Cookies and Cemeteries

I have always baked molasses cookies and I used to mail them to family at Christmas time.  Somehow Linda missed the training our Mother gave me as to molasses cookie baking.

Linda did most of the work, I mixed the spices together so they would be evenly distributed thru the dough.  Of course, there was a lot of taste testing along the way.

You have to get your hands right into the dough and since my fingers are peeling I opted out of that job.  I get into baking but that would be a bit much.

We visited several cemeteries and I learned a few things.  In the older parts of a cemetery there may be a zinc monument.  It is tricky to identify them.  They are a slightly different color, a greenish or bluish tinge. 

My company received their mail they were waiting for so they are ready to go.  I may have to let some air out of one of their tires. 

later….

 

Company

Company just arrived, once again I have a large RV in my driveway.  Linda & Bob arrived just as I was taking my last bite of lunch.

There is a joke payback in the following picture.  Linda & Bob live fulltime in their RV so mail is hard to receive.  Since they knew a while back that they would be visiting here they had their mail forwarded here.  One of the packages that arrived was from Terrapin Farms.  Bob said there was an actual turtle in the box and I would have to feed it soon.

I panicked since I only pick up my mail about once a week so it could have been at the post office several days before I picked it up.

I was thinking I would need a container for this turtle – if it was alive – and food – what do turtles eat? 

There was no turtle in the box, just some special food they had ordered.  SO I was on the warpath for paybacks.  I tried to borrow a real turtle, I checked about actually buying one, I looked on craigslist. 

Finally at the last minute Amy (at the Butter St. Barn) gave me a small concrete turtle.  Better than nothing.

I opened the box, took out two bottles of their chipotle and slipped the concrete turtle in.

This is a picture of Bob finding his turtle. 

 

The news about John is good.  He is being moved out of ICU today and into a regular room.  He may get to come home on Tuesday.  Of course, he will go home with a bunch of prescriptions and instructions.  But home is where he needs to be.  You really can’t rest in a busy hospital.

Played peek-a-boo with Teddy this morning.  It started when I pulled the covers over my head to try to get him to leave me alone. 

When I peeked out to see how he was taking it he did his gleeful wiggle thing.  So I did it again.  Then he turned his head away and then back quickly – his version of pulling the covers over his head. 

I had a problem believing he was doing it on purpose but after several demonstrations with lots of happy wiggles (on his part) I have to believe he was playing his version of peek-a-boo.

Now that I think about it I’ve seen one year olds do that so maybe it’s not so surprising.

I’m enjoying my company now and….

later….

Flowers Etc.

Temptation won at noon time when Susan called and asked if I wanted anything special for lunch.  I asked for a foot long hotdog with chili sauce on it.  Heartburn here I come.  It really tasted good.

Lory’s significant other, John, is in the hospital with heart problems.  He has been moved to ICU so he can be monitored more closely.  In ICU there are two patients per nurse whereas in a regular room there are ten patients per nurse. 

It seems the top of his heart is not agreeing with the bottom half.  They may have to shock it to reset the rhythm.

The other day I took some pictures of the flowers in my yard.  Today I will post them.

Morning glories have taken over the railing on the front porch.

The above picture is not flowers, it is a new, bigger electric pole that proves the cities intent to widen the street next summer.  The new sidewalk will be this side of it, shortening the front lawns by several feet.

Last year I wanted blue morning glories so John saved me some seed.  It was successful as you can see.

later….

Beautiful Week-end with Sadness

Blogger pulled a fast one but I figured it out. It came up with the tab on “Insert” so I clicked on home and found the usual screen. 

The weather has been wonderful for a while now.  It makes me sneeze and it gives Teddy an ear infection.  It is still beautiful.  Chilly at night and warm enough during the day.

Received my fourth round of Zeloda pills Thursday and started them that evening.  So far I’ve only forgotten to take them within half an hour after eating one time.  I waited a couple hours and ate again and took them. 

Bandit is still getting his pills.  Only once has he found them in his piece of hotdog and spit it out.  I had to force his mouth open to get it down him.

Friday my granddaughter graduated from beauty school, went to lunch with her Mother and then had an auto accident that broke her wrist and caused her to need 60 stitches in her knee.

Also on Friday my nephew was killed in an auto accident.

Then on Sunday a cousin passed away.  He had a full life and hadn’t been well for a long time.  That’s the normal order of things.

For people who believe things happen in threes – that’s it – enough.

Later….

 

Another Wednesday

It’s going to rain.  I can tell because Bandit is panting and worrying.  Well, the weather man predicted it also.

Bandit seems to be doing okay with all his medicines.  I used one of my pill holders to try to keep all his pills straight.  I put the pills into the middle of a piece of hotdog and down they go.

Finally got a call from the pharmacy today.  I answered their questions and gave them permission to take the money out of my account.  The pills will be delivered tomorrow.

