Hot Diggity Dog

  Gas prices keep going up. I want to take a trip; I really want to go somewhere. My biggest obstacle is not the fuel prices, but appointments for both of us. Every time I think I have carved out a two-week span with nothing to hold us here, another obstacle steps up to block the way. Yesterday I had the stitches in my hand removed. Still so swollen and ugly. The nurse and I took the tight stitches out and I had imagined I would feel instant relief. High expectations, I know. In came the needle and syringe. No numbing, but the only part that stung was the needle piercing the skin. He was as surprised as I was that no blood filled the syringe, just a tiny bit of clear fluid. He ordered a pressure bandage and another visit in 2 weeks. It didn't start to really hurt until almost bedtime. A dull ache all the way through my hand, up my arm and mainly my wrist. I am hoping the swelling will go down and my wrist will regain some range of motion that doesn't hurt.  Remember when they ...

  Our old girl, Toni Louise, is aging rather rapidly. I saw her picture in an ad from the local dog shelter. She had a sweet little face and I was charmed. I showed the picture to The Man. He looked and agreed that she looked sweet. Then he made his annoying proclamation of "NO MORE DOGS!" A couple of days later the dog shelter called me (because, of course, I called them to enquire about the sweet-faced dog) to let me know that they had gotten a lot of strays in and reminded me that they were not a no-kill facility. Repeating that info to The Man, I showed him her picture again. This was back in our campground running days when I was held captive to the business, while The Man did the fun stuff, like mowing and towing and cleaning out septic lines. I am not saying that his work was glamorous, but it did provide him with the opportunity to leave the property quite often.  He called me in the office to say that he had an errand to run "in town" and would be back soon...

  No pain pills for two whole days. Healing is taking place! My thumb healed first. I can bend it and wiggle and pull my britches up and down. That got me thinking .... When I was a lowly student nurse in the early 70's, I encountered a doctor in the ER who liked to cut toes out on his patients with ingrown toenails. Wait, I misrepresented his technique; he literally yanked them out. He loved an audience and would happily invite the student nurses to watch. He would seek out the instructors to send us there. There were two classes going on and healthy supply of students to horrify. The patient would be waiting in complete dread. I don't know if they had experience or just word of mouth from other patients having had this procedure. He would enter in a rush and grab the offending toe and wrap a rubberband as tight as possible around the base of the toe. His tray of sterile instruments would have already been set up. This is when the instruments were not disposable. They were gat...

  "Hey'', I said to the man in his recliner next to me "when I tell you that I had already told you something, you do believe me, don't you?" I wonder about the strangest things, I've been told. It was The Man who told me so. Can't help it, I am naturally curious. And highly intelligent .... that is what my mother said about my sister and me. I am no genius, but I read a lot and that curiosity makes me ask questions. I retain that knowledge and pull it from the depths sometimes in an effort to explain things to The Man. I also am good at paying attention to my surroundings, not a trait The Man shares with me. So, I wonder and ask absurd questions. His answer to the question, by the way, was "No, maybe sometimes." Encouraged to continue with a titillating conversation, I asked, "Can you tell when I am lying? Not that I am. I did tell you most of the things you ask me about two or more times." He thought about it, like I knew he woul...

  I had only one pain pill yesterday. Good thing, too because I only have 4 pills in the bottle now! It is almost like that surgeon knows his stuff. Trying to avoid that needle aspiration, I have been very inactive. But life goes on, you know, things need to get done. The kitchen remains my biggest nightmare. The Man is not detail oriented. He does the dishes but leaves the drains and sinks nasty. I am beginning to think he is wiping the counter with sugar water. They are sticky and look gross. If only I could wring out a sponge or dishcloth with my big sausage fingers .... Yesterday I decided that the sheets on my bed needed to be changed. I approached The Man as he sat in his recliner staring at his phone. "Do you think you could put sheets on our bed? Since I have pulled the dirty sheets off, it has to be done, and I am unable to manage it without two hands." He was eager to please and went into our bedroom to take charge of the situation.  He told me that he could handle ...

