First Trip to the New Medical Center....

As my friends who read this blog with any regularity know, I will be having a complete right knee replacement in early December.  I am looking forward to it with some dread and trepidation.  I have heard all sorts of stories, good and bad, about knee replacements.  I am praying that mine will be a good one.  But for now I am just getting my ducks in a row, having all of the pre-surgical testing that needs to be done.

My surgeon is part of the Lancaster Orthopedic Group, so I am traveling west into Lancaster County to see him.  I have had to go into Downingtown and into Lancaster for the tests to determine what is happening inside my knee and it has always been a pain in the butt to get any testing done because of living in Parkesburg.  Since moving here in 1976, if one needed to get X-Rays or any other kind of test, you had to drive at least 30 minutes or wait in the halls of local hospitals with paperwork on top of paperwork in order to get insurance to pay for it.

This year, a new building began to sprout on Route 10, across from Hershey Farm Market.  It took a month or so before signs began to appear revealing the facility as a Health Center connected to Lancaster General Hospital.  It opened in the last week or so.  It will be such a pleasure (if getting tests run can be a pleasure) to not have to drive for miles and miles to get anything done.

Not everything is up and running yet.  There were still workers putting finishing touches in areas.  There is dust from the wallboard being trimmed in various places as evidence of the ongoing progress to being finished.  But it was complete enough to be able to run all of the pre-surgical tests that I needed.

I had three appointments... one for blood work, one for an EKG and one for a chest X-Ray. There are two Kiosks in the lobby for self check-in.  The receptionist was very helpful as I was walked though what I needed to do.  I would imagine that as the place get busier, there will be lines at the kiosks.  Once done, I waited for the lab lady to come and get me.

A beautiful, young lady appeared and took me back to the lab.  It took her longer to input the required tests than it should have, but I am sure that there is a learning curve to using the computer system.  But she kept at it, chatting with me the entire time.  She was a tad frustrated with my veins.  I had warned her that I am hard to give up my blood.  She said she prided herself as the one who could get blood when other techs could not.  I proved to be every bit the difficult 'stick'.  I left the lab with bandages on both arms, but she did get the needed fluid in just two tries.

She was also the tech who administered the EKG.  This one went much faster.  I have no idea what the tests will reveal, but they are being run and will appear when my surgeon looks at them before removing my old, worn out knee.

I crossed the empty lobby and rode the elevator to the second floor.  There I was greeted by the X-Ray tech who showed me to a room to take my upper garments off for a chest X-Ray.  The changing room had a single hook on the back of the door.  No bench and no place to put anything else down either.  I am hoping that those items are just among the missing items that will find their way into the rooms shortly.  I was given the chest X-Ray, two views, and taken back to the bare room to get into my clothes.

I am sure, as the Parkesburg folks find out what can be doen there, the place will be a beehive of activity.  There is an Urgent Care center.  Besides the services that I had, they can do Ultrasounds, Dexa scans, MRIs, and all manner of Cardio testing.  There will be a Women's center, Physical Therapy, a cardiac unit and in the future, a Diabetes center and Orthopedic and Neurology center.

I am grateful for the new facility.  The service today was outstanding.  It will, hopefully, stay that way.

A Down Day and Bad News....

Perhaps it was the bad news that sent my day into a down day.  No clue.

After several days of progress, I took a day off.  It all started with an early phone call from my BFF, Marji.  It was her cell phone, and she sounded breathless, so I knew immediately that something was wrong.  And I was right.  She was back in the hospital.  But this time it was not the infection but rather her heart.  She had gone into heart failure again and fluid as building up in her lungs so they had gone back into the hospital the night before.  She just wanted me to know where she was.  And I am honored at that.  Marji generally will not tell anyone when she is ill, even her family.  But she knows I will honor her request for no visitors.  Her doctors had already been in and there was already progress in her recovery, so she is hoping to go home today (Wednesday).

I had planned to go to the gun range, but decided to get some paperwork finished and set my pre-surgical testing at the new facility in Parkesburg.  So I made a couple of calls and set up everything for today.  So shortly I will head to the new Lancaster General Health facility that just opened.  I will be interested to see what it is like.  It is very nice to have such a facility so close to the house.

