I m now confined a wheel chair, they brought me a hospital bed and a potty chair to go by my bed.
My kids are providing daily care. They are the best kids in the world..Lory came over today and fixed a way to get over the bumps in doorways wth my wheel chair. That makes all the house avaiible to me except the back door, the laundry and the mud room.
So my dogs are on the market. Hate to part with them but if I can’t let them out and in it can be a problem….
Later….
I took a tumble Sunday evening. I was using my cane but it help much. I finally got to push my button and “I’ve fallen and I can’t get backup”. Nothing was broken but they did x-ray’s any way. That plus a cat scan of my head.
It turned out to be a small cut on my eyebrow, a few scrapes on my hands. Their write up says “Fall”. Of course all this took forever.
This and signing up for county help is quite a wake up call.
The oncologist said I didn’t have to see her anymore. So I think I will just see my general practioner from now on.
I don’t have the energy to finish this. Will try to write more just now, might send a picture of my black eye….
later….
I have given in to my daughters and my doctors. I have signed up for the county help for seniors. I got my first “meals on wheels” Friday. It was delicious. Of course in made me two lunches. It’s good I only asked for them three days a week.
This county is a nice big square with a square bump on the top west. I live in that bump. The meals will be warm, not hot, when they get here, about 10:30 in the morning.
It’s hard to accept help and I had to fill out papers about as snoopy as getting on welfare.
I have a sinus infection. You know how you hold your nose and force air into your ears to clear them? Well, last week something went pop and air was coming out of my ear. The doctor says it will heal once we get the infection cleared up. The anti-biotic doesn’t seem to be working.
I am getting a grab bar installed in my bathtub tomorrow. It’s nice to have a plumber in the family. My son-in-law’s brother. My s-i-l stopped by today to check measurements and ended up playing with Rascal. She likes to get a toy and have you chase you for it. I don’t have the energy for that. Tim does. When they got done her tongue was hanging out. She needs that every day.
The school shooting was so sad. We need more help for people with mental problems. There used to be institutions for people like that.
There was one near where I grew up. They ran a beautiful farm and a lot of the patients happily worked on it. Then the State decided to close it. If no family could be found, those poor people were turned out on the street.
Okay, enough of gloomy stuff. Sleep well.
later….
Sorry for the use of the title of the TV show.
First you need to hear my circumstances. I graduated from high school a year early. Mainly because I could and I wasn’t having much fun. My Sunday School teacher also taught at the school and her daughters were my main friends.
My parents sent me to business school in Columbus, OH for a nine month course in how to be a secretary. I lived in a boarding house along with twenty-nine other girls. I shared a room, got one-eighth of a refrigerator shelf, shared a bathroom (I don’t remember with how many girls).
At that time there was an Air Force base nearby, I think it was called Lockbourne. Some of the girls had been there longer and were always looking for a blind date for some guy. I went on some dates with different guys. Several of them talked about “Brownie”.
They talked about borrowing money from Brownie. So I asked to meet Brownie.
His circumstances were that he was far from his home in Vermont and already not so happy with military service.
The business school was having a halloween party and one of my girlfriends was going with her Air Force boyfriend. They arranged for Brownie to be my blind date to the halloween party.
We danced well together, we both grew up on farms. He was from Vermont and had three sisters. I had a brother and two sisters.
He was in the process of having his lower teeth replaced by dentures, I already had a full set of dentures. Later we joked that all our children were born toothless due to this.
At one point he asked to get out and the driver stopped and let him out and drove on. He eventually turned around and went back and got him.
What I didn’t know was that Rod had a girl back home and they were engaged to be engaged.
That took a while to resolve. I told him to make up his mind and let me know when he had decided. In the meantime he had wrangled an invitation to Thanksgiving dinner at my house.
This was a time in the past when a young man in uniform could hitchhike safely and quickly. I rode the bus home, about a three hour trip. He went with me when I got on the bus and met me when the bus arrived.
I had explained to him that my family didn’t do anything special for Thanksgiving, but he said it would be better than cafeteria food.
So he met my family. The way potatoes were served at our table, they were peeled, boiled and put in a bowl on the table. Each person took one, mashed it with their fork and added what they liked, mostly butter and salt. My sweet little sister quickly counted the potatoes and people and concluded that there was one for each person and one extra.
We dated week-ends and sometimes Rod even borrowed a car. We spent time in Isaly’s ice cream shop with one coke and two straws. He bought a miniature chess set and taught me how to play.
He finally wrote the letter to his girl back home breaking up with her. She was friends with his Mother which didn’t help my case at all. It eventually resolved itself.
I received my engagement ring on April 1st and we were married on May 18, 1958. You kids came along in 1963, 1966, and 1968.
That was a really really long time ago. Maybe this is already…
Later….
.
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What have I been doing? Taking naps. Taking pills. Feeding dogs and letting them in and out. Taking naps. Eating. Paying bills. Watching some Great Dane service puppies grow up - http://explore.org/#!/live-cams/player/great-dane-service-puppies-indoor-puppy-room. They are getting big and are already eating solid food.
We have had a lot of rain, we need all we can get since we are in the middle of a draught area. Of course if it’s a thunder storm the dogs have a problem.
My hair is growing slowly. My beautician daughter tells me it grows a quarter inch a month. The aggravating cow lick is still there. I’m still wearing hats as it is cold.
I was never much of a person for hats. Back in 1957 when I went to business school we were instructed to wear hats and gloves. We were told if we had to pick something up off the floor we should crouch done, not bend over. Always wear hose and sensible shoes.
We did two hours of typing every day, Friday was two hours of timed tests. This was all done on manual typewriters. Hands got strong. In the ‘80s I interviewed with Manpower on an electric typewriter. It wasn’t so bad. I got the job.
I made all my kids take typing. I think they call it keyboarding now.
Times change and we have to change with them.
later….
Okay, I’ve been avoiding you. Sorry, I’ve been told if you don’t something good to say……
The anti-biotic doesn’t seem to be working. My legs are swollen to above my knees and there is a rash on them. My appetite has improved some. I’m still eating left over turkey. I woke up in the night with a very sore throat. It gets discouraging.
