Morning all. Up early to read that the soccer fields are still closed today due to the amount of rain we got yesterday, so I am at loose ends for this Saturday. Probably head over to the gym in awhile and pedal some calories off and there are a couple things in the house that need doing, but otherwise a day of sloth is likely.
In the applicance unplugging side discussion. I use a space heater in my ‘office’, and despite it being new(ish) and shutting off automatically if it tips over or is moved, I always unplug it when I leave the room and am vaguely troubled if I forget to do it.
Lots and lots of Hugs all around, for sickness and passing of others and just general “you need one”. And a couple extra for Shoe.
boo fae, enjoy your trip to Chi-town.
JtC, hooray for honest workfolk. And good on Hubs for appreciating it. And ever a good nod to businesses that give you bonus stuff due to their error.
OK, need to break fast and decide what to do with the clouldy, 60F something day. Take care all.
Well. I worked a few hours 2 weeks ago. My check should’ve came yesterday. It did not. Now catch 22, I don’t have enough money to bus it for the next 2 weeks to work to earn more! Unless I want to do without t.p.
Back from Food Lion, and I’ve got the dishwasher sloshing away. MIL is still abed, and I think I’m going to get a jump on some stuff I’d like her to get done. I’m going to bring in the bags that need to be sorted and at least arrange what’s in them so she can decide what to keep and what to donate. The last of her stuff will be brought over on Moanday and I don’t want my garage filled with miscellany until she dies. So I’ll start.
I do know I don’t want any of her old knives - not even for the boat. They were cheap when new, and now they’re dull and old and, frankly, dangerous. There are also a bunch of lamps - I’ll use one of them on this desk, but I don’t know about the other 3.
{{{shoe}}} I hope that things get better for you. We’re here if you feel the need to kvetch or even if you don’t.
Yikes! How scary!
Yay! Skritches to Annie.
{{{hippy}}} Your response to the news of Steve’s passing was likely a comfort in some way to his family.
Up, caffeinating, breakfasted and fixing to do KP. I’m going to complete the pickle layout for the cookbook (cutting, printing and inking done, just needs assembled), then get sheveled to go to the grocery outlet. Other than that, I’ll do a quick rake of the sticks in the yard and play around in the studio.
It’s 39 degrees Fahrenheit and mostly sunny outside, with just a tinge of morning darkness. The expected high temp is 70 degrees Fahrenheit and it’s supposed to be sunny all afternoon.
shoe, I’m so glad you checked in. I hope that things turn around for you in a good way soon.
I never made it to Mud Bay yesterday because I worked long hours and was tired. I must go this morning because the dogs only have enough kibble left for lunch. I also need to buy a wax ring for the toilet. I noticed leakage around the side. Ugh, I hate futzing about with toilets and even more trying to seat a toilet on a wax ring properly. It’s in the powder room, which is small. I thought about buying a new toilet and having Lowes send someone out to do it, but they want $499.00 just for that, not including the cost of the toilet and needed supplies to seat a toilet. So, it’ll be me and hubby trying to get it done. The joys of home ownership.
sticky buns, I’m glad Miss Annie seems better today.
I also don’t like to leave any appliance running while I’m gone. I don’t trust them. I hate space heaters, but my husband has a new one for the den. I can’t tell you how often I’ve come downstairs in the morning to find that thing still running. I started threatening to throw it out the next time I found it running. He’s been good for a while, but we’ll see.
So, today’s plans call for the Mud Bay run, a Lowes or Home Depot run, and maybe some work outside in front of the house. That’s not really exciting, but my life, is in fact mundane.
Just finished going thru a box and 4 bags of MIL’s stuff. She doesn’t want to get rid of anything, and I’m having a terrible time finding space for all the afghans and jackets and washcloths. She’s keeping one jacket that’s way too big because she’s sure she’ll gain weight “by next year” - despite her weight hovering between 90-92#.
I asked about her flatware - neither Daughter nor I need any, but MIL doesn’t want to get rid of any of it. So it’ll sit in the basement till she dies, then I’ll donate it. She’s filled a box with stuff for BIL, but I’m pretty sure he won’t want any of it. I just hope he won’t make a fight about it - he’s unpredictable.
Good morning from SoCal. About 8am here, 11am east coast.
Had an OK nap on the plane. I’d sorta planned to uber around SoCal, but found the price of one 11 mile ride from the airport to the hotel was the same as a one-day rental of an econobox, so instead opted to rent a nice Audi. Modern commerce is amazing. A couple pokes at my phone standing in the terminal and the car was waiting by the time I’d walked to the pickup point ~300 yards away. They also had a snazzy Lamborghini, but that seemed a bit much. Maybe next time.
