Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 4:25 pm on February 20, 2018 Permalink
  Tags: Dennis ( 40 )   

  A New Experience 

  Unfortunately, we had to get Dennis back to the clinic yesterday.  The first batch of the 5 day fast track of antibiotics was finished on Sunday and yesterday morning his temp was 102.2 with all the same hacking, aching to go with it.  I realized the antibiotic would still be in his system for another 10 days, but we were 8 days out from his carotid surgery.  No way do we want to have to postpone that important surgery.  Dennis’ regular doctor was not available.  Urgent care is something we had never visited in the clinic before.  You show up and take what you get.  A 21 year old looking young doctor came in.  I thought “Oh-my-oh-my-oh.”  This young fellow graduated high-school from the town just east of here, Madelia.  He wanted to come back to his community and . . . here he was.

  The doctor checked and saw that the last chest X-ray was for the pre-op in October of 2017.  He could hear a rattle in the right lung.  Off to X-ray Dennis went.  Nothing serious in that right lung, but several masses that needed to be broken up.  Fast forward . . . Dennis and I were so impressed with his attention to every detail of Dennis’ history and the state he was in currently.  Another, stronger antibiotic was prescribed.  Yes, it will interfere with the Warfarin Dennis takes for his Atrial fibrillation (an irregular heart beat), but . . . yesterday was the 19th and Dennis needs to stop taking it on the 21st to prepare for the surgery. Doctor Luis felt this would be the way to get him in shape and not have the surgery rescheduled.  In addition he is to take 4,000 mg of acetaminophen spread over four times during the day.  When the coughing spree starts, get it up and out.  Napping may be the way Dennis will spend these next days as everything he is taking has the ability for drowsiness.  Here we are 24 hours later, his temperature is down.  The rest I am sure will follow to getting him back on his feet.  My job is to make sure the meds are laid out and to push liquids so he can get the crap in his system and out through urination.

  The city streets were icy yesterday and we opted to get the prescription out of the automated vending machine in the clinic.  Talk about something that is oh so cool.  You enter the code from the doctor’s prescription and there begins a blue task message at the bottom of the screen.  It takes a credit card. It asked for Dennis’ birth date and off the blue line took.  “Looking up drug.” “Counting out drug.”  “Printing label.” “Attaching label.”  “Dispensing drug.” This took about 10 minutes, but I was amazed.  Dennis took his first dose right there in the clinic. 

  The Urgent Care and the med dispensing were both a new experience.  We came away feeling comfortable in having a new doctor that we will feel comfortable with.  Luis questioned Dennis on things that had never been broached before. 

  All I need to do is keep the house quiet, though he may be able to sleep through a freight train coming by.  His sleep is deep.  He says there are no nightmares or dreams . . . just out.  Two feet from the recliner and he begins to list towards it.  I did find some putzing to do in the sewing studio.  I have never worked with flannel . . . so why not.  Today the tracking info allowed us to know Dennis’ granddaughter’s scrappy quilt hit their home.  With all the snow they got over the last day or so, it won’t go unused. 

   
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  Noreen 4:58 pm on February 19, 2018 Permalink
  Tags: Megan ( 9 ), Nicholas ( 6 )   

  It is priceless to be able to text with Megan. She is now 14 and Nicholas is 9. They are at the age that they do stay home alone for a time. Kody, the dog, is getting to be a good watch dog. Saturday night the first text came in. “Grammie, we are having an old fashioned dinner tonight.” That was followed by a photo of Hungry Man T.V. dinners. “Nicholas said mine looked gross, but I put it in the microwave and actually doesn’t look or taste as bad as it first seemed. Nicholas wants to do his own.” I texted back and mentioned that maybe Nicholas could fix his and when he is about to enjoy it, he should just sit back, close his eyes and pretend he was at a high-end steakhouse. I reminded her that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. “Grammie I guess I will be the strongest person ever then.”

  I texted her that at least by nuking, there couldn’t be any cooking utensils that would over heat and burn the food or them. I went on to relay to her the time her mom and Kevin were home alone making popcorn. The end result was not realizing how hot the handle was and the utensil was set on the vinyl floor. The pattern came off of the floor with the picking up of the pan. I spent some time using my Tri-Chem oil paints replicating the design. “Grammie I’ll have to remember that and have a bit of info when it is just the right time to use it.” That a girl.

  Yes . . . Grammie gets to tattle a bit on their mom. It keeps the relationship between Megan, Nicholas and me real. I would never want to be the Grammie that they think is boring to visit. It has already been difficult for Dennis and me to not have them be able to have extended sleepovers. Their snowboarding, ice skating, violin lessons and having their friends involved in their day-to-day doesn’t leave much time. But . . . the memories that Dennis and I have are as fresh as the new fallen snow of today. The freezing rain we could have done without.

  I did text Megan on Sunday evening and asked her how the “old fashioned dinner” fared on a scale of 1 – 10. She gave it a strong six. Having communication with Megan is priceless. You cannot image how painful it is for me to text, not physically. I spend more time going back and correcting than going forwards, then it flips into the draft mode, etc. My school typing class is so ingrained in me, the perfect phone would have a full sized pad and ya know that isn’t going to happen.

