thread for middle age to older Christian women.
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Teka, I will be praying for your dental work. That is never good. I'm glad you are feeling better.
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Nancy, thank you for sharing your beautiful pictures and so thankful you had a great time in Iowa. Continuing in prayer for you!
Hershey, 3 crowns!, I'm thankful one is out of the way. Doesn't sound fun, what I do is reward my self after a dental appointment with a treat like a warm french vanilla latte. We will be praying for you. I have a treadmill at home which I use a lot in the winter months when I can't walk outside. But in the mornings I walk about 1.5 miles and in the afternoons my nurse friend and I walk about another 1.5 miles inside a local Menards.
Chris, continuing to pray that you feel better, I'm so happy for your loving caring family around you!
Cheryl, praying for you and so thankful the radiation is finished
Teka, praying for you that you begin to get all of your strength back.
Last week was a blur, my nurse friend wasn't feeling well on Sunday or Monday and on Tuesday we went to ER, she was admitted to ICU then with a rapid heartbeat which wouldn't come down. But through medication in an IV in ICU it finally did. She is out of the hospital now and feeling better the last couple days with a couple medication changes.
Praying for all of you.
Love, Wheatfields
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Hi dear sisters.
Thank you all for the nice welcome home. It is nice to have our little community here to come home to.
Chris, I can't believe how fast the time has flown by when you discovered your other family. It is such a blessing that you have embraced each other all these years now. It just doesn't seem possible that it has been years. I hope you are doing better. I know things are a struggle for you.
Teka, I am glad you are doing better. I hope each day you gain strength and get back to your former self. It is good to see your posts after a long pause. The nights are starting to feel pretty chilly now and I turned off my AC that has been going seemingly nonstop for most of the summer. My little hummingbirds are still here despite them running out of nectar when I was in Utah and then in Iowa. I don't know if that means the really cold temps won't happen yet but I am glad to see them. The adults have probably already migrated and the ones I see now are the babies and possibly ones migrating on their way to warmer temps.
Hershey, how are you doing? I know you have had major dental work with more to come. I hope your crown that you had done is on the mend as you get ready for the second one. I hope you have started feel a bit of relief from the summer temps. I hope you got some of the rain that some of the NP's that experienced horrific flash floods received with very unfortunate loss of life. How is your pastor John doing?
Cheryl, I hope you are getting back to your normal routine. Once one experiences cancer it seems like no one gets back to their usual normal but we call it the new normal. I hope you are doing well with your maintenance cancer meds as well. I bet your dogs are glad for you not to be missing all those days of radiation.
Wheatfields, I was very sorry to hear about your dear nurse friend. I am glad to hear she is home and I pray that her meds change will make a difference for her. Dealing with heart issues is always stressful. I know for you watching your friend go through this is very difficult. Your walking routine is very impressive. I got rid of my treadmill several years ago. Now I wish I had it. That was in my lap swimming era before Covid hit. How is your back and leg doing? Once I get back to my exercises multiple times a day I will be much better.
Thank you all for your prayers. I appreciate all of you so much. My prayers are with each one of you.
Love,
Nancy
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This afternoon was the celebration of life for a fellow teacher, Christian and one who joined our Bible Study this year. I saw so many people I hadn't seen in a long time and that really good. It was sad and funny and happy all rolled into one.
I came exhausted but was going through some of my pictures I wanted to share with all of you.
One picture I took of my roses which have really well this year. I took one of the bloom and am calling it the last rose of summer. The other pics are of my first day in Salt Lake City. It was so hot but I wanted see the mountains. These pictures were the first of me as an adult seeing mountains for the first time. I was so enchanted by the whole experience after seeing flat land with many cornfields that is a great part of Illinois.
I know each of you are going through difficult things. I am praying for you. I hope these pictures give you a tiny bit of joy. The blue skies of SLC was what I was expecting from Bryce Canyon but that never happened.
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My last rose of summer is not uploading for some reason. I'll have to try it on another computer maybe tomorrow.
