Annie - So glad you decided to see the Dr re your back.
Ceejay - Yay for a light work schedule to carry you into your retirement! I do recall you have a lot of vacation left. ===Smart to renew your DL. You have enough going on now & will be busy for a while yet in your new life, good to not have to have that hanging over your head. But you'll have to change your addr to your new state at some point I'm sure.=== Please take some time to breathe & relax at regular intervals. Set up some "rewards" for yourself - breaks for TV, a walk, exercise, music, talks w/ friends/family.
It's beginning to look like I'm moving now. Boxes are beginning to take over. 15 days left in Arkansas. Just about have the spare bedroom cleared out. This has been a big under taking.
It's going to be hard to go to work tomorrow. I'm already getting settle in to retirement life. I'm going to like it.
It was quiet at work yesterday because the boss is out on vacation and the admin is still in the hospital. It’ll be like this all week. We had an all employee meeting yesterday and the presentations were mostly all gloom and doom concerning the market our industry is in (railcar leasing). There’s a lag on the impact to the financials, but they are still warning us, especially those employees who haven’t been through it before. Having been there over 20 years, I’ve been through it. Our company is good at handling the up/down cycles, so we are well-prepared for it.
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Annie – Let us know how your dr appointment went. I hope it’s not a serious injury.
Shad – So I see on FB that you’re home, but now you have a cold? Boo. Hope you’re feeling better soon and enjoying being back at home.
Ceejay - I'm so excited for you!!
Hellos to the rest of you.
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Bf picked up doggy’s ashes yesterday. They are in a nice wooden container that has an engraved plate and accommodates a photograph. Very nice. We also have a clay paw imprint. Tonight we’ll go to the dog park Coal loved and spread some of his ashes there. We’ll also spread some in the yard, and by the creek where we walked him.
Nothing much else to report. I managed to get myself out of bed early and do a BE workout. It felt good to stretch and exercise.
We’ve been watching some of the Olympics. I’m not seeing all that many events I care about, but bf likes the volleyball, water polo. I suppose I miss some of the events I like because I change the channel when it’s something I don’t like, or during the loooong commercial breaks. I’m also finding the commentators to not be all that well-spoken, and they can be rather harsh.
Oh well. I’ve been watching more Netflix – “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (silly), “Grace & Frankie” (Jane Fonda/Lily Tomlin), “Stranger Things” (a creepy horror/sci fi show that’s not usually my style, but I’m getting into it. Guilty pleasures include “The Ranch” on Netflix (stupid & kind of raunchy sitcom with Ashton Kutcher playing another dufus character, also stars Sam Elliot, Debra Winger and Danny Masterson) and “My Big Fat Fabulous Life” on TLC. As for the latter, I suppose something had to fill the void of the Duggers since they went from freak show to disturbing in my book. MBFFL isn’t really a freak show like the Duggers were to me (19, 20, however many kids, yikes!). More and more I feel really sad for Whitney because she’s pretty young (early 30’s) and is so morbidly obese. I respect her “no body shaming” campaign, but I can’t help but think she’s putting all her energies into too many other things when she should be putting a priority losing weight. I’m afraid the success of this reality show has skewed her priorities. How fabulous can your life be if you can’t put on your own shoes? Maybe it was different in the first couple seasons before I started watching it.
Did I mention that my mom's house is now listed for sale?? Hope it sells reasonably quickly. (Not too fast - don't want to feel like it was priced too low!!)
Location: A beautiful and peaceful place in the woods
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Good morning all,
Nice sunny day out there but rain is supposed to move in later. Pretty noisy with all the sawing and pounding going on out there. DH is staining the deck boards in the yard and I don't like the smell of the stain so I closed the windows and put the air conditioning on. Probably just as well, it's dusty out there.
