Amazon

Well the mattress that was scheduled to be delivered on the 25th of July, after ordering it on July 5th, is apparently missing.  How can a shipment of a king sized mattress be missing?  you ask.  Just what I said to the customer agent at Amazon yesterday, the 30th.  It is not at the carrier XPO so the "out for delivery" is clearly wrong.  So it was reordered, now due Aug 19th.  We had, foolishly, pulled everything that would be in the way out of the way, and now it all has to be put back and then removed on the 19th.  They offered me a refund to select another Amazon bed, but I did all kinds of selecting over days to settle on this one so I reordered.  Lucky me, eh?

I have just finished an hour of grueling therapy, and my legs feel like noodles.  The therapy guide is very encouraging, and that is a big change from the previous place.  Then is was more of the same every session, and no feedback on my progress, if any.  Maybe before snow begins I will be done.

We are having problems about the new neighbor's dog, barking and charging at the old old cats.  If he gets into the field where the horse is, barking and chasing, that will be the end of him, I think.  I remember one other family, this was several years ago, who owned a Doberman, Ernie.  He was friendly and would play fetch until your arm gave out.  But unfortunately he grabbed anything in the yard and tore it up (kids' toys), chase the ball when someone was playing basketball, would chase and knock down the small kids, tear up picnic stuff, plates and food if it was within reach, and on and on.  When he got very pushy, one of the other neighbors would tie him to the owners' front door knob when they were letting him run loose while they were gone.  They did this over and over, the woman would say "Oh, everyone loves him, he wouldn't hurt a flea".  Finally came the day, they got home to find Ernie's collar tied to their front door.  The last time anyone saw him.  Everyone sighed in relief, and no one ever knew who did what with Ernie.

New PT

I started with a new physical therapist last week, and he was very encouraging.  He scrapped some of the exercises I had been doing and added several that will target specific problems.  I am pleased that he will be addressing the swelling in my legs and feet.  Maybe eventually I will be able to wear real shoes again, and not just these slippers.

R joined us for dinner a couple of times last week, and we had a nice confab too.  She uses quarters in the washers, and so last night C and I went through the jar that N had used, which had never been touched since he passed, and sifted out all the quarters.  There are a lot!  Probably several hundred dollars' worth.  She will have to carry it, it is a heavy sucker.  I'm betting she buys a washer/dryer soon.  Update:  She bought a washer and dryer, they delivered it Friday (the 13th) and even hooked it up.  She immediately ran a load of towels!

My new bed is due to be delivered Thursday.  The current one is at least 20 years old, but it is only recently that I noticed all the lumps and bumps in it.  My only fear is that the mattress will be too thick to give access to the bookcase headboard.  It is not an insupportable problem, we have plenty of bookcases to pick up the slack.  I'm betting that the current mattress cover and waterproof cover won't fit, we will see.  I already bought new sheets, that are sized to fit a 16" thickness mattress.  I think the current ones are only able to fit a 14" mattress.

A few months ago I filed for and received "missing money" from WV, the source is just "Google".  So yesterday I looked for my sister-in-law in MI and KY and found $ in both.  I "claimed" them both, filled out some information and printed the forms, and mailed them to her to complete.  Not huge amounts, but still, it will buy some groceries, etc.  She couldn't do them by herself, because she doesn't have a computer or data line.  Heavens!!  I didn't think there was anyone that was without even library access.  And speaking of computers, my MacBook Air is starting to get very unreliable, even just going to my email listing gives me the spinning wheel, and the only cure is to turn WiFi off, then turn it back on.  The same is necessary when I am trying to look at the news, or even if I shut the lid momentarily, and it is irritating the crap out of me.  It is not the router problem, because the other two computers work fine, I even put the MacBook right beside the desktop one, and the result is the same.  The local computer guys went out of business, leaving only Geek guys at Best Buy.  I am not sure that they work on Apples, I may have to send it out.  I would have to delete all my passwords, etc.  Grrr.

Oh yeah, the before and after

I'll leave you to figure out which is before and which is after the power wash.

summer??

I can't believe it is mid-July already; it seems I was just admiring the tiny leaves on the trees, and putting the windows on the car down to catch the breezes.  Yesterday the high was 90 degrees and it felt totally accurate.  I have been buying lightweight sweaters now while the prices are down.  Last spring I had either long sleeved shirts, or heavy sweaters, so these light weight sweaters should be just the in-between top.  I hope.  It is hard to think of winter now.

