Louisiana writes a letter to her friend in Smyrna, Georgia, while on her break from her job. (She gets an hour's break.)
Friday, November 18, 2005, 10:41 a.m., C.S.T.~
Dear Donna Sue~
Howdy from the hills of Tennessee! Thank you so much for your delightful letter of last week; it is always great to hear from you again! I am glad that your daughters (M'Bute' and Bethlehem) are doing better and that both are home from the hospital; that is terrific news!
I am sitting here in the cafeteria, eating my lunch and writing to you on my laptop; am on break until a quarter of noon today, then I work until 2:00, as I always do (unless, of course, I am pulling a double, which I often do). But today I am only working my normal 8-10 hour shift. Work has been slow, only have three patients to take care of, all in the Med/Surg ICU. All were victims of last week's tornadoes; but all should make it (I HOPE).
I am getting ready for the holidays; have been buying some more Christmas presents, and also have been trying to get the house cleaned up for our company that we are expecting. We are expecting our daughters from out of state to come, and we are also expecting the grandkids, and we are also expecting some friends from Alaska and California; so it will be a full house! I don't know where I am going to put everyone! LOL This is going to be interesting, to say the very least! I also have been adding to our movie collection: I got the movie "Madagascar" and am going to get "The Polar Express" when it comes out on DVD on Tuesday. I saw "Madagascar" at the movie theatre when it was out, and we laughed ourselves silly; it was a charming and adorable movie! Now we will be able to watch "Madagascar" any time, and I know that the children will be tickled PINK when they see that they are getting "Madagascar" and "The Polar Express" from Santa Claus!! I also have been shopping for cards and for wrapping paper and decorations for our Christmas tree (we will put that up probably next Saturday afternoon if all works out), and then we will be getting our house ready for Christmas. We will be going out to eat on Turkey Day; we will be eating at the Golden Corral, and we always enjoy that!
Speaking of the Golden Corral, you were asking about the Veteran's Day/Military Appreciation Day that they had this past Monday. Well, it is a national thing; ALL the Golden Corrals participated, and that made for a lot of very happy (not to mention HUNGRY) veterans! I know we enjoy seeing them when we go out and take my daddy there!
You were also asking why my father is on crutches. He has degenerative disc disease in his spine, and he also has arthritis (osteoarthritis, some rheumatoid), and it is hard for him to get around easily, so he uses the Lofstrands. But he is still a very happy person, and he doesn't let a little thing like joint or back pain get to him! He also doesn't let his heart problems get to him, and ever since he had his bypass surgery last year (that is, once he recovered from the complications that set in), he has been doing SPLENDIDLY. He is in better health now than he has been in YEARS, and it is so wonderful to see him enjoying life once again!
You were also asking about Ronee' and also Johnny. Well, they are both doing well, and yes, the girl you described IS Ronee'. She sure can be a handful at times, though: she is still technically my baby girl, and I guess I claim her as one of my favorites (she WAS the first daughter we adopted, so I guess that has something to do with this!), and I wish she were still six or seven years old, but she IS growing up (she will be thirteen years old next month, on Christmas Day, December 25th!), and I need to stop being so overprotective of her, especially when she gets sick! She has had so much happen to her medically, it is hard to do so, but I need to back off and realize that she IS doing better, and I shouldn't worry so darned much about her! I also worry my head off about Johnny, her brother, because he IS dying of a neuromuscular disease, but he has already surpassed the predictions put upon him by doctors, and he is a lot tougher than he appears! He has had muscular dystrophy since he could walk, and I have had more than my share of worries about HIS health as well! Like his sister, he has been through a lot too with HIS health, and he is one of the reasons why my hair is grey now! However, they STILL are still my children, and I need to let them grow and back off and stop being so overprotective! (By the way, you asked where Ronee' was from and if she was my child. Well, she IS adopted; we adopted her when she was but a few months old, and she came to us from Cajun Country, in the southern part of Louisiana.) Johnny, by the way, was the very first one we had adopted (he came from Germany), and so he is probably one of my very favorite kids, too. I know this is wrong, but they have both brougtht so much in the way of joy into my life!!
The weather here is sunny and cool; fall is definitely here! It was chilly last night, so much, in fact, I had to cover my plants yet again and cover our faucets, so the pipes wouldn't freeze. But it is supposed to warm up by Thanksgiving, but not TOO bad! I hope the weather is good there in Georgia!
You were asking about my washing the turkey in the dishwasher. Well, it was an accident, and I was doing something, and I got very busy, doing too many projects at once, and when I turned on the dishwasher, I forgot that the turkey was in there. Needless to say, we had the world's cleanest turkey (and my dishwasher smelled like turkey for MONTHS afterwards!!). My husband and children STILL tease me to this day about this; and it STILL causes me to turn BRIGHT RED!!!!
How do you like these different colored fonts I am using in this letter? I think it brightens up the letter; and I hope you enjoy my creative spark! LOL I am always learning new tricks on the computer, and I get a lot of compliments on my works when I send the manuscripts in or do my emails! I have to do more emails when I get back home in between the kids and my husband's needs; but you know how THAT goes. LOL That is why I do a lot of my writing when my hubby and my kids (and my parents) are DEAD ASLEEP, so I can get something HALFWAY accomplished! LOL Sometimes I don't get to bed until two or three in the morning! LOL But it is something that I am used to, so I do it.
Well, Donna, I will go now, I have to get my dessert, and then check up on my emails and see what is happening. Hopefully I can get one or two more done before I clock back in to work. If not, it will have to wait until later. Until later, you have a safe, happy, and wonderful Thanksgiving, and may it be full of fun, love, and many blessings from the Good Lord Above! Write to you soon!
(((HUGS))) and much love, your Cajun Tennessee friend, Louie May Sandusky (the dreaded TURKEY WASHER! LOL). :D
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Reviewed by Tracey L. O' Very
11/18/2005
Karen, This is a very eventful letter. Really nice. I love colors they really do brighten things up and are fun to do. Thanks!
Traceyxox(c :)42
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! Have a very safe and peaceful Thanksgiving!
Hey Turkey Washer - wanna wash mine, too??!! My wife almost washed one of our cats in the washing machine the other day - thank God she saw little Flower climb in there before she hit that button. That would not have been funny - but washin the turkey - now that's funny!!
The turkey graphic made my nostrils flare! I can smell the wonderful aroma and sage-stuffed dressing floating across the miles. I want to pull off one of those turkey legs and walk around the Renaissance fair grounds! Humorous turkey story! The color fonts dress up your letter. I like it. Thanks for the letter today, Karen Lynn.
Let this coming of age story of a boy named Bean take you back to a simple time. Set in a small southern town in the 1960's, encircled by a river and gleaming white cotton fields.
Let this coming of age story of a boy named Bean take you back to a simple time. Set in a small southern town in the 1960's, encircled by a river and gleaming white cotton fields.