So there you have a few of my complaints.
My kids brought me a bunch of paper work about signing up to get all kinds of help from the county. Stuff like meals on wheels etc. I haven’t called them yet. They want all my financial info. Let’s see – dividends, .47, interest 1.42.
So I’ll try to mix the bad with the good after this and not just leave people hanging.
Later….
So I ask to be left alone – HA. That’s a joke.
I called my oncologists nurse about 9:30 this morning. At 5:30 she called back. I asked what she was still doing at work. She pointed out that it is Monday.
She asked some questions, called the Dr. and then called me back (6:30). Prescriptions are at the drug store waiting for me.
Since my darling daughters idea of leaving me alone is to come for lunch tomorrow I’ll let them pick up the prescriptions. They are bringing lunch so I can’t say too much.
I think something may be afoot with them. I may just smooch all over them and give them my cold.
Later….
I have a cold with all the extras – leave me alone.
By the way I had a very nice Thanksgiving with family.
LATER
I get flowers on my daughter’s birthday, after all I did most of the labor that day. Notice the “vase”.
I have nice vases but they are all stored on top of the kitchen cupboards and I don’t do ladders or chairs anymore. They will wilt just as fast in my pop bottle.
We went out to eat at the Spaghetti Warehouse. I love their wedding soup.
How is it possible that I forget frost on the car windows every year until November. And where did I put that scraper with the the brush on one end?
I find I need ten to twelve hours of sleep each day. That doesn’t leave much time for feeding dogs, eating meals, making meals, letting dogs out and in four or five times a day etc. I did get my trash out to the street this evening unlike last week.
I found my foot warmers and used them last night. They have rice in the bottom and you warm them in the microwave. I barely remember putting my head on the pillow.
later….
Didn’t get my lawn mowed but I did get to the grocery store. I forgot my list but managed to get everything on it and a few extras besides.
Susan brought me a pizza for lunch and we caught up on a lot of news.
In straitening up my kitchen counter I somehow unplugged my phone. Lory came by to see what was wrong. We soon found the problem and corrected it. Hmm, maybe I’ve figured out a way to get a visit. Bad Momma
It rained all morning.
Rascal is spooked by the fireplace in the bedroom. It’s a ventless natural gas fireplace with a remote control. What luxury on chilly mornings. She barked at it this morning to get it to come on so I obliged her. This could be fun.
I’ve been trying to teach her to “speak” to go out but Teddy always does it first. The hand motion for speak is opening and closing your thumb and fingers, like a mouth opening and closing.
The theory is that if you teach a dog to bark you can teach them to stop if you close your hand. RIGHT! We will see about that.
Laundry is on the list for this week.
later….
So my guy lost – am I going into a blue funk and pout and refuse to watch all the discussions about why and what will happen next?
You bet I am!
My brother is out of the hospital and called today. He sounded much better.
Had a nice chat with my sister who has been in Europe. Glad to hear her voice.
Hoping to get my lawn mowed tomorrow. Also need to get to the grocery store. I’m low on chocolate.
later….
Sure am glad I voted by absentee ballot. I heard the polls were very busy. I doubt if I will stay up late enough to hear who won. In fact it may not even be decided by tomorrow.
I did a bit of cooking today which means I need to do dishes tomorrow. I made goulash and I’ve never figured out a way to make a small batch. I may try freezing some of it or maybe some of the kids will stop by and relieve me of some of it.
I’m a bit worried about my brother. He is in the hospital with pneumonia. I talked to him on the phone yesterday and thought something was wrong. He will be VERY upset that he didn’t get to vote. His state went the way he would have voted so I hope that makes him feel a bit better.
I have eyebrows! I felt them the other day. The hair on my head seems very slow to grow and some is still falling out. I guess it takes a long time for the chemo to get out of my system.
The weather has stayed cold, high’s in the 40’s. The lawn needs mowing but it’s too cold to ask my neighbor to do it. It is supposed to warm up some soon. Maybe in the 50’s, Big whoop.
later….
The RV got to the shop and got winterized and returned thanks to Andrea and Jake, Lory and John.
I had the people at the shop look at the hitch I bought from the former owner of the car to see if it would work. They were thrilled that I had managed to find the instructions and get them printed (thanks to Susan). They say they can install it in an hour. One major piece they were worried about was still on the car.
So next summer when people want to use it they can tow the car behind and have separate transportation. Of course, they will have to leave me a car that works. I expect towing the car will not help the mileage on the RV. Meaning there is something less than 9 MPG!
A good friend, whom I have never met, was surprised to find the videos I have posted on youtube. I post under katbulue. My grandson has some musical ones on there under dolfantim. He plays the guitar very well. Sometimes I get a private concert.
I got spoofed today. Lory and John were returning the RV and I saw them at the back of the RV with some papers. I went out to see what they were doing – they had an Obama/Biden sticker on there. They had stopped at the Obama headquarters to get it. I am afraid I didn’t think it was funny.
I guess I am one of those rabid conservatives.
later….
All we had was a very restless night with the wind noises. Our lights didn’t even fiicker. I think that is because Duke energy has done a good job of trimming possible things that could fall on the lines. Of course, we didn’t get the worst of the winds.
I haven’t ventured outside to see if there has been any damage to the siding. I will ask my grandchildren to do that when they visit this afternoon.
I got my bulbs planted. Probably should put some more dirt on top of them and maybe a layer of leaves, too. Highs in the 40’s doesn’t encourage me to go outside. Guess I’m a houseplant.
I managed to change the batteries in my remote control for the fireplace. The unit is on the floor so I had to get on the floor. I don’t get up well. Should have thought ahead and placed a walker nearby. I ended up scooting over to the rocking chair and using it’s arms to pull up. I can still touch my toes with my fingers but when the knees get involved things don’t work so well.
The latest teaching experience for Rascal is learning to bark when she wants to go out. Teddy can do it and she watches him. After the first lesson she laid in Teddy’s dog bed and let out one bark. I think that was a test of her voice. She barks at people coming to the door but that must be different to her.
