Into the twentieth century (at last)

I'm here and almost alive in Cow Town. Today is the first day I have had computer access, and will be the last until I get home on Sunday. The computer odyssey has been a true comedy. I didn't load it on Sunday night because I didn't want it to be in the car overnight. We took Princess Simone to her summer camp (the vet) Monday morning, and the plan was to put the computer in the car right after that. Well - life got in the way. K called before I walked into the house. That put the single cell that makes up my chemoed, anesthetized brain cell to work, and the work wasn't remembering anything.

We were twenty-five miles away when I remembered the computer. I was still talking to K. She said she would Fed-Ex it to me. At the time, I declined. I didn't know the address of the hotel. I thought about it during the trip, and then decided that would be a good thing. So I called K when we got to the room, about 4 pm. She said she would call me right back. Well that call came at 6:30 - after we went to dinner and all (which I will recount later). I gave her the information. She didn't go get it that evening, nor the next day. She wasn't sure which of the keys she had was mine. So she waited until her brother got off work.

We were on an excursion train that day. Excursion trains are NOT air conditioned as a rule. Cowtown had been in the 100's previously. I have never wanted off a train before. I was more than ready to say good-by to that piece of machinery!!

We detrained and got on beautifully air-conditioned chartered buses for the trip back to the hotel. My phone rang. She was just going to send the computer. This was 5 pm on Tuesday. Overnight at that time was $85! We finally got it down to a price that I felt was reasonable - $30. To make a long story shorter, she called another 4 times. I was so embarrassed!! In the close quarters of this bus with all the other travelers that are exhausted, my phone kept ringing! K couldn't understand why I sounded a bit miffed during the last call.

Greta arrived yesterday. I was exhausted once again. We had been riding the mass transit systems from Cowtown to Big D and all through Big D. The killer was the trek back from the station to the hotel. I wasn't sure I would make it. All of three blocks in 99 degree with 98% humidity (or so it felt). Three years of inactivity are killing me.

I was so thrilled as I waited for the Fed-Ex package to be brought to the desk. I opened it and began looking for the wi-fi. Found it - for $10 a day. You would think 4 star hotels would have free wi-fi, free phones, and at least one premium cable channel. Not this one.

So I have Internet for one day because I'm too cheap to pay for another. Besides we will be on a train tomorrow for 11 hours. Don't need wi-fi then. The next day we leave for Swamp-Land!

I am glad to have Greta with me AND access to the world. Would I do it all again. I don't think so. It has cost more than it's really worth especially since I thought I would be using it to fill the day when G went to seminars (that seems he is not going to do!!).

I'll give you a run down of the convention on Monday, along with some pictures it I somehow get some additional computer savvy before then. "See you on down the line!" (Train people are getting to my brain

In memory

Happy Father's Day, Daddy. I really still miss you. Even though your physical body left only 3 years ago, the real you left a few years before that. When something happens during the day, I still find myself thinking how I must share it with you. But you are not here. How I wish you were. I wish you were totally here - mentally and physically health. I know the last few years were ones of misery for you. I still have no idea how much of you was still present in those last years. But I do so miss you.

I know this is a hard Father's Day for G. It is the first without his dad. He is going about normal business, but I know it is in the back of his mind. He just doesn't openly dwell on missing his dad. \

To all you dads, I hope your day is great. To their families, make it great for him. You will not always have him.

We love our animals

I know many people who would think my family and I are crazy. We love our pets and take their care seriously. Years ago, we adopted a crazy lab mix. He had been sprayed with pepper spray when the house where he was living was broken into. He had tremendous separation anxiety. To get to the point, he developed a cancerous place on his back food. It would grow until the skin split.

We did almost everything we could for him. We weren't offered chemo or radiation, but we kept having the place removed until we were told it was no use, and he was best being put down. Most of our animals, and there has been quite a parade of them in 40 years, have lived to a ripe old age.

My daughter is facing the same thing with her old black tom cat. He is 11. He has begun to lost weight - a lot of it. She took him to the vet on Monday. The bill came to about $850. She had then taken him back on Wednesday because he still wouldn't eat. They instructed her on giving a bolus of 100 cc's of fluid twice daily, and food that can be administered via syringe as well as the meds he was put on.

Why am I bringing this up? Because I'm really afraid she inadvertently let him get out last night. She called me telling me that she couldn't find him anywhere. She said she did have the door open for a short time when she was talking to her neighbor.