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One more time. This was not the edited version with only the rose showing but you can see the rain drops which are real and not sprayed on the flower as some flower photographers like to do.
I hope you all have a good weekend.
Love
Nancy
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Nancy, lovely pictures. A part of me still can't believe you never saw mountains until you were an adult. I guess I took things like that for granted as my family camped in Yosemite mountains every summer for 16 years in a row. I am sorry for the loss of your friend but am glad you were able to share her celebration of life with other friends.
I had a good day today and even cooked dinner. I hope that means I will continue to have a good weekend.
Blessings, Chris
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Chris, when I was in my 20's my clarinet professor from Illinois Weslayan U. where I got my undergrad degree invited me to join the University of Illinois clarinet choir on a bus trip to Denver, CO to go to the International Clarinet Society. There are only a couple of things I remember about that trip. One was visiting the continental divide. Obviously I must have seen mountains then but I don't remember. I do remember having great difficulty breathing walking up. So I should say as an older adult this was the first time of really "seeing" the mountains and taking in the grandeur of it all. The mountains I saw in Salt Lake City were nothing compared to what I saw on my drive to Bryce Canyon. There are no words. I am glad to hear that yesterday was a good day and I pray that this whole weekend will be a good one for you.
Teka, the mouse pic is adorable. How are you feeling? I know the SLC mountain probably looks tame to what most of you see right in your own backyard possibly. Yes, growing up in Illinois is pretty much flat lands.
I did go to the Worlds Fair in Montreal Canada in 1967 but again I don't remember seeing mountains. It was our HS band trip by bus. I was probably really nervous knowing I was going to announce what we played in French. I was the only person who had two years of French. LOL I would announce the pieces and there would be these deadpan faces in the audience. I found out later the dialect they speck in Quebec is not the same as we learn in the US. Probably the reality is they didn't understand a thing I was saying!!!!!
We are under another flash flood warning. We have almost nonstop rain through Saturday and Sunday. My roses love all this rain and are blooming like it is summer. I guess technically it is until Sept. 22 according to my calendar.
Have a good weekend dear sisters.
Love,
Nancy
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Hershey, I know you have been waiting for this day to come for a long time. Welcome to autumn.
I took this photo a very long time ago at Starved Rock State Park in IL. The colors were gorgeous. I was way up high at Eagle Cliff overlook after huffing and puffing my way up a gazillion steps and got this pic of all the pelicans on a log. I was looking for Eagles but the pelicans were a treat.
I was at Whole Foods yesterday and they had a big rack of pumpkin spice popcorn. Now I have seen everything!!!!
I hope you are all doing okay. It has been rather quiet on here for a while.
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy,
What a beautiful picture! I love the fall colors.
Been a couple of up and down weeks here. I was having some chest pains and irregular heartbeats so they’ve stopped the Kisqali until I can see the oncology cardiologist in late October. Frustrating since I want to get on a course of treatment and stay there, but maybe that’s unrealistic. Otherwise I feel fine.
My bff and her husband came from WV to be here for my granddaughter’s second birthday party so that was a real treat. We’ve been friends since my first job out of college; I think she figured 49 years. While they were here, her husband made a $2.00 fix on our 26- year old truck making it safe to drive to town and back again. No more driving it on the highways but it helps keep the miles from adding up on our other car. There’s very little that he can’t fix!
Our neighbors lost their 30-year old disabled son after heart surgery. He was such a sweet boy. We’ll miss him walking around our cul de sac. Lots of prayers for his family.
Lastly, the nodule on my husband’s lung has gotten larger so he’s scheduled for a PET scan on October 9th. Could sure use some prayers for that. I’m putting him in God’s hands like I’ve done for myself, but it hasn’t been as easy for me to say “Thy will be done” for him.
I’m adding my prayers in for everyone on here.
Love, Cheryl
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Cheryl, I am so sorry to hear about your DH lung nodule increase. I will add him to my prayer list so keep us informed! I am also sorry for the loss of the 30 year-old special neighbor. These sweet, special people fill a special place in our hearts. I will also pray specifically for your heart issue and that you can return to a successful treatment plan soon.
