Category: Life

Yes, it’s count down time. I started got my hair done, got the 3 ounce little plastic bottles for shampoo and conditioners, and all of Hubby’s diabetic supplies.

Our house sitter arrives on Monday and we will teach him all he needs to know about the house. I’ve shopped for dog food, and all I might need to have on the trip.

Now stop me! I promised not to pack too much, and yet the ‘what ifs’ in life worry me and cause me to over prepare.

The temperature was a mere -12 degrees (F) when I got up this morning. Hubby asked if I could please take the station wagon when I went to get my hair done. His car had been sitting outside over night and I did wonder if his battery would turn the starter.

It did, but I must say, that the car never warmed up the entire way to the hair stylists. On the way back it did eventually warm up and start throwing some nice hot air!

Please pray for good weather from now until after we have departed Boston. We simply have to get out of Boston!

And here we are Sunday night and it is snowing! Not just snowing a little, but heavily and very wet snow! Now don’t get me wrong. Under the right circumstances I am really happy when it snows and makes my world so lacy and beautiful. However, this week Hubby and I have a ton of things to do and this snow, and the snow forecast for Thursday are a real nuisance!

Hubby is getting his new hearing aids, I need to return items to JC Penney, and also go over two towns to bring Anneliese to the Vet’s Office. Not to mention getting my roots done before we leave on our cruise!

I need it to be dry and the roads to be good so I can get around. Come on Mother Nature, cooperate!

Meanwhile, my silly tooth is aching and I need to call the dentist after New Year’s and get in. I’m debating just having the tooth pulled. It’s my back top tooth and it is causing me all kinds of discomfort. Anyone with an opinion, please leave it!

Well I’m off to make some meatloaf for dinner. It’s a simple, plain old, recipe and should be good.

Have a good week everyone!

We went to pick up my new glasses in Tilton on Saturday. All went well and I can see so nicely, although I think I still need some tweaks with the glasses in the nose area.
Meanwhile Hubby went to buy a new battery for his watch. He was there at the counter forever, and I went over and the clerk was being so rude to him. Frankly, I was amazed that he had maintained his cool. I certainly didn’t! After about 20 minutes I went to find the store manager, and I complained about the poor service, but mostly, the nasty treatment to my husband. When I got back to the scene, they’d broken his watch!!! They pawned off another watch on him, and when we went to program it, we found that it doesn’t work! We were both furious, but neither one of us wanted to go back today. We needed to eat lunch, so we came home, and I checked Amazon, where I found I can buy his old watch for $13.99 shipping included. It will be here on Tuesday!

I keep asking myself about the fact that there are so many rude people in this world, and why on earth do they feel the need to be mean to strangers they are supposed to be helping?

The light outside that automatically comes on when I walk the doggies at night, burnt out. What this means is that Hubby has to get the large 2 story ladder out and go up to change the bulb. I asked him if he could turn the light sensor just slightly, so the light comes on more easily.

You see, it was turned just enough the opposite way, that I would have to run out in the dark a ways until the lights turned on.

In the winter this doesn’t bother me at all. However, while the bears are about, I worry about close encounters with them!

But the light is good and I think the bulb is even brighter. Hubby says it really isn’t, it’s just clean! lol!

Don’t forget all you USA residents, it is time to “fall back”. So hopefully you turned your clocks back before you went to bed last night.

Hubby and I decided to take some time and go off to see “Captain Phillips”. All I can say is that I was literally on the edge of my seat throughout the entire film! The movie is two hours and fifteen minutes long, and usually I’m not one to want to commit to that much time in an uncomfortable seat, but this movie went so fast, that it did not seem like I was in the theater that long!

I don’t go to the movies a lot, but this year there have been a few that I have actually wanted to see. As well as a few books too! I must finish up the book I am reading now so I can start a biography of a writer I truly admire. He is Pulitzer Prize winning author, and has led a truly remarkable life after he was paralyzed in a diving accident, in his first year of medical school.