Nap time.
later….
I’m really going to miss all those political ads and phone calls. One of the joys of living in a state where people can’t make up their minds. They even came to my door yesterday and I had them put a sign in my front yard. Now when the phone rings and it’s not someone I know I grab it up, yell “I already voted” and slam it down hang it up.
It doesn’t seem like it has been a month since I saw my oncologist. My next appointment is two months away. I am to call if there is a major change. She upped my pain meds from twice a day to three times a day. That’s harder to figure out and I know I won’t always make it come out even at eight hours apart.
Oh well, nobody is perfect.
I did some laundry and started digging a hole for some bulbs. It’s time to take my last pills and go to bed.
later….
Running errands today I planned to take some pictures of the colorful fall foliage. I found that the wind and rain we have had this week left the trees with bare tops with a few leaves at the bottom. Must have been a high wind.
So I came home and took a picture of my color by my front porch.
People have told me this is Sumac. I don’t remember it turning orange last year.
It was very cold and windy today. I needed gas ($3.28/gal.) and needed to mail my homeowners insurance bill, that went up by $50. this year.
I guess it’s time to get out the long johns and turtle necks, except that the next couple days should be nicer. This time of year it can switch back and forth very fast.
I wanted to show you my solution to the touchpad on my new computer.
The light grey patch is the styrofoam that I taped over the touchpad.
My Nook is acting up again. I’ll bet I have turned it off and back on fifty times. When I can get to a screen with something on it the only place I can go is Barnes & Noble to shop. Can’t get to the library books that are on it. I find that very suspicious. If I take it back to the store a third time I will not be responsible for what I will do or where I might put my Nook.
later….
I’ve worn my old self out acting like a kid.
Sunday a group of my friends and I went out to lunch at UNO’s and then we went to see “Menopause the Musical”. Okay, my funny bone isn’t completely broken but it is badly bent. Very funny show.
Monday I went to Walmart and filled the basket. Some of it is still in the car. They had a deal if you bought four ginger ale 2 liters you got a fifth one free. Couldn’t pass that up. Ginger ale still helps settle my stomach and I’ve learned to like it.
Tuesday my friend and I went to see “Atlas Shrugged II”. I missed the first one last year but have bought a DVD of it. I haven’t watched it yet but plan to tonight.
Wednesday I have done nothing! Well, you can’t really count napping. I may even need another day to rest up.
I’ve been trying to get a photo program to work on this computer. Have had no luck so far. I wanted to try to fool everyone into thinking my potatoes that grew in a bucket were nice big potatoes.
I was going to crop the first picture until only the potatoes showed. Then I was going to be honest and show you the real size with the second picture.
So have a chuckle at my venture into planting potatoes from the grocery store.
The dogs haven’t taken all my running around well but I think it helps them bond to each other. They touch noses now and then but won’t cuddle up together. I have found that Rascal only looks green when I am bent over petting her. She puts herself in my path, belly up, and whimpers. POOOOR puppy.
I have solved the problem of the touchpad that I can’t seem to turn off. I taped a piece of styrofoam over it. HAHA GOTCHA. There I fixed it.
I’ve been trying to figure out the comments part of blogger as I find people have left comments that didn’t show up. It shouldn’t be so hard to do.
I’ll try to keep things up-to-date better.
Later….
Naps have become a competition between dogs. When I lay lengthwise on the couch there is only room for one dog to be by my head and that spot, by tradition, belongs to Teddy. The only other option is by my feet.
I am trying to create an opportunity for equality between the two dogs. I fixed a spot in the middle of the couch where I can be comfortable and have a side for each dog.
The white cushion goes behind my back, the lawn chair, when turned around, makes a foot rest, and the blue circle makes a good headrest.
The decorating scheme in my house is “whatever works” or “thrift store” or “scratch and dent”.
Teddy is usually the one who decides it is time to wake up and he is usually right. The other day Rascal decided he was wrong so she climbed into my lap and barked at him. Then she noticed from that vantage point she could see the tops of semi trucks go by. So she began barking at them. That really helped with my continuing to nap.
I enjoy a nap just about every day. Between plenty of rest and my pain meds I am doing well, even have some fuzz growing on my head.
All my plants either got inside or adopted by Lory and John. It’s a bit early for the frost in this area but nothing has been normal this year. The last mosquito in the state, county, village got into MY house and bit me. Sure hope he really was the last one. Once this past summer I found a bite right on a vein. I would have liked to see him explode.
later….
New morning, new insight. I managed to get the old data into the new Family Tree program.
Still haven’t figured out how to turn off the touchpad. That will take some more study, I took out the program that runs it and it went straight to the internet and got it back. None of the advice on the help menu seems to work.
I managed to follow the dogs around and get fecal samples at the crack of dawn. The samples are at the vets now. While I was there I picked up pills for the tape worms for both of them. I cut up pieces of hotdog, make a slit in them and put the pills inside. Works every time.
We may get a frost tonight so I have to get busy with the outdoor plants. I keep them in the mudroom which stays cooler than the house. Before I bring them inside I have to pull out the weeds that have grown in them this summer. Before all that I have to make room for them. Nature hates an empty space and their space gets filled up in the summer.
Better get busy.
later….
It worked!
About all I have left to work on is Family Tree Maker. I bought a new version (2012) since I couldn’t find my discs. The new version arrived today and I installed it. Now I need to tell it where to look for the data I had already entered in the old version. I think it should just go find it for it’s self. I’ve had enough for today.
The dogs came back from the groomer looking great. Susan happened to be coming over so she picked them up for me. It is raining so they don’t want to go out. The groomer says that Rascal has worms so I get to go pick up poop and take it to the Vet.
My General Practioner says my problem with colors could be nerves not always connecting right. Since the chemo treatments have made my feet numb and have started to make my fingertips numb it might be messing with nerves in my eyes.
I got my flu shot and it made my arm really sore. I don’t remember it doing that before.
Think I’ll go to bed and sleep on the non-flu shot side.
later….
