Welcome to our new diarist

Another welcome to our newest diarist, Jeannie. If you left a comment on the first welcome, please re-submit it. I needed to edit the diary and the original one is deleted.

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my new diary

Well... finally... I'm taking the big plunge...lol!  I've intended to start a diary for a while, but... stuff happens... and then... it didn't happen. 

I'm single, 62, retired, and live in Texas with my 4 legged furry baby girl, Gert, who is a 12 year old mixed breed Australian cattle dog.  I always wanted a child, but... at this age, am realizing there are lots of advantages to having a dog instead... lol... she doesn't bug me to buy her a car, she has no need for a college fund, she can't talk (well... maybe a little, but at least she doesn't sass me...often), and she continues to think I'm just wonderful... what more can one ask of a child?

I was diagnosed about 2 years ago, but likely had PH many years before... and heard the usual routine of, "oh, you have bronchitis, chronic bronchitis, asthma, the flu, fibromyalgia, depression, etc etc etc"... and, honestly not sure I'd be diagnosed yet if I hadn't accidentally come across an online article describing PH, printed it and took it with me to my doctor, who, btw, was a pulmonologist (!) and said, "Hey, this sounds like me." to which he replied, "hmmm... could be".  And I guess you know the rest of the story... I'm still shocked a pulmonologist didn't notice I couldn't breathe... specially since that was my main complaint.  Who knows what weird world he was living in... then he refused to refer me to a specialist even after he told me that, at age 55, he'd only seen about a dozen patients with PH.  I finally talked my way into Dr. Frost's office in Houston without the required referral, had the heart cath, etc etc

There are some advantages to living alone although I sometimes find myself wishing there was someone to pick up the slack on the days I just don't feel like moving... or dragging in even one bag of groceries.  But, overall, I think it is quite convenient to do what I wanna do when I wanna do it and to not have someone thinking I should do more.   I did finally hire a housekeeper who does the stuff I can't do so that took a lot of pressure off me (and I had to learn there's more than one way to fold a towel.. lol... and sometimes the BEST way is the way someone else does it because that means I don't have to do it... ; >)

Reading all the stories here helped me realize all of us arrived in Holland when we thought we were headed for Paris, but... considering the alternative, Holland is looking pretty good.  While I can't say I'm happy with the direction my life has taken (I really did think my retirement would be spent taking cruises and gardening and taking art classes instead of scheduling medical tests and arguing with the insurance company and negotiating with the oxygen supplier... but, hey... considering the choices I have, I've decided Holland is looking better and better.)  

I do not intend to sound like a Pollyanna because I am also tired of being tired... tired of all the medical tests and the hassles... tired of medicines and oxygen ... tired of never feeling 'normal'... tired of not having the energy to do the things I thought I'd be doing in retirement... but I have taken stock and come to realize what a wonderful life I've enjoyed thus far.  I think I would be much more angry if this had happened at a much earlier age.  It doesn't seem fair to have one's life just yanked from under them at a young age... and my heart goes out to some of you. 

But... I digress.  I look forward to getting to know the group... but, for now, it is back to snooze time for me.  ta ta for now.  JeannieTX

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taking care of myself

Another gorgeous spring day in Texas... I drove to a nearby town and was surprised to see how many bluebonnets were blooming on the hillsides... my little town is known as Bluebonnet Country and is the destination of many wild flower enthusiasts at this time of the year.  It was a pleasant drive and made me stop and take the time to explore another tiny town nearby.  The tiny town is really just a community, but I'd always seen a sign on the highway indicating it had a post office.  Since their population is maybe 300+ I was surprised they'd have a post office.  Sure enough, the "town" consisted of a few quaint homes, a main street with a total of 5 'stores'... 3 were boarded up and the 4th was unbelievably bedraggled, but had a sign indicating "We're OPEN"... it was a grocery store (I didn't go in, but it was a sad looking affair).  The 5th was a small post office with several old chairs (kitchen chairs) outside and a small table.  A large shaggy dog lounged in the open doorway.  I decided to look around a bit more so took one of the FM roads (farm to market... do they call them FM roads in other states?) and was really surprised to find all these gorgeous ranches with fancy gates, fancy landscaping, etc etc... and one of them had the biggest cow I've ever seen.  I saw tons of berry blossoms and I may return later and pick berries... I stopped and looked and some of the vines already had tiny green berries.

So... that was my little venture today... lol.  I stopped at a nursery and bought two plants... a Mexican salvia which is almost a 'native' here... and another soft pink salvia.  I've always loved gardening and I've had to be very careful to not overdo it.  Every time I plant something I remind myself (repeatedly)...  "Don't forget how HOT it gets here in August..." remembering that every teensy plant will need watering... many every day until established.  I'm trying to plant only natives and/or flowering shrubs/trees because I figure eventually I either will not be able to "do" the yard... or perhaps I just will not feel like wasting my precious energy on yard work.  I'm also trying to gradually have only elevated beds... high enough for me to be able to sit down while working. 

I get so short of breath... and tired... so I just do my gardening in small spurts... ten minutes while I let the dog out in the morning... another ten minutes later in the day... etc etc.  I used to go to the nursery at this time of the year and return with hundreds of dollars worth of plants... don't do that any longer.  lol... I always try to limit what I buy to what I know I can plant in the ground that day... so... 2 or maybe 3 plants at a time... lol.  I do have 7 tomato plants... 6 cherry tomato and 1 regular... can't wait for those.

I've decided I spend too much time (still) doing what others either want me to do or expect me to do... even though this is much better than it used to be... still... I think it is too much.  I just don't have that much time left to do what I wanna do... so... starting today... I'm spending most of my time doing the things I like best...

1. painting my folk art stuff and/or doing my art projects, 

2. making dolls, 

3. gardening, 

4. writing, and

5. taking care of my dog. 

Otherwise... I just do not care if "it" gets done or not.  I made a sign for my front door:  "My dog lives here.  You don't.  You will find her toys all over the place... same for her hair.  She likes to nap on the sofa so don't sit there."  I'm thinking of making another sign for the living room:  "Be nice.  Or leave." or maybe:  "Stress Free Zone.  Be Nice or Go Somewhere Else"  There's a folk artist in Louisiana who made a fortune with his "be nice" signs... can't remember exactly what his said... but it was a variation of mine (OOPS... make that:  "Mine is a variation of HIS!").  Gotta love it.

I'm feeling like I do not have that much time left and I just don't wanna waste that time washing dishes.  This realization came to a head last month when I took a month long vacation.  I made the mistake of leaving the key to my home with a painter friend... he did a half-ass paint job of several interior rooms.  Before I left town I had to pack everything in three rooms and either move it to a guest room, store it on the patio or in the garage, or stack boxes in the middle of each room and cover them with a drop cloth.  Well... because HE made a big crappy mess of the paint job... and then got sick as a dog a week after I returned (and after he'd agreed to return and basically do the entire job over)... anyhow... I had to leave everything packed. 

Then, in part of my effort at simplifying my life, I gave my dining room table to a friend... that required a ton of shifting "stuff" and furniture... but the huge table is gone... I turned the dining room into an exercise machine room... lol... has the treadmill and recumbent bike in half of it... and a small breakfast table with two chairs in the other half.  I do not really like cooking so I figure space for two people to eat is plenty.