Nancy, love the pelicans! I have a similar picture (somewhere) of seals covering the dock in San Diego we used to use to access the sailboats. I couldn't find it so I thought I would send a picture of the two seagulls who visited our window of our condo everyday. It is strange but I miss them! I named them Hector and Heathcliff! (You'll get it if your were a Red Skelton fan!)
Blessings, Chris
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Nancy, such beautiful pictures! Thank you for sharing, I love those fall colors too! And the beautiful rose. Also, so happy that you got to see mountains and loved them, they are so pretty. I enjoy flying over them on the way to AZ. Praying that you are doing well.
Chris, living by the ocean sounds very exciting to me! I'd love to watch those seagulls. Praying that you are feeling good this week and praying for you.
Cheryl, I'm sorry to hear about your special neighbor and the lung nodule your DH has. I will add him and your neighbors family to my prayers along with you and your heart issue.
Teka, so thankful you are doing better. Hershey also praying for you and Pastor John.
I'm doing pretty well, my nurse friend is feeling better since being in ICU and the medication change. I'm praying that this new med is a definite answer. My sister has declined somewhat and I am noticing when I talk to her on the phone that she sometimes loses track of who she is talking to. I'm planning on visiting her and my brother in law the end of October and early November.
Praying for all of you. Love, Wheatfields
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Hi Cheryl,
We will certainlly pray for you and your DH. I was not aware he had a nodule on his lung. Maybe I missed something in retracing all the posts I missed when away. A sad loss of this 30 yr old young man. Your celebration of your granddaughter's second birthday was really special with your friends from WV making the trip to celebrate her. That's a great friend.
I am not familiar with Kisquali at all. I think I have seen it advertised on TV. That is a shame that it has caused you these side effects. If I am remembering correctly you were also on Letrozole which we used to refer to as an AI drug but now with AI so much in all of our lives maybe those initials have been deleted from the conversation. I hope your oncologist can sort all of this out. The Letrozole is a pretty effective drug so it is not like you are not taking any meds at all. Hopefully your doctor will have an alternative for you.
I will pray for you and your DH and hope that his PET scan will be a positive result. One of my good friends who is a breast cancer survivor had to wait quite a while to get tests as she was having trouble with shortness of breath. She is still training for the Chicago Marathon for her 5th year walking in it. She found out it was just scar tissue and was given breathing exercises. I pray that this will be nothing serious for your DH.
Chris, I remember you posting that pic several years ago as I thought it was so cute. I didn't remember you naming them though. I watched Red Skelton but I don't remember the reference to those names. I followed this couple on YouTube from the UK that was camping in North America for over 6 mos. They visited most of the national parks out west and were definitely in CA for a time. They had one place that there were seals everywhere. I found that fascinating. I am not sure if it was San Diego but it was very interesting. Because of their VISA running out they had to go back to the UK and reapply. I just saw a recent video from them and they were so discouraged. They left their camper van in Canada and were planning on coming back to the States as they loved it so much. Her Visa was approved and his was denied even though his interview said they were both approved. I felt bad for them. They loved everything about their experiences and it made me proud to be an American hearing how well they were received by everyone they met here. I hope they can get this figured out so they can come back and enjoy America again.
How are you feeling? My Bible study was canceled tonight because the leader was not feeling well. I sat next to our her last Friday at the Celebration of Life for my friend who died a few weeks ago. I feel a sore throught coming on and I am supposed to see my endocrinologist tomorrow. I talked to my attached neighbor yesterday and they had all been sick with the flu.
I have been very busy with my HOA duties. I am in the process of getting landscaping bids as our three year contract is up with our company this year. The Lord has been working in this situation as I have given over the weight I feel of it all to Him. Things have made a complete turn around and I won't go into details but let's just say I am convinced it is from the Lord.
Thanks for the nice comments on my photos. I am praying for all of you.
