A Day in Eugene

Typical day in Eugene - low 50's and overcast with clouds ranging from light to dark but at least it isn't raining. I don't know how much rain they have had this year to date but the average if 41+ inches per year.  However, as I learned when I lived here, you can go for 2 weeks and not see the sun. Many days it is just a light mist that falls - not a "rain" like in most places. BUT, with all that rain, the grass is the greenest I have every seen anyplace and flowers are abundant. This morning I took the camera and headed out....

Area in the yard of the hotel

Rhododendron

With all the rain and humidity, moss on trees is common.  However, it is not the same as the hanging moss in the south.

California Poppies along a street

Azaleas

Greetings from Eugene, Oregon

I am soooooo tired!  I absolutely could not get to sleep last night and was still wide awake at 1:30 knowing that the alarm was going to go off at 5 a.m. I left the house at 6 a.m. and started my journey cross country. And there was good old KCI airport..... I get there and the garage is full by the terminal. I did find space in a lot not far away so didn't have to drive half way to Iowa for the long-term parking. The good part is that for some unknown reason Southwest Airlines did a TSA pre-check on me so I didn't have to go through the full security line.  That means  I didn't have to take off my sweather, take my lap top out of the suitcase, take off my shoes and stand in the whole body xray machine.  I just walked through an old fashioned metal detector but did have to run my carry on items through the scanner. I have thought about going through the proces of getting a permanent pre-clerance which involved paying $75 dollars, getting fingerprinted and filling out an application. The most entertaining thing at the airport was when a dog came through sniffing all our carry-on for explositives. After an hours, a different dog came through doing the same thing. The gate I flew out of today was the first one I have seen that has "big chairs' with a table arm and plug ins for laptops or cell phones. Southwest got extra points for that.....  The flights were on time so I can't fuss about that. I heard on the radio that there were doing away with the Sky Mall magazines on planes and there wasn't any today although there were in January when I flew to Tucson.  Sky Mall was always entertaining since they carried everything a person can't live without whether you are a gardner or executive. I will miss them.....

This picture was taken out of the plane window as we were coming into Denver.  We were above the clouds and the Rockie mountains were above the clouds. It is always nostalgic for me when I fly through the Denver airport....  I was through there every Sunday and Friday for so MANY months back when I was working. I knew every restaurant in the B Concourse which was where United Airlines was. I knew the quiet corners where I could go to and get some work done while waiting on my flight. In all that time, I only got stuck there once because of a snow storm. Fortunately, I was able to get a cab to a hotel for the night....Good memories but I sure wouldn't want to relieve them....

 

PS. I know there are typos and mis-spellings in there but I'm too tired to go back,find them and correct....

Misc Monday - April 6

Easter: I have now made it through 2 Family Easter Dinners and Egg Hunts. Last year there was around 55 people at Shery's but yesterday I counted 64 and then there was a few more that came in.  This morning I found out that there was a few kids downstairs when I counted so the count was easily over 70.  That is a lot of family! Ages ranged from 15 days old to 81 years old. Unless you see it, you cannot imagine how much food there was and most of it was gone by the time everyone left.

There are 2 Easter Egg Hunts - one for the little kids like this and then the 2nd one is for the older kids. Each kid gets 15 eggs.

 

Easter Bunny, 15 years old,  taking a break in the recliner.....

 

Cousins holding hands and playing together....

 

Spring flowers: I am SOOOOOOO enjoying the spring flowers and carry a camera with me all the time in case the iPhone isn't good enough.

 

Upcoming storms: I know it will happen - it just a matter of when!  I have apps on my phone (but no good if cell towers are down), I get phone alerts from my town (no good if phone lines are not working or there is no electricity) so I got my weather radio last Saturday that runs on both electricity and battery with messages direct from the national weather department. My favorite  TV weather forecasters do community events where you buy the radio and they program it for you.  The programming is important because you don't want to hear about storms in a county 10 miles away - you want it for your area. So last Saturday I got my radio and had it programmed. The guys were SO NICE!

 

 



 

Monday again...

I'm still loving the spring and realizing just how much I missed the spring season during the 8 years in the desert. The trees that are currently in bloom are particularly impressive. This grove of trees, not far from me, is especially beautiful.  There are many of these Ornamental Pear Trees ( I think that is what they are) near me that I drive by every day. Last Saturday I went to the monthly genealogy meeting that is in a section of town built in the mid 70's, or somewhere in that era. I was stopped at a stoplight and while looking around I saw trees like this on one corner, a huge magnolia tree on another corner that was in bloom, a hedge of bright yellow forsythia on another and tulips on the fourth corner. I was wishing the light had stayed red longer.... My heart was smiling by the time it turned green and I drove on. I have always heard that spring is a time of "renewal" but don't think I understood that until this year.

