Giants or Milk & Honey

Warning:
If you are sick and tired of hearing how we are sick and tired of being sick and tired, please double click on the red x in the corner of your screen. Or if you're really annoyed at me, you may click it 20 times in rapid succession. Or you may choose the option of throwing your phone, Ipad or computer out the nearest window.

Ok, now that I got that off my chest and IF you're still with me, here goes....

 I really wanted my next post to be a positive, all is well, happy kind of post. Since I try to update monthly and we're not quite at the "all is well" stage, I guess I'll try to give an update without sounding too complainy. I don't write this as a bid for pity, but as a fact of life and also because I am hoping to eventually get this blog printed into a book for our own memory's sake and hopefully save me lots of hours of scrapbooking tons of pictures. (Any tips on that process would be appreciated!:)

As the saying goes..."ignorance is bliss." I almost have to laugh at the naive girl that wrote my last blog post. Except it's not really funny. She thought that they were at the tail end of the chikungunya fiasco but, in reality, that wasn't the case. This same girl, that was healthy most of her life is learning alot. About health. About sickness. About patience in tribulation. Ok, she's still TRYING to learn that one...hasn't quite succeeded yet. About trusting God. About not judging others till you limp a mile in their sandals....

 Like I said, I was pretty much healthy my whole life. I always thought that health nuts were just that. Health nuts. Surely if you eat a well balanced diet you can do away with all the extra roots, oils, teas and powders. Little did I know, sometimes a person gets so desperate to feel better that they are willing to try almost anything.
I'm turning into a self-proclaimed health nut before my very eyes.
Vinegar. Good for blood circulation? I desperately grasp the jug with cold, blue-tinged fingers. 
 Daily vitamin. Mine makes a horse pill look small. Ok, not quite, but it feels that way when I attempt to force it down my throat.
 Ginger. Good for its anti-inflammatory properties? Where's the root!? My inflamed joints will thank me.
 Green tea. Full of antioxidants?! Get that tea pot boiling! 
Cinnamon. Improves glucose and lipids levels? Pile the bundles of sticks by the back door please. Papaya leaf juice. Elevates a low blood platelets count. Into the blender goes a bundle of leaves.
  Garlic. Lots of uses and good for whatever ails you. Into the ear goes a clove for earache. Fresh minced garlic goes in alot of our dishes. (Why are people falling over when we walk by? I don't smell anything.)
Four cups of water in the morning before eating anything. This is Chris's. I don't think I could handle that on an empty stomach.
 Bye-bye sugar....sniff! I will never forget you. We've been such good friends for a LONG time. I love you and we will still get to see each other sometimes, but not as much.

 And then the stressful decision...to exercise or not to exercise. It would be so easy to curl up in a ball and never have to unravel these painful joints. Unfortunately, my words from times past, glibly spoken to my residents at the nursing home, have come bouncing back to haunt me....
 "You need to move it or you will lose it."
 In other words, an ominous threat meaning "If you don't let me help you take your walk, you will lose the muscle tone you do have."
 They would look at me with displeasure, snarl and snort, and threaten to throw their walker at me. Now that I know how it feels to move painful joints, I wouldn't blame them a bit if they would have thrown their walker at me. In fact, I would have hit me over the head with a cane for good measure.
 Just because it's good to move arthritic limbs, doesn't mean its easy or fun. And it's always that fine line between getting them moving, and moving them too much, the latter which you only realize after its over and done.
 The one day I forced myself to take a walk and was sooo bone weary that evening that I wailed from the shower to my husband...."I WISH I was an old lady! And I WISH I had a shower chair to sit on! And I WISH I had a nice nurse's aid to come give me my shower!" I was seriously so tired that I could hardly stand to shower. Perhaps the first time I was ever jealous of old folks.
 The pain ranges from extreme, can't sleep at night kind (inflamed joints), to medium, can't carry the kettles to the table kind, (wrists) to mildly annoying, going down the steps sideways kind. (ankles).
  It's not the kind where we can't go about our day to day living, its just that its always there. The children have had some rashes and pains again but nothing that has been keeping them down. Chris finds it is unhandy to do certain types of work that requires a strong grip or lots of walking.
 Chikungunya had recently been declared an epidemic on the island, with Laborie being proclaimed the chickungunya capital of Grenada. Very few people have escaped it. Thankfully, it is a disease you will only get once....because it lasts the rest of your life. Haha...JK. (Although sometimes I wonder!:) Seriously though, it is something you will develop a resistance to, although you can have flare ups for up to 2 years. Some people think they are getting the second round of it, when in fact, it never left their body to begin with.
 There are some other myths swirling around with the mosquitoes. Some that I don't bother arguing with if being presented to me....
Myth #1. The disease does not come from mosquitoes. The thought came from the idea that something so small could not cause so much pain.
Myth #2. The westerners brought the disease to the island. Whatever.
Myth #3. It's really not that bad. Ok, anyone that experienced it, knows that one isn't true, unless you just had a touch of it. That's what the government is encouraging people to say though, so as not to hurt the upcoming tourist season.
(At least that's what I've been told, unless that is myth #4.)