Love,
Nancy
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Wheatfields, we must have been typing at the same time. I am glad to hear from you and glad to hear that your nurse friend is doing better after being so sick. I hope the meds change will help her going forward. I am sorry to hear about your sister. It is such a hard thing for the family to go through and I imagine it is quite bewildering for the patient as well. I was glad to be able to spend almost a whole week with my sister when my niece drove to IL to take them to visit her in Iowa and then drive them back home. I had been quite worried about my sister and in some ways I was relieved to spend almost a week with them and be able to see her over a long period of time. She is forgetful as I am now too but nothing as bad as I had envisioned. Thank you for your nice comments on my photos. My rose bushes are all doing so well and I am sure all the rain we have had this season was very helpful. I am also very happy that I have what I think are migrating hummingbirds coming to my feeder and flowers now. I think my regulars left a week ago. One little one today I was watching going to my patio flowers and then she flew right into my patio door. They are so tiny I hope she was okay. I have really enjoyed them this year and I am thankful to see more on their way south. Take care.
Love,
Nancy
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I am now negative for tick-borne illnesses (babesiosis and Lyme disease). 😍
Also, negative for UTI. 😘
H & I soon heading out to local diner.
I've only skimmed prior posts.
I'll read them in-depth later in the day.
I'm thinking may even be a hersheykiss post. 😉
BBL
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HI Teka,
That is great news!!!!!!! I hope you enjoyed your time with your DH at the diner. Your food looks yummy. I hope you continue to feel good and gain strenghth every day.
Love,
Nancy
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Happy autumn Nancy, Chris, Wheatfields, Teka and Cheryl! I hope you are enjoying the change of season as much as I. We are finally receiving some much needed rainfall and cooler temperatures. Such blessings after a long, hot, and dry summer. It's been a joy to turn off the AC and open wide our windows and patio door. It's a little sad to see the garden winding down, but I'm thankful that plants survived the sizzling summer and produced some lovely vegetables.
Nancy, your photo captured such beautiful autumn colors. The most vibrant fall leaf colors seem to extend from the Midwest to the eastern seaboard. Chris, have the aspens started to change color? Their yellow and gold leaves can be striking this time of year. Wheatfields, I'm thankful that your dear nurse friend is feeling better since her medication change. Teka, I'm happy to see that you're doing well and enjoying a meal out with your husband. I hope that the nor'easter doesn't affect your weather too much this weekend. Cheryl, Nancy is spot on that aromatase inhibitors are powerful drugs and lower the risk of cancer returning when used with or without Kisqali. I hope any side effects are minimal and your treatment is effective and protective.
A couple of you have asked about Pastor John updates. He finished radiation in August and will have scans in November. He was concerned about a three-month delay between treatment and scans, but his radiology oncologist assured him that radiation stays in the body and continues to work for a long time. Pastor John continues to preach on Sundays and to email his weekly encouragement on Tuesday afternoons. He's lost some weight but not his loving and kind attitude or his silly sense of humor.
This week the dentist started the prep on my second old crown. All my crowns are porcelain-fused-to-metal. These types of crowns have a typical lifespan of 10 to 20 years. Mine were done in the 1980s! Yes, 40+ years ago! The dentist commented that the person who completed the work all those years ago did a phenomenal job (I agree, Dr. Carolyn was a phenomenal dentist).
I pray everyone has a calm and safe weekend. You are loved!
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Hershey, I figured this time of year you would be very pleased and relieved from the hot summer. Glad you have received some well needed rain. It sounds like your garden produced a lot of produce for you which is pretty amazing in the hot weather.
I imagine it is hard saying good bye to your summer garden. I was feeling sad a couple of weeks ago thinking my hummingbirds were all gone. I prayed I could see them even a couple more times. Well I have seen them every day for over a week. Some I believe are migrating as their color and behavior are different. I do know the adult males leave early, then the adult females and then the babies are last to migrate. They have no training at all as they usually migrate alone. It amazes me how they know when and where to go. God is really amazing in his creation.. I was thinking of how detailed every type of flower is when you see them up close. I had just finished reading through the Old Testament and being overwhelmed at the begats that seem to go on forever. I just felt like if it was so very important to mention all the myriad of details in names and the details in building the temple etc. I think that translates into he is concerned about every detail of OUR lives too. That is very comforting thought. I think we need to pray about all of those little things besides the big things that bother us or concern us.
