It truly was a strange day today. We went from bright, sunny and warm to a stormy afternoon complete with hail (yes, the hard, white stuff) and rain! When the thunderstorm first hit us, what came down was solid hail. I could hardly believe what was on our deck! Amazing.
I love the sound of thunder and we had lots of that. But no lightning. Hmmm. I didn't think that was possible but if there was lightning, it was happening far, far away. Something else that was strange. Then I heard the crack of lightning and saw the sky light up. It was actually pretty because of the way it pulsed.
Did I tell you about the Beast buying a ham the other day? That was on Saturday and I had brought home some food for him from my sister's party. He ended up cutting up the ham and putting it in bags to use during the week. I am getting very tired of ham....LOL. I wouldn't mind it in a cream or a cheese sauce with some pasta or even some potatoes. But he keeps making sandwiches, cold and grilled. I think it's time for me to make some split pea soup. I can use up some of the ham and it is a kind of comfort food for me at least.
It's still thundering but you can hear it moving off and becoming distant. I almost hate to have it happen since I love the sound when I am going to sleep. I don't know why. A long time ago, the sound of thunder would have made me wake up in a panic. That happened for years after going through a tornado that took the roof off over our heads. Our dog, who had hidden under our bed, would be up with me during the storms, his head between my feet and his paws wrapped around my ankles. We must have been a sight.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow. It is supposed to be sunny all day (no rain expected) and warm...around 75 degrees. I am hoping to get outside and clear out the flower bed. I want to get my bulbs planted before it is too late.
Love you all. Be good. Be careful. ***Hugs***
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Sunday, March 29, 2015
I Stay Home.....
It was so funny this morning. The Beast got dressed for church earlier than usual and, when he said goodbye to me, I never gave it a second thought until he came home and asked me how I could do that to him. He went an hour early and was shocked that there were no cars in the lot. LOL! Then he looked at the clock in his car and hit his forehead. Duh! So he came home for another half hour and then left for church again.
When he came home, he obviously had something in mind that he wanted it for but he found out that our laptop is broken. He admitted that he DID drop it one day when he was trying to get something off the shelf where we kept it. He didn't think he hurt it since it was in a padded case but, alas, it won't even come on when he tried plugging it in, just in case the charge was low. So he ended up going to Walmart and buying a new laptop. It's one of those thin ones (but not a touch screen). It has Windows 8 on it and a lot of really crappy applications that are NOT free. He hopes to eventually locate where the hell they have hidden *programs* so he can get rid of a lot of it. You would have to see it to believe it. I'll bet there are almost 200 apps on it.
We found out that Microsoft is going to stop supporting Windows 7. They are trying to force everyone to buy Windows 10! I had no idea that a Windows 10 existed. Did you? What happened to Windows 9?
He finally got ready for the party, which started at 4pm. I called the Princess to remind her to get Chewlee ready since he had promised to take her with him. I was supposed to go but begged off since I was still feeling a bit touchy. Believe it or not, he was disappointed. He said he had been looking forward to my going with him. But these are all HIS friends from HIS church. I'm sure he hates to go alone but he had Chewlee today. He said, when asked, that Chewlee was out of control at the party. That suggested to me that the Princess had not made sure that Chewlee took her pill. But it's hard to be sure. I DO know the pills have a calming effect on her.
He mentioned he was going to have to stop at McD's or some other place that has Wi-Fi so he can register the laptop and download all the updates for it. He's hoping it has some instructions included. There's this one thing on the screen that he can't get rid of and there are apps behind it. He tried the instructions on the little screen but it didn't work. I told him he may have to call our son, Marcus and see if he knows anything about Windows 8 that could help. He wants to wait until he gets it registered, etc.
I'm hoping Sister Cee doesn't have any problems with her GPS although I told her to just hit *Home* (a mistake on the Beast's part) and it would bring her here. That way the Beast could show her what to do. It seems so easy once you know....LOL.
It's supposed to warm up starting tomorrow. I hope so. That way I can get my bulbs planted. You aren't supposed to put new bulbs in the ground until the ground temperature reaches 45 degrees. The Beast actually has a special ground thermometer so we can check it. I would love to get the flower box cleaned out and get those planted. I have a BIG variety of them.
Love you all. Have a great week. For you New Yorkers, I wish you get rid of the snow in shady places now, too. ***Hugs***
When he came home, he obviously had something in mind that he wanted it for but he found out that our laptop is broken. He admitted that he DID drop it one day when he was trying to get something off the shelf where we kept it. He didn't think he hurt it since it was in a padded case but, alas, it won't even come on when he tried plugging it in, just in case the charge was low. So he ended up going to Walmart and buying a new laptop. It's one of those thin ones (but not a touch screen). It has Windows 8 on it and a lot of really crappy applications that are NOT free. He hopes to eventually locate where the hell they have hidden *programs* so he can get rid of a lot of it. You would have to see it to believe it. I'll bet there are almost 200 apps on it.
We found out that Microsoft is going to stop supporting Windows 7. They are trying to force everyone to buy Windows 10! I had no idea that a Windows 10 existed. Did you? What happened to Windows 9?
He finally got ready for the party, which started at 4pm. I called the Princess to remind her to get Chewlee ready since he had promised to take her with him. I was supposed to go but begged off since I was still feeling a bit touchy. Believe it or not, he was disappointed. He said he had been looking forward to my going with him. But these are all HIS friends from HIS church. I'm sure he hates to go alone but he had Chewlee today. He said, when asked, that Chewlee was out of control at the party. That suggested to me that the Princess had not made sure that Chewlee took her pill. But it's hard to be sure. I DO know the pills have a calming effect on her.
He mentioned he was going to have to stop at McD's or some other place that has Wi-Fi so he can register the laptop and download all the updates for it. He's hoping it has some instructions included. There's this one thing on the screen that he can't get rid of and there are apps behind it. He tried the instructions on the little screen but it didn't work. I told him he may have to call our son, Marcus and see if he knows anything about Windows 8 that could help. He wants to wait until he gets it registered, etc.
I'm hoping Sister Cee doesn't have any problems with her GPS although I told her to just hit *Home* (a mistake on the Beast's part) and it would bring her here. That way the Beast could show her what to do. It seems so easy once you know....LOL.
It's supposed to warm up starting tomorrow. I hope so. That way I can get my bulbs planted. You aren't supposed to put new bulbs in the ground until the ground temperature reaches 45 degrees. The Beast actually has a special ground thermometer so we can check it. I would love to get the flower box cleaned out and get those planted. I have a BIG variety of them.
Love you all. Have a great week. For you New Yorkers, I wish you get rid of the snow in shady places now, too. ***Hugs***
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Sister Cee Has A Happy Birthday!
Sheepie was dropped off by Teach around noon...maybe a little earlier. I wasn't clock watching. Then I got a call from the Princess who had just found out about Sheepie being here and she told me that she couldn't take us both so have the Beast drive us. It's tough when you have to carry all the accoutrements you need when you go somewhere with a baby....sigh. But it was okay with us since we left here a little early.
When we got to Tara's, there were already a bunch of people there for the party and Tara was just uncovering the food. Yum! Sheepie decided she was going to take care of me and got me a plate of food while my sisters and I sat outside talking. There was just so much conversation going on with the party-goers, you could hardly hear yourself think....LOL! Tara had the typical cold cuts and rolls and she had the most awesome potato casserole I have ever had. In fact, I actually prefer it to potato salad but that could have been partly because it was so chilly outside and the dish is served warm. It had a couple different types of cheese in it and I have no idea what else but I asked Tara to be sure to get me the recipe. Sister Cee said it was really easy to put together. Tara had done it the night before and just popped it into the oven so it would be ready for the party. She also had made a variation on her pasta salad, which was also very good. My nephew's wife, Lucy, had made a type of biscuit with spinach mix on it that was delicious. She also made some tasty sweet treats that I won't even try to describe. They were also excellent. But Lucy is a very talented cook as we are all discovering.
Her real coup was the birthday cake. Not only did she decorate it like a professional but it was the most delicious carrot cake I have ever tasted. She makes it from scratch, even to grating the carrots. It was all I could do not to steal what cake was left after everyone had been served. I tell you, Mike lucked out on this wife! Don't get the wrong idea. He has only been married once before. This marriage looks to be a much happier one....and Mike's *figure* shows that he, too, appreciates her cooking. LOL!
I gave Cee a GPS that we had been keeping as a spare here for us once I found out her car didn't have one, nor did her phone. After I told the Beast about that, he agreed we could give it to her (that kind of surprised me) and he updated the maps on it. It's a good one (a Garmin) and, trust me, around here she is going to need it. We are so rural and we have the mountains to deal with and a real lack of street signs, that it's a necessity and not a luxury. She also got a big variety of bath products and some cologne. She laughed and said she was going to smell wonderful for the next few months. Most of it was lavender scented since that is her favorite.
I took a look at her new car on my way into Tara's and it really looks to be in great shape for being 12 years old. The man took good care of it, that's for sure. So we shouldn't have to worry about her breaking down for a while as soon as she gets her radiator replaced. It definitely shows signs of wear and tear from what Mike saw. The guy at least took the cost of that off the price he was asking for it after Mike checked with a dealer on the cost of replacing it.
Sister Cee is still looking for an apartment although she has a strong contender that's a bit further away from my house. But it's right off the main drag through all the towns around here. She shouldn't ever get lost....at least not easily. But the GPS will help with that, too.
Mike brought me and Sheepie back to my house so I didn't have to call the Beast. I brought him a plate since he HAD been good enough to come in to say Hi to everyone and didn't just drop us off and leave. That would have been exceedingly rude of him but he DID show better manners, thank goodness.
I had no idea that Mike and Lucy had come by the house while I was in the hospital and brought donuts that Lucy had made. That pig, the Beast, ate them ALL! LOL...Mike said they had only brought over a half dozen, I believe he said. The Beast can eat those in two sittings and, at the time, I wasn't getting any food so he didn't tempt me. That's when I was on a clear diet. Nothing but Jello, juices and my first coffee. Thank goodness that's behind me now.
Anyway, I left a little earlier than I would have liked to because I had been up and down, in and out, probably more than I should have been and I was in pain. I had to lay down as soon as I got home and I know I fell asleep. I think Teach was going to come in and say Hi and Goodbye to me when he came to pick up Sheepie but I only heard the door close. I was up when Sheepie came in to say goodbye and got my hug from her. I felt awful that I didn't really get to enjoy her company more but I think she will forgive me.
I ended up taking a pain pill after she left and it really did help. My incision was leaking badly and I ended up putting a bandage over it before I changed into my pajamas. I had to put my clothes into cold water to soak....just in case the marks might have staining qualities to it. The Beast asked me if I had mentioned it to my regular doctor when I saw him earlier this week and I told him if it had been leaking then, I would have but I would tell the doctor that is supposed to remove my staples that it's doing it when I see him on Monday. It may not keep leaking, however, if I stop being so active until it's healed nicely. I guess the staples being in so long might not have been a bad thing after all. That is, unless THEY are responsible for the leakage because of being in while I was doing so much moving around. At least, for the last several hours, I have been in no pain.
I was going to go to a party for a family that attends his church (and I do know them fairly well) tomorrow afternoon but I am not going to now. I don't dare because he needs to speak with another member and spend some time going over camera functions with them. If I got sick again and he had to take me home early, it would be a major problem. I would rather not take the chance.
Well, I finally got this room warmed up and I am going to be heading for bed shortly. Love you all and have a nice Sunday. Don't forget to tell those you love that you do whenever speaking to them or as you hug them goodbye. You never know what life has in store! ***Hugs***
When we got to Tara's, there were already a bunch of people there for the party and Tara was just uncovering the food. Yum! Sheepie decided she was going to take care of me and got me a plate of food while my sisters and I sat outside talking. There was just so much conversation going on with the party-goers, you could hardly hear yourself think....LOL! Tara had the typical cold cuts and rolls and she had the most awesome potato casserole I have ever had. In fact, I actually prefer it to potato salad but that could have been partly because it was so chilly outside and the dish is served warm. It had a couple different types of cheese in it and I have no idea what else but I asked Tara to be sure to get me the recipe. Sister Cee said it was really easy to put together. Tara had done it the night before and just popped it into the oven so it would be ready for the party. She also had made a variation on her pasta salad, which was also very good. My nephew's wife, Lucy, had made a type of biscuit with spinach mix on it that was delicious. She also made some tasty sweet treats that I won't even try to describe. They were also excellent. But Lucy is a very talented cook as we are all discovering.
Her real coup was the birthday cake. Not only did she decorate it like a professional but it was the most delicious carrot cake I have ever tasted. She makes it from scratch, even to grating the carrots. It was all I could do not to steal what cake was left after everyone had been served. I tell you, Mike lucked out on this wife! Don't get the wrong idea. He has only been married once before. This marriage looks to be a much happier one....and Mike's *figure* shows that he, too, appreciates her cooking. LOL!
I gave Cee a GPS that we had been keeping as a spare here for us once I found out her car didn't have one, nor did her phone. After I told the Beast about that, he agreed we could give it to her (that kind of surprised me) and he updated the maps on it. It's a good one (a Garmin) and, trust me, around here she is going to need it. We are so rural and we have the mountains to deal with and a real lack of street signs, that it's a necessity and not a luxury. She also got a big variety of bath products and some cologne. She laughed and said she was going to smell wonderful for the next few months. Most of it was lavender scented since that is her favorite.
I took a look at her new car on my way into Tara's and it really looks to be in great shape for being 12 years old. The man took good care of it, that's for sure. So we shouldn't have to worry about her breaking down for a while as soon as she gets her radiator replaced. It definitely shows signs of wear and tear from what Mike saw. The guy at least took the cost of that off the price he was asking for it after Mike checked with a dealer on the cost of replacing it.
Sister Cee is still looking for an apartment although she has a strong contender that's a bit further away from my house. But it's right off the main drag through all the towns around here. She shouldn't ever get lost....at least not easily. But the GPS will help with that, too.
Mike brought me and Sheepie back to my house so I didn't have to call the Beast. I brought him a plate since he HAD been good enough to come in to say Hi to everyone and didn't just drop us off and leave. That would have been exceedingly rude of him but he DID show better manners, thank goodness.
I had no idea that Mike and Lucy had come by the house while I was in the hospital and brought donuts that Lucy had made. That pig, the Beast, ate them ALL! LOL...Mike said they had only brought over a half dozen, I believe he said. The Beast can eat those in two sittings and, at the time, I wasn't getting any food so he didn't tempt me. That's when I was on a clear diet. Nothing but Jello, juices and my first coffee. Thank goodness that's behind me now.
Anyway, I left a little earlier than I would have liked to because I had been up and down, in and out, probably more than I should have been and I was in pain. I had to lay down as soon as I got home and I know I fell asleep. I think Teach was going to come in and say Hi and Goodbye to me when he came to pick up Sheepie but I only heard the door close. I was up when Sheepie came in to say goodbye and got my hug from her. I felt awful that I didn't really get to enjoy her company more but I think she will forgive me.
I ended up taking a pain pill after she left and it really did help. My incision was leaking badly and I ended up putting a bandage over it before I changed into my pajamas. I had to put my clothes into cold water to soak....just in case the marks might have staining qualities to it. The Beast asked me if I had mentioned it to my regular doctor when I saw him earlier this week and I told him if it had been leaking then, I would have but I would tell the doctor that is supposed to remove my staples that it's doing it when I see him on Monday. It may not keep leaking, however, if I stop being so active until it's healed nicely. I guess the staples being in so long might not have been a bad thing after all. That is, unless THEY are responsible for the leakage because of being in while I was doing so much moving around. At least, for the last several hours, I have been in no pain.
