Success - so far

Today was the real test for the injections and PT. I went to Wally World. That is a huge walking experience. I made it all the way through what I needed. That is an accomplishment because the fools had changed the layout of the store!

And then ... I went to the grocery store. I had to traverse the isles instead of just walking around the outside for just fresh stuff. I made it through the entire store without pain. Usually I am hurting so bad by the time I'm 2/3 through, I can't even remember things that are on the list. Well, today I made it!

When I got to checkout I was really worried. I was fifth in line, of course the stupid woman in front of me had three items. She wasn't going to walk down to the express line. Bah!! Then she didn't have her card, so she had to have instructions on entering her phone number. I don't believe the three items she bought are covered by the card!

Anyway, I got through standing there. Then I had to load the cart onto the belt. I wonder whatever happened to the old belts where the checker unloaded the cart?? But that's off the subject. I got that done, and then realized she had no sacker. I got into action there. I sure glad I don't have to make a living doing that. Customers would be complaining in droves! The great news is I made it through all of it. I could load it all in the truck without pain, and then I could get in (pretty well) with the bad right knee.

All the hassels were worth it I think. To be without pain is so wonderful. My life had gotten so sad. I never went anywhere. I used to like to walk in the neighborhood. That was not happening. Making it to the mail box on many days was more than I could do. Making it back to the house was a miracle.

Hope your day is/was as great as mine!

Peace be with you.

Tardy with post

Yesterday was really a good/terrible day all in one. I had the steroid injections yesterday. Well, the mystery about those is gone. All in all, I think it may work out to be a good experience. I know, or at least I think, I have two more in my future. But I have learned the ins and outs.

The worst parts were getting up early, being NPO, and WAITING, WAITING. We were to be there at 8. I wasn't in the procedure room until about 11. I didn't know what to expect, so I send my book, and the like out to G in the waiting room. I can't stand waiting without a book. HATE IT, HATE IT! So I slept for some part of the time. I was getting nauseous from not eating. It was a way to deal with that.

Finally they escorted me to the room. The anesthesiologist put a nasal cannula in my nose, and it irritated my nose terribly. Then, he administered the Versaid. That took away all worries. I wasn't aware of the injections at all, but I knew that from my previous colon thingies. I am always fascinated by watching the little scope snake its way through my lower intestine!

Then after a Diet Coke and a package of peanut butter crackers (I guess so I would be able to ambulate), I was sent back to PT where I got the heavenly electrical stimuli with the heat pack. Heaven on earth for me. It makes PT worth while. Love, love, love it!!

The down side was I had a splitting headache. I had it most of the weekend, but yesterday I had it in spades! I guess it must have been a virus. G asked me if was ravenous after he (finally) picked me up at the rear of the building where PT is. I asked what he was thinking about. The &%^*%*^% had already eaten. I flat told him that he was the one that makes me wait until 1 or 2 in the afternoon when we are traveling. I was a little pi**ed at him. The headache didn't help. SO we stopped at the local burger drive through for me.

I was freezing after that. I am usually the one who is burning up, not so much these days. I guess the burning fires of menopause and Femara are finally lessening. For a change, cold nellie, G was hot. Anyway, I went to bed and slept for over two hours. I thought I would be wide awake last night, but I was more than ready for bed at the usual time. I slept right through even his getting up for work.

I have some little twinges of headache still roaming around, but it is nothing like before. I hope it doesn't escalate later. I have PT in about an hour. Hopefully that doesn't make it worse.

I mentioned the other day I was wondering about this facility. Well, the place we went yesterday was a remodeled CVS pharmacy. They did a great job with it however. But still . . .

I think the next time, I will take a late appointment for this procedure. At least I can be comfortable here at home! The problem would be the traffic, but I will run this idea by G. We have a couple of weeks to think about it!

Hope all is well with you! Oh, and the back feels some better - I think. Haven't really pushed it though!

Peace be with you.

PT - only not

I had an appointment for PT on Friday. We had planned I would go as usual, and then we would go to the SSB as soon as I got home. Well, Thursday night, we got a call from G's brother. Their mother was in the hospital again with another heart attack. It was thought it was minor, but she was in the hospital never-the-less.

At first I was going to go to PT as normal. Since we go through Austin on the way to the ranch, G was going to stop. With this (blasted) daylight saving time, we could do everything and get to the ranch before dark as well as make the Community Club meeting. I thought it over and over, and I decided I would cancel my PT.

