Tuna Soup Medicine

I think we are making progress in getting Morris to feeling better!  Of course he hated me this morning after I gave him his 2 syringes of medicine and he immediately made a beeline for under the middle of the bed where I couldn't reach him. He jumped up on the bed last night on his own and was in the window when I got up this morning so there is some improvement.  For the first time in several days he walked all the way into the office a little bit ago and I set him up on the desk to help me after an appropriate amount of ear scratching - he decides how much is appropriate. He still isn't eating or drinking like he used to but he does love his "tuna soup".  I slide the dish under the bed and he drinks all the tuna water but doesn't eat much of the tuna.  Then I add some more water before putting it back in the frig so the water will soak up the tuna flavor. It's much easier when the patient can talk!  Now me getting down on the floor is another story!  I didn't know how bad my knees were until I'm doing that several times a day....  I can get down but it's the getting back up that is the problem.

Morris Update

Back to the vet today but this time is was to a local vet for a follow up... Kinda like going to Urgent Care and then going to your regular doctor for a follow up.....  Anyway, this will be his new vet here and we both really liked him.  Kinda youngish and obviously loves animals.   He had the labs for Morris from Urgent Care and noticed that the labs indicate Morris has an infection of some kind.  When I commented that Urgent Care said they were normal, he showed them to me and it clearly indicated some of the values were above normal. Morris is also running a temperature.  He took x-rays of his back, hips and entire torso to look at lungs, etc. Bones are fine but there is a lot of swelling in the soft tissue of the back legs and some of his lymph glands are swollen so he thinks Morris has an infection of some kind. So I have a bottle of antibiotics to give him along with the pain meds and we go back in 10 days.  Since Morris isn't eating or drinking much, he wants me to get TUNA in water and give it all to him - water included even adding some water. Usually I drained the water off before giving the smelly stuff to him.   He says Morris will drink the water thus getting some water plus eat the tuna so he is getting protein. So I got some tuna, gritted my teeth when opening it, gave it to Morris and he lapped up the tuna water plus ate some of the tuna.  I also learned from him how to get a cat to open his mouth so I can squirt the medicine in.  However, first I literally have to drag him out from under the bed with my knees protesting every second I am down on the floor let alone getting up. His first thoughts are that the asthma/sinus problem Morris has is from a fungal infection he picked up in the desert. Hummmmmmm....... 

Poor Morris

Here is His Majesty pretending to be a new piece of art on top of the buffet in the dining room. However, last night I took him to the emergency room because he could barely walk, couldn't jump up on my lap, wasn't eating, etc. I had been noticing that he was having trouble jumping up on things for a few days and sometimes his right rear leg wouldn't quite make it. Normally he can jump 5 feet from a surface with no problem. Yesterday he was under the bed when I got home and wouldn't come out - usually he is waiting for me at the door to the garage since he hears the garage door go up. He finally came out about 6 hours later and could barely walk with something wrong with the rear right leg. He couldn't jump up on the recliner with me and when I picked him up, he was obviously in pain and cried out. He hadn't eaten all day and couldn't drink since he couldn't jump up on the toilet which is where he drinks. So.....off to the emergency room we went. Two hours and $332 later.... he was walking a little better but still limping, they couldn't find anything wrong with the leg. they did a blood draw for labs and I got 7 pre-filled syringes of painkiller to squirt into his mouth. They gave him one dose before we left and when we got home he drank out of a cup of water I put on the floor and ate some of his food. This morning he was a little better but still limping. I made an apt with a vet for tomorrow and will probably do an x-ray, another $220, if he is still limping. They called me at 6:30 this morning to let me know that the blood work was fine. Knowing it would make him feel better, I got him some of his very favorite Black Walnut ice cream this morning and he wolfed it down leaving the nuts on the plate. Then I lifted him up onto his favorite window sill when he was setting below it and looking up at it and he has been up there for a couple of hours now. We don't know if he tried to jump up on something, didn't make it and hurt his leg or what.  Time will tell..... Other than his atshma, this is the first time he has anything wrong with him in the 8 years he has lived with us.

Genealogy DNA.....Huh?

I first started researching my ancestors back in the mid-1990's when the only way to do it was by going to the Family History Centers and spending hours looking at images on microfilm - page by page as you turned the crank to advance the film. It was slow going and it didn't take long before your eyes starting glazing over....  Then along came Ancestry.com, Family Search and other web sites that were digitizing the images and creating a searchable index. Millions of records are being added to these site every month. Now I can go to one of these web sites, key in the ancestors name and a little info on them and if I'm lucky, by magic will appear several hits of documents with his/her name in them. Well at least that is the way it is for many people I look for. Now the new thing in genealogy is tracing your ancestors by DNA. I have done a lot of reading on it and have attended a couple of seminars on it but will be the first to admit that it is still too complicated for me to truly understand it.  Science is NOT my best topic....  However, here is what I do know.......  A male has the same Y-DNA that his father does as his father's father, etc back along the direct line of males. Men inherit their father's Y-Chromosome.  This is not the case for females and don't ask me why....  The test results go into a database that matches people. People who do a DNA test for genealogy usually either want to (1) find their ancestors or (2) confirm their ancestors. I was hoping for to confirm what I had found in Public Trees on the internet.

My brother agreed to swab the inside of his cheeks and let me submit his DNA.  Thanks, Bill!  I used the nations leader in this technology who had  an Arnold Project which is collecting DNA and using it to trace/confirm ancestors. The day after the results were completed, I received 2 emails - one from the administrator (JA) of the group and another from a guy (BMC) who manages his brother's file.  JA let me know that based on Bill's DNA, there is a 97% likelihood that they share a common ancestor within 8 generations. BMC's brother is a very strong match to Bill plus BMC has written a book on the Arnold line. The next step was to compare our Pedigree Trees to determine where the common ancestor is.  In both cases, it is with my 6th Great-Grandfather Thomas Arnold who was the first generation born in the US in 1648 after his father immigrated to Mass. from England in 1640. Thomas, the one born in the US, had 3 sons - Isaac, James and John. Bill and I are from the Isaac Arnold line while JA and BMC are from the John Arnold line. I got a list of 17 people whose DNA is a close match with Bill's indicating they share common ancestors. Interesting!!!!!!

Midwest & Desert Temperature

Yesterday was the hottest day yet here in KC.  At 5:30 p.m. the temp was 95 degrees with a heat index of 106 although the TV said the heat index was 110. In some ways I felt like I was back in the desert!  The difference is that in the desert you feel like you are walking into a dry sauna when you go outside and here it feels like you are walking into a steam sauna when you go outside. It was very humid yesterday - 50% at 5:30 p.m. plus there was very little breeze.  However, the humidity is down today and it is much cooler.  I'll still take the weather here........