I have been able to be to put a few hours in at the hospital. In a way it helps me to get my mind off my own ailments when I can focus on other people's issues. There have been so many people coming in with chickungunya. Some come limping in and some are so weak they have to be brought in on wheelchairs. Unfortunately, there is just not a whole lot to do for it, other than an injection or pills for the pain or fluids if the patient is dehydrated. It definitely hits some people harder than others. Some people bounce back after a few days and the next ones end up spending weeks in the hospital.
 Either it is part of the chikungunya or a nasty stomach bug going around, but we, and many others have had the honors of hosting that bug, as well.

Help! If it's true about the government not wanting word to get out about the chikungunya on this island, they're probably about ready to throw me in jail for writing all this! I sure don't want to scare visitors away, but I would think after rainy season there shouldn't be as many mosquitoes? Optimistic thinking? I don't know. I hope. If you're only coming to visit for a week or so, it would be worth it to faithfully wear strong bug repellant. It's just when you live here, it's hard to constantly keep yourself protected. We could be going through a bottle a day! (I have to insert here that I had one of my happiest moments this week. I woke up to find a blood smear on my hand and realized, to my utter delight, that I had somehow, someway, killed a mosquito in my sleep! I can make myself dizzy going in circles when I'm awake trying to kill just one annoying mosquito, so to realize I had killed one in my sleep was bliss beyond compare. I couldn't stop smiling. Just thinking about it makes me smile again....)

So anyway, it's not all bad and it's not all good around here. As is the case anywhere on this old earth. Just because we are sick here, doesn't say life would be perfect back home. Sickness is not confined to a certain area on the globe, and there are people suffering many areas around the world.
 Like the twelve spies that searched out the Promised land, we can choose to see the milk and honey on this island or focus on the giants. We can choose to be thankful for all the many blessings we enjoy or be depressed over the fact that we can't go as strong as we used to. There are blessings in time of sickness...for when I am weak, then He is strong! It has been a time of discouragement. A time of learning. A time of stretching and, I hope, a time of growing. Through it all God has been faithful!

   And so, we will attempt, with God's help, to look past the giants and focus on the milk and honey....
and meanwhile, we will try to enjoy our vinegar and ginger-laced drinks as we await better days!

Tons of pics...I must have went snap happy these last few weeks. I don't know if I should be embarrassed that half these pics show case our dogs or thankful that they provide so much entertainment? As I'm typing this, Collin wistfully remarks, "I wish I could shower with the dog."
I think not!

 Bible study at Angie Coutain's house. We meet once a month and are going through the book "Lies Women Believe." A very good book and I would highly recommend it for personal study or a group study.

 This is not the trade mark of an organized, have-it-all-together mother, but rather, a frazzled mom who was tired of sounding like a stuck record EVERY school afternoon. I still sound like a stuck record, but at least it's just saying...look at the list. Carter added the last one:)

 Yeah for fresh fish! Meat is so expensive around here and most of it not that good, so we are very thankful for fresh fish! This is gar, some of the best fish I ever tasted! Chris and Kendall went out with Chocks, a local man, who fishes for a living. It is also a good way to spend time with the local people.

                Carter was jubilant when he discovered the SPECIAL OFFER sticker on this
                     dish soap bottle. He said, "It must get stuff off really good!" Sorry son....

