Surprises All Of The Time

I think we’ve figured out how to keep track of the voting for Olivia, and as of now, she’s 4th out of 5. Come on people, we can do better that this! Anybody who hasn’t voted, go over and vote today and everyday until it’s over.

On to other stuff.

Some of you already know about this from the café yesterday, but my doctor’s appointment left me with a new surprise.

I seem to always get surprises whenever I go to the Orthopedic Surgeon. The first was when he found I had a fractured vertebra. I thought it was just a very bad pulled muscle. Then yesterday they did a bone density test on me and the doctor told me that I had full blown osteoporosis and 19% bone loss. He told me he usually sees this in men at the 85 to 90 year old ranges. So now I have to start doing a lot more exercises and a lot of things different. As I said in the café, me and exercise just seem to go against the laws of nature.

Another thing for me that goes along with the bone loss is the treatment. Since I had reflux disease before, the doctor doesn’t want to prescribe any oral medicine for the bone loss. Instead he wrote a prescription for something called Forteo. He said he didn’t know if my insurance would cover it, but he did know that Medicare wouldn’t, because it’s like $600/month for it. Now if my insurance covers it, it does have another draw back for me, I will have to give myself a SubQ shot everyday for 18 months to take this stuff. Oh the joys of aging.

Other Things Added:

I'm listening to a podcast by FARfetched right now and I'm impressed. He's done a very professional job. Everything from music fade ins and outs to interviews. Unlike me he doesn't have a bunch of ahs between each sentence, or other repetitive words that distract from his message in the podcast. I was saying over at his blog that with his voice and timing, it reminded me of an interview on NPR. Way to go FARfetched!

BTW here's the link: FARfetched Podcast Here.

Well that’s it for today. I hope everyone’s day is going well today.

Busy Day

Today will be a very busy day for me. I’ve got to drive an hour one way to an appointment for me, and then turn around pick up Fmom and drive an hour the other way to get her to an appointment. As I said yesterday, I had to take Fmom to her Physical Therapy appointment and it really surprised me. The Therapist said she was doing great. The reason I’m surprised is she’s missed many appointments and doesn’t do all the exercises at home she’s supposed to. But he said she’s got good range of motion and doing fine.

The weather here has been pretty nice. It has been very cold during the morning, but now we’re in the 50’s during the morning and 70’s during the day. This is supposed to last until the weekend and then a new cold front comes through. I still remember the heat of the summer, so I’m happy for any cold weather.

I hope everybody’s week is going fine. It was always hard for me to get the week started after a long weekend. So hang in there.

A New Work Week.

I have to admit I’m feeling better today. I’m not wheezing as bad as I have. I was looking at the weather today and all around us was in the 40’s and 50’s and we are mid 30’s. Ya gotta love it.

I did something yesterday that I’ve never done during the entire time I’ve been on the blogesphere. I lost my temper and cursed at someone. I know that there are people on the net that spew nothing but hate, and this is nothing new. It just got to me that I was in a thread and everyone is wishing each well and a good holiday, then to see that.

I’ve always thought once you loose your temper and start cursing that anything you have to say is negated. I hardly ever loose my temper, and I’ve never felt good after it. I guess that’s the reason I’m writing about this today.

Anyway, as much as I don’t want to, I’ve got a lot of stuff to do today. So I hope everyone has a good first day back at work after the long weekend.

Vote

OK we all know what today is. It’s the second round of the best Canadian blogs. Of course our Olivia is in the running for the best photo/art blog, and I don’t see how she can’t win. She needs your vote though, so you’ve got to vote to let the world know she’s the best. If you have to remind yourself, put a yellow post it by your computer, put an ad in the paper, call relatives and friends or get the Good Year blimp. But whatever you do, go to the Canadian Blog Awards, go down to the best photo/art blog and vote for parvum opus. This isn't just a one time thing either. Go everyday until it's over. Thanks.

Click on the image to go to the voting.

A New Superhero, Maybe.

I don’t know if there was ever a superhero by this name, but I’m beginning to believe I’ve turned into one. Muciod Man! I’ve been coughing and sneezing so much, I didn’t think there was that much in a person. Now to find some way to save the world with my awesome mucous producing powers. If nothing comes to me, I’ll just get another box of Kleenex. I know – EWWWWWW. I do know I hate cough syrup and Nyquill. Just thinking of the taste of the stuff sends an involuntary shiver through me. They’re supposed to have all these great tasting medicines for children. Why can’t they have them for adults? I ask you, isn’t there some way to make cough syrup taste better?

