The Bad, The Ugly, The Good

I felt so miserable late yesterday afternoon.  Just exhausted, and I don't know why.  Plus a pain that came and went, in my lower left side.  I assumed of course, it was my pancreas, or perhaps a tumor in the lower left lobe of my lung, or even a heart issue.  I assume these things so that if it IS true, I am not taken by surprise.

I know you won't get that, but..........it's the way my brain works.  Assume the worse and it won't happen?  Assume the worse and if it does happen, I'm prepared?

I had stopped after my Chiropractor visit to stock up a few things for the upcoming "maybe" mega snowstorm.  No way am I going to be stuck in this house without Diet Pepsi, wet cat food, milk, candy bars and bologna for sandwiches.  Being near the end of the month, I had to use my food assistance--all $16.00 of it, the money on my Wal-Mart savings card AND $10.00 from my checking account.  I now have a balance of $17.00 and that ought to get me through.

John and Maizey stopped in and he scolded me for carrying in my six bags of groceries.

"You should have called me.  You shouldn't be carrying in that stuff with your bad shoulder!" 

:Well, you have a bad ankle and have to wear a "boot" on your foot, you shouldn't be carrying heavy loads either!"

"Yes, but my foot will heal.  You're going to the Chiropractor to help your shoulder and you're just making it worse."

"I'll be fine."

"You're just so stubborn!"

Sweet or controlling?  I haven't figured out which as yet.

So--I went to bed at 9:30, which is unheard of around here.  When I woke up at 8:30, I felt great.  No pain (other than in my neck).  So my pancreatic cancer/lung cancer/heart attack must have been gas?  Or just a normal small piece of gravel passing through my left kidney--which I DO have on occasion.
================
I've been worried about Pammie.  She has insurance through the State and she has to go to the doc once a year for a Healthy Wellness Check-up, which is good, or like her mother and brother, she'd never go.

The nurse practitioner there told Pam that she had a large fibroid tumor that was growing!!

Pam said, "Last year you told me it had shrunk.  Now it's growing?"

The nurse said, "yes", and sent Pam to a Gynecologist for an ultra sound and exam.

Pam was concerned, a little bit.  We talked about what could cause this thing to grow.  Too much caffeine?  Taking collagen pills for her wrinkles?  We Googled and searched.

I told her that after menopause, fibroids are suppose to shrink.  That I had them, but mine had calcified, instead of shrinking, thus giving me a "poochy" stomach.

Pam was worried because she cannot afford to lose any work to take time for a hysterectomy.  Plus, her insurance isn't good enough to pay for all of the surgery.

They can remove just the fibroid, but she would still have to take time off work.

Pammie called at 10:00 this morning.  

Yes, she has a uterine fibroid tumor.

No, it is not growing.  It has calcified and has been for many years.

The only thing that makes fibroids "grow" is estrogen and since Pam is not on estrogen and has gone through menopause, there is no problem.

The specialist asked her if her mother had ever had fibroids and Pam said, "Yes, and still does.  Calcified just like this one."

Doc says. "The tendency to have fibroid tumors in the uterus or the breasts is usually a genetic condition.  You can bet...if your Mom has them, you probably will too...and you do."

I am very happy.  I've been lugging mine around for the last 20 years and know there is nothing to worry about, but...I am so glad she had an  ultra sound (just like the one I requested 3 years ago), to just make sure there is nothing wrong with her ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus.
=================
Today was sunny and 48 degrees.  This afternoon, I opened up the front door to get all the sunshine possible in here.

When I turned around, I noticed that my big Beastie Boy, Buddy was napping in the basket where I keep my crochet/knitting projects.  He knows he's not supposed to be in there--we have talked about it on numerous occasions!  I do not need his gray fur shedding on my yarn!

Precious as he may be, and he IS precious, I lifted him out, put him on my lap and we had a "rocky-bye" for a few minutes.

We are expecting a rain/snow event tomorrow morning and then....either 3-5 inches of snow or 12+ inches of snow, like we had in November.  I am voting for the 12+.  I just hope it holds off so I have time to get to my Chiropractor at 2:30 and a much needed stop at Michael's for one skein of yarn!

Little Did I Know...................

Saturday morning, I decided it was time to get in my bedroom closet and fix the dang shelf. 

The little plastic clips, screwed into the wall to help support the shelf, had broken off.  Not from what was stored ON the shelf, but the heavy blue jeans hanging FROM the rod underneath the shelf.

The shelf was slanting backwards.  Not a big deal, as the whole unit was supported by the braces underneath, but I knew it was broken and that has bothered me.  So---I took every thing off the shelf and hanging from the rod.

armed with what I could find----

In three different places along the back of the shelf,

I pounded a nail in that top board,

put the photo hanging wire, around the nail

brought the two pieces down and pulled up the shelf

to the correct height, and wired the ends of the wire

around the shelf.