Pain Class:  Last Wednesday was the last of the 10 week series and it will seem strange not to be driving down to KUMed after Weight Watchers every Wednesday. We wrapped up with T'ai Chi. I'm not sure how I feel about it... I like the slow movement although I'm not good at remembering movement patterns. I just can't remember all the steps and what you do when in what sequence.... I got really bored with the meditation phase like I was with the yoga meditation. I knew this time which moves cause me problems with my back so didn't do the full movement of those. I may sign up for a class in June when I get some time - we'll see.... The instructor wrote The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & QiGong and he really knows his stuff. I can't remember if I mentioned before that they are doing an article in KUMed's quarterly Good Medicine magazine on the pain classes.  A photographer and writer were at the first meeting and apparently they are using me in the magazine. I had to sign a release form and send it back to them. The magazine comes out in April and it will be interesting to see what they say. Stay tuned.... 8-)

Several people at the genealogy meeting commented that they had read my Letter to the Editor in the KC Star newspaper last week. That surprised me....

I cannot believe how much seed the birds and squirrels eat in a day!  I can put out 5 lbs of seed for the birds and it will be gone in a couple of days. Now that is a LOT of little seeds that they eat 1 by 1. The squirrels eat the sunflower seeds and will set at their feeder for the longest time eating - of course they have to open their seeds first so that takes longer. This morning a Blue Jay was on the patio railing and loudly letting me know that I had forgot to put his peanuts out. I admit that I love looking out at the feeders and watching the squirrels and birds while I'm setting at my desk. And then there is the squirrel feeder on the patio that I see from my recliner but usually it is only squirrels that use it except for the occasional Blue Jay eating the squirrel's peanuts. Doesn't take much to entertain me!!!

Spring is here...

Spring: Yep, it's here.....grass is turning green, birds are building nests, yellow forsythia is blooming, white crab apple trees are starting to bloom, red bud trees are budding, daffodils blooming AND thunderstorms are forecast for tonight/tomorrow. It just plain makes you feel good.... 8-) I know it may freeze later this week but those nights are the exception now instead of the norm. The only negative is that I will soon have to pack up my sweaters for awhile. 8-(

Labs: I had my labs done a few days ago and got the results today. Like last month, they are all good! Kidneys are happy. Liver is perfect even without the meds for 2 months. My cholesterol is only 154 which is pretty good for me. Last Thursday was my last physical therapy session. I learned a lot and now the challenge will be to do some of them on a regular basis. Notice I said "some" not all of them.

Genealogy KC: This is a 1 1/2 day conference on genealogy that occurs once per year here in Kansas City.  There were 63 sessions to choose from to fill the 10 slots I had over 2 days. You sign up for a 1 hour class taught by a professional, have a 15 minute break and then go to another 1 hour class and so on... By Friday night my brain was exhausted and by noon on Saturday my brain was on overload and numb. It will take me days to go through all my notes and try out some of the things I learned. And on top of all that - it is FREE. Around 500 people registered from all over the area.

Another Hack: I tried to get on my Facebook account Sunday morning with no success so fixed breakfast instead.  Then I went back to Facebook and it told me that "someone in Shanghai, China had tried to access my account from a device not normally used by my account". Facebook wanted to know if it was me and I could choose "Yes" or "No" so of course I said it wasn't me..... Then I had to go through resetting my password, answering some security questions, etc before I could get onto my account. I am so tired of things I deal with due to my email address being hacked in the Home Depot episode. I could change my email address but that would be admitting they win so I just keep deleting some really weird emails and watching my accounts. I have had my email address since the 80's and do not want to change!

Happy Spring Morning to you....

I am loving the recent spring weather we have had for the past few days!  I'm so happy with it that I'm not minding the forecast of mid 50 weather for the next few days since my bones have thawed out and I have had a taste of spring weather to come. I noticed today that some trees are budding out, tulips are coming up, etc. However, I was shocked at the electric bill I got last week!  I didn't even have a bill that high living in the desert. I know it was brutally cold and having basically a wall of windows didn't help.  Also, my apartment faces the north so I never get any sun in the house to warm it up thus relying totally on the furnace. It was noticeably warmer in the office area which has a west window with sun than in the rest of the house. I don't have any gas in the house at all so it is all electric but my water heater doesn't use a lot and let's face it, the kitchen stove isn't used that much since I do so little actual cooking.  I admit that I don't hesitate to put on another sweater and turn up the thermostat if I am cold. Oh well.....

To catch you up on the pain management classes in which foods and chair yoga were the topics:

Foods: There is no scientific tests but enough studies have been done to support the theory that certain foods promote inflammation in the body. The bad foods are fast foods, processed foods, the wrong kind of carbs, wrong kind of fats, sugar - all foods I love. An interesting comment was "We may inherit certain genes but what we eat can make the inflammation better or worse."  They recommend going back to "whole foods" which is going back to eating like we did when we were kids. We bought raw meat and cooked it. We ate vegetables out of the garden and mom canned them herself. We made our own bread, etc. I like the theory but I don't think it is realistic for me when cooking for one person. He suggested I can cook up all the stuff on one day, freeze it and eat it during the week but that's more work than I am willing to do. We agreed that there are some things I can do by making better choices in what I get to eat and I will try to work on those.  And I AM NOT giving up my diet caffeine free coke!!!!!!!! He also mentioned that buying deli mean in the deli section where they slice it has less preservatives than what is pre-packaged. Other interesting information was: Stress alone can alter your metabolism. Eat 3 meals a day at regular times is a must for good metabolism. Meals should last at least 20 minutes. Organic pasture butter is better for you than margarine.

