2021 DECEMBER CHRISTMAS Walker Newsletter

 

Hello!

Christmas is here once again to celebrate our Savior's birth.  Little did I, and my family, realize that our last Christmas celebration would be the final time that Dana would be with us. We are still in the process of adjusting to not having Dana around. His larger-than-life personality leaves a big hole in our family structure; the house is much quieter now as forty-five years of memories flood our mind.  I'm so thankful though for the blessed hope- that Dana preached about often for several years- that we now can cling to. Christ's birth, crucifixion, and resurrection gives us the assurance that one day we will be reunited again forever.  What an awesome promise!

Meanwhile we have been busy painting and organizing stuff around the house that I wasn't able to get to before when taking care of Dana. With the stimulus checks we received earlier this year; we were able to buy metal for our roof that needed redone.  Dwight had to completely tear out the back sun/mud room roof that had been leaking.  It has been quite a project as Dwight can only work for a bit at a time.  The entire roof is thankfully three-fourths completed.

Dawn and her family came for Thanksgiving. Lots of changes have happened this year as Annette also got married the last of July, so she too was missing. Randy and William brought their guitars, and with Dwight, we had quite the music fest in the evenings between playing games in the dining room. During the day, the fellows put in three insulated doors in the sun/mud room, which is such a blessing. As usual our time together was too short.

One week this month the temperature was up in the high 60's so I went crazy hanging out wash, putting leaves in the duck and hen houses for insulation, spreading manure on another garden plot, and transplanting strawberry plants on the bank that have spread around Dwight's workshop.

Since then, I've had to break ice in the outside water buckets for Tex, the ducks & chickens, haul ashes and wood, and keep the wood stoves going. I'm so grateful for my warm house here in the woods when the winter winds blow.

Everyone, including Annette & Curtis, is coming up to celebrate Christmas the Monday & Tuesday after Christmas.  So needless to say, I am in a dither trying to get all the Christmas decorations up, finish the Christmas shopping, and then wrap gifts, cook, and bake before everyone comes- not to mention giving everything a good cleaning. Just where does all the dirt and dust come from anyway?

After Christmas I plan on remodeling my kitchen and some other major areas of the house. I'm going to go room by room painting and upgrading things. I've got a list of things needing a loving touch or rather a paintbrush. I'm so thankful for the strength I have, even though each year I seem to slow down rather than speed up like I'd prefer.

Dawn and Randy are still planning on going to the Philippines when the door opens. Curtis and Annette are pastoring the Madison church in Nashville.  Dwight meanwhile stays busy designing and making pocketknives between doing projects around the house.

I know that God will be faithful to take care of us and meet our needs as He has in the past; so I can trust Him for the future. Although Dana is gone, his legacy still lives in our children and grandchildren.

Have a Blessed Christmas Season!

Dorcas

2021 NOVEMBER Walker Newsletter

 

Hello!

The blaze of brightly colored autumn leaves have faded and fallen to the ground leaving bare tree limbs here in the TN Mountains as cold winds bring freezing temperatures.  I've had my wood stoves going to keep the house warm.  Even the hardiest of the fall flowers are fading away. Warm and sunny days are getting fewer and farther apart as the earth tilts and the days grow shorter.  As the squirrel's scurry around storing nuts, I'm also scrambling to get much needed projects finished outdoors.

The biggest project was and is our sun/mudroom that was leaking and went from bad to worse. Dwight had to completely tear off the roof and replace it- stopping finishing metaling the rest of the house roof like planned.  We also put in new linoleum, which Dawn and Randy helped to lay. You can't imagine the amount of stuff that was stacked and stored in such a tiny room- not to mention all the plants that I over winter there as well. I was dearly hoping to get it painted and everything back in place for Thanksgiving, but like so many remodeling projects it is going slower than planned so stuff is still sitting around the dining room to my dismay.

Meanwhile I've been busy brandishing a paint brush. I have totally repainted the back bathroom, front door, the outside bird feeder, and clothesline so far. Between painting, I've hauled two wagon loads of manure up to the garden and filled six large garbage cans with leaves to help winterized the duck and hen houses. On rainy days, I've been pulling out, sorting through, and organizing stuff under the beds & closets.

Here the other week I ran into one of my former piano students that I had given lessons to when she was just a small girl. Now she is a mother of three children and a nurse like her mother. She asked if I would be willing to give her daughter piano lessons. So, out of the blue, I am now teaching a second generation the joys of playing the piano- not that I am getting old (ha!). What fun!

The first week in November I had a rough week over what would have been Dana's 65th birthday.

