Thursday, March 31, 2011

Next?

Margie's blood test did not indicate a need to change the medication for polymyalgia.  She was somewhat taken back with that verdict because the doctor thought her nervous condition was caused by an imbalance by a flare up of this condition.  So now we have to determine what is next on the agenda of ideas to help her with the nervous condition.  Thank you for praying about this.  Margie had another physical therapy session yesterday and it has produced some pains previously unknown to her. The human body is amazing and these therapist are trained to help us get the most use out of them as possible.  They really help her even though it pains.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Diagnosis

Margie's doctor yesterday told her that her "nerve" flare up was doubtless caused by her polymyalgia.  She ordered a blood test and perhaps today we will get those results.  This polymyalgia acts in peculiar ways and nervous upsets is one of them.   We go shortly for physical therapy for Margie which helps a lot also.  We sincerely thank you for your prayer support.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Tear duct plugs

We had never heard of these until we visited the Retina specialist a few weeks ago.  He suggested the eye doctor insert these into the tear duct glands to help with eye lubrication.  That's what Margie did yesterday.  It was a fascinating process.  I was there to watch.  Margie made an appointment with her doctor for today to talk about her nervous condition.  These past 4 days have been hard for her.  She needs more help and we pray this morning her doctor will come up with something. Thank you for remembering us.  We appreciate it.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Step backwards

I am sorry to report that Friday Saturday and yesterday Margie did not have good days. Her nerves were "shot" and weakness took over.  Thankfully today she said she had a pretty good night and we pray she'll gain ground again.  Up until now she has been doing so well.  We appreciate your prayers for her.  We were not able to go to church yesterday.  We were all ready and moments away from leaving when she said she just couldn't do it.  We stayed home and listened to some messages here. This afternoon she has an appointment with the eye doctor and they will put plugs in the tear duct glands to help keep her eyes moist.  Her retina specialist suggested this procedure to give her some relief.  We pray it will.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Spring day

It may not feel like spring, but all around us the signs of life appear as plants and trees adorn themselves with God's wardrobe of colors and greenery.  The sun is shining brightly and it promises to be a great day.  And no matter what the weather, it will be a great day because of the services in churches all over the land.  What a great day to be in the house of the Lord. Yesterday Margie and I attended the memorial service of a dear friend. I had a part in the service and was honored to do so.  Our son and his wife and our granddaughter dropped in for another visit which we appreciated.  They also had a bite to eat while here. Margie had a good night and that's an answer to prayer.  Her Friday was not too good. We don't want a repeat of that.  Thanks so much for praying.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Memorial service

Today we take part in and attend the memorial service for a dear friend.  Yesterday I spent time with another family who lost their mother and whose service we will have in April.  One by one they (our dear Christian friends) are leaving us for their eternal abiding place.  Rawlie and Gina came by yesterday and had a bite to eat and short visit before returning to their home in Stanwood.  They may come again today, caring for things in the old homestead place, nearby. It's a beautiful day and we know for sure Spring is here.  Soon it will be lawn mowing time.   Margie had a good night after she was finally able to get to sleep.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Great concern

For many days a dear friend of ours has been hospitalized with H1N1.  Yesterday two more were diagnosed with it.  And we wonder where it is going to stop.  We certainly are praying for these dear friends as they go through this swine flu agony.  Today I take Margie to the hairdresser for a 20 "roll up" of her hair.  Then I meet with a family who lost their mother.  They asked me to have the service. So there never really is a "do nothing" day around here.  Margie had a good night and in fact it was so good she didn't even hear the alarm so I finally asked her if she would like to get up.  She was startled and didn't understand why she didn't hear the alarm.  It was ringing for at least 20 minutes.  So I say, she slept very well.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Another great day

After Margie's second round of therapy sessions, her muscles got a good workout.  She supplements this with the TENS machine which really helps her a lot.   She had a good night.  Our main scheduled event for tday is payer meeting this afternoon at the church.; We always look forward to this. We hear of so much illness and other issues that we need to gather for corporate prayer this way.  I will try to get in a few hours hopefully of studies for the employment I am pursuing.  We are not certain it will work out, but leave it in the Lord's hands.
Thanks for your prayers.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Prayer needs

