This is the title Discourse lets me put in as a MMP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
101

Happy Hump Day!

I think, I don’t even know what day it is half the time.
It’s been cloudy all day, maybe even rained. It looks wet outside.

I went to the park this morning and no Lucy. She usually beats me there, and then I remembered that the park i closed for maintenance. The gate was unlocked so I went in anyway, and let Lily, Buttercup, and Jax know. Only Lily could come today, and Ziggy showed up, so the dogs had a nice time until the irkers showed up with all kinds of equipment.
I was going to have everybody come to my house while the park is closed, but the other dog park got some picnic tables so now there is somewhere to sit. We’ll have to bring water, and a bowl, and we won’t have a pavilion to shield us from the sun and rain, but better than nothing.

The dogs are off at daycare, and nobody is coming to the house today, so everything feels a bit more normal. Getting four hours of sleep yesterday afternoon is helping too.

I got lucky Cookie, my plumbing was already good. I was worried that the floor would have to be reinforced, but that is good too.

In the bad news department, open enrollment is coming up and I am already checking out plans. I am not happy.

Good luck with the surgery Hippie

Good luck with the doctor and the navigation Nellie

That is why I’m getting a walk-in tub Vow
I like a nice bath. I can get into the tub, I can’t get back out. I don’t trust my knees and I had nothing to hold onto.
It sucks getting old.
However, if they can’t get it in tomorrow, then I’ll just go with the walk in shower. There is a nice one I could live with.

I hope he can fix the electrical problem tomorrow. He knows what it is, just has to fix it. He keeps telling me how overbooked he is and I said I could just call an electrician to come in, but he says no, he can fix it. My son should have stuck with electrical in vo-tech. He took it for one semester, but the thought that he could kill somebody if he screwed up was more than he wanted to deal with.

Doggio, I wish Ripple could tell me what mail I have, and that he could dump the junk mail into the recycle bin for me. He’s more likely to pull the junk mail out of the recycle bun because more mail equals more treats.

I finally got the hall closet put back together.

Now I need to finish drying all the clothes I’ve washed.
Even worse, I have to put them away.

102

Howdy all. We are still at the horsepistol but if hubs has his way we will be going home with hospice care. He is tired of being sick and told his doctor he wants me to be able to get on with my life. I told him to stop worrying about me and try to get better. His valve Dr this morning was very disappointed that we were considering hospice. Said we must give the new meds time to work. Get him stronger and he will do surgery on the Mitral valve. The hospitalist said he thought hospice was the right choice.

I had a three way phone conversation with his kids and they want us to give the medicine a little more time so for now that is the plan. His vitals are actually a little better today but his attitude is one of anger. Asked me please not to pay him through another surgery but he is not a candidate for surgery yet. I eased his mind some when I told him I took out my 401K money minus the 20% taxes and will combine it with my saving accounts and pay off the house. This eased his mind some. He is wanting to die because he doesn’t want to burden me. That’s horseshit and the doctor pleaded with me to not stop trying with medications. He looks better to me and is receiving excellent care. The drugs are not a cure but make him strong enough for surgery that will be life saving. The up and down roller coaster road is not fun.

He sleeps a good bit and is mostly very quiet and he is super depressed and that is not his nature. I have cried for days. One day seems hopeless then bam a little hope and on and on. I went home last weekend and resupplied for the cat. I have had the bed moved already in case we do go the hospice route. Now there is a queen size bed in the living room. I only reserved the hotel through tonight but I feel certain I can extend. It’s only a 2 1/2-3 hour drive home so on the weekend I may grab buddy out of jail and just drive back and forth. I did it many many times before. By early next week if there is not major improvement then we will probably go home.

I have decided since my home will be paid for and I will be brokish that I will work for three more years, retire and sell my house and move to south Alabama or Ga where I can get a decent house with a fenced yard for 75K or less and live off the proceeds to the house and business until my full retirement age and can then draw his SS which would be more than my own. It’s a plan. It could all change tomorrow though. The virus is getting worse here due to tourists. My work has been great through this whole thing and once home I will get a free 14 day period of restriction and then try to return to work. If hubs is still there on hospice his kids will have to take turns.

Best case is medicine works, blood clot resolves and we can him him patched up. Worst case would be a long lingering death. Honestly if he died right here right now it would be a blessing instead of that. Even if he had surgery and did not survive it, it would be better than that. I have cried for days and doubt my own decisions. If he is truly ready to go I want to respect his wishes but in my heart I don’t thin he wants to die. He just does not want to be a burden.

If there is anyone here that can tell me what to do I am all ears.

103

Out of nowhere here, but check, you probably can collect Soc Security benefits off both your work records and get the greatest monthly payments off a combined history. I did that successfully when divorced suddenly after being at home 20 years raising special needs kids. It isn’t one or the other necessarily. Check with a SS real live person to find out how many quarters of your contributions you have to have in what time frame for it to work. You may need to work an additional numbers of months more or less, but they can tell you that and then you know to not inadvertently work 3 lousy months too few nor force yourself to work longer than you need to. I know it worked to my benefit to ask. I was pleasantly surprised.