Visited the mausoleum where my parents are stored. It’s up on a hill with a great view; shame they can’t appreciate it. I don’t make a big deal about stopping by, it’s more a square-filler than a pilgrimage. Wherever they are now, including nowhere, the place where the bodily residue is stored ain’t it. I don’t know how many more times I’ll even be in town during my own life. Dad’s been gone 28 years now and this was my 3rd visit, and one of those was 18 years ago to store Mom nearby. So she’ll always have one less visit that he. Sorta the story of her life.
Had a nice lunch at a nearby ritzy outdoor shopping complex that was new when I was a kid. R+D Kitchen. Typical SoCal weather for this time of year: blazing sun, 65F, and a breeze. Locals in shorts and t-shirts or “bundled up” in shorts and sweats. Me in 4 layers with cold ears.
Noodled around some of my old haunts which is always an odd mix of “Wow, that place is still here!?” and “Wow, except for the names of the streets, there is nothing about this area that remains the same as I remember.”
On the plane I’d sent an email to my SIL telling her I’d be in town. She’s the best way to get ahold of my bro. While I’m driving he calls me. I’m in luck and he’s not utterly swamped with work. Just mostly swamped. Can I stop by his shop in a couple hours? Sure.
I meander off to the hotel and get checked in, then drive off to meet him at his shop a couple miles away. As always around here, traffic is stupid dense, so 2+ miles is 20+ minutes. But very pleasant surroundings to be stuck rolling at a fast walking pace .
We yakked, he worked, and eventually we delivered the product he was finishing then hit a couple of his other customers to shoot the breeze. He’s a Big Man on Campus in his niche and part of the locals’ “local color” around Laguna. Kinda fun.
Anyhow, once the work schmoozing was done we got a beer, wandered the beach, met some other locals at random, and eventually settled for dinner at Carmelitas just after sunset in view of the sand and sky. I hadn’t seen the website before we got there, but I had the entrée pictured on their home page, plus a large bowl of soup to warm my chilled-through body. Tres yummy.
Eventually back to my car then home to my hotel since by then I’d been up 20 hours on ~4 hours sleep plus that short nap on the plane. I was tiiiired.
Slept in today a decent amount and once y’all are dealt with I’ll get sheveled and connect w bro & SIL for breakfast and a day. Meanwhile the surf is loud and the sun is bright outside the large sliding glass door separating me from the morning chill.
As to y’all …
Flyboy: hope the walk with the dying phone went well. A great way to break up the desk-bound workday. I used to do that too when I had a desk job. At least I did when there wasn’t snow on the ground.
Cookie good luck with the cat. And yeah, unionism is always a two-edged sword. Typically the first generation of workers gets slaughtered, but if they’re persistent / brave enough the next generation gets accommodated. Management will do anything to avoid paying workers enough to live on.
I just now figured out why all you folks are yabbering about corned beast. I’m pretty holiday calendrically challenged. . Enjoy!
Don’t confuse “he’s admitting he can’t ride much anymore” with “The only way he’d sell the bike is if Kentucky was part of the deal.”
You know him and I sure don’t, but I see this as much more him recognizing his riding days are numbered than him being hell bent on living in KY and willing to make what five years ago would have been a supreme sacrifice. IMO he’s communicating to you that selling the bike is now a small doable sacrifice. He just needs a catalyst to do it.
KY is one such catalyst, but you can probably come up with others that don’t involve moving to Hell.
Yeah there Missred: bad dryer timer. If it’s the old fashioned kind with the big knob you crank around for various settings and durations those parts are real cheap to DIY and pretty simple to install. If it’s a newer fancier one the repair options are fewer and more costly. Of course.
My bro & his ex = my SIL, are dog people. As in at least one is underfoot every minute of every day at home, at work, or out in public. Of course they prefer hyperactive medium-or-bigger sized dogs like huskies and sheepdogs. I think that’s nuts, but whatever makes them happy.
Anyhow, just yesterday I learned about something with dogs called idiopathic vestibular syndrome. See Idiopathic Vestibular Disease. One of their critters had a bout of it a couple weeks ago & scared them both half to death. The dog recovered completely the next day. Per their vet who examined the critter: “It’s just something that happens sometimes. Nothing to worry about”.
ETA: I’m happy to hear she’d better / normal today.
Gurls have 'nads. They’re just internally mounted and so better protected. If you ever get whacked in just the right spot you too will experience that awesome sensation known to all men.
I hope that whatever’s been harshing your life mellow improves soon. If you can share some maybe we can help some.