   
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  Noreen 4:59 pm on February 18, 2018 Permalink  

  Doesn’t Quite Fit 

  With the temperatures teasing us that we are approaching spring, it doesn’t quite fit that Dennis should be on the fritz.  The five day fast track pack of antibiotics is falling a bit short.  Fluids are being pushed and him being bundled up to break the fever is what the aim is here on Stauffer Avenue.  99.9 for a temperature is not horrible, but it would be better if lower.  Dennis is being a good patient.  It is one of those instances where he is ill but not ill enough to be given anything other than what has been given at the clinic.  The clear thing would have been if he had been given a shot it the butt of penicillin.  We are not giving up. Tomorrow is another day and hopefully a good night’s sleep will bring some positive reading on the thermometer.  Dennis was sure the instrument was flawed as he didn’t feel as warm as what it was reading.  I stood beside him and took my temperature . . . 97.2.  Dennis’ response . . . “Hmm.” Bless his heart.  It may mean another trip to the clinic and press our concerns tomorrow.

   
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  Noreen 5:16 pm on February 17, 2018 Permalink  

  With a day as we have had today . . . spring cannot be far behind. We had almost two inches of new snow to be pushed around. I am going to keep my eyes open as March approaches. My snow pusher has had the first several inches of the plastic edge wore off. It has been a great help in the last six years. There is bound to be a sale of snow toys as spring approaches.

  Dennis will take the last of the antibiotics tomorrow. I sure hope there is a huge turn around from now until Monday morning. The aches that he describes can’t be much fun. Naps are still the better part of the days on Stauffer Avenue. Dennis’ daughter Sandy came by today and gave he dad the once over. Yup . . . he has people. Thus far, all I have been diagnosed with is a craving for Veggie Sticks. They are addictive. Tomatoes, sweet potatoes, potatoes and spinach shouldn’t be too bad . . . it’s the moderation that is the kicker.

   
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  Noreen 5:22 pm on February 16, 2018 Permalink  

  Seriously . . . you should keep older people in your day to day contacts. It took Dennis and me to get a jar of Mayo opened today. I was attempting to hold the jar while Dennis was doing his absolutely best to get that lid to cooperate. Do we have to have the grocery story open our purchases before we leave the store? Good grief. That lid was stubborn. I had given up and gone down to the pantry to get a second jar when Dennis called down he had gotten it. We enjoy Albacore Tuna canned in water, drained and then mixed with chopped boiled eggs, pepper and salt for a sandwich spread or to just have a bit for a snack. The Albacore tuna is a very white tuna and very chunky.  We had had some Sunkist tuna packed in water in the past. By the time it was drained, there was nothing left as it was a shredded mess.  It was also very red in color . . . not very appealing.  We are hooked on the Albacore.  Our concoction wouldn’t be much of a finished dish if there were no Mayo.

  The last of the scrappy quilts was boxed and heading out to the UPS depot here in town. I was surprised when Dennis came home and shared the news that cash was not accepted. Either check or credit card. Apparently it is a company wide policy that cash is not within the depot. Good thing Dennis had grabbed his wallet before he left home. Mainly it was to have his driver’s license with him. It would have been disappointing for him to have had to make a trip home. He left home well equipped. Amazing what small towns need to adhere to.

   
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  Noreen 4:17 pm on February 15, 2018 Permalink  

  A day of running errands. How many errands can older people have you may ask? Enough to wear me out and be thankful when we are back home.

  Dennis had a stop at the VA Clinic. It is the first time I have accompanied him. What a great group of professionals who have been taking care of my ole cowboy. With Dennis’ impending carotid surgery they made sure Dennis signed consent forms so there will be copies of tests, etc. transferred so they can stay on top of his Warfarin intake and they may interact with what their field of expertise is compared to our general practitioner and also the surgeon. Warfarin must be stopped five days prior to surgery to slow down the blood flow during surgery. It becomes dangerous when the blood could begin to be too thick and cause a stroke or heart attack. As I said the group at the VA impressed the heck out of me.

  We motored on to Mankato. First stop was Great Clips. For $11.00 I have been getting the best cuts in years. By the way . . . Dennis’ cap is a bit loose after his cut. River City Quilts in Mankato will be closing in August due to the hike in the lease. I was interested in getting fabric backing and batting for the next project I have underway. I will miss their great service. We stopped at the U-Haul store and for $.99 we have a box to ship the latest scrappy quilt to Silver Bay.

  In Sam’s Club I hit it big time. I bought two pair of pants. The fact that they were $14.99 each with a good brand of clothing label wasn’t the best. The elastic in the waist area is what I was after. The two pair that I like to wear needed to have the waist band pinned to the bottom of my bra if I were to travel more than 20 feet because . . . the elastic was shot. Dennis knows how much I hate buying clothes. Hate it, hate it. I have a shape that clothing as yet to be manufactured for. Kevin says “Mom, you don’t have a butt.” It got to the point that Dennis would not let me buy clothes unless I fit it on in the store as he was weary of return processes. Well . . . let me tell you, with arms that have less than good mobility and knees that are awkward to bend in cubicles that are 2′ x 2′ . . . in store clothes was not bought. Ironically the brand that Sam’s Club gets in does fit me. I don’t care if they may be seconds, who do I have to impress! The bras can now do what they are intended to do. Oh, by the way, we did buy a few groceries in Sam’s as well.

