WHATCHA DOING TODAY?

[The WE2's]

Sorta weird morning. Got morning chores done and started sorting through the refrigerator freezer, trying to make some sense of it. As always, we seem to get one basket (that's supposed to be meats) mixed up with the other basket (that's supposed to be veggies) and the quick freeze shelf is full of ???? and the doors are not like they're supposed to be...butter, yeast, freeze packs etc. Stuck a chunk of smoked roast beef in the frig side to defrost gradually, we'll enjoy more of the roast beef & gravy dinners! Then (because the ice maker has quit making Ice, I pulled out the drawer to dump it into the sink and try to take a look to see if there was anything obvious as to why it wouldn't work. Got everything back in and am waiting to see if it makes ice. Opened the frig side door to pull out a bottle of water and the wicked frozen roast beef jumped ship and landed on my head! WOW...not to mention knocking my glasses whopper-jawed! What did I do? I cried! Yep, just like an injured child, I cried and then aked myself..."what in the world brought this on!?" I'm still not sure, but I'm guessing I just needed to clean out the tear ducts! LOL Menard's (I think) is having a sale on their countertops...so we'll be picking one up this weekend! Yippee! The faucet needs to be replaced (which we have) and I wanted a stainless steel sink (which we have) so I'll be getting not just a counter top! I know this place will end up being a rental, but I'm sure the tenant to come will enjoy it as much as I will :-) and I'm planning to have a sprayer!This house is so dated I'm ashamed to even mention it. We've put off a lot of stuff trying to get the Roost ready to rent out, then the Homestead ready to move into, and put things off on this one knowing it would be a rental. But, the faucet has decided to leak and it's old...and we have a new one, so it's time! :-) Estimated cost for countertop $50 so it will be very budget friendly. Downside will be that my kitchen will be a total mess for awhile. Guess I should be prepared to wash dishes in the bathtub :-( Glad I had turn off's installed under the sink a long time ago, so we won't have to completely turn off the water.

 

PS! I think I know why the tears :-) I've not been outside very much (except for quick trips on weekend) and I'm needing some sunshine! Headed for my Vit.D and took a dose. I've neglected that part of my diet (vitamins) and I should know better :-)

Edited February 18, 2016 by The WE2's

[Mt_Rider]

Ow! Hope your head is better, WE2.

 

Late to sleep....towards morning. So slept late til nearly noon. Wish to get off this schedule but it's what is ...at least for now.

 

Unbelievably warm. We've had a LOT LOT LOT of snow this winter and it's nearly gone. WIND has been picking up strongly this past week and now there is fire danger. We never just stay medium. Always between FIRE and ICE.

 

MtRider ....no where to go and nothin' to do when I get there....

[snapshotmiki]

Hi ya'll! I hope your social calls went well, Ann!

 

And that your head feels better now, We2!

 

And that Mt. Rider finally woke up!!! LOL

 

I had the day off. Monday, we switched satellite companies, less money and more gigs! Had to get a new tv also as the old one had no volume and wouldn't turn on or off with the remote. We have had it for about 8 years! Dh wants to do ebay stuff on the new one as it is "smart"?!

 

So today, I listed 6 items on ebay, made dinner and watched a few shows that we can record now. A great day off! Tomorrow I work at the little grocery store and then off for 4 days! Lots of ebay listing in my future!

[Annarchy]

Hi miki, nice seeing you again, We2 your freezer sounds like mine, it attacks me unexpectedly.

 

 

Ack!!!! I'm now a member of the CoC. MIL insisted and they need younger (under 80) members. IDK what they will have me doing, but I am sure they will put me to work soon. Sheesh.

[Mt_Rider]

Annarchy!

[Jeepers]

It's cold and windy here today. Supposed to be around 60 tomorrow. My back went completely out last night. I was in bed reading and it started hurting a little. I took some Advil and got the heating pad fired up. I figured I'd take a quick shower and then just settle in for the night. While in the shower my back went into a spasm. Crimony! I got the water shut off and sat down on the shower floor. Any way I moved caused it to hurt more. All I could think of is, "Oh no, EMS is going to have to come rescue me from the shower...nekkid!" Then I thought, Hey stupid...you don't have a phone in the shower to call anyone." I sat there for a few more minutes and was able to crawl out of the shower. It's a stall and not a tub. I got over to the toilet and got my feet under me and used it to brace myself to stand up. I got to the bed and stayed there until morning. It still hurts and I'm half afraid to move because I'm afraid it will cause more spasms. OTC pain killers and the heating pad isn't helping it at all this time. I don't think I slept at all last night. I can't believe how bad it hurts and nothing is helping even a little. I'm sure it's muscle pain and I didn't do anything to cause it. One good thing is it's only on the left side. When I get brave enough to move I'll try my TENS machine.