Monday Misc for July 21, 2014

Branson: Vivian and I went down to Branson over the weekend and I had forgotten how horribly bad the traffic there is. Maybe it was because when I was there before it was in April during the week. This weekend, the only main street/highway through town was stop and creep because the traffic was bumper to bumper for miles.  There are very few stoplights so it is almost impossible to get out of a parking lot into traffic or make a left turn. If you haven't been there, think of the Strip in Las Vegas being 2 lanes with no stoplights.

The drive down, especially when you get into the hills, is really pretty. We went through an area where there are a lot of Amish people and this was one of them on the 4-line highway. We stopped at an orchard on the way home and got some great tomatoes, etc. In my opinion, Lone Star Steak House has one of the best steaks you can get and there is one in Branson so guess where we went for dinner on Friday and guess what I had.....

Great-Grandfather Arnold:  The search continues and I'm happy to report that progress is being very slowly made! I have gone about as far as I can go on him until I get the information back from the National Archives.  I'm starting on his father next - Micajah Arnold who was born abt 1811 in either Tennessee or Georgia but lived in Tennessee for a lot of years and moved to Arkansas sometime between 1840 and 1850 since he is in Arkansas on the 1850 census.

This is the first time I have ever mapped a person but he seemed a good candidate to start with. I think if you click on the map, it will be larger on your computer.....

Southwest Airlines: I get their weekly email covering fares that are on sale.  It is interesting to see the ones from Kansas City since I looked at Tucson's for so many years.  The big steal last week was a flight to Chicago for $67.00 one way.... Now I have no real desire to go to Chicago but it did cross my mind based on that fare. Larry saw a $29 fare from Tucson to Denver and said we couldn't resist it so we went to Denver for a few days.  After using our senior discount, the fare ended up being about $25 each way each person.

Powell Gardens

As I said other day, I have been wanting to go to Powell Gardens but was waiting for a cool day to do so.  So when Tuesday's high temp was forecast to be 70, then I decided to go and did.  As I'm SURE you remember from my post on it last summer, Powell Gardens is spread out over 915 acres and contains several distinct gardens with trails connecting the different gardens. The Island Garden is probably my favorite with over 200 water plants in the pools.

There is currently a display of sculptures in the garden created by Dan Ostermiller.  They are bronze, larger than life sculptures of animals. For instance, the elephant is 12' tall.

 

I asked a staff person what the "purplish flowers with cones on top" (lower left above) were called and he said "purple cone flowers". Well I gave him a look of disbelief and he laughed before saying that was the common name but the scientific name was Echinacea - the herb.

 

Top: Catapillar resting  on it's breakfast.  Bottom: Dragon Fly which I don't think I have ever seen up close before.  They are strange in that their wings are folded up over it's head when resting.

Misc pictures in the Farm Garden.

 

Yesterday's meeting with Doc

I spent a little over 30 minutes with my primary care physician yesterday afternoon in which we reviewed every one of the recent tests and have a plan for going forward.  He opened the meeting with "we keep trying to find something wrong with you and aren't having much luck".
Heart: Valves and pumping are just as they should be.  Yes, there is a lot of hard plaque in an artery but the blood flow is good so no need to do a heart catherization to look for % of blockage, etc. I can't get rid of the hard plaque but I can prevent more of it accumulating through "aggressive risk factor modification". Losing another 20 lbs would be nice but it much more important to maintain what I have lost and don't go back to my old eating habits.
Blood Pressure: I did a chart for 10 days of home numbers that I took at home and it definitely is high at times.  However, he doesn't feel that medication is warranted yet since it is not an every day occurence.
Lung: Leave the nodule alone since it is not cancer and be prepared to explain it every time I have a lung x-ray.
Liver (auto-immune hepatitis): Labs are still good so stick with the liver doc's plan.
Kidney: Labs are good but he is giving me a referral to the nephrology dept so I have one lined up before I might ever need one.
Back: He had said back in May when all of this started that we would deal with the lung and heart before getting to the back so now it is back time. He want's to do an MRI to see how far out of line the particular vertrabra is out of line, etc. Once we know that we can decide what to do if anything. It is a lot of pain, especially when I do any lifting, but is bearable so we will see. I'm learning a lot about back stuff from going to the doctor's appts with my brother and sister-in-law. All the doctors agree that I'm between a rock and a hard place since I'm should not be taking either Ibuprophen (hard on kidneys) or Tylenol (hard on liver).  I tried a pain killer and it just made me sleepy.  So....we agree that I will use Ibuprophen when I absolutely have to take something and monitor the kidneys closely. Tylenol just isn't very effective for me.
Always tired: The heart doctor thought it might be from the heart not pumping correctly but that isn't the case. I did a thyroid test yesterday and it that is normal then he wants to do a sleep study. He asked if I had sleep apnea and I said "I don't know, you will have to ask Morris"......  I guess that can make you tired, raise blood pressure, etc.
Summary: Basically I'm in pretty good shape!!!!!!!!!!

The new rankings was just released for hospitals and KUMed Center is ranked in the top 50 hospitals out of 5000 hospitals in 12 of their specialties.  The top 50 includes Mayo, etc. I continue to be amazed at their high level of patient care mainly due to the time the doctor gives you for your appointments.

Monday Misc.....

Vera Bradley's Sidewalk Sale started last Friday and ran through yesterday.  Yes, I was there when it opened on Friday standing in line waiting for a "go" from the staff along with about 100+ other people.  Yes, I bought things I didn't need but couldn't resist when they were $5-10 dollars ea. Yes, I bought the same style purse but in a different color to go with the 4 of the same style I already have. But it was fun, once-a-year event and now I am letting my credit card recuperate.

On Saturday morning early I went to the Overland Park Farmer's Market. I haven't been in a few weeks and was pleasantly surprised at what they have in season. EVERYTHING was grown by the farmer in the ground as opposed to hydrophonic tomatoes, etc. The tomatoes actually taste like tomatoes. This is the first crop of peaches and they were pretty good. Most of it is from the same farm that I got the strawberries from back in May.

 

Can't wait for the polar vortex that comes in tonight and drops our temperatures to fall numbers for a few days.  54 is forecast for in the morning with a high of mid-70's.  That is my idea of perfect weather!!!!!!  I have been waiting for a cooler day to go to Powell Gardens so am headed that way in the morning. They have a special exhibit that will only be there for a few more weeks.  That is the gardens that last year had the display of animals made of Lego pieces......

