Me, Myself and Memories

Recent Updates Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

• 

  Noreen 3:43 pm on November 6, 2024 Permalink  

  Quite the Outcome 

  The 2024 election is over and whether you like the results or not . . . it is the outcome that we will have for the next four years.

  Today was my yearly eye exam.  It is a two hour exam that encompasses much.  A computerized check on Glaucoma.  Done.  Dilatation of the eyes to make sure the retina repair remains good on both eyes.  Done.  Checking the depth within the eyes.  Done.  Reading various eye charts.  Done.

  I do need to have new lens as both distance and close-in vision has changed a bit.  Dr. Pinke assured me I would notice an improvement.  This would be the first lens change since 2021.

  I checked out new frames that the new lens will go in.  I wanted frames that would allow for additional lens area than the frames I currently have.  As I read and stitch, as I look far and wide, I wanted what would serve me well.  I felt that the frame should be as wide as my face to allow the ear pieces pieces to fight comfortably behind my ears and not have to bow out.  Yes, the bows need to be long enough to fit the face up close and personal.  I paid my bill and will wait for a week or two and then go in to have them fit.

  I could take my prescription printed out and take that prescription out of town to a Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club.  My eyes are important enough that just as my primary doctor is here in St. James, I want an eye doctor that knows who I am and will look after my eye health if I need to come back with a concern.

  That’s how I feel about that.

  For some reason, I do feel dis-jointed this afternoon.  My eyes are slow to adjust to the dilation drops to leave.  Oh how we notice what we take for granted.  No reading of any great degree this afternoon and no stitching to any great degree this afternoon.  Tomorrow is plenty soon for all of that.  Besides . . . my arthritis is bucking today.  I should find a rabbit hole and pull it in after me.  I can have a day such as that.  I don’t feel the need to be on top all the time.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   

   
• 

  Noreen 3:47 pm on November 5, 2024 Permalink  

  Gray Skies 

  Gray skies, rain and a touch of fog.

  The alarm went off at six this morning and by 7:30 we were on 169 heading to Mankato for Dennis’ visit to the heart center.  His heart had been monitored for 14 days during the hip replacement saga.

  Interesting.  One of Dennis’ blood pressure meds was removed from him right after the hip surgery.  Metatropral slows down the heart beat.  He had been on that med for years.  No wonder his pulse was always in the mid 50s.  The heart halter gave a consistent reading for his pulse to be in the high 60s.  That is still low, but it is now his normal.

  Dennis does not need a pacemaker.  If such time arises that he is dizzy consistently or has episodes of passing out, in he goes for an out-patient procedure.  A battery operated little gismo will be placed under the skin with a wire going to the heart.  It is then monitored with a wireless reading just as his CPAP is done now.

  Henceforth, once a year, a cardiac doctor that travels to St. James once a month can do the same thing as we traveled to Mankato for this morning.  I like that.

  We were back in St. James by eleven this forenoon.  Dennis and I visited on the way home non-stop.  Even to not decide is a decision for us.  We are happy with our plans for this day, November 6th, 2024.  We came home feeling contentment. Dennis napped in his recliner and I did some stitching.

  Supper is going to be bean and ham soup.  Dennis likes a bit of vinegar in his bean and ham soup.  I have a small bottle of some fancy vinegar that he likes.  So be it.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 3:57 pm on November 4, 2024 Permalink  

  A Bit of Everything 

  This first full week of November has a bit of everything on our calendar.  It still doesn’t hold a candle to the last several weekends we have enjoyed here on Stauffer Avenue.

  Over two of those weekends there hasn’t been a dust bunny that has escaped in our home or in the garages.  The end result was that Dennis and I have lightened the load in both of those places.  We are far from being minimalists.  Taking a serious look as to what we can utilize in our day-to-day activity is an eye opener.

  Dennis knows his ability with tools and saws and they need to take a back-seat to safety.  Why not give to those that are able.  The days of measure twice, cut once and . . . it’s still too short can be chuckled over.

  My days of no longer beginning a collection or adding to a collection within our home only means there is less that needs dusting.  Two baking dishes, two saucepans and two frypans rounds out my creativity in the kitchen.  I gladly give away things in our home, if someone can make use of it.  Our potting shed used to bulge with lawn and garden flighty attributes.  Now, I eye up Dennis’ weed spray.  Rather than see the gardens overgrown in weeds, sprinkling grass seed is appealing.

