What a wild couple of weeks.  But we are sailing right along.  Cleopatra has been spay and can now roam as she wishes, have sex when she likes and we have no worries.  We took her in Friday morning at 8.  No food or water and she was pissed.  Cried the whole way there.  Her surgery was that morning and the vet called and said Cleo pulled through like a champ. They have now nicknamed her “Queenie” because she thought she ruled the roost over there.  For some reason that doesn’t surprise me at all.  We picked her up Saturday morning and was she glad to see us.  Since we had to keep her calm for a few days and keep her wound clean we made her a kitty cave in the study and study bathroom.  For precautionary reasons, we took the shower curtain down, closed the toilet seat lid, covered the computer key board, hid wires and brought in her bedding and bowls and added the litter box. (Cleo has always bath-roomed  outside so we were not even sure she knew what to do with it).  Crash….first thing to go was Bill’s stash of Milk Duds.  Now…we are talking sacred here.  No one, nothing, touches Bill’s Milk Duds.  Next, the rearranging of the books in the bookshelf….the telephone answering machine going off in the middle of the night…the computer wire…the electric pencil sharpener…Chico’s pillow….and the wall calendar.  Gave her pain pills..but they didn’t help, she still was a pain in the ass! (Oh, you mean they don’t get rid of pain in the butts)?  Then, after the first night she settled down and did very well.  So, this morning it was back to the real world and fresh air.  

  Dear friend Amy came out on Sunday and we cleaned out the storage shed.  Got rid of so much stuff.  Organized and labeled everything.  Retrieved the Halloween decorations and put out my ceramic “pumpkin people”.  The pumpkin people are a little creepy looking.  My daughter-in-law Michele… when she was still alive…. hated my pumpkin people….said they were evil.  So now that she is in the spiritual world I always put them near her picture to bug her.  I’m sure something will happen to one of them.  Probably find one of them face down.  LOL!

Bill and I went to the Big Brother Big Sister luncheon at Minute Maid Park last Thursday.  It turned out to be a great day for the organization.  Lots of donations made and lots of them matched.  Big turn out.  Thanks to Pierce Bush and his crew for a job well done.  I know daddy was smiling down and so proud of the progress that has been made. 

God has created movie nights for our property.  Turkeys always kept us busy but have now migrated to where ever they go in winter.  I mean, I don’t blame them with Thanksgiving around the corner and turkey dinners in everyone’s mind.  But now we have the gray fox family.  Every night about 6, they are waiting in the woods by the fence.  We throw them leftovers (which we call the critter bowl) that we thought was being consumed by the raccoon family.  They are beautiful.  Looks like mom and dad with a young one.  They growl and bark like dogs.  But we mind our business and they mind theirs.  Makes one wonder what goes on out there at night.  The true “midnight madness”!!!!

God bless you all.  Love and hugs!
Ride,Baby,Ride!
Leilani

Just returned from a road trip.  Bill and I had the best time traveling to Shreveport last Friday and returning late Monday.   We enjoyed another wonderful weekend at the Horseshoe in Bossier City.  While Bill enjoyed his blackjack, I was busy visiting with people and exchanging business cards and selling books.  So many kind people suffering from different adversities and willing to share their stories.  God works in mysterious ways, as we all know, but… He has given me a gift that I didn’t know I had.  The art of really listening.  I started out on this cancer journey in 2010.  Seems like a million years ago when that horrible word was ringing in my ear.  Oh, it still rings but I have the knowledge and strength now to give what I’ve learned to others and use others to teach me as well.  It’s like starting other with a different life…a different identity…a completely different world.  When I hear the different situations… my problems don’t seem so large.  I am truly blessed to meet so many incredible warriors on my journey.

Of course we can’t have a casino weekend without a “Bill” moment.  And this one’s a doozie.  Late one night I was sitting at a table and this lady comes up to me and holds out a players card that belongs to Bill.  She asked me if this was my husband.  I laughed and said …yes, thinking he had lost his card.  Then she proceeds to tell me that they were taking him up to our room…in a wheelchair.  I freaked out.  I thought he had had a stroke or something.  She said he was a little under the “weather”.  Turned out the “weather” in this story was Crown Royal.  I could have killed him.  What had happened was Bill got up to go to the bathroom after sitting for a couple of hours playing and drinking Crown.  And it hit!  Like a brick.  On returning to his table he forgot where he was playing.  Had to ask a pit boss to help him find his money and chips.  Needless to say Crown Royal is no longer in his future.  He ought to be happy his wife still is!!!!! 