Meanwhile, everything is still packed so I've been halfway camped out in my own home for the past three weeks which is sorta making my cranky.  Then... to make matters worse... I have a decorator friend who has bugged me for three years to allow her and her team to come "do" my house... she gets the apoplexy when I tell her things like "I got rid of the dining room furniture so I can use the dining room for the treadmill and exercycle..."  (and don't even ask what she said about the clear plastic i taped to the window near my desk last winter... with duct tape... lol... it was VERY tacky... but, hell, i was cold one night and that was all i could find... and it worked... i fully intended to remove it before she saw it... and forgot.)  Anyhow... they swear they're gonna come in and not ask me to lift a finger... they think they can bring 5-6 people here for two days and have my home looking like a HGTV show.  I don't think they can do it.  And I'm so tired of everything being in such an upheaval.

Anyhow... this is way too long... basically, I'm tired and I've always done what people expected of me... and I don't wanna do that any more.  But now my house is such a wreck, I feel like it would be better for me to just let them do their thing and then at least the house would look nice again.  We'll see.

Now I'm gonna try to post a photo taken last spring when the bluebonnets were in full bloom... if I can make it work... if not, well, maybe later.

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gardening

Another quiet Saturday ... my favorite kind these days... I planted 3 more cherry tomato plants,  2 new salvias, and made a few cuttings from a large butterfly bush that made it through the winter, but was a bit leggy.   I'm trying to gradually have mostly natives ... or "almost" natives... with the hope the gardens will be self-sustaining.  I have not lived in this house very long and was too sick to do much yard work the first two years so it is still rather bare (by my standards...).  I love the cottage garden look and like using lots of garden art (read: junk art... lol).  To me, too much is not enough... and I can usually always find a spot to stick just one more piece of junk.

However... it is very difficult these days... I cannot take a shovel and dig a hole... or a new garden area... like I'm used to doing.  Today I just put everything into big pots and I plan to get a few more half barrels next week... I may have a guy who will build a few elevated beds for me but decided I couldn't wait any longer... so just did a "make-do". 

The worst part of it is I can only really work about 10-15 minutes before feeling too exhausted so I go inside and rest a bit, then go after it again... not a very efficient way to get anything accomplished... but, hey... I guess I'm just not ready to give up the gardening yet.

 Here's a px of my sweet Gertie... a few years ago... doing what she does best, snoozing... this was taken just before I took her.  She was the dog of my best friend of 25 years, Mary, who died 4 years ago.  I'd always 'baby sat' Gertie since she was 8 wks old and Mary asked me to take her.  She's been my little snuggle muffin ever since... and a delight in every way.  She's a mixed breed Australian Cattle dog and smart, smart, smart... which makes her a lot of fun.  We used to teach her all sorts of tricks, but now I think she's too old (12) and I haven't let her "perform" since I got her 4 years ago... too hard on her spine and back legs.  She had all these little dance routines... it was a hoot!  Mary owned a great vintage clothing store and we were always finding costumes for Gert... that doggie had more clothes than lots of regular folks... I still dress her up sometimes... she's kinda outgrown her tutu though... it is so funny... sometimes I put it on her and as she walks it just slips farther and farther down until she sorta steps out of it... it is so funny to watch her.  I just love her happy little butt... can you tell?

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sun disappeared & i have a rotten cold :-(

We've enjoyed such beautiful warmish weather this spring and would you believe the FIRST official day of spring, the weather turned nasty and cold... raining, tornado warnings, & flooding... bummer... I really do not think I'd be able to live somewhere the sun didn't shine most of the time.  I know other people complain about our horrible summers, but... I suppose it is what I grew up with... and besides that, heck, we have literally everything air conditioned.  It isn't difficult to stay cool... lol....

Anyhow... now I have a rotten cold and feel terrible and my nose is getting sore... whine whine whine.  But... before that happened... I did manage to get a few more plants in... and, the biggie, I built two elevated beds.... didn't do a very good job, but I was tired of waiting for the handyman so I just did it myself.  I think they'll make it through the summer... I had a bunch of boards left after the guy built a fence for me last fall... they were all exactly 28" long so I just nailed four boards together... I might stack them so they'll be elevated about 12"... I dunno... it isn't what I wanted, but it is better than nothing.  I now have 9 tomato plants, 3 zuchinni, 4 bell peppers, 3 eggplants, and... the biggie... watermelons!  I planted a package of seeds in teensy pots and now have about 15 small plants!  I do not really have space for that many so will give several to the little girls next door... they'll have a ball watching them grow.  I've never successfully grown them, but... I suppose hope springs eternal.  I intended to get onion plants and maybe I will later.  Last year I managed to get soaker hoses set up in the three small planting areas I use.... made watering really simple and, even then, some days I simply couldn't make myself go outside and turn it on.  I'm better now so hope I'll be more successful.  Now I'll need to get another soaker hose ... or two ... for the two new beds.  I sort of wish I had one of those drip irrigation systems, but they are apparently easily clogged... so...  maybe not.

Here's a px of my darling niece, Elizabeth, with her husband and two babies... the older children were with their father.  Elizabeth has always been like my own child and her children treat me as another grandmother... lol... and I love it!

Back to bed for me... 

Jeannie

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sick

The weather turned nice... still a bit chilly, but at least the sun is brightly shining.  The crepe myrtles are almost completely leafed out... at this rate they'll be flowering in a month or so.  Before I bought this home a previous owner cut almost every tree to the ground so I've tried to replace a few.  This year I'm putting in a good size live oak (well... not huge... but maybe 20'... )... large enough to make a small splash of shade in the front yard... and... hopefully... may provide a bit of shade for the front porch. 

But... these past few days have been a bit of an eye opener for me.  I've felt pretty good for the past several months... discontinued my daytime oxygen most of the time and just generally had more energy.  So... planted a few more plants this spring, but... after the past few days I am not sure I did the right thing because I sure do not feel like taking care of anything right now.  (Last night my sweet doggie was sniffing around her food bowl... she usually has NO interest in eating... I usually must cajole her and offer all sorts of little "baits" to get her to try her food... it is almost like her engine must be primed...lol...  anyhow... I started fixing her dinner, but I remember thinking... "Didn't you JUST EAT?")  I just wanna rest. 

Saw my GP Friday to see if he could do anything for a cold... and, of course, duh... I suppose you know the answer to that!   I swear, if we can send a man to the moon, it seems someone could figure out something to cure the common cold.  I've been SO careful this year and last...  to avoid colds and flu.... always wiping phones, door handles, grocery cart handles, etc with clorox wipes.... washing my hands 200 times a day... anyhow... whatever... still have a miserable rotten cold... headaches, sore nose, my sides are so sore from coughing, etc etc...

so... whine whine whine... lol... back to bed... watching the Simple Life marathon today... i must say those two girls are a bit over the edge, but they are SOOOO funny!!!  "What's WalMart?  Do they, uh..., sell walls or something?"  i should be taping these to watch when i'm feeling bad...

anyhow... back to nap time... i hear gertie un the kitchen...

