Feeling Better, But..........

Oh yes, the antibiotics are working; starting to feel much better. Going back to work tomorrow. Woohoo.

However..........there always seems to be a "however" or a "but" doesn't there?
My computer has some kind of "bug"! Geezz.

I've tried all I am willing to do to fix the problem. I get really nervous getting into the internal operation to try and find/fix a problem. Went out and got anti-virus software yesterday. Installed it last night. Found no trouble. Read my techie manual. Tried the steps. Nothing. My last resort is to call computer techie son tonight and have him walk me through some steps.

In the meantime, I don't know if I'm doing more harm than good by using the computer. According to the manual, it could be something really bad that's going to need to be taken in for professional help. Son does not live anywhere near us. Damn.

So if this post looks like it was never finished, you know I've crashed! God help us all.

Anywho, we had to go to daughter's yesterday. Take out her A/C, take her winter clothes to her, put up her Fall decorations. Then there was a quick trip to Walmart; just a couple of things. And we were home by lunchtime. Good day.

More spinning, more knitting. We've been checking out the new shows on tv. Tuesday it was "Detroit 187". Great show. We'll add it to our list. Wednesday it was "The Defenders" with Jim Belushi. Another keeper. Tonight of course is "CSI" and "The Mentalist". Both great shows. And I can't wait til Friday night -- Tom Selleck .....I've got a brain fart....can't remember the name of his new series. But anyway, it's a must see for us. Lovvvee Tom Selleck! Wow, he just keeps getting better looking!

Good day for lots of spinning and knitting. We are supposed to get torrential rains and winds all day. I'm thinking of starting a pair of socks......or a beret and mittens.

My house needs a good cleaning. Haven't done that in 3 weeks.....except the bathroom, ran the vacuum throughout, changed the bed linens and did the laundry. The dust is piling up. But, hey, I've been sick! Yeah, that works. Actually, I'm waiting for Indian Summer to set in. Nice warm, sunny weather to spike my adrenalin and get things done. I hope it happens soon before the snow flies because the lawn ornaments are still outside and the perennials haven't been cut down. And the weedwhacking still needs to be done.

I've really got too much on my plate.....for me, that is. I think I feel a relapse coming on (sniff, sniff, cough, cough). I better go sit in the recliner and do some knitting.

The Doctor Is In.......

Ok. So I called the clinic at 8:15am yesterday. Asked for an appointment. The receptionist says "let me check the book. We're filling up pretty fast." "Yeah, that's what I thought!" I chuckled. (It is the beginning of cold/flu season, afterall).

"What's the problem?", she asks. I explain all the medical problems I have, ending with "and I think it's now settling in my sinuses."

"Oh. Sinsuses. Well I can get you in at 8:40 or 11:20." 8:40 works for me and it's my favorite doc. Okey dokey then. I'm only 5 minutes from the clinic. Rush to get dressed and comb my hair. Makeup is not necessary when you want to impress upon the doctor on how sick you feel, as well as sound.

We go through all the symptoms over the past week. She checks me over; looks in my ears. "Yep. You have a lot of fluid in your ears. That's a sure sign of sinsus infection. Sounds like you started with a viral bug and it graduated to this. I'll give you a prescription. You should feel better in a few days."

So I started the medication as soon as I got home. I still feel like crap. But I will be patient --- hahaha --- "patient". Oh Lord.

My days have not been a total lose. I have spent the time knitting. Got another Norwegian ski hat done - except for turning and sewing up the brim. Still working on the shawl; got about 24" or so done. Love it. And I've been spinning for a couple of hours in the morning. I get up between 4:30-5:00am. BH is still sleeping then so I have this time to myself. Love it.

There is a down side to all this laying about. I'm really starting to enjoy just being home. Doing what I want to do for as long as I want. But then a reality knock hits my head -- "oh yeah? What about the bills? Where ya gonna get the money on the first of the month? How ya gonna buy groceries and gas? What, now you're just going to get lazy and procrastinate with things like you did before?"

