Saturday 9: Happy Holidays!
(from the archives)
1. As you can see, Sam loved giving her annual wish list to Santa. Yet some children are reluctant to climb into Jolly Old St. Nick's lap. Did you enjoy the tradition or were you shy? Or did you by pass it altogether -- either because you wrote him a letter or because your family didn't celebrate Christmas?
A. I went to see Santa Claus when I was young. He also came to the house one year.
2. Are you currently on the Naughty or Nice list? How did you get there?
A. I hope I'm on the nice list, for taking care of my wounded husband, for writing an entire magazine for the county, and for generally being kind to cashiers and strangers.
3. Did you ship any gifts to friends and family this year? If so, which one traveled the farthest?
A. The gift that went to England traveled the farthest.
4. Did you buy yourself a gift this year?
A. Yes. I bought a book called Weeknight Meals for Two.
5. What's your favorite holiday-themed movie? Have you seen it yet this year?
A. I like It's a Wonderful Life but I haven't seen it. I probably won't. My husband doesn't like that movie.
6. Thinking of movies, Christmas is lucrative for Hollywood. Have you ever gone to a movie theater on Christmas Day?
A. Not that I remember.
7. Have you ever suffered an embarrassing moment at the company Christmas party?
A. No.
8. What's your favorite beverage in cold weather?
A. Hot chocolate.
9. Share a memory from last Christmas.
A. Last Christmas, I give you my heart, but the very next day, you threw it away. No wait, that's a song. Last Christmas. Hmm. Oh wait, I had Christmas at my father's house for the first time since 1999. We had a nice visit.
______________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Thursday, December 19, 2019
Thursday Thirteen #635
1. One of the things I like about Christmas is buying presents. I try hard to find something I think a person really wants. Of course, I am frequently not successful, but I do give it thought.
2. Wrapping those presents is something else I enjoy doing, although I am not good at it. I used to be but somewhere along the line I've become rather sloppy with it. Lots of crinkles and papers cut too short.
3. We are having a sparse holiday because my husband's surgery kept him from getting the Christmas decorations down and the boxes are too heavy for me. I didn't realize until we didn't have them how much I enjoyed the decorations in the living room. Next year.
4. My Christmas card list has grown shorter. I used to send out over a 100 cards; this year I sent out about 55. One person was removed because she complained on Facebook last year about receiving Christmas cards when she didn't send any out and it made her feel guilty. That is how you remove yourself from someone's list, I guess.
5. Even though I send out that many cards, I do not receive even half that number back anymore. There was a time when I decorated an entire wall with Christmas cards. Those days are over.
6. Visits from friends this time of year are always welcome. I know some folks are staying away because I'm not well, which I understand. If they sounded as bad as I do, I wouldn't go to their house either.
7. In previous years, I have made loads of fudge. Sometimes 15 or 20 pounds worth, and then I gave it all away. The neighbors, coworkers, people I just happened to know and like, all received fudge. But I've been too sick to make fudge this year. So no fudge.
8. It is amazing how one person's departure from festivities, for whatever reason, can change the entire holiday.
9. I did not ask Santa for anything this year. Santa has a sore foot.
10. Santa is receiving mostly things he asked for, though there are two items he didn't request that he hopefully will enjoy.
11. A friend yesterday brought us a toy, which we both enjoyed. It's a dinosaur and you shoot little balls into its mouth.
12. We are not having a white Christmas; the forecast calls for a warming trend.
13. Actually, it has been a long time since we've had a white Christmas. I bet kids don't receive sleds for Christmas anymore, at least, not like they did when I was a child. The weather sure has changed.
Happy Holidays to all my Thursday 13 friends, and to all of my readers. Whatever you celebrate, I wish you much cheer and great joy.
_______________
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 635th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
2. Wrapping those presents is something else I enjoy doing, although I am not good at it. I used to be but somewhere along the line I've become rather sloppy with it. Lots of crinkles and papers cut too short.
3. We are having a sparse holiday because my husband's surgery kept him from getting the Christmas decorations down and the boxes are too heavy for me. I didn't realize until we didn't have them how much I enjoyed the decorations in the living room. Next year.
4. My Christmas card list has grown shorter. I used to send out over a 100 cards; this year I sent out about 55. One person was removed because she complained on Facebook last year about receiving Christmas cards when she didn't send any out and it made her feel guilty. That is how you remove yourself from someone's list, I guess.
5. Even though I send out that many cards, I do not receive even half that number back anymore. There was a time when I decorated an entire wall with Christmas cards. Those days are over.
6. Visits from friends this time of year are always welcome. I know some folks are staying away because I'm not well, which I understand. If they sounded as bad as I do, I wouldn't go to their house either.
7. In previous years, I have made loads of fudge. Sometimes 15 or 20 pounds worth, and then I gave it all away. The neighbors, coworkers, people I just happened to know and like, all received fudge. But I've been too sick to make fudge this year. So no fudge.
8. It is amazing how one person's departure from festivities, for whatever reason, can change the entire holiday.
9. I did not ask Santa for anything this year. Santa has a sore foot.
10. Santa is receiving mostly things he asked for, though there are two items he didn't request that he hopefully will enjoy.
11. A friend yesterday brought us a toy, which we both enjoyed. It's a dinosaur and you shoot little balls into its mouth.
12. We are not having a white Christmas; the forecast calls for a warming trend.
13. Actually, it has been a long time since we've had a white Christmas. I bet kids don't receive sleds for Christmas anymore, at least, not like they did when I was a child. The weather sure has changed.
Happy Holidays to all my Thursday 13 friends, and to all of my readers. Whatever you celebrate, I wish you much cheer and great joy.
_______________
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 635th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
The Noise in the Garage
A few times over the last several days, I heard a noise in the garage.
I thought it was the wind, because the times I heard it, the wind was howling. This fall, we had removed trees that buffered the house. Things sound different now when the wind blows.
Today I came home from the chiropractor, and my husband, still non-weight bearing on one foot, met me at the door on his knee scooter.
"Did you see the dead squirrel in the garage when you left?"
Well, no. Obviously I hadn't, or I would have done something about it.
The dead squirrel was beneath my vehicle, at the drain. We're guessing it ran into the garage one day when I was either coming or going and had the garage door open.
So the noise I heard in the garage was really a noise, and not the wind.
I feel bad about the squirrel. It died of thirst, I am sure. There was no water source for it except the water in the drain, and it couldn't get to it. It also could have licked antifreeze or something from the garage floor, I suppose.
At any rate, it died an untimely death.
My husband learned of the squirrel when the USPS driver delivered packages. He stood at the kitchen door and asked the driver to place the packages inside the garage door, which I had left unlocked because I was expecting the delivery.
Since he's obviously incapacitated, she obliged.
Then she turned to him and said, "Did you know there is a dead squirrel in your garage?"