I saw what the cat did on Wednesday when I was there. Lady Bug was going to dance class and was being picked up by her friend. Jack (the cat) was sneaking toward the door.

If he DID get out, she will never see him again. He is getting what he really wants. He is going off somewhere to die. I haven't heard from her today, and that means they didn't find him I'm sure. I really hate that.

Real mixture of thoughts

I've simply got to get better about really coming over here. I don't know what is keeping me from jotting down my thoughts. I think about them all the time, and think about posting them.

I guess posting goes along with my "thing" about passwords these days. I keep forgetting them. Today I even forgot the password for this site. This is really disconcerting! I think I'll just pass it off to the six hours of anesthesia! That's a good idea. It cannot be my mind, it's outside forces!

In progress notes, my fluid accumulation went away. G had to try to get the antibiotic into the drain tube twice. The first time, it went smoothly. Sunday, of course, it wouldn't go. The line became blocked on Saturday and I was able to clear it. It seemed to be doing well on Sunday - until it was time for the antibiotic. We did get two syringes of air in, but when it was time for the antibiotic, there was no go. I called on Monday and they gave me hints. They worked. The antibiotic flowed in on Monday evening. Tuesday I went to the office and thankfully lost the final drain! Yea!! Cowtown, here we come.

I have been keeping Lady Bug off and on for these two weeks. The craft I bought that I thought she would be interested in doing (thus keeping her occupied for hours on end) is a dud. As of now, she toddles off to my bedroom to use "On Demand" or the Disney channel. I know her mom doesn't want her watching that much TV, but when she's here it just works better for me. Yesterday she broke my (brand new) bedside lamp. She has to have plenty of light to watch that blasted TV.

I thought she would be staying with her dad today since he is "working out of the house." That got changed late last night. I don't mind when it is K who has to have me keep her. S abuses the fact that I will keep her. K picks her up as soon as she can. S has a history of keeping her here as late as possible.

That fact almost meant that G was dead set against me keeping Doodle Bug. When Lady Bug and Monkey Boy were infants and I kept them, he would bring them to me, go home to dress, do whatever (including "hitting some balls, etc"), go home to check emails and so on, then change again. THEN he would pick them up. All too often, I had things to do after they left. I would be sitting here just waiting.

I know I should have said something. In these situations, it is a slippery slope. He already has an insecurity thing because of his parents. He gets his feelings hurt at the drop of a hat, and then he cries. K is super protective of him. She often says it's like she is the male in this relationship and he is the female. She is very astute.

So I wonder how long I will have her today. If he gets a golf game in, I will be very angry! I will say something. That may cause a big to-do!

We will be leaving on vacation on Monday. We are going to a National Historic Train Convention. I am really excited about it. We love to ride trains. Both of our trips to Chicago have been really just train trips. For us, it is as much about the trip as the destination. I was so thoroughly surprised to find that I fell in love with Chicago when we got there! Made the whole thing even better.

I know we have one trip included in this vacation. There are many other activities we signed up for. I'm so very thankful I don't have to return to the doctor for two weeks. At one point, I was really wondering just why in the heck I did this. I was all healed. Things were going well. I just hated the prosthesis. For a while, I felt as though I had jumped from the frying right into the fire. While not completely healed, I am doing pretty well. I will have my stitches for another 2 weeks at least, but they are few and are in the irritated skin that doesn't heal well anyway.

I promise I'll be back soon.

Change of plans

I thought we might be able to get away and go to the SSB this weekend. I was supposed to see the plastic surgeon on Friday, but I called and made the appointment for today. I am really thankful I had the appointment today. My one remaining drain had stopped draining. I didn't think anything of it because it was supposed to come out today.

We got to the appointment in the Med Center, waited a bit and finally got to the exam room. Dr B came in and looked at my back. He said I had fluid buildup. Boy did I ever. After they stripped the tube a few times, we ended up with over 250cc's right there in the office. Had I not planned to leave Friday for the ranch, I really would have had a fluid buildup and it would have been really bad.

I'm glad G was with me. I have been trying to get him to strip this drain, but he never would. I was fairly good at it, but really did think it was finished with its thing! Now he gets to inject the antibiotic into the tube tomorrow and Sunday. I go to the other office for them to do it Friday.

Sometimes I am amazed at how things happen. I was so glad we went today! I am almost equally upset we can't leave, but later in June is a far more important trip. We are going to the National Historic Railroad Association's national convention. I won't miss that one - mainly because we have already paid for a lot of the things we are doing.