FCM Hooray for MIL being smart this time and getting help to the bathroom. And hooray for quiet time. I always enjoyed my early AM quiet time while HL was asleep. I enjoy it even more now that it’s 24/7.
I remember when you told us about Steve. That line struck me then too. I’m glad Jason used it.
The true measure of a man isn’t what he says about himself, but what others say about him.
My gentle suggestion: simply abandon any notion of sorting or organizing or culling any of MIL’s stuff. Just park it as out of the way as possible and move on. When she moves on, donate the entire pile sight unseen. It’s just stuff. And like the unworn clothing, much of it isn’t really even “her stuff”. It’s more “the store’s stuff she took possession of.”
My Dad went off that deep end real hard the last ~5 years of his life. Bought insane amounts of stuff he never used, and really never intended to use. But it was on sale!
Here’s a different but related thought: People such as yourselves with large houses and basements often adopt the unwitting attitude that space is infinite. Until they’ve jammed the place so full they can hardly move.
As someone who started with that seemingly infinite space and has since lived in ever tighter quarters for over a decade now, I’ve learned to accept that not everything stays in the residence. For a couple hundred a month you can rent an indoor space the size of a one- or maybe even 2-car garage. Getting the bulk of her stuff there, not underfoot may be money very well spent. Doubly so if you find any of her stuff is moldy or mildewy. You don’t need to infect your living space with her spores.
And once her stuff is out of her sight it’ll be out of her mind. And very quickly out of your mind as well. Which is the most precious space of all.
Something to consider.
Gotta go shevel then meet up w bro & SIL for belated breakfast on another sunny cool day. Now 9am here and 55/13 on the way to 62/17. Back home its noon and 83/28 on the way to 86/30. As I said to bro yesterday when he fussed at me for fussing about the cool: “Your daily high today is 5F cooler than the daily low at home all but about 3 weeks per year. And is 15F cooler than the daily low at home today.”
The geese are in the lot
But shorthanded today, they sent a bunch of people from Smalls to the sort Aisle. Hazardous Ken heard 'em telling the Smalls Sup to send half the staff over, “but keeps things running if you don’t want to get fired.”
Never had a capelet thing. There’s a changing room which has a door to the hallway and to the room with the ultrasound machine. I disrobe from the waist up and walk from the changing room, though the room with the ultrasound machine, to the room with the mammography machine. First I get the mammogram, and then I go back to the room with the ultrasound machine and only then do they give me a pink blanket for coverup/wamth while I wait for the doctor who does the ultrasound.
Hope so too, and kitty’s feeling better today.
I don’t think I’ve ever had corned beef. And if a dog brings me a beer, I’d wonder if I was hallucinating.
With my parents’ medical issues (and they are relatively healthy for their age), I am quite grateful that they are so close to multiple hospitals. I can’t imagine being an hour away from a hospital. I can walk to the nearest hospital in 1.5 hours.
I’ve never run the dryer while I’m gone, but I do leave the dishwasher and washing machine running. Hubby has a space heater which is plugged in to an outlet strip. Both the heater and the outlet strip get turned off when he’s not using it.
{{{shoe}}} Hope Monkey’s taking good care of you.
Scary! Hope it’s an isolated event.
I remember you mentioning Steve when he passed away. {{{hippie}}}
This reads like a code phrase.
Took the train to Luzern this morning and stocked up on a few supplies, including shampoo, bread and chocolate. Came back home and warmed up the chicken panang curry that I had thawed last night. Weather brought some more rain in the afternoon, so I had to wait a bit before planting the plants bought on Wednesday. However it’s still too wet to mow, so the long grass is mocking me.
I set out to improve the wood stack cover frame, but when I got to the hardware store someone had already bought all of their OSB. My wife was there, so I went in to tell her. When I got back to the Jeep another guy had come out and asked me if I needed help. I explained the situation. He said he had a piece of OSB they were using as an ‘end board’ for lumber. He said he wasn’t sure if they’re supposed to sell it, so he just gave it t me… and sliced it in half lengthwise. They didn’t have the exact hardware and fasteners I wanted, but I’ll make-do with what they did have.
My urine stream was slow this morn, so I went to Urgent care. I had 5 uti’s last year so wondered.
Nothing usual for uti in urine but protein was high.
The person said this could be a problem with my kidneys.
So I got antibiotics and I have a physical next week. I will bring this up as when I did blood work weeks ago, my potassium was high, not over the limit but close to it.
My boss is going to look into giving me bus money so I can get to and from work for the next 2 weeks. They’re very nice there.
