HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY KUMA!!!

 

Today is Kuma’s second birthday. It’s hard to believe this furry fuzz-muffin  has been my companion for so long…it will be two years in October that he came home with me. I cannot begin to share just how much he has added to my life when it comes to love, laughter and, of course, annoyances.

Unfortunately, I sometimes feel that even though Kuma knows I’m his person, I’m letting him down. He loves to play bally-ball either in the cul-de-sac or at bally-ball hill…that involves a car ride with his head hanging out the window to catch all the new smells. I feel like I should play bally-ball with him every single day and I don’t. It seems, to me, like that is horribly unfair to him. If he had a younger person, he’d definitely get more exercise.

Still, I am his person and he does love me just as much or more than I love him. I do toss his chickie-ball and beefy-ball down the hall repeatedly during the day. He loves to chase it, make it squeak and play keep-away even though he wants to have it thrown again. And, if he did have a younger person, would that person be ready for bedtime peepee and bed at 8:30 pm…I think not although I’m sure Kuma would have adjusted his schedule.

I do spoil the heck out of him. He has free reign of the entire house and all the furniture. Whatever I’m eating, he gets the last bite and maybe one or two in between. I purchase frozen boney-bones and he gets one a day. When I have a project and need him to be occupied, I give him a big one. Whenever possible, he goes wherever I go as long as it isn’t too hot. And, even in winter, I open his window and turn up the car heater so he can stick his head out. I also give him lots of hugs, pats, loves and talk to him often even though he cannot respond, although I swear there are times he knows exactly what I'm saying and how I'm feeling.

This year with the nice weather, we have developed a special time at the end of the day. Kuma gets a frozen boney-bone and I get my martini. I sit and enjoy my deck and garden and sip my drink while he snuffles and chews his bone…very relaxing for both of us. I know it’s time to go in when he brings me his clean boney-bone. Not long after, it’s time for bed.

I’m not giving Kuma a birthday party, but I did make him a hat. Getting him to pose in the hat was not an easy task…it took a lot of treats, but I finally managed to get a couple of photos with the hat on his head. I also filled up two of his hollow toys with spendy dog food and put them in the freezer. He’s enjoying one as a reward for the hat photo as I type this. There’s another, bigger one waiting in the freezer for later today.

I love, love, love this doggie. He’s added so much to my life and I’m so very grateful.  Happy Second Birthday Kuma-doo-doo…may you have many many more.

WEED WAR

 

          Last Monday I went to the senior center for my fitness class. At the end of the class, we were informed that a staff member had tested positive for covid so the center would be closed most likely until Wednesday while they did a deep cleaning. As it turned out, the center was to remain closed until Monday, July 8^th.

          Wow, an entire week with nothing on the calendar. No appointments, no classes, absolutely nothing. So, I know you’re asking yourself, what did I decide to do with all that free time. Well, wait no longer for the answer…GARDENING!!!!

          Until this year, I’ve always begun my weed war in February and continued on through the entire growing season. Because of my back issues, I did not get out there and do a single thing. Let me tell you, the weeds were so damn grateful. They flourished as if given a huge shot of fertilizer. They pretty much took over all the flowerbeds.

          This week, I spent hours out there removing weeds. I have almost filled my yard waste tote to over-flowing. And, still, I’m not done. I did, however, find three dahlias I didn’t know had returned. Of course, they’re not very big, but I’m going to protect them with wire cages and provide a hefty drink of fertilizer. I also found a couple of hydrangeas I’d forgotten I had transplanted to the back garden. My hope or plan is to put hydrangeas all through the back flowerbed and just have these easy-care plants. I’m hoping the transplanted ones that made it through the winter will flourish now they aren't buried under weeds.

          I’m going to see how the rest of the summer progresses, but it may be time for me to bite the bullet and hire more than just a kid to mow and edge the lawn. Perhaps it’s time to look at and determine if the budget will allow me to engage a firm that has employees that know a weed from a flower to come and fight off the weeds. Perhaps a service that would come once a month and beat them back. And, in looking at that, perhaps it’s time to evaluate whether or not the budget would allow a housekeeper a time or two a month.

          And, no, I’m not becoming lazy, just older and kinda feeling it after my weeding marathon.

COMING TO TERMS WITH ANGINA???

