Hello,
After I was convinced that I just had a non contagious sinus infection, a woman at church told me she thought it was instead a virus because she had already had all of my symptoms. Her condition lasted three weeks. I seem to be quite well today so at least I do not have the longevity. Mine seems to be just of a week and a day duration so could it have been non contagious. I just hope that I did not expose Brian’s family. That almost negates any help that I gave them.
Today I learned that I will continue to support companies that make skin lotions combating dryness. The Dr. did list dry skin as a symptom of thyroid imbalance. Those drugs seemed like a possible solution to the skin and hair dryness but today he reported that the lab results were normal. Does that mean it is simply aging and an almost fat free diet? Just as with Leroy, my cholesterol is not as good as it was on the last report. We both wonder if we are exercising less as we do not have so many places to walk. I know for a fact that Leroy would sometimes walk six miles. I might have been more likely to get about three in. Here we do get in our two everyday, but it is more of an effort. Does attitude make a difference with cholesterol?
We sign up for wellness dollars from the insurance company. I tried to get that done today. It is tied into the pension board of the church. I could not get into the web site. It was only after I called for help that I learned I was actually at the pension board site rather than on the wellness site. Embarrassing, but it is all accomplished now. I got my $150 credit and must see what to do for the $300 credit. Leroy tells me it is different that the things that we did in the past.
Somewhat spurred on by that focus on health, I lifted weights this afternoon and found out that I have lost strength. Now 7.5 pounds seems like a lot. I had not lifted for at least three weeks. Where does strength go? Is there a puddle on the floor? Maybe it is like hair and just sheds off each day?
Paula
Monday, April 18, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Lively Day
Hello,
The lively day means really that I am feeling much better and livelier. Logan has taken some nice long naps while I have been “on duty” so I managed to finish reading the book that I brought with me. It is A Town Like Alice written by Nevil Shute. Part of it is set in England, Malay, and Australia during WWII and after. I found it to be quite good, but interesting that the guy/kid who loaned it to me did not like to read it. It was an assignment for a lit class for him.
During another nap period I cleaned the bathroom and even ended up washing the floor. It was good to do something other than sit around. I have gone for my two-mile walk with the dog every day, but then there was not a lot of other movement other than entertaining Logan by walking/bouncing him around the space.
My “grand dogs” have long memories. Both of them come to my sleeping area in the morning even though it might have been months since I last visited. They really like the walk routine. I like it too so that is not a problem. Here unfortunately, it has gotten colder each day that I have been out. Luckily it has not snowed. Yesterday there was a short rainfall with some sleet mixed in for a time. I am glad that I can still walk briskly and come back to a warm house.
I have worked some on Sudoku puzzles. For some reason I make mistakes when I am concentrating on a baby too.
Brian has a Mac computer. It is helpful that it is not a laptop. For some reason when I use a laptop I seem to rest my hands on hotspots and all sorts of things start happening. I am getting used to the differences. It is hard to remember that I learned about computers on a MAC. But at least some of the information is stored in a remote corner of the brain. Yeah Brain!
Paula
The lively day means really that I am feeling much better and livelier. Logan has taken some nice long naps while I have been “on duty” so I managed to finish reading the book that I brought with me. It is A Town Like Alice written by Nevil Shute. Part of it is set in England, Malay, and Australia during WWII and after. I found it to be quite good, but interesting that the guy/kid who loaned it to me did not like to read it. It was an assignment for a lit class for him.
During another nap period I cleaned the bathroom and even ended up washing the floor. It was good to do something other than sit around. I have gone for my two-mile walk with the dog every day, but then there was not a lot of other movement other than entertaining Logan by walking/bouncing him around the space.
My “grand dogs” have long memories. Both of them come to my sleeping area in the morning even though it might have been months since I last visited. They really like the walk routine. I like it too so that is not a problem. Here unfortunately, it has gotten colder each day that I have been out. Luckily it has not snowed. Yesterday there was a short rainfall with some sleet mixed in for a time. I am glad that I can still walk briskly and come back to a warm house.
I have worked some on Sudoku puzzles. For some reason I make mistakes when I am concentrating on a baby too.
Brian has a Mac computer. It is helpful that it is not a laptop. For some reason when I use a laptop I seem to rest my hands on hotspots and all sorts of things start happening. I am getting used to the differences. It is hard to remember that I learned about computers on a MAC. But at least some of the information is stored in a remote corner of the brain. Yeah Brain!
Paula
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Baby Logan
Hello,
Logan has his moments of peace and distress. Sound normal for a baby? Well it is but some days seem more extreme in the crying direction than peaceful. It humbles one quickly when you realize that you do not know everything nor do you even have a good guess sometimes. Baby does not know all either, but he does know that something is not right. All the adults can do sometimes is run through a mental check list of possibilities and try them in turn hoping that one will work. That list might include, holding, walking, bouncing, changing position, talking singing, and tearing out your own hair. One of the problems with the cessation of crying is that even though the crying stopped was it indeed the last thing that helped. Lack of speech does indeed make a difference for dealing with another person.
