Monday Misc Dec 8, 2014

There are some weeks I have a hard time finding anything to write about and other time I have a list of topics.  This is a week with a lot of topics and I'm saving some of them for another day this week.

Medical Procedure on my back: Last Tuesday I had what is called a Radiofrequency (RF) Ablation procedure for the back pain from severe arthritis in my lower spine. I do have some mild pain/discomfort from the needles used in the procedure and that is to be expected. I think most of the remaining pain is from that and not the original back pain but won't know for sure until the procedure pain has cleared up. What I feel now is in the area where the needles went in and not so much where the original pain was.  Time will tell...  I was talking to a lady at Weight Watchers last week and she mentioned that she was going to have RF Ablation for her A-Fib.  I had no idea the procedure was used for things other than back pain.

Bird Feeder:  About the time I put the feeder out for the squirrels I also put a feeder in a tree for birds.  The bird feeder has been there for about 2 months and I never saw a bird on it nor has the food level gone down.  I can see it from the office so keep an eye on it.  Last week I did see several birds, including some Blue Jays in the tree directly in front of the office window.  So last Saturday I moved the feeder to the other tree where I have seen birds.  Haven't seen any birds in the feeder yet but one of the squirrels found it yesterday and had a feast. First come, first serve....

Wall Street Journal: I have been having trouble with my carrier for the Kansas City Star newspaper for several months.  Sometimes I miss the paper 2-3 times in a week.  He had been doing better after several complaints. However, this morning I did get a paper but it is the Wall Street Journal and no KC Star....  I used to read the Journal when traveling and haven't read it in years.  What I noticed this morning is that the Journal articles are so much more in-depth and intelligent than most papers. I can't say I am a fan of the KC Star at all - it is fluff and mostly ads - not much news. The Journal has a full page of several articles on the upcoming college bowl games - who is playing, match-ups, who isn't playing and why, etc. Much better than the Star articles.  Not sure I'll complain about today and we'll see what happens tomorrow.  The carrier must deliver both papers. I would get the New York Times periodically when I was here during the summer of 2013.

Plaza Lights: Last Saturday night I took Vivian, Karen and Sheryl down to the Plaza for dinner and some wandering around the Plaza looking at the Christmas lights. We went to P F Changs for dinner which was new to them all.  We ordered a bunch of appetizers and made a meal of them. There was some Chang's Mai Tai's to wash it all down. Unfortunately I was driving so could only have 1 but they sure were good! Sheryl and Karen got complimentary deserts for their birthdays.  The sun set while we were having dinner so the Plaza lights were on when we came out.

The Plaza Lights started with a string of 16 Christmas lights over a doorway in 1925. Today there are over 80 miles of lights that outline every tower, dome and window in the 4.5 square mile Plaza area. Lights on towers are always one color while multi-color lights are along the tops of buildings.  Every light comes down each year and is tested individually on a work bench and inspected for damage. Installation of the lights begin in early August, they shine from Thanksgiving through mid-January. Installation starts in September and the lights are all down by April. Each strand of lights is coded so they know exactly where it goes in the area.  Lights are maintained daily to keep all burnt out bulbs replaced.

Store window decorated for Christmas.

Yes, it was cold!

This was the first time I have seen the Plaza Lights in at least 43 years so it was nostalgic for me.  I don't remember carriage rides back then but there was a lot of them and they were full.

85% of the lights are now LED and to me, they just don't look the same. Maybe it's one of those things that we remember differently than it actually was.....  However it was still a fun experience.

Monday Misc Dec 1st

Can't believe it is December already!!!!! Three years ago I was dealing with Larry's diagnosis and a year ago I was getting the house ready to sell.  Both were memorable times in my life....

I had a great time in San Diego - thawing out my bones, looking at the water and spending time with a dear friend from Tucson. The weather was perfect - low 80's during the day and then cooler when the sun went down. The weather changes  frequently here in the Midwest so it seemed strange to have a week of just nothing but sunshine and warm. Reminded me of how much I would just wish for a cloudy day in the desert.... 

I took the Fall decorations down this weekend and packed them away.  Then I started pulling out the boxes of Christmas stuff. I haven't decided on whether or not to put up a tree this year.  There isn't a lot of room for it in the apartment so looking at alternatives.

There were 2 squirrels for breakfast yesterday so they are multiplying...  I LOVE watching them at the feeder. I put out whole peanuts in shells as desert and it isn't long before the peanuts are gone. They aren't eating them at the feeder so must be burying them or something. I've seen one out in the yard running around with a peanut in his mouth.

I'm off to the eye doctor today for a check on my cataracts.  Then tomorrow I get the nerve block for my arthritic back pain.  I was thinking about cancelling the nerve block since my back has not been bothering me as much but the walking last week convinced me to go ahead with the procedure.



 





Monday Misc for Nov 17th

Weather Update:  Yep, it's COLD!  The good news is that we didn't get any snow over the weekend which surprised me since the weather forecasters here are usually spot on when forecasting weather. However I'm glad they were wrong and we didn't get snow. I'm pretty comfortable driving on snow myself but worry about the other people on the road.  The high today is supposed to be 19 and down to 7 tonight (chill index will be below 0) which will break the record for the coldest day on this date since 1903. The day highs are usually in the 50's this time of year... At least later in the week we should get above freezing...  The 70's in San Diego next week are looking pretty good to me....

Gas Price:  I filled up yesterday with $2.59 gas at a Quick Trip and was really surprised to see gas prices the lowest I can remember in years. Gas is always highest in Calif so it will be interesting to see what we pay there next week.

Years of a big birthdays:  I met a lady in last week's photography class who turned 50 this year.  She was talking about how she decided to do something fun every month during the year.  It has ranged from a trip to Mexico to doing a zip line in Missouri.  Some of the things are just things in the KC area that she has never done even though she has lived here for years.  She wanted some info on doing a book of the year using pictures she has taken during the year.  I kinda like that idea and am thinking I should do something like that for 2015 when I turn 50...

