Well, it's gone.

On Monday, November 26, my uterus was removed with surgical precision. It had successfully carried 4 babies to term and for that I'm grateful. Lately however, it had been giving me such grief that it was becoming increasingly hard for me to function normally. So when my doctor said, "Let's just take it out" I jumped at the chance.

I'm supposed to take it easy for a couple of weeks, which isn't much of a hardship. Who wouldn't love a few weeks on the couch, reading, writing, meditating and watching DVDs? Every now and then I get up to go to the washroom, check out blogs and emails or just walk around, trying to get my strength back. I've got Medardo and Mauricio vacuuming, Tim cooked supper last night and Kristen took the dog for a walk this morning. They're all pretty willing to take up the slack. Not a bad way to convalesce, I'd say.

I'm feeling uncreative and uninspired so there might not be anything too interesting on this blog for a while.

Just thought I'd let my faithful readers know what's going on.

It's a Dog's Life

Today's post is from Dixie.

Oh, what a busy, busy morning. Linda, is doing some housecleaning today and I need to follow her everywhere she goes.

I enjoy housecleaning days because if I'm lucky she'll leave a garbage bag lying around in the kitchen and I get to check out it's contents.

I love playing the broom game too. Linda gets the broom out, moves it across the floor and I chase it. I love this game but it seems to frustrate Linda. When she has her little pile of stuff that she has swept up, I always like to check it out because there might be something yummy in there, just like the garbage.

When she gets down on the floor to do something, I sniff at her hair and try to plant loving doggy kisses on her cheeks. She doesn't seem to enjoy this so much but I keep trying. One of these days she'll come around.

The vacuum is a little scary. It makes a really loud sound that I don't like but it's kind of like the broom. I like to chase it, although when it moves too fast, I need to get out of the way. Right now, Linda's cleaning it out and muttering something about dog hair. I don't know what she means by that. Fortunately, she doesn't seem to enjoy the vacuum so much either so it doesn't come out too often.

Well, she's on the computer now so I best be getting into my favourite place to sleep and relax. Good thing she doesn't clean house too often. I'd be exhausted all the time!

Comments

I have been a blogger for over 2 years now. I have met some great people on line and have also had the pleasure of getting to know some family members and friends in a different way. By and large it has been a fun thing to do.

One of the things I enjoyed especially at the beginning of my blogging experience was the comments. People actually wanted to say something about my posts. Sometimes, comments develop a life of their own and some great debate and dialogue occurs. Almost always, the comments have been positive and affirming.

I received one rather negative comment once and actually deleted the whole post because I didn't want to be reminded of that person's unkind words. More recently, some people who are near and dear to me have been on the receiving end of some very unkind and inconsiderate words. Sometimes, these commenters remain anonymous. Other times, they make their identity known.

I know that when we bloggers post, we open ourselves up to the scrutiny of others. We share our opinions, knowing that other people might not always agree. I suppose that is a risk we take. There are many things that I will not post about because I'm afraid that people may misunderstand where I'm coming from and will say something that can send me into a downward spiral of insecurity and self-doubt. Many posts are not written and real sharing of the heart does not occur.

I suppose the internet is not the best place for sharing the deepest secrets of one's heart. These words are out there for millions of people to see and we must expect that someone can take our words and misread them, flip them around and jumble them up so that their true meaning is lost.

Most of the bloggers I know have been hurt by comments at one time or another. But we still post. I am glad that you are willing to continue writing because I find great pleasure in hearing stories about your children, work, trips, ponderings of your hearts, things that frustrate you and everything else that finds its way onto your blog.

What I have appreciated so much is the way commenters will defend bloggers when an unkind and thoughtless comment has been made. I think that is something about this blogging community that I have really come to respect.

Comments are less important to me now than they were at the beginning. I guess I've evolved a bit that way. I just enjoy blogging as a way to remind myself of my day to day life. If people want to leave a comment or not is fine with me.

However, I really believe in the old saying, "If you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all."

Better yet, this verse from the bible (Ephesians 4:29) says it all:

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,

but only what is helpful for building others up

according to their needs,

that it may benefit those who listen.

Grey Cup, Here We Come!

The Bombers won. Kicked the stuffing out of the Argos. I'm glad that our beloved Bombers won but I always feel sorry for the team who lost.

Next week, Saskatchewan and Winnipeg meet at the CFL final, the Grey Cup. You can be sure that we'll be glued to our TVs watching this match up.

Unfortunately, Winnipeg will be at a huge disadvantage because our amazing quarterback (Kevin Glenn) broke his arm in the last few minutes of the game and we just don't know if he'll be able to play next week. That means the 2nd string QB (Ryan Dinwiddie) will be leading the charge and he hasn't seen much action this season.

We'll just have to count on the rest of the team to work that much harder.

I can't believe I'm posting about this. I think that I have become a true blue Bomber fan.

I just had to get rid of that picture on my last post and my only option, besides deleting it, is to write another post.

My brain isn't working too well these days. Lack of sleep is the major culprit but when you live with 4 teenagers/young adults, there is often a fair bit of activity happening after one retires for the evening. I had the pleasure of a nap on the couch this afternoon. I love naps.