I shopped a lot at the farmer's market and grocery store yesterday forgetting I had to lug the bags all the way across the yard because there is no room to park anymore here with a bucket loader, large trailer full of gravel, several stacks of siding, their work trailer with all their tools, 2 or 3 of their trucks, a boat trailer and both of our cars. They laid the deck boards on the driveway apron yesterday so we could not get a car in the garage. Just as well because yesterday DH and I hauled at least 100 boards from there into one of the garage bays. Now he can stain even if it rains and have everything prepped and ready for them to install.
I made some pork chops yesterday and tried to recreate the braised cabbage DH liked from the cooking class. It was not quite as charred as the chef did and it only had a very mild pineapple taste from the wine. I thought we'd be better off braising it in pineapple juice instead - the flavor of the wine might be inconsistent from batch to batch. We capped it off with the best tasting Bob's sweet corn and some fresh green peppers and small tomatoes from the market. A nice, fresh meal. I used some Jerk Pork seasoning I got from Penzey's. DH liked it. I have 3 small boneless chops left over that I cooked. Said I could slice them thin, make a fruit salsa and put them in flour tortillas with maybe a bit of raw or (try again) braised cabbage. DH said he'd like that. I got a whole container of jalapeno peppers at the market - maybe I'll make DH a special hot salsa. He picked out a slow cooker beef and gravy recipe he wants to try. I got a chuck roast from the farm which I think I will put in the pressure cooker instead of slow cooker. I'm not sure - sort of looks like maybe not enough seasoning for good flavor so I may add a few more aromatics. DH said he's getting like me - all about the gravy on rice or noodles. I said it needed mushrooms, he said it needed green bell peppers - neither of us likes the other ingredient
Tomorrow I go for pre-hab. Will make my decision on the outpatient based on what they show / tell me and what I can expect for in-home follow up care. My Mom is freaking out that I am considering coming home the same day. On the way home tomorrow I hope to stop at that oil and vinegar store - hoping they are open this time This weekend is a tall ships festival in town in that trendy lakefront section so I HOPE it won't be crowded (festival starts Friday) and we can pop in and out and get what we need.
Knees are really hurting today - probably carrying all that wood did not help yesterday but I felt bad for DH who is working very hard. I really have to remember to take the pain reliever on a more regular basis - BEFORE I start to feel bad. I am starting to bruise very easily because of all this ibuprofen floating around in me. Ah well - purple's not such a bad color, is it?
Speaking of bruising - Annie please let us know how you made out at the doctor. I hope you didn't bruise ribs or anything that will impact your recovery.
Laura - how nice that you can spread Coal's ashes at some of his favorite places. A bit sad though too I'm sure... I did not know what industry you were in. That's interesting. My BIL works for the Belt Railway that receives all the incoming cars and splits them into smaller groups that deliver the goods on all those incoming cars. I have learned a lot about the rail industry from him. It's good that your company understands the cyclical business trends and makes modifications accordingly rather than panicking when revenues are down. I've been watching some of the Olympics - swimming, gymnastics, women's beach volleyball. Now it's getting to some of the events that like you, I'm not that interested in. One of my friends posted quotes or memes from Whitney. I tend to agree with you - not into body shaming but just because you got famous being big doesn't mean getting even bigger is the way to go. I was thinking the same of Melissa McCarthy in the prior seasons of Mike and Molly - she and her co-star were getting really big for a while there. I think they are coming out with a similar Mike and Molly concept with a new show in the fall lineup - The Two of Us or something like that. Oh I think Whitney has a Facebook page and that's what my friend is sharing. Some, well MANY of her remarks are downright rude and sassy so I was rather surprised at her following. But then again look at the Kartrashians and all the dummies that follow their every move. The dumbing down of America continues I rented Grace and Frankie from the library (Season 1) wasn't sure I liked it enough to start a subscription to Netflix, although Lilly Tomlin is a hoot in that show. If your Mom's house sells quickly - it just means you priced it right. Don't get into that mindset about oh - we should have priced it higher. Remember that it costs money, time and effort to list your house. Sometimes it's just best to be done with it and move on rather than dragging things out. We sold our house in AH in 11 days after we listed it and our house in Memphis in the same amount of time - maybe 12 days We were happy to get what we got for the first one and happy to be free of the second one An extra 10 or 15 on the price might have extended the offers out 6 months and we calculated that it would in the long run cost more money. Pain in the neck having people tromp through the house and constantly keeping it in show ready condition. I hope it moves quickly for her!