I went to the hospital for an ultrasound last week, they are way less painful than a mammogram.  I walked miles as they have reorganized all of the ground floor, and the next day I could scarcely stir from bed, I was so sore.  The results were fine, re-do in 3 months.  I went to the podiatrist yesterday, and we had to wait over an hour to be seen; we waited until the last patients had been called, and C muted the TV.  It was tuned to soap operas, right then showing the "Bold and the Beautiful" and I am amazed by the number of people who watch it.   I should have brought my Kindle, but the battery is getting weak at holding a charge.  I am currently working on a pair of old Barbara Hambly fantasy books, paperbacks, R had them for months, and are now beaten to pieces.  She ordered new/lightly used copies, and gave mine back.  I think she should have given me the newer copies, and continued using the beat up ones.  I'm sure the thought never crossed her mind.  She's doing OK in her apartment, and last night was the first dinner she cooked on her stove.  Meanwhile she has been microwaving, rice cooker, or cereal for dinner.  The laundromat isn't far from her place, but she has already used up the quarters I gave her, it is $1.75 per washer.  I know she is going to want to buy a washer and dryer, each apartment has a little alcove for hooking them up, but we always bought ours from Sears, which is pfffft.  So I can't really recommend a brand/model.  They're probably all made in China anyway.

Good Omens

I've been watching Good Omens, based on the book by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman on Amazon Original.  It is really a hoot, although I may be prejudiced by having read the book years ago, and so I  have a vague notion of how it progresses.  I hate to binge watch things, I'm saving for one episode a day, 6 episodes in all.

And speaking of binging, I have once more cruised eBay for likely purchases, mainly clothes, but also odds and ends.  I can't get up to go on an actual shopping trip, so I make do with virtual shopping.  It makes my wardrobe all one-of-a-kind; now if I could only find somewhere to wear them.  My last delivery was wrong, not the top I won.  It is the wrong brand, sleeves, no pockets, no button up closure and on and on.  The only thing that matches is the color:  bronze/gold.  It is also too small.  So the seller is going to send me the correct top and I can keep the wrong one, no refund.  Works for me.  I can't wear it unless I lose weight (some) but I hate to mail things out, wrapping, addressing, traveling to PO, paying, and sending the tracking number to the seller.

R has moved into her apt., and I notice a few things there that were originally here.  It doesn't matter, I have 'way too many things, just sitting.  She is buying a lot of things; yesterday she got a nice red couch and the day before she equipped the kitchen.  I would have recommended a larger microwave, and gotten some plastic containers for left-overs, and some plastic wrap too.  Ah well, no one asked me for my opinion.  The red couch was liberally sprinkled with dog hair, but R took my dust devil hand vacuum to it and it looks fine now.  Unfortunately the appt. previous renters were smokers, and she is having to double-clean every inch of the place.  Basically, it will fade with time, and she is the one who complained (and complained) about cat hair here, so now she has a new target.  When we cleaned her bedroom, it was astonishing how much dust and fur was under her bed; not a dust bunny, this was more like a dust kangeroo.  Basketball size, it completely filled the vacuum bag twice.  Apparently, she *never* vacuumed her bedroom.  Every flat surface was *coated* with dust/fur.  So having her clean now is quite amusing.

I think we will be having Words with the new neighbors about their dog.  It was in our yard, barking at the cats, the horse, our car, etc.  C. shouted at it to "go home" and it ran away, but the neighbors were outside and heard him, and the next time he was outside they kept him on a leash.  Err, the dog, not C.  I have hopes they will fence in the back of their lot.  No more dogs for us, and probably no more cats either, once these are gone.  Once the horse is gone, we will probably move too, somewhere in town and probably a mobile home which is step-less.

Bluff

Well OK, someone up there called my bluff.  The toilet was still leaking, only this time at the juncture of the tank and the bowl part.  The plumber came and replaced the seal between the two parts, put in a new supply line, etc.  No leaks as of this morning.  Guess I won't need that port-a-potty after all.  No charge for this trip.  The throw rugs now need to be washed, and that should be the end of the squishy underfoot.

I had a hell of a time getting dressed this morning.  C picks out my clothes as it is damn near impossible for me to get in the walk-in closet because it is more like a sidle-in because it is too full.  Anyway, the pants he laid out were a pair of jeans, but when I put them on, the top button was missing, so the pants wouldn't stay up.  I sidled in, and this next pair of jeans just didn't fit (too small).   So for jeans number three, I found a new pair that zip and button.  I put on the shirt, and the three tiny ribbon roses at the top were only holding on by a thread; needle and thread time.  Finally, I was dressed.