  I presented myself at the appointed time, thinking I was about to see my new scar and get the stitches snipped out. As I waited, I fantasized about all the things I would be able to do soon. I was even looking forward to doing dishes and giving my kitchen a good cleaning. Mostly I was looking forward to a shower without having a giant glove taped to my hand. I would be able to wash my hair with two hands! Simple things make me happy. The nurse cut the bandage away and revealed the top of my hand where an ugly sideways "V" was stitched together. My hand was a weird shade of purple and blue, and it was still swollen under the stitches. It looked like the cyst was still in place! The surgeon said it looked good, making me question his ability to see. Then he proceeded to palpate the bubble of swollen tissue and opine that it was filled with my blood. I wanted to swat his hand away because he was causing the shooting pain that had plagued me for 9 months. Then he rendered his v...

  I am happy to report that I am actually wearing clothes today! I have been living in nightgowns for the past week. Never, in my wildest dreams did I think I would be drowning in so much pain. The amount of pain pills should have been a clue. The surgery went well, according to what the surgeon told The Man waiting for my release. He said the cyst was only the size of a quarter. This makes me wonder how something so small can cause my hand and fingers to hurt so much. My right arm is bruised almost to my elbow and my thumb and first four fingers are still blue and now turning yellow at the edges. So, remember that I seemed to be on a quest to injure my toe as many times as I could before submitting my hand to be cut open. The laceration from the food processor hitting my foot has healed. No thanks to me dropping that shelf on the previous injury .... but wait, it gets better. During the night the toe began throbbing and was hot to the touch. No, this can't be a gout attack. Or thi...

  The laceration on my foot was healing nicely. The pain was almost gone, and I was feeling good when I hiked up my driveway to play in the shed. But first I wanted to address the voids in my garden. I planted some tall grasses last year and not all of them made it. I had a gap to fill.  I really wanted to go buy some shrubs that would grow rather tall. But I was not going on a shopping spree. So, I dug a clump of day lilies up and split it into five good sized plants that I planted in the spots left after I removed the dead plants. I am glad I did this first since the rest of my day went straight to hell. I moved everything to install the cutting table. The Man arrived with my table and we began the installation. As is usual when working with him, things did not go smoothly. For whatever reason, he has a problem accepting advice from me and pretends to not understand what I am talking about. This irritates me and makes me want to smack the back of his head. I don't, because I...

  We left home at 11 am and returned at 6 pm. It was a long day. We went to the hospital with its many towers and pulled in to see if any signs could point us to the outpatient pre-op area. That would be too easy and make sense. I went into the closest tower, the blue tower and up to the handy information desk to inquire. The sweet little old lady consulted the computer and said, "Oh, honey you need to go to the separate facility that handles the pre-op testing." I told her that telling the patient this on one of the many reminder calls and texts they sent out. My bad. She then began to tell me where I could file a complaint and went on to say that maybe I should tell them when I got there. We arrived at the facility that we had passed on the way to the hospital. The blue tower is the entrance I will need to take on surgery day, so at least I got some useful information. My primary had given the printout of my blood panel to give to them and I avoided a needle. I signed all t...

  The phone woke me; it was the surgeon's office reminding me that I have an appointment tomorrow for my pre-op. It was storming and the rain beat down so loud on the roof it dulled the sound of anything else. I went back to bed and slept until 11am. That is unheard of for me. I reminded The Man about the trip to Gainesville tomorrow and he left to get the oil changed. I was left with a quandary. Should I head to Wits End and continue my quest to organize, or should I get a casserole put together and ready for the oven and then go to Wits End? Wait, another option presented in my brain ..... should I stay and mop the floor, too? None of the above happened. I was being very industrious as I cleaned the kitchen and got all the ingredients to the counter. I noted that 1/2 cabbage in the crisper and thought I should throw together some slaw to go with our dinner/supper tonight. As you all know by now, I have precious little counter space in my tiny kitchen and am forced to keep small a...