The rest of the day I watched TV.  I turned off cable and turned on my Roku Box and headed to my West Wing videos.  I really was a big fan of The West Wing when it was being shown.  It was a well written and interesting show that highlighted the behind the scenes happenings of the President.  I own the DVD set of all seven seasons, but I have also watched it on Netflix and am doing the entire series again from the beginning.  I am in the final year.  There are still a couple of the programs that I may not have seen, so I am enjoying it very much.

I really enjoyed the day.  But enough of that... back to reality today.  Testing and then more cleaning at the house!

The biggest , fun thing I did yesterday was to play the Giraffe Riddle game on Facebook.  I answered a riddle and thought I was very smart.  But, I got it wrong. So I had to change my profile picture to a giraffe.  There are several going around on Facebook, but I downloaded this cute baby giraffe for my profile.  Enjoy! She makes me smile!

Still Eating the Elephant...

Not so much progress in the un-cluttering yesterday.  And yet, there was some.  I found I am getting into more detailed the sorting.  Instead of just making piles, I am getting things put away.  So the pace has slowed but it is like how one eats an elephant.  Looking at the entire thing is overwhelming but if you eat one bite or small piece at a time, you can get through the task.

There was some very good news yesterday.  My BFF, Marji, was released from the hospital.  The infection in her foot is under control.  She has stitches in her foot where they kept opening it up to remove the infection gunk.  And she has a special boot to wear to allow for healing and yet allow her to walk some.  She is to see the doctor in the office today, even though the doctor was in every day while she was in the hospital.  So as long as she is good, she should be healing nicely.  She is scheduled for a cruise that begins November 17th, so I am sure she will make that happen.

My other BFF, Debby had a busy weekend.  She spent the day outside on Saturday with her son and his family.  They took their young kids to some fall activities,  Being outside all day, chasing and pushing the kids around and on her feet totally wiped her out.  I talked to her yesterday and she just vegged all day.  We all need a day like that from time to time.

At this point, I have no appointments at all this week.  I have to go pickup medication for Molly today, but the rest of the week is mine!  Next week, not so much!  Perhaps I will head to the range one day with my newest gun to get some practice under my belt.

Another Piece Gone.....

Today was a bittersweet day.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned to the people who were attending the Widow/Widowers breakfast that I had the remote control planes that Rudy had built.  One of the ladies was going to a function that evening with people who might be interested.  She said she would mention it.

On Thursday I had a call from one of the men she had spoken to.  His name was Mike Denest.  He wanted to come out on Sunday (today) and see what I had.  He called to make sure I was available.  He arrived and we descended into the basement.  It took an hour or more to gather together all of the things Rudy had.  He made me an offer that was much too low but we finally agreed on a fair amount.  It was no where near what the stuff was worth, but batteries were dead and the planes had been sitting, unused for three years or more, so the fact that I had anything in my hand and all of the stuff out of the basement is a plus for me.  And I am sure he feel like he has gotten the bargain of a lifetime!!

But while it is fine that the planes are gone..... The Planes are GONE!!  One more little piece of the things that meant so much to Rudy are out of the house and my life.  I could always go into his work room, see them and smile knowing the joy that the planes had given him.

By the same token, I am a step closer to having a sewing room!!!

A side benefit, while looking for other plane parts, I opened a cabinet and found a stash of 22LR ammo and a couple of partial boxes of 38 special ammo.  At the price and scarcity of ammor these days, that was a windfall for me!!!

Progress.... Big Time!!!

I have no idea what happened to me yesterday but I kicked butt!!!

Honestly, I have added a couple of herbals to my daily pill routine.  They are designed to help regulate Cortisol levels.  It is a newer way to deal with depression and mood swings in women.  At first I was not sure it was helping, but I have to say, it may actually be helping with my mood.  Not that my mood had been bad, but I found I was not always feeling like digging in and doing anything.  I was content to stay in my recliner and watch TV with Molly in my lap.  I blamed it on my knee and the pain I am in, but perhaps it was also some depression, too.

I have been feeling overwhelmed with the clutter in the house.  With all of the trips and projects over the summer, things had gotten piled up.  I think my mind was just saying it was too hard to deal with.  But yesterday I just started at one end and began going through the piles and boxes.  By the end of the day, I am feeling much better about things around the house.  There is light at the end of the tunnel.