Sophia seems to be taking it all in stride. It surely cannot be easy to go from being number one to a sad second sometime. Can you imagine she thinks I am silly? Especially when I pretend that my hand is a spider walking along the couch to come see her.
I arrived with my sinus condition. That means I cough and blow my nose much more than is pleasant. Brian and Jen wondered if they would have to take care of me instead of me helping them. I also have felt a little slow because of it. Yesterday morning Brian gave me this and that cold medicine to take. Normally I rarely take anything. After the morning I knew why that was. I felt a bit dizzy and light headed. I am not sure why, but many of those drugs do not make me feel good. I do feel better today but is that because have having taken that medicine or just because my body has had enough time to fix it?
Maybe tomorrow I will feel like doing a bit more work around here besides toting a baby. I could actually clean a couple things. As it is I have been reading or doing puzzles in my time off.
Paula
Logan has his moments of peace and distress. Sound normal for a baby? Well it is but some days seem more extreme in the crying direction than peaceful. It humbles one quickly when you realize that you do not know everything nor do you even have a good guess sometimes. Baby does not know all either, but he does know that something is not right. All the adults can do sometimes is run through a mental check list of possibilities and try them in turn hoping that one will work. That list might include, holding, walking, bouncing, changing position, talking singing, and tearing out your own hair. One of the problems with the cessation of crying is that even though the crying stopped was it indeed the last thing that helped. Lack of speech does indeed make a difference for dealing with another person.
Sophia seems to be taking it all in stride. It surely cannot be easy to go from being number one to a sad second sometime. Can you imagine she thinks I am silly? Especially when I pretend that my hand is a spider walking along the couch to come see her.
I arrived with my sinus condition. That means I cough and blow my nose much more than is pleasant. Brian and Jen wondered if they would have to take care of me instead of me helping them. I also have felt a little slow because of it. Yesterday morning Brian gave me this and that cold medicine to take. Normally I rarely take anything. After the morning I knew why that was. I felt a bit dizzy and light headed. I am not sure why, but many of those drugs do not make me feel good. I do feel better today but is that because have having taken that medicine or just because my body has had enough time to fix it?
Maybe tomorrow I will feel like doing a bit more work around here besides toting a baby. I could actually clean a couple things. As it is I have been reading or doing puzzles in my time off.
Paula
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Arriving in Minnesota
Hello,
It was a mostly uneventful trip to Minnesota. Skies were clear, roads were clear, and my mind was clear. Leroy helped me to get out of the house with ease and most everything I needed.
On the six to seven hour drive I saw a small hawk fly off of a post close to the road, had a large heavy bodied fowl startle me as it flew across in front of my window, and spotted a flock of large birds, perhaps turkeys, foraging in a field.
It is noted that fewer flowers are blooming in the north. It is cooler, but not by much.
I also make a stop at the Minnesota NIKE outlet store. Last year I had gotten some leaky boots from Kike. I still can feel bad about the loss of those boots if I let myself as they were great looking and walking boots. The company gave me a website voucher for those boots. While visiting Miriam I finally found something that I wanted to buy with that money as I had waited in vain for some similar boots to appear on the web site. The jacket and hoodie arrived just a few days later. Leroy declared the coat too large and I thought the hoodie was too small. Return instructions stated that I could return them to any Nike store. I prefer to try on clothes when purchasing so a stop seemed like the easiest fix.
It was indeed smooth. So smooth that I spent $30 more than I returned. In the process I learned that I am still open to flattery such as: you are you look so good in this top that keeps runners warm. She assured me that walkers can wear it too. So she stated it does not look good on heavy people. She even talked me into buying two jackets to go with the top. I found a pair of shoes as well. I am not sure why I was surprised at checkout to learn that I owed them money. But it is satisfying. Now I just hope I like it. One of the jackets is quite visible in low light and I consider that a plus for walking on those dark mornings.
Paula
It was a mostly uneventful trip to Minnesota. Skies were clear, roads were clear, and my mind was clear. Leroy helped me to get out of the house with ease and most everything I needed.
On the six to seven hour drive I saw a small hawk fly off of a post close to the road, had a large heavy bodied fowl startle me as it flew across in front of my window, and spotted a flock of large birds, perhaps turkeys, foraging in a field.
It is noted that fewer flowers are blooming in the north. It is cooler, but not by much.