Thursday's This and That

I love these flowers!  One of the homes along the trail by the golf course has a bunch of these in their backyard next to  the trail.  I don't know what they are called but my mother always had them in her garden.  The plants are 3-4 feet high and the blooms are quite large.

I can remember gathering the seed from the blooms when I was a kid and putting them in an envelope so she would have seeds for the next year to plant. It is always a trip down memory lane when I walk by that particular house.

Morris has come up with a new "cave" for his afternoon naps and it is under the sofa.  He has a 4" high space between the floor and the bottom of the sofa to crawl in and then it is higher right under the sofa once he gets under there. It is really funny to watch him slither under there. The first time he went under there was when it was thundering in the evening and that was the closest place to get under since he was on my lap when the thunder hit.  I guess he liked it since he disappears under there during the day now.

I'm still on the trail of my Great-Grandfather Jefferson Arnold. Yesterday I found his muster rolls for the time he was in the Arkansas First Infantry - 1st Battalion in 1862 on the Union side. I also found some history on that particular unit but haven't had time to analyze the info yet. I spent so much time on Larry's genealogy because it was so interesting with his ancestors role in settling California.  My side was pretty boring until I found GGF Arnold and that opened up a very interesting chapter on my family.  Of course, once I get on the trail of something like this I spend hours and hours on it but that is what's fun about being retired!  Yesterday I took a step back to spend some time organizing what I have found. There is a wonderful Arkansas state genealogy library in Little Rock and I wish I knew then what I know now about my ancestors. I spent several afternoons at the library when we spent the summer there in 2011.  It's only a 414 mile drive, or 6 hours, to Little Rock from here........

Civil War's Battle of Carthage

I grew up in Sarcoxie, MO which is 20 miles SE from Carthage, Mo which was the nearest "large" town. I heard that there was a Civil War Battle in Carthage but never paid much attention to it growing up and even later. But all that changed  when I confirmed my paternal great-grandfather's name and then ran it through a web page of Civil War information just as a curiosity. Much to my surprise, his name was there along with his enlistment information, regiments he served in, info on his death and enough information on pensions for his wife and son that I can get his records from the National Archives. Now all of a sudden the Civil War is important to me! I remember my granny telling me when I was growing up that she had 2 brothers - one fought for the north and one for the south at the Battle of Pea Ridge in Arkansas. She never mentioned her father-in-law so I knew nothing about him until I found him recently.

My great-grandfather, Jefferson Luther Arnold, enlisted in the Arkansas Company D, 1st Infantry Battalion on July 1, 1862 and on August 29, 1864 he enlisted in the Missouri Company L, 11th Regiment Missouri Calvary. He died Dec 29, 1864 of small pox at a hospital in Brownsville, Arkansas.

Now to the Battle of Carthage.....  They have a really nice, small Civil War Museum in Carthage and outside of town is the Battle of Carthage Historic Site where the battle was fought.

The docent at the Museum was very interesting and knowledgeable.  I would like to talk to him again and ask more questions...  Besides the usual exhibits in a museum, they had a really interesting exhibit listing the various reasons for the Civil War in Missouri and it not being all about slavery. Even though many residents of Missouri and Arkansas were supporters of slavery because they were from the Confederate states, it was more than just slavery.  Another reason was to control the Trails to the Frontier and Trade. The wagon trails to the west left from Independence, MO that contained both cargo and emigrants moving west. The docent put it like this. "It wasn't just about slavery - especially in Missouri and Arkansas.  The South didn't like the North telling them what crops they could grow and that they couldn't have slaves. The North wanted the United States to remain one country and not let the South break away. Same things we hear people talking about today." He also talked about many, many of the solders dying of diseases without ever being wounded in battle.

The Battle of Carthage occurred on July 5, 1861 and was the earliest full-scale battle of the Civil War, preceding Bull Run in the east by 11 days. It involved more than 7,000 men, including infantry, artillery and cavalry and lasted an entire day. At issue was whether Missouri would stay in the Union or join the Confederacy. The Governor of Missouri wanted the 6,000 man Missouri State Guard to join the South. Sent to stop him were 1,100 German-American Union volunteers from St. Louis.

A mannequin of a Private, Third Missouri Volunteer Infantry, 1861. At this point in the war, the Union blue and Confederate gray had not been established.  Most of the Union troops were wearing gray and the Confederates were still in civilian clothes.

The battle started that morning 9 miles north of town and in late afternoon the Union troops started to retreat through the southwest corner of the Carthage Square containing the Courthouse.

The Jasper County Courthouse (right), as it appears today, is on the Carthage Square  was used as a field hospital. The Union kept firing but dropping back. Under cover of darkness they retreated to Sarcoxie, Mo and then on to Springfield. This was the first I ever knew that Sarcoxie played a part in the Civil War and I lived there the first 22 years of my life.

I started my journey at the museum with hopes of finding out if my great-grandfather fought in the Battle of Carthage.  However, I knew that wasn't the case as soon as I found out that the battle was fought in 1861 and his first enlistment was in 1862. I went downtown to the Kansas City branch of the National Archives this morning.  They gave me the forms and information on how to request his records. Hopefully the information will include where he was in the war. We shall see......

Reeds, Missouri

On Saturday, I drove my brother and sister-in-law down to Carthage, Mo which is about 135 miles south so they could attend her sister's surprise 85th birthday.  It gave me the opportunity to do some genealogy work I have been wanting to do so I dropped them off and then went wandering......  I went to the Civil War Museum and Battle of Carthage Battleground in and near Carthage.  Carthage was the closest large town to where I grew up but I really didn't know anything about their role in the Civil War and I will write that history lesson tomorrow.  However, I have also been wanting to go to Reeds, Mo which is where my mother and brothers were born. I recently discovered that a brother of my mother's and his wife plus my mother's only sister and her husband were buried in the Reeds Cemetery.

Top left: I worked my way over to Reeds from Carthage on back roads.  I wasn't sure where I was a few times but knew I was headed in the right direction and had a GPS app on my phone if I needed it. The drive was a very pretty  trip through farm land with Willie Nelson on the radio....

Top right: The sign for Reeds. I don't know exactly what the population was in Reeds when I was a kid but would guess it was around 3-400. The population was 130 in the 2000 census.  There is certainly not much there now but they do have a new post office.

Bottom: The Reeds Cemetery where 461 people are buried. I had no idea where the gravestones I was looking for were so it was a lot of tramping through weeds to find them.

 

Top: This is the Reeds school house where my mother attended and got her 8th grade diploma from the school in 1924.  I have the original diploma.....  The school has been converted in a home and some work is being done on it.

Middle: There are hundreds of acres corn in the area and it is in good shape this year due to all the rain they have had.