I still have some areas that need to be looked through, sorted and put away.  But I feel it is manageable.  I am feeling really good that by the end of the day, I will almost completely under control!!  It will be the first time since moving all of the stuff out of the Maryland house, this time last year.  It will be an amazing feeling!

Bad News, Better News...

It is getting cooler here, in the Northeast.  Last night there was a freeze warning.  From the amount of frost on the vehicles at 7:30 AM, I am sure that it must have gotten there.  So the bad news is that it is cold this morning, the good news is that the grass growing season should stop shortly which means my lawn guys will no longer be coming and that will save some money.  But they have been worth every penny I have been paying them!

There have been several good/bad things in my life.  Two of my retreat ladies have been or are still in their local hospitals.  One is my BFF Marji.  She has an ongoing infection in her right leg.  Marji has a habit of not wanting to make a fuss about herself.  She is also very old school about taking medication (many things do not make her feel better and instead react to make her ill) so sometimes she will not say anything about issues with her health and by the time she does, it has gone beyond where it is harder to get things under control.  Thus it is with this infection.  I talk to her daily and they are beginning to see some progress, but there is a long way to go to make sure she does not lose her leg or foot to the infection.  Bad... Marji is in the hospital.  Good... signs that she is improving.

Yesterday I had a call from another retreat lady.  Debby R. has been helping me learn more about using my pressure cooker.  I had spoken to her on Tuesday (I think... time is flying and I lose track of time easily these days) about a recent success with my cooker.  She was very excited about being able to help me and was going to find some of her favorite recipes to send my way.  In her call yesterday, she started out by saying her husband was not going to let her 'play' with me as I had gotten her so excited that she had a heart attack.  At first I thought she was joking, but I soon realized, that while I had not caused it, that she had suffered a mild heart attack shortly after she hung up the phone from talking to me.  She had a couple of stents implanted in an artery that was, in one place, over 90% blocked.  But she is home now and feeling much, much better.  Bad... Debby R. had a heart attack.  Good... stents in place and she is home, feeling better.

And I have been working on the clutter from unpacking from the retreat and it's preparation.  I also have the boxes from work in the embroidery business that have blocked my front door put away in the attic.  I still have piles of clutter to go through, but I have taken big strides in getting things under control.  I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel.  Bad.... still have clutter.  Good... getting a handle on the clutter.  It feels really good!

Staples No More.....

Molly is celebrating.  The dreaded and itchy staples have been removed.  Dr. Ewing removed them this morning, two full weeks after they were put in.  So no more bandages, no more Elizabethan collar, no more goopy eyes, no more knotted ears.  Yippee.

No if I can live through the licking of the paw that will be the immediate response!

Dinner with Debby... Molly, too

Yesterday was a very nice day.  I think I said the same thing in my post yesterday as well.  I am finding that I am having more and more nice days which is nice.  There have been days, after the death of my husband, that I did not ever think I would have some nice days.  But I am finding that even though a bad one creeps in now and then, I have nice days more than not so nice days!

I actually got to sleep in a bit.  I am not sure it has anything to do with the new herbals I am taking or not, but it was nice.  I will blog about that in a week or so after I see if the stuff really does what it is supposed to do.

I headed into the office to work, for the first time in quite a while.  I took the dog outfit that I had bungled the afternoon before and attempted to put the lettering again.  This time I backed it in the black stabilizer and re-positioned it again.  I also held onto the part of the tiny jersey that needed to be under the bobbin arm.  The jersey was so small and the material was so stretchy that I was afraid it would pull up and back under the lettering.  This time it worked perfectly!

I also started on a job for one of my local companies.  I have some lightweight jackets to do for them.  I managed to get all but two of them done before I headed to Thorndale to visit with my BFF Debby and have dinner.

I had thought about what to bring for dinner, but everything I thought about cooking myself, just did not sound good.  I was hungry for Chinese.  So I placed an order for some Shrimp Egg Rolls, Shrimp Egg Foo Young, General Tso's Chicken and some Pork Fried Rice, put Molly in the car and picked up the food.  Debby seemed very pleased that Molly had come to visit.  We ate and Debby worked on some table runners that her Book Club will use this weekend.  We talked and caught up on activities since we got back from our trip.