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I'm having problems posting to the diary... tonite I selected "preview", read the preview, then returned to make a correction, and my entire entry disappeared... lol.  Too tired to write it again... suffice to say... today was the first day I've felt like a human in a week.  Although it was just a cold, it was the mother of all colds... my poor nose is a raw mess and hurts... how I wish I could slather something really oily and thick on it... but will have to settle for another glob of Ayr and just be glad I can use the mask to sleep instead of the cannula... which will give my nose a rew hours respite.

Too tired to write the other stuff, but I did wanna ask if any of you have concerns about preparing for the bird flu?  And, if so, what have you done?  I've managed to get a three month supply for most of my meds and I did buy a few groceries that don't require cooking, etc... enough for about 3-4 weeks is my goal.  My gut feeling is we will have pockets of problems... reading some of the websites will scare the holy liver outta you!  There should be a happy medium between doing nothing and    digging a 'bomb' shelter and planning on living in it for a year or two!

Take care.

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spring festivals and small towns

I finally ventured out to check on my teensy little garden... pulled a few weeds and then straight back to bed... lol.  we're having lovely spring weather... sunny and warm... humid... and the lawnmowers are going full blast today.

Our little town is gearing up for their annual Heritage Days festival where they celebrate the "old days" and have a real live longhorn cattle drive through the town square.  (I suspect those cows might be on valium though for they're very docile...)   I love living in this small bedroom community to Houston... we had tons of tourists this weekend for the monthly market on the square.  I thought we were having the MS bike ride through here this weekend but turns out it is April 22nd... I think last year we had FIVE THOUSAND cyclists ride through here... lol!  Talk about chaos... actually, the schedulers have done a very good job in past years... they set up hundreds of portacans at the fairgrounds on the edge of town and some of the cyclists have scheduled rest stops in our town.  The schedulers try to keep the cyclists moving in groups of 3-4-500 at a time... they even change the train schedule on that day to allow cyclists the right of way.  The bikers ride from Houston to Austin, Texas to raise money for MS... they train almost the entire year for the ride.  It is sorta fun to see them en masse... lordy, dontcha know their butts are sore on Monday morning? 

So... that's my "exercise"... thinking about bicyclists... lol.  I'm back to walking on my treadmill and riding the exercycle... in very short increments.  Think I'll take Gertie for a little walk through the park... she's been cooped up here with me for the past week and barely been outside the house... such a sweet doggie she is!

attaching photo of the longhorn drive during last year's heritage days... this is just inside our city limits...

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i wish i could figure out the "magic combination" of what my energy limits are without killing myself.  i so want to do stuff like i used to and it just doesn't seem reasonable to feel okay one minute and then a walk to the mailbox feels like i've walked a marathon and i'm wasted on the sofa for an hour.  it isn't like i want to go out and plow the back 40... but i sure wouldn't mind being able to plant two tomato plants without needing a nap... and if i'm not able to regularly walk my dog soon i'm afraid she'll be fit only for waddling down the street... lol... she needs more exercise.  tried to hire neighborhood kids to walk her when i was really sick in the beginning, but she's very strong (australian cattle dog) with a huge chest and she is almost always well behaved... but... she sees a cat or a squirrel and all bets are off.  i can control her, but the kids can't... or won't.  we experimented with a few and their tendency is to turn loose of her leash... which she, of course, loves.  but not a good thing for her momma.  i stand in the yard and toss the ball for her until she tires of it... i figure that gives her a little exercise, but not enough.  she is very healthy and even her vet can't believe she is 12 years old.

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heat, gardening, and exercise...

The heat/humidity has returned with a vengance usually reserved only for hell... I cannot believe it is mid April and the weather folks are warning us to avoid jogging until after dark... (as if that's a concern for me...lol!).  I long ago gave in to a treadmill and, in fact, recently gave away my dining room furniture.  The treadmill and recumbent bike occupy most of the space and because I must walk through the dining room about 400 times a day it is convenient and a constant reminder.  I still do not have the stamina or breath to walk more than about ten minutes max so I try to do a total of 30 minutes every day... in 6-10 minute increments.  I'm afraid the exercycle has turned into a coat rack... lol... though I'm thinking of trying to get with the program again and add the bike routine.

I'm realizing I probably overdid it in the planting department as there is no way I'm gonna be able to (or want to) work out in this heat... I have soaker hoses hooked up to most areas and I'll try to keep stuff watered... but that's about it...  It is fun to track the progress of everything though... every morning it seems there's something new blooming.  The tomato plants have grown a foot in the past few weeks... no blooms yet.  Yellow squash has little "budlet" looking things... I suppose they're flowers about to open... and day lilies, iris, gladiola, and salvia are all popping out everywhere... and candy cane amyrillis has already bloomed, but now I see 7 or 8 fat bulges among them so looking forward to more.   I'm trying to plant only toughies  that will return year after year with little attention... i.e., if I see it growing in old cemetaries or abandoned homesteads... I know it will grow in my yard...lol.  Also using lots of natives... I love the cottage garden look and really wanted to dig up the entire front yard when I moved here... but don't know if I could handle it...  so am settling for large pots filled with natives, a few elevated beds (where I'm trying to get bluebonnets started) and flowering shrubs and trees... thankfully  crepe myrtles do beautifully here so I'm adding one or two each year.

Is this the cutest px you've ever seen?  I've used it several years... then this year someone put a little wiggle in those cute little hineys and it makes me giggle every time I see it....  : )

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hot april days in texas

we're still in our early heat wave, but it is strange because the nights and early mornings are cool... that's not usual for our area... usually when it is 95 in the afternoon it is 85 at night ...lol... but one good thing... the plants are just growing like weeds... i swear i can almost see them growing... that's kinda fun.  squash plants have lots of buds and one flower... tomatoes are 1 1/2 ft tall, but no blooms yet.  watermelon vines are running all over the place... i've never grown them before so don't know exactly what to expect... don't think i really have room for the amount of sprawl they need...lol... trying to 'train' them to stay in a smaller area... my plan is to leave only a few melons on each vine (of course i really have no idea how many melons each vine will produce???)... whatever... it will be fun to give them a try.  my grandparents grew tons of them every summer... they lived on a farm in an area known for good melons... very sandy soil... we had so many fresh melons we'd each be given half a melon and we'd eat only the heart and feed the remainder to the chickens or cows.  my granddaddy would crack open a melon in the field and we'd share it with him... all drippy and sticky...

the heat just about kills me so i've gotten into the habit of playing in the dirt in very short sessions as soon as it is daylight... then staying mostly indoors until dusk when i venture out for a few garden errands.  thankfully i've gradually hooked up soaker hoses for most garden areas so that takes a lot of the stress off.  but... still.... i know i've planted more than i can take care of... it is just so tempting to start one more teensy little bitsy plant... and then another.  oh well... at least i will have LOTS of flowers... and that is a good thing.

so... i've tried to be more diligent with the treadmill... only walk in five-seven minutes at a time for a total of 30 minutes during the day.  ...and it is my goal to dust off the recumbent bike and try to ride it 30 minutes a day... it all seems SO easy... so what is my problem?  the treadmill is easier because i just walk by it and hop on and walk a few minutes... i've been trying to get gertie to walk       with me but she is scared of the treadmill... lol. (smart girl)  she is sprawled here next to me on her little tempurpedic bed on her back with all four feet in the air!  what a life...

i saw my PH doctor last week and my pressures have dropped to 58 (or something like that)... so i was happy to get that news... started at 88... i know i'm better, but it doesn't really FEEL that much better... still SOB most of the time... still hauling oxygen around everywhere... but i know i'm much more fortunate than most with this disease.... so i'm not complaining, but can't help wishing i had more stamina.  oh well... if wishes were nickels we'd all be rich...lol

i'm also back to working on my dolls... a nice inside activity... and making an embellished jeans jacket for one of my grand nieces.