I found the missing earring, it wasn't on the floor (which would have propelled it into a black hole) but on the table that I use for my Apple notebook.  All this time looking in the wrong place.  My Mom would have said, "If it was a snake it woulda bit you."  I'm still not going to wear them, they pull right out at the slightest tug.

It is in the 80s today, so I only had one brief foray into hot between two air-conditioned places.  When I lived in Miami, back in the Dark Ages, air-conditioned cars, homes, or a lot of businesses were unheard of.  And of course, the solution to cool off was to stand under a hose, in the shade, until you were cool.  Or until someone bigger wanted the hose.  We wore flip-flops, and the only times for hard shoes were the church for good shoes or old battered ones for roller skates that fastened with clamps and tightened with a special key.  Otherwise, flip flops or barefoot.  Don't know how we survived.

C is pleased, his new computer is working fine.  This is the replacement for the new one that would not turn on.  I think Dell needs to polish up its quality control dept.  and I will see if they charge him twice.  Meanwhile, he is saving the boxes.  I remember when, not that long ago, we would buy parts and assemble the computers ourselves.  The first readymade computer came from Gateway, in those black and white boxes that looked like a cow print.  They folded years ago I guess.  I used to see the boxes piled up in the hallways at work, followed by mighty swear words inside the office.  Somewhere I have a screen polishing figure that looks like the Gateway logo, probably a collector's item by now.  Does anyone remember 8088/16 ?  That CPU was regarded to be lightning fast.  This was before the internet, the only host connection I had was .edu and you could browse, slowly, through various sites.  I remember the one site that was used to tell the grad students up on the third floor if the coke machine on the ground floor was empty, saving them a long walk.  Computers come and go, but graduate students stay the same.

I read where one could link your blog to your facebook page, to drive more traffic/pageviews to the blog.  The only problem with that is my facebook link has my actual name, and that would disclose my name here as well.  So no, if I had it to do again I would change my facebook page to a pseudonym too.

Time is slipping away, so bye for now.  Here is BC, surveying her world.

Plumbers

Well, we had a pair of plumbers out twice for the commode to be reset with no leak at the bottom of the bowl.  Each visit was $250 and did not clear the problem.  I called a different plumber this time and he totally reset the entire unit, and so far (knock on wood) it is  OK.  His bill was $250 also, making a grand total of $ 750.  If this doesn't fix it, I will buy a port-a-potty to put in the back yard.

I have been working on my clear-out for this room, and I have things I don't remember getting.  The first biggie is a suede full-length coat in a pretty shade of blue, stuffed in a plastic bag in the top of the closet.  It still fits, is from Roamans, and I swear I never wore it, although I have a dim recollection of buying it.  It is a swing type, no fasteners to keep it closed, and may be why I never wore it.  That was back in the days when I never returned anything, while now, if it is wrong somehow, zipppp, back it goes.  Too late for this coat!

The other thing I found is a pair of opal earrings, still in the jewelry box, I think Mom gave them to me.  At one time I would wear a pair of earrings night and day for several weeks, and opals don't hold up to soap and water for very long, if at all.  These were in a coat pocket.  I check every pocket now and have in the past bought a pair of jeans on eBay that had $20 in the pocket.  I dithered about returning it to the seller, but they were washed in a load of jeans laundry and it could have been from some other pair.  My daughter found it in the washer and she didn't want to share...😀

The white cat Dottie is doing better, eating and using the box, in the blue bedroom where we have her isolated, so she won't get hassled by the other cats.  She sleeps a lot, but doesn't seem lethargic when she is awake.  Hope all is well now.  She is 10 years old, not old for an indoor cat.  The feistiest cat is 16.

 Here is Dottie:

Odds and Ends

Let's see:

The silk outfit I thought was undeliverable showed up.  We found it in the weeds at the end of the driveway, rather like someone pitched it out of the window.  Included was the other mail for that day. I think the lady doing the trace knocked someone loose to check for the package.  It had no sign of having been opened.  It's a puzzle.

The new neighbors do have a dog, and he barks.  A lot.  Hopefully they will put up a fence at the back of their property.  I don't think Smudge will try to get friendly (fed) by them, with a dog at the back door. There are two boys, both pretty young.  They are still carrying stuff into the house.