Afternoon all. Went to the gym and spent quite a bit of time there, did both cycling and swimming, with whirlpool and sauna thrown in, so I should be well-exercised. As usual when they close the soccer fields, the weather cleared up and we have bright and sunshiny weather now, temps are about 65F.
Coppertone, you’re having a beaver’s life; one Dam thing after another. Nice ot your boss to help out.
FCM, hope your storage isn’t overburdened, but I can appreciate MIL not wanting to get rid of anything, no matter how impractical; if she lets it go it’s one less thing in here life that she can call hers. Still, wouldn’t want to be in your shoes.
Cupcakes, glad Annie has perked up.
Pilot, glad your settled in LA. Those temperatures are about what I have here in N. Ali-bama, but nobody wants to come here for the sights… And had never heard of IVD in dogs before, most interesting.
At least it didn’t wound my heart with a monotonous languor…
OK, need to browse some and watch a little TV then think about dinner… Onward, all!
Our building was to have a St. Patricks party today.
We did. We all brought sweets and chips.
The guy who was to bring the meal?
He called someone at the building, told them he had been arrested and to call maintenance as he had left something cooking on the stove.
A fireperson came over and went in and shut the stove off.
What was it? Corned beef and cabbage, which we didn’t get to have. Smart buddy, smart.
I finished the lid to the wood stack frame. I’ll finish the rest tomorrow.
I needed to go to the supermarket to get a head of cabbage and some potatoes. Better take my phone in case my wife wants something. Couldn’t find it. I called it, and a girl answered ‘Paso del Norte!’ Yep. I not only forgot my fish taco, I also forgot my phone. I had an inkling when I couldn’t find it… Oh, they did save my taco for a few hours, but threw it out last night. The hostess was incredulous that I hadn’t missed my phone in 22 hours.
Picked up meat, snacks and TP for the month at the outlet and escaped for ~$34.
Nelson had play time with Link (yellow lab / mastiff mix) this afternoon. We let both of them off leash and they started to get to know one another. Once Nelson chilled the !@#$ out, they got along.
I wonder if this has something to do with you having two accounts that didn’t get properly merged?
I like my capelet, thank you very much! My shoulders get cold and even the paper ones are appreciated.
I’m looking at that as well. It looks like we really are going to be moving, but not to KY. He’s on the phone with the realtor now, (boy, she sounds so much like MIL…tears…).
I was at the store when they merged them. I can log in my account and see the check amount (40) and the actual check number!
Its a headache. At least I have a job. With a free meal.
Silver linings.
I can see/understand both sides of the situation. I totally understand that it is very frustrating for you; you only want to ensure that MIL is safe and doesn’t injure herself and her behavior is contrary to that goal. However, looking at it from MIL’s side, several things come to mind:
it has to be very tough mentally to feel that one no longer has independance.
some people just don’t like to feel that they are inconveniencing others or worse that they are a burden.
Sending hugs to both you, {{{FCM}}} and to {{{MIL}}}
As has been said many times in the past, it ain’t easy getting old.
Thank you all very much for your very nice sentiments expressed for me and Hubs. I truly appreciate them! Also the hugs. The last several days have had some tough times and I thought about what you all have said and the hugs and it helped me through.
Thursday we had to leave the house by 7:45 because the first appointment was at 8:30 at the Stem Cell Transplant clinic. I informed both the nurse first then the PA that we had to leave at 9:40 because of appointment with cardiologist at 10am 3 blocks away. So, we didn’t see the Dr but I expressed my concerns/questions with the nurse and the PA and the nurse got back to us by text after talking with the Dr.
Hubs walked from the car to the clinic and back to car using only a cane and did so again from the car into the cardiology office. Although he had a bit of a tough time walking back out to the car since he was getting winded. Not happy about the cardiology appointment. First we were supposed to see a cardiologist. I assumed the man who came into the room was the cardiologist and called him Dr. Later in the appointment Hubs called him Dr but since he had stood up moments earlier and faced me for the first time, I noticed there was a big NP superimposed over his badge. The man had never introduced himself nor corrected either of us that he was not a Dr. Then Hubs received a MyChart message on Friday that this guy wants him to wear a heart monitor. Hubs has been out of the hospital since the first time for more than a month. He’s questioning why the heck he wasn’t given a monitor at that time if the actual cardiology specialists thought he might need one. All his vitals were just fine. I’m questioning why the heck we didn’t see the cardiologist that we were scheduled to see and instead saw a NP. So, I’m intending to call the cardiologist on Monday.
After leaving the cardiology facility, we had to drive to the main hospital 4 blocks away for an 11:30 inhalation therapy appointment. I dropped Hubs at the main door and told him to get a wheelchair and wait for me inside while I parked. Man that is not the time to go as it seemed to be the most busy time for the parking garage that I’d ever seen.