To which he replied, "No." Then he proceeded to wheel himself down the patio and into the garage, where he managed to get a snow shovel under the poor squirrel and give it a toss out into the yard.
That is where it was when I came home.
Later, the young firefighter who is helping us with feeding the cattle stopped by and obligingly removed the dead squirrel from the yard.
Moral of this story? Pay attention to the rustling sound in the corner.
It may not be the wind.
(Also pay more attention when you're raising and lowering the garage door!)
I thought it was the wind, because the times I heard it, the wind was howling. This fall, we had removed trees that buffered the house. Things sound different now when the wind blows.
Today I came home from the chiropractor, and my husband, still non-weight bearing on one foot, met me at the door on his knee scooter.
"Did you see the dead squirrel in the garage when you left?"
Well, no. Obviously I hadn't, or I would have done something about it.
The dead squirrel was beneath my vehicle, at the drain. We're guessing it ran into the garage one day when I was either coming or going and had the garage door open.
So the noise I heard in the garage was really a noise, and not the wind.
I feel bad about the squirrel. It died of thirst, I am sure. There was no water source for it except the water in the drain, and it couldn't get to it. It also could have licked antifreeze or something from the garage floor, I suppose.
At any rate, it died an untimely death.
My husband learned of the squirrel when the USPS driver delivered packages. He stood at the kitchen door and asked the driver to place the packages inside the garage door, which I had left unlocked because I was expecting the delivery.
Since he's obviously incapacitated, she obliged.
Then she turned to him and said, "Did you know there is a dead squirrel in your garage?"
To which he replied, "No." Then he proceeded to wheel himself down the patio and into the garage, where he managed to get a snow shovel under the poor squirrel and give it a toss out into the yard.
That is where it was when I came home.
Later, the young firefighter who is helping us with feeding the cattle stopped by and obligingly removed the dead squirrel from the yard.
Moral of this story? Pay attention to the rustling sound in the corner.
It may not be the wind.
(Also pay more attention when you're raising and lowering the garage door!)
Monday, December 16, 2019
Back to the Doctor
I went to see my doctor's PA today.
My doctor, I was told, is booked through the end of the year. Not exactly what you want to hear when you sitting in the room getting your blood checked, but at least she has the PA available.
While I was there, I had an asthma attack. The PA listened to my lungs and could hear the wheezing. She then administered a nebulizer, which is a breathing thing that forces albuterol down into your lungs. The wheezing cleared up, as did the coughing, until about 4 p.m. this afternoon.
My doctor, bless her, came into my room to see me anyway, for just a moment. She gave me a hug, heard what the PA said and agreed with her treatment, hugged me again, and went off to her next patient.
I am so lucky I have such a good doctor.
Now I'm coughing again but I am so far resisting the cough medicine she prescribed. It has guaifenesin in it and that stuff makes me jittery, especially this time of day. I did resort to an inhaler a bit ago.
I have been sick since November 30, so two weeks.
The doctor also gave me a second round of antibiotics, something I've neve had before. It is supposed to help with this type of respiratory thing.
We shall see. I hope I wake up in the morning feeling like a new woman.
This is a horrible time to be sick, especially since my husband is still recovering from surgery and non-weight bearing on one foot (his driving foot!). It's not like I can send him out to the supermarket, so I've been overdoing things a bit, I suspect, by trying to take care of everything.
I am not one to go to bed when I am ill, though I prefer to stay home and not go out. Even so, I still manage 7,000 steps on my Fitbit.
Somebody has to do the laundry, after all.
My doctor, I was told, is booked through the end of the year. Not exactly what you want to hear when you sitting in the room getting your blood checked, but at least she has the PA available.
While I was there, I had an asthma attack. The PA listened to my lungs and could hear the wheezing. She then administered a nebulizer, which is a breathing thing that forces albuterol down into your lungs. The wheezing cleared up, as did the coughing, until about 4 p.m. this afternoon.
My doctor, bless her, came into my room to see me anyway, for just a moment. She gave me a hug, heard what the PA said and agreed with her treatment, hugged me again, and went off to her next patient.
I am so lucky I have such a good doctor.
Now I'm coughing again but I am so far resisting the cough medicine she prescribed. It has guaifenesin in it and that stuff makes me jittery, especially this time of day. I did resort to an inhaler a bit ago.
I have been sick since November 30, so two weeks.
The doctor also gave me a second round of antibiotics, something I've neve had before. It is supposed to help with this type of respiratory thing.
We shall see. I hope I wake up in the morning feeling like a new woman.
This is a horrible time to be sick, especially since my husband is still recovering from surgery and non-weight bearing on one foot (his driving foot!). It's not like I can send him out to the supermarket, so I've been overdoing things a bit, I suspect, by trying to take care of everything.
I am not one to go to bed when I am ill, though I prefer to stay home and not go out. Even so, I still manage 7,000 steps on my Fitbit.
Somebody has to do the laundry, after all.
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Sunday Stealing
Sunday Stealing
1. If you saw a dog locked in a hot car, what would you do?
A. If I were at a store, I would go in and report it to management and then if they did not call for the person over the loudspeaker or something, I would ask them to call the police, and if they didn't do that, then I would call myself.
2. Is it easy for you to accept help when you need it?
A. No.
3. Have you ever been in a fashion show?
A. No.
4. Would you like to be famous?
A. I'm as famous as I care to be.
5. What is your most compulsive habit?
A. Biting my fingernails.
6. What do you most strive for in your life: accomplishment, security, love, power, excitement, knowledge, or something else?
A. Knowledge and security.
7. How close and warm is your family?
A. I decline to answer that kind of question so close to the holidays.
8. Does that fact that you have never done a thing before increase or decrease its appeal to you?
A. It depends on what it is. Plumbing? Not so much. Creating a booklet or something? You bet.
9. If your friends start belittling a common acquaintance, would you defend that person?
A. I suppose it would depend on the manner of the belittlement, but I hope I would.
10. Do you make a special effort to thank someone who does you a favor? How do you react when you aren’t thanked for going out of your way for someone?
A. Yes, I make an effort to thank someone who does something for me. For example, my dentist saw me on a Saturday recently, and I sent her a thank-you note (even though I will be paying her). I don't do things to be thanked, so I generally don't think about it, unless it's in an off-hand way, like, hmm, I wonder if my nephew received his birthday money. I never heard him say.
11. Since adolescence, in what 3-year period do you feel you experienced the most personal growth and change?
A. From 2004 to 2007.
12. When you do something ridiculous, how much does it bother you to have other people notice it and laugh at you?
A. It depends on what it is.
13. Do you believe in capital punishment?
A. No, I do not.
14. Do you find it so hard to say “no” that you regularly do favors you do not want to do?
A. Sometimes.
15. What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?
A. Very little is off-limits, especially if time has gone by, but personally, I think certain things should be sacred. 9/11. The Holocaust. Things like that.
