More onions!

I don't know why my dad thinks we need to keep planting more and more onions, but he bought more at Wal-Mart the other day because some man in there told him they would grow as big as apples...OK, whatever! He doesn't even know the name of them because due to his macular degeneration, he could not read the name on the crate he took them from. Anyway, I planted them this morning...another day of crawling on the ground and digging in the dirt. We are due for rain the rest of the week, so I wanted to get everything done before the rains come. I also got a few watermelons planted that he had bought as well. Of course, before anything can be planted the ground has to be cleared of weeds and fertilized and composted. I had to do all this for the watermelons. Thank goodness I already had the onion row prepared with the tiller. It wasn't my plan to put more onions there, but they are there now! I could work full time at the old home place and never get finished, but I have my own place that must be kept pristine because that's how I roll.....gotta be perfect! 

After I got home, Mom called and told me she saw her first hummingbird. Now I have their food preparing so I can hang my feeders back up. I love watching my hummers. They are so mean to each other!

Note to self..quit yer whining!

Today I have been moving rather slowly and feeling the effects of being on my hands and knees digging in the dirt yesterday. There is no other way to plant little plants without just getting on the ground with them...at least, at my age there isn't. Then I think to myself..."You moron..your 87 year old dad who has lung cancer was on the ground planting his 9 little tomato plants...just STFU"! Of course, I was only whining to myself...thank goodness I had the good sense to keep it to myself!

Beautiful day in the neighborhood...

Well, except that I wasn't in my neighborhood today...I was in my dad's. By 9 I was at his house ready to go to work in the garden, but he was ready for me to take him to the garden shop. We went and bought some tomatoes, cabbage, onions, squash, cucumbers and watermelons. He got the few little tomato plants in the ground and I got the rest in the ground.

My brother was on the tractor, but it died. Come to find out the rodents (rats) had chewed on the wires on the tractor so the fuel gauge was showing full, but it was actually empty. He discovered that lots of other wires were chewed on as well. When I left, he was still working on splicing wires back together. Next step will be to try to rid the barn area of the varmits! I also saw deer tracks in the garden. That's not good. They will eat everything! Both of these species are hard to co-exist with. Someone call PETA because I will be poisoning the rats!

New bumper stickers...

Top o' the day to ya!

Today was oncologist day, which means labs and chest x-ray. There was a little shadow on the upper right lung, but the doctor was really not sure if it was anything or not. He was not real worried about it, but we will go back in 6 weeks to take another look. Dad is not having any trouble breathing and his labs were all good.

The luck o' the Irish seems to be with me as well. Finally, my blood glucose has been back down where it should be. I hope the Actos is the reason. This morning it was 119 and that makes me happy. Anything below 120 in the morning is a good start for me. I didn't eat at all today until I got back from taking Dad to the doc. Then I cooked pork chops, cabbage, corn bread and squash. I also ate Girl Scout cookies and I still got a good reading 2 hours after eating, so things are looking up!!!

Unsolved mysteries...

Lab results showed no abnormalities that would cause any fever, but I got an antibiotic anyway because I still had fever at night until last night. Doc has no clue what is causing it. The last night I had fever, it was not as bad and last night I had none. Who knows!!!

The blood sugar mystery is still a mystery as well. My HbA1C numbers went up another 2 points. This number was 7.4 which equals an average blood sugar of 160 over the last 3 months. National Diabetes Association wants it to stay under 7.0. Doc said I am his first patient that the Januvia did not improve blood sugars. Mine got worse, so he is trying Actos now. We will see how that works. I just don't want to take insulin shots yet!!!

WTH!

We have had rain for a good 24 hours now and we are all grateful for it. Drought has been the norm here ever since I moved here, so we are very glad to have this slow, cold rain. Now maybe my potatoes and corn will come up next week when it warms back up.


Strange things happening with me. For the last two days about the middle of the afternoon, I have gotten a fever that causes bad aches and chills. All I can do is take aspirins, which don't help much. Sometime during the night my fever breaks and I wake up all wet with sweat. What's up with that? I had a regularly scheduled appointment with my GP today for all the 3 month labs. He did a nose swab and checked for flu, but it was negative. We'll see what happens today. He wants to know if it goes above 101.