Yeah. I guess. I really need to get back to work. Crap. Well, there's a light at the end of the tunnel. One more year, maybe less. Then I can collect the BIG bucks from the government - Social Security. Ah yes. I am psyched about this. God help the idiots in Washington who screw this up within the next year. I just might have to become an AARP lobbyist. March on Washington. Picket the Capitol building. Write columns in the national papers.

Say, how much does AARP pay their lobbyists, anyway?

I think it's time for another dose of my medication.

Hello.....May I Get an Appointment with the Doctor?

These are words that are very, very seldom used in my life. But something has got the best of me this past week, and it's driving me nuts! Not to mention what it's going to do to my budget because I've missed 4 days of work. Yes, the 4 on top of the 3 regular days off - all of which I've been down with this gunk. There's no justice.

So today, I shall call the clinic and see if I can get in to see the Doc. Especially since I woke up this morning with a slight headache over my eyes. We all know what this is the harbinger of -- the dreaded sinus infection. All I want is an antibiotic to take care of this so I can get my life back ---such as it is.

Son and friend came up for fishing. I was not good company. But that didn't matter too much -- they were gone for 10 hours -- fishing. BH included. I had the house to myself. To lay on the recliner with blankets, watching TV and napping - a lot. And Son and friend brought up all the groceries with them to make supper! Isn't that terrific?! I didn't have to lift a finger - except to get the apple pie out of the freezer for dessert. That was it.

Of course there were the occasional questions bellowing from the kitchen: "Ma, do you have a cheese grater?" "Ma, do have paprika?" "Ma, do you have a glass baking dish to put the fish in?" "Ma, I don't want to fry the fish. How should I fix it?" "Ma, where's the aluminum foil?"

Ah, but it was well worth it. They did a great job! He loves gourmet cooking. I figure what they spent on all the fixins would have cost us about $30.00 a plate at a nice dinner restaurant. Thank God this gunk in my body has not messed with my stomach! Oh, that would be bad -- really bad. Afterall, my second passion is eating! When I can't eat, I think I must be near death.

Yesterday they went out fishing again. BH did not go. 10 hours wiped him out. However, we got a call about an hour later. Son tells me that while on the way to the lake, in the State park, they hit something; a bird. It went under the car and "I think it hit the brake line because there's fluid running out and there's no brakes". Uuhhhhhhoooo.

Let me say here that they are using BH's "fishing car". Because the rowboat is strapped to the top and all the fishing gear is inside. It's a station wagon. A 1984 station wagon. You read that correctly --- 1984. It's his "fishing car". Therefore, I do not step foot in it. It looks and smells like a fishing car.

So BH gets ready to go see what's going on and get the car back home. During this time, Son's cell phone keeps cutting out. There are repeated calls back and forth, of which I can get only about 3 words out before we lose connection again. I'm trying to tell him Dad's on his way; sit tight; wait for him; he'll get it taken care of. I think that amounts to 15-20 calls.

The last connection was "so we shouldn't put the boat in the water and fish?" "NO! stay where you are. Wait for Dad".

Well, I figured after an hour that they must be on their way back - somehow. 2 hours go by. 3 hours. Ok. Somewhere, they're on the side of the road, fishing car in the ditch or smashed into the back of our conversion van as they were towing it home -- because there's NO BRAKES! I call the cell phone. BH answers - "Yes, dear".

"Where are you?" "We're fishing". "I figured as much". "We'll be home about 2:00". "OK. Say, I thought after you left. Don't tow the car. It has no brakes. You won't be able to stop". "Yeah", he says. "I thought of that". (A little chuckle on his end comes through the phone). "I have enough brake fluid to get us home. We'll be ok".

At this point, I don't care if the car sits in the park. I don't care if the powers that be tow it to an impound lot. I don't care if they fish til midnight.

They did make it home - with the car. All is well in "Men's Town".

I'm starting to rethink my headache this morning. It just might not be sinuses. It might be a pain in my ass!!

