WAITING....

The days crawl by as I await the professional visit April 8th with the Electrophysiologist (Cardiologist Specialty) wh0 will then set the date for the procedure described in the link.

I try to keep busy by getting certain affairs in order or up-to- date such as our financials and the computer and external hard drive returns.

The computer is ready: I am awaiting the prepaid box from HP. They have a 7-9 day turnaround. I wouldn't mind longer if I could be assured it was truly fixed. Rush jobs are not always the best route in repairs on computers, cars, and lots of complicated items.

'Silence is golden,' my Mother once said, but she never heard of blogging. Despite my absence from writing, I have been reading all of my wonderful bloggers' adventures.


Punxsutawney Phil's
Spring Hail Revenge - 2011

Remember, I publicly defamed Punxsutawney Phil, that fat ole rodent, predictor of spring, as being a liar. In retaliation he dumped a measurable amount of hail on me this past week, along with a wicked sounding couple of thunderstorms.

Never mess with a ground hog with a name of more than three letters.

If Luckie could read my Bible she would swear the days of fire and brimstone had arrived. The sound of hail on our metal roofing is a ferocious sound, much like good sized stones. She becomes extremely nervous of thunderstorms, trembling all over.

Luckie went berserk between the thunder and the hail on our metal roof. I was afraid she might have seizure breakthrough as she was really trembling, so I gave her an oral Valium. She has her own Rx. She weathered the storm laying by my liftchair with my hand on her throughout.


Luckie grabbed the
large bottle off my
nightstand Sunday a.m.
 It was lying on the Living
Room carpet in her
favorite spot to chew and
devour her treasures.

  If she doesn't stop stealing the bread off the table, and Sunday, my TUMS bottle (which she did not manage to open), she may see fire and brimstone from an earthly source.

After 11 years of co-habitation with her, I have lost complete meat loafs, bread loaves, Russell Stover chocolate coated diet candy, Tums--nothing is safe.  We scavenger hunt the house before we both leave for a few hours, and somehow she finds something.

 I am waiting for the day she opens the cabinet doors. I have seen her watching how I do it. There are no crumbs on the floor. She routinely checks out all our eating areas.

When I drop personal medication the floor, I spend much time finding it; I fear she might eat it, especially after the TUMS episode.

And despite all the harm that could come from her behavior, she has never suffered, but she is a rescue dog, so I guess she knows survival methods.

The last few days have been in the low 30s, so I stand by my defamation of PHIL , although later in the week we may climb into the 60s. I read PHIL's prediction accuracy is 38%.

In the meantime I'm been busy--like getting income tax done--Thanks to AARP Tax Aide for free. Oh yes, you do not have to be an AARP member, or age 55, to avail yourself of their services.

I have had two housekeepers. One retired due to several disabilities making it too painful to continue that occupation. She runs an area volunteer spay and neuter clinic, free gratis for her untiring labor-KUDOS.

The new housekeeper is just as efficient; which relieves me of dust allergies, and other labor which stirs up my heart rate. I still do wash, cook (not my favorite chore), keep the family finances in some kind of order.

I hope to find a local lawn service that will rejuvenate my flower beds. My husband still wants to mow. I have a name to check out this week.  I also have pest control coming this week, if it stops raining.

Interestingly enough, it took my nurse practitioner and myself to analyze my drug list and find an offending drug that was keeping the drug for A-Fib from working to the max. It was a stomach medication call Nexium which deters rapid absorption of anything passing through the stomach.

I find it amusing neither of us has M.D./D.O. after our names, but solved the problem. I have not had the awful palpitations in two weeks. A record for me.

However, I am still going to have the procedure as I want off this dangerous drug.

We discontinued the Nexium and am trying to get by on TUMS. However, the variety I chose has SORBITOL  in it which stirs up my lower digestive tract, so got to go back and read labels more carefully.

Most of you know I object to harmful additives like sorbitol and olestra, because whatever effects happen to an adult would be twice as bad or even disastrous, for a child or infant. ALLI and any number of other former prescription drugs I question safety as  OTC, especially in careless hands.

TeleCare
Updated
Flyer

However, my central attention the last few weeks has been my personal favorite public service, my TeleCare group. We have changed phone provider where we have no long distance charges, but not a cell phone. I guess we can now call  everywhere in continental US, but we are concentrating on Baxter and Marion Counties.

We have already signed on 4 new clients.

We have new fliers so I am mailing to groups which may have contacts with persons for which the service is designed: persons of any age with some insecurity or fear of living alone. Should you be reading this blog and live near me, I will be glad to send you literature, if you are interested in organizing a similar service, I'll do my best to help you.

Along with a co-chairman (we have 3) I appeared on a local TV station and have a radio appearance sometime in May if I am not in some medical state. We have backup in case I cannot keep this appointment.

Meanwhile I am also distributing fliers to pharmacies, medical offices, home care businesses and churches--any business or facility with access to persons living alone.

Mushroom? Mold?



Finally, at the home of a member of our church Life Group, I spotted this strange, colorful mushroom or mold formation on a dead tree limb. It looks almost calcified. Can any of you identify it?

I started out to write a short ditty, but it surely has grown to epistle!

[All photos - my work. The Tums composition is one of my first attempts using a light box. Still have a lot to learn.



Below is a SOOC (Straight out of the Camera) shot of the weird mold.]

SHORT AND SHORTER

First, my condolences and sympathy with the gentle people of Japan. They were never the enemy in WWII. It was their leadership. Same in Italy and Germany.

I am preparing my laptop for a visit to the HP hospital. I am pretty upset a custom designed somewhat expensive (for me) laptop has several major problems, but it is in warranty, so I better get it fixed soon.