Dec edition of the Quarterly:  I finished the Dec edition of the Quarterly magazine that the Johnson County Genealogy Society publishes.  It is 32 pages long and was quite a chore but I had fun doing it.  After I get it done, I email it to 3 people who do the proofing and catch all my grammar and punctuation mistakes.  I warned the board before I agreed to do it that I was better at putting it together than I was at proofing. Now my impatience sets in when I have to wait on others....  I want to get it to the printers on Thursday.  One of the members did a great article about the "First Olathe Soldier Killed in WW I". Olathe is a neighboring suburb.  She found in old newspapers a letter he wrote to his mother from France a few months before he was killed, a copy of the telegram notifying his parents of his death, a lengthy obit, a poem his parents wrote on the 1 year anniversary of his death and info from the local American Legion what is named after him. She also found an item where he was buried in the Olathe cemetery 5 years later.  In WW I, the bodies of soldiers where were killed were not immediately returned for burial.  They were buried in France or wherever and then some were returned after the war and some remained buried overseas.  She really did a great job an it was so interesting.

Home Depot, Hackers and other stuff

Home Depot:  Remember the issue when they got hacked and files stolen a few months ago?  I got a letter from my credit card saying my card was in the bunch stolen and they were issuing me a new card.  Well that was great but then I had to go online and change the credit card number with everyone from utility companies to Vera Bradley. The new card had the new fangled security chip in it but I have only found 2 stores who have credit card machines that are new enough to use the security chip.. Then I get a letter from Home Depot saying my email address was in a bunch that was hacked!  Now I am getting emails from Ghanda wanting me to help free someone from prison, American Express saying my account was frozen and to "verity" information to unlock the account and the list goes on and on.  I get 5-10 of these a day. Bells went off in my head when I got the American Express email so I called them and sure enough it was not legitimate. I could change my email address but I have had the same one for over 25 years and do not want to change it so will just keep deleting emails for now. At least they didn't make any charges to my old card....

Larry's Mother:  I got a call from Georgia, Larry's sister, yesterday letting me know that their mother had passed away. Barbara was 93,  had severe dementia  and other problems so she is at peace. It's tough on Georgia since she is the only remaining child and the McClelland name stops with her on her Grandfather's line. I'm going to go visit Georgia & Cass in the spring and go with her to take her mother's ashes down to Cambria, CA for burial in the O'Neil family plot of the little cemetery there. Larry and I visited that cemetery a few years ago and it is a really neat place - small, surrounded by woods, up on a big hill with an abundance of wildlife roaming the grounds.

Weather: I know I wanted 4 seasons but this is ridiculous!  It isn't even Thanksgiving yet and the wind chill this morning was 3 degrees with snow forecast for Saturday.  The 10 day forecast doesn't have any days above 40.  The wind is brutal.  Otherwise, it isn't too bad if you are in the sun - it's cold but with scarf, gloves, etc I am o.k. With all the wind, I certainly appreciate the time you ladies in Tucson took to check out the chime sound on wind chimes. 8-)  Sometimes the sound just goes on and on with the wind.  I woke up in the night last night and could hear the wind chimes.

Visitor: There has been a gray squirrel in the yard ever since I moved in here.  He usually came through in the morning while I was having breakfast and I would watch Morris watching the squirrel. A few weeks ago the squirrel was in the yard and came up on the patio. So.....I decided to feed him. I go and get a squirrel feeder, hang it in the yard and waited but never saw him in the feeder and the food level was the same. So....after seeing him on the patio again, I put some food just off the patio in the grass and he ate it.  Then I put some in a dish on the patio and here he is having lunch.

This week is the first time I have seen 2 of them at the same time in the yard.  So I put food out and it disappears but I don't know when they are getting it. Yesterday I changed the seed in the hanging feeder to bird seed and will feed the squirrel on the patio. Easy entertainment.... 8-)

Monday Misc for Nov 10th

Weather:   Yep, weather is getting top billing again this week. Here is the weather forecast for the next 10 days. As you can see, it will be 40 degrees colder in the morning than the high today and the

 

high tomorrow is forecast to be 30 degrees colder than today.  Then in the 30's for the next 10 days and beyond.  I don't mind cold!  However, I didn't expect it this sudden, this soon. Then there is the wind chill which is another whole issue to deal with. We shall see!   8-)  On the other hand, 2 weeks from today I will be on my way to San Diego.....

Photography Class: I have taken many, many photography classes over the years but have never taken a portrait photography class until now. I'm taking it at the community college from an instructor I took a class from back in the spring. I wanted to learn about posing people, etc which is a lot more technical than just pointing a camera at a flower and pushing the button. After our class on Saturday, we had homework assignments to do before the class next Saturday.  So...yesterday my nieces were my subject for part of the assignment. We went out to lunch, wine tasting at a winery and then pictures outside at the winery. I did a bit of tweaking in Photoshop when I got home, added a vignette effect and here is the finished assignment.  

 Karen and Vivian.

 Karen

Vivian

 

Any volunteers to be subjects?  8-)

 

 

Monday Misc for Nov 3rd

Three weeks from today I will be going to San Diego to meet a Tucson friend and will come home the day after Thanksgiving.  I'm really looking forward to the trip.

Daylight Savings Time:  One of the good things I can say about Arizona, other than friends, is that they did not observe this silly, outdated thing called Daylight Savings Time. It might have made sense when it was enacted many years ago but not needed now days. It was a hassle yesterday to have to change all the clocks.  However, they are making new clock radios, of which I have 2 of them,  that connect to satellite and reset themselves so I didn't have to change them. That was pretty cool.... Of course I was ready to go to bed last night before the clock said it was time to and woke up this morning at a ridiculous hour. Oh well..... I guess it's the price I pay for green grass, real trees, etc.

Cookies:  I ran across a recipe a few weeks ago and got around to making them last Saturday morning.  They are Pumpkin Spice cookies with cream cheese frosting and really good. The best part is that they were so easy to make!  I had to get most of them out of the house so took some to Bill and Vida when I went over there on Saturday and will give the rest of them to Vivian tomorrow. I really want to experiment with baking but there is the problem of what to do with the stuff I make since I can't keep it in the house and eat it. I would put those hard lost pounds back on so fast.....

Land's End: I love the plain cotton turtle neck sweaters from Land's End. The Sears in Tucson quit carrying the Land's End products in their store and I prefer to buy something I can see rather than order it online. So last week I went to the local Sears here just in case before I ordered online and found a gold mine.  The local Sears store not only carried a very large selection of women's clothing, they also carry men's clothing , kids and plus sizes - all Land's End!!!! Prices are the same as online.

Have a good week everyone!