I was going to go to a party for a family that attends his church (and I do know them fairly well) tomorrow afternoon but I am not going to now. I don't dare because he needs to speak with another member and spend some time going over camera functions with them. If I got sick again and he had to take me home early, it would be a major problem. I would rather not take the chance.
Well, I finally got this room warmed up and I am going to be heading for bed shortly. Love you all and have a nice Sunday. Don't forget to tell those you love that you do whenever speaking to them or as you hug them goodbye. You never know what life has in store! ***Hugs***
Friday, March 27, 2015
BUSY, BUSY, BUSY....
Today turned into a busy day for me. We did washing. I discovered that the Beast hadn't laundered his undies and socks for almost two weeks. I don't usually check his clothes hamper. He brings it out to the washer and either throws it in (and I do all the folding regardless of who washes) or just leaves it there for me to take care of. I had less clothes to take care of. I did wash less that a week ago so only had four days worth in my hamper.
We've had separate hampers for a couple years now. It just happened. I don't remember why but it works for us. The Beast has never let his clothes go for two weeks that I can remember. However, my memory sucks any more...LOL.
We had the most unusual bird visit one of our bird feeders today. It was gorgeous. It had a blue-black body and a light brown head and collar. I have never seen a bird like it before. Not even in one of the bird books we've had over the years. I have to try to find it on Google and find out what kind of bird it is. It was really incredible looking. The Beast and I stood at the back door watching it for several minutes. Then it flew away after eating it's fill. You would have thought it was starving for all the seed it ate. I felt bad for it.
Some of the birds we get are truly interesting. The size of sparrows, they come in an incredible variety. Some are brown and white. Some are almost striped like a zebra even to being black and white. Some have reddish heads and a touch of red on their necks. It's incredible that they have such variety in what looks to be the same size bird but different than anything we've ever seen. I can understand why some people get *into* bird watching. But here I think they would be overwhelmed to identify them without serious searching bird pictures.o
We had to vacuum the floors again today due to Baron (yes, the dog) dragging in lots of the cut grass from the Beast's mowing a couple days ago. It's amazing how his paws can hold so much of it between his toes. If he's in and out a few times, you can see it dropping out as he walks across the room. *Sigh* He's as bad as a little kid. By dog standards, he's hitting middle age now and you can tell. He spends a lot of his time just laying around, sleeping. Yet he's tired when the Beast goes to bed and follows him into the bedroom and plopping down on his bed in there. He's sound asleep in just a few minutes and will sleep thru the night unless his bladder wakes him. At least he wakes up the Beast to let him out...LOL.
Tomorrow is Sister Cee's birthday party. She officially turns 65. It's convenient that her birthday is on a Saturday because it means all of the family (except Teach who has to work) can attend. She called me today to make sure I had a ride to Tara's house. I told her I would either come with the Princess or the Beast would drop me off. He doesn't believe in celebrating birthdays so he won't stay. He's always been so *bah humbug* about every Holiday and things like birthdays that he's a downer anyway. He won't be missed, trust me. Sheepie will be dropped off at my house in the morning by Teach since he must work and she will go with me.
It wasn't as cold as was originally predicted. It actually hit 59 today so it wasn't all that bad. However, it's cold right now. It's already only 34 degrees out and it's not even the coldest part of the night. My little heater has been going on and off like crazy trying to keep my computer room warm. I had to put a different pair of pajamas on because I had a no sleeve top on and I kept getting the chills.
Only two more days until I finally get the staples out. Did I mention that my regular doctor, after feeling my belly, felt the hard spot I kept feeling (it actually kind of came and went on me) said it had to be a remnant of the gas they pump into my belly so they can work on me surgically. He said that was probably moving along my diaphragm and that was why it came and went. It also explained why I was burping so much. I was dispelling the gas when it passed thru the diaphragm. There's always an explanation that you might never think of when you forget they do things like pump gas into you....LOL. I had that done when I had my tubal ligation years ago. But they had told me about that part before I even went in for the surgery so I knew what to expect.
Time to get this posted and get ready for bed. I'm tired after steaming the floors after the Beast vacuumed up the debris the dog dragged in. Of course, the Beast probably contributed to that also but I didn't bring that up....LOL. His sneakers have an unusual tread and the grass cuttings get clumped into them. I've seen the Beast cleaning that stuff out of the treads a couple times when he noticed that.
Love you all. Have a nice weekend. Try to remember that Spring really isn't all that far away. We will be getting warmer weather on Monday....again....and it's supposed to last us over a week. That's as far as our forecast goes right now and it's still a guess. LOL! I hope it's a GOOD guess.
***Hugs***
We've had separate hampers for a couple years now. It just happened. I don't remember why but it works for us. The Beast has never let his clothes go for two weeks that I can remember. However, my memory sucks any more...LOL.
We had the most unusual bird visit one of our bird feeders today. It was gorgeous. It had a blue-black body and a light brown head and collar. I have never seen a bird like it before. Not even in one of the bird books we've had over the years. I have to try to find it on Google and find out what kind of bird it is. It was really incredible looking. The Beast and I stood at the back door watching it for several minutes. Then it flew away after eating it's fill. You would have thought it was starving for all the seed it ate. I felt bad for it.
Some of the birds we get are truly interesting. The size of sparrows, they come in an incredible variety. Some are brown and white. Some are almost striped like a zebra even to being black and white. Some have reddish heads and a touch of red on their necks. It's incredible that they have such variety in what looks to be the same size bird but different than anything we've ever seen. I can understand why some people get *into* bird watching. But here I think they would be overwhelmed to identify them without serious searching bird pictures.o
We had to vacuum the floors again today due to Baron (yes, the dog) dragging in lots of the cut grass from the Beast's mowing a couple days ago. It's amazing how his paws can hold so much of it between his toes. If he's in and out a few times, you can see it dropping out as he walks across the room. *Sigh* He's as bad as a little kid. By dog standards, he's hitting middle age now and you can tell. He spends a lot of his time just laying around, sleeping. Yet he's tired when the Beast goes to bed and follows him into the bedroom and plopping down on his bed in there. He's sound asleep in just a few minutes and will sleep thru the night unless his bladder wakes him. At least he wakes up the Beast to let him out...LOL.
Tomorrow is Sister Cee's birthday party. She officially turns 65. It's convenient that her birthday is on a Saturday because it means all of the family (except Teach who has to work) can attend. She called me today to make sure I had a ride to Tara's house. I told her I would either come with the Princess or the Beast would drop me off. He doesn't believe in celebrating birthdays so he won't stay. He's always been so *bah humbug* about every Holiday and things like birthdays that he's a downer anyway. He won't be missed, trust me. Sheepie will be dropped off at my house in the morning by Teach since he must work and she will go with me.
It wasn't as cold as was originally predicted. It actually hit 59 today so it wasn't all that bad. However, it's cold right now. It's already only 34 degrees out and it's not even the coldest part of the night. My little heater has been going on and off like crazy trying to keep my computer room warm. I had to put a different pair of pajamas on because I had a no sleeve top on and I kept getting the chills.
Only two more days until I finally get the staples out. Did I mention that my regular doctor, after feeling my belly, felt the hard spot I kept feeling (it actually kind of came and went on me) said it had to be a remnant of the gas they pump into my belly so they can work on me surgically. He said that was probably moving along my diaphragm and that was why it came and went. It also explained why I was burping so much. I was dispelling the gas when it passed thru the diaphragm. There's always an explanation that you might never think of when you forget they do things like pump gas into you....LOL. I had that done when I had my tubal ligation years ago. But they had told me about that part before I even went in for the surgery so I knew what to expect.
Time to get this posted and get ready for bed. I'm tired after steaming the floors after the Beast vacuumed up the debris the dog dragged in. Of course, the Beast probably contributed to that also but I didn't bring that up....LOL. His sneakers have an unusual tread and the grass cuttings get clumped into them. I've seen the Beast cleaning that stuff out of the treads a couple times when he noticed that.
Love you all. Have a nice weekend. Try to remember that Spring really isn't all that far away. We will be getting warmer weather on Monday....again....and it's supposed to last us over a week. That's as far as our forecast goes right now and it's still a guess. LOL! I hope it's a GOOD guess.
***Hugs***
Thursday, March 26, 2015
An Invite To Dinner
We got an invite to have dinner with Dennis and Diane today. The Beast asked me if I felt up to it and I figured there was no reason not to go. We headed over there (it was nice out but I had dressed for cooler weather because of Weatherbug) around 5:30pm. I was amazed at all they had done to the house since the last time we had been there. Their patio area at the back of the house was just beautiful with it's wood flooring and the amazing grille and ovens, stainless steel, that they had installed. The exhaust fan over the area (also stainless steel) was 5,000 cfm. The Beast said that it was like the cfm's that a 5 ton air conditioner had.
Most of the house is decorated in black and white's with a touch of red for accent. The patio area, however, is in white with orange. The chairs for the table are a woven fabric in orange and are actually very comfortable to sit in. That was where we sat to eat dinner since the hot dogs were going to be grilled. I found out that Dennis likes his hot dogs charred like I do. It was a treat for me because most people are a bit reluctant to char their hot dogs. The meal also included both potato salad and cole slaw. Diane had a plate of onions, tomatoes, pickle slices, Italian peppers and relish. She put out three different types of mustard and some ketchup. She's a thorough hostess if nothing else. LOL!
At 8pm, after inspecting Dennis' hydroponic garden (which was a fantastic thing to see), our trek home (just across the street) was really chilly. I was glad I had dressed the way I had. The temperature had dropped almost 20 degrees from when we had left at 5:30pm. Brrr!
According to the weatherman and my Weatherbug, our high tomorrow will only be in the 40's. It will be several days before we get some nice warm weather again. *Sigh* Oh well. Love you all. I hope you have a great Friday and an even better weekend. ***Hugs***
Most of the house is decorated in black and white's with a touch of red for accent. The patio area, however, is in white with orange. The chairs for the table are a woven fabric in orange and are actually very comfortable to sit in. That was where we sat to eat dinner since the hot dogs were going to be grilled. I found out that Dennis likes his hot dogs charred like I do. It was a treat for me because most people are a bit reluctant to char their hot dogs. The meal also included both potato salad and cole slaw. Diane had a plate of onions, tomatoes, pickle slices, Italian peppers and relish. She put out three different types of mustard and some ketchup. She's a thorough hostess if nothing else. LOL!
At 8pm, after inspecting Dennis' hydroponic garden (which was a fantastic thing to see), our trek home (just across the street) was really chilly. I was glad I had dressed the way I had. The temperature had dropped almost 20 degrees from when we had left at 5:30pm. Brrr!
According to the weatherman and my Weatherbug, our high tomorrow will only be in the 40's. It will be several days before we get some nice warm weather again. *Sigh* Oh well. Love you all. I hope you have a great Friday and an even better weekend. ***Hugs***
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
The House Feels Empty.....
Chewlee was only here for a little over two days but....when she left, the house suddenly felt very empty. It's weird because I am used to it being just the Beast here with me. It's been a couple years since anyone lived with us. That was the Princess and Chewlee and they were here less than a year. Actually, it may only have been six months or so but since I watched Chewlee while the Princess worked and was going to college, it didn't seem so much like they were really gone.
I just enjoy having Chewlee here. She can be so darn cute and funny. Today she helped the Beast buy some flowers for the planter on the deck. She weeded it (it's small...about the size of a big watermelon wide and a foot and a half deep) and then dug the holes and put the plants in it. She had filled the water can and watered the flowers after she had finished. She must have spent at least 10 minutes washing all the dirt off her hands and from under her nails.
She put some clear coat nail polish on my nails and I did the same to hers. She then put some on her toe nails and pronounced them shiny. I guess she likes shiny since she isnt allowed to have nail polish with any color. Unless her mother puts it on her, I guess. Maybe this is new rules. Hard to say.
The Princess and Johnnycakes had a new roof put on their house. It looks great. I would like to do that to our house. It will be needing a new roof very soon. The Princess' roof had started leaking into the sun room so it was time. It will add value to the house, too, when they decide they want a bigger house.
I put up the hummingbird feeders and the syrup actually said it had special vitamins and minerals to aid in the health of the hummingbird and also the babies. That was different. I had to read it twice to believe it. Now even the simple hummingbird sugar syrup is *enriched*. LOL!
I need to call Sister Cee and find out how her search for an apartment or house is going. I haven't talked to her for a few days now and I am hoping she finds something soon and also nearby. She liked the looks of the outside of this one house that will be available for rent but she can't see the inside until after the people move out on the 30th. She may just be waiting to see that one and it's close to me. I'd like that.
I'm feeling much better today. I'm not hurting anywhere, thank goodness. Even the staples haven't bothered me. I'm also walking much better. I noticed that this morning when I went to get my coffee. I'm walking more normal now. A lot of little things tell me that I am on the mend.
It was absolutely gorgeous today. The temperature hit around 75 and it was nice and sunny, too. Thursday thru Sunday, the temperature is going to bottom on us with night time temps being in the mid 30's. Day time temps in the 40's and 50's. Then it's going to warm up again. Sigh. I'm surprised that a lot of people around here aren't sick. This up and down temps thing is the pits!
Time to get this posted. Love you all and I hope you had a fun Hump Day. Too bad camels can't really talk. Can you imagine one strolling thru your workplace and spouting off ?? ROFL! Be good and keep yourself warm and safe. ***Hugs***
I just enjoy having Chewlee here. She can be so darn cute and funny. Today she helped the Beast buy some flowers for the planter on the deck. She weeded it (it's small...about the size of a big watermelon wide and a foot and a half deep) and then dug the holes and put the plants in it. She had filled the water can and watered the flowers after she had finished. She must have spent at least 10 minutes washing all the dirt off her hands and from under her nails.
She put some clear coat nail polish on my nails and I did the same to hers. She then put some on her toe nails and pronounced them shiny. I guess she likes shiny since she isnt allowed to have nail polish with any color. Unless her mother puts it on her, I guess. Maybe this is new rules. Hard to say.
The Princess and Johnnycakes had a new roof put on their house. It looks great. I would like to do that to our house. It will be needing a new roof very soon. The Princess' roof had started leaking into the sun room so it was time. It will add value to the house, too, when they decide they want a bigger house.
I put up the hummingbird feeders and the syrup actually said it had special vitamins and minerals to aid in the health of the hummingbird and also the babies. That was different. I had to read it twice to believe it. Now even the simple hummingbird sugar syrup is *enriched*. LOL!
I need to call Sister Cee and find out how her search for an apartment or house is going. I haven't talked to her for a few days now and I am hoping she finds something soon and also nearby. She liked the looks of the outside of this one house that will be available for rent but she can't see the inside until after the people move out on the 30th. She may just be waiting to see that one and it's close to me. I'd like that.
I'm feeling much better today. I'm not hurting anywhere, thank goodness. Even the staples haven't bothered me. I'm also walking much better. I noticed that this morning when I went to get my coffee. I'm walking more normal now. A lot of little things tell me that I am on the mend.
