Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 3:37 pm on May 3, 2021 Permalink  

  On the Down side of the Day 

  We needed to be back at the dentist in Mankato today for some adjustments.  We would have hitch-hiked if needed.  We both had several spots that needed attention in regard to filing a bit off to ease the discomfort.  Mine felt like a piece of cocklebur was rubbing.

  We had gone early enough to run some errands ahead of the appointment.  Three stops prior to the dentist . . . I was so ready to head for home.

  Both of us are so much more comfortable with our mouths, but . . . it is still going to be soup for supper.  I am bushed.

   
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  Noreen 3:05 pm on May 2, 2021 Permalink  

  A Day 

  For retirees that share with us that they are bored . . . what planet do they live on!

  We had plenty of brewed coffee to last us into the early afternoon.  Around nine this morning, our neighbor came over.  Randy does our snow plowing.  Randy knew the city had a huge project going on and had stockpiled the top black soil separately from the grunge stuff.  Randy thought this would be a good day for him and his John Deere to bring up enough dirt to our yard to fill in the “no longer needed Koi pond.”  Talk about a job that we had on our bucket list.  

  By one this afternoon the four huge buckets of dirt were in and leveled.  It will settle somewhat before we plan on what will be planted in that area.  Randy did not drive on our patio with the tractor and even the grass growing around the area shows no signs of stress.  What a fellow!  What a great job done that we will never have to repeat.  Randy’s two grown sons had feed the Koi since they had learned to walk the few feet from their home to ours.  An era gone. 

  Dennis had pitched in with his sand shovel and he is now taking some well deserved rocking chair time in the patio porch.

  We have remaining dental appointments this week.  It is now time for the areas in our mouths to tell the dentist where there is a bit of an adjustment needed.  Both Dennis and I won’t have any problem letting him know where it rubs and hurts.  This whole process is going to be one huge task to thankfully check off of our list.  Another item that won’t need repeating for what we hope is a long, long time.

   
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  Noreen 2:33 pm on May 1, 2021 Permalink  

  Too Much 

  Too much temperature change.  Today our thermometer registered 90 degree.  Such a huge change is hard to take.

  I sat  on the back patio for most of the forenoon as Dennis finished up mowing the acre with the rider.

  The two of us have had a busy week and each of us have a sore mouth, healing up from tooth extractions.  It is Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup for supper.

  Sunday seems to be playing out as quiet for us.  Time to do some patio sitting and watching the grass grow. 

   

   

   
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  Noreen 2:50 pm on April 30, 2021 Permalink  

  A Feel Good Day 

  We were in Mankato by ten this morning.  I had a post-op to see how the temporary partial was doing with a few minor adjustments.  Dennis had the remaining bottom teeth of his pulled.  Pulled, stitches put in, in the bottom gum, and temporary top and bottom plates put in.  What an experience for him.  On the way home he so wanted a sip of water from the water bottle.  I had to giggle.  As he brought the bottle up towards his mouth he couldn’t find his mouth due to all the novicane he had been injected with.  About three this afternoon he got his sip of water.  We will be back to Mankato on Monday for his checkup.  

  As we got home, I couldn’t believe how nice it was outside.  I put on garden shoes and took my merry time mowing our front yard.  Dennis sat on the front steps and was on “watching traffic” detail.

  Supper is going to be soft scrambled eggs.

  The month of April flew by.  Lots of appointments here, there and everywhere.  Lots of achievements for both of us.  Taking all in stride to keep us where we love to be . . . in our home.

   

   

   
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  Noreen 3:28 pm on April 29, 2021 Permalink  

  Oh Happy Day 

  A “no jacket” day.  Oh happy Day!  I hung my jacket on the farthest hook in hopes it can stay there.

  It’s amazing that something can dribble onto the kitchen floor and not be noticed at the time of the dribble.  Give it a day of usual foot traffic and a black light is not needed.  That dribble has been walked on and migrated to multiple places, showing up by the dust off of the shoes in many areas.  This morning, it was time to mop that floor.  We don’t have any rugs down on our floors for safety reasons, so the mopping works no matter how often the maze of dribbles appear.