  Dennis is back to driving his little red pickup.  It has been four weeks since his hip surgery.  Dennis is active and  happy to have a hand in things around our home.  Absolutely weariness sets in, but better from being out and about and being active than sleeping his days away as was customary while in the nursing home.  November 11th Dennis will have PT here in our clinic.  Dan Kern did a wonderful job of helping Dennis with his left foot when the adjustment of balance became an issue with no toes. 

  Soon the racing tracks of Dennis’ walker will be history.  Perhaps a cane may still be needed, time will tell.

  We will be having a repeat for supper of the all-in-one crockpot dish of yesterday.  I just love that.

  I will need to set my alarm as the heart center in the Mankato hospital expects us to be there at nine in the morning.  This visit will determine the readings of the heart halter that Dennis wore for two weeks.  The a-fibrillation of Dennis’ heart was being monitored in the event a pacemaker would be needed. 

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 3:15 pm on November 2, 2024 Permalink  

  Reprieve 

  There is no evidence of the snow that totally covered our landscape on Thursday morning.

  Today, I hear the sound of some homeowners that took the message of this first snowfall being a test . . . “Are you ready?”

  I am not sure what Dennis thinks about as he whiles away the hours in his patio porch.  His dime, his time. 

  As I sit in my bedroom porch facing south, the sun has amazing powers as it flirts with the clouds. 

  What I am truly amazed by is that this year is almost over and I have had my 80th birthday.  It has nothing to do with getting older.  It is all about striking out for new adventures while being in our teeny tiny home.  Oh my . . . so many choices to try my hand at, a big thanks goes out to YouTube.  Needing to have some retail therapy, I think twice.  The stores I have liked to frequent in the past are laid out to compare to the size of football fields.  With some thought of what is needed, Amazon never disappoints. Life is still a blast.  The times past of going to parties, picnics . . . even putting on picnics make for good memories.  It is now easier to keep the pantry stocked so we can enjoy our meals at home.  Our days of traveling beyond Minnesota are over.  It is, after all, “the same church, just a different pew. ”

  I do not lament about my life.  I have played so many roles in my 80 years.  Now I have evolved to my true being.  I am an introvert and have always been.  Taking the parts in life that I have played, some proving to have paid a high price for, has allowed me to sit here in my bedroom porch, facing south with just me and the flirty sun.

  With that I will take my leave. ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 3:12 pm on November 1, 2024 Permalink  

  Busy, Busy 

  Last night before I went to bed, I took the bag of Rhodes frozen cinnamon rolls out.  They are very good.  Putting the dozen rolls on a cookie sheet that has a sheet of parchment paper just waiting for the right arrangement of the goodies.  Covering the rolls with cling wrap that has one side, the side that touches the rolls,  sprayed with Pam, I went to bed.

  This morning the rolls under the cling wrap were huge and ready to pop in the 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.  The yeast of the rolls under the cling wrap does its job.  The rolls topped with the included bag of frosting, was a great unnecessary treat to start the day.  The kitchen had a great aroma.

  The postman left a package.  Our mail slot allows the mail to come into the house.  The postman lifts the exterior slot, shoves in the mail and the interior slot cover is pushed up and the mail is inside. One problem.  The interior cover for the slot went by the way of  “I’m weary and can no longer do my job regardless how much tape has been used to shore me up.”

  The postman left a package.  It is a sheet of one-sided magnet that is 18 x 12″.  So begins the measure once, measure twice than cut.  Nope!  I do have cardboard laid out with my X-ACTO box.  There will have to be a template so that after the magnet is cut out in total, the magnet will only hit the metal of the slot.  The remaining area will be covered, avoiding the magnet.  This will require a slow, very slow process.

  So . . . as I am running the mail slot job over in my mind, I have decided to get something going under the needle of the sewing machine. 

  Supper is planned.  Potato salad left over from last night and the remaining beef brats with a green lettuce salad.

  The snow of yesterday is almost gone.  The one inch of rain was indeed a good thing.

  Dennis is doing well.  He is getting himself out of the house and then on to the patio porch.  I have been replaced in regard to the livestock chores.  His new HP laptop has been enjoyed to no end in the evenings.  Since the fourth of October, he has had lots of time to maul things over.  His attitude is wonderful.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 3:12 pm on October 31, 2024 Permalink  

  Wishful Thinking 

  My wishful thinking is that the child within me never abandons me.  