 A relaxing summer evening...well, I guess a fall evening, but around here every evening seems like a summer evening. Unfortunately it gets dark between 6:30-7 year round, so evenings are short.

                                                      "Mom! Watch my new trick!" Or not...

                                             Two special ladies that I am so very thankful for!

            Junior youth night...playing the game where you tie a balloon to your ankle and then
                 try to pop everyone elses without getting yours popped. The children loved it.

                                  Carter and Christi competing in a relay race where they
                                    had to open a pack of smarties with a pair of gloves

                                                                         Jr Youth Night

                                         Kaylah is enjoying having some girls her age! Jim and
                                                Joyce Weaver are serving in Laura for 2 months.

                    We had Jims and Conhis for supper. The children had alot of fun playing together

A random photo snapped while waiting for Pastor John to come pick us up. We were planning to hold a service at a children's home but because of the torrents of rain it was canceled....which we only found out when we got there....was sorta fun anyway, driving around and seeing what all washed out

So now we're home early on a Sunday evening...its dumping rain outside, so we're entertaining ourselves indoors. I wonder if other people's children act like this? They can all be playing so nice, till they hear a video clip and then they all come running to see what it is

Yea, this is the feeling....

   A random picture the boys took of their meal...left: pilou, a popular Grenadian chicken and rice dish. You start by melting brown sugar in your kettle, being careful to not let it burn. If it burns, it will give the pot a burnt flavor. I think I always error on the side of it not being done enough cause I'm so afraid of ruining the whole pot. It also gets other seasoning. Right: What we call hotdog casserole...AKA...leftovers. Throw the word hotdog in there and it makes everything sound good. (to them, not me!)

                                                 Princess providing entertainment for the boys

                                                                      American Girl dog

Hopefully this lays to rest the rumor around here that chikungunya does not come from mosquitoes.

                                       I can be annoyed the toilet has a never ending leak....
                                    or happy that the dog has a never ending supply of fresh water...

Dentist time! I thought I would take the children to the dentist down here so we don't have to fit that in when we are home for our visit. The children liked their quick cleaning....me, not so much. No scraping off their plaque or flossing, so their teeth still need a good cleaning:(

                                                              He claims he's pregnant....

                            ....and now he's giving birth....whatever he knows about that!!:()

More dog entertainment....I really get annoyed at these mutts sometimes, dragging off wash and shoes, chewing up underwear, fighting and carrying on, underfoot at the most inconvenient times...but then, there are times I feel like I should give them a good juicy bone for all the entertaining they do....

                          We went fishing one Saturday evening to Hallelujah Point. Daniel
                     and Angie went along. Was a fun evening even though we didn't catch much.

                                The St Georges University is pictured in the back ground

                        Brother: Let me show you how to do it! Sister: I can do it MYSELF!

              Chris was glad for Daniels help with the children...getting the bait on and off, lines
                in and out, fish off, ect...he was beginning to despair on ever getting to fish himself!

                                         Yea! A fish! Size doesn't matter, its still exciting!

"Yea! I caught one, but I'm gonna hold it way out here so it doesn't touch me!!!!"

The awesome sunset while out fishing

                   No use crying over spilled milk...I promise we don't do this for spills on the table....

Someone likes the Monday morning pile of wash better than me! PS. I'm REALLY starting to get embarrassed of all these dog pictures! Even if we're dog tired through these long dog days of summer, I promise our life consists of more than dogs. Are you dogged out yet??:)

We had a youth fun day planned at Tempe playing field as a way to interact and get to know the community children better, but it got rained out. We still had a good day anyway at the Laborie hard court, the local community center. Above: Waiting in line for lunch

                                                              Playing volleyball at the court

          We are going to miss Pastor John and Rachel when they go home! They are planning to go
            home the  middle of November, please the Lord. (Grenadain equivalent of Lord Willing)

                                                          Hamming it up for the camera!:)

                  I think Ryan oughta pay me for capturing that high profile kick and making
                         him famous. (Even though it was a randomly snapped photo...)

