Category: Friday Five

Well, here we are again! Another week has come and gone as well as the summer. Welcome Autumn, as today is the first day of my favorite season. So many things are happening right now, but here are this week’s top five!

1. Our dear friends from Massachusetts are coming up today to go out to lunch with us. So, what does this mean? All the little jobs I’ve been putting off in the house got done on Thursday. Things like vacuuming and washing floors and dusting….but it all got done. The house looks and smells great!
2. I went and had my hair styled yesterday. It’s slowly growing out, and I love how my new stylist is helping me achieve this. She is also a master with color, and I feel so fresh and rejuvenated. The new style is in the side bar to the right.
3. It looks like it will probably be too cool to wear bathing suits to the beach next week when my sister and cousin and I go to the Cape. But that’s okay. Our alternate plan is to go to the beach, in jeans and a sweat shirt, sit on our beach chairs and enjoy the ocean.
4. I am so looking forward to our girls weekend. It’s our first one ever! Sort of odd thinking about this, as Melodie and I grew up in Falmouth on Cape Cod, and Janet came down all the time. And here we are grown adults, and we’ve never done this before. I guess there is a first time for everything!
5. I started working on a Christmas gift. I would really like to make several Christmas gifts for people this year. I want to personalize things a little more.

Well, that’s it for this week. I hope your week was a good one, and that the start to your Autumn is full of bright skies, colorful leaves and happiness!

The leaves are starting to change here in my part of the world. I love it. At first the green leaves look just slightly off, and then the trees start to get tipped with yellows, red, orange and coral colors. The apples are ripening on our trees and that is beautiful as well! Autumn truly is, my favorite time of year!

It’s been a rather busy week for me, although most of my week was spent at home. Here’s what’s happening in my world.

1. The week started with me having a touch of Vertigo. I’ve had it before, but not in a long time. The first day was the worst, but as the week wore on, I found I got progressively better. Here we are on Friday and I am fine!
2. I made two stir fry’s this week. A Chicken and a Beef stir fry. Both were so easy to make, tasted great, and we both really enjoyed them. I am finding that we like lighter fare more than we used to. Anything super heavy and neither one of us feels well after.
3. Jack hates the new flip phone I got him when his old flip phone died last summer when he was in the hospital. Frankly, so do I. I cannot hear in it and find it difficult to open. So, I was playing with his old dead phone, and I cleaned all the contacts and I actually got it running again. Not only that, but I switched the number from the bad flip phone back to his much loved flip phone, by following Verizon’s instruction page. My hope it that I can teach Jack to use my Samsung Galaxy S5 so I can get the new Galaxy phone for my birthday!
4. Jack is doing okay, although he does have two places on one of his toes that are concerning me. I have doctored them and kept infection from setting in. We go to the Podiatrist today, and we will see what he says. Hopefully, we have done everything right.
5. I met the two new Veterinarians that are taking over the Practice of my much loved Vet. Now she will work for them part time, but they not only bought her Practice, but her big old farmhouse and farm as well. They seem very nice and it’s my hope they will care for my pack of hounds with the same love as Julie always did. Especially my Greta.

So that wraps up a rather crazy week. But in the end, it was all good. Enjoy your weekend, folks!

Another week has come and gone, although this one seemed to go by much faster. Perhaps it is because of Labor Day having been on Monday, and thus shortening the week. Despite that, here are the five things on my mind, as the week closes.

1. Jack was in to see his foot doctor on Wednesday. The infection has pretty much cleared up, (thanks to my excellent nursing care!) and the ulcer is almost healed and gone. This is such good news! The flip side of this is that the toe is a hammer toe, and eventually will have to come off. But just not yet, and that is a very good thing!
2. I got a letter on Tuesday telling us that our much loved Veterinarian is retiring and selling her practice to a young, married couple. They are both Veterinarians who graduated from Tuft’s Veterinarian School. On Saturday there is a party to celebrate her retirement and to meet the new Veterinarians. I am so sad to see Dr. Julie retire. She has been with us through so many tough times. And she has also been with us through those really happy times too. Pets are such a blessing!
3. I finally got down to making my tomato sauce. I got my 15 pounds of tomatoes at the Farm Stand, and also my vegetables, and then picked up my ground beef and Italian sausage.
   While the tomatoes were cooking down, I sat down an started chopping vegetables. I chopped and chopped and chopped. Then began sauteing the vegetables, and in another pan, sauteing the meat, and eventually putting it all together to simmer. You can get the recipe HERE.
4. We’ve really been enjoying the corn this summer. We eat corn two or three times a week. Our local corn has simply been the best! YUM!
5. Yesterday we got home after a long day. I’d quite literally run through the grocery store, so I could get Jack back home and off his feet. In any case, when we finally got the groceries put away, I went into the bedroom and put on my pajamas. When I was done I slipped my clogs back on and went out to make dinner. I did that, and the dishes and then finally, sat down. Then, as I sat there Jack looked at my feet and said, “Look at your feet.” Which I did, and then burst out laughing! I had one gray clog on and one black clog. And I had for almost 2 hours, without even noticing it! It’s still making me smile and laugh just a little today!