R has a date of June 21 to move into her apartment, but she has made no effort to box up or organize stuff she will need to have.  I have moved a bunch of times, several across the country, but has she asked me for my opinion?  No.

C caught a teeny tiny mouse in the floor vent in his room.  It is amazing how much noise one small mouse can make from inside ductwork.  I fear there is a whole family somewhere in the duct work.  C took the mouse down to the grass outside, where it looked around as if to say, what is all this green stuff?  I think it will be a nice meal for a wandering snake.  So far no further noises in C's room.

Dottie went to the vet and the diagnosis is still unknown; the vet wanted to do X-rays and an ultrasound, for really big bucks (thousands).  Instead the working diagnosis is inflamed digestion.  So more pills; the work they did for this was $200+.

We have the have-a-heart trap set in the garage for a week or so, but no takers so far.  Maybe  the possums don't like peanutbutter...

The pressure washing guy gave me an estimate and put us on the schedule.  Should be done in a week or so.  This rainy spring and now summer makes everything grow, including the algae.  It is really visible.  If I think of it, I will take a photo of before and after washing; the cleaning includes something that retards the re-growth for at least a while.

My goal for tomorrow is to clear everything off the flat surfaces, put it on the bed, and then sort it.  Once I get it sorted, I will ask C to help me with stowing it all back where it belongs.  Maybe not all of it in the first pass, but every bit helps with clearing.  I have read three books on downsizing the family home, and it is daunting.  They all say to start with the closet, but I know me; I would never make it back out alive from there.  One of the books is Marni  ____ (don't remember her last name) a professional organizer in Japan.  All I could think while I read it, was, gosh, they don't have much space, and they don't have much stuff.  It is her idea to clear from the bed, I will have to see how that goes.

That's it for today, I hope I haven't bored you to tears.  Here is a smile:

Bad Dreams

Today is our wedding anniversary, it would have been 49th.  We were tossing around ideas for #50 about how to celebrate it, but no made plans.  Now I guess I will light a special candle in front of the cremains and try to be upbeat.  I really don't need to focus on loss, this isn't doing me or anyone any good.

It's getting better every day

This last week have seen multiple financial crushes, hopefully that is all for the near future.  The HAU (home septic unit) blew the motor bearings, so that needed to be replaced; $$$.  The trip to the vet for Dottie came to >$400.  C is badly bummed because his brand new (just arrived today) Dell computer won't turn on.  A very basic task, don't you think?   I spent the majority of the day looking online at CA king mattresses, wow, they cost the earth!  I'm not sure how I would describe the softness/firmness that I want, we will have to go and bounce test a few models at the mattress store.  Damned if I will pay more than $1000 for one.  The current one is all lumpy and sags when I sit on the edge, it is more than 13 years old, it replaced a leaking water bed.  We just turned it a few weeks ago, so now both sides are worn down.  One of my 'scrips has once again been denied, we go through this every time I try to refill it.  I see the doctor tomorrow (GP) who will hopefully write a refill for more than one month.  The house pressure washing guy is due to leave an estimate tonight, more expense.  The mildew/algae really shows up on the cream vinyl siding, and our pressure unit is just too weak, and really I want it done thoroughly by someone who knows what they are doing.
Update:  The doctor did write for a 30 day supply of Ultram (not generic as per Dr. Diab (rheumatology).  However the insurance will only cover 7 pills, so I am picking up the cost myself..... VC is really bummed himself.  My silk outfit is MIA, and I spent hours on the phone to get a trace started with USPS.  
The new neighbors are all moved in I guess, the uhaul truck is gone.  So far, at least, they don't have a dog.  I hope they notice Smudge is hanging out and feed him, I've only seen him once here, the other cats must have chased him away.  We will feed him if he comes here, but I am not setting up a breakfast bar for coons, possums, and all the cats in the neighborhood.  There are possums in the garage tonight!  


The MRI I had on Tuesday came back with the expected anomalies, but no sign of cancer.  I was dreading the process, but really it wasn't bad.  I kept  my eyes closed (in the future I will get a cloth to drape over them) and counted to 60 really slowly, three times, and I was done.  20 - 25 minutes altogether.  No claustrophobia to mention.

Hope all of you are having a relaxed and pleasant weekend.

better still to come

Well, other than falling yesterday in the bathroom, trying to step on the scale, I am doing pretty well.  Today I saw the ortho surgeon, and he did his usual magic with a cortisone injection in the left (unreplaced) knee.  They last about 2 months, but can only be given every 3 months, so the last few weeks have been misery.  He is going to try something else (Zilretta) in two months, maybe to last longer.  The injections he is contemplating run about $600, each.  I fell sort of to the side in the bathroom, giving myself a whalloping bruise, but no real damage except for a bad case of the shakes.    It all happened so fast, I'm not sure why I fell.