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storms, dogs, bike rides, and antique dolls

My diary seems more like a weather report... lol... but we've had more weird weather this week... we were expecting rain storms Thursday, but woke up around 4 a.m. to unbelievable electrical storms followed by torrential rains, 60 mph winds, no electrical power for almost 7-8 hours.  My poor sweet dog is not usually afraid of stormy weather, but shortly before it all broke loose, she hopped on my bed and was very agitated.  I tried to get her to settle down, but she was nervous as a cat... lol.  She wedged herself in between me and the wall and I tried to shield her from the noise and light, but, of course, that was impossible.  I figured the storm would be short and kept trying to get Gertie to settle down... finally I was so tired... I just wanted to sleep... lol... and she decided for some reason to sleep just above my head.  By that time I didn't care what she did... as long as she'd settle down and let me sleep... lol... later a neighbor and I were talking and she told me HER dog did the same thing!   I wonder if it some kind of protective instinct they have?  ... that somehow they're protecting their human by guarding their head?  I dunno... it just seemed so bizarre... she's never done anything like that.   Bless her little sweet heart... she's on her bed now and just snoring like a lumberjack.  I think she needs CPAP....

Anyhow... we had huge trees down all over our little town... fences blown over... trees on cars... trees through roofs... highway closed because of trees blocking it...  but by about 10 a.m. the sun was brightly shining and it was a gorgeous day... albeit a noisy one with chain saws, trucks, and workers cleaning up the mess.   My yard was okay except for small limbs... but it sure made me think I must get trees trimmed before the hurricane season is here. 

Then I had to take Gertie in for sort of an emergency... she started coughing really hard as if she had something stuck in her throat... I, oc course, couldn't see anything so called the vet... who was out taking care of farm animals and wouldn't return til 4 or 5 p.m.  blah blah blah... long story short... the vet finally saw her, but she'd stopped the hard coughing by that time... but I was afraid it would return or that she'd swallowed something sharp... vet couldn't find anything, but said Gert had an abraded trachea and that she'd probably gotten rid of whatever caused the problem... and her white count was elevated which indicated a slight infection but she said that could be caused by the stress and we decided not to treat it unless she acted sick this weekend.  So that's my little money bags dog... I stopped giving her rawhide chews a while ago because I read how dogs can choke on them... but every once in a while she finds one she's hidden... I don't take it away from her, but as soon as she leaves it I get rid of it... it is funny to watch her just hunting and hunting for it.   A year or so ago when I got a new sofa I thought I'd check to see if any of her toys were in it... omigawd... you would not believe... probably ten rawhides, at least a dozen socks, several pieces of underwear (lol... she just LOVES her momma!), and maybe 6000 paper towels or napkins (she loves tearing up used tissues so I suppose she had a supply stored away for when she can't find fresh ones... she about goes crazy when I have a cold... she thinks I'm dirtying all those kleenex just for her...).  What a monkey dog she is.

I can't stop thinking about the little 14 year old girl in Canada who died after 4 or 5 years of being misdiagnosed... only to be FINALLY referred to the proper doctor and being diagnosed the day before she died... her little heart just wore out.  Her parents must feel so angry because they listened to the doctors despite their own doubts.   I tell everyone I know these days to insist on being screened for PH or breathing problems if they have any of the vague symptoms... I'm still irritable about how long I walked around half dead and was referred to one doctor after another and not even ONE suggested doing something so simple as the pulse oximetry... would have taken 3 minutes and cost them nothing.  But... no... I had to finally ferret it out for myself on the damned internet... and even then when I took the article in and said, "This sounds like me..." ... all the idiot pulmonologist said was... "Hmmm... could be..."  Then he had a resident do the H&P and started a 6 minute walk which I couldn't even do... and sent me straight to the damned hospital.  But... I digress.

It has been fun to venture out each morning and see the progress in the flower beds... seems something new is popping out every day... and lots of blooms already.  I had to pinch off all the squash blossoms... my gardener friend said it will make the plants stronger and they'll bear more squash if I snip the first flowers.  I washed them and maybe I'll use them tomorrow... but probably not...  The bluebonnets are on the wane... instead of fields of deep blue with streaks of almost purple, now we have sort of dusty blue fields... I'm not sure if the later blooms are actually that much lighter... I don't remember this happening in the past... but they're still very pretty... lots of red phlox and pink buttercups are blooming along with the bluebonnets.  Very pretty.

And we had the MS 150 bike ride through here Saturday morning... I didn't go out to see it, but could hear it ... at first it sounded like a far off train rumbling and it got louder and louder... then, of course, all the music and loudspeakers, etc... I don't know how many came through this year... but I do know they porta potties had already been set up  when the storm blew through... what a mess... lol... lots of them toppled over... thankfully they were empty...

Here's a px of my latest little antique doll... bought it off eBay today... the head has damage, but it is still a very dear little thing, isn't it? 

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May Day

This is the first May Day in many years when I didn't hang even one May basket...... I used to love surprising friends and neighbors with surprise flowers hung on their door or gate very early on May day... nothing special... just small jars with a wire handle wrapped around the rim or sometimes a paper cone... filled with wild flowers and garden flowers... whatever was handy.  Anyhow... another "thing" that now just seems too much trouble... these days half the people don't even know what a May basket hanging on the door means... lol... so... perhaps it is just another old fashioned tradition going down the tubes... to be replaced with what?  Marches?  Protests?  GSWs? 

I did a few gardening projects done... five minutes at a time... and actually got 3 buckets of mulch dumped around one of my small flower/vegetable beds.... already have a few green tomatoes!!!  teensy ones... but they're definitely there... and a bunch of squash blossoms... bell pepper plants look okay, but not great.  And of course my watermelons... they don't seem to be doing much, but we had a bunch of little cool fronts during the past two weeks... rarely got up to 80 most days... and always 50ish at night... too cool for melons.

I also managed to bag up two trash bags of suits and dresses I will likely never wear again... which I plan to take to one of the centers taking care of domestic violence victims... there is an  organization that gathers clothing suitable for interviewing, etc, but they're in Houston and I don't wanna go there... I'm trying to get rid of a bunch of stuff... to clear out the house so my niece won't one day be so overwhelmed with it. 

Gertie just found another rawhide chew toy... I've been trying to get rid of them after her recent accident... but she must have literally dozens of them hidden throughout the house... lol. 

Oh, well, just the usual 10-2-4... slumping around... seeming to get very little done... making lists...

