A Hazy Sunday Morning

It's a dreary Sunday morning. It looks like it might rain again, but I don't care. It's the first Sunday I've been able to go to church in two weeks. Last Sunday not only was I sick, but my husband was in the hospital. The Sunday before my son was very sick and I wasn't feeling well either. I'll be glad to get back.

This afternoon is supposed to be sunny, maybe my husband will feel like getting out to play a game of bago. The boys would like that as well.

Time to Make Bean Sticks

No it's not a new food idea. It's an easy, homemade math manipulative that helps to teach the concepts of borrowing and carrying. I made my first set about 14-15 years ago and got the idea from a news letter from Rod and Staff. I made a set for each of my sons as they became old enough to need them and now it's time to make a set for my youngest.

All you need are:
Beans (any kind will do but dark ones are easier to see)
Tongue Depressors
White Glue

Take the beans and about 20 tongue depressors and glue ten beans on each tongue depressor. Allow these to dry, then go back and add more glue over the top of the beans. This sounds like over kill but really its not. The skin on the beans will loosen if you don't and the beans will drop off.

After the bean sticks dry again toss them along with a couple handfuls of beans into a gallon size zip lock bag and your set. When you teach borrowing or carrying just teach that ten bean can be traded for one bean stick or one bean stick may be traded for ten beans. Your bean sticks represent your tens and your beans the ones in a math problem.

This gave the boys something concrete to hang on to until they understood what they were doing well enough to just use the symbols. Fun, cheap, and it works!! What more could you ask for? Especially if you have to homeschool on a shoestring like I do.

My Husband is Coming Home Tomorrow

He is glad in a very tired sort of way and so am I. Actually he tends to be like a wounded dog when he is sick. He just wants to crawl into a familiar corner and lick his wounds even if he would be better off staying in the hospital.

I remember a few years back when he was in the hospital and determined to come home. His doctor was away over the weekend at a convention and his associate was taking care of his patients. That is probably the only thing that kept my husband from coming home. First the Doctor tried to reason with him and said "Mr. Hassett, I don't think you understand how sick you are." (Never try to reason with a sick Hassett. They are not reasonable.) Then as a last attempt he said "You know, really you aren't my patient so I can't release you. You need to wait for you doctor to come back on Monday and see if he will release you." That wasn't exactly true but I wasn't about to say so. He was too sick to be coming home. When his doctor got back he was able to convince my husband to stay three more days and then let him go.

I just got back home. It sure is a beautiful day out. I had the healthiest of the boys help me open the windows so that we could get some fresh air in this place. It's so stuffy in here. Maybe the air and sun light will help us to get well. If I had, had a lounger outside I might be considering sleeping out there instead of in here. Opening the windows will make it better.

I'm so tired. I'll be glad to have him back so that I can rest a little. I seem to be taking one step forward and two steps back where this flue is concerned. I've gotten a little done today. I washed the dishes and did three classes with my youngest and then I was so washed out I couldn't do any more. I went back to sleep for three hours. That's where I need to be right now. I'll go as soon as I get done with this.

Well, I've got to go. As a navy friend of mine would say, "The rack monster is calling me." More later after I get my husband home.

Another Update

My husband is out of ICU; they moved him back into a regular room this evening. He is still having tremors but they are mild. They still aren't sure what is causing them but they have started him back on his meds today. They did two CT scans today, one with dye and one without. I'm hoping that we will know something soon. On the other hand medical science really doesn't know as much as people think. In many ways medicine is more an art than a science and God still has many mysteries where the human body is concerned we cannot understand. We may never figure out what is happening.

Our pastor has been wonderful. He has dropped by every day. It's an hour drive so I feel that, that is well beyond the call. He has also called me everyday to see how I'm doing and to make sure I understand that if I need anything at all I should let him know. When we were on the floor the first time, my husband had an older gentleman for a roommate who is dying of cancer. His daughter is taking it rather hard. Bro. John had been passing by the waiting room when he felt the Lord drawing him into that room. When he walked in he found her setting there in the dark crying. He talked with her and prayed with her. He really wasn't sure that he did much good but today she was talking about what a nice guy he was and how much he had helped. I told her we where pretty proud of him. I think he's a keeper. He definitely has a heart for God and His people.

So to make a long story short; my husband seems to be doing better. By the time I left he was beginning to get that spark to his personality back and was even teasing me some, though it cost him a lot in energy to do it. Still, I don't think they will let him come home tomorrow, maybe Thursday.