My face biopsy came back all clear, come back in 3 months. Woohoo.

The attic clear out is still ongoing, maybe 1/3 done.  So much junk.  I have been surprised at how many empty boxes there are up there, guess R can use them to pack up.

Another of our cats, Dottie, needs to go to the vet, she is acting very weird this last week, looking all droopy.  Here comes another bill.

There is an extra critter in the ceiling down here, got in somehow off the porch I guess.  It starts munching around 4 am, and I rap on the ceiling here and there with my cane, then blast music for a couple of hours.  I am not sure who is getting punished, me or the critter.  It was quiet last night (or I slept more soundly) but there is rat poison up in the corner where there is a small gap in the drywall, hopefully it is just what it needs to move on to the next incarnation.  I have been waiting for the attic-clearers to find rodents of some type, but not so far.  Fingers crossed.

Nice Day

I think we've finally gotten hold of actual springtime weather.  The forecast for tonight is 100% chance of thunderstorms so it will be kinda squishy afterward for the old mare to go out and kick up her heels, racing for new spring grass.  If she were more sedate she would get out of the barn more frequently, at 26 she should be through with acting up, but no.    She doesn't need to be injured and I shouldn't need any more vet bills.

I went to get my hair cut and colored, and the salon was out of one of the dyes grrr.  This shop has been going through hairdressers weekly, and no one seems to know how to do anything, including the register.  It isn't all that easy for me to get into the salon, navigating a heavy door with no automatic movement, the chairs which are too close together, and count on C to take me there and back. Why are the most convenient places getting the ax?  Honestly, there are businesses going down all over, so much for POTUS promises to farmers, workers in places that shut down 10 or more years ago, the coal miners.  They all were singing "happy days are here again" in 2016 and it is too late to turn that machinery back on, but they believed.  What about 2020?  Grrr.

Our hyperthyroid cat is doing great, with meds morning and evening, and a pinch of the much-lauded supplement, she is picking up weight and her coat is sleek and clean, with much less barfing.

We have started clearing the attic, maybe one-fourth done.  The amount of junk is staggering, it will mean many trips to the landfill.  A lot of it is baby things that I thought we could use for grandbabies, but that ship has sailed.  R has found an apartment and will be moving the first of June.  Our first job will be cleaning her room, it is thick with dust on every surface, it is no wonder she has "allergies".
There have been several trips to Goodwill with donatable stuff, although there are no clothes from the attic, they are in too poor shape from being so old.  The same with the stuffed animal toys, too dirty.  All the garbage bags up there just shatter when touched, so it all has to be re-bagged to discard, which is strange I think.  Anyway, my goal is to have Nothing In The Attic; if it is keepers it goes to the storage unit.  There won't be much.


 My counter over there --->  shows 44,000 page views as of this morning, yeah me.  It is only a guess, The earlier counters just disappeared, and I picked a reasonable number to begin again.  I realize there are millions of bloggers who get 40,000 a day, but I'm happy with my 44,000.

More doctor visits

I went to see the derm doctor on Wednesday for a skin check, and wouldn't you know it she found a suspicious spot on, of course, my face.  It will take 3 to 7 days to get the results from the biopsy, they would call if it showed anything.  Otherwise, by mail and see you in 6 months.  The question is, is the spot a basal cell carcinoma or just a spot?  I grew up in Miami, so years in the sun, and at that time, there weren't any sunscreens except clothing.  Once PABA screens came out, I used it faithfully, but there were times when I forgot -- until the next day when the burn showed up.  I was never one to lay out in the sun to get a tan, or use a sunbed,  I don't even now, the process gives me a raging headache.  So I wait.  Again.

I twisted my shoulder during the breast biopsy, and it is only now can I raise my arm above my shoulder.  If I have another breast biopsy I will make certain that I am in a position where I am more comfortable, and not have all my upper body weight propped up on one arm.  I am too agreeable, when I said I need to re-arrange myself, the techs/nurses said oh no you have to stay this way, so I agreed, dumb me.  At least a mammogram doesn't hurt (much) afterward.

