Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from October, 2024 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  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.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:04 pm on October 16, 2024 Permalink  

  Hump Day 

  It’s now official, the month of October is half over.

   I spent a good amount of time with Dennis this morning.  I visited with both of the gals that are doing PT with Dennis.  This coming Saturday will be two weeks that Dennis has had his hip replaced.  He has been at Good Samaritan a week yesterday.  The report is that he is in good spirits and very cooperative.  They have assigned places in the dining room.  The social worker also gave him good reviews.  They wished he wouldn’t get in and out of his room on his own, mainly the bathroom, and he doesn’t use the call light.  I asked them if the call light would be used would someone be in his room in 5-10 minutes?  Hmm . . . no, most likely a half hour.  Well . . . hello!

  I was queried as to what the family has given thought to.  Would we like to see Dennis stay until they thought he was ready to go home or go home when we felt he was ambulatory.  I allowed them to know the family has not discussed that as yet.  I did share my thoughts that recovery in the their own home always makes for a patient of good mind.  When I shared that I had had open heart surgery on a Thursday and was home before dark on Saturday, they both just looked at each other.

  Food for thought.

  Monday Dennis has an eye injection in Mankato.  Upon hearing that they will start working with Dennis on the ease of transport.  Denise said she would take him.  Sweet!  Dennis eyes have really done well.  He even passed his driver’s eye test without his glasses when he went in right after his birthday.  We already had missed the injection on the 7th.  It is important.  I know I can drive.  I know I can handle myself.  I do not want to take a chance of being in charge of myself as well as Dennis.

  Yesterday afternoon and into the evening I worked with the canon camera and the HP.  Thank goodness for YouTube.  Thank goodness . . . I got it!  Whew!  I know Nicholas would have had it fixed in a heart beat.  Sooooo, I can share with you the progress I have made on the cover of Ester Schafer’s wooden circular box.  I have quite a bit of hand sewing to do.  It feels good to have a solution on the raw finish of the counted stitch fabric.  I have my clips holding the bias tape I have made.  If I take a day to ponder it, I may sew the inner ring of the bias tape with my sewing machine.  I will make sure if I do, that I do a practice piece for the right stitch and the length of said stitch.

  With this day having been good, and dusty, I was going to tip in two windows of my bedroom porch tomorrow and give them a wash.  On second thought, a rain shower would really help.  I may wait a day or two.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:39 pm on October 12, 2024 Permalink  

  Dirty Air 

  The harvest dust is in the air.  Though the county road past our home is concrete, the semis do rouse up dust.

  The farmers are hitting it hard.  Much different than when implements needed to be pulled through mud at harvest time. 

  This forenoon I had a haircut and pedicure appointment at 11:30.  It was enjoyed to no end.  Maria made out an appointment card for us in November.  I am sure Dennis will be front and center for that one.

  From Maria’s I went to the Lewis Drug for one of my prescriptions:  $3.84  is not too hard to part with.

  We did get mail from BlueCross/Blue Shield today.  Our Senior Gold policy is going up $21.00 for each of us per month.  I was expecting some kind of hike. 

  I was out and about and my next stop was room 105 to check on my ole cowboy.  He reported he is not taking anything for pain.  From the sound of it there is no shortage of table talk with other fellows at meal time.  That’s a very good thing.  His spirit is high and he looks good . . . but of course he would.

  When I left at two this afternoon, Dennis was watching the History Channel.  I did notice that the eyelids were getting heavy.

  I got the huge cabinet cleared out yesterday out of Dennis’ bedroom.  The grandsons are coming tomorrow.  I have the remainder of the afternoon off.  I am going to head to my rocking chair.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 1:59 pm on October 4, 2024 Permalink  

  New Address 

  Dennis fell last night and as hard as he tried, we needed the ambulance.  The St. James hospital was his first destination.  The ambulance crew was fantastic.  There were as many as eight fellows in our home to see if enough help was on hand.  Three gals were going and checking his vitals. A police officer was on board also.

  I have been up since 2:30 and will crash as soon as it is dark outside.  I went out to the the livestock chores at noon.  They had thought they would never be let outside.  When it is dark how many kitties are in . . . bless their hearts.  I am not doing the Grandpa Dennis thing and wait for them to dribble in.

  I am feeling the early morning activities.  How can I not reach out an arm when someone has their arm out and asking “please?”

  The nurse from St. James hospital called a few minutes ago to let me know Dennis is in the Mankato Hospital with a fractured left hip.  His new address is room 5807.

  Dennis’ daughter “Nurse Sandy” lives in Mankato.  She called and said I was to stay home and she would be at the hospital every day after her nursing job in New Ulm.  The way I feel today,  I didn’t put up any quarrel.

  I hear a rocking chair calling to me.

  With that I will take my leave.♥

   
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  Noreen 3:03 pm on August 30, 2024 Permalink  

  Reprieve 

  With the 1.10″ of rain towards evening yesterday, that gave us a reprieve from mowing today.  The ground would have been quite soft.  The sun today gave the grass a chance to stand up tall for tomorrow.

