While Colin Powell, a life-long Republican, has chosen to support Obama, here in SE Ohio, I've seen another dynamic taking place among "life-long", strict party-line voters. I cannot say that I am pleased about this at all. Because I'm not. In fact, I'm apalled. Nevertheless, I know of "some" white Democratic voters who have been VERY vocal about the fact that they will NOT vote for Obama because he IS black. I mean, we are talking "dyed-in-the-wool" Democrats here, folks. Generational Democrats. But they will not vote for Obama because of his skin color. I honestly felt like someone punched me in the stomach. Not because I am an Obama supporter. I'm not. But it has nothing to do with him being black. I will be voting for McCain because the Republican party most closely adheres to supporting christian values that I feel are of the utmost importance.
There is a part of me that would love to vote for Obama. He is passionate. He is a great speaker. In my opinion, he has picked a better VP. Overall, he is a much more "attractive" candidate. His running against McCain reminds me so much of when Clinton/Gore were campaigning against Bush/Quayle in '92. Clinton/Gore made Bush/Quayle look old,boring and stale and I tell you, I felt myself WANTING to vote for Clinton but when it came time to punch that card, I HAD to go with my christian convictions and vote for Bush. I don't understand how christians can say that it DOESN'T MATTER who you vote for based on "christian values". Do we think God is not interested in how we vote? Do we think He turns a blind eye in the voting booth?
I hear people talking about the financial state that our country is in and so many are distressed, wondering where all of this turmoil is going to lead. I know this one thing: the government is not my provider. The Lord is my provider. He expects us to handle our finances wisely, conservatively and to be faithful to Him. He will see that we are taken care of. I believe this with all of my heart. I am reminded of the children of Israel when they left Egypt. They left with only those things they could carry but they never went hungry or thirsty or unclothed. Now, they may not have been happy with WHAT or HOW the Lord provided but He did provide. I believe the same is still true today.
Let me end this post by saying that you might be thinking that the voters I spoke of above are just SAYING they won't vote for Obama but when they get in that voting booth, they will. I don't believe so. While I wish with all of my heart that it wasn't so, even after all of the strides we've made as a country in overcoming racial prejudice, there is still a dark under-belly of racism alive and well in America. Needless to say, it will be more than interesting to see how this election finally turns out.
God bless America and may your hand of mercy be upon her in the coming months. Thy will be done.
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." II Chronicles 7:14

Jana, at Psalm 126 tagged me, so here are my six unspectacular things about me. I'm not going to tag anyone but if you would like to play along, please do. Just let me know in the comments.

Meme terms & conditions
1. Link the person who tagged you
2. Mention the rules on your blog
3. List 6 unspectacular things about you
4. Tag 6 other bloggers

Here are 6 unspectacular things about me.

1. I like to take an afternoon nap.
2. I am one of five siblings and a twin. My twin and I are the youngest, me being the oldest of the two by five minutes.
3. Red is my favorite color and I love animal prints.
4. I love to sit around a campfire.
5. It doesn't take much to amuse me. *grin*
6. I love dumb jokes. You know....the ones that make people groan when you tell them? I love it!!! *smile*

Autumn in the hills

I had a very good day yesterday, physically speaking! I was feeling a little "cooped up", so I decided to traipse over to Daniel and Erin's house where Ed and Lew were doing some carpentry work and also installing windows blinds. It felt so good to get outside and breathe in the fragrance of autumn. I used my stationary walker and took it slowly and did just fine. Here is a picture I took of the front part of our yard on the way back home.

Later, after I had been home for a little while, I could feel the muscles in my legs....both of them.....begin to tighten up but I kept walking about the house and doing a few things here and there. Yesterday was the first day that I did not lay down for a nap AND I didn't need to take any pain medication either. Until yesterday evening at about 8pm. By this time, my body was just so tired, I couldn't stay up any longer. I can't say that I was sleepy, just physically tired. So I took a Vicodin and Ed got me all tucked into bed

The Notebook was on TV last night and I recorded it but Ed wanted to watch it, so he turned it up loud enough so I could lay in bed and listen to it while he watched it. I drifted off to sleep waking up at a little before eleven o'clock, so Ed helped me up to the bathroom, tucked me in again and I slept until 4:30am, at which time I was ready to get up for the day. It is now 2:15pm Friday afternoon, I definitely feel a nap coming on, so I'm going to close this post and wish all of you a wonderful weekend!!! Go Bucks!!

The Upcoming Election

I've said very little....actually, I don't believe I've said anything about the on-going presidential campaign OR upcoming election. But, after receiving an email and checking its validity, I felt compelled to post a link to it HERE. I urge you to check it out and also Mr. Brown's website which you can access HERE. Of the utmost importance is that we each vote according to the will of the Lord. Not OUR will, but HIS will be done.