OK I got Windows Live Writer downloaded and I am using it to write this. I can only figure out so much per day.
I also got some of the software that I need to download books from the library. Carbonite keeps your DATA not your programs. So if you have added any program to your computer it will not be added to your new one. Plus the next time you download the program it is probably a later version that you have to figure out. Plus it isn’t always easy to get the data that goes with that program to connect with it.
I haven’t yet figured out how to turn off the mouse pad and now and then my thumbs drag across it – moving the cursor way off somewhere. They assured me it could be turned off.
Even though I have most recent evidence that I have a brain I’m not sure it is still true. My brain wants a very comfortable spot to rest, put up it’s feet and take a nap.
Tomorrow the dogs go to the groomer. I spent some time explaining that Rascal is really not a biter, just a snarling grumpy dog.
I stopped at the post office today and received my absentee ballot. I have voted and sealed it all up and it is ready to send back. YEAH! I also watched the debate and look forward to watching the rest of them. I guess maybe I’m a political junky. It’s a great spectator sport but a bit too serious this election.
Gonna upload this now – hope it works.
Later….
Had an MRI of my head today. I don’t know if they found any green dogs in there. I’m sure they will let me know in due time. It wasn’t nearly as loud as I remember from one I had before the mastectomy.
It’s amazing how much faith people have in my brakes. They pull out in front of me when there is no cars behind me, they could wait and have nobody to scare. It happens several times whenever I do much driving.
Don’t they recognize the “little old lady” with two hands on the wheel without her cell phone even turned on? If they knew how many medications I am on they would not do that.
My Bro-in-law says his wife is from appalachia. I was surprised at that as I had never thought I was from appalachia. Then I got to thinking about my first grade experience.
When I was four years old my Father sold the farm and we moved into Athens, OH to run his new venture, a farm supply store. His timing wasn’t great due to WWII. Every factory was making something for the war, not for farmers.
He did well enough that we were still there in 1946 when I started first grade, no kindergarten then. In fact he stayed in business well into the 1950’s.
I only went to school in Athens for the first grade but I educated them a little while I was there. They learned that when the ground felt warm you didn’t need to wear shoes anymore. I emphasized the lesson by taking mine off often.
later….
Doctor’s appointment – I had pretty well decided before I got the results of the recent PET scan. I will suspend chemo for now.
In November it would be two years of chemotherapy and I think it’s time for a break.
There was really no good news in the PET scan report. Maybe it would have been worse without the chemo, no way to tell. The cancer now shows in the lymph nodes at the top of my chest.
The doctor wants to do an MRI of my brain to see if they can find a reason for the colors that come and go. A red, white, and blue moon is very pretty but not normal. Gray dogs that turn green and blue are rare but not normal either.
One of my nurses asked about where to look for geneology info so I wrote down how to get into “Heritage Quest” through the library website. I slipped her a note with instructions.
You just start with the library website and click on research, then Heritage Quest. It guides you from there. The census is there as well as applications for pension from the Revolutionary War.
I found a couple of ancestors who died in that war as well as one who was wounded at Bunker Hill. You have to search for them in the state where they lived during the war. If they never applied for a pension they won’t be there. So only us poor folk are there.
It was interesting that most of the applications for pension were five or six pages whereas my ancestor’s was eleven pages long. I kind of knew he was related right away.
Later….
When I started cleaning the weeds out of what was an empty pot last spring I found several Wandering Jew plants. Were they there before? I sure hadn’t seen them. So they are surprise plants.
The picture below shows the blooms of a plant I have growing all over the place. They would take over the lawn if I didn’t cut them down. They have sneaked under the neighbors fence. In some places they may be holding the fence up.
I went to pick up the new lenses for my glasses today. My vision is very much improved!
I also filled up my gas tank at a different station than I usually use. “See Attendant” is not what I want to see when I try to pump gas. I don’t want to walk that far – that is not good service. $3.79/gal. I was very low, cost $50.00.
Teddy Bear.
Rascal.
later….
We are getting a taste of fall which makes for really good sleeping. I get all comfy in a nest of quilts and a dog on each side and I don’t wake up. It was 10:00 a.m. today when I finally became conscious.
I’m supposed to email Susan every morning to tell her I am up. I know she worries when I forget or am late. Bad me.
Have not heard from my PET scan yet, I’ll assume no news is good news. My mind is pretty well made up what my reaction will be to whatever the news is.
Andrea (Granddaughter) has offered to take me shopping the next time my list gets long. She gets three days off every week so she can pick the day.
I can get there and get the stuff in the cart, it’s getting it out of the car into the house and put away that wears me out.
The dogs seem to be enjoying the cooler weather. They stay outside longer and roll in the leaves that have fallen. They both need a bath and may be headed to the groomer soon.
The last time at the groomer Rascal didn’t get her nails trimmed. She snarls so threateningly that it took me a while to figure out she is all snarl and no bite. She probably scared them.
I stuck my hand in her mouth during one of those snarls, teeth bared, ears back, lip curled. She didn’t know what to do. Pretty quick she was on her back begging for a belly rub.
Sometimes I have tried growling with her. Now I have found if I hum a higher note than her growl she follows and we hum together.
When you figure she only spent two months with the woman I got her from and who knows where she was before that. She is no spring chicken either. So I think we have done well, considering.
I’m going to have to make room for the plants that have been out all summer and need to come in. When I get the laundry done that will be my next project.
later….
Putting my feet up is dangerous. Monday night I woke up at 12:30. Hadn’t taken my pills or done any bedtime routine. It took me a couple of days to get back on schedule.
Lory took me shopping since I was dragging my feet. The list was getting very long. Even stocked up on dog food.
But when I open the refrigerator the only thing that sounds good is a popsicle. Bad Kat.
Today I watched the four murdered diplomats come home. I cried a lot. So pointless.
Then I switched to the History channel and watched shows about bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster. I can only tolerate so much political talk.
I went to the barn for a few minutes today to return my key. I didn’t stay long as I took the dogs with me and I wasn’t sure I could control Rascal so I didn’t let them out of the car.