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longhorns, gardens, dogs, and energy

Today our town had our annual heritage gathering... with our usual zombie longhorns meandering through the town square on a 'cattle drive'... lol... the children love it and it is sorta fun... in a 'Little House on the Prairie' sort of way... but I have to wonder how much valium is used on those poor cows to get them through the day.  They absolutely do not appear 'normal'... but perhaps I don't know what 'normal' is for a longhorn?  I took Gertie for a look-see, but only inside the car.  She is an australian cattle dog and still has a strong herding instinct... Lord only knows what she'd do if given the opportunity to take after a herd of cows... lol... she still sometimes tries to 'herd' momma in the evening so I must remind her quickly who is top dog... so she satisfies herself with a rare nip at the heels of the yard guy.   Here's a link to last year's heritage days if anyone wants to take a peek.

www.bellvilleheritagegathering.com

We've had stormy nights with lots of rain for the past few days and everything is just growing like weeds.  Many seeds are peeking through (I got them in the ground a little late) and many bulbs are ready to bloom... I love going out each morning and making the rounds... the gladiolas and amryrillis are swollen with blooms... they remind me of a pregnancy and I'm looking every day for the babies to be born.  I have tons of itsy bitsy green tomatoes... I planted mostly cherry tomatoes... still not even a sign of a watermelon... oh well... can't win 'em all.  I built two more elevated beds... not very fancy... just 4 boards nailed together... but it works for now... by now I've spent enough money to have a farmer personally deliver fresh produce to my home each day for the next six months... I figure these tomatoes shouldn't cost a penny more than $6.32 each (that's for the cherry tomatoes... the large ones might be more). 

Now I'm all hot to trot after a few chickens... maybe 3 or 4... I'd love to have a few fancy chickens... just for fun and, of course, fresh eggs would be fun... but probably won't happen.... mainly because of Gertie who also fancies herself a famous hunting dog (you should see her capturing pill bugs... lizards... and voles.  She was chasing a huge butterfly recently and ran smack dab into a big tree... didn't phase her... she just kept running... but the run in with the tree caused her to lose track of the butterfly... lol.  Last year we had nesting birds in a small tree.  Gertie "guarded" that tree with a devotion only a hopeful dog could muster... she was absolutely salivating some days as she sat there with her eye on the prize.  Those poor birdies were probably a nervous wreck by the time they got their little family grown and out of the "bad neighborhood"... I tried to keep Gertie away as much as possible but she was incessant in her whining to go check on the birdies.

blah blah blah... still tired... I'm adjusting to the realization that my life will apparently be lived in ten minute increments and just figure it is a good thing I'm retired.  I swear I do not know how I ever got a full day of work done.  Seems only a dim memory. 

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just this & that & nothing at all

Monday was the first day in a long time I felt like a human... so, of course, what did I do?  Well... I tried to do everything I hadn't done in the past 4-5 weeks... I'm not sure if I'll ever master that "pace yourself" thing.  To say the least, I was tired and draggy today... but still feel better. 

Rena G. sent me the funniest card about gardening... if I had my scanner hooked up I'd scan it and send a px... basically it shows a woman walking toward her garden and she's 'thinking' about how gorgeous it is... there's a photo of a beautifully designed and maintained garden in the little blip above her head... then you see the real garden which is seriously short of the way the woman see it... lol... it was especially appropriate for me because a day or two later friends from Houston came by and one of them saw my yard... and I suppose she was comparing it to my old yard... because it isn't THAT bad... lol.. anyhow, she said, "I thought you said you'd been working in the yard?"   ...things only your friends will tell you  ;-)

So... Monday morning I did a walk-through and made a list of what needs to be done... then came in and figured out how much I could afford to pay someone to do it...because it is obvious my "five minutes at a time five times a day" isn't gonna cut it.  

I spent some time today cleaning up a vintage 50's Samsonite train case... it is in rather good condition, but was very grimy... it didn't look dirty until I took an up close look at it... lol.  I like to use them for collage so tonight I pasted on the first picture but am now too tired to continue... the interior is in very clean condition so I didn't tear it out... but I'm looking at it now... it is so blah... all tan with little pockets all around... the plastic tray that fit into the top is missing.  I may rip out the lining and replace it with something more appropirate.  At least this is a quiet hobby that can be done indoors without too much mess.  Do any of you have life long messy interests?  I am having a smallish office area connected to my garage redone to use as an art studio, but truth is I like to work at night and I don't see myself going outside to work... maybe I can at least keep most of the mess out there... and this will free up a bedroom to be used as a guest room.  Isn't this weird... I live alone in a 2000 square foot home and I feel I need more space...I grew up in a 1200 sq ft home with 3 siblings and the whole family shared one bathroom.  I think I have too much stuff.... and I certainly did not inherit my mother's need for order... lol!

Falling asleep at the wheel...  

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leaving Holland... visiting Paris...

After spending more time in Holland than I like to think about, I woke up one day this week to find I was in Paris!  I just woke up making mental lists of what I needed to accomplish today... like I used to do all the time.... and felt good... well, relatively good.  It has, in some ways, being sorta weird... like the odd weather before a hurricane... when you have a feeling something is going to change...  I've grown somewhat accustomed to living in Holland... even though I didn't like it, but perhaps I was becoming too comfortable there.  I dunno...  I'm trying to enjoy the present and not think about how long 'it' will last this time... telling myself to just enjoy Paris!

Have been diligent about not going full blast ahead ... as I've done in the past... realizing no matter how well I feel, it doesn't translate to being able to trim the trees... dig a flower bed and then mow the lawn.  This week I've been happy to feel like putting the trash out and straightening up the house a bit... and staying inside to avoid the oppressive heat.  I did make one brief foray into the bowels of my garage and came out gasping for breath and decided that is a chore that will need to wait til cooler weather. 

I began working on a few Christmas gifts... making books for my baby great niece and nephew... and tree ornaments for my 9 great nieces and nephews.  I've made snowman ornaments for them for about 8 or 9 years plus little wool stockings or mittens ornaments for each child... my older niece decorates almost her whole tree with the snowmen ornaments we've made since she was a child (she's 33 now) and ornaments I gave her each year since she was a baby.  We used to collect Joan Walsh Anglund ornaments for her and her sister. 

Well... blah blah blah... rambling.   My pitiful gardening efforts are still managing to hang on... thanks to several torrential downpours and soaker hoses.  I had tons of cherry tomatoes and then a few days ago I saw a large green worm on one of the plants... he was munching the leaves... I didn't kill him because I wasn't sure if maybe he'd turn into a butterfly... lol... well.. trust me, he did not turn into a butterfly... but... 24 hours later, he'd completely denuded THREE tomato plants... didn't touch the green tomatoes... but the stems are almost completely bare.  The squash bugs took care of the squash... they got more than I did... and the bell peppers turned out to be a different pepper.... but they're very pretty.  There is still hope for two eggplants and the two watermelon plants made tons of vines... but I've not seen even one puny melon.  So much for back to nature... lol... I figure those tomatoes and the 4 or 5 squash probably cost me about a dollar each... but they sure were good.

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Tsunamis, beach houses, and sea shells

Watching a Discovery Channel show about the big Tsunami... home movies taken by several tourists... it is heart wrenching... why does it seem these natural disasters so often seem to hit those with so little... already living a marginal existence and then to have that ripped from them... they're showing a village, Banda Ache... in Sri Lanka I believe... it was previously a main junction and a bustling city... it is almost 100% flattened... a passenger train with 1500 passengers... all dead... then an island with the most primitive tribe known to man was directly in the path of the Tsunami and were assumed to have been all killed.  Every one of them lived because they remembered their ancestor's stories and they acted on instinct... .  They are the Andara tribe... they ran deep into the forest and, after the waves receded, they carefully marked the Tsunami boundaries because they believe that is where the earth wants them to stay behind...