Season Change and Pesonal Pictures

Last week it was 85 degrees and this week 45 with a low forecast of 24 in the morning.  I think fall is mostly behind us..... I don't see anything higher than 61 for the next 10 days in the forecast. The chill index this morning when I got up was 22... 8-)   But I am ready!  My sweaters are washed, folded and on the shelves. Turtlenecks are ready although I want a couple of different colors. I have a new fake fur-lined vest from Sam's at a great price. My knee boots are in the closet although I still have to spray them with a leather protectant. Had to look in some boxes yesterday but finally found my gloves and I have a rack full of scarves from last year.  So....bring it on! Of course I may get my fill of it early if it is a long, really cold winter and then I can become one of those annoying snow birds that people in Arizona dread.

On another note.....I have a big appreciation of personal pictures from being the genealogy fanatic I am. It is so frustrating to either not have a picture of someone or only have one when they are 10 years old and none as an adult.  I don't have many of me since I am always the one taking them so I have pictures taken periodically at a studio. The last ones were before I let my hair go natural so decided it was time to get some new ones done, especially with a big birthday coming up.  So off  I went to a local Penny's studio. I have gone for many years going back to when Larry and I would get pictures done with the grandkids at Penny's when we lived in Sacramento. Here is a collage of the ones I had done last week. I HATE having my picture taken so am always happy when someone can get some decent pictures of me.

Monday Misc for Oct 27th

Genealogy Seminar:  I'm glad the JCGS sponsored all day 2014 Genealogy Seminar is over!  All I did was take pictures for the Quarterly and be a chauffer on Saturday for the speaker - someone else picked him up at the airport on Friday and took him back on Sunday. The hotel he stayed at is on my way to the event center so I volunteered.  The seminar over all was very good and the  volunteers who planned and worked it did a wonderful job.  They have done this every year for many years so have it down pat. Now for the speaker.....he may be well know, own a genealogy publishing company, be a certified professional genealogist but I had had enough one-on-one time with him after 5 minutes. The guy never shuts up and most of the talking is about him. I set across from him at dinner and he was still talking...  He has been married and divorced 5 times and is an admitted narcissist.  I was thrilled when I dropped him back at his hotel and very glad I didn't have to listen to him for the 45 minute trip to the airport the next morning.

IKEA: Last Thursday I took my car to the dealer to get the oil changed and ready for winter.  Since the dealer is only 1 exit away from the new IKEA store I had to go check it out.  The store is the 1st one in Kansas and the only one in Missouri except for 1 in St. Louis. People lined up 48 hours in advance when it opened a couple of months ago.  Well, it is pretty much the same as the one in Phoenix that Larry and I went to except the one here has undercover parking which is very smart for winter. And yes, I bought several small things I didn't need as I always do.  Larry loved going there and usually put more items in the cart than I did - especially in the kitchen section.

Fall:  Loving the fall weather but the 85 yesterday was just plain silly.... A front is coming in and they are saying frost next Saturday morning.  I figure that  I can go back to sweaters on Thursday at the latest. Yesterday I went for a drive looking for trees to take pictures of.  Here are some of what I found:

The bottom picture was on the trail in the apartment complex.

TGIF

I really don't know why I look forward to Friday since Saturday is just another day when you are retired.  I guess it is just due to the 40+ years of working and looking forward to Friday and having the next 2 days off work... Tomorrow is the all-day annual seminar for the Genealogy Society and I'm the photographer for the event this year. Our speaker is from back east,  owns a publishing company for genealogy books and is a well know speaker on genealogy.  The specific topics aren't of great interest to me but I'm sure I will learn something. Then tomorrow evening is a dinner at a local BBQ place.

Last Wednesday, Vivian and I went out to the Overland Park Arboretum & Gardens for a walk in the sunshine and to enjoy the fall atmosphere. It was beautiful!   They have a special exhibit of scarecrows along a trail that were made by volunteers - very entertaining and creative.  Here are some pics from the day:

I was surprised that the dahlia plants were still in bloom - I don't remember my mother's being in bloom this late in the year.  Yes, the bottom left flower is a rose but the rest are dahlias.

I was surprised that more trees were not in their fall colors.

The stack of pumpkins was at least 5' high.

 

Some of the scarecrows on the trail. The witch who flew into a tree (bottom left) was cute.

This was our favorite and the one we voted for to win a contest for the best scarecrow.  The painted expression on his face is just priceless. He is looking down at some flamingos that have been spray painted black and brown. The title for this one was "Scardy Crow".  Below is a close-up of his face.

Monday Misc for Oct 20th

Yep, fall is here and I am loving it!  This is the view of the trees across the street from my apartment and what I see from my desk in the office. There is a tree just outside my office window that is almost as pretty. However the 70 degree weather is interfering with my sweater wearing....

San Francisco Earthquake: I was interested in the news on Friday with it being the 25th Anniversary of the last big earthquake in San Francisco since I was there in 1989 when it happened. That was the one where the freeways fell down and one side of the Bay Bridge collapsed.  I was living in the Sacramento area after a job transfer and went over to San Jose for a trade convention to look at bar coding equipment for the company. A co-worker and I had left the convention floor and walked next door to a large hotel to have a drink in the lobby bar when it hit. I didn't know so many people could fit under a baby grand piano.... I remember looking out at a very large chandelier above us and it was swinging in circles while bottles were falling off the shelves and breaking as they hit the floor. It finally stopped and we crawled out.  My glass of wine was still on the table but I needed 2 hands to hold it since they were shaking so much. The convention was immediately cancelled so it was a matter of getting out of there. Our car was packed in an underground garage. They would take 10 people in and count 10 cars coming out before taking 10 more people in.  The lights were out so only emergency lighting was available in the garage so it was hard to find your car. We didn't know the extent of damage until we heard it on the radio driving back to Sacramento.  One of those things you never forget......

Tide Cleaners:  Most people wouldn't think much about finding a good cleaners in a new town.  But to me, cleaners are important and I judge them by how well they do my jeans with the right amount of starch and crease. Any cleaners can do a passable job dry cleaning things. I was not thrilled with the one that is near to me - they either got the starch totally wrong or forgot to crease the pants. So I tried another one last week. I have never seen Tide Cleaners before and yes, they are owned by Proctor & Gamble who makes Tide products.  This area is a test market for them.  The jeans look good but haven't tried them yet..... It's the little things......

