Boom

I fell, reaching for my cell phone a few minutes ago.  Luckily there was nothing behind me when my knee buckled, and the carpet is backed with a very thick pad.  Still it leaves me shaken (or stirred).  Yesterday I went upstairs around 1 pm for the turkey dinner that C fixed.  R was there too.  We had far too much to eat, and I took a Phenergan once I got downstairs again.  I did a little stumble going up, but C steadied me with the gait belt.  But on the way down around 5 pm I had a complete buckle with my "good" knee, and once again C caught me.

So all in all it wasn't too bad yesterday.  But today, wow! both knees are a major pain, undoubtedly due to yesterday's efforts.  I wasn't planning on Black Friday anyway, but after my fall,  I am not stirring from my bed.  Just when I was thinking I was having major mending going on.

 I got a check Tuesday for $32.84 as a settlement on a class action law suit.  The  case involved HP who made some of their models of printer which wouldn't accept any other print cartridges than HP.
I found my model and SN in the list, so I sent back the claiming information, and the $32 was my share of the settlement.  Beats getting a bill.  Too bad it isn't enough to buy a new set of cartridges.

The saddle still hasn't sold yet, but it is early now anyway.  They keep them for 90 days; I think the price drops then.  It looks very nice in the photos.  Update:  the saddle sold in Feb., no money for it yet, the buyer has two weeks to return it, and if not returned, WooHoo.  It actually sold for more than I expected.  

Here is the link to the saddle; when you click on this link, it will show all 5?  6? Photos.  I hope this works.



https://www.horsesaddleshop.com/usbn5111.html


Time for a nap; hope everyone had a good turkey day!

I'm a little slow these last few weeks.

I have apparently damaged my "good" knee, which makes it really hard to get around.  I wish I had remembered that factoid before taking the diuretic, I am really slow getting to the throne when the time comes calling.

I got my life insurance last week, hurrah.  I don't want to leave the kids with no way to manage financially, like N did nearly 4 years ago.  That was the reason I had to sell the Highlander, the payments were absurd.  The only vehicle I own is the p/u truck, which I can't climb inside, never mind drive when my feet are numb and I can't lift my foot far enough to reach the pedals.  What a difference one simple surgery has made.  You know what minor surgery is, don't you?   It's surgery that happens to someone else.

I think I will end up getting knee replacement on the "good" knee eventually.  But I will put it off as long as I can.  My family physician that I saw yesterday, did X-rays of that knee and said that there is still some cartilage in there, even though it sounds like a very creepy door when I stand up.  She also did some blood work, thyroid and so forth to see if there are signs of early dementia, won't that be fine?  Just what I need to hear.

I am keen to get going on the plan to move into a mobile home, the first step is to see the bank, I figure I will need to borrow the purchase money, so we can move from here to there, and then sell the house, after it is empty, and then pay off the mobile home. The only hard part is clearing the house of every thing we don't want to take with us.  The mobile  home is considerably smaller than here, and I have only to look around to see things that will have to go.  And I can't do much other than be an overseer since I can't carry anything.  It will mean a huge effort, and probably I will have to hire someone to help with the furniture, as well as boxes.  What fun.

The show saddle is up for sale at the online horse gear (mostly saddles) place in IN.  I hope it sells quickly, it is the only tastefully trimmed silver saddle there, and it is priced at $795.  I plan on giving the $ to C since he did all the polishing and leather oiling. I hate to see it gone, but it will be good to have someone use it again.

I've got time for a little nap now, so I think I will prop my swollen feet up and rest a bit.  Bye!

saddle up!

This is the last photo, I think, that will be of my western equitation show saddle.  C wore his poor fingers off polishing the silver lacing but it goes out for consignment sale as soon as the box for transport arrives.   The consignment guy sounds very fair;  and of course, the higher price they get on this saddle the larger their share becomes.  God it is a beautiful saddle, and I rode it all over California on the show circuit, although I didn't get the blue very often, still I enjoyed riding this piece of art on my palomino quarter horse, mane and tail flowing white (well, not the mane it is pulled to a few inches long, don't know why, that was the style at the time).