Bottom: I was so shocked to see that someone still hung clothes on a line that I had to take a picture. True Ozarks! 

July 4th

I made it through Vivian's Annual July 4th BBQ for the family. 44 family members spanning 4 generations - give or take a couple of people were there. It was a beautiful day - about 83 degrees with a light breeze.  The weather was certainly better than last year where it started storming and raining about the time we were ready to eat.

Pat, Vivian's husband, grilled 42 hamburgers and 40 hot dogs. The top picture is the main food and there was another table with deserts on it. My food contribution was the 10 lbs of strawberries that I sliced for the shortcake. The above bottom picture is one of 3 tables that was set up in the backyard and decorated. People also brought lawn chairs and were setting on those, on the deck and anywhere they could find to set.

People setting on the deck, Chef Pat, flowers and fountain with flowers on the deck, people setting out in the yard eating and the desert table. There was another area with cupcakes, cookies, etc on it.
It was a lot of work but fun. My feet have a year to rest up before next year.....
Some of the 30 something guys bought a bunch of fireworks and did a big show after it got dark. I hear it was a really good show but I was at home in my recliner by then getting lectured by Morris for being gone so long.

Another phone call from a doctor...

These doctors have got to quit calling me or I am going to get totally spoiled and expect such care from my doctors and we all know that doesn't happen....  Today's call went something like this: "Hi Darlene. This is Brenda, Dr. Anderson's nurse. (He is my primary care doctor.) Dr Anderson has received all of your test results and would like for you to come in so he can go over them with you. When would be a good time for you to come in. "  Well after I got over my shock of them calling, I suggested July 14th. "That works for us.  How about 2 pm and I have blocked out enough time that he will have time to answer questions, go over everything, etc with you". She also said something to the effect that based on the stress test, I do have problems but it doesn't indicate anything critical. I keep trying to figure out what the difference is with the doctors at KU Med center, of which Dr. Anderson is part of, and the doctors in Tucson. I got an email survey yesterday to do on my heart doctor and the questions were all about did he listen to me, how was his communication and was it easy to understand (non technical), did I feel rushed during my time with him, etc. I feel very blessed to have found such doctors.....

Monday Misc

O.K. so this may be a little optimistic and it definitely isn't me doing the jump in the background but it sure is nice to start the week and not have any doctor's appointments for the week. I just got an email from the heart doctor and my echo looks good.  He repeats that I need to continue "aggressive risk factor modifications" because of the high score from the cardio scan. Great News!!!!

Weather: I realize that it is only June 30th so I still have July and August to go but so far the humidity hasn't really bothered me much. KC has been up to the low  90's but there is usually a breeze blowing and it isn't that hot air like it is from the desert. If you aren't where you can feel the breeze then it seems much warmer. Right now (2 pm) it is 88 degrees but feels like 98 due to 65% humidity.  However, there is a 17 mph breeze blowing. It is still too warm to go out and do stuff in the sun but in the shade it is o.k.

Vera Bradley: I admit that I have more purses, wallets, totes, etc from Vera Bradley than I need. However, my niece has a friend who is even worse than me - at least I don't have the web page and app saved.  But.....my local Vera Bradley store is having a sidewalk sale in July and it is on my calendar.... Can't wait!

July Calendar: Yesterday I turned the page and it was so good to see a lot of days in July that I don't have a single thing scheduled to do!! I can do an overnight trip or to and do some local fun stuff. I feel like I can get on with life now that there is free time.

Morris: He just continues to get more and more spoiled but I am drawing the line at going out for walks several times a day not matter how long he sits in front of the door. I figure morning and evening is enough!  Actually he walks me once we get outside the door. I let him take the lead and I follow.  Sometimes it is a short walk close to our apartment door and other times he takes off down the street or around the building.  The other night he walked for a really long distance on the raised part of the curb. He is doing much better about coming back home without me having to carry him back.  He only weighs 11 lbs but he gets pretty heavy when we are quite away from the apt and I have to carry him home with him protesting every step.

The grass may not be greener on the other side of the fence but it definitely tastes better....

New computer update

I'm slowly getting comfortable with it! 

This is the screen I saw when I set down at my old computer. By the way, the boats are a picture that I took from inside a restaurant that Larry and I were having dinner at in Monterey, CA several years ago.

This is what I see now when I set down at my computer with Windows 8. It is quite a difference. It has apps and charms. I can add more apps, take app away and resize the apps. I can sort them into columns and name the columns. You don't see the charms in this picture but if I hover the curser in the upper right corner then they will appear on the right side.  You search, turn the computer off, etc with charms. When done, they go away. 8-)

It isn't all doom and gloom!  There are some things I really like about it. The screen is clean and crisp. If I click on the "desktop" app, it will take me to the layout in the above top picture that I have seen for the last 30+ years that I have been using a computer.  However, I am trying to get used to the apps in my feeble way of keeping up with technology.  It is clear that some of this is based on the technology of smart phones. This can be run with a touch screen if you have a monitor that support it - I don't. When you go into some of the old, familiar programs they look different due to them being run in Windows 8. I was trying to find where to add my contacts this morning in Windows Mail and after a long time of trying to figure it out, I finally googled the question and found that I have to add my contacts in the People app and the email program pulls names from that. It's O.K. - just different. I had Staples do the set-up for me and am very glad I did. I could probably have opened the box and set it up myself but with it being Windows 98, the stress level would have been very high for days...... There are a few things I still haven't figured out but I have a book with lots of pictures on how to use it.  At least I have the basics down so can function with it now..

Suprise call from doctor....

I had just finished a very healthy dinner last night and was doing dishes when the phone rang - it was a little before 7. The caller was the liver doctor I saw yesterday. He said he was thinking about my case and had a few more questions for me.  I was shocked and stunned that a doctor of his caliber would call me at that time of day just to basically chat!  I mean he could have had a resident do that... We talked for about 15 minutes. He commented when I saw him that he is wondering if I truly have auto-immune hepatitis because it came on so fast with such high liver scores, it responded so quickly to the prednisone and has not flared up again. But yet, as he says, a specific test was done for auto-immune hepatitis and it was very, very positive. So the test says I have it but the symptoms don't agree. Now this guy not only has an MD, he also has a PhD, did his post medical school training at Yale and heads the Liver Research  Dept at KU Med Center so I think he knows what he is talking about. He wanted to know how much Tylenol and Ibuprofen I took back when the flare-ups happened.  Apparently the initial liver numbers are consistent with someone who takes a huge amount of Tylenol but I was rarely taking it back then. He still wants to continue a course of doing a liver biopsy in a year and then decided on what to do. I had labs done while I was there and he had the results back when he called - that is the great thing about having them done in a hospital as they come back so quickly.  My liver numbers were normal and my creatinine (kidney) was .9 which is great for someone with one kidney. He agrees that I am between a rock and a hard place in taking something for pain. He doesn't want me to take Tylenol and the kidney doctors don't want me to take ibuprofen....  He cautioned me about Tylenol being in some many OTC stuff and it isn't listed unless you really, really dig for the ingredients.  Anyway, I guess I'm his mystery patient for now and I don't think I could be in better hands.

