Things have been rather hectic the last week or so. It actually dates back to my last doctor’s appointment in early May. Nothing I did gave me relief from the pain in my back that I get whenever I spend more than 5 or 10 minutes doing a task that requires standing or walking. He prescribed a very strong pain medication, and faxed the perscription to my perscription company.
It was that same week that my hot water heater went out – well, it started leaking. It was still working, but a leaking hot water heater is not to be tolerated. A neighbor, who does most of my plumbing work, got a new hot water heater and installed it. This was on Thursday. He lit the pilot light, and fired up the heater. It lit up for a few seconds, then went out. After trying for some time to make it work, he found out that it was a factory fault – in a sealed compartment. GE was to call me and make an appointement – they would come out with a new hot water heater and install it. When they finally called me, they said they didn’t have a rep in the area, so I should have my plumber do the work, and they would reimburse him. Well, he doesn’t do much plumbing work any more (I’m one of his few plumbing customers), and he runs a tourist trap, where he and his wife were running a seminar that weekend, so it was out of the question for him to get back to me until Monday. So no hot water before Monday. Ray came Monday morning and took out the tank, to get the replacement. He had to go to Oil City, and cut a lot of red tape, and did double duty by doing some personal shopping while there. By evening I had hot water again.
But to continue with the story about the medications – Monday morning, my perscription came in the mail. It was one of those “take one or two tablets every 6 hours as needed for pain.” Well, in the doctor’s office, he said take two, etc. So I took two. This was about 11:00 am. Around noon I ate lunch. Shortly after, I started feeling weak and a little dizzy. Then my stomach started acting up. I grabbed the sheet that came with the medication, and read the side effects. It included all of the above. I called the doctor. He said, “Cut the medication to 1 tablet, and take every 4 hours.” Just shortly after that, I experienced another of the side-effects – vomiting. Loss of appetite was another. As I told several people, I not only lost my appetite, I lost my lunch. I slept all afternoon. After Ray came back & reinstalled the hot water heater, I went back to bed, and slept out most of the evening.
I ended up just taking the medication twice a day. Oddly enough, it still affected my appetite, to the point that I lost about 12 pounds in 6 weeks. I’ll take that side-effect any day of the week. Unfortunately, it seems to have worn off, and I’m gaining a little back.
OK, now fast forward to a week ago Monday. I did my laundry as usual, and was able to hang the clothes out. However, I was having just a little more pain than usual in my hips.
On Tuesday, our “hen party” was scheduled. That’s a bunch of us ladies who went to high school together. That was also my grocery day. I went to Brookville early, cashed a couple of checks, then went to the BiLo to get my vitamin D perscription filled. There was still a little time before the dinner, so I went up to my sister’s in Roseville and shot the breeze with her for a while. Then over to the Country Club for lunch. I was sure I couldn’t eat the whole meal that I ordered, because of the effects of the medication. I didn’t eat all of it (I’m usually a clean-plate person) but most of it, with no apparent ill affects. Then, by the time I got out of there, my stomach was started to get a little queasy. I drove over to Clarion to the Walmart for my regular grocery shopping. On the whole trip, my stomach was in pain. I started pushing the cart around, and in a very short time, the pain dissipated. The weather outside was rather warm, but they had the air conditioning going in the Walmart. So, now, I am pushing my cart around the nice, cool Walmart – and sweating like crazy!
By the time I headed for home, all my symptoms were pretty well gone. But I still had some pain in my hips.
Now we’re to Wednesday morning. I turned on my computer, and did some other things while waiting for it to boot up. I came back to a blue screen with a few messages on it, the most significant being “No Boot Device.” I restarted it several times, with no luck. I went to setup, and it appeared that one of the disk devices didn’t exist. I called Dell. After the tech had me try several things, it was concluded that the system didn’t recognize my hard drive. It could be either a cable, or the drive itself. The computer was still in warranty (and in-home warranty, at that!), so Dell made arrangements to have a tech come out and do whatever needed to be done. That took a while to get all straightened out since I’m out in the boonies, and I didn’t get the problem fixed until late Friday. Unfortunately, it was the disk, not the cable – and I lost everything, except what I had backed up, which was precious little. I lost absolutely all my documents. I had pictures backed up to September 2007; most of the pictures I lost were scanned in (so I still have the originals) or, if digital, the ones that were any good were posted on the internet and I can retrieve them from there. I still have some software I have to download.
