Time For An Update

A lot has happened since I last wrote. 


I guess the most important thing to say is my husband has acute diverticulitis.  This is the second go-around for him and the first time it happened was so long ago he never thought it would invade his colon again.  Well, it did and with a vengeance.  He is currently on another antibiotic a few days longer than the first ones prescribed.  If this doesn't work the next step is surgery.  Fingers crossed.


This summer two of our female cats outside had 6 kittens.  Three kittens per mother.  They are about two months apart though.  The second litter was born to Jackie One-Eye.  I wasn't sure what sex she was until she brought her kittens around.  She has one eye and that is the way she first appeared to us when she was old enough to be on her own.  Prior to that we had never seen her but I knew she belonged to our bunch.


She only has one kitten left.  A calico.  It, too, has only one eye.  I might add here that we currently have a pair of red-tailed hawks lurking around in our trees for the past week.  They preyed on those other two kittens.  Swiped them right out of the yard.  Red-tailed hawks are protected in the US, Canada, and Mexico.  Why, I don't know because they are predators and will pick up anything that is twice their weight.  I hate them.  My father hated them.  I hope they leave soon.  They are so protected you are not allowed to even so much as harass them.  How does one harass a hawk?


My husband's brother is in sad shape.  We just got word Saturday that he is in hospice.  I hate times like these.  Here I am dealing with what might be wrong with my husband and everything else around me is falling apart. 


I am sorry this is not an upbeat post but life isn't always fun. 

Yep..Still Plodding Along

Today I had my regular checkup at our family doctor.  When it was over I mentioned something about my husband and his pain and not being able to see the gastroenterologist for another three weeks.  He became very sympathetic and worked my husband into the time slot right after me. 


I have become quite upset about what is going on with his pain and the fact that he has to live with it for another three weeks before anything else will get done.
The family doctor said he would re-evaluate him.  He had last seen him the first week of June when he prescribed a week's worth of two antibiotics which didn't work against whatever is roaming around in there.


When we went back again the beginning of this month our regular doctor was on vacation and that doctor prescribed the ultrasound and blood work which both came back normal.  (I know I mentioned all this in my last post but this is just a refresher for myself.)


After the doctor checked my husband today (hands on) and couldn't find anything that way so he thought it was best to order a CT scan.  Ultrasounds don't always pick things up as a CT scan does.  One step at a time I guess.  Husband was also asked to leave a urine sample as well.  The CT scan will be done this Monday. 


Once the results are back and the doctor has them I will be able to see those same results online.  We signed up for that service today while at the office.  We could only sign one of us up since we both share the same email address.  I do have another address but my head was too muddled to think straight and I was afraid I would get it messed up so I left it go for another time.  Besides, it is my husband that has been having tests and not me.


By the way, my tooth doesn't hurt.  There was a two week span when it hurt like the dickens and I didn't know which way to turn but that subsided and went away and hasn't returned.  It is infected and it does have to come out but with all this stuff going on with my husband, the tooth will have to wait.  Unless it flares up again, which I doubt will happen.

Plodding Along

July is just flying by.  This summer has been an odd one.  We went through such a hellacious winter and then before we knew it summer came with a vengeance and slapped us in the face.  And it's still slapping.  I don't mind the heat though, not as much as I mind (hate) the cold of winter.  Besides, winter costs a lot more than summer does.


A few weeks ago my husband complained of having what he called a gut ache.  Actually, it was located in the lower left quadrant.  More than two decades ago he developed diverticulitis and was worried it may have come back despite being so careful as to what he ate.


He called the doctor and got an appointment.  An abdominal ultrasound was ordered as well as more blood drawn but for different reasons than usual.  The ultrasound came back normal. At least we know his pancreas, liver, and kidneys are doing fine.  Sometimes one of those organs can cause the pain he is having.


The next step was to call a gastroenterologist.  Our family doctor gave us the phone number of the practice they use as a referral.  My husband called them only to find out they are booked until early August.  The 5th to be exact.  He told the person there that he would check around to see if he could find something closer to now.  After searching for gastroenterologists covered by our insurance, all we could come up with was one other practice.  They, too, were booked till early August.  The 7th to be exact.