KU Med center has started to successfully do "split-liver transplants" which won't mean a lot unless you are familiar with the transplant world. Larry closely followed that world in case he ever needed one again. There are currently about 17,000 people on the list throughout the US who are waiting on a liver transplant. Many of them will die before they get the transplant. The liver has an upper and lower lobe.  When a living donor donates a liver to someone, they lower lobe is taken from their liver. Livers regenerate but not back to their full size.  Basically what this new technology does is that one liver from a deceased person can be used to save 2 people - one lobe in each person. This is a very big breakthrough in the transplant world.... And that is your lesson on your liver for the day.

Another doctor's appt.....

Today had my last scheduled doctor's apt and am so glad to have a break or at least I hope it is....  Today was the liver doctor to get established with one at KU Med center. I was really surprised that I got an appointment with the doctor I requested because it turns out he is the head of the liver research dept and only sees patients one afternoon a week...Helps to drop the name of the head of the kidney/liver transplant dept that my doctor in Tucson gave me..  This guy today was amazing!  He is so brilliant and yet talked to me at my level. I commented to his nurse about him after he left and she said he is unusual in his communication skills. I was also impressed that he was only 10 minutes after appointment time, I didn't see residents first and he looked at my file BEFORE he came in to see me so knew I have been going through a lot of testing. He had a copy of what my liver doctor in Tucson gave me for the doctor here but commented that he wished he had the results of a particular lab test for auto-immune hepatitis.  I said "just a minute" while I started looking in my notebook and pulled it out for him along with some other liver tests. Yep, he was impressed!!!!  So....they did some labs to get new levels and some for some things that usually aren't tested for, I continue on with my immune-suppressant med, see him again in 6 months, have labs done at least every 6 months and at 1 year we will decide on options. In a year, it will be about 18 months since the initial diagnosis. The protocol is to try going off the medicine after 2 years if there have not been flare-ups and about 60% of people are  o.k. However, he recommends a liver biopsy before we do that.  If there is liver scaring or cirrhosis due to the hepatitis then it may not be the smartest thing to go off the medicine because of the increased risk. Makes total sense to me.....  My blood pressure was high again today.  I was hoping it was due to the immune-suppresent med I'm taking since it can cause high blood pressure but he said I'm not on a strong enough dosage to cause it - probably either white coat syndrome or due to the heart issues - heart most likely since white coat has never bothered me in the past. At this point, I am just relieved to be through with doctor's appts. I have been down there every week this month for either tests or to see a doctor!

Partial test results....

I would have done this post earlier today but I got my new computer back from being set-up today and had to find out where things are... More about that on a later day...

I got tired of waiting yesterday and called my heart doctor's office to find out if they have any of the test results from last week. I talked to the nurse and she was great.  She said they hadn't called because everything isn't back yet so the doctor hasn't had a chance to review them.  She sent him an email and then forwarded his response on to me along with the stress test results.  Of course I can't read the test results but he said:
1. The stress test is negative
2. Still waiting on the results of the echo test and need that to make a final diagnosis.
3. We need to continue aggressive risk factor modification including a heart-healthy diet, labs every 2 months to see if she is responding to the new med, she needs to loose another 18 lbs which will be a total of 47 lbs and  she needs to drastically reduce salt intake.

So.....I'm relieved to know that apparently I'm not going to be needing a stent but not happy about having to loose the extra weight which is 3 lbs more than I had set for myself as a goal with Weight Watchers. I'm also not thrilled with the "heart-healthy" diet since I do eat a lot of processed foods which have a lot of sodium. My blood pressure has NEVER been high so I'm not sure where he is coming from on the sodium but will find out.  It was high the day I saw him but that isn't the norm. I'm concerned that if I get to the weight he wants, I can't maintain it since I couldn't when I got there about 10 years ago and couldn't.  However, I keep thinking about Larry and how he avoided dialysis by doing exactly what Dr Whittman said and that included drastically changing his diet. I'm telling myself that I can do it now or do it after a heart attack... I can't reverse the kind of plaque I have, I can't change my genetics that gave me the risk but I can change what I'm eating which is the only thing I can control. It won't be easy as I do love to eat the things that are not good for me.....

Sunday Stuff

Class: Yesterday I took a 3 hours Travel Photography class and got some really good stuff out of it. I have no idea how many photography classes I have taken over the years. Sometimes I just hear mostly the same stuff but I never fail to learn something.  Yesterday I learned A LOT - some of it was tips that a National Geographic photographer does before they go out to a new place for a shoot.

Doctors: Still waiting on test results on the heart tests and probably won't hear until Tues-Wed. My only appointment this week is on Friday with the new liver doctor. It should be routine - just an introduction meeting since my liver function tests were o.k. on my labs last month. I'm interested to know what their treatment here is for auto-immune hepatitis since treatment protocol does vary by hospital as we learned with transplant centers. The below pic was on Weight Watchers Facebook the other day and it about sums up how I felt last week. I'm more optimistic about this week coming up.

Morris:  I swear he is becoming more like a spoiled 2 year old!  He would like to go outside several times a day and I do draw the line on that. I don't mind morning but refuse to go out in the sun during the afternoon. I give in if it's after the sun has gone down but not dark yet. He leads and I follow when we are outside.  Sometimes he is out for 5 minutes and them comes back to the door and other times it is 20 minutes and is still going when I say "enough", pick him up and start back to the door. Last night he discovered the curb and walked up on it for a long way before I said enough. He is getting better about coming back to the door on his own....

In Tucson, Larry's desk (left) was in front of the office window and mine was to the right of it facing a wall. I can't tell you how many times I heard:
Larry: "Morris, how can I get anything done with you on my stuff?"
Morris: "Zzzzzzzzzzz"
Morris usually left my desk alone.  Here, he has his tree house and that is where he watched the world from. However, all good things come to an end and now he has discovered my desk (below) which is actually Larry's desk that I moved here instead of mine. So now it is the same thing all over again.....

Darlene: "Morris, get off my stuff!"
Morris: "Zzzzzzzzzz"
Sometimes he isn't sleeping but just lays stretched out facing the window with his tail on the keyboard and is watching the birds in the yard. It wouldn't be quite so bad if he wasn't so big....  If I get up to go into the other room he follows me to the room and then follows me back.  But he used to do the same thing with Larry - follow him from room to room.

