Of note...

There was a couple of items I didn't cover in the Monday post about vacation....

This is Andrew, a 6 year old Clydesdale at Warm Springs Ranch. He is in the Wash Room so we could see how they get their weekly bath. The item in the lower right picture is part of a vacuum that is used to blow them dry after their bath.....  Andrew was in the Super Bowl "Puppy" commercials. They are such beautiful, gentle animals!

 

And now for the Art Museum.....  This is one of 4 items in a special exhibit this summer. 

Philip Haas (born 1954) is an American artist, screenwriter and filmmaker, perhaps best known for his 2012 sculpture exhibition Four Seasons.  The Four Seasons are busts whose feature characters are comprised of flowers, fruits, vegetables or limbs, bark and trees respectively related to Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter. The Four Seasons represent the cycles of nature. The above picture is Summer and below is Winter.

 

The picture below shows all 4 of the sculptures on the museum lawn.

 

 

Monday Misc for May 4th

I just can't believe it is May already!!!!  Time is just zipping by... 

Below is the Hominy Salad that Vivian and I had at the J Houston Tavern in Boonville on our trip. Besides it being very colorful, it is really good. Let me know if anyone wants the recipe as I have it.  The owner of the Tavern created the dish and gave me the recipe.

Vivian and I went to the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum last Friday - her first visit there. Their special exhibit right now is American Folk Art and was really interesting. Below are a few things we saw in the exhibit.

"Still Basket of Fruit" 1830

No artist was listed

(I loved this painting - it is so vivid)

 "Schuylkill County Almshouse" 1884

By Ralph F. Reed

 

"Chest of Drawers" 1829

Make by John Mayer, a German cabinet maker

Schwaben Creek Valley, Pennsylvania

Fun day!!!!!

We started the day at Warm Springs Ranch which is the breeding facility for the Budweiser Clydesdales. It was one of the best run tours that I have ever been on. Usually on a tour you stand in a spot and someone point out that "in that building is where ????? happens.  Today we were actually in the Foaling area, Wash area, etc. The tour guides tag teamed so while one was explaining things the other one was at the next station getting set up for when we got there. O.K. I admit I love the Super Bowl commercials showing the Clydesdales and to see them in person was a thrill for me. We learned a lot of information and I was busy taking notes so I could remember what they told us for my vacation book. The absolute icing on the cake was to see a foal that was born around 8 p.m. last Saturday night so he was about 39 hours old when we say him.  He was skinny and still shaky on his legs. We didn't just see him from a distance but was looking through the bars of the stall that he and his mommy were in. These animals are so big but yet so gentle and mellow. I standing right beside one while Vivian is taking a picture of me and Andrew leans down to lick my hand - yes, I jumped....



Next on the list was a trip outside of town to the Boone's Lick Historic State Park where the sons of Daniel Boone ran an operation to make salt lick back in the early 1800's. Very interesting and I never knew anything like that ever exited in Missouri.


Then we took the long way back to Booneville and found several more Quilt Barns.  Both Vivian and I are fascinated by these Quilt Barns!  It is such a neat idea.  Apparently there are some in Tennessee and Kentucky.


In the morning we are going to take a SHORT walk on the Katy Trail which runs for 237 miles across central Missouri on an abandoned railroad tracks that has been converted into a paved trail. .  It is the longest Rails-to-Trails in the United States. Then we are heading home with a stop at the Frontier Trails Museum in Independence. The museum is about the wagon trains that crossed Missouri.  Then on home.

