Hanging tough on a Tuesday..............

The warmest February on record in the Mitten State.  Then March arrived.

Single digit temps at night.  In the 20's during the day and.....snow.  Oh not as much as that N'orEaster heading to the right coast.  We were on the north edge of it and only got 2" up here, Detroit (south of here) got more--about 5".  We are expecting a little bit more, but no big deal.

I actually drove out into the snow for my PT yesterday afternoon.  The visibility was poor, but the big road in front of our park was fine.  They salt it heavily, so it is always clear.  That's why every few years, I have to have an all new undercarriage put on my car--from all the salt caused rust.

The appliance repair guy got her 4 minutes after I got home at 4:00.  He not only lit the pilot light, but put in a new thermo-couple...just in case, so the gas would keep flowing like it is supposed to.  The guy that came last year, about this time, did the same thing.  That should keep me for another year, unless we have another gale force, 60mph, wind gusts.
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I saw Dar's friend come and pick her up again Monday morning.  They were back in 90 minutes.  I felt kind of bad that Dar still can't get around, but then, 15 minutes later, she and her Daddy hopped in her car and took off.  Back in an hour, and as I was leaving for PT, she was in her car driving out ahead of me.  I wondered why her friend picked her up this morning, as Dar and Daddy were in and out half a dozen times over the weekend.

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Today's agenda--get my hair cut and eyebrows trimmed!!!!  This is imperative!  

Monday Moaning

The beginning of the dreaded Daylight Saving Time AND a full moon?

The full moon I can handle.  I love it and will do my monthly ritual of going out on the porch and howling at it.  The DST will affect my Circadian Clock for at least three weeks.  It always has and I suspect, it always will.

My neighbor/friend Pearl, isn't affected by it at all.  She doesn't even notice the time change.  Dar gets bat s*** crazy from the time change.  Even more so than normal.  HAH!  I just feel a bit discombobulated for half a month.  The sun now comes into the rooms at a different angle than what the clock says.

I thought maybe, I'd try something different.  Saturday at noon, I went through the house and set my clocks ahead an hour.  Then, when the cuckoo clock cuckooed 11 times, I went to bed.  When the alarm went off at 8:00, I got up.  I concentrated on what the cuckoo clock "said" and tried to ignore the sun angles.  It did seem to help.

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Five days with no hot water.  Dar was out too and her brother came to light the pilot light on her water heater.  She e-mailed me later to say, "I'm sorry.  I forgot all about your pilot light.  I should have had him come over and light yours."

Yes, that would have been nice, but since it is always all about her............

I have an appliance service plan through my electric company.  The service man was to arrive this morning between 7-11:00.  I got up at 7:00 to empty the closet, get dressed and get ready for the call that he was on his way.

It is now 10:30 and I just got the call.  "Because of the snow (1") he will arrive between noon and Two."

"I have an appointment at 2:30 and won't be back home until 4:00.  It's just a pilot light that needs lighting--it will only take a few minutes."

"Okay.  I'll put him down for before 2:30 or after 4:00."

<sigh>  It would have been nice to get a shower in and wash my hair before PT.  Guess I will warm up some water and wash down the important parts.  The hair will just have to be wild.

The electric had 900,000 customers without power since Wednesday--mostly in Detroit.  So I guess I am at the bottom of the list for my insignificant issue.  Maybe I should switch over to the appliance service plan my gas company offers?

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Other than that and a dishwasher filled to the brim with dirty dishes, a laundry basket filled to overflowing with dirty clothes and a cat that is on a diet and keeps meowing for food--everything is fine.

I guess I'll see how the rest of the day pans out before I get too anxious.

Missing these two a lot......................

Daughter Karen Helene and her grandbaby, Della Helene

Ticked Off

Friday started out just fine.  The sun was shining.  The wind had settled down.  It was cold, but it was a shiny day.

I had to go to Walmart and pick up a prescription.  On the way there, driving on the 2-lane, plus left turn lane, plus 2-lane road--50 mph speed limit, some guy in a big pick-up drove out of a driveway right in front of me.  I had to slam on the brakes, or I would have T-Boned him.  He glanced at me as he headed the opposite way.  I sooooooooo wanted to flip him off!  
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Got to Walmart parking lot and there was a nice spot, near the door, with a car backing out.  I put on my blinker light to let everyone know I was going to pull into that nearly vacant space.  The car left, I was about to make my move and a guy, in a pick-up, came around the corner and into that space.  He got out and glanced my way.  I sooooooo wanted to flip him off!
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I got home and decided to take a shower before the basketball games started.  The water ran for longer than usual before getting hot.  I had no hot water.  Apparently the gales of wind we had on Wednesday blew out the hot water heater pilot light.  I had done laundry on Thursday and hadn't even noticed because I wash in cold water.  ARGGH!!!

So, I called the electric company, with which I have my appliance service repair plan.  They can get a guy out here on Monday. 
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Okay--everything will be fine.  I had some lunch and took my anti-anxiety pill and settled in to watch the basketball tournament.

At 3:00, right in the middle of my Michigan State game against Minnesota, a team we have beaten twice this year, my phone rang.  It was Dar.

"Hi.  They sent me home.  My sister-in-law Mary drove me home, but I need a favor from you."

"What's that?"

"I have prescriptions I need to get filled.  I have to take my dizzy pill at five."

 "Did you drop the prescriptions off on your way home and you want me to go pick them up?"

"No.  I have them here.  You have to take them up to Walmart and sit and wait for them to be filled."

"Well, I can do it in an hour, but right now I am watching the basketball tournament and Michigan State is playing.  Why didn't you have your sister-in-law drop them off on your way home.  You came right by Walmart."

