Category: This & That

So the last week has been very busy; it started out with me planning a day of madness with my friend Amy. Amy picked me up last Friday, and we drove to Concord, where we met up with a friend of hers and now a friend of mine named Cory.

Cory is a tattoo artist. I had decided, oh, back in January, that I was just about ready to get my very first tattoo. I looked at different stencil ideas, trying to come up with something that was uniquely me. One thing I knew was that whatever I chose, it would have to be something to do with dackels.

I found several examples of dachshunds, and they were all fine, but they weren’t quite right.

So last Friday, when I went to see Cory, I had several ideas. The first example was OK, but the three of us agreed that the last one I showed him was the one for me because it showed a wonderful example of a wire-haired dachshund.

Cory worked rather quickly, and before I knew it, I was the proud owner of a very beautiful tattoo on my right shoulder. I keep looking at it and smiling because it is perfect for me and makes me very, very happy.

I hadn’t told anyone that I was doing this except for my daughter and my cousin. They knew, but they weren’t sure what I was going to do. Needless to say, they both think that this is perfect.

My sister was very surprised and thought it might be a sticker tattoo, like the ones kids have when they want to get a tattoo. But slowly, I broke it to her that this was not just a paper tattoo, it was, in fact, a real one.

Since I got it, I have found I’ve been showing it to everyone who wants to see it. I’ve also found that there’s this whole club of people with tattoos who never told me about it before, but now that they see I have one, they want to show me theirs. I think it’s wonderful!

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This morning, I got Heidi out of bed, fed her, and took her outside. That’s when I noticed that something was very wrong with Heidi’s bottom. It was obvious that something had gotten into her backside because everything was very swollen on her cute little bottom. Since I know my dog better than anyone else, I called the veterinarian at 8:32 AM this morning and arranged to bring Heidi in.

It was a couple of spider bites. No infection has set in, but we decided to start her on antibiotics and cortisone to reduce the swelling and prevent any that might develop. She also popped up with an ear infection. I do not know how that happened. So, after I paid the bill and picked up her drugs, we came home and settled in to snuggle just a little bit as she was feeling very put upon due to all of those people looking at her bottom.

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I had ordered a pressure washer to help me with some of my outside chores. It arrived in a large box, and of course, assembly was required. The directions had no written instructions, just pictures. After 7 minutes studying the pictures, I turned to YouTube, looked up the model of my pressure washer, and found out how to put it all together.

It took me 40 minutes, and the pressure washer is now fully assembled and ready for use.

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The last few days have been full, with many good things happening, and I am very happy. Most of all, I’m amazed that I have been able to handle some of the things that my late husband used to do. I’ve never been one to assemble machinery, but I am amazed that I truly have an aptitude for putting things together. Hopefully, I will be able to use this as easily as it was to put it together.

I’ve  been here in Punta Gorda since Wednesday afternoon.  At first I was feeling a bit melancholy due to all the changes.

After close to 30 years away from this spot, and two very bad hurricanes, how could I expect it to stay the same?

Then I realized that so many great things are still here and I began to focus on what is, rather than what isn’t.

What is  here are the many wonderful people who I grew to know and love. I have seen friends every day, and it is like no time has passed. We sit, talk, share laughs, and its as if no time has passed.

After my initial surprise at all the changes I found myself smiling and enjoying myself.

Have you ever heard of “speed pillows”? It a kinder,  gentler way of saying “speed bump”! And these things are not gentle. If you take them too fast you will  take out the bottom of your car! Speed pillows, indeed!

I needed a few things that only Amazon can supply. Amazon will deliver to your hotel. Yahoo!

I have a few more days until I  return to New England.  And I am  enjoying it!

I am, however, going through doggy withdrawal! Everytime I see a dog, conversations are likely to follow!

 

So, it’s snowing again! I know. I’m sitting here with Heidi, telling myself that it’s all good. Of course, tomorrow morning Heidi won’t be happy when she goes outside.