 

          I haven’t blogged recently because I’ve been attempting to come to terms with the latest curve ball my body has thrown at me…seriously, do they ever stop coming once you reach a certain age. In any case, I haven’t felt like blogging because most of what I’d blog about would be more negative than positive and I hate negativity so why share.

          In any case, I still am having trouble understanding how my body could go from being what I considered normal to having a heart that decides it’s not getting enough blood so has to cause angina. It seems like there should have been some sort of warm up to the whole thing. You know, kind of like you exercise and your muscle is sore until you exercise some more. Well, this angina thing just came out of left field (what’s with these baseball references…I don’t even like baseball) and surprised the shit out of me…not literally, but close.

          I’ve been keeping track of the “episodes,” since I guess that’s what you call them, and think perhaps bending over may be a trigger. That or I need to concentrate on my breathing when I’m brushing Kuma. I guess I also need to concentrate on moving at a slower pace than what I’m used to because if I move quickly as I’ve always done, it leads to an episode.

          On the other hand, I go to my fitness class and bounce around for the first thirty minutes, i.e., the aerobic portion, and my heart rate goes up to 120+ and there’s no episode whatsoever. What’s with that? Wouldn’t it seem that if I have an episode from walking fast, I’d have an episode when my heart rate is high? I just don’t understand.

          I’ve had my first phone call with the cardiology nurse who’s going to shepherd me through the next twelve weeks. She’s sent me information via email as well as a booklet entitled, “Home Based Cardiac Rehab.” In talking with her and reading the information in the booklet, I’ve come to the conclusion that I was already doing pretty much everything that’s being recommended with the exception of a few things. The first is I use 2% milk in my lattes and cereal…recommendation is nonfat. The second is I eat a lot of cheese…recommendation is NONE. The third is my alcohol consumption…recommendation is NONE. I’m sorry, but I’m not willing to change a single one of these…my only remaining pleasure is eating and drinking. The booklet also indicates I need to eat more vegetables and fruit. This I can do.

          AJ has also been very supportive since he’s suffered with angina for a number of years. He brought me a booklet entitled, “Get Tough on Angina.” It’s supposed to be my guide to understanding and taking control of my angina, and there was some new information I didn’t know, but I’m still confused as to why. For instance, yesterday I worked in the garden most of the morning. Sitting, leaning, standing, leaning and not a single symptom. Stopped, ate lunch and went back to gardening. Resumed sitting, leaning and reaching for those damned weeds and bang, an episode. AJ told me eating sends blood to my tummy which sends less to my heart.    

I have to admit this whole angina thing is a bit scary. Fear doesn’t bother me during the day, but at night when I’m in bed with just Kuma, the fears do rise and cause anxiety. Living alone at times like these makes the scary even scarier. It’s not like I couldn’t call 911 if I needed to because I certainly could. I guess it’s knowing that it’s just me, myself and I (Kuma couldn’t do much) were there to be a problem. It makes the loneliness even lonelier.

The next cardiac RN appointment is Tuesday and will send her the records I’ve been keeping on Monday. Perhaps she’ll have additional information that will be of benefit. Then, I see the cardiologist the following Tuesday and will get my fasting blood work done the Monday before.

Still, it could be worse, a lot worse, so it’s best I choose to be thankful for better living through chemistry, a good health program and the love and support of family and friends.

MONDAY BLEW UP BUT MY HEART'S JUST FINE

 

My Monday blew up big-time and I’m not referring to the wind storm we had. In the past couple of weeks, I’ve had three episodes of chest pain, the first being the worst. I made the mistake late Sunday afternoon of sending my doctor an email asking, “Should I have called 911 when this happened?” followed by, “Should I call 911 if it happens again?” I also included my blood pressure reading from the episode that afternoon.

Well, after emails and phone calls, the medical consensus was I should report to Urgent Care on Capital Hill for evaluation. Okay, fine. I took myself there expecting to spend a few hours…NOT TWO DAYS!!!

The first indication I could be there for a while was when they hooked me up to an IV, blood pressure cuff and one of those beeping heart monitors. Blood was taken and I was asked repeatedly, “How do you feel?” Fine was always my answer because I did feel just fine. “Do you have any pain?” No was always my answer because there was none. I mean, really, I FELT JUST FINE!!!!

Several hours later I was told I would be transferred to Swedish Cherry Hill hospital. “Excuse me? Why?” I was told I needed an echocardiogram and a stress test and those could only be performed in the hospital. As soon as a bed opened up, I’d be taken there.