I also make a stop at the Minnesota NIKE outlet store. Last year I had gotten some leaky boots from Kike. I still can feel bad about the loss of those boots if I let myself as they were great looking and walking boots. The company gave me a website voucher for those boots. While visiting Miriam I finally found something that I wanted to buy with that money as I had waited in vain for some similar boots to appear on the web site. The jacket and hoodie arrived just a few days later. Leroy declared the coat too large and I thought the hoodie was too small. Return instructions stated that I could return them to any Nike store. I prefer to try on clothes when purchasing so a stop seemed like the easiest fix.
It was indeed smooth. So smooth that I spent $30 more than I returned. In the process I learned that I am still open to flattery such as: you are you look so good in this top that keeps runners warm. She assured me that walkers can wear it too. So she stated it does not look good on heavy people. She even talked me into buying two jackets to go with the top. I found a pair of shoes as well. I am not sure why I was surprised at checkout to learn that I owed them money. But it is satisfying. Now I just hope I like it. One of the jackets is quite visible in low light and I consider that a plus for walking on those dark mornings.
Paula
Monday, April 11, 2011
Dr. ants, and peace lily
Hello,
I made it to the Dr. this morning with a little better health than I had yesterday. I called my condition a sinus infection and he did not contradict but offered me drugs in the form of antibiotics. I respectfully declined since I believe that my body has not had enough time to heal itself. This afternoon I feel even better so it should all be ok. I will be driving to MN tomorrow. I feel fortunate to have filled the gas tank one more time at the lower price that was still at one station.
I moved a plant this afternoon only to find a moving mass of what? It turned out to be about 7,000 tiny ants that were busy scurrying to hide their massive pile of eggs from my eyes. This was on a bookcase. Leroy was home so we emptied the bookcase and carted it outdoors. In the meantime I dashed around looking for my homemade ant killer that is a combination of sugar and borax. “I knew where it was in Chariton,” I wailed as I looked in yet another possible storage place.
Eventually I did find it, wet a paper and put on the mixture where the few remaining ants might find it in the house. When I looked outside on the steps I noticed a whole tribe migration. Fearing that they might come back in the house I also offered some of my sweet poison on the steps.
I had gotten a distressed peace lily from Brian and Jen at Thanksgiving. It is now sending up new leaves. I had come close to saying that it must not be going to renew and thrive. It did not die, but it just stayed the same for all those months.
I do not have a total green thumb. I had gotten a small start of a plant, put it in water, put it in soil, and repotted it today only to learn there are no roots. I will leave it in the pot for a while, but I wonder if it will grow. Again it has not died, but…
Paula
I made it to the Dr. this morning with a little better health than I had yesterday. I called my condition a sinus infection and he did not contradict but offered me drugs in the form of antibiotics. I respectfully declined since I believe that my body has not had enough time to heal itself. This afternoon I feel even better so it should all be ok. I will be driving to MN tomorrow. I feel fortunate to have filled the gas tank one more time at the lower price that was still at one station.
I moved a plant this afternoon only to find a moving mass of what? It turned out to be about 7,000 tiny ants that were busy scurrying to hide their massive pile of eggs from my eyes. This was on a bookcase. Leroy was home so we emptied the bookcase and carted it outdoors. In the meantime I dashed around looking for my homemade ant killer that is a combination of sugar and borax. “I knew where it was in Chariton,” I wailed as I looked in yet another possible storage place.
Eventually I did find it, wet a paper and put on the mixture where the few remaining ants might find it in the house. When I looked outside on the steps I noticed a whole tribe migration. Fearing that they might come back in the house I also offered some of my sweet poison on the steps.
I had gotten a distressed peace lily from Brian and Jen at Thanksgiving. It is now sending up new leaves. I had come close to saying that it must not be going to renew and thrive. It did not die, but it just stayed the same for all those months.
I do not have a total green thumb. I had gotten a small start of a plant, put it in water, put it in soil, and repotted it today only to learn there are no roots. I will leave it in the pot for a while, but I wonder if it will grow. Again it has not died, but…
Paula
Sunday, April 10, 2011
More Traveling
Hello,
I have a doctor appointment tomorrow for a well person check up. Now, as per my own diagnosis, I have a terrible sinus condition. Should I call up the office and say that I can not come in because I do not feel well? How crucial is it to be well for a well person check?
I need to renew my osteoporosis meds so I must soon see a doctor. I will go. If I get done early enough I will drive to Brian and Jen’s house. If it is not early enough I will drive up on Tuesday. Logan has been crying quite a lot so I am going to give some rest time to Jen.
I wish I had checked the local airline for prices before I went to Salt Lake as they are offering $25 for seniors or $50 for others to go round trip to Chicago or St. Louis. It would have been cheaper to fly from here saving both gas for the car and a parking fee. Oh well it is only money and time right?
