Lora's Garden

Been awhile since I was on here.  I am still on weight watchers online and last Sunday, my hubby Tim joined too!!  So, we are dieting together.  Since I have started I have  yo-yo’d some but am down about 8 lbs.    Went to church this morning and then the boys and I went to my parents home for Easter dinner….Tim stayed home….wasn’t feeling good enough to go anywhere.  :-(  Sometimes it is difficult for him to go places due to his burns.  Had a great time and was careful to only eat low point foods..  :-)  Rob twisted his ankle yesterday, so took him to the ER and xrayed his ankle…diagnosis: sprain….yeah!!  Will be better in a few days.  :-)

Well, I am trying to start something new BEFORE the new year.  I joined weight watchers online.  I  weigh 100 kg or 220 lbs (sounds better in kgs…unless you are a medical person like me and know without thinking about it what that coverts to…..UGH)  Today, I took care of a young lady who was very scared….she said that she had never had surgery before….in her ENTIRE life!…I made her laugh by saying “that is ok…I have worked IN SURGERY your entire life!….I am OLD!!!”

I had a wonderful suprise visit from an old neighbor and very good friend!  Rhonda Bumbalough!  She brought her three grandchildren and her two nieces over and brought us some goodies.  I truly have missed her.  She is such a wonderful person!  I really need to plan on seeing her more….we only live a few blocks from each other!

This is a sweet CHRISTmas story written by a very nice man who graduated from the same small high school that I graduated from….just a few years ahead of me.  He is a real author.  His books can be bought on Amazon!  Wow!  Someone from little Tri High!

He posted this on his Facebook Page:

As a treat for my friends who have young children and grandchildren I present this as second annual tradition: Little Mouse and the mystery of Christmas
By
Bill Craig

Little Mouse and The Mystery of Christmas
Once upon a time there was a Little Mouse who lived in the Great Big Barn with Daddy Mouse and Papaw Mouse…
It was snowing hard outside the Great Big Barn and the snow was too deep for Little Mouse to go outside to play. No, today even Little Mouse didn’t want to go outside. It was so cold near the doors that he could see his breath, so Little Mouse had decided the best place to play was up in the hayloft where it was warm and cozy.
Over on the far side of the hayloft a spot was cleared and a pine bough stood, decorated with strings of popcorn and grain and nuts gathered during the fall. Daddy Mouse had told him it was their Christmas tree. Little Mouse thought about that for a long time.
He wasn’t exactly sure what Christmas meant, being only 5 yrs old. Little Mouse decided to go and ask Papaw Mouse who was napping in his chair. Papaw Mouse was very old but he had helped care for Little Mouse since he was born. Little Mouse knew that he loved Papaw Mouse very very much, though he wasn’t sure he would tell anyone that. “Some things,” Little Mouse thought, “were better kept to one’s self!”
“Papaw Mouse, what does Christmas mean?” Little Mouse asked.
“You want to know what Christmas means, Little Mouse?” Papaw Mouse asked, smiling.
“I do, Papaw Mouse,” Little Mouse replied.
“Hundreds of years ago, to the humans, a child was born. His name was Jesus. He was the son of God who created us all. He grew up and gave his life for everyone so that they could enter the kingdom of heaven, like your Mommy did when Barney the barn cat got her. She went to heaven then,” Papaw Mouse explained.
“So what about the tree and presents?” Little Mouse asked.
“We give presents to celebrate the birth of the Baby Jesus. Long ago there was a man called St. Nicholas who delivered presents to good little children as a reward for being good. He delivered them once a year on the night celebrating the birth of the Jesus child,” Papaw Mouse explained.
“Will St. Nicholas come here tonight?” Little Mouse asked, expectantly.
“Perhaps, Little Mouse. Have you been good this year?” Papaw Mouse asked.
“I have,” Little Mouse replied.
“Then you have nothing to worry about,” Papaw Mouse smiled.
Little Mouse nodded and walked back to where he had been playing earlier. He had a small ball and he began to bounce the ball as he thought about what Papaw Mouse had told him. He wasn’t sure about the Baby Jesus, but St. Nicholas sounded pretty cool. He wondered if he would be able to see St. Nicholas. He had never seen a Saint before, nor the Son of a God. Little Mouse wondered if this would be the night.
Daddy Mouse arrived home from work in the grain elevator and they all had supper.
“Daddy, will St. Nicholas come and bring presents tonight?” Little Mouse asked.
“Perhaps,” Daddy Mouse replied. “If you have been a good Little Mouse and have not gone on the naughty list.”
“The Naughty List?” Little Mouse asked, looking confused.
“Oh yes, Santa Claus, another name for Saint Nicholas, makes a good list and a naughty list and checks it twice to make sure who all is naughty or nice,” Daddy Mouse replied with a smile.
“Santa Claus?” asked Little Mouse, puzzled.
“If you have been a good little mouse, Santa will bring you presents,” Daddy Mouse said.
Little Mouse sighed. It was all so confusing, this talk of God and saints. Far too confusing for one little mouse to manage. Little Mouse went back over by the window and looked out at the snow. It was getting dark but it was still very bright. Up the hill he could see two field mice and a rabbit working their way down through the deep snow.
“They must be very cold,” Little Mouse thought, so he went and told Daddy Mouse what he had seen.
“Then we should help them, Little Mouse,” Daddy Mouse told him. Little Mouse thought for a moment and then nodded his head in agreement. This could be a grand adventure with Daddy Mouse and that would in itself make it worthwhile!
“Yes, Daddy Mouse we must. I shall get my coat and boots at once,” Little Mouse replied, heading off to gather the things he would need.
“Don’t forget your cap and gloves,” Daddy Mouse called after him. Daddy Mouse had his own preparations to make. Finally, they were met at the front door by Papaw Mouse who had packs with blankets and a food and a warm container of coffee.
Daddy Mouse lit the lantern and they opened the door and stepped out into the wind and snow. Papaw Mouse had also provided them with walking sticks to help them make their way up the snowy hillside to where the other two mice and the rabbit were stranded.

