Seems like the whole week was devoted to shoveling snow or talking about more snow coming. Today, local schools are closed, government offices closed, parking bans in effect, and folks, again, at the ready with shovels. It just keeps on coming.
But it's hard to snack while out in the snow, so I accept that good part.
We're reeling around here after the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl in a spectacular, heart-stopping, game. Nothing is better for snow-shoveling-blues than watching football played in warm Arizona.
No inclement weather here although we got at least 5 hours of steady drizzle on Friday. It was a really nice change of pace. Saturday was cloudy with a constant threat of showers. Sunday dawned clear and warm--too warm if you ask me. We ate lunch out on the patio.
No inclement weather here although we got at least 5 hours of steady drizzle on Friday. It was a really nice change of pace. Saturday was cloudy with a constant threat of showers. Sunday dawned clear and warm--too warm if you ask me. We ate lunch out on the patio.
I am stabbing you in the heart with my ice pick right now Allison re lunch on your patio. Our weather is a little different up here - blizzard and over 12 inches of snow everywhere I tried to drive/park.
I did something I rarely do - cancelled the rest of my dog walks. I tried to take the first group (Trixie and 2 others) out and driving and walking were pretty much impossible. Getting to the poodle involved shoving and shoving at their gate, which had a huge drift up against the inside. It was up to her shoulders - she's a standard poodle - and she had difficulty in getting out of the yard.
The only other person down at the beach was on skiis.
Dagmar-- I'm sure the owners understand. I wouldn't want my dogs out in weather like that! I hope you can relax comfortably warm the rest of the day.
I didn't really care who won the game but I had to pick a side, so I chose Seattle. The rest of my family was rooting for New England. Fun to watch! We are having a "wear your favorite sports team jersey" at school today. I am NOT wearing my Seattle jersey, but instead borrowed dh's Watt Knows (JJ Watt-- Texans) jersey.
Very nice weekend with dh. Unfortunately he leaves tomorrow morning again for China. Tomorrow is his birthday and he has to conduct interviews (by phone-- from his office) tonight from 5-10 pm so we won't be celebrating tonight.
I ordered FitBits for him and myself for our birthdays. We have the Jawbone Up bands but he's had issues with his and we are looking for other features, so I took the plunge and ordered the new ones. I think Shannon is using one, right? Anyone else?
My weight is up, up, up, but I'm not surprised as I relaxed a bit this weekend. Hopefully it will start moving down, down, down.
Michele~I have had two Up bands, both of which died on me (the "button" you push to tell it you're going to sleep stopped working both times). I was thinking of getting a Fitbit, but I got one for DD for Christmas and it absolutely would not sync with her phone. So we tried everyone's phone--nothing. She ended up returning it and getting a pair of running shoes instead.
The snow has quit here, after dumping six inches, and now it's sleet. But my mother remains optimistic about my making it to physical therapy. I'm nervous about managing the walker and taking more of a wait-and-see attitude.
Welcome to Alice who posted on last week's thread!
Carter's issue DID turn out to be a bad smoke alarm battery. It was beeping once every 24 hours which is why we couldn't find it -- once it switched to every 5 minutes we noticed it. Still, the vet gave him some anti-inflammatories because he said it seemed like Carter was having some back and leg pain. We're also going to try giving him some canned pumpkin to help with his constipation (which seems to be the cause of him pooping in the house . . . every day . . . for the past week+). I'm open to hearing any other suggestions on how to help his digestion!
Also he's been cranky lately because of the amount of static electricity in our house. He'll lay down in a pile of fleece blankets, then get up and is just crackling all over the place and gets upset about it. We rub him down with dryer sheets but I don't know that there's much else to do.
In other news, I took DDs to the zoo yesterday in dicey weather. It was pretty clear when I left home and didn't sound too bad from the forecast, but it started snowing by the time we left the indoor aquarium portion. They did a great job of walking around in the snow (although A was afraid and had to hold my hand) but we got snow all over ourselves. By the time I got back to the car the snow was turning to ice, and the stroller was covered in ice chunks when I folded it up to put in the trunk! The drive home was pretty nerve-wracking but we made it safely, only a couple little slides along the way. I drove 35mph on the highway the whole way, good thing too because for a while I got stuck in a backup because someone had slid out and spun into the median, blocking three lanes.
Took the all-wheel drive car to work today but the roads were pretty clear outside my neighborhood, which means DH is stuck home with the kiddos as the car seats are in this car.
Jessica, I am impressed with your long-term maintenance! Glad you found the source of Carter's fear. I have two dogs, both Border Collies. Cooper (who is a year older than Spot) had a perineal hernia (on the side of the tail) which was surgically repaired 13 months ago. So far so good. We give him pumpkin every day to keep his stool soft. I tried to wean him off it, but he started to strain again when pooping so I think he's on it for life. You could try some other veggies in Carter's food too. The icy driving sounds scary!
Saef, what a terrible accident! Even though it doesn't help the injury I hope you can collect some $$ for everything you have gone through and will go through. You may end up with arthritis in the knee and it will be a little stiff, but it's not the end of the world if so. I was in a funk for months with mine, but now I've learned to deal with it. My PT gave me the best advice. He said "Your knee will eventually wear out, so use it up doing what you love doing." For me that means hiking instead of squats. I can't sit on my heels anymore, or even close, but I never liked yoga anyway.
Michele and Allison, thanks for the info on the malfunctioning UPs. I have a Fitbit One (an older model) which has needed replacement for malfunction, and also an old Bodymedia armband which has been working fine for 7+ years. The Fitbit always reports calorie burn too low for me. I don't want the extra work of logging activity such as weight lifting. The Bodymedia (which is now owned by Jawbone) has been very accurate.