In other news, I kept Lady Bug yesterday. She is really fun, and I enjoy her. I thought I had crafting things to keep her busy for hours, but she had other ideas. She completed them in about 30 minutes!! Needless to say, the things I had planned for me didn't get done. I forget she is only 7. She is so mature that I always expect so much that she is unable to do. I still love keeping her here, and best of all, she seems to enjoy being here. That makes things good.

Freeze!

Who stole a week from my life?? It cannot be a week since I was here last. Someone obviously has stolen it. It was here a minute ago.

Anyway, since last week, I have been to my plastic surgeon twice. Last week I got the wonderful thrill of going down to the Medical Center. Coming home was the problem. It was a holiday weekend, and all the rats were deserting Swampland. What traffic!! At that time, he removed one of the three drains. When I had them removed after the mastectomy, it didn't hurt. Not this time. It "bit" all the way out.

I have lived with the other two for this week. I have been able to sleep on my right side - sometimes. Sometimes it really hurts to sleep on my right side. Both of the remaining drains enter my body on that side.

Today I went back. But I went to another area that a fellow blogger calls "White Man's Land." It is a planned community directly north of Swampland. It is probably further away for me, but it doesn't have the traffic.

I was hoping for the other drains to be removed. I knew it wasn't going to happen because they have been working all too well. They did take number 3, but left number two. So I get to go back next week. This time there was no pain, but it felt like the thing was a mile long as it snaked out of my back! I got put back on antibiotics. Oh hum. I need to be sure to buy some yogurt!

We want to go to the SSB next week, so Med Center here I come. They will be back in "White Man's Land" next Friday, but they don't get there until noon. We need to have commenced the five hour journey at that time.

So much for my health. Last night was a first. Lady Bug stayed with us - overnight - for the first time in her 7 1/2 years of life. She announced to me a little while ago she wanted to stay over tonight too. Knock me over with a feather.

The circumstances behind her staying weren't too great. Her brother, Monkey Boy, decided to have a temper tantrum last night at 9:30. We both have raised hearths on our fireplaces, which has always scared me with the little ones, and he plowed his forehead right into the edge of said hearth. So he got to go directly to the ER - don't pass go. I told K that it would be silly for Lady Bug to be here, get sleepy, then get dragged back home to go to sleep only to return. I was keeping her today - like all summer.

So she spent the night. She seems to have been having fun. Last night she slept with me. G has been afraid to try to sleep through the moans when I move. I told her she might have to sleep where he has been sleeping. She didn't care. She just wants to stay. Finally. It has taken a long time.

Have a great weekend. Hope all goes your way!

Promise kept

I said I would be back and here I am. It has been ten days since surgery and seven days home. I am still wondering just what the heck I have done to myself and angry at facing the prospect of the next surgery that really is required at this point because I am a total freak. I looked at the results from this first surgery in the mirror last night, and I was completely horrified. There are lumps and bumps everywhere. I can't see that this will ever look any where near normal.

I have an appointment with the doctor today. I'm facing it with real dread. He had me fill a prescription for four vials of antibiotic which he will inject today. I'm thinking I heard somewhere it would be into the drains. That means more time for the drains. I think one of them is no longer working anyway. I also think I heard that at least one will be in at least three weeks. I absolutely hate them. It was the worst part of the mastectomy. They didn't prevent the infection, and, to my way of thinking, made things worse.

For the first four days of recuperation, my knees were such an issue because I wasn't really taking care of the usual meds and things. I made sure I took the antibiotics like clockwork and I was absolutely sure I took the Femara. I would take the blood pressure medication just to be sure, but it just wasn't that important. Wednesday I decided I better get back with the arthritis regime. By yesterday, I was much better. Today the knees are good.

Last night was my worst night with the exception of Friday night in the hospital. All the sutures in my back seemed tight and painful (I hope no infection). I wanted to sleep on my right side so badly! I finally got up and changed to the other side of the bed. (Poor G is on the daybed in the study.) It was a fitful night at best. I made the decision not to take the two pain pills when I went to sleep. At 3AM I knew it was too late. Coming down from them would have made me sick.

I know I have to complete what I started. I just hope that the resulting breast reduction and repositioning isn't as painful. I have to ask why I am already numb under my left arm and around the left breast. There was nothing done in that area.