Of course, I had planned to go out to breakfast with my friends.  So far the UPS delivery has been close to noontime but if I leave the house in the morning – Murphy’s law would apply.  The delivery would come and I wouldn’t be here to sign for it.

The other occasion I will be missing is my Granddaughters graduation from beauty school.  She has a job starting next Tuesday.  I’m very proud of her.  Her Mother is also a beautician so I should always look good – right!

I did actually get a hair trim to make the sides that are growing in match the top that never fell out.  All of it seems to be curly.   I could have gotten a perm and skipped the cancer and chemo.  

I know – I have a strange sense of humor.

later….

Dog Emergency & Chemo Break

Last night I noticed blood spots on the floor of the bathroom.  I had cut one of Bandit’s toenails earlier – I have to cut one at a time.  So I checked his nails and while doing that I found a large wound on his hip.

He had a large fatty tumor or sebaceous  cyst there ever since I got him a year ago.  It was about the size of my fist.  At first I thought he had somehow scrapped it off but now I think it burst.  It was too late to call the vet so I waited till this morning.

We got a 2:30 appt. and he got a large area shaved and got the wound cleaned out.  The spot had actually shrunk over night until it was only about an inch across. 

So now we have pills, three kinds – (1) Prednisone 20 mg give 1/2 tablet every 12 hours for 5 days, then every 24 hours for 10 days,  then every other day till gone.

(2) Gabapentin caps 400 mg. Give 1 capsule every 12 hours for pain management.  After 2 days give 1 per day.  May cause mild sedation.

(3) Cephalexin 500 mg capsules.  Give 1 capsule every 12 hours until gone.  Give with food. (antibiotic)

Got all that?  It’s more complicated than my pills.  I am to leave the wound open and let it heal on its own.  I’m not to let him lick it very much.

I was able to get him into the car and into the vets office by myself.  Of course, as soon as he realized where he was he wanted out. 

When we got home he had trouble getting out of the car.  I waited while he assessed the situation and he finally figured it out.

I will do you a favor and not put on a picture of that wound.  I guess I can’t call him lumpy anymore.  He still has a couple of other small lumps but nothing as big as the one that is gone.

I’m getting an extra long break from my chemo pills.  The doctor’s office didn’t get the prescription sent in till late.  I would normally have started the pills Monday night. 

Now I don’t know when I will get them.  They haven’t called to ask if I am in the hospital or hospice or a nursing home or getting home health care.  If I answer “yes” to any of those four questions I don’t get the pills.  

Things will work themselves out….

later….

 

Groceries and Doctor Appointment

This could be every dog I’ve ever had.

At the grocery if there is a cart that goes thump thump thump or pulls to one side or the other – I get it.  The store puts bumpy tile in the area where the carts are kept so you can’t identify those carts before you pick one.

So I thumped around the grocery store turning left only with great determination.

I had planned an early trip yesterday but my eyes weren’t cooperating.  Everything was fuzzy until late in the day.  Probably all the pollen in the air.  So the place was packed by the time I got there.

I got the last available handicapped parking space.  I did find everything I wanted.  I got doggie pee pads and spread them out in the mud room.  This morning there was a puddle on one!  YEAH!  Bandit cooperated.

He just has an old dog’s problem.  His annual check-up is coming up soon and I will need help getting him into the vet’s office. 

My nose doesn’t need to be broken again.  It looks okay from the outside but the septum is deviated.  One nostril is almost blocked.  Okay, I know, I should have gone to a doctor right away. 

Have a doctor’s appt. this morning. 

3:30 After Dr. appointment

My blood cancer marker was 91 – down from 171 last time.  This is good news.  I got Zometa, a bone strengthener.  I get it every two months now.

The doctor looked at the bottoms of my feet and the palms of my hands.  The feet are blistering and peeling.  The point of all the Udder Cream is to keep the feet and hands soft so when they peel the skin doesn’t tear and make a bloody sore.

Do you know how hard it is to NOT pull off dead skin?  I asked for patience once, I guess I’ve got it now.  If I wait there is new skin under the peeling blisters.  It doesn’t make walking much fun but I can live with it.

It is a beautiful day today.  It’s supposed to be nice all week and turn chilly at the end of the week.  Maybe I will catch the computer guy and get my G and H put back on.

Later….

 

My 9/11

The radio said that a plane had flown into one of the twin towers in New York.  I thought – some little plane piloted by a crazy person  - but when I turned on the TV it was pretty clear.

I called my daughter, Susan.  She turned on her TV.  We stayed on the phone the whole morning except for when she made a quick call to her boy friend (later her husband).  We cried and shared the experience.

I kept picturing what those people in the planes had thought and felt as they approached the building.

When they reported the flight had gone down in Pennsylvania I was horrified at first and then very proud.  We were fighting back in the only way we could.

That evening there were two great big BOOMS.  The radio reported that a plane had flown into the veterans cemetery.  Now they are bombing our dead veterans? 