I kept waking up at night as memories flooded my mind and cried during the day.  Grief is a process that one must work through as you adjust to the loss of your loved one.  During that week I planted spring bulbs I had bought telling myself that even though they looked dead right then, they would come back to life again and beautify the earth with their flowers. I'm so glad that the grave is not the end. As Christians we have hope of being reunited again forever in a much more glorious place than anything here on earth.

Dawn and her family are planning on coming up for Thanksgiving, which I am looking forward to.  It will be a time of making new memories over the holidays while cherishing the past.

Dorcas

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER WALKER NEWSLETTER

 

Hello!

Sorry that I am running so late in getting a newsletter out.  I was just getting ready to do the Sept newsletter when my life completely turned up-side-down.

The last I said about Dana was that he was in the hospital and I had gotten to visit him.  Little did I realize that would be the last time I would see Dana alive. I was getting ready to go down and visit Dana again, when upon calling him, I found out he was being transferred up here to Jamestown to the local nursing home for physical therapy. I was happy that he was getting closer to home. The nursing home put Dana in isolation for two weeks to make sure he didn't have covid so I couldn't see him, but we talked every day on the phone. Dana was getting physical therapy, was getting stronger, sitting up in his wheelchair, and going to the bathroom on his own. The day before getting transferred to a regular room, Dana suddenly tested positive for covid. I was shocked. How could he get covid while in isolation? I called the kidney specialist and they wanted Dana taken to the ER down to Cookeville to be able to keep a close eye on his kidney function. Instead of being admitted like I thought he would be, lo and behold when I called, Dana had been transferred back to the nursing home because he tested negative for covid! When I finally ran my husband down- How do you lose a fellow in a wheelchair?-, the nursing home had put Dana on the covid ward. I was totally confused. Why was Dana on the covid ward if he didn't have covid? The nursing home said because he tested positive they had to put Dana on the covid ward. I was quite frustrated. Within a couple of days, Dana definitely had covid whether he had it before or not. Then to my shock I discovered that they had quit giving Dana any breathing treatments (he was getting three breathing treatments a day) so they had put his ox level back up high to help him breathe. Needless to say I was making all kinds of calls as by now Dana was too weak to even talk to me on the phone and I had to depend on trying to reach the staff to get any updates. After a week, I finally got it where I would be updated at least once a day, when I got a call early on Sat morning that they had rushed Dana to the Crossville ER as they couldn't keep his oxygen level up. I got dressed and rushed down to the Crossville ER only to be kept waiting in the overcrowded waiting room to talk to someone.  A nurse finally came out, but refused to let me back to see Dana even though she was wearing the same type of mask as me, told me that Dana was in serious condition, they were doing blood work, and she would call me and let me know when the labs came back in couple of hours. I waited in Crossville for a couple of hours and called to talk to the nurse, but they would only let me leave a message. I went back home and for the rest of the day and up into the night every three to four hours I would call, but still couldn’t get anybody to talk to. Sun morning I called the hospital and was informed that Dana had been transferred to the ICU. I then called the ICU and talked to someone, who said all the nurses were busy.  They checked Dana’s lab work for me and said that his kidney function was doing better and he was stable. I was relieved feeling that Dana was out of the woods and would get better. Sunday afternoon I got a call from Dana’s doctor, who to my shock, told me that he advised me to change Dana’s full code to DNR as his kidneys, his heart, and his lungs weren’t working except for medication. I couldn’t believe my ears and told the doctor that the last I had heard Dana was stable and his kidney were doing better. He was very kind, feeling bad that the ER doctor hadn’t updated me to Dana’s true condition. It was then that the reality that Dana was actually dying hit me.

On Tuesday afternoon with Randy and Dawn beside him, after getting special permission, Dana peacefully left this world. Thursday evening, after almost a month had passed since last seeing Dana alive, I saw his lifeless earthly body. It didn’t seem possible that Dana was really gone. Friday afternoon, at our home church, we had Dana’s funeral with five preachers speaking.  Our pastor preached from Dana’s favorite text he had preached so often before: John 3:16.  Our grandchildren sang Dana’s favorite song in three part harmony: Amazing Grace. It was very hard to say good-bye to Dana’s earthly body even with knowing that he was so much better off not confined to a wheelchair or roll aider to get around. Now Dana, with full lung capacity, is singing- something he couldn’t do after his stroke- with his talented voice and preaching strong as ever before.

I’m still trying to adjust to the fact that Dana is gone and doesn’t need me after taking care of him for ten years and four months. Meanwhile my ducks and chickens keep me going each day. There is plenty of work to do as I’ve not been able to paint and do things inside that need a lot of work for the past several years.  So I am staying busy painting inside and working outside as usual, which helps me sleep better at night.  I’m so thankful for all the prayer support that has kept me going through this major upheaval in my life.  I’ve also been blessed with lots of beautiful cards arriving in my mailbox each day for the last couple of weeks.

