Daily Diary

Morning Tweety Slow day at work yesterday, dinner with J at one of the usual places Cat goes to the groomer this morning, hopefully with a minimum of fuss Rest of the day is pretty ordinary, lunch with dad and exercise and cross stitch Temps will be up to the 60s today which will be nice

Good morning! My sister went through a genealogy phase and it shattered some family lore. I've mentioned in another thread we all grew up thinking we had Cherokee blood in us and it turns out my grandmother was raised on a reservation in Oklahoma but was orphaned and of European origin. My dad swears there's also French in us and there isn't. My and my siblings DNA all showed English and Scandinavian. Which is interesting since my mother was born and raised in Bavaria. It's interesting now what is online in the way of records and articles. It was kind of shame because I was proud of my heritage as a Native American and they survived the infamous "Trail of Tears". I would often say my darker complexion was my Native American heritage. Anyway, it genes don't like. Had a nice day off doing chores, went to the gym, and cooked some. Watched a few shows while cooking. Hope everyone has a good day. Working today and tomorrow. We've been getting a bit of rain through the night which might be from the tropical storm out there.

Stars, Sabby responded with this: Baaaahahahahaha love this. I probably felt like a sloth on Sunday due to having this week off. Thanks Buddy I had posted her this link. https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/fun/international-sloth-day?fbclid=IwAR06fS7hiEEY25-5ASuYiNvEsAX1ztD5ZiMEcWvby8SC4Y7SIWumPqNmM_s

Good Morning! Joe, hope that work wasn't too busy and that the anxiety and depression ease up. BC, glad you didn't lose power. I too was saddened by Rep. Cumming's passing. He was a good servant to the people. Herring, enjoy the AIDS walk. Ours was moved from Sept. to December because of the heat in September. They combined it with another fundraiser. I haven't walked in a couple of years but used to volunteer. Stars, hope Ozzie did okay at the vets. I posted on Facebook to Sabby that you wanted her to know about International Sloth Day. I'll let you know if she responds. J22, sorry about the busy work day awaiting you. Ugh. I turned into somewhat of a foodie over the years. I love eating out and cooking. I was raised by a housewife and as was typical, boys were not raised to cook and I had to self teach. Even when I went to college she would freeze some meals for me to bring to the dorm since I didn't get a meal plan. My ex was raised the same in that he didn't know how to cook but didn't self teach. He ate out or ate simple meals that could be microwaved. So I cooked for the two of us and he pretty much was easy to please. The last 20 or so years I've gotten into vegan cooking and love International foods of all kinds. I don't know how to bake but love to meal plan and cook. It's easier to cook for one though. Off today. Going to cook something for dinners. I have lunches made for the weekend. Nothing much on the agenda. It's "wash the sheets Friday" and that's being done. Hope everyone has a great day.

j22, Yeah, I'm good with foods I've made so that I can just go to the fridge and grab whatever comes to hand or appeals. Not even particular enough to require re-heating of many things! Also don't feel the need to eat at any certain time deemed by most as a mealtime; I'd like to just eat when it occurs to me that I want to fill the hunger hole. All those years I cooked complete, full, farmhand worthy meals...I am a good cook, but I got soooo tired of thinking, figuring, planning about FOOD. It stove-up my mind with a dull dread of suppertime. I could never be any kind of "foodie" because it would drive me INsane.

Back to work after 7 days off, and the crazy one handed me a big, unorganized pile of stuff to do. I need to call so and so, I need to get office notes on that one, I need to get labs on this one, I need to call those 3 people, I need to call another to schedule a home visit, and of course the performance management people want me to fill out an 8 page survey. My head is spinning. And I got a message from the cardiology office to schedule a follow up appointment, but I have no idea why. My wound is healed, the only med they prescribe is a blood thinner that has refills through May. I have a pacer check in November. I had the beginning of a panic attack at the last office I had, and would to avoid that if possible. I am afraid if they ask how I feel, I might snarl about my burning chest, lack of sleep and turning into a real B. herring, good for you for doing the AIDS walk, and enjoy the comedian. BC, you are probably home and snug in bed as I write this. Stars, I feel like I need to cook 2 different meals for me and dh. He likes lots of salt, starchy veggies, and meat. Me, I could eat salad or popcorn every night. Joe, Tweety, and Dianah, I hope your work went smooth.