He went on to finish medical school and eventually became a Board Certified Psychiatrist, before embarking on a writing career. A truly amazing man

• Next week I go for my annual eye exam and to get new glasses. I need to get very light weight frames and lenses, as my nose gets irritated from my current glasses. I hope I can find something I like.

• It is so cold here tonight, I think I will be breaking out my winter pajamas! Of course I am lucky to have three dackels to cuddle with in bed.

• I’m enjoying my book “The Husband’s Secret” by Liane Moriarty. It is totally not what I expected! (In a very interesting way!)

• I went to visit my neighbor today. I decided to take Greta with me and all I said was, “Greta, let’s go see, Aglaia” and she raced up the hill! Greta adores Aglaia!

• I found a great recipe for schnitzel and I went to take out some pork to make it on Thursday, only to find, I have no pork in the freezer! I need to get some soon so I can make the recipe!

To you all I wish you a happy Friday and a great weekend!

A good friend of mine in Australia, Keith has passed away. I have known him since 1995. We were both dachshund lovers!

We traveled with Keith and his wife, Jill and they visited our home twice.

Jill & Keith

I’ll miss his crazy sense of humor and talking to him on the phone. He always seemed to be making us laugh.

Rest well, dear Keith!

For those of you who have been following my blog this year, you will all recall that I had to have a Mohs Surgery and reconstructive surgery after. You also will recall the horror of seeing my face for the first time, and then the second time after that surgery.

After going to Boston and meeting a fabulous plastic surgeon there, I decided that the hospital should know what had been done to me.

My first attempt was to drive over and meet with Patient Relations, bringing my unfixed face, and pictures of the first two surgeries. I was patted on the head and told that “Sometimes these things happen”.

So, I wrote them a letter. I sent it to my daughter first to get her advice. She cleaned it up, and in the end produced a fantastic letter!

I sent it off, registered letter in July, and then waited. In fact last night Hubby and I were talking about how strange it was that we had not heard a word from the hospital.

Then on Tuesday in the mail, was a letter from the hospital. It was filled with apologies and concern on one hand and then a disclaimer on the other.

The one really laughable paragraph is when the doctor says he spoke to me in the OR before the first surgery. I think if you check dates on the blog you will see that the Anesthesiologist had me snowed under before I left the pre-op area.

Anyway, their letter showed me two things, 1) they realized that the original plastic surgeon could cause them real problems, and 2) they were covering their butts!

Hubby still isn’t happy, but I told him if I caused the surgeon one sleepless night, then I was happy. At least now they know why I did not come back for further treatment, and perhaps that surgeon will think twice about butchering someone else like he did me.

So, tell me. Have you ever had a doctor do something that either made you angry/uncomfortable/etc.? Did you alert the hospital to let them know what had occurred?

My current plastic surgeon Dr. P. is always up front with me and explains everything. Now that I have local anesthesia, he even tells me what he is doing while he is doing it.

Should doctors be accountable so that they teach their patients via slideshows, what they will do, so the patient will not pass out from the shock when they wake up in the recovery room?

The last few days I have had trouble thinking and/or writing. My mother is lingering, just on this side of life and she is still suffering.

My sister is still suffering too. She is unable to go forward in her life, while Mom lingers. For her to see my Mom in pain…oh I pray that Mom is released from this life soon.

Mel spends so much time at the Hospice with Mom. The nurses have become concerned and now friends and family are circling Mel to take care of her.

I’m also worried. You see Mel and my Mom have always been closer than close. Over the years they have done so many things together, and I worry for Mel’s health.

Being this far from everything offers me some relief, but even I have found it difficult to sleep at night and to organize my thoughts.

So forgive me for not visiting your blogs or writing you a note. Right now, just cooking Hubby’s meals and taking care of the dogs is almost more than I can handle.

Tonight (Friday) Mom is in even more pain. I am praying that the good Lord will take her home soon.

Just a little clip to make you smile.