Next month I will hopefully get more back on schedule and update you on everything going on around the Walker farm.

Until then~

Dorcas

 

AUGUST 2021 Walker Newsletter

 

Hello!

August is hot- making a body sweat just going outside- with the heat index sometimes reaching over 100 degrees. Last week we had a couple of good rainstorms to help break the heat and humidity giving the ground a much needed watering.  This time of year is when you are between the summer and autumn blooms so the few hardy plants blooming are much appreciated.  Thankfully, things are still green so far. I was heartbroken to discover after all my work- just as my green beans were beginning to really produce- that either a deer or rabbits had gone through and eaten up the leaves and beans leaving only the bare stalks. I really miss having fresh green beans from the garden.

Meanwhile in the kitchen the putting up of garden produce is speeding up. I bought a bushel of beans and red beets that I canned. The tomatoes are fast ripening in the garden in the heat- what bliss- and right now I'm harvesting my dark Concord grapes.

Romeo, the beautiful cream colored rooster died, I think from the heat when he got stuck under the hen house one sizzling day. So I put fence wire and boards to block the entrances off. I missed his crow. To my delight, Rufus, who is looking like a Rhode Island rooster with his red feathers and black/teal tail that glisten in the sunlight, is now beginning each day with a loud crow. The little ducks are nearly grown and sometimes hard to tell apart from the adults.  I definitely have one drake with the brown ones, but not sure yet about the yellow ducks, whose feathers have turned white with only a faint tint of yellow underneath showing through. I still get a couple of white eggs each day and now lots of tiny brown eggs.

The day finally arrived for Annette's wedding and Dwight and I headed out in the morning. What a thrill seeing my beautiful granddaughter's face light up and her excitement when she saw me in her gorgeous white wedding dress. The wedding was beautiful with all of Dawn's creative touches and meaningful as Randy and Curtis' grandfather preformed the ceremony. Their former talented pastor and family did the music. The two flower girls and Bible bearer were such a delight. It was lovely meeting Curtis' family and friends we hadn't seen for years. All too quickly the day sped by and we said our good-byes at the reception to head back home again with a heart full of memories to cherish. I'll be forever grateful for Joe, the male nurse, who offered so kindly to come and stay with Dana for the day.

After a honeymoon, Annette and Curtis have settled into the parsonage where they are pastoring the home church. What a thrill for my granddaughter to be the fourth generation minister's wife that my mother began years ago.

Dwight began giving himself a new medicine almost a month ago where he only has to stick himself every two weeks instead of three times a week. This will really save his veins that have had a workout since he was born. It’s amazing what science and research has come up with.

Dawn and Randy have been busy all summer going to churches and camps doing missionary services. With their hectic schedule, Dawn didn’t do any VBS this year. They are hoping the Philippines will be open for traveling this fall so they can go.

I’ve been real concerned with Dana’s low ox levels, even on oxygen, for awhile now. When I finally was able to talk with the lung specialist on the phone she wasn’t real helpful.  I made an appointment with the local doctor.  As soon as Dr. Allred heard what was going on, he told me to take Dana to the Cookeville ER. After doing all kinds of tests, they admitted Dana as they discovered that his kidneys were only working 20%, which was causing him to swell up with so much fluid and shortness of breath.  The kidney doctor thought after a lasix IV Dana could go home in a day, but a week later Dana is still in the hospital with low ox levels as soon as he stands up. So far Dana has lost nine pounds and thankfully his kidney function is getting closer to normal.  They aren’t letting Dana get up by himself- yesterday he had a seizure- so Dana is getting quite weak.  I talked with one of the doctors, who said they would get PT going.

Last Friday when I went to go down to visit Dana, here didn’t the Durango begin to cut out on me- thankfully when I was still at Jamestown. I called Dwight, who said I could take his old truck, but he hadn’t driven it on the interstate so didn’t know how it would do. I was able to get a hold of my pastor, who insisted on coming and getting me where I was so I wouldn’t end up stranded, and took me to the hospital to see Dana. Since then dear Dwight has worked on the vehicle and has got it running a lot better.

Unfortunately, all my traveling (for the wedding) and each time down to Cookeville sets off my RA and puts me down for a couple of days while trying to get my high pain levels back under control. It is quite frustrating as before when Dana was in the hospital I’d be there every day sitting for hours by his side. Instead, I am at home trying to keep my body going. I drive up the hill to get cell service and call each day so at least we are in touch.  Dana’s room is close to the nurse’s station so I know they are keeping a close watch on him.

I shall close before anything else major happens on my end.

Hope you are staying cool~

Dorcas

JULY 2021 WALKER NEWSLETTER

 

Hello!

