Can't believe no one has started December so I will.
Tonight the cold weather starts - down into the 20s. I am not looking forward to it. Forecast to be below freezing for the next 10 days and probably longer. The cold was bound to come but am not looking forward to it. Will dump the tanks so I can leave the gray open to leave the water running at night. Even though everything has heat tape I don't trust it.
My shoulder rehab is moving along although it hurts now more than before. He can get my arm up to about 165 degrees which he says is good. I don't know if it is the strengthening exercises or dumb things I have done the last couple weeks. Thanksgiving I took a heavy dish out of the oven - wrong! Paid for that with 2 days of pain. This last Tuesday I wanted to get the tanks drained earlier in the day. On his non-day care days he sleeps until 11 which messes up doing anything. He had put the cap on the back flush tight so I had to get wrenches to loosen it. I know I should have made him get up but instead I raised my arm more than I should have combined with holding the wrench while turning with the other one - well paid for it. The soreness I can deal with but the shooting nerve pains I can't. I will be fine until I go to bed then it hits. I have 3 hydrocodone left so am cherishing them. I called to get more but the doctor won't give me more (the last RX for 40 has lasted 6 weeks). I have an appointment on Wednesday to see him. The PT guy said he thinks there is some nerve impingement which would explain the shooting nerve pain. During the day I can ignore much of the pain and often do not take anything.
It is the lack of sleep getting to me. I normally will take up to 4 ibuprofen and 2 valerian root (it helps the nerves) which will help the pain at night 3-4 hours but I don't sleep well. Friday night I broke down, bought and took 2 naproxen hoping it would get me longer than 2 hours which ibuprofen was doing. I did get 6 hours sleep (minus getting up for potty breaks) - was heavenly. Last night after 2 hours of no results I broke down and took a hydrocodone, sat up and iced it and after an hour (3am) I finally got some sleep until 6. I don't like naproxen - it constipates me worse than hydrocodone.
I really need to see the chiropractor but mine changed offices and is now further away than I want to travel. I don't have the money to start with a new one right now.
Went for it, bought a 32 inch TV for the living area of the motorhome. We currently have a 22 inch but when you take into it being digital the picture is less. Picked it up yesterday, put the legs on it, turned it over and saw the screen had deep scratches in it. Took it back, reordered which is available to pick up today. Will go after the NE Patriot game is over. We temporarily have a place to set it until we get a mount and mount it. Next is a soundbar so I can hear it in the slide. Right now to be loud enough for me to hear, it is too loud for him.
He continues to slowly loose ground. Those who see him in park notice it more than me. He has trouble reading the time on his watch. Sits and plays with his cell phone plugging in - unplugging. He is confused by the reception bars and the battery. He thinks the reception bars indicates if it is charge, gets confused with the lines change as he moves the phone. Drives me crazy that he won't leave it alone!
If you go to Dee Kelly Photography - https://www.facebook.com/deeagle55/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf
she post pictures every day along with videos and updates. Yes, so easy to become attached to these magnificent birds. I had always heard eagles mate for life, but last year we found out when they loose a mate, nature brings in a new mate. Last year M15 who we call M or dad pushed himself in when Ozzie was first injured. It is believed it was the fight for Harriet that contributed to Ozzie's eventual demise when he came back. When dad buried the first egg it was thought he did because something happened to it. But after Harriet laid the second egg, she dug out and now they sit on both. Normally to delay hatching of the first one until more are laid they just don't spend as much time to slow incubation down. We can only guess because they knew the second egg would be delayed burying it would protect, slow it down until the second egg. Time will tell if that is true or if the egg is not viable.
Also,this year we got to see a nest built from scratch. The one that fell apart last spring was believed to be about 10 years old. There was a comparison picture posted showing how big the nest was before it fell apart compared to the new one - it sure was big since they add to it all the time - something I didn't know.
So happy you are enjoying the adventures of Harriet and M. I have websites for 3 other eagle pairs. If you are into eagles, here is a website that list eagle cams that are online: https://eagleholic.wordpress.com/eagle-cam-list/
George, it was ol' Don who posted the link for us. He had lived in Fort Myers and knew about the nest. He's posted recently that he would like to move back there. How about updating us on the projected move, o'l Don?
It's a winter wonderland around here. There's no snow in the GTA just fourty miles away but here it's all white. We're expected a real dumping on Sunday of 20cm/8in which will be our third snowfall. I don't think we had more than a dusting last December.