Holy CRAP! There goes my rain gutters I was going to put on the front of the house. I don't know why because we don't get enough rain to warrant them. The dentist got my rain gutters yesterday with a grand total of $700 for a crown. When it does rain, my front door becomes useless because the pitch of the roof causes the rain to dump right at the front door. No one can come in without getting soaked. It's a design flaw, but fixable with some gutters.

My luck ran out!

On Thursday, while eating an animal cracker, I broke a tooth. A big chunk of tooth and filling fell out and, as in most places in the USA, my dentist doesn't work on Friday. I guess I still have a little luck because it is a back tooth and it doesn't hurt. Couldn't get an appointment until Wednesday! It certainly is my luck that I got a refund deposited in my checking account from the IRS the same day. It never fails that when I get a little chunk of change, something happens requiring large sums of money. I'm sure this tooth thing will require a crown....not cheap!  

The same day I finally gave in and bought a new gallon of $35 touch up paint because I could not find what was left here after they painted the interior. I knew I had used it before, but I could not find it. Yes, of course, I found it yesterday in the attic. Yes, the paint is non-refundable.

Today, I got my farming clothes on and went to Dad's to work in the garden. Of course, I could not start the tiller. Brother came and started it with one pull!!! GRRR! I got everything tilled and looking good and planted 3 rows of corn. My poor daddy just can't do anything. He could not even push the little planting gizmo down the prepared row because he couldn't see the row. His eyesight just continues to deteriorate and there is not a thing that can be done for his particular type of macular degeneration. It's so sad to see him that way.

Check this out!

This was my dinner last night. These carrots and brussel sprouts were in the ground yesterday morning. My friend, who brought compost to my dad's yesterday, also brought lots of fresh vegies including broccoli, celery, beets, onions. She grows everything.

Fruitful day!

Everyone knows I am totally anal about my yard. I don't like even one leaf in the yard or the flower beds. I removed every last leaf last week and then we had big winds which brought more leaves from somebody else's yard. So today I took on the task yet again. I even mowed the dead grass. I'm apparently not crazy because my neighbor across the street was on his lawn mower, too. Of course, he has a huge yard and 2 riding lawn mowers. My next door neighbor, however, stopped by and told me I WAS crazy! Easy for her to say since she hires someone to do her yard!

Tomorrow I will be at Dad's all day. My friend from high school is bringing him a truck load of compost for the garden and she has built him some raised beds that she intends to fix for him. Mom is cooking and we are working in the garden. My back still hurts, but I can't dwell on that. I work 5 minutes and rest 10, but I get it done!!

Oh! Hellstotheno!

I'm jus' sayin'!

These new cheerios are scrumptious....but, then again, it doesn't take much to make me happy!

I can't hear it!

Created by Train Horns

People with dogs say the dogs can hear it, but I can't. Don't have teenagers or dogs here, so who knows if there is any sound at all!!!

My new wheels!

My back hurts! Perhaps it has something to do with loading five 40 pound bags of mulch in my car while the morons at Wal Mart watched. Of course, when I got home I had to unload them and spread them in the flower beds. I would rather go to Lowe's where they will gladly load it for me, but Wal Mart is 2 minutes from me. They will load it IF someone is available and IF I ask them. NEVER do they offer on their own!!

Ha, ha, ha...we got yo money!

Holy crap!!!

Fun weekend, but I have never been so tired and so cold in my life. We got to the parade line-up area at 9:30 and it promptly started to rain. We managed to commandeer a large pavilion to put our float under and set up our bar-b-que pit. It worked out great. The parade started at 4:30, but we were so far back in the parade that we didn't roll until after 5. The parade lasted 4 freakin' hours. That's a hella lot of beads and dancing. We have our own DJ with a mike on the float and he keeps us dancing. One would think all that dancing would warm me up, but NO, it didn't! By the time I got home at 10:30, my insides were still shaking. Warm bath didn't stop it, so I turned on the fireplace, heating system, bathroom heaters and electric blanket. I guess I finally got warm because I woke up about 3 burning up!!!