One thing I lost – I had an ancient piece of software with which to record recipes. I had copied everything from an old diskette, and downloaded some software to convert them to a usable format. I’m pretty sure I have since thrown away all my old diskettes. I was usually able to read them, but I couldn’t reformat them, because of their age. Some of the recipes I still have somewhere from another source. Some I never tried – they were that type of “I’d like to try that some day.”
Now, while all the rest of this is going on, the pain in my hips is getting worse, and I can barely hobble around. I had ordered some plastic clogs from a mailorder house to wear outside in the mornings, because the grass is always quite wet. They arrived in the mail this past Monday. They don’t fit quite right. They are a little large in the back, but they put pressure on my big toes. What was amazing was that as I walked around in them, the pain in my hips eased. I suspect it something to do with the composition of the soles – thick, spongy plastic. They didn’t completely eliminate the pain, though. The next day, I was thinking, now the doc said that I could still use my OC pain medication (naproxen sodium) in addition to the prescription meds. I decided that I’d try taking one of them in the middle of the day, and maybe it would help a little. I have done so for the last three days, and it has virtually eliminated the hip pain. Now, if I could only get rid of the back pain . . .
Now, for the “monthly features” – first of all, the Magnaclam calendar:
Magnacalendar Images - July
And birthdays:
July 15 – my great-niece Qavah
July 21 – my daughter Karen
July 25 - my brother-in-law Phil
July 30 – my granddaughter Annie
Just fixed that last entry - Annie is definitely not my daughter!
Hey, family, I lost my birthdays list when my computer crashed, so I’d appreciate any of you helping me out with getting them back. I have at least the month & day for all those that I have posted here throughout the past year, but if possible, I’d like to have the year, too. I’d like to have a comprehensive list of all the birthdates in our family, and there are some whose birthdays I have never had – or at least, never had recorded.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
June's Beginnings
It’s a new month. June. It’s supposed to be almost summer, but when I woke up yesterday, the temperature was 32ยบ. Brrr!
Monthly features:
Magnaclam Calendar:
Magnacalendar Images: June
I love those little "Magnajets" in the background!
June birthdays:
My nephew’s wife, Dawn – June 20
Great-great nephew Nehemiah (Dawn’s grandson) – June 21
Brother Tommy – June 25
Niece Suzanne (Tommy’s daughter) – June 25
Nephew Larry (now deceased) was born on June 15, 1949
Once again, it looks like my “check engine” light problem has been solved. This is the longest I’ve gone without its coming on since late January.
I dumped a bunch of shredded paper inside my fenced-in garden area. I covered most of it with newspaper weighted down with stone. It seemed to be staying in place pretty good, even where not covered. The grass and other plants are growing up through it. But I suddenly started noticing a bunch of it on the ground under the nearby hemlock tree. It didn’t make sense, because there wasn’t any evidence of it being blown about by the wind. And periodically the amount under the tree seemed to increase. I wondered if perhaps the birds were carrying it about. I looked up in the tree and saw a big gob of it hanging from a branch. I guess I need to cover the rest.
I have several bags of shredded paper that I want to spread out in the garden area. I put some out there once before, long ago, and it improved the soil in those areas considerably when it deteriorated. I’m also putting out big pieces of card board, hoping to kill out most of the weeds – especially the quack grass! And the peppermint which is virtually taking over the garden, and not being worth much because it always gets leaf miners very early. There is better peppermint growing down by the road, but I have to get it before the deer eat it off.
I’ve got my "burning place" rebuilt where I want it, and without any concrete blocks or pieces. I will probably build it higher, bit by bit, by bringing rocks from a pile in the southwest corner of my property. Someone was dumping them there before I bought the place and I have continued the practice.
Monthly features:
Magnaclam Calendar:
Magnacalendar Images: June
I love those little "Magnajets" in the background!