Dagmar, my sympathies for the bad weather. You will probably be after me with the ice pick too, but I'm going to Death Valley this weekend where it will probably be in the high 70's.
paperclippy, try some Static Guard spray--it's for use on clothing--try spraying Carter's bed with it and rubbing it in a bit. Check the label first, but if it's OK for clothing, it should be OK for his bed. Better than dryer sheets!
Got through one more walk - temporary client, Trixie, and the poodle - and the hardest part was finding parking. I did feel some muscles working that don't usually when I was trudging through 1 1/2 ft. snow drifts so I think, by the end of Feb, I will have buns of steel. A small benefit in an otherwise exhausting and scary time. I hate living an Canada and doing what I do a little more each winter. I'm fit but day after day this does get exhausting.
Maybe I should send Natalie in my place? Serious, serious cabin fever. She's leaping at Trixie and slapping her in the head as she sails past. That and getting on my keyboard every time I type, assaulting us through the shower curtain, screaming a lot, and generally being a PITA are not making her easy to live with. I kicked her out on the deck today (after shoveling and sweeping it for her nibs) and she was behind the patio doors in a flash, swearing her little furry head off at me. SIGH
Well, I put a YakTrax on the sneaker on my good, walking leg, and suited up for the trip to physical therapy. But I knew it wasn't going to happen when I saw my mother trudging through the snow, head down, watching her feet on the ice, holding everything she'd taken out to the minivan. She said her vehicle was completely encased in ice from the sleet that had fallen in the hour since she'd cleaned it, and she'd been warned off the roads from someone who just pulled into the complex.
So once again, I didn't get to my physical therapy session on Monday. That's two consecutive Mondays.
Alice, thanks, I've also been wondering if I ever will be able to kneel and sit back on my feet. My knee feels tight, like it's sewn together and if I want to move it further, I'll have to rip some seams. The physical therapist told me that when I see the orthopedic surgeon on Wednesday, I need to ask him whether we can try stretching, to increase my range of motion, as well as asking whether I can become partially weigh-bearing.
Your choice of hiking because you love it more than squatting sounds like a good one. I'd just discovered squatting over the past year, before my accident, so I don't know what my choice will be. The doctor did tell me on the day of the accident, just before he operated, that the metal he was going to put into the leg would practically guarantee that I'd need a knee replacement eventually. I'm sorry about that.
Yes, I've got a lawyer. I'm not a litigious person, but during my first night in the hospital after the accident, which was unpleasant, to say the least, I knew I'd better get one.
Be well, saef. Ouch for the disappointment missing physical therapy for the second Monday. I've just come in from dealing with our 10 inches and I wouldn't want anyone out there who wasn't sure footed. DW uses Swiss hiking sticks of winter walking; we see a lot of them in city use even though they're a trail hiking aid.
Saef-How frustrating! Believe me that we are all thinking of you and want you to get better and get to your PT. I know that sounds odd, since we don't really know you in person, but it's true! You have been such an inspiration to me in the short time I've been in maintenance.
Each day in the high school classes I teach I post what we are doing on the projector and I usually add a picture of a dog that I sometimes get from dogoftheday.com. Or kids send me pictures of their dogs, or I use one of my dogs. Anyway, if I use a picture from dogoftheday.com, I usually don't have time to read what the owner said about their dog, but today I did and I thought of this thread, because so many of us have posted about losing dogs and other pets. (PS since I'm not distributing it and only using it one day, I think it is still legal for me to post it and I give their website!)
So in case you don't have time to read it today, I will paste it in. I just thought it was sweet. I'm pasting it in because if you go to the site tomorrow, this will be under "Previous Dogs" for February 2nd.
From dogoftheday.com:
" I recently read a quote that stated: "Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love,they depart to teach us about loss. A new dog never replaces an old dog, it merely expands the heart."
Prior to meeting this incredible creature we call Scout, I may have never fully understood the truth of this statement. After having to let go of my insanely loyal sidekick of nearly fifteen years, the thought of bringing another dog into the house was only a slight whisper in my head that really only emerged when I'd notice our remaining canine household member looking bored or sad. On a whim I skimmed the website of a breeder we had talked to years ago. We had previously got on a waiting list, waited for a pup, the kind that my husband had always wanted, but the timing back then just didn't work out. This time things were different, night and day different. In fact, as I reviewed the home page of the website, my eyes landed on a litter announcement. Tears welled up in my eyes as I saw that the pups had arrived the very day we said goodbye to my sweet old friend. It was a confirmation, and connection that I couldn't have ever imagined.
Fast forward a few months, and our home is now complete again. Full of life, full of fun, toys scattered everywhere, and paw prints on everything within reach. Yesterday I caught myself counting the weeks and realizing that Scout is now four months old already. I smiled, then thought "that means she's been gone four months already", and you know what? I smiled again. I miss and love my old girl, and I always will. But I know if it wasn't for this wiggly, goofy pup Scout, I wouldn't be counting weeks he was here with us and smiling, I'd only be counting weeks she has been gone.
It's amazing how they do expand our hearts, and in the process help us heal.
"
Maintainers Weekly Chat February 2 - February 8
Who was it said, "Defenses win Super Bowls"?
in the heart with my ice pick right now Allison re lunch on your patio. Our weather is a little different up here - blizzard and over 12 inches of snow everywhere I tried to drive/park.
The drive home was pretty nerve-wracking but we made it safely, only a couple little slides along the way. I drove 35mph on the highway the whole way, good thing too because for a while I got stuck in a backup because someone had slid out and spun into the median, blocking three lanes.