And unlike the ordinary saddle, which I got pitched off a few times, I never fell at all from this one.  Although it was touch-and-go the day the arena was directly next to a field where hot air balloons were being readied for a nice ride.  The noise they make when the burners are going full blast scared me and I knew what it was from.  But Poco, bless his heart, looked, snorted and went on like he'd seen them every day of the week.  That was the same show where the judge had us all lined up in the center, and one by one had us leave the group and make one pass around the arena and then line back up again with the rest.  Poco had no trouble with that either, we were used to riding alone, out and around before returning home.  He was the only one that didn't balk at leaving the group.  Horses, they live in herds in the west, and where one goes they all go.  But it tickled me to see those many mega dollar horses not do something so simple, while my $450 gelding took it right in stride.  The lady I bought him from told me that he trusted his rider to see to it that he was OK.  And she was right.

Tomorrow I am going to open our safe and see if I put the key to the safe deposit in there.  I found the keys to the safe dangling on the key rack next to the hot water tank.  I know where one bank key is, but it bugs me not to have the second one.  I know, I am obsessive,  but someone has to keep us on the path.

Well, it is time to go for the night, good night to all, Bye

Fall is here

Here it is November already, I haven't thought out what to do about Thanksgiving, much less Christmas.  C will have to do whatever is needed as while I can, with help get upstairs, but I can't stand very long and that takes care of stirring, slicing, peeling, and a whole lot more.  Every year it seems like we do less and less.  Christmas is far more manageable since we do steak, baked potato, green beans, and pie.  Maybe a fruit salad in there too.  No left overs, minimal clean up (the broiler has to cool first) and we rarely get to the pie until the next day.

Last night, Nov. 2nd, was trick or treat night here.  The rain was unremitting downpours on the 31st, and on Friday the first, the wind howled through here making umbrellas pretty useless.  Yesterday there was no wind, no rain, but not very many kids either.  We had 31, where last year we had 50.  There were none of the ATVs towing trailers with 4 or 5 kids aboard, most of the littlest kids were pulled in a wagon or a stroller, and the average age was 4.  All had parents with them, some in costume, and for the last 30 minutes there were none.  Boring.  And there I sat with 10 pounds of candy in a big enamel bowl in my lap, yum.  I don't know what we will do with the rest, as it became apparent there would be scads of candy left, I was just scooping up handfuls for each kid.

My new blanket was delivered Saturday by UPS, and I love it.  It is very fuzzy and very large, and C made my bed with clean sheets and two blankets, it looked heavenly after sitting for 2 hours in the cold.  I had a heater by my legs, in addition to coat, mittens, hat and hood.  Still too cold and I couldn't get up and move around, once it got dark we were an oasis of light. Those damned floodlights wouldn't stay on, you could tap  on them (C did) and a minute later they would go off.  Luckily no one fell in the driveway, but it is time for a new light.  One kid said he liked my horses, and I thanked him.  I got by without anyone asking about them.  I was prepared to lie, saying we moved them to another barn, or we sold them, but not necessary.

I offered a print to R when she was moving to her apartment.  She bought a red couch and I said that this print, by Carol Grigg called "The Loss" would look good above her sofa.  She just said Hmmm and changed the subject.  Tonight she texted C to ask if she could have it.  I said sure, but if at some point she didn't want it, to give it back to me.  The frame and matting alone were around $200.  I don't want her to just pitch it.

I wanted to down-size this photo of "The Loss" but for some reason it won't do it and then show the smaller photo.  I give up.

  I can't tell you how long I have fiddled with this image, it is a lot.

I sure hope this will get hung without any drama. Update:  R took the print hung it on the wall over the couch, put a lovely quilt on the back of the couch, and sent photos.  It looks spiffy.

Back to bed, Bye!