Chair Yoga: I have mixed feeling about this. I know the stretching from yoga is good for the body. I cannot get down on the floor so the idea of chair-yoga is appealing where you sit in a chair or stand but don't get down on the floor. There are not very many certified chair-yoga instructors in the area and some of them have a waiting list of people to get into the classes. We went through a lot of the "poses" and I found out that some work for me and a couple of them really hurt my back. She said "don't do this if it causes you a problem" but you don't know if it will or not until you do it. At the time, I didn't know if it was simply stretching unused muscles or hurting the back but now I know that I can't bend 90 degrees forward at the waist or rotate the body at the waist.

This week's class is "Guided Imagery" which I became very good at when flying every week while being a "white knuckle flyer". The company I worked for paid good money for me to see a therapist and learn how to do guided imagery in order to get on a plane. Next week is T'ai Chi which I am leery of after the Chair-Yoga.

That's all for today - time to go for a walk in the warm sunshine....

Spring has sprung!

It may not be officially spring yet but a string 60+ days is enough for me to declare it's spring. I am reminded by the weather people that the last freeze is usually mid-April and in 2013 there was snow in May but I still say it's spring! On Saturday I spent most of the day out in the garage going through boxes.  I opened, sorted, tossed and repacked stuff still out there from the move - some boxes unopened. All in all I got rid of 11 boxes. Next is the shelves in the closet and office storage. Needless to say by the time I was done on Saturday my back hurt really, really bad but was much better the next day.

Today I got my taxes done which was totally depressing and after that I went to the zoo to be cheered up by walking around in the sun and watching the animals.

"Look at my arm band - I told you my name was Rose."

 "Can I have the that one right there?"

 

 I like to take the ski lift from one side to the other because you see things you don't when walking.  However, it has been too windy the last few times at the zoo and I don't do sky lifts in the wind but today it was perfect.

I wasn't the only one enjoying a sunny warm day.....

Mon Misc on Tuesday - Again....

     I admit it. I forgot to post yesterday! I had a note on the computer and then ignored it..  Oh well, that is part of being retired...
     Johnson County, in which I live, has declared this week "Emergency Preparedness" week for the upcoming storm season. I signed up for their notification program last fall and today I got a text, got an email, got a cell phone call and got a phone call at home letting me know the message was a test. In addition I heard the sirens when they were testing them although they were not as loud as I would have liked.  If all this truly happens when needed then there is certainly no reason for me not to know I might be blown away.... My "Go Bag" is still in the closet from last year so that is ready although I did get a first aid kit today to put in it. Guess I can take the cat food and leash out of it... 8-(
     The weather says that a week from today the temperature will be 66 and I sure hope it is accurate! I am just chomping at the bit to be able to get out and do things even if the trees don't have leaves... The animals at the zoo are calling me!
     Tomorrow's pain class is on foods that are pro-inflammatory and I may not like what I find out but am really interested to know what they say.
     Through the magic of computers and brilliant programmers, I am starting to get a bunch of emails about who I may be related to based on my DNA test that I did a couple of years ago. I didn't get much until I went public with my tree and not the computer at Ancestry.com matches me/my DNA/Pedigree Chart with other people who either match or have a near-match on DNA.  Clear as mud?  It is usually that the other person came from a brother/sister to a person in my tree. Example: The person's Great-Grandmother is the sister of my Great-Grandfather. Ideally the other person will have some information that I am missing.  Otherwise, I'm not sure I'm going to rush out to meet my 5th cousin 3 times removed...  However, I know some people who think it is wonderful to meet their very distant relatives. Tracing down these "hints" could be a full time job! That is beside the matches for my brother's DNA from last year.

Monday Misc on Tuesday

I got busy yesterday working on the genealogy Quarterly publication that is my volunteer job and spaced out doing the blog so am doing the blog today before I get back to the Quarterly.

I spent last Saturday morning in a photography class at the local community college.  This was the 3rd class I have taken with this particular instructor. I took a Portrait class from him in early December and he helped me with suggestions on how to pose people, build groups, etc for the family Christmas dinner. So on Saturday I took the book I did that had the family pictures in it to show him how it turned out and to thank him for his suggestions which really paid off. He referred back to the family pictures several times during the class which was nice. He was certainly impressed with how many family members there were!

I have no idea what the name of this plant is but it was pretty.  We left the class room and went out into the atrium of the building to practice what we covered in class. This one was in a big planter box. I was quite happy with the picture!

This fountain is next to an office complex along Metcalf Ave - a major street in the area. I saw it last week but didn't have time then to stop and take pictures so went there on Saturday after the photography class. I get cold every time I look at the picture... 8-) According to the weather man the other night, our average temperature is 3 degrees lower than it was last year and we have had 10 less inches of snow. The snow is measure at the airport, about 50 miles from me, and they have had a lot more snow than we have had here in Overland Park. Come on spring......

Time to get back to editing the Quarterly based on input from the 2 proofers that go through the 30 pages with a fine tooth comb looking for misplaced commas, spelling, etc. It goes to the printer tomorrow and then I have all this empty time for a month before starting on the next one.