June birthdays:
My nephew’s wife, Dawn – June 20
Great-great nephew Nehemiah (Dawn’s grandson) – June 21
Brother Tommy – June 25
Niece Suzanne (Tommy’s daughter) – June 25
Nephew Larry (now deceased) was born on June 15, 1949
Once again, it looks like my “check engine” light problem has been solved. This is the longest I’ve gone without its coming on since late January.
I dumped a bunch of shredded paper inside my fenced-in garden area. I covered most of it with newspaper weighted down with stone. It seemed to be staying in place pretty good, even where not covered. The grass and other plants are growing up through it. But I suddenly started noticing a bunch of it on the ground under the nearby hemlock tree. It didn’t make sense, because there wasn’t any evidence of it being blown about by the wind. And periodically the amount under the tree seemed to increase. I wondered if perhaps the birds were carrying it about. I looked up in the tree and saw a big gob of it hanging from a branch. I guess I need to cover the rest.
I have several bags of shredded paper that I want to spread out in the garden area. I put some out there once before, long ago, and it improved the soil in those areas considerably when it deteriorated. I’m also putting out big pieces of card board, hoping to kill out most of the weeds – especially the quack grass! And the peppermint which is virtually taking over the garden, and not being worth much because it always gets leaf miners very early. There is better peppermint growing down by the road, but I have to get it before the deer eat it off.
I’ve got my "burning place" rebuilt where I want it, and without any concrete blocks or pieces. I will probably build it higher, bit by bit, by bringing rocks from a pile in the southwest corner of my property. Someone was dumping them there before I bought the place and I have continued the practice.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
This 'n' That
I just sent off a birthday card to my great-granddaughter Keely. She will be 2 tomorrow.
My grandson Christopher is getting married Saturday. I haven’t sent them anything yet. I notified my daughter, and told her I would be sending something, so they won’t be disappointed not to have heard from me. I wanted Mike to make an image of a Magnaclam bride and groom for a card for them, but I don’t think he’s gonna do it. I wanted a baby Magnaclam for Keely’s birthday card, and didn’t get that either.
My brother-in-law & my nephew Rich installed a signal-booster on our TV antenna so that we can get digital TV. So far, we still can’t get it. The only option left to us is to buy a new antenna, and I hesitate to do that, because, what if, after spending all that money, it still doesn’t work?
Rich hauled some rocks in my yard down to where I want to set up a place for burning stuff, and at the same time, getting the rocks out of a place where I want to mow. He missed a few. He set up the rocks in a circle, but (shhh, don’t tell him) I’m doing it over. He set it up just a little too close to my garden fence. Also, there are some concrete blocks in it, and they don’t hold up very good with fire. Today I hauled down the rest of the rocks he’d missed, and started rebuilding the circle. I wanted to be able to burn stuff without going half-way up the hill, where I’ve been burning stuff for some time.
I may finally have got the “check engine” light on my car fixed. The tech caught it just at the right time with an intermittent problem, and replaced a part. So far, it’s gone over 160 miles without the light coming on. Those intermittent problems are really the bear to find.
I had to replace my hot-water heater a couple of weeks ago. I may have to replace my clothes dryer, too, before the year is out.
Life is never dull!
My grandson Christopher is getting married Saturday. I haven’t sent them anything yet. I notified my daughter, and told her I would be sending something, so they won’t be disappointed not to have heard from me. I wanted Mike to make an image of a Magnaclam bride and groom for a card for them, but I don’t think he’s gonna do it. I wanted a baby Magnaclam for Keely’s birthday card, and didn’t get that either.
My brother-in-law & my nephew Rich installed a signal-booster on our TV antenna so that we can get digital TV. So far, we still can’t get it. The only option left to us is to buy a new antenna, and I hesitate to do that, because, what if, after spending all that money, it still doesn’t work?
Rich hauled some rocks in my yard down to where I want to set up a place for burning stuff, and at the same time, getting the rocks out of a place where I want to mow. He missed a few. He set up the rocks in a circle, but (shhh, don’t tell him) I’m doing it over. He set it up just a little too close to my garden fence. Also, there are some concrete blocks in it, and they don’t hold up very good with fire. Today I hauled down the rest of the rocks he’d missed, and started rebuilding the circle. I wanted to be able to burn stuff without going half-way up the hill, where I’ve been burning stuff for some time.