So my husband called the first practice again but by that time the 5th was gone and all they had open was the 6th.  He grabbed it.  By then I was a tad weary just listening to him.  Normally I do all the legwork but this time I made him do the calling.  He did a very good job.  I think I would have been swearing like a sailor after the first call.


So now we wait for him to see the gastro doctor.  I should add here that when he saw the family doctor he was prescribed two different antibiotics.  Neither of those worked for his pain so diverticulitis was ruled out since antibiotics take care of what causes that.  I wish it were that easy those decades ago when he first had it...he was in the hospital over a week till they got him straightened out.


So far besides my tooth problem (I still have it), this pain my husband has is the most excitement we have going.  I shouldn't say excitement because it really isn't exciting at all.  Worriment would be a better choice of word.


So until something else rears its ugly head giving me something to write about, that is all I have for now.

Germany Spanked Brazil 7-1

Up until a few weeks ago I have never watched, nor did I ever attempt to watch, a soccer game on TV.  It just never occurred to me to do so.

And then one day while dining out, there on the TV was a soccer game.  The Greek owner of the diner was in the vestibule watching the game so we sat with him for awhile.  We would have stayed longer but we had somewhere we had to be.  

I became aware of the World Cup games at that point and started watching the games played by the U.S.  I watched their last three games before they finally were declared out of the running.

Something I have found out since is that the World Cup is only played every four years.  It takes them three years to decide who will play for the Cup.

Once the games had been narrowed down to the semi-finals with Germany one of the final four teams, my interest heightened.  My fifth great grandfather came to this country from the region now known as Germany.  His last name is the same as my maiden name, so I am a direct descendant.  

I knew Germany was playing Brazil today but I didn't turn the game on until 20 some minutes had passed.  By then the score was 4-0, Germany.  Those four points apparently were scored in the first six minutes.  

Germany now faces the winner of the Argentina-Netherlands game for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Go Germany!

 

Time Out

My absence from blogging is due to computer issues.  I think it was around the beginning of this year when someone stole my email address and started sending hundreds of emails using it.  That caught the eye of my Internet provider and they shut down my account.

Naturally that caused me to make a phone call to them to see what the reason was for shutting me down.  They didn't cut off my Internet, just my email account.  After they explained everything to me, I then had to go through the motions of getting me back in the fold by changing my password.

Within a few days after the password change, my router decided it didn't like the new password and cut me off from the Internet.  I had to call my provider again to tell me how to circumvent the router and get me back in business.  It has been that way ever since.  That means I no longer had the use of my laptop because I had a wireless network between my PC and my laptop.  My printer was not part of the wireless network.

Last week my printer decided to puke.  I bought another one but I don't want to hook it up without using the wireless network (that no longer exists and I need to redo everything).

My router is a Cisco Valet Plus.  How nice to find out they no longer manufacture them.  I loved it.  It was so easy to hook up and never gave me any problems.  But that's another story and I am getting off track here.  When I had the Cisco all hooked up back in 2010 I found out that since my PC is not wireless I had to buy a wireless adapter which I did.  I purchased a Cisco Valet Connector.  Do you think I can find that now?  Nope.  I tore just about everything apart in this room and still no adapter.  Every day I look and every day I come up empty handed.  I did, however, find the packing slip as well as the bill (in two separate places).

I am now waiting for a day that I can set aside to work on hooking up the Cisco Valet Plus to see if it works.  If it does, I will probably buy a new adapter and go on my merry way.  If it doesn't work, then I have to buy another router as well as an adapter.

With all this going on, it has kept me quite busy.  And then there is the household I still have to run.  It's not like I can just sit down and let everything else go just to get my computer's wireless network up and running.  Plus the fact that since I am not tech savvy whatsoever, I keep dragging my feet because I always feel whatever I try to do will not work and then I will be frustrated and walk away letting a few more days slip by.  For now I am happy that I have the Internet but I need to speed things up because working without a printer is the pits. 

And now you know the rest of the story...

 

Boy, Do I Have A Dilemma

In January 2013 I had a topical filling on my #7 upper lateral incisor.  It cost me $145 and didn't take long to do.  I can't remember exactly when but last year I had severe pain in that same tooth, up into the root system as well.  That pain came and went for about three weeks and then it abruptly stopped.  A few weeks later it kicked in again.  I had a dental appointment so I told my hygienist what had happened.  She assured me that happens and it was probably just a result of the filling.  