Yesterday, our parade rolled at 2 and was more of a neighborhood, family oriented parade. It was more fun because it wasn't too long...just 2 hours! :) I am totally and completely tired!

Yep..I'm lazy!

I have lots of work to do on this beautiful day in the neighborhood, but I'm not feeling it today. That's the beautiful thing about retirement...if you ain't feelin' it...don't do it. It's 80 degrees today, but tomorrow will be back to highs in the 50's. That's better "work in the yard" weather for me. I have new dirt bought and new mulch to go in the flower beds. I even bought a shovel. I don't know how I managed to live here 3 years and not have a shovel.

Tomorrow my brother and sister-in-law are leaving again to go to Branson. Seems like they go there all the time, but this time of the year is the only time they can leave. I have never even been to Branson, but I can't go with them because we both can't be gone at the same time. I wish they wouldn't be gone this week because it's parade week and this weekend Mom turns 84. None of us will even see her on her birthday.

Fruitful day.

Since the name of our krewe is Krewe des Ambassadeurs, we exercised our duties yesterday as ambassadors of goodwill. We dressed in our decorated jackets and visited two nursing homes and an assisted living home. The residents really enjoyed our parading through the halls and giving them beads. It made me feel good to do it even though nursing homes are very depressing. Why does God keep some of those people alive? I know there is a reason, but some of them are so pitiful and have no idea of anything around them.

Happy Mardi Gras

Next week is filled with Mardi Gras activities. Those of us who aren't working are visiting several schools, hospitals, and nursing homes dressed in our decorated Mardi Gras jackets to toss a few beads.

Wow! What a day!

I'll be saying the same thing next weekend, but for a much different reason..First, I had to admit to myself that I was a dumbass! I took the whole box of samples of Januvia the doc gave me and then took the prescription to get it filled. Apparently, I threw the damn pills away after I picked them up. They are nowhere to be found at this house. Monday I will go to the doc's office and admit that I am a dumbass to them as well and ask for another box of samples. If I ask for a refill at the drugstore I can get them, but insurance will not pay for my stupidity.

I spent all day at Mom and Dad's working in the garden and the yard. I planted 3 rows of potatoes and one row of onions. Then, I spent the rest of the day working in the yard. I enjoy doing it, but I don't know when to quit. I worked right through lunch and now I am totally beat down. Old age is not for sissies!

When I got home, a neighbor friend brought me a little heart shaped cake that she had made. Yes, I ate half of it for lunch!

Yes, my new meds work!

I took the Januvia samples my doc gave me for 3 weeks before I saw any difference at all. Apparently, it takes that long to manifest itself. It never said that in any of the research I did on it. The last few days I have really pushed it to the limits eating things that I knew had made my blood glucose soar to over 200. Now, I can't get it to go that high no matter how much or what I eat. That makes me happy because it is when BG goes high that damage is done to internal organs.

Garden time..

Since my calendar obligations ended on Wednesday this week,  after lunch with friends on Thursday I went to my dad's and got started preparing for the garden. It's time to plant potatoes and onions. I tilled up about 6 rows and maybe tomorrow I will get the potatoes and onions and get them planted.

Tonight I went to Mom and Dad's to go out to eat catfish with the family. While there, I went out and looked where I had planted a small fall garden several months ago. I pulled up a few carrots. What a treat! I didn't even know any of them made a carrot. Way cool!

What!!!????

I guess I have lost my mind since I retired. I thought I lost it before then, but maybe not. Several of my friends and I conned the Northwest Technical College here in our town to teach a class in Excel for us. Last night was our first night. It's like being back in college.....but without tests and grades! Several times I tried to use Excel for some project and ended up frustrated and using something else.

Tonight we went to the Chamber of Commerce banquet and did our civic duty. Tomorrow my mom has to be at the hospital at 9 for some tests. My brother will bring her to the hospital in my town and I will take her home. After that, I am free for the week....nothing else on my calendar!

Just an FYI! Did you know that if you hold down the control key and use the roller on your mouse that it makes the print on whatever you are reading larger or smaller...depending on which way you roll it!!??? Way cool!

This nails it!!!!

Our winning float!