Morris and Lizards: This was my nightmare! Not necessarily that he would bring it to bed but that it would get loose in the house and wander into bed. It was such a relief not to have to worry about lizards here in the Midwest. This is the October picture on my calendar.  I have had a calendar over my desk with drawings by Gary Patterson each year for over 20 years.  All the pictures are of a cat doing various things.

Catching up...

It has been a busy week and I just didn't get around to setting down to update the blog...  A friend from Tucson was visiting for a week and we were on the go every day!  She is 10 years older than me but sometimes I had to find a bench to set down on to rest before she did.....  The weather didn't cooperate in that it rained 5 of the 7 days she was here.  We got everything on the list done but had to change a few things around because of rain. Of course the weather has been perfect since she left on Tuesday...  Perfect fall days right now with cool days, crisp nights and leaves changing.

I gotta admit that I did not think the KC Royals would win the Division Playoff let along the American League Championship....  However, I am really impressed with their "non-prima donna" attitude which is very refreshing in today's world of players only out for themselves and money.

I'm missing my little furry buddy but not ready for another one yet - if ever.  The house is awfully empty and I really noticed it after my friend left this week. 8-(     But that's life...

I've been switching out my closet this morning - bringing winter sweaters in from the storage boxes in the garage and taking out summer stuff. I'm ready!

Tidbits for Oct 7th

Louisburg Cider Mill:  Vivian and I stopper here on the way to Ft. Scott last Friday. The hot, fresh cider and cider donuts were wonderful!

Ft. Scott, KS:  Had a great time in Ft. Scott over the weekend with my niece.  We stayed at the Courtland Hotel which was built in 1906 for the railroad workers passing through. It isn't fancy but clean and had lot's of charm.  The furniture was a mix of antiques and stuff from the 50's but the bathroom was current. I didn't realize there was so much history in the area!  Besides a fully restored Fort Scott Military post, there was the Mine Creek Civil War Battlefield and a Civil War Massacre site - all very interesting.

Hotel Courtland

 

Lobby of the hotel

 

Ft Scott National Cemetery is one of the original 14 national Cemeteries that were established in 1862 by President Lincoln.

Company Coming....  A friend from Tucson arrives today for a week's visit.  8-)

Thursday Tidbits for Oct 2nd

Pain Shot:  I call it my miracle shot even if it did only last for about 6 hours...  What I am in the process of having is Medial Branch Nerve Blocks at L3 & L4. Last Tuesday was my first shot.  The way it works is that they do 2 shots of a temporary medicine to confirm that the pain is in fact coming from specific nerves.  If that is confirmed, they do a shot of something that basically kills the nerve which can last for a couple of years or more. This treatment is only for nerves outside the spinal column. So I went in not knowing what to expect other than what I had read on the paper they gave me. The doctor did 6 shots to numb the area on my back by the spine where the shots go.  She said the first numbing shot would "hurt like a bee sting"....well that was the biggest bee I have ever been stung by.....  It hurt and then there were 4-5 more of them.  I didn't feel the big needle when they went for the nerve - only a little pressure inside when she put the medicine in.  They use something like what dentist use that numbs an area for a few hours. By the time I got back to my recliner in another room my back was pain free. I couldn't believe it!  My pain is only in one isolated area so it's pretty clear if it is hurting or not. I waited a few minutes while they watched blood pressure and was discharged with a pain diary to keep for the rest of the day with instructions to "go home and do things that would normally make my back hurt". After about 3 hours of lifting, twisting, bending over, etc I could start to feel some pain starting to come back.  I had to call the diary in to her nurse yesterday before they would schedule the next shot which isn't until Nov 4th due to her being out of town for 3 weeks. The bee stings are worth the end result - at least they only hurt for a couple of seconds.
Results from my CT Scan: I had the scan on Friday and the results were posted to MyChart on the computer Friday night and was there Saturday morning for me. Of course it had a lot of big words but basically by looking them up I figured out that it was "calcified fat cells" and no problem. The doctor called me yesterday and confirmed it.  She said it sometimes just happens and sometimes happens after a surgery.  So no worries.... The also saw the nodule in the lung and it was still the same size as it was  few months ago. So....for the first time in several months, I don't have a doctor's appointment on my calendar for this month! 
Weather: The weather is playing with me!!!!! Last week it was mid 80's. A high of 56 tomorrow then slowly working it's way back up to mid-upper 70's or 80 before back down to the mid 70's.  However, tomorrow is sweater weather and my big decision will be which color of turtleneck sweater to wear....

Monday Misc for Sept 29th

I can't believe that it is the end of September already!  However, I am so excited for Fall in the Midwest - even if the leaves are perfect this year there will still be the cool crisp mornings and the smell of fallen leaves. The last time I had a small amount of fall was while living in Sacramento and we left there in 2005 so it has been awhile. Of course I'm fussing about the current 80+ degree weather but that changes later this week.

My CT Scan with Contrast from last Friday:  The was for the Renal Mass that was picked up on the MRI for my back and wasn't conclusive on the ultrasound as to what it was. The CT scan is simple and painless, it's the before and after that was not fun!  Because of the contrast being hard on kidneys, I had to have an IV of saline before and after the procedure plus the port for contrast.  I don't have good veins so there are problems for anything more than a blood draw which has to be on the back of my hand. He finally found a line in the hand for the IV so I set there for an hour before the CT for the saline to feed in. Then I get up to the CT dept and find out that the IV port will not work for the contrast - it is too small.  Apparently they have to have a large enough port/needle where they can push in a lot of dye in seconds. The tech had a hard time getting enough blood in the and for lab work to check my creatinine before the procedure but finally made it. Usually they just withdraw blood from where the IV line is and it's no big deal. He didn't even try to find a new vein for the contrast dye but called the IV Therapy team who are the "experts" in putting in lines when people don't have good veins.  The They decided to do it on the inside of the arm below the elbow.  The first line in the left arm collapsed soon after they got the needle in.  Then it was trying it on the right arm in the same place. While one of the people is engaging me in conversation to get my mind off the 2nd stick, the other person got a good vein. The tech was able to get a reading on the creatinine right there - kinda like a glucose monitor - and it was 1.1 which is high but not bad for me. Anyway, they do the dye and CT. The dye gives you a funny feeling like they ran hot water through your veins - it's a heat rush inside the body but doesn't hurt...  The renal mass showed up and I got to see it after the scan was over.  It is about the size of my thumb and is just there by it's self where the kidney should be. I don't know yet what they have decided but won't be at all surprised if the next step is biopsy.  Anyway, I head back downstairs to the Fusion Therapy dept for my post-CT IV picking up some food in the cafeteria along the way since I couldn't eat before the CT.  I get there and find out that I will be there for 3 hours which I did not expect!  The time passed so slowly.  The good news was that they could use the bigger port for the IV. Finally out of the hospital 6.5 hours after I got there.....