This past Monday I had another dental appointment.  I had a routine cleaning and an exam by the dentist.  She saw a tiny blister above my #7 tooth and ordered an X-ray of that tooth.  When she developed the X-ray and came back into the room she said, I'm sorry, but I have some very bad news.  I thought to myself, how bad could it be?

She then told me that my tooth was cracked and infected and followed that up with the various options to fix it.  She first ruled out a root canal mainly because they rarely work in a situation like mine.  She then told me about having an implant and discussed that procedure.

First they extract the tooth and then a temporary partial is inserted which stays there until the implant tooth is ready to be inserted.  This procedure is very expensive (I do not have dental insurance) and it takes 6-8 months from start to finish, give or take a month or two.  

Another procedure is a bridge similar to this:

The dentist said this procedure costs almost as much as an implant but she didn't recommend having it done either.  Neither did I and that was quickly ruled out.

When I was finished with that consultation I was handed a paper with the detailed pricing for an implant.  Starting with the extraction, inserting the partial, and then two other steps before finally inserting the implant, it would cost $3475.00 before my 5% discount.  Well, I don't have to tell you what I think of that.  Preposterous, I say.  At my age why should I put out that kind of money for one lousy tooth when I could kick the bucket tomorrow?

After paying my bill I questioned the dentist about what would happen if all I did was get the tooth extracted and nothing more?  She looked at me kind of funny and said, Nothing.  And that was the end of that.  I left the office, my head reeling, not knowing what I was going to do.

I have given this a lot of thought and have definitely ruled out getting a bridge as well as getting an implant.  All I want to do at this time is get the darn tooth pulled and be done with it, except that it is in such a prominent spot.

This is not my mouth, it is from the Internet but this is what it would look like if all I did was had the tooth extracted.  I don't know what else to do since these, supposedly, are my only options according to my dentist.

I do have one option left, and that is to go to a different dentist and get another opinion.  Granted, I know for certain that the tooth has to be pulled, but I would like to know if there are any other options available to me that don't cost as much or take as long.  Or if there is a way that something else can be done cheaper.

I am upset because the filling the dentist did is what eventually caused the crack and that caused the infection.  According to what I read these things happen all the time.  And another thing that upsets me is that I am not all that gung ho over my current dentist and hygienist.  The only reason I stayed with them is because they had all my old records from the other dentist.  At the end of 2011 my (male) dentist retired and the current gang took over the practice.

  I prefer a male dentist because that is all I ever had from the age of three years old. This current one is a female (from another country) and from the get-go I just felt as if I was being taken advantage of because I pay cash.  And as much as I complained that I simply do not have the cash to pay for the things they want to do, well...that just falls on deaf ears.  Whether I have the cash or not, that is not the point.  She has been after me to get several teeth crowned (molars) because they have spider cracks...cracks that have been there for many years.  I have always had good strong teeth so those cracks don't worry me in the least.  She worries me more.

So here I sit, still the owner of my #7 tooth, not knowing what to do...
 

Stop The Merry-G-Round, I Want To Get Off

Half of June is over and soon the longest day will be here and then the days start to get shorter.  How did this happen so fast?  Where does the time go?  Especially after the super harsh winter we had.  I want the warm weather to stay longer than we get to have it.

Do you see that pool?  That belongs to our neighbor.  I am so thankful now that I decided to plant those forsythia bushes as well as the maple tree between them. Today they have enough leaves on all three to block out that pool so that whenever they are in it, or have company, I don't have to look at them when I am on our deck.  And they can't see me, either.  Thank the Lord for small miracles.

This flower bed needs some serious straightening out.  Daffodils come up in the spring and those chubby things in the back of the daffodil plant as well those on the right are Iris plants.  Needless to say most everything else is just plain old weeds.  Back breakers.  It isn't easy for me to weed this bed.  I have had ongoing lower back problems now for well over twenty-plus years.  

We have had a lot of rain the past few days so weeding this bed should be a little easier for me.  We bought mulch to put here as well as under our weeping cherry tree in the front yard.  That thing grows like a weed.  I cut it back severely just before winter and the limbs will be to the ground in another month or so.