Yesterday our local parade rolled and our float won top prize! There is no doubt that ours is the best every year, but it just doesn't look right for us to always win our own parade. This is the first time in 3 years that we have won. The irony of it all is that we never get to see any of the other floats because ours is always the first in the parade. I guess we could walk along during the line up and look, but we are always hanging our beads during that time. We have a DJ on ours and we are rocking the whole time. It's awesome. Ours also has lights all over it, but they are not really showy in our parade because it isn't dark. Next parades in 2 weeks. What fun!

What a dumbass!!!!

This moron is dumber than a box of rocks! How does he keep getting elected?

This is way cool!

Go to Google maps and put in your address. This photo is old because there are two more houses before mine now. Technology rocks...., but how easy does this make things for perverts!!!

Cool! I won!

One of the items I bought a chance on for $5.00 at the St. Jude auction was a year's membership at The Grove golf course, which is about 7 miles north of me. I have sort of stopped playing golf because I got spoiled in Texas when I lived across the street from the country club where I was a member. I guess I will have to play some this year since I have a membership now. It would be a shame to waste it. I don't even know what its value is.

I can't stop!

Last year at the local St. Jude auction, I won a $750 video camera on a $5 ticket. Naturally, this year I have bought $325 worth of chances for all kinds of good things. Except for the $100 chance on a car, all the others are $5 or $10. I could possibly win a nordic track, a year's golf membership, John Deere mower, golf cart, utility cart, generator, touch screen computer, camera, 4 wheeler......lots of excellent stuff has been donated for this cause. I'm hoping for more good luck this year. I don't mind spending money on this because St. Jude is my favorite charity. Last year we raised more than 3/4 of a million dollars. That's unheard of for a town this size.

Praise God!

I took Dad back to the oncologist today after having a 6 week break. His lung x-ray is still showing nothing new...no reason to get a CT scan. Doc is very happy and really feels like he did some good with Dad's treatment. He really did. Dad calls it a miracle. We don't have to go back for 7 weeks.

An open letter....

 

Dear Al Gore,

Today it snowed in the United Arab Emirates for the second time in recorded history. WTH!

We partied like a rock star!

Once again the Mardi Gras Ball was a huge success. We had 425 folks RSVP to come and I think they all came. Today, after going to see about Mom and Dad, I came home and cooked cabbage, squash and cornbread. Good stuff. It's a good thing I like it since the Januvia isn't working to keep my blood glucose in check. I'm going to keep taking it until my samples run out and see if it eventually kicks in, but so far, I'm not impressed.

Busy, long day!

Today was decorating day for the Mardi Gras Ball and since I have a friend who is royalty this year, I was at the site by 9 this morning. She has 5 tables and we had to get all these tables decorated, which is monumental. Mardi Gras Ball tables have crap all over them..all sorts of trinkets at each seat. It's gawdy, but it looks pretty at night. The ball is tomorrow night. I don't really like this fru-fru part of Mardi Gras. I'm in it for the parades and casual parties.

More meds!

I hate taking medicine, but today I got yet another one added. My doc added Januvia to the metformin that I already take 4 of every day. He did give me some samples to try and if they help to rein in my blood sugar, then he will prescribe a med that is a combination of these two in one pill. I hope it works well because taking less pills would make me happy..

Just a thought: Why is gas still going up while a barrel of oil continues to drop?

Just another thought: I would bet money that the people who were covering every square inch of the national mall left their trash everywhere, but we won't hear about that!!

I love a good book!

Lately, I have been frustrated with my reading. First, I failed at finishing The Shack. It was just too "out there" and I lost interest about half way through. Still haven't finished. Maybe someday....

Next, I was intrigued with all the hoopla over the Twilight books, so I bought the first one. Read about 2/3rds of it, but just haven't picked it up to finish it. Once again, it was just too "out there" with the vampire thing.

Now, I am reading Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity. Now, this one I will probably finish. I like true books.

WooHoo!

Today I had my first eye exam in about 3 years only because my primary care physician's office made the appointment for me. As a diabetic, I am supposed to have one every year! I have 20/20 vision (because I had a CK procedure 3 years ago), there is no retina damage from diabetes and I have just the slightest beginnings of a cataract, which is very common. I'm happy with this report.