It was absolutely gorgeous today. The temperature hit around 75 and it was nice and sunny, too. Thursday thru Sunday, the temperature is going to bottom on us with night time temps being in the mid 30's. Day time temps in the 40's and 50's. Then it's going to warm up again. Sigh. I'm surprised that a lot of people around here aren't sick. This up and down temps thing is the pits!
Time to get this posted. Love you all and I hope you had a fun Hump Day. Too bad camels can't really talk. Can you imagine one strolling thru your workplace and spouting off ?? ROFL! Be good and keep yourself warm and safe. ***Hugs***
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Kind Of A Fun Day.....
First of all, Chewlee woke up bright and early. It had to have been around 7am when the Beast got up. What she ate for breakfast, I have no idea but the Beast would have taken care of seeing to that since Chewlee had no idea what cereals we had in the house. I went to the bathroom shortly after she got up and went back to bed for a while since my appointment with my regular doctor wasn't until 1:15pm and we wouldn't have to leave until 12:30pm to get there and sign in so they knew I had arrived.
Chewlee brought her word search (for kids) book to keep her entertained while I was in with the doctor. The Beast just read a magazine. The doctor and I had a nice visit and he informed told me what had been found out about the dead portion of my bowel. It seems the blood flow to that area had been either interrupted (perhaps by a blood clot but that was unknown) or the bowel had somehow been injured. Unless it was due to my IBS (which my doctor feels should now subside), how it could be injured, I have no idea.
He also approved and documented the reason for my back brace so, with luck, Medicare should pay for it. He even measured my waist area so they would send the proper size. The last one I was given a long time ago was too damn tight and I could barely stand to wear it. But, I must admit, I was younger, slim and in pain at the time. It was after my worst rear-end accident that the hospital gave it to me to go home in.
He checked out the staples and where the other incisions had been and pronounced the areas well healed. But he wouldn't remove the staples for me since I have the appointment with the surgeon on Monday of next week. Boo-hoo! He asked me if I had enough pain pills to last me for a bit and I told him I did (I have more of my Tramadol being refilled anyway) and I sure don't like the hydrocortizone ones. Those are the ones that make me nauseous.
I have spent a lot of the last two days watching cartoons with Chewlee. Some of them are still cute. Others make me crazy. But we also watched a neat dinosaur movie, and it wasn't a cartoon type. It was more a docudrama since so much guesswork is involved. But it was still interesting. THEN there was a cartoon done with both real scenery and animatronics that was cute. It was all about a dinosaur raised by a troop of monkeys and they all talked. Chewlee was riveted watching it. No matter how grown up she tries to pretend to be, she is still a kid.
On the way home, we stopped at the Princess' house to pick up a pair of jeans for Chewlee. She brought enough clothes for two days EXCEPT for pants. She also grabbed this other blanket of hers that reminds me of a muppet. You know, like Oscar the Grouch or Cookie Monster only it's green like Oscar. I felt it and could understand why she loves it. It's very soft. She also didn't like how Baron had messed up HER room so she cleaned it and did a great job. I was really proud of her. She made the bed nicely and used furniture spray for the dresser and bookcase headboard. She even cleaned the windowsill of Baron's hair (which will last one day...LOL).
She took the empty milk jugs over to Dennis and Di's house for the Beast. Dennis is using them for a kind of hydroponic thing for his veggies and herbs. He's doing some for us, too, which is why the Beast is so good about saving the milk jugs for him...LOL.
I let Chewlee play the word search games by herself since she can read most of the words and knows what most objects are. I only had to explain a few to her and she found them by herself. She really IS good at them. I was surprised to find out she wants to play with me at times. She likes the two of us looking for the items. LOL! I thought that was sweet.
It was really nice out today. It reached 74 degrees outside. Chewlee spent part of the afternoon riding her bike and part helping the Beast start clearing out the two flower boxes. She doesn't like doing it by herself and I was in pain after the doctor his a sore spot on me when he was checking my incisions. It was like having a bad stomach ache for a while there.
Chewlee made up a bed for her stuffed animals. She treats them like they are real sometimes. It seems funny to me but I don't laugh at her. They are HER babies. I had to make her a Cup O'Noodles for her dinner since she was hungry and the Beast and I weren't really. We had overeaten, I think, for our lunch. But it was so good......the Beast made a pot roast and gravy and some 4 cheese mashed potatoes. Although Chewlee ate some of the pot roast, it wasn't much so I knew she was just humoring me. That's why I made her the Cup O'Noodles, which she loves and I know she will eat it all. There are times *I* can't finish those...LOL...but she always does.
The Princess sent Chewlee' medication home with her, too, and she took one as soon as we got home. It didn't take too long before we saw the difference it made because she calmed down. Amazing.
Anyway, it's been a nice day and we've had a bit of fun with Chewlee. We really missed having her around. Love you all and I wish you all a bit of fun for yourselves, too, this week. ***Hugs***
Chewlee brought her word search (for kids) book to keep her entertained while I was in with the doctor. The Beast just read a magazine. The doctor and I had a nice visit and he informed told me what had been found out about the dead portion of my bowel. It seems the blood flow to that area had been either interrupted (perhaps by a blood clot but that was unknown) or the bowel had somehow been injured. Unless it was due to my IBS (which my doctor feels should now subside), how it could be injured, I have no idea.
He also approved and documented the reason for my back brace so, with luck, Medicare should pay for it. He even measured my waist area so they would send the proper size. The last one I was given a long time ago was too damn tight and I could barely stand to wear it. But, I must admit, I was younger, slim and in pain at the time. It was after my worst rear-end accident that the hospital gave it to me to go home in.
He checked out the staples and where the other incisions had been and pronounced the areas well healed. But he wouldn't remove the staples for me since I have the appointment with the surgeon on Monday of next week. Boo-hoo! He asked me if I had enough pain pills to last me for a bit and I told him I did (I have more of my Tramadol being refilled anyway) and I sure don't like the hydrocortizone ones. Those are the ones that make me nauseous.
I have spent a lot of the last two days watching cartoons with Chewlee. Some of them are still cute. Others make me crazy. But we also watched a neat dinosaur movie, and it wasn't a cartoon type. It was more a docudrama since so much guesswork is involved. But it was still interesting. THEN there was a cartoon done with both real scenery and animatronics that was cute. It was all about a dinosaur raised by a troop of monkeys and they all talked. Chewlee was riveted watching it. No matter how grown up she tries to pretend to be, she is still a kid.
On the way home, we stopped at the Princess' house to pick up a pair of jeans for Chewlee. She brought enough clothes for two days EXCEPT for pants. She also grabbed this other blanket of hers that reminds me of a muppet. You know, like Oscar the Grouch or Cookie Monster only it's green like Oscar. I felt it and could understand why she loves it. It's very soft. She also didn't like how Baron had messed up HER room so she cleaned it and did a great job. I was really proud of her. She made the bed nicely and used furniture spray for the dresser and bookcase headboard. She even cleaned the windowsill of Baron's hair (which will last one day...LOL).
She took the empty milk jugs over to Dennis and Di's house for the Beast. Dennis is using them for a kind of hydroponic thing for his veggies and herbs. He's doing some for us, too, which is why the Beast is so good about saving the milk jugs for him...LOL.
I let Chewlee play the word search games by herself since she can read most of the words and knows what most objects are. I only had to explain a few to her and she found them by herself. She really IS good at them. I was surprised to find out she wants to play with me at times. She likes the two of us looking for the items. LOL! I thought that was sweet.
It was really nice out today. It reached 74 degrees outside. Chewlee spent part of the afternoon riding her bike and part helping the Beast start clearing out the two flower boxes. She doesn't like doing it by herself and I was in pain after the doctor his a sore spot on me when he was checking my incisions. It was like having a bad stomach ache for a while there.
Chewlee made up a bed for her stuffed animals. She treats them like they are real sometimes. It seems funny to me but I don't laugh at her. They are HER babies. I had to make her a Cup O'Noodles for her dinner since she was hungry and the Beast and I weren't really. We had overeaten, I think, for our lunch. But it was so good......the Beast made a pot roast and gravy and some 4 cheese mashed potatoes. Although Chewlee ate some of the pot roast, it wasn't much so I knew she was just humoring me. That's why I made her the Cup O'Noodles, which she loves and I know she will eat it all. There are times *I* can't finish those...LOL...but she always does.
The Princess sent Chewlee' medication home with her, too, and she took one as soon as we got home. It didn't take too long before we saw the difference it made because she calmed down. Amazing.
Anyway, it's been a nice day and we've had a bit of fun with Chewlee. We really missed having her around. Love you all and I wish you all a bit of fun for yourselves, too, this week. ***Hugs***
Monday, March 23, 2015
Chewlee Has A Sleepover......
Chewlee came today for a sleepover. She was in a great mood and helped put away some things so she could put out all the clothes she had brought with her. She brought enough for two days but I will have to talk to the Princess tomorrow to see if that is okay with her. It's okay with the Beast and me but I told her we will have to see and it has to do with if she is good or not.
I also know she didn't bring her pills so I will have to find out about that from the Princess. I'm not sure Chewlee likes taking them but they do calm her down and she is able to concentrate then. The Princess told me that Chewlee is supposed to take one in the morning (she is in charge of that) and I don't think it's smart to leave it up to a child. If she doesn't like taking them, it's easy for her to NOT take them when Mommy is in bed and doesn't see. It DID cause a problem at school when she had stopped taking them. Her grades plummeted. After her punishment (she couldn't go anywhere for a couple weeks), she's taking them without fail. We have noticed that it makes a difference. She IS much calmer.
I had to make her put her pajamas on for bed time. She would have slept in her clothes otherwise. She was coughing but said her throat was dry so we put some ice water in her straw cup. I think that was what she wanted.....LOL!
It was a nice evening. Chewlee found some of the pictures she's drawn for me that I have kept that go back to when she was about four years old. She was amazed. But I am a grandmother...make that great-grandmother and I treasure those things. She will learn.
Love you all. I must go to sleep or she will be up all night and I know she's tired. She is usually in bed by 8 pm. Have a wonderful week. It's off to one of my doctor's tomorrow just as a follow-up. I discovered I don't get my staples out until next Monday. *Sigh* It will make it almost a month for these staples to be in. That seems like too much to me. But what do I know? ***Hugs***
I also know she didn't bring her pills so I will have to find out about that from the Princess. I'm not sure Chewlee likes taking them but they do calm her down and she is able to concentrate then. The Princess told me that Chewlee is supposed to take one in the morning (she is in charge of that) and I don't think it's smart to leave it up to a child. If she doesn't like taking them, it's easy for her to NOT take them when Mommy is in bed and doesn't see. It DID cause a problem at school when she had stopped taking them. Her grades plummeted. After her punishment (she couldn't go anywhere for a couple weeks), she's taking them without fail. We have noticed that it makes a difference. She IS much calmer.
I had to make her put her pajamas on for bed time. She would have slept in her clothes otherwise. She was coughing but said her throat was dry so we put some ice water in her straw cup. I think that was what she wanted.....LOL!
It was a nice evening. Chewlee found some of the pictures she's drawn for me that I have kept that go back to when she was about four years old. She was amazed. But I am a grandmother...make that great-grandmother and I treasure those things. She will learn.
Love you all. I must go to sleep or she will be up all night and I know she's tired. She is usually in bed by 8 pm. Have a wonderful week. It's off to one of my doctor's tomorrow just as a follow-up. I discovered I don't get my staples out until next Monday. *Sigh* It will make it almost a month for these staples to be in. That seems like too much to me. But what do I know? ***Hugs***
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Cold And Wet Day......
Well, it didn't get as warm as the weatherbug predicted. Our high was 56 but it was raining. The high humidity (100%) made the cold feel even worse. It cut to the bone. Even the Beast complained.
I called Sister Cee and tried to get her to come over and go out to lunch. That was when it was sunny out and seemed like it was going to be a nice day. But she was waiting for Tara to get home from her weekend at the river with Chance. She had rented a cottage and had some quality time with him. The resort has a pool and he even got to go swimming yesterday. From the pictures she posted on her facebook page, it looked like they had a good time.
When she got home, she and Cee were going to go do grocery shopping. Tomorrow Cee has calls to make about apartments she found advertised in the little local paper so we won't be going out then. Since her son has a gps, any place she finds he can plug into it and they are going to go and look at what's available. *Sigh* Oh well. Eventually we will be able to get together. We DID reminisce a bit about some of the different stores we used to shop at that weren't grocery stores. There were times we would see what looked like an interesting little place and go take a look at what it had to offer. We had fun then and enjoyed being together. I have missed those times a lot.
We always stopped and had lunch and a drink or two. Never more than two though since we didn't want to have cops stop us for drunken driving.....LOL. In Fort Lauderdale, we had a huge selection of restaurants to choose from. Depending on where we were shopping, there was always a good place to go eat nearby. We often ate at TGIFriday in Coral Springs because we could eat out on the patio and enjoy the great weather. If it was too hot out, we always had the cool inside area we could choose instead. I loved their food. If we felt like sea food, there was a nice place just down the road from TGIF. They had great steamers. I loved peel and eat shrimp too.
It was my sister Cee that introduced me and got me to try steamers. The idea of clams was not one I relished but I decided to go ahead and try them. I figured if I didn't like them, I could always spit it out, right? I was surprised to find I liked them the way she showed me to eat them. Butter and a little tabasco was the perfect dip for it. Yum! I haven't had any steamers in ages. It's not like this area is close to the ocean. I'm beginning to understand why Bratfink is reluctant to eat any seafood if she isn't near the ocean. She just doesn't trust food that has to travel long distances to where she is. She's in Indiana and that's darn near halfway across the U.S.
I made some guacamole this evening and it tastes just wonderful. It has just a litte *bite* to it from the cayenne pepper that was part of the spices. Then I find out we don't have any potato chips. I will use the tortilla chips instead (I love them anyway but had a taste for potato chips for some reason). I'll warm up the chips like they do in the Mexican restaurants and only give the Beast a little bit since he's not really a fan but DOES like a taste or two.
I decided the guacamole was ready so the Beast and I are now snacking on it. It's really yummy and perfectly seasoned. Yum, yum!
Weatherbug is saying warmer and drier tomorrow (67 degrees F and only a 30% chance of rain) but you just never know. I'll wait and see. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a wonderful work week and fantastic weather. Love you all. ***Hugs***
I called Sister Cee and tried to get her to come over and go out to lunch. That was when it was sunny out and seemed like it was going to be a nice day. But she was waiting for Tara to get home from her weekend at the river with Chance. She had rented a cottage and had some quality time with him. The resort has a pool and he even got to go swimming yesterday. From the pictures she posted on her facebook page, it looked like they had a good time.
When she got home, she and Cee were going to go do grocery shopping. Tomorrow Cee has calls to make about apartments she found advertised in the little local paper so we won't be going out then. Since her son has a gps, any place she finds he can plug into it and they are going to go and look at what's available. *Sigh* Oh well. Eventually we will be able to get together. We DID reminisce a bit about some of the different stores we used to shop at that weren't grocery stores. There were times we would see what looked like an interesting little place and go take a look at what it had to offer. We had fun then and enjoyed being together. I have missed those times a lot.
We always stopped and had lunch and a drink or two. Never more than two though since we didn't want to have cops stop us for drunken driving.....LOL. In Fort Lauderdale, we had a huge selection of restaurants to choose from. Depending on where we were shopping, there was always a good place to go eat nearby. We often ate at TGIFriday in Coral Springs because we could eat out on the patio and enjoy the great weather. If it was too hot out, we always had the cool inside area we could choose instead. I loved their food. If we felt like sea food, there was a nice place just down the road from TGIF. They had great steamers. I loved peel and eat shrimp too.