Medical tests are all done....

....at least for now. Yesterday I got to the hospital at 8 a.m. and left around 3 p.m. after a very long day. The reason for the Echocardiogram test was to determine if my heart is pumping properly, i.e. chambers are filling and emptying properly, valves working properly, etc. That was followed by a Nuclear Stress Test to determine how much blockage the plaque is causing. I can't do a treadmill stress test due to lung capacity so they go the artificial route with chemicals.
Echocardiogram: The test is painless and no chemicals are used but the position I had to lay in got uncomfortable after awhile. It was kinda interesting to see the monitor and watch "my heart" pumping, blood flowing in and out, etc. Unofficially the tech said he didn't see anything to worry about as far as pumping, etc goes.  One thing I learned that I didn't know is that when the chambers empty out, about 50-55% of the blood stays in the camber - they never empty out completely.
Regadenoson Thallium MPI Stress Test: This is also called a "Nuclear Stress test" although there are some variations on the Nuclear Stress Test - as to chemical used, amount of treadmill used, etc. In my case, the Redadenoson chemical was injected into an I-V line and I immediately felt the effect spreading through the body. The drug dilates the blood vessels. My face was very flushed, I felt warm, the heart was beating heavy, a funny feeling in the stomach and an immediate headache.  They gave me another injection after 3 minutes to pause the dilation.  Then came the shot of nuclear stuff so it will show up as it spreads through the body in the blood stream. I then laid down in a machine that is similar to a cross between a CT and MRI machine. It is from the waist up but not solid so I could see out in some places.  A big pad moves across the chest area - up, down, around, etc. The first pass was 5 minutes, a 1-2 minute break while the tech is resetting the machine and the 2nd pass was 16 minutes long.  I had to lay perfectly still during the time it was taking pictures which was 21 minutes total. My left arm had to be over my head while flat on my back. It was boring and hard to lay still - especially when my nose started itching...... The test is in 2 parts.  I had a 3 hour break after the above test before part 2.  I hadn't had anything to eat or drink for 12 hours before the test so I made a beeline for the cafeteria where I could have dry toast, jello and 7-Up. I could have left the hospital but it wasn't worth the drive since it is 40-45 minutes home so I just hung out there. I had my Kindle, iPad, iPhone, etc and found a quiet corner. The 2nd test was a "resting" test so no chemicals but still a 5 minute and then a 16 minute picture taking process. On the 2nd test, I made the mistake of having my head turned to the side when we started which was not a smart idea since it got pretty stiff after being in that position for so long. I finally left and headed for a restaurant to eat. I won't know the results for a few days and find out whether or not I need a stent.

I'm tired of setting in busy waiting room waiting on my name to be called and then being poked, prodded, having I-V lines put in,  having chemicals put in my body, having to lay perfectly still  and then waiting on test results! The people at the hospital are wonderful and I haven't had any bad experiences with them but still......  As soon as I got home yesterday I got a royally cussing out from Morris for being gone all day that went on and on. Within a few minutes I was in my recliner and didn't get up for almost 3 hours - I was totally exhausted.  I was in bed before it got totally dark outside, slept good and feel a little better today but still really tired.

Monday Misc on Wednesday

Microsoft Windows 8: I'm going to be getting a new computer in the next week or so and since they all come with Widows 8 on them, I thought I would get ahead of the game and take a class in it before I got the computer.  I have heard of people upgrading to it and then not being able to find where to turn the computer off...  I'm really glad I took the class first. I have been using a computer since the early 80's and I felt like a first time user in the computer class last week - Windows 8 is that different! There are some things I like about it but am totally happy with Windows 7.... Maybe I should get the insurance on the new once in case I take a hammer to it...

Silent, patient Morris: When Morris wants something to eat, he will sit patiently by his dish just staring at me while I am in the kitchen until I feed him.  He started it in Tucson and would set there until we noticed him - never making a sound. He loves going out for his walks here, nibbling on grass and just standing there knee deep in grass looking around. Sometimes he walks the fence row sticking his head through the wrought iron nibbling on the grass on the other side.  Wonder if it tastes better?

So now Morris goes and sits by the front door when in his mind it is time to go for a walk. I don't know how long he sits there since I can't see the entry from the kitchen, living room, etc. Last night I went looking for him since it had been awhile since I last saw him and he was by the door.  It was hot and I was tired but I couldn't resist his pathetic look so out the door we went.  Only 2 times has he started meowing, very loudly I might add, to let me know that he had waited long enough. 

Tomorrow is heart testing: I got a call today reminding me of my appointment tomorrow for heart tests - as if I could forget it....  Nothing by mouth after midnight tonight, will have the echo cardiogram and then part 1 of the nuclear stress test. I'll have about a 2-3 hour break before Part 2 of the test. I can hang out or leave if I want to during the break. I plan to just hang out there. I can go to the cafeteria and eat jello, crackers, etc and drink water or 7-Up during the break.  You can bet I will head for the nearest McDonald's as soon as I am out of there! I have to be there at 8:15 and should be done by 3 so it will be a long day. I'll be glad when it is all over and I know the test results.

Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Garden

I have been trying to get back to the Gardens for the last couple of months and just didn't seem to get to it.  Last summer, this was the first "tourist" thing I did after I got here in May. This was a nice way to get my daily walk in on Saturday..

The top picture is a life-size bronze sculpture of an artist in the Monet Garden. The dog belonged to one of the volunteers who was working in the gardens.

Misc flowers along the walk.  

This water lily is my favorite picture of the day.

They have added a model train area in the gardens since last year and it is pretty neat. There is a circus train (top picture), a freight train (middle pic) and a passenger train. The bottom pic is one of the villages the track goes through. Altogether the train area covers a pretty large area.

One of their major fund raisers each year is selling Adirondack chairs at a silent auction.  The chairs are all painted by local artist - one chair per artist and the chairs are scattered throughout the gardens.  In case you are wondering about the rope across the arms, it is to keep people from setting in the chairs.

Rain, Rain.....

.... I will not say "go away" until I am walking up the gangplank to the ark.....  However, it would be nice to have 2 non-rain days in a row since it is cutting into my time to be a tourist.  Not that I have a lot of extra time this month with all the doctor stuff but it would be nice to have the option... It has rained some on 11 days so far this month.  Officially, KC has gotten 4.85" of rain at the airport which is way north of town.  Some places on the south side have gotten over 8" with more last night. I didn't hear the wind last night but it must have pretty strong since I had a couple of plant stands blown over this morning. Everything is soooooooo green and when the sun does come out, you can practically see the grass growing! The official total of rain for the year is 13.47" and the normal is 16.32". I went out this morning for a walk and it was cool, light breeze, clean air and it smelled so good after last night's rain.