[Mt_Rider]

Oh sheesh, Jeepers. I know that's frightening as well as painful.

 

{And nearly a terminal case of embarrassment!}

 

 

Just a tip.....always place a phone on the floor or near the floor of your bathroom. Yes, I said ALWAYS! I began doing this when the MS became a problem. Just In Case!

 

***IF YOU CAN'T BEND OVER TO PLACE PHONE, then put a phone on the bathroom counter on top of a towel that dangles down over the edge. That way if you're in TROUBLE on the floor, you can pull the phone down by yanking the towel. Don't clunk yourself on the head with the falling phone, btw. Wit this method, you don't have to bend over to place the phone or pick it up after shower.

 

Glad you could manage to get yourself to bed!!!!!

 

 

MtRider ..... that this spasm activity in her back ceases...

Edited February 19, 2016 by Mt_Rider

[dogmom4]

So sorry Jeepers! I've had that happen to me before....fortunately not in the tub though. Once I had it happen in the bed and I literally couldn't move for several hours until someone came home to help me. Either way I turned it spasmed so bad it took my breath away.

[The WE2's]

Not going to send you a hug Jeepers because I know that would hurt big time! Having your cell phone (or land line) in the bathroom, within easy access is truly a must. Believe it or not, if I'm home alone and going to take a shower, I make sure Abby-girl is in the house and I leave the bathroom door open. Not sure what she could do but I'm certain she's not be happy with anybody who tried to break in while I'm in the shower. The older we get the more we need to prepare ourselves for events such as this. We prepare for all other types of emergencies and this is probably one we usually take for granted :-( I did take Abby-girl for a short walk this afternoon. Only walked about 20 blocks or so, but it was good for her and good for me! I needed the exercise and the sunshine. When I walk her, I walk her in the "heel" position (MrWE2 lets her leash out) and it truly wears her out...she went straight to her crate and went to sleep. Then when she saw me get up from my crochet work, she followed me to the bedroom & flopped down. Didn't even try to follow me to the computer room :-) I finished crocheting one "boot" in my size. I took my slipper pattern and altered and added to it to make the boot. I'm thinking it will be a very nice house-type boot/moccosin to walk around in. Once I get the pattern tweaked even better I may make more for the open air flea market that we go to every year. I've also purchased some cotton twine and am making some nifty kitchen dish scrubbies. Small and just a dab of soup washes all our dishes for one meal, not including my cast iron though. The owner of the hotel took MrWE2 around yesterday and informed him that he wanted him to repair several walls in ALL the rooms...that means work for at least another two weeks. MrWE2's pretty happy about that. Got some things he wants to take care of. We're going this evening to look at new counter tops. I'm pretty excited about having a new one, but really dreading having to do without my kitchen sink, faucet & counter for several days :-( Thankfully I do have a center iland on wheels and my dishwasher is a portable with a laminate-type top. They'll come in handy. The weather today was absolutely beautiful & is drying out Abby-girl's yard :-) Looks like we've got good weather for the next 3 or 4 days. Not going to count out chicken too early though...March has been known to throw people a weather curve :-(

[Mt_Rider]

The current weather is whispering sweet nothings into our ears...."it's SPRING" "it's APRIL!"

 

 

 

 

MtRider ....la-la-la-la-la.....I'm not listening!

[Jeepers]

I'm going to try to remember to take the phone with me now. I've never had to crawl out of the shower before. I have safety handles and rails etc. for the tub but I'm pretty much on my own in the shower...with sliding glass doors.

 

Back is no better tonight. I'm going to do nothing this weekend except catch up on the home improvement shows I have DVR-ed. I have some 'stuff' that I could use to self medicate but that would be absolutely last resort. I can handle the ache until Monday as long as it doesn't spasm and put me on the ground again. If it isn't better by Monday I'll call the Dr. It's gonna be a long weekend.