Headed home and intended to finish the jackets, but there were a couple of messages on my phone, so I returned those calls.  One was about a dinner with GriefShare Grads early in November.  One was from a man who may be able to help me find homes for Rudy's planes or at least tell me what I can sell them for.  Then Debby called to make sure I was at home and said our other BFF, Marji had posted that she would not be around for a while and to pray for her.

I called Marji's house and got her husband.  Danny said that Marji finally went into the hospital so they could try to get a handle on the infection that was under the skin on her right foot.  It has started moving up her leg.  With her medical issues, this is very dangerous.  I called Marji directly as Danny had taken her cell phone to her.  She had just finished some in-room surgery as they removed some of the infection from the top of her foot.  She managed to talk to me for a little while and then we said our goodbyes.  I will be checking in on her today.

Phone Calls and Foul Ups.....

Yesterday was a nice day.  I was able to talk to my brother.  Andy and his wife, Carol, are taking a vacation in Maine and New Hampshire.  He was supposed to be at the christening of the ship he has been working on for many years.  But the government shutdown had that being postponed until some future date.  They are staying at a condo that is part of one of their timeshares and doing some shopping.  He found a fabric shop (Marden's Surplus and Salvage) in Stanford, Maine with some wonderful bargain fabrics.  Sounds like a road trip for me!!

I also chatted with one of the retreat ladies, Debora Ready.  I had called her the night before after my successful pressure cooker meal.  She had piqued my interest in cooking meals using a pressure cooker.  I had found out that my 40+ year old pot needed to be replaced and the first meal in my new one did not turn out as well.  But a call to Presto had convinced me to try it again and the ham and cabbage dinner was delightful.  She had not been available to chat and had called me back.  I think she was pleased to have been able to help me find a new avenue for meals.  Everything cooks so fast that I can wait until the last minute and still have a wonderful, full-of-flavor meal.

I also had a chance to talk to Mary Davis, another retreater.  She wanted to verify the dates for next years trip to the Outer Banks.  They were heading into a meeting of the Security Crew at Indian Acres and the new edict was going to be no two people could be on vacation at the same time.  She wanted to be sure she got our week.  I think this year she almost waited too long to put in for the time.

Later in the day I talked to one of my BFFs, Marji.  She is at home trying to recover from a foot infection.  She is in a great deal of pain and not always following what her doctor wants her to do.  The doc would prefer that she go to the hospital to get an IV antibiotic.  She refuses to go as the hospital requires a $150.00 payment, even if your insurance coverage would pay for it all.  Since this infection might lead to an amputation, I think I would find the $150.00, but I am not Marji and she can be a very stubborn lady.

I was supposed to go to my other BFF, Debby's, house.  She had planned to go with her book club to a book festival in Westboro, PA for the weekend.  They were supposed to dress as witches.  She had a hat and I had costume that would make her an outstanding witch.  But I also had a GriefShare meeting, so we moved it to today.  I was supposed to do an embroidery job on her daughter's dog football jersey. The lettering which was ironed on kept coming off, so I was to embroider the word on.  I created the design, got the jersey centered in my clamp and it stitched out beautifully.  What I did not realize was that the small, stretchy jersey had slipped up on top of the bobbin arm and had stitched the garment together around my clamp.  Oops!!!  It took me well over 2 hours to carefully remove the stitches and get the jersey off the hoop.  There were a couple of tiny holes but when I restitched the item, I backed it with black backing (under the dark Navy blue you could not see them) and the big ones ended up under some stitching so it really came out pretty well.

All in all, a good day!

Not such a good day....

Sunday was, for me, a day of rest.

It started out well.  I was up with the alarm, spoke to Debby who was up early so she could go to the Eagles football game with her daughter, Carrie.  I told her I had a busy day planned and we both headed off to start our days.

I went to church and then came home to relax a bit with Molly before launching into my day.  It did not take long for me to drift off into a light nap in the recliner.

From that point on, things went downhill.  I just could not stay awake.  I finally gave up and I took Molly with me into the bedroom and fell sound asleep.  Never could get on track for what I had planned.

The only thing I did accomplish was to get the battery on the ruck charged enough to start the truck up.  I had tried it on Saturday and while it had juice enough to open doors and have some interior lights on, there was not enough to kick the motor over.  I had the charger on Saturday night... until the rain came.  I put it back on until almost dark yesterday and the truck started up with no problem.  I really need to take the truck out on the road.  It has not left the driveway for quite a while.  I am wondering if I should put a new battery in when I get the truck inspected.  I need the truck to function properly in the winter for plowing!