I took these pictures a couple of days ago when I went for a walk in the evening after dinner - it was raining in the morning when is when I usually walk. There are 3 "walks" I do ranging from 3/4 of a mile to 1.5 miles.  On this one, about 1/3 of the walk is along a street, 1/3 along the golf course with backyards of homes on the other side of the asphalt trail and 1/3 of it is in the apartment complex. Top: Along the golf course which is so lush and green right now. Middle left: A metal cactus inside an iris garden. Middle right: I think the bloom on a thistle plant is just beautiful! Bottom left: The trail just before it enters the area where the apartment buildings are. Bottom right: Plants on an apartment's upstairs balcony. One reason I love walking here is that there is ALWAYS something to look at so it isn't boring!

Catching Up.....

A few topics fell through the cracks when they happened and I didn't write about them so will not catch up....
 
Precious Moments Chapel: You have probably seen the Precious Moments figurines over the years and may even have some.

In Carthage, MO there is a "theme park" run by the company that started them and continues to make and sell the figurines of children.  Parts of the park have been shut down but the Chapel, gift shop and a few other areas remain. My nieces and I went  by there when were down near there for Memorial Day. It had been many, many years since I have been to the park and chapel. The founder and creator of the figurines in 1985 was Samuel J. Butcher, a former janitor. The Chapel was inspired by the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Its interior has been painted by Butcher with biblical murals and frescoes -- not Michelangelo masterpieces, but cartoon art populated with the  Precious Moments children. Sam spent four years painting the chapel, then opened it to the public.  If you take the tour, the guide tells the story behind Sam's labors: how he spent more than 500 hours on his back atop a 35-foot-high scaffold painting 75 baby angels on the ceiling. To me, the stained glass windows were very impressive. There are 15 of them in the chapel. Some of them contain over 1,200 individual glass pieces and were made and hand leaded in Redding, CA. Each of the stained glass windows represent a portion of the 23rd Psalms. The one below on the top right is "He maketh me lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters."

 

Exhibit at the Nelson Art Museum: When Nancy was here visiting last month from Tucson, we spent a day at the museum. They have a special exhibit this summer titled Roads of Arabia: Archaeology and History of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Roads of Arabia is an unprecedented assembly of more than 200 recently excavated objects, which have not been seen outside of Saudi Arabia until 2010. It was very interesting to look at all the stuff but I was fascinated with a special computer at the end of the tour. I typed my name in and it spit out a sheet, with my name on it in Arabic characters that can be used as a bookmark.  Pretty cool.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 





Yesterday's Medical Day - Again

HEART: Yesterday was my appointment with a cardiologist at KU Med Center as a result of a CT scan showing a large amount of plaque in my heart arteries. As I said earlier, I was in some ways more concerned with this than I was with the lung spot. I knew that even if the lung spot was cancerous, the size and location would make it very treatable. I could tell by looking at the amount of the plaque on the screen and comparing it to the size of the tumor which I knew was 1/2", that it wasn't good. I appreciated Vivian going with me yesterday! First we saw the resident who was just great!  He spent a very long time with us explaining everything in simple English and answered all of our questions. They also had some nifty show and tell heart models for explaining stuff.  Then we saw the main doctor. I knew his name but did not know that he was the Director of Cardiology for the hospital. Again, the head doc took time to answer questions, talk about treatment, etc.  So...what did I learn:
[1] I do have a lot of plaque with most of it being in the LAD artery which is the Left Anterior Descending Artery of the heart. That is the most important artery for the heart and is on the outside of the heart.  I also have smaller amounts of plaque in 2 other arteries. The plaque I have is the "hard" kind and if you have to have it, the hard kind is better since it is stable and doesn't break off like the soft kind does. I do have some blockage but we don't know how much yet. The fact that I have the plaque is not a surprise considering how I was raised as they pointed out. These deposits can develop in childhood and continue to thicken and enlarge throughout a person's life. This thickening, called atherosclerosis, narrows the arteries and can decrease or block the flow of blood to the heart. I am now officially classed as having Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). The plaque I have cannot be reversed but medication can help it from getting worse. I am at risk for a heart attack but not a severe risk.  It can also explain why I am "tired" all the time.
[2] The next steps are to change my cholesterol medication and start taking a Baby Aspirin. Then I go back to the hospital on June 19th for a Echo cardiogram and then a Nuclear Stress Test which are both non-invasive. It will be a long day at the hospital.   The Nuclear test is in 2 parts about 3 hours apart.  Depending on the level of blockage, I may then have a heart catheterization to get a better look and put a stent in if the blockage is over 70%. The heart cath won't be the same day unless it is an emergency.   We would like to avoid the heart cath because it requires contrast dye which that is very hard on my remaining kidney and would require that some special measures be taken for the kidney. However, I did find out that the heart cath is usually done through the groin but can be done through the arm. The are doing the echo cardiogram to check how the heart is filling and emptying blood as another possibility on the tiredness and being short winded.  He is also doing a blood test for thyroid. I am so grateful to my new PCP doc here for suggesting that we do the Cardio Scan as a preventative test. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known there was a problem until after I could have had a major heart attack or after the lung spot had spread.
[3] By the time we left, 1 1/2 hours later, I felt that I was in very good hands!   I'm not too thrilled with the findings but not surprised since heart disease is prevalent in my family.  The good news is that I don't have high blood pressure and have not smoked. I go back to the Genealogy saying that "We are the sum of our ancestors" and that certainly applies here with the genetic disposition for heart disease. Those fried potatoes cooked in bacon grease that I grew up with sure were good.... The only thing I can do at this point is continue to loose weight, eat a healthy diet, take my meds and exercise. I'll still have a cheeseburger and French fries every week but just not several times a week like I did before Weight Watchers. 8-)     Beyond that, It's up to the Man Upstairs...

LUNG BIOPSY:  While we were talking to the head doctor, the resident was typing all the notes into the computer.  He turned around to Vivian and I and said "The results of the biopsy were just posted and it is not cancer".  I was so focused on heart issues that I don't think it really hit me until later that I didn't have to worry about that issue also.  The tumor is fibrous and could be the result of a lot of things one of them being Histoplasmosis which was the guess of my PCP doc.

Rainy, Lazy Saturday

It has been raining off and on, sometimes heavy, for the last 5 hours and I love it. Windows are open and the fresh smell is wonderful.  As I have said before, you don't appreciate rain and it's related smells until you have lived in the desert. 8-) I was going to go to the Farmer's Market this morning but backed out due to the rain even though the market is under a roof. So....will take it easy, go to the grocery store and take it easy some more. It is not easy for me to "just take it easy"....