Oh, and one last thing, we all need to be sure thank to God for our pastors rather than roasting them over Sunday dinner. They work harder than any of us understand.

Update on My Husband

The hospital called me today to tell me that they were moving my husband up to ICU because he was having seizures. I had the healthiest of the boys run over to our pastors house to tell him what was going on so that he could start the prayer chain, (he lives down the field and across the street.) He sent my son home to tell me that he would be at the hospital as soon as he finished his school bus route.

I rushed to the hospital and talked to my husbands ICU nurse. She said that she felt the nurses down stairs had over reacted. That he was too aware of his surroundings and too able to answer questions during these episodes to be having seizures. The doctor, based on the reports of the nurse, had ordered some heavy duty anti-seizure medication. She said that she wasn't going to give it to him because she didn't feel he needed it.

I explained that whenever they gave him large doses of steroids and albuterol that he tended to have mild tremors in his hands and sometime his feet. She told me that was good to know and called the doctor to tell him. She then cut off all his medication. They are going to keep him over night and watch him to see if he improves as the medication wares off. The problem is when he gets like this he needs the steroids and albuterol to help clear out his lungs.

On the other hand he can't go one the way he was. These weren't mild tremors, they were rather violent. While I was there, after they cut off his medication, he got better and better so maybe they have it right. They are running blood tests and are planning to do a CT scan tomorrow. I don't know what the answer is but the Lord does. In the dark times like this I always hang on to Psalm 139:12.

"Even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You."

I don't know the answer but the Lord does and what ever the out come I know that it will be for the best. I know that the Lord will hold us firmly in His hand. On the other hand this is not just my husband; this is my best friend on this earth. He knows me inside and out and has always loved me. Sometimes because of myself and sometimes in spite of myself; but he has always loved me. And while I know the Lord would see me through this; I would hate to lose my best friend. Pray for us.

I Think I'm Finally On the Mend

I woke up this morning sweating something awful. That doesn't sound very good except that for the past week I have been running a fever and freezing to death. I was cold in the hospital yesterday, but when I left by the time I got to the car I was shivering to badly that I had a hard time getting the key in the door. I also finally have a voice. That could be good or bad depending on your point of view. Lastly I'm beginning to have a little energy. Now if I could just get some appetite back I'd be fine.

My Husband is still in the hospital. They started him on steroids last night to try to get his lungs cleared out. I was pretty sure it would come to that. It always does anymore. The bad part is that the steroids have started messing with his blood sugar, so now when they put him on them he always ends up having to take insulin as well. The dietitian told us that it will only get worse as time goes on and that he may well end up being insulin dependent all the time. Some people do.

When the put him in the hospital they said they were just keeping him over night. They almost always say that and they almost always keep him several days. I sometime wonder if they really believe what they are saying or if they are trying to keep me from worrying and think that I am still that gullible after all this time. I don't know. I guess in the long run it doesn't really matter.

On top of everything else the car has started giving me trouble. I also have jury duty tomorrow. Our pastor has said that he will pick up my husband if he gets to come home tomorrow while I'm at the courthouse, so that is taken care of in a way. I would still prefer to be here when he comes home though.

Still not well

Had to take my husband to the hospital last night. More Later.

The FLUE

Almost everyone at the Hassett House have the flue. I have had it for several weeks and can't seem to shake it. I appear to be getting better and then I start getting worse again. I worried that it may be going into Bronchitis. Tomorrow is Sunday School and I have to teach my class. I already skipped last Sunday I don't feel right skipping again. I will probably leave after Sunday School though if I'm not feeling better.

Something weird is happening to my blog. I can't use the top tool bar to either sign in or add a new post. If anyone has any ideas what's going on and how to fix it I would appreciate it.

A Typical Day in the Hassett Household

I spent the morning in school with the boys. My youngest did well but his older brother has gotten lazy from not having to do school work while he was sick. We'll have to over come that. The oldest two have each had a math test. The oldest had a test in Calculus that. He came home pretty down cast and said "Well I didn't get a 90." I held my breath, prayed for an 80% and asked "So what did you get?" At that point he smiled and said "100%". He really had me going.

His younger brother on the other hand had a little more trouble. I told him that he needed to be sure to use his formulas and he looked at me with that you don't know what you're talking about look and said "my instructor isn't hung up on formulas like you." That didn't make sense to me but what could I do? Well he came home yesterday and it looks like his instructor is more hung up on formulas than my son thought. He had taken a test and while most of his answers where right he got dinged left and right for mistakes in his formulas. My son ended up with a 50%. Now to get a B average he will have to get A's on all the rest of his tests.

