IT'S BEEN A BIT OF AN ODD WEEK

This week has been a mishmash of events; none of which match up in any way, shape, or form.  A bit odd, one might say.

The week's lineup of events really began Saturday when Judy left for Florida with her daughter and granddaughter, leaving me to mope about the house, washing the left over dishes, doing some laundry (so that I would have plenty of "bloomers" this week), and working on a new router I bought.

I pulled my hair out over the Asus router for three, almost full days, when I suddenly decided it wasn't worth the sleeplessness!  Routers, not purchased directly from Comcast, routinely do not sync-up with the standard Arris modem.  The Comcast modem will just not forget anything it has learned, like a MAC address of the last router connected to it, and therefore will not recognize any new modem!

Comcast don't care...unless the router belongs to them, and Asus assures a caller that if you turn of the power, remove the battery (modems that also provide telephony services contain a battery), and leave it for just 60 seconds the modem will recognize the router and everything will be coming up roses again!

Wrong...even if you leave the battery out, and unplugged the power overnight, you will find that the Arris modem has written the MAC down in pencil somewhere within its plastic body!

So...it's currently speeding its way back to Amazon as I write.

Monday was the day my little momma had to go back to her dental surgeon and dentist for one last checkup after she had her upper teeth pulled and replaced.  So, I drive her to the appointments and play with my iPad in their waiting rooms.

Everything was fine, so we go to the Cracker Barrel to eat...which was the fun part.

The previous week found me spending the night with her to make sure she didn't pass out from blood loss, and playing with my iPad into the wee hours.

About midnight mom woke up with a mouth full of blood!  She was bleeding badly, looking pale, and getting weak.  She was under strict orders not to remove her upper plate, so I couldn't tell what was going on.  She gargled with saltwater several times, but continued to bleed.

This would not have worried me have as much had she not been hospitalized just a month earlier from blood loss caused by an ulcer.  That had been a quick fix, with a pint of blood reviving her, but this was a new issue!

Finally, I said screw it, take the dentures out and let's see if we can stop the bleeding.  I remembered mom telling me that my dad had uncontrolled bleeding when his teeth were extracted back in the 70's, and she had made him clamp down on a tea bag.

So, I boiled some strong tea, soaked gauze in it, and put it in a thin line under her upper plate.  In thirty minutes the bleeding had stopped and she was asleep...leaving me to my iPad!

So now she is eating well and feeling great again.

Sunday, I spent part of Father's Day with Corey.  I met him at home and visited with his wife, Tia, and the girls, taking a couple of snaps before we left to go eat.  

We ate Wild Wings and had Maggie Moo's ice cream for dessert!  I plan to eat the leftovers tonight, with a little watermelon for dessert.

Tia's granny died over the weekend, so Monday evening was when the services were scheduled.  It was only traumatic for me because I couldn't find a decent thing to wear!  I know, sound like a woman, huh?!

I finally did find a button-up long-sleeved shirt to wear, but I had no matching tie.  I tried on my sport coat, the one I bought in 2009, and it hung on me like a GI pup tent!  It was a size 52, and apparently I'm a 42-44 now!  I had no idea I had shed that much...seriously, and I'm not even trying.

So, since it was 95 yesterday, 90 at 6PM, people seem to let it pass that I wasn't wearing at least a tie.  Thankfully, I wasn't the only one there dressed as casually!  

Corey didn't even have on a tie, but he at least had on a sport coat.  The other thing about Corey is that he sang so beautifully that I almost cried.  He is, if I may brag, super talented, and he and the fellow accompanying him on the guitar killed "My Savior's Love", published by Charles H. Gabriel in 1905.

This came just after my friend Kenny Isham delivered a touching eulogy for old friend Grace Bass (Tia's granny).  People seeing me tear up would have thought it was a traditional Baptist invitational moment, but it was really just so much pride and love for my son that had me on the jagged edge.

Then there was today, Tuesday!  I was told by my "husband-in-law" Gary yesterday that my Vietnam boots were on display at Riverfront Park.  I had given them to the American Legion here locally for a veteran's display, and they had loaned them out to a memorial artists to cast as the boots of a new memorial at the park.  The display was ready, so I went down to see what everything was all about.

I was totally taken aback by what I found (see photos)!  There were my 45 year-old jungle boots sitting on each side of an M-16, topped by a helmet in jungle cammo.  Wow, it is really nice, but the best part is that for as long as this lasts, my boots will be in public view!

I'm honored that they were used to commemorate fallen veterans, but especially our local fallen heroes.  I'm no hero, but at least I have provided a small token that will call attention to those that were/are!  Rest in peace my brothers in arms! 

Yeah, it's been a bit of an odd week, but I just spoke with Judy and everything is back in its place.  She has always been able to settle me down and help me to make some sense of this crazy world.  I can hardly wait for Saturday and her return.