Hoping that Monday will be a more productive day for me.

Happy Ghouls and Goblins....

This morning I helped my fellow Parkesburg Lions with a portion of the Halloween Parade that they sponsor every year.  I was supposed to have gone to Concordville for some quilting fun, but I felt that the Lions needed my help, so I begged off from the quilting and headed to the A. Duie Pyle parking lot to assist with registration of the floats, marching groups and some of the cutest kids in costumes I have seen.

The Lions who have done this before said this was a light turnout.  I had expected many more.  But it was fairly orderly until right at the last.  Then there was a rush of last minute kids trying to register after our deadline had been reached.

I opted not to go to the judges place and judge the participants.  I needed to get back to Miss Molly, since I was so close.  Perhaps next year I will help do some of the judging, too.  Baby steps with this group.  But I helped out and I know that was appreciated.

I do have to go out and check out the tires on the van.  this is the first time I have driven the van since returning from the OBX and the low pressure tire light came on.  I am guessing that the overloaded cargo use has forced some air out of a tire or two, so I will get my gauge out and check the van and the truck while I have everything out.  The Elantra does not seem to have an issue, but those tires are filled with Nitrogen to supposedly prolong tire wear.

It is harvest season for me and I am reaping what I have been sowing......

I guess you could say this is punishment for being a slob.  Or it could be karma payback for being a clutterbug.  It could also just be the realization that I need to be a little organized and simplify my life.

I like things.  I am more comfortable with many of my things around me.  I have always been a collector of stuff.  Rudy fussed with me as he got older.  He wanted to see or be surrounded by lessor amounts of the stuff.  (He liked his stuff, too, but it remained in the garage and basement)  I am guessing that part of the grief I have been working through is being satisfied by collecting my stuff.  I need to work on that, too.

I have begun the task of doing a deep cleaning.  I am going through my house a part at a time and TRYING to purge some of the stuff I really no longer need and putting things into spots if I deem them worthy of holding on to.

I started in the bedroom.  With all of the trips and bringing home clothing from the Maryland house last winter, I have not had a great deal of room to wander around.  The bedroom does not have a great deal of space to begin with, so having 'stuff' cluttering up the floors, it was difficult to walk all the way around the bed.  I also had suitcases out for the adventures I have been going on.

So, that has all been going away.  I can actually walk all around the bed and have most of the stuff around the room in their proper places.  Just a few things left to make decisions about and all that is left is to dust and vacuum.

Today, I tackled the kitchen counters.  I have gotten really bad about allowing dishes to pile up in the sink.  I also had mounds of non-kitchen stuff on the counter-top so that I could really not prepare food of any kind.  So I washed all of the dishes and pans, once dried, they were put away.  I went through the pantry and got rid of things that were best used by 2012 and earlier.  I am pleased to say that I have my little area of counter space free once again and was even able to make meatloaf for dinner tonight without having a landslide of other stuff to deal with.  I might actually enjoy cooking again!!!  And the smells coming from the kitchen are delightful.

I still have more to do in the kitchen, but I am treating the house like an elephant.  Do you know the best way to eat an elephant??  One small bite at a time.  I figure if I tackle a small section of a room, within no time, I will have the house completely under control.  That is my goal.  It may be a while as I may be interrupted in December with my knee replacement surgery, but if I keep at it on the days going up to the surgery, I should have a pretty good handle on it.

Wish me luck!!

A Quiet Day...

Yesterday was a quiet day.  The day before, not so much.....

On Monday I got energized to begin the de-cluttering that needs to happen to get my home ready for my post-surgery walker/cane getting around.  Currently I have the normal boxes and piles that seem to be my way of living.  I am trying very hard to make corrections in my way of life so that my little house is not so cluttered.  There are days when it closes in around me, so I need to try to clear up some of the boxes, bags and piles so that walking around after my surgery will be less hazardous.  I also want to experience the not having 'stuff' everywhere.

My plan is to eventually move all of Rudy's woodworking tools and remote control plane stuff out of the basement room that served as his workshop.  I want to take my sewing stuff down there, where I can better organize and have room for others to come and sew easily without being crowded into my dining room.