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
1. If you saw a dog locked in a hot car, what would you do?
A. If I were at a store, I would go in and report it to management and then if they did not call for the person over the loudspeaker or something, I would ask them to call the police, and if they didn't do that, then I would call myself.
2. Is it easy for you to accept help when you need it?
A. No.
3. Have you ever been in a fashion show?
A. No.
4. Would you like to be famous?
A. I'm as famous as I care to be.
5. What is your most compulsive habit?
A. Biting my fingernails.
6. What do you most strive for in your life: accomplishment, security, love, power, excitement, knowledge, or something else?
A. Knowledge and security.
7. How close and warm is your family?
A. I decline to answer that kind of question so close to the holidays.
8. Does that fact that you have never done a thing before increase or decrease its appeal to you?
A. It depends on what it is. Plumbing? Not so much. Creating a booklet or something? You bet.
9. If your friends start belittling a common acquaintance, would you defend that person?
A. I suppose it would depend on the manner of the belittlement, but I hope I would.
10. Do you make a special effort to thank someone who does you a favor? How do you react when you aren’t thanked for going out of your way for someone?
A. Yes, I make an effort to thank someone who does something for me. For example, my dentist saw me on a Saturday recently, and I sent her a thank-you note (even though I will be paying her). I don't do things to be thanked, so I generally don't think about it, unless it's in an off-hand way, like, hmm, I wonder if my nephew received his birthday money. I never heard him say.
11. Since adolescence, in what 3-year period do you feel you experienced the most personal growth and change?
A. From 2004 to 2007.
12. When you do something ridiculous, how much does it bother you to have other people notice it and laugh at you?
A. It depends on what it is.
13. Do you believe in capital punishment?
A. No, I do not.
14. Do you find it so hard to say “no” that you regularly do favors you do not want to do?
A. Sometimes.
15. What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?
A. Very little is off-limits, especially if time has gone by, but personally, I think certain things should be sacred. 9/11. The Holocaust. Things like that.
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Saturday 9: The Christmas Song
Saturday 9: The Christmas Song (1961)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) The lyrics mention "chestnuts roasting on an open fire." Do you often eat chestnuts?
A. I haven't had any in a long time. I never see them in the store.
2) There's a reference to Jack Frost, too. Does cold weather help you get into the holiday spirit?
A. A little snow on the ground (not ice) helps, if it is the kind that covers the grass, is pretty long enough for a photo, and then goes away.
3) Nat sings that turkey helps to make the season bright. We just had it last month for Thanksgiving. Do you enjoy turkey all year around? Or do you consider it primarily a holiday dish?
A. We generally only eat it around the holidays.
4) This song was published as "The Christmas Song," but people often refer to it as "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" or "Merry Christmas to You." When you think of this song, which title comes to mind?
A. Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire
5) Nat King Cole had a big hit in the 1950s with "Mona Lisa." The ballad compares an enigmatic woman to the da Vinci painting, which hangs in the Louvre. The Mona Lisa has been called the most instantly identifiable painting in the world. Can you think of another famous painting that you recognize on sight? (Extra points if you include a picture!)
A. A Van Gogh is easily recognized. Most people know The Starry Night, but I have The Starry Night Over the Rhone hanging in my office. A copy, of course.
6) Best remembered today as a singer, Cole was also an accomplished composer and jazz pianist. Do you like jazz?
A. I don't listen to it often. I appreciate its influence over other forms of music.
7) The only Christmas card Sam has received so far this year is from her dentist. She never sees Dr. Douglas socially. In fact, she hasn't seen him since her annual check-up last March. Have you received many cards this year?
A. I think we have received maybe 10 so far. I sent out about 55. I used to send out over 100, but the list has grown smaller and smaller as we've aged.
8) When did/will you start holiday shopping this year: Christmas Eve, Thanksgiving/Black Friday, Halloween? Earlier than that?
A. I started a wee bit earlier than Thanksgiving, but not by much. We've had a lot going on.
9) This time of year is big for charitable fundraising. Here's your chance to plug a cause or organization that's near and dear to you.
A. I think people should give to local charities that they know do good things. We have something here called The Rescue Mission which houses many homeless folks on cold nights, and feeds them, too. I usually give to that. I also donate to larger organizations that do things like fight cancer, but I prefer donations to organizations that remain local.
______________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. (#315)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) The lyrics mention "chestnuts roasting on an open fire." Do you often eat chestnuts?
A. I haven't had any in a long time. I never see them in the store.
2) There's a reference to Jack Frost, too. Does cold weather help you get into the holiday spirit?
A. A little snow on the ground (not ice) helps, if it is the kind that covers the grass, is pretty long enough for a photo, and then goes away.
3) Nat sings that turkey helps to make the season bright. We just had it last month for Thanksgiving. Do you enjoy turkey all year around? Or do you consider it primarily a holiday dish?
A. We generally only eat it around the holidays.
4) This song was published as "The Christmas Song," but people often refer to it as "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" or "Merry Christmas to You." When you think of this song, which title comes to mind?
A. Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire
5) Nat King Cole had a big hit in the 1950s with "Mona Lisa." The ballad compares an enigmatic woman to the da Vinci painting, which hangs in the Louvre. The Mona Lisa has been called the most instantly identifiable painting in the world. Can you think of another famous painting that you recognize on sight? (Extra points if you include a picture!)
A. A Van Gogh is easily recognized. Most people know The Starry Night, but I have The Starry Night Over the Rhone hanging in my office. A copy, of course.
6) Best remembered today as a singer, Cole was also an accomplished composer and jazz pianist. Do you like jazz?
A. I don't listen to it often. I appreciate its influence over other forms of music.
7) The only Christmas card Sam has received so far this year is from her dentist. She never sees Dr. Douglas socially. In fact, she hasn't seen him since her annual check-up last March. Have you received many cards this year?
A. I think we have received maybe 10 so far. I sent out about 55. I used to send out over 100, but the list has grown smaller and smaller as we've aged.
8) When did/will you start holiday shopping this year: Christmas Eve, Thanksgiving/Black Friday, Halloween? Earlier than that?
A. I started a wee bit earlier than Thanksgiving, but not by much. We've had a lot going on.
9) This time of year is big for charitable fundraising. Here's your chance to plug a cause or organization that's near and dear to you.
A. I think people should give to local charities that they know do good things. We have something here called The Rescue Mission which houses many homeless folks on cold nights, and feeds them, too. I usually give to that. I also donate to larger organizations that do things like fight cancer, but I prefer donations to organizations that remain local.
______________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. (#315)
Friday, December 13, 2019
A Little Ice, Ice Baby
We woke this morning to ice, and while the forecast called for warmer temps and lessening rain, it has instead simply drizzled rainy icy water from the sky all day.
A gray day. An icy day.
A good day to stay inside.
A gray day. An icy day.
A good day to stay inside.