It's hard to believe that we are halfway through the month of July and summer already.

Thankfully we got some rain as with the hot and humid weather the ground dries up quickly. This year the roses, rainbow colored two-toned lilies, bee balm and daisies have been blooming profusely. Now the tall phlox and rose of Sharon’s are coming out making the bees go crazy.

I've picked peas, green beans, and raspberries from the garden. Nothing tastes as good as fresh veggies and fruits. Now the blackberries are ripe and I'm impatiently waiting on my first tomato. I also dried peaches, made peach jam, and did up 35 quarts of sauerkraut. Between trying to keep the weeds down in the garden, I trimmed the boxwood formal garden, and mucked out the duck house again.

Speaking of ducks, I landed flat on my back one evening in the duck pen (I had emptied and refilled the water bucket) while trying to corral all the small ducks back into the duck house. I felt and smelled like a farmer as I limped back to the house. Thankfully after a couple of weeks of herding small bodies running in all directions, they are now filing in with the big ducks each night. I let the grown chicks out with the big hens each day. I'm still working on getting all nine feathery bodies back inside as they tend to run under the chicken house when it’s time to be put up.  So I get a broom to shoo them out and around the pen we go. Who needs a gym when you can chase little ducks and chicks around the yard each day? I am so excited that two of my small chicks are roosters.  I have missed hearing a rooster crowing for a couple of years now. The biggest one- white and cream- I'm calling Romeo. His crow is beginning to sound more natural and not like a rooster with laryngitis. The other reddish/brown with black tipped wings I've named, Rufus.

The other month right during a hot spell- on a Saturday no less- my old frig went out. Dwight tried to get it running again, but the compressor was gone. So praying fervently, I went to a store to buy a frig as Dana's insulin and Dwight's factor has to stay refrigerated. Thankfully I found a frig of the same brand and height to fit under the kitchen cabinets. They didn't know if they could deliver that day, but an hour later a couple guys brought the frig as another job had fallen through. They told me that we were really lucky.  I told them it was answer to prayer. I'm so glad we have a God who answers prayer in times of trouble!

 I injured my eye and ended up with an internal eye bleed, of all things. Since I've gotten older (who me???) I am having more internal bleeds from injuries. A couple days later my eye felt funny, but still looked normal.  Then one morning when I woke up my left eyebrow was an inch higher than the right and my eye was swollen. So I went around with an ice pack on my eye- nothing like trying to get things done with only one eye and hand. Don't you know it was the very week that the GAP team came to work at our house. Nothing like making a first great impression. I ran around with an ice pack over one eye showing them where the water hose and the  tools they needed were. They trimmed my long front hedge saving me a couple weeks of work, water pressured, and painted the picket fence along the driveway making it look like new again- after clearing out the front corners where two trees had been cut down this spring.

By the middle of the week, I was feeling pressure in my eye,  having headaches, some blurry vision, and my eye was watering so I landed in the recliner keeping my head up with an ice pack day and night to try and get it under control. Dwight even called the hemophilia center about my eye.

Over forty years ago, I was tested and informed that I was a hemophilia carrier, which I had already figured out from having bleeding problems growing up, but back then the medical field didn't worry about the girls, just the guys who had internal bleeds. Every year I took Dawn and Dwight to the hemophilia center to be checked out and I handled my bleeding problems on my own. Now that I tend to be getting internal bleeds as I get older, I need to get with the hemophilia center as your clotting level fluctuates- something I said years ago that they didn’t believe. The only problem is that I have no insurance. Here in the state of TN unless I am pregnant, have children under eighteen, have cancer or kidney disease, I don’t qualify.  Being a grandma the last thing I want is to get pregnant, I’m glad my kids have grown up, and I’m very thankful I don’t have cancer or a kidney disease. So Dwight and another fellow are trying to see what can be done as I seem to fall in the cracks. I’d appreciate prayer for this matter.  The two Gap ladies in charge of the team asked if they could pray for me. They were such a blessing. We prayed out in the driveway and the Lord touched my eye. By that night my headache was gone, my eye stopped watering, and my vision cleared up. It took another week of keeping ice on my eye for the swelling to go down as it’s amazing how much you look down every time you do anything. That same week Dwight was having a neck bleed as well and Dana of course can hardly get around. I told my pastor we were like the lame, the halt, and the blind at our house that the Bible talked about.