My blue jays are regulars and I've had a male and female cardinal in my back yard for years now. Recently though the male has learned how the peanut window works. When peanuts fling out, present yourself in a nearby bough and some opened half peanuts will fling out. The cardinal doesn't know what to do with a full peanut. He knows exactly how to eat the pieces though.
They're not as bad as the grey parrot that was harassing me yesterday. I learned that grey parrots either bond to males or females. If they like males then they'll be reserved around females. If they like females the preference is switched. I was over at motorcycle man across the street in his workshop looking at the serious bicycle he built. It has a top speed of 120 mph. The parrot didn't care about the bicycle. Motorcycle man explained he liked my voice. I've been over there half a dozen times now and the parrot still doesn't talk in front of me. He did all summer though. I could hear him sometimes when he was in his cage on the front porch. He has a huge vocabulary and likes expressions although he doesn't do imitations. Some do I hear.
Tonight I start the christmas marathon. The Grinch is on tonight. Christmas movies have been on up here since the US thanksgiving but I'm going to start watching now. Last year I watched the guide in the paper and caught most of my favourites. This year I mean to see them all. No lights up and no tree up, but if I can figure out how to get the stuck CD out of the player, I'll listen to christmas music too. If I can't figure that out, I'll find a christmas channel on the TV and play that instead. That CD had Mel Torme doing A Christmas Song. I'd never heard of Mel Torme until I watched the movie Stripes. It was supposed to be a joke, but I actually did like that song.
I wonder if there's a sad story written I don't truly understand now. I may not understand the exact feeling but I get the sadness that feeling creates. I get rain against the windowpane on a gloomy day in ways I still don't get a sunny day fully yet. The sadness used to feel threatening and too strong but these days it feels more like a piano playing in a bar, hitting those notes that say the player knows about sadness too. It's almost like a comfortable friend now, like an art form.
Wolf , believe it or not, I know how to get a stuck CD out of a player. It's really quite easy. You just need to unplug, dismantle and remove. Do you want me to come over and help? But only if I can get my car out of the garage. Lots of snow here, too.
We were suppose to get 3-5 inches but only got a couple. Sleet and freezing rain was forecast but never showed up - happy about that. Told hb yesterday when he took the dog out to clean the snow off first but he didn't. Jas came crying into the house. The powder snow had gotten in her pads. Now she doesn't want to go out even though there is an area of grass cleaned off. But, she did go for a walk to pee on the packed snow on the road. Go figure!
Went to doctor on Wednesday. He seemed to be pleasantly surprised at the mobility I have. I asked him for another RX for the hydrocodone so I could sleep at night. The pain wakes me up after a couple hours. With the hydro I can sleep 3-4 hours. Instead he gave me a once a day RX for meloxicam. Not sure I like it. Means if it starts hurting before the 24 hours is up I can only take tylenol which I hate. I will try it a few more days. Wednesday I took it at 1:30 pm so I could see if any side effects. Yesterday took it at 4;30, have not taken it tonight yet but need to cause my shoulder is sore. Oh, the doctor said it will probably still be hurting for the next couple months! Who would think a month in a sling would totally waste away your muscles!
Ha! Mary, I looked it up and it's over 4200 km/2600 miles from your place to mine. You may want to pack a sandwich. Two snowfalls you guys had I'm seeing which is unusual. The guy next door is an electronics whiz. If I can't figure the CD player out, I'll let him take a shot at it.
All I used was a screwdriver. Once you are in there, it's mechanical simplicity itself. And I'm not handy at fixing things. Take my own sandwich? I was counting on you for a bowl of soup, at least. Thick soup and a crusty bread. Plus, I want you to put your Bunny Berigan tapes on, loud volume; I want to hear the trumpet solos. Here's one (there are two versions). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2BuWDhuT2I Yes, too much snow for us West Coasters — it's drizzling right now and with luck, we'll have more rain and wash the white stuff away. I did get in enough groceries between storms, but I miss being able to get out for a walk, or just getting in the car and going where I want. I live in a hilly part of Vancouver (sloping down towards the Fraser River) and sometimes, in the past, have had trouble getting up the hills. Now I only go out in the deep snow if I have to. You can't count on cab service when it's really bad. There's too much demand.