It was my sister Cee that introduced me and got me to try steamers. The idea of clams was not one I relished but I decided to go ahead and try them. I figured if I didn't like them, I could always spit it out, right? I was surprised to find I liked them the way she showed me to eat them. Butter and a little tabasco was the perfect dip for it. Yum! I haven't had any steamers in ages. It's not like this area is close to the ocean. I'm beginning to understand why Bratfink is reluctant to eat any seafood if she isn't near the ocean. She just doesn't trust food that has to travel long distances to where she is. She's in Indiana and that's darn near halfway across the U.S.
I made some guacamole this evening and it tastes just wonderful. It has just a litte *bite* to it from the cayenne pepper that was part of the spices. Then I find out we don't have any potato chips. I will use the tortilla chips instead (I love them anyway but had a taste for potato chips for some reason). I'll warm up the chips like they do in the Mexican restaurants and only give the Beast a little bit since he's not really a fan but DOES like a taste or two.
I decided the guacamole was ready so the Beast and I are now snacking on it. It's really yummy and perfectly seasoned. Yum, yum!
Weatherbug is saying warmer and drier tomorrow (67 degrees F and only a 30% chance of rain) but you just never know. I'll wait and see. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a wonderful work week and fantastic weather. Love you all. ***Hugs***
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Have You Ever........
....had a day where nothing special went on but you were happy? I had a day like that today. Nothing special went on and I just crocheted for a bit and watched TV but it just felt....nice. I was contented is all I can say that seems to be what I mean.
Even the Beast seemed to be in a good mood. Nothing cranky about him and he kept coming into my computer room to talk. Just about news he was watching or to tell me about the neighbor boy that had been bitten by the guard dog. He's got a shitload of stitches but seems to be doing well as far as attitude goes. He doesn't seem to be traumatized like some kids would be but he IS older (he's 14). If he was Chewlee's age (7, almost 8 now) I am sure he would be terrorized by any dog running loose.
We also talked about what to make for lunch and dinner. We don't usually worry about breakfast since neither one of us talks much in the morning. Today I made us some scrambled eggs, however. We weren't all that hungry but we both felt stuffed after eating our toast and eggs. The Beast got a bit ambitious and made some jello with sliced bananas in it and then decided to make some chocolate pudding. It's the kind you cook. We aren't fond of instant pudding at all. I knew he was going to make the jello but I had no idea about the pudding until he brought me in a bowl of warm pudding. He told me that later we could have COLD pudding because there were two more bowls he had put in the refrigerator.
I sat and watched the birds at the feeders while I ate my pudding. I noticed that they have been very busy at the suet ball again. It made me wonder if they can sense it's going to be colder or some such thing. They don't bother it all the time. But they sure ate a lot of it today. When I checked on it later on in the afternoon, I was shocked at how much they had eaten. It was a fairly new ball.
I just checked weatherbug and it doesn't predict cold (I mean down in the 30's or lower) until a week from now. We all know what a leap of faith that takes to believe it. So they aren't eating the suet in preparation for cold weather so I wonder why they are going at it like little winged piggies? I have read that they need it to keep from freezing in the winter. It has to help their metabolism.
All the peach trees are in bloom now due to the warm weather. I hope the real cold holds off long enough so that it doesn't hurt the chance of getting peaches. Of course, we don't know if the fungus is still present in the ground or not. If it's still there, no peaches....again! The Beast has his traps ready for the Japanese beetles. They just LOVE our peach trees and what they do is lay their eggs in the fruit and that ruins them. You wouldn't believe how beautiful they can look one day and a day or two later...rotten.
If the fungus is still around, we have to strip the trees of the fruit so it doesn't fall on the ground and keep spreading the fungus. We had a couple of the neighbor kids offer to help us last year and I was shocked at the state of the fruit. At least we had some really great pears. We have a couple different varieties. One is a cooking pear (hard still when ripe and ready). They are great for canning. Another two pear trees are different varieties from each other but they are sweet and really juicy. Yum! We don't get many cherries and we have to fight the birds who seem to show up the minute the cherries are ripe. How they know, I have no clue. Our blackberries are not many yet because the plants are young and still fairly small. But we have wild blackberries and blueberries growing on our lot next to the house. THOSE are much bigger and some years are really, really full of fruit. Chewlee loves to *help* pick them but she eats about half of what she picks....LOL.
Sister Cee bought a car and is mobile now. She bought a 2003 Mitsubishi Galant. It has a lot of miles but the engine sounds *tight* still and the car drives nicely. It's easy to handle for her and should last for another 60,000 miles if it's maintained well. Cee doesn't abuse a car and she will only be driving it locally. She made it from Tara's house to Walmart today and was proud of herself for remembering how to get there. She'll do just fine, I believe. A test will be her finding her way to my house. LOL!
Love you all. Have a great Sunday. If you have good weather, why not grill something for a change to celebrate the official start of Spring? Just enjoy! ***Hugs***
Even the Beast seemed to be in a good mood. Nothing cranky about him and he kept coming into my computer room to talk. Just about news he was watching or to tell me about the neighbor boy that had been bitten by the guard dog. He's got a shitload of stitches but seems to be doing well as far as attitude goes. He doesn't seem to be traumatized like some kids would be but he IS older (he's 14). If he was Chewlee's age (7, almost 8 now) I am sure he would be terrorized by any dog running loose.
We also talked about what to make for lunch and dinner. We don't usually worry about breakfast since neither one of us talks much in the morning. Today I made us some scrambled eggs, however. We weren't all that hungry but we both felt stuffed after eating our toast and eggs. The Beast got a bit ambitious and made some jello with sliced bananas in it and then decided to make some chocolate pudding. It's the kind you cook. We aren't fond of instant pudding at all. I knew he was going to make the jello but I had no idea about the pudding until he brought me in a bowl of warm pudding. He told me that later we could have COLD pudding because there were two more bowls he had put in the refrigerator.
I sat and watched the birds at the feeders while I ate my pudding. I noticed that they have been very busy at the suet ball again. It made me wonder if they can sense it's going to be colder or some such thing. They don't bother it all the time. But they sure ate a lot of it today. When I checked on it later on in the afternoon, I was shocked at how much they had eaten. It was a fairly new ball.
I just checked weatherbug and it doesn't predict cold (I mean down in the 30's or lower) until a week from now. We all know what a leap of faith that takes to believe it. So they aren't eating the suet in preparation for cold weather so I wonder why they are going at it like little winged piggies? I have read that they need it to keep from freezing in the winter. It has to help their metabolism.
All the peach trees are in bloom now due to the warm weather. I hope the real cold holds off long enough so that it doesn't hurt the chance of getting peaches. Of course, we don't know if the fungus is still present in the ground or not. If it's still there, no peaches....again! The Beast has his traps ready for the Japanese beetles. They just LOVE our peach trees and what they do is lay their eggs in the fruit and that ruins them. You wouldn't believe how beautiful they can look one day and a day or two later...rotten.
If the fungus is still around, we have to strip the trees of the fruit so it doesn't fall on the ground and keep spreading the fungus. We had a couple of the neighbor kids offer to help us last year and I was shocked at the state of the fruit. At least we had some really great pears. We have a couple different varieties. One is a cooking pear (hard still when ripe and ready). They are great for canning. Another two pear trees are different varieties from each other but they are sweet and really juicy. Yum! We don't get many cherries and we have to fight the birds who seem to show up the minute the cherries are ripe. How they know, I have no clue. Our blackberries are not many yet because the plants are young and still fairly small. But we have wild blackberries and blueberries growing on our lot next to the house. THOSE are much bigger and some years are really, really full of fruit. Chewlee loves to *help* pick them but she eats about half of what she picks....LOL.
Sister Cee bought a car and is mobile now. She bought a 2003 Mitsubishi Galant. It has a lot of miles but the engine sounds *tight* still and the car drives nicely. It's easy to handle for her and should last for another 60,000 miles if it's maintained well. Cee doesn't abuse a car and she will only be driving it locally. She made it from Tara's house to Walmart today and was proud of herself for remembering how to get there. She'll do just fine, I believe. A test will be her finding her way to my house. LOL!
Love you all. Have a great Sunday. If you have good weather, why not grill something for a change to celebrate the official start of Spring? Just enjoy! ***Hugs***
Some Awful News....
I've mentioned that Baron has made friends with one of the dogs that are guarding/herding the goats that are in the field that has barbed wire around it. I found out that the Beast was mistaken about it being goats they were guarding. It's sheep. He finally saw some up closer. *Rolling eyes* How you could mistake sheep for goats is beyond me but I digress.
Today I gather the dog got out from the field, through the fence and was running around our neighborhood. One of the neighbor kids was out with his small dog and, when he saw the other dog coming towards his dog (and not in a friendly way), he leaned down to pick up his dog in an effort to protect it and the guard dog attacked him. He bit his head and ripped part of his scalp and ear. I was just horrified to hear about it since we know the boy.
A neighbor saw the attack and called the police. Why the dog didn't keep attacking him, we weren't sure about but it probably was the neighbors husband coming out and yelling at the dog. The boy was taken to the hospital. The owners of the dog that attacked him showed up (someone obviously knew them and had called) and they were incredibly sorry about it all. Guard dogs of goats and sheep are NOT friendly type animals to people. They have a job to do and that is all they are bred for. The one that made friends with Baron obviously just recognized Baron as an alpha male.
There was no need to impound the dog because it had current rabies shots and his tag. The owners will pay the bills for the medical services that the boy requires and they were making changes to the fence to ensure their guard dog wasn't able to get out again.
I was online, talking to my friend, Carol, when the Beast came in to tell me about Anthony (the neighbor kid) and she had to leave because she was at work. Yes, she is better now. *Grin* I was about to tell her what happened when she had to sign off. *Sigh*
I had a real taste for cottage cheese so I had some with pears today. I had put the can in the fridge a couple days ago so it tasted wonderful. Of course, it always tastes good when you satisfy your taste buds....LOL!
It was mostly a pain-free day again until after dinner. Then my stapled area started to hurt. It's only a few more days that they will be in but my body thinks they should be gone NOW! So far I had kept from taking a pain pill but it's keeping me from sleeping and that is why I am up at this hour. I'll take it and try to sleep again after I post this.
It was a so-so day. Only 60 degrees out but the birds were eating the suet as well as the seeds. The Beast had to run out and get more seed for them but they are fun to watch. The little ones are really mean, even to the bigger birds like cardinals. They are also mean to each other. Some days they line up and take turns but, most of the time, they chase whoever is already at one of the feeders away. The one chased away will return and chase the feeding bird away in his turn. It's like one big bully fest. LOL!
Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer. I sure hope so. Today was supposedly the first day of spring. We are also supposed to have some more sunshine for a change. It was another overcast day today.
Love you all. I wish you a wonderful weekend. Be good. Be careful. Stay warm and dry. ***Hugs***
Today I gather the dog got out from the field, through the fence and was running around our neighborhood. One of the neighbor kids was out with his small dog and, when he saw the other dog coming towards his dog (and not in a friendly way), he leaned down to pick up his dog in an effort to protect it and the guard dog attacked him. He bit his head and ripped part of his scalp and ear. I was just horrified to hear about it since we know the boy.
A neighbor saw the attack and called the police. Why the dog didn't keep attacking him, we weren't sure about but it probably was the neighbors husband coming out and yelling at the dog. The boy was taken to the hospital. The owners of the dog that attacked him showed up (someone obviously knew them and had called) and they were incredibly sorry about it all. Guard dogs of goats and sheep are NOT friendly type animals to people. They have a job to do and that is all they are bred for. The one that made friends with Baron obviously just recognized Baron as an alpha male.
There was no need to impound the dog because it had current rabies shots and his tag. The owners will pay the bills for the medical services that the boy requires and they were making changes to the fence to ensure their guard dog wasn't able to get out again.
I was online, talking to my friend, Carol, when the Beast came in to tell me about Anthony (the neighbor kid) and she had to leave because she was at work. Yes, she is better now. *Grin* I was about to tell her what happened when she had to sign off. *Sigh*
I had a real taste for cottage cheese so I had some with pears today. I had put the can in the fridge a couple days ago so it tasted wonderful. Of course, it always tastes good when you satisfy your taste buds....LOL!
It was mostly a pain-free day again until after dinner. Then my stapled area started to hurt. It's only a few more days that they will be in but my body thinks they should be gone NOW! So far I had kept from taking a pain pill but it's keeping me from sleeping and that is why I am up at this hour. I'll take it and try to sleep again after I post this.
It was a so-so day. Only 60 degrees out but the birds were eating the suet as well as the seeds. The Beast had to run out and get more seed for them but they are fun to watch. The little ones are really mean, even to the bigger birds like cardinals. They are also mean to each other. Some days they line up and take turns but, most of the time, they chase whoever is already at one of the feeders away. The one chased away will return and chase the feeding bird away in his turn. It's like one big bully fest. LOL!
Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer. I sure hope so. Today was supposedly the first day of spring. We are also supposed to have some more sunshine for a change. It was another overcast day today.
Love you all. I wish you a wonderful weekend. Be good. Be careful. Stay warm and dry. ***Hugs***
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Strange Day After All......
When the Beast got home from the eye doctor, it turned out that he had seen the regular eye doctor and then was sent to the retina one. The retina doctor said he thought the problem the Beast was having might be one that comes and goes so he wants to see him again in two months. When the Beast asked him about the surgery he needs (to clear his implants and remove the growth in his eye), the retina doctor said to go ahead with it. It's scheduled now for April 9th.
The Beast rested for a bit when he finally got home from the eye doctors (and so did I). I've been up all afternoon and am tired now. The Beast went to bed a bit ago and I am heading that way as soon as I post this and go to the bathroom.
I made myself a TV dinner since the Beast was wiped out and said he wasn't feeling very hungry. Turns out he had bought some Hungry Man SPICY chicken dinners. I figured...why not? I like spicy things. Wow! I really enjoyed that. It wasn't TOO spicy but it hit the spot. I won't microwave them because I hate how the chicken turns out that way. So I waited the 40 minutes it took in the oven. I just wish the apple dessert they have in those had some actual apple in it that was bigger than a dot. The sauce is okay but it really needs some nice chunks of apple. The dinners used to have three pieces of chicken in it but is down to two now. *Sigh* Like they thought we wouldn't notice.
The Beast ran out to see if he could get a tire fixed that was leaking. Walmart wouldn't fix it because they said it wasn't *centered* in the tread so they weren't allowed. So he drove down the road to a tire place and they plugged it. On the way home....and don't ask me why he did it.....he stopped at the liquor store and came home with some Kahlua Mudslide. I was shocked. He handed it to me while I was sitting at my computer. When I poured myself a small glass of it, he asked for a small taste of it in a glass so I poured about an inch in a glass and told him the bottle was in the fridge if he wanted more. I still have about a third of the small glass left. It's just weird that the Beast would do that.
Tomorrow should be warmer than it was today....I hope so. You just never know with these forecasts. It's also supposed to be partly sunny. We shall see. I sure hope you are enjoying decent weather. I can hardly wait for spring and summer. My favorite times...*grin*.
Love you all. Be good and enjoy your Friday. TGIF! ***Hugs***
The Beast rested for a bit when he finally got home from the eye doctors (and so did I). I've been up all afternoon and am tired now. The Beast went to bed a bit ago and I am heading that way as soon as I post this and go to the bathroom.