Dana’s oxygen levels have been staying low even with oxygen and despite physical therapy he remains weak and slow to get around. One day Dana passed out on the toilet.  He would take off his ox every time he got up ignoring me telling him to keep it on. Then Dana had a seizure in the bathroom and I had to call Dwight for help. When I checked his ox level it was 74! I was afraid he was going to have a stroke. So I told the local doctor, who told Dana in no uncertain terms (waving his finger in Dana’s face) that he was to keep his ox on. Dana has been having pain in his right hip and needs pain meds every time he lies down so they x-rayed his hip, which showed arthritis. I took Dana to an orthopedist specialist last week, who gave Dana a shot in his hip and has referred him to a neurologist. A male nurse from out church has offered to come and stay with Dana when Dwight takes me out to Annette’s wedding in a couple of weeks. It is a big relief to me as Dana isn’t able to travel- he can barely get to the doctor’s office using his wheel chair- and with all of Dana’s medical problems and meds he needs more care.

Dwight, when his body and the weather cooperates, is slowly putting metal on our roof that the Lord worked out where we were able to buy as when it rains I have to put bowls out in my sunroom and dining room to catch all the drips. Like our bodies, after so long, our house needs some work and repairs done.

Whew!  I think I’ve gotten caught up on all the news. Stay cool on your end!

Dorcas

JUNE WALKER NEWSLETTER

 

Hello!

Summer has arrived with hot humid weather that makes one sweat just going outside. Thing were really getting dry- my large water barrels that I use for the animals and gardens attached to the gutters were low and I was carrying water.  So when a much needed rain came I was thrilled.  After almost three weeks of rain nearly every day, I am ready for sunshine as my water barrels are overflowing.

It definitely is ducky weather. All the baby ducks ( I bought five more that are going to be white as I only have two white ducks left) have grown so they are now all out in the yard with the bigger ducks splashing in the puddles and playing in the rain having a big time.  Their tiny feet really have to move to keep up with the bigger ducks.  As soon as the bigger ducks stop to hunt for bugs all the eight babies plop their tiny bottoms on the ground to rest. They are so adorable and growing fast.  Sassy stays busy bossing her three and the other five around babies.  The yellow ducks are as big as the three she hatched out earlier.

I also bought some more honey bees so now have two hives buzzing away. Dwight helped me relocated the old hive to another place where there is more light. I bought another hive that I painted and Dwight set up.  The bees are doing much better in the new location.

All the rain and warm weather has made the planted seeds sprout and everything in the garden grow quickly.   The iris and peonies have bloomed and died already.  Now the roses are blooming and so beautiful this year.  My day lilies are just beginning to bloom along with daisies and other flowers. I love seeing the colorful butterflies fluttering among the flowers and hear the bees buzzing when I am out in the gardens.

Last week I picked cherries and more strawberries. Before long the raspberries and blackberries will be ripe. Tiny clusters of grapes have appeared on all the grapevines; lots of signs of life everywhere.

Early morning of the day I went to pick Dana up from the nursing home last month, I got to see tiny bluebirds fledge for the first time. I stood in my sun room amazed as one after another fluttered tiny wings and flew for the first time while their mother and father chirped encouragement and flew in circles around the nest box. The last little bluebird was reluctant to fly perching on the edge of the opening cheeping and looking around. It would flap its tiny wings and hop around, but then sit back down. I could just imagine how scary the big world looked to this tiny bird outside the safety of the nest box. I’ve felt like that many times when life pushed me out of my comfort zone. The mother bird kept chirping and I could hear smaller chirps from the others as they fluttered around flying short distances and then resting. Finally, after thirty minutes, the last baby bird got brave enough to fly the short distance to the nearby bush. It was an awesome experience to witness this family of fledging bluebirds outside my window.

This Friday Dana and I will celebrate our 45^th anniversary.  I can’t believe how quickly the years have flown by.  Dana is still weak despite having physical therapy twice a week.  He isn’t gaining back his strength like we had hoped. His ox levels often are down even on oxygen every day. So taking care of Dana keeps me busy. I’m so glad I have Dwight here at home to help.

The big news in our family is that Annette, Dawn’s oldest girl, got engaged in April and is planning on getting married the end of July. It doesn’t seem like that long ago I was racing around in wedding preparations for Dawn’s wedding living with multiple lists for a year. I can never forget that wild and hectic time of life and can’t imagine putting together a wedding in a couple of months. Being the grandma is so nice to only have to show up, sit back, and enjoy the celebration. Dana would like to go to the wedding, but at this point there is no way he could handle the trip etc.  My wedding preparations will be making sure Dana is covered while I am gone for a long day. While it would be lovely to stay longer and visit, all the care Dana needs demands that I get back as quickly as possible.

Hope you are enjoying summer on your end.

Until next time~

Dorcas

 

 

MAY WALKER NEWSLETTER

 

Hello!

I can hardly believe that a month has passed since I sent out the last newsletter.

It has been busy weeks.

