OT September Chit Chat

[Howie]

I get the biggest kick out of the smallest things these days. I just installed a new toilet seat! I bought it the other day because the old seat was broken and falling apart. So I took the old seat off, scrubbed the whole thing with Brillo pads, and that baby shines!

I can't wait to try it out!

[Virginia]

Hi to all of you! Hope we have a good September - Fall is around the corner, and then we get to complain about Winter.

Peg, thanks for getting us started. I noticed that you were either up early or late that morning. Hope the rodeo didn't get weathered out.

Sally, glad you are trying another rehab. If the therapy there is better than the other one then that is all that counts. I just hope you get back home soon and can see your new couch. Sure hope it sleeps good. Agate, is right as usual, you just can't compare yourself (I say that and then often do it). So you were a September bride. I know it brings bitter-sweet memories.
We miss you and miss knowing that you are home where you want to be.

Ann, also a September bride!! Just can not believe another year has passed. Seems as though you were just planning it a couple of months ago. Now, he has someone to make his grocery list and all those important things.

Parsi, hope the dust has cleared. I am also wondering how your son is. Let us know.

I am right in there with Cat and the Kindle. Some paperbacks were getting hard for me to read because the type was too small. Now I can adjust that and just love it. I didn't find it to be any trouble to learn to use, but if your friend is just a hands on person and doesn't go into the manual printed on the Kindle she would miss a lot of things she can adjust so easily. I seldom adjust much of anything anymore, now that I have the light and font where I want it. Occasionally, I change the light. Like you I take my Kindle wherever I go.

Cherie, I am so deeply sorry about your Sister. You and all your family really have been through so very much recently. This is really just not fair. I do hope that someone will be able to find something that will help her. I cannot even imagine so many seizures in so short a span of time. I hope you can get your own problems with hip and dealing with PCP straightened out and will not be dealing with anymore than you can help.

Jeanie, Jamie is a very sad case. I am glad you are able to help as much as you do by transporting her and doing the other things you do. I know that all the family is very sad. Like Parsi, I did not know KFC had chicken pot pies. I have not been to one in years, but I might have to try this.

Agate, one day someone asked for my cell phone number, and I was really embarrassed. I absolutely could not give it to them even though I have had that number for years. I also had to stop and think about what the number of my house was one day, and many other things. Other times I can think just fine. I agree that I believe it mostly happens when I am tired and just fatigued. As for vision verses hearing, if I had to take a choice, I would keep my vision. Just pray that we never have to make that choice.

Howie, you are just getting too smart - mowing and pruning!! By the way, I never make a grocery list. This is one of the ways that I test myself mentally. I try to note the things that I need that are not routine things and when I get to the store I always ask myself do I need breakfast foods, lunch foods an what do I want to get for dinner and on down the list. I always try to make a mental list of things like detergent, paper goods, etc. See - not making list are not just for men only!

I do agree with you Howie about cell phones. I have a land line and a cell phone, but the cell I keep with me for emergencies. People know not to call me and I do not drive and use it. I just happen to like talking on a land line better, but like having the security of the cell phone with me when I go out.

I have tried to break this up so people will have an easier time reading it. I hope it helps.

Suze-Q you seem to be doing well and I am happy to hear that you. You are usually upbeat and positive. Vicky, you are mostly a one liner person, but also like to tease.

Anyone heard from Gary? I know he has been sick again.

[Frog42]

I don't have anything to put on other lines. I don't go many places and no one ever calls me other than medical people and telemarketers.

I don't have much to say because my life is fairly boring. If anything interesting happens to me I'll write more, I promise.

[Sunshine]

Sally, no fair comparing.

That's a good reminder. When I read here I feel so randomly lucky that I can do things, walk, run a bit, surf, swim, work, read.

But I too get sucked into that comparing vortex when I surf with my healthy friends. They can do it for 6 hours in the sun, never bat an eye, and then go out for dinner and fun----whereas I can do it 2, 3 hours tops, get spasticity suddenly etc. have to then rest for hours and get to bed by 8:00, I shouldn't compare myself to them, but it seems like human nature.m

[Howie]

Virginia, me not making a list was the same as you, a way of testing myself. Maybe I was distracted, or maybe I just forgot, but I hated having to go to the store three times in one day. My list still wasn't complete, but a few things I did pull from memory.

Vicky, my sister has a hardline, and also a cell, but that girl has a busy life, and really needs to contact, and be contacted at home, or while she's on the road. But like you, I am always home. To the grocery store once a week, and that's about it.

BBS1951, you keep being active like you do. It's your way of fighting this disease, and for you, is the best way of keeping it at bay.