  I did do some stitching today . . . very satisfying.  I can share it is the peace that passes all understanding.  Yes the length of thread can knot up on the backside of the pattern.  All that is needed is to take the thread out of the needle and work through what got looped and caught in the wrong way and re-thread.  Sometimes I don’t get the “x” put through the fabric right.  All that is needed is to take the thread out of the needle and pull out the thread from the fabric and re-thread.

  My stitching has given me patience that well carries over into my ordinary day.

  I called the heart center in Mankato this morning.  I had a message on the patient portal that there were two appointments that needed to be made.  When I called I was told that my cardiologist, Dr.Sarraf, did not have any openings until after the first of the year.  The echocardiogram needs to be taken in close proximity, day wise, to the TEE.  The TEE is the appointment with the camera being swallowed.  The receptionist is going to call Dr. Sarraf’s nurse for a possible appointment yet this fall.  I do not need to do anything as scheduling will call me if and when I can get in.

  Dennis is doing a late afternoon run to Mountain Lake White’s Drug with Jeff.  There seems to be one drug that Jeff is on that Lewis Drug does not carry.  Very unusual.

  I am doing chicken tenderloins and boiled potatoes for supper with a side salad.  I get a hankering for plain boiled potatoes.  I can taste them now.

  I am making some headway into turning Ester Schafer’s old wood box into a more desirable with less splinters box.  The embroidered band to go around it needs 9 more inches of a design.  The cover’s embroidery is done.  I also have the paper template cut out for the circular embroidered piece.  I am not in a hurry to do any cutting.  The template for the bottom of the interior is also cut.  I will need 33″ in length for the fabric to go around the inside of the box.  No, I have not measured the width yet.  Many, many steps towards “Mission Completion.”  Tee Hee!

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:35 pm on August 15, 2024 Permalink  

  Rain Drops 

  At 2:30 this morning, it was more than rain drops.  The short lived wind whipped the rain so it was hard to tell which direction the rain was coming from.  I think we had a half inch of rain.

  Dennis’ daughter, Nurse Sandy, was coming for a visit today.  It was more like checking in with her brother Jeff to see how he was doing with the external catheter to collect body fluids.  Sanitizing is the key.  Medicaid is allowing two collection containers.  Any additional would be $400 each.  Sandy went through everything with Jeff and so . . .  so far all is good.  Sandy did clear it that he could have hospice come once or twice a week to check on things with Jeff.  It is up to Jeff to ask for it personally, no second party requests.

  This weekend Dennis’ youngest granddaughter, Sandy’s daughter, is getting married in South Dakota.  It is an event location pretty much out in the country in an old barn tricked out for weddings.  Sandy urged us to not anticipate in attending.  It would involve walking over a stubble field that has had a grain crop taken off of it.  As Sandy was here today, we wanted to send our gift with Sandy.  By the way, the bride, Cheyanne, turns 30 tomorrow and she is a MMA wrestler.  She has been quite successful in her wins with no injuries.  Her class is 120 something pounds.  Her next match is at Mystic Lake on the 20th of September going head to head with a Russian that is 26 years old.  Enough to make her mom cringe.  Hmm.

  Here comes the heart attack that was close to happening.  Dennis’ job this morning was to go to Lewis Drug and purchase a wedding card and then off to the bank for the funds we were going to include and enclose.  When my ole cowboy came home and shared the sticker shock of the cost of a card, he did look a bit pale.  Bless his heart.  He hoped that from now on, our family just sends us a text on special occasions.  I second that.

  Today the studio remained dark.  There were two loads of laundry to do.  There were two bills to write a check for and get them ready for Dennis to pop in the mail as he was going out and about.  Sandy had not been to see us for some time and I wanted her to enjoy visiting with her dad and me.

  The skies have been cloudy all day.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:23 pm on July 31, 2024 Permalink  

  A Still Quiet Day 

  It may be a still and quiet day but the day smells hot outside.

  I didn’t have a choice in regard to the clinic appointment.  I needed to give a urine sample as one of my meds is an opioid.  I had no problem doing it as it is the way of the world.  I sat patiently and waited my turn while several others in that part of the waiting area were pacing and twitching.  Hmm.  I will need to do the test once a year while those dudes are on a monthly rotation.

  I went on to see my primary doctor.  She said my heart and lungs sounded like someone who was fifty.  Sweet.  My primary suggested to take one Tramadol with breakfast and then tw0 mid-afternoon.  That would be an increase of one pill per day.  No back surgery for Grammie.  With my body riddled with arthritis, the outcome might leave results that are worse than what my day-to-day situation is now.  She called me a high-functioning person with various issues that I am managing well.  I took the complement as it was intended.  I did ask her where the women were within the community that have had strokes and still live in their own home.  She couldn’t come up with one name.  Quite a few men came to her thoughts, but no women.  Hmm.

  Dennis is doing supper this evening.  I will take whatever is put in front of me.  I am indeed brave.