“The wind is very cold, Daddy,” Little Mouse said.
“It is, Little Mouse. Are you sorry you came?” Daddy Mouse asked.
“No, Daddy. Those other mice and that rabbit need help. There’s no one but us to give it,” Little Mouse said.
“That’s right, Little Mouse,” Daddy Mouse said as they climbed up the path made by the cows when they had been out earlier in the day. Finally they heard tiny voices on the wind crying for help. Daddy Mouse and Little Mouse hurried faster.
“Hello,” Daddy Mouse called loudly.
“Here, here!” came a cry back. Suddenly the rabbit stood and they could see his ears. “Over here!” the rabbit called. Daddy Mouse and Little Mouse hurried to the rabbit. The rabbit was providing warmth and shelter from the wind for the two field mice who were not dressed for the weather at all.
The wind howled over the hilltop and drove clouds of icy snow before it. “What brings you out on such a night?” Daddy Mouse asked as he pulled blankets from the pack and wrapped them around the two field mice. He poured them both warm coffee to drink to help them warm up from the cold.
“My wife,” said the field mouse. “She is going to have a baby. We were trying to reach Doc Mouse who lives down by the creek.”
“You’ll never make it that far tonight. Come with us to the Great Big Barn and spend the night. We can send for the Doctor in the morning,” Daddy Mouse said firmly.
“Thank you,” the field mouse said.
“What are your names?” Daddy Mouse asked.
“I am Joseph and my wife is Mary,” the field mouse replied.
“I am Jericho,” the rabbit introduced himself.
“I am Daddy Mouse and this is Little Mouse, we are both glad to meet you all. Jericho, can you run fast?” Daddy Mouse asked. Little Mouse watched in awe because Daddy Mouse seemed very much in charge.
“I can, but I am afraid they are not able to hang onto my fur without being thrown off,” Jericho shook his head.
“They won’t have to hang onto your fur,” Daddy Mouse said, removing bailing twine from his pack. “Can you carry us all?”
“Certainly,” Jericho the Rabbit replied with a sniff.
“Good,” Daddy Mouse said as he quickly wove a harness from the twine and tied it onto Jericho. He looked at Joseph. “Can Mary ride?”
Joseph looked at his wife and she nodded. Joseph helped her onto Jericho’s back and Daddy Mouse secured her in place, putting Joseph on Jericho’s back behind her. Then Little Mouse and lastly himself. “Can you see the Great Big Barn?” Daddy Mouse asked.
“Of course,” Jericho Rabbit replied.
“Then run for it as fast as you can,” Daddy Mouse told him. Jericho took off like a shot, bounding down the hill towards the barn. They reached it in just over a minute and Jericho was panting hard as Papaw Mouse opened the door and invited them all in. Papaw Mouse had cooked supper and they all ate, including Jericho for whom a carrot had been found.
“Where shall we sleep?” Joseph asked.
“You may have my bed,” Little Mouse told them. “I will sleep in the hay in the loft.”
“Are your sure,” Joseph asked him.
“It is my Christmas gift to you,” Little Mouse smiled.
“Thank you,” Mary Field Mouse said and she kissed him softly on the cheek, making Little Mouse blush. Little Mouse went up into the hayloft to sleep. Daddy Mouse tucked him in and kissed him on the forehead and said sweet dreams, Little Mouse, Daddy loves you.” And Little Mouse was fast asleep.
The next morning, Little Mouse discovered that Mary Field Mouse had delivered a baby boy mouse. He was quite amazed by it all. So much so that he ignored the presents waiting for him under the Christmas tree. Instead he went and got a teddy bear that had been given to him by his mommy before Barney the Barn cat had got her and he took it to the new baby mouse.
“I want you to have this,” Little Mouse told the baby.
“Why does it mean so much to you?” Mary Mouse asked.
“Because my Mommy gave it to me before she died. I want him to have it so he will know he is loved,” Little Mouse told her.
“That is a very nice thing,” Mary mouse smiled at him.
“That was a very nice thing to do, Little Mouse,” Daddy Mouse said.
“That is what Christmas is all about, Daddy,” Little Mouse said. “It is not about what you get, but about what you give.” And with that, Little Mouse knew that he had solved the mystery of Christmas!