Then I stopped to get gas and the pump wasn’t working so I came home. It was spitting rain and windy and I didn’t feel like waiting for them to fix the pump.
I have a PET scan on Monday morning and the gas tank is just below half so I’m good.
I put more moth balls under the deck. Rascal managed to spook a young rabbit to run out from under the deck and head for the fence. It got away but it encouraged her so much I had to drag her inside. She is the great hunter.
My fingers are getting numb now just like my feet did a couple years ago. It took me a while to decide it wasn’t the keyboard, it’s me.
Whine whine whine.
later….
Chemo day, I was late which is rare for me. I just couldn’t seem to get moving. I could blame Teddy because he was late shaking the bed by pouncing.
I mentioned to the nurse that I had a cold and how I had forgotten the temperature I was to reach before I called. The temperature to call about is 100.5. I’ve only had it up to 99.5. I also got a prescription for antibiotics which I picked up on my way home, along with some dark chocolates.
My lawnmower neighbor man weed-eated all around today and mowed the front lawn. The lawn they put in wasn’t finished right. We got a lot of rain and if you stepped on the grass you sunk in three of four inches. If you drove a car on it you sank in six or seven inches. Some garage sale customers make tracks along the driveway. Yuck.
They should have used a roller on the dirt before or after they seeded it. I hope it settles over time.
I paid the mowing neighbor with all one dollar bills from the garage sale. It sure looked like a wad of money.
The E-Z up tent top got moved back to the drive-way and it’s okay – and tied down. I forgot to get any pictures of it along the way – sorry.
I am very tired this evening. Gotta go put my feet up.
later….
First things first. I had a package from Germany at the post office. Here is a picture of what was inside, well, most of what was inside.
COOKIES! I felt like the cookie monster on Sesame Street. As you can see part of one didn’t last very long. Gingerbread, the best I’ve ever tasted.
The eye doctor had no explanation for a grey dog turning green, or spots of color appearing sometimes. He said “enjoy the hallucinations”.
He proved that my lenses were way out of date so I ordered some new ones. He found a piece of string in my eye way up under my eyelid. I didn’t even feel it when he plucked it out. With no eyelashes you can’t pull your eyelid out to see under it.
This evening we are getting thunder storms and wind. My E-Z up (a tent top we used in front of the garage for the sale) went flying with the first big puff of wind. Lory and John are coming over in the morning to get it back and weigh it down with cement blocks. Sure hope it didn’t get bent or torn.
I am running a fever again this evening. I’m trying to remember what it has to be before I call the Dr. I think it was 101 and I’m not there yet.
I learned something at the eye doctor’s office. Sometimes when I am resting (eyes closed) I get these grey spots that turn into circles (like donuts), move toward my eye (getting bigger) and then go around it, then another one and another. The Dr. said it was caused by ocular migraine. HUH. You learn something every day.
Been chugging water and temp has gone done a bit. Guess I’ll live. Got to eat those other cookies!
Later….
Busy week so far. Garage sale on Monday and Tuesday (after chemo, which I slept through), then some good friends called and took me out to lunch on Wednesday.
Had Rascal trouble Tuesday. I wrongfully thought that the dogs would stay around the people and let them out of the fence.
Teddy stayed with us but Rascal ran off. It’s a good thing Andrea (my 25 year old granddaughter) was here to chase her. She crossed a busy street twice and was headed for parts unknown when Andrea caught her and carried her home. She is like a large sausage.
This afternoon she somehow got left in the bedroom with the door latched. I called and searched and finally realized where she had to be. When I opened the door she came running out and rolled on her back. I think that was sort of an apology.
I got up this morning with a very stuffed up head and a very runny nose. This evening I have developed a low grade fever.
I’m supposed to get my eyes examined tomorrow. We’ll see how I feel then. I need to find out why I sometimes see colors wrong or see spots of color. When my grey dog turns green it makes me wonder what is wrong. I somehow don’t think it’s the dog.
later….
First of all I hope everyone had a nice Labor Day. We had beautiful steady rain all morning and unbearable humidity this afternoon.
The first job yesterday was to clean up a bunch of weeds along the driveway. John and Chris did that part.
The other part was preparing the garage for the sale, making tables out of sawhorses and doors, digging through boxes, making walkways. The two pictures below are “before” pictures.
The two pictures below are “after” pictures for both the weed elimination and the garage sale. Walkways were made and items set out. Lots of sales were made. People ran out of money.
Lory and Andrea got talked into opening up again tomorrow. Some items are put aside to be paid for and picked up tomorrow. Some of the men who came alone wanted to come back with their wives.
I have a chemo appointment tomorrow so I won’t be here. Just one more chemo after this before I get the PET scan to see if any of this is working.
Jake came along and helped a lot. He even dug up the August lily bulbs for me and washed them off. If it hadn’t been raining lately there would have been no way to dig into the ground.
Just talked to a friend in a nearby town and while we were getting a steady downpour, they got hardly any rain at all. Go figure.
later….
Today Lory, John, Andrea, and Chris moved our items out of the Butter Street Barn. I’ve been there since it first opened.
It had to be done eventually. Lory and Andrea have today and Saturday off as well as Monday and Tuesday. That is a rare thing. Two pickup trucks held it all. We had plenty of muscle to move the big items.
Lory and Andrea plan to have a garage sale here on Monday. Since the number of garage sales you can have is limited they may have one at each person’s home. There are also flea markets where you can set up if they want to do that.
They sure have more energy than I do.
If you are reading my sister and bro-in-law’s blog you know she sent me something (a mystery) from Germany. I checked the post office today but it hasn’t arrived yet.
My cordless phone battery died yesterday so today I went to a battery store and got a new one. It is charging now. I love that battery store. They do have a few things besides batteries, like light bulbs, flashlights, etc.
I kind of missed my phone yesterday and today, but not much.
later….
Never know which day I’ll have energy so when it strikes I jump on it.
I was moving things around in the car when the dogs got out of the house and jumped in the car.
All I had to do was get gas ($3.95), go to the post office, and go to the drivethru at the bank. So the dogs went along and got doggie treats at the bank.