Can’t believe we are already.. almost.. half way into October.  The only thing I miss living so far out in the country is decorating for the holidays.  I still love doing the inside of house and front gate but we just don’t hang lights on the outside or get ready for trick-or-treaters anymore.  Because… there are no kids around.  Actually a good thing because there now is no candy leftover to get fat on.  Always a positive side to everything.  We do miss the Fulshear Farms hayride that the fire engine would lead and all the kiddos jump off and run to the houses.  Bill dressing up as the grim-reaper, would sit in the porch rocker and not move. The kids always thought he was fake.  I don’t know how he kept from laughing.  They would touch him or poke his arm and he would not move.  For years he did that and for years the kids thought he was a dummy.  Well…that parts debatable.  He he he!!!

Love and hugs to all in my friends in my prayer jar.  Unfortunately, I have had to add more names and it hurts me every time I drop that piece of paper in the jar.  Please continue to pray for all that need our spiritual support.  Remember we have each other.  And from this world into our next we will always be together.

Ride,Baby,Ride!
Leilani

What is it with men and noise?  Bill and I have nothing planned for two days.  Just to-do’s around the house.  Catch up on laundry, mowing, etc.  So, our usual rise and shine time is 6AM.  I decided to snuggle in with the day of rain and then it started.  Every time Bill moved there was a noise that Beethoven could hear!  I bury my head in the pillow and I hear the microwave slam.  Kitchen drawers closing with the sound of a sonic boom.  The back door closes with a bang that could induce an earthquake.  He turns the TV on and the audio is blasting.  While turning off the porch lights he knocks a picture off the wall that was hung over the light switch.  And that my friends was the clincher.  I get up to assess the damage.  I talked to Lani and she said TJ does the same things.  She said you should hear the noises that come out of the kitchen when he cooks.  Pots and pans rattling, stuff left out of the fridge, pantry door opening and closing fifty times in 5 minutes, and trash everywhere even though the trash can is 2 feet from him.  I know Bill is hard of hearing and has no idea of the volume of all he does but OMG..ya got to know that it’s being heard in China!

Been a busy weekend.  Went to the Big Brother Big Sister Gala on Saturday.  Always a good time and a great cause.  Spent time with old friends and met many new ones.  We donated to the raffle and the auction.  The raffle was for an Audi and the auction we bought a autographed baseball signed by Brooks Robinson.  Danced till midnight and got home about 2AM.  Up at 7 to leave for the Texan game at 8.  After returning home from the Texan game we both hit our favorite chairs and crashed!

Yesterday morning, after getting my first cup of coffee, I go out to mess with the cat.  Found something on the front deck that I have no idea what the corpse belonged to but only the pelt was left.  I pick up the hide with a paper towel…while gagging….and Miss Prissy is so proud of herself.  At least it wasn’t at the door mat.  Then I watch Cleopatra as she finds a place to poop.  She proceeds to dig where Mr. Mole has his tunnel.  Poor thing will be crawling back and forth and will run into a pile of crap.  Then she decides to play with Mr. Turkey.  She messes with him until he’s had enough and flaps his wings and Cleo goes flying 4 feet sideways and runs back to home base.  So, that was the start of my day.

September has flown by but please remember that it is Ovarian Cancer Month.  Two days left to wear the TEAL.  Prayers to our fighters that are in DC today to talk to Congress for advancements in ovarian cancer care.  Next month it turns to pink for all of those battling breast cancer.  Please say prayers for a cure.  To all my prayer warriors please remember a few that are in my prayer jar.  Pat, Bonnie, Gwen, Olivia, and a new friend from the other side of the pond, Adina.  Adina bought Ride,Baby,Ride! and needs our hope and strength.  Blessings to all.

Love and Hugs,
Ride,Baby,Ride!
Leilani

OMG …. don’t even know where I left off last blog and where to begin this one.  Time has flown by and Bill and I have been so busy.  I literally got a glass of wine last night and stretched out on the chase lounge under the stars, just to catch my breath.  I think it was the Dalai Lama that said something to the effect that tomorrow there are no guarantees …. yesterday is lost….so today is your destiny.  In my pondering of life under the stars, I thought about how thankful I am for each day and what I have learned through life to make every day meaningful to me and to others.  I know, kinda deep for an old broad but never the less true.

My biggest achievement in the last two weeks has been to find a way to disrupt the multiplication and migration of those damn love-bugs!  They are so annoying in so many ways. Not to mention you have to watch hundreds of them screw at the same time!!!! But thanks to the recipe on Yahoo…..I have mastered the task.  Get a spray bottle and mix water, dish-washing liquid (something citrus), and Listerine.  Shake well and spray.  It won’t hurt the other critters and won’t hurt the plants.  Without all the sounds of their buzzing around, and the distraction of trying to knock the hell out of them with the flyswatter…it was so quiet you could hear a cricket fart.

