Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Never Again

Well, after a horrible lunch date -- not the company, it was the food -- Alan and I are never going to Frisch's again. I ordered a patty melt (hamburger with Swiss cheese on Texas Toast) and onion rings as well as a sweet tea. I received a sandwich that was dry as sawdust and tasted much as I imagine sawdust would taste. It was horrible. No flavor, no salt in either the bread or on the hamburger. Just awful. The onion rings were even worse. They tasted like cardboard and looked like brown cardboard as well. Horrible. Why did we go there? Well, in the past, we have enjoyed eating at Frisch's. Of course, we haven't been there for probably four or five years. And now we will never go back. I guess they are watching my weight for me. The onion rings were NOT fried, they were baked, no fat at all. Absolutely awful. The sandwich toast was not buttered at all, it wasn't seasoned at all, and the hamburger wasn't seasoned either. I didn't finish either the rings or the sandwich. Yes, they have salt on the table. That's not the point. They should serve the food ready to eat, flavorful, as it used to be. The onion rings wouldn't event accept salt they were so dry the salt just sloughed off them. And the worse offense was that I had ordered sweet tea and they gave me unsweetened tea. I took a large swig and nearly choked. I don't like unsweetened tea, either hot or cold. Bye-bye Frisch's. (AKA Big Boy) ttfn

Saturday, March 26, 2011

New BLOG

I decided to start a new BLOG. Thinking about it kept me awake all last night. And last night was not a good night to go without sleep since I had a rather extensive eye exam today.

But the idea kept swirling in my mind so I took the plunge and began a BLOG about Alan's cancer, treatment, and well-being (and not-so-well-being) for the last 12 years.

Why am I doing this since I have to glean my remembrances from all the e-mails that went between me and the doctors and nurses where Alan received his various treatments?

I had posted a record of my early life and my parents' lives and my grandparents' lives as far as I knew about them. I wanted my children and grandchildren to know where they came from.

I was unable to do anything like that for Alan's family because frankly he's been rather closed mouth about his family, and since he spent most of his early life on the mission field with his parents, he really doesn't know much about his other family members.

And I wanted my children and grandchildren to have a written record of their fathers'/grandfathers' struggle to conquer as much as possible bone marrow cancer, aka, multiple myeloma (MM).

The link to that new BLOG is http://www.mmmyhusbandandme.blogspot.com/. This is really written for the family, but anyone who has family that has MM might want to read this for encouragement, since Alan has been alive for 12 years since first diagnosed.

The BLOG will address the treatments, our feelings , both good and bad, and the comfort received from the support group at UAMS (University of Arkansas Medical Sciences) where Alan received his treatment, and the results.

I intend to add humor to this BLOG; not to make light of any of the situations, but to add levity to the BLOG.

So, if you're interested, go ahead and read it. If not, that's okay. I'm really writing it for the children and grandchildren.

ttfn

Friday, March 25, 2011

Getting ready

Getting ready to go on a trip is very time consuming. Maybe it's my age, but it seems to be taking me so much longer to get ready for our next trip (cruise) than it usually does.

Alan is not so sure I'm going to be able to handle it. For our last four cruises, he has been the one who has either almost not made it, or if we did make it on board, he got sick or worse. So, as far as my being unable to handle a cruise which I've been looking forward to for 8 years or more, I SHALL be able to handle it, even if I'm on a gurney, I'll be able to handle it!

Back to the preparation: So much to do, and because I only gave us a month to get ready for this cruise, I guess I have to get the work completed in a much shorter time frame. I also have to get all the paperwork in for my high school reunion finished this week, including making all the reservations for that trip.

I have my house sitter all booked for the two weeks (week on cruise, week at reunion) and that's about all I have completed.

It used to be that the cruise lines would send you tickets, like the airlines used to do. Now it's all done via computer, including luggage tags, and boarding passes, etc. So, that's what I've been working on, including our wheelchair requirements as well as our scooter requirements.

Our new scooter meets the ship's requirements for width so I'm sure Alan and I will be fighting over who gets to use the scooter and since I was the one that wanted a scooter for the cruise, I'll be the one with the best reason to use the thing.

I went to the doctor and she recommended I see an orthopedist for my knees (again), but I won't be able to do that before our trip. I also made an appointment with the eye doctor so I will be able to see on our trip. My eyes are terrible, and for two years I've been saying I need to get new glasses. Why have I put it off? It's so expensive, that's why.