Update on Pain Management class and Physical Therapy

Class: I had no idea that pain was such a complex issue. To me, you hurt, you take a pill and that's it.  Now I find out that yes, you hurt but there are so many other factors involved and treatments. Last week's class was Overview of Pain Management and Strategies by a doctor who is the Director of Acute Pain Services at KU Med Center. Here is a summary from his 1.5 hour talk - at least half of that was us asking questions. Where else will you get 1.5 hours of a doctor's time.... 8-)
Because of the billions of dollars that are spent each year on pain, the treatment is becoming a major issue for the medical profession. There are more studies than ever of how pain effects people and how it can be treated. Pain is very complex and hard to treat something that isn't fully understood. Pain is sensory and emotional and both must be treated. A person's medical history can impact a person's probability of chronic pain when having a procedure such as knee replacement done. The options to treat pain are:

• Physical Therapy: If you don't use it you loose it! An example he uses is if someone has arthritis in the knee. If it isn't used then the person will loose the muscle strength and the muscles will be too weak to do what they are supposed to do. In addition, the joints will lock up with the arthritis. Exercise can also increase a person's pain threshold. Stretching and strengthening movement should be done every day.
• Behavior Modification: This would include loosing weight, don't eat as many of the foods that are pro-inflammatory and those will vary by person.
• Complementary alternative therapies:  Acupuncture is the most common for pain.
• Medication: There are many medications for pain and different ones will be used depending on the type of pain - joint or nerve. The medication also must be tailored to the person and other physical issues they may have. An often overlooked treatment is Voltaren Gel which is a topical gel that puts the ibuprophen right on the joint. When you take a pill, the drug goes through the body where the gel or injections put the medication right where it is needed.
• Injections: This is broken into steroid/local anesthetic (pain shot in the bone/back)  or Neurolysis which is done on small nerves such as the RF Ablation I had. These are very effective on some people.
• Implantation device: These include "Spinal Cord Stimulation" and Pain Pumps. These are VERY effective and can be reversed. Plus they can do a temporary to find out if it works before doing the full implantation. The hospital will only do pain pumps on someone who is in last stages of cancer, etc.
• Surgery: This department only refers about 30% of their patients to surgeons - the rest they are able to effectively treat with one of the above methods. Surgery cannot be reversed and is much more risky. All conservative measures should be tried first.

And to think all the classes are free - I just show up!

My Physical Therapy:  Kellie put me thorough a series of tests last Thursday to see how I performed compared to 6 weeks ago when I started. I did much better on most of them!  She is the first physical therapist that gave me easy stuff to do at home!  Let's face it, I don't have many excuses for not doing them when I can lay on the bed and do most of them. No on the floor stuff, using rubber bands, etc. She did "rap my knuckles" when I had to set in a regular chair and stand up.  I put my hands on the arms and pushed up like I do at home. I found out that you need to use your legs/knees to stand up which keeps the muscle tone in the legs. (Use it or loose it...) It's ok to lean forward, put my hands on my legs, etc but don't push myself up with the chair arms. My knee does hurt when I do that but it goes away quickly. I admit that I take a lot less pain medication now than I did when I started physical therapy. Part of that is due to the procedure I had done but the physical therapy is working on tight muscles, etc that I didn't even know was a problem because the other pain was so dominant.   I have learned to do a pelvic tuck that has really helped my back pain and I can do it while standing in line at a store and no one knows I'm doing it. Standing in place is a killer for me - whether in a store or at the zoo. It takes the pressure off the back joints that takes pressure off nerves.

Monday Misc for Feb 16th

Weather: 2-3" of snow this morning but not enough to completely cover the grass.  The snow is really fine - almost like fine sand. But it sure is cold!  I can't fuss about the snow since we haven't had a big snow this winter but I have had enough of the cold and certainly am ready for spring.. 8-)  It was especially hard to get myself in the mood to go to Physical Therapy this morning although I had no problem on the streets.  I didn't know my car had an alarm when it skids... I turned a corner and slid a bit which caused the light to light up on the dash and an alarm sound go off.  First time I have every had that happen!!!

Pain Class: The last 2 classes have been rather "Ho Hum". One was on "mental wellness" and I'm still trying to figure out what they are talking about other than positive thinking. Last week was more on Spirituality which was rather interesting. A hospital Chaplin spoke and talked about the difference between "religion" and "spirituality".  Religion is churches and all their rules, beliefs, etc.  Spirituality is the belief in a higher power - whatever/whoever it is. Tomorrow's class is an overview of pain management strategies and the doctor will review the differences in non-invasive non-drug pain management (exercise), medications and invasive pain management (injections). Should be interesting...

Labs: I got the results back on the labs I had done last week.  The liver and kidney functions are PERFECT!!!!! I have been off the liver meds for a month and no change in function numbers so far.

E-Mail Clean Up: I spent several hours yesterday cleaning up emails which is not one of my favorite things to do.  Mainly I was un-subscribing to companies that I get advertising email from. I can't believe how many emails a day I was getting for everything from Best Buy to restaurants. When I am at home it isn't such a big deal to just delete them every day but when I'm traveling, 2 days of not doing it and I'm up to 60 new emails. So I'm getting ready for a summer of travel.... 8-)

Birds: I can't believe how much birds eat in a day!  I can put about 3 pounds of seed out and it will mostly gone the next morning.  Now that is a lot of little seeds for them to eat one-by-one. A lot of the feed is being eaten by the doves - sometimes there are 10-15 around it at one time. The squirrels and blue-jays are still sharing the peanuts...

