It's been a long, long time

A long time that my hand has shaken uncontrollably.  Probably when I was much younger and had stayed out way too late the night before, and imbibed way too much!  Now my injured wrist shakes most of the time if I hold it out unsupported.  (No hangover required!)

I am about to run out of my CBD oil, and looking on the internet for a replacement is so confusing.  What I have is 10:1 CBD-THC.  There are so many products out there that I can't determine what to buy!  I think they sell it in stores such as CVS and Walgreens but I have no way to get there except walk.  I haven't been in a store since the beginning of March and the thought of going inside one and trying to find what I need is a daunting task to me right now.  You can do just about everything on the internet, and I guess I could order what I want if I knew what I wanted!  Too many choices.

For some reason my appetite has been strong today.  Usually I can barely eat enough to keep going, but today I don't have the energy it takes to deal with food preparation!  I don't do much actual "food preparation" (cooking); what I'm calling. preparation is getting something out of the fridge or freezer and into an edible state.  As it turns out, ice cream bars are the easiest food to "prepare".  All I have to do is tear the wrapper off and enjoy!

The weather will moderate a bit this week, but will zoom back up to triple digits over the next weekend.  I'm really tired of a closed-up house with a/c running, although I'm grateful that I don't need to run it in the evenings and up until about noon each day.

Out for a walk!

At 9am on a Sunday morning things are pretty quiet, so I leashed up Rocky and we took a short walk over our old and familiar route.  It is so familiar that when we got to a particular spot Rocky sat in his good dog pose and waited for his treat!  This is where I always gave him a treat and told him what a good boy he is.  lt felt so good to be out in the fresh air again, although I was not comfortable with myself or my footing.  With only one good hand I made up my mind that if Rocky tried to bolt towards another dog, I wouldn't try to stop him.  Fortunately he was very good!

Jeannie came by to walk Rocky this afternoon so he got some good exercise today.  I can't let her know that I took him for a brief walk earlier.

I am sick and tired of this whole situation, quarantine, etc., and I'm sure most of you are tired of it as well.  I'll just plod through however, but it's difficult when I realize I don't have that many years left if times are good, and they sure aren't all that good these days.

Poor Rocky is really suffering the changes in life right now.

More on "The Oil"!

While I'm not feeling bad this morning, I still have the nagging pain in my wrist.  After writing yesterday about the fact that CBD oil didn't do anything for my pain, I did some reading on it this morning and decided to try a few drops again.  I'll have to say the pain is nearly gone.  Actually it is still there but doesn't bother me so much.  So I will withhold any more opinions on the product for now. The good thing about it is that it doesn't make me feel "loopy", although maybe I am but just don't realize it!  :-)

The weeks fly by so fast that it seems to me that Friday is followed by Friday!  I would really like to take a walk, but I could never manage Rocky  plus try to maintain my balance with a hiking stick.  Maybe I can walk with Jeannie one of these days when she takes Rocky out.  I can always turn around and come back if I get tired.

My house is getting very cluttered and I need to do something about it soon.  I can't even blame it on Rocky!

And finally, I need to do something about my computer.  It is losing programs, messages, and various other items.  I just don't know what to do about it.  I have used an Apple for years with no problems, but what I have now is just beyond my comprehension.

 

The cast is off

I saw the orthopedist for the final time this afternoon, and good riddance to him.  I might do some physical therapy but right now I'd like to just take it easy - the pain is still pretty bad. 

I am going to try to do an attitude adjustment and see if I can help my healing.  I might post a picture of my crooked arm-wrist-hand which the quack of a doctor insists is ok and that anything more would be considered cosmetic surgery.  To tell the truth, I want no more of doctors for a while so I am willing to put up with things the way they are, and the way they look.

Our air quality seems to be a little better today, and I hope the fires are being contained and will soon be extinguished.  I can't smell the smoke but Jeannie can, so I stay indoors as much as possible.

I sure hope I start feeling and doing a little better each day as I would love to post something positive for a change!

Another X-ray

I usually look forward to getting out of the house but this afternoon I have to get an xray of my wrist before seeing the orthopedist tomorrow.  What a drag!  I don't feel any better, nor do I feel any worse - I just feel like crap and this is what I can look forward to for the rest of my life.  It might be different if  i could go for a walk, but with the bad air from nearby fires I can't even do that.  I did make myself walk a mile on my treadmill today, and should do that every day.  It's difficult to have enthusiasm for anything though.