From the stories here and from old folks in general, I've come to realize the value of having a little dog or cat to keep us from feeling lonely during these stressful times. My dear Helen had a little Yorkie, "Ozzie", who passed away one year after she did. Since there's not much activity here right now, I'm thinking I should let you all know what came after Ozzie left me.
When my little companion, Ozzie, died, my daughters and friends were insisting that I get another pet. I really missed Ozzie but I didn't think any other pet could ever take his place. So I resisted them as long as I could. But eventually they brought this huge homeless cat over and told me how they had rescued him from the streets and begged me to give him a home. So what could I do?
They told me that he could not be let outside because be would run away and the coyotes would get him. He was so heavy I couldn't even pick him up and he made a big mess with the litter box and shed fur all over the house. He was fat as a pig and ate like a horse and was always pawing around on the furniture, and would open drawers and cabinets to see what he could find. He would jump onto table tops and create havoc. A real home wrecker.
He was always trying to get through Ozzie's little doggie door, which I had sealed off. So after putting up with him for a month, I unsealed it and he wasted no time before squeezing his fat belly through it.
Wow.....Things started looking better. I think he enjoyed being an outside cat He quit using the litter box and I was happy to get rid of it. Sometimes he would be gone all day or all night but he never missed a meal.
Everything was going well for about two months until I smelled a strange odor in the house and eventually found that he had decided he didn't want to go potty outside any more so he had made his own litter box in a hidden corner behind some furniture. Well.....That did it for me.....I sealed up the doggie door with him on the outside and fixed a nice place for him in the garage.
Now....... I still have problems. Feeding him in the patio or garage, The ants get into his food. They seem to prefer cat food over the bait in the ant traps. So I place his food dish in a pan of water because I know that ants can't swim. So he drinks the water out of that pan instead of his water bowl. So I put salt in the water pan but he still drinks it and the ants are right back.
I feed him dry cat food. Lots of it. But I have to keep the bags on the rear seat of my little car because he will find them anywhere else. He can knock them off of high shelves and rip them open and spread the food all over the floor.
OK......Now I'm thinking.....Do I really need this cat?....Yes, I think I do. Without him I could never have written such a story as this.
For a video of my kitty, take a look at this Youtube link..... ......... https://youtu.be/7j6ujuiS2XU
I miss have a kitty so much. I am looking for one, just have not found it yet.
I would put the food inside where he can come in to eat since it is apparent he could use a little less. You could even put the litter box back in the house just in case he needs it before going back out.
Was up at 6 to take dog out and discovered the hot water was frozen. It freezes where the hot water has a short pipe going to the outside shower which we have never used. I keep meaning to remove it and cap it but never have. We have a light on it but evidently when it gets below 10 - got down to 3 - it doesn't stay warm enough. It was fine at 4 when I was up. Let Art sleep until 9 then got him up to help hold the extension cord (an indoor one and didn't want it to get in the snow) while I put the hair dryer on it. Took about 10 minutes. Guess tonight since we are suppose to be as cold I will have to leave the hot water dripping. I did use the insulation to put a tent over the light making sure it is not touching which may keep it warmer.
In the meantime I tried the Roku feature on our new TV and watched the movie 'Letters to God'. Internet worked great and the movie was good - and a tearjerker.
I tried doing that a couple years ago but the hoses behind the water panel crisscross each other so much it was hard. That is when we decided a light was the easiest. It is 8 now - made it to 14 going down to 4 again, then we warm up.
We had fog last night so the trees were covered with freezing frost. Freezing frost was hanging from anything there was to cling to. Was really pretty.
As I walked over to take a shower it dawned on me 12 years ago this month we moved out of our house and into the motorhome with dreams of workamping for many years to come. We didn't do it like we wanted at first as we were parked at my sister' helping her since her husband was sick. In hindsight, if I had known what laid ahead I'm not sure I would have wasted the years.Oh well, as we all know hindsight is always easier.
The weather warmed up some - actually to 50 today. Another warm day then back to the lows in the teens and 20s with highs in the 20s and 30s. No real snow in the forecast, so the only white for Christmas will be the patches of snow that don't melt.
Hb is driving me crazy - I have no more patience for him. I am thinking about cutting my hair short short and not letting it grow long again in rebellion until he is placed or dies. I know for many you don't understand why I would feel that way, but I just do. He is getting worse, acting more like a child, doing less and less. Thankfully he can't figure out how to use the lighter (needed to light the stove) so he can't start a fire.