Tutorial video link:  here

then, I put everything back and...............

and bagged up the rest to take to the Salvation army 

By then, my shoulder was screaming in pain!
================

Little did I know............

When I got up Sunday morning and decided to take a shower---there was no hot water!  Apparently the strong winds we had Friday night had blown out the water heater pilot light!  (AGAIN)  The water heater is buried in a little space at the end of my bedroom closet!

I was lucky, when I placed a call to my Service Plan company, they could get a guy out in an hour!  On a Sunday, no less.

So I took out all the clothes, hanging in the way---

took the fire proof door off the water heater--

not an easy task because it has to be pulled from the bottom

and carefully pulled out from under the closet shelf 

to reveal the water heater

Little did I know....

Maggie The Cat would want to investigate, so I shooed her out and instead of just closing the closet door, I closed the door to the bedroom.

When the repair guy arrived, a very tall, big, loud repair man, he scared my big gray Buddy cat and instead of running under the couch, Buddy ran down the hallway to the bedroom and ran smack into the closed bedroom door!  Head on!  Then he tried to get under the bottom 2" opening between door and carpet!

He fell back and looked dazed.  I was afraid he had knocked himself senseless!  The big guy was now standing at the door, and Buddy jumped up and ran toward the living room.

I don't know how that tall, big guy managed to get into the closet and lay on the floor to light the pilot light, but he did and was up and gone in about 15 minutes.

$95.00 for the service call, which I didn't have to pay because I pay $29.00 monthly for the Service Plan. (Which covers all my appliances, plus furnace/AC/water heater).

I couldn't find Buddy to check on him.  I looked in the computer room--found Maggie, napping as if nothing had happened.  No Buddy.

I called and called.  I got down on the floor, not an easy feat for me, and looked under the couch.
==========

Little did I know.........

He was under a part of the couch I can't see.

I worried.  What if he was hurt?  What if he had rammed his head so hard, he was dying somewhere?

John stopped by at around 5:00 and I told him and he tried to see if Buddy was under the couch, but John's dog Maizey was with him and no way does either cat come out when a man or dog is in the house!

Seven hours later, when I got their wet food ready for supper, out Buddy crawled.

He had blood on his chin and he wouldn't come out to their feeding place.  I took his dish over to him, half of him still under part of the couch.

Finally, at midnight when I told the cats, "Time for night-night.", he came out.  He stayed really low to the floor and kept looking around, but I got him back to the bedroom  and he jumped onto the bed and laid down next to me so I could pet him until he finally started purring and fell asleep.

Today he seems normal, but he won't let me check his mouth to see if he knocked out any of his teeth!

"Pretend" Spring Day

What a really lovely last two days I have had!

Yesterday I met up with my Old School Gal Pals, at our hometown high school, to join other Senior Citizens for lunch in the cafeteria.  $3.00 for a lunch of salad, steamed veggies, pasta and two different sauces, and a nice dessert.  

Many people came up to me with warm hugs.  I didn't recognize three of them!  I am still tall, with short, light colored hair, so EVERYONE recognizes me.  My body-type looks haven't changed much in 50+ years.

However, I moved away from Byron 28 years ago.  Some of those people were teenagers at the time.  They still remember Mrs. Miller.  Some were in their 40's (like me) 28 years ago and, well....let's just say they have changed a whole lot!!

But, I am not afraid to tell them that I don't remember and then they tell me their name and we drop right back into the acquaintance of friendship that we had back then.
------------------
After lunch, I headed west out of town to visit my sister on The Farm.  I stopped off to see my Pammie, on the way.  She works from 4:00 to 10:30 pm and I knew when I left Susie's, Pam would be on her way to work.  I needed a hug and kiss from her.

Then on to Susie's and she and I yakked a bit and then played two games of "Road Trip" a board game.  She beat me twice.  I gotta get her back playing Scrabble where I usually, narrowly edge her out!

I am so glad it is staying light longer because I didn't start for home until 5:00!  This time of year, I usually have to leave at 4:00 to make it home before dark.
=================
60 degrees and sunny today.  Windy so it wasn't real warm, but warm enough to go without a coat.  Back in the 30's again next week.  Spring is teasing us.

This morning, up to the food bank I went for my shopping appointment.  They had fresh heads of lettuce, and strawberries!!  Got some canned chicken to make a chicken salad, and some canned beef to use for beef sandwiches.  Also got a frozen steak.  Hope I can cook it so it won't be tough.

Pearl walked l down here at 5:00!!!  Walked!  With the help of her walker, but she did walk!