Ceejay - you sound quite excited about wrapping up things and moving on. That's good - no regrets - enjoy the new phase of life because you worked hard to earn it. The first year we retired I called magical. I looked at things with new eyes and instead of stress, everything was wonderful and fun - even the winter snow Did you have to renew your drivers license because of your upcoming birthday even though you are moving to another state and will have to get a new drivers license anyway???? Just for 2 weeks???? Arghhhh
Hello to the rest of the chicks. Time to get on with the day.
Good and bad today. Off crutches and onto rolling chair. Ankle looks fantastic. In the boot now. No weight on ankle for another 5 weeks. Bad news is 3 fractured ribs. Ankle and ribs should heal about the same time. This makes for very painful mobility. One legged lifting off bed, chair or toitie. Happy about ankle. Tears for my ribs. That's all for now. Have to adjust myself. Hugs.
Morning all. Another quiet day. I was mistaken, the admin is now out of the hospital and feeling better. Expected to return to work on Monday. Good news.
Annie – So sorry to hear about the broken ribs. Glad the ankle is doing well. Hang in there kiddo.
Happy – Hauling lumber around when your knees are giving you such trouble??!! I hope your dh appreciates that! How did your meals turn out? Sounds like you’re trying out some tasty recipes. I hope the pre-hab goes well – what do you do in pre-hab? == I’d be happy for mom’s place to sell in a couple weeks, just not so fast (like under a week) that she’s left with a feeling she left money on the table.
Hellos to the rest of you!
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We had a nice visit to the dog park to spread some of doggy’s ashes after work yesterday. We had a nice chat with some of the dog owners, and enjoyed watching the dogs run around and play. They’ve made a few nice changes since we were last there so many years ago. Actual footbridges to cross over some of the marshy areas to replace nothing at all or flimsy logs haphazardly laid across. We also spread some ashes by the creek by our house.
Afterwards we picked up some ramen from the ramen shop. Yum. We watched the Olympics women’s volleyball while we ate. I actually did get into that for a bit, since it was a do or die situation for Brazil.
Bf was invited up to a friend’s summer home today, but is uncertain if he’ll go. He needs to be back in time for his mom’s doctor appointment tomorrow afternoon. Otherwise he is driving me crazy with his cell phone issues. It turns out the extra memory card he has in his phone is somehow corrupted and that appears to be the cause of his problems with photos and videos. He was trying to move everything off the card and onto google drive yesterday. It was taking a really long time, so I’m not sure if it was a success. He’s trying to back everything up in preparation for getting a new phone.
And then there’s the whole topic of giving his existing cell phone to his mom. And he wants me to get a new phone and give mine to my mom. I don’t have issues with my phone at the moment (knock on wood), so I’m not keen on this idea. And I don’t see either of the moms using a smartphone. However... we've received a couple notices that my mom’s old flip phone is only a 2G network phone and won’t work at some point. (I need to look at that notice again to see if there was a date/deadline on it.) And bf’s mom used to have the same flip phone, but it was replaced a few years ago with a similar one because of a bad battery, so I don’t know if it’s also a 2G or if it’s a newer one. If it’s newer, maybe her phone can be passed on to my mom. I’m tired of hearing about it.
Bf’s brother bought a fancy new adjustable office chair because he has back problems and so he gave bf his old one. It's a like-new leather chair. However, upon getting it home, bf discovered the casters don’t roll! Not sure why that’s the case when the chair was barely used (except it's not like it was a high-end chair). Anyway, bf is balking at buying new casters for whatever reason even though that would only cost $30. Something else I’m tired of hearing about. But I’m trying not to be rude about it. That’s why I’m venting here, LOL.
Enough of that. Time to post. Everyone have a good day!