                                                        A beautiful sunset at "Jared's beach"

Thank you so much for your prayers. I wasn't sure if I wanted to add this yet, just for the fact that if we would dwell on all the what if's, could have beens and close calls in life, we could drive ourselves crazy. I share it more as a token of thanks for my sister's faithful prayers. Last week she woke up around 5:00 in the morning with a strong feeling to pray for us. About that same time Carter "just happened" to wake up to see a flame in their fan. Apparently the motor had burned out and started on fire. The flame was small enough that Collin could blow it out. However, if he wouldn't have awakened at that time, it wouldn't have stayed small for long. A fire in our house is one thing that always kinda scared me. All of our windows have bars over them and our only escape is out the front door since our back door has a gate over it that is padlocked from the outside. Our bedroom is down the hall from the boys so we would have had to get past that point to get out. So anyway, we are thankful all ended well and that we don't need to dwell on the what ifs, but rest in the fact that nothing will happen outside of God's control!

As I conclude this blog post, started over a week ago, we are enjoying some good days and some not as good days. I do believe, barring any set backs, that we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The pain is not as intense, it is always there, but we are able to go about life in an almost normal, although slower, fashion. Today I was feeling more energetic so I decided to walk to the grocery store about half a mile down the road. I left the house with a "gonna do it or die" attitude.
Till I got there I felt like I did when we walked the one side of the island one day this past spring, which was 32 miles. I made it though! There and back! Yeah for me!! I'm paying for it now but it was fun while it lasted!:)
Ok, I must end this post before it turns into a book! Good bye and God bless!

Sick & Tired of being Sick & Tired

 And then it came. Just about the same time that I had congratulated my immune system on a job well done, and thanked it for saving me from the awful clutches of chikungunya.
  It started small and sneaky. In fact, more like, kinda annoying. That pain in my foot that left me thinking I must have pulled a muscle. Yes, the thought crossed my mind that this could be the beginning of the end, but I was still in the denial stage of the illness, and I managed to push the thought from my mind. However, the pain persisted, with it only getting worse as the day wore on, but that's how strained muscles do. Yup! All I need is a good nights sleep and I'll be fit, fine and healthy till morning. Or not. I got out of bed the next morning and was ever so grateful for that wall to hang on to, or I would have collapsed in a painful heap of aching bones on the floor. And yes, it was that bad. I totally understood now what Chris meant when he thought he had broken his foot. That's where it started but that's not where it ended. It consumed all my joints, turning them into painful, stiff works of art.
 The first day, before fever set in, I coaxed my body out to my sewing machine in a last ditched effort to keep my mind preoccupied. As I tried to maneuver those pieces of fabric with stiff, painful fingers, my heart went out to all the old ladies in the land, struggling to get a grip on those knitting needles, in spite of arthritic hands. I so feel for them now. It IS hard to hold something with fingers that feel like they are only semi attached to your hand, and just don't listen to your commands to open and close.
 As fever set in, I gave up my post and surrendered to my bed. And it felt just pretty good. I normally hate laying around and having watched my family the previous week holding up beds, couches or whatever they could find, for a few days straight, I thought, "How boring and unappealing! Why, I don't know if I could stand such drudgery!"
 But as my temperature climbed and my pain increased, till it felt like someone was holding a flaming torch to my joints, I thought, "Oh, my dear bed! How I love you! I don't care how small and ugly you are, I will never leave you or forsake you!" Seriously, it felt THAT good!
Painkillers did help, especially if you take four times the recommended dosage. I didn't bother to read the label, just figuring it's the normal 2 tablets every 4-6 hours. After three days of faithfully drugging myself with 2 tablets every 4 hours, I decided to read the usage directions. "Do Not exceed more than 2 tablets in a 24 hour period." Oops. Oh well, at least it took the edge off enough that I could hobble on my stiff, wooden legs to the bathroom.
 I had fever for a few days, then a painful rash that brought a weird sensation of a thousand bugs crawling all over me. It's not that I was hallucinating and wildly swatting at imaginary creatures, it was just that itchy, prickly sensation. Insomnia hit big time, one of the glorious side effects of the disease. I would lay in bed, unable to sleep and think...."What if I just THINK it's my rash causing this weird sensation, and it IS actually something crawling on me."
  More times than I care to count, I would throw the sheet back and look, just to reassure myself that there really is nothing there. Other times, I would do my utmost best to ignore the feeling of biting bugs, only to look down as a mosquito prepared for takeoff, heavily laden with my delicious blood.
 Sigh. Enough to drive a person crazy after awhile.
  The mosquitoes are determined and relentless! I thought if I'd give in and take the dreaded disease they are offering me, they would be happy and let me alone. But no, they continue to surround me with fangs bared, just drooling and waiting to sneak them into my raw, painful flesh. We have so many right now, lots of the dreaded, disease carrying kind. Our windows are almost impossible to screen in since they swing outward, so they have free range of our house. Occasionally we spray but it's almost a waste of money because it doesn't take more than an hour before there are more to take their place. We just sorta threw up our hands and surrendered to their antagonizing bites. Either that or drive yourself insane trying to kill them all. At night we sleep with a sheet pulled tight around our neck, not for warmth!:)....but to try to keep them off us. We blow a fan on our heads in an attempt to deter the remaining few.
There were some bright spots in this illness though. I have always loved change of season, with fall being my absolute favorite. There is something about cool evenings and falling leaves that I just love. I was feeling slightly nostalgic, reliving the previous fall seasons and all that goes with it. Pumpkin pie, the farewell honks of the geese as they bid us good bye and headed south, sweaters, the smell of burning leaves, the feeling of satisfaction when bringing in the last produce from my weed-free garden, (ok, that was just wistful thinking), beautiful scenery, the chill in the air that makes curling up in a warm fleece blanket feel heavenly....in fact, there was a soft fleece blanket here that I would gaze at longingly, wishing I could just curl up in it, but knowing I would turn into a puddle of sweat if I would. However, with a fever comes chills...AND the delightful opportunity to wrap myself in its softness. And so, with goosebumps on my arms and a blanket to my neck, I browsed Pinterest and  pored over all the autumn goodies and decorations. Safe in my little cocoon, I pretended the temperature was not over 100* outside and surely, if I would look out my window I would see a kaleidoscope of fall colors instead of palm trees and more mosquitoes.