 

Even if Abby couldn't physically help, just being near would be a comfort.

[Mt_Rider]

It would be a great time for a business like "Borrow a dog/cat".

 

 

Finally got some of my very scarce energy/functioning allotted to washing my hair. It's so long that it takes an inordinate amount of energy. 'Course....it also takes a GREAT deal of energy to go into town and get some of it whacked off so.... Can't believe how fast/long it grew!

 

One reason hair washing is so strenuous is that I tie it to Cleaning The Bathroom. Well, not scrubbing the shower. That is definitely an activity devoted to it's own day....it's own WEEK. But the rest of it. All sparkling clean now. AND load #1 in the washer downstairs. Load #2 at the ready. But my hands are already trembling. After a rest break I'll see if they settle down. Might need to eat something besides a bagel too...

 

MtRider .....life is so tough; it's just breathe, breathe breathe all the danged time!

[Ambergris]

You might want to get a beach towel, or bath blanket, or however they're being marketed now, and keep it hung within reach. Always there, always clean. So that at least if you have to call for help you've got something bigger than a hanky to cover yourself with.

[Mt_Rider]

I keep a big fluffy bathrobe on the back of the door....Just In Case. However....I'd have to stand up to get it loose from the hook. I'd have to make do with a regular bathroom towel.

 

I was having my right leg twist around backwards on me today. MS spasms are that way. I mostly ignore and keep going....tho walking carefully so I don't fall or damage the thing because it's twisted. Sooner or later it releases and my foot is back where it belongs. Usually it's just the foot turning WAY inside or WAY outside. This was twisting .....well, differently. So I was up and down in bed today. Then I got the shakes and tremors. And felt all OVERLOAD on brain/emotions.

 

Hmph! What the heck?

 

Eventually realized that I badly needed a spine adjustment....the pain was below detection level. But enough that I was puffing for breath. Not being able to detect is also an MS oddity.

 

So my In-House chiro came up from feeding and put me back in place. Wow....lots of stuff way out of place. And I've been good to go with just minor tune-ups lately ....so it was surprising. AND I haven't fallen lately. Don't know WHAT caused such a thing but NOW I feel much better!!!

 

My poor MO friend is in bed with leg spasms and called me tonite. She's hung up twice when they get too bad...then called me back when it eased.

 

So......is it something in the air? I'm in CO.....Jeepers in OH....my friend in MO ....

 

MtRider

Edited February 21, 2016 by Mt_Rider

[Ambergris]

Is your friend getting enough potassium in her diet?

[Mt_Rider]

I thot of that too, Ambergris. But she's the one that had the horrific accident a year ago and a restructure surgery for colon in Oct. She's a mess in so many ways physically. Mostly, she's been feeling better and had SPRINGTIME early .....and did waaay too much out in the yard/garage/barn. Likely she won't do that again for a while.

 

My weird spasms are gone after adjustment. Slept well.

 

MtRider

[Jeepers]

I'm still in pain. It might be easing up a little. Sheesh, I have no clue what happened to it. I put the TENS machine on it last night. I don't know if it helped or not because I fell asleep with it on; it has a timer. At least I got some sleep. That bathroom is so small. I always put the towel on the toilet and can reach it from the shower by just opening the door. The problem was I couldn't move without searing pain. I could reach the towel...if I could have reached. I was lucky I ended up sitting facing the shower knobs so I could turn off the water. There's no way they could get a cart or whatever they are called in there. Gurney? Good grief, they would of had to carry me out of the shower stall and into the bedroom. Oh my... there is a visual.

 

"Help, I've fallen and I can't get up" wasn't so humorous that night.

[Mt_Rider]

Poor Jeepers. My bathroom is also verrry small. Wheelchair can't get thru the door, let alone a gurney. Not even room for a tub...just tiny shower stall. Advantage is....the couple-inch-ledge of the shower basin is easier to maneuver over. Doubt the Shower-in-Tub arrangement would be very safe for me by now.....tho I hadn't thot of that til I read your last post. Certainly gave me something to think about....if we ever move from here.