  Dennis and I enjoyed 3 pm coffee in his newly-carpeted patio porch.  The patio porch gets a lot of traffic as we come and go doing yard work.  That was the intension when we added it to the garage.  It saves tremendously on the cleaning in the house of the dirt that can so easily catch on the shoes.

  I am still doing PT, but the important thing is that my day-to-day life is no longer focused on a stroke that happened to me on February 25, 2021.  I am moving on with all things normal in our home and life.  Recovering motion and strength is ongoing . . . for as long as it takes.  I am in it for the long haul.  Having had a stroke in no way defines me.

  My trip to the dentist yesterday has no lasting discomfort.  When Dennis goes in tomorrow for his session, they will do a follow-up with me to see how the temporary partial fits.  Adjustments are normal before the finished project will be cast.

  Life is good and I like it the way our days are going.  May yours also be good.

   
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  Noreen 2:06 pm on April 28, 2021 Permalink  

  Sun Shine 

  When the sun comes out, it makes everything better.

  That “better” includes what I am feeling after having two teeth pulled this morning.  After the teeth were pulled, a temporary partial alliance was put in.  It does feel like I have the dentist’s hand still in my mouth.  I am not to remove it until after 24 hours.  I am not commenting too much here at home as I don’t want to scare off Dennis. His time in the chair for having his bottom teeth pulled is on Friday.  I will go back at that time to have my mouth checked.  No doubt Dennis will go back on Monday for a post check.

  Busy, busy . . . Dennis has his new green carpet in the patio porch laid down.  Letting it lie flat for a day or two will help it relax before all his furniture goes back in place.  Another night of having the little red pickup sit outside won’t be a bother.  The kittens went crazy while Dennis was taking the old carpet out.  “Are we moving?  Are we going with?”  Today with the new carpet lying in a role, they worked hard to figure out what was coming next.  Talk about entertainment.

  Plans for supper:  I plan on heating up a can of tomato soup for myself as I can easily drink that.  Dennis is on his own this evening.  The Home Town café is open until seven.

   
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  Noreen 3:00 pm on April 27, 2021 Permalink  

  Spring Showers 

  Complete with thunder boomers, the rain is welcomed.  Yesterday crab grass preventative was put down.  For best effectiveness watering the lawn or rain.  We got the best of the two.

  As I have been hunting dust bunnies in our home, a few at a time, Dennis caught the bug to do some cleaning in the patio porch.  Last year he had commented that the carpet on the floor was worn through in several placed and a replacement was needed.  It is after all a portion of our living area.

  Nelson Furniture store in town closed last year after decades serving the community.  Tim, the third generation owner was experiencing effects from agent orange when he was in Vietnam.  In between doctor visits . . . “If the lights are on, come on in.”  The bulk of his inventory was sold out, with a few stragglers. Dennis went to see what Tim had left for indoor/outdoor carpeting for the patio porch.  One color option . . . green, and Tim scored a cash sale from Dennis and it will be cut and ready for Dennis to pick it up tomorrow.

  I left at noon for PT and Dennis was clearing out the patio porch.

  My PT today was spent on working the tight knots in the muscles of the left shoulder.  Among other places where black and blue showed up on my face and body, I fell on the left shoulder by the time I finally hit the floor.  Up to this time the shoulder had not been a top priority.  X-rays show nothing is broken or out of place in the surgery I have had done to put in a reverse shoulder.  Whew!

  Last week, when I finally had the Foley removed and I could return to self cathing . . . I made a decision and a promise to myself.  Regardless how much the arthritic swollen right wrist bucks, it’s time to step up.  When it’s time to pee, the right and the left wrists will each take turns handling the catheter, thus the task.  The task might be a bit clumsy right now . . . suck it up!  I never, ever want to be in the position of having restrictions on peeing due to an injured wrist, regardless what the cause might be.

  I look forward to working with PT on “the rest of the body.”  Time and energy well spent.

  This rain has officially started spring.