227,754 dead with over 50,000 still missing after the December 26, 2004 Tsunami...

 I know some builders along the coast who could take a lesson or two from that tribe... lol.  We're now having people very angry because their beach front property has been condemned because it is literally in the water at high tide... so here they have these gorgeous beach homes and, in some cases, they aren't even able to move them.  Oh well... we shared a beach house with several families when I was growing up ... it was exactly 5 "rows" from the shoreline... and was gradually getting closer and closer to the beach... nobody wanted to put any money into it because we knew it was going to eventually be in the water ... I loved that place... for years we'd strung seashells crisscrossed back and forth across the ceiling and I wonder what happened to all those strings of shells... in retrospect it was probably quite tacky, but I thought it was too cool at the time.

Still in Paris... lol... not taking any chances though... staying inside out of the heat and working on my Christmas projects, reading, and writing...  and snoozing. 

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swiftly flowing water

We're having real gully washers today... and much of the area is under flash flood alert.  My town happens to be at the top of the hill so we don't worry much about flooding... but the one time we did have torrential rain the streets looked swiftly flowing downhill rivers. 

Once many years ago my lover lived on the Brazos River... we'd dug out steps down to the beach (and paved them with flagstones), built a few chairs and tables, and thought we'd have a lovely little beach area... and what do you think I wanted to add to the ambience?  Ducks... three large fluffy white ducks... I imagined sitting in the shade in the late afternoon drinking lemonade and watching our ducks swimming around catching fish.  Well,  ... we had not anticipated how swift a raging river runs... the first storm completely obliterated the carefully laid out steps and the furniture was never seen again... but at least that took a few months.  The ducks, on the other hand, were released into the gently flowing river and quickly went downstream... never to be seen again... lol.  That took maybe 3-4 minutes... max....  I didn't realize they apparently need still water... I suppose they just do not swim upstream... or, in our case, sidestream... lol!  Unless someone caught them downstream, the poor things probably became dinner to some river varmit. 

Years later my sister added ducks to their large pond... they had about a  half dozen ducks.  I learned that my idea of having ducks at the river would probably not have been a very good idea anyhow ... ducks, in case you don't already know, apparently poop ALL the time... big ploppy messy poops... and my sister's ducks preferred to do it on her deck and patio.  Every morning required a high pressure hosing to clear out the you know what.   Her pond eventually overflowed during a heavy rain period... and sort of "merged" with the neighbor's pond.  The ducks apparently found living conditions nicer at the neighbor's and never returned to my sister's home (personally I think my sister paid those ducks to move).

And today I'm feeling like I've been thrown into that swiftly flowing river (and I didn't even poop on the deck!)... I hope I'm headed for a different part of Paris... and not back to Holland. 

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another day in Mayberry...

Another busy day in Mayberry... not.  I think retirement has taught me it is a good thing I never chose to be self-employed... cause I would probably have starved to death... lol.  Apparently I'm not a self starter. 

It continues to rain...  I think my neighbor is building an ark in his back yard.  He swears it is an "office" for his wife, but I dunno... seems odd he'd build a mast on an office?  Whatever.

Between the 100F + temps for weeks and weeks followed by 3 days of flooding... my miserable little garden has absolutely given up the ghost... the only thing that looks like it will make it is the bell peppers (which it turns out aren't bell peppers but I don't know what else to call them...) and eggplant.  The damn bugs... and birds... poked holes in the tomatoes that are still on the vine.  The flowers and vines still look great... which is kinda nice... I planted something that smells divine near the front door.   Next year I think I'll plant lemon trees and something else.  I read they make great houseplants.

Worked on my snowmen today... they are SO cute... if I say so myself... lol.  Wish I knew how to use a digital camera... I have a photo of one I made for my niece a few years ago... I'll find it and post it.

Also worked on gluing hundreds of snips of paper to a vintage train case.  It might be for my great niece... or not... depending on what she thinks of it... I'm collaging color copies of old photos and copies of folk art paintings... on a 50's Samsonite train case.  It was a bit scuffed up and dirty on the outside, but the inside was like new... with all the little elastic thingies to hold products, a tray, and the mirror is still in good condition... it didn't even smell musty.  The outside cleaned up great.  The metal clasps are a little funky and perhaps I should have taken them off and cleaned them properly... but I didn't.

Meanwhile... I thought I'd share some of the vintage photos I've collected... I have a series of cute little children with their dogs... most are from the Victorian period.  I don't know why, but all the photos seem to migrate to the top of the post... most of the photos I've purchased featured huge dogs... I'd hate to have to feed some of those suckers.

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rain, my "play-like" grandchildren, and naps

Another rainy day... which is great for me... no watering... YAY!  Cloudy and overcast with intermittent rain... great sleeping weather!  Unfortunately I must get it in gear and run a few errands... yuck... I'm afraid I've turned into a bit of a hermit. 

My niece and her family are spending a few weeks at a lake cottage in Ontario... I forget where exactly... I remember it is north... a few hours from Buffalo ... not on Lake Huron... anyhow I miss them already, but must admit their life has been in mini-crisis mode for several months (kids do that, don't they?) and it will be good for 'things' to settle down.  The children are having a ball (they went up a week ago with their dad) because it is sort of a family reunion... grandparents and 3 siblings... all with their children... so all the little cousins are having fun with each other.  I'm so glad his family makes the effort to have all the cousins know each other... what a nice family they are.  I feel so blessed that my niece has such a good marriage now... after the first nightmare where she married the #1 jackass of the year... she certainly deserved this one... and the best part?  The step-father and his entire family treat the older children exactly like they treat their other grandchildren.  This has been such a good experience for my older great niece and great nephews.

I'm rambling... right?  Well, nap time for me.  Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend... and if not "wonderful"... well, then I hope it is at least "okay"!!!

I think I need a nap before going out... lol!  (you know, honestly, having PH has given me an excuse to take a nap anytime I want... and feel no lingering guilt).

Anyone recognize the breed of this dog?

JeannieTX

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family, furniture, and flowers

I am missing my niece and her family so much... they've called several times, but it isn't the same as knowing they're home...   Her husband is Canadian and his family rents a cottage on the lake for a few weeks most summers where the parents and their three children all meet with their respective spouses... and all the grandchildren... so... this year that means eight children (7 are UNDER 5-6 years old!) and eight adults... sounds about right... one adult per child!  They invited me, but I hate flying with all this equipment crap so I'd rather just stay home... plus...no matter how much I love those children...  hey, call me crazy... but living in a cottage with eight children & eight other adults for three weeks just doesn't sound like my kind of vacation...  and, no, thank you, having two adjoining cottages does not make any difference as far as I could see... :-)

we are...again... having serious heat problems.  we did actually get a brief rain this afternoon... about 3 cups total... hard to believe we had street flooding a week ago...  the heat is absolutely brutal.  went out at 7 a.m. to water a bit and I just couldn't do it... after barely five minutes I went inside and decided whatever burns up will just have to die... better the plants than me, eh?  the humidity is so bad i was completely wet with sweat in just those few minutes... I have a plumber coming out next week or so to move the outside faucet in front to the porch... will make it so much easier to just step out to the porch to water rather than going to the side of the house... and wrangling with the hose and then returning when finished.  that sounds like no big deal doesn't it?  but often it is the deal breaker when i'm deciding whether to water or not... I have small soaker hose 'rings' around the two crepe myrtles I had planted last year and I sometimes turn the soaker on them for 18-24 hours but at a very very slow flow... just so I don't feel I must go out to turn it off after a few hours... some days I just don't think I can make it out there twice in one day.  I think this summer has taught me that gardening is not going to be in my future...  at least not the kind of down & dirty gardening I like.  a few days ago I passed a tree someone had cut down... it was hollow and would make wonderful outdoor planters, but do you think I could get one or two?  hell no... I didn't even stop, just made a mental note of where they are in case I can find someone to get them for me. 