The ground finally got dry enough for me to begin the garden. What joy turning over the dirt and planting tiny seeds in the earth. My peas, lettuce, spinach, red beets, and onions are all up and my beans are sprouting. I cleared out around my grapevines and raspberries that have berries already.  Also cleaned out the buckets at the downspouts.

The exciting news is that we have three baby duckies! Sassy (my dark brown duck) faithfully sat on her nest of eggs each day. Unfortunately, her babies decided to hatch on one of the cold mornings and I discovered three baby lifeless babies out of the nest. Two were too far gone, but I was able to get one of them breathing again. Nothing like trying to do CPR on something the size of a tiny baby bird. The three baby ducks are doing great and growing. None of the rest of her eggs hatched out though. Poor Princess (my lovely big white duck) ended up breaking most of her eggs she was sitting on again. So none of them hatched out for her.  Then to my dismay the drake, Donald, died on me one day.  The baby chicks have all grown enough that I put them in the main henhouse and are doing well.

Speaking of babies, I can hear tiny chirps in the Bluebird box next to the back porch. Their gorgeous father stays busy flying back and forth bringing food to them.

Lots of other birds have arrived as well. I was thrilled to see the hummingbirds come back again, although they were later this year. I keep plenty of food out as we continue to have cold spells. This year most of my wisteria and lilacs buds froze.  The azaleas survived and were so lovely. Now the iris are blooming.

I had a scary stressful adventure one morning when my brakes suddenly quit working while I was driving to town to go and visit Dana at the nursing home. Thankfully the Lord watched over me and I didn't wreck. Dwight came to my rescue and traded out the Durango (that he got back to his workshop) for his pickup that I had never driven before. I had to use both hands to get the driver's door shut, but at least it had brakes, which made me feel a lot safer. Dwight had to replace the entire brake line as it had broken. I don't know what I would do without Dwight.

I got Dana admitted to our local nursing home for physical therapy as he was getting so weak and fell on me again. It took a month as they wouldn’t return any of my calls.  I had to make two trips to the nursing home myself. Turned out all the state insurance needed were more medical records for coverage. Dana started having seizures again, which I thought might be from the stress of getting adjusted to being in the nursing home. After a month as they continued, were getting closer together, and becoming worse, I was alarmed, made prayer requests, and began making calls. Instead of getting stronger, Dana was weaker, falling more, and was in a wheelchair. Finally after Dana had two seizures one morning and then a major one that evening where he went unconscious, the doctor put his seizure med back up from where it had been lowered a couple months before. Once the increased med was in Dana’s system, he immediately quit having seizures and felt like himself again.  Dana quickly gained strength and even tried to preach at the next nursing home church service totally overdoing it, ended up with chest pains, and was sent to the ER by ambulance. Needless to say the nursing home staff and I have been in continual communication with all of Dana’s happenings these past two months. This Friday I am to bring Dana back home again. Such a time just for physical therapy! Thankfully Dana is stronger and doing much better.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention my battle with a four foot long chicken snake one morning- before any ducks hatched out- when I heard a commotion at the duck house. When I went in to investigate this horrible snake was on Sassy’s nest and had eaten one of her eggs. I was so mad; I grabbed the shovel, got it off the nest, and tried to pin it down while hollering for Dwight. Dwight was in his bedroom as he was having a knee bleed, but thankfully it was a warm day and the windows were open. Tex, who was tied up as he tends to get after the chickens when we let them loose, immediately began barking furiously as soon as he heard me yelling. Dwight heard Tex, went out and told him to hush, and then went back inside. Meanwhile me and Sassy were dancing around dodging the crazy snake that kept coming at us while every chance I got I jumped to the door to yell, then would and go at the snake again. Dear Tex started barking again. Dwight went out, thumped Tex good to hush him up, and thankfully heard me yell. He came to my rescue and killed the snake. Whew! I was quite worn out by then. When I got back up to the house, I petted and praised Tex telling him what a good dog he was.

Well I do need to hush up before anything else happens around here. I hope things have warmed up where you are at. 

Until next time~ Dorcas

    

APRIL WALKER NEWSLETTER

Hello!

He is Risen; He is Risen Indeed!!!

The Easter season is here as spring explodes on our mountain despite some stormy weather that included high winds and hail. The white and pink of the peach and pear trees are blooming with tulips & hyacinths flaunting their bold flowers of red, yellow, purple, and bold pink. Bushes are sprouting tiny green leaves and wild violets carpet the ground as birds flitter around building nests.

Usually by this time I have started planting my garden, but am still running late due to all the rain this month leaving the ground soggy in spite of the lovely warm temperatures we have been having. Each week I am hanging out wash on the line.