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| This blue jay seemed perplexed by the icy trees. |
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| The coating of ice has grown as the day as progressed. |
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| My garden cart, which I flipped over the other day because it was full of water, has icicles hanging from its wheels. |
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| Just a pretty branch, coated with ice. |
The Cold Moon
This was the last full moon of the year. It became full on 12/12 at 12:12 a.m., making it an intriguing moon for those who believe there's a wee bit o' magic in the timing of certain things. I took these pictures as the moon began to rise on 12/11/2019, about six hours before it hit its totality of fullness. Not that you can tell that from a photo.
These shots are from two different cameras, both Nikons.
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Thursday Thirteen
I was thinking the other day about things that I've used in my lifetime that kids today would have no knowledge of. I wondered if I could come up with 13.
1. A car antenna. Not the built-in kind, but the one that stuck up out of the car fender and danced along with the wind as you breezed along.
2. Eight track tape player. These were actually on their way out when I was growing up; I used cassettes. But cassettes are also obsolete now, for the most part.
3. VHS tapes and players. One of my first major purchases as a married woman was a VHS player. We paid $300 for a brand new one, and it had a wired remote with it. It was made of solid steel, too. It was heavy.
4. A rotary phone. I kind of miss that phtt phtt sound the phones made when you dialed them.
5. A transistor radio. I have never seen a young person use a transistor radio. They were the big deal back in the day. They had antennas, too, that you could pull up and push back down. That in and of itself was a big deal.
6. A party line phone. This was where you had more than one household on the same line, and you could pick it up and hear other people talking.
7. Beta tapes. Beta tapes didn't last because the VHS tapes became the standard, but I remember beta tapes and players.
8. A slide rule.
9. A compass (the little thing that draws circles).
10. A ruler to measure things with. I think nowadays if you need a measurement, you use your phone.
11. A flip phone (my husband still uses his).
12. CB radio. These were used mostly by truckers but there was a time when a lot of folks had them in their cars, too. Breaker breaker 1-9, this is Buttercup calling. Anybody out there?
13. A telephone book. I still don't know how you find people these days if all they have is a cellphone. We are so connected and yet totally disconnected, it creates a feeling of non-reality. I used to be able to look up my neighbors in the phone book to call them if their cows were out. Now if I don't have their cell number, I have no way to get in touch. It's kind of weird, really.
Bonus: A telephone booth.
_______________
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 634th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
1. A car antenna. Not the built-in kind, but the one that stuck up out of the car fender and danced along with the wind as you breezed along.
2. Eight track tape player. These were actually on their way out when I was growing up; I used cassettes. But cassettes are also obsolete now, for the most part.
3. VHS tapes and players. One of my first major purchases as a married woman was a VHS player. We paid $300 for a brand new one, and it had a wired remote with it. It was made of solid steel, too. It was heavy.
4. A rotary phone. I kind of miss that phtt phtt sound the phones made when you dialed them.
5. A transistor radio. I have never seen a young person use a transistor radio. They were the big deal back in the day. They had antennas, too, that you could pull up and push back down. That in and of itself was a big deal.
6. A party line phone. This was where you had more than one household on the same line, and you could pick it up and hear other people talking.
7. Beta tapes. Beta tapes didn't last because the VHS tapes became the standard, but I remember beta tapes and players.
8. A slide rule.
9. A compass (the little thing that draws circles).
10. A ruler to measure things with. I think nowadays if you need a measurement, you use your phone.
11. A flip phone (my husband still uses his).
12. CB radio. These were used mostly by truckers but there was a time when a lot of folks had them in their cars, too. Breaker breaker 1-9, this is Buttercup calling. Anybody out there?
13. A telephone book. I still don't know how you find people these days if all they have is a cellphone. We are so connected and yet totally disconnected, it creates a feeling of non-reality. I used to be able to look up my neighbors in the phone book to call them if their cows were out. Now if I don't have their cell number, I have no way to get in touch. It's kind of weird, really.
Bonus: A telephone booth.
_______________
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 634th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Visitors
We had a surprise visit from James' Aunt Nancy and her daughter, Ann, today. They live in North Carolina.
Aunt Nancy is the last of the siblings of James' dad. She moved to Georgia and lived there until a few years ago. Maybe the secret to longevity is getting away from home.
Photos taken with my iPhone, which doesn't work as good as it did before an update. Oh well.
Aunt Nancy is the last of the siblings of James' dad. She moved to Georgia and lived there until a few years ago. Maybe the secret to longevity is getting away from home.
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| Aunt Nancy with my husband. See any resemblance? |
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| Cousin Ann. I have always liked her though I don't know her well. |
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Monday, December 09, 2019
Sunday, December 08, 2019
Sunday Stealing
I am awfully sick. I went to bed last night at 7:30 p.m. and will be heading back there soon. If I don't make visits, that is why.
Sunday Stealing
1. What don’t you share?
A. My toothbrush.
2. What is a reason to celebrate?
A. A raise, an accomplishment, getting up another day.
3. Describe where you are now.
A. I'm in my office in front of my computer, answering these questions. The walls are off white in color, lots of books are visible, as are cameras and two guitars. Out the window I see a stand of oak trees and further away I can now see the "shed" where my husband hangs out, since we had to cut down the blue spruce.
4. What is a dream that seems impossible?
A. Sending a person out of the galaxy in my lifetime. I think it will happen eventually, but it is centuries away.
5. What is something you hope for?
A. I hope for better health.
6. What is a tradition that makes you feel at home?
A. Getting a hug.
7. Who are the people who make your life better?
A. My husband, my brother, my friends.
8. Name someone you’d like to meet.
A. That could be a long list, since it doesn't say living or dead. I shall go with living, and say Elizabeth Warren.
9. What is a silly thing you’d really like?
A. Tie dye t-shirts.
10. Name a book from your childhood.
A. Miss Osborne the Mop. It was one of my favorite books. It was a Scholastic book and it was about a mop that came to life and had all sorts of adventures with two children. It isn't available anymore except as used.
11. Name something you’re still not sure about.
A. How a tiny little brownie turns into 15 pounds.
12. What is the best dessert to share with friends?
A. Any of them, really. But cookies are good. Or fudge. Or brownies.
13. Name a story that captures your imagination.
A. Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy has proved interesting. Or at least the first book has. I haven't read the other two.
14. Name some memories beside a fireplace.
A. I don't really have any. We always had a fireplace when I was growing up but it was something that was a chore. It wasn't a place where you sat to make memories. It was heat.
15. How do you spend a rainy day?
A. Cleaning up the house and reading a book.
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
Sunday Stealing
1. What don’t you share?
A. My toothbrush.
2. What is a reason to celebrate?
A. A raise, an accomplishment, getting up another day.
3. Describe where you are now.
A. I'm in my office in front of my computer, answering these questions. The walls are off white in color, lots of books are visible, as are cameras and two guitars. Out the window I see a stand of oak trees and further away I can now see the "shed" where my husband hangs out, since we had to cut down the blue spruce.