Very difficult maneuvering around with one leg. Makes it difficult with having arthritus in my "good" knee. I did hear in tv about some icy hot with lidocaine in it. Sam is going to pick some up for me in a bit. Miserable Happy I pray when you have your knee replacement your other knee holds up for you. This is awful. Laura. Thank you for the sweet card. Prayers for all. Love and hugs.
Oh yeah I have not had a bm since last week on Wednesday. Taking prescription colace drinking miralax and lots of water. Salads too. I may explode. Awful.
Happy
I'm curious as to what they will have you doing in pre hab.
Hello's to Laura and Susie. Michelle where are you?
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My t.v. provider has gone digital now . I didn't want to hook up to the new box so when the interrupted stopped service today I put on rabbit ears. I only get three channels but they are the ones I watch regularly. Plus I invested in Roku. You pay for what you watch. I don't feel like I'm wasting my money.
Some one asked about my driver's license. They are due the 27th. And I do not feel right driving with an invalid license. They did let me buy a couple of extra months for the car tags.
Training with R this morning didn't go well. I'm not sure she will stay on days. I told her there was more to do on days than on nights. Send good vibes for tomorrow. I'm not going to baby her tomorrow.
Morning all. I was woken up shortly after 5 am by some loud thunder, immediately followed by heavy rain. It went on for a bit, but it had stopped and the sky was clearing out by the time I left the house. No watering needed.
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Ceejay – Hope your training goes better today. Glad the rabbit ears are working for you – you wouldn’t start anything new at this point, of course.
Annie – Oh gosh, as if getting around on only one leg - with a sore knee - and suffering fractured ribs wasn’t enough your gut is backed up to boot! I hope the meds and diet help get things moving.
Hellos to the rest of you! You all must be having busy weeks!
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After work I took the garbage and recycling to the curb since bf wasn't around to do it. I didn’t go grocery shopping last night. My mom left a message for me to phone her. Not sure of the specific reason, but the call went on for a good long while and might have gone longer if I hadn’t told her I hadn’t had my dinner yet! Of course I forgot to ask her if she was still able to make and receive calls on her cell phone. Sigh.
Scale was way up this morning. Grrr. But that’s what I get when I stop tracking my eating. I'm back to that today. And I’m hoping part of the gain is fluid retention – it’s been a high sodium couple days.
I found a bracelet by the bike rack I park my bike at yesterday morning. After I get this posted I’ll phone the station agent at my train station depot to see if anyone reported it missing. It’s a sterling silver cuff with turquoise stones. Pretty, but not my style.
Nothing much else to report, so I’ll get this posted and make my call. TTFN.
Oh, here's another of Mel's graphics. Even with all the kids going back to school, it's still summer!!
Location: A beautiful and peaceful place in the woods
Posts: 8,905
S/C/G: Stuck/Working on it/Good 2 Go
Height: Fun Size
GOOD THING I copied my post before I submitted it or I would have lost it again.
Good morning fine ladies,
Annie - I'm sorry you are in so much pain right now. That really stinks that the foot you had operated on is feeling fine but your pain in coming from the fall. I guess when those poor ribs take a beating, it's ridiculously painful. Argh on the constipation issues too. They warn you - or at least from what I have read - that pain meds and lack of movement for a while can really shut things down. I have used Senekot before - will make sure I have lots on hand and will try and focus on eating lots of fruits and vegetables but thank you for the warning. I am already anticipating issues trying to get around on one leg. I did express concern to the physical therapist who said about the only thing I can really do is exercises to strengthen up the "good-er... " leg as much as possible pre surgery. I am also practicing around the house trying to act immobilized to figure out things ahead of time. How long will it take before the bruising in your ribs eases up? You need a good hairwash and head massage to take your mind off your pain and make you feel a bit better. Or will that strain your rib cage??? I thought I sent you a card - did I sign Laura's name to it instead of mine? Sending you good thoughts and prayers for speeding healing. Let me know if you are up for a phone call - I don't want to bother you if this is not a good time yet. Make sure you ice your arthritic knee - but NOT when you have the icy hot on it. I have taken to icing my knee when I'm on the phone. The liniment alone does not help. I ice, then apply heat (in my case in the hot tub) and then I apply either the Watkins liniment or my essential oils on the knee afterwards and that is about the best I have found for the tiny bit of relief it gives. If I skip this routine, I am in almost unbearable discomfort so I think there is something to the ice then heat method.