   
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  Noreen 2:35 pm on April 26, 2021 Permalink  

  Robo Calls 

  The increase of robo calls have been over the hill in the last weeks for auto insurance or auto warranty.  How annoying.  They had cooled down until lately.

  Dennis ran errands this morning, in part, getting ready for a “job jar party” on Mother’s Day.  Gotta love his enthusiasm.  We actually do the job jar quite well on our own.  Some things we keep hands off of as they are beyond our pay grade . . . retired with the wrong tools.

  We had stocked up on some groceries right before I had the stroke.  A lot of the groceries had not been put away in our pantry . . . the cistern closet in the basement.  Once I was in the basement I stayed put.  Multiple items of one type in a cardboard box needed to be unpacked to make it easier when we want to fetch one item off of the shelf rather than fight a heavy cardboard packing box.  It also refreshed me as to what we have on hand.  We won’t be going hungry anytime soon.  It was a good stint of energy and time.

  Shore Land has some great prepackaged soup mixes.  Not all grocery stores carry it.  Hy-Vee is where we found it.  Chicken Noodle is what we are having for supper.  We first had it at JoAnn’s when we had delivered the Koi to her farm last fall.  A bag of the soup mix and a can of canned chicken makes a great soup with the flat noodles, peas and carrots. 

  The day is cool with gray clouds threatening showers.  Spring is in the wings . . . any day now.

  Tomorrow I resume PT.  I now know, after a week on my own, where more PT is needed.  No guessing required.

   
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  Noreen 2:24 pm on April 25, 2021 Permalink  

  Free Nitrogen 

  The snowflakes that were quarter size held a lot of free Nitrogen for our yard.  The flakes came down heavy enough that for a short time the lawn was white.

  The perennial plant know as “Hosta” are pushing through the soil under the Lilacs.  What I also noticed is that the wild hay that Dennis had put in the same area in the winter of 2000 for the deer, still had enough strength to pop out a few clumps of their greenery.  

  I wandered outside last week and low and behold the sharp shooter spade was leaning on the side of the patio porch.  Dennis had used it when doing some clean up work of where the Koi pond had been.  I thought what a great opportunity to gently tip out a few of those clumps.  When Dennis came around the corner about that time,  the spade was taken out of my hands and it disappeared in the potting shed.  What ensued was that I got a “dressing-down.” 

  I knew Dennis was right.  Using my cane, I am not that stable when walking on uneven grass let alone garden dirt.  Temptations are in my face every day.  When it comes to dirt . . . that is part of my passion in the spring of the year.  To the best of Dennis’ ability out came the weed whip and a few of the undesirable clumps of green where chewed off.  I looked the other way when a few of the Hosta tips bit the dust.  

  The reality is that I will not be able to pick up where I left off in it’s entirety before the stroke.  For now.  I do work hard not do anything to make Dennis worry more than he already does over this ole Grammie.  Caution is the key.  I have to know within myself when to “hold it or to fold it.”  Kenny Roger’s song of old still has merit.  

  Today, watching the snow delivering nitrogen on those nipped Hosta tips . . . hopefully will help them put out a handsome plant in time to come.

   
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  Noreen 2:16 pm on April 24, 2021 Permalink  

  Saturday 

  What a great day!  Nothing planned.  No appointments . . . just the two of us taking the day slowly.  Of course there was bedding heading to the laundry.  Keeping up with the usual and customary feels good. 

  There was a good cleanout in the bathroom of all things that it took to keep the daytime and the nighttime catheters sterile.  It feels like a huge weight taken off my shoulders.  An entire new lightheartedness.  It did feel like a long two months and in many respects overshadowed the effects of the stroke.  Nonetheless, my stamina is improving.  Next week I return to PT as there is more work to be done.  Bring it on.

  We are going to have an oven meal this evening.  It may be boxed scalloped potatoes that will be paired with a pork roast, but it will be yummy.  Green beans were Dennis’ choice.  There is nothing better than the aroma of a choice supper coming up.

  This cool weather has kept the tulips in bloom for a longer time than I can remember.  It has also kept the grass from shooting up. 

  Every morning and every evening prayers of thanks are sent.  Life is sweet.