Have a great weekend Everyone!

Life is full of things to do and things that will make your life better. Here are five things I am thinking of this week.

1. I’ve decided I need to get out more. I tend to hibernate and become somewhat of a Hermit when I’ve faced challenges in life. After my neck surgeries this year, I sort of shut myself off. Well, not any more. Life is full of great things to do!
2. I found a beautiful pattern for an Afghan. It’s made with a simple crochet stitch and chunky yarn. On Thursdays, at my Library, they have a group called “The Knotty Knitters”, where people doing needle work can come, work on their projects, talk a little, and get help by more experienced knitters and crocheters.
3. My friend and I were talking yesterday about taking a Senior Yoga Class. Technically, I am a year short of meeting the requirement of being a Senior, but….I think I can get into the class due to my physical challenges. I just feel that Yoga will help me get some core strength back.
4. I’ve decided to continue with Weight Watchers and after Labor Day, actually get back to following the plan. Weight Watchers Class has always been so helpful to me for the support of my weight problem, but also an emotional support group.
5. One day per week, I plan to go room by room and then the basement and attic, so that throughout the winter, I will lighten my load. I want to get things organized. I want to get rid of the crap.

So these are all positive things, that I plan to do over the next year. I’m excited about the opportunities these things will provide.

The Friday Five this week is pretty much focused on the weeks events. So here goes.

1. The best news is that the Infectious Disease doctor released me from her service. Right now I am free of any active infection! Yay!
2. Our peaches were ripe and we made 3 batches of Heavenly Jam. Did it come out well! Very fresh and very yummy!
3. I did a little cooking. I made Beef Stew with Beer & Paprika, and I also made pulled pork. Both came out very tasty.
4. Today I brought Jack to the VA for his paperwork and for his appointment for his toe. The incision for the amputation has healed so nicely. But that next toe, doesn’t look so good!
5. Lastly, I am looking forward to a nice quiet weekend. I have no plans.  Maybe I will cook some ribs.

So that is the Friday Five. I hope that you have a great weekend!

This past week has been full of many wonderful things. Plus I got a lot done. There was only one small wrinkle, and even that did not make me upset for too long, and now I can actually laugh about it. So, here goes.

1. I got an email announcing a big sale at Talbot’s. I love their clothes, and so I planned a shopping trip to their Outlet Store, where things are even more of a deal. I got two pairs of much needed dress pants, one pair of jeans, a dressy pencil skirt, and the cutest summer silk top and spent just over $100.00! And I look marvelous!
2. I had a great lunch with my friend Barbie on Wednesday. I had not seen her since she moved to Florida, but here we were talking away, like we had just seen each other yesterday! Friendships are a wonderful thing!
3. On my way home from the luncheon, I stopped at BJ’s for gas. I was inline and the man in front of me, decided not to pull forward to the pump in front. I do not know why, he just stopped at the first pump, got out and started to pump his gas. So, I pulled around him, and tried to get as close as possible to the pump. I even pulled forward and then backed up a couple of times. When I got out of my car to pump my gas, he came rushing toward me, screaming that I had cut in line and that I should drive around and get back in the long line that had formed. I told him that I was next in line, and I was not going to do that. I asked, “Can’t you get by me?” (He was in a very small sports car) and he yelled “Of course I can’t! Move your F…ing car!” Well, I don’t like to be sworn at and I do not like bad manners. “Sir, if you had asked me nicely, I would be more than happy to move my car forward so you can get by.” He swore again. Then I looked at his license plate and saw he was from Massachusetts. (So am I originally, so I can say this with a big smile on my face, as I know wonderful Massachusetts residents can be but also how rotten) “Oh, I know what you are, you are not a gentleman at all, you are a Mass-hole!” I did move my car up slightly and he screeched his tires as he tore out of the gas station. What a total jerk! I was annoyed back then, but I am now laughing about it! (Note to self: The man could have had an AK-47 in his car, so maybe it’s not so good to argue with a stranger at the gas station!)
4. Jack has another ulcer on his foot. This one is on the toe next to where the other was amputated. It’s pretty advanced. The strange part was that it came on very fast. I have now put my nurses cap back on, for more devoted care of his foot.
5. Today is bathing dackels day. All three of the dackels need baths. Anneliese most especially, as she is allergic to something, which causes a nasty itch and rash. I used to take them all in the shower with me, but it’s a little tough to do that now, so they are going into the sink! Rub a dub dub, a dackel in the tub!