It seems people are overwhelmed with illness, death and situations that call us to pray for one another in a way we haven't done before.   We have experienced 3 deaths in our church family and two people are desperately ill.  During the night hours when we are awake we remember these things. How gracious of our God to hear us no matter when or where it is. I am responsible for submitting some items to our church prayer sheet, so will be doing that as soon as I finish this.  Margie, thankfully, had a good night.  Her arms and shoulders were giving her pain, so I put the TENS machine on and she said it really helped.  I spent many hours yesterday looking into and studying more about niche marketing in hopes that someday I will be able to generate a little extra to help out with the medical bills.  Thanks for praying.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

The irony

Margie had one of the best treatments at physical therapy last week she has experienced so far. the relief was unbelievable but naturally left her sore.  Well, last night things seemed to flare up and she had much discomfort and had to finally take medicate to get relief.  She will be discussing this with her therapist this week to determine if can use the TENS machine on this sore area of her shoulders, etc.  So life continues as we try and yes, even have downtimes after good treatments.  Thanks for praying about this with us.  She had a good sleep after 11 pm, so we are thankful.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Helpful son

Our son has little time to do much extra in life, but is always willing to help "Mom and Dad" in projects.  This week end he installed a new wash basin in the guest bathroom.  The old one had rusted through. For two years I  camouflaged it by painting the interior with a special product.  But that ended and the thing rusted completely through and we had to use a bucket to catch the water.  Now, that's history because a new one is in place and we are so grateful.  Thank you Rawlie.  We appreciate it.  Margie had a good night but did have two mild "starts" to some choking scare but was able to control it with the famous Alka Seltzer Gold.  What a wonder that  is. Saturday we lost a dear friend but Heaven is richer because of her presence with the Lord.  How we miss her. Another friend suffered a severe stroke and we are praying for her.  Thanks to all for praying.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

To church we go.

Yes, what a great day.  We will be leaving for church this morning.   We were privileged to have Rawlie and his family with us for lunch yesterday and Rawlie stayed here overnight and Gina and the kids at the old homestead of Gina's parents.  Rawlie and I made hospital calls yesterday to two very critically ill people who are close to our family.  It was a joy to be with the family and pray with them.  We only saw the mother and sister of the other ill person and assured them of our prayers.   We have learned through the years that prayer is so vital in the
Christian life.  This is a ministry that every Christian can be involved in.   Margie had a good night and we look forward to the blessings we will receive throughout this day.   Thank you all for praying.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Off to a meeting

It's early Saturday morning and I'm off to a meeting in town.  Margie just called out so I know she's awake.
Our son Rawlie arrives mid morning. The rest of his family came yesterday, except Benny and Nathan.  It will be another full day we are sure.   We hope you all have a good day.

Friday, March 18, 2011

More wind

Yes, it's Friday and garbage collection day and it invariably does a lot of blowing.  To correct things and keep the garbage can from rolling down the street, I tethered it to our front evergreen tree with a long cord.  The cord is plenty long, giving the worker room to dump without having to untie it. The first time I did this, the collector, actually started to untie the cord so I ran out to explain how it works.   Now, all is OK with the garbage collecting.  Well so much for that.  This afternoon we attend the funeral of a dear friend who died last week.  Our son will be here Saturday. Yesterday we had a good prayer meeting and Margie I visited a lady who just lost her husband.  Last night Margie finally had a good night once she got to sleep.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Amazing

Yesterday at physical therapy, Margie received a treatment unlike any she had before.  What a super relief it gave her, even though it did hurt while being done.  So we live and learn.  We had friends fly out yesterday to visit their daughter in Japan.  We have prayed for their safety while there along with all the missionaries and millions of Japanese who are suffering. Today is pray meeting and we look forward to this.  Also, we will make a visit after the meeting.  Yesterday we were privileged to meet with a former member of our church who is visiting friends here in Washington.  She is from the south.  It was so good to see her and her daughter. This week has turned out to be very FULL.  Maybe "age" has something to do with the "fullness" of the week.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

On the road again.