Greetings from Boonville, Mo

Vivian is on vacation this week and we are doing a "staycation". Yesterday we drove east to Boonville via a 2-lane highway rather than on the interstate. We stopped at Arrow Rock which was a stopping spot for Lewis and Clark and the Santa Fe Wagon Trail went through there. It was rather confusing since right next to a log cabin built in the 1800's was a house built in the 1950's or more recent. We had lunch at the J. Houston Tavern built in 1834 to serve the new community of Arrow Rock. Besides it being a tavern, it also providing beds and food the early settlers. On Sunday they only serve from 11 am to 2 pm and there are no choices to the meal that is served family style.  It was fried chicken, (1/2 a chicken for 2 people), mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, home made biscuits, apple butter, fruit salad and a hominy salad.  I was so FULL when we left there. However, I did get a new recipe - Hominy Salad.  Vivian doesn't like hominy but loved this.  I like hominy and loved this dish - even got the recipe from the owner. I have a picture but the computer is acting up again so can't post pictures.  Will catch up with pics when I get home.


Today we are going to tour Warm Springs Ranch that is the breeding farm for the Budweiser Clydesdale horses.  Can't wait!

Monday Misc for April 20th

It is good to get back into my typical routine after the trip. Plus I think I am finally rested up... Even the squirrels have returned to their feeder so I guess I am forgiven for letting their feeders run dry while I was gone. I have to really focus on the Quarterly publication this week to get as much done as possible before company arrives in May so I can hit the June publication date.

I was down at KUMed last Friday to get me monthly labs done.  I picked up an issue of Good Medicine which is their quarterly publication.  Sure enough, the article on their pain management class was in it with me as the feature patient.  However, you only see the back of my head as I'm talking to a doctor. It is always a surprise to me to see my name in print...

And now for some pictures:

I was walking last Friday and saw this lone redbud tree on the golf course.  It really stood out among all the green.  I was surprised when driving home from the airport to see how much the trees have leafed out while I was gone. It is just so pretty here when everything is so green. With the rain we have had, I can almost see the grass growing...  Time to visit a nursery for some container flowers...

Last Saturday I went to a new Mexican restaurant near me that had opened while I was gone. One wall of the restaurant looks out to a greenspace and this fountain. I'm at this shopping center on a weekly basis and have never seen this fountain area before!  It is a very lovely setting.

Misc things from the trip...

There were a few comments pictures that I didn't get included in the blog while on the trip so thought I would do them today....

Traveling with a cell phone:  I can't imagine traveling now without a smart phone (iPhone, etc).  I use it for so many things on the trip such as: Listening to my favorite KC talk radio station while driving or when I wake up in the morning - just like at home. Listening to Sirius/XM satellite radio using the phone app while driving out in the middle of no-where. Using an app to find a Starbucks for Georgia in Paso Robles as we are passing through. Using the GPS app to find the hotel in new towns. Besides the phone, email, text, etc... It sure makes traveling easier - especially when you are traveling by yourself.

This is a grave in the Cambria cemetery.  The gravestone (very old) says "Unknown Child". The bench is child size and the stuffed animals have been there for a long time - faded and torn. Other people have put rattlers, little toys, etc in front of the stone. Very touching!

This is the vehicle I picked up in Portland, OR and turned back in at Oakland. It was a Chevrolet Equinox which I had never driven before but was impressed. It handled really well and got excellent gas mileage but wasn't quite as comfortable as my Lexus is. 8-)

Georgia (on the right) is Larry's oldest sister and on the left is Cass, her long-time partner. Georgia loves to travel and I get tired just listening to her talk about the trips she has booked including a tour to Cuba early next year. Cass prefers to stay home, keep the cats company and tend the flower garden.

 

This is the lobby of the Holiday Inn Express in Eureka, CA.  After all my years of traveling and staying in hotels, it takes a lot in a hotel to impress me but I was impressed by this hotel. The tall column in front is a waterfall over a screen and is just plain beautiful with the lights shinning on it. The rooms were really, really nice although a little modern for my taste.

 

Home Again!!

Strange letters in the last post at the end - not sure what it was supposed to be but oh well... Here is a picture that I tried to include but didn't manage it... This was at the Wente Vinyards where we had lunch. The poppies were so beautiful.