Some thoughts to share

Before having my surgery, I was more than a little concerned about taking possible addictive pain-killers. I was just so concerned about getting hooked on them and then not being able to get off of them when I didn't need them any longer. *biting my nails*
Wellllll.....any ambivalence I had flew right out the ol' proverbial window immediately after coming out of recovery. Hello. And I didn't even have to ask for them. Those precious nurses were in there every few minutes, it seemed, giving me another pill to take. They sent me home with three different pain pills and I took everyone of them. LOL Two of them I only took for the first week after I came home. Now I am just on Vicodin and I am just taking it when I need it, where I was taking two every four hours, no more than eight in 24-hour period.
I am actually amazed that my pain has diminished so quickly, considering the gash..er,uh, I mean....the incision I have on my left hip. Oh, and they don't do stitches or staples any longer. They used what Dr. Berend calls SUPER HUMAN GLUE! *smile* I love progress!
And another thing......I'm not allowed to cross my ankles when I sit. I never realized how difficult this would be NOT to do! I catch myself crossing my ankles all of the time!!! Specifically, I put my right foot behind my left ankle. *sigh* This is really going to be difficult when I have my right hip done!
AND I can only sleep on my back. Now, this wasn't so difficult to do when I first came home but now that I am getting better and have almost no pain at all in the night, I am getting a little antsy, wanting to roll over onto my side. I loooooove to sleep on my side! BUT....no can do at least until after my first check-up which is not until Oct.31. "I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. " I'm sure all it would take is me rolling over onto my side one time to make me not want to sleep on my side just yet. (ya think?) *grin*
ANDDDDD.......Ed and I had to switch sides of the bed when I came home. We have slept on our respective sides of the bed our entire 22 years of marriage. This was no small feat! But we made the adjustment without a hitch! Ed actually LIKES sleeping on MY side of the bed better!!! And I ACTUALLY like his side of the bed! So it has worked out really well. There is only one little problemo. When I have my next surgery....on Veteran's Day, November 11.....I just think that is so funny for some reason....like I'm taking one for my country or sumthin'....LOL...just kidding.....but anywayyyyy.....as I was saying.....when I have my next surgery, we will once again have to switch sides of the bed and Ed isn't too happy about this. But, being the wonderful, understanding husband that he has been, I know that he will do what he has to do. And besides, we can always switch back when all of this is over with!!
I believe that is all of the thoughts I have to share at the present time! *smile*

I had said in my previous post that I was going to post SOME pictures of Elder Bro. Martin's birthday party, but then I noticed how blurry they were BECAUSE the resolution on my camera somehow got changed and I just couldnt' see posting a bunch of blurry pictures for you all to try and focus your eyes on, sooooo....I just posted the one. Whew! Talk about a run-on sentence! *smile*
Here is a picture of Daniel and Erin's mobile home next to us! I took this just about a week and a half ago and we can't believe how quickly the leaves have changed. I'll have to take another picture and show you the difference. It feels so good to have them next to us even if we don't see them every day. They have really decorated it so beautifully, wanting to get their first "real" home just the way they wanted it.

Here are some pictures from Elder Bro. Martin's 90th birthday party at church yesterday. It was a carry-in dinner at our morning service and it was truly a surprise party! *smile* Ed's birthday is the same day as Bro. Martin's....October 17th! Ed will be 66, so he has a few years to go to catch up, hm? *smile*

x

This is just a short post to say that my recovery is just a little more difficult than I thought it would be. BUT I am getting better day by day. I think I may have overdone it an eensy bit yesterday....Friday....meaning I probably didn't rest enough and prop my leg and foot up.....so I ended up being completely worn-out last night when I went to be at about 10pm and thusly, didn't sleep or rest very well. Also, I now have a urinary tract infection that I am dealing with but I have an antibiotic as of this morning so this should be under control in no time. I've never had this kind of infection ever in my 56 years. Yuck....
Ed is still taking excellent care of me and friends and family have been wonderful to stay in touch and check on me and all.
Daniel and Erin are spending their first night in their new home next door TONIGHT!! They are so excited. Hopefully, I am going to be able to go over and see it tomorrow. Ed and I are going to endeavor to go to church in the morning and we'll go over to Daniel and Erin's afterward.
Hopefully, I'll have some pictures to post and share.
Oh, and it is also Elder Bro. Martin's 90th birthday tomorrow and they are having a carry-in dinner in honor of him after service in the morning. I'm hoping I'm up to all of this but if not, I know enough to limit myself and come home. I really do. But anywayyyyy.....I love birthday parties!!! *smile*
Goodnight to each of you and God bless!! ((HUGS))