So after calling when we got back to set another appointment for today, strange things happened today. My phone rang twice this morning at 9. I have caller ID, so I knew it was their office. I thought they may have dialed the wrong number and realized it, hanging up before I answered.

I got to the office for PT. After sitting for several minutes, they opened the magic partition. You know the kind - glass partition that only disguises whoever is speaking! Anyway, they said that they had tried to reach me three times, and never got me. They said it went to a message that said to not leave a message.

That answering service is from At&t. It is call notes. I don't like it. I prefer my regular answering machine. The reason for that preference is very simple - it has a toll saver feature. That is great when we are away of even if the power is off (and by all saints it better never be!). When I am away, I call home. If the phone rings three times, I have no messages. If it picks up on two, I can get the message. That was especially important when Dad and Vivian were alive. I never knew when something would go south or Daddy would escape from the Alsheimers Unit. With call notes, I had to let that service answer to find out there were no messages. Not my preference. I also discovered when we became close friends with Ike that I could determine when and if the power was on again.

I can fully believe the girls. I told them the phone did ring twice and showed their office. I think they really thought they were lying. I didn't - phone service can do strange things. I put it right up with several things that can give warped outcomes. When I got home, I saw they had tried again at 11:14. My caller id only shows the most recent calls from a specific number.

So I have had a week with no PT. How I have formally four days without pain meds. I'm not too unhappy about the four days. I have a stash of pain pills. My surgeon refilled my perscription the day before the initial meeting with the pain management people. Also perhaps I won't now fall asleep if I sit still for five minutes. Perhaps I can wake in the mornings. The pills I won't have are the Lyrica and the Elavil. We'll see what happens without those two. While it is true they allowed me to sleep the entire night - I wanted to sleep all morning (at least), too.

So my busy schedule now has me going to the NOrthern Woods for the shot(s) in my lumbar region on Monday. Then I go back to the office on Tuesday for PT and regular (cancelled from the 23rd) doctor appointment. My, my!

Oh, and by the way if I forgot to tell you, the Doppler of my lower left leg showed no clots. Thought so, but wanted to be sure. Have a great weekend. I probably won't be back until Tuesday afternoon - if I survive that busy, busy day!

Peace be with you.

To be seen

The first visit to the pain management people was like a whirl wind - especially at the end when it was time to set new appointments.

The first thing was to set the appointment for the injection. It will be in the Woodlands which is about 40 miles from here. They wanted to set me for a 7am appointment. G went rather ballistic. It could have been worse, but he didn't want 7. Since I have to be NPO (nothing per oral) before I go, I was fine with that. He was pushing for 10 or later, and I was still wanting the 7. We finally settled on 8am.

After that we were setting the time for my next appointment. I didn't have my daytimer with me at the desk. If I had, I would have seen that it was conflicted with our return from the SSB. I went on our usual schedule of returning on Monday. Probably G would have been fine with coming back on Monday, but I wasn't going to push it. As it was. I didn't want to come back at all!

So what's the big deal, you ask. Well the happy pills they gave me run out today. I doubt they will allow a refill without me coming back. In fact as I was writing that sentence, Dr Injection's nurse called to confirm the appointment on Monday. I told her I would be out of pills today. I asked if they would renew - and, you guessed it, the answer was no. They will do it on Monday. I'm not supposed to have them, but I have a full prescription from Dr Ortho.

I don't know why I am concerned about the pills. They don't seem to help, but when I forgot to take them Saturday, I knew I forgot them, but then, I was sedentary all morning working on different projects.

So - now we wait for the big day. I am really scared of having someone mess with my spine, but I've got too much pain as it is.

Peace be with you.

Yes I'm back and fighting mice

Things have kept me hopping, so there was no blogging! Between PT and going to the SSB, I haven't been here.

The SSB was quite an experience this time. We hadn't been there in about 10 weeks, so I guess the mice thought they had a new residence. We used to be vigilant about anything being left out that could be considered food by vermin. Well, we left a bag of bird seed on the kitchen counter.

When I walked in and turned on a light, there were bird seed hulls scattered all over the one counter in the kitchen! I was sickened. I hate mice in the house - unless they are pets. Wild mice do not belong in my house. I have to say wild mice because I was the one who accepted a rat as a pet when I was teaching and cried when we had to put her down due to cancer.