  Of course, we had our meal for the day in Perkins. The variety of the menu is varied. I tried the Chicken Tortilla soup and it was flavorful. I like to try new things . . . Dennis not so much.

  We are home and it looks as if we may have some snow to push by morning.

   
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  Noreen 5:29 pm on February 14, 2018 Permalink  

  With the sewing studio totally cleaned and vacuumed from the quilt project it was time to get my walking shoes on and take a walk down Stauffer Avenue to the east. As I hit the east end of our acre . . . I was very pleasantly surprised. The apple flavored deer lick that Dennis and I put out after the large 12″ dump of snow has been favored. Multiple tracks came in from the south and east right up to the treat. Not far to the south is a grove that would take them right to the creek. I have some tall plume grass that we usually don’t cut back in the fall so the birds can pick at the seeds. It was very evident that a deer or two had nestled in after having a treat. On the down side, perhaps the hosta plants that are nearby may also be a treat for the dear this spring. That really wouldn’t bother me as I have been contemplating cutting back on the gardens. It made for a very light heart coming back home. First good walk of 2018 and feeling good about helping out the wildlife.

   
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  Noreen 3:59 pm on February 13, 2018 Permalink  

  Not in the Plan 

  It was not in the plans for Dennis to need a doctor’s appointment while he is awaiting the Feb. 27th surgical date to have the right carotid taken care of.  Sure enough . . . Dennis felt wore out, slept a lot, ached all over with chills and some congestion that was deep in the lungs.  Hello . . . did that ring a bell or what.  First thing this morning I was on the phone to the clinic to make an appointment for him.  Dennis’ symptoms had been told to me in the recent past and that was diagnosed for that person as Phenomena.  We are not doing the Vicks Vapor Rub cure-all on this.  No matter how thick he slathers it on . . . come on, get real, it’s not a miracle rub.  The only thing it really is is it is hard to wash out of clothes.  Grease stains that will be there until the neck band falls off the the rest of the shirt.  From times past there is one tee shirt that has been sacrificed for multiple washings and multiple wearing.  Tomorrow morning was the first appointment I could get for him.  We need to get this nipped in the bud.

  I have been very fortunate this winter.  Of course Dennis says I am too mean and stubborn to get sick.  Hey . . . if that is what it takes, I’ll take a second helping of that.  All of his napping has put a few of our plans on hold.  I quietly have been in the sewing studio putzing away on the latest scrappy quilt.  It went fairly well.  I don’t know if I will be up for such a huge project again in the near future, but it sure took care of a lot of scraps.  I call it the Paisley Scrappy quilt as there are a lot of paisley fabric scraps in it.  The 8 inch border around the outside is paisley, and JoAnn’s Fabric had 108″ wide paisley for the backing.  The top was 95″ x 105″ and I was very pleased how everything just fit.  Squaring things up on the backing, batting, and the top on two church tables, it could be a real gamble.  Paisley is one of those prints that either you like it a lot or you hate it.  I grew up in Mom’s home where there could never be enough paisley.  After today there needs to be some serious vacuuming.  Try as hard as I might, there are threads everywhere.

  So it is about that time of the day when this mean stubborn . . . you might as well add German as I know . . . he is thinking it as clearly as if there were a ticker tape strip going across his forehead . . .  closes down the sewing studio for the day.

   
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  Noreen 5:36 pm on February 12, 2018 Permalink  

  I now know why some women I know go to what is known as “Quilt Camp.” They pack up their sewing machines and what they plan on working on and away they go. Several days and perhaps several nights of work tables provided with electrical supplies and a bunk house type housing for sleeping.

  There is no way our little home provides more than several hours without life happening. Laundry to switch out, groceries that may be needed and of course the trips up and down the steps to be a good care giver.

  On second thought . . . it sounds like a lot of commotion and work. Travel time, yaking it up with good intention table mates . . . I’ll take my chances here on Stauffer Ave.

   
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  Noreen 5:38 pm on February 11, 2018 Permalink  

  Yesterday I questioned myself as to why I would take on a huge quilt project (along with a few other items I can think of). Not only in piecing scraps but in the 95″ x 105″ size.  It was not requested of me. It was all about ME. I believe if I quit challenging myself I will be on a downward slope . . . maybe even a fast slippery slide. If my attitude is that I don’t want to do it . . . I won’t try to do it.  It may become that in time the will and want to try is there but I no longer am able to do it. I do believe my purpose in life is to grow and to do and be there when I am needed.

  This winter I challenged myself to keep moving and not loose the momentum that I had last year with walking every day.  It just so happened that keeping the driveway clear of snow was doable. Slow and steady.

  With all that being said . . . I wish I would get with the challenge of “What’s for supper?”