On to other things.

Olivia came in number 2 on the best Canadian Photo/Art blog first round. I saw her competition and he’s good, but Olivia is much better. So anybody who drops by I want you to get out starting Saturday and give Olivia your vote. I mean the guy is only ahead by 17 votes. I know we can definitely pull ahead of that.

I hope everyone’s Thanksgiving was great and your day and weekend will be the same.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving One and All

I haven’t been around lately because of a very bad cold, but hopefully it will get better soon.

The whole family is here today for Thanksgiving. It’s being held out at the family farmhouse. All the brothers and sisters will be bringing food and stuff. This year both Fmom and I have bad colds so we won’t be going. Don’t want to give the whole family colds for Thanksgiving. But I already let them know we want leftovers and lots of them.

I hope everyone has a good day today.

Just a Normal Day

I’ve been up most of the night. George woke me up first and after getting on the net for awhile, I decided to go back to sleep. Just when I was getting to sleep, one of my brothers shows up at 3:30 am. There’s an illness in his wife’s family and he dropped her off there on his way home here. So I’m up until an early morning nap hits me again. That is if George stops barking long enough.

I’ve got to take Fmom to pick up her new dentures today. It’s a long story, but I broke her old dentures by running over them with the car, and no I didn’t do it on purpose. Hopefully the new ones will fit her better than the old ones.

Other than that, everything is running normal around here. Hope everybody has a good Thursday.

Vote Today, Tommorow And The Next Day

For those of you that don’t know, Olivia has been nominated for the Best Canadian Photo/Art Blog. Of course we already know she has the best photo/art blog in the world, but we need to vote to let everybody else know. So please go to this link Here, scroll down to the Best Photo/Art Blog, click on the white dot by parvum opus, go to the bottom of the page and hit submit. You can also get to the site by clicking on the Canadian Blog Awards button at the top left. Now get out there and show Olivia some love.

Other stuff.

We had some pretty bad storms last night and it’s still sprinkling outside. Wonderful non-lawn working weather I think. Not that I had any intentions of doing the lawn today. I’m still waiting for the last leaf and pinecone to fall. I do wish however that my neighbors could get into that mind set. They’re like ants sometime on their lawns. It seems they all come out with their lawnmowers, leaf blowers and rakes at the same time. One morning I’ll go out to feed Tom and their lawns look like mine and the next morning only my lawn looks like mine. Very disconcerting. I feel like I live among Stepford Gardners.

Hope everyone is having a good hump day.

The Sun is Shining Here

First things first.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY REFINISH69. I hope you have many, many more.

Now

Meet the Mascot.

Photo by keres
Click to enlarge

The Slacker Movement is starting to take legs, or paws as may be. Thanks to keres from Tasmania for supplying the picture of “Slack Eddie” and the information for choosing such a slackerly mascot. Wiki Wombat Info Here. I read somewhere else the Wombat sleeps 19 hours per day. At least that’s what I think is right. I’ve got to do more research on the Slacker Movement Mascot.

To other things.

Fmom is back to normal, I’ve gotten all the relatives on their way home and the house is a wreck again. But it’s a good wreck and although I slept all day yesterday and last night, I’m feeling fairly well at the moment. I’m waiting until tomorrow to start cleaning and just taking it easy today.

I hope everyone is doing fine today.

A Long Night

Have you ever taken care of a parent or a loved old one and they scare the hell out of you? Tonight Fmom did that to me. She was up and talking to a great aunt that died 30 years ago. She kept talking about how she had to go somewhere and calling me by one of the other brother’s names. I’ve been up most of the night with her and finally gotten her settled down and I think I figured out the reason. Her doctor just prescribed Ambien for her and at the moment I'm not sure that’s what has done it. I do know I was up walking and talking after I had taken it before. That’s the reason I don’t take it anymore. I’ll be up all night watching her and making sure she doesn’t get up and fall, but this is definitely scaring me.

I guess another reason I’m scared, and I always get this way after one of these trips, is because she wanted me to take her out to the farm and family cemetery. Most of the times she will just sit in the car and look out at the cemetery, but today she was out of the car and went to my father’s and her marker, my grandparents and to see old friends of hers. I was following close behind her while George was sprinting back and forth between the front gate and us. She took more time this time to look at each marker and after seeing George and I becoming impatient she finally came away.