If at all possible, I am going to wait until September or so to complete this mess. I am not ready for more surgery. I look at some of the ads we get on local TV selling these "complete body makeovers." I just hope these people realize what they are in for. I once thought if I could get to the "ideal" weight, I would like to have the lifts and tucks for the extra skin. While I still hope to re-lose the weight that found me after chemo and chuck a lot of the rest of it - there will be no lifts or tucks for me in the future. Should the miracle happen, and there is a lot of excess skin, I will imply tuck it in somewhere. It's not going to be cut off!.

I survived

I'm home from the hospital. Not yet hitting on all cylinders, but getting there. The surgery went well. He was so pleased that he added the implant during this surgery. It lasted about six hours, and I was in recovery for another two. I have never been sick after anesthesia, but I was this time, so I got another shot via the IV and was out most of the night.

They kept me in the hospital until Saturday afternoon. I was released on oral antibiotics and pain medication, but the pain has really been minimal. My knees hurt more than the incisions.

The worst part was when the IV infilitrated on Friday early morning. My hand was doubled in size and that left me with no other place for an IV. Fortunately all worked out well.

I took a couple of pain pills this morning because my left leg was so sore since I can only sleep on my left side or back. They are kicking me pretty hard right now - I think it is time to sleep!

I'll be back soon.

What have I done and other musings

Um, hi. My name is Grandma K. I used to come around here quite a bit, but life has been getting in the way a lot! I'm here today and gone tomorrow for a while again.

Seriously, things have been happing rather fast around here. I am wondering just what I have gotten myself into - I'm having surgery on Wednesday. It will be a latissimus dorsi breast reconstruction. I'm happy and I'm very scared at the same times. The surgery will last about four hours, and I will be hospitalized 3-5 days. This time I will stay as long as the surgeon recommends. I learned my lessons with the mastectomy.

I am no longer keeping Doodle bug, and while I miss her a lot, I have free time. I don't know what to do with myself!! I actually got to make a new blouse (one of the five I have planned and have the fabric for), and got the craft room straightened out! That was a job in itself. She is seemingly doing well in day care - in fact a little better than I would have predicted.

Mother's day was good when all things settled out. My children still have sibling rivalry - at least daughter does. I just don't know why she is so seemingly needy when it comes to our relationship. She lives a mile from me. We talk several times a day. I have kept all of her children as babies. We are really friends now - not just mother and daughter. But I can still see those green horns of jealousy from time to time. Some things never change.

My daughter in law and son in law really can't stand one another. They are civil. On the surface they get along well, but underneath. Oh, my! That means there is tension for me whenever they are together.

But when you shake it all down, all went well. I hope your Mother's Day went well. I'll be back in about a week!

Talk about being stressed out!!

I have been working on a couple of posts that are on what I consider to be higher topics, and I wanted to write and rewrite to make them really good. They are still around, and I will publish them - probably. But this real life and almost real time experience is just too good (not really the best word for it) not to share right now.

Yesterday I called the plastic surgeon to see if I really am scheduled for reconstruction. The scheduler said yes my surgery would be on May 14 beginning at 9:30 am, and the only place I could have it was XYZ Center.

I had heard of XYZ Center, but I wasn't sure of where it was or exactly what it was. I begin really feeling great animosity toward G since he didn't want me to go to Outlands Hospital, even though it was the surgeon's choice, because it was so far away. He wouldn't be able to visit me long there because Simone needs care. I told him I know for a fact it will be there for 15 minutes - at the most, and then have to go. I have had 4 previous hospitalizations, and his track record stands for itself!

So I got the 30 pound volume 1 of our yellow pages. XYZ Center wasn't listed there. So I went to the 20 pound North Swampland phone book to look. Not there!! I was really mad at G. Great. I have a surgery date, but where.

So I got my insurance benefits book. It lists the approved sites for all things medical. I got the entire name for the place. It is XYZ Surgery Speciality Hospital.

I went to the web site. Under the heading "day of surgery" it said that I might still be groggy when I was released that afternoon so I needed someone to get post surgical care and drive me home.

Now Dr Plastic Surgeon had already told me I was in for a 3-4 day stay, and I was ready for that. When I had the mastectomy, I wanted it to be out patient. I wanted to go home that same day. I groused all evening, and the next morning I told the nurse I wanted to go home. Dr Regular Surgeon said I could go, but I did have another day I could stay. Nope, I wanna go home. Consequently, I think that was the reason I developed an infection.