Anyhow... went yesterday to buy a new mattress/box spring set for my bedroom... and a daybed frame for the sunroom... and, omigawd, I swore I'd never have a recliner, but they had these huge Lazy-Boy leather recliners on sale... so I told myself ... hey... it isn't like my living room looks like a home and gardens advertisement... so thought I'd at least give them a look-see.  Turns out those huge recliners are not comfortable for short people.... well, at least they weren't for me.  I had no idea... but they had a smaller one made by a different company... looks sorta like a Morris chair... wood arms... and it tilts back and has a foot rest, but just not  all the way back like a lazy-boy.  The sales woman told me it is more important for the recliner to "fit" according to the measurement from hip to knee and neck to hip ... and she said those really wide arms make it difficult for even average length arms to reach across them and operate the handle mechanism... I could reach it but could not get the leverage needed to push it to the all the way down position. 

So.. I figured, what the hell, if I'm gonna get everything all comfy... I need a new sofa.  Add a wonderful big cushy sofa... cushy but firm at the same time... I have never bought new furniture ...except for mattresses and appliances.  I love antiques and the way they look, but I must admit I've never found a comfortable antique sofa.... and antique "easy" chairs aren't that easy to find either.  In fact an estate sale woman who is a friend of mine called about 5-6 months ago to tell me she had a sofa/easy chair set that was perfect for me and exactly right for the house... burgundy, 40s style, and cute,, cute cute...she sent me a photo... I loved the way it looked... original upholstery and not a mark on it anywhere... no fading.  The lady who owned it never used it... kept it in her "good" living room with drapes closed all the time.  I bought it sight unseen... except for the photo.   Well, it is scrumptious to look at, but... not good for lounging...  But that's the beauty of buying antiques ...and vintage... I can sell it for more than I paid for it...  The sofa I bought yesterday is already worth about half what I paid for it... lol.  but it sure is comfy.

Shoot... I tried to post a photo of the family... but the preview is so tiny I cannot see it to ID anyone... my caption says it is Acapulco-dinner-2006 so I'm assuming it is my niece and her husband plus their FIVE children... two babies and three older children... and all pretty as a picture... lol!  This was spring break and they were the guests of some guy who owns the villa.  The kids thought they'd died and gone to heaven... and my niece and her husband thought it was pretty cool too.

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my babies, burned up garden, murderers, heat, & iraq

i finally figured out my logon code again... so... haven't checked in for a while.  sitting here watching a re-run of one of the jonbenet ramsey stories... that karl guy supposedly had laser hair removal on his face at a cost of approx $400.  for that price i would think every male in the world would have it done.  think of the money and hours they'd save over a lifetime.  whatever... the whole affair is too bizarre for words and it is getting stranger and stranger.  the joke today?  john karl says he was also with amelia erhardt at the time of her death (but it was an accident) and there are rumors he was also with marilyn monroe when she died (but that's strictly rumor) lol...

i spent the day with my niece and her family last week... the babies are at such a cute age... sean will be 4 on Oct 5th and kate will be 3 mid-December.  she is at the point of developing at a faster pace than sean.  it is kinda funny to watch her begin to take the lead when they play together.  he has a small electric car and frequently gets it stuck in the back yard... both children hop out & push to get it moving again (and frequently he is pushing the back while she pushes the front... they're a real laurel & hardy team... & he'll be yelling at her, "PUSH, Kate, PUSH!"  my niece and i were about to pass out laughing watching both of them pushing opposite directions...he eventually realized she needed to push from the rear...  anyhow, when they get the car un-stuck he has a habit of jumping in and driving off without her... as she chases after him crying and begging him to stop.  well, the other day SHE grabbed the driver's seat first and took off with HIM running behind... she'd get about 10 ft ahead of him, stop for a second, look back at him and wait til he was almost to the car and she'd laugh like a hyenna and take off again... he was chasing and yelling at her.  she led him on a merry chase and ended it by driving straight to her mom's side & jumping straight to her mom's arms.  she knew he wouldn't 'get' her with her mom. 

then we're back inside the house and the phone rings, my 15 year old great niece starts to answer it, looks at the caller ID, and says, "Oh, it's Aunt Jeannie!" ... then looks at me and starts laughing and says, "Where is  your cell phone, Aunt Jeannie?"  seems sean loves cell phones... he'd picked mine up and selected 'redial'... he was standing outside watching through the window... as i walked toward the door he quickly stuffed it in his pocket and ran to a far corner of the yard where he took it out and called again... and again. 

although they are a triple handful and i was exhausted when i left, it was good to spend time with them...they make me laugh...  when i left, sean called out to me saying, "I think SOMEONE needs another hug..."  isn't that cute?  then kate, of course, thought she also needed another hug... after another round of hugs and sticky kisses, i said, "Goodbye, Sugar." and just as i got to the door, sean called out, "Goodbye, Sugar!"   then he kept yelling "Goodbye Sugar" as i was getting in the car.  since then he calls me "Sugar".  is he a cutie pie or what? 

no more tomatoes... finally just burned up and i pulled most of the vines out today... one was TEN feet long!  i knew it had fallen over... it had long since grown over the cage and i'd added a 'teepee' for support which it had also overgrown.  it was sort of meandering through the other tomato plants.  i suppose that six pack was a good invesetment over the long run... probably got a bushel of total....  the watermelons never even made a flower much less a melon.  lots of squash and, finally, lots of zuchini.  i later planted two chinese eggplants and have gotten a few... they're very pretty.  the strange bell pepper plants were by far the most prolific.  in fact, there were so many (and they were so pretty... orange, yellow, pale green, and red and shaped like weird banana peppers... they were called Chinese something bell peppers)... anyhow, i gave a bunch to a local restaurant and they used them for sunday brunch.  someone just told me i can freeze them so i'll try freezing a few.

the heat and humidity has just about killed me.  i mostly stay inside between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. venturing out after dark when necessary.  

one of my very good friends left this weekend for iraq.  he has been in bioterrorism research for years and i'm worried sick that he'll get in the wrong place at the wrong time (as if there's any "right" place in iraq?)... he is SOOOO trusting and kind hearted... i can just see him leaning over to hand a kid a treat and being blown to smithereens.  

i'm watching an old interview with theresa kerry... i really like her and wish the politicians hadn't been in such a hurry to squash her... because she didn't kiss anyone's backside she was perceived as 'not a good political wife'... you'd think people would be reassured by someone who had a brain and wasn't afraid to use it... oh, wait a minute... that hasn't worked, has it?  lol!

well, a gazillion other things running through my brain... but i'm tired... so this is it for tonite.  i think i posted a px of sean... forgot which one, but i do remember it is about one year ago... JeannieTX

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always tired... so... what's new?