A friend came over earlier this week and we talked about my kitchen. I have a huge kitchen, with lots of cupboard space but it isn't set up in a very organized manner. When we first moved in (13 years ago) I didn't give much thought as to where things should go. Over the years I've made a few changes but things are still disorganized. It will be good to utilize my friend's suggestions. I just wonder why I waited all these years to do this, especially when we are planning to put the house up for sale in the spring?


It won't be easy to leave this place. It is a beautiful, old house with gorgeous woodwork, lots of windows and lots of space. It's in a great location and there are huge trees all around. We're trying to prepare ourselves for the reality that our next house will be very different. I'm not usually too attached to things but this old house has seen some of our best living. It will be strange driving by it one day and pointing it out to my grandkids as the house we used to live in.

The real estate market is sizzling in Manitoba. I used to be more worried about selling our house than about buying another one. Those worries have been turned around. I think we'll be able to sell more easily than it will be for us to find something that's right for us.

But now is a good time to move and while my heart is not ready, my head knows we need to do it. Besides, we got bitten by the travel bug when we were in Italy and we want to do more of that. A smaller house will make that easier.

There's a new coat of paint on most of the inside and outside, the carpets have been replaced and other repairs have been made. This house is the spiffiest it's ever been. In a few weeks, the kitchen will be organized, as it should have been years ago.

So, if you live in Winnipeg and are looking for a gorgeous house, with lots of room and a to-die-for-kitchen, give me a call and we'll talk.

I just may have to ask you for visitation rights.

November 10, 1983

A memorable day. I was pregnant "out to here" and anxious to have this baby who was already 5 days overdue. It was an uneventful day and at 11:00 PM I went to bed, hoping that perhaps, tonight would be the night.

It was.

Around midnight, my water broke and Wes and I headed for the hospital. We had a lovely young woman living with us at the time and I gently knocked on her door to tell her we'd be leaving. It was great not having to worry about Ben who was only 2 at the time.

I hadn't been at the hospital long when labour was becoming too much for me to handle. I asked for an epidural and was given one almost immediately. The pain and discomfort left and Wes and I both actually dozed off for a few hours. It was the most peaceful, pain free labour I could have had. After a while, I noticed that something was feeling different. The nurse checked my progress and told me that I was ready to deliver.

Eric was born, with the help of forceps at around 6:00 in the morning. I couldn't see much but I did hear my doctor say, "Wow! Look at the size of that shoulder!" And then someone else said that perhaps there was a future for Eric in football.

And then he cried. Anyone who has delivered a healthy baby knows that sound. It is the most unbelievable, amazing sound in the world. I will never forget the first cry of each of my children.

There was some concern for Eric's health because of his size so he was whisked to the intermediate care nursery along with all the other wee little babies. I was sent to a recovery room to wait for the numbness in my legs to subside, worrying about my baby, reminding myself that he was in the best place possible. Besides, Wes was with him.

A few hours later, he was brought to me. He wasn't the cutest newborn, especially with forcep bruising, but he was absolutely precious. He was almost 11 pounds and considering he had to move through a pretty small passage, he did quite well.

Today, Eric is 24 years old and still precious to me. When I look at him, I still see that helpless, beautiful baby. At the same time I see a talented, intelligent, compassionate man. It's been fun watching him grow and I'm looking forward to the next 24 years.

Happy birthday Eric!

What's a Guardian to Do?

We've had some problems with threats in local schools lately. I think it all started sometime in September (I was out of the country at the time) when someone wrote something nasty on a washroom mirror at one of the universities in town. The university took this threat very seriously

Since then, there have been at least 8 or more copycat threats made in similar ways. I think it's usually lipstick or something like that on the walls or mirrors of the washrooms. While the first one was at a university, I think the subsequent ones have all been in high schools. Schools remain open but if parents do not feel comfortable sending their kids to school, they may stay home.

Yesterday, a threat was found at the school M&M (our 2 international students) attend. Students were told of the threat and also of the fact that they could stay home if their parents or guardians were concerned for their safety. It is now 8:42 AM and there have been no sightings of M or M. Last night they expressed to me their fears about going to school and weren't sure if they felt comfortable attending (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, snicker, snicker). This is all just a big joke. I told Mauricio that he better not tell his parents because they are somewhat overprotective of him. If they heard about this, I think they'd tell him to get on to the next plane to Brazil. Medardo's family worries little about him and his safety and his father, who happens to be a police officer in Mexico, would probably make him go.

So, for now, they are both safe in their beds and will likely remain there until 2:00 PM or until their stomachs cannot handle another moment of emptiness.

I feel like going up to their rooms and kicking them out of their beds. They are not fearful for their safety. They see this as another excuse to miss a day of school. Mauricio could miss some school, his grades are amazing and he seldom stays home. Medardo is another story. We recently received a letter from the school concerning his frequent absences and the fact that he better not miss any more school because he is in jepardy of failing this term. He doesn't seem to be concerned.

I think that:

• the schools should not give students and parents the option of staying away from school.
• the media needs to stop reporting on these incidents
• the kids who are caught doing this need to be seriously disciplined.
• M & M will be doing some housework or something for me today. This is not going to be a fun day at home.

I'm getting too old for this.