I never can understand why my sons think I don't understand the way things work. It's as if they sometimes think I stepped out of the middle ages and have no idea of the modern world. He can't say at this point that I was right and he was wrong look at me and said that he was going to have to get a little more disciplined and pay attention to detail. Hard lesson learned. He cares a lot about grade average; that means this will stick with him longer than a weeks worth of nagging by me.

I made pancake mix today. It's cheaper than buying it and makes making pancakes as quick as the store bought name brand. I then made pancakes for the boys for lunch. The boys love pancakes, almost better than waffles. Once the mix is made it's easy, peesy and the guys walk around singing my praises for days. What more could you ask for.

Well I need to close for church. More later.

"Cat's are Better Than Dogs"

For some reason my husband decided that our cat needed a playmate. Now normally that wouldn't be so bad but he decided that the perfect playmate for our grown, somewhat sedate cat would be a puppy. You have to understand that most of his life he has been a dog person. And not just any dog either, it must be a big dog. If it's not at least the size of a German Shepherd his comment will be and has always been, "Rat in a dog suit." He never owned a cat until we came here and I was able to persuade him that a cat was valuable when you live in the country.

Now he likes cats but he doesn't really understand yet that they aren't just small dogs. And the sad fact is that he has been at it for so long that our cats think they are dogs in a twisted sort of what. If we aren't careful they will eat the dog food instead of the their own. He has them trained to roll over and let him scratch their bellies just like a dog. But still they have a lot of cat behavior too. They play like cats, they pounce like cats, they play with their food like cat, (I don't like mice but it's sad to watch,) and when they get angry they hiss and strike out just like cats. They are not dogs.

Anyway back to the start of the story. My husband decided that Dewy, our inside cat, needed a playmate and decided to get him a dog. Fortunately, he understood that he needed to break the cat in with baby steps and that I wasn't ready to get another Great Dane to replace Molly with yet, so, despite his "rat in a dog suit" bias he decided to go small. A friend of ours had some puppies that were half Yorkie and half mute (with a large dollop of Dachshund on the mute side.) They were really cute. My husband decided that it was the perfect size for any dog owning cat, plus it would be a perfect size puppy for our youngest son. After they gets used to what little puppies are like we can graduate to a bigger puppy as while when I get ready.

We've had him for a week now and I have to tell you that the cat is not real interested in being a dog owner, (which I tried to explain to my husband would be the probable outcome before we got Dino,(the puppy, what can I say my youngest named him.) In the past week Dewy has gone from sniffing at Dino and batting him with a raised paw to fur raised hissing and growing whenever Dino comes around. Unfourtunately Dino is like all children, he doesn't really understand danger when he's around it and keeps trying to play with Dewy as he would his brother and sisters. I expect that any day now Dewy will rip Dino into little ribbons. I'm suprised that Dewy has been this patient with him.

In the mean time Dino is going through all the normal puppy things. He plays the way puppies play and he has sharp little teeth. If he get's hold for your bare skin it's not much fun. He's teething so he chews everything in sight, including any toys that are within reach. That's not much fun if you happen to be six. We are trying to house break him and while it is going well, he's still not sure what it is that we want. Every once in a while he will do one part of his business outside and wait untill he's inside to do the other. On occation they youngest has to take a turn to help clean it up. I have to brag because he never grips or complains but the other day, as he was walking back from the bathroom I heard him mumbling under his breath, "Cat's are better than dogs."

A Quick Note Before the School Day Starts

First I got almost all the tax stuff copied off yesterday. I have a few more that I have to do for people that don't come often. I was afraid that I would run out of ink before I got through them all so I marked those and did the others. I think I will have enough to finish though so I gave those to Betty Sunday. I gave the one I was worried about the most to her to make sure she signed it and got it to the member I was talking about before. Betty said "I don't think she understands how busy you are or how bad things have been. No one else is worried about it." Still I feel bad. There is no law as to when churches have to have those ready but every one else has to have their's in the mail by the 31st of January. I really had intended to have them out by then too but with everything that happened I ended up a week behind.

On a change of subject I am really please with my youngest's math program. I had seen it at a Homeschool convention a couple of years ago and it made so much sense. There has been quite a learning curve for me though. It's not exactly like the more traditional program that I did with the other boy so at time's I have wondering if I was doing it right.