We had a really nice chat and lots of laughs.  She had an itch in the middle of her back, so I got my wooden back scratcher and used that on her.  Then I sat down and I started itching.  We figured she had a flea that had jumped from her to me.  LOL

We are having extreme winds tonight with gusts to 60 mph.  The wind is just howling out there and when one gust came in, I heard loud crashes on my porch.  My garbage pail had rolled across the porch and the lid is gone!

I called John and when he walks Maizey in the morning, he will keep an eye out for it.

Mid-Week Monotony

Last night, John was going to bring me a prescription strength Ibuprofen, but he forgot!  So I lathered my sore trapezius with horse liniment, and went to bed.  This morning the edge to the pain was gone, but any lifting with my left arm, or turning my head to the left, produced a sharp pain in my shoulder blade.

We had snow during the night and I looked out at noon and there was Merle, cleaning off my car and shoveling the drive.  What a pal!!  I had dreaded having to do that before I left.

I watched my Soap and found out, it has been renewed for another year!  50 years on the air and going strong.  Then it was off to the Chiropractor's.

He used what I called the Woody Woodpecker tool-- it taps as it moves around--up to the base of my skull, down my neck, across my trapezius, shoulder and down to my shoulder blade.  Then he put it a bit stronger on the spot on my deltoid that always hurts the worse!  He had me stand and pulled my left shoulder down, while gently pushing my neck to the right.

Then I was off to another part of the office, where four chairs are set up for the muscle stimulator, as they call it, which is nothing more than larger pads, but like my TENS device I use at home.  Much better in his office because it is hard for me to reach the correct spots. The other ladies and I chatted--I was on the machine for 10 minutes.  Then up and out and home.

I feel much better tonight and go back next Monday afternoon.

I paid most of my bills and put them in the mail box and just need to get my garbage out tonight.  The garbage men have been coming at 2:00 for the last two years, but last week, decided to go back to the schedule they used to have.  Pick-up at 7:00am. Needless to say, last week I missed them. ARGGH! So have a really full and heavy cart to take out tonight.  Apparently, John did not walk Maizey this way around, so they didn't stop in, so he wasn't here to take the heavy cart out to the street.  Yes, I could have called him.  No, I won't.  IF he happens to stop in, that's quite another matter.  Then he would without me asking. :-)

Tomorrow is the Old School Gal Pals lunch, a visit to my sister and home by 5:00.  Friday is a trip to the food bank at 11:15am.

===================

I have been testing a knitted shawl pattern for Chris.  The shawl went together really well--it is lacy and beautiful.  When I came to the edging, knitted with a butterfly pattern, I kept having trouble.  The "holey" stitches weren't lining up correctly.  I ripped that part back, put it back on the needles, 7 times.  Still couldn't get it.  I assumed it was my fault.  The thread was very thin, the needles very small.

Monday, I decided to get some worsted weight yarn and use larger needles and cast on the required stitches and work it for the 8 pattern rows so I could see what I was doing wrong. I counted stitches.  I put stitch markers at the end of each pattern and still the pattern was not coming out like it should.

So I e-mailed Chris, with photos I had taken of the patterns and she has come to the conclusion that she may have figured incorrectly.  She is going to cast on with a heavier yarn and test that edging out herself this weekend.

Meanwhile, I am crocheting the afghan throw I am working on to put onto her Ravelry page.

We'll get the shawl pattern figured out because..........we are perfectionists and NOTHING will defeat us!!!

Pain In The Neck!

Dar came over kind of late last night--well, after dark anyway.  I know I missed Jeopardy because she was here.

Her son has a job and she has found an alternative school for her grandson to finish up and get his GED and for the 14 year old girl to get placed.  The grand daughter as consented to go!!!  But she doesn't go to sleep until 3 or 4:00 am and doesn't get up until around 1:00 pm, so how she is going to manage school is beyond me.

Dar was griping that she was going to have to take the dog to get trimmed, washed and it's nails cut.  It sheds and she is having a hissy fit.  Also, her son, has his wife's ashes in a beautiful urn and he carries them into the living room when he is in there and the bathroom and his bedroom.  He even puts them on the supper table between him and the kids.

Dar told him he couldn't do that anymore.  He wants to get pendant necklaces for the kids and put some of their Mother's ashes in each one.  Dar is having a fit about that too.  "That will mean their Mother is still controlling them!" she said.

I think what really surprised me and made me snap at her, she told her son and both kids that it is time for them to "get over it and move on."

"Get over what?"  I asked.

"Their Mother's death!  It is ridiculous how my son and those kids still talk about her all the time.  It's like she is still in their lives!"

"How long has she been gone?"

"Six weeks!  And they still go on and on."

"MY LORD, DARLENE!"

"What?"

"Six weeks?  That's nothing!  They are just now starting to realize the truth.  They probably, at times, think she is coming back!  They are still in a fog.  They've moved twice in that time.  It's a wonder they can think clearly enough to do anything!"