Laura - that was very nice of you to turn that bracelet in. Not my style either but what from I know of friends who like that - the turquoise and silver usually means alot to them so I am sure they will appreciate it's return. I had to smile at your frustration with BF's plans for the cell phone and his refusal to buy wheels for the "new" chair. I can relate - their heads operate totally different from ours. DH is out there today staining deck boards and what's hanging out of his pocket? One of my good kitchen towels! A have a whole shelf full of rags in the closet, but they just grab the most convenient thing. I have told him on several occasions that in my next life I want to come back as a man - they have it so much easier as they can turn off the thinking part of their brains. I hope your stroll in the dog park spreading Coal's ashes has brought some peace and closure to BF. I just read an internet article about a bride in your town whose Mom has Alzheimers. She wanted to hurry up her wedding to her high school sweetheart so that Mom could enjoy it too so they planned a big block party for the wedding reception and all the neighbors pitched in to help. It was a lovely story. All the while I was thinking - but it's been so hot and humid and rainy out there Although it was a strain to help DH with the lumber, I did because there were over 100 boards to be moved and it was the end of the day and he was hot and tired and sweaty and he has high blood pressure so he really needed the help although he'd never ask for it. It was probably good for me to get some movement also even if I did hurt later on. Things are getting weaker as I am not moving around as much.
Ceejay- I guess these last few days wrapping up things will be sort of chaotic - like no cable tv. And they will come to miss you at the plant although most likely things will get done, not as efficiently or as well as you did. For the next few months expect your ears to be ringing alot was they talk about how "things went better when Ceejay was here".
Hellos to the rest of the crew.
Yesterday I went to pre-hab. I met with a nice therapist who was able to answer some of my questions. She also showed me how to walk stairs with crutches since I will have to tackle these to get into my house when I come home from surgery unless DH sets up a blow up bed on the driveway They cannot give me a walker or crutches ahead of time - I would get those the day of surgery when I leave. I asked if I am going to get a nurse and phys therapist to come to my house after surgery to check on me. She was not sure about the nurse. I will have to get to PT on my own - fortunately the clinic is only 2 miles from my house. They don't even have a PT check you out when you leave the hospital. I said in a panicked voice - "then HOW am I supposed to maneuver these stairs to get back home if they won't give me any appliance before surgery and there won't be anyone to show me how to use the crutches????" She said the nurse could show me as they discharge me. I said I will be dopey from the anesthesia and in pain - is this the best time to learn???? She said no it isn't so she went and got a pair of crutches and we went to the stairwell and she taught me how to walk. If you have never injured your foot/leg/knee/back then you cannot imagine how a tiny step of a few inches can look like Mt. Everest when you are trying to step down. Up isn't as bad as down. I have crutches and a walker at home but they are 30 years old so I was hoping to get newer, more sturdy and lighter weight models. But at least I can practice stairs at home ahead of time. Up is easy, down I want to do incorrectly so it's good that I can practice ahead of time. They gave me a few pamphlets to read and she showed me some strengthening exercises that she suggested I start now as well as after surgery. Some of the questions I had she said to ask the nurse who will call me prior to surgery. She also suggested that I schedule physical therapy now so that I can start a few days after surgery. The doctor did not send orders and won't until I have surgery so I don't know how many days to schedule or for how long. I tried to call yesterday but could not get through, left a message but no one called back. Had to call back twice today to finally get someone who could help me. I was about to call the PT I saw earlier this year at another location. D was fabulous but she is in a clinic 30 minutes from my house and I need therapy 2 to 3 times a week for at least a month and that is alot of extra time for DH. He nicely says he is retired and has the time to "drive Miss Daisy" around but... he is also quite busy right now with the deck and siding and several other projects he needs to get done before winter sets in so I don't want to disrupt him too much. I was glad I was able to get into the clinic 2 miles away instead. I just hope I like the therapist. Some of them are