This morning I take Margie to the physical therapist.  These treatments do a world of good for her.  We are thankful our insurance pays for them. This afternoon we go to a friend's house to meet a former church member who is visiting Ferndale.   It will be nice to see her and her daughter again.  In between times, I am still studying the niche marketing routine, trying to generate some supplement income to help with Margie's medical issues. But we praise the Lord for the way He provides for us even though unemployed.  He is so good to us.  We are thankful.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Thank You

Margie had the best night she has had in quite some time.  This is refreshing to hear.  She does so much better than she did for many years and we are sure this is the result of professional help and much prayer.  I am attempting to set aside more time today to study up for the at-home-employment situation I'm looking into.  It is a long road and surely challenging for this "old guy", but I admit my fascination with it.  If the Lord is in it, I will be able to enjoy some income to help with extra medical expenses. We appreciate your prayers about this.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Monday duties

This morning, like many Mondays, we must go into Bellingham to care for some business.  We hope it won't take a long time.  It has been blowing hard all night and promises to let up a little then start again tonight.  That along with the rain makes it "interesting" to do business in town.  But we are used to it.  Margie had a good night but this morning had a pretty serious coughing spell.  At any rate we are thankful it was not a choking episode, but for awhile we thought she was right on the verge of one. I am gradually getting back into my at home work.  I have a long way to go before it will generate any income.  And we are not promised it will even do that once I get everything in place.  We appreciate your prayers for me about this too.   Thank you very much.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Tsunami

You doubtless have friends in Japan, as do we.  We were happy to hear that they are OK after the huge earthquake and tsunami the other day.  But we think of the thousands who are not.  Yesterday we attended the funeral of a dear friend and it was a blessing to celebrate his life and home-going.  As strange as it sounds, funerals are a great place to see friends and refresh friendships.  Margie had a good night-after she finally got her temperature cooled down.  Yes, she had the fan blowing last night. It is definitely warming up now and we think spring is around the corner. In a little over an hour, we will, Lord willing, be off to church.  We pray you all have a good day.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

computer glitch

Yesterday I did a search for multiple files with the same information and believe it or not found 14,000.  That's unbelievable.  Well, when I cleaned them out, it took more than I asked for so here today I had to sort of start from scratch and do things all over.  So hopefully you'll get this sometime before noon (our time).  By the way, speaking of time, don't forget to set your clock ahead.   Margie had a good night for which we are so thankful.
We will be attending a funeral today of a dear friend of ours for many years.  Our times are in His hands.  We are glad of that.  We'll update you better when I get this "stuff" all working correctly.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Need for prayer

Early this morning we received a call from a dear friend concerning a family member rushed to ER for help. Then 2 hours later another call about a church member who is seeing the doctor this morning about a serious condition.  On and on it goes.  We received two other calls also and each one calls us to prayer.  How we need this.  Margie & I have felt your great support in intercession during her long illness and we certainly appreciate it.
Margie slept well and we are off to a later start, but at least "going" and we are thankful.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

High winds

This morning's paper stated that we can expect winds as high as 60 mph.  That's a lot of wind and going very fast. Even though the wind is fierce, the sun is bright and the cloudless sky is refreshing. We don't know how long that will last. This afternoon we have prayer meeting at the church.  We always look forward to that.  Margie had a good night.  Yesterday was one of those unusual days - we got to stay home. What a blessing.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Study time

I hope today I can study more for the at home employment opportunity I discovered.  Please pray if it is the Lord's will, I can grasp this complex plan and go with it.  I have to admit it is fascinating even for this old "mind".
Margie had a good night last night and yesterday she started her physical therapy sessions which really help her also.  It's blowing like "60" outside along with rain.  We are glad to be inside.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Wet snow

When I looked outside this morning, there was wet snow falling.  They were huge like half the size of a hand.
This morning we must drive about 30 miles around trip, taking Margie to the physical therapy center in Lynden, WA.  That town always gets more snow that sticks because it is more to the north. We are rejoicing over Margie's trip to the retina specialist yesterday and the good report he gave concerning her eyes.  Margie's doctor referred her to this specialist thinking her vision problem was increasing.  We praise the Lord for the good report and he suggested more supplemental medications to help her eye.  We have purchased those and she has already started taking them.  Thanks so much for praying.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Retina specialist