[Cat Dancer]

I have a landline which is the one we have people use. We also have a cell phone, a basic phone (it only calls...or maybe that's all I know it does)...which I carry with me and use for emergencies. Keyed in to it is Tom Cat's cell, a neighbor, the house phone (landline), and 911. His phone has my number in it, and the other same numbers. We don't text, twitter, facebook, surf the web... just make and get calls from each other.

[Pegakafarmgirl]

Rodeo is starting tonight,,all the way thru Monday,, still muddy,,

heat for Iowa its nasty high 90's,, we get ready to sell cows Friday,, neighbor is going to help haul,,we have 4 up here I named Eeny, Meenie, Mighty, and Moe,, they get hauled tomorrows to the other farm,, then we have the unpleasant task,of putting our horse down,, its time,, 35 yrs old,, hard pill to swallow,,:-(

[Virginia]

Excuse me Howie, but did I misunderstand something? Thought you said the old toilet seat was broken, so why did you scrub it if it was falling apart and you had already bought a new one and installed it? If I read that right I think you might be VERY BORED!

[Howie]

No, I reread it, and that's what it sounded like. Once I took the old seat off, I scrubbed the ceramic part of the toilet, THEN I put the new seat on and THEN it looked clean.

Next, I'm going to describe cleaning the litter boxes!

[Cat Dancer]

Cleaning litter boxes.... that's TC's job...

[Howie]

Do you use the clumping litter? I wish I had invented it. The greatest invention ever! Clay litter is a chore!

[Cat Dancer]

Do you use the clumping litter? I wish I had invented it. The greatest invention ever! Clay litter is a chore!

Well that's a personal question!! No, I don't use clumping litter. A catheter takes care of #1, and the porcelain throne takes care of.......oh, wait.... you meant for the CATS!!!! Yeah, clumping litter is great....

[Gary]

Still among the living sort of. I have to see a kidney doc and am waiting on ins referral. Had blood, ketones and lots of protein in my urine. Because of my past history with going septic I am on some H/D antibiotics. I am able to keep some food down for the last 24 hours so that is an improvement. I have quite a bit of kidney pain Tylenol and a dilaudid about every 4-5 hours. And boy you can tell when it wears off. If I am asleep it wakes me up and there isn't any position that makes it feel better.

Cloudy and cool today last week it was in the upper 90's and today the high is suppose to be 67. Our kids are up north to attend a wedding. Daughter had my wife get their passports from the safety deposit box as they are 3 miles from the Canadian boarder.

We have tons of cucumbers and tomatoes if anyone wants to stop by. This year I only planted 1 zucchini and even that is too much! But I do like my zucchini bread!

Until next time America.....

[Jeanie Z]

:) Hi everyone. Peg I am so sorry you have to put your horse down. Gary I hope you feel better fast. Cherie glad you had a nice birthday.

Last night my son Jim and his wife Carla came down and we went to Longhorn and had a steak dinner. We called Andy to see if he and Jamie were up for dinner but Jamie was too tired. Lacy would not stay out of Jim and Carla's laps. She was so excited and dancing on her hind legs.

I am doing NOTHING today and still in my pajamas. I may even take a nap. Stay cool everyone. Jeanie :)

[agate]

Gary, it's a shame you've had this problem. It does sound as if you're almost able to eat zucchini bread--hope someone will bring you some, or at least that you'll be starting to eat soon. Kidney problems are miserable. Hope your doctors are aware of your medical history and trying to make you comfortable while you get over this.

Peg, that's such sad news about the horse! Would that be the horse named Ant that you've been riding?

Howie, thanks for clearing that up about the toilet seat. You've been one busy little bee, I'd say.

I've been spending entirely too much time lately just getting to know this new cellphone, a freebie. I seem to be able to hear better on it than on the TracFone, which has served me well for many years and I can't bear to give it up quite yet.

But this new phone has a bewildering bunch of options, including (ugh) text messaging. Last night I spent an hour just trying to send a text message of two short words, just a test.

It wasn't just that I had to look up how to do every step of this process in the instruction manual. It was that it's so very hard to press those tiny buttons and to see the tiny letters and symbols.

Keys that say things like "ICE" and "911" but also say "#" and "*." There are a couple of other symbols on each of those keys too but I have no idea what they are yet. OK, ICE = In Case of Emergency. That could be handy so long as I don't press that button by mistake, and a bunch of emergency personnel show up at my door.

Simple is nice. I can see now that I won't be using this phone for texting or anything much except occasional calls about transportation or whatever. Maybe I'll learn to keep it with me and turned on in case I need to summon help in an emergency. It could be useful in that way and it's not heavy. I can just put it in a pocket, I think.

Pressing the tiny buttons is easier with a stylus, I'm finding out.