They had a Christmas party at the day care on Thursday. He came home with a Seahawks baseball cap and plastic thermal glass. Then I read in the news that Seahawk players were visiting the are including the day care. Cap cost about $30, cup probably around $15 if I were to buy them. Of course he has no memory. When he sees them he wonders where they came from.
Charlotte is it possible you are getting burned out? Have you looked into placement or even a few weeks respite? Cut your hair if that will make you feel better. You have had a difficult year for sure.
Sadness here: I bought a kitty for my spouse almost 2 years ago. Had him pick it out at SPCA ( which of course he does not remember). this cat is not a cuddle cat but does come for pets and to be scratched. My spouse Jim is very fond of this cat and is a great comfort to him as his AD increases to destroy him. I did find that if one moves their litter box they will not use it for many weeks. We live in a complex that insists all pets be on leash and so our cat goes outside in a special cat harness and on a long rope into the back yard. Also take him for short walks which he sometimes enjoys but other times not. I agree with you an animal is a focal point for the ill and not so ill. AD has been with my spouse now since 2009, but diagnosed in 2012. He functions at late stage 6 and some actions into 7.
Charlotte, I chopped my hair off as short as possible the last couple years with DH. For one thing, it is a lot quicker to wash and dry, when you don't have time for that stuff. Later on after he was gone, I grew it out to where I was doing french braids, banana clips, etc. Then I got sick of that, and figured out how to cut it myself with a crea clip. Now it is a short, blunt bob. Sort of like the old "China chop" haircut. Agree with Jazzy that you need somehow to get more of a break from him. You have had a hellacious year, and I think it is catching up with you. You are dealing with pain, and on top of dealing with Art, that is a lot.
Cats and dogs both make good companions, but they are different, that's for sure. I always had dogs as a child at home, and then in later years, several nice cats. Then came Bandit--holy moly! He is an interesting little dog, to say the least.
Elizabeth I have the holy terror of holy terrors running around my house. This Yorkie is hell on four pads! The squerills try to come to the feeder off my back deck and Willy can see them from the living room window and goes ballistics, so up I get, open the patio door out to the sunroom then open the patio door to the deck and the squerilles go straight up and out as he jumps up agains the railing. He loves this activity but all that up and down is wearing me out so now I just leave the doors open enough for him to do his job and stay sitting by the window and enjoy my coffee. He is bossy and pushy and will bring his Kong bone and with it still in his mouth, growl and put his front paws down and his bum up with his tail swinging madly and order me to get up and chase and run around the living room after him. Great exercise for both of it and I end up laughing so hard at his antics. My Sister who is his breeder, has told me he is a very different Yorkie because we live alone and I treat him like a person. What kind of dog is Bandit? He sounds just as active and bossy as Willy. What would we do with out them. My Lhasa passed away three years ago and I lasted 7 months with out pouch in my life.
Bandit is a yorkiepoo...half Yorkshire terrier and half poodle. He sounds so much like Willy--with Bandit, he goes ballistic about the birds that fly under our awnings, perch under them, etc. Bark, bark, bark, jump up on the furniture so he can see them better, and bark, bark, bark. We don't want any of those nefarious birds under our awnings! And he is very assertive about bringing his toys to me one by one, nudging my leg or jumping up on me to "push" me with his front paws, or just dropping his toys at my feet and barking. It is just like you described with Willy--I, too, spend a lot of time running around the house playing chase-fetch-keep away--tug of war, etc. We have the bedding game, too. Bandit pulls his plush afghan out of the carrier in the bedroom that is his "bed." He runs at full speed down the hall pulling it behind him into the living room...I am supposed to act all upset, yelling "Hey, hey!" and chase him, trying to get the afghan and dragging it back and trying to stuff it back into his carrier, while he tries to tug it back down the hall the other way. Wash, rinse, repeat. If anybody saw us playing they would think I was in my second childhood...but we have a lot of fun. I read somewhere that a dog takes about five hours a day of the owner's time. I believe it!
I thought they were a person - just a different shape! They are our kids and as my daughter use to say: you love the dog more than me! I would tell her - you are right.
Jasmine will take her treat over by hb, drop it on the floor and look up at us. She is waiting for us to try taking it. She growls, sounds like she will tear us apart. She won't eat it until we play her game. I have at times gotten it. She has never bitten us - yet.
Received SS notice for next year. We get a whopping $5 raise and Medicare Part B goes up $5. Whoopee!!!