Morris's Ashes:  I got a call from the vet that they were ready and picked them up, came home, got a new box of Kleenex out and took the items out of the bag. I may have mentioned before that an older man and wife have the service that does animal cremations in the area. The ashes are in a very nice small, wooden box.  I didn't open it but I assume there is a plastic bag inside the box with the ashes. There was a Certificate of Cremation for Morris Jerome and the date he was cremated, where, etc. Then there was a nice note from them that was good for 2 Kleenexs about how special each pet is, etc. However, the finale was a poem called "The Rainbow Bridge". I have heard of it before but had never read it.  It was good for half a box of Kleenex.  Here are the first few paragraphs:

It goes on to talk about time passing until the pet sees it's master coming, runs to meet him/her and they cross The Rainbow Bridge together - united again and never to be separated. That's how I think of Morris and Larry......

I also got a card from the Vet and his wife the next day where he wrote many, many lines of small print about how much they appreciated me letting them share Morris with me and how disappointed he was that he couldn't make Morris better but it helped to know Morris was with Larry. There went the rest of the Kleenex box.

 

Getting out of town:  Vivian and I are heading out of town for the weekend on Friday and I am so ready after the last couple of weeks!  We're going to Fort Scott, KS - stay tuned for what we find there and along the way.....

Thurs Tidbits

Cookies:  Now I bet you are wondering what I am going to say about cookies.....  My very favorite cookies for the last year while on Weight Watchers was Nabisco Snack Well's Cookie Cakes, Devil's Food flavor.  They are 1 point each (in Weight Watcher's language), which is low for cookies, so for 2 points I could get my sweet tooth satisfied after dinner and also satisfy my chocolate tooth. I ran out of them several weeks ago and then found out that both of my grocery stores have quit carrying them which was a major crisis.  However, Wal-Mart saved me!  I found them at my local store and was so excited that I bought 4 boxes of them just in case.... 

iPhone 6:  Last Monday I went to the Apple store because of a question on my iPad memory.  Silly me forgot about the lines of people buying the new iPhone 6....  Sure enough there was a line of about 20 people outside the store waiting for a clerk inside the store to be ready for a new customer who wanted to buy the new phone.  They had 1 person taking care of us who did not want to buy the new phone so I got in but was 3rd in line for that person.  He answered my questions in about 2 minutes and on my way out I HAD to stop at a display and check out the new phones.  Checking them out confirmed my initial thoughts that I wasn't interested in upgrading. The smaller of the new phone is a little larger than my 5C so isn't worth the money.  Plus, the upgrades don't do anything for me based on how I use my phone. The iPhone 6 Plus is way too big.  It is too big to comfortably fit in my hand and wouldn't fit into any of the little phone pockets in my purses. So....will set this tech toy out for now.

Weight:  I have gained 2.5 lbs in the last month while Morris was sick  - or so the scales at the Weight Watcher's meeting said yesterday.  So it is time to get serious and go back to what I was doing that worked - cut out so much fast food and sweets.... Stress eating is definitely one of my problems.

Something new along the trail: Yesterday morning I went for a walk along the trail that runs 
through the apartment complex on the way to the golf course. There was the usual bunnies and squirrels along the trail but in the stream along the trail was a crane.  I'm not sure what kind it is.  He was perfectly still and I just happened to see him out of the corner of my eye.  I went on to the golf course and when I came back he was still in the stream. Made my day.....

Monday Misc for Sept 22nd

My brother's 79th Birthday:   His actual birthday is this coming Wednesday although the family celebrated it yesterday with a BBQ at Bill & Vida's house. Son-in-law Dave cooked 40 burgers and 48 hot dogs for the approximately 45 people who were there - all family covering 4 generations plus me. The big family dinners are still overwhelming for me but they are getting less so as I get to know more people.  It still blows my mind that I am related to that many people.  Someone yesterday told me to just "wait until Christmas when everyone comes".

Dr. Cain:  I went by the vets office today to settle up the bill, pick up the collar from Morris and take them the dishes, leashes, food, etc that I don't need anymore. Jeni, his wife, said it was pretty solemn around their house this weekend - especially Dr. Cain.  They told the boys that Morris had died when they got home after work Friday and one of them said "Daddy wasn't there anything else you could have done for Morris?" which is the last thing he needed to hear because he really had tried everything. I do miss by little furry buddy but have great comfort in knowing we did everything we could do and it just wasn't meant to be so now he is with Larry. Dr. Cain said to let him know when I'm ready for another cat and he will find me a good one..... I won't say never but not right now I want to be able to just pick up and go places without having to worry about getting someone to take care of a pet. They got a big kick out of all the different kinds of food Morris had, different dishes, etc. Definitely a spoiled one!

Fall decorations:  Vivian, my niece, came over last Saturday and we decorated the house.   She did a great job and some of it looks like a magazine! After so many years in the desert, I love being able to decorate for the seasons. Let's face it.....fall just isn't the same when it is 95 degrees with cactus and palm trees. Below are some pictures:

The front entry which I just love! It is definitely a WOW when you come around the side of the building on the sidewalk. The green plants on the left are mums that have not bloomed yet.

The flower rack along the wall in the front entry.

 What I see on the patio when I'm setting in my recliner and looking out through the French doors.

Larry and Morris - Together Again......