They really are good in the car but it’s too hot to leave them there for very long.
Pam, the doctor’s nurse, called yesterday to tell me that my blood marker has gone down from 691 to 640. Still going the right direction.
The ragweed is out as well as the mosquitoes. I’m about ready to let the tomato plants go. I had enough tomatoes for me. If I eat too many I get cankor sores in the corners of my mouth.
It seems morning is the time for the dogs to play on the bed. Teddy pounces around to shake the bed. If that doesn’t get me wide awake he licks my face. Rascal is getting into the game by following him around – possibly trying to defend me. It isn’t a bad way to wake up.
I’ve been enjoying watching the GOP convention. Last night I actually stood up and applauded the Gov. of New Mexico. She was great.
I’m looking forward to getting my absentee ballot in a week or so. They said they would be mailing them after Labor Day.
I remember watching the convention that nominated Dwight D. Eisenhower – on a black and white TV with snow and poor reception.
We could only get one channel, NBC. It came from W.Va. Someone would climb a ladder to the roof so they could turn the antenna, someone else would sit in the open window to pass along the info from the person watching the TV.
By the time the information got to the person on the roof it was usually too late.
When Elvis was on they blocked out the bottom half of the screen so his wiggling hips didn’t show.
A test pattern came on at midnight. I don’t remember when they came back on in the morning.
We watched wrestling on Sat. night – that’s what was on. Our neighbors used to join us. Sometimes the wrestlers would get a hold and keep it for twenty minutes. It was kind of like watching grass grow.
I was lucky to have younger sisters so it was okay to watch kid shows like Howdy Doody. I got a puppet of him for Christmas one year. I put on shows for my sisters.
AAAHHHH the good old days. No thanks, I like my color cable TV and my remote control.
later….
If you’ve been reading this for a while you already know I love animals.
When we lived on the farm (I was about 13 to 15)we had plenty of them but none of them were pets or for pleasure. If they weren’t edible we didn’t have them.
Our neighbor, however, had a horse. I don’t think they ever did anything with it. It was a dapple grey Tennessee Walking horse named Sally.
I would take little knotty apples or a couple of carrots and go sit and wait for her to come see what I had. I left the treats where I had been sitting when I had to leave. It took several visits before she came to me.
I asked permission from the neighbors and they said do whatever you want. We had a bridle in our barn but no saddle.
Apparently Sally was lonesome and soon let me put the bridle on her and lead her to a rock or stump so I could get on. She even cooperated so I could open and close gates without getting off.
We usually just walked the cow paths for a while and then went home.
On two occasions we did have exciting adventures.
NO. 1
We had a barn for beef cattle, it had three walls and a hay rick on the first floor. It had a hay mow full of bales of hay we threw down into the hay rick in the winter for the cattle to eat.
In the fall Sally and I had walked in one end of the missing side of the first floor and out the other end.
In the spring it didn’t work. I woke up on the ground with a horse blowing her breath into my face.
Between cow tracks in mud and cow patties the ground had been built up so that my head hit a beam on the way out of the barn.
I don’t think I was unconscious very long but I was very happy to see that Sally waited for me. I forget how I got back on her but I remember we walked home carefully.
My parents never heard this story.
NO. 2
I knew very little about horses, like the fact that if you squeezed harder with your legs it was a signal to go faster.
My Father was sitting on the front porch, a common evening thing to do at our house. I didn’t have time to go very far before dark so I was just going to ride in the edge of the field across the road.
Being a little nervous that my Father was watching I probably tried to sit up straighter and must have squeezed - she took off like at a fast clip and I squeezed harder to hold on.
I saw the drainage ditch coming and squeezed harder – even wrapped some mane around my hand.
We cleared the drainage ditch somewhat gracefully. Then there was the guy wire to a pole – we cleared that with a little less grace.
Then she turned to cross the paved road jumping the ditch, always before we crossed at a nice sensible walk. Her feet slipped this way and that but she managed to jump the ditch on the other side.
She came to a stop where two fences formed a V, breathing hard. I wasn’t breathing so easy myself.
She had never jumped anything with me before. I was amazed to still be on top of her. I think she lost some of her mane.
I waited for her to calm down and backed her out of her corner. I walked her back to her field slowly.
When I got back home my Father was still on the porch. I waited for his words (lecture?). He just asked if that was me on the horse. I just said yes. We weren’t big on communication. He did shake his head when I said yes.
So that is the horse ramble. Sally got sold to a man who saw her jump with my brother riding her. He wanted to make a jumper out of her. I don’t think he had much training to do.
Today was the first round of chemo, two to follow, then another PET scan the end of Sept.
We got some rain today, used the windshield wipers in the car.
later….
The Morning Glories have finally made an appearance, actually just two blooms; one pink and one blue.
In front of the house the hostas are blooming and the grass is starting to show up through the straw. I’m not sure when we should start mowing it. The straw will fly when we do.
Looking at this picture I noticed the vines trying to climb up the siding. That has to go.
The picture above shows my house on the far left, my driveway to the right of the house, the arrow on the street pointing into my driveway.
On the far right you can barely see the stop lights. A right turn takes you to the schools (K – 12) all lined up, and the city building. A left turn goes into a residential neighborhood, or my driveway.
Teddy and Rascal supervised the picture taking and a bit of weed trimming. Hope my burst of energy lasts for a while.
later….
Been feeling a bit better each day.
Yesterday I got my trash and recyclables together and out to the street. I even brought the recyclable bin back in today.
Today I went grocery shopping and made the extra effort to ask where to find the moth balls.
It took three different Walmart employees to get me there but we found them. I bought some moth crystals, hoping they would go down the cracks between boards in the deck. Some of them did go down. I think the rabbits are already gone.
The odor is overwhelming when you step out the back door. When the dogs want to come inside they get a bit frantic as they are standing in that smell.
I threw some of the moth balls under the RV to keep the squirrels from chewing on the wiring.
I also picked up mouse poison. I put some in the cellar every fall. They can stay outside, not in my cellar which leads to my home which leads to my food. Although I’ll bet Rascal would enjoy having them to chase.