The air is still hazy and even Rocky doesn't want to stay out in it for long.  My sense of smell isn't what it used to be, but Jeannie tells me she can smell the smoke in the air.

I'm daydreaming about throwing a big party when the pandemic is gone.  I hope that day isn't far off,

 

The photo from yesterday was taken by my niece in Santa Cruz; I'm going to say that Santa Cruz is roughly 50 miles south of San Francisco and is on the ocean.  I loved taking my kids there when they were young as it is a very friendly and fun place.  I don't recall seeing the roller coaster when we were there in the late 1980's, so I'm sure there is a lot more there today than back then.

Stephanie has promised me some more photos from  Santa Cruz and I will post them as I get them.

My wrist continues to plague me and limit what I can do.  My hair is really getting long, and I would love to pull it back and tie it off, but I can't maneuver a pony tail with one hand. 

I miss being able to open doors and windows in the morning to let the cool overnight air inside.  The air has been hazy from the nearby fires and I don't want to chance it, although I did slightly open the window above my bed to get the night breezes.  I have lost much of my sense of smell as I age, so I can't detect the smoky odor unless it is strong.

Our humidity for today is around 0%, contrasted with Cincinnati where I grew up, with humidity in the the upper 60-percent.  There are pros and cons to both.  The main pro for humidity in my estimation is much nicer skin.  You can't apply enough lotion to counter the effects of hot dry air!

Smoky Santa Cruz

I wanted to show a photo taken in Santa Cruz yesterday, showing the smoky skies.

I have another photo from today, but for some reason I can't download it. 

Our skies are hazy but not like yesterday; I don't trust being outdoors in the air unless necessary.

Donald drove Rocky and me to the vet today to  get his nails clipped again.  I gave him the meds given to me for his last nail clip, and they relax and quiet him down.

Rocky sure doesn't want to go outdoors unless absolutely necessary.  Smart dog!

No other news from here.  I hope I can write something positive soon.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

The air is thick with the haze and smell of smoke.  I'm not sure how close we are to the actual fires, but the minute I open the door I can smell it, and don't want Rocky or me to be in it. 

I had to make a quick visit to the dentist this morning and definitely don't like going out.  Rocky has an appointment to get his nails clipped again tomorrow afternoon, so I hope all goes well and that we aren't further threatened by smoke.  My heart goes out to the brave firefighters who deal with these conditions.  I have family who live in or close to the worst hit areas.

I may  post again today if the situation changes.

Much better today!

Although the outdoor temperature is probably close to 110F, my air conditioning is working perfectly,  The tech had to install a new breaker box, which took very little time.  Now Rocky and I are much more comfortable.  He has been napping on the couch all day long, and I went back to bed for my nap!

With a high of 107 today and estimate of 105 tomorrow, we should then be going back into the upper 90's for a while.  Of course the forecast is constantly changing, but I'm sure looking forward to the 90's and below!  Rocky doesn't even want to go out, except when Jeannie comes over and picks up his harness and leash, and then he can't stop wagging his tail and wiggling his bottom!  He is so sweet and cute, and I feel sorry for him having me as an owner, especially in light of my current handicap.  He is way too much for me to handle these days, except for the time up to late afternoon when he's ready to play.  He spends most of the morning and early afternoon napping and   doesn't like the hot weather.  I'm the same way!

I just opened the patio door and stuck my hand out!  Too hot for Rocky and me  (At 6pm).  he wouldn't even go near the open door!

I hope this awful weather moderates soon, and envy those of you in cooler climates/seasons.  What goes around, comes around, I've always felt, so we just have to wait a bit.


  


 

All is well!

Once the electrician got the necessary part (breaker box, is what I believe he said), he quickly installed it before the heat of the day set in.  The house is cool and comfortable now, and I'm relieved it is taken care of.  I am also glad I stayed home last night and was here this morning to talk with the electrician.  My instincts are still good, which makes me happy to have confirmed, although I have never had a doubt about my instincts.

Now the big question of the day is, do I shower and get dressed, or do I remain in my pajamas all day.   If I shower, then I will have to decide  whether or not to wash my hair.  It's almost enough to make me stay in pj's today!

The heat will be bad today - going up somewhere around 108F.  I really look forward to the end of August and hope September will be a bit more moderate. 