Tough, tough day for me today....  Morris wasn't in a good mood on Wednesday when I went by to see him, yesterday he started going down hill and was much worse this morning. The vet ran blood tests when they got to the office today and the labs showed that Morris was in kidney failure.  Dr. Cain didn't have to explain the lab numbers to me since I could look at them and know he was in renal failure due to all my experience Larry's labs before the kidney transplant. High levels of potassium will stop your heart.  The doctors panicked once when Larry's was 6.5.  Today Morris was 9.5.  His creatinine was so high they couldn't get a reading.  Dr. Cain called me mid-afternoon to let me know things were not going well and it might be time.  I told him I was coming by in 30-45 minutes and I needed to see how Morris was - especially the look on his face. I got there, took one look at Morris and knew the time had come. Jeni brought Morris into one of the little rooms for me and we hung out while Dr. Cain was finishing up with a couple of dogs.  He went over everything and all 3 of us agreed that we had done all we could do for Morris and it just wasn't to be. Yes, we could treat the kidney failure but the fact remains that his legs had not gotten any better in a week and he still wasn't using his bladder.  We just didn't want to put him through any more treatments.  Dr. Cain gave his a shot of a strong anesthesia which puts them to sleep.  I left then because I couldn't stay until they gave him the other shot what would stop the heart. I having him cremated and plan to take his ashes back to Tucson with me in January and spread them out at Saguaro Park East which was a favorite place of Larrys plus there are lots of lizards for Morris.... This all started back on July 22 which was a long time ago....  As I have said before, what made me willing to do so much and spend so much money on Morris was that he was Larry's cat and Morris was a strong link for me to Larry.  Now Larry has him back....

Monday Misc on Wednesday

Computer work:  I have spent sooooo many hours on the computer since last Saturday.  I went through almost 300 pictures from the trip to Arkansas and edited about 100 of them, updated some Family History Books for printing, worked some on the Quarterly for the Genealogy Society and did a Family History Book for Great-Grandfather Arnold who fought in the civil war. Some of the stuff is completed and I'm still working on the Trip book and the book for Great-Grandfather Arnold. It all takes so much time on the computer - good thing I love doing it!

Weather:  I LOVE it!!!!!!! Nights are in the upper 50's and days are in the 70's most of the time.  That to me is the perfect weather.

Another medical test for me: It seems like it just won't quit!  Something I think I don't want to know if there is a problem but then that really isn't me - I want to know if there is a problem.  You may remember that the MRI for the back showed a mass in the kidney bed where the donated kidney used to be. So I had an ultrasound done to confirm what we thought was scar tissue from previous surgeries and then the kidney surgery added to it. But my kidney doctor called this afternoon and now wants a CT scan with contrast done which is what we were trying to avoid by going the ultrasound route. She consulted some other doctors and they all advise checking it out because it is larger now that it was 2 months ago on the MRI.  Scar tissue wouldn't grow that fast. Because of only having one kidney, I will need and IV before the scan and an IV afterwards to flush the contrast out because it is hard on my kidney. The good news is that if you only looked at my labs, you would not know there wasn't 2 kidneys - the function is that good. The IV's are just a precaution. Enough is enough!!!!!!!

Morris:  I went by to see him today and he was not in a good mood today - even the Dr Cain (shown here) and Jeni (his wife who works in the clinic) commented on it. Morris was talkative in a "leave me alone" tone of voice, he kept swatting me when I was holding him and wanted nothing to do with his PT or wheel chair today. Jeni was commenting that Morris is very different with Dr Cain than he with her - same as I was ignored when Larry was around.  Even today, Morris shut up when I handed him off to Dr. Cain . Dr Cain brought his bed over by his desk and put Morris on it who promptly shut up. It is rather interesting to hang around the vet's office and see the different breeds that come in  - some that you don't see very often.  The other day a lady brought in a French Bulldog and today it was a 13 years old Weimaraner who was perfectly behaved but is having bad arthritis problems in his back legs. On Monday it was an Airedale terrier that got my attention. Sometimes I just sit in the lobby with Morris on my lap so he can look out the window. Not very often does a cat come in - mostly dogs. Anyway, Dr Cain and I are going to talk next Wed and see how Morris is doing after he increased his steroid dose today.

Morris, Me and Mums

Morris Update: Well he wasn't exactly smiling this morning.... He looks so funny with all the shaves places and this doesn't even show the spot on the back of his head.  The side is where the pain patch goes when he has it on but doesn't currently and the spot on the back was for the spinal tap as was the one on top of his head. He is doing the about the same with still tiny little steps forward. This morning he pulled his legs back into a setting position and was moving his legs when being "tail walked".  That is where they set him up on his legs, hold the back legs up by holding onto the tail and see if he moves his back legs.  There was no movement of the back legs 2 weeks ago and now there is some - you can see he is trying. I'm glad the vet takes him outside in the grass in the evenings.  He said they get a lot of funny looks but Morris has a good time eating grass and looking for bugs. He gets soooooo much attention from not only the vet but also from the whole staff which I am thankful for. Que Sera, Sera (Whatever will be, will be)......

Medical Update for me: They found something in the kidney bed of my missing kidney when I had the MRI for my back. Radiology suggested a CT with contrast which is a big deal for someone with only 1 kidney.  So the nephrologist wanted to do a sonogram first and see if that would rule anything in or out. I had that done today and the tech who did it thinks it is just scar tissue which was a possibility in the report of the radiologist. I know there was a lot of scar tissue in the area before the transplant so there will be even more now after another surgery. I'm not worried about it but should get the official report in a few days.   I have my pain shot scheduled for Sept 30th and sure hope it works. It is a Medial Branch Nerve Block which is not the epidural that most people get in the back for pain.

Mums, Mums, & More Mums: I am soooooo ready for fall, especially after today when it was 51 degrees this morning, cloudy and intermittently misty today and I am wearing my long sleeves denim shirt today. A crock pot of chile is simmering for dinner tonight. Anyway, yesterday Vivian and I went to Johnson Farms to get mums for outside. I have never seen such big mum plants in my life.  They are in 2- 3 gallon containers and are easily 24" in diameter. The plants are not in bloom yet so you look through a book showing the plant colors, write down the row and name of the plant you choose and they go get them for you.  In the book, it will say if the plant is expected to bloom in last September, mid-October, late-October, etc. The rows just go on forever. This picture is the back of my vehicle which was completely full of plants with the back seats down. There was 3 for my niece, 3 for my brother and 3 for me. Can't wait until they bloom...

Updates

I was sooooo glad to get home yesterday after a long day of driving.  I drove 3 hours to Bentonville, AR and then spent a couple hours at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. The Museum opened in 2011 and is really an amazing place.  It is out in the middle of nowhere with an outstanding collection of art by American artists of all mediums. There are many miles of trails surrounding the museum with art displayed - again in various mediums suitable for the outdoors. It is someplace I definitely want to go back to and spend a lot more time. 