Eventually it was decided the booms were sonic booms.  A plane had broken the sound barrier over our area.  I should have recognized the sound but it had been a long time since I had heard it. 

My guess was it was the escort for the president’s plane heading for Washington.  I also think they were flying a route that passed over military bases, like Wright Pat.

Later in the day I heard from my friend, Jeanne.  She and I had made plans to set up to sell our antiques and collectibles at the Springfield monthly show on the coming week-end. 

We had paid the fees and chosen our site.  Should we still go?  Would anyone be there?  We left it a question for a day or so.

On Sept. 12 I was to baby-sit my four year old grandson.  His Mother and I decided he should not watch much TV as they kept showing the twin towers being hit and collapsing over and over. 

I let him watch it once and then turned it off.  We talked about it.  He came up with the idea that we needed a super hero like batman or superman.  I agreed but wondered how we would know he was a super hero if we found him. 

He gave me one of those “adults are stupid” looks and informed me that he would have a cape!  (awww 4 year olds) We decided the president needed a cape. 

He helped package his cape up and send it to the White House.  He dictated a letter to go with it.  He eventually got a letter from the president thanking him. 

Of course, then he was without his cape so he magically received one from the American Cape Co. (grandma).

Jeanne and I decided to go set up at the antique show.  If people showed up someone should be there for them to see.  We always stayed in the RV during the show.

I took a tiny black and white TV along and we watched it outside after the show closed.  Other dealers clustered around it to watch the news.

I think it was Friday when we first saw a plane in the air and everyone was pointing at it.  It was probably an Airforce plane since Wright Patterson AFB is very close.

We didn’t make any profit that week-end.  There weren’t many customers and the ones who came were very quiet and solemn.  We sold out the few flags we had and people asked where I had gotten the bunting that I always hang on the front of the RV.

The newspaper printed a full page flag and people taped them in their front window. 

There are people in this world who hate us, they don’t want what we have, they just want to destroy it and us.  They don’t want freedom, they want to destroy ours.

There are citizens of our own country who think we need to destroy our political system.  They think they can do a better job.  Gun sales are up.  I have no problem with that – I own a few guns myself. 

Will our system survive?  Maybe – maybe not.  But I think we will fight to the end to preserve it.  At least lets hope so.

Later….

 

 

G & H and A Week off Chemo

I sometimes eat while on my laptop, or maybe snack is a better word.  Today I tried to type and found a large cookie crumb under the G. 

I have pulled keys off and popped them back on before when something got under them so I tried it again.   This time it didn’t work.  Two little plastic things flew off and I couldn’t figure out how they fit back together.

So I pulled off the H so I could look at how it looked underneath.  It also flew apart.  Clumsy fingers. 

As you can see they are still off and I am typing on little buttons for the G & H.  Maybe tomorrow I’ll stop by the computer shop up the street and let him fix it.

Lory was here and she couldn’t figure it out either.  She did some laundry and we went out to lunch. 

Tuesday I went to the bank, the post office, the gas station, and the Dollar General.  Wow such energy.

This is my seven days off Xeloda chemo pills.  I try to get as much done as I can during the week off.  It may just be in my mind that I feel better during this week.  Whatever it is I will take advantage of it.

It has been drippy all day, a good kind of rain that will soak in well.  There has been no thunder or lightening.  So why is Bandit trembling so badly his teeth rattle? 

The last time I tried to give him pills he swallowed one and spit out the other.  I tried every trick I knew to get his mouth open again but no luck. 

So I put the second pill in a piece of hotdog and cut a couple of other pieces.  I gave him the non-pill piece first, then the pill one.  Success.  The third piece went to Teddy just for fairness.

So I am pushing drugs on a dog but I think I just heard him climb into the bathtub anyway.

Later….

Labor Day & Cool Weather

The weather finally turned cooler today, like 20 degrees cooler.  A bit much – I’m wearing a sweat shirt.

Labor Day has been designated Teddy’s birthday.  I got him when he was 2 1/2 years old, about Feb. of 2007.  So I picked Labor day as his birthday.  When I got him he had been kept on concrete by day and in a cage at night.

He wasn’t house broken and got car sick all the time.  He didn’t know about grass or steps or TV’s or having his own food bowl.  He had a lot to learn.

Housebreaking didn’t take long.  Maybe two mistakes in the RV.  I walked him a lot to give him the opportunity to do his business outside.  I even stood him beside a telephone pole and lifted his leg for him a couple of times to give him the idea.

The third time we stopped by the pole he lifted his leg – didn’t do anything but it proved that he was trainable. 

So Teddy is 7 years old today.  Middle aged.  He got a trim this morning and I combed out a lot of his knots.  He is like a long haired cat with an under fur that balls up.  If his fur is kept short enough it makes it easier to get the knots out.

Happy Birthday Teddy!

Later….