Tuesday, February 1, 2005

Happy Groundhog Day & A Funny!...

Happy Tuesday everyone!  It is just a gloriously beautiful day here in central Pennsylvania!!  The sun is shining and the birds are chirping!  Could it be that Spring is coming?  Tomorrow is Groundhog Day.  I wonder if Phil will see his shadow?  He is wrong two-thirds of the time, so I guess it really doesn't matter.  Folk-lore.  Interesting.  My father was actually born in Punxsutawney.  I guess I am one of the few people who can actually spell the name of this town correctly without having to look it up!  Punxsutawney is an Indian word, my father told me...it means something about desert or sand gnats.  That is all I remember.  So, if Phil sees his shadow we have six more weeks of winter.  This tradition started with the Pennsylvania Dutch, in this country anyway.  I know it goes back even further, though.  My father is part Pennsylvania Dutch.  I found this early saying by the Pennsylvania Dutch on the internet:

     If the sun shines on Groundhog Day,
     Half the fuel and half the day.

Very few still believe Phil is a good prognosticator of weather and yet tens of thousands congregate at Gobbler's Knob every year - A fun tradition for an interesting, little town!         

                                         

So, I went to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore yesterday to see my neurologist.  My Dad and I did some calculating and it turns out that I have been making a trip to Baltimore about every five weeks.  I think I am on trip number 26, or something around there.  I was discussing my numb tongue with him.  It hasn't gone away.  Actually, it is just the right side of my tongue right now.  He wants to give me an MRI with and without contrast and a flow study to see how my cerebral spinal fluid is moving around my brain and around the surgery spot I had done where my chiari malformation is at the bottom of my skull/top of my spine.  I know, sounds kind of complicated.  What it means for me is another trip to Baltimore on Thursday.  These trips take on average 12 - 15 hours.  The day is such a long day.  Nerves get frazzled.  Bodies hurt.  I am so, so grateful that my father can take me.  He is such a trooper!!  Thanks, Dad, for all you do!!  He is 76 and is so much more energetic than I am and has so much more patience.  I don't know how he does it!  I will let everyone know how my tests turn out.  Oh, I am bringing my camera on Thursday and Krissy is coming as well, it looks like, so we can both take some fun and interesting pictures, so hopefully you can se what a day is like for me when I go!

I will leave you with a joke that I thought was pretty funny and now I am off to take a nap because I lost so much sleep and I am achey from yesterday's trip.  Be good to one another and Happy Groundhog Day!!

  

 

18 comments:

  1. Oh please let me know what happens to his shadow. If you are in for a longer winter then we probably are as well.  Good luck with all your tests, you know that I am praying for you.  I just love the joke, brilliant, thank you Val. God bless you dear friend xxxxx

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  2. Good one! Thanx for the "skinny" on our furry friend. Hope your tests turn out OK. What a long day, thank god for pops, huh? rich

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  3. Thanks for the smile, it's a good joke. Hope you get get health probs sorted soon and tell your dad he is one of the best, a real trooper and I would like to nominate him as Journaller's Dad of the Year. Come on folks send your vote to Val.
    Sylvia
    http://journals.aol.co.uk/sylviam4000/JottingsfromtheSticks/

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  4. Oh now that was cute!  I hope spring is early this year, I'm READY now and I'm not very patient. ::sigh:: I try to be.  Let us know the results of the test, will be keeping you in my prayers.  I also look forward to the pictures! :-)

    Monica
    http://journals.aol.com/sonensmilinmon/SmilinMonsAdventures/

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  5. I hope they figure out what's wrong soon and fix it.
    I live in a town with an Indian name too but I have no idea what it means....Massapequa.
    Thanks for the joke. Very cute. : )
    Angela

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  6. SO VAL LET ME KNOW IF PHIL SEES HIS SHADOW I NEED TO KNOW HOW MUCH MORE WINTER TO EXPECT SINCE WE ARE MOVING SOON. I WILL KEEP YOU IN PRAYERS FOR STRENGTH AND PATIENCE DURING THESE LONG TRIPS AND FOR WISDOM FOR THE DOCTORS TO FIND OUT WHAT IS GOING ON.  HAVE A GOOD DAY AND THANKS FOR THE INTERSTING FACTS ON THE GROUND HOG. XOXO GOD BLESS KELLEY

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  7. Tomorrow on groundhogs day is my daughters birthday.
    shannon

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  8. Hi Val.  Hope all goes well on your next trip and it is awesome that your Dad can do this.  I am looking forward to your photos.
    Sonya

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  9. Good luck with the MRI, Val! And LOL at the cartoon!

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  10. Good luck with the MRI, love the joke, also love the name of the town where your father was born. xx Julie xx

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  11. good luck with the MRI.  you will be in my prayers.
    love the cartoon!  LOL

    kathy

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  12. I love the graphic, its really funny :)............Good luck with the MRI scan .......Jules xxxxxx
    http://journals.aol.co.uk/jules19642001/Itsmylife/

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  13. Yes your Dad gets my vote for Sylvia's 'Journaler's Dad of the year'!  
    I hope everything goes well for you tomorrow, let us know how you get on, and yes please to photo's!!
    Groundhog Day, never heard of it until the film 'Groundhog Day' with Bill Murray!  Loved that movie though, so your Phil has a little corner of my heart all to himself :o)
    Sara   x
    Oh, and funny cartoon!!

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  14. Did not do my posting until late today (Wednesday2nd). Very quiet on journals today so I just wanted to pop by and say hellow and that I did what I promised. God bless you my dear friend xxxx

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  15. Hi Val. . .hope everything turns out well.Your Dad sounds amazing!

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  16. I think that cartoon is hilarious!  And yes Dad is the best for taking you to Baltimore all the time. -Krissy
    http://journals.aol.com/fisherkristina/SometimesIThink

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  17. Love the cartoon.  Thank so much for the chuckle.  My day is much better now!

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  18. That is a wonderful joke there. :)
    I hope you get the answers you need and don't need so many tests. Hospitals are never fun...I know its hard just being one of the family members waiting, but I could only imagine how hard it is being a patient.
    Punxsutawney, PA...I would love to see the ground hogs day tradition there someday. :)

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