4. What is a dream that seems impossible?
A. Sending a person out of the galaxy in my lifetime. I think it will happen eventually, but it is centuries away.
5. What is something you hope for?
A. I hope for better health.
6. What is a tradition that makes you feel at home?
A. Getting a hug.
7. Who are the people who make your life better?
A. My husband, my brother, my friends.
8. Name someone you’d like to meet.
A. That could be a long list, since it doesn't say living or dead. I shall go with living, and say Elizabeth Warren.
9. What is a silly thing you’d really like?
A. Tie dye t-shirts.
10. Name a book from your childhood.
A. Miss Osborne the Mop. It was one of my favorite books. It was a Scholastic book and it was about a mop that came to life and had all sorts of adventures with two children. It isn't available anymore except as used.
11. Name something you’re still not sure about.
A. How a tiny little brownie turns into 15 pounds.
12. What is the best dessert to share with friends?
A. Any of them, really. But cookies are good. Or fudge. Or brownies.
13. Name a story that captures your imagination.
A. Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy has proved interesting. Or at least the first book has. I haven't read the other two.
14. Name some memories beside a fireplace.
A. I don't really have any. We always had a fireplace when I was growing up but it was something that was a chore. It wasn't a place where you sat to make memories. It was heat.
15. How do you spend a rainy day?
A. Cleaning up the house and reading a book.
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
Saturday, December 07, 2019
Saturday 9: The Champion
Saturday 9: The Champion (2018)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) This song is about doing what it takes to win. What's the most recent competition you won? (Yes, online solitaire counts.)
A. I finished a jigsaw puzzle in Microsoft games.
2) The lyrics tell us to "go ahead and put your bets on me." Do you often play games of chance -- like the office football pool, or slot machines, or the lottery?
A. We play the lottery a few times a year. I wouldn't call it "often."
3) The video includes footage of young people competing in The Special Olympics. What's your favorite sport to watch? Is it the same sport you most enjoying playing?
A. I like to watch ice skating, but I don't skate.
4) This week's featured artist, Carrie Underwood, first came to America's attention when she won on American Idol. Prior to competing on that show, she'd never been on an airplane. How old were you when you took your first flight?
A. I was 29 years old.
5) Carrie loves horror and her favorite author is Stephen King. What book are you currently reading?
A. Overstory, by Richard Powers
6) Carrie's duet partner on "The Champion" is rapper Ludacris. In addition to making music, he acts and has appeared in one Sam's favorite shows, Law & Order: SVU. What's your favorite "cop show?"
A. I don't watch cop shows, unless you want to go way back to Cagney & Lacey and Hunter.
7) Ludacris is a distant cousin of comedian Richard Pryor. Have you studied your family's genealogy?
A. Yes, I have. According to my mother, on my father's side we're distantly related to Richard Nixon but I have not found that connection. I think she had bad intel.
8) Soccer was a big deal in 2018, the year this song was released. According to Google, "FIFA World Cup" was the news story that generated the most internet searches. What's the last thing you "googled?"
A. A coat I wanted to purchase for my husband for Christmas.
9) Random question: You're battling the flu. The doctor advises you to stay in bed a full five days. As you begin feeling better (around Day 3), do you continue to follow doctor's orders? Or do you get up and start moving before you're supposed to?
A. I'm married. Married women do not get to follow doctor's orders unless they are comatose. I would have been up the first day. In fact, I'm sick right now and probably should be in bed, and I've changed two beds, washed five loads of clothes, gone after the newspaper, helped my husband shower and dress, and carried out the trash.
______________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) This song is about doing what it takes to win. What's the most recent competition you won? (Yes, online solitaire counts.)
A. I finished a jigsaw puzzle in Microsoft games.
2) The lyrics tell us to "go ahead and put your bets on me." Do you often play games of chance -- like the office football pool, or slot machines, or the lottery?
A. We play the lottery a few times a year. I wouldn't call it "often."
3) The video includes footage of young people competing in The Special Olympics. What's your favorite sport to watch? Is it the same sport you most enjoying playing?
A. I like to watch ice skating, but I don't skate.
4) This week's featured artist, Carrie Underwood, first came to America's attention when she won on American Idol. Prior to competing on that show, she'd never been on an airplane. How old were you when you took your first flight?
A. I was 29 years old.
5) Carrie loves horror and her favorite author is Stephen King. What book are you currently reading?
A. Overstory, by Richard Powers
6) Carrie's duet partner on "The Champion" is rapper Ludacris. In addition to making music, he acts and has appeared in one Sam's favorite shows, Law & Order: SVU. What's your favorite "cop show?"
A. I don't watch cop shows, unless you want to go way back to Cagney & Lacey and Hunter.
7) Ludacris is a distant cousin of comedian Richard Pryor. Have you studied your family's genealogy?
A. Yes, I have. According to my mother, on my father's side we're distantly related to Richard Nixon but I have not found that connection. I think she had bad intel.
8) Soccer was a big deal in 2018, the year this song was released. According to Google, "FIFA World Cup" was the news story that generated the most internet searches. What's the last thing you "googled?"
A. A coat I wanted to purchase for my husband for Christmas.
9) Random question: You're battling the flu. The doctor advises you to stay in bed a full five days. As you begin feeling better (around Day 3), do you continue to follow doctor's orders? Or do you get up and start moving before you're supposed to?
A. I'm married. Married women do not get to follow doctor's orders unless they are comatose. I would have been up the first day. In fact, I'm sick right now and probably should be in bed, and I've changed two beds, washed five loads of clothes, gone after the newspaper, helped my husband shower and dress, and carried out the trash.
______________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.
Friday, December 06, 2019
Post-Op Report
Went with husband to his post-op check up today. My brother actually took him; I followed in my car. Husband did not believe he could ride in my vehicle (I thought otherwise). I have since informed him since that my Camry isn't good enough, we need a third car so my vehicle will be, in fact, my vehicle, since right now we have "his" truck and "our" car and I would like to have a car of my own.
I would like to have a Corolla instead of a Camry, I think. I know he couldn't (or wouldn't try to) fit in a Corolla and I wouldn't have to worry about constantly adjusting the seats and mirrors and finding chewing tobacco spills all over the seat.
But I digress.
At the doctor's office, we saw pictures of the screws and plates in his foot. After the bandages were removed, we realized that he had incisions in more places than we'd been told by the "helper" in the hospital. As I did not talk to the damn doctor (he will always be that in my mind), I am not surprised to find we didn't know this.
The damn doctor looked at his foot, said it was healing nicely, and then sent him off for an x-ray and to have a cast put in place.
Husband chose fire-engine red for his cast color.
Now it is a matter of keeping it elevated and continuing to be non-weight bearing. He is getting along well, really. He's not a demanding patient and now that he is up and around he is doing a few things for himself, like making his coffee
In other not-so-great news, I've developed a sore throat, bleeding sinuses, and an earache. I don't have a temperature and my doctor doesn't work on Friday afternoons.