Here is the story of my Highlander and the hatchback. They picked up the car on Thursday and couldn’t get the hatchback NOT to work. I explained that if the car was turned on, then the hatchback would usually work. But not the keyfob or the button inside.

I was called later, told they couldn’t find the problem, and that they’d send my car home. I told them to keep the car overnight and, in the morning, try to lift the hatchback before turning the car on.

At 7:32 AM, I got a call from the mechanic. The hatchback would not lift. Bingo! It turns out it’s an electrical panel, and he has ordered it. Thankfully, it is still under warranty.

My heating problem was fixed on Thursday. The furnace is fine, but many of my old pipes needed to be replaced. It is all done now, my house is warm, and none of my pipes are leaking!

So here I am on Friday night, and most of my problems have been wrapped up, Pricey, on the plumbing, but all of it is worth it.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

You probably are wondering where I have been the last few weeks. A lot has been going on, and by the end of the day, I usually snuggle up with Heidi and fall asleep.

I had contracted with a company to clean and restain my cedar shingles.  We weren’t sure if they would get to it this Autumn, or if we would need to wait until Spring.  However, they called me almost right away and were able to start. Here is a before picture.

The process of cleaning (pressure washing) the shingles and restaining was awe-inspiring. I wish I had a good front-of-the-house picture, but here is the front now. Restained and new shutters!

Although the shutters look black in the picture (I blame the snowstorm), they are, in fact, a deep blue.

So the madness and mayhem of construction were all around me, and I sat down to write a letter on my laptop, and everything was crazy. Those who know me well know that computers and I do not always get along. However, a long time ago, I met a man named Brad, whom we always called for repairs. My brain wanted to understand computers, and Brad taught me gently what I needed to know.

I always remember him telling me, “Give it a go and if you can’t get it done, call me.”

I decided to back up everything this time. Then I sat down and completely wiped the hard drive. I took my time, thought it through, and planned. Once it was done, I began to reprogram the laptop.

The first thing I did was uninstall OneDrive. I swear that program has caused me more trouble than it ever has actually helped.

Then, slowly, slowly, I added the files I wanted, leaving the rest on my external hard drive.

Naturally, there was a day spent going through accounts to add in auto-fill answers and also setting up other programs I use frequently. I went very slowly, and finally, I can say, it is all done.

Then Thanksgiving was upon us, and I had a long drive to my daughters and back.

Life quieted down briefly, and now I am back up and have two full weeks of appointments coming up. One day I am free, and I think I may go to the Outlet Mall.

Snow fell for the first time yesterday. We got between 8 and 10 inches of snow. Previously, I had gotten a small electric snow blower. I was a bit hesitant to use it in the dark. Today I got it out, and here is what I found.

It works great every 3-4 inches. Now I know I will stay on top of things. After all, little Heidi has short legs and needs help getting through the snow.

I also had a dental appointment to clean my teeth and have a tooth that has been bothering me checked. Much to my dismay, a root-canaled molar crown had gotten chipped. Next week, they will remove the old crown and get me ready for a new one. It could have been worse.

Just as I was catching my breath from all of the above, I realized my big goal of cleaning closet #2 had been forgotten. So, as I got out my hat and gloves for the snow, I also started pulling things out of the closet to deal with.  All in good time.

I was sitting here in the sunshine, enjoying the warmth after the 24 inches of cold snow fell. My mind seemed to drift to various things, so I put my laptop on my knees and started to write.

I feel so saddened by Princess Kate’s diagnosis of cancer. I have read several truly hateful things about her. All I can say is that I hope the Sussexes stay away.

After hearing that people were trying to break into Kate’s hospital records, I was sure I knew who was behind it.

As you all know, I had skin cancer on my nose, and tissue from my forehead was used to close the wound. It left me feeling quite vulnerable with such terrible scars. The scars have faded somewhat, but I will probably always have my Harry Potter scar on my forehead. Therefore, I do Photoshop pictures of my forehead.