Getting back to the plot in the picture above:  I have a bunch of Iris rhizomes that I wanted to plant before last winter and never got around to doing it, so I stored them in a cool, dry place.  I recently read that I can plant them in July so I hope that gets done next month and isn't one more thing I let slide by.

Honestly, I just don't know where the time goes.  Looking at the clock on my computer I see it is already Sunday.  Most of the day will be spent watching prerace programs as well as the race itself.  Monday I have a dental appointment and some pet food shopping to do.  Tuesday my husband has two tests he does annually at the cardiologist that will take four hours.  And I sit and wait for him.  We do this every year.  I take enough food and snacks and the time usually goes fairly fast for me.  Wednesday is our grocery shopping day.  I think Thursday is already planned for something my husband wants to do because he asked me if that day is open.  And that brings us to Friday which is the start of racing programs that continue into Saturday and Sunday and we are back to square one.  

See what I mean?  I shouldn't even have to ask where the time goes, it seems I already answered my own question.
 

He Did It, He Really Did It

Congratulations to Dale Earnhardt Jr. on his second victory of the season.  The last time he won more than one race in any season was back in 2004...the year he won six races.

So far this year he has won the Daytona 500 and the race at Pocono yesterday. I would have loved to have been there since the track is almost in my back yard.

Here's to you Dale ~ may you have many more victories this season.

Things To Ponder

Why aren't people more aware of where things are made before purchasing them?  Not only products, but food as well.  Please try and buy things made in the USA.  I know our country isn't making it easy for us to do that, but please try anyway.

There are so many shenanigans going on with our food supply and they aren't funny to me.  I shop at Wegmans.  The majority of their fresh meats come from farms in the US.  Fruits and vegetables come from local farms during the growing months and other areas of the US over the winter.  They also have a huge array of organic foods.  I also shop at another grocery store but I rarely buy things there that I am not sure about where they came from.
 **********
Here is a statistic that is all too scary:  One out of every 68 children in the US is born autistic.  Does that mean that eventually we will be a nation of nothing but autistic people?  Think about it.

Why is/was Nelson Mandela treated like a saint after he died?  Bing or Google The Crimes of Nelson Mandela and you'll see what I mean.

 
 

Yeah, I know, pink isn't really my color but the people at Wal*mart don't know that.

Our Trip North

We left the house around 10:30 on Sunday on the bike.  We stopped for gas and breakfast as well.  The skies didn't look too promising when we left. I had checked the weather for the area we were going to that morning and it looked like it would turn out OK.  Sunny, clear, and 60°.  By the time we were on the road for about half an hour, the gray clouds left and the puffy white ones took over and allowed the sun to shine.

The photo above is where we bought our Harley.

 

All of these photos were taken while in motion on the bike.  The sun was out so I couldn't see the viewfinder very well and for the most part all I did was aim, snap, and hope for the best.

This is coming down the mountainside into the little town of Jim Thorpe, named after the famous American Indian football player.  They were having a celebration of some kind but we didn't stop for that.  Jim Thorpe is nestled in a small valley where the mountains come together.  It has been called Little Switzerland in the past.  This photo does not do justice to how deeply it is nestled.  Yes, a river runs through it.  A lot of white water rafting can be done on that river for the brave ones.

When we reached the southern portion of Hickory Run State Park I noticed the foliage on the trees was very sparse.  I was disappointed because I thought there would be heavier foliage by now, but I guess the nasty winter we had postponed the growing season somewhat.

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This is Boulder Lake.  Again, this photo like the others was taken while in motion after we left the parking area.  I had no idea whether I captured the lake until I went through all the photos.  We drove into the parking area but decided not to get off the bike like we did last Fall when we were here.  Nothing had changed and there was no activity on the lake.

We now focused on trying to find Boulder Field.  After stopping to get directions twice, and getting different answers both times, we flagged down a park worker.  He said, Follow me.  He got us to the turnoff and said it is about 3 miles in.  Three miles?  How about six plus?  These next two photos show the kind of road it was...we should never have taken the bike on this so-called road.  Three miles would have been OK maybe, but six miles in and six miles out was a bit much.

 And finally we arrived.  I read this first to acclimate myself with the history of the boulders.  There were other writings as well.  I finally was at one of the places on my Bucket List.  When I was small my parents brought my brother and me to see this place.  It made quite an impression on my young mind.  It was awesome then and it was just as awesome Sunday.