Well, crap, just crap. What about my car? What about my dog? So, I called
AJ who called his brother Thor. They both came to see me when Thor brought AJ to retrieve my car. I’m lucky they’re both available days on Mondays. They stayed for a while, their behavior more reminiscent of pre-pubescent boys than men, but they amused me. Haley agreed to stay overnight with Kuma…in the dark no less.

Now, began more tests and x-rays. I don’t know how much blood they eventually drew from me, but it was through the IV which, unfortunately had to be moved. The first poke didn’t bruise, the second poke gave me an orange-sized purple mark and the third worked and when removed only left a small red mark. I honestly don’t know how many tests they did, but I spent about thirty minutes looking at all of them this morning and trying to decipher some of the lingo.

All this while waiting for a bed at Swedish Cherry Hill. The result of this wait is that I spent the night in the Urgent Care room. This actually worked out, however, because the decision was made to do the stress test in Urgent Care. I didn’t even have to walk a treadmill. They did it via some medication which makes your heart rate increase. This test was preceded by the injection of some stuff and some kind of imaging. The young man who took me down to radiology drove my wheelchair fast…the most fun I had the whole time. Then came the injection of the get the heart rate up stuff and an EKG during the four minutes or so the med works. A bit later, another fast…and fun…trip to radiology for another set of images.

Finally, the woman who is now my cardiologist…aren’t I the lucky girl to have one of my very own…came down to see me. The end result of all the tests is that I have a small blockage, i.e., the blood still gets through to my heart, just not as much as possible when my blood pressure goes up. At this point in time…and never I hope…there’s no need for an angiogram or any kind of surgery. We’ll treat it with medication that will expand my blood vessels, remove cholesterol from my gut and who knows what else. I’ll be more knowledgeable about the meds once they arrive in the mail and I can read the accompanying information. It looks like, however, that I’ve now gone from four prescription medications to eight…better living through chemistry, right.

There will also be a cardiac nurse who will call me every Monday afternoon for a month to talk about how I’m doing and get my blood pressure readings for the week. About the only thing on the list of what I need to change would be my diet in a big-time way. It’s not that I eat a lot of junk, meat or bad stuff, but I do like my weekly steak, my cheeses and my little tot of gin. We’ll see how all that goes once the phone calls begin later this month.

I do have to give all the doctors, nurses and technicians who took care of me during my stay a big high five. They were all exemplary, very kind and helpful and I highly recommend Kaiser’s Urgent Care and its staff.

So, let this serve as a lesson to you readers…be careful what you ask your doctor. And okay, I know it’s better safe than sorry; better to know than to be stupidly unaware, etc., etc., etc. Still, I had other plans for Monday and Tuesday that didn’t include a two-day long visit to Urgent Care.

CLEAN WINDOWS LEADS TO OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Ah, you know what they say about getting something new, i.e., the new makes what’s already there look old. Well, it’s sort of happening to me, but not quite in the way I planned.

Last weekend, AJ and Haley came over to give me a hand with moving stuff away from the windows because my window-washer, Tony, was coming on Thursday to make my windows sparkle. As part of this effort, I decided the drapes I had purchased way back in 1997 and hung in the living room needed to go away. Over the years, I’ve had them cleaned and didn’t want to do so again…the last time it was $2.00/pleat. So, they took the drapes and the rod down.

I didn’t realize just how big the front window was until it was sans cover…102 inches by 84 inches or at least that’s the size I’m using for the drape replacements. It seems HUGE only because I feel like I’ve been living in a fishbowl since Saturday. The fishbowl will be recovered today, again by Haley and AJ. I’m replacing the drapery rod with just a plain round rod and the heavy drapes with a bunch of sheer curtains, burgundy on the sides and white in the middle. I’ve always had white sheers in the middle so that won’t be a change.

When Tony came to clean the windows, he said it looked as though I was having a garage sale…and it does. All the glass in the windows is piled on various tables and counters, the furniture is all moved back from the windows. It’s a huge mess, but will look wonderful once everything is washed and sparkling from its proper location.

In the process of clearing Tony’s access to the windows, I had to raise the blinds on the three windows they cover. To my dismay, I found the strings, or whatever you call them, had failed on two, possibly all three of the blinds. Now, I hate levelor blinds in any case because they’re so dang hard to clean. In the past, John removed them from the windows and I scrubbed them while they laid on the deck. Obviously, I haven’t done this in the last five years because John hasn’t been available to remove and replace them. I did, of course, dust them off on occasion.