Good news about the neighbor's cat that they left behind, he seems to be amenable to eating here, and I don't see signs that our old old cats are chasing him off.  I think he is only semi-tame, he won't be petted or eat from his plate if you are too close.  I could be sure it is him if  he and one of ours weren't both solid black.  Hope he gets tamer when winter comes, and he will need to huddle into the space in the garage around the heater.

God I just realized that today is May 10th, three years since N died in our hands next to the truck.  Guess that that is a sign I am healing.  But I really miss him!.

Bye for now!

Lazy May-zy

I can't seem to stay awake today, I'm not sure why.  I took some Ambien last night, but the effect should be long gone. So I will just yawn my way through this post, hoping for something coherent.

Did you ever have something you know, but wish you didn't?  That's me.  I think some things are best unshared so your whole mental landscape isn't shaken to bits, at least for a while.  I hope it is for a short while.

I saw my friend on Monday, we ate at IHOP; it was the only place open for breakfast, along with Denny's, but IHOP turned out fine, I had cannolis which were delicious, and it was so good to see her after all this time, 4+ years.  I hope the next time isn't so long.  I feel like everyone else is moving along, and I am stuck here marking time.  My exercises, which I do every day, throughout the day, aren't paying off that I can see.  I'm going to try using the cane more, resigned to the likelihood that I will fall at least once.  My original ortho doctor made the front page of our local paper, he was caught in a sting operation for illegal drug prescriptions, pretty much as rumor had it months ago.  I can't help but wonder if he was impaired (?) during my first surgery when the infection set in.  I asked him several different times if there was an infection, since the wound was red, swollen, hot, but he said no, if it was infected I would have a fever (I never run a fever) and there would be pus.  So the 6 total surgeries that were needed to clear the infection are to blame for the weakness in that leg, all the muscle atrophied with the need to have no weight-bearing for months.  The original surgery was done on June 26th of 2017, nearly two years ago.  The final surgery was on Feb 19th of 2018, over a year ago.  My advice is, if you are considering joint replacement, and they tell you 1 in 100 odds of problems, think really hard about what if YOU are the number 1, infection being only part of what can go wrong.  That doctor had academic and professional awards out the wazoo, but that didn't help him either.

Another pity party, sorry.  Tough to think of many cheery thoughts mid-afternoon on a Saturday, a lovely day, and me stuck here in this room.

I'm a little late

I did not get back to finish my last post, so I decided to start a fresh page, so to speak.

I am soon to see an old friend on Monday as she passes through town on her way to VA, and I am very excited for us to meet, it has been 4+ years of just emails and letters.  One phone call when N died.  So we will have a lot of catching up to do.

The pharmacy called to tell me that the doctor denied a request for a refill for the drug, it is gabapentin, used to treat neuropathy.  It has apparently become a new drug of abuse, where very high dosages get you high.  The levels would be 1800 mg or so; I take 100 mg daily.  If they refuse they should offer a substitute treatment for the misery the neuropathy causes in my feet.  If it spreads I will become more and more impaired.  So once again the druggies have ruined a perfectly good treatment because they take a liking to a side effect.  I am thinking of pain meds, I have a fairly good tolerance for pain, but trying to medicate severe pain with Tylenol is ridiculous.  There has to be a better way.

 I am going crazy (short trip) trying to find a pair of earrings that I bought just a few months ago.  I remember putting them on - they have a screw-on back rather than the usual butterfly holder - and damned if I can find them.  They are blue CZ, and R helped me put the back on, speaking of neuropathy, without dropping them 50 times.  She doesn't know where they went either.  I have looked in every jewelry box and drawer, more than once, and they aren't there.  If they are upstairs I'm sunk.  This is why I never wear the diamonds that Mom gave me, I would be devastated if I lost one of them.

All is Well

The results of the mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy is:  ALL IS WELL.  Totally clear, no cancer seen.  Hurray!

I am heading for bed, and will add to this very short post tomorrow.

tired

Well, the biopsy is done, now the thing is to see the doctor with the results next week.  I wish I could sleep from now to then.  I am certainly tired enough, but I don't want to mess up my sleep/wake cycle any more than necessary.  The biopsy itself wasn't too bad, just lying on a table in an awkward position for what felt like hours, tho it was only about 20 minutes.  The actual biopsy itself took 45 seconds.  Once done, they did *another* mammogram to check they were on the exact spot.  I didn't ask what would happen if they miscalculated, do the entire thing again!?!  But all was well.  If there is nothing found, the whole thing will be repeated in 3 months.  Sigh.