  As my appointment for surgery draws near, my hand reminds me with shooting pains that this thing has to go! Despite that, I have been playing every day in my shed. I have both ends built in with work surfaces and now the fun begins as I begin to unpack all the stuff that has accumulated in there. I have discovered things lost and forgotten. I found the foot pedal for my favorite sewing machine (I now have 4 in various states of repair). One end of the room will be dedicated to sewing. All my thread is on the peg wall. Ribbons are on dowels waiting to be mounted on the ceiling above the work surface.  On the ceiling, you say? There is a 5' loft above each end. That means that I can touch the ceiling will little effort, so why not use it? There is 6' in the middle that will have my cutting table affixed. I am stingy about my space and will use every square inch! Under the cutting table will be the big clear plastic totes with fabric. I should be able to go three high with stac...

  The cat that has been here consistently for the longest time is Lucy. She showed up with her black mama cat and two other kittens. Her brother, Lucifer, scratched me with wild abandon when he came onto the porch and then tried to get away from my dogs. I was only trying to help him! He left and never came back. The other female I tentatively named Ethyl disappeared one day, never to be seen again. That left Lucy and her mama cat, Mousey Tongue. A pretty sleek black cat. MT was the wildest of all the cats we have encountered thus far. She would be with the other cats who all ran to greet me when I went outside, but always hanging back and ready to flee.  She didn't show up one day, leaving Lucy here. Lucy was still a kitten. I thought she might warm up to us when her mama left. This is about the time that Gray Lady was first to the dinner tray and her belly was growing. Lucy never left our yard but was still not going to get too close to us. Gray Lady birthed her babies, ate ...

  Another beautiful day and I was anxious to get outside and do some planting. I was heading around the house to turn the water on and begin the endless watering and suddenly Lucy was right beside me meowing loudly. She is not usually vocal when she follows me. I looked down and saw her big belly was gone! I stopped and looked around, wondering where she had put her babies. The back side of the house does not get a lot of sun. She chose wisely. She was under the pressure washer that was behind a roll of fencing. I had not raked all the leaves from last fall out and could barely make out an orange baby and then a black baby and another baby that looked like Marco, Polo's (now Kevin) lost brother. No, I did not touch them, wanting to gain her trust so that she will let me touch them. I still have some replacement formula from my adventure with the kittens I could not save. I stirred the powder in the warm water and tore some bread in to give it substance. I fed it to Kevin's cat ...

  I actually saw the hand surgeon!! We did arrive an hour early, as I had predicted. I saw the surgeon for a good 5 minutes of the appointment. The surgery is scheduled for May 5th. The hospital will call with my time the night before. But here is the crazy part. I have to see the surgeon for my pre-op visit April 29. That was a little annoying since I live so far away .... and no, 8am will not work for me. But the hospital has to see me for a pre-op and plan to do a full cardiac work-up before the surgery. I have a cardiologist and just had an extensive work-up and do not see the necessity of this. When I had my oral surgery, my cardiologist approved it and that was fine with that surgeon. Can't be because it is in a different state, all my doctors are in Georgia. My oral surgeon is in Tennessee .... I am quite certain that Medicare will be charged for each visit. With the oral surgeon he included all the office visits in the cost of the surgery. I had to pay for that one myself. ...

  The big day is here. I will be seeing the hand surgeon today. As great as that is, it is only a consultation. The internet keeps playing with my emotions and when I finally get a chance to read posts or write one, it will go in and out and I lose part and keep part and then just close my laptop in frustration. We went to Chattanooga last Friday to meet up with some favorite people. We went to a restaurant and had brunch. Oh, my goodness, this place, Milk and Honey, was so good! The Man ordered his favorite sausage and biscuits. No adventure with him! I had chicken and waffles and could not eat it all. There is a bakery in house, and we left with a box of goodies and my leftovers. Pistachio White Chocolate scones and some cruffins. The pasties melted in my mouth. I toyed with thoughts of hiding them from The Man and telling him he had eaten his share. That would be mean, though. A nice fantasy. It was in the downtown part of Chattanooga and parking was an issue, but the drive over...