So I was ready for the stay this time. Then to read I would be dumped out the day of what will end up being a more major surgery nearly sent me over the edge! G came home and, fighting back tears because I was so mad and scared, I gave him the news. I told him HE should call the doctor's office,

He is a procrastinator. Big time. So as he was sitting in his chair reading a book, the phone rang. It was the doctor's insurance person. I asked her if I would be thrown out the same day. She began to wonder also. As it turns out, I am approved for one day, after which my condition will be assessed. Then more days will be approved as needed.

The rest of the afternoon, I felt as limp as a dish rag. That tension really took its toll on me. But as dear William (Shakesphere that is) said "alls well that ends well," and so it is.

Back to work on the someday posts. Have a good day y'all.

Ch-ch-ch Changes

Big changes taking place here in Swampland suburb. I have decided on a plastic surgeon, and have a tentative surgery date scheduled. I am just waiting for the decision from the insurance company. I really have mixed feelings right now. I am anticipating the good feeling of "being whole" once again and ot having to strap on that hundred pound prosthesis!

On the other hand, the aspect of having the muscle from my shoulder back being brought around to my chest region and the associated fat placed on top does give me pause. I really am worried about recovery. My last session with drain tubes didn't go well, and this time I will have one (I think) in the front for a week and three in the back for unknown time.

I am really worried about my healing - not just for normal reasons - because four weeks after the surgery we have already committed to going to the National Historic Railroad Convention in Cow Town. I've got to be healed enough.

It is no secret that I could not have the transflap or DIEP. A little too much adipose tissue there which may not close properly. I wish those 60 pounds had not found me again during my treatments. But when I think of having stomach muscle shifted up to the chest - well that really doesn't appeal to me. I saw what the scar looks like. I never wanted a tummy tuck anyway because of that transverse cut across the tummy!

Well, all this talk about surgery means that Doodle Bug needs to find another care taker. K thought she had a neighbor who would do it. That fell through. Everything with the exception of the day care fell through. So DB starts day care on the 6th (I think). I will keep her one more week - due to a misunderstanding where K thought I wanted to keep her longer. But that's fine. I will miss her. She is getting to be so cute now.

That first week, I will be helping to transition her. I'm not sure how that is going to work or be of help, but it sounds good. I just hope the workers fall instantly in love with her. I'm really afraid they will find her to be a spoiled brat - which I have contributed to. I know she will cry most of the time at first. We are really working on more independent play around here. I'm just afraid it is a little too little, a little too late.

So that's my life now. Have a great weekend. And as one of our flaky news personalities used to say (before he died): "Good golf, good tennis or whatever you like to do!"

I simply cannot believe how long it has been since I was here. I just seem to be moving in slow motion. My question is who put the world in fast forward in this span of time?

We took a trip to the SSB a couple of weeks ago. It was off our usual schedule because it was, of all things in the German-American culture, a family reunion. This one is always special to me because one of the distant cousins in into genealogy. We usually compare notes. So that makes it a little more exciting.

I made my appointments with two plastic surgeons. The first one was in the Medical Center. He is associated with one of the medical schools. The area is bad enough to get to since it is about 40 miles away, but the time was 8:30 am. With Swampland's traffic, that morphed itself into an hour and a half drive with heavy traffic all the way. He had a heavy accent, and according to my daughter, a lousy bedside manner.

Three days later I was scheduled with another surgeon. He had been with the clinic at the same med school, but had gone into private practice. He has an office in my neck of the woods, but he never comes here. We went to Master Planned Community of the North.

He was good. He was very personable. He explained everything - a lot. He wanted to be sure I understood everything. I told K that was to stop lawsuits. But he's the one I am going with. Now I
just have to schedule the time and place.

Doodle Bug's days with me are now numbered. I wanted to keep her until she was at least a year, but she is going to have to be with someone else. K looked into the day care that Monkey Boy attends. His fee is $175/week. Hers will be $250/week. No wonder people are looking at one of the parents staying home with the children. But I also know you really do get what you pay for. If the staff is paid a reasonable wage so the day care can get the best - it's going to cost.

Doodle Bug is napping, but I don't know for how much longer. I better get to other things I need to do. It may really be time for her to go anyway, you know? Plus I may lose my wifi hookup with my neighbor's internet soon.

They remind me of used car salesmen

For a year I have been tossing the idea of reconstruction surgery about. Right after the mastectomy, I was ready. Just do it - now, please. Since my surgeon was not a plastic surgeon as well, he couldn't do it.