I made myself a TV dinner since the Beast was wiped out and said he wasn't feeling very hungry. Turns out he had bought some Hungry Man SPICY chicken dinners. I figured...why not? I like spicy things. Wow! I really enjoyed that. It wasn't TOO spicy but it hit the spot. I won't microwave them because I hate how the chicken turns out that way. So I waited the 40 minutes it took in the oven. I just wish the apple dessert they have in those had some actual apple in it that was bigger than a dot. The sauce is okay but it really needs some nice chunks of apple. The dinners used to have three pieces of chicken in it but is down to two now. *Sigh* Like they thought we wouldn't notice.
The Beast ran out to see if he could get a tire fixed that was leaking. Walmart wouldn't fix it because they said it wasn't *centered* in the tread so they weren't allowed. So he drove down the road to a tire place and they plugged it. On the way home....and don't ask me why he did it.....he stopped at the liquor store and came home with some Kahlua Mudslide. I was shocked. He handed it to me while I was sitting at my computer. When I poured myself a small glass of it, he asked for a small taste of it in a glass so I poured about an inch in a glass and told him the bottle was in the fridge if he wanted more. I still have about a third of the small glass left. It's just weird that the Beast would do that.
Tomorrow should be warmer than it was today....I hope so. You just never know with these forecasts. It's also supposed to be partly sunny. We shall see. I sure hope you are enjoying decent weather. I can hardly wait for spring and summer. My favorite times...*grin*.
Love you all. Be good and enjoy your Friday. TGIF! ***Hugs***
I Did It Again......
I went to bed early yesterday (around 10pm) and figured I would be up within no more than two hours. But, guess what? I didn't wake up until almost 5am and I peed like a race horse! LOL I was still very tired so I went right back to bed, although I DID feel badly about not writing my blog then. I woke up around 8:30am to go to the bathroom again and went right back to sleep. My room had gotten cold during the night and, although I was comfy under my comforter, I turned the heat on and went back to sleep to await the room warming up.
I'm up now so the first thing I did was turn on my computer to do this blog. I had a really nice day yesterday because the Princess brought over both of the kids to visit. Chewlee wanted to come and spend the night with me but told me she couldn't on Friday because...as she put it...if my grades are good this time, I get to go to a birthday party on Saturday. But she also told me if her grades were not good, her mother might not let her come and stay with me anyway.
However, since Chewlee has spring break next week, I talked with the Princess (who is not looking forward to having Chewlee home ALL WEEK LONG (it's tough to keep her occupied and happy), she agreed that Chewlee could come over and spend a day and night here. Maybe I can even convince her to let me keep her two days. Chewlee went out to the cottage to check on her bike and make sure it's in good condition for her to ride when she's here....IF the weather is good.
Gunner is growing like a weed. He has the cutest smile. He was clinging to his mother like a little monkey and she said he's been doing that some days and yesterday was one of them. I saw him chewing on a finger so he's probably getting more teeth. I still played with him because he has that adorable smile when I did. I kissed his neck and he laughed as he buried his head into his mother's chest. He hasn't learned to say *bye, bye* by waving yet but the Princess took his hand and waved it. He will get the idea quickly, I'm sure. I hated to see them leave but it was a nice visit.
The Beast left here at 8:30am to go pick up the Princess who will drive him home from his eye doctor's appointment. His eyes will need to be dilated again and it would be too dangerous for him to do that when he's done. He should find out today if he can have his eye surgery or not. I worry about the tumor they found in his eye. But I will have to wait to find out. Since he picked up the Princess, he will probably be at her house until he can see again to drive. He only has a little over a mile to drive home from her house, it won't be too bad for him.
It's chilly outside today. It's also overcast and nasty feeling. I think it might even rain a little later. Hard to tell at the moment although weatherbug says it's a 50% chance. Ugh! I hope some of you have nicer weather for the day. Love you all. I'm just going to stay in and maybe even wrap a blanket around me since the Beast seems to have turned off the heat in the rest of the house. We got our worst electric bill in all the years we have been here (over $300!). Normally, it's only been a little over $100 so it was a measure of how cold our weather WAS there for a while. That's tough when you are on a limited budget. Oh well! We WILL survive.
Be good. Drive carefully and stay warm and dry. ***Hugs***
I'm up now so the first thing I did was turn on my computer to do this blog. I had a really nice day yesterday because the Princess brought over both of the kids to visit. Chewlee wanted to come and spend the night with me but told me she couldn't on Friday because...as she put it...if my grades are good this time, I get to go to a birthday party on Saturday. But she also told me if her grades were not good, her mother might not let her come and stay with me anyway.
However, since Chewlee has spring break next week, I talked with the Princess (who is not looking forward to having Chewlee home ALL WEEK LONG (it's tough to keep her occupied and happy), she agreed that Chewlee could come over and spend a day and night here. Maybe I can even convince her to let me keep her two days. Chewlee went out to the cottage to check on her bike and make sure it's in good condition for her to ride when she's here....IF the weather is good.
Gunner is growing like a weed. He has the cutest smile. He was clinging to his mother like a little monkey and she said he's been doing that some days and yesterday was one of them. I saw him chewing on a finger so he's probably getting more teeth. I still played with him because he has that adorable smile when I did. I kissed his neck and he laughed as he buried his head into his mother's chest. He hasn't learned to say *bye, bye* by waving yet but the Princess took his hand and waved it. He will get the idea quickly, I'm sure. I hated to see them leave but it was a nice visit.
The Beast left here at 8:30am to go pick up the Princess who will drive him home from his eye doctor's appointment. His eyes will need to be dilated again and it would be too dangerous for him to do that when he's done. He should find out today if he can have his eye surgery or not. I worry about the tumor they found in his eye. But I will have to wait to find out. Since he picked up the Princess, he will probably be at her house until he can see again to drive. He only has a little over a mile to drive home from her house, it won't be too bad for him.
It's chilly outside today. It's also overcast and nasty feeling. I think it might even rain a little later. Hard to tell at the moment although weatherbug says it's a 50% chance. Ugh! I hope some of you have nicer weather for the day. Love you all. I'm just going to stay in and maybe even wrap a blanket around me since the Beast seems to have turned off the heat in the rest of the house. We got our worst electric bill in all the years we have been here (over $300!). Normally, it's only been a little over $100 so it was a measure of how cold our weather WAS there for a while. That's tough when you are on a limited budget. Oh well! We WILL survive.
Be good. Drive carefully and stay warm and dry. ***Hugs***
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
It Started Out Good But Then......
It was another totally fantastic day outside. Sunny, just a little breeze and warm, warm, warm! In fact, it was 72, which is just about perfect when the humidity is only 48%. The Beast even got out on the mower and mowed the back yard. It won't be long and we will have to go out and weed the veggie boxes, which are a real mess. Lots and lots of weeds. Big weeds. Weeds. I'm hoping my back brace comes before we actually start on them.
We opened up the house and let the breeze run through and even turned the fans on to help air out the house. It was truly enjoyable. The Beast finally stopped mowing when he finished the back yard (he still needs to weed whack it) and rested up for a bit before he had to dress and leave for his church meeting.
And that is when my day took a terrible twist. *Sigh* He dressed and left for church and I got the bright idea of running over to the Princess' house to visit for a while and just get out of the house. I called her to see if it was okay and she said, *Sure but both kids are in bed already.* I figured I could at least tiptoe in and see Gunner (who is growing like a weed) and give Chewlee a kiss on her forehead if she was sleeping. It had just gotten dark but the Princess lives just a little over a mile away. I don't like driving at night but that's no real problem to drive that far.
So I make sure the front and back doors are locked and I leave thru the garage. I get in the car, hit the button to close the garage door and turn on the car. I back out the driveway, trying very hard to backup in a straight line and.....BOOM! I hit the garbage can sitting at the end of the driveway, just slightly to the right of my straight line. I forgot it was Tuesday and the Beast had put out the garbage to be collected in the morning.
What happened was I moved the garbage can out into the street and I knocked off and broke the passenger side mirror. I mean it was broken off and the glass was broken and all over the street! I was just sick. I picked up the broken mirror, threw it in the garbage can (it can't be reused in any way) and moved the garbage can back where it belonged. I was shaking like a leaf, knowing the Beast was going to hit the roof over this. Yes, it was an accident but...if I had paid attention and looked in that mirror, I would have seen the garbage can and been able to swerve and miss it. That would have saved the day. But...nooooooooooo....I was too focused on not leaving the driveway and going off onto the lawn or too close to the Alberta peach tree. I knew if I backed out straight, I wouldn't do either thing. I didn't even THINK about the damn garbage can.
We don't dare even think about claiming it although I think it's probably going to cost us less than our deductible so why even consider that? It's just that we were a bit thin on our money this month and that has to be repaired right away. I drove back into the driveway and came back into the house and called the Princess to tell her I wasn't coming over (and why). I was just shaking too much and knew I was (another) accident waiting to happen if I went anywhere. Besides, I still had to face the Beast and tell him what happened. It was NOT going to be fun....or easy. Not a good start to trying to get him to let me drive myself around.
So, while I was chewing my nails, waiting for him to come home, I thought about his reaction to the news. I knew a lot would depend on how I presented it to him. When he got home, I let him get undressed and comfortable (and watching his basketball for a bit....I wanted him relaxed). Then I went out and told him, *I have some bad news....* I told him plain and simple what had happened and the results. I have to admit he took it a bit better than I thought but.....when I had finished telling him, I also told him this...*I know we are skinny on money this month so....Carol sent me this check for some extra spending money when I went on vacation with Mustachio so I am giving it to YOU to use to replace and repair the mirror. I will tell her why I did it and I hope she understands.* He looked at the check in surprise but checked to see if I had signed it and said he would deposit it in the bank tomorrow before he drove down to the dealers to find out what it was going to cost us and when it could be done.
I can't even begin to tell you how awful I feel about this. Especially after the fiasco with the garage and garage door. But we DID get a new garage door out of that....LOL. It's only funny now thinking about it. I was horrified the day it happened and felt so dumb. But I digress.
The Beast is in bed now but I know he will be up, bright and early, to check out the damage to the side view mirror and the area around it. I just hope I have heard the end of it and he doesn't go into a tirade (which is really his way when it comes to ME). If it had been HIM that did this, I might now even have been told about it until AFTER the repair. Oh well.
The Princess said something about stopping over tomorrow (I hope it's not to make any big deal out of what happened). Of course, she got a hell of a lot of flack over HER accidents and most were not even her fault. Even the one where she hit the telephone pole was really because she had NO experience driving on ice, let alone black ice. She was born and raised in Florida and that was her first winter here, I believe. At least it was the first one where there was snow. She got bloody hell over that and I felt it wasn't really her fault except that she might have been going faster than she should have. I would NOT have given her the hell HE did but I tried to bring up her inexperience with the road conditions at the time. He wouldn't even listen to me.
The Beast noticed my arms tonight. I had been wearing tops with long sleeves so he hadn't seen them since I left the hospital and, even then, he was just anxious to get me home. My left arm especially has a lot of blood under the skin where nurse blew my veins trying to get a needle and catheter inserted. It looks just awful even after being home over a week. My right arm only has two or three spots left. The left one was assaulted the day before I left the hospital...9, count it NINE times by three different nurses. *Sigh* That's what happens when you have tiny veins and they roll, too. It was incredibly painful and just about had me in tears. I will live, however.
I checked my appointment to get my staples out and it isn't until NEXT Tuesday. HE likes to have those in 14 days from when you leave the hospital. This will make it more than that but...I really can't complain...much. I am doing well as far as my bowel movements go which had all the doctors and nurses concerned. Everything is working very well, tyvm. In fact, it seems to be working better than ever. I'm just glad to still be here and not having gone septic. That could have happened except for the grace of God. I am just so so grateful.
Love you all. Have a great Hump Day....lol. Be safe and smile. It confuses people. ***Hugs***
We opened up the house and let the breeze run through and even turned the fans on to help air out the house. It was truly enjoyable. The Beast finally stopped mowing when he finished the back yard (he still needs to weed whack it) and rested up for a bit before he had to dress and leave for his church meeting.
And that is when my day took a terrible twist. *Sigh* He dressed and left for church and I got the bright idea of running over to the Princess' house to visit for a while and just get out of the house. I called her to see if it was okay and she said, *Sure but both kids are in bed already.* I figured I could at least tiptoe in and see Gunner (who is growing like a weed) and give Chewlee a kiss on her forehead if she was sleeping. It had just gotten dark but the Princess lives just a little over a mile away. I don't like driving at night but that's no real problem to drive that far.
So I make sure the front and back doors are locked and I leave thru the garage. I get in the car, hit the button to close the garage door and turn on the car. I back out the driveway, trying very hard to backup in a straight line and.....BOOM! I hit the garbage can sitting at the end of the driveway, just slightly to the right of my straight line. I forgot it was Tuesday and the Beast had put out the garbage to be collected in the morning.
What happened was I moved the garbage can out into the street and I knocked off and broke the passenger side mirror. I mean it was broken off and the glass was broken and all over the street! I was just sick. I picked up the broken mirror, threw it in the garbage can (it can't be reused in any way) and moved the garbage can back where it belonged. I was shaking like a leaf, knowing the Beast was going to hit the roof over this. Yes, it was an accident but...if I had paid attention and looked in that mirror, I would have seen the garbage can and been able to swerve and miss it. That would have saved the day. But...nooooooooooo....I was too focused on not leaving the driveway and going off onto the lawn or too close to the Alberta peach tree. I knew if I backed out straight, I wouldn't do either thing. I didn't even THINK about the damn garbage can.
We don't dare even think about claiming it although I think it's probably going to cost us less than our deductible so why even consider that? It's just that we were a bit thin on our money this month and that has to be repaired right away. I drove back into the driveway and came back into the house and called the Princess to tell her I wasn't coming over (and why). I was just shaking too much and knew I was (another) accident waiting to happen if I went anywhere. Besides, I still had to face the Beast and tell him what happened. It was NOT going to be fun....or easy. Not a good start to trying to get him to let me drive myself around.
So, while I was chewing my nails, waiting for him to come home, I thought about his reaction to the news. I knew a lot would depend on how I presented it to him. When he got home, I let him get undressed and comfortable (and watching his basketball for a bit....I wanted him relaxed). Then I went out and told him, *I have some bad news....* I told him plain and simple what had happened and the results. I have to admit he took it a bit better than I thought but.....when I had finished telling him, I also told him this...*I know we are skinny on money this month so....Carol sent me this check for some extra spending money when I went on vacation with Mustachio so I am giving it to YOU to use to replace and repair the mirror. I will tell her why I did it and I hope she understands.* He looked at the check in surprise but checked to see if I had signed it and said he would deposit it in the bank tomorrow before he drove down to the dealers to find out what it was going to cost us and when it could be done.
I can't even begin to tell you how awful I feel about this. Especially after the fiasco with the garage and garage door. But we DID get a new garage door out of that....LOL. It's only funny now thinking about it. I was horrified the day it happened and felt so dumb. But I digress.
The Beast is in bed now but I know he will be up, bright and early, to check out the damage to the side view mirror and the area around it. I just hope I have heard the end of it and he doesn't go into a tirade (which is really his way when it comes to ME). If it had been HIM that did this, I might now even have been told about it until AFTER the repair. Oh well.