After this, I hustled home because the Spartans played at noon in the Big Ten Tourney. They beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers to advance to the Quarterfinals on Friday. I tried watching the other games but UWisc vs MD, OSU vs Iowa just weren’t competitive and while PSU vs IU was competitive, I was fading since I’d been up at 5:45 and this game didn’t start until sometime after 9pm. So, I only watched bits of those games.
On Friday I first called the pharmacy to see if the two refills on Hubs medications had been filled, one had but the other one had to be ordered and was supposed to be delivered in the early PM so I figured I could go during the BTT dinner break. Then I made breakfast for Hubs then went Krogering. Got home about 15 minutes before the start of the Spartans game against the Boilermakers and quickly put away all the groceries. Helped Hubs down the stairs and then settled in for the game. As I was getting up moments before halftime Hubs asked if I could start the infusion during halftime. I looked at him incredulously as I had only had part of a banana to eat and was feeling pretty hungry. I have not been eating properly or doing my PT a lot of the time during this whole saga since he went into the hospital because I’ve been attending to his needs and trying to keep on top of all the housework and every else that needs doing so I said NO, I need to eat lunch as I’ve only had part of a banana. I went and started my French Onion soup heating and when I came back into the living room, I told him the other reason I couldn’t start the infusion was because the medication was still in the refrigerator and I didn’t think he would want refrigerator cold medication being infused through his tri-fusion catheter into him. So then he tells me “this is what’s going to happen; I have to go to the ER”. Yikes, WHAT??? Turns out he had started having abdominal pains early in the morning. He had called the Stem Cell Transplant Dr’s office, left a message and when they got back to him, he was told to go to the local ER for a CT scan. I asked him when he learned this and it was before I returned from Kroger. Oh freaking brother. If he had told me right when I got home, I could have taken the medication out of the refrigerator at that time or we could have gone straight to the ER and done the infusion when we returned home. As I told our daughter this morning, I think it was misguided altruism; he knows that one of my passions is Spartan basketball and he didn’t want to interfere with me seeing the game. So, instead I did the infusion after the medication had been out of the refrigerator for an hour, then while it was infusing, I watched the remainder of the game. We lost, Purdue with their 7’4" center won. The staff at the local ER were all very nice. After Hubs was returned to the room they had put him in, I told the CT attendant, then the nurse that we wanted to leave as soon as possible. I explained that I was very hungry as I hadn’t had very much to eat all day. He went and got some mac n cheese for me and also brought some veggie chips and graham crackers for us to share and 3 apple juice boxes. Finally a Dr came in and said that we could go and that the CT scan didn’t decisively show diverticulitis which is what Hubs is pretty darn sure is the problem as he had bouts of it last August and again in December so he knows what it feels like. I picked up the prescriptions from the pharmacy (it’s in the same building) while Hubs was waiting to be taken for the CT scan.
I had gotten to watch parts of the UW vs NW game in the room in the ER, then watched parts of OSU vs Ill when we got home but I just couldn’t stay up to watch IU vs NE as my eyes were closing. Found out this morning that Nebraska won. Yay, I like Fred Hoiberg and root for NE as long as they aren’t playing the Spartans.
So, this morning Hubs was still in pain so he asked if he should call his PCP and I said good idea. He’s also a Spartan so the two of them have become very friendly so he always answers his phone or calls back as soon as he can. He was surprised that the ER Dr didn’t prescribe medication so he was going to. We have tons of bottles of unused medications from the last 8 months so I made an inventory of them recently as I’ve had it with having to buy the exact same medication that we already have at home. So, Hubs called me to come talk to the Dr and let him know if we have any of the medication that he was going to prescribe. As it turned out, we have more than is needed for one of the medications but none of the other. So, I gave Hubs the one that we had and went to the pharmacy to pick up the other one when it was ready. Hubs now is on the soft diet again for the next 3 days, broth, applesauce, yogurt basically.
Then I watched the BTT semi-final games. Finally some good competitive games. I was very happy with the outcome of the first one: Wisconsin beat Purdue 76-75. I would have preferred that Nebraska win the second one but Illinois was able to overcome a 14 point deficit in the second half and actually won by 11 so a 25 point swing. Now I’m watching the Big Ten Hockey Tournament Semifinal game between the Spartans (who were the regular season champions) and Ohio State. Go GREEN!
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. Enjoy!
I don’t think I’ve ever had corned beef. And if a dog brings me a beer, I’d wonder if I was hallucinating.