Someone who can get in touch w/ Sabby needs to tell her that October 20th is International SLOTH Day !!!

Good Afternoon I got up early (for me) this morning to take the Oz-man to his vet appt. where he had shots, blood-work, pee +poop check, and antibiotics. He goes on Nov. 20th to have his teeth cleaned +/or extracted; don't want him to end up having to be put down like we did with Pippy. Ozzie is his Daddy's special baby, and hubby has already got enough to deal with as it is. Someone (who is 90 y,o.) woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning...first thing she did was tip her pills out of the pill cup onto the palm (of the wrist she broke twice) and as she swooped them up toward her mouth, they went everywhere except into her mouth. Hubby always tells her to take the pills straight from the med-cup instead of her palm, but nooooo, Mrs. Opposite has to do her own thing. Then she got mad for hubby telling her that what just happened is the reason he always tells her to take them straight from the cup. Which, of course, made her mad, because she has "been taking pills for 90 years" and she knows what she is doing! And he unfortunately said "Then why did you toss them all over yourself?" At which point he left the room. I had just came back from the vet visit. She yelled at me so that HE could hear her, "What the HELL is wrong with that G__ D___ JACKASS today?" I replied as I left the room, "I just came back from the vet. I'm not getting in the middle of this!" Whereupon she cussed at ME, and hubby poked his head in the back door and said, "Such nice language from a 'good' Christian woman." So, The Ice-Cold Silent Treatment started early today. Big Whoop-dee-doo! When I woke up this AM it was a rude, mean-cold 62 degrees in the house! BBRRRRR! I got the heat turned up, and when I took Ozzie out to collect his specimens, I discovered it was 63 degrees outside. However, it is very clear and sunny. The rain we were supposed to get has been moved to Friday and Saturday. The temps are going down, no longer humid 80's and 90's, thank goodness. My plans for the day include cooking some boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the oven, wrapped in foil, with whatever herbs/spices I decide to add. I just want some chicken that is not processed to death. If I can find some decent fish, maybe from Harris-Teeter, I can broil it to have on hand also. Got me a hankering for all the veggies hubby doesn't cook, like spinach, brussels sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, salad greens, and other veggies. He does cook green-beans, but always adds his favorite addition: bacon bits! When I pushed most of the bits over to the side, he said "Don't you like bacon?" Well, yeah, I LOVE bacon, but not in everything!!!! I like my bacon slices crisp and dry. He even adds bacon bits to canned beans of any kind. He adds them to corn. His best favorite vegetables are green peas and corn; both are good, BUT not so often! I like a larger array of vegetables than he does, and I want them essentially plain, with maybe either a little butter + salt, with fresh-ground pepper, or lemon juice. He also likes to top a LOT of meats with cheese. I like cheese, too, but not in or on everything! Shredded cheese and bacon bits on breaded chicken patties.Okay, good once in a while, but...EGADS! At least with the statin and weight control plans I can not have to insult hubby by not eating some of his stand-by meals. WHEW! Hubby knows I am cutting down on cholesterol and serving sizes, because I want to decrease the dose or go off the statin meds, AND lose some weight, so he isn't huffy about me eating only parts of the suppers he cooks. I do, after all, eat what I've put on my plate. But since hubby prefers his fish and chicken fried, I won't have to worry about my food being 'et' and disappearing! Okay, going to get started doing something besides sitting here while Nannie watches me.