Recuperating

I do have to say that recovering from surgery is alot more difficult than I thought it would be. I mean, I had been in pain for like three years but this is totally different. I just didn't think it would be this rough. I know it will get better and Ed has been absolutely wonderful to me. As I was preparing to leave the hospital, I was asked several times where I would be going and I told them that I would be going home and that my husband would be helping me. The response was always the same: "Wonderful...wonderful!" "That is great..." And it has been. Ed is a licensed STNA, so his training has come in very handy. :-) I'll keep this short because it is time for me to go back to bed for awhile. I'll keep you posted. God bless each of you!

Hi Everyone..........my hip replacement surgery is set for 7:15am Wednesday morning. That means we have to get up REALLY early. *feeble grin* I covet your prayers and I will be back blogging as soon as possible. Of course. *smile*
I will probably post again before tomorrow, but I wanted to let you all know as soon as I found out!

Never say never!

Two amazing things have happened in the two Cavinee households! First of all, Ed put the electric service in Daniel and Erin's mobile home: the box and wires and all that goes on the post outside of the house and then ran the wires into the breaker box in the house. He had never done this before. The amazing thing is that he READ THE DIRECTIONS and did it perfectly the first time!! Yayyyy!

Secondly, Daniel put two new ceiling fans up in their mobile home and also replaced most of the other light fixtures. He had never done anything like this before and I asked him if it was difficult and he said, "No, I just read and followed the directions." Yayyyy!!

And they say that real men don't read directions! My "real men" do! I'm so proud of them!!!

My girlfriends, Pam and Jody, and I went to Sonic last night for some refreshment and they each ordered a $.99 banana split! I thought...."Wow, what a bargain! I'm gonna have to bring Ed here 'cause he loooooves banana splits AND a bargain." Little. did. I. know. Here, folks, is the world's smallest banana split......TADA!!!!

Me? I had a strawberry-banana smoothie! Yum! They are the best!!

Ed and I went to see The Lion King this past Saturday and, though I had seen it before in NYC, it was just like seeing it for the first time all over again! It was absotively, posilutely wonderful!! I was teary-eyed from the start and Ed said he even welled up a couple of times. The Ohio Theatre is gorgeous and here are a couple of pics that I took...I turned off the flash on my camera ;-)
Becky, my adopted granddaughter, was there with her family, too. We were chatting about it on Skype and she said, "Man, was Simba ripped or what?" LOL Ohhhhh, to be young again...*sigh* (Just kidding.....I have no desire to be young again. *grin*)

Welcome fall with your colors bright,
Crisp clear days, and frosty nights,
Wild geese flying on the wing,
Colorful leaves, makes my soul sing,
Days are shorter, a nip in the air,
Nights are chilly, days are fair,
We rake up the leaves, the garden lies bare,
We remember the flowers that once bloomed there,
Thank God for this beautiful time of the year,
For family and friends and hearts filled with cheer.

Yes, Hip, Hip, Hooray!!!

Welllll....Ed and I made the trek to New Albany for my appointment with Dr. Berend concerning my arthritic hips. Dr. Berend said that he had seen many hip x-rays but mine were definitely some of the worst. (Do I get an award or sumthin'?....uh, no.....) Anywayyyyy......in his opinion, much or possibly most of my pain is because of my hips and not my back. He is very hopeful that once I have both of my hips replaced and go through rehab and physical therapy, that I will be able to have a good, normal, active life once again.....without a walker!!!! He was so upbeat and optimistic! My first surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, October 1 at the New Albany Surgical Center. Ed will be able to stay the night with me as they have private rooms and a bed will be made available for him. I will be discharged the next day. My next replacement is scheduled for Tuesday, November 11.
I was a bit surprised that they scheduled my surgery so soon because I had mentioned to the young lady who does the scheduling that we had tickets to The Lion King this Saturday and she chuckled and said not to worry because Dr. Berend's schedule was full six weeks out. I am thankful that they were able to get me in so soon.
Well, I am worn out from a long day and pain. Oh, but we do have electricity once again! I am so thankful. AEP has really had their work cut out for them. First, going to Texas to help out and then heading back to Ohio when we got the remnants of Ike. Ed took our refrigerated food to the church yesterday and put it in the freezer and refrigerator there, so he'll be bringing it back home tomorrow. I'm going to take this opportunity to clean the fridge thoroughly, so it is off to be with my tired self for now! I hope you are making progress in recovering from the storm, wherever you might be. ((HUGS))

Some things to think about ;-)

I can't take credit for the following post because I received it in an email from my friend, Amy, and I loved it! Just had to post it for your viewing pleasure! *smile*

Everyone concentrates on the problems we're having in this country lately:
Illegal immigration
Hurricane recovery
Alligators attacking people in Florida ...
Not me.
I concentrate on solutions for the problems. It's a win-win situation.

1. Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border.

2. Send the dirt to New Orleans to raise the level of the levies.

3. Put the Florida alligators in the moat along the Mexican border.

Any other problems you would like for me to solve today ?
Yes? Think about this one:

1. Cows
2..The Constitution
3. The Ten Commandments

C O W S.......Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow epidemic our government could track a single cow, born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she slept in the state of Washington? And, they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each of them a cow.

T H E C O N S T I T U T I O N..........They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq .... Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it has worked for over 200 years, and we're not using it anymore.

T H E TEN C O M M A N D M E N T S.......The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse is this: You cannot post 'Thou Shalt Not Steal,' 'Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery,' and 'Thou Shall Not Lie' in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians...It creates a hostile work environment.

..........THE END.

Remembering..............

Here's a picture of Erin Maree and little Jaylin (in her tummy)! She has really popped out there during this past month. She looks so adorable!
Here are a few pictures of their mobile home next door to us now, being moved and then after it was set up. They've been painting and Ed, Lew and Brian have been helping with a little bit of everything inside and out! I am not able to help over THERE but I have been trying to keep everyone fed and watered over HERE. *smile*

Just what I thought!

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth....*little grin* I am still here. This morning, Ed and I went to Circleville where I had an appointment with a back surgeon, Dr. Bassoro. Now, last Friday I went to see Dr. Gedeon, my chiropractor, and I asked him if he thought I should still keep this particular appt., which his office had made for me, as it has been said that I need to have my hips taken care of first before having any procedures done on my back. He (Dr. Gedeon) said that I should still keep the appointment and see what he has to say.
Sooooo, Ed and I went on our way this morning with my trusty x-rays and MRI's in hand. I was in the examining room for maybe, mayyybeeee five minutes. I'm not kidding. Dr. Bassoro came in, after looking at my x-rays and MRI's and said that I definitely needed to have my hips taken care of first, asked if I had arrangements to take care of them...yes, I do....and proceeded to tell me that I am more than welcome to call him after they are all taken care of.
See? I knew that was what was going to happen! And I paid $30 to have him tell me that? This is what kind of gets me about the medical profession. If you aren't careful, you get sent here and there and everywhere and I so don't like it.
The doctor was very nice and understanding but $30? Oh well......the next time I WILL cancel the appointment. AND I just have to reiterate here that my hips still would not be an issue had I not asked to have them x-rayed. *sigh* BUT I am so hopeful that I am going to feel soooo much better once they are fixed!! I can hardly wait! Not that I am looking forward to the surgery, being laid up and so on BUT after having lived with this pain....(nooo, not ED.....*grin*.....the hips, people, the hips AND back....AND legs...) for so long..... I just can't imagine being able to walk without my walker and all. Yayyyyyyyy!!!
Just please pray for me and with me because I am beginning to have some difficulty with my left knee and I know it is because of the concessions I am having to make because of the pain in my hip. *feeble grin* I don't know how I manage to laugh about all of this but I just can't help myself sometimes because it is like first it was my back, then my hips, now my knee. A couple of weeks ago it was my right wrist and hand from leaning on my walker. Last week my left arm was killing me. Sunday night my left shoulder kept me awake and my right hand was hurting and tingly. Somebody shoot me!!!! LOL
Someone told me that they heard of a horse that had what I have and they found just the cure for it.......and you know that rest of THAT story and it involves bullets. No thank you.......LOL
I'd rather compare myself to the old addage....."You can't keep a good horse down...." thank you very much. *smile*
Anywayyy.....with the help of the Lord.....I press on....well, more like "hobble on"......but I do. The joy of the Lord truly is my strength!

The Zen of Sarcasm

I received this in an email from my sweet sister-in-law and thought I would share it with you! It is great! *smile*

The Zen of Sarcasm

1. Do not walk ahead of me for I may not follow. Do not walk behind me for I may not lead. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me alone.
2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and leaky tire.
3. It is always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.
4. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can 't be replaced, you can't be promoted.
5. Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.
6. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
7. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.
8. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.
9. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is probably not for you.
10. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably a wise investment.
11. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
12. Some days you're the bug; some days you're the windshield.
13. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.
14. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.
15. A closed mouth gathers no foot.
16. Duct tape is like 'The Force'. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
17. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.
18. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.
19. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
20. Never miss a good chance to shut up.
AND........

21. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.