The Princess said something about stopping over tomorrow (I hope it's not to make any big deal out of what happened). Of course, she got a hell of a lot of flack over HER accidents and most were not even her fault. Even the one where she hit the telephone pole was really because she had NO experience driving on ice, let alone black ice. She was born and raised in Florida and that was her first winter here, I believe. At least it was the first one where there was snow. She got bloody hell over that and I felt it wasn't really her fault except that she might have been going faster than she should have. I would NOT have given her the hell HE did but I tried to bring up her inexperience with the road conditions at the time. He wouldn't even listen to me.
The Beast noticed my arms tonight. I had been wearing tops with long sleeves so he hadn't seen them since I left the hospital and, even then, he was just anxious to get me home. My left arm especially has a lot of blood under the skin where nurse blew my veins trying to get a needle and catheter inserted. It looks just awful even after being home over a week. My right arm only has two or three spots left. The left one was assaulted the day before I left the hospital...9, count it NINE times by three different nurses. *Sigh* That's what happens when you have tiny veins and they roll, too. It was incredibly painful and just about had me in tears. I will live, however.
I checked my appointment to get my staples out and it isn't until NEXT Tuesday. HE likes to have those in 14 days from when you leave the hospital. This will make it more than that but...I really can't complain...much. I am doing well as far as my bowel movements go which had all the doctors and nurses concerned. Everything is working very well, tyvm. In fact, it seems to be working better than ever. I'm just glad to still be here and not having gone septic. That could have happened except for the grace of God. I am just so so grateful.
Love you all. Have a great Hump Day....lol. Be safe and smile. It confuses people. ***Hugs***
The Beast Buys A Tens Unit......
The Beast has been having a lot of problems with his leg muscles when he is trying to go to sleep at night. It gave him the idea of looking to see how much a Tens Unit was and he found them (where else?) on Amazon, of course....LOL. There were many different ones but all of them were affordable so he picked the one that was affordable AND not too pricey and ordered it. It came today.
He had to try it out immediately and ....lo and behold...with just 4 AAA batteries as power, it works just fantastic. In fact, he touched one of the sticky pads in the wrong spot with his finger and it shocked him! LOL!
He put it on his leg and had to move one of the leads (which is why he shocked himself) to a muscle. He had missed putting it directly on one so that it affected the area correctly. He found the booklet that showed the proper position for various spots on the body (shoulder, arm, leg, back, etc.). You can program it to work for various times and various intensities. I won't know until morning how it worked for him but I am assuming it worked since he went to bed and didn't get up.
He tried it on my shoulder and I wasn't capable of stopping the muscles from twitching. It was truly amazing. I'm looking forward of using it on my back tomorrow or the next day (it didn't come with many sticky pads but the Beast ordered more of them). He hadn't wanted to until he saw if it worked the way it was supposed to work.
I know it doesn't work well for long term use but it can *retrain* an area like the Beast's leg, which was damaged from his strokes. My back problem is from a couple accidents that I was in when I was younger where I was rear ended.....twice. I had a bad case of whiplash once and thought it was a joke until it happened to me. I also had an inflamed pelvic area. You never think about those things being worse one you get older and your bones get even for the abuse they've taken. *Sigh* I ordered a back brace from my medical supply company but haven't received it yet. I am only hoping that helps me out. The Tens Unit wasn't my idea but I will happily use it and see what happens.
Other than that, I feel really good except for the staples. Those will come out later this week and I am looking forward to that. Next week I have to see the hematologist about my problem with anemia. This is the second time in two years that my blood count has been so low. I had a problem with what the doctor called chronic anemia when I was a kid but I don't believe what was causing it was ever discovered. I think he believed it was my diet and perhaps it was. We haven't exactly been eating what I would call a balanced diet for some time now. That will probably have to change now.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day today. The Beast worked with the young girl today for a while to take pictures of her mother in various areas (under a tree, with the sun behind her, etc.) to see how she should be taking pictures using natural lighting. She hadn't known about using fill flash to soften shadows. Now she does. He hopes!
I am sure they will be doing a few more days like today including days when there isn't any real sun. She is going to take more pictures and then have the Beast critique them. It will be an interesting time for him, I'm sure.
Love you all. I hope your week has started off well. Be good and drive carefully. ***Hugs***
He had to try it out immediately and ....lo and behold...with just 4 AAA batteries as power, it works just fantastic. In fact, he touched one of the sticky pads in the wrong spot with his finger and it shocked him! LOL!
He put it on his leg and had to move one of the leads (which is why he shocked himself) to a muscle. He had missed putting it directly on one so that it affected the area correctly. He found the booklet that showed the proper position for various spots on the body (shoulder, arm, leg, back, etc.). You can program it to work for various times and various intensities. I won't know until morning how it worked for him but I am assuming it worked since he went to bed and didn't get up.
He tried it on my shoulder and I wasn't capable of stopping the muscles from twitching. It was truly amazing. I'm looking forward of using it on my back tomorrow or the next day (it didn't come with many sticky pads but the Beast ordered more of them). He hadn't wanted to until he saw if it worked the way it was supposed to work.
I know it doesn't work well for long term use but it can *retrain* an area like the Beast's leg, which was damaged from his strokes. My back problem is from a couple accidents that I was in when I was younger where I was rear ended.....twice. I had a bad case of whiplash once and thought it was a joke until it happened to me. I also had an inflamed pelvic area. You never think about those things being worse one you get older and your bones get even for the abuse they've taken. *Sigh* I ordered a back brace from my medical supply company but haven't received it yet. I am only hoping that helps me out. The Tens Unit wasn't my idea but I will happily use it and see what happens.
Other than that, I feel really good except for the staples. Those will come out later this week and I am looking forward to that. Next week I have to see the hematologist about my problem with anemia. This is the second time in two years that my blood count has been so low. I had a problem with what the doctor called chronic anemia when I was a kid but I don't believe what was causing it was ever discovered. I think he believed it was my diet and perhaps it was. We haven't exactly been eating what I would call a balanced diet for some time now. That will probably have to change now.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day today. The Beast worked with the young girl today for a while to take pictures of her mother in various areas (under a tree, with the sun behind her, etc.) to see how she should be taking pictures using natural lighting. She hadn't known about using fill flash to soften shadows. Now she does. He hopes!
I am sure they will be doing a few more days like today including days when there isn't any real sun. She is going to take more pictures and then have the Beast critique them. It will be an interesting time for him, I'm sure.
Love you all. I hope your week has started off well. Be good and drive carefully. ***Hugs***
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Could This Be A Sign Of Spring???
It turned into the most amazing day today. Not only did we have sun but it was WARM! I kid you not. It was 7 2 degrees when I checked and that was later in the afternoon. I knew it was nice out but warm can be subjective. When I walked outside with Baron around 12:30pm, I had on a light top with my slacks and it was really nice out. I was, however, distracted, since I was reading my email when Baron gave me his *outside* bark. I walked outside to show him it was nice out but it DID take me a bit by surprise then. But I didn't check on the temperature until a couple hours later.
I looked at my flower box and I think I have to get Chewlee to come over and spend next Saturday with me so we can clean it out and plant the bulbs I have. These bulbs will give flowers that she can later on cut and give to her mother. She loves to do that and usually only can get tiny flowers that are scattered here and there thru the lawn. These her mother will be able to put in a vase and keep around for a couple days. She will be crazy about that.
I don't know why but I think the worst is over now and we won't have any more freezing days. I may be wrong but I have a hunch that I'm not. Chewlee has always wanted to help plant flowers in the flower box and has sometimes planted ones that the Beast bought at the nursery. But this will be different for her. These are bulbs and their growing will be an awesome experience for her. To see them break thru the ground and then grow into different types of flowers....well, it's an incredible experience. I remember the first time I planted tulip bulbs and waited for them to grow so I could see them. I was amazed.
It was a very calm, peaceful day today. The Beast was gone all morning and part of the afternoon. He was working with this girl from his church on learning her camera's functions and how best to use them. She took photography in high school but what she learned is anybody's guess. She wants to learn proper outdoor lighting and how to best use it for her pictures. She's applied at this bible college in New York and they have a photography course that she is eager to take. But she doesn't want to go back to what the high school offered and she has to have a certain expertise in lighting. The Beast is going to work with her on it for a while since she has time before she has to meet with the instructors and show some of her work.
I know the Beast loves showing off what he learned the hard way. We had our own dark room for a while and actually worked with film and made up our own pictures from it. It was fun but the Beast was a stickler for the images he had in his head and spent a lot of time burning and dodging. Photo Shop and digital cameras are a real blessing for him and he has quite the collection of various photo shop selections. It's amazing what he can do now. I stopped doing it mainly because he always ends up taking over. So now that is HIS domain. He's good at it, however, so you give the Devil his due.....LOL.
I am feeling better and better. I got through the day without having to take a pain pill. Pain is decreasing as time goes on. I knew it would but you get impatient and want to be better NOW. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel finally. I should get my staples out this upcoming week and that will help me feel more like I truly am on the mend. I discovered when this one bandage came off that they used my belly button as part of the access for my surgery. There's a small scab there. It shocked me at first but I have had that area used before this when I have my tubal ligation years ago. I think I was 30 at the time.
My gf Carol, the one from California, has been ill and on antibiotics. I think she told me what she had but I forget now. I was just upset to hear that they were making her nauseous and she had to lay down after taking them. I know how that feels since I went through that when I was getting antibiotics in the hospital. I think they were giving me several different ones because they made me sick to my stomach only on occasion. I thought at first it was just me but the nurse said it was most likely the antibiotics. So I braced myself every time they changed the bag. I had no idea which one it was that caused that. I don't remember ever reacting that way to any.
I worry about Carol since she is 10 years older than I am. I just love this woman. She has a good and generous heart. She helps out her boys when times are tough and she is so sweet to think of me when she does. She has sent me flowers more than anyone else has in my life. A small gesture but such a sweet one. The Beast has sent me flowers less than a handful in our whole life together. He just isn't romantic at all and not even sentimental. It's so sad since I am both. There are times that opposites do NOT belong together.
Love you all. Be good. Have a great week and, please, be careful driving. ***Hugs***
I looked at my flower box and I think I have to get Chewlee to come over and spend next Saturday with me so we can clean it out and plant the bulbs I have. These bulbs will give flowers that she can later on cut and give to her mother. She loves to do that and usually only can get tiny flowers that are scattered here and there thru the lawn. These her mother will be able to put in a vase and keep around for a couple days. She will be crazy about that.
I don't know why but I think the worst is over now and we won't have any more freezing days. I may be wrong but I have a hunch that I'm not. Chewlee has always wanted to help plant flowers in the flower box and has sometimes planted ones that the Beast bought at the nursery. But this will be different for her. These are bulbs and their growing will be an awesome experience for her. To see them break thru the ground and then grow into different types of flowers....well, it's an incredible experience. I remember the first time I planted tulip bulbs and waited for them to grow so I could see them. I was amazed.
It was a very calm, peaceful day today. The Beast was gone all morning and part of the afternoon. He was working with this girl from his church on learning her camera's functions and how best to use them. She took photography in high school but what she learned is anybody's guess. She wants to learn proper outdoor lighting and how to best use it for her pictures. She's applied at this bible college in New York and they have a photography course that she is eager to take. But she doesn't want to go back to what the high school offered and she has to have a certain expertise in lighting. The Beast is going to work with her on it for a while since she has time before she has to meet with the instructors and show some of her work.
I know the Beast loves showing off what he learned the hard way. We had our own dark room for a while and actually worked with film and made up our own pictures from it. It was fun but the Beast was a stickler for the images he had in his head and spent a lot of time burning and dodging. Photo Shop and digital cameras are a real blessing for him and he has quite the collection of various photo shop selections. It's amazing what he can do now. I stopped doing it mainly because he always ends up taking over. So now that is HIS domain. He's good at it, however, so you give the Devil his due.....LOL.
I am feeling better and better. I got through the day without having to take a pain pill. Pain is decreasing as time goes on. I knew it would but you get impatient and want to be better NOW. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel finally. I should get my staples out this upcoming week and that will help me feel more like I truly am on the mend. I discovered when this one bandage came off that they used my belly button as part of the access for my surgery. There's a small scab there. It shocked me at first but I have had that area used before this when I have my tubal ligation years ago. I think I was 30 at the time.
My gf Carol, the one from California, has been ill and on antibiotics. I think she told me what she had but I forget now. I was just upset to hear that they were making her nauseous and she had to lay down after taking them. I know how that feels since I went through that when I was getting antibiotics in the hospital. I think they were giving me several different ones because they made me sick to my stomach only on occasion. I thought at first it was just me but the nurse said it was most likely the antibiotics. So I braced myself every time they changed the bag. I had no idea which one it was that caused that. I don't remember ever reacting that way to any.
I worry about Carol since she is 10 years older than I am. I just love this woman. She has a good and generous heart. She helps out her boys when times are tough and she is so sweet to think of me when she does. She has sent me flowers more than anyone else has in my life. A small gesture but such a sweet one. The Beast has sent me flowers less than a handful in our whole life together. He just isn't romantic at all and not even sentimental. It's so sad since I am both. There are times that opposites do NOT belong together.
Love you all. Be good. Have a great week and, please, be careful driving. ***Hugs***
Sweet Peaceful Day!
The Beast left early today for his big church meeting in Birmingham. That left me the whole day (he didn't get home until almost 7pm) to enjoy the peace and quite of just me and the dog here. Baron tends to mope around when the Beast is gone for any length of time so he was no big bother. He wouldn't go outside to pee or anything and he boycotted his food, as usual under the circumstance. He is so predictable when his *man* is gone. *Sigh* I finally got so worried about his going so long without going to the bathroom that I let him go out front. I don't usually like to do that since Baron usually heads right across the road to Dennis' house and gets stubborn about coming when called.
He surprised me, however, and didn't wander away. He just went outside, peed and then came back to be let into the house. I guess the dismal day affected him, too. It was fairly warm, but just nasty looking all day long.
The Beast laughed when he got home and discovered that Baron had pulled his pillow off the bed and used it to lay on since I kept him off the bed. So he chose the next best thing....LOL. If you don't watch him, he will sneak up on the bed and lay one the Beast's side. I'm wise to that tho'. I don't let him get away with it.
Sheepie didn't come by to pick up her clothes soap so she also didn't get any soup. *Sigh* I wish she had because I have WAAAAAY too much for just the Beast and I before it starts to spoil. Oh well. I did try to call her but got no answer so either she was asleep at the time or it was too noisy for her to hear it. Hard to say.
I'm unsure of the date but, just in case I have it right (thanks, Bratfink, for the reminder) ***HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TARA!*** We THINK it's the 15th but Bratfink declared it hers whether it is or not....LOL!
The day went very nicely for me. I ate when I was hungry and drank the whole pot of coffee by myself. I also drank a lot of plain water to keep my kidneys in good shape and stopped drinking anything about an hour ago. I didn't take a nap, although I DID try at one point so I should sleep well again even tho' I am going to bed later than I did yesterday. I got to playing my IWIN game and lost track of time....again!
When the Beast got home, I listened to him talk a bit (actually, I let him talk but can't begin to tell you what he said....LOL) and then announced I was going to try to nap. That way I knew he would leave me alone for a while. But I did try. I just couldn't get comfortable enough and didn't want to take any more pain pills. I don't like taking them anyway unless it's into the 10+ category. That means it's just a bit more than I can handle.