Back again...2 weeks later...no, I'm not languishing in bed anymore...as much anyway. Unfortunately, I am still not back to "normal." Whatever that is anymore. I almost forget. I am almost used to limping around, having my muscles painfully tighten without a moment's notice and sitting down often, while the world spins crazily around.
 I will forever be more understanding of those dear old folks I used to help get out of bed in the morning at the retirement home where I worked. Oh, they would take sooo long untangling all their arthritic limbs. I would glance anxiously at the clock, ever mindful of my tight schedule and wonder...
 "Do you really need to move THIS slow?"
 Oh my. I totally get them now! And if I ever have the chance to help them again, I will cater to them and let them take till lunch time to get out to the table for breakfast!
 Yes, I move very slowly and painfully in the mornings.

Back AGAIN...most of my posts are written here a little, there alittle, so by the time I get one finished, the beginning is outdated:) But at least this gives me time to add a little update. We are for the most part, recuperated. At least, I think as good as we'll be for awhile anyway. From what I read, arthritic pain can continue for a long time yet...a few months, up to 2 years. With pain meds, it is manageable. Chris still deals with achy joints and sore feet. As he said yesterday," I just feel like this aged me." I would second that. There's something about stiff achy joints that makes you feel 50 years older than you really are. As the saying goes...this too shall pass. Who knows when though. I'll plan on feeling this way till I'm 99, that way if I feel better till I'm 88, I'll be pleasantly surprised.:)
 It has been a great learning experience for me. Other than occasional headaches and common colds, I have not been really sick for over ten years. I tried to not take my health for granted, but I'm afraid, far too often, I did. Through this, I hope I can be be more compassionate and understanding to those that deal with illnesses, especially for some with chronic illnesses and don't know what is causing it. That would be so frustrating!
 Being sick is depressing! There is something about not feeling well that turns me into a self-pitying, me-centered baby. I had to make a conscious effort to count my blessings instead of my aching bones, but far too many times I failed miserably!

And a few pics....