not so good and they tend to move from one clinic to the next. I have to say this whole ordeal has left me with a bit of a sour taste. I sort of blame it on today's medical care - you are on your own alot. A LOT! No one really sits and discusses what you are going to go through. The doctor simply said based on what he sees, surgery is your only option for relief as you have exhausted less invasive procedures (physical therapy, cortesone, over the counter pain relievers) without success. Do you want surgery? Ok then go see my secretary who will book an appointment for you. I see her - she has the personality of wet sand. She give me a date and a pamphlet from the surgical center that has little more than the address and phone number of the place and instructions to make sure you have someone to drive you home. No other information was given. I ask the secretary - will they schedule prehab or is there someone I should meet with? (this is based on the information I have read online from places that do a much better job of preparing you for surgery). She goes "Oh - yeah - you should do that. Book an appointment on your way out today". So I did and that was my appointment. The PT was very nice but you can see she's removed from the whole process too although she gave me good advice about post surgical recovery which is her part of the job - at least the EXERCISE part. Questions about movement, medication, what to expect, complications, how to know if something is wrong - not answered. Look it up on the internet lady. I don't understand this - is it so hard to have someone sit down with you and prepare you for this? You can recuperate better if you know what to expect. So like anything today, I will be a better patient by informing MYSELF and talking to as many people as I can who have had this surgery.
After we got out of the doctor's office we tried another pass at the olive oil and vinegar store. This time they were open but barely and I mean BARELY had much of anything there. Of course they didn't have the dark chocolate balsamic I wanted. This was a complaint on their FB page - they are often out of stuff. Today starts a very big Tall Ships Festival right in that area. You would think that they would be stocked to the gills in anticipation of crowds and SALES REVENUE I will call them a day ahead of time next time we are up in Duluth and they said if they had it in stock they would hold a bottle for me to pick up. I did get some lime infused olive oil which is going to be quite nice in Mexican cooking or with just a refreshing citrus spin on chicken or fish.
I solved the problem with switching hair dressers - I think. I rebooked my appointment online because after 3 attempts to stop in at the salon, I gave up because it was always closed. Not sure what hours they are open. Anyway I booked the week before surgery and no appointments are available with the owner for that time. So I booked with the stylist I really wanted. I was looking at my hair yesterday and was getting miffed - I could not tell when she fixed it after the color but it really is cut crooked and it was barely trimmed at that. Looking back, she is really very self centered - it's all about her and I have had enough of that. And if she is there when I go in to get my hair done next (and she probably will be) - if she asks I will be up front and tell her that she is always emotional about something and my hair suffers for it. That ought to start the fireworks. But it's the truth. I am tired of paying good money for a less than satisfactory experience. And I like the product line they use on my hair - other stuff just irritates my scalp so I am sort of stuck. Such problems, eh?
I found DH's missing wedding ring. I washed a load of blue jeans and when I opened the dryer door - it popped out at me and fell on the floor. I told him NOT to put it in his pocket any more. He looked like this and I'm sure he will do it again. See earlier comment about them not thinking...
They have ripped down the part of the deck by my front entrance so now I have to use the back door and go all around the yard and the minefield of construction hazards that is my front yard. DH said if it stays dry next week and is supposed to at this point - they can maybe finish the deck by next Friday. Then they have to build and install the railing and then start on the siding which will go much quicker than the deck. We will both be glad when this is over.
So far our overnight trip up north is decent weather but the days around it are predicted for rain. Too far off to tell yet, will be a bummer if it rains. I may just give up the hotel stay if the weather looks dicey which means I also lose the $50 for the ferry pass I bought ahead of time. It's a 3 hour drive each way so that's a bit long for a day trip up and back just to use the ferry pass. Not like I'm going to be doing much walking anyway before the season ends.