So, back to Monday, I started in the bedroom.  I have managed to open up the floor and get the many piles placed into homes so that all I had was a laundry basket of stuff that I will get put away or thrown out in the next couple of weeks.

Next stop is the kitchen!

Tuesday I did not do much.  It was Molly time.  She is really having a hard time with her collar.  She has learned to sleep with it, but she has not learned how to walk by things.  She will walk around the house and is constantly clip a chair leg, door jam or other thing with the edge of the collar.  She jumps a bit each time.  I think it is why she likes being in a lap or sleeping in a lap more these days than normal.

Tuesday evening I met Debby Patton at her apartment.  She had stopped at a local Community College where she was hired (Part-time) as a testing proctor.  We were going to go to the Downingtown Country Club for dinner, but it appears that they are now only open for lunches as it was closed.  So we headed to Texas Roadhouse and enjoyed a lovely meal and caught up on our week since getting back from the Outer Banks.  We both agreed that we would prefer to be back there!

Trash out and then bed.  Life is Good.....

The Cone of Shame...

Poor Molly.  Poor, poor Molly.

I had to remove the bandage from her injured paw.  She was limping and I was afraid that it might be getting infected.  So I cut off the bandage and within a few seconds, Molly began licking at her staples skin.

Good Grief, dog.  This means I will have to use the collar!

The vet had sent home an Elizabethan Collar to put on Molly.  It velcros shut and the cone allows her to eat (but very messy) and drink, but she cannot chew or lick any other part of her body.  It will allow the wound to be out in the air and heal but she cannot lick or try to dig the staples out.

But poor Molly.  Her fluffy ears are now around to the front of her face and she is not a happy dog.  She cannot get comfortable (although she is doing better today) and is constantly moving around, flopping her head.

Poor Molly.  Poor Jane, it is going to be a long couple of weeks!

One Down, Two to Go.....

Yesterday was a nice day.  It started early with the Busy Buddies (Widows and Widowers Group) having breakfast at Dutchway.  There were well over 10 and it was a nice time, even though I do not like setting an alarm for a Saturday morning.

I then came home and my BFF Debby came over.  She was running all around yesterday helping out several people.  Her first stop was here to catch up and she helped me unload what was left in my van.  I appreciated her help.  My knee is just really screaming right now.  With the change of seasons having it warm and then cool and then wet or dry, I am feeling all of the fluctuating weather in my knee.

Molly is healing from her minor surgery.  I decided to change her bandage and replace it.  In time, I will leave it open, but it is in a spot where she has always been obsessed with licking, so I want it to be a bit farther along in the healing process.  In removing to wrap from the vet, the gauze pad had stuck to the middle staple, so it was still bleeding a little.  I wrapped it with a new pad, gauze wrap and a red sports wrap.  I wanted to keep her from licking it when I was not around.

Waking up this morning, I found her licking like crazy.  The red bandage was off, the gauze wrap was off and the gauze pad was off.  PLUS, there were only two staples left in her paw!  I did not find the staple, so I am assuming that she ate it.  So, before church, I had to re-wrap her foot, but I used real tape, not the sports tape.  It remained covering her foot while I was at church, but I am sticking close today to give her foot a better chance of healing well.

The only good thing is that it is one less staple to be removed.  I just have to keep her from removing the others too early!!!  Wish me luck.

Update on Molly...

Molly had her small tumor thing removed around noon.  She did well and now has three staples in her left front paw.  They will be removed in two weeks.

She has another pink bandage on the wound and that will stay tonight and perhaps come off tomorrow.  I also have the dreaded Elizabethan collar so she cannot do any further damage once the bandage comes off.

She is limping more today than any day before, but I am not surprised.  She has not peed since 8:00 this morning.  But she has not had much drinking since she got back and it is still raining.  The rain gauge is currently reading 4.10 inches since bedtime last night.  It can stop anytime.  More than enough at this point.

Overnight Rain

Molly and I slept in this morning until a bit after 8:00 AM.  I slept soundly, for a change, but vaguely remember hearing some rain pelting my window.