Margie eye doctor referred her to a retina specialist and today we go there.  She is suffering from macular degeneration and we pray this doctor will have some help for her. While in town, we will do some shopping also. It is a beautiful sunshine day.  This morning everything was white with frost. It was beautiful.  I am hoping to get back to my "studies" for at home employment.  It surely has been a long time "away" from them.  We are so thankful Margie had a good night last night.  We had such a good time also at church yesterday. What a joy to be in the service.  For so many months we were not able to attend because of Margie's health.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

To church we go

What a great day.  We will be fellowshipping with those in our church this morning and studying the Bible. What a great exercise this is for believers.  We look forward to it.  Yesterday was a big day for us also.  Margie had prepared my favorite cake (angel food) and other goodies and we went to Stanwood, Washington (an hour away from our home) where Rawlie and his wife Gina and our grandchildren celebrated my 80th birthday.  Boy they went all the way.  The cards and gifts were fabulous.  What a wonderful time we had.  We left there around 3:30 and got home in good time.  Margie had a good night. We trust you all have a wonderful day.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Another beautiful day

The sunshine is bright, the temperature is not real cold and someone said on the radio this morning that spring is coming.  We believe them. Margie got through the night OK for which we are grateful.  Margie did all the washing and folding of clothes yesterday plus did quite a few things in the kitchen.  I will report on more of that activity probably tomorrow or Monday.  I can thank the Lord that I finally finished my homework for the IRS filing.   I will send it off Monday, Lord willing.  Now, maybe I can get to my at-home employment pursuit.  I do have several doctor's appointments to drive Margie to, but I can do plenty of homework before these events.
Thank you all for praying.  We appreciate it.

Friday, March 4, 2011

It's Friday

It's Friday - remember when Paul Harvey said this each week?  It is a beautiful day and the sun is shining and there are certainly signs beginning to appear that Spring is on the way.  I got the garbage out to the curb early this morning for the pick up.  I finally got to the nitty gritty of getting our income tax stuff together and am in the process of filling out the questionnaire required by the folks who do the actual paper work for us.  I am really trying to get it done as soon as possible.  I have until the end of March so am way ahead of schedule.  I am thankful for that. Margie slept well last night.  We are thankful.   Yesterday was the prayer meeting at our church. We could wish for more to attend, but are happy with those who do come.  We know the Lord honors corporate prayer.Tomorrow we have big plans about which we will tell you in the blog, perhaps.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Off to a good start

We had a good night and are looking forward to the afternoon prayer meeting at the church.  Several people are in critical condition and certainly need or prayer support.  High winds yesterday did considerable damage around Bellingham.  Fortunately we did not experience anything out of the ordinary here where we live.  But I did see the wind blowing away the morning papers.  I am glad I got ours in on time. I notice today in the paper that the computers for the company that prints the paper, went down so today's edition is slimmer than usual. Well maybe all this indicates that Spring is on its way.  That will be nice.  But then we will do a lot of walking behind the lawn mower to keep this place looking nice.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Stay home

We "almost" get to stay home today.  The first two days of this week we were "trotting".  Isn't it nice to just be home?.  I only have to go down the hill to Walgreens to pick up two prescriptions for Margie later on today.  We are glad she had a good night.  I will, believe it or not, try to get the worksheet done for our IRS reporting today.  Then we can send it off. Snow has been forecast for several days but we have missed it all.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

To the doctor we go.

Margie sees her family doctor this morning. While in Lynden, WA  we will also shop Safeway which has some special things that are gluten free for Margie.  We always like to take advantage of that trip and include Safeway on the list. Margie had a good night.  We are so thankful.  Maybe today I can get a good start to filling out the worksheet for the IRS report.  I am ahead of schedule because the basic homework I do is due at the place that does our IRS papers by the end of March.   They have done it ever since we were missionaries to Brazil.  If Margie has the strength, she will attend the ladies missionary meeting at our church today also.