Day 770

When I was a teenager, I used to watch soap operas. Once I got to college the only one I kept watching was Days of our Lives. Once I started teaching and actually worked during the day I stopped watching. Occasionally I'd watch in the summer, but over the past several years my viewing has become non-existent.

It's not like they don't have interesting story lines - they certainly do. But they just didn't seem believable anymore. How can the same person have a child they don't know about, get amnesia, find they have a deadly disease and be treated at the hospital by that same long lost child, and then miraculously be cured by the blood transfusion they received from the brother they thought was dead? (Okay, that's not a real story line but it could be!)

Anyway, I feel I'm starting to live a soap opera myself. Every day there has been a new development in my health. Today was the rheumatologist appointment. What did he have to say? Maybe it's about time I started back on pain pills to cut down on the pain until we can get the arthritis under control. Yeah, like that's going to happen. And what else? Oh, just that it's probably time I go on temporary disability. Yeah, like that's going to happen.

Now tomorrow is my angiogram. Can't wait to see what that doctor has to say.

Kind of like I can't wait to see what is coming up out of this pod in the rhubarb. It's sticking up a little higher than just the other day.

Day 769

My trip to the cardiologist today is helping rule some other things out. Unfortunately (or fortunately) we're bypassing the stress test and going straight to the angiogram. A long thin tube through the groin, up an artery, and into the heart. Add a bit of dye and he'll get a good look in there. If all is good I get to go home the same day (Thursday). If not, there's a bit more involved. (I'm planning on all being good!)

Good like my daughter's kitty. Remember my cat that wouldn't get in the carrier? We gave the carrier to my daughter and take a look what her kitty does with it. No fair!

Day 768

Thanks for all your kind thoughts through all this. I spent the afternoon in the emergency room and got some things excluded, others not. I have an appointment with a cardiologist tomorrow and hope to have answers soon. I've been told to lay low for a while so no work for me for at least a couple days. Just hanging out in Boise, close to the hospital.

Discovered something new out my window. Rhubarb.

Day 767

Only one thing to do when you feel as bad as I do and have an excruciating headache and have blood pressure numbers looking like this. Decide it's time to head to the hospital.

Day 766

Even kitty knows things aren't right with me. She's sticking pretty close these days.

Day 765

I decided to stop with the book giveaways. No interest and I'm just sooo tired and get so winded just picking up a book let alone two or three. I have a feeling something is wrong. Something besides arthritis, besides asthma. I suspect an emergency room visit may be in the near future.

In the meantime I have to lay low. Just hanging out in the recliner, feet up. And looking out the window.

Day 764

It's "thank goodness it's yours and not mine Friday."

Your pick - books or cat, just for cost of postage. Just kidding on the cat.

Day 763

Call me Mrs. Do-It-Yourselfer.

Hubby needed a valet parking board for prom. He had the board, he had the nails. But no ideas.

So Mrs. Creative here cleaned off her sewing room table, dug out her yardstick and tapped into her brain power. I first drew some lines.

Then added some nails.

Wrote in some numbers.

Added some tear away cards.

Done and ready to go!

Also ready to go, my Win It Wednesday book. First person to respond gets it, free postage.
When Jaycee Dugard was eleven years old, she was abducted from a school bus stop within sight of her home in South Lake Tahoe, California. She was missing for more than eighteen years, held captive by Phillip Craig and Nancy Garrido, and gave birth to two daughters during her imprisonment. On August 26, 2009, Garrido showed up for a meeting with his parole officer; he brought Jaycee, her daughters, and his wife Nancy with him. Their unusual behavior raised suspicions and an investigation revealed the tent behind the Garridos’ home where Jaycee had been living for nearly two decades.

Day 762

I'm naming today "Take it off my hands Tuesday".

Despite all the fabric piled in the bedroom at our Boise house and the hundreds of sewing patterns at our Marsing house, it's probably hard to believe I'm downsizing. But I am. Things have gone to my daughter, my mom, Idaho Youth Ranch, the garbage, recycling, and eBay. (You can find my eBay stuff HERE if you're interested.)

But now I'm hoping some of the books I'm clearing out might go to you. For free. Well, sorta free. I'll send them your way for just the cost of postage. I'm going to be putting pictures of the books on the blog, and if you see something you want, let me know. I'm more than happy to have you part of "Take it off my hands Tuesday".

You'll want to check back everyday because there will also be:
"Win It Wednesday" - the day I pay for the postage.
"Thank goodness it's yours and not mine Thursday"
"From my house to your house Friday"
"Sending it your way Saturday"
"Something for you Sunday""
"Mailing it to you Monday"

First up, a pack of three books with those who still have teens around. (Glad it's not me!)

And a pack of three books for those who might be thinking about a home business...

If you're interested in either stack, let me know at my debzdays at yahoo.com email and we can work out postage details.

Something else you can take off my hands? A cat on sewing machine watch. Aw, never mind. I think I'll keep her.

Day 761

I felt like the doctor was pulling an April Fool's Day prank on me.

I've been sick. Like down and out, can't get out of bed, can't get in the shower, can't raise my arms, can't focus, can't walk straight without leaning against a wall, can't catch my breath, body aches, joint aches, headaches kind of sick. It's probably the result of the terrible medications I'm taking, including the infusion from a couple weeks back but today's doctor - one I hadn't seen before, one that doesn't know my long medical history, one that didn't even read my multi-inch think file - had a different idea.

Asthma. So let's just add that to the list of things wrong with Debbie.

Thanks a lot, April Fool's Day. At least I had a pretty sunrise to see this morning.