But in this case I could tell they had made themselves at home. The first thing I did was to check the drawers. They didn't make nests there this time. So G got the vacuum cleaner to get all that up, and I set about sterilizing the counters and the things on them.

It was bedtime when I opened the drawer that I keep my PJ's in. Apparently "they" found something cottony to make the bed/nest from. I was almost sure that I would find the little wiggly pink babies there. But I didn't. All PJ's went into the washer.

At about 4:30 the next morning (no one knows for sure), the power went off. There went all things electrical, and alas, our house is all electric. There was no breakfast to be made, no coffee (gasp), no washing of mouse infected PJ's. So, we went to town.

The roads, being dirt, were in terrible shape. The main road that leads more directly to town had been closed because at least two people had gotten stuck. At any rate, our truck looks like some kid had it and gone far, far off road. It has about 10 pounds of mud stuck on it.

The trip to town was good. Not only did we get delicious breakfasts, we got to the grocery store to find items to fight the invasion since the little pile of bird seed I set out was gone. I bought sticky traps because with Shadow and Simone in the house, I didn't want poison. When I opened them, the sticky is about 2 inches by 4 inches. On the package they are rated for mice and rats (????).

I set one out the next night. (oh, our lights came on about 5 pm) When I got up the next morning, I looked at the sticky trap. The creature was able to eat the sticky glue as well as the bird seed that I put there to attract it.

The following day we went to another town. They only have one store, a feed store. G decided we would get poison to throw under the house. We did. I thought the creatures were getting in around the dryer vent that has to go through the floor, so we flooded that with caulk. I also thought that the door from the utility room to the kitchen was tight enough it would keep the creatures in the utility room. I'm not sure.

So upon leaving, I used duct tape to put two sticky traps together and left it on the counter. I also left the package of poison - sealed. We'll see. The mice were in other places, but I think the entry point this time is the utility room. Hope the stuff under the house works.

Hope you are critter proof!

Peace be with you.

Almost late

The pills the pain specialist gave me are working - at least for sleeping. I was really sleepy when the alarm went off for G to get up for work. So I managed to get to my old friend, the sofa. There I went back to sleep. I don't even remember him leaving!

Well that was all well and good, but I had a 9:30 PT appointment. I woke when the 9 o'clock program came on. I was up like I had an electrical shock. And of course everything that could go wrong went wrong.

I knew I needed something for breakfast. I really have been trying to eat small meals several times a day. Breakfast is important. I decided peanut butter toast would have to do. I fixed it, and ate it in the truck. When I parked I looked at the clock, and I was three minutes late.

I got into the office and signed in, and then had to sit for several minutes (didn't have my watch) before I was called back. Humph! So much for being on time.

PT went well. She gave me a copy of the exercises to do at home. My intentions are good. We'll see what the body actually does.

Peace be with you.

It was all good

I had the customary Sunday night dinner at my house - again. I wasn't really happy about it, but what I planned to eat was simple, simple! The roast simmered on the stove for 2 1/2 hours, the potatoes then went in and cooked for 40 minutes, and the leeks then went in for 20. There was a little time making the gravy, but it was minimal. The house was clean - I finally feel like keeping it.

The children were all happy last night! There wasn't one time anyone cried! So I was able to snag this picture of the crew. From left to right: Doodle Bug, Lady Bug, Monkey Boy, and Wiggle Worm. I was going tom upload a picture of Lady Bug alone. She came in an outfit straight from the 60's flower child time. Her dad bought it for her when he had traveled to the capital city here. It would fit perfectly for the old show Laugh In. You can actually see her socks in the photo. Oh my!

The massage that the PT gave me has done wonders. My knee is more loose than ever. It doesn't pull when I sit. I feel guilty that I haven't done the exercises here at home, but I really don't remember them. Hopefully I will be more alert tomorrow than I was Friday! I was so out of it. I never fall asleep like I did with that wonderful heat pack on me.

The weather here is really nice. I can see that we will most likely have another hot, hot summer. I guess that's the trend now - hot, hot summers and cold, cold winters. Oh, well. Hope your weather is good today.

Peace be with you.

Too smart for my own good.

I made the appointment for the PT session for this morning. I need to see Dr Poison for a follow-up appointment next week. That means more blood work.