Of course, all these photos of the boulders were taken while on foot.  We parked the bike, walked to the edge, and just enjoyed the beauty of it all.  However, it seemed I was the only one enjoying it.  My husband was a little cross with me for having to take the bike that far on that dirt road.  Had we known it was that far in we may not have tried it.  When we got there he said,  All that for a pile of rocks?  Men.

 As you can see, there are people out there.  You are allowed to walk as far as you want and explore as much as you want.  All they ask is that no one disturbs any boulders, or takes any, or adds graffiti.  We did see three rocks where people painted on them. 

When we left Boulder Field it seemed as if the temperature had dropped somewhat.  The skies started darkening once again.  This photo is after we had driven through Jim Thorpe again on our way home.

We stopped at the same place we had breakfast to have our dinner.  We were on the road six hours.  Did I enjoy myself?  You bet I did.  Am I ready to go again?  You bet I am.

Earlier I said I was disappointed in the foliage.  I was expecting to see more leaves and a lot of blossoming trees like wild apple, wild cherry, anything that gets a blossom on it in the Spring.  All I saw were a few wild dogwood trees once in a while with a few flowers on them.

Our next trip will be when it is a lot warmer with the sun shining all day long and no threat of showers or rain.  We did feel a few sprinkles at one point but nothing to worry about.  When the temperature is around 60° and you are on a bike you have to factor in that it will be a helluva lot colder while riding~anywhere from 40-50 degrees instead of 60.  I was dressed for that so it didn't really bother me.  I'm far from a wimp.

How I Spent Mothers Day

 I'm the mother of one human (female) and four fur babies (one female, three males).  Above is my little girl, Dakota-Sioux aka Princess aka Cody.

Lying in the sun is Punkin'.  He's quite petite, just like his mother was.

 This is Junior, named after you-know-who.  Hint: my favorite NASCAR driver.

And finally we have Eli on the right with brother Punkin' on the left.  I'm a NY Giants fan, can you guess who Eli was named after?  Believe it or not, Eli is our baby.  He is also our biggest cat.

My husband named Punkin' so that's why his name is not like the others who were all named after someone or something like Dakota.

I guess being the cat mommy of these four-legged sweeties allows me to celebrate Mothers Day.  My daughter was here the day before to help celebrate the day as well.

On Sunday my husband wanted to take me out to dinner.  We usually go to Chris's Restaurant on Mothers Day and that is where we went again this year.  The temperature was around 80° by the time we were ready to leave so it was decided we would take our fifth "baby" ~

Yes, this was my first ride of the year and I am sure there will be many more to follow.  Last Fall we took a trip north toward the Poconos but it was cold and raw and I made a decision to come back to that area in the spring.  Well, that time is here.  The difference this time is that it will be so much warmer and we also know where we want to go and how to get there.  Last fall it was just hit or miss and we never did find one of the lakes we were looking for.  I have since figured out what route to take to get to that lake.  I plan on taking two kinds of cameras so there will be a lot of pictures taken.

I am really looking forward to this trip as well as the trees that are blooming now.  Our plans are to go next Sunday if the weather is nice and both of us are still in one piece.

After The Rain...

We have had a lot of rain the past few days.  But this morning the sky was blue and the clouds were white and fluffy.  The sun is not out in the photo above; it just looks that way.

This is what it looked like when I lifted my eyes to the sky and saw the sun just behind those clouds:

After I took care of the outside cats and was walking back toward the front of the house, I noticed that the daffodils took a beating from the rain but those darn dandelions were proudly beaming with their bright yellow flowers as if to say we can withstand almost anything.

The daffodils in the front of the house survived the brutal winds and heavy rains.  These daffodils are supposed to be white with a pink center but you have to look hard to see the pink.  And, yes, that is how green our grass is already after having to look out only to see nothing but brown for months on end.

This is my Cape Cod buoy wind bell.  It takes a good, strong wind for it to make any sound so whenever I walk by it, either coming or going, I give it a good shake.  That house belongs to our crazy neighbors, and that's being as nice as I can be.

Here's another photo of the wind bell taken from the other side with our King Ranch F-150.