I supposed based on our income level percentage-wise it really isn't that expensive, it just seems it is because I'm still think 1960 prices. Glasses back then cost $50 and exams were included in the cost of the glasses. Now the exam costs $87.00 and glasses are $250 and up, at least they were two years ago when Alan got new glasses.

So, we're off and running. Alan is hurrying to get the tax report for 2010 finished. I'm scurrying to make hotel arrangements for our trip going and coming to the port. But in a few weeks I'll be enjoying the pink beaches of Bermuda. Back again after 47 years. Can't wait.

ttfn

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

The sun is shining

The sun is shining, the birds are singing.

Yesterday I was bemoaning the fact that light in the mornings was not happening. Well this morning was another such morning. A heavy cloud cover kept all things dark and needing electric lighting under almost 10 a.m. Take that Congress! No savings this morning, whereas, if you'd (Congress) have left the time zone as it was with out skipping ahead, we wouldn't have had to use so much electricity this morning. I mean that's the goal, correct? Use less electric lights, heaters, air conditioners? Did not work, at least in our area, today.

Today is Alan's quarterly with the oncologist. Not expecting anything but a good report.

I'm going to try to head over to Whole Foods (the only one in Cincinnati area) and make like Bobby Flay and buy some herbs, seasonings, fresh exotic produce, and some fresh fish. Can't wait. Of course, if they don't have drive-around carts, I won't be visiting that fine store. No personal shopper to help me today.

Legs and knees are doing well, so far.

So, that's the report for today. Alan and I are up and at 'em.

ttfn

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Busy days

It's been a busy couple of days. Alan and I both had our hair cut on Monday, then we went mattress shopping. I was really hoping for a sleigh bed frame as well, but it didn't happen. We did get new springs and mattress, though. About time, don't you think? We purchased our present bed back in 1991. I do love the bed and I personally still find it quite comfortable, but then after 20 years I guess it fits my many curves and bumps. And, except for the "princess and the pea" syndrome (aka fibromyalgia) I suffer from time to time it has served me well.

Alan? Not so much. He hasn't slept in a bed (except on trips when he has to) since he was first diagnosed with multiple myeloma almost 12 years ago. Well, I should amend that, except on very rare occasions, he hasn't slept in our bed. And no, it's not because I was in that bed and he was relegated to the couch/recliner. Because of his back and the various broken vertebrae he has which have calcified and are really painful, the sofa and/or the recliner has been the most comfortable.

Well, we spent almost two hours trying out mattresses to find one that he really liked. Me? I like hard. Him? He liked soft. At the end of the two hours? Me? I didn't care, just pick one. Him? He decided on one of those mattresses that squishes to fit your form, but I cannot recall the brand name. Oh, yeah, EXPENSIVE, that's the name. At least he will hopefully, sleep on our bed now, and my year-old sofa will not suffer any more wear and tear (except when we have guests, which is when my sofa SHOULD experience wear and tear).

By the time we got home I was wiped out. And unfortunately, while my legs/knees didn't bother me, the old fibromyalgia kicked in, so I went to bed at 7 p.m.

Speaking of which....

What happened to all the light? I was so enjoying getting up at 6 a.m. and watching the sunrise. Now I can get up at 8 a.m. and watch it. 8 a.m. is really a lot later than I'm used to rising. I'm back into a 5:30 a.m. rise-and-shine. Or should I say, rise-and-take-my-meds-and-read-and-wait-and-shine. Read that slowly and you'll get my drift.

Then at night, I haven't really noticed that there is much more lighted time. I want light folks. I don't like the dark. If I could bottle up June 21 and have that much light every day of the year, except during the week of December 21-27, at which time I like the dark because of the season, I would. Alas, I'm stuck with the screwed up system our congress has imposed on us. Why don't they just leave it alone, pick one, either standard time, or daylight savings time.

The big joke is: it's supposed to save energy because we don't use as much electricity supposedly in the morning. Well, I do. Lots more, because I'm up early, as are, I believe, most people. And if the sun goes down at 9 p.m., as it does where we live during May, June, July, and August (at least it did last year), bedtime for most folks is 10 or 11 p.m. That two hours, so what's saved, if I have to have the light on for at least two hours in the morning? I'm sure folks that are still working also used electricity in the a.m.

Oh, yeah, I get it. I'm on the edge of the Eastern time zone, and DC gets lighted by the sun at least an hour earlier than we get sunlit.