I put Molly out upon waking.  When I opened the back door I heard what I thought was a stiff wind in the trees.  But after hooking Molly onto her lead, I realized that the trees were not moving.  The sound I was hearing was water rushing along the road runoff along the side of my property.

So, I came into the living room and checked my digital rain gauge.  This happened as I slept!!!

Molly Minor Surgery...

Took Molly to see the vet.  Her favorite vet was in so Dr. Frame examined her torn and still bleeding benign tumor.  She checked Molly's heart and it is strong for 15 years old.  So we discussed doing a major service, teeth cleaning under general anesthesia and remove the tumor then.  Beginning cost is around $400.  The other option is local numbing and removal.  Much less expensive.

So tomorrow around noon, she will go back and the little tumor will be removed.  For now there is a salve on some gauze under a bright pink athletic wrap to prevent her from chewing it more!

Still Unloading and Gun Club...

So, today is Thursday.  I got home from the retreat on the Outer Banks late Sunday.  I unloaded what I needed in the house and have been slowly getting the rest of the stuff unloaded.  Honestly, my knee is just aching.  I am becoming very anxious to have December come so I can have the joint replaced.  It hurts to walk far.  Standing, forget it!  The pain makes me tired quickly and I get frustrated easily these days.  Makes it all the more difficult that I am alone in my  life, now.

I have done the laundry  from the trip, gotten the things that were brought in put away, but I still have some stuff in the van.  It rained on Monday and it is raining today, but the stuff is safe in the van and I can do this as I feel like it.

I did get to the grocery yesterday.  I had cleaned out the out-dated stuff, so I needed to get some basics.  I also wanted to get a couple of things to make for dinners.

On the ride back from the Outer Banks I had the chance to get to know one of the newer members of our guild.  She was a delight and made the trip go faster than just traveling with my dog.  Debby is a unique lady.  And she shared with me her love of using a pressure cooker to make her meals.  I did not know much about them, even though I had gotten one when I married my first husband.  The most I had used it for was to steam a bread pudding on the occasional Christmas.  I found that I still had the pressure cooker, so I bought a cabbage and some ham slices to make some Southern-style cabbage.

The cooker I had was a small 4-quart pressure cooker.  Since the pot was over 40 years old I had no idea if it would still work, so I figured the cabbage would cook easily if it did not.  I got everything in the pot and heated it up.  I was right, the pot no longer functions as a pressure cooker as it would not even begin to move the metal pressure cap over the vent, but it worked well enough to cook the cabbage and it was yummy enough for me to buy a slightly bigger, new pressure cooker from Amazon.  There are some excellent recipes and food stays more flavorful using the cooker.  Perhaps I might eat better if I do not have to cook things as long.  The cabbage was awesome, so I am hoping I can learn to use this cooking tool to my advantage.  But I will be getting in touch with Debby to help me out.

Last night I attended my first Gun Club meeting.  It was unique.  When I arrived I walked into a room full of men.  Just before the meeting another woman did come in, but I was a definite minority.  I was impressed with the business meeting.  They covered all the reports and old plus new business quickly.  Totally unlike the PABA meetings that can drag on for two hours with far less business to deal with.  They were in the process of getting Range Master hats printed so I spoke to Frank about possibly allowing me to embroider them.  It may not happen soon, but at least they know I can do it!

Today I am dealing with Molly.  She has had a small growth on her left front paw.  She has always been very fastidious about her front paws.  She would lick them, just like a cat, after she has been outside.  She has been 'working' on this growth since it began to show up, but she usually just licked it and then left it alone.  Last night I began to be aware of the fact that she was digging at it.  When I pulled her head off the paw, she had begun eating the growth.  Most of it was gone and her paw was bleeding.  On my bed...!  So I grabbed her, got a wad of toilet paper and managed to stop the bleeding.  Then I wandered about, holding her the whole time, and found some gauze pads, gauze strips and tape and covered the wound to keep her from digging it more.  Today I am taking her to the vet to see what needs to be done.  In the meantime, I need to wash my bedding... again!

Reality Check...

Arrived home from the Outer Banks yesterday.  The seven of us had a ball!  I have not heard so much laughing nor have I seen so many beautiful things made in a seven day period in a long time.

We all liked it so much, we are doing it again in one year!  Cannot wait.

Now to relax, catch my breath and prepare for the November retreat, followed by knee replacement.  Yippee.