On my return trip from Salt Lake we left that city half an hour late. My connection time in Detroit was only one hour. I wondered about it, but thought the airline was obligated to take care of me. The reason for the delay? They were waiting for a co-pilot to come on board.
They said there was a strong tail wind so we would still get to Detroit on time. That was indeed true. At one point I noticed the wind was 191 kph. That is a strong wind.
After landing on time at the A concourse I did ask someone at a desk, the quickest way to get to the C concourse since it seemed there were a lot of gate numbers in between. Luckily there was a tram. I arrived at my assigned gate with just enough time to go to the bathroom and board the plane. My bottom did not even touch a seat in the waiting area. It is a good thing I am getting better about asking for help. Is that aging? Then I should be grateful for aging.
Paula
I have a doctor appointment tomorrow for a well person check up. Now, as per my own diagnosis, I have a terrible sinus condition. Should I call up the office and say that I can not come in because I do not feel well? How crucial is it to be well for a well person check?
I need to renew my osteoporosis meds so I must soon see a doctor. I will go. If I get done early enough I will drive to Brian and Jen’s house. If it is not early enough I will drive up on Tuesday. Logan has been crying quite a lot so I am going to give some rest time to Jen.
I wish I had checked the local airline for prices before I went to Salt Lake as they are offering $25 for seniors or $50 for others to go round trip to Chicago or St. Louis. It would have been cheaper to fly from here saving both gas for the car and a parking fee. Oh well it is only money and time right?
On my return trip from Salt Lake we left that city half an hour late. My connection time in Detroit was only one hour. I wondered about it, but thought the airline was obligated to take care of me. The reason for the delay? They were waiting for a co-pilot to come on board.
They said there was a strong tail wind so we would still get to Detroit on time. That was indeed true. At one point I noticed the wind was 191 kph. That is a strong wind.
After landing on time at the A concourse I did ask someone at a desk, the quickest way to get to the C concourse since it seemed there were a lot of gate numbers in between. Luckily there was a tram. I arrived at my assigned gate with just enough time to go to the bathroom and board the plane. My bottom did not even touch a seat in the waiting area. It is a good thing I am getting better about asking for help. Is that aging? Then I should be grateful for aging.
Paula
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Flying to Utah and Back
Hello,
Flying was uneventful if illogical. For instance, on my trip out I flew from Moline to Minneapolis then to Salt Lake. On the return trip, I watched on the map as I flew over northern Iowa to head on to Detroit and back to Moline. Certainly the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, however when money is thrown into the mix it is skewed in the air. In addition there are no direct flights so it means a stop somewhere, but it bothers my logical mind that it is not in a westerly direction. I remember when I was in college and my roommate would fly home. Her flights made no sense to a land locked girl from the farm. Now at least know that I am following a time worn pattern.
My first plane had only about ten people on it even though it could have held more than 45. As a result I got seconds on the complimentary food as did the rest of my fellow travelers. Generally I do not take treats to my grandchildren, but this time unknown or thought out by me, I had treats. The girls discovered them in my bag when they were helping me unpack. With cries of delight they asked, “Oh Granny is this for me?”
It all worked out because I had two packs of peanuts, a package of two cookies and two granola bars. Sometimes I appear more generous than I am as I hand out things that I did not earn or ask for in particular.
Just a note on changed vocabulary on the airline turbulence is now talked about as rough air. In the past I have heard it referred to has potholes in the sky. Is that all less threatening than turbulence?
I was happy to have little rough air and the plane stayed in one piece at all times.
Paula
Flying was uneventful if illogical. For instance, on my trip out I flew from Moline to Minneapolis then to Salt Lake. On the return trip, I watched on the map as I flew over northern Iowa to head on to Detroit and back to Moline. Certainly the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, however when money is thrown into the mix it is skewed in the air. In addition there are no direct flights so it means a stop somewhere, but it bothers my logical mind that it is not in a westerly direction. I remember when I was in college and my roommate would fly home. Her flights made no sense to a land locked girl from the farm. Now at least know that I am following a time worn pattern.
My first plane had only about ten people on it even though it could have held more than 45. As a result I got seconds on the complimentary food as did the rest of my fellow travelers. Generally I do not take treats to my grandchildren, but this time unknown or thought out by me, I had treats. The girls discovered them in my bag when they were helping me unpack. With cries of delight they asked, “Oh Granny is this for me?”
It all worked out because I had two packs of peanuts, a package of two cookies and two granola bars. Sometimes I appear more generous than I am as I hand out things that I did not earn or ask for in particular.
Just a note on changed vocabulary on the airline turbulence is now talked about as rough air. In the past I have heard it referred to has potholes in the sky. Is that all less threatening than turbulence?
I was happy to have little rough air and the plane stayed in one piece at all times.
Paula
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)