I tried really hard not to catch something but it is next to impossible to go out of the house and not walk into germs. Plus we've had a lot more people in the house than normal - visitors and home health care folks. Who knows what they drag inside. I have been appalled at the perfume some of the home health care people have worn - one person came in reeking of some smelly-good stuff and I literally had to leave the room and then air out the house after she left.
I plan to complain about many things about Carilion and its drive-by surgery proceedings. This so-called "home health care" is a joke.
Letters are in the works, with cc to Nancy Agee (who is already familiar with me as a champion of those who experience crap at the hands of Carilion, though it's been a few years since my messed-up surgery there).
The community deserves better.
I would like to have a Corolla instead of a Camry, I think. I know he couldn't (or wouldn't try to) fit in a Corolla and I wouldn't have to worry about constantly adjusting the seats and mirrors and finding chewing tobacco spills all over the seat.
But I digress.
At the doctor's office, we saw pictures of the screws and plates in his foot. After the bandages were removed, we realized that he had incisions in more places than we'd been told by the "helper" in the hospital. As I did not talk to the damn doctor (he will always be that in my mind), I am not surprised to find we didn't know this.
The damn doctor looked at his foot, said it was healing nicely, and then sent him off for an x-ray and to have a cast put in place.
Husband chose fire-engine red for his cast color.
Now it is a matter of keeping it elevated and continuing to be non-weight bearing. He is getting along well, really. He's not a demanding patient and now that he is up and around he is doing a few things for himself, like making his coffee
In other not-so-great news, I've developed a sore throat, bleeding sinuses, and an earache. I don't have a temperature and my doctor doesn't work on Friday afternoons.
I tried really hard not to catch something but it is next to impossible to go out of the house and not walk into germs. Plus we've had a lot more people in the house than normal - visitors and home health care folks. Who knows what they drag inside. I have been appalled at the perfume some of the home health care people have worn - one person came in reeking of some smelly-good stuff and I literally had to leave the room and then air out the house after she left.
I plan to complain about many things about Carilion and its drive-by surgery proceedings. This so-called "home health care" is a joke.
Letters are in the works, with cc to Nancy Agee (who is already familiar with me as a champion of those who experience crap at the hands of Carilion, though it's been a few years since my messed-up surgery there).
The community deserves better.
Thursday, December 05, 2019
Thursday Thirteen
1. My husband is really not a bad patient. Now that he is feeling more like himself, off the medications and such, he is doing more for himself, too. He is back to fixing his coffee. I strongly suspect this is because I fix bad coffee as much as anything, but whatever.
2. I remember that fixing coffee was a requirement in one of my first jobs. After the first week, I was informed I need not fix coffee anymore. I am not sure how I manage to mess up coffee, but I don't drink it so I wouldn't know a good cup if it splashed me in the face.
3. The last cup of coffee I drank was really good, and that evening I had a gallbladder attack that sent me to the ER.
4. Once I went to Buchanan to interview a fellow who was walking the length of the USA for some cause or the other. He insisted on buying me a cup of coffee while we did the interview at the local drugstore. I felt like I had to drink it.
5. Back in the early 2000s, I went through a spell where I attempted to drink coffee because a study said it was good for you. I think it lasted about three cups. I am simply not a coffee drinker.
6. Tea, however, is another story. I drink a cup of hot tea every morning. That is all I drink, though. The rest of the day I drink water.
7. There was a time when I sucked down sweet tea constantly, but those days are long gone. I would come home from school and have tea and crackers. It made me feel very British.
8. When I was a teenager, my soda of choice was Dr. Pepper. Later I switched to Coke. But I don't drink soda at all now and haven't for 20 years. Occasionally I will have a root beer but it has been months since I had one of those.
9. Acid reflux and ulcers will force you to change your diet, even if you don't want to. So will aging. Or maybe acid reflux comes with aging. Or maybe the American diet creates acid reflux. I'm not sure which.
10. My acid reflux pill of choice is Zantac, which has been removed from the market. I have enough here to last me about a year if I want to ignore the possibilities of cancer, which seem so minute in the stories I've read as to be worth the risk.
11. Even so, today I picked up a bottle of generic Pepcid. I haven't tried this drug to see if it helps but I am currently taking a prescription one (Protonix) and would like to step it down a bit if I can.
12. Coming off of an acid reflux prohibitor drug is difficult. It takes a lot of Gaviscon to do that.
13. And going all the way back to #1, I will say that my husband is not causing me acid reflux. His coffee might, but he's doing very well.
_______________
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 633rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
2. I remember that fixing coffee was a requirement in one of my first jobs. After the first week, I was informed I need not fix coffee anymore. I am not sure how I manage to mess up coffee, but I don't drink it so I wouldn't know a good cup if it splashed me in the face.
3. The last cup of coffee I drank was really good, and that evening I had a gallbladder attack that sent me to the ER.
4. Once I went to Buchanan to interview a fellow who was walking the length of the USA for some cause or the other. He insisted on buying me a cup of coffee while we did the interview at the local drugstore. I felt like I had to drink it.
5. Back in the early 2000s, I went through a spell where I attempted to drink coffee because a study said it was good for you. I think it lasted about three cups. I am simply not a coffee drinker.
6. Tea, however, is another story. I drink a cup of hot tea every morning. That is all I drink, though. The rest of the day I drink water.
7. There was a time when I sucked down sweet tea constantly, but those days are long gone. I would come home from school and have tea and crackers. It made me feel very British.
8. When I was a teenager, my soda of choice was Dr. Pepper. Later I switched to Coke. But I don't drink soda at all now and haven't for 20 years. Occasionally I will have a root beer but it has been months since I had one of those.
9. Acid reflux and ulcers will force you to change your diet, even if you don't want to. So will aging. Or maybe acid reflux comes with aging. Or maybe the American diet creates acid reflux. I'm not sure which.
10. My acid reflux pill of choice is Zantac, which has been removed from the market. I have enough here to last me about a year if I want to ignore the possibilities of cancer, which seem so minute in the stories I've read as to be worth the risk.
11. Even so, today I picked up a bottle of generic Pepcid. I haven't tried this drug to see if it helps but I am currently taking a prescription one (Protonix) and would like to step it down a bit if I can.
12. Coming off of an acid reflux prohibitor drug is difficult. It takes a lot of Gaviscon to do that.
13. And going all the way back to #1, I will say that my husband is not causing me acid reflux. His coffee might, but he's doing very well.
_______________
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 633rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Tuesday, December 03, 2019
Just Another Day
The patient is doing well. He was up a lot yesterday, sitting and watching TV and listening to an audiobook. He is back in the bed more today, so he was probably up too much. However, this afternoon finds him at his own computer, looking at whatever he looks at.