Day 760

Happy Easter! Says who? Me.

And the cat. (At least that's what I think she is saying.)

Day 759

I'm not a big fan of chocolate. Yeah, I'll eat it, but it certainly isn't my go-to snack. Heath bars aren't something I care for either. But today hubby made some brownies with Heath pieces melted over the top. Oh, my. Now I can learn to like these!

Day 758

Looking at my front flower bed it's clear that it was a cold winter. Looking pretty bare out there.

Day 757

I made that call. Cancelled my books for the blind training. Made me sad to do it, but it had to be done. My health is spiraling downward and it is getting difficult to maintain even the little bit of normalcy I have. It seems like every time my health hits a low it winds up being a lower low than the time before. I've got to be hitting the illness rock bottom pretty darn soon. (Funny though, I thought all those other times were rock bottom. What little do I know!)

I managed to do two things today. Take a super long nap (didn't wake up until 7 PM) and box up things for eBay. I was able to squeeze most things into the boxes and packages I had, but I lost the battle of trying to get the orange fabric in the box.

Tomorrow is a new day and the fight will begin again. And I'm not just talking about fabric.

Day 756

I have a dreaded phone call to make. I've been putting it off all day, even putting it off until tomorrow morning, all because I'm hoping for a miraculous recovery.

It started with difficulty getting up out of bed. A having-to-hang-onto-the-walls kind of difficulty. Then there was the feeling of shaking on the inside. Then hands not able to grasp things. One full day of dropping everything I picked up. The culmination of all those symptoms didn't necessitate a call to the doctor, but yesterday's trip to the vet's office did.

Me, the driver. Me, the person who got carsick. (Who gets carsick when they're driving?) That's when I knew something was up. Add in the inability to focus, the hard time finding the right word, and those ceilings and walls that won't stop moving.

According to the rheumatologist I fall into the 2% of people that suffer such reactions due to the infusion medication. Like vertigo. Miserable, dizzying, nauseating, can't keep my eyes open long before getting sick vertigo. They tell me it should get better.

It better get better. That's why I haven't made that phone call yet. The one that cancels my training for my books for the blind work. Tomorrow is supposed to be my first training session. Last week's was cancelled because of the trainer and now I'm afraid I won't make this one. I can force myself through fatigue and stiffness and pain - I have lots of practice with that - but I can't force myself through nausea and dizziness.

I want to go to sleep and wake up normal. (Or at least as normal as I'll ever get.) In the meantime kitty is keeping me company.

Day 755

We got her in. Not easily, but kitty got in the carrier.

But leave it to me to have the little zipper at the top open, the one with an opening just big enough to put my hand in. For when I put her in the carrier, zipped her up, headed to the bathroom one last time before we headed out the door...she squeezed herself through that tiny opening. Not her whole self, just her head and front legs - and proceeded to get herself stuck. She couldn't get all the way through the opening (big ole belly) and she couldn't back herself out either. After lots of yowling on her part (and almost some tears on mine) and maneuvering of body parts it took something as simple as me blowing air on her face to get her moved back into the carrier.

Those weren't the only yowls of the day. Her crying all the way to the vet. Her terrified of all the dogs in the place. Her hissing when she got a shot. When it was all over, she was oh-so-happy to get into the carrier. Finally, after the poking and prodding she had a somewhat familiar hiding place from everyone and everything.

Despite all the howls and yowls and crying and hissing, she was a good girl. Especially since it was the first time she left the house in 10 years.

We felt quite relieved that despite our veterinarian neglect, kitty is in good shape. Other than getting a rabies shot, she's good. Her balding patches have been explained  too. It's "psychogenic alopecia". The stress of the other cats that she's recently been seeing and hearing out the window has caused her to overgroom which has led to the bald patches. Other than a bit funny looking, it isn't anything to be worried about.

In the vet's office, I found something else a bit funny looking. I might be more worried if I had this overweight one to deal with.

Day 754

We're getting closer...

Day 753

If there ever was any question about why kitty sits in the basket on my ironing board, it was answered today.

Just look at that sunshine streaming through the window!

Day 752

As much time and money hubby and I spend with doctor's appointments and tests and xrays and MRIs and prescription medications you'd think we'd give the cat the same treatment. But we have to fess up. We don't take the cat to the vet. We did when she was little but haven't had her back in years and years.

We know it's bad. We love her and feed her and brush her and play with her but we just haven't found our way to the vet's office. That changes next week when we finally get her there.

It's the getting there that has always been worrisome. Being that she never travels in the car I'm a bit concerned. Daughter and I bought a cat carrier this past week to give her a comfy place to hang out. Soft-sided, a long strap for me to carry it over my shoulder, a nice soft bed for kitty to rest on.

Trying to introduce her to the idea isn't going as well as I thought it would. Not that I haven't tried to get her interested! You can see the progress I've made.

Cat.

 Empty cat carrier.

At least I have until Monday to get it figured out. Might be time to pull out the treats.

Day 751

Last night my daughter asked me if I ever get tired of taking a picture every day.

Yep. A lot. Almost every day. So many days I just don't have anything exciting going on. Nothing exciting to see, nothing exciting to do. Just the same thing, just a different year. But then there are days where I get to do something a bit different than my normal schedule and get to see things in a different way.

Take Idaho's State Capitol building. Back on Day 170 , after over 30 years of living in Idaho, I first stepped into the building. Got a picture, even.

Then today I had another meeting right next to the Capitol. Seemed like a good day to take some additional pictures of the outside. How can I not feel important being able to see this before and after meetings?