The big news is that I finally was able to get Dana admitted to our local nursing home for more intensive physical therapy after a month of waiting due to the admissions director not returning any of my calls and having to make two trips to the nursing home. Then I was left waiting outside over half an hour with Dana- after they knew we were there for admission and coming- before I finally got help. Since they now no longer have phones in the rooms, I got my cell phone to Dana where we can communicate more efficiently and keep in touch as one day it took five calls until I was able to speak to Dana. Dana is quite weak and unsteady so they aren't letting him walk around by himself.

The first time I went to visit Dana (when I asked the nurse about visiting the day Dana was admitted, she said just come and they would bring Dana to the front), I was informed that I couldn't see Dana without an appointment. I hadn't been given any paper stating rules for visitation.  I was told I could go and knock on Dana's window and talk to him that way.  All I knew was that Dana's room was at the back of the nursing home, but didn't have a clue what window. Now can you imagine me going around knocking on windows and peering inside trying to find Dana? Someone would call the police for sure thinking a crazy lady was trying to break in. I told them I wanted to speak to the person in charge. I waited another half an hour until the director came out and we had quite the chat as I informed her of the month long hassle with the admissions lady, making us wait for over half an hour when I brought Dana to be admitted, the frustrating process of even trying to get to speak with Dana, and now not even being able to visit  him. She was quite appalled at all the inefficiency we had experienced, explained to me the visitation rules, and gave me her number to call if there were any more problems.  Thankfully on Dana’s end he has been getting good care so hopefully will soon get stronger and more independent with all the therapy.

The six baby chicks are rapidly growing in the brooder and covered with feathers showing their true colors. Both a smaller female brown duck and white duck have laid almost a dozen eggs in a nest and are starting to sit on them. Speaking of ducks, I had quite an unusual experience the other day. I went out to my mailbox to get the mail when I heard the next door neighbor fellow yelling at me from his upstairs window something about a big white duck and small brown duck. I asked if they had gotten into his yard thinking that maybe there was a hole in the fence that I hadn’t noticed. He said “No, there’s a big white duck and small brown duck in your yard.” I was completely confused as I know I have big white ducks and small brown ducks in my yard. He signaled me to wait and soon appeared. He was all upset saying he couldn’t stand to see anything or anybody bullied and one of my big white ducks was beating the crap out of a small brown one. He was ready to get his gun and shoot the big white duck. I told him to please not shoot any of my ducks- they are on my land after all- and especially not the big drake as I needed him so I could have baby ducks. I explained to him that the drake was probably trying to mate with the smaller female as he has been chasing them around sometimes.  My neighbor said that the white duck was going to kill the small brown one if I didn’t do something. I promised to separate them right away. So with the mail in my hand I went around the back of the house and herded the white ducks (after making sure the brown duck were all okay, which they were) down to the woods and closed the gate.  Of course the brown ducks followed behind and went under the gate into the woods too. Such is life in the country!

Have a blessed Easter season as we celebrate our risen Lord and King!

Sending lots of spring hugs your way~

Dorcas

  

MARCH WALKER NEWSLETTER

 

Hello!

Since it is St. Patrick's Day today, the Irish is coming out in me, especially as spring has arrived and the grass is turning green again. Crocuses have been blooming while the daffodils and forsythia bushes are beginning to show off their bright yellow colors. My cherry bushes and peach trees are ready to burst out in pink too.  There is the flurry of birds arriving each day to begin building nests adding new bird songs to the ones t hat have wintered over. For two weeks in a row I was able to hang out wash on warm sunny days. What bliss! Some years by this time I've already begun planting in the garden, but the ground is staying too wet with all the spring showers so far. That doesn't mean I've been twiddling my thumbs though.

February brought in snow and ice storms with frigid temperatures down in the teens so I was kept busy twice a day toting water and breaking ice for the animals while adding straw for warmth and keeping a good supply of food handy. One bad ice storm knocked out our electric for three days so we were heating and cooking on the wood-stove and using our oil lamps for light. Dwight and I took turns all through the night to keep the fire burning and hauling in wood. We were exhausted and very happy when the electric finally came back on.  While some people like to rough it, I've always preferred having modern conveniences myself.

A neighbor loaned us a small generator to keep Dana's air and tri-pap machine going at night so he could stay home and wouldn't have to go to the overcrowded hospital or to a place in town where generators were set up.  Afterwards a family in our church generously gave us a generator to have of our own. What a blessing, because we realized we needed to get one as Dana went through two large tanks of oxygen during the day. The ambulance crew brought us oxygen to tide us over as we couldn't get out- we don't have any snowplows to clear our road. We were snowbound for two weeks. I tried one Saturday three times to get up our steep hill, but couldn't make it. Dawn & Randy brought us bread and milk when they came with their 4-wheel vehicle the last weekend for missionary services. Through it all, God worked everything out.  We are truly blessed.