Normally at this stage the other boys would be learning to add and subtract one and two digit numbers. My youngest has been adding up to 15 digit numbers. First he learned basic addition and subtraction using his fingers, believe it or not; then he went on the the addition he has been doing. Monday he started to review the subtraction he knew, and today he will start the same system of subtraction that he used for addition.

I have felt as times we were going slow for my sake as well as his and wondered if we would finish in time. When I checked though we were actually a little ahead of schedual. If all goes well, I'll be ordering his next book next pay day and we will work on it in April and May.

Of course, as with all children, some days are better than others. The days when he gets to practice addition and subtraction using "Oreo Thin Crips" are his favorite because he gets to eat his results. It's not recommended by the book but it sure is fun and keeps him at it a little longer. So every once in a while,(not often or he'd look like the Good Year Blimp,)we do it.

I plan to give my second yougest, (or third oldest depending on how you look at it,) the day off. He has the flue and went on a mission with CAP yesterday to look for a missing person. They found him but my son is pretty washed out. He got out of bed long enough to walk across the house and crawl into my bed and that's where he's at now. I should have kept him home but they really needed him. I hope he didn't make everyone else sick.

Well I guess I had better close this and get started on the school day. I think that it will be a slow and easy day today but that's OK I could really use one of those right about now.

Fun Times At FBC

I have the flue. I'm not looking for sympathy, its just a fact that helps to bring the rest of this entry into line. I thought I was getting better. As a matter of fact I nearly broke my arm patting myself of the back for getting well so quickly and not getting as bad as everyone else who had this. That was then, this is now.

Now, I would like nothing better than to crawl in bed, pull the covers over my head, and stay there until I begin to feel human again. BUT, I can't. As a matter of fact I shouldn't be here now I should be a church but I am writing this instead in the hope that by the time I'm done I'll have the energy to face the day ahead.

Today is our church business meeting. As the clerk I have to get everything ready. Somehow when our church began to convert everything over to the computer I also was given charge over entry and reporting of all things financial. That had been the charge of the financial secratary now its mine.

Actually, except of the mountain of work, it's a pretty good system. Betty and I can watch over each other. Since I never come into contact with real money no one can accuse me of fiddling with the books. There's no profit in it. Since Betty always has me looking over her shoulder it would be difficult for her to take any money, so she's covered as well. Not that anyone thinks that either of us are thieves but stranger things have happened. It's better to keep everything above board and in the open.

The thing is that here in the U.S. it's tax time. So not only do I have the normal monthly stuff but I also have to get out the tithing letters incase anyone needs them for tax purposes. I had a number of people say don't bother with mine, but the problem is that so many said it that I can't keep straight who wants one and who doesn't so everyone gets one.

Now what does my having the flue have to do with any of this? The same thing that the run of bad weather, other sick family members, the guy who needed someone at the house when he delivered my husbands medical equipment, The power outage, Driving 300 miles in a search for wood and keroseen to keep my family from freezing to death,(only came up with a gallon but it was better than nothing), the boil order for our city water, my son's broken car, the kids schooling and all the normal things that happen in the life of a family. January and this part of February has just kicked me in the teeth time wise.

Normally that wouldn't be a problem, it's a small town, everyone knows everyone elses business and so they would cut me some slack. They have all been having the same problems I have for the most part. The problem is that we have a woman who has moved here from Maine, of all places. Now I have nothing against Maine or people from there, I just can't fathom anyone in Maine saying to themselves one day; "Hmmm, it's time to retire. I think I'll move to the backwoods of Northeast Oklahoma." Any way, she want's her letter. Because I'm a stay at home mother it makes no sence to her that she doesn't have it already. I started on them the first week of January why haven't I finished them. I really have nothing more important to do.

Don't get me wrong, she's a sweet woman. She is rather strong willed though and wants what she wants when she wants it. Plus, being a northerner, she's a little Type A. Anyway she has called me everyday this week to "remind" me very nicely that she is still waiting. I had planned to pass them out Sunday but she'll be getting her's today. If I have to hand write the thing because we run out of ink she will get her's today. If I have to write it in my own blood it will be in her hand today.

Why is it that if you homeschool people think that you are not doing anything that you can't drop at a moments notice so that you can do what they want? Oh well that's another story.

"The Troops Also Need to Support the American People" - My Take on William Arkins' Article

There is so much I would like to say about William M. Arkins article in the Washington Post that I can't begin to think of where to start. First, I object vehemently to I and my brother and husband and father and generations of relative who chose to serve this country since the Revolutionary War being called mercinaries.