Short haircut: means needing to continually go in to get it cut which I have a real hard time spending money on. I looked up the crea clip and don't think I could do it. It is hard enough paying every other month for hb to get his hair cut. I have been taking him to a barber who is former Navy -has Navy stuff all over his shop. Unfortunately he went up $2 to $15 so now I need to find a new place. A nearby barber advertises $10 for seniors so will try him next time.
Yeah, that's the trouble with really short hair. I always found that long hair was the easiest to take care of, but I just got sick of mine. I forgot about your shoulder, Charlotte...it would probably be hard to have your hands up there positioning the clip and then using the clippers or scissors. We have a beauty school literally almost around the corner--less than 5 minutes away--and they cut hair for $6.00. I got tired of going there, because the kids are very slow, and your hair never looks the same way twice...but I never got a bad haircut, either.
So sad - Debbie Reynolds dies one day after her daughter. Broken heart?
I did - I got my hair cut short today. It will stay short until this nightmare with my hb is over. I will suck it up and pay to have it trimmed every other month. The other month he will get his cut.
Yesterday I had a melt down. I was trying to put up a tension curtain rod but I needed him to hold it turn it to tighten it - neither of which he could seem to figure out how to do. Then he took the rod and the ends fell off - took a lot of digging under the table to find them. That is when I lost it. Oh well.
Charlotte, It sounds like he's at the stage where it's better not to let him help at all. I remember those days and it was so frustrating. I hope you are able to get that rod up on your own.
Charlotte, I agree with Myrtle. Don't even bother trying to get him to assist with anything. Whatever you need to do, figure out how to do it yourself, find someone in the neighborhood to maybe help, or just let it go. I remember that stage very clearly--total, useless frustration, annoyance, and anger. They can't help with the simplest things, it's just not gonna fly. It seems like they should be able to help you with some direction, but guess what....no way. Grrrrrrrrrr. (Ask me about the time I needed to simply have him hold the other end of a picture I was hanging on the wall...may I say that that little task took four hours...with him driving me Insane. It seems crazy now, that I fed into it like that. I would know better now--would realize all the fiddling around with it was just the Alzheimers...but I was still too close to the days when he was a great partner for doing anything like that.
It's part of the scenario we all face/faced. You're alone, really. It seems like they are there, but they really aren't. They're in Bizarro Land, as I heard someone call it.
Elizabeth, that's one of the things I've been struggling with. He is so counterproductive and unhelpful sometimes. I can relate.to the four hours to hang a picture. I got him to help me with something even though it took several hours longer than necessary. I thought it would be good to try to keep his mind working, and his hands are still.stronger than mine. But when I turned my back he UNDID all the work we had spent all that time on! So now I have been doing some things completely on my own and sometimes practically begging him to leave the kitchen. Still.struggle with guilt over not being patient enough. Trying to find other things to keep him occupied that don't require so much patience.
Yes, Marche - will be interesting to see if it was egg 1 or 2. If it is 2, that means 1 is probably not viable. But, it is exciting we know there will be at least one eaglet to watch grow.
The last day of December and year 2016 is almost here....I can't say I'm sorry to see this year go. It has definitely NOT been a good one! Hoping & praying that 2017 is at least better, if not great. For ALL of us...the Happiest of New Years to all of you here. I got through Christmas without as much trauma as I thought...a couple of nice dinners, a few Christmas decorations (which were taken down on the 27th! Very unusual for me). It was surely different & kind of sad, but I did it!
Reading the comments about short hair....I have no choice!! :) It's taken a little over three months for mine to even decide that it would try to grow back in. It's coming along, but still way too thin & sparse to go out without something on my head, plus it's too cold! I will say that it's easy to take care of, but I wouldn't recommend chemotherapy as a way to not have to fuss with hair.....:D :D
Mim, you are so lucky you have good cheekbones and nice features. If anybody can get along without much hair, it's you. (I have a round face and head, and a very conventional, plain face...if I lost my hair I would look like a honeydew melon with eyes.)
Elizabeth, that's funny!! Oddly enough, one time, several years ago some other ladies & I had one of those in-store beauty make overs. The one that was doing my makeup just kept talking about how I had such good cheekbones, eyebrow bones (I guess that's what they are), full lips ... she was an artist at work! If she could see me now with the skin sagging over all that "beautiful bone structure"....oh well, 75 years does take its toll, I guess :D