As chemo went on, I was thinking I wasn't sure that I wanted another (probably more) surgery. I would just stay the way I am. During radiation, I was glad there wasn't more tissue there, and at that conclusion, the doctor said I should wait a year anyway.

At that time, that was fine. I was still vacillating. Where I am right now is a totally different place. I find myself mourning my lost breast. I feel as though I have been mutilated. My body image, while never being good, is really in the trash can right now.

In February, I asked my oncologist for some names of plastic surgeons. I had already done some research so I had one in mind. He gave me three names. One, who was also recommended by my surgeon, is not in my PCP book, so he is out.

I went to the websites for these remaining three doctors. I was so upset by them I sat and cried as I read through their sites. I can't explain, but I felt so cheap. I felt these men were so sleezy that I could have been going to the used car salesman who would sell a heap of bolts to some poor person who would have to pay by the day because they were so poor.

Rationally, it makes sense that these men are PLASTIC surgeons, and as that, they are going to do cosmetic surgery as well. They will offer botox and all those kinds of things, but I just felt cheapened by the website.

I called for appointments with two of the three. The third really disgusted me the most, and if he were to suggest the "flap" it would be the old method. I don't want muscle removed. I have enough abdominal fat to fill the nation's women who need reconstruction! The people who manned the phones were just so . .perky. That didn't help my feeling - at all.

I am trying to get my mind straight. I need to accept what they do - other than reconstruction. I guess I was looking for someone who was a little more low key than these sites appear to be. Those appointments begin on the 15th. I'll let you know.

Watch your eyes

It's me again. I haven't run away or fallen off the face of the earth or anything. I just don't know where the time has gone - again.

I guess the glare from the huge yellow stripe that runs down my back has temporarily blinded me. You don't see that stripe. It's right here and it even extends out about 3 feet on each side. I do have it and it means that I am such a coward.

There is no reason for my being a coward on this point, but I am. I am vacillating about keeping Doodle Bug longer. She is getting so strong that she can almost get out of my arms. That is bad. I have tile floors. Baby's head + tile floor = disaster. She is also crawling now, and really trying to walk. My knees are worse than they have ever been. I don't think I can chase her very well.

Then I also have my own selfish reasons. I want my life back. I don't leave the house when she is here. In fact, I don't do anything when she is here. She has such separation anxiety when I am out of her sight. I want my life back. I went from chemo to radiation to baby sitting. This has been my last year.

On the other hand, she is so precious. She can melt my heart with one little look. I can also save her parents a boat load of money. Not that they need me to do that, but it does help them. I can also keep Doodle Bug healthier.

I say I can keep her healthier, she gave me a cough! The cough could be from allergies. Swampland is a teeming petri dish for allergens. I had not gotten any of my OTC meds in a long time. So that could cause the cough, but DB had one too. She probably was infected from her sister or brother.

Anyway, I did sort of let K know that DB's time with me is running short. She is too strong and active for me to keep her much longer. I just have to decide when I don't want to see her everyday anymore. That's the hard part (I write as tears are forming in my eyes).

Well, that certainly explains everything

To put it simply, I'm mentally ill. That came as a BIG surprise to me, perhaps not so much to others, but I was still surprised.

I thought my problem was that I taught school for twenty-nine years (actually longer, but it didn't count), and have been a crafter all my life. I thought this was a normal behavior, as long as it didn't overtake your life.
I am a, gasp, pack rat. Can this be like AA? Could this be the first step? But I don't see this as a real problem with the exceptions of running out of storage space and time to put said kept things away - both which are happening to me.

When you teach, you never know what kinds of things you need. When I was teaching (science for those who don't know), we had a lab that used the packing peanuts. That is an item that is not always easily found - especially when you need them! So I would save them. The only time there was a problem was when the bag would fall out of the cabinet and according to the law, it would open and, well, you know the rest.

I still tend to collect these peanuts. Now because I hear they are really good to put in the bottom of large pots that will hold giant plants. It makes the pots lighter and easier to move. If I only had time to repot my plants.

I have kept scraps of material from projects I have sewn in the past year. I'm not sure what to use them for, but I think I have an idea. I am making cloth coasters. I think they will work well for that.

For a long time, I kept my hero's magazines. I think she would be thrilled and appalled at the same time, but her staff would find a way to organize them perfectly - even if it meant building a new set for her show. I wish that worked around here.

In a perfect world, I would have the exact storage item and space for all my collected treasures. I would have time to put them in the storage item and in the specific place. Even better, I would remember WHERE I stored the item.