Second, I don't know who Mr. Arkins has been talking to but he is sadly mistaken about military pay. No one serve this country for the pultry amount they earn as a soldier, sailor, or airman. When my father served, the fantastic pay he earned as a TSgt (E6) plus his wife's salary gained us the wonderful achievement of qualifying for welfare. He chose not to accept this benifit but there would have been no trouble if he wanted to. By the time I married things had improved some. My husband, an E5 when we married, only qualified for food stamps.

That doesn't take into account the long hours, seperations, and missed holidays. My husband missed the first six months of our eldest son's life. If you want to watch a man brought to tears, have his child scream in terror when he tries to pick him up because he or she thinks their father is a stranger. That doesn't begin to talk about all the holidays we spent appart. During my husband time in the Army we spent more holidays apart than together as a family. No one stays in the military because of the fantastic pay, great benifits, and wonderful working conditions. If you're looking for a 9 to 5 job pass the military by and look elsewhere. People stay with the military for all those old fashioned ideas that most people laugh at now days; things like Duty, Honor, and Love of Country.

Yes, there are those wonderful packages from home. The cookies are nothing but crumbs, the cakes are squashed, it's all stale from 2 plus weeks of shipping; but it tastes like manna because it contains the love and respect of the people back home and it is not an MRE. The news paper is out of date, but there on page 20 is your little brother getting his 4H award for best calf. Who else would request that when you record Law and Order to send over, that you be sure to include the commercials as well. All of that and a hundred other thing mean that for a few brief seconds you're not there, you're really back home.

It angers me that men and women who give up so much are called criminals, and selfish mercenaries by a man who has no knowledge of the military what so ever. I could go on and on but I believe Rudyard Kipling did a much better job than I ever could. Read on if you're not board:

Tommy

I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o'beer,

The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."

The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,

I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:

O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";

But it's ``Thank you, Mister Atkins,'' when the band begins to play,

The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,

O it's ``Thank you, Mr. Atkins,'' when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,

They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;

They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,

But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";

But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide,

The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,

O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep

Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;

An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit

Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.

Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy how's yer soul?"

But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,

The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,

O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,

But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;

An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints:

Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;

While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind,"

But it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind,

There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,

O it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind.

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires an' all:

We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.

Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face

The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"

But it's "Saviour of 'is country," when the guns begin to shoot;

An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;

But Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees!

This was long and a bit of a rant. I'm sorry it's not the usual, but I was more than a little angry and this is where I come to vent some times. Come back tomarrow; I should be better by then.

The Weather, Easter, and This and That

Its snowing. We've already got about 2 1/2 inches of snow with an 80% chance for more. On the good side its all snow with no ice, though I expect the roads to ice over this evening after the sun goes down. We canceled church last night which may have been for the best. There probably would have only been two families that would risk the roads. I sure am ready for spring. On the other hand with spring comes tornados, so, after last year, maybe not.

FEMA has declared our area a major disaster area. I think everyone finally got power last week so we are basicly ok except for the damage that needs cleared away. We bought a larger chain saw so that we could cut down trees. Now that the government has finished their examinations we will probably start trying to get it all cleared out. Some of it is higher than we can reach though. I'm not sure how we'll handle that. I don't think we can aford to hire it out.

I'm excited about Easter coming. Christmas and Easter are my two favorite times of the year. The last few years we have used the Resurection Eggs for devotions the two weeks before Easter. I really like them. It lets me tell the Easter story in small bits that the youngest can digest and gives them a physical element to latch onto and help hold their attention. I some times wonder if the oldest boys will get bored with the holiday traditions since we do them over and over but they always suprise me by insisting that we do them.

My oldest middle son was pretty pleased. He was the only one to get a perfect score on his English test. He suprised his instructor. The instructor didn't think anyone would be able to get all the questions right. I think my son has decided to stick with this class rather than taking the honors class. While the honors class would have allowed him more freedom, he really likes his instructor.

My eldest is doing well too. He's pulling a straight A in his remedial Algebra class (duh) and Calculus is coming along well too. I still don't understand why he has to take a remedial Algebra class when he is doing well enough to take Calculus but the state requires it and the college wont release his transcript so that he can transfer to OSU without it. If it was just the college I would say that it was a money thing but they insist that it's a state requirement. Oh the wonders of governmental bureaucracies.