"I know.  I just didn't feel like stopping. I wanted to just get home."

so because it is all about you, you want me to now hop to and do your running.

"Like I said, I can do it in an hour.  You don't need them until 5:00, I'll be over at 4:00 to pick them up."

"Oh.  That's cutting it kind of close.  Why don't you take them up now and then go back and pick them up when they're ready?"

"Because I want to watch this game and my gas tank is almost empty so I didn't want to drive anymore until Monday and fill it up when I go to PT."

"I'll call Sheila and see if she can do it."

"Okay, let me know."

A few minutes later, I saw Sheila pull into Dar's driveway and then out again and leave.  She was gone for well over an hour.  Dar never called me back.
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Michigan State lost.
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I wanted popcorn and milk for supper.  When I opened the refrigerator, I remembered.  I had used the last of the milk that morning for my Cherrios.

I soooooo wanted to flip off the entire world

This and That

The schedule for yesterday was, cross stitching and watching the Big Ten basketball tournament.  4 games, so it was an all day affair.  My eyes were crossed by 10:00 last night.  Did you hear that the plane the University of Michigan basketball team, cheer leaders and Pep band members were on, had an accident?  On take-off, because of the high winds, their plane couldn't take off and slid off the end of the runway.  No one was hurt--thankfully.  

They were not allowed to unload the plane, everything had to stay in place while the NTSB investigated.  They got no sleep, and arrived in D.C. (where the tourney is taking place) in the morning, and on the floor to play at noon, in their practice jerseys.  They went on to beat Illinois anyway and played like demons!!  Their coach was crying he was so proud of those kids.  I was too, even though I detest the U of M.

My Spartans won too.
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Today's schedule?  Another 4 games, beginning at noon and ending around 10:00 tonight.  You would be surprised how far I am on my cross stitched baby quilt.

I do have to run up to the Walmart to get a prescription for my Celexa--anti-depression pills.  Can't go without taking them.

You all don't want to see me without them!!!
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Wednesday, on my way to PT, I saw Dar's friend Sheila, helping her to the car.  Sheila had Dar's arm around her neck and Dar could hardly walk.  

Dar has been in hospital since then.  She is having balance problems.  First thing I thought of was a stroke.  I called her yesterday and she said they had run a lot of tests on her and they thought perhaps she had a blood clot at the base of her skull!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She is on blood thinner Coumadin.  How can she have a blood clot?  

Then she said it might be Vertigo, but she isn't dizzy or nauseous, it's just when she stands, she tends to fall toward one side.

Then she said they gave her a little pill called Ativan to help her.

Ativan is an anti-anxiety pill.  Hm-mm.

She wanted me to go over and check on her Dad.  It was 8:30, dark, windy and cold out there, but I went over.  He is doing fine by himself.  

He is such a gentleman.  95 years old and yet he got up to answer the door, we chatted and when I got up to leave, he got out of his chair, walked me to the door, opened it up for me and thanked me for checking in on him.  

I called Dar back.  She thinks she is coming home today.
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900,000 people with no power in south-east Michigan.  The worse outage in history.  The power company "thinks" they will have power restored by Sunday night.   The temperatures have dropped and it is mighty cold.

Thank goodness, I live in a place where all power, phone, gas lines are buried.  I've been here almost 14 years and the only power outage we have had, is when a truck  ran into a transformer pole and snapped it off.  We had power restored in 3 hours.

My sister and BIL have a whole house generator, so they are fine.  My son Mark and Pam, who live out by sister, had power restored yesterday morning.  Karen has a generator that will run their furnace and water pump, so they are pretending they are "camping".  LOL

.....and here I sit.  Warm and toasty and watching basketball games all the live long day!

P. T.

The tendons and muscles of the rotator cuff.

The dark stars are the bad spots.  They are also where she puts her thumbs and presses until they come out my pectorals in front.

4 yelps yesterday, so I did not reward myself with a treat.

Logical thinking--I am all for that.......

Let's be logical and reasonable here, okay?

The wooden monster has hung way up there for 14 years next Wednesday, March 15th.  Why would it suddenly decide now was a good time to fall?  Or does that mean the odds are turning in favor of it dropping?  Of course, you know what they say about March 15th?  

Beware the Ides of March!

I will be taking the Monster down when I get this room painted--hopefully the first part of May.  Unless of course, I am in the midst of chemo from the bad colonoscopy from the bad stool sample test.  
I just know that dang test was a false positive!

I suppose I could hang it over my couch? Under the Ocean painting?

I need more clutter on that wall!

Over the fireplace/TV stand?

BTW--I have given up on the curtain  musical chairs.  The kitchen ones will stay where they are and one set of these in the den will go on the bedroom window.  I think.

Physical therapy yesterday.  I was doing pretty well until she rammed her thumb into the muscle by my rotator cuff.  I dang near fainted and let out a "Yelp".  Couldn't help it.  She caught me by surprise.  One nice extra--I get there 15 minutes early so I can do my exercises to warm up my muscles before she attacks them.  I ride the stationary bike for 10 minutes, even though that is not part of my therapy.  I can tell already--my legs are getting stronger!!!

So today--I gotta make the 3 mile jaunt up to the Walmart.  I have prescriptions to pick up.  Cat food--AGAIN and stop at the bank.  

I FINALLY--got that gift card fiasco straightened out.  They closed the card and sent me a $50.00 check instead.  It has only taken 2.5 months and a dozen phone calls. Good thing I got it.  I will need it for the prescriptions and cat food and gas for my car.

ARRGH!  Prices keep going up.  My health insurance doubled and my car insurance went up $20.00 a month.  

Oh well--get into happy thoughts.  Put a smile on my face and off I go...............................