The rumors of my demise have been greatly exagerated

Okay, so maybe there haven't really been rumors to that effect, but it did make for a great title. And, since it's been a while since I posted...and well, I just have an odd sense of humor sometimes.

So, I'll start with the haircut. I'm such a chicken. I did get it recut, but I didn't go back to the same person (or even the same salon). I just went to Great Clips because I'd already paid for one expensive haircut and I figured whomever cut it couldn't do anything worse unless she shaved my head. I explained to the lady what my original "vision" had been for my hair. She looked at it and with disbelief said, "Hon, it's not even close to that." So, we cut about 2 inches off of the length to shorten the longest layer, she totally had to re-layer the entire back because I had a straight line across the back of my head where the shortest layer was. She blended the layers to make it look good and blended the back layers into the front. So, it is not at all what I orginally wanted, but it does look much, much better. And, it will grow.

Last weekend, I halfway planned to go to Amarillo on Saturday to see Granny B since she had been diagnosed the previous week with an aortic anneurism and was not doing well. I spoke with Moma about it and she said it wasn't really necessary, so I just kind-of lounged and enjoyed my Saturday with nothing to do -- a rarity in my life. Sunday morning, however, I got a phone call from her requesting that I come up. A couple of phone calls (one to cancel plans I'd made for Sunday and one to Boss to say that I'd not be in on Monday), a few things tossed in a backpack for me, the kitties stuff packed and them harnessed and leashed into the back seat, and we were on our way to Amarillo.

I unloaded the kitties at Uncle J's house, got them settled and went to Granny's. When I got there, the family had gathered, and as is Southern custom, there was lots and lots of food provided by Aunt C's church. I saw Granny and was a little taken aback by how frail she looked lying in the bed. I hugged her and we visited for a moment. She, at that moment to me just looked tired and done. She was visiting with a friend, so I hugged her again and told her I'd see her later. I hung around with the family for a while longer and then went to Sis A's house to see the kiddos (you thought I was going to go to Amarillo and NOT see the kiddos? Ha!!). I spoke with Moma on the way to Sis A's house and she said I should go back in the morning because Granny is better of a morning.

The next morning I got up, visited with Grandmother and Granddaddy B (who happened to be at Uncle J's because they had doctor's appointments that week) and went to see Granny. Moma was so right. She was up and around and we chatted about nothing over a cup of coffee and an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger. A Bit of normalcy in an anything but normal situation. Still, she had the same look in her eyes I saw so many times when I worked at the nursing home... that tired, finished look.

After an hour or so, she was tired and wanted to rest and I had promised Miss A a game of Pretty Pretty Princess, so I hugged everyone goodbye and headed to Sis A's house. (I went back to Uncle J's loaded the cats into the back seat with a litter box, water, and a blanket to hide under.) We (Sis A, Little B, Miss A, and me)played our game and Miss A won, of course. Then we went to lunch with BIL D. (my car was parked in the garage, so the kitties were fine.)

The drive home was relatively uneventful. As I left Amarillo, I noticed a thunderstorm building in the distance. Since it's spring, I didn't think too much of it. I think I even commented to Moma on the phone that I was heading toward a thunderstorm, but didn't think it would amount to much. Yeah, well, I was wrong. I stopped in Chillicothe (Chill - uh - coth - ee) because Maxie was getting restless and I needed to stop. I gave him a snack and then got on the road again. About Quanah, I needed to stop, so I stopped at the Safety Rest Stop (TXDoT program that's pretty cool, actually that has Wi-Fi access, play grounds, inside bathrooms, etc.) to go potty.

As I got back in the car, I heard a Thunderstorm Warning issued for Willbarger County and Wichita County. Yep, that's right where I was headed. Not five minutes later, a Tornado Warning was issued for Willbarger County, specifically Elektra. Yep, that's the next town I was going to be in. It was still a few minutes away, so I figured I was okay and kept driving. A little further up the highway, I hit the rain. Not bad rain, but thunderstorm rain. No big deal, really. That is, until I started noticing the hailstones along the roadside and then the ones hitting my (relatively) new car. They got bigger and I got scared, so I called my Mommy.

Bless her heart, she calmed me down and told me to keep driving I would be okay as golf ball to baseball sized hail bounced off my car and the highway and I screamed that I was scared and when they hit the car. I was afraid they were going to come through the windshield or at least break it. When I thought I couldn't go any further, she told me it was okay to stop, so I looked over my right shoulder to move to the right lane and then to the right shoulder to stop. That plan was short-lived, however when I noticed the funnel cloud that had been rotating in the clouds was now picking up debris on the ground pretty much right beside my car. Moma's comment? "Well, keep driving, then." So, I did.

I stopped again a bit later to calm down and relax my shoulders and to look back at this HUGE thunderstorm I'd just driven through. I got a couple (four to be exact) of dents from the hailstones, but otherwise came through unscathed. The rest of the trip was boring in comparison, thank goodness.

Then on Tuesday, I started back to school. This quarter, I'm back to full-time and I'm doing it online. I'm not so sure I really did anything right as far as reporting my hours last week, but hopefully it will get easier and I'll be qualified for the State Exam soon. The only problem with online is that I really now have no free time. I just keep telling myself it is a means to an end and it is what I really want to be doing. And it is.

Daddy stayed in Amarillo with Granny and his family into last week. Hospice care and a hospice nurse comes and helps with the medications, etc. Come to find out, Granny's COPD medications were not being administered correctly. By the time he left, she was feeling better and was up and eating more again. So, I don't know what is going to happen there in the short term. Hopefully, nothing.

That is my life for the past week. Basically, it's as boring as ever punctuated by moments of high excitement. And, wow, if you've made it this far, I'm impressed.

Finally, I want to say a special Hello and Thank you to my Sis A. She happened to be the 1500th visitor to my little piece of the internet!