He is now fetching some of his own items. Bottled water, diet Dr. Pepper, his cans of snuff that I am reluctant to give him in the first place. We are finding our new routine, which basically means that my day doesn't start until after 11 a.m., after I get him bathed and fed and all of that.
It is very tiring for him to have an unusable foot. Everything takes a little thought and more time. That goes for both of us.
He watched me carry out the trash yesterday. The bag had grown heavier than I thought (I try to keep them light), so I walked a few feet, felt the pain in my abdomen, stopped, set the bag down briefly, let the pain subside, picked up the bag, walked a few feet, etc., until I reached the outbuilding where the outside trash cans are.
Doable. A little slow, but I am managing. He didn't like it that it took me so long, that I was in the cold that long, that I had to do it at all, really. But it's better out there than stinking up the garage. And it's how I've learned to manage, after 6 years of dealing with my own tiring health issues. I think this has been enlightening for him, to watch me work through my days, getting the laundry done, the dishes cleaned up, still managing the household as best I can.
We have put up a small 3-foot tree that we bought at Walmart. It has no decorations because I can't lift the boxes to get to the decorations. At least it gives off a little holiday light.
My husband packs up boxes as full as he can, and puts things where he can reach them. So the Christmas things are heavy and up high. He is 6' 2" tall and I'm 5' 1' tall. I have a bad back and bad ab muscles, and can't lift much over 10 pounds or so. I could stand on a stool and unpack the boxes from on high, I guess, but I don't see the point. If I decide I simply must have decorations on this tiny little tree, it would be easier to go to the dollar store and buy something cheap to throw on there than to dig out the boxes.
Carilion Transgressions
I was going to write a blog post about my wait at Carilion, but too much time has passed. I think I will, though, leave a list of transgressions here so I can come back to it when I sit down to write a letter to somebody at that facility.
1. The pre-op people said to bring an overnight bag with you. They said it would be placed on the gurney, taken with my husband into surgery, and then it would be there with him when he was sent to his recovery room. But they don't do that anymore. I had to walk the entire length of the hospital, led there by a volunteer, so I could pick up the things he took with him, plus the clothing he had on. Just his shoes are heavy (size 13 feet). So I was stuck with all of this stuff that if the pre-op instructions had been accurate would have been left in the car. They have a disconnect between what actually happens and the instructions. This should be fixed.
2. The PT people need to see the patient prior to surgery to go over ways to maneuver and figure out the best assistance device before the surgery. He saw a PT immediately after who helped him figure out he needed a walker (not something we'd considered), and then for whatever reason Carilion Home Health sent a PT down on Monday to see him. He can't do PT now. That was a waste of money.
3. The occupational therapist needs to see the patient prior to surgery, too, and probably again immediately thereafter. The occupational therapist did the most good when she came to the house.
4. The damn doctor never came to the waiting room to tell me what he did to my husband. He never called or anything. I complained to the nurse after I got to my husband's room and she tracked down an assistant who'd helped with the surgery. I didn't want to talk to an assistant. I wanted to talk to the damn doctor. I still haven't talked to the damn doctor. The damn doctor did talk to my husband but he was just coming out from anesthesia and can't remember anything he said. Not helpful.
5. The valet parking people were rude. I accept some responsibility for this, as we'd given them the extra key fob to the car to park it. We asked for a handicapped spot and apparently those are all in front of the hospital. I didn't realize they were going to place it in a line until they could find a handicapped space for it in front of the hospital. After the volunteer gave me all of my husband's clothing and bags, etc., I decided I'd go put the stuff in the car rather than try to keep up with it. I assumed the car would be parked but it was in a line waiting to be parked when a space emptied out. When I asked where the car was, one of the men handed me the key fob and I went to the car. The key fob was acting funny, I could tell, but I had other things on my mind. I put my husband's clothing in the back seat and couldn't get the key fob to lock the doors. Since I had the other key fob in my pocketbook I thought one was messing up the other. I left the doors unlocked - if anyone wanted his big shoes they could have them - and handed the key fob back to the valet fellow. About an hour later one of the men called me and said my car wouldn't start and he accused me of switching key fobs when I went down before. I did not do that, of course. I went back down to the front of the hospital and found the man, who dared me to start the car with that key fob. I did, because I read the owner's manual to my car and I know that if you put the key fob against the electric start if the fob battery is dead, it will start the car anyway. He basically accused me of witchcraft even after I explained to him how to start a car with a dead key fob, which you would think someone who is working as a car valet would know. Certainly that can't be the first time a key fob for an electric start vehicle has gone dead. Anyway, the man parked my car then tore my paperwork off my key fob and threw at me, after again accusing me of switching key fobs on him (why would I even do that?). It was a dead battery and certainly nothing intentional on my part, good grief. The man was very rude. (It is also possible the damn doctor came out to the waiting room while I was dealing with the rude valet people, but even so, the woman at the waiting room desk had my cell number and knew where I was and he could have called.)
6. We called the hospital on Tuesday, November 26, about pain medication. Carilion called yesterday, December 2, to tell my husband he had pain medication ready at the Riverside pharmacy and we could come and pick it up. A week later. I know there was a holiday in there, but really? We told them to keep their drugs as he no longer needed them.
7. I had called my husband's doctor two weeks before his surgery and told the nurse I wanted help with bathing him while he was doped up on pain killers. We got a PT, RN visits every couple of days, and an OT. How was this helpful, really? What if I had been really, really disabled, like in a wheelchair or something myself? Is this how they deal with this kind of family concern? This makes no sense. The RN visits I am tolerating but he is not running a fever or exhibiting any signs of any problems whatsoever. His pain level is next to nothing. I've had a higher pain level than he has during most of this. Somebody was not listening.
He is now fetching some of his own items. Bottled water, diet Dr. Pepper, his cans of snuff that I am reluctant to give him in the first place. We are finding our new routine, which basically means that my day doesn't start until after 11 a.m., after I get him bathed and fed and all of that.
It is very tiring for him to have an unusable foot. Everything takes a little thought and more time. That goes for both of us.
He watched me carry out the trash yesterday. The bag had grown heavier than I thought (I try to keep them light), so I walked a few feet, felt the pain in my abdomen, stopped, set the bag down briefly, let the pain subside, picked up the bag, walked a few feet, etc., until I reached the outbuilding where the outside trash cans are.
Doable. A little slow, but I am managing. He didn't like it that it took me so long, that I was in the cold that long, that I had to do it at all, really. But it's better out there than stinking up the garage. And it's how I've learned to manage, after 6 years of dealing with my own tiring health issues. I think this has been enlightening for him, to watch me work through my days, getting the laundry done, the dishes cleaned up, still managing the household as best I can.
We have put up a small 3-foot tree that we bought at Walmart. It has no decorations because I can't lift the boxes to get to the decorations. At least it gives off a little holiday light.