Now those things don't seem to have a common thread, but wait they do. Both are in suburb medical centers. The Pain office (where I take PT) is close to a lab for blood work. I thought I was being really smart by deciding to make an appointment for blood work at 8:40 since it had to be fasting. The PT was 9:30. They are about three long blocks apart which is closer than going to the other place that is close to Dr Poison.

I was so happy with myself. Kill two birds with one stone, that is until I figured out this was fasting. I was going to be in PT a while with no breakfast. A few years ago, that wouldn't have been a problem. I wasn't a breakfast eater. I probably could have managed today, but I wasn't sure. So I began thinking about fast food places.

Believe it or not, there are not an overabundance of them in the area. It's like that at the other place too. Anyway, I found one. I was there until 11, so I found another for lunch.

Sad.

Peace be with you.

New meds

The pain specialist asked me if I were sleeping well. I told him I was sleeping fairly well. I do wake during the night from pain - either knee which is not so much now, or back. He gave me something that would "fix" that. He told me it wouldn't make me GO to sleep, but allow me to sleep. He was right - in spades. It was so very difficult to wake this morning.

The alarm went off, and I was so fast asleep! My first thought was to quietly cuss G for still working! So I stumbled into the den where I fell on the couch and promptly fell fast asleep again. That couch has put up with my sleeping on it for several years now. After the mastectomy it was my best friend in the world. Anyway, he was getting ready to leave about 45 minutes later, and I thought we had just gotten up!

I slept about an hour more, and finally pushed myself off the couch. I am still a little foggy! I can't believe how strong that little thing was. Of course, he also put me on Lyrica. I thought that was an anti-depressant, but I read it was also used in pain management. My first thought was that it would interfere with the Femara (the cancer drug), but it hasn't been shown to do so.

Tomorrow I get to do my most favorite thing in the world - Physical Therapy. But I guess it is necessary. It would be such a wonderful thing to be able to walk pain free again.

I don't know how the timing for the right knee replacement will be affected by all this. I know this treatment will stretch into April, and I wanted the knee done late April or early May. All I can hope for is to get it done in at a good time. I have a craft show I want to do July 10!

I was able to get to the craft room yesterday. While there I got it straightened a little, and I got the quilting done on Lady Bug's scrap book cover. It looks really cute. I will hopefully complete it today, and then I can start on my friend on the next mountain at the SSB. She has done so much for me, I want to do something for her. She can put her grandchildren's pictures in it.

So that is the news from here. The weather is beautiful. Hopefully after PT tomorrow I can get to the nursery to get plants to replace those that froze. We have really been lulled by our previously warmish winters. We paid this year!

Peace be with you.

Layla Grace and my back

Those two absolutely have no connection, but anyway. Layla passed yesterday early morning. She fought a valiant battle. It is so sad to see such a tiny baby have to face so much in a young life. Her parents are devoted to spreading the word about neuroblastoma, which they knew nothing about before Layla was stricken. They learned, too late, it can be diagnosed by a simple urine test. It is a disease that strikes young children. But Layla is at peace, and now prayers are certainly in order for her family (mom, dad, sister (9) and sister (3)) as they try to put their lives back together. Thank you for past prayers, but keep the family in your prayers.

Yesterday was my appointment with the pain specialist. To say the least, I was nervous as the appointment time grew closer. When we walked in, my first impression was it that was a fly by night operation. I was not impressed - at all. They were located in what used to be a medical supply store.

My first task was to fill out about 100 pages of information. That irritated me greatly. That took me 30 minutes, and I have learned a secret from my step mother. I have a card with my medical history on it. It lists all medicines, all allergies and all surgeries (which are mounting!). So that saved some time.

I finally got in, and, of course, we sat. At one point this really tall guy came in to get the spine model. G remarked that certainly they could afford more than one spine model. I wondered! After what seemed like forever, this guy came back. He gave us a little of his history. It seems that he had to work his way through school. Between med school and his specialization, he somehow was working in a nursing home or something.

When he bagan taking my health history, which was on the 100 page book I filled out, I was sure he wasn't a doctor at all. I really didn't like him. It was difficult to get things straight. I was ready to bolt! I honestly thought he was stupid. But then, the physical exam began. He had me lie on the table on my side. He got G over, and told him to watch my hip. He began manipulate my leg/hip. HURT! This was done on both sides.

To make a long story shorter, he descried the way I walk and how it is putting pressure on my lower back. I walk that way because I already have problems - pinched nerves, arthritic changes, stenosis, and other generative changes, but the way I walk makes it worse.