Wow!  Has it ever been a long time since I was on here.  Alot has happened since my last post…way to much to state at one time.  Some good and some bad….overall things are pretty good for us right now.  I am off work this week on vacation.  Christmas is on Sunday…just 4 days away.  I have all the presents bought and some of them wrapped.  I go back to work on Monday the 26th and am on call that evening….so I will probably be working a long day that day…UGH!  Thinking about looking at changing jobs…going to pray about it and see what happens.  I know that if I don’t get the job, then it wasn’t what was best for me….cause God is never wrong!!!  :-)

Wow!  What a day.  Woke up this morning to ICE and SNOW!  Car quit just after leaving for work, luckily I was only a few blocks from home at 5:30 am!  My dear hubby got up, got dressed, and came and got me.  Thank you, Sweetheart!!   I took the truck to work and barely made it on time….but I wasn’t late!!  Yeah!  Had a good day working with Dr. Turner and crew today.  Got cases done about 1:00pm, cleaned and stocked OR room and then went home about an hour early.  Not sure what is wrong with car.  My dad is trying to figure it out.  Thanks, Dad!!  Rob says that he has broke up with his girlfriend and isn’t going to prom with her.  That is ok.  She is a senior and he is a freshman.  He is upset right now.  She is a nice girl, but really isn’t even sure what she wants to do after high school, so I am sure she is also unsure about relationships.  Rob said he made Choral!  Next tryouts for him will be Jazz/Mads and Show Choir.  This year he was in Festival, Jazz/Mads, and Show Choir.  Jon has his first baseball practice tomorrow at 4:00 pm.  He is on the same team he was on last year and he is happy about that.  Danny hasn’t heard what team he is on, yet….and it is driving him nuts!!

  Did I say that it is spring?  I just saw that some of my Hyacinths and Daffodils are coming up!

Today was a cold rainy day here in central Indiana.  I had a good day at work and then came home to my men.  I found two very muddy dogs, a cat that is in season, Jon and Dan playing the Wii, Tim working on the computers, and Rob wanting to go to a Choreography practice for choir at school…Took Rob to school, checked email, went to the grocery store, picked Rob up from school, made chili for supper, helped Dan with Math homework, worked on this blog site, and went to bed.  So very glad that tomorrow is Friday and the start of Spring Break for my boys!!  Have a good day, all!