Public!

Today has turned out great, even though this morning it went about as far south as it could go and I am counting all of my blessings tonight.

Early this morning, after breakfast, Tony and I went over to the Lodge to drink a cup of coffee with Kinky and Marcie. When we arrived at the Lodge Marcie was still asleep in the Annex, so we ended up drinking coffee and had a fun, but short visit with Frank and Kinky instead.

After we left the Lodge, as Buttermilk took us over the river and through the woods, Tony complained about his chest hurting, so when we got home he took two more baby Aspirin, then he went outside to do his morning chores.

Ten minutes later Tony walked inside the trailer and said, "Nance, my chest is really hurting. Would you mind coming outside with me while I do my chores, so you'll be there if something happens?" His words scared me, so I closed my laptop and turned and looked at T. and I could tell that he didn't feel good, so I asked Tony to call Wolfmueller's books to see if they could recommend a clinic for us to go to. After Tony told Sandy about his chest hurting, she told Tone she wanted to talk to me, so Tony handed me the phone.

"Nancy, go to the Emergency Room right now!" Sandy said. "I'm serious. Take Tony to the Emergency Room now..." After I promised her we would, I called Aaron to see if he was working today, because I was going to ask him to come out and feed our dogs for us. Aaron answered his cell phone on the third ring and he told me that he was working and then he asked me why, so I told him about Tone's chest pains and us fixin' to go the hospital in Kerrville. Then I called Kinky.

"Kink, I just wanted to let you know that I'm taking Tony to the Emergency Room right now. I'll call you when we get there. Bye." Thirty-three minutes later, I dropped Tony off at the front door of the Emergency Room and then I went and found a parking space for Buttermilk.

When I walked into the ER a sweet nurse was helping put T. into a wheelchair and then they quickly took off with me right behind them. Within twenty minutes Tony had been hooked up to a EKG heart monitoring machine, had given some of his blood away for free, which nearly caused me to pass out, and had chest ex-rays taken. Then we were told to sit and wait and be patient, because it could take several hours before the tests results came back, so I went outside and called Kinky to give him an update and then I called Sandy and Jon and updated them, too. They all told me to "hang-in-there," so I took their advice and hanged.

As we waited patiently in the private room, I told Tony that everything was going to be alright and then my cell phone rang—it was Aaron. "Nancy, they let me take off and I'm leaving Medina right now and heading for the rescue ranch, so I can feed the dogs for y'all. How is Tony?" After I thanked Aaron for helping us out and relieved that he was going to feed our dogs I teared up. Then the phone rang again—it was Kinky. After I updated him on T.'s condition Kinky asked me to meet him and Marcie at one o'clock for lunch at a nearby restaurant. When I told Tony about the invite, he told me to go have lunch with them, so I did.

When I walked inside the restaurant Kinky, Marcie and Max Swafford, our good friend who wrote the greatest book about Kinky, The Kinky File, waved at me from a table, for me to come join them. After I sat down at the table the waitress appeared and asked us if we were ready to order. "I'll have the Speedy Gonzales with tea, please" I said. Then Marce ordered their daily Special.

"I want exactly what Cousin Nancy just ordered," Kinky said, followed by a laugh. "With flour and corn tortillas, please."

Then Max says, "Me, too. I want the same thing that Nancy and Kinky are having, too. It sounds good." Then the friendly waitress smiled at us and then she took off to go turn in our orders and then we started talking about Tony. Max, who had just eight days ago had a heart attack and survived it, had been air lifted to San Antonio where they put a stint in and cleaned out two of his arteries, tried to cheer me up as did Marcie and Kinky. Before leaving the restaurant Max asked me if it would be okay for him to go see T. and I told him yes, and then I thanked Kinky for lunch and then said, "Y'all, I know that Tony is going to be okay. I really do." After hugs, Buttermilk and I took off.

As I was walking in the parking lot headed towards the Emergency Room I hear, "Nance, wait up!" I turned around and there was Max. When he caught up with me he says, "This feels so weird to me, because eight days ago I was walking, right where we're walking—into the ER..."

When we walked into Tony's room he was glad to see us and two minutes later—the doctor walks in and she says, "Everything looks great Mr. Simons. Your heart is in great condition and everything looks really good. We are waiting on one more test result to rule out a possible blood clot and if there is one we will check you into the hospital for a few days to dissolve it. If there isn't a blood clot we can send you home in about an hour." I don't know who was happier to have received her news, because we were all smiling.

After Max left, I visited with Tony for a few minutes and then he suggested that I go to H-E-B, to save time, to get our groceries, so I took off to H-E-B, because I knew that T. was going to be okay.

While I speed-shopped in H-E-B I ran into our dear friends David & Desiree Farrar, owners of Kerrville's favorite B&B—"Trails End Guest House." After howdys and hugs they teased me about us running into each other again at H-E-B and then they asked me where Tony was. "Well, he's in the Emergency Room at Peterson's right now and..." After I finished telling them the whole story their frowns quickly turned into smiles and they told me to call them if we needed anything. Then a few isles later, I ran into our dear friend and neighbor, Sally Merwin and I had the exact same conversation with her. Then I paid for our groceries and Buttermilk took me back to the Emergency Room where Tony was patiently sitting in the waiting room—waiting for me—to go home, but we didn't go home right then, because we needed to swing by Hoegemeyers Animal Clinic to pick up our little Maudie.

We arrived back at the rescue ranch just a few minutes before five o'clock and the three of us were so glad to be back home! Then I looked at Carlton, who was flashing on the breakfast bar, and saw that I had nineteen new phone calls to return. I listened to them as Tony and I put away our groceries and then I returned ten of the most urgent phone calls. Then T. and I went outside, right before dark, and cleaned the dog pens while handing out treats to our super rescued dogs.

To say the least—it has been one heck of a day for us, but like always— it turned our great and I am so thankful for that. And tonight, after reading Mari's comment about not being able to view my nine minute 2010 Blog Memories, which I accidentally forgot to make Public—is now Public! I hope that y'all enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed making it. Happy New Year, once again! I know it's going to be a great year! I love you, Tony!

Y'all have a great evening!