I discovered my gf Carol's website for the flower shop and saw it was full of different reminders about buying someone flowers for St. Paddy's day and *cheering up* their day. Like the Beast ever would!
Well, I am now tired enough to sleep so I am going to post this and just say I love you all. Have a wonderful Sunday. ***Hugs***
He surprised me, however, and didn't wander away. He just went outside, peed and then came back to be let into the house. I guess the dismal day affected him, too. It was fairly warm, but just nasty looking all day long.
The Beast laughed when he got home and discovered that Baron had pulled his pillow off the bed and used it to lay on since I kept him off the bed. So he chose the next best thing....LOL. If you don't watch him, he will sneak up on the bed and lay one the Beast's side. I'm wise to that tho'. I don't let him get away with it.
Sheepie didn't come by to pick up her clothes soap so she also didn't get any soup. *Sigh* I wish she had because I have WAAAAAY too much for just the Beast and I before it starts to spoil. Oh well. I did try to call her but got no answer so either she was asleep at the time or it was too noisy for her to hear it. Hard to say.
I'm unsure of the date but, just in case I have it right (thanks, Bratfink, for the reminder) ***HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TARA!*** We THINK it's the 15th but Bratfink declared it hers whether it is or not....LOL!
The day went very nicely for me. I ate when I was hungry and drank the whole pot of coffee by myself. I also drank a lot of plain water to keep my kidneys in good shape and stopped drinking anything about an hour ago. I didn't take a nap, although I DID try at one point so I should sleep well again even tho' I am going to bed later than I did yesterday. I got to playing my IWIN game and lost track of time....again!
When the Beast got home, I listened to him talk a bit (actually, I let him talk but can't begin to tell you what he said....LOL) and then announced I was going to try to nap. That way I knew he would leave me alone for a while. But I did try. I just couldn't get comfortable enough and didn't want to take any more pain pills. I don't like taking them anyway unless it's into the 10+ category. That means it's just a bit more than I can handle.
I discovered my gf Carol's website for the flower shop and saw it was full of different reminders about buying someone flowers for St. Paddy's day and *cheering up* their day. Like the Beast ever would!
Well, I am now tired enough to sleep so I am going to post this and just say I love you all. Have a wonderful Sunday. ***Hugs***
Saturday, March 14, 2015
I Finally Sleep All Night!
I can hardly believe it! I slept all night long. I went to bed around 9pm and figured I would wake up (as usual) around 2 pr 3 am, write my blog and be ready to go back to sleep shortly thereafter. But, last night, I got up to pee and was too tired to stay up so I went right back to sleep and slept until around 7:15 when the Beast said goodbye to me, turned over and back to sleep until 8am. It's a milestone!
The Beast left me a whole pot of coffee even. But I just used up the last of the French Vanilla creamer that Sister Cee brought over. I need to get more of that. She's got me hooked on it now...LOL. I don't use it all the time but I DO love the taste of it and want to keep it in the house. It's a milder taste than the French Vanilla you buy at the gas stations from their coffee dispensers and I like it much better.
I must have slept on my one side for too long because I have a sore spot now but that should pass as I am awake and moving around. It's cold and dismal looking outside so I doubt I will be enjoying any coffee out there. It was raining during the night, it seems. Right now the little birds are attacking the bird seed feeders. They are so funny to watch.
Baron came and looked and went back to bed. The birds don't seem to interest him. He was never one to chase them since he knows that's futile. I just gave in and took a couple pain pills (the mild ones). I will end up back in bed without them and still hurting.
I am hoping Sheepie drops by to pick up her clothes soap she left here and some of the chicken soup I made. I have a lot I don't want to have to throw out. I even have a container for her so she doesn't need to bring one even. I talked to Sister Cee yesterday about her birthday party on the 28th. I had already seen the announcement that Tara had made about it. I should be in good shape for it since it's not until the 28th. at 2:30pm.
I am going to go lay down now until the pain pills kick in and make it less hurtful for me to move around. That should be in about a half hour. Love you all and I am sorry this is posted so late. Be good. Be safe and drive carefully. ***Hugs***
The Beast left me a whole pot of coffee even. But I just used up the last of the French Vanilla creamer that Sister Cee brought over. I need to get more of that. She's got me hooked on it now...LOL. I don't use it all the time but I DO love the taste of it and want to keep it in the house. It's a milder taste than the French Vanilla you buy at the gas stations from their coffee dispensers and I like it much better.
I must have slept on my one side for too long because I have a sore spot now but that should pass as I am awake and moving around. It's cold and dismal looking outside so I doubt I will be enjoying any coffee out there. It was raining during the night, it seems. Right now the little birds are attacking the bird seed feeders. They are so funny to watch.
Baron came and looked and went back to bed. The birds don't seem to interest him. He was never one to chase them since he knows that's futile. I just gave in and took a couple pain pills (the mild ones). I will end up back in bed without them and still hurting.
I am hoping Sheepie drops by to pick up her clothes soap she left here and some of the chicken soup I made. I have a lot I don't want to have to throw out. I even have a container for her so she doesn't need to bring one even. I talked to Sister Cee yesterday about her birthday party on the 28th. I had already seen the announcement that Tara had made about it. I should be in good shape for it since it's not until the 28th. at 2:30pm.
I am going to go lay down now until the pain pills kick in and make it less hurtful for me to move around. That should be in about a half hour. Love you all and I am sorry this is posted so late. Be good. Be safe and drive carefully. ***Hugs***
Thursday, March 12, 2015
MMM, MMM...GOOD!
I felt really good today so I decided that it was time for me to make my chicken soup. I put the chicken on to boil up and then spent an hour dicing up the veggies to put in it. When the chicken thighs were almost ready, I threw the veggies in and let it all simmer. I did, of course, add salt, pepper, a bit of cayenne, some parsley and (I hate to admit it) a little bit of chicken broth mix. But the end result is that it tastes wonderful. In case you are wondering, the cayenne really can't be tasted but I persist in adding some since it's so good for you medically.
The end result is wonderful. My family will be disappointed to know I was NOT up to making my homemade noodles for the soup. I could even see it in the Beast's face when he was eating it. They have grown to love that and it makes a big difference in the taste. But they will live and I have, as usual, made enough to feed an army. But I will eat it if no one else does.
The Princess called to have the Beast come and get Chewlee at the hospital emergency room. It seems that Gunner had eaten something that was stuck in his throat and he wasn't able to breathe right, swallow it or spit it up. That scared the hell out of me but she called a while later and said that Gunner had finally been able to cough it up. It was a sticker, of all things. Yes, one must be careful of so many things because babies judge their world by putting things in their mouths. Sigh. At least he is fine now.
The Beast informed me that he will be gone all day on Saturday since there is an event in Birmingham for his church. He will only be gone part of the day on Sunday but, hey! That's a nice little *vacation* for me. Maybe I can even get my sister(s) over to visit. Babybrat seems to be still in a bit of shell shock from the move and it's hard to tell if she is as enthused about being here as Sister Cee is. Her kids live in totally different states and don't seem inclined to travel much. Her daughter still has little ones and you know how tough they can be to travel with. Her son has a preteen and they always have their own activities planned and get very unhappy when their routines are interrupted. Oh well!
Sister Cee now has both her daughter and son living right here. That hasn't happened since they were teens so it's fun for her. She will be able to enjoy having them over for Holidays or having it with all of us that are here. We have gone from just me and the Beast to a whole big crowd....LOL! I may not have my kids here but they are within traveling distance and DO, on occasion, come to visit. We hope to have a kind of mini-reunion this summer and spend the day at the lake and rent a pontoon boat big enough for us all. That will be fun, especially since I am on the mend and feeling better than I have in a long time. Makes me wonder just how long it was that my colon was dying off on me.
Well, I have had a long, busy day and even the Beast recognized that I was on the mend. When he picked up Chewlee, she wanted to know how I was and that's what the Beast told her. It made her very happy because she was worried about me, which I thought was sweet. I just wish she would have been able to stay longer. But school tomorrow so she had to go home to get bathed and into bed.
The weather has been fairly nice, temperature-wise but overcast and occasionally a sprinkle of rain or two. Depressing when you have someone that loves the sun, like me. But otherwise, not bad at all.
I may even venture out tomorrow for a bit and have my coffee on the deck or the front porch if it hasn't rained. I am still using my cane just in case although I feel more and more confident in my balance. But I don't want to take chances and end up falling and hurting myself. Especially since I still have all these staples in. But, hopefully, they come out next week. Cross your fingers for me.
Love you all. Hope your weather is starting to make you think of spring on it's way and not any winter snow or ice any more. Be good. Be careful driving and plan on some fun this weekend.
***Hugs***
The end result is wonderful. My family will be disappointed to know I was NOT up to making my homemade noodles for the soup. I could even see it in the Beast's face when he was eating it. They have grown to love that and it makes a big difference in the taste. But they will live and I have, as usual, made enough to feed an army. But I will eat it if no one else does.
The Princess called to have the Beast come and get Chewlee at the hospital emergency room. It seems that Gunner had eaten something that was stuck in his throat and he wasn't able to breathe right, swallow it or spit it up. That scared the hell out of me but she called a while later and said that Gunner had finally been able to cough it up. It was a sticker, of all things. Yes, one must be careful of so many things because babies judge their world by putting things in their mouths. Sigh. At least he is fine now.
The Beast informed me that he will be gone all day on Saturday since there is an event in Birmingham for his church. He will only be gone part of the day on Sunday but, hey! That's a nice little *vacation* for me. Maybe I can even get my sister(s) over to visit. Babybrat seems to be still in a bit of shell shock from the move and it's hard to tell if she is as enthused about being here as Sister Cee is. Her kids live in totally different states and don't seem inclined to travel much. Her daughter still has little ones and you know how tough they can be to travel with. Her son has a preteen and they always have their own activities planned and get very unhappy when their routines are interrupted. Oh well!
Sister Cee now has both her daughter and son living right here. That hasn't happened since they were teens so it's fun for her. She will be able to enjoy having them over for Holidays or having it with all of us that are here. We have gone from just me and the Beast to a whole big crowd....LOL! I may not have my kids here but they are within traveling distance and DO, on occasion, come to visit. We hope to have a kind of mini-reunion this summer and spend the day at the lake and rent a pontoon boat big enough for us all. That will be fun, especially since I am on the mend and feeling better than I have in a long time. Makes me wonder just how long it was that my colon was dying off on me.
Well, I have had a long, busy day and even the Beast recognized that I was on the mend. When he picked up Chewlee, she wanted to know how I was and that's what the Beast told her. It made her very happy because she was worried about me, which I thought was sweet. I just wish she would have been able to stay longer. But school tomorrow so she had to go home to get bathed and into bed.
The weather has been fairly nice, temperature-wise but overcast and occasionally a sprinkle of rain or two. Depressing when you have someone that loves the sun, like me. But otherwise, not bad at all.
I may even venture out tomorrow for a bit and have my coffee on the deck or the front porch if it hasn't rained. I am still using my cane just in case although I feel more and more confident in my balance. But I don't want to take chances and end up falling and hurting myself. Especially since I still have all these staples in. But, hopefully, they come out next week. Cross your fingers for me.
Love you all. Hope your weather is starting to make you think of spring on it's way and not any winter snow or ice any more. Be good. Be careful driving and plan on some fun this weekend.
***Hugs***
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
A Day For Reflection...
It was just one of those days when I was finding myself remembering so much of the past. I remember being so in love when I first got married. So many people warned me about the Beast and I knew he had a temper but it was usually aimed at inanimate objects. Little did I know how easy it could be to turn that to people.
When he started drinking, he became a real animal...vicious and you couldn't talk to him. He felt he knew what everyone was thinking. He imagined all kinds of things and there was no changing his mind. When his strokes happened and he was no longer able to drink (it makes him dizzy and nauseous), I knew there really WAS a god. He got even for us that had been the focus of his anger.
I know in my heart that a lot of this came from the treatment of his family. His mother was weak and didn't even try to shelter him from his dad's anger and meanness. He became just like his father when he drank. But it's no excuse. It's just understanding where his anger came from. He was a successful businessman who got no respect from his family.
He came to be overly nice to MY family. He needed the respect of someone and my family provided that for many years. It just never extended to ME or our kids. No child should be afraid to come home if their father was there and still awake. My kids would sometimes sleep in the bushes outside our home and not come in until they were sure he was in bed, asleep. I didn't find this out for a long time but I can't blame them.
Living through the year that he was recovering was a trial. I had been ready to divorce him at the time. I was gathering all the information about our assets and the company assets when it happened. I had to stay to help him out even though he was a real jerk at the time....to me, of course. I was glad that he had been in a good frame of mind a while prior to this and had apologized to the boys for his tirades about *fooling around with those damn computers won't earn you a dime.* Both boys work in the field and are successful. I think in many ways the Beast's attitude kind of pushed them to prove him wrong.
I have mentioned before that I was surprised at how good he has treated me during all my medical problems. He has kept the house up well, done laundry and made me meals. I have been medically challenged now for almost three years. This last surgery is supposed to be the cure and allow me to finally heal. I sure hope so. I do feel better in many ways except for the damn sciatica. But that will more than likely stop once I am healed. I've been through bouts with it before.
He's different now in most ways. His returning to church is part of the reason. Like my son says, he's an old person trying to get into heaven. What he doesn't realize is that God judges his HEART and his actions in the past. He has a lot to answer for.
I'm no saint but I did try as much as I could. I often stepped between him and the kids and protected them. He blamed me for all that he felt was wrong with them. He took no responsibility and never saw how he terrorized them....and me. I can't begin to tell you how many times I ended up in the emergency room with broken ribs and once broken bones in my face. Why did I put up with it? My Catholic start in life where I was told that *marriage was forever*. I really believed it.
It took forever before I felt that God never meant for me to be abused and would forgive me.
However, his stroke changed everything.
He knows how good I was to him during that time and how I helped him get better. My son often went to the rehab center when the Beast was confined there (until he was better and improving from his disabilities). He was then allowed to come home and just go to rehab every day for treatment. I drove him, picked him up when he was finished, brought him home and helped him with his exercises at home. We still had the Princess at home so I had her to think about, too. But we managed and he was never the same. He could control his temper without being able to drink.
When we moved and were building our home on the other coast, the poor Princess hated it. She made some good friends, however, and they are still friends all these years later.
I am happy that the Princess found someone she loves to marry. They have a cute little boy now (Gunner) as well as Chewlee. Chewlee has gotten in some trouble lately and I think it is because she doesn't feel loved as well as her brother is and needs attention, even if it's BAD attention. But it should work itself out, I hope.
Love you all and I wish you a great week (or what's left of it!). Make some fun plans for the weekend. ***Hugs***
When he started drinking, he became a real animal...vicious and you couldn't talk to him. He felt he knew what everyone was thinking. He imagined all kinds of things and there was no changing his mind. When his strokes happened and he was no longer able to drink (it makes him dizzy and nauseous), I knew there really WAS a god. He got even for us that had been the focus of his anger.
I know in my heart that a lot of this came from the treatment of his family. His mother was weak and didn't even try to shelter him from his dad's anger and meanness. He became just like his father when he drank. But it's no excuse. It's just understanding where his anger came from. He was a successful businessman who got no respect from his family.
He came to be overly nice to MY family. He needed the respect of someone and my family provided that for many years. It just never extended to ME or our kids. No child should be afraid to come home if their father was there and still awake. My kids would sometimes sleep in the bushes outside our home and not come in until they were sure he was in bed, asleep. I didn't find this out for a long time but I can't blame them.