This is part of the museum as seen from the dining room.  I wasn't prepared for it to be so modern in design and it seems a little strange to see the modern architecture set in the Ozark outdoors on a lake.

 

MORRIS UPDATE: I went by to see my little buddy this afternoon. I haven't seen him since last Thursday but did get an email update over the weekend from Dr. Cain who knew I was out of town. The consensus of Dr. Cain and the staff is that Morris is making progress and I agree.  Today when I walked in and he heard my voice he started meowing. He is moving his back legs just a little bit during his physical therapy and "tail-walking" him. He gets PT 3-4 times a day and hates it. Sometimes he pees on his own - not just dribble. Right now he is not getting any pain meds but is getting very heavy doses of steroids.  They were telling me today about a beagle who had the same behavior with his back legs as Morris does and the dog is walking again but it took him about 3 months to get his legs back. A big thing for me was today when I watched him pull his back legs up to his body and sat like a cat. It was slow movement but he did it.  He is still going everywhere in his wheelchair when he is home with them at night. The vet's wife, who also works there, found a video on the internet for a wheelchair made out of PVC pipe using a cloth sling that the whole body rests in. I think the vet is going to dry making one....  So...I have a little hope that I may get my buddy back someday.  Walking and bladder/bowel control are the must have criteria for him to come home and Dr. Cain agrees.

Little Rock Misc.....

I had forgotten how polite people are in the south.  I am amazed all over again with "Yes Ma'am" from teenagers.  People hold the door open for maturing people. Yesterday a young girl on the elevator wished me a "have a good afternoon" as she was getting off the elevator.  Refreshing!

I looked at the weather for this week in KC and was shocked to see that the temperature for Friday is 51 H & 42 low that night.  Time to get out sweaters or a least long sleeves out of the closet!  Can't wait for fall. I plant to go to the nursery this week and get mums for the patio and entry.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the hotel has been totally renovated since I was here last. I had breakfast in the café/dining room this morning (they call it a Bistro) and again they have something I have never seen before.  There are the usual tables and chairs but there are 4-5 of these little areas where there is a corner sofa with a table and your own little TV with control for watching TV while eating. There is also an electrical plug-in for laptop, phone, etc.  I liked it!

I saw this in the sports section of the paper this morning and thought it was rather interesting. With today being the opening day of the football season, everyone starts out with a clean slate.

 

I was excited to see that the current special exhibit at the Clinton Library is an exhibit by Chuhuly who is a world famous glass blower.  I have seen his work in Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Las Vegas and now Little Rock.  This is by far the best exhibit - mostly due to how it is displayed.  Above is his work in the fountain outside the library. I like them in the fountain much better than mixed in with cactus like they were in Phoenix Botanical Garden

When you walk in this room and see this it is just breathtaking!  Everything is set on black glass and the lighting is perfect.  I have seen some of these pieces in other places but never in one room together like this. It took his people 5 days to set up the exhibit.

There is another room on the 3rd floor that has individual pieces.  Again, displayed on high black glass tables with spotlights on them. It was really an outstanding exhibit!

This morning I went to the zoo while it was still overcast and relatively cool - well 73 degrees cool. I really can't believe that Larry and I never went there while we were here since I love going to zoos. I think we thought it would be too hot....  I'll get the many picture I took edited when I get home and add them to the blog in the next few days.

I was walking back to the hotel earlier in the evening after dinner and saw a cop stop two motorcycle riders. They had passed me and you could hear them coming from a block behind me since they were going really slow and reving their bikes every few feet.  There is a police station on the corner to the left of the above. The cop heard them coming, walked out into the street and stopped them when they got to him. There is not a lot of crime own here in the Market Street area and I think it is because of the police presence. The street is crawling with cops walking and riding bicycles on Friday and Saturday nights.  Tourism is important to the city and they are protecting the area that brings in money to the city.

I's heading home in the morning with a stop in Bentonville for to visit the Crystal Bridges museum before going on home later in the day. It is about a 3 1/2 hour drive each leg of the trip.

 

 

Research and Shopping

Research: Well I didn't find out where my Great Grandfather Jefferson Luther Arnold is buried!  He died in a Union regimental hospital in 1864 at Brownsville, AR of Small Pox. His military records just record his death but nothing about burial.  What I did find out today is that back then, when someone died of small pox, especially in the Civil War, the bodies were buried in a mass grave or cremated. All their clothes and bedding were burned. It was highly contagious so they couldn't take chance of it spreading. Of the 216 men in his regiment, 182 died of infectious disease - probably small pox. We will probably never know for sure what happened. So, moving on to his father and other members of his family including a son (brother to my grandfather). I did get a lot of information on land owned by my 2nd Great Grandfather in northern Arkansas during the 1800's. And then there is the recently discovered information that my Great Grandmother (Jefferson's wife) died in Missouri and family legend implied she died in Arkansas so I need to also do some search on her.....  The journey continues.....

Shopping: After finishing the research, I drove out to Larry's favorite Dillard's for a little shopping. I do love 65% off sales.....

The trip down here has been good for me.....  All the stuff with Morris has brought back so many hard memories of Larry getting sick, waiting on test results, and then the end. It seemed like I couldn't get my mind of remembering.  Down here, I am remembering the good times and good memories of places, etc. I needed the mind shift!

I got all the research done today which was much faster than I had planned on so will probably head home on Monday instead of Tuesday. Some of the leads I got today I can do the research on at the Midwest Genealogy Center at home.

Back in Little rock

     What a lot of memories there are in Little Rock for me and I'm basking in all of them.  Larry and I had such a great time here in the summer of 2011! The drive took 7 hours which included 2 pit stops and a stop for lunch.  I kept remembering Larry's awe of all the trees when in northern Arkansas you can look in any direction, as far as you can see and all you see is trees.  He just couldn't get over that.   
     The freeway got a little boring at times but my playlist on my phone kept me company. I listened to satellite radio for awhile and then went to my phone music.  I usually use cruise control when driving on he freeway since I do tend to speed.  However, I hadn't set cruise control after a stop, was singing along with Willie Nelson and looked down to see that I was over 80 but below 100.  Fortunately I immediately slowed down just before I came around a long curve in view of a Highway Patrol car with a radar gun. Close call...... Reminded me of the time back in the late 1980's when I was driving between Eugene, OR and San Francisco.  I was coming down out of the mountains in northern Calif in a small sports car with the top off and listening to the Beach Boys blaring.  I passed a Highway Patrol Car!!!!!   I immediately pulled over and waited for him.. He gave me the ticket I deserved for driving 85 in a 70 mph zone and suggested I drive the spread limit until after I got to a certain town about 50 miles down the road.
     I love listening to my favorite KC radio station on my cell phone via Bluetooth in the car!  I'm so addicted to talk radio...
     I'm staying at a Marriott Courtyard in Little Rock which is right downtown. When we were staying here, I would walk down to it on Sunday mornings and have their buffet breakfast while Larry stayed in the condo, read the paper and drank coffee. However, since then they have totally remodeled the hotel. Most of it I like but I HATE, HATE, HATE the sofa in the room.