Monday Misc for Feb 9th

It's a wildlife day....

This Cardinal came for lunch at the Red Roof Restaurant last Wednesday during the snow storm.

 

This morning, instead of having breakfast at his table on the patio, the Mr. Squirrel was eating at the bird's Red Roof Restaurant.

 

And then... a Blue Jay was eating the peanuts from Mr.  Squirrel's table instead of at the Red Roof  Dining Room. Entertaining.....

 

Wow.....I see a couple of Robins out in the yard having breakfast.

A Year Ago Today.....

A year ago today Morris and I arrived in Overland Park to start another chapter in our lives. We spent the final night in Oklahoma City before starting the usual 5 hour drive onto KC area. However, with the snow and ice on the roads, it took a little longer that day.

It snowed during the night in Oklahoma City and this is Morris looking out the window of the hotel seeing snow for the first time. I would love to know what he is thinking..... 
A year later, I am settled in, apartment furnished, and missing my buddy but that is life....

Monday Misc Feb 2

Enough of the cold weather!  But at least we haven't had the snow that other parts of the country have had so I don't feel like I can complain too much.  However, I am ready for Spring and starting to think about what I want to do, short trips to make, etc.  Last Spring I was focused on getting the apartment put together and don't have to worry about that this year so can enjoy Spring.

The birds and squirrels were certainly glad to have me back home and filling their food dishes. I had 4 squirrels for breakfast this morning which is a new record. It doesn't take much to entertain me....

Physical therapy: I'm into my 2nd week of physical therapy twice a week. I went 3 days without taking any ibuprophen after the 2nd session - usually I take it daily. Then on Friday she added some new exercises and one of them flared the back up but it has calmed down again. I'm starting to think the doctor was right when she said the RF Ablation procedure worked and now I'm feeling muscle pain. The physical therapist is focusing on stretching the back muscle that is hurting and strengthen the muscles that support the lower spine. She is very aware of not hurting me and will change a exercise style if one hurts.  However, I am learning the difference between "stretch hurt" and "pain hurt" if that makes sense. I am supposed to do some of the exercises at home twice a day but I will admit I don't always do it.  I try to get at least one session done.  As much discipline as I have for some things it does not extend to food and exercise!!!!!

Pain Class: Last Wednesday I started a 10 week series on "Learn to Manage Your Pain Before It Manages You".  The program was designed by the Pain Management department at the KUMed Center's Spine Center and doesn't just focus on spine pain but all types of chronic pain. The sessions are:

1. Why Me - Why Do I Hurt
2. Who's the Boss? The Thoughts We Tell Ourselves and Managing the Emotions of Living with Pain.
3. The Role of Hope
4. Overview of Pain Management Strategies
5. Functional Restoration
6. Inflammation and Pain Foods That Can Actually Hurt You
7. Chair Yoga
8. Guided Imagery: A Tool for Managing Pain
9. T'ai Chi

The doctor last Wednesday, who is head of the Pain Management department, did a really good job of explaining what causes pain, etc in simple English - well as simple and it can be done. Some things I learned:

• Pain is complex.
• Pain is also an emotional experience.
• Chronic pain lasts longer than 3 months.
• Some people are at risk for developing chronic paid due to genetics, gender, personality, emotional state, certain types of surgeries, etc.
• Pain is processed in the brain and nervous system so we have to "retrain" the brain.  Look at all things affecting the nervous system and to take a structured approach to pain.

The structured approach to pain is:
 - Medical - medicine, injections, surgery
 - Thoughts and Behaviors
 - Diet (Some foods are pro-inflammatory to some people) and Lifestyle (Our life has become "convenient" so we don't move as much)
 - Deeper Meaning
 - Physical Function (Will the activity hurt but not actually damage the body.)

A plan for managing pain needs to be devised jointly by the doctors and patient. Set a goal and work towards it starting with baby steps and don't overdo it. Arthritis, as in my case, doesn't stop me from doing things. What the problem is that if I don't use the muscles then the muscles don't have the strength to keep moving the joints. Muscles support the joints and make them move. If the joints aren't moved then they build up "concrete" in the joints and in time can't move.

For me, I want to take a proactive approach to the severe arthritis in the back and do what I can now to buy time before it causes major problems. The doctor didn't paint a very pretty picture if I just set back and do what I've been doing the last few years which is avoiding exercise if I can. I like walking but it's easy to not do it if I'm not in the mood. Stay tuned.....

Catching up

I've been home a week from my trip and am just now getting rested up.  I can't believe how tired I was the first few days after getting home!  Let's face it, with the increasing number of birthdays comes the inability to do as much as we used without getting tired. One of those realities my brain is struggling with......  However, it was a great trip.