(1) The wireless network card cuts in and out--never happens on my husband's HP desktop, so it is not our wireless router or our ISP which has been painfully verified with many calls to my Internet Service Provider.

(2) Windows 7 Back and Restore is either buggy, or the expensive Blu-Ray CD/DVD player recorder is defective. I have attempted 5 backups of 2x320 GB drives on Memorex DVD+RW disks. It takes quite a few, like over 15 and then it says the Backup failed. HP says it is the Memorex disks so I ordered VERBATIM, a very good brand. At disk 8 it failed for the 6th time.

(3) This laptop has an entertainment module built in called Media Smart. The icon for sound shows it is off all the time, although I have sound. And I so dislike Windows 7, although I seem to be the exception.

S0 I bought an external Seagate USB portable backup drive. It is still backing up over 24 hours!. However, I have tons of photos and graphics and USB powered devices are not as fast as other methods. Since I turned on verify backup it may take another day before it finished.  I see why people dislike backing up their units. It does appear to be functioning properly.

I suppose I will be writing less as I near my procedure and the 3 month healing period. I have another laptop which I may be blog cruising.

My husband's sister from North Carolina is coming to help us some. And I know I will be told to exercise, mostly walk and try to get up to 2 miles, or so I have heard from other patients. It will have to be in the gym on a treadmill, as my allergies go wild outside.

RAMBLINGS

1. Spring is sprouting out all over, but the recent rains were very cold to me, but no frost. I am longing for a little sunlight.

2. I HAVE a physician's appointment April 8 in Little Rock with physician scheduled to do ablation procedure.

3. Disappointingly, this appointment points to a May procedure. This physioelectrologist cardiologist is in great demand.

4. I have linked up with some departments at Baylor Heart Institute, if this does not work out.

5. I encourage all of you not to ignore your heart. If high blood pressure is a problem, do what ever advised to get it down. For older persons it generally is below 120/80. I have found I have fewer spells when it is about 110/65, but there are no approved drugs that will get it that low on a regular basis....maybe more weight loss.

6. If you are too busy, learn to say NO. I still have not learned the lesson--SLOW learner, as this is not my normal mode operandi.

7. Read. Invest in your own spirituality.

8. Sit 10 minutes outside, preferably in sunlight, on warm days for relaxation and a dose of Vit. D. You might see a great photo opertunity, too.

9. Avoid persons who elevate your blood pressure. We are all different, and it does not mean the person is  bad. It is just they, in some way, are hard on your system. At my age it is too stressful to change me or them.

10. Iif you are lonely-bored-like to verbalize, I strongly suggest pets which offer unconditional love. I talk to mine all the time, as my husband has severe hearing problem--he really does, although it would help if he would wear at least one hearing aid during waking hours. I can't be too critical as my hearing is moderately diminished and I hate the hearing aids I have.

HAVE A PERFECT DAY -- THE SUN DOES NOT HAVE TO SHINE!

THAT FAT OLE RODENT

Hybrid Daffodil

Punxsutawney Phil, the perennial forecaster of Spring, who I grudgingly renamed the fat ole rodent, may be correct this year. That overweight rat did not even have his eyes open on Groundhog Day, at least the film footage I saw. The sun was shining brightly. Of course, you don't see the sun if your eyes are closed, or do you?


I have daffodils and crocus in full bloom, and other early spring growth pushing their signature leaves or buds through the still untilled earth, including my infamous Naked Ladies. 

Naked Lady Leaves
We thought we dug this clump
of bulbs up 2 years ago.

 

My literary efforts are somewhat limited with the medical appointments I and my husband have had recently. Fortunately, thankfully, his are pretty routine.

Yesterday, his VA male nurse practitioner is going to try to help him get a non-VA certified physician in the same clinic, so he can choose to be treated under private care locally, or, if  required,  in the VA system which means a trip to Little Rock. So one hurdle for him has been completed, we hope.



Nandina Bush
This bush never made up
its mind this past year
when it was supposed to
be green or red,  so it
has been both all winter
to date.

 Today I have an appearance on a local independent TV Channel along with one of my co-chairs to promote the expansion of calling area for our independent TeleCare organization. I will let you know when I get an Oscar, Grammy, whatever--HA! HA!


I WOWed  the local medical personnel this morning when I appeared well dressed (like for Sunday services) for the above appearance, but needed my allergy shot. I usually go the 4 blocks to the medical building in my scroungy tee shirts and baggy pants.


Tomorrow is THE DAY I have an appointment at the Cardiology Clinic. If I cannot get an appointment set for the ablation procedure, I will be looking another direction.


Nandina Berries
These berries appeared in late
Autumn and are still here
although a few are now
 shedding.

 This a.m. I talked to my half-sister who offered to help me access Baylor Heart Institute in Dallas. [My half-sister, half-brother and probably my recently deceased other half brother have atrial fibrillation, abbreviated A-Fib.

We would have some of my kin that would help my husband and he gets along well with them.


Either option, we have a sister who is willing to help my husband and I get through this event, which is scary, but not a major crisis, at least not at the moment.


Field Daffodils, Wildflowers, Weeds
These flowers do not seem to be very
particular about growing in a bed of
discarded cigarette butts.

 Is it not great to have sisters like this, neither of which live near us?

Our parents and, perhaps, grandparents are counted on as long as we have them. 


Do you have a sister, brother, aunt, uncle, friend, or someone who you especially depend on to "come to rescue" if needed?


Field Daffodils
These Daffodils are growing among
a row of burnt Yuccas which are also
regenerating new growth.