I have never heard of the old crowns you had. That is amazing they lasted so long. I hope your second new one goes well. I have a fairly new dentist and I am not completely sure what I think of her as she had difficulty with the first procedure she did with me. My dentist retired and just sort of handed me over to her. I have to travel quite far (for us) to get to her and I would rather find a dentist here in town. The old saying time is money translates to a 75 yr old……….. time is TIME!!!!
Your Pastor John sounds like quite a warrior. I am impressed that he has continued to be a blessing to your church through it all. I pray that with the Lord healing power that he will come out of this victorious.
Enjoy your weekend. You are right about the fall colors. That picture I sent was not from my area but it was Illinois. Here we think of Vermont and places on the East coast with the most vibrant even though some years right in my area we have some great colors to admire.
Love,
Nancy
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@hersheykiss Thank you for the update on Pastor John. I continue to include him in my daily prayers and appreciate the update. The online Pastor I listen to, Pastor Jay at Brentwood Baptist, is also going through a rough time with cancer and I noticed the last picture of him showed he lost a lot of weight. They preformed a lengthy surgery initially but were unable to get it all. He continues to preach most Sundays and says he is handling the SEs well. I know how physically difficult preaching is and I pray for these special men. I have had a couple of those old crowns replaced lately and I know what work that takes. I will keep you in my prayers.
Nancy, I am glad things are cooling down for you. We have already had a dusting of light snow on Pikes Peak so our temps are dropping quickly. Our temps go up and down for a couple of weeks during this time. I don't garden anymore, but my DH has already scheduled our water line blowout for mid-October in anticipation. Our flowers will dry out soon.
I saw my oncologist Thursday and she said she is happy to keep me on the chemo for now as I appear to be handling it well. I am in the midst of my heavy side effect days but am doing okay. I slept a lot yesterday but am back to crocheting today. Monday I see my orthopedist and hopefully she will release me to remove the leg brace and increase my walking. I rarely use the walker anymore even at the hospital.
I need to contact my son who lives in upstate NY and see if how he is weathering this latest storm. He lives far enough inland and high enough in the mountains that he usually doesn't have any problems unless he loses his electricity.
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Hi Chris,
I am glad your oncologist thinks you are doing well on your current chemo. I know that probably makes it sound like a walk in the park and I know it has not been that for you but I am glad to hear you haven't had to use the walker lately and I sure hope you can remove your leg brace soon. I will pray for your Pastor Jay as well. I am glad you get to hear him online. I am glad you are back to your crocheting today. Your weather probably gets colder earlier than ours does. We are experiencing some really nice fall days. My roase are looking better than they have in several years and are blooming like it is the middle of summer.
I am in the process of getting bids for our HOA landscaping. It is a big job and this year has been a quick change of events which I hope will be good for our neighborhood. It has been a big job for me this season because I don't think our fairly new account manager was up to the task the way he should have been. I am the board liason to our landscaping company and this year I felt like I should have been paid by the landscaping company because our account manager was pretty much waiting on me to tell him what to do. That is HIS job. I remember doing this task of getting bids my very first year on the board and it was like trial by fire. I had no idea what I was doing and spent countless hours getting bids. This time around at least I'm not reinventing the wheel. I have already walked the neighborhood with our maybe new account manager last Tues and this Tues will be doing the same with another company that I have requested a bid from them. At least I am getting some steps in. I could use some prayer with God helping me to whittle this process down so I don't have to make so many calls that result in no response. I have made five calls so far which has resulted in one no, company not large enough and this guy coming on Tues. So much for having an AI help me find companies. He found companies that were probably up and coming and not big enought to handle our big job.
Well I need to sign off. I hope you have a great weekend and continue to feel better.
Love,
Nancy
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