God send this dog to us at a perfect time! The Sunday everyone was sick and laying around, except for me, this puppy followed one of the teachers here and made himself right at home! That's right, HIMself! When God gives gifts, He does it right!:) We had no idea where it came from but it snuggled right up to Christi and just laid with her. It almost seemed like he knew she wasn't feeling well. After asking around and not being able to locate the owner, we named him and welcomed him to our household. About a week later, a neighbor lady, who was never home when we had went searching for the owner, came over. She heard a puppy howling at night, because we put him out overnight, and she thought maybe it was their missing puppy. It was, but she saw how the children loved him and insisted we keep him! So now we have a MALE puppy, one we didn't need to go searching the ends of the island for, but one that God brought right to our door, right when we needed cheering up the most!

I think the mutt saw one too many sick people laying around like this, and thought this is just how it's done around here!

Yea, we just sleep however, wherever...

Hard to believe, but schools in session again! Seems strange only sending three off to
 school. Once again we are so thankful for an amazing group of teachers!

I am thankful he loves God and hates Satan, but we better work on that high self esteem....

And this is Kaylah's classroom. She absolutely loves homeschooling...I guess it helps too if you can have a dog at your feet:) She is doing the Abeka video series and I would highly recommend them. She enjoys the peace and quiet of being the only child at home...she said,"Now I know why you like it so much when we're all in school! It's so quiet and peaceful!" Oops...did I say that out loud? I do enjoy having her around more and having one on one time with her.

Jack of all trades:) The one morning my leg and foot hurt so bad I couldn't walk on it. I told
Chris if only I had crutches I could still get around. A little while later he came in with this
 homemade crutch. I just had to laugh but it worked and I was very thankful for it!

Jared's parents send this down for Chris. This verse was written in Jared's journal. The more I learn
about him, the more I am amazed at what an outstanding young man of God he was!

Our church went to sing at this nursing home one Sunday afternoon

                                                        Singing out on the veranda

         The view from the nursing home...don't be surprised if I spend my golden years in Grenada!:)

                             Another home we sang at...the staff is always so friendly here
                                   and do a super job keeping the place neat and clean!

                      On the way back from singing at the homes, we stopped at Concord Falls

                                           Just a random shot of Christi at Concord Falls

Breathtaking beauty at Concord Falls

                        An Aedes mosquito, the kind that carries dengue fever and chikungunya.
                            They have black and white striped legs and are found in abundance
                                  around here. They love us...the feeling is NOT mutual!!!

 Houston, we have a problem. A dear friend from church gave us a puppy that she had promised us a few weeks ago, before we adopted our male puppy. Now we have two puppies. A male and a female. Why do I forsee trouble in the future? Something called...High's Puppy Farm?? Then again, at our rate, they might not last too long....

                     Euran, a young fellow from Limes, planned a Rook tournament. He took it
                  very seriously and had it all organized, complete with gifts for the winning team:)

                     And the winning team waaaaas....Mr. Christopher High and Logan Weaver,
                    Jim and Joyce's boy...they were awarded with a candle and a coffee mug:)

 September 5, 16 years ago, I was a rosy cheeked young bride. Sixteen years later, I was still rosy cheeked, but this time it was from a rash, thanks to chikungunya. So thankful, he promised in sickness and in health!:) We didn't do all whole lot to celebrate on this day, other than look at each other with bleary eyes and say, "Better days ahead...."

                                                     16 years later...we are so blessed!

                          Photo credits go to Jewel Good...taken when they were down in July

 This pic really has nothing to do with Grenada, except that the news was a bright spot in an otherwise dreary week....Chris's brother and his wife had identical twin boys, which was a real surprise, but what made it even more interesting was the fact they only found out they are having twins about an hour before they were born, BUT what makes it even MORE interesting is that she had a few ultrasounds and they never picked it up! She was even in the week before to try to turn the baby since it was breach. So, to all you pregnant ladies out there, you neeeever know!......:)

So concludes another blog post...not a lot of pictures because we have been extremely housebound these last few weeks. It has been over a month since we started dealing with chikungunya and it seemed to pretty much consume alot of our time and energy. Chris was feeling better but this evening his joints started stiffening up again and feeling painful. It can come and go like this for awhile so I guess we'll just enjoy the good days when they come. Thank you so much for your prayers...they kept us going through a very low time this past month. We want to count our blessings because we really do have so much to be thankful for!