  A sleek black cat showed up this afternoon. I am pretty sure it is a female, having no dangling parts showing as she walked away. I have learned to look for such evidence. At first, I thought she was Mousy Tongue, mama cat of Lucy. I asked her where she had been and why she left her offspring for me to care for. No answer, so maybe not the mama cat after all. Kevin confronted her right away. Kevin is not easily intimidated. The big white male cat from the neighbor down the way also came up today and Kevin marched right up to him. I think he told him to leave, because he did. This white cat is afraid of Garfield since Garfield chased him up a tree. The Man had an appointment with the vascular surgeon today. Just for an ultrasound and some other tests on his legs to make sure the arterial graft is still patent and working as it should. I begged off. I wanted to move some things in my shed to make ready for the second phase of putting up insulation and wall board. The shed looks tot...

  First came the rain, then came the pain. Yesterday was pretty awful. It rained all night and I woke with every joint screaming. Not much you can do with arthritic pain unless you want to ingest a lot of ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Okay occasionally, but the drugs are not really good for you. With that in mind I have been experimenting with various natural remedies. Magnesium seems to be the current favorite. I dutifully educated myself and found that ingesting magnesium is not as effective as using it on your skin. Also found that the magnesium in Epsom salts is not the correct kind to alleviate pain. I ordered the magnesium flakes and made the solution to add to cream or lotion. I used cream since I have dry skin. Not sure how much to slaver myself with, I used up what was left after I filled my small container with the mix. You can also put it in a spray bottle and spray yourself. I smeared it on my leg and knee and on my hand and shoulders. I still had more and I demanded tha...

  Do you remember the cat dominium The Man paid good money for and so far, all we do is set it back up after the wind tries to take it away. It was purchased because we wanted to provide shelter for the feral cats. Throughout the coldest nights all the cats retreated to the underside of our dwelling where they chewed or clawed a big hold in the ductwork that brings warm air into our house. A few days ago, Marble appeared for cat food all skinny. We have been searching every day. Under the tool shed, under the decks and under Wits End (she shed). We have watched Marble to see where she might be going or coming from. She is clever and cautious. She will follow me at a safe distance and will eat anything I offer, but she still refuses to come close enough for a pat on her head.  We had a marvelous casserole last night. My blog buddy Val will appreciate my tasty casserole. Having made corned beef and cabbage with potatoes and carrots this past weekend, I employed the help of Pinte...

  Slowly getting my strength back. The newest drug is definitely helping the arrythmia that has plagued me since my 30's. I am so behind with my gardens this season. I need to get started on the vegetable garden. Kevin had decided that anywhere I dig must be a cat latrine. I don't mind it so much in the flower gardens, but I draw the line in my vegetables! I see lots of netting in my immediate future. Kevin has been a little bit wicked today. He has been climbing the big trees and then looking down and calling out to me. It is highly unlikely that I will attempt a rescue. He got up there and he will get down. I have yet to locate the new litter of kittens. Marble looks so skinny and follows me around begging for food. Of course, I feed her and supplement the food she gets every evening. Lucy is most definitely pregnant. I will be called a crazy cat lady! We lived in Albany Georgia in the 80's. There was a notorious Cat Lady that walked the streets there. She would lick her ...

  Almost 50 years ago we lived on Jekyll Island. I remember marveling at the beauty of the island as we approached on the causeway. A paradise and I was going to actually live there. We rented a duplex for a mere $150 a month. The twins were still babies a little over one. Jill could walk; Jeff was trying. All beside the point. On weekends the restaurants in the luxurious hotels would offer a feast of seafood. All you can eat. Shrimp, crabs, scallops and some other stuff serving as sides. I love crab and I would routinely eat nothing but the crab and drawn butter. The Man implied that pile of shells by my platter were downright embarrassing. Hey, they advertised "all you can eat" and it did not say you had to eat any of the other dishes. So, when I saw an all-you-can-eat snow crab close by, I was more than ready to experience a love from my past. We made early reservations and drove to the diner. I should say tiny diner, as it could only seat 22 patrons. Back in the day we pa...