Yep, all those people writing about pack rats are right. We ARE mentally ill.

Time travel?

Call me crazy, but I am convinced there is a gremlin running rampant around this country killing people's internet connections. Mine was toasted, one of our newspaper's columnist had his killed, and several bloggers that I read have had problems. People - guard your internet connection!

I think it must be a gremlin from India! My reasoning is simple. Everyone else had been routed to India for tech help. Isn't technology wonderful. Press one button on your telephone and you are transported to the mysterious India is mere seconds.

I thought I was going to be immune to this magical process. The last time I had to call my ISP, it was answered right here in the good old USA. Either that or the person I spoke with had taken one of the jobs in India.

Yesterday when I called, I was transported. Among the multitude of organ failures I am experiencing (ain't old age wonderful) is a loss of hearing. Add a rather scratchy telephone connection and I cannot understand those people over there in IT.

I explained my problem. He told me to type in the letter * like in T%&I()^O. I swear that is what I heard. It could have been a c, b, c or v. I couldn't understand his word either. As the instructions continued and I kept guessing letters and he kept giving me unintelligible answers, I swear I heard laughter in the background. It wasn't funny people.

It especially funny because I was messing around in the REAL programming of my computer. He had me going to "start" and "run" then going from C prompt. Now the average person can do real damage when they get to the C prompt and begin messing with the programming of his computer.

I wondered when he was going to tell me to take the cover off of the computer and disconnect straps - as I have had to do with that "American made in Texas computer."

That didn't happen - thankfully. But when we finally got to the point where I was going to reprogram the computer, the response from my aged (and I guess by now learned) computer was to time us out. He then said he was going to call another department and would I please hold. Sure, it's only our dinner burning in the oven since I had been on the phone for 30 minutes. G loves burnt offerings.

Well, of all things the next person on the line apparently was here in the USA, either that or she had also moved to India. She took the much less invasive approach to solving the problem. I only had to unplug cables from the modem, turn the computer off and reattach those cables. What took the time is rebooting the computer. As I said, she is old and grumpy. She doesn't like to start running either.

To sum it up - there in internet in the office, the router still is off, and I am using the unsecured WiFi from my neighbor. But the tax program is installed and registered so G should be happy. I can still use the laptop, and I didn't have to reprogram either computer - yet.

Have a happy weekend!

Yawn

I convinced myself that the time change wouldn't get to me this year. I don't know who I was kidding, but I am a walking zombie. I am tired to the bone and all the way through it.

Sunday night wasn't a problem because we stayed up late. Getting the brain to go into neutral was not a problem. It was way past any bedtime regardless of the time situation. Monday morning was a little tough because we had to be up at daylight to move our vehicles out of the driveway. Our yard man was coming to clean out the summer jungle that had become a dessicated frost bitten mess.

Monday night I could not go to sleep. I tried and tried. I finally got up and came into the den. I watched a few really stupid shows finally becoming tired enough to fall asleep. I was able to get about 4 1/2 hours. Thinking it wouldn't be so bad because I could hopefully get a cat nap between the time G left for work and before Doodle Bug got here. That wasn't to be because yard man was coming back. The thunderstorms ran them off the day before. Sleep was not to be had.

I was SURE I would fall asleep last night. Nope. So I got up and began clearing the path to the desk top computer. I didn't call Stupidcast because I knew that would sweep sleep completely away - probably for days.

I got Doodle Bug down (and my gravy it's been 1 1/2 hours for a change) to try to nap. Not to be. The phone rang off the wall.

I am hanging my hopes on this weekend. How are you doing with the time change?

How time flies when you are having . . .

Yes, I am still here and alive. I just have been trying to dig out of the avalanche of paper work and computer woes. It seems that the papers around here have been multiplying at an alarming rate! I cannot believe how overwhelming all of that is.

Of course, you have to add Miss Active, Doodle Bug. She has decided that two hour naps are for babies, not big eight month olds. She is way too big for that baby stuff. A mere 30 minutes is quite enough for her to maintain her healthy life. Well, I have news for you kid, it’s about to do this 62-year-old in! You may find yourself in day care here soon.

In addition to no naps, she is about to crawl. Now I have done what I could to prevent that little developmental milestone from happening. I have definitely slowed down in the seven years since the first grandchild. Doodle Bug is best kept at arms’ length at the most. That means she and I reside on the sofa. Not much crawling happens there. Mother Nature will not be denied however, and she is really working hard on becoming mobile. Of course, she has thought she could walk right out of the womb. She is most frustrated that she cannot get up and walk away.