I hope that you all have a great weekend and that you have something wonderful going on. A local farm stand is having Farm Days on Saturday and we plan to attend! I am hoping for sunshine!

Good Friday Morning to you all. This has been an amazingly busy week for us. But I must tell you, it has been a beautiful week! Here, let me tell you all about it!

1. On Monday I had a doctor’s appointment in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It’s about a 50 mile drive each way. On Monday it was so beautiful. Despite a few clouds, a sprinkle of rain, the lush trees, the flowering gardens, and when I stepped from my car in Portsmouth, the smell of the ocean brought tears to my eyes! Since I was early, I sat down on the docks at a small restaurant and had lunch. It was just ideal!
2. Tuesday I had another appointment, but this one in town. It was a perfect day to run around and see people and places close by, including a family of Canadian Geese and another of baby ducks with their mother.
3. Wednesday, Jack and I went for him to be fitted for shoes. He will get two pairs, one sneakers and one casual shoes that will have an insert where his toe once was. Afterward I actually got Jack to go out and shop at Walmart with me. His first public outing. He did very well, and we were shopping for about an hour, when I looked up at him and noticed he looked like he was fading. I worried about his blood sugar, so I grabbed a Reese’s Peanut-butter Cup pack, as we checked out. I got him to the car, got him some coffee and asked him if it was low blood sugar or exhaustion. He took a big breath and said exhaustion. Needless to say, he took a nap that afternoon.
4. Thursday we saw the surgeons over in White River Junction, at the VA. They are really happy with the progress that Jack’s nubbin is making and very soon he will no longer need my tender ministrations each day. After his appointment, we also discovered a Chinese Buffet Restaurant and had lunch. Jack’s first meal out since this all began. It was delicious, cheap and close to the VA, so when we go for further appointments we know where to have our lunch!
5. A few weeks back I had a quasi disaster with my hair coloring. First it came out nearly black. Talk about a shock! Then when I asked her to fix this, it came out a deep auburn-ish red! Definitely not me! So I asked around and I found a licensed colorist who is going to fix my hair and then give it some shape. I can hardly wait!

     5. Plus 1. I graduated from High School in 1976. But that was a year ahead of my  real class. I took extra courses the summer before and graduated early, to marry my High School Sweetheart. Anyway, The Class of 1977 is having their Reunion at the end of September and I decided to go! I have not seen most of these people in 40 years! These are the people I started Kindergarten with, and whose birthday parties I went to and shared school dances with. Their lives were part of the fabric of my life. And best of all, I get to go to my hometown of Falmouth, Massachusetts! I will also be spending part of that weekend with two of my favorite people! My sister, Melodie and my cousin, Janet! Come to think of it, I think this is the first girls weekend we have had since we were kids! I hope now we are older, we can plan these trips together more often.

Here is a picture of me when I was a Freshman in High School. My Dad took it, when I was down at the lake near our house swimming, just before school started in September.

This was an exceptionally busy week, and I will try to get it pared down to the top five!