Morning- I did not sleep well last night, as we had a Nor'easter storm and the wind was howling all night. Fortunately, we didn't lose power or have any trees down, but a lot of people in the area did. I'm glad it was just rain, and wasn't cold enough to snow. It'll be early to bed tonight. I hope all have a good day today. I'm sad to hear of Rep. Elijah Cummings' death. He was a good man.

Good Morning! Work yesterday was garden variety. I discharged my two patients and was able to stay caught up. Working today and we seem to have good staffing. I hope everyone has a nice day.

Sooooo, last night when I went to sit outside for a little while before heading up to bed, the wind was blowing in the tree tops. Acorns were falling...a lot of them. But then the noise was PELTING, and I figured out in short order it was HAIL!!! I stood in the doorway to keep my noggin safe. It continued for maybe 30-40 seconds, and began raining lightly...maybe a couple of minutes worth, and then it stopped. This morning when I got up there was a steady rain, hubby said it had 'rained all night'. The rain ended ---OMG, just like the weatherperson predicted (!!!!) AT NOON. It has been periodically cloudy and sunny, with quite reasonable temps, until the sun started to go down. I found the two house keys Nannie was adamant about having in her possession, though she is never here alone, nor does she leave the property alone. We put them on her bedside table with her eyeglasses when she went to bed last night and within 5 minutes she had hidden them. And then she came out of the bedroom and asked where they were. Totally huffy denial, of course, that SHE may have moved them herself. Anyway, today I found them in a small change purse underneath a folded towel on top of the dryer. Reminds me of a patient I had a few years ago, who hid her wallet; it was not found for SEVEN weeks! Her Case Manager said to me, when it is found take the credit card out and put it somewhere only you and I know where it is. Nannie is p.o'd at hubby, because when I was in the house feeding Ozzie, hubby went down to the shed to get some birdseed. Within 10 seconds Nannie took her walker and decided to walk the yard...yep, with wet grass, a gazillion fallen acorns, and her cruddy little ballet slippers on instead of shoes. Hubby took her to task because he didn't know if she'd come in the house or what. Well, she stewed a little on that, but when she said she heard somebody's voice in the back yard, hubby told her there was nobody back there. She came inside and asked me who it was walking the dog a few minutes ago, and barely believed me when I said that "T'was I". She went back out, without her walker, to go around to the side of the house where we sit and have coffee, and said to hubby, in a real hateful voice: "WELL? DID YOU FIND HIM?!!!???" Hubby said "Find who?" And for some reason that made her madder than a wet hen and she hasn't spoken to him until just now. He was walking upstairs, and as is her habit, she waited until he got to the top step to say something. She called him by her husband's name, "Where are you going? What are you going to do?" He told her he was going upstairs to the kitchen to make her supper. "Well don't give me a lot." A few weeks -- a month? --ago she started not eating as much as she used to; then she would cover her plate with her napkin, like we wouldn't notice all the leftovers? But she ALWAYS manages to eat her dessert! Hubby kept asking her if she didn't like what he'd made for her. (some cooks feel insulted if'n you don't eat up their fixin's). I suggested to hubby that he start using the 1/4 cup measure to put the helpings on her plate. So now at least she eats more of what's on her plate. She doesn't know it, but she does eat her leftovers...just in a different form, as the leftovers often go into making a pot of soup. And she proclaims every time that it is the BEST soup she's ever had! It is good, but I think it's kinda funny how we get her to eat what she would've tossed out. Yesterday afternoon I asked my dog if he'd like a Track-Sneet. I meant snack-treat. It became a redundant noun because hubby always called it 'treats' and I always called it 'snacks'. Even if I was Balking Tackwards, Ozzie completely understood what I said and agreed he would indeed like some. I take 'Canine-Carry-Outs' and pinch off smaller bites...From two of the whole pieces I can make 22 little bites. Ozzie often waits until I put them all down, and when I tell him, "That's it. Show's over!" THEN he will eat them. Every dog has their wierdnesses (as do their owners) In conclusion, I have to tell you that at 5 AM when I got up to pee, I had an oldie song in my head. I had to write the title down so it would go away. I hope this doesn't stick in y'all's heads, but the song was "Jeremiah Peabody's Polyunsaturated Quick-Dissolving Fast-Acting Pleasant-Tasting Green and Purple Pills." (!)