          To facilitate Tony’s access to those windows, I used painter’s tape to tape them up out of his way. I wasn’t sure how they’d respond when I removed the tape and allowed them to fall back down. Fortunately, they fell down and back into place so I can close or open them. Still, they're not very clean and I think I want to replace them.

I’ve done my research. I’ve measured, but did I measure properly. I guess I’ll have AJ check my measurements in case I do decide to proceed with replacement. If I do decide to eliminate the current levelor blinds, do I replace them with the same kind? In my research I found there are blinds that do not have strings and are a solid piece which crinkles up and down…they’d be much easier to clean. Or, should I purchase three new rods and some kind of curtains…there are ones that are supposed to keep out the cold and light better when closed.

I guess what my decision will be affected by a couple of things. First, the cost. Will the blinds cost more than new rods and curtains? Will AJ be inclined to return at some point to take down the old blinds and install whatever I end up purchasing? Probably because he’s such a good guy. So, stay tuned. Funny how the decision to get the windows cleaned has led to so much other confusion and need for consideration.

"IMAGINATION SETS IN, PRETTY SOON I'M SINGIN'"

Late Monday afternoon, I was sitting on my deck in the sunshine with my little tot of gin and thoroughly enjoying everything my eyes could see and my ears could hear. I know I’ve mentioned more than once how much I’d love to sell my house and move someplace that’s smaller with a small yard. I know I’ve said that I feel like this is way too big for me to keep up for much longer.

As I sat there, sipping my gin, the lyrics from Credence Clearwater Revival's song, "Lookin' Out My Back Door" began to play. It was written by John Fogarty and I’ve always loved the song and the ideas it presents, especially the part about imagination setting in.

  Just got home from Illinois, lock the front door, oh boy!
                Got to sit down, take a rest on the porch
                Imagination sets in, pretty soon I'm singin'
               Doo, doo, doo, lookin' out my back door

There's a giant doin' cartwheels, a statue wearin' high heels
Look at all the happy creatures dancin' on the lawn
Dinosaur Victrola, listenin' to Buck Owens
Doo, doo, doo, lookin' out my back door

Tambourines and elephants are playin' in the band
Won't you take a ride on the flyin' spoon? Dood-n-doo-doo
Wonderous apparition provided by magician
Doo, doo, doo, lookin' out my back door

Tambourines and elephants are playin' in the band
Won't you take a ride on the flyin' spoon? Dood-n-doo-doo
Bother me tomorrow, today I'll buy no sorrows
Doo, doo, doo, lookin' out my back door

Forward troubles Illinois, lock the front door, oh boy!
Look at all the happy creatures dancin' on the lawn
Bother me tomorrow, today I'll buy no sorrows

Well, I don’t have giants or statues wearing high heels or tambourines and elephants playing in a band, out my back door or even in my garden, but I like the idea of using my imagination and not being bothered or buying any sorrows.

As I sat there, still humming the song after it stopped playing, I got to thinking about what I’d be giving up should I sell and move. I can look around my almost private yard and see so many memories that bring me joy and comfort. How could I possibly leave those behind. I know the memories would move with me, but somehow it’s not the same as sitting in the sunshine and watching my memories play among the grass and flowerbeds.

And, those memories. Well, I could write for pages and pages and not cover every single memory I see in my back yard. There’s the boys playing on the grass, working in the garden to help me, wrestling with each other and their friends, family time barbeques, lunches, dinners…I think it and it’s happened there.

What about all the wildlife we harbored, if you could call them wildlife. We had chickens, rabbits, ducks, and even a goose that didn’t like anyone but John. Buford the rooster didn’t like anyone, even John, and had his neck rung after he attacked our nephew and almost put his eye out…I don’t think my nephew likes chicken some forty years later.

Chickens and ducks lay eggs and those had to be the best eggs I’ve ever had, no matter how they were prepared. And, I can’t forget all the birds and hummers that came to visit the feeders, the moles no matter how hard I tried to eradicate, rats and mice. We even put up a bat house, but as far as I know, we’ve never had one move in.