1. Jack’s foot, toe area, I will now call a “Nubbin“. That pretty much describes what is left on the top of the foot. Kind of cute really. He was seen by the Vascular Surgeon, who had amputated it, to finally get the stitches out. When I was introduced, I heard an accent but could not place it. I asked, and he said he was born and raised in Berlin, Germany! He arrived in America when he was a freshman in High School. And he spoke no English. Well, considering that his English is perfect, and he went to High School, College, Medical School and then did his Residency, and Specialty and got Board Certified and is only in his mid 30’s, it is safe to say that he is incredibly bright. Jack and the doctor chatted in German while the stitches were removed.
2. The “Nubbin” looks good. I was commended for the care I had given it all this time. In fact everyone liked the way I had wrapped the “Nubbin” and foot with gauze. Now the stitches are out, he can shower, but still must keep it wrapped and he still cannot drive until he is fitted for special shoes. He also must use a walker and/or cane when he walks.
3. I had my hair done this week and wanted to go a bit darker, and a little more ash because my hair had gotten kind of reddish/blond. Although I liked the cute trim she gave me, my hair is currently almost BLACK! I have an appointment tomorrow to get the color “fixed”! I can hardly wait. I catch looks in a mirror as I pass and I startle myself every time!
4. It was back to Weight Watchers for me this week. Being as sick as I have been, I have now lost 32 pounds. I do not recommend losing the weight the way I did. Being that sick and unable to eat is pretty yucky. I have just about 20 pounds left until I reach my new goal weight. I do not want to be as thin as I was when I was 40. I will be 60 soon and well, I think I’m entitled to a few extra pounds.
5. Have you seen the documentary, “Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy“?                                                                                                                                                             It was made by Prince William and Prince Harry to honor their mother on the 20th anniversary of her death. They obviously were and still are devoted to their much loved mother. It is my hope that Diana will one day be honored for her role in British History. I think her sons will make sure she is.

This week I am calling the Friday Five, the Friday Five Plus One. Simply because I cannot fit everything in to just 5 statements. So, here goes!

This week I am focusing on the last two weeks. So much has been happening, that the first two weeks of this month have gone by in a flash. When I am not running around trying to dot all my I’s and cross all my T’s, I am catching a nap or going to bed before nine o’clock on the evening. Here is a quick run down.

1. It all started a month ago when Jack said he needed me to doctor his toe. The big toe on his right foot was quite simply a bloody mess. Since he is an Agent Orange Survivor with Diabetes, I knew it was a big problem, probably before he did. He phoned the Veteran’s Hospital and the race began.
2. He was on antibiotics, but nothing got better. I was the keeper of the toe, changing the dressings and watching it. In reality, I was watching it become more infected and worsen. Looking back, I should have demanded a Vascular Surgeon look at it. Next time…(and yes, there probably will be a next time!)
3. Two weeks later, Jack was not feeling well. We packed a suitcase for him, and headed to the VA in Manchester, to their Emergency Department. They took one look at his toe and off he went, via ambulance, to the White River Junction Veteran’s hospital, where, three days later they removed all of his toe. Thankfully, since Jack has no feeling in his feet, he had no pain. Otherwise, we were told, this would have been an extremely painful operation. They started him on two IV antibiotics, and then waited and hoped that the pathology report would show which bacteria was inside the toe, and also that the bone pathology would show that they got all the infected bone.
4. They sent us home last week on Thursday. At that time they gave Jack a 50/50 chance of not needing more surgery to remove more of the bone. He came home with a slew of medical products for me to use to keep his foot clean, and antibiotics (two of them) in tablet form, to treat both the infection and any possible bone infection he might have left.
5. So, the last week he has had to sit with his foot elevated, and basically do nothing. That is very hard for my husband, who is a very active person. However, I think it’s been a tad easier, because he still has not felt well. I make his meals, clean his wound and then nap and go to bed early, because exhaustion seems to take on a life of it’s own.
6. Now here is your bonus this week. Yesterday, the Nurse Practitioner had the pathology reports on the toe that they removed. She told us that it showed that they had gotten all of the infection with wide margins in the bone.
   They did take a small amount of healthy bone, but this is okay. It means after one month of antibiotics, Jack should be healed.
   He will still need monthly care of his feet, and hopefully, this will keep him from losing any more of his foot. But there is no guarantee.

On a more serious note, I just want to say here and now, that Agent Orange was used so indiscriminately, that so many of our soldiers have been permanently damaged. Seeing the toll it has taken on Jack, I am just appalled! So I say to all the men and women of our military who have fought for our country, God Bless you, and Thank You!

I’m going to do something a little different with this week’s Friday Five. This week I will give you five reasons why, “Naps Are Good“!

1. Snuggling up with your dog, or cat, child or loved one, for a mid-day rest, relaxes you like nothing else.
2. Naps are a way of being extremely kind to your body. Stretching it out, and purposely resting each and every muscle is simply delicious!
3. Since I was so ill at the start of the year, I find napping has been a great way to regain my strength.
4. After my nap, I find I am more alert and I spend the second half of my day getting quite a few things done.
5. I am not nearly so grumpy after a good power nap. In fact I am pretty darn cheerful!

So next time you wonder what to do for an hour in the afternoon, lie down, get a comfy pillow and blanket and take a nap! Your body, mind and soul will thank you!