  One of these last days the winds were playing tag with leaves.  The leaves were going every which way.  I had met the postman on our front deck.  As I was coming in and bringing the front door with me a lone leaf scurried across my bedroom floor.  I saw the leaf but didn’t really look until I bent down to pick it up and then took a closer look.  I will be!  The leaf was a twin to the cartoon mouse character, Stewart Little.  Just keep your nets to yourself and not over me.   I assure you I am just fine.

  There are so many small entertaining splashes in the day-to-day hectic pace . . . if we just keep our minds open to them.  The child within me is a hoot.

  Onto a more serious note.  Thump.  Did you hear it?  One of my prescription bottles hit the garbage and it was still quite full of 50m pills.  I will no longer be taking Zoloft.  It is one of many drugs used for depression.  Not to worry, I have been decreasing the dosage for some time.  No cold turkey.

  In 2021 I experienced a stroke as well as open heart surgery.  During that same time, Dennis began experiencing Osteomyelitis, a severe bone infection in his left foot.  As the toes were removed one by one, the dressings on his foot needed changing every day.  With only my right hand and arm being useful, the left hand and arm could only help pin down the clean dressings until I could get the tape unrolled and applied. It was physically and emotionally exhausting.  The daily dressings continued until mid 2023.  The daily care made the difference of keeping Dennis’ leg or amputating it above the knee.  I was under a doctor’s care the whole time while I adjusted to my new lifestyle as well.  The Zoloft was a means to coup. 

  I had been kicking around doing more with less in regard to medications.  Carrie mentioned at one point, it may have been after Nicholas was born and she experienced post-partum depression and had the experience of being prescribed Zoloft.  In part that is caused by a drastic hormonal change in estrogen and progesterone.  Hormonal changes happen every month in the body of a woman, but none more drastic than after a pregnancy.  It may affect brain activity, behavior, physical and mental function.  Carrie commented the Zoloft did not do a good thing for her.  

  So . . . in the last month, I have been taking high absorption Magnesium Glycinate 350, one tablet every morning.  It helps with bone health, muscular health, enzymatic function (respiratory health, food digestion and nerve function and relaxation).  I have also cut down the Gabapentin from 800m per day to 400m, also for nerve functionality.  After the stroke, it had always felt as if I were touching a low dose from an electric fence as if my left side was still trying to make functioning connections.  My hope is to no longer be taking the Gaba at all.  I am taking it slow.  I maintain, I will stick to only one of the Magnesium’s per day.  I feel I may still need to take it in the morning to help with whatever the day throws at me.  When my bottle of 240 capsules is gone, I will have to give a report on what my body is telling me.

  Oh, by the way . . . I like the fact that I can continue nurturing the child within me.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 2:20 pm on October 30, 2024 Permalink  

  Changes 

  Changes in the weather are coming.  I felt a drop of rain earlier in the day, but nothing since.

  Out teeny tiny home is accustomed to noise.  The street out front is a county road and also a thoroughfare of the town.  The railroad tracks are two blocks north of us and have multiple trains traveling through day and night.  I take all that noise in stride.

  The straw that broke the camel’s back was a 2015 HP laptop that has had a coolant fan going out for quite some time.  The Geek Squad had told us there was no resuscitation possible.  I am sure even the best full time barista working with grinding coffee beans for eight hours a day could take the noise.  Dennis could tolerate sitting 12″ from it day after day after day.

  Yesterday, via Amazon, a very plain Jane HP laptop with not very many bells and whistles was delivered to the front door. This morning, I went to work setting it up.  Amazingly, I used some of the same markers in the set up and the new HP went out and loaded files from the old one.  Dennis tried the thumb pad to navigate the laptop, but the wireless mouse is still the best for Dennis and also for me with my laptop. 

  I enlarged the size of the curser and made it a bright lime green.  Let me tell you, it is really a bright green.  The text is enlarged to 175%.  I put a post-a-note on the wall next to the laptop with the new pin.  Solitaire is Dennis’ favorite to play and he can get the best country western music via Facebook.  He is then one happy ole cowboy.

  I knew this day would come.  After lunch Dennis wanted to go out to his patio porch.  With a walker to help out, he made it out just fine.  The three kitties did a second look.  When Dennis’ son was here on Monday and the fellows sat on the front deck, I knew what would happen.  Ken lit up and of course Dennis begged a cigarette . . . and the rest is history.  So be it.  I had hoped that after four weeks it would have gone differently.  It’s not my body, even though I do take care of his body as best I can.  Of Dennis’ five children, Sandy the nurse was the only one that didn’t and does not smoke.

