Happy Birthday to Me

This is me as a dog, well, maybe not the ears.  Sorry about the flash reflection.

I received a mug from my sister for my birthday.  Everyone knows I love butterflies so I wasn’t surprised that it had butterflies on it.

What was surprising was how it looked after I put hot water in it.  This is amazing.  I will be drinking many more hot drinks from now on.

My friends and family went out to lunch today.  There were 7 of us as a few couldn’t make it.  We ate and had a good time.  I got a chocolate chip cookie with a candle in it for dessert.

Then, of course, we found a flea market type shop nearby.  It used to be a grocery store but now is divided up into booths for vendors to sell their crafts and collectibles. 

A good time was had by all.  Now it’s nap time.

later….

Doing Business

I had an appointment with an estate planner today.   He explained TOD (transfer on death) and POD (pay on death). 

TOD is for property or vehicles.  You can have a new deed or title made up and filed ahead of time so the property transfers smoothly to someone else on your death.

POD is much the same thing but is used on bank accounts etc.  It is about the same as naming a beneficiary.

It seems the goal is to avoid probate as much as possible.  When I made the appointment he asked me to bring lots of things, like titles and deeds and IRA statements.

I found most of it but couldn’t find the title to the car.  You only need the title when you are buying or selling the vehicle.  Also couldn’t find the deed to this property.  I can get copies of both.

Depressing?  Not really.  It’s reality.  I want to make things as easy as possible for my family.  Cleaning out all my accumulation of stuff will be enough of a job for them.

The sun came out this afternoon which was great.  I have been pretending it is spring already.  There are a few inches of snow still on the ground and every now and then a new coating of sleet or snow.

My hoarseness is getting better.  It is a side affect of the taxol chemotherapy.  This week off proves that fact.   My back is still a little sore from my fall but getting better each day. 

All in all things are going well, just need some more energy.

later….

 

 

More Horses and Dr. Appointment

The first 3 pictures are of the big black horse.  He was beautiful but I wondered if there wasn’t some hair dye on some little part of him.  The rider had to make the signals to him that were very obvious to get him to change gaits.

He was being trained and was a little slow to respond but did his best.

 

The rider tried to get him to bow while she was on him but he wouldn’t do it until she got off.

At the Lipizzaner.com (<—link) website they advertise some of these horses for sale – $25,000 will get you a stallion.  The mares do not perform and can be bought for $7,500.  They said the mares are built differently, different weight distribution, so they cannot do the same tricks the stallions do. 

Today’s medical appointment was quick, just draw some blood.  They couldn’t get my port to work so they put some heparin in it and drew the blood they needed from a vein.  Maybe it will work next time.

I didn’t need a blood booster shot.

So this week I will try to get some things done while I feel a little better.  Things like take a load to the Salvation Army and pick up some paint chips to decide what color to paint the bathroom.

later….

 

Night Out

Friday night I got to see something that I have wanted to see for many years.  The Lipizzanor Horses.  (<—link)

Susan picked me up after she got off work and we went out to eat, then went on to the show.

Here are some pictures I took.  Susan got some better ones that I may post later.

There were eight horses and they all performed together at the end.  The history and story of these horses is interesting to read if you follow the link in the first paragraph.

There was one black horse, very big with huge feet, who performed a bit.  He was a bit clumsy but very entertaining.  It made you appreciate the smooth performance of the Lipizzanors. 

They explained that these horses are slow to mature but can live to 30 years.  For 4 years they just let them be horses and watch them to see which ones would be good for training.  All the moves they do are normal moves that horses do in the field when they romp around.

At about age 4 training is started and only lasts for 45 minutes a day.  These must be the most pampered horses in the world.

The trick is to get them to do the moves when you want them to. 

I missed one perfect picture because the person in front of me got so excited that she waved her arm in front of my camera.  It’s one the moves called “airs above the ground” where the horse rears up and then kicks it’s back feet out behind, all 4 feet off the ground at once. 

I really enjoyed the evening even though I coughed some and couldn’t talk part of the time.  The hoarseness continues and there is a sharp pain in my back when I cough so I can’t do it properly.   It is a bit better each day. 

later….

SUNSHINE

My car door is open and my cell phone is charging inside the car.

Lory and John came by and are helping me out.

My back is sore, I pulled something when I fell.  Did you know you use muscles in your back when you clear your throat or blow your nose? 

So I am talking in a whisper and taking double doses of Mucinex  D.  Actually, I’m taking the dose they say to take.  I was taking only 1 pill at a time before.

The sun is making everything melt and drip even though temperatures are still below freezing.  The dogs want to go out a lot to enjoy the sunshine.

It makes a big difference in everything. 

later….

 

 

WINTER

This morning Time Warner cable was down which means I had no TV, no phone, and no internet.  It came back on about 11:00 a.m.

By then Susan had been by to check on me when she couldn’t get me on the phone. 

My cell phone doesn’t get a very good connection here at home.  It needs charging anyway.  I have lost the charger that works in the house.  The only one I have is the one that works in the car.

The car doors are frozen shut.  Tried a hair dryer for a few minutes but it seems to be all around the door, not just the latch.  Too cold for staying out that long.

Last night I sprinkled “ice melt” on the back deck and the front steps.  The first step off the front porch looked just like the concrete porch which was not covered in ice.  So I stepped onto that first step to reach farther with the ice melt. 

One step, my foot slipped out from under me and I landed on my back and slid down four steps. 

Stupid!!!

After a moment I resettled my glasses on my face and assessed the situation. 

Everything moved okay so I held to the icy iron rail beside the steps and scooted my self up to the first step, then the next higher one and so forth until I was back on the porch. 

By then the seat of my clothes was wet from melting ice.  Maybe that would have been a better way to melt the ice on the steps.

This morning I checked myself a bit in the mirror.  There is a red spot on the right side of my back and the back of my right arm is a bit sore. 

As usual it may take another day before I know just how sore I will be.  Coughing is pretty painful.

Thousands of people are without power and shelters have been opened.  Tree branches are falling on houses and cars.  Some counties have forbidden anyone to drive on the roads except emergency vehicles. 

I am grateful I have a warm home and everything I need right here.

That groundhog had better be right about spring coming soon.

later….

Day After No. 9

I slept through chemo yesterday.  Must have been sleepy even after 6 hours of sleep Sunday night.

Day after chemo is always a crap shoot.  Today I am making lots of trips to the bathroom and drinking lots of ginger ale. 

We have an ice storm going on today and tomorrow.  A lot of homes are without power.  There are a lot of accidents on the roads.  Lucky me doesn’t have to go out.

The dogs had trouble with the ice.  Bandit couldn’t get traction to get back into the house and required a little help.

I found the “ice melt” stuff and sprinkled it on the back deck.  It is working, thank goodness.

Maybe I’ll even get dressed…

later….