And that's about it for me. I have some chores to do both in town and at home. Hope you are all having a good Thursday.
Hi Ladies, I havent posted all week because of a migraine that started Monday night and is still there. It is different from the one on Monday night but still a migraine. At this point it hurts more down my neck and my eyes have that " I have a headache" feel.
I think at this point it is tight muscles in my neck, shoulders and I need an adjustment. I am going to make and appointment tomorrow after work and spend Friday night relaxing.
I read the posts and will comment on what I remember.
Anne: my goodness....those ribs have to be hurting. So glad you checked them out. I hope the med induced constipation will subside soon. Be sure you are staying hydrated
Happy: nice to hear you found DH's wedding ring. Good for you for insisting they show you now how to go up and down the stairs. The tall ships you have coming in sound interesting. Will DH be taking pictures of them?
Laura: sorry the scales were up. It sounds like you are getting back on track right away, that is the way to do it.
How very nice that you could honor Coal by walking to his favorite places and spreading some of his ashes.
I have been watching some of the Olympics. For sure the gymnastics, the swimming and now the running. Those people amaze me. It is beautiful to watch them run.
Ceejay: down to one week left of work right?!
Shad: i believe you are home and maybe fighting a cold? I hope you feel well soon.
Dee: how are things coming with getting the house ready to go on the market?
I am off to be to hopefully sleep the rest of this headache away.
Last edited by MyChoice2bfit; 08-18-2016 at 10:11 PM.
Morning all. Happy Friday. It’s forecast to be in the low 90’s today, but it felt refreshingly cooler and breezy on my commute this morning.
Happy – I haven’t turned the bracelet in. I just tried to phone the station agent – TWICE – to see if anyone inquired about a lost bracelet and there was no answer. Not sure what the point is re publishing the phone number on the Metra website and in the train schedules if no one answers the phone during the listed hours! I will try again today. === Yes, men really do think differently than women. I’d be steaming about DH using the kitchen towel for whatever it was he was using it for – sweat-wiping, stain-wiping? Aaargh. Glad you found DH’s wedding ring. That wedding/block party you read about was just a couple blocks to the north of us and my SIL and her sister also mentioned the article to us. Bf and I were going to breakfast early on a Sunday morning and drove on that block and saw everything still set up from the night before. It looked like it was really nice. === Good thing you made that pre-hab appointment. It sounds like it was valuable - learning a lot of what to expect and how to prepare for it. But thank goodness you had done your homework and knew to ask for it!!! It appears you really are on your own for making sure you get the info you need, to make arrangements, and be prepared. That’s so crummy that the patient has to be responsible for all that now. And some of that stuff seems to backward – not getting crutches or other equipment until after the surgery, not getting PT instructions in advance so a PT schedule can be set. Yes, your needs may be different than others and require tweaking, but at least it can be set up in advance. Sigh. == Too bad you couldn’t get the vinegar/oil you wanted. Businesses that are inconsistent like that are frustrating to deal with. After a while one gets tired of having to phone before visiting, asking them to set aside something for you, etc… Maybe they’d do better at farmers markets where I think customers seem to understand/expect that what they bring is what they have and it varies from day to day, week to week. I don’t know why, but a store sort of implies something different to me – more established, more standard inventories… --- Yay for getting an appointment with the preferred hairdresser. I’m glad that it worked out for you, and it’s good that you’ve thought out what you’ll say if/when the owner questions the change – it’ll help you stay firm in your decision. Reminds me, I need to get an appointment for a touch-up with one of the other girls in the salon as mine will surely be out on maternity leave by now or within a week when I need my appointment. === You & DH must be so eager for all this work around the house to be done!! I sure hope things are cleared out by the time your surgery rolls around!!! === I hope the weather will be nice for your overnight trip – wasn’t that an issue last time? Or was it something else? == Re spreading Coal’s ashes at the dog park – I thought it was nice, but bf later told me it made him feel bad that we’d stopped taking him there. The reason we stopped is that after a couple years, Coal had become unpredictable around some dogs and we couldn’t take the chance of a “doggy altercation” occurring when we were too far away to do anything about it. BF said he wished he’d given Coal off-leash training, but I said that I still wouldn’t trust the training because a dog still has its instinctual behaviors that can win out over training…
Susie – Sorry you’ve been suffering from a migraine. I hope the (chiro?) adjustment helps alleviate the tightness in your shoulders/neck and you can enjoy your weekend pain-free.