I follow a couple of readers in Australia, and it's interesting to see them in sweaters and turtlenecks! 

Waiting for the AC Repairman

I've been waiting anxiously since he was scheduled to be here by 3pm this afternoon (almost an hour ago).  My landlady just stopped by to check and is going to give him another call.   She is worried about me in this heat, but I told her I grew up in Cincinnati, in hot summers with humidity on top of the heat.  I think we're going up to about 109F before the end of the day, and the excessive heat will continue for another week or two.  I'll be happy to get the a/c working again, and I'm sure Rocky will love it.  I'm just sitting quietly and not moving much!

I'll bet a dollar to a donut the a/c guy doesn't come today, and I'll no doubt have to suffer through this heat for yet another day.

I've kept the brace on my wrist for most of the day, which is extremely uncomfortable.  The pain is still constant although I don't take anything for it because of side effects.  What a helluva way to live, especially since I'm not as young as I used to be!

Window a/c's

My landlady, who lives next door to Jeannie, has been trying to get the a/c guys to come and fix my unit.  I'm sure they are working long days with our current temps being in the area of 110 degrees!  She sent me a couple of window units which Donald installed in the bedroom and dining area windows, so the heat is more tolerable.  As uncomfortable as it can get, I remember the hot and humid summers of Cincinnati, before central a/c, and I survived those.  Actually the pain in my wrist overrides any other kind of pain.

We are on our way to 107 degrees this afternoon and I think we will have extremely hot weather for the rest of this month.  I can only hope it cools down in September as I never did like this heat - anything up to the mid-80's is tolerable in my book.  The worst part is that today the humidity is also high for this area.

Rocky is upset with me right now.   My order of two 30# bags of dog food just arrived and he wants me to bring it in the house.  There is no way that I can maneuver it up a couple of steps and into the house, so it is going to sit out there until I can get Donald to move it for me.

How much worse are things going to get for me?  How low can it go?

 

Devastating Heat!

Right now, on Saturday at 5:30 pm, the temp is up to 109F.  My a/c quit running so I turned it off hoping it just needs to cool down.  These unbearably high temps will last until the middle of next week, when it will drop into the 90's!  The ceiling fan is moving the hot air around and I have a floor fan running; just hope the electricity isn't cycled off.  I don't know how I will convince Rocky to make a quick trip outdoors.

It's just what I don't need right now.  My wrist pain has put me in agony all day long.  What is this world coming to?

Attitude Adjustment

I am going to try my best to find the positives in my life, and not focus on the negatives.  I sort of believe that things happen for a reason, although I'm not totally convinced of it!

While the pain is still constant, and sometimes takes my breath away with its severity, I think I'm better now than I was 2 weeks ago - "better" being a relative term!

I think back to my young adult years and our "family doctor".  He was a wonderful man and doctor, would make a house call if needed, and genuinely cared for each of his patients.  My family were his first patients after he set up his practice, following his service in the Korean War.  I'm not sure if I'm a believer, but I can fervently say, "God rest his soul".  They don't make them like him any more, but then our medical system wouldn't allow for it. 

Jeannie reminded me that even though my hand is somewhat deformed, to correct the deformity would be considered cosmetic surgery.  I can almost laugh at the entire situation.  I'll get through it and hope to come out okay in the long run.  I recall that a reader of my blog commented that I could be looking at almost a year of recovery.  That's an incentive to live another year!

To indicate what daily life has come down to in the pandemic, Jeannie asked me if I want to ride along with her to Folsom this afternoon, where she will pick up items she ordered from several stores.  Of course I jumped at the chance to ride in the car even if I never get out of it, and even got dressed up a bit  (meaning I got out of my pajamas.)   The stores have this all figured out and there are special parking spots in the lot - you just text the store and a masked person brings your order out and places it in the trunk for you.  Of course there are people who don't worry about a pandemic and walk in and out of the stores, although they do pull on a mask to be allowed inside the doors.   Jeannie has an elaborate sanitizing procedure she goes through with the items in the trunk.  I have to give her credit for having the will and the energy to do the right things.  I would have been the same way when I was younger, I hope.

I think I will go and try to walk a bit on my treadmill.  Sitting in the house so much can't be good for me, and probably  contributes to my lack of energy.  Enjoy the rest of the week!