The point is, though, let's just leave it alone and forget about skipping ahead or falling behind, or whatever it is. And November, December January, and February, and a week in March? Four months? Forget it.

I was also busy today, Tuesday, and ache all over again. My legs and knees are really sore. I guess that's a holdover from yesterday.

Today I booked our cruise to Bermuda. YEAH! I sent in my reservation for my 50th high-school reunion, and finally, I booked us a week in Virginia Beach -- Alan wants to see the sights in Norfolk, VA.

TTFN

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Snowing, again

After days and days of rain, river floods, and bad arthritic days, we now are having "snow showers". It looks pretty white out there, but since it's late in the night, I can't get a good picture, and I'm sure by the time the sun doesn't come out tomorrow, the snow will be all gone, so I will have no proof that we do, in fact, have snow out there.

My dishwasher is still sitting in the living room, uninstalled. When they removed the old dishwasher, they found lots of wet floor board and dry wall, so I had to dry the space out with a fan. We also found lots of mold, which they will remove before the install the dishwasher.

It's a nice washer. Inside it's stainless steel, not that plastic stuff that sucks in any oil/butter/grease spores and makes the whole insides of the dishwasher tacky. I didn't like that about my old washer, which was replaced not because it wasn't getting the dishes clean, but because it was leaking all over my floor, and even caused several of the new tiles to bulge.

Oh, did I mention it's a Kitchenaid -- white on the outside, not stainless, because I have white cabinets and my other appliances are white. Also, stainless, my cleaning person told me, is very hard to keep clean. She says, she cleans up stainless kitchens, the kids come home from school, and it looks like she didn't do her job. I love the look, but hate the work. So, white it is.

We have had such a busy week. And tomorrow night (Friday) my granddaughter Rosie will be strutting her stuff in a musical play at the elementary school she attends -- next year is middle school for her. Can't wait to see her. She's a very good singer and actress, so I'm sure she'll do well. Hope the video part of my camera works so I can post it in a future TFLS.

Next week is doctors, doctors, doctors. Yippee. And, hopefully, we'll both get our hair trimmed and my highlights touched up, if I can fit it in between doctors and swimming.

So much for this week's episode. When did I go from daily to weekly? It just happened.

Who ever said retirement was a time to lay back and relax? Re-TIRED - ment is what I call it. I never seem to be able to sleep in, get a nap in, or finish a book in a day, like I'd like to do -- at least one of those (in)activities.

ttfn

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

What day is it?

I woke up at 6:45. I thought it was a.m. and thought I had had a stroke because I couldn't remember at all going to bed, what we had for dinner last night, or what I had watched on TV, let alone what day it was. The sun was going DOWN not coming UP -- there's where the confusion was. After about five minutes of worrying whether I could speak to call Alan, I figured it out. It was still Tuesday, not Wednesday. I could smell the pot roast and knew I had dinner almost ready. Bad thing to fall asleep after four in the afternoon.

Now, this not knowing what day it is or what time (a.m. or p.m.?) it is started last night. I was watching TV (in bed) and can't even remember what I was watching, but I think it was "Pickers." Anyway, I woke up at 1:50 a.m. and realized that Alan had turned off the TV and the bedroom light and I had slept through the whole thing, including his night-time ablutions, which I must saying aren't that quiet.

I did fall back to sleep until 7:30 a.m. and then Alan told me what had happened last night. My falling asleep during a TV program is not all that unusual. What is unusual is that Alan turned off the TV and was quiet enough that I didn't wake up when he was getting ready for bed.

Right now, he's snoring away in his recliner -- well, my recliner that he has absconded -- and the TV is still working. I did wake him several minutes ago, but apparently, I didn't quite get thought the haze of sleep for him to understand that he needed to get into bed, and not not watch TV. Yes, there are two NOT(s) there -- a double negative. I didn't know how else to express what I needed to say.

So, that was my day. We didn't go to the gym today, Alan wasn't feeling like it. I was. Three days and counting of no pain in my knees. Our small group prayed for me last week. Prayed that my knees and hips would heal up. So I've been pain free (no drugs either) for three days. Praise God! Tomorrow I plan to go swimming. After trying the bicycle at the gym the last time we were there (Monday, a no-pain day) and thinking I was going to cry from the pain, I'll be happy to get back into the pool.

In case there is anyone wondering why I didn't go in the pool on Monday, instead of trying the bike, well, the heater was broken and I didn't feel like swimming in a cold-water pool. I'm trying to avoid cold. Cold hurts.

ttfn