"Well how long is it going to take them?  I can't stand to look at their blank faces much longer!"

"It is going to take them nine months to a year before they quit thinking about her every day.  Then, the second year is going to be even harder because that's when reality sets in."

"Oh...that's ridiculous!"

"Haven't you ever had someone close to you die?"

"My Mother.  But we weren't speaking at the time and she was way out in Arizona and I didn't go to her funeral."

"You just wait until your Father dies!  Then you'll see how it feels.  You'll grieve him for months and months and years!  You need to be more understanding to your son and those kids.  You are being cruel to them!"

"Well, I just want them to get on their feet and get out of my house!"

"I'm sure they do too."
======================
I woke up this morning with the most terrific ache/pain in my left trapezius muscle.  I couldn't turn my neck to the left at all.  I couldn't lift anything with my left hand/arm.  The pain went from the base of my skull, into my neck where the bad disks are, across that muscle and down into my shoulder, shoulder blade and arm.

I have an appointment with my Chiropractor tomorrow at 2:30pm!!

I think it was a result of carrying 5 gallon jugs of water for the humidifier, out of my trunk, up the steps and into the house and a couple other bags of heavy stuff.  John scolded me and told me I should have called him to do it.

Or it could be Dar caused the pain in my neck.  I was upset when she left and had a hard time getting to sleep.  Probably slept all tensed up all night.

Good Grief!  She is a demanding, bossy, critical, nasty woman!!  

Not a compassionate bone in her body!  

I just want to slap her!!!

Yesterday-When I was Young

I remember making little Valentine's cards to take to school and put in the other kids boxes, just made for that purpose.  I can't ever remember leaving any kid out of getting a card from me.  Even the kids I didn't particularly like got a card.  The kid might wear ragged, dirty clothes and smell bad, but they all got a card.  We didn't want anyone to feel left out and sad.

When I had birthday parties, and as an only child, I had many; we always invited ALL the girls in my class.  Even the one that smelled bad, because at 8 years old, she still wet her pants.  Even the one whose nose was always running and she never wipes it.  Even the one that most of us didn't like because she acted like such a brat.  We didn't want anyone to feel left out and sad.

Of course, back then, it was easier than now.  Small class sizes with only about 15 girls to invite.  As I got older and had a birthday celebration, where my Mother took us out to the lake to swim or to a movie, THEN I got to invite just my very closest friends.

I loved Valentine's Day when I was young.  Yes--we all had our boxes with the slit cut in the top to receive our cards, but, every year there would be a special card in that box.  From a boy who liked me and I liked him.  A "real" two page card!  I made a special two-page one for him too.  4th,5th,6th grade--I remember them all.  Kenny and Myron and Albert--all dead now.  

Valentine's Day was a real holiday.  Named for Saint Valentine, who helped a lot of people.  Unlike the October Sweetest Day that was created by Hallmark Card Company, a few decades ago.

Fred made a big deal about both days.  A beautiful card, Roses, candy and dinner out on Valentine's Day.  A card and a beautiful Lily plant (to replant in my garden later) and dinner out on Sweetest Day.

Now that he is no longer here, I just feel a huge Bah Humbug on both days.  

I used to hate February.  It felt like the longest month of the year.  All gray and dead and depressing.  11 years ago on the 27th of February, Fred and I had our first date.  After that, I loved February.  I was not depressed.  Of course, it may be the Natural Sunlight lamp/bulb that shines on me whenever I sit in my recliner that helps now--but I always gave Freddie the credit.
===================
So--enough of all that.

I spent the entire weekend in my wee, comfy house.  I am very lucky that this unit (as most of them are nowadays) has 4 inch thick walls that are packed with insulation, plus the space between ceiling and roof, and under the floors, covered with heavy black plastic, my house is very warm.  Plus, I have double-paned windows with the gas in between the panes.  Nice and tight in their frames.  There is not one draft in this manufactured house.  The temperature stays at a nice 73 degrees, until I got to bed at night, at which time, my thermostat drops to a cool 68 degrees.

Today, I HAD to travel up to the Wal-Mart as I was out of water for the humidifier, milk, wet cat food, chips, cheese, crackers and bologna.  

It was good to get out in the cold and to get some exercise by walking around the Big Store.    I don't plan on going out again until Thursday, when I travel up to my hometown for Lunch with the Old School Gal Pals.  We are eating with the Senior Citizens at the hometown school cafeteria that day.  Five bucks for a pretty good lunch.  Then of course, afterwards, out to The Farm to visit with my sister.

Sunshine

We have had beautiful sunshine all weekend.

They say it is very cold outside.

I wouldn't know.  I haven't gone outside.

It is 73 degrees with a lovely 26% humidity inside.

That's all that matters to me.

See ya tomorrow.