Hellos to the rest of you. Ceejay, one more week of work and not long hours – nice! Try to savor it. Shad, are you feeling better? Annie, I hope the rib pain and gut issue are easing up and you’re more comfy. Dee, how’s the house-selling prep going?
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Nothing much to report on my end. Tomorrow evening my friend D is having a girl’s get-together and I might stay at her place overnight. Otherwise, no other formal plans this weekend.
I’d like to take a vacation day next week – we’ll see how I do with my projects today. If I can complete my piece on the one and email it to the boss with a list of questions/comments for him to review, I would think about taking Monday off. He'll be returning from his vacation and playing catch up anyway and may not have time to even look at it... But I have a feeling I’ll end up taking next Friday off instead.
I do recall you have a lot of vacation left. ===Smart to renew your DL. You have enough going on now & will be busy for a while yet in your new life, good to not have to have that hanging over your head. But you'll have to change your addr to your new state at some point I'm sure.=== Please take some time to breathe & relax at regular intervals. Set up some "rewards" for yourself - breaks for TV, a walk, exercise, music, talks w/ friends/family.
This weekend is a tall ships festival in town in that trendy lakefront section so I HOPE it won't be crowded (festival starts Friday) and we can pop in and out and get what we need. 
Glad the ankle is doing well. Hang in there kiddo. 
Sending you good thoughts and prayers for speeding healing. Let me know if you are up for a phone call - I don't want to bother you if this is not a good time yet. Make sure you ice your arthritic knee - but NOT when you have the icy hot on it. I have taken to icing my knee when I'm on the phone. The liniment alone does not help. I ice, then apply heat (in my case in the hot tub) and then I apply either the Watkins liniment or my essential oils on the knee afterwards and that is about the best I have found for the tiny bit of relief it gives. If I skip this routine, I am in almost unbearable discomfort so I think there is something to the ice then heat method. 
Although it was a strain to help DH with the lumber, I did because there were over 100 boards to be moved and it was the end of the day and he was hot and tired and sweaty and he has high blood pressure so he really needed the help although he'd never ask for it. It was probably good for me to get some movement also even if I did hurt later on. Things are getting weaker as I am not moving around as much. 
Ok then go see my secretary who will book an appointment for you. I see her - she has the personality of wet sand. She give me a date and a pamphlet from the surgical center that has little more than the address and phone number of the place and instructions to make sure you have someone to drive you home. No other information was given. I ask the secretary - will they schedule prehab or is there someone I should meet with? (this is based on the information I have read online from places that do a much better job of preparing you for surgery). She goes "Oh - yeah - you should do that. Book an appointment on your way out today". So I did and that was my appointment. The PT was very nice but you can see she's removed from the whole process too although she gave me good advice about post surgical recovery which is her part of the job - at least the EXERCISE part. Questions about movement, medication, what to expect, complications, how to know if something is wrong - not answered. Look it up on the internet lady. 
So like anything today, I will be a better patient by informing MYSELF and talking to as many people as I can who have had this surgery. 
So I booked with the stylist I really wanted. I was looking at my hair yesterday and was getting miffed - I could not tell when she fixed it after the color but it really is cut crooked and it was barely trimmed at that. Looking back, she is really very self centered - it's all about her and I have had enough of that. And if she is there when I go in to get my hair done next (and she probably will be) - if she asks I will be up front and tell her that she is always emotional about something and my hair suffers for it. That ought to start the fireworks. 
But it's the truth. I am tired of paying good money for a less than satisfactory experience. And I like the product line they use on my hair - other stuff just irritates my scalp so I am sort of stuck. Such problems, eh? 