All this shopping involved a lot of walking and my feet and legs are letting me know.
We have been having beautiful weather with an occasional shower at night. Most of the corn in the fields is already ruined but some of the soybeans still look okay.
Tried for a picture of the street today but the sun was in the wrong spot and I moved the camera. I’ll get it yet.
WHY MY LAWN IS BUMPY
Before we civilized people dammed up the rivers they overflowed every year, washing soil and rocks down, spreading out in places and leaving some items behind as the water slowly went down.
If you dig down in the dirt here you find nice round river rocks about the size of a muskmelon (smaller than a bowling ball, bigger than a soft ball) at a level between a foot and two feet.
They work their way out of the soil as the ground freezes and thaws. They circled every tree as decorations when I moved here.
So over the years the soil settles between the rocks as they work their was up. I’m not sure what the solution is. When I was physically fit I had no problem so I’ll not worry about it.
later….
I was able to eat a boiled egg and a piece of toast this evening. I even forced down a little chocolate and a couple of oreos this afternoon. Well, I didn’t say my sweet tooth was sick.
Still getting the low grade fever but I’m hoping that just means I’m fighting this bug.
Dogs got dirty looks and AARRRGGGG’s when they kept asking to go outside.
Rascal was able to spook a baby rabbit to run out from under the deck and run for the fence this morning. (the rabbit won this race) I had to go out with a leash and get her away from the fence.
I used my outside $2.00 thrift store walker for walking outside. My lawn is very bumpy. I have a theory about that but will explain another day. Rascal got some experience with walking slowly on a leash. Won’t hurt her a bit.
I need to pick up prescriptions tomorrow so hope I feel well enough to do that. Also will need dog food soon.
later….
Yuck! A sore throat, low grade fever, hoarse voice, almost heaved lunch, pouring nose, aches and pains that can overcome major meds, etc.
None of which is worth a call to any doctor. In fact my version of a low grade fever is I get my temperature up to normal. It has to hit 101 before doctors get interested.
Apparently I’ve caught a cold.
Since all my children are back in this country (Lory and John were in South America for three weeks) I can now get serious about changing my phone.
I want a phone that still works when the electricity is out and the cable is not working. It takes some explaining when you call phone people and say “yes, I want to go backward in technology”.
I found one. Cincinnati Bell will do it. Of course, they also want to sell me Direct TV. I’m not even buying long distance since I can call the 800 numbers with local service.
It won’t be any cheaper than what I have but it will settle my mind and keep my kids from worrying about me when the weather is bad and things aren’t working.
I’ve had two naps today and taken all my pills. Hope I’ll be able to sleep tonight. Crackers are the only thing that seem to want to stay on my stomach.
I’m bound to feel better….
later….
Sorry I’ve been lazy lately. Today was the third round of chemo, now I get a week off. Monday night is trash night and I didn’t even put anything out to the street.
One person just doesn’t make that much trash, it will wait for a week.
I’ve been trying to eat right and get a little exercise. Friday I visited my friends at the Butter St. Barn. I really enjoy seeing them. I get hugs and jokes.
I have sent all my papers in and am now a card carrying body donor. I had the oncologist office make a copy of the card today.
I also stopped at the health food store on the way home and bought the ice cream substitute I like. It was on sale so I got a lot. Since it is frozen I had to come straight home and get it into my new refrigerator.
The sound of jack hammers woke me this morning. Some of the sections of sidewalk were not level with the sections next to them so they were being replaced.
It just turned out that the sections being removed were on each side of my driveway. I got out just fine for my 10:30 appt.
I need to get a picture of the big arrow that appears to direct people right into my driveway. It actually is telling people to get over in the middle lane if they want to turn left at the light.
DOG TAILS WARNING
Rascal has continued to try to get me to chase her out in the yard by standing just out of reach when I want her to come in.
She doesn’t like rain so one day last week I actually spit on her to try to make her think it was raining. It didn’t work so I gave up on it.
When I confessed my spitting offence to my friends they laughed a lot and then one of them came up with a spray bottle. I have used it three times and the third time it worked!
Either she thought it was rain or she figured out she would get squirted if she didn’t come in when I called her.
Whatever works – I don’t chase dogs outside. I do occasionally pretend to chase her around the table just to play with her a bit.
Teddy’s idea of play is standing on his back legs and waving his front feet in the air. I move my feet up and down and wave my hands in the air and we call it dancing.
Of course belly rubs are all dogs favorite things. They get that in the evening when I check for ticks. I’ve found two dead ones so far, the tick meds are working.
later….
The street is paved, the mailbox is back, the sidewalk is done, my driveway is fixed and part of it is paved. I should put sealer on the rest of the driveway . I think all they need to do is add the painted stripes.
The grass is seeded and there is a drain in the middle of my front yard. They are hoping to keep excess water out of my cellar. Good luck to them.
We had some rain which washed some of the straw over the drain. I should clean it off but the way I was staggering around to get these pictures I got back in the house as fast as I could.
I’m going to have to use a cane more often.
My grandkids had a good week-end in my RV. They took five people and then found out the campground wouldn’t let them set up a tent. They were very crowded in the RV so they only spent one night.
They washed the outside of the RV and I hardly recognized it when they brought it back.
My blog guru (my Sister, Linda) has been working on my blog. She is trying to ad a picture at the top. I think she could get a job fixing blogs for people.
I had chemo Monday, the second in a round of three. They explained some of the readings on the blood test results. One test that they do only once a month is called CA 27-29. It indicates the presence of cancer. A number of 38 is good. In June my reading was 871, in July it was 798. It is going in the right direction.
Susan stopped by today and helped me with stuff on my computer. When I added google earth I got a bunch of other stuff that I didn’t want.
My computer would start playing music or talking at any time. I got finally got rid of that. She took off some other stuff trying to speed it up. Maybe it will be faster.
later….
Had fun taking grandson, Jake, to take his test for his temporary driver’s license. He passed the first try. His two older sisters had to take it twice before they passed.
He is now at least 6 feet tall.