This is also the time of year when ducks get broody and hide eggs in the nest.  I put new straw down, rearranged the nesting boxes in a more secluded spot, and have started letting the eggs sit in the nest in hopes of getting some baby ducks. Last year Princess tried three times to hatch out eggs in a too narrow box, that she was determined to be in, only for her eggs to get broken. I moved the narrow box up in the smaller duck’s section- where one of the females is now laying her eggs- to avoid that happening this year.

Meanwhile I have six tiny fur balls of chicks under the heat lamp in the brooder.  They are rapidly growing and small feathers are appearing on their baby wings. Such delight to watch the little yellow chicks’ first totter around on spindly legs that can barely hold them up, to seeing them gain confidence, flap their wings, and run around as they double in size and get stronger.

In the beginning of the month, we were saddened to learn that Dana’s great Aunt Audrey died up in Ohio. Every time I have to cross off a name from my list it brings back memories of all the other special people that I have been privileged to know, who have passed on as well. I’m so glad we have the hope of being reunited forever one day with all the wonderful family and friends who have gone on before us. Even though we miss them, their legacy lives on in the hearts of those who knew them.

I want to get this out in the mail so shall hush up for now.

Enjoy all the spring delights and beauty on your end~

Dorcas

Hello and Happy New Year!

Winter has arrived after a mild autumn season.  Freezing days find me getting plenty of exercise keeping the wood-stoves going, carrying in wood and carrying out ashes, along with taking care of the animals that includes breaking ice in water buckets, carrying water to fill up the heated water bowls inside the hen and duck house, and making sure there is plenty of feed and straw to keep the fat feathery bodies warm and fed. Ironically, the ducks start laying eggs in the middle of the winter and often outlay the hens some days. I can't figure out if it is the extra straw that encourages them or what.

I managed to fall out of the old year and fall into the New Year quite literally. Right before Dawn and her family came over the new year for our Christmas, in a hurry I tripped and hit the floor jamming my (thankfully) left hand, which swelled up. Dawn was still recovery from surgery on her right hand so we both were limited in the kitchen.  Thankfully Annette kept us going.  We also got to meet Curtis, her boyfriend.  As usual our time together was too short, but we made lots of happy memories filled with talking and laughter.

Then about a week later as I was putting some Christmas decorations back up in the attic I lost my balance coming down the ladder and fell back against the wall sliding down to the floor. This time only my pride was hurt- nothing like landing in an ungraceful heap on the floor.

Dwight helped fence in my mulch pile to keep it more together as the chickens and duck love to get in it and dig around thoroughly stirring everything up saving me lots of time and energy.

Before the real cold weather hit, I got my hedge in front of the woods trimmed, mucked out the hen & duck houses again, and gathered more buckets of sticks for kindling. Then on cold snowy days I organized my pantry, my pots and pan cabinet, canned some pinto and white beans, and made up a batch of apple butter.

That all came to a sudden halt when I fell again- this time outside of the chicken pen right after putting them up when without thinking I kicked at a board at the bottom of the door that was stuck. It didn’t move so I reared back and really gave it a kick only for the board to give way and flip me on the ground. I had on my winter jacket so at first didn’t think I had hurt myself too much as I  limped around, but by the time I got back inside my left hand (again) was swelling and my left arm and shoulder (that I had messed up this summer when I fell) was giving me pain. So I landed back in the recliner with ice packs for two weeks to keep the swelling down and manage my pain. I had trouble getting dressed. Dear Dwight, who I don’t know what I would do without, had to help me comb my hair and braid it for me as I couldn’t reach up, help with taking care of Dana, the cooking, washing, and taking care of the animals. Slowing way down gave me plenty of time to think and realize that I am not as flexible and coordinated as I used to be so if I want to stay up on my feet I shall have to walk instead of run, hang onto ladders with both hands, and think before jumping right in and doing stuff I used to do, which definitely will be a challenge for me. Sooo ratty!!!

Over the holidays, Dana’s oxygen levels kept going down- even with oxygen- due to all the fluid he retains.  The cardiologist and lung specialist both have said that there isn’t much they can do as with his multiple physical issues and meds that put on fluid it’s kind of a juggling act between everything. We were going to admit Dana to the local nursing home for more intense physical therapy at the beginning of the year, as he is quite weak and to keep him on his feet, but due to the high covid virus cases lately in the county have put it off for a month or so.

It’s wonderful to be back up on our feet and to be able to take care of our self and everyone else.  I declare I’ve have more than my share of falls for the year already, but grateful no bones were broken. I’m thankful for a warm house, clothes, and food to eat.  The Lord has certainly been good to us. I’m also glad that I can finally get a letter out to you even if it is rather late.

So stay warm on your end~

Dorcas