When you’re young you really don’t think of passing away, you don’t have time for it. In my late forties after much thought and a little fright, I finally came to the conclusion that one-day I will die. It actually took me awhile to come to grips with that. Now it doesn’t bother me, and one day I hope to meet it with grace. The inevitability of it happening is assured and we never know when, but the only thing we can do for loved ones is to be there. To hope that anything we do makes their lives easier.

Fmom is awake again and she’s more coherent. I’m pretty sure of what it was, and I do know she won’t be taking Ambien again.

The Slackerly Movement

This was written by Teach313 in the Froggy Bottom Café of Booman Tribune. I usually ask can I copy something, but honestly don’t know where to find him at three in the morning. This came about as a joke about me leading a movement for slackers. I said I couldn’t lead a slackerly movement because that would require work. Sort of the eternal question. Anyway Teach313 wrote this and after reading it, I thought my God how beautiful and I want to live there.

I see the FM led Slackerly Movement akin to spill't molasses oozing slowly from a high point of an uneven table, pooling leisurely onto the floor with effortless, hypnotic inevitablity. As it is dribbles along, the gooey rivulets gather adherents, who passively renounce all other interests and plans to join the peaceful slackers drifting along in the sweet, sticky flow. All is calm, all motion downward. Gravity sings its siren call. The molasses smooths away friction until we, the newly sanctified slackers, are vertical and have attained napdom. FM, peacefully below the fray, is curled cozily on his perfectly formed sofa, (the hip fits here, the knee pillows just so, a large, shared pillow for George to share, a homemade quilt drawn up under his chin). He lazily opens one eye, smiles, and welcomes us to the movement, before returning to his holy nap. We yawn, return the sleepy smile, and fade away. Life is sweet, when you know Inner Napdom.

Thanks Teach313! If that isn't an advertizement for slacking then I don't know what is.

Photos

Since I was out during the Fotofair, I thought I would post some of the pictures I might have submitted. So here goes.

Spider on giant web by the patio.
Click for larger image.

Reflection in a window.
Click for larger image.

Purple flowers - Don't know what kind.
Click for larger image.

Concrete swirls. Inside of water fountain.
Click for larger image.

Ya'll have seen this one before, but Wicker Table.
Click for larger image.



The pond's resident Egret.
Click for larger image.

Hope everyone's Friday is good and your weekend is even better!

Autopilot

I took Fmom to her first Physical Therapy session yesterday. They were surprised she had so much mobility in her shoulder, but still put her through her exercises. She did very well on these and I’ve got instructions on what we have to do at home. She followed the instructions at PT pretty well, but I don’t know how she’ll do having me prod her to get her exercises done. This might be a Brothers and Sister thing where I bring them in to keep at her about it.

I’ve got a Doctor’s appointment this morning. Supposed to have the stitches removed from my back. Can you tell how much I’m looking forward to this? (snark) Actually it will be a big non-event. The back is better and I’ll probably be in there about 10 minutes. Wouldn’t be so bad if the doctor was local, but I hate that long drive to the big city. It’s kind of funny in a way on the drive there. My b-I-l drove me up for the procedure and to him it’s just a drive across the neighborhood. My niece and nephew live there and he and my sister drive there all the time. So as with anyplace you drive to all the time the trip doesn’t seem as long to them. It’s that autopilot thing. I used to do it when I had to drive a long distance to work. Since I’m not as mobile as I used to be, any distance over 10 miles seems like a trip to me.

Well I hope everyone is doing fine today and see ya’ll later.

The Old Fashioned Way

I haven’t posted much because I haven’t felt well lately, but yesterday I woke up feeling good. That is until I encountered the plumbing monster. I got up and started cleaning on the kitchen and no problem. I went down to the guest bathroom and problem. I figured one stopped up toilet, I could handle that. I found out that a clog is smarter than me. I worked on it and nothing. So I put in a load of clothes in the washer, which I found out was a mistake. Just about every drain in the house overflowed. I quickly figured that this was beyond my plunging expertise, so the professionals are coming by here this morning.

Sometimes you have to admit there’s nothing as good as an old fashioned out house.

Added: The professionals have come and gone and the plumbing is back to normal. We've used these people whenever anything plumbing goes wrong. They're a mom and pop type operation. One thing I can say for them is the price is right. It only cost $55 to get everything back to normal. Plus they know the family and were asking about everybody. I'm sure if we called a big outfit it would have been 3 or 4 times the amount and not as friendly. Now that I can start running water, I see a lot of cleaning today.

I still think a backup out house is a good idea though.