The cable internet connection is still down due to the fact that I would rather be beaten with the model for 24 hours straight rather than call customer service. How a connection can just suddenly stop connecting will always be a mystery to me. I haven’t even been in the same room with all that stuff in a long while. I certainly didn’t do anything to it, but I am going to have to be the one to fix it.

One of the columnists in the Swampland paper was talking about his DSL being down. At least I know I won’t be routed to India for customer service with Stupidcast, but I still will have to go through all the disconnecting and reconnecting of cables and the like. This is something that has to be done soon because G needs the internet to update the tax programs to do our taxes. Being on the telephone for an extended time is not something that mixes with Doodle Bug however!

I went to have my mammogram last week. I guess I will have to call the doctor to get the results since I haven’t heard anything yet. I would love to say no news is good news, but I am worried. The tech took an additional film and then asked if I had on deodorant. Of course, being the reasonable, sane person I am, I immediately began planning my next mastectomy. So I guess I will be reasonable and call the doctor!

It seems that every day I take an armload of paper work into the office and dump it on my desk. That is another reason I have not been in the same room with the modem and router. I would have to face that stuff. I guess if there is a possibility that they may have to send a repairman for the connection I am going to have to shovel a pathway to the equipment. Well, that have to be done for G too. I guess I’ll be in the office soon for a while. I better tie a rope around my waist so that I can be found as I spelunk that cave of unknown things.

The adventure continues

I spent the entire day yesterday reloading applications on this laptop. That is important because now I have to start on the desk top that is on its last legs. I think I may call support in India. I HATE calling support in India, so I bought a computer made in Austin, Texas, USA so I would be able to call customer support right here in the good old states. Imagine, if you will, my dismay when I called support the first time.

But like a fool, when my extended warranty (you KNOW my luck with computers) ended, I added two years. You see, I know something they don't. I was supposed to have the mother board replaced two years ago, but I had the old switcheroo with the techs that had to come out (tee hee!), and number two didn't do it. So, I figure I am due a mother board.

That computer takes about three days to load. When it does, it will NOT go on line. Of course, now I think a huge part of the problem is Dumbcast. I don't think I have a good signal because I am using my neighbor's WiFi to write this (thanks Darlene!)

My first concern is with the computer itself. The display is sideways, so the monitor is on its side! I know when I call customer service, they are going to want me to take the blasted computer apart. I will play my "handicapped" card at that time. I really don't like staring into the interior of a computer. I don't like unplugging elements, and I really don't like and can't crawl around on the floor.

That is an issue I will have to face with my ISP as well. They will want me to disconnect the computer and so on. Not ready for that today!

My luck with computers is still missing, but at least I can sort of get things done on the laptop! It doesn't require physical manipulations like the desk top. But income tax time is coming and G will need the desk top. The adventure continues.

Advances! Humph!

I'm beginning to really believe that I should never touch another computer again - in my entire life.

It all began when I bought a new sewing machine. This thing does everything except cut out the fabrics. It sews; it monograms; it embroideries. It has a screen saver. It can read other files.

Sure. I have not been open with G about this new machine due to its cost. So when I went to the new owners class on Saturday, I just told him that I was going to a sewing class. During the class, we were shown how to change the screen saver.

I was SO excited. I came home that evening and tried to change my screen saver. I had already installed the soft ware on the laptop, so I gathered up the computer and headed upstairs for the machine. I read the instructions for connecting the computer to the machine. NOTHING.

I thought nothing until I noticed that the computer was locked up. Nothing would happen with any command. So, I turned it off. When I restarted it, it wouldn't leave the welcome page. After several trials, I would occasionally get past that page, but not always.

I thought perhaps the driver for the machine was faulty, so I deleted it. Then the computer was really frozen. Nothing would happen. So then I had the brilliant idea of getting the restore disc and
reinstall things on the computer. It made perfect sense to me.

I put in the disc. Then the death message appeared. All files would be erased. Only the factory programs would be loaded, unless I had the files on the computer saved. Ah, my out!

So I proceeded. To make a long story short, regaining all that information has taken me through today, and it is still not done. The computer is working, wonkily. Add the lousy Dumbcast Internet that doesn't work with regularity, and I am barely around!

I really think I need to leave all these new fangled contraptions to the young folks! I guess I need a typewriter, envelops, stamps, and a petal powered sewing machine!