Credit Card:  If it wasn't bad enough that I had to go through getting a new credit card a few months ago after my account was hacked at Home Depot, then I left the new one in a restaurant the night before coming home.  My new card was black and I didn't see it in the black folder that restaurants use.  By the time I realized it was missing, the restaurant was closed and I had a plane to catch.  I finally reached them and yes, the card was there. They could only give it to me in person with proper ID, couldn't mail it but did shred it for me. The customer service person at the bank suggested I put a bright color tape on the front of the card so it is easier to see. He assured me that I was not the first person this has happened to. The worst part is having to go online and change card numbers with accounts.

Physical Therapy:  I started physical therapy this week. Actually, I went in last week for the consultation and then started this week. I am sooooooo bad at doing the exercises at home! I don't mind doing them there when someone is holding me accountable. I'm supposed to do them at home twice a day and when I hesitate, I think of the consequences of arthritis in the back if I don't. The therapist did not paint a very good picture if I just let it go. So I'm trying....

Up 4.4 lbs:  I certainly ate my way across Tucson and came back with 4.4 extra lbs to show for it. The depressing thing is that it will not come off as quickly as it was added. The good thing is that the food was wonderful and I would do it again. Another guy at Weight Watchers had just come back from a month in Austin, TX and he was also up so we commiserated together....

Larry's Birthday:  Today would have been Larry's 70th birthday...  Since our birthdays were exactly 2 weeks apart, we celebrated them at the same time.  We went to Las Vegas for our 65th birthday and have been wondering what we might have done for our 70th....

Doctor Appointments

I had 2 major doctor appointments yesterday so spent a big part of the day at the KU Med Center. They were not back-to-back but close enough that it didn't make sense to drive 45 min home and then go back. So I hung around the area for 2 hours.

Pain Doctor: I was thinking that the procedure didn't work because I still have some pain in the back. However, it seems to be about 2-3" from the initial pain location and isn't as bad.  Her feeling is that the procedure did work but this pain was masked by the strong pain which makes sense.  She also thinks this pain is a muscle since a back muscle is really hard. The nerve that was severed by the procedure can grow back - sometimes after 6 months up to 2 years.  Then they can do the procedure again if needed. We have decided to do physical therapy for the arthritis in my knees, back and shoulder. Her thinking is that I need to know what to do to delay the full effects of the arthritis. Tests show that the arthritis in the back is moderate to severe, right knee is medium and right shoulder is mild - how doctors describe the amount of arthritis in the joints. I'm also going to do a series of classes at the hospital spine center on "Learn to manage your pain before it manages you". It covers everything from "Why Do I Hurt" to "Chair Yoga".  The arthritis may be the motivation to finally exercise but I don't expect to like it.

Liver doctor:  This doc is wonderful and I feel fortunate to have him as a doctor with his credentials and reputation. He only sees patients one day a week and is in liver surgery and research the rest of the time. Anyway, he continues to think that I do NOT have Auto-Immune Hepatitis. He thinks my liver is overly sensitive to Tylenol.  Tylenol, in excessive doses, is very hard on the liver but recent studies have shown that some people will show elevated liver enzymes after just 1 regular dose of Tylenol. It could have also been an infection that caused the enzymes to show up positive. I had elevated enzymes twice during the time I was trying to switch over to Tylenol instead of Ibuprophen although I never took more than 3 a day which is a regular dose. His opinion is that a liver biopsy should have been done at the time along with the specific blood tests I had done before putting me on immunosuppressant medication. The Tucson doctor thought the biopsy was too invasive so chose a conservative approach of treatment with medication.  This guy does liver biopsys routinely so has a different view of them.  So....we decided that I will stop my medication immediately.  I will have a monthly blood test for the next 3 months and then go to every 2 months for a few months.  If there IS a flare-up then we will do a biopsy. If no flare up occurs, then we will just do the regular labs of every 3-6 months that I have done for my cholesterol meds and to check kidney function. Those labs will include the liver function tests.

I like the treatment plans of both doctors!

Monday Misc for Jan 5th

Weather:  It's cold - just plain brutally cold!  I am totally understanding the "snowbird" concept of going someplace warm during Dec - Feb. I don't mind 32 degree weather but this 8-9 degree stuff is not fun. According to the weathermen on TV, we should be running around 35 during the day and mid 20's at night - not bad. And then there is the strong north wind!  I finally put a cloth around the "ringer" on my wind chimes since it was constantly ringing and even waking me up at night.   I keep thinking about how it compares to the summer in the desert. At least when it is really cold, I add another layer and stay in more. I still just have to get out sometime during the day.  The cold is still easier for me to tolerate that a week of 105+ in the desert summer. However, I am seriously thinking of someplace to go next winter for a couple of months. At least I will get thawed out next week in Tucson where it is forecast to be around 67-70. 8-)

Critters: I have learned that they like breakfast 9-11 a.m. and some come back around 3 p.m. I found out that some birds are "ground feeders" and some eat out of the bird feeder hanging on the tree limb. Squirrels and birds don't usually eat at the same time - birds leave when the squirrels arrive. Watching them out of the office window has become quite entertaining.

Gas prices:  I saw gas last week over in Missouri for $1.79/gal.  I keep thinking they put up a 1 instead of a 2.  Hope gas is like this when we do a driving trip later in the year.....

New Lease:  I signed a lease for another year in my apartment last week so am committed for another year.  There are a lot of new apartment building in the area but not many of them have attached garages and that is a must for me.  Besides, I can't imagine moving again at this point. I like the apartment, location, walking trail, etc so it's home for at least another year.