  We could be in for a storm or two later on.  With heat to fuel it, I will keep an eye out.

  This morning I got the wireless HP printer in the studio to connect with my HP laptop in my bedroom.  Well done.  There is still a camera to get installed and I have not thrown in the towel.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:59 pm on July 29, 2024 Permalink  

  Hmm 

  Well, I did not see that coming.  Dennis asked me to download an application form for a VA home last night.

  I did some reading first.  With an application form on file, the application can be immanent, meaning as soon as possible or kept on file.  If a unit becomes available and the veteran is notified and the veteran is still able to live independently, his form is put back into the rotation.  That is no different than the housing units here in St. James.

  I agreed to print off the forms today and Dennis went up to the Veteran’s Service Officer and got a copy of his discharge from the army.  I will go over the form and with Dennis’ help fill it in.  Dennis then wants the form to be mailed to the Veteran’s home in Silver Bay.  Silver Bay is home for his daughter Sue and Sue’s daughter and her family of five.  I don’t have a problem with any of this.  If something happens to me expectantly, Dennis will be taken care of.  Actually, as Dennis’ wife, I am eligible and can live there as well.  After Dennis’ passing in any other of the various VA homes throughout the state, which is eight.   Yes, Dennis and I do talk things over and then do as much as we can for the “now.”

  Dennis went to have coffee with his friend Lyle that lives in one of the apartments here in town.  Lyle doesn’t drive and always welcomes Dennis.

  I worked in the studio this morning and finished the log cabin quilt top.  After giving it a good pressing, I laid it out on the church table and closed down the studio.  Tomorrow it will be measured and labeled and tucked in with the other two tops I have done.

  This evening’s supper is a cold salad supper of elbow macaroni, coleslaw, Lena’s way, and potato salad that I have doctored up.  Dennis commented he felt the heat more so today than the weekend.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:27 pm on July 18, 2024 Permalink  

  Progress 

  Checking on my progress in the world of machine stitching.  I have five more blocks to make for the completion of a double sized quilt top.  By this time tomorrow, I will know if I had had enough of the 2.5″ strips cut of six different prints.  The studio time got a bit long today.

  Dennis finished washing the patio off of the mud.  He is reporting that all the patio slide doors and the screens can open easily.

  Tomorrow Dennis takes his son Jeff to radiology for an ultrasound and draining the abdomen in Mankato.  I checked his portal to make sure the appointment was on the up and up.  Daughter Sandy wants them to stop at her home afterwards.  Bless her heart for taking back being on Jeff’s bandwagon.  I know she arranged for Jeff’s appointment on August 5th in radiology for a tube to be inserted for self draining the abdomen of fluid.  The rapid fluid in the gut is coming from blood veins, blood vessels and arteries deteriorating and sluffing off their exterior sheaths.  Dennis commented yesterday when Jeff came and asked for the ride tomorrow, his belly flopped from side to side and was quite painful.  You think!  He cancelled the last appointment.  

  I am going to make a quick trip to the grocer’s before supper.   How was it that there wasn’t any bread in the freezer!  I usually take the loaf of Country Hearth and split it so there is always fresh bread after it being frozen.  I had not thrown away a moldy piece of bread for ages.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:39 pm on July 10, 2024 Permalink  

  Extra Heat 

  As if the humid temperatures were not enough yesterday . . . there was more on the local level.  It seems as if Dennis’ son, Jeff, can’t even get cancer correct.

  Jeff’s sister had set up the biopsy appointment for yesterday that Dennis took Jeff to . . . check in at seven a.m.  Apparently when Jeff got a courtesy call to remind Jeff, he cancelled it.  Did he tell his dad?  Had he forgotten?  I kind of knew something was up when Dennis was at Jiffy Lube yesterday when they opened at eight and Jeff was calling his dad that he could be picked up at the hospital.  One . . . Jiffy Lube is quick.  Two . . . biopsy preps and procedures take longer than a hour and a half.  

  When Jeff was picked up, he got into the little red pickup and immediately went to sleep.  What did Dennis know of procedures and how long they take or if Jeff was given a pain med.  It wasn’t until Sandy called last night that Jeff had blown off the appointment as there was nothing on the portal.   The manly thing would have been for Jeff to tell his dad he screwed up and apologize rather than hiding by sleeping, not say a single word even when Dennis dropped him off at this apartment.  Grr!

  As of last night, Sandy told me Jeff was on his own.  She had had made sure that he could get pain meds for himself from his local provider here in town.  Dennis was very quiet until he went to bed.  I got a hug and he told me he loved me.  Sweet.  So be it all.

  It is so difficult when smart drunken farts blow off their family for several years and then come back with all their problems and need help.

  So . . . I had a good run in the studio today.  Dennis came down chewing on a cookie and let me know the last of the railroad-tie cleanup on the blue barn acre has been paid for in total.  Sweet.  It was decided right then and there to share a 12″ Tuna Subway for supper.

  With that I take my leave.  ♥