And I agree with you, I think he doesn’t want to be a burden, it’s not that he wants to die.

And talk to a care managing nurse there about palliative care-that’s more positive and may be the ticket to get him to rethink surgery being worth trying.

104

I feel like I shouldn’t be popping in because you’ve all given me a nice send-off, yet here I am. I finished typing medical history and printing records: 10 pages. It’s all organized, though, so doc will be able to find stuff quickly. Not my first medical rodeo, chums. And now I’m imagining medical rodeos: surgeons lassoing cartoonish organs with 3-0 silk and such.

Butters, it all sounds exhausting and confusing: one doc says there’s reason for hope, one says hospice. Must make it hard to make decisions, but you and the kids seem to be making good ones. Your long-range plan seems pretty sound, too. Wish we could do more than send hugs.

I’m off to run errands. Then I have to do laundry, pack, etc. Wish I could have taken a later train, but it would’ve gotten me to my hotel after dark, and God knows where I’d end up. Possibly a house of ill repute. I like to think my presence would make it a house of pretty good repute…

105

{{{Butters}}}

I hope he decides to give the medicine more time to work.

106

nellie - today, the Roxstar was both a puppy (running back and forth on all fours) and a hopping frog (ribbet ribbet) until she decided she was an airplane and a helicopter. She must have tired herself out, because she had a solid 2-hour nap and I had to wake her to take her to her mama.

FCD has made it official - he emailed all concerned of his intention to retire at the end of this year. The team leaders he’s been working with most closely called to beg him to stay. It didn’t work. And his main point of contact checked that he would finish off the one project that’s supposed to hit next week - it’s a quick one. Theoretically.

We finally got the word from LaZBoy - our sofa is due to the warehouse next Weds, and once it gets there, they’ll bring it and the 2 tables to the house. The recliners won’t arrive till after the first of the year. But we knew that.

{{{Butters}}} - I can understand your husband not wanting to be a burden. FCD is the same way, and I can’t say I wouldn’t think that way myself. But you’ve gotten some good advice, so I’ll just offer virtual hugs and moral support. Getting old and sick ain’t for wussies.

Supper was weenies with a side of beans and chips. I ate too much - I’m afraid what my food diary will tell me when I enter it all. I’ve been stuck at the same weight for 2 weeks now, and it’s hard to stay on my eating plan when it doesn’t show results. So I had an anomaly day. Tomorrow, I’ll eat more fruit. Tonight, I’ll wallow in guilt. woe is me!!!

:stuck_out_tongue:

107

Butters, dear heart…

Request a psych consult for your husband. He has every right in the world to be depressed! Perhaps a course of antidepressants (OHGAWD, another pill; I know, I know…) can ease that dark cloud hanging over his head.

I, personally, think antidepressants should be classified as “vitamins” and handed out to everybody.

~VOW

108

VOW, I’m with you on the beige carpet. Most of the apartments that I’ve lived in for the last 25 years have had it. Where I live now, as they’re re-modeling apartments as they come vacant in my complex, they are removing the carpet from the living room and hall for composite flooring. The beige carpet will remain in the bedrooms.

sunny, Nelson’s best buddies at the dog park tend to be dachshunds or dachshund mixes. They are sweeties.

Good luck with the surgery hippy!

{{{butters and hubby}}}

It’s been rainy all day today and promises to be again tomorrow. The weather guessers are predicting frost by the weekend. :open_mouth: At least it will have the effect of killing off the ragweed.

I’ve been on a coughing jag for most of the day today. A lot of it is the dry air at irk. I’m just ready for this whole ick to go away.

Stay safe and healthy y’all!

109

Howdy Y’all! I survived trunk or treat. Grilled a buncha burgers and dawgs, and even got some candy. Win-Win! A good group of folks turned out to do the actual trunkin’ and treatin’ (is too a phrase!) and from what I could tell, a good number of cars came through to score candy. All in all a good time was had.

{{{Butters}}} sounds like it could be a good idea to give the meds a chance. It’s a tough decision to make though, I know. Sounds like you have a good plan there re the house and irk. I wish y’all all the best in whatever is decided. A psych eval would not be a bad idea. Just sayin’.

Nettie glad you made it safe and sound. Have a good night’s rest and hope stuff goes well with the doc tomorrow.

110

Bit of a drive-by tonight. UPS finally figured out how to get a Mac from the factory in Ireland to me without losing it at Worldport. Whee, this thing is fast! And the screen is just amazing! Makes the old one look like it was covered in haze.

Remodeling PWAISDN’s kitchen continues; paint, floor, and cabinets are done. Electrical gremlins continue to spring up, requiring globs of time to sort out. “All” that’s left is butcher block countertops and tile backsplash.

111

Irk was … meh. Everyone is freaking out over our hours all being cut, one girl found out today when she saw the schedule and had a meltdown right there. At least I digested all this at home.