There is no photoshopping above.
This was done with slight photoshopping.

Why do I do it? Well, because the scar makes me feel ugly and self-conscious. I’ve been told the scars will always be there unless I have more surgery, and since I do not want any more surgery, I will Photoshop!

I mention this because people have come down very hard on Princess Kate. Knowing what I know now, I fully understand the picture of Kate with her children.

My little Heidi is doing better. I am happy but also worried. It’s been a long haul for this baby. She is now on delicious dog food, which seems to work.

My bathroom/laundry room is nearly done. It is beautiful!  My bathroom previously had a jacuzzi tub, corner shower and toilet. This room is bigger than most New York City Apartments.

I have been carrying heavy laundry baskets up and down the stairs, which included a few falls. So I removed the jacuzzi, and I now have a washer and dryer, a new corner shower, and repairs done to the floor and walls!

I’m also getting my bedroom walls painted and a new carpet. I am thrilled—pictures to come.

That’s it for now. I will try to write more as I get on my feet again.

This is sort of a catch-up post as a lot has been happening, which has kept me from sitting down to write this out. But, here goes…

• • Lili’s left ankle is still a problem. There were two incidents today that exacerbated the injury, and she is once again limping about.

    Limping Lili.

    I still have the anti-inflammatory so she took a dose with dinner tonight, and I will go back to walking her only on a leash. My poor big girl.

  • On Wednesday I had a meet-up with my girlfriends. They’d been dying to meet my little love-puppy, and since it wasn’t raining, was not too cold, off we went to the meet-up.

On our way to the meeting.

• • To say that my little gang of ladies fell hard for Heidi would be an understatement! She was at her very best and flirted with each and every one of the girls!
  • Heidi is an amazing doggy. She will be 6 months old next week and yet she is already well behaved. Heidi can sit, down, roll to the side for belly rubs and sit at my feet. Next on my list is to teach her to shake paws.
  • On my way home I stopped and saw a friend at the Shipping Store. She was Arnie’s girlfriend. (And I even brought Arnie to see her before I took him for his last ride.) She is totally smitten with our new little Miss.

My darling!

• The general consensus is that the world needs more baby puppies like Heidi.
• Did I mention that Heidi got into some gross stuff the other day? She hates baths. So, since I needed a shower too, I readied the bathroom and brought her in with me. It turns out that she actually liked the nice warm shower with Mommy! This is good to know

Happy Thursday!

Wow! There is so much going on in the world, and even in my little corner of the world, so a “This and That” list seemed appropriate.

• • Okay, the slap was heard around the world. I understand the frustration, but as I think more and more about it, I think sometimes you need to suck it up and walk away. I live every day of my life with a face that close up resembles an inner-city roadmap. It’s due to extensive cancer surgery in 2013.People have made comments that felt unkind to me, but so far I haven’t decked a single person. Walk away and choose your battles wisely.
  • I went in on Monday to begin having my two front teeth crowns replaced. It is rather an arduous task and has left my mouth sore. But the end result will be good I am sure.
  • Today Lili was running around the yard and my guess is she leaped from the field down onto the driveway and twisted her ankle. Tonight she is limping badly. If she is not better tomorrow I will bring her in to get it checked.
  • I go to see my Glaucoma doctor tomorrow. I am six weeks late for this appointment as I was sick with the flu when I was due to go in for my last appointment and had to cancel.
  • The bears are awake and starting to roam the neighborhoods. This means that I need to bring in my feeders at dusk and put them out after breakfast in the morning.
  • We had to call for home heating oil today and they came and delivered 202 gallons of what I should call liquid gold. The current price for heating oil is $4.97 a gallon. So there’s $1000.00 I will never see again. But, at least we will be warm and can take hot showers.
  • I got the cutest picture of Heidi today and I love it so much that I ordered a print of it to have on my mantle. I just love this girl!

5-month-old Heidi.