Ah, The Weekend.......

Rough week. Wasn't supposed to be, but.....

*My first 3 days off from work in a row. Big plans. Lots to get done. Tuesday evening I started feeling a little weird - achy, tired, throat sore. Whammo! Some kind of flu got me down for 4 days! Nothing done.

*I did manage to get 5 loaves of banana/date bread made. I was debating this in the morning when BH asked "are you going to do anything with those bananas? They're kind of brown." "Yeah. I think I'll make banana bread". "I was just asking. Didn't want them to go to waste."
Okey dokey, then.

*Dosing with flu drink, Tylenol and cough syrup. Thank God my appetite is ok. I hate that when you're stomach is growling loud enough to make you look out the window for some kind of predator animal, but the thought of food turns your stomach upside down.

*Had to call off work yesterday; could barely talk. Throat worse. Chest hurts. More medicine and 7Up.

*Son and friend came up last night to go fishing today. It is now 5:15am and they have left for the lake. It is also 39 degrees outside!! The guys and BH are dressed in long johns, hooded sweatshirts, 2 regular sweatshirts and heavy wool socks. If they fall out of the boat, they'll sink like a rock!! God forbid.

*Son's friend brought up haddock. Son is going to make us supper tonight. He loves to cook and is very good at it. This makes me very happy. Scrap the chicken cacciatore until next time. I did pull out the Dutch apple pie from the freezer for dessert tonight. He also brought up red potatoes, asparagus, hollandaise sauce, capers and mayo for tartar sauce and assorted spices. I told you he was good!!

*Took out a loaf of banana/date bread for the guys for breakfast. It turned out very good; moist and tasty!

*I am going to call in sick today. Still a little achy and coughing loud enough to shake the windows. Rest, rest, rest.

*I started knitting another Norwegian ski hat. It's 3/4 done. One more pattern chart to do. It looks nice.

*The shawl is coming along nicely. Got about 12" done. I think it might be a little too wide, but what the hell. Fold it in half, right? And it looks like I have enough of the yarn to make it as long as I want. Good. Because I'm not ripping it out again! I don't care if it's the size of an afgan!

*I have 3 bobbins plied, maybe one more to go from the singles.

Hey, what's a girl to do when she just wants to sit in the recliner all day?! I mean, other than sleep, take medicine, sneezing and blowing her nose incesantly.

Nothing.....What's New with You?.........

This is my normal response when talking to someone on the phone. It's also my usual response. period.

I think this hibernating thing is getting the better of me -and the season hasn't even really started. Boy, have I been tired lately. I don't want to do anything except spin and knit. I gotta force myself into a better state of mind and get moving.

I discovered I have "spinner's thumb" this morning. Geezz. The bottom knuckle of my thumb is very sore, like it's sprained. Having a hard time drafting fiber. I think I'll have to rest it for a couple of days. Hope it doesn't affect my knitting. I'll find that out later today.

I'm psyching myself up to do some housework today; get outside and weedwhack, pull some more weeds, put the lawn ornaments and lights away and hopefully get that damned window scraped and painted.

They hired a new girl at work, so I volunteered (saw the opportunity) to cut my schedule to 4 days. So I now have 3 days off in a row! I should be able to get something done, don'tcha think?

Christmas has been on my mind a lot lately. You? I've been thinking of things to make for gifts, then BH and I had this discussion the other day. See, our agreement is that once the grandchildren turn 18 and have a job, there's no more Christmas money sent to them. We now have 3 grandchildren who have reached that golden age. That leaves 9 more to go.

Ah, but now we've been talking our kids. Our kids need nothing. They have (spend) more money than BH and I have ever seen at one time - on a regular basis. Any thing we can buy them seems like nothing. It's disengenuous. It's ridiculous. AND on the other hand, BH and I need nothing, want nothing. So we're talking no gifts this year. The money spent, the postage (nearly all of them live out of state), the craziness looking or planning for just the right gift for that person.......