Sooooo, the upshot of all this is simple. I come back to that location for PT. In about three weeks (because of my schedule - I'm not missing the SSB trip), I will go about 45 miles away from here for the steroid injections in my spine. Insurance will pay for three - should be six. Sounds about like insurance doesn't it.

He said my back is serious. If we don't step in seriously now, I will be in really bad shape in the future. We're talking wheel chair here.

Now I am wondering how this will fit with my other knee replacement. I still want it ASAP, but right now I think this back problem is the main concern. I will call the ortho doc later today to see if they want to see me now, or after all the back stuff is taken care of.

A brief follow up

The little girl at the end of the last post, Layla Grace, is being followed world wide. I am amazed. It looks like the end is possibly very near by the last tweets.

I didn't know of her until about a week ago.

If you want more information: www://laylagrace.org.

I just can't imagine the lives of the family, especially now.

Please remember the family in your prayers.

Thanks, K

Wild Weekend

I wish! I haven't had a really wild weekend in years and years!

I generally do not babysit my grandchildren. Wiggle Worm is the only one (for now) for Son. His other grandmother babysits him. He's her first and only.

The other three I kept as babies - one at a time - but I usually am not the sitter. Monkey Boy can, and has been, quite a challenge. But Daughter and SIL got on one of the Houston Livestock and Rodeo committees. I don't know if Daughter really wanted to be on said committee, but she was signed up. Last night they were to be on duty.

When I do this, Pa is not involved. He can take children in small doses these days. Don't get me wrong, he loves them, but he loves them more when they get older. Lady Bug is getting to the right age at 9!

Since today is a school day, their usual sitter couldn't do it, so I was asked. I really don't mind. I love those kiddos so much. I knew it was going to be a rather late evening. Of course, anything after 9 pm could be construed as a late evening for me. But I was apprehensive. MB and Doodle Bug can have their moments!

It was decided I would have family dinner here. I wasn't going to fix it, then haul it to Daughter's house. So Son and family were here. Dinner went well. I got finicky eater MB to eat cucumbers! He usually won't eat anything green. His usual fare is chicken nuggets and ketchup. Oh and almost any carb! It came time for Son's family to leave, so the other three and I packed up and went to their home.

I put the Academy Awards on. That's not my usual fare, but I hoped it would be boring for the younger ones. We settled in. MB sat beside me on the couch, so I decided teeth brushing and bed clothing was certainly in order.

That went suprisingly well. They all did it like little troopers. I don't think the teeth got the full attention they deserved, but, hey, I was a fill in! Doodle Bug decided to have a temper tantrum, but she soon settled down. Monkey went to the pallet and was soon fast asleep.

Lady Bug held Doodle to calm her until she somehow was spooked by the show (?), and she wanted me to hold her. She was asleep in five minutes. So by about 9:45 all was quiet.

I was proud of Daughter. She only called once to check. They got in at 12:30, and I was on my way home to my bed. All in all a good night.

I was so proud of Monkey I couldn't stand it. He has come a looong way! He really was a brat for a long time, but he has come so far! I had a wonderful time with my grandchildren.

That brings me to something I wasn't really going to write about here, but I feel I must. We have a 22 month old in our area who is dying from neuroblastoma. It is stage 4 and she is terminal. She had no chance, and her body is shiutting down. She is at home -to die, and this has been going on for about three weeks now. Her name is Layla Grace. If you think of it, please pray for her parents as they are helping her to the end, as well as her 9 year old and 3 year old sisters who are with grandmother at this time so they remember Layla as she was before, not as she is now.

Peace be with you.

Yesterday

I got out yesterday!! I went to the sewing club meeting. It was the first one for this year I have been able to attend. It was so very nice to get out and see people. The photo at right is the project we did. It's rather hard to see because I chose to do tone on tone. It is an embossed fingertip towel.


It's not exactly perfect because the computerized sewing machine did what a lot of computers do - it had a silicon fart. I managed to get the towel even in the hoop, got the stabilizer all set and tacked down so it would be perfect, and then pushed the button. The machine began stitching right up the center and the needle hit the hoop. Thankfully nothing broke, but jeesh! All in all I'm pretty proud of it.

I spent the morning trying to upload this photo and get it posted here. Sometimes I wonder about my skills. Of course when I was downloading, I tried to do it while reading something else. I used Photoshop to download, but I'm not sure where I approved of storage. I finally manually pasted the picture into My Pictures. The file is supposed to be there, but...