Labs:  I got my labs done last week and they showed up over the weekend on My Chart. The cholesterol wasn't included but my kidney and liver functions were perfect.  The creatinine (kidney) was .84 and it was always at .7 when I had TWO kidneys. My creatinine usually runs around 1-1.2. In kidney land, those small increments are big.  I see the liver doctor on Wednesday for a 6 month recheck and am looking forward to hearing what he has to say. He is skeptical that I actually have Auto-Immune Hepatitis even though the specific lab test says I do. We shall see.....  I also see the pain doctor on Wednesday for a check-up after the procedure I had done last month. It is a Doctor Day for me on Wednesday.

Happy New Year's

Well, like it or not, we are into another year and I'm looking forward to it. The cloud called "Holidays" is gone and the sun is shinning again in my brain. I'm working on my "2014 Year In Pictures" book and today my Bucket List get's updated. Typical New Year's Day stuff for me....

Monday Misc on Dec 29th

Christmas:  I could not wait for the holiday to be over. My decorations were down and put away by 10 a.m. on the 26th! Between my lack of Christmas Spirit and the memories of Larry in December I find the whole month just plain depressing.  I have promised myself that I will go someplace next year for part of the month - I just don't know where yet.  Yes, it is still Christmas but when you are busy doing "tourist things" then the holiday is an afterthought. I saw this at Thanksgiving when I was in San Diego and when Larry and I used to go to Las Vegas or Laughlin over Christmas and/or Thanksgiving. New Years doesn't bother me - it is mainly Christmas.

Car:  I got my vehicle back from the body shop on Friday and it looks like new. $500 deductible later.....

Birds and Squirrels: They are so entertaining!  I put the bird feeder in a tree that is about 15' straight out my office window so I am looking at it when at my desk. Besides the food in the feeder, I also sprinkle some on the ground under it. So far this morning I have seen squirrels, Blue Jays, Cardinals and  little black and white birds all eating but not all at the same time.  The squirrel and Blue Jays are the most aggressive. I saw 3 squirrels at one time on Saturday so the population is growing.  Two was the previous record. The Blue Jay is the only bird that has come onto the patio to get the squirrel's food....

Spam emails:  They are still continuing from when my email was stolen in the Home Depot hacking incident.  I can't believe people fall for some of them - they are so obviously phony. Sometimes I will get 5-10 of them a day. I refuse to give in and change the email address that I have had for over 30 years so I just keep deleting them.

Monday Misc on Tuesday.....

Family Christmas Dinner: What an amazing event! 69 people who are related to each other in one room.  There was 4 generations with ages ranging from a few months to 81 years old. There was 1 person who was visiting so there was a total of 70 people. You can't imagine how much food there was and it was mostly gone but a lot of it did go in take-home plates. Here is the crowd:

Scraped Fender:  Last week I was at Wendy's and when I came out I noticed that the pick-up truck parked next to me was really close on my passenger side and I don't know how he was able to get out of his vehicle.  Anyway, I started to back out and clipped the side of the his truck just before the bumper. I pulled back in and got out to look.  There was blue paint on my car and gold paint on his. No one came out of Wendy's so I assumed the owner did not see what happened.  Yes, I gave serious thought to just driving away! But my conscience got the better of me so I went into Wendy's looking for the driver of the truck. The guy and his friend were shocked that I came in to find them rather than just driving off. There was a small dent on his truck but the paint from my car just rubbed off.  I gave them my name, address and insurance information and we went our ways. I took my vehicle to the repair place yesterday and got a loaner while it is in the shop. I'll have it back in about a week and $932 later for the repair.  Geico is working with him to cover the repair of his truck. His paint on my car probably could have been buffed off and the scratches fixed with touch up paint but I wanted it done right since the car has been so well taken care of so am having it done.

Squirrels and birds: There is the feeder on the patio for the squirrels and there is a bird feeder hanging from the tree outside the office window that my desks sits in front of. The birds have been slow to discover their feeder on the tree but it didn't take the squirrels long to find it. My new entertainment is watching the squirrels who think that both feeders are theirs - no birds allowed. However, this morning I saw a Blue Jay on the patio at the squirrel feeder... I can be so easily amused!

Christmas at Crown Center

After we finished at the Union Station on Tueaday, we walked across the bridge to the Westin Hotel and Crown Center. As expected, everything was beautifully decorated. It was really a fun day!

 

Downtown from the walkway over Main Street. The street construction is for the new street car.

Lobby of the Westin Hotel.  I have always loved that waterfall in the lobby and can remember going there when it opened in the early 70's.

Sign in front of a store in Crown Center.  We didn't go in and get some Moonshine...

T-shirt in a store window. Love it!

Mayor's Christmas tree.

Hall's Department Store had 5-6 trees decorated near their entrance and each one had a different theme.  They were beautiful!

Christmas Decorations at KC's Union Station

On Tuesday, Vivian and I went down to Union Station and the Crown Center to have lunch and look at the Christmas decorations. Lunch was upstairs at the Harvey House in the lobby of Union Station. Food was good, service was not so good but we didn't care because we were busy enjoying the decorations and being serenaded by a school choir.