Morning Tweety Another kinda crazy day at work though once again it settled down by the end of the day. Working from home the next 5 days. Got some good news, boss says in the next few weeks I'm going to get to work at home full time Nerves have been acting up, I'm not sure why. Had a review yesterday too, mostly good but I was anxious about the few errors I made and how easy it is in this very fluid workplace to forget little things. Hasn't bothered me much up until this point. And I've been letting politics raise my anxiety....watching the debates probably didn't help. Normally it doesn't bother me much, not sure what's happenening Woke up at 4:30 with a bit of a headache from some anxious dreams. Managed to get back to sleep Meeting J at one of our usual places tonight Weight loss seems to be slowing down, not surprising as in the past I haven't been able to push my weight much below where it is now. For now I'll adhere to my diet and see how much longer the loss continues Talked to dad, he's feeling better, doctor said it might be an infection or a small kidney stone. He's on antibiotics. And he also had some good news, his ladyfriend's daughter found an apartment and is finally moving out, which will make things easier on everyone Going to be in the 40s and 50s with some rain over the next few days

Good Morning! Herring, thanks for the video. BC, that is a lot of damage. Cars these days even for the smallest of repairs are expensive. Dianah, sorry to here that the dog is not feeling well. Sounds like a nice weekend planned. Stars, good that you're trying to get things under control. Sounds like you're on the right track. Plants have no cholesterol and things like beans and oatmeal with soluble fiber are proven to lower cholesterol natural and have other benefits. My cholesterol has always been under 140. That's all I'm going to say because I don't want to come across as one of those preachy vegans, which as you know I'm not even vegan. Had a decent day off. Guess insomnia caught up with me during lunch at Georges house and I almost feel asleep at the table and laid down on his couch and snoozed a few minutes to refresh myself. He said "we've traveled together and done some exhausting things but never saw you so sleepy". I literally could not hold my eyes open. Anyway, I refreshed myself we went to the movies and enjoyed Downton Abbey a lot. Definitely one for the fans and I loved it. Listening to one of my favorite singers singing Bob Dylan covers. Joan Osborn was a one-hit wonder in 1995 with her single "(What if God Was) One of Us" but she's made many good albums since then. I saw her a couple of years ago when she opened for Mavis Staples. Love her.

Oops, yet another one of my frequent typos. But if it made you smile, it was worth it.