Things I'm Letting Go

I sit in my recliner, glance around the room, and feel bad about the things I'm not keeping up with - such as watering my houseplants.  I ought to just throw them all out and be done with it!  But they are living things and I just can't do it.

I decided to wear the wrist brace most of the day but after a couple of hours I'm ready to ditch it.  It is probably good for my wrist, but terrible for my skin.  When I place my right hand over the injured wrist it feels very warm, so I assume it's a sign of infection?  I really have no idea what it indicates.

Like every other day, I got up this morning vowing to walk on my treadmill.  Will I finally get out of my chair and do it?  Surprisingly, considering my lack of exercise, I don't seem to be gaining any weight. 

I'm going to spend the day in my pajamas!  Before my accident I bought myself a really cute set, and they are so comfortable I'm going for cute and comfort today!  Hah!  I can find very little comfort in my life, and cute is a distant memory, but I'll take whatever I can drum up!

We are almost halfway through August, nearly 6 months of isolation for me.  Who would have thought.....

New blogger

Fortunately I am able to use this format in blogger until September, when it will no longer be available.  I have decided to end my blog when I can no longer use the current format.  The old blogger format has worked just fine, and I don't understand why a totally different version is forced upon users.
 
Updating the blog has become so difficult for me as I am typing with one finger, and I don't see much of a change in my hand or wrist anytime soon. 

I am grateful for my readers who have stuck with me through thick and thin and I had planned to try to keep up with the blog until the end.  I don't feel well enough to struggle with a change that certainly isn't being forced upon long time bloggers for their own benefit. 

I was given a wrist brace to use, but mostly don't wear it.  It is extremely uncomfortable and hurts like crazy.  The skin of my hand and wrist is very tender and I have a difficult time understanding why I should cause myself even more pain.  On a positive note, Rocky is being very calm and undemanding - that is, until Jeannie shows up.  Then he turns into his old labrador self!  Oh. I did get the boy's nails clipped yesterday, and have an appointment to take him back in two weeks for another trim.  The gave me an Rx product to calm him down and it worked pretty well.  I hate to drug him but am determined to get those claws to a point where he can't hurt me.  My arms and legs are full of scars from his claws and I'm fed up with it!  Jeannie took him into the vet's office and told me I should wait in the car until he was ready to leave.  Well, I never did get to go inside as she just waited in there for him.  I know she didn't want me to complain to the folks there, and it didn't take me long to figure out what she was doing.  I did the same type of thing with my mom when she got old, so I can only laugh to myself about it.  I'm in too much pain right now to make a big deal of it.

That's it for now.  It's so difficult to come up with a post when nothing new ever happens and I can't do anything except the very basics of living.  Hope you all have a good week!

Mystery Solved?

As I have mentioned many times, my efforts at gardening this year were a complete bust!  I may have the answer as to why.  The US Dept. of Agriculture has issued a warning about garden seeds from China, and applies to all fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

I buy all my garden seeds from Mountain Valley Seed Co, and I choose heirloom organic seeds.   This past winter I received in the mail an unsolicited packet of seeds, (from Shanghai, China) tomato variety "Venus", which I planted along with four varieties from Mountain Valley.  All grew into what looked like healthy plants, but once they were in the garden I should have realized it was all over for my efforts this year.   None of the plants grew well and seemed stunted, but the fruit they produced was absolutely awful.  ALL of the tomatoes were stunted and never grew past the size of a small cherry tomato, even the beefsteak variety were tiny and results were absolutely dismal.  NOW, I read the warning from USDA about unsolicited seeds from China.  So here is a "heads up" to any of you who like to plant a garden or even just a couple of tomato plants.  I might mention that out of several squash plants, I got only one very small, 3-4", yellow squash.  So I conclude that the chinese plants tainted my entire garden!

I've decided that next year I am going to buy established plants at a reputable nursery.  I'm also going to have the soil tested to make sure this act of sabotage hasn't corrupted future efforts at gardening.

At least I now know what the problem was.  I thought I had done something terribly wrong ad blamed myself for the garden failure. 

I took a couple of photos so you can see what I'm talking about.  One of them includes a coffee cup which makes the size more obvious.

I'm also showing a photo of the seed packets - the one on the right contained  good seeds, while the larger white packet came from China and as far as I can tell, ruined my gardening efforts this year!

Sorry if some of you reading this are bored with gardening.  I want to get my thoughts on this whole fiasco  written down so I have a record of what happened.