Anyway, a calmer head than mine pointed out that we all qualify for UNDERemployment now. So I shall sign myself up tomorrow, hopefully that will take some of the sting outta all this.

Supposed to have a big rat buyer tomorrow, too. Already pre-paid but I don’t consider the money mine until those guys are out the door.
Wish me luck that it goes through.

112

Made stirfry with the chipolte BBQ sauce(redneck stir fry!) Watching cooking shows

We shall!

{{{{butters and hubby}}}
But do VOW’s suggestion.

113

(grump) Had to Lyft again today. Usual bus was EARLY and failed to stop at the timepoint it was supposed to (which happens to be my stop), then several fallback buses failed to show up. This is NOT good for my checking account.

Calls were utterly relentless today (thankfully, only one real jerk and nobody too incredibly stupid), thanks to some glitch yesterday that had a lot of cards get flagged/suspended for alleged suspicious activity. It’s sorting out.

Stayed home yesterday due to not feeling good, so my sleep cycle’s a bit jumbled. Currently lobbying DH to get his shower early so I can go to bed.

114

Butters it sounds like an exhausting mess. I think, if it were me, I’d push him to try the meds longer. You can’t walk back death. What harm would it do to try this? Also, VOW is right. Ask for the palliative care person and see what you can work out to improve your husband’s quality of life. Broomstick has some experience with this. You could trying pinging her. {{{hugs}}}

115

Butters, I have no advice to give that wouldn’t echo other MMP’ers, so I’ll just settle for {{{{hugs}}}}. And for what it’s worth, I think you are handling it as well as anyone could.

Nettie, I’d call the bus company/local government and complain. This is your job and they are messing things up.

Dinner was at Metro Diner, service was slow (6 minutes from seating to getting acknowledged) but the food was good. And it looks like all the rain today was simply to get us ready for Zeta, which made landfall and is now progressing this way. Oh joy.

All y’all have a good night now.

116

Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN 'Tis 78 Amurrkin out and rainy(ish) with a predicted high of 81 and tropical storm for the day. Zeta is upon us, so I expect lots of rain, wind, plague, pestilence, and such anytime now. We shall be hunkered down here in da cave. Nowhere we must be and nowhere we want to be, Sup shall be what was not made last night, i.e., boxed lasagna (don’t judge!), sallit, and cheesey garlic bread.

Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, onward into the day! Rah.

Happy Thursday Y’all!

117

Rain started overnight and the forecast warns 1-2" could fall today, with the accompanying flood watch. Yet again, I’m glad our house is atop a slope and one of the higher ones in the neighborhood. If we ever have flooding, it’ll be after the animals have been loaded 2 by 2. :open_mouth:

On the plus side, it looks like it’s moving faster than expected, so we might actually see sun tomorrow! Wow - to see big ball of fire in sky!!!

Only excitement for today, apart from the downpour, will be delivery of the mattress and foundation for the guest room. It’ll take me all of 10 minutes to prep that room for the delivery folk. I don’t know if the mattress will come in a roll or flat - the only reason it matters is how soon I can put on the sheets, etc. And I just this second remembered that I need to get the mattress pad from the basement. At least I hope I still have a queen size one.

Speaking of beige carpet (which just happens to be what we had replaced at our house) - my very first apartment in 1975 had blue-and-green shag carpet! Go ahead - try decorating around that!! Lucky for me, it was furnished (sorta) and I owned nothing, and who cares - I finally got out of the barracks!!! :smiley: Ah, memories…

Happy Thursday!!

118

Happy Thorsday!

Actually, it’s rather miserable outside. Raining hard, although it’s in the 50s, so not so bad.
Went to the other dog park.
Got soaked.
Lily and Lucy have been there before, so they did their thing and were ready to leave. Ripple and Echo took their time exploring the park.
I’m glad I hadn’t carried the laundry upstairs yesterday. I stripped in the kitchen and got redressed there. I really didn’t want to drip water all over up to my bedroom, and I knew the dogs would follow and I didn’t want them getting on the bed.

My carpet on the stairs and in two of the bedrooms is white.
Not my choice, the house came that way.

I need a nap, badly.
I don’t get off irk until 1 though.

119

Morning all. Rain has apparently moved through, now comes the great drying out. Temperature is about 67F but it heading down steadily throughout the day. Oh joy/

I was up until after 12:30am finishing off a very tough Sudoku puzzle (3-sided sudoku) and listening to the rain fall, then up at 7am, so nappage is probable. Garbage is out and need to run a couple loads of laundry later on.

Everyone have a good Thorsday.

120

Sheesh. I appreciate that my credit union will put a stop on what they consider to be suspicious credit charges and notify me, but why did they decline a $21 purchase from Kohl’s?? I’ve already got the stuff I ordered and I called the fraud department to tell them it was a legit charge, but they say I have to contact Kohl’s.

???

For the moment, I’m just hoping the charge will be submitted again. This is so stupid.

They didn’t question the multi-thousand dollar charges for carpet or for furniture, but the measly $21 pinged their fraud meter??? Really??