The neighborhood kids have left no time in using the basketball court to ride their big wheels, skates etc.  now that the house is empty.  I never understood why they wouldn't let kids ride on it, or play basketball on it.  The very first owners put the court in (30?) years ago, but the next owners saw the big teenagers, smoking, and playing basketball very loudly.  The very next day the net, backboard, and even the pole were gone.  The third owners were an elderly couple with no family in the area.  There was one night back then when the meteor showers were supposed to be breathtaking, and we asked the man if we could stand/sit on the court to watch.  And he said no!  Like we would throw beer cans and crank up the volume on a rap station, I don't know.  Our property in that direction was all wooded, and the clouds began piling up, I didn't think it would be necessary to ask, guess I learned.  We stood in the road just inches from their driveway.  Neighbors #4 put the hoop back up.   I don't mind having their cat, I just hope the two already in possession of the garage will make room for one more.  You never know.  There have been others that just disappear one day, you know they are likely dead in the ditch somewhere.  The two we have now, one female is 18 years old and deaf, and the other one is OK in the garage as long as we aren't there.  C is the only one he will allow to pet him.  It is usually the males that wander off.  I have always had the females spayed, leather gloves, pet carrier, two people, and no predetermined appointment at the vet.  Some of them wander off (or are taken), but two were well in their teens when they finally died.

Well, that rambled on a bit, guess I will take another nap.  Bye!

I'm not sure where this will end up; maybe in the 'delete' pile.

The second mammogram ('special' one) followed by an ultrasound gave me a fix on where the suspicious lump is.  I never felt it until then, and cannot feel it now, but the ultrasound left me really sore in one particular spot.  The surgeon is out until tomorrow, and he is the only one to handle results, his nurse told me.  She had, before the other tests, told me that I would have the results Friday, but she didn't realize he was out Friday, through Monday (today).  I guessing what the result will be, but if I am right any treatment will be different than it was 8 years ago when I had the original surgery.  C is very down, one more thing he will have to handle, that was N's purview before 2016.  Nothing I can do to make it better, the worst thing any parent has to deal with.

I got a letter from Unclaimed Property in this state, I had filed for it a few weeks ago.  It isn't the check (yet) but it told me how much it would be.  TA DA!! the sum is $28!!!  From Google, and I have no idea where I paid something off?  or had a credit from something I paid?  Anyway, I had visions of old apartment deposits, utility deposits, and so forth, alas, dashed.   Still, $28 is better than nothing.

I fell yesterday, twice to the floor and once I grabbed onto a grab bar in the bathroom.  The bathroom fall is the worst.  I had to holler for help because my cell phone was -- pause -- on the charging stand. You'd think I would have corrected this after the first fall, wouldn't you?  The falls were without warning, just blam! and I was gone.  I am so anxious now that I won't leave the bed until daylight, for some reason falls at night (the first fall) feel worse.  I didn't drink anything after dinner so I wouldn't have to go after bedtime, and that worked fine.  I am scheduled for an MRI tomorrow, and I am divided about whether I am going to have it or not.  It is for my spine, and that will be the day I will hear from the surgeon.  I think I will postpone until I know what is, will be, going on.  I know I will cancel the dentist on Thursday, that can wait to reschedule too.  With the recent falls, I am not willing to risk another fall on the little ramp and then 2 steps up into the office.

Update:  I heard from the doctor, and they are scheduling a biopsy now and more films later.  Fingers crossed...

How time flies

Today is my sister's birthday, she would have been 72, but she has been gone 15 years.  I can't honestly say that I miss her, she gave our parents so much grief and worry, and once told me, "they promised me" whatever that meant.  The folks were on the brink of losing their home, I had no idea until I took over paying their bills after Mom couldn't cope any longer.  No,  I don't miss my sister, and when I think of all the money our parents threw down the rabbit hole, with not even a thank you,  I get furious all over again.  Their retirement wasn't what they deserved.

I went to the hospital yesterday for a repeat mammogram and an ultrasound.  It was damned painful, they compress so much, I am still sore today.  I don't, of course, know any results.