We're enjoying a few days of unseasonably cool weather and it has been a delicious surprise.  Gets up to around 90 in the afternoon but the humidity is so low we don't seem to notice the humidity.  How I'd love to be out there digging in the dirt and building a twig trellis and taking Gert for a walk and making a wattle fence and moving my rocks around... and all the great weather projects we all plan....

I've been half-heartedly going through 27,000 old files and pieces of paper I saved for some reason.. has taken me 62 years to get here and I sure hope it doesn't take THAT long to get rid of most of it... seems I've been going through this junk for at least 7 or 8 years and I always find something I absolutely do not wanna lose....and toss out several garbage bags of junk every day.

Walking about 2 miles on the treadmill... but in many short sessions... each day and it doesn't seem to make a bit of difference.  I'm still exhausted and feel like I can't even take the steps to the PO box.  I wish I knew exactly which part of the exhaustion is a limitation of PH, which part is being out of shape, which part is the result of doing too much,  and which part is caused by being fat.

I've tried to be very careful to plan low-energy tasks and just about don't go out during the heat.

Working on Christmas ornaments too. 

Whatever... pooped now ... so off to snooze.

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dolls, sweet pup dogs, fried green tomatoes, snowmamas, & county fairs...ain't life grand?

I haven't written for a while because it just never seemed a

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I haven't written for a while... it seemed so many of us were in such despair and I was afraid it would be insensitive to write an "ain't life grand" diary entry.  I decided it might not be all that grand most of the time, but it is all I have so I'm just plodding away making the best of it... doing what I can when I can... and resting when I feel tired.  I've enjoyed some 'good' days and have even kicked up the treadmill time/speed a bit  .... but I still hate exercise :-(... and it seems no matter how much I walk, my tolerance doesn't seem to get appreciably better.  I called the rehab place to ask whether I should expect to become more exercise tolerant, but, of course, can't get a straight answer out of them... all they wanted to tell me was that my insurance would pay for another 'run through' their program.  Yeah, I guess they'd like that... lol... someone has to pay to keep the place open...  I wouldn't mind going again for the exercise part, but I'd hate sitting through all those lectures... plus it is a 130 mile round trip three times weekly and ends up taking the entire day... plus by the time I return home I'm so tired I just wanna sleep.  I wish there was something closer... I talked to the local gym here in Mayberry USA  but mention PH and all bets are off.... they don't want to take the risk.  Too bad because it is actually a very good gym... the guy who runs it is a physical therapist.   A Curves facility also just opened, but I don't think I could keep up with their program.  I'm told they sorta put everyone on a 30 minute workout schedule and each person starts on one machine, does whatever for say 3 minutes, then quickly everyone shifts to the next place, spends 3 minutes, etc etc   At least that's what I heard... and I'd sure be causing a traffic jam... takes me 3 minutes to get "situated"... lol... I mean, by the time I'd get the treadmill controls set, it would be time to move on.

I've been working on my Christmas projects... making itty bitty felted wool mittens for itty bitty snowmamas... and stockings etc for the nieces and nephews.   I've also been called to identify and price the antique/vintage dolls and toys of several estate sales.  That's been fun... one family had taken meticulous care of their childhood dolls plus the collection of their own mother's dolls AND the dolls of their grandmother!  Every doll was in separate boxes... some were the original boxes... and they were in mint condition... the other collection... omigawd... what a mess... equally nice dolls but in nasty condition... left in the attic for years and then left in a damp basement.  It is so frustrating to see nice things ruined because of carelessness.  Another family of 3 children intend to keep most of their mother's lovely estate and they are trying to be so fair to each other... it was quite touching.  They decided since they don't know the value of most of her antiques and things they would have the entire house inventoried and appraised.  An appraiser friend of mine asked me to price the dolls and toys.  Their mother must have been a meticulous person because almost everything was labeled as to where and when purchased!  They were a military family and had traveled the world.  The appraiser tried to talk them into not making a strict inventory, but they are insisting.  Weird... it will cost them a small fortune by the time this is finished.  

We're finally having some rain and a few days where the temp didn't reach at least 90... When I pulled up all the tomato plants I was surprised to see one had grown "volunteers"... it was really long (talk about a tomato "vine"...lol) and part of it had taken root... and it has little green tomatoes.  I think I'll try to protect them when it starts getting cool at night... they're not big enough yet or I'd make fried green tomatoes!!

Speaking of fried tomatoes... did anyone see the Texas State Fair (Go Longhorns!!!) had a new snack this year?  FRIED Coca Cola!!!  (don't ask!)  Is there anything that can't be fried?

I'm gonna try to post a photo of one of the snowmamas ... I don't have any finished yet this year, but found this photo of one from several years ago.   They're not all so large as this one (this one is about 10-12" tall and the base for it is about 8"x8"... I try to make them small enough to fit under a large glass dome, but can no longer find the domes.  I've seen new garden bell jars for sale and might see if those will work.  My poor niece probably has more snowmamas/snowmen than she wants... but she swears she wants more.

I suppose this isn't much of a 'diary'... more like a stream of conscious blah blah blah.... but, hey, it is what it is... lol!  

I've pretty much decided gardening is not gonna be my 'thing', but, who knows... by next spring I'll forget and try again.  I did manage to plant vines and things that will come back... a red bud tree... two more crape myrtles... yellow jasmine... and I forget what else... oh... yeah... day lilies...trying to limit everything to several areas where I've already buried soaker hoses so all I will need to do is add mulch every year... and I finally have a sort of good yard guy... he is a kooky little thing... and fusses at me because of the dog toys in the yard... and tells me every time... 'cash only'... 'cash only'... 'cash only'... I wanna say to him... 'hey, I GET IT... for three years now it has been CASH only...'  He is a little bit retarded, but does a very good job... extremely meticulous... and resistant to change... which is understandable.  I have trouble understanding him... he has a terrible stutter... so I sometimes have no real idea what I'm agreeing to.  Sometimes I just say 'okay' so I can end the conversation. 

My sweet Gertie is showing her age (12 years)... it really bothers me... I've never had a pet and I don't know what to expect.  The vet assures me it is normal for her to sleep 16-18 hours a day.  I cannot manage taking her for her long walks we used to enjoy... I try to play toss with her for a while each day... she seems to tire easily and doesn't want to play forever like she used to... she would chase & retrieve a ball 500 times if I'd throw it... today... maybe 20 times (thank God because I don't think I could keep up with her activity level five years ago).

So that's the news worth printing... oh, yeah... one more note... lol... COUNTY FAIR time!  Everything in town closed last Thursday for the annual parade and opening of the county fair... Even the post office closed early... bank closed early... schools closed all day... most businesses closed for at least the 3-4 hours around the parade... the fair is a big tourist attraction every year... brings a bunch of money to the town. 

PS  Tried to post the snowmama, but the file was too large... so... here's a great px of a Minnesota hairless pig with a tattoo... interesting, eh? 

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