I may finally have got the “check engine” light on my car fixed. The tech caught it just at the right time with an intermittent problem, and replaced a part. So far, it’s gone over 160 miles without the light coming on. Those intermittent problems are really the bear to find.
I had to replace my hot-water heater a couple of weeks ago. I may have to replace my clothes dryer, too, before the year is out.
Life is never dull!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
May Musings
I suppose, while posting the Articles of Faith with the graphics, I should have gone into some detail on at least some of the graphics as to why they represent the specific article. Some, of course, are self-explanatory.
Earlier this year I got a little kitchen gadget I thought might be useful. It’s one of those little things you find in novelty catalogs that may or may not work correctly. It’s a little plastic slicer with a nice sharp blade. It gives you warnings about proper use to avoid cutting yourself. The problem was, it didn’t tell you how to wash it. I was washing it preparatory to use, and managed to “slice” a bit of my index finger. Ouch! However, I will say, as for the use, it works very nicely. I sliced up a couple of potatoes to fry, and they sliced up fast and uniform.
Yesterday was one busy day. I had a doctor’s appointment in the morning – just routine stuff. I went from there to the hospital for X-rays to try to find out why I have so much back pain. All the X-rays showed was a little arthritis.
From the hospital, I went to Middy’s, expecting to stay there until my car appointment in the afternoon. I had intended to skip lunch. Middy wasn’t home; my nephew Rich probably was, but he would be leaving very soon to go to work, so I just drove off. I went to Plyer’s and had salad bar for lunch. Then I went to the grocery store & picked up a few things. On to the garage. I was early, so I sat in the car about 20 minutes reading. Maybe, just maybe, I’ve got the check engine light fixed . . . I went back into town & the grocery store, and picked up some frozen stuff. Then gassed up the car. I should have done it when I first got into town before my Dr.’s appointment. In the mean time, the price of gasoline had increased by 5¢.
I got home at about 3:00 pm (after leaving home about 9:00 am).
Now for the monthly features:
Magnaclam image for May
Magnacalendar images: May
May birthdays:
My nephew Ben – May 5
My niece Elizabeth – May 7
My nephew Steve – May 8
My brother-in-law Erling – May 25
My great-granddaughter Keely – May 29
If any of you know any family birthdays I’ve missed, let me know. There are a lot that I don’t have a record of.
Earlier this year I got a little kitchen gadget I thought might be useful. It’s one of those little things you find in novelty catalogs that may or may not work correctly. It’s a little plastic slicer with a nice sharp blade. It gives you warnings about proper use to avoid cutting yourself. The problem was, it didn’t tell you how to wash it. I was washing it preparatory to use, and managed to “slice” a bit of my index finger. Ouch! However, I will say, as for the use, it works very nicely. I sliced up a couple of potatoes to fry, and they sliced up fast and uniform.
Yesterday was one busy day. I had a doctor’s appointment in the morning – just routine stuff. I went from there to the hospital for X-rays to try to find out why I have so much back pain. All the X-rays showed was a little arthritis.
From the hospital, I went to Middy’s, expecting to stay there until my car appointment in the afternoon. I had intended to skip lunch. Middy wasn’t home; my nephew Rich probably was, but he would be leaving very soon to go to work, so I just drove off. I went to Plyer’s and had salad bar for lunch. Then I went to the grocery store & picked up a few things. On to the garage. I was early, so I sat in the car about 20 minutes reading. Maybe, just maybe, I’ve got the check engine light fixed . . . I went back into town & the grocery store, and picked up some frozen stuff. Then gassed up the car. I should have done it when I first got into town before my Dr.’s appointment. In the mean time, the price of gasoline had increased by 5¢.
I got home at about 3:00 pm (after leaving home about 9:00 am).
Now for the monthly features:
Magnaclam image for May
Magnacalendar images: May
May birthdays:
My nephew Ben – May 5
My niece Elizabeth – May 7
My nephew Steve – May 8
My brother-in-law Erling – May 25
My great-granddaughter Keely – May 29
If any of you know any family birthdays I’ve missed, let me know. There are a lot that I don’t have a record of.
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