My husband packs up boxes as full as he can, and puts things where he can reach them. So the Christmas things are heavy and up high. He is 6' 2" tall and I'm 5' 1' tall. I have a bad back and bad ab muscles, and can't lift much over 10 pounds or so. I could stand on a stool and unpack the boxes from on high, I guess, but I don't see the point. If I decide I simply must have decorations on this tiny little tree, it would be easier to go to the dollar store and buy something cheap to throw on there than to dig out the boxes.
Carilion Transgressions
I was going to write a blog post about my wait at Carilion, but too much time has passed. I think I will, though, leave a list of transgressions here so I can come back to it when I sit down to write a letter to somebody at that facility.
1. The pre-op people said to bring an overnight bag with you. They said it would be placed on the gurney, taken with my husband into surgery, and then it would be there with him when he was sent to his recovery room. But they don't do that anymore. I had to walk the entire length of the hospital, led there by a volunteer, so I could pick up the things he took with him, plus the clothing he had on. Just his shoes are heavy (size 13 feet). So I was stuck with all of this stuff that if the pre-op instructions had been accurate would have been left in the car. They have a disconnect between what actually happens and the instructions. This should be fixed.
2. The PT people need to see the patient prior to surgery to go over ways to maneuver and figure out the best assistance device before the surgery. He saw a PT immediately after who helped him figure out he needed a walker (not something we'd considered), and then for whatever reason Carilion Home Health sent a PT down on Monday to see him. He can't do PT now. That was a waste of money.
3. The occupational therapist needs to see the patient prior to surgery, too, and probably again immediately thereafter. The occupational therapist did the most good when she came to the house.
4. The damn doctor never came to the waiting room to tell me what he did to my husband. He never called or anything. I complained to the nurse after I got to my husband's room and she tracked down an assistant who'd helped with the surgery. I didn't want to talk to an assistant. I wanted to talk to the damn doctor. I still haven't talked to the damn doctor. The damn doctor did talk to my husband but he was just coming out from anesthesia and can't remember anything he said. Not helpful.
5. The valet parking people were rude. I accept some responsibility for this, as we'd given them the extra key fob to the car to park it. We asked for a handicapped spot and apparently those are all in front of the hospital. I didn't realize they were going to place it in a line until they could find a handicapped space for it in front of the hospital. After the volunteer gave me all of my husband's clothing and bags, etc., I decided I'd go put the stuff in the car rather than try to keep up with it. I assumed the car would be parked but it was in a line waiting to be parked when a space emptied out. When I asked where the car was, one of the men handed me the key fob and I went to the car. The key fob was acting funny, I could tell, but I had other things on my mind. I put my husband's clothing in the back seat and couldn't get the key fob to lock the doors. Since I had the other key fob in my pocketbook I thought one was messing up the other. I left the doors unlocked - if anyone wanted his big shoes they could have them - and handed the key fob back to the valet fellow. About an hour later one of the men called me and said my car wouldn't start and he accused me of switching key fobs when I went down before. I did not do that, of course. I went back down to the front of the hospital and found the man, who dared me to start the car with that key fob. I did, because I read the owner's manual to my car and I know that if you put the key fob against the electric start if the fob battery is dead, it will start the car anyway. He basically accused me of witchcraft even after I explained to him how to start a car with a dead key fob, which you would think someone who is working as a car valet would know. Certainly that can't be the first time a key fob for an electric start vehicle has gone dead. Anyway, the man parked my car then tore my paperwork off my key fob and threw at me, after again accusing me of switching key fobs on him (why would I even do that?). It was a dead battery and certainly nothing intentional on my part, good grief. The man was very rude. (It is also possible the damn doctor came out to the waiting room while I was dealing with the rude valet people, but even so, the woman at the waiting room desk had my cell number and knew where I was and he could have called.)
6. We called the hospital on Tuesday, November 26, about pain medication. Carilion called yesterday, December 2, to tell my husband he had pain medication ready at the Riverside pharmacy and we could come and pick it up. A week later. I know there was a holiday in there, but really? We told them to keep their drugs as he no longer needed them.
7. I had called my husband's doctor two weeks before his surgery and told the nurse I wanted help with bathing him while he was doped up on pain killers. We got a PT, RN visits every couple of days, and an OT. How was this helpful, really? What if I had been really, really disabled, like in a wheelchair or something myself? Is this how they deal with this kind of family concern? This makes no sense. The RN visits I am tolerating but he is not running a fever or exhibiting any signs of any problems whatsoever. His pain level is next to nothing. I've had a higher pain level than he has during most of this. Somebody was not listening.
Sunday, December 01, 2019
Sunday Stealing: Fill It In
Sunday Stealing
1. Right now I'm more tired than an overweight oxen that pulled a plow all day.
2. Being overly inquisitive is my well-known quirk.
3. Are you listening to the sounds of the trees in the wind?
4. Clean first, then read a book!
5. That's why we can't get along.
6. Xena: Warrior Princess is one of my favorite tv shows ever!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to bed, tomorrow my plans include a visit from my aunt from Texas.
8. If I could go anywhere on a road trip, I'd go to the Grand Canyon.
9. Lack of empathy is something I don't understand.
10. Thanksgiving makes me think of that time my mother made a pumpkin pie and it didn't turn out well, so we called it pumpkin pudding.
11. Reading is the best way to relax!
12. It looks like Autumn was not a color palette filled with beauty, but more of a dry, dull palate of browns.
13. Nuts are one of my favorite healthy snacks.
14. The smell of cow manure makes me think of the farm.
15. When I am feeling lazy I tend to play video games.
16. When I look to the left, I see my guitars and cameras.
17. My office and the kitchen are the room(s) that have the best view in my home.
18. Very little these days was done dirt cheap!
19. Knowing civics and voting is a responsibility that allqualified citizens must share.
20. If you have any chocolate or good advice, feel free to share it with me.
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
1. Right now I'm more tired than an overweight oxen that pulled a plow all day.
2. Being overly inquisitive is my well-known quirk.
3. Are you listening to the sounds of the trees in the wind?
4. Clean first, then read a book!
5. That's why we can't get along.
6. Xena: Warrior Princess is one of my favorite tv shows ever!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to bed, tomorrow my plans include a visit from my aunt from Texas.
8. If I could go anywhere on a road trip, I'd go to the Grand Canyon.
9. Lack of empathy is something I don't understand.
10. Thanksgiving makes me think of that time my mother made a pumpkin pie and it didn't turn out well, so we called it pumpkin pudding.
11. Reading is the best way to relax!
12. It looks like Autumn was not a color palette filled with beauty, but more of a dry, dull palate of browns.
13. Nuts are one of my favorite healthy snacks.
14. The smell of cow manure makes me think of the farm.
15. When I am feeling lazy I tend to play video games.
16. When I look to the left, I see my guitars and cameras.
17. My office and the kitchen are the room(s) that have the best view in my home.
18. Very little these days was done dirt cheap!
19. Knowing civics and voting is a responsibility that all
20. If you have any chocolate or good advice, feel free to share it with me.
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
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