Lani flew in on Thursday evening and her friend Amy and I picked her up at the airport.  We loaded her ass in the Jeep and headed back to the house to meet up with Bill and her other friends Ebie and Patsie.  Bill watched football and went to bed like a good husband so the girls could party.  Everyone brought their favorite dish and we got intoxicated.  Patsie and I went to bed about 2:30 and the rest went to bed as we were getting up.  Poor Lani had to get up about 10 so we could head for Austin.  She was a bridesmaid in her good friend Sara’s wedding.  It was so nice and I have to brag on the rehearsal dinner.  It was at Franklin’s BBQ in downtown Austin.  This place has been on the food channel several times.  It is amazing.  Please try it out if you go to Austin.  But… first come, first serve.  They open at 8AM and put a sold out sign on the door when they run out.  People start lining up at 6AM and the line is wrapped around the corner by 8.

Bill had his routine heart ultrasound on Monday and tomorrow he has his stitches removed form the top of his head.  Another cancer spot removed.  This was not a fun one due to it’s location but he is doing fine.  Yesterday we received our flu shots from the Kroger pharmacy and our pharmacist Steve.  So hopefully we are through for a while.  Too much drama!

A shout out to Gwen, Joan, Bonnie, Pat and all of you that are going through cancer, radiation and chemo treatments.  My thoughts and prayers are with you everyday.  Thank you Joan in Rhode Island, you made my day with the mention of my books on Facebook.  And with your 11 year battle you should write a book as well.   The experiences that we go through fighting this stupid cancer is really a medicine for others to keep fighting.  We have to laugh at some of the things the doctors put us through.  Half the stuff no one would believe.  But like I said….you can’t make this stuff up.

Going to be a busy weekend.  So more next week.

Ride,Baby,Ride! 
Love and hugs!
Leilani

I know that God didn’t say life is simple …rather…He’ll never give you anymore than you can handle.  So why did he send me that cat?!!!   Cleopatra is something else.  And since everyone has been asking about her, I will bring all up to date on that little brat.  Bill and I took Chico and Cleo to the vet today.  Yes, at the same time in the same vehicle.  Not to mention, Chico was not happy riding to the vet with the cat.  But…equally…the cat was not happy riding to the vet with Chico.  Bill can’t hear crap so he didn’t have to deal with the sounds of distress.  If we had passed a bar I would have made him stop. So, Chico got his rabies booster and Cleo got her last set of rabies and cat leukemia injections.  Chico has gained 8 lbs. and Cleo now weighs 4.8 lbs. I told the vet Chico eats more to block the cat out of his mind.  We will have to take her back to get spay in a month or so.  The vet said if you think that she is going in heat to bring her in.  God forbid anymore “Cleoettes” running around.  Doc also said to keep an eye on her for the signs.  Which are: are if she starts rubbing up to you more or getting more amorous around us.  Bill better get his Viagra ready if he wants to keep up with the Tom cats.  

Cleo has a best friend…Mr. Turkey.  All the other turkeys have migrated for the fall except Cleo’s buddy.  They walk around the yard together.  She only stares at the squirrels and birds.  The hummers are flying so low that it won’t be long before one will fly too low messing with her and become dinner.  One squirrel gets real close to the deck and provokes her with it’s tail.  Cleo is more entertained than aggressive towards it.  Then, Bill and I are sitting out having a wine on the front deck and here comes “Miss Prissy” out from under the deck shaking her head and pawing at her face.  She ran over to me with a huge Daddy-long leg stuck to her whiskers.  We laughed so hard.  And wussy Bill didn’t want to touch it….so I knocked it off of her.  It was so funny.  Cleo won’t stick her nose in the spider’s business again.

Had an interesting critter cross our yard yesterday.  An albino fox.  It was so fast that we barely had a glimpse of it before it darted in the bushes.  I hope that it returns.  We would love to get some pictures.  The squirrels, all hundred of them, need to quit multiplying.  They chase each other up and down, around and around, while attacking the bird feeders and breaking them.  The squirrels “date night” is 24/7.   I guess the pursuit is most of the fun.

Two new prayer list friends.  Please prayer warriors,  add Joan (ovarian recurrence) and Bonnie (lung biopsy)  to your prayers.  Happy Birthday to friend Olivia.  I wish I could make your party but I will be in Austin for a wedding.  Continued prayers for Gwen…going through chemo after her ovarian cancer surgery.  Hugs to you all.