I got home safely yesterday after another 11 hour travel day. I lucked out on rush hour traffic both in Oakland and KC.  The traffic was heavy but was moving right along. I had a non-stop flight which was great even if it was 3.5 hours long but smooth. Today I am catching up on stuff... I have 462 pictures to edit before working on my travel book of the trip. Then there are 97 emails to deal with.  I deleted the junk ones while on the trip but these are ones I have to do something with.  They range from a Genealogy DNA match to stuff to read for my Writing Group this afternoon. Plus, I pulled up in front of the garage when I got home and it would not open.  Fortunately I opened the other door and could pull into the garage.  I called maintenance this morning and they are currently out there working on the broken spring. I love being able to just call the office and they take care of it... 8-) 

Last day out here....wo

I get to get up early in the morning and deal with rush hour traffic on the way to the Oakland airport to head home. Not looking forward to the traffic but oh well...then I get to KC around 3:30 so will hit rush hour traffic on my way home in KC! I think it will be a long day..

We didn't do much today which was nice. We went out to Wente Vinyards in Liverpool for lunch. Besides it being a beautiful place, they really do a lovely lunch - very high-class and yes, expensive. 8-).  Picture problems again tonight so you will have to wait for the book....

Back in Fremont

Let me begin by introducing you to Bandy, one of Cass and Georgia's cats.  Morris was handsome - Bandy is pretty and sweet. I love her face! They also have a 22 year old tabby that spends most of her time in her heated bed....

It has been a busy 30 hours.  Yesterday the drive down to Cayucos, this morning up to Cambria and then back to Fremont where Georgia and Cass live.No more freeway trips before I head home on Wed.... 8-)  The weather this morning in Cambria was typical coast this time of the year - foggy and overcast in the morning and then the sun started coming out a little after noon. As you can see below, the coast is very different here.

Cambria was a trip down memory lane for Georgia as it was for Larry when we were there about 5 years ago.  They lived there for several years when they were 8-11 range and their grandparents lived there. We saw the house their grandparents lived in, where their house was although a store is there now, the school they went to, where they started a small forest fire, etc.... I love the cemetery in Cambria that was started in 1870. The caretaker had the hole already dug for the urn so that went fast.  She is burried next to her parents, a sister and oldest brother.  Another sister and brother are a few graves away. This is one of the cemeterys where you can plant flowers, put a bench by the grave, etc. They have a full time caretaker and helper. The graves are scattered in and around tall trees where deer and turkey roam.

Not sure what we are doing tomorrow but I think we are going to Wente Winery for lunch.  I was there the last time I was here.  It is a beautiful place with outdoor dinine on the patio. Plus tommorrow is the day to pack for the trip home. I'm ready.... 8-)

Greetings from Caycous, Ca (ki u kos)

Caycous is up the coast north of  Santa Barbara and about 3.5 hours south of the San Francisco area. It was really nice today to just sit in the back seat and let Georgia drive with Cass as co-pilot. I could just look out the window and let my mind wander. We stopped to visit Georgia and Larry's aunt and uncle on a 900 acre farm outside of Caycous that they have owned forever.  She is 86 and the remaining of 12 kids who all lived to be adults. Her husband is around the same age.  Two of their sons live on the ranch and take care of the land, cattle, crops, etc. Besides cattle, they have 8 acres of orange trees. I can't imagine what that land is worth in this part of the country.... She is amazingly alert, had a good memory and hearing. I was surprised that they remember the visit that Larry and I did 4-5 years ago. I found out that the approx 40 page bood that her dad wrote on the family history was typed by his secretary...  She talked today about how important her dad thought it was to write down the family history. He certainly made my life easier when I started working on Larry's family history. After the visit, we came on into Caycous, checked into our hotel and walked down to the main street and beach.

I have run out of patience after trying for 30 minutes to upload pictures from today so you will have to wait until tomorrow.  The internet speed here in this small town is not very fast....