At one point when the boys were young, we put in a largish garden encircled by a fence to keep the chickens out. All the quarts of string beans we harvested and I canned. The lettuce, radishes, green onions, broccoli and tomatoes we grew and harvested. And this was long before growing your own food became popular. The apple tree that gave the best apples for so many years that ended up in pies in the freezer. The way the boys groaned when apple-peeling time came round.

We never grew much in the way of berries aside from the raspberry patch. John tried with strawberries in one of those tire enclosures, and I can still see him holding his harvest…two strawberries. One was very small and the other was kind of medium. I have a photo of him with his crop. We laughed a lot about that.

The water feature I decided to build without any idea of how to go about it. Still, I managed to dig a hole, line it with a black piece of plastic, go to the mountains and bring home buckets of rocks with which to finish my masterpiece. I remember how in the process of building this, Thor came home and had to take me to emergency. I’d done something to my toe and it really hurt. Somehow, I’d managed to dislocate one of my toes. The relief when the doctor injected a numbing drug was unbelievable. Initially, I thought I’d been stung by a bee.

That water feature continues to provide me with the sound of water as the little pump pushes the water up and out. Recently I added a little sun-driven fountain that pushes water up into the air, but only if the sun shines on the solar panels.  I thought I could discontinue my little pump, but the fountain doesn’t make much noise at all so I’ll keep the pump going.

Of course, there are all the plants that inhabit my garden. So many of them were gifts from family and friends and as I gaze at each one, I’m reminded of the provider. There’s also the various yard art pieces, some of which I made myself, others that I’ve purchased or that have been gifted by family and friends.

Sitting there in the sunshine, my little tot of gin at hand, I came to the conclusion that there are only two choices left to me when it comes to leaving this oasis. My first choice would be the coroner pulling into the driveway because the energy that makes me me has abandoned my body. The second and least favorite choice would be my sons informing me the time has come for me to be situated someplace else.

Regardless of which choice comes to fruition, I’m going to continue to sit on my deck, enjoy my little tot of gin and relish all the memories this little garden/ yard provides and hope and pray that at some point in the distant future, it's he coroner that arrives first.

NORTHWEST DRIFTWOOD ARTISTS' SHOW...I WON

 

The Northwest Driftwood Artists’ show in Maltby on May 11^th was terrific and the number of beautiful sculptures amazing. How artists can take a rough piece of wood that looks as though it might be too big and/or ugly for even a fireplace or campfire and turn it into a beautiful sculpture is astonishing.

The sculptures are not judged, but the people attending were given a ballot on which there were six choices, i.e., tiny, small, medium, large, extra-large and hanging, and encouraged to vote for their favorite in each category. All the sculptures were numbered and the title and artist identified on a colored paper tent in front of the sculpture. Attendees were also provided with a program and information about where the show will be held next year…Brightwater in Woodinville.

There was a raffle for several driftwood sculptures, a silent auction of finished pieces as well as one huge unfinished piece, a donation jar, tables of raw wood for sale ranging from tiny to huge, and a table where artists were demonstrating our craft.

I don’t yet know how many people attended, but the woman who bought the huge unfinished piece of wood really really wanted it because she paid $300.00 for the privilege of taking it home. And, my eldest son won one of the raffle pieces. I don’t have a lot of other information about the show and probably won’t until the May newsletter is published, but I do have information about the two pieces I entered into the show.

I WON SECOND PLACE FOR OTT THE OTTER AND THIRD PLACE FOR PERCY THE PORPOISE in the small category. I can hardly believe the attendees liked both my pieces that much. It couldn’t have been because I had a huge number of family and friends attending…only five of those invited came. I believe it was actually the names of my pieces that caught the public’s fancy.

I know I voted for a small sculpture that was a seal on a rock. The seal was perfectly formed and the wood striations of black/dark brown/light brown followed the seal’s shape…beautiful. Maybe that sculpture won first place. I’ll have to wait to find out. I also liked a classmate’s sculpture entitled Vortex. She found the wood in a stream and it was full of pitch. I saw how hard she worked to create that perfect piece and think hers was far better than mine.

The show and the people I’m getting to know through NWDA, much more than winning, has inspired me to get busy with the various pieces of wood in my garage. I do have one that’s almost finished, “Escape from the Primordial Ooze.” All it needs is a base that resembles ooze and I’m on the lookout for that. I’m sure it will be ready for the 2025 show…if I knew the date, you could mark your calendars now so you could save the date and come view our outstanding work.