Popo Pics

Here are the before and after surgery pictures of Pop.

His leg is much better already, but they want him on the crutches for 7 to 10 days and out of work 3 to 6 weeks. Do you think I'll be able to get him to comply?

Now we get to negotiate with the short term disability people. Fun at every turn.

Pax Christi

POPO's Therapy Day 1

All went well at therapy today as far as therapy goes. The insurance thing is still ongoing. "NO, you did not spend enough of our money for us to spend more on you. Love, United Health Care"

I could say ##@$%^^&*@#$:· !!!, but Pop is doing that so I'll just keep trying for a while.

God Bless to all

POPO's Knee

For the last year Pop has been complaining about his right knee. FINALLY he got the doctor to recommend an ortho-pod doc, who says, "Blah blah blah...your age..blah blah..... take over the counter pains meds. ...Blah and bye."

That was last September. In February we get the name of a different orthopedic doctor. Who say, "Blah ... oh my...blah ... damage since September, Wow... Blah.... Surgery ..... March 27th."

Today Pop had his surgery. The doctor comes in and says, "You did great ... we cleaned it out... physical therapy at 7:30 am tomorrow."

Then the nurse comes in and says, "Your insurance refuses to cover the physical therapy because this is out patient surgery." I call the insurance co and they say, "Your policy will not cover physical therapy because the surgery was out patient." I call the human resources person at the HD where Pop works, she calls the insurance co, then calls us and says, "The reason that they were not going to cover therapy was because there was no request. They will cover it."

We shall see in the morning. BUT Pop is doing well.

God Bless.

Yes it's True

Babka has a tattoo. Here is the proof. I had been talking about it for a long while, so when I got out of town to a place that had some good tat-parlers ... well you see for your self. What do you think? Comments accepted below.

God bless and keep you in all ways.

Headed Home At Last!

St Clair Shores. Star Date 4,329.5 (or so it seems)

It has been a long week and a half, but I head to Ashtabula tomorrow. Here is the news:
· Paul S. is getting married 7/7/07 so, if you can. Save the date.
· I found a dead newt in the lake.
· I fed the ducks and geese. And, Played with the puppies at the pet stores
· Clair bought a trailer to be placed on Ruthie’s property this spring.
· Step-bro Mike is buying a house in Gainesville, Ohio near Ruth also.
· Clair and Mike might move as early as this summer.
· Pop and I will need power of attorney from everyone to sell the house when the time comes.
· We may have to spend a penny on paint and flooring to get a better price.
· Pop’s knee surgery is Tuesday at 11:45am we need to be there 1 ½ hours early. I’ll post how he is when everything is over.
· Went to a quilt show. Saw some great ideas.
· Went to church a few times.
· Other than that I've done the usual things when vacationing:
o Read; Shop; Movie; TV; Eat; Sleep; Shop; Get a tattoo; Shop ; TV; Read

May The Lord Bless and keep you all! Babka

Longinus Jan Zima and Spring

Up here in the cold North, Spring is a day to celebrate. We love the season changes, the Hot Summer days in the garden, the colors and fruits of Fall, the beauty of Winter, but especially the rebirth of the world in Spring. As we gets older, we enjoys the Winter less ant the Spring more!

In my family, the first day of spring always brought cake and ice cream! Oh, not for Spring, that meant working the garden, but because, back in 1912, the first day of Spring was also the first day for Longinus Jan Zima, Sr., my father. On a dusty small farm in Nebraska with one cow, he learned some hard life lessons. When the family moved to Geneva,Ohio where he learned some more, but had some very good times too. Eventually, he grew up met a wonderful, beautiful lady (a good work horse), married, and caused 5 of us to come into the world.

Dad sacrificed his own dreams and advancement for his children. Even before he married he was a giver. He graduated a year late, because he worked half a day to help support the family. He did not go to college but worked in the WPA to help out.

After he married and we all started coming, he gave up a career as a singer so that his children would not have to move, go hungry and to keep us out of a business where it was so easy to slip up and go to hell. He gave up promotions in the insurance business (which he was hot real fond of anyway) so that we would not have to move. Mom and Dad re-re-re-re-re-re-mortgaged the house they build by hand (with the help of friends and the oldest two kids) to send each of us to catholic schools and to send some assistance while we were at college, esp. myself as I was the only one not ambitious enough to study hard and get a scholarship, however, all five of us have college degrees and even advanced degrees because our parents love education and knew it was the way.

Mom and Dad sacrificed their lives and dreams so that the dreams of their children would have a chance. That is the way of good parents. Dad use to say, "Shoot for the stars because, if you miss you might still hit the moon. If you just shoot for the moon, you might just hit the ground."

They are both reborn now, and can see and hear everything we do. I pray we still make them proud.

And, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

I'm a'come'n Ma

All praise to Patrick!
This has been the first thing to come to mind for as long as I can remember. Each year singing in church ... "All praise to St. Patrick, who brought to this country the gift of God's grace and sweet light of His love." What fun to wear the green and all. Then as life happens things occurred to cause me to forget all about St. Patrick on the 17th of March. For a while the mention of the day created in me a melancholy.
You see, in the 1980's my mother died and was buried on St. Patty's day, but Mom had enjoyed the day and so it seemed all right. Two years later, my mother-in-law died, also to be buried on the 17th of March. This is when my tears finally came for my Mom as I stood next to Mike W. looking at Hyacinthia and said, "It seems like I just did this." Buckets of tears fell and poor Mike stood right there and held me. Two years later, my sister, Phyllis, passed at the age of 51, from leukemia. And she was buried on the 16th of March, the day before the anniversary of the funeral of Ann, Hyacinthia, and St Patrick's Day. So for years I sulked and missed then all.

Something was new this year. As I thought of my family, I realised that it was they who were alive and I ... I was the dead one. I could hear the song in my head and in my mind's eye I saw them all singing and smiling and dancing a jig with Himself, St. Patrick. I can't wait to get there and share their joy. "All praise to St. Patrick, who brought to this country the gift of God's faith and sweet light of His love. .da..dum..di-di... dum-dum...."

Saint Clair Shores Day 3

Day 3:
Much to do here, but no real desire to do anything. You can shop, read, get a tattoo, play with the dog and cat, walk in the cold, go to a movie, eat out. I did get a hair trim, well all the hairs got trimmed really. (smile)
Messed up there I made a special trip to Pet Smart to get new toys for the dog and cat. For the dog, Albina a Lassa, I got a frog that ribbited (sp?). She liked at it and walked away. This morning she was lying on it and when I tried to pick it up she tried to bite me. We had a talk.
For the cat, Tilly, I got the most loved toy ate the APL, a strip of fleece attached to a stick with a noise maker that sounded like a mouse at the end. Never had a cat who did not like it...until now. Tilly was in her cozy cat bed when I came in with the toy. She was coming toward me when the thing made a noise. Tilly jumped and ran under the human bed. Later, I had the toy hanging off the end of the night stand. The cat came in, I moved the stick, it mad a noise, and I have not seen Tilly since.

Saint Clair Shores

Day 1:
Saint Clair Shores, Michigan…my home for the nest week and a half; dog, cat and house sitting for my brother and sister-in-law. The house is situated on the shore of Lake Saint Clair, where the wind is cold, and the ice crashes against the peer, but the Canadian geese are in. My sibling and wife are at this moment in Hawaii on their way to Tahiti for the first long vacation they have had in a long time. I am enjoying the good food in the house (everything is organic), the good books, the exercise equipment and the quiet.

Pop is home with his bad knee, but still he has shamed me with his ability of getting the tests done for his surgery, painting of the basement stairway, painting and installing of the shelves over the stairway, and the sweeping of the house. What will he have to do tomorrow? I wonder why we can get so much done when our coworker is gone. I miss Pop and the dogs. (the show off)

Time Flies

Time Flies whether you are having fun or not. Here are just some of the fun (?) things that have happened in the lives of Pop and Babka since Valentines Day:

• Worked the Animal Protective League every Saturday. Got scratched and bruised every time. Got locked out of a running APL van that was full of nice large (and warm) dogs. I, however, stood out in 28º F weather trying to get someone to help. Finally, the other ladies got an Ashtabula officer to get the county sheriff send over an office, who didn’t have (wink wink) the equipment to break into a van without breaking the van. He broke into the van for us. And where was the extra key you ask? It was in the van. Some person, not me, had it on the same key ring as the original.
• I had a 6th grade class that I was subbing get the best of me and the regular teacher’s candy.
• I got banded from subbing at Lakeside High School (Ashtabula City Schools) for enforcing the “you have to have a pass to get into class late” rule. Really NO LOSS.
• Subbed at Braden Jr. High of the Buckeye System and had an awesome day. Also, at their high school, another awesome day.
• The snow is almost gone. It has melted and gone into our basement/dog pool.
• I leave for Michigan, Wednesday to sit Tom’s house, cat and dog while he goes to Tahiti for a week and a half.
• Pop has to have knee surgery the 27th of this month. This will keep us from going to the spring training of the Ohio Valley Civil War Association. (OVCWA.org). BAD WORDS! We miss my friends. For some reason they do not want to drive 6 hours to visit.
• Pop can’t seem to get the scheduler at the Depot to understand that he can not stand on the concrete for more that 4 hours, doctor’s note not withstanding.
• The kitchen is starting to take shape.
• We have doors on the upstairs guest bedroom and closets.
• And Spring is almost here!!