 

This is the main tree. It is 25' tall and over 25,000 lights are on it. It was beautiful!  The ceilings in Union Station are 95' high.

 

Looking down the Grand Hall where people used to sit on benches waiting on their trains. 

At the end of the Grand Hall is Santa's Workshop and a Model Railroad Exhibit.

 

A portion of Santa's Workshop.

Gingerbread Union Station.

 

The model railroad exhibit covers 8,000 sq ft.  There are 79 rains ranging from the smallest model trains built to the largest. Each train has a computer chip and is programed when it runs.  There are always 18 trains running at one time. The display in the Grand Hall is 60' x 60'. Several model railroad groups in the KC area set up and maintain the display.

The display even includes a street car that goes back and forth along "Main Street".

 

I'll write about Crown Center tomorrow.....

 

 

3 Years Ago Today......

....I lost my guy....  In some ways it has been a long 3 years and in other ways it doesn't seem like it has been 3 years. I feel like I missed a year in there somewhere. After Weight Watchers today, I'm heading to the mall to shop in honor of the person who loved to shop and had 37 pairs of shorts in his closet when he died plus piles of tennis shoes - some bought specifically to go with a specific pair of shorts.

In 2000 at Thanksgiving Point, Utah.

Monday Misc for Dec 15th

O.K....I am ready for Christmas to be over and life getting back to normal.... You can bet that all of my Christmas stuff will be packed up and put away on Dec 26th!  As I said before, I wasn't raised in a home where Christmas was a big deal, it's hard to develop that attitude when you live by yourself for 20+ years and Christmas wasn't a big deal to either my ex or to Larry. So it has never become part of my life.  There is also the issue of Larry dying so close to Christmas which did not help matters any...

Motown:  Vivian and I went to see the Broadway show Motown last Saturday afternoon.  It was probably the best Broadway touring show I have ever seen and I have seen quite a few in different towns over the years. The storyline was a little thin but was adequate to tell the story of how Barry Gordy started Motown, it's growth and led up to the 25th Anniversary TV special. The music is outstanding with 60 songs from the Motown era.  Some of the songs are not the full version but are medleys and some are the full version. The sets were simple but very effective.  Lighting was creative and really made the show and sets. Great show! Several of the actors were in the original Broadway show. It was in the Music Hall that was built in the 1930's. The marble lobby floors and stairs were beautiful. Lots of stairs with only 2 elevators. Seats were close to the row in front with not much leg room.  The main negative of the show was the volume - too LOUD! 

Photo and Movie Editing Class:  I spent last Thursday and Friday afternoons at the local Community College in class. I knew nothing about making a movie let along editing one.  Now I know about frames, fade in, transitions, splitting, adding music, etc. My main goal for the class was to learn how to make a movie out of my still pictures.  I still prefer the paper book but always thought it would be fun to make a movie of a trip - just for the experience. So after many, many hours this weekend, I managed to make a movie out of still pictures. The movie is 3 minutes long, includes music and is complete with credits....  I'll attach it to a blog if I can figure out how to do it correctly.  I tried and it didn't work properly so you may have to wait until I see you to view the next Academy Award winner for a Documentary. The file is too big to email.....

A cat called Crazy

After we visited the Plaza Lights last week, we stopped by the Kauffman Memorial Gardens to see the hundred's of poinsettias in the garden's conservatory. It was beautiful!!!  The resident cat there is named Crazy, had not missed a single meal in his life and has the run of the place. 
 

"Not another bunch of gawkers...It's bedtime!"

 

"I am smiling!"

 

"Maybe they will get the message and leave. I'm tired of being the host. "

 

 

My Christmas Tree

I went for years and never had a Christmas Tree - it was too much trouble, neither Larry or I wanted to mess with it when we were frequently gone over Christmas, etc. Then I went all out in 2012 after he died and had a big tree. I didn't do one in 2013 - it wasn't worth the effort.  I didn't bring the artificial tree with me to the Midwest.  I couldn't decide whether to do one or not this year.  I put other decorations up and around the house about Dec 1st. I even put icicle lights and garland on the patio railing.  I looked for trees and I couldn't find one I really liked or the ones I liked cost more than I was willing to pay to use for 3 weeks out of the year.  Part of the problem is that I'm just not a big Christmas person.  The Holiday was not a big one in my family when I was growing up so and to a degree I still feel that way. Plus I couldn't figure out where to put it that it wouldn't block my view of the outdoors from my recliner and that was more important to me.  Anyway, when I told Vivian that I wasn't going to do a tree she said "But you have to have a Christmas Tree."  Last Saturday she and Pat (her husband) showed up with a little pre-lit tree that they had found at a craft show that morning.

The tree is about 4 feet tall, skinny and doesn't block my view. Perfect!!!! The snowman is soft and attached to the base.

 

So off to Walmart I went the next morning to get some small decorations for it.  The boxes and boxes of ornaments I had from Tucson were mostly too big for it but I was able to use a few of them.. It is pretty to handy to have a tree that you can set on a stool in the kitchen and decorate without having to bend over, etc.

 

And here is the finished little tree.  I love it and it doesn't block my view.... 8-)

Thank you Vivian and Pat!

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.