Make something, you say? Ha! There's only 3 people that appreciate and take care of a handmade item - my mom, sister and "adopted sister"(friend).

Ah, but the grandchildren. I think we should still be giving them their Christmas money. They don't get gifts from us because they have everything they want year 'round. And we cannot afford a $100.00 piece of electronics or clothing for each kid! You know what I'm talking about!

I do have (did have) plans for a couple of the adults. Handmade. But now I may have to rethink this. Give it to them at a non-descript time. Geezz. This is giving me a headache. It's too early to be thinking about this. Seriously.

Son and friend are coming up this weekend for fishing with BH. I gotta plan a dinner. I'm thinking chicken cacciatore. And make a stawberry/rhubarb pie. So son can take some of it home. Because we ate the one I made a month ago when son and fiance were supposed to come up. And I told her about it. Said I would make another one when they came up. But she won't be able to do that til maybe Thanksgiving, since she's back in school and working. Luckily, the Dutch apple pie is still in the freezer. Yes, I told her about that too. So son will be able to take some of both back home. Hey, when you're getting old, you gotta keep on their good side. You never know when you'll need their help at the homestead or God forbid, who you'll have to live with.

Yeah, I better rethink this Christmas thing big time!

The End of a Season.........

Aahh, the end of summer is upon us.....big time! Temps have cooled right down - 34 degrees Saturday morning when I got up. 60's, mid 70's during the day. Leaves are turning gold and red and falling off the trees like rain. This is my time of year!! I love Fall. Could stay like this all year as far as I'm concerned.

Work will also be slowing down - at least during the week. We still have a month of weekends that will be very busy - full house.

BH has been cutting the grass - again. He thinks one more time will do it until next year. Silly Man!!

We went to the casino last Thursday; had a great time. Walked out with $70.00 more than we walked in with. Hehehehe. I love it when that happens. I haven't been in a casino for almost a year. I know! I think I really enjoyed it because the week before we took a day trip which didn't turn out as planned. Wasn't that enjoyable. I was bummed.

Talked to my brother in WA. Saturday night. He says he's planning on coming out for my birthday - October. I'm so excited! I love it when he comes to visit. Which is not often. Now I just hope he doesn't tell my brother. They're twins. And my brother down in the suburbs of Mpls. latches on to whoever comes to visit. Therefore, we get to spend one day with our visitor and he takes control and makes them come to his home for the rest of the duration. Really pisses me off. And if he can, he makes sure he comes up here on the day someone gets here. So BH and I have no quality time with family alone. Aggravating!!

I have been spinning. Think I've got almost a pound of the Shetland done; just 3 more pounds to go! Of this wool. Not the whole stash. Don't be silly.

Ah, and I started knitting. Finally found a pattern for the beaded, silky brown that I've tried half a dozen times to make something with. Very simple pattern. 3 stitches, 2 rows for the pattern. And it's very lacy. Keeping my fingers crossed. Now the only question is if I have enough yarn to complete the shawl I have in mind. But, what the hell. Throwing caution to the wind and moving forward.

I think I'm also going to get started on another pair of socks and another Norwegian ski cap. Ah, yes, Fall is definitely upon us!

Doing better with the Facebook thing. I'm conversing a bit more. But I still get the feeling I'm eavesdropping on other people's conversations. Weird feeling.

I have not done any weeding or whacking in the gardens. They don't look too bad. I'm kinda hoping for the hard frost. Then I can just go clean everything out and cut down the perennials. Done.

Also trying to convince myself that it would be better to leave the painting of the family room go until next Spring. Afterall, winter and the woodstove are just going to make everything all sooty again. Spring would be best. Then the guy on the other shoulder tells me "get it done NOW! It'll look so much better for the holidays and you'll feel so much more relaxed and comfy with a new look for the room". But you don't understand. I've got a lot of spinning to do. I've got things I want to knit up with my beautiful yarn. I've got a quilt to sew up for a Christmas present. I've got other things to do. Afterall, it's Fall!!