friends seem to know when this is happening to me! Yep, cause my e-mail box is getting flooded with tons of e-mail! LOL

So I got these two e-mails that I wanted to share with everyone. It seems that these two really hit me hard when I read them. They set my mind to rocking and a rolling in every direction you can imagine.... That the first one brought tears a flowing that I have not cried in a very long time. It made me stop and realize just how true this is for so many people in our world today. Seems to me that we all should be able to learn a lesson from this one.

WHY ARE WE HERE?

When I drove up in my taxi cab at 2:30 a.m., the building was
dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.
Under these circumstances, many taxi drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, and then drive away.

But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on
taxis as their only means of transportation. Unless a situation smelled of
danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself..

So I walked to the door and knocked. 'Just a
minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged
across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's
stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil
pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie.

By her side was a small nylon
suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the
furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no
knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box
filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she
said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated'.

'Oh, you're such a good boy', she said. When we
got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked, 'Could you drive through
downtown?

''It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.

'Oh, I don't mind,'
she said.

'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice'.

I looked in the
rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she
continued. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and
shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next
two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had
once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she
and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone
dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular
building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired.
Let's go now.

'We drove in silence to the address she had given me.It was a low
building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a
portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were
solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting
her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was
already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into
her purse.'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,'
she said.'Thank you.

'I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning
light. Behind me, a door shut.. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in
thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had
gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?

What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID,
~BUT~THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.

You won't get any big surprise in 10 days if you send this to ten people. But, you might help make the world a little kinder and more compassionate by sending it on.

Thank you, my friend...

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might
as well dance.

Well, what do you think ? Sure is something powerful I will say! That for me personally I try to do more for others than for myself. Or at least that is what everyone tells me that I do.. That life is a journey to be treasured. It is one that we should all enjoy to the fullest. To make sure that we are not in a rush or hurry. In other words "SLOW DOWN!" Srop and smell the roses, breath in that fresh air! Notice the small things as well as the big ones too... Like the fresh grass that has just been cut, or a field of hay that has just been mowed, seeing the sun rise or watching it set across the land at night! Or better yet how the scent of "Midnight Blooming Jasmine" smells at night! My how I love that smell! :0) Plus the others fragrances of honeysuckle, roses, and any and all kind of flowers blooming! Really I truly love it! And let us not forget the smells that delight our noses when we walk into someones house and can smell food cooking!!!!!! Oh my the memories that flow through my mind of family get togethers at my Moms & Dads.... Plus my sister Brendas! What fun we all have had! I guess what I am trying to say is "Take Time" to see, hear, feel, smell, and taste all of the wonderous things that life has to offer you. Make memories that will forever be in your heart as well as the hearts of others!

Though these thoughts are still running like crazy through my mind. I mean like the question asked above, "Why are we here?" Does anyone truly know the correct answer to it? For me there is no right or wrong answer. Just that we are here to help one another in some small or big way. Be it through a random act of kindness, generousity, love, to comfort each other, lending a hand, listening or whatever ! We are here not to let time pass us by. Rather to use our time as best we can! And to use it up to the fullest! One day at a time. No more and no less!

So now on t the other e-mail I recieved. It too was from another friend. He seems to know just when I need a helping hand to guide me along. Especially when I feel life is getting me down. So here is what he sent to me.

The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Beers

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else---the small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there IS no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

'Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.'

The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.'

Please share this with someone you care about.. I JUST DID

In closing this out all I can say is that "Mama said that would be days like these!" And she sure was telling me the truth. That these two e-mails that my dearest of friends sent me, I will print and save in my book of memories that I have. It is one full of all kinds of things. I guess you could say it is something that I am leaving behind for my son to one day have. As well as my grandson and future grandkids to enjoy reading! Now you all go and have yourself a beautiful & fun filled, enjoyable day! Live your life to the fullest! And THANK YOU for stopping by to read this. Though it was awful long.....

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