Since I began the last update with a health report, I’ll do the same here. Had another MD appointment because my right shoulder was/is so sore and I thought perhaps she’d send me to physical therapy before I totally screw it up and need shoulder surgery. Meanwhile, between the time of making the appointment and getting there, my entire body decided to revolt. Waking up in the morning sucks because the pain throughout my body is so dreadful, I don’t want to get out of bed. Everything hurts, but as the day progresses, the pain diminishes until by evening I feel more or less fine.
So, at the MD, we talked
of various possibilities and she ordered labs again which all came back normal.
I’ve begun keeping a daily journal to see if there’s any kind of pattern. I’ve
also decided to not eat any nightshade plants, i.e., potatoes, tomatoes (and
I’ve five pots growing), peppers, eggplants and various other stuff which I
don’t normally eat. The reason for this is itching and the other night, I had
ten cherry tomatoes in my salad and almost scratched myself raw the following
day. If it is a new allergy to these plants, then that’s an easy fix.
After the labs came back,
I emailed my MD and asked her if I could have fibromyalgia. Her response was
that it is possible, that or some other central nervous problem, but I’m
already taking two of the meds they prescribe for fibromyalgia, so if I have
that, the meds should be helping with the symptoms, but don’t seem to be doing
much.
My MD also encouraged me
to return to my morning exercises, fitness class and walking because exercise
helps with fibromyalgia. I am back in the fitness class but haven’t begun a
daily walk. I’ve also tried the morning exercises and the second time, ended up
with a huge cramp that made me stop.
Folks talk about the
quality of life as being a reason for continuing. It’s not that I would ever do
anything to hurt myself, it’s just that when it comes to my physical health,
the quality of my life sucks at this point in time.
Okay, enough of that. So,
as I said in my pervious update, I do try to do stuff and look at the
accomplishments achieved. The three fuchsia pots that became five are doing
well and should soon be blossoming. That pleases me a lot. I’ve managed to keep
the huge hanging pot and huge deck pot of flowers Angie picked up for me at
Costco going as well. Was even smart enough to move it out of full sun (the
deck pot) so those really HOT days didn’t cook it.
And, speaking of those really
hot days. I’m assuming everyone survived it as did I and now live in the hope
nothing like that ever returns to the Pacific Northwest. A friend who is
usually optimistic told me, “Just wait until August.” Personally, I’m hoping we
just had our August weather and that when August arrives, fall comes with it.
As for the garden, that hot sun did a real number on so many of my plants and
trees, i.e., apple and tulip trees have burned leaves, alstroemeria was cooked,
lots of leaves on nasturtium burned, hostas terribly burned, most likely peas
and beans won’t be producing and, of course, my lovely green grass is now
brown. I also planted some more lettuce and spinach and it’s come up, but
seriously doubt anything will be harvestable for another month or more.
Besides all that, my
lilies are blooming way too early and will probably be completely done by the
middle of July. But, that’s okay because
by the looks of things, the dahlias should begin to flower just about then. I’m
not looking forward to my water bill, but I can’t not water and simply let
everything I’ve worked so hard on just die. Plus, there’s the new plants I
purchased or was given that haven’t taken complete hold quite yet.
The lean-to on the side of
the house remains because the day AJ and Alex were going to come take it down,
the weather was way too hot. Haley wouldn’t have been able to join in as
planned because she has a new job and would have worked that day. Maybe some
time in the next month they can all figure out a cooler day when they’re all
available and come remove it.
I did finally, just this
past week install the indoor-outdoor carpet at the entrance to my house. It
looks great except I’m not happy with myself because I absolutely knew better.
I have sewn most of my life and know that material goes in a certain way and
you need to cut your pattern so it doesn’t look odd. You think I thought of
that when I prepared the second piece to be glued down??? NOPE, I didn’t give
it a thought, so the second piece goes in the opposite direction of the first. Haley
told me she notices the seam, but not the direction. I still need to cut a
small piece to place adjacent the first piece (it’s about an inch or so wide)
to cover up the concrete that shows.
I still haven’t finished
cleaning out the marital bedroom, but I have made some progress. By the end of July, I hope to have it
emptied, painted and a new bed purchased. We’ll see how I’ve done in the next
update.
I
did pick up Xander, but unfortunately, it was a rainy day so we couldn’t do
much. We just came back here and ordered pizza, played games and watched some
television. Even though we didn’t do anything special, it was wonderful to have
him here and by the way he was telling his dad what we did, I think he had fun.
This
coming Sunday I’ll be giving my niece a bridal shower. A number of invitees
will be joining by ZOOM, so the total folks in attendance will probably be less
than 15. Still, it’s the first event I’ve had in more than a year and I’m
looking forward to it, not to mention, my house will be CLEAN for the first
time in more than a year. Arayli’s 13th birthday is also this coming
week. We’re going to go to Sprouts and pick up sushi, then walk aboard the Kingston
ferry for a ride back and forth. Then, on Thursday, Arayli’s actual birthday, I’ll
join the family for cake and ice cream in the evening. What fun things I have
to look forward to this week.
I
got through John’s birthday and Father’s Day without too much difficulty and AJ
helped in that regard. He took the glass orb that includes John’s ashes for a
ride in the ‘57 Chevy pick-up. He sent me photos of the orb in the front
window, but for safety’s sake, he put his dad in the seat while they were
driving. That definitely made me smile.
As most of you who read my
blog know, I did finish Under Construction, and have begun
thinking/planning the next book. So far, I’ve the basic idea, the names of the
man and woman and a few other things figured out. But, since I’ve now finished
three novels, I really should get them in order and submit to an agent and/or publisher.
So, there’s my update.