Enough silliness. Things are still the same around here. Nothing exciting is happening, it's just all the same stuff. I thought about going out but part of the reason for my going isn't happening. I called in my pain pills since I still have until next week before the steroid injections in my back. There is still pain there. So far, that request hasn't been approved.

I guess that means I have no more reason to put off cleaning up this den. Last night I devised a schedule for myself to do what I hate the most - cleaning. It's amazing just what I can find to do instead of that chore. I get really motivated about 10 pm. That's not a good time since G goes to bed. That motivation evaporates with the daylight.

I have always been a night owl. That changed for the time I taught since my first period class began at 7:30 (yes, a.m.). I was always sleep deprived then. I am, unfortunately, reverting to my real biological clock. That doesn't fit with living with someone who still gets up to go to work.

Well, I hope you have a good weekend with moderate weather for a change. That would be a good change, wouldn't it?

Peace be with you.

What's new?

Well, nothing. It feels like the same old same old around these parts, at least for me. I am still recuping the knee. I think there is something not quite right, but I keep putting off calling the doctor. It feels like something will roll out of place. It feels like I need to "pop" the knee, and it hurts then. We'll see what happens.

Tomorrow is sewing club. I have missed the last two meetings, and I really want to go to this one. I want to get out and DO something, and I want to learn how to embroidery on a tea towel. I am not crazy about the design, but I really want to get the technique right. If you don't do it correctly, the embroidery sinks into the towel - never to be seen again!

I have ventured up the stairs once. Going up wasn't bad - the coming down is scary as the devil. Neither knee is really dependable when going down. I am supposed to start out with the "good" knee (what an euphemism) going up and the surgically corrected coming down. That means trusting what is not strong with either knee coming down. I have been contemplating coming down on my butt - on purpose, silly!

But I am not at all going to be able to bring that machine and all associated stuff down with me. G can be such a jerk about it. In fact, when I told him I was going, his remark was how I was going to get the machine into the store. I told him at least THEY would help me!

I have asked Daughter, but she has her own stuff going on. They are in the process of adding an addition above their master bedroom. The progress has been slow and tedious. They have had a heck of a time with our local inspector. He kind of reminds me of Barney Phyfe on the old Andy Griffin show. He thinks because he has a title, he is powerful. I have had to deal with him on the other house and this one, and I'm glad it's over. The next time I may ask him if he has the bullet in his pocket.

Anyway, Monday morning, Daughter's ceiling collapsed from accumulated rain water that seeped under the tarping that the framer didn't put down correctly. Now in addition to the stuff going on upstairs, they are down to the studs in their master bedroom. I really hate to ask her to come here to bring that machine down. She assured me (prior to the disaster) it would be fine - even with SIL out of town and all the family stuff falling on her shoulders. I'll see how her day goes today before I bring it up again.

So that's the news from here in Swampland Surburb. Hope your news is good!

Peace.

Men - honestly!

G and I have been married 42 years in August, and he still pulls some boner stunts that amaze me! I will swear he is getting worse as he ages!

Today I was here in my usual place during the morning time, reading emails and blogs, dressed still in pj's, when I see the meter reader coming up the driveway. I didn't think anything of it. They come once a month. It's OK. Then the door bell rings, and a knock at the door.

Of course, Simone acts like she is the guard dog that will rip you to pieces. I thought my protective husband would come from the bedroom in the back to answer the door. (He is off today) I waited a bit. He is still back there. I was wondering because I knew he had already spent his half hour in the "study." Fortunately my slovenly housekeeping allowed me to have my robe in here on the tote that we take back and forth to the SSB.

I grabbed my robe, finding that the sash wasn't with it, and head to the door. I am half way there when the charging boxer stops dead in her tracks. I guess she realized that she would get there before me. That might mean she would have to face the intruder on her own. Still no brave husband.

I stumble around the dog and get to the door. The meter reader has to get into the backyard to read the meter. For some reason when we finally got that meter for the generator installed, they put in a regular meter - not one that sends the information. Great. This will be a monthly thing, but where has this guy been for the last few months??

I turn to go to get the gate key. Still no brave man. As I reach the key holder, here is comes. Alas the hero to the rescue. His comment about what he was doing. You won't believe.

"I was in the middle of combing my hair."

WHAT?? I still can't believe this.

Anyway - peace.