 

 

Getting chilly here. Danged hurricane-force winds the other night tore off and busted up my beloved outdoor thermometer. So I don't know what temp. In summer's heat....it's VERY important that I know the temperature outside...inside...forecast. MS doesn't do HEAT.

 

But small chance of small snow tomorrow...

 

 

Weird winter....long fall, mini-ice age, usual January Thaw, return to mini-ice age, Feb Thaw...... For the first time, we've let the water out of the horse tank. Creek is running fine so why pay elect. to keep tank water and not ice. Tank is cleaned and at the ready.....whenever Mini-Ice Age decided to return. Not this week, probably.

 

MtRider ....rural life is a LOT easier if it's not Mini-Ice Age.

Edited February 21, 2016 by Mt_Rider

[Mt_Rider]

Here's a thot.....Koa would NEVER let the rescue guys come inside anyway..... They'd have to get DH home.

 

MtRider

[kyles mom]

Sorry to hear about your back Jeepers - I've had that happen too...thankfully not in the shower! Hope you're feeling better soon.

[Jeepers]

Thank you!

[Ambergris]

They'd call the sheriff, who would shoot Koa.

[Jeepers]

They'd call the sheriff, who would shoot Koa.

I never thought of that. Especially a big dog.

[Mt_Rider]

Well I guess I won't be calling 911 then, will I?

 

MtRider

[The WE2's]

Not doing too much of anything...my kitchen is pretty much "in-operable" right now. We have all the materials, sink, faucet and counter top etc. to put the new countertop in...only to see that there's NO STOPS for the water lines in the kitchen! Grrrrrrrr...that's all we'll say. So, MrWE2 had to go buy stuff to "remodel" under the sink and turn the water off from the outside (glad he had the right tool) so we were without water until early yesterday morning. He's still working on the hotel job site so we're truly "roughing" it. I'm washing dishes in the bathtub and have a piece of plywood over part of where the old counter was to have some sort of surface besides my rolling island and my portable dishwasher top. Not fun. He had his regular physical checkup this morning and is working until 5 today. Guess one could say I'm on sabbatical? I did get all the laundry done yesterday though after he got the water turned back on. I did manage to clear a few things away and grabbed a jar of the meatloaf that I canned some time ago, some instant potatoes and some frozen veggies that I'll fix for supper. Everything's been nuke it, pressure cook it or eat out. I was miserable from the two meals we ate out (McD's for a lunch Sunday and Kentucky Fried for Sunday evening) so I said "no more! gotta eat my food"! Abby isn't affected by it at all :-) Her food comes from her own special bucket and no cooking required, no table required except her raised bowls :-) We don't have a kitchen table here at this house because I needed the counter space of the rolling island & portable dishwasher for canning etc., so we use the rolling island to dish stuff up and then our BIG fiberglass dinner trays (like they use in cafeterias) on our laps. Pretty primitive. When we get moved (someday) to the Homestead I'll have my table and chairs set back up in the nice big dining room and my island etc., will be in the kitchen for the cooking and preserving I need to do :-) Not sure how many more days the kitchen will be "down" but I guess we'll "survive"! LOL Going to have MrWE2 add another piece to the lower shelving units so I'll have more storage and not all the lost areas. Whoever put the cabinetry in sure did a lousy job. Then ran the pipes THROUGH one whole side instead of coming up from the floor, and up through the old cabinetry and counter to a vent stack through the wall, so there's no storage under one whole side of the cabinetry, and it runs the length of one whole wall. MrWE2 will be putting in a new "vent" that will come off the lower part of the drain pipe so we don't have to cut the new countertop anyplace, and we'll figure out what to do with the upper part that goes through the upper cabinets and then up through the ceiling. What a mess! People who try to get by on the cheap only cause themselves (and others) more work and money when repairs need to be made. But we might as well do it since we'll be renting this house out. We'll be facing a bit of the same stuff at the Homestead house, since it's a "vintage" queen anne bungalow built in the early 1900's or earlier? I'm not certain, but I think it was the original house on quite a bit of property, and the property was sold off in several residential lots with them keeping the 3/4 acre or so. All of the houses around it are much more modern and newer. The weather has really turned off cold and cloudy today. Guess spring is still trying to spring. Gonna go fix myself a cup of hot chocolate!