Ride,Baby,Ride!
Leilani

Boy, have things changed around here.  Cleopatra rules!  The critters of Mother Nature are learning the hard way.  I had to talk to the hummingbirds about the now designated “no fly zone”.  One low swoop could do you in.  With her acrobatic endeavors, Kitty Cleo has mastered the take off and jump technique to snatch the little guys right out of the air.  God only knows when she finally achieves this feat I’ll be in tears.  Our hummingbirds trust us and fly to the feeders while we hang them after refilling.  The cardinals and blue birds keep their distance while, the blue jays seem to taunt her.  She hasn’t figured out what to do about the cottontails and squirrels.  And the turkeys are too large at this point to mess with.   The Texas jack rabbits are as large as medium size dogs and could out run my Jeep….so I’m assuming they are out of her league.  The day will come when Cleo ventures out a bit and becomes acquainted with the horses.   Can’t wait to see this.

Bill and I can’t wait for football to start.  We renewed our Texan tickets and made the two pre-season games here in Houston.  Regular season starts Sept. 13th.  And of course college football.  We are never bored Aug. through Feb.  I have already received hazing from Bama fans.  You know who you are!  But anyway….gearing up to see the cutie rear-ends.  A wine, a rear-end in tight football pants, binoculars, and the love of the game.  I’m set.

Man, things are getting strange in this world.  The stock market scare (had Bill in a tail spin for awhile), the excitement about the 2016 election, the hero Americans that saved the train in France from a terrorist, and now another hurricane headed in.  It looks like we will be hunkering down for things to come.  I prepare a survival kit each year and I went through it to see what needed to be replaced.  Bill fired up the generator to make sure it was ready to go.  Bought several box wines to keep in the pantry.  Easy to store and incredibly cheap for emergencies.  Wine, generator, and Scooby Doo band-aids … life is good!

Prayer warriors get ready.  I want to add a lady facing the unknown of pancreatic cancer…Kay.  Teenager David, friend Olivia, and all who have contacted me.  Thank you to Carol W. for the nice things said about Ride,Baby,Ride! and I received your check which will be deposited in the Ride,Baby,Ride! Fund.  I hope you enjoy “They’re Pistols” as well.  Let’s all work together for a cure.  I see Dr. Bevers on Thursday.  CA 125 was good and now just waiting to have the “ole WHO” examined.  Please pray for great things. 

Love and hugs to you all.
Ride,Baby,Ride!
Leilani

It’s been over two weeks since my last update.  Bill and I have not stopped.  Medical problems arose and then we left town for a few days and then medical problems returned.  All in all, we are tired of not feeling up to par.  After the recovery of Bill’s “Gall Bladder” episode and my pneumonia bout, we set off to Bossier City for a 4 day get-away. Relaxing and fun we got to visit with friends there and returned to a well taken care of home.  Our house sitter/animal caregiver Amy, did an amazing job with the place.  Chico and Cleopatra looked for her days after she left.  Horses Bud and Poco miss that extra TLC.  But we rewarded them yesterday with a pedicure. 

I am still having trouble with the pain in my neck and collar bone area.  The only way to describe it is a bruised feeling that kicks it up a notch to full blown pain when it wants to.  Have an appointment with Dr. Bing today to see what we can come up with.  Could be left over from the pneumonia or it could be as simple as me needing new pillows.  Bill is recovering nicely.  No problems since his double surgery.  He was just very fortunate that God took over in church and told him to get his little ass to the hospital.  HE does work in mysterious ways.

Looking forward to Lani coming in for a long weekend.  She is in one of her best friends wedding taking place in Austin.  So I’ll pick her up from the airport and we will drive to Austin and have a great “girls” weekend.  Bill is stuck with taking care of the critters. 

Kitty Cleopatra has really grown and thinks she is “Queen Bee”.  Very entertaining to say the least.  Always into something.  Chico has quit stealing her food.  He so gives himself away when he is guilty of something.  But he does protect her.  The other night she was hiding in her kitty hide-away when something crashed close to her.  Chico went ballistic.  A bandit was on the porch.  Well, it looked like a bandit to him….he was donning a mask.   A rather large racoon was checking out the water bowl.  Needless to say, Cleo stayed still and Chico took care of the rest.  Chico and bandit stared at each other through the front door glass and both took off.  Chico through his doggy door and bandit up a nearby tree.  Cleo just watched in amusement.  Now she’s thinking …”so that’s what a dog’s for”!  All ended well.  Everybody returned to where they were supposed to be…in one piece.

I am in the process of having Ride,Baby,Ride! printed again.  I have had lots of requests for that book and we were getting low.  So Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the Ride,Baby,Ride! website are being restocked.  So please let me know if you have any trouble getting a copy. 

Lots of prayers going out.  Please pray for David…a teenage grandson of good friends who will have to face heart surgery soon.  My friend Gwen who starts her chemo today.  I pray that it goes smoothly and no nausea.  Friend Olivia, who I pray for daily on her journey.  And to all of those who continually ask for prayer help.  Please know my prayer warriors are with you.  Love and peace to you all.

Ride,Baby,Ride!
Leilani