Afternoon all... Cooler and overcast today. S'posta rain a bit tonight and tomorrow. That'll be good because the rain we got day before yesterday was not really enough to slake the earth's thirst here-abouts....just enough to make a layer of mud in the topsoil and dust. j22, if you were to feed my dog an egg in any way, shape or form, you'd be cleaning up dog-puke. I don't know why, but the last 3 dogs I had, I couldn't even get dogfood that had eggs in it, or I'd be s-o-r-r-y! Gosh, Rose, I'm sorry about all you are going through. In my mind, I hear my long-time psychologist telling me to 'feel your feelings', but I think that's a given, like, how could you NOT? And Winston Churchill said, "If you're going through hell, keep going." But there's really nothing that can be said that will help. (((hugs))) We are with you in spirit. Tweety, So glad to hear that you BFF's cancer was all scoured out! herring, Thanks for the song/video. Well, I have decided to work at reducing my cholesterol (and weight!) so I can get the doc to reduce the dose of my statin; I found something I'd written just after I started taking it (Atorvastatin), to the effect that my short-term memory was REALLY affected by it. My doc at the time said I should take it a little longer to see how it affected my cholesterol level. Well, my most recent blood-work showed LOWER levels than the norms. I have been pretty upset with my brain function lately. Hubby and I used to joke that it was something I "caught" from hanging around Nannie so long. But when I found the notebook in which I expressed my fear of Atorvastatin's side-effects...it was like someone dropped a nickel in the slot...*BING!*... I looked it up, researched various hospital/research labs and medical sites about it, so I learned a good bit, and determined that it certainly wouldn't hurt me to try to control cholesterol levels with diet and activity. I am not going to go strictly NO-cholesterol, but will check labels and change some of my purchasing habits. I have an appt w/ PCP in a few weeks, and I have decided to cut down on cholesterol-laden foods, increase veggies and fruit, drink water and/or green tea or kombucha; increase physical activity, etc. Hoping if he isn't amenable to stopping the statin, I can talk him into reducing the dose. I mean, I KNOW I am 70 now and that many folks my age have memory problems, but mine have become MUCH worse lately, where it isn't so laughable as it used to be. So maybe after a month or two I can get my cholesterol levels rechecked and see if I've succeeded in making a difference. Hubby is 'fixing' supper, so I am going to stop with the laptop and do some PT exercises for my hips; not hurting, but since I have slacked off considerably since the ablation, I figure to use little odds and ends of time in a helpful/healthy way.

Clearing clutter today. The family room has become the spot to dump things instead of putting them away, so I am tackling that, and sneaking stuff into the garbage can while no one else is here. I threw away my 50 year old sleeping bag that was disintegrating , an old air mattress, and empty shoes boxes. And vacuumed a lot of dust and cobwebs. I rode my bike to the PT office and learned some new shoulder exercises. Biking home makes me whine about living at the top of a hill. Whine, and huff and puff. It feels good though, to get my heart up and work up a sweat. Made a quick lunch of scrabbled eggs with hash browns O'Brien (cubed potatoes with green and red peppers) and spinach. I cooked an egg for the dog too, just to spoil him. I am picking up the grandsons after school, and then will take the youngest to hockey practice. Dh is feeling under the weather with a cold, so I probably won't make dinner. Rain is supposed to move in for the next several days, but the temps are still mild.

Good morning! It's "mop the floors Tuesday" woo hoo! Going to make some lunches for the next couple of days at work: my old standby beans and quinoa because I don't have time to be creative. Yesterday I made some penne with some homemade sun dried tomato pesto for dinner. Meeting best friend after yoga for lunch and laundry. Then we're going to crutch or wheelchair to see "Downton Abbey". He's able to bear some weight on his foot but walking long distances isn't something he's able to do much of. Best friend got the good news from his dermatologist that the margins of his specimen removed during removal of skin cancer were clean and they got it all. Good news!

Lord have mercy. 5 PM and the Sun has SLAMMED Down inside Nannie's head. Shouting, accusing, fumble-tongued, practically jumping up and down, mad-mad-mad, and it started over nothing. She is so determined to have a BIG argument and fight about ANYTHING! Things she doesn't know, things she's made up, stuff from TV that has permeated her brain and joined up with her tangled thinking...well, I was going to say her "thinking process", but there is no real process to it. Just thoughts and ideas ricocheting around like a BB in an empty boxcar, and winging by so fast it bumps into itself in passing. E-G-A-D-S. What amazed me was that after he told her he was going up to the kitchen to prepare supper and she told him she didn't give a s**t what he was going to do, he came back downstairs and stood in front of her. She said "What do YOU want?!!" He said he wanted her to take her medicine, handed her the cup with the pills in it....she said not a word, just tossed them in her mouth with a defiant look; he handed her the glass of water, which she drank. Once her pills were swallowed, she said, "THERE! I bet you didn't think I could DO that!" Truthfully, I'm surprised she DID take them! We've ALL had patients who would refuse their medication. Hallelujah-Amen! Whew! I swear.