I'm feeling fine after Thursday's procedure but am still really tired. I can't lift anything over 5 lbs for a week so that limits what I can do even if I had the energy.  The lung collapse risk lasts for about 5 days so am also aware of that. I went to bed again last night before it was fully dark.

Morris has been quite entertaining this morning. I noticed him in this stance while I was having breakfast and reading the paper. He was perfectly still and only his whiskers were moving - even the tail was still.  I went over to the window to see what he had "treed" and it was a baby bunny rabbit about where the arrow is pointing. I first saw the baby bunny yesterday morning running around in the yard which was the first time I have seen rabbits on this side of the apartment complex.  Morris kept this stance for several minutes and finally laid down on the window sill. Usually he follows me to the office when I come in to get on the computer but not this morning - he is still on watch in the window.....

Yesterday's biospy

Sure glad that is done and over with!  It wasn't that painful - but was highly stressful. First time blood pressure was over 170..... Since I have never had a procedure like this  before I didn't have any idea what to expect. Vivian and I were taken back to the Interventional Radiology Depart (which I have never heard of before) and put into a "pre-op" room with a hospital bed, one chair and curtains around it. The whole area was a beehive of activity!  Jenna, my RN nurse, came in and did the history, explained what would happen, went over discharge, etc and then more waiting. Altogether the delay was about an hour since other  procedures had run longer than expected.  I asked if we could see the film with the spot on it and after a few computer key strokes it came up on the screen.  There was the spot and she explained where it was located and then pointed out the plaque in the heart. The plaque really got my attention since it was so white, long and thick when compared to the spot which I knew was about 1/2" in diameter. That made me glad I am seeing the cardiologist on Monday....  I was finally wheeled back to the procedure room and placed on the table face down, arms straight up on the table and head turned. Think standing up with your arms straight up over your head.  They secured my wrists to the table so I couldn't move and the same with my legs. I tried not to think about being immobilized.... It was critical that I lay perfectly still and apparently some people in twilight sleep move without realizing it. Even though they gave me drugs, I was TOTALLY awake during the whole procedure. The only thing I felt was a few needle pricks when they were numbing the area on my back and then a strong pinch inside the body when they withdrew the tissue sample. The worst part was when one shoulder started to hurt from keeping it up so long and my neck from not being able to turn it. They kept moving the table in and out of the CT machine which was just annoying...  Usually they only do 1 sample but I had 3-4 due to where the spot was located.  It was very near the surface of the lung so they would scan to get a location, put the needle in, and then it would move when I breathed before they could get the sample. At least I was doing shallow breaths.. She said the breaths would have been deeper and longer if they would have given me more drugs so that is why I was awake. Finally it was over and I could move!  I was taken back to recovery and had a chest x-ray after an hour to see if there was any air in the lung. The likely hood of air was increased due to the number of times they had to go in with the needle and there was a small air pocket that showed up on the CT scan.  However an hour later it was gone so I could have a diet coke, eat a cookie, get dressed and come home. They had told me not to eat or drink ANYTHING after 6 a.m. yesterday morning so it was a long dry day. I was not hungry at 5:30 in the morning but ate anyway and glad I did. Even though it was not recommended that I stay the first night by myself, I had convinced them that I would be o.k. and would call 911 if there was any problem. Vivian had been against me staying by myself from the start and the nurse sided with her after the multiple sticks which increased the risk of complications so I lost that battle and Vivian stayed last night. It will be 3-5 long business days until we get the results and we were warned that the report could come back "inconclusive" so something more will be needed. I'm still not panicked but just want to know what I'm dealing with. I was very impressed with KU Med Center and the care.  Jenna started with me in pre-op, took me to the procedure scan, stayed with me there the whole time, took me to recovery and stayed there until her shift ended and another RN took her place. Not what I expected....

I thought she was kidding when after we confirmed the procedure was go be done on the right side she said "Am I writing yes on the correct side?"  She wasn't kidding... No bikini tops for awhile until the permanent ink wears/washes off......

Strawberries....

OH MY GOODNESS!!!! Vine ripened strawberries that were still on the vines earlier this morning. They are soooooooo sweet and juicy.  I had to drive about 25 miles west of here to a farm out in the middle of nowhere to get them but it was worth it. Note that the berry that is sliced is all red - not the white center that we get in store bought strawberries. I could smell them in the car while driving home. 8-)  So off to the kitchen to make some Strawberry Freezer Jam.....

Canning pickles? Me?

This morning I did something that I have never done in my life - I canned pickles! I have fond memories of my mother doing endless canning in the summer and fall and eating it during the winter.  She canned endless quarts of green beans, pickles, baskets of tomatoes and bushels of peaches plus other items. Not that I had a choice in things but I was the lucky person who helped cut things up for canning if they needed to be cut up.  The green beans could just be snapped into short pieces but peaches had to be peeled and then sliced - not my idea of fun. However nothing was as bad as shelling peas - thank goodness she didn't can those. Anyway, I am going to go out to a strawberry farm tomorrow and get a couple of flats of strawberries. By the way, they don't sell them by the quart anymore - it is by a box (flat) and contains about 10 pounds. One is for me and one is for my sister-in-law. This is a "U Pick" farm but I'm getting  the berries already picked since there is no way I am going to pick them myself.  I remember all to well as a kid picking strawberries for 5 cents a quart and that was how I earned spending money so been there, done that and not again!  I know I can't eat that many berries before they go bad so plan on making freezer strawberry jam with part of them which I did a couple of times back in the 80's. I was picking up the stuff Friday to make the jam and noticed a package of spices for making Bread & Butter pickles which I love. I read the directions on the package and thought "I can do that"..... After a lot of Internet research I learned that there are "slicing cucumbers" (what we normally buy in the store)  and "pickling cucumbers" I looked for the pickling cucumbers yesterday at the Farmer's Market and only one stall had them so no more excuses... This recipe only makes 4 pints so that wasn't too bad if they are not good.

And in case you remember your mother "cold packing" canning, if you are not looking for a long shelf life then you don't have to do that with today's recipes unless you are looking for a long shelf life. These will be good up to 3 months in the refrigerator. The smells of the spices cooking brought back a lot of memories. Yes, I need to perfect the art of packing them in the jars. I heard a sound while typing this and realized it was the sound of the jars sealing so have now heard the sound for all the jars. They smelled like Bread & Butter pickles when I was putting them in the jars, they look like pickles and in a couple of days I will know if they taste like pickles.... Stay tuned...