We are finished with winter days, now if only we could get some sunshine and blue skies.  I read somewhere that this area only gets 30 days of sun in a year!  I believe it.  Grey is the color of our year.  I am still using the electric fireplace, the room has only one tiny vent from the furnace for this entire 20 X 40 room.  I watch the various home improvement shows online, like Property Brothers, and Chip and Joanna, and a majority of the remodelers want "real" fireplaces.  The only ones that want a fireplace are the ones who have never lived with one.  For instance: hauling wood into the house, dribbling bark and dirt across your floor (having spent money, or your labor, to get the wood and stack it in the first place); scraping ashes out, trying not to spill any; trying to get the fire to "catch"; and worst of all, making a commitment to stay in the house/room while the fire is still burning, so a log doesn't spray burning sap across your floor and set your house on fire when no one is around.  Oh yeah, and then there is the necessity to get the flue cleaned out every year or so or else risk a chimney fire.  All in all, a gas fireplace is the best, on at the flip of a switch, off the same, and they deliver real warmth to the room.  There, that's my vote.

I've fielded 3 robo phone calls so far this morning, I have no idea how they came up with name and number.  I always give my cell phone number if it is a trivial contact because I never can hear it buzz, and if they leave a message, I never call back if I don't recognize the number.  Sometimes the number they leave is my own number!  I may occasionally talk to myself, but never on the phone...

Nearly lunch time, I don't want to miss that.  Bye for now!

Trivial pursuits

Yes, I know I am a *little* late for St. Patrick's day, but this is what happens when all the calendars in the house are from last year.

So life has been ticking away these last few months.  The therapy place has suggested that I take a month off and just do the at-home exercises, then see where we are.  The evaluation on Monday didn't indicate improvement over the last two months.  I feel like school has recessed and I look at my no-biweekly sessions as holidays.  I will do the exercises faithfully and see if my regime is an improvement over theirs.

I think we have finally turned the corner on winter.  Just 10 days ago we had snow squalls all day, but nothing stuck, it was so warm the previous days.  The forsythia is in bloom (if you are not familiar, it is a vivid yellow shrub  that is the first color of spring).  Soon the tulips and daffodils will be up.  We haven't planted anything new for a couple of years, but maybe this fall I can get around well enough to get some bulbs planted for a little spring decor.

I have been doing some laundry the last few days, mainly of my new things until I can feel safe in washing them together.  Almost all of the new things are "jewel" colors, rich and vibrant, the colors most prone to bleeding.  I feel good doing something other than reading and sewing; not that laundry is intrinsically interesting, but I take what I have.

I got a summons for jury duty beginning in May, and I just can't manage doing it.  I am still using my walker (and practicing with the quad cane) and I have 13 different doctors/clinics that I see at odd intervals.  I hope that my letter and a note from the ortho doctor is enough to excuse me.  I have served on juries in the past and I mostly enjoyed them.  But now I dread trying to get along so slowly I would hold everybody else up.  And of course I cannot drive now, I can't lift my right leg up to manage the pedals, and can't feel them (neuropathy) if I could.  The vehicles we have are, one for C, one for R, and the third is "mine", a P/U truck that I can't even get into, much less drive.  C drives it when he is getting supplies for the horse/barn, but that is the reason it is a 2009 GM with 12,000 miles on it.  Maybe less.  My shoer can't believe we would keep it, when we apparently don't need it, but it is paid for, and when you have to buy bales of hay or wood shavings for bedding you can't cram much in a Subaru.  Reliable, yes; spacious, no.  Anyway, to be on the jury, you call every night and if they say your name, you have to show up at the courthouse the next morning.  So it is hard to schedule around, and it goes on for 6 weeks.

I am purposely avoiding the topic of a positive mammogram.

Our neighbors are selling their house, but they don't plan to take their cat, he(?) has been there since a kitten, and he is around 10 or so.  I would guess he will become a new cat for our garage, hopefully without any fighting.  They couldn't take him unless they made him an indoor cat which apparently is not in the cards.  I hate when people abandon their pets when it is inconvenient for them, but at least they told us ahead of time.  And we have seen the last of the sub-zero weather, so he will have months to get used to coming here to be fed, and for shelter later.  They had two beagle dogs that were supposed to be in training for hunting, but the neighbor never even attempted doing that.  Those at least he gave to a a rescue org. to be re-homed.  They were nice dogs too.  Hopefully they won't spend the rest of their lives in a 12 x 12 pen.

We had another major plumbing fiasco last week, to the tune of $250+ .  I am still not sure they cured the problem, but only time will tell.  While they were working I had a call (demand) of nature, not surprising since I am taking a diuretic.  But the other two bathrooms are upstairs, and so I quickly had C help me up the stairs in jiffy-quick time.  Going up is, fortunately, a pretty safe exercise, I need to work more on going down.

The laundry is done and I have run out of trivia to write, so I'm off for today.  Bye!