Greetings from Fremont, Ca

I drove on down to Georgia's this morning. It was kinda scary for me to totally rely on a new GPS phone app to get me here... I know the San Francisco area pretty good but have never come in from the north before so that was new. It is really good to see Georgia and Cass again after 2.5 years. Tomorrow we head down to Cycucas, CA to visit Georgia's Aunt Elma (her mother's sister) who is now the only living one of 12  children. Larry and I saw her about 5 years ago when in the area. Then on Monday we go to the cemetery in Cambria where a lot of the O'Neil's are buried and leave Georgia & Larry's mom's ashes.  It will be nice to let someone else do the driving for a few days. Sorry no pics today....8-)

Greetings from Sebastopol, CA

And you are saying "Where in the world is Sebastopol?"  It's a little north of San Francisco.  I stopped here for the night instead of hitting Friday rush hour traffic in the city. And I'm so glad I did!!!  It was another 10 hour day but I am much more tired today than I was yesterday. I was o.k. today for the first 1.5 hours and then I turned off onto Hwy 1 from Hwy 101.  About 2 miles in I see one of those crooked signs saying "curves next 22 miles" and that was an understatement. I climbed mountains and I went down mountails but there were very few straight stretches. It was all curves, sometimes multiple tight curves one after the other with some hairpin curves thrown in. The road was narrow with tall trees on both sides right up to the road - no shoulder. I think it is the first time I got motion queazy while I was the one driving. I had to stop at a turnout just to get out and walk around a bit.  However, considering where I was, I wasn't outside the car very long.  There were little roads going back into the woods with big gates and padlocks on them.  No Treaspassing signs were promitely posted. Lot's of cash crops back in that part of the country if you get my drift.... 8-) The whole day was full of curves where 20 miles would take an hour to get there.  But...the weather was perfect!  Tomorrow typical April weather comes back with clouds and rain.

This may be my favorite picture of the day. It was not long after I came out of the mountain curves. I love the California Poppy's and saw a lot of them today.

A surprise was the Mendocino Coastal Botanical Gardens a little south of Ft. Bragg. I saw it on the map last night so stopped to check it out and spent about 1.5 hours there. 

Point Arena Lighthouse.  If you walk out to the point by the lighthouse, you will have walked as close to Hawaii as you can in the Continental United States. It was built in 1870, destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and rebuilt.  No, I did not climb the stairs to the top....

I saw a sign showing a cow, crossed a cattle guard but didn't think much about it until I came around a corner and there were loose cows in front of me.  This happed 2-3 times tody.

I never got used to see the Tsunami signs.... I mean, you think about a tsunami happening in Japan, little south see islands, etc. But in case you have forgotten, there was one that hit Crescent City, Ca (little north of Eureka) and killed 10 people back in 1964 when Alaska had a big earthquake. People along the coast take them seriously.

 

Tomorrow I get to Georgia's after a 2 hours drive and can rest.  On Sunday we drive down to Cambria but either Grorgia or Cass will be driving - not me.....

Greetings from Eureka, CA

The last time I was in Eureka was January 1980 when I was when I moved from Denver to Eugene, Or.  I left Denver, visited friends in San Francisco where I checked out the job market and then headed on up the coast.

Before I get started on today, here is a picture from late yesterday that I love!

Today was a 10 hour trip and yes I'm tired but not as tired as I was on Tuesday when I flew out here. It was a beautiful day for a drive and a sunny day like this in April on the Oregon coast is rare. I stopped many times to be a "tourist" besides pit stops which is why the trip took so long.

Along the Oregon Coast.  I don't know what has caused the big rocks along the coast - will have to research it...

This is the Battery Point Lighthouse in Crescent City.  It was built in 1852 and is only accessable during low tide.

Cape Blanco Lighhouse near Port Orford, Oregon built in 1870.

The Redwoods - absolutely magnificiant! One tree was 24' in diameter.

 

Tomorrow I continue down the coast with several stops planned.

 

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.....