Good Afternoon - Getting ready to leave for work soon. Thought I'd do a quick look-see and say "Hello" before I leave. Rose-Queen - My warmest condolences to you and your family. Please know that you're warmly held during this profoundly sad time. (((Hugs)))

Rose, deepest condolences.

Rose_Queen, I am so very sorry.

Oh, Rose....so sorry to hear about your mom's passing. Seems like 'life' has been rough for a lot of us lately, lots of losses. Please accept my sympathy. Nannie is sitting in her recliner talking up a storm about things that have NOT been occurring, things she did and said and people who aren't here. She thinks she is supposed to...or is finally allowed to feed and walk the dogs. (Uh-uh! No way!) She thinks we have 3 dogs, but we only have the one now. She is definitely NOT responsible for purchasing his food ("I forgot what kind 'they' eat, so when I was at the grocery store, I did the best I could.") She told me my dog cleaned up her bowl of applesauce. I told her that if he gets diarrhea from what she gives him, SHE can clean it up. She also told me that when my husband brought her breakfast and lunch, there was a woman with him who "hid her face." (!?!) T'warn't ME!!!! Sometimes I think she says things like that to see if she can get a jealous reaction out of me. She is jabbering and getting mixed up, without knowing it, between whether she is talking about my husband or our dog during her recitation of what happened. Reality for her is extremely Fluid and Flexible and Frequently False. In other words, she Flunks Reality 101. Thank goodness, after an hour of this, she has closed her eyes. Sleep, Sleep, Sleep!!!! [please!] Well, rats! A couple of acorns on a small, leafy branch just flew at and hit the glass door and woke her up. She said, "I fell asleep". Then she closed her eyes again. GOOD! I think I am procrastinating about her bath! Don't know why; it is easy and quick, the way I do it. Oh well, it is just because I am heartily tired of her being the center of everything in our lives...just like she thinks she should be. BLAH . I would still take all this on, if we were 'back then', because it is the right thing to do. But man-oh-man, it is a tough row to hoe, y'know, and sometimes I don't always have the nicest thoughts circling my brain. I don't beat myself up for that, but I do apologize to God for my UNKIND wishes. Not much exciting planned on this Columbus Day. Hubby has gone out to some store, somewhere for something! I have to give Nannie a bath later today. I would like to take a shower. All that is on my calendar for this week is a vet appt for the Oz-man on Thursday, shots due, flea tx tablet due, and probably he'll make a recommendation for (extreme and expensive) dental work. I got the CareCredit card for when I had to take Pippy there and then had to have her put down. That $150.00 is paid off, so I will be able to use the card again for Ozzie's needs. Today is nice! A little warmer, but not disgustingly so, plus (or should I say minus?) no humidity! Sunny blue skies with not one wisp of a cloud anywhere. The rain yesterday was so welcome. Of course, it wasn't enough to make everything green again. We may have a day with a few showers more, later this week. Whooooo knows?! Later, yez'all!

So very sorry to read of all the recent troubles and of your mom's passing. I hope you will/can take some time off work and allow yourself to grieve. Keep in touch please. Hugs.

Morning Tweety Yesterday went well. Choir did a good job on the anthem. Judy was a good movie, sad but not too sad. Mostly it focused on the end of her career, her concerts in London Work 2 days in the office this week then back home for the next 3 Weather is continuing to be pretty cool, but has remained dry which is a relief

Good Morning! Dianah, that sounds like a nice day. I had to Google "tri-tip". Must be good. Up early again today. Didn't realize it was a holiday and took the trash out. In fact I've done the "clean the bathrooms Monday" thing, have a load of laundry in, and dusted. Good to get that out of the way before getting distracted by the internet. Will take a nap later as it's bowling night tonight. Hope everyone has a good day. It's already 76 degrees and will get up to 87, but it does feel like Summer's tight grip is lightening up a bit.