And, yes, old Betsy is still doing its job of keeping our electricity lower than it would be without her.  It was actually spinning while I shot this.

After a day of sunshine we ended up with more rain once again.  But guess what?  The sun will come out tomorrow...

I Will Do My Best But...

The days around here just melt into one another and before I know it another week has gone by.  I think about writing something on this blog almost every day, but that's all I do ~ think about it.  I come up empty minded.

Easter has come and gone.  My daughter and her fiancé spent the afternoon with us.  Her birthday was on Earth Day so we had a cake for her.  Celebrating her birthdays just tells me that I, too, am a year older.  Yuck.

The weather these days is up and down.  We have nice warm days and then we get slapped in the face again with rain, cold windy weather, just some nasty stuff all the way around.  Right now it is quite windy and it is supposed to be that way all day.  

Speaking of the wind, I recently purchased a wind bell for my front porch.  It makes the sound of a Cape Cod buoy.  It reminds me of the sea...I have always loved the sea but we are too far inland to visit as much as I would love to.  The problem with this wind bell is that it has to be quite windy in order for it to work.  It's very heavy but I knew that when I ordered it.  Every time I walk by it I give it a good shake.  I do hope my neighbors appreciate that.  I know I do.

Listen, I could give two hoots about any of my neighbors.  We have about four of them within stone throwing distance.  We moved here 28 years ago.  I guess you could almost call me a hermit since I don't talk to them or even acknowledge them when they are out.  The one neighbor that I used to talk to has moved out of the state.  The family that moved in seems to be fresh from the Ozarks.  Or related to the Clampetts.  No, even the Clampetts had some couth.

Well, it seems I have said more than I should have so I'd better shut up while I am still being civil.

 

Spring Has Sprung & Our Taxes Are Done

Spring decided to make its debut at our house less than a week ago.  My daffodils were poking through the ground and today there are buds on some of the plants.  Those will be opening very shortly because the weather has been just wonderful these last two days.  However, we will get a sort of cold spell the middle of next week where the temperature is supposed to drop to the low 30's.

Once again I waited till almost the last minute to do our taxes.  It's a job I dislike and yet it is quite easy once I get started.  It's the getting started part I dislike.  Even though we get a refund every year, there is just something about doing the taxes that makes me balk.  I have no idea why and stopped questioning it a long time ago.  Now it's just a bad habit to wait this long. 

Now, let's talk NASCAR.  My favorite driver is Dale Earnhardt, Jr., son of the late great Dale Earnhardt, Sr., who detested being called Senior at any time.  So for the most part he was just known as Dale Earnhardt.

Well, now there is a new sheriff in town and he has arrived with his guns ablazin' as they say.  His name is Chase Elliott and he is the son of another great driver by the name of Bill Elliott aka Million Dollar Bill.  Bill is called that because he won three of the five tagged races in one year to win a million dollars back in his day.

Before there was a Dale Earnhardt, Jr., my favorite driver was Bill Elliott.  Bill is the one who got me interested in NASCAR.  But he has retired and is now concentrating on his son's career.

Chase isn't his real name.  It's William Clyde Elliott, the same as his father, and I don't know if they are tagged Senior and Junior as I have never read anything about that or seen it in any other print except one time when Chase was asked what is his real name.  The story goes that Chase's godparents gave him that nickname shortly after he was born and it stuck.  And what a great name for a race car driver.  Especially one who is so talented...and his genes aren't too bad either.

Chase is only 18 years old and still in high school.  He graduates this year.  I have never come across a young person like him that has everything together in life.  He is so savvy on the track it is scary.  He sees slight openings to go through to advance positions like a hot knife through butter.  His boss, Dale Earnhardt., Jr., says he is the new Elvis.   I have yet to figure out what he means by that, since Dale Jr. is a huge Elvis fan.  (As am I.)

Last week Chase won his first Nationwide Series race in Texas and just this past Friday he won again at Darlington, SC., which is known as The Track Too Tough To Tame.  I see many more races being won by this talented driver.  I remember when Chase was born and I couldn't wait to see him racing at the NASCAR tracks.  Well, that day is finally here and I am quite sure he will make history just like his father did back in the 80's and 90's.  

Hop in and pull those straps tight because we are in for one helluva ride with this kid.