Living through the year that he was recovering was a trial. I had been ready to divorce him at the time. I was gathering all the information about our assets and the company assets when it happened. I had to stay to help him out even though he was a real jerk at the time....to me, of course. I was glad that he had been in a good frame of mind a while prior to this and had apologized to the boys for his tirades about *fooling around with those damn computers won't earn you a dime.* Both boys work in the field and are successful. I think in many ways the Beast's attitude kind of pushed them to prove him wrong.
I have mentioned before that I was surprised at how good he has treated me during all my medical problems. He has kept the house up well, done laundry and made me meals. I have been medically challenged now for almost three years. This last surgery is supposed to be the cure and allow me to finally heal. I sure hope so. I do feel better in many ways except for the damn sciatica. But that will more than likely stop once I am healed. I've been through bouts with it before.
He's different now in most ways. His returning to church is part of the reason. Like my son says, he's an old person trying to get into heaven. What he doesn't realize is that God judges his HEART and his actions in the past. He has a lot to answer for.
I'm no saint but I did try as much as I could. I often stepped between him and the kids and protected them. He blamed me for all that he felt was wrong with them. He took no responsibility and never saw how he terrorized them....and me. I can't begin to tell you how many times I ended up in the emergency room with broken ribs and once broken bones in my face. Why did I put up with it? My Catholic start in life where I was told that *marriage was forever*. I really believed it.
It took forever before I felt that God never meant for me to be abused and would forgive me.
However, his stroke changed everything.
He knows how good I was to him during that time and how I helped him get better. My son often went to the rehab center when the Beast was confined there (until he was better and improving from his disabilities). He was then allowed to come home and just go to rehab every day for treatment. I drove him, picked him up when he was finished, brought him home and helped him with his exercises at home. We still had the Princess at home so I had her to think about, too. But we managed and he was never the same. He could control his temper without being able to drink.
When we moved and were building our home on the other coast, the poor Princess hated it. She made some good friends, however, and they are still friends all these years later.
I am happy that the Princess found someone she loves to marry. They have a cute little boy now (Gunner) as well as Chewlee. Chewlee has gotten in some trouble lately and I think it is because she doesn't feel loved as well as her brother is and needs attention, even if it's BAD attention. But it should work itself out, I hope.
Love you all and I wish you a great week (or what's left of it!). Make some fun plans for the weekend. ***Hugs***
I SWEAR.....
...that I have a ghost critic that sometimes makes my blog disappear. *Sigh* Always a critic around somewhere. Mine from last night is gone...just gone! Oh well.
So my sister Cee and Babybrat came over to spend some time with me. I had hoped they would spend the day but Cee has promised to make dinner for Tara and the boys (and themselves, of course). My great-nephew was going to take her to the store so she could buy what she needed for the dinner she had planned. Since he's in college, he had homework to do once they got home and she didn't want to keep him for any length of time. So she and Babybrat went home around 1 or 1:30pm. I hated to see them go.
They both looked good to me after not seeing them for so long. We sat around with our coffee and talked and laughed. It was nice and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Beast sat with us for a while and then went to watch his Fox news.
They thought it was cold outside while those of us that have lived here for a while thought it was nice. It was 60 degrees out at the time and getting warmer. I had to laugh but I know they will eventually get used to the difference between here and South Florida in a year or two.
They left before Sheepie got here and she was disappointed but I reminded her that her aunts would be here now and it wasn't like she only had a few days to see them before they left. She said she knew that in her head but still wished she had gotten to see them. Teach is under orders that he has to make sure he comes in to meet them. A lot of times he just drops off Sheepie and leaves (if there's a college football game on TV). He's a big Bama fan and likes to watch it with his dad.
Sheepie got here and was surprised that the clothes she had left here to wash when she came over had already been washed and was in the dryer. The Beast had thrown them in for her albeit a little later than he should have. He had forgotten that she was coming over to finish up her wash until he saw the box that he had put on the top of the dryer. So he threw it in and, luckily, Teach had to work later than he was scheduled (he's a supervisor and you know how THAT goes!). So she only had to wait about 15 minutes or so until they were dry.
We sat and talked for a bit until they had to leave. Teach has to get up early to start work (he gets up at 3am) and he still hadn't eaten yet. She knew he would be home early today so she wanted me to call if her aunts came over again. I told her I didn't think so but would let her know if they did.
Cee called me around 10am this morning and told me what she had on her agenda. Her son, Mike, found a used car and is negotiating a good price on it for her. If that works out, they will go over and let Cee look at it and take it for a spin. If she likes the car and the price, she will buy it and be mobile without having to depend on others. I know that's a pain in the butt so I hope she likes it. We can get together more and she can pick me up to hit a restaurant or some such thing without having to argue with the Beast about it.
I'm getting better every day, I can tell but still am having some balance problems so I am using my cane. That helps a great deal. I am having some unusual pains when I DO get them. Shooting pains down my left leg but it feels like my sciatica is acting up. I just kind of lean into the pain and it eventually passes.
I went to bed early and slept for over 10 hours until a phone call at 9:30am woke me up. I didn't get to my phone fast enough although I was up on my feet (and half asleep!) when the call came. I was in the bathroom at the time. I had written my blog before I went to bed and still have no clue what happened to it. Oh well. Sister Cee asked me about it when she called and that stunned me. She likes to read it with her morning coffee. Speaking of which, I am headed for my first cup of the day after I post this.
Love you all. Looks like we are going to have another nice day here except for the overcast. Looks like it might rain later on today. Hope you all are enjoying some good weather for a change. Be good. Be careful driving. ***Hugs***
So my sister Cee and Babybrat came over to spend some time with me. I had hoped they would spend the day but Cee has promised to make dinner for Tara and the boys (and themselves, of course). My great-nephew was going to take her to the store so she could buy what she needed for the dinner she had planned. Since he's in college, he had homework to do once they got home and she didn't want to keep him for any length of time. So she and Babybrat went home around 1 or 1:30pm. I hated to see them go.
They both looked good to me after not seeing them for so long. We sat around with our coffee and talked and laughed. It was nice and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Beast sat with us for a while and then went to watch his Fox news.
They thought it was cold outside while those of us that have lived here for a while thought it was nice. It was 60 degrees out at the time and getting warmer. I had to laugh but I know they will eventually get used to the difference between here and South Florida in a year or two.
They left before Sheepie got here and she was disappointed but I reminded her that her aunts would be here now and it wasn't like she only had a few days to see them before they left. She said she knew that in her head but still wished she had gotten to see them. Teach is under orders that he has to make sure he comes in to meet them. A lot of times he just drops off Sheepie and leaves (if there's a college football game on TV). He's a big Bama fan and likes to watch it with his dad.
Sheepie got here and was surprised that the clothes she had left here to wash when she came over had already been washed and was in the dryer. The Beast had thrown them in for her albeit a little later than he should have. He had forgotten that she was coming over to finish up her wash until he saw the box that he had put on the top of the dryer. So he threw it in and, luckily, Teach had to work later than he was scheduled (he's a supervisor and you know how THAT goes!). So she only had to wait about 15 minutes or so until they were dry.
We sat and talked for a bit until they had to leave. Teach has to get up early to start work (he gets up at 3am) and he still hadn't eaten yet. She knew he would be home early today so she wanted me to call if her aunts came over again. I told her I didn't think so but would let her know if they did.
Cee called me around 10am this morning and told me what she had on her agenda. Her son, Mike, found a used car and is negotiating a good price on it for her. If that works out, they will go over and let Cee look at it and take it for a spin. If she likes the car and the price, she will buy it and be mobile without having to depend on others. I know that's a pain in the butt so I hope she likes it. We can get together more and she can pick me up to hit a restaurant or some such thing without having to argue with the Beast about it.
I'm getting better every day, I can tell but still am having some balance problems so I am using my cane. That helps a great deal. I am having some unusual pains when I DO get them. Shooting pains down my left leg but it feels like my sciatica is acting up. I just kind of lean into the pain and it eventually passes.
I went to bed early and slept for over 10 hours until a phone call at 9:30am woke me up. I didn't get to my phone fast enough although I was up on my feet (and half asleep!) when the call came. I was in the bathroom at the time. I had written my blog before I went to bed and still have no clue what happened to it. Oh well. Sister Cee asked me about it when she called and that stunned me. She likes to read it with her morning coffee. Speaking of which, I am headed for my first cup of the day after I post this.
Love you all. Looks like we are going to have another nice day here except for the overcast. Looks like it might rain later on today. Hope you all are enjoying some good weather for a change. Be good. Be careful driving. ***Hugs***
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
SLOWLY...SLOWLY
i am amazed at the temperature outside right now. it's almost 3am and it's 53 degrees! It is supposed to be 70 degrees tomorrow but could be rainy. *Sigh* There's always a trade off somehow, isn't there?
Yesterday was my friend, Staffy's, birthday. He is now 57 years old. He lives in England and is the one that recently married his sweetie he had met online on the game site that we play together. I lucked out and got to see him then he called me to wish me a speedy recovery. He had seen me pop onto the site just as he was preparing to go to bed. It was one am in England at the time. He has a severe heart problem but his wife watches him on Skype and makes him take a nap in the afternoon. They are a sweet couple and have become dear friends. I did get him off the phone and he promised he was on his way to bed as soon as we hung up.
I am so looking forward to seeing my sisters tomorrow. Oops! I mean later today. My sister, Cee, got a phone today and called me right away to give me the number. I had told her that she would need one here. Everyone has a cell phone here and is the way we all keep in touch. She went to Verizon and got a phone that gives her 700 minutes every month for..get this! Only 25 dollars a month. That Sprint campaign has sure led them to come down in their prices....LOL.
My friend, Carol, emailed me that she was sending me a 5# bag of Kauai coffee beans and...this was a joke...she said it should last me a few days. LOL! It will last me a month, at least.
Sheepie was telling me about a 2 bedroom apartment at her complex that was becoming available. Her friend lives there and they just bought a house. It won't be available until the end of the month but I don't think that will matter to Cee and Babybrat. Sheepie loves the apartment (a 2 bedroom for just $475 a month and that includes everything but the electricity. Cee was VERY interested and was kind of glad that Sheepie lives in the same complex. She moved here to be close to family and that isn't very far from us, either.
I am healing, I can tell. I am in less pain now and can stay upright longer. I only hope that I can stop my naps in the afternoon. I get nauseous, though, if I don't lay down. I always fall asleep for a couple hours and that is why I am up this late. Oh well! I avoid taking the pain pills the doctor gave me since it makes me nauseous. But I discoered the milder pain pills I have normally work well for me and help me sleep. I will be taking one when I post this so I can sleep without pain. I forget while I am asleep and sometimes turn the wrong way and it wakes me up if I don't take one.
A friend of the Beast's from his church came over today with food. She made a wonderful chicken and rice dish and some apples from her trees that she cooked up. They were very welcome. The Beast told me another friend from his church is bringing over something tomorrow. LOL! They all look at me and can see I lost some weight while in the hospital. They feel they need to fatten me up, I guess. I think it's very sweet of them but it's not going to convert me. I know that is what is also on their minds. But sweet of them to care.
My friend from England said it would probably take me a couple months to heal *at my age*....LOL! I told him he was only 11 years younger than I am (at least until the end of June when I gain another year). He then said, *Unfortunately, as we get older it DOES take us longer to heal*. I had to laugh at his tone of voice, which was very regretful. He misses his wife who had to return to the US to put her house up for sale. Plus she is a civil servant and has to officially retire. Did you know that she was told that she and her new hubby had to prove they both has assets of $250,000. in order for her to immigrate? I was stunned at that. How many people have that kind of money? I mean she will have her income from retirement and then, later on, she will also have her SS besides her pension. She won't be a drain on England, that's for sure.
Oh well. Time to end this and head for bed. Love you all and please stay healthy. Don't ignore any aches and pains you may have. I could have died from my dying colon if I hadn't gotten appendicitis from the bacteria and gone to the emergency room. I was even running a high fever and had no idea. But I think the pain I was having at the time was all I could feel. ***Hugs***
Yesterday was my friend, Staffy's, birthday. He is now 57 years old. He lives in England and is the one that recently married his sweetie he had met online on the game site that we play together. I lucked out and got to see him then he called me to wish me a speedy recovery. He had seen me pop onto the site just as he was preparing to go to bed. It was one am in England at the time. He has a severe heart problem but his wife watches him on Skype and makes him take a nap in the afternoon. They are a sweet couple and have become dear friends. I did get him off the phone and he promised he was on his way to bed as soon as we hung up.
I am so looking forward to seeing my sisters tomorrow. Oops! I mean later today. My sister, Cee, got a phone today and called me right away to give me the number. I had told her that she would need one here. Everyone has a cell phone here and is the way we all keep in touch. She went to Verizon and got a phone that gives her 700 minutes every month for..get this! Only 25 dollars a month. That Sprint campaign has sure led them to come down in their prices....LOL.
My friend, Carol, emailed me that she was sending me a 5# bag of Kauai coffee beans and...this was a joke...she said it should last me a few days. LOL! It will last me a month, at least.
Sheepie was telling me about a 2 bedroom apartment at her complex that was becoming available. Her friend lives there and they just bought a house. It won't be available until the end of the month but I don't think that will matter to Cee and Babybrat. Sheepie loves the apartment (a 2 bedroom for just $475 a month and that includes everything but the electricity. Cee was VERY interested and was kind of glad that Sheepie lives in the same complex. She moved here to be close to family and that isn't very far from us, either.
I am healing, I can tell. I am in less pain now and can stay upright longer. I only hope that I can stop my naps in the afternoon. I get nauseous, though, if I don't lay down. I always fall asleep for a couple hours and that is why I am up this late. Oh well! I avoid taking the pain pills the doctor gave me since it makes me nauseous. But I discoered the milder pain pills I have normally work well for me and help me sleep. I will be taking one when I post this so I can sleep without pain. I forget while I am asleep and sometimes turn the wrong way and it wakes me up if I don't take one.
A friend of the Beast's from his church came over today with food. She made a wonderful chicken and rice dish and some apples from her trees that she cooked up. They were very welcome. The Beast told me another friend from his church is bringing over something tomorrow. LOL! They all look at me and can see I lost some weight while in the hospital. They feel they need to fatten me up, I guess. I think it's very sweet of them but it's not going to convert me. I know that is what is also on their minds. But sweet of them to care.
My friend from England said it would probably take me a couple months to heal *at my age*....LOL! I told him he was only 11 years younger than I am (at least until the end of June when I gain another year). He then said, *Unfortunately, as we get older it DOES take us longer to heal*. I had to laugh at his tone of voice, which was very regretful. He misses his wife who had to return to the US to put her house up for sale. Plus she is a civil servant and has to officially retire. Did you know that she was told that she and her new hubby had to prove they both has assets of $250,000. in order for her to immigrate? I was stunned at that. How many people have that kind of money? I mean she will have her income from retirement and then, later on, she will also have her SS besides her pension. She won't be a drain on England, that's for sure.
Oh well. Time to end this and head for bed. Love you all and please stay healthy. Don't ignore any aches and pains you may have. I could have died from my dying colon if I hadn't gotten appendicitis from the bacteria and gone to the emergency room. I was even running a high fever and had no idea. But I think the pain I was having at the time was all I could feel. ***Hugs***
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