  For supper we are having Bird’s Eye chicken stir-fry.  I have never tried it.  Time will tell.  

  I am going out to retrieve said cowboy from the porch.  The six o’clock curfew is staying in place.  It was so nice to have all three of them in and all doors could then be locked until morning.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 2:17 pm on October 29, 2024 Permalink  

  A Tuesday 

  Warm and Sunny today.  Denise came over this forenoon to keep an eye on the ole cowboy as I had a medical appointment.  I left at eleven and the two of them were sitting on the front deck.  I got home at one and they were still in the same spot watching traffic and whatever the neighborhood would bear.  Nothing more than spending time together.  

  My Echocardiogram went well.  Believe me, when I needed to lay on my left side with my left arm high above my head, I propped it there until I had to coax it down.  No way was my comfort important enough to squelch a successful scan.  It was too important.  Initially there had been no openings until January 2025 and I was squeezed in.  Sweet.  I had to wait a bit as she downloaded the scans to radiology in Mankato successfully.  Step one done and I see my cardiologist in the early weeks of November. 

  Other than folding laundry before supper, I am taking myself off of the clock.  Supper is frozen waffles and Jimmy Dean frozen breakfast sausages.  I am still being mindful of the salt consumption at the supper table.  I have a lead on a different brand but it’s not available here in town.  I have a photo of the packaging on my phone until I get to Hy-Vee.

  There’s a new hatching of house flies.  Itty bitty little devils hang onto clothing big time.  

  Dennis had a hard time settling in last night.  He was sure his hip incision was coming apart.  So many layers that need to heal, each layer doing its best to let Dennis know they are not to be taken for granted.

  A bit of a nap is taking place in the living room.  Hmm.  I can’t say I blame him.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 3:26 pm on October 28, 2024 Permalink  

  Warm Winds 

  Winds are strong but not strong enough to keep the Asian Beetles at bay.

  Today Dennis’ son Ken from Masa, Arizona, has spent the day visiting Stauffer Avenue.  The post brought the shower chair and Ken is putting it together as I type.  Father and son chit chat on the front deck as well.  Ken will be 65 in July of 2025.  He plans on retiring and getting a job hauling for the fertilizer company in this area.

  Monday always calls for laundry.

  Lewis Drug was at the house by 11 this morning.  Meds delivered.  We are good.

  Dennis’ new driver’s license came in the post today as well.  He’s good for another four years.

  I have an Echocardiogram tomorrow at 11:30.  Denise will come and stay with Dennis until I get home.  It’s wonderful that someone from Mayo in Mankato can come and do it here in the St. James clinic.

  Dennis’ occupational therapy for today is swapping out a load of laundry.  Every little bit of movement helps get the left leg a little stronger.

  Supper is a frozen Mac and Cheese for Dennis and I am doing a salad.  That reminds me, I need to boil some eggs as I like a chopped egg on my salad as well as chopped onions.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 2:58 pm on October 27, 2024 Permalink  

  Sunday the 27th 

  All is going well om Stauffer Avenue.

  Dennis has been home a full day.  He did have a family function to attend for several hours last night.  He put on clean PJs and went to bed shortly thereafter.

  I had the house locked up, lights off and we had callers at the back door.  Four of Dennis’ family were bound and determined for a visit.  Yup, they were pretty well lit.  They’re not my family, so I unlocked the door and they went about visiting Dennis in his bedroom.  So it goes.

  Dennis got up during the night for the bathroom and went back to bed and slept until ten this morning.  He said it felt great to stretch and move around under the covers.

  this afternoon my cousin Mark stopped in.  He had been at a funeral in Jackson.  Mark was originally from the Jackson area and now lives close to Hastings.  Mark works for the Thompson Reuter printing company.  Until recently he worked on the floor as one of the pressmen.  He applied and got the job in the mechanics department.  He said it was more satisfying after putting in a day.

  Dennis is sitting on the front deck taking in some sunshine.

  Yesterday I ordered a shower chair from Amazon.  It will be here tomorrow.  It is height adjustable and the seat swivels.  It seemed like the best solution rather than a straight bench.

  Thank goodness, supper will be the remains of the tuna oven dish.  A side salad to go with it will fill the menu.  It went over well last night.

  Occupational therapy is alive and well on Stauffer Avenue.  Yesterday Dennis opened the can of the Albacore tuna.  Today he switched out the laundry from the washing machine to the dryer.

  A quiet Monday is on the docket.  May your Monday bring with it something to smile about.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