This may be the latest in style but the most uncomfortable thing I have ever set on.  For one thing, it is like setting on a round bed.  Even with pillows piled behind me, my feet still won't touch the floor. You can't  really see the curve in this picture but take my word for it. The good thing is that instead of an ice machine on each floor, they have a small freezer with little bags of ice that fit in the ice buckets.  Never, in all my years of travel and the hundreds of motel/hotels I have stayed in have I ever seen ice like that.  I love it!
   Tomorrow I am going to the Farmer's Market first thing just to walk through it since it is such an awesome place, have a croissant at the bakery (they are huge and melt in your mouth)  and then head over to the Arkansas Historical Museum for research on my paternal great-grandfather and his family. Hopefully I will have a successful day of research!

Morris update:   I saw him yesterday and he was about the same.  They added another med to see if it would work. I took over his car crate, bed, litter box with 1 1/2" cut down sides, etc so he will have some familiar things.  Also took a baby gate I had so they can put it up between his room and the lobby.  He can see what is going on in the lobby but not go out there.  He does have the run of the area behind the office gate before you go out to the big room where the dogs are. He seemed quite content!  The vet thinks that within a month he will either get better or go the other way. We'll see what happens since it is out of our hands.......

Morris update

What an emotional week this has been for me and parts of it were not so good for my little buddy either.

At right is his face on Tuesday morning - no spark in his eyes and totally lethargic with none of his personality.  The vet and I were thinking it was time since he seemed to have given up the battle that Morris had been fighting so vigorously.  The vet wanted to wait 24 hours and in the meantime put a pain patch on, change his environment, etc and then we met again yesterday afternoon.  I asked my niece to go with me since I fully expected that we would put him down and I needed some support.  So with a pocket full of tissues we headed off to the vets.

What a surprise when we got there yesterday. He was alert, meowing and wanting his ears scratched.  You can see the difference in these 2 pictures. The vet and the whole staff couldn't wait to tell us about the change in Morris. He got the pain patch put on Tuesday morning and it kicked in late afternoon. During the day on Tuesday he was moved to an exam room where a bed was made for him with food, water, etc. The vet said a lot of animals get depressed when kept in the cages and just give up - like people.  Tuesday night he was outside his cage at the vets house and interacting with their 3 & 7 year old boys. The vet took him outside in the grass to express his bladder and Morris stalked and found a cricket for dinner while they were outside. He was in "his room" yesterday at the clinic. The vet checked his back and back legs for sensation and he reacted quickly so he does have good feeling in them but the message to move the legs isn't getting to the muscles. He is eating everything in sight, drinking some water but still doesn't have any use of the back legs nor is the bladder working.  They "express the bladder" 2-3 times a day which is squeeze it forcing urination. The room he is in at the clinic is still used as an exam room but Morris just ignores what goes on and stays in his cave which is underneath the island used as the exam table. If the room isn't in use, they leave the doors open and Morris can come out if he wants to.

Since Morris was so much better yesterday they decided to try him in a wheel chair which is shown above and he went all over the place in it. He looks funny with so many shaved places on him.  The one on his head was for the spinal tap. So....Morris is now the official Clinic Cat or as Vivian says, he is in "assisted living". The vet said he needs more care than I can provide, they love him and want to keep him as long as Morris is Morris with visiting privileges for me and I pay for meds, etc.  When he isn't Morris any more then the vet has my permission to do what needs to be done. The meds may kick in or he might stay the way he is but as long as Morris is trying then he gets the chance.  He will like all the attention and activity going on. As for me, I slept better last night and I don't have the know in my stomach today.

Primary Care Vet for Morris who is an amazing person.

Monday Misc for Sept 1st

I just cannot believe that it is September already - the months here have really flown by.  I can't wait for fall - a real fall - not the desert fall.  Let's face it....palm trees don't change color...  I know it is early but I did put some of my fall items out in the house today but won't do the outside stuff for a few more weeks. I have been through a little bit of Winter, full Spring and Summer so now comes Fall to get my 4 seasons in that I missed so much being in the desert.

An interesting dilemma: I had made plane reservations to come back here in early January before I had originally planned to move in March. I cancelled the plans when I put the house on the market early and it sold.  I wasn't worried about cancelling the reservation since I knew I would be going back to Tucson in January 2015 and planned to use it then.  I made my reservation for Tucson last week and got a surprise!  The cancelled fare must be used before Nov 12th which is when the original reservation was made. My dilemma is to go someplace before then or loose the fare which I don't want to do but not sure what to use it on.  I'm going to look at everywhere Southwest flies to and pick a short trip. Since I'm in the Midwest, there are more options that won't take so long to get to as flying from the west does. From Tucson, it takes a full day to get to the east coast. Interesting dilemma.... Any suggestions?

Morris: Nothing new as I haven't seen him since Saturday. I'll go by in the morning for a visit.  I'm hoping for a miracle but not expecting it. I fully understand that him being sick is all wrapped up with Larry and it is all very emotional.  Just because I understand it doesn't make it any easier....

Little Rock: Plans are made to go down on Friday and back on Tuesday. That will give me 2 days for research plus a day to play tourist. I can stay another day if I decide to.  I checked the Clinton Library to see what temporary exhibits they have since they usually have some really good temporary exhibits.  I've seen their fixed exhibits a couple of time so that doesn't interest me. Imagine my surprise to see that there is currently an exhibit of glass art by Chihuly!  I have seen his work twice in Phoenix in the Botanical Garden and once in Oklahoma City at their Art Museum. It will be interesting to see what is on display at the Clinton Library. Hope the Irish Pub is still there and still serving the big baskets of home-made French Fries....