He still needs a parent to take him in and sign a liability paper before he gets the actual permit. His Dad should be home this week-end. The next thing would be driving school.
I’m not in a hurry to see him driving but he lives out in the country/suburbs and needs to get to his band practice, etc.
My RV was picked up by some of my grandchildren so they can go camping this week-end. I’m glad it will get some use.
RANTS AND RAVES
The nearest drug store is a CVS. They do a good job getting my drugs for me. My only problem is the coupons they print on the end of my sales slip.
Most of those coupons are about beauty products or hair products.
I DO have mirrors in this house. They see me in person, even when I go through the drive-thru. They are always polite and say “have a nice day”.
Then they push those buttons that print out the slip with the coupons on it that say I get $4.00 off if I buy $20.00 worth of beauty products.
Are they trying to tell me something? If I got 5 coupons for deodorant I would get that message.
And while I’m on the subject, why do I get ads for hearing aids in the mail. Do they send them to everyone over a certain age or has someone said I don’t hear well.
Dog News
Rascal got out the front door the other day. The door was just open a crack.
I watched as she headed across the front yard – found a worker – flopped down on her back to offer her belly for petting.
When he tried to take hold of her collar she jumped up and tried the next guy she came to. She is very fickle.
He picked her up and carried her back home.
She has decided Teddy’s food is better than hers so two mornings in a row she has finished her food and tried to get his away from him. This is a snarling, growling mess. I may have to put the dishes farther apart.
later….
We have been having August weather for so long that some of the August Lilies are blooming. I plan to dig up the bulbs after they bloom so I cut off the blooms. That should make the bulbs bigger and healthier.
I never realized that they would last so long inside and the buds would open.
I tried some different “modes” on my camera and got a good picture of them. Now if I can remember which mode I used.
Friday I went to see my General Practitioner and found out I have a urinary tract infection as well as a yeast infection. Never had either one before so I have decided to blame chemo.
The antibiotic is working as I woke up at 4:00 a.m. in a big sweat. That is good to know.
I took a nap this afternoon with both dogs laying tail to tail beside me at the top of the couch. Before this Rascal would lay at the foot of the couch until Teddy got down, then take his place and growl at him. The dominance challenge continues.
Teddy keeps asking to go out as he knows Rascal will stay outside longer than he does and he will have the house to himself for a while.
The street is slowly getting done. They are letting us park on the street while they pour the sidewalks and aprons to the driveways.
I just left the keys in the car for them Friday afternoon and let them move it out of their way whenever they needed to. When they left it was back where I had left it, I locked it for overnight.
Saturday I went to the barn and visited their first ever outdoor market. Dealers set up behind the barn to sell their items. It was a great success. They have already made plans for another one in October. Shady spots were the most desirable.
I took care of some business this week that I’ve intended to take care of for a long time. I called the Wright State University about donating my body to their medical school. They are sending me a packet of information.
Some questions they answered over the phone. There is no charge. They may take a couple of years to return the ashes to the family. They pay for all that.
I asked if they should be called first when I die and he said “no, call the doctor first”. I got a chuckle out of that. You have to have the paper work for everything in life – and death.
Oncologist and chemo tomorrow. I have enjoyed my week off.
later….
If you have looked at this blog in the last couple of days you may have been confused. I tried to add a link to another blog and the thing went nuts.
My granddaughter, Andrea, suggested I ask her Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob to fix it – so I did, and they did.
If something isn’t broken why do they keep trying to fix it. Change for the sake of change is stupid. Some new employee trying to show they are important, is my guess.
So many many thanks to Linda and Bob for fixing my blog back to normal and adding the blog “Traveling with Whippets” to the blogs I read and enjoy.
I had to give Rascal the heimlich maneuver today. It was mostly my own fault. I bought a fruit plate at the grocery store and I can’t chew pineapple so I gave each dog a piece.
Rascal choked on it. Of course she gobbles down anything I give her so it is her fault, too. Two jerks on her belly just behind her ribs did it (and lifted her off the floor). Then she growled at me so I figured her throat was clear.
We’ve had thunder storms and rain already this week. It is too late for most of the crops. One of my tomatoes is starting to turn red. I know, it’s late. There is supposed to be more rain later this week. The morning glories aren’t even doing well this year.
Teddy isn’t bothered much by the thunder anymore. Rascal is. Since it was bedtime anyway I put a blanket over her and that seemed to help.
I have more energy with the new pain pills. So much energy that I wore a couple of blisters on my big toe. Since my foot is numb I had to find them in the shower. I’ll have to inspect my feet better from now on. A bandaid and some antibiotic cream are the answer to blisters.
I thought the street in front of my house was about done except for painting lines, sidewalks, and landscaping. But then I saw some paint lines on the new pavement. Pave it – then dig it up. That’s how we do things around here.
POLITICAL LECTURE WARNING
There is NO such thing as federal money. There is only money that taxpayers pay. The taxpayers built the roads and bridges by paying their taxes and voting for people who approved the use of their taxes to build what was needed.
If a bunch of crooks are in that chain between taxpayers and getting something built or done there is a big problem.
That is what has happened to this country. Some of those crooks we didn’t even get to vote for.
We just need to emphasize that there is no federal money until our leaders understand and believe it.
I wish I knew how to do that. If anyone has an idea, let me know.
later….
I am feeling extra tired this week, sure glad all they are doing next week is drawing blood.
The dogs headed to the groomer today. This morning there were stacks of the wood frames at the end of my driveway, like in the picture. The stacks were two deep then. They got some paving done but there is another layer to come.
But I WAS able to get in and out. HOORAY. While I was out I went to Walmart for groceries and odds and ends.
The picture is the way it is left for tonight.
We did get a bit of rain today and may get more tonight.
This is Rascal after her grooming. The groomer is sure she is a Cairn Terrior. They are known for being extra active – if I go by that then for sure she is a Cairn. If you click on the picture you can see her face better.
The dogs were happy to see me come to pick them up. I took a picture of Teddy but it came out blurred.
This last picture is of a sign I have on the front porch, just for a chuckle.
Later….
