WHATCHA DOING TODAY?

[snapshotmiki]

Your tortilla soup sounds wonderful, Andrea!  Hope you can get enough rest to catch you up a little!

 

Good morning! Sunday School and Church first!
Walk dogs.
Make pudding.
Put together a basket of pumpkin bread, jelly and hot chocolate for Police Dept.
Make a few phone calls and relax some!

[Jeepers]

Miki, putting together a gift basket for the fire department is such a thoughtful idea! I'm sure it will be very much appreciated. 

 

I have nothing planned for today. I have a few errands I might do and some food to vacuum seal. If I'm out and about I want to pick up an extra oil filter and air filter for the Jeep that I can have at the house just in case... I can't do an oil change but son can. Which reminds me, I'm getting close to an oil change etc. on the Jeep.

 

I think it will need a brake job soon too. Probably next month. I don't want to let that go too long. I learned that lesson. A brake job is a lot easier on the pocketbook if they just have to change the pads and not replace the shoes too.    If I go back to Conrads they will do a tire rotation for free since I bought the tires there. It seems to be pulling to the right a little bit so the tires could be wearing on that side a little more.

 

Sounds like I know what I'm talking about, huh.    Time to think about car maintenance seriously. Especially since they say parts are sometimes hard to find. I need to start a list for all of that. 

[Annarchy]

So…. It seems Storm hurt his hind legs/knees.  We are assuming, he played hard with Gunny in TX, then, slipped under the bed slightly, and tried getting up, twisting his knee (s). Not sure, but one day he will be nuzzling one knee and the next day his other.  Gunner pushes him, he yelps and nuzzles his knee/thigh.  He’s walking normal, but, yelps if he moves too fast, turning around or slips.  We are massaging his legs, he’s getting spoiled with attention.  I’m still running away from him when he gets an episode.   He’s been sleeping next to me, all day, in the kitchen or in my office… I can’t move without him following me everywhere, including the bathroom, unless I latch the doors, he will open them.  
 

Haven’t had any luck, finding a vet to see him, before the 3rd week in January.  I’ve called every one in our surrounding area and in Phoenix.  Our regular vet, actually told me, Gunny could be seen last week, but, there were no appointments available for Storm.    I tried to tell them, he has a custom muzzle and we have the tranquilizers … nope.  
 

He does seem to be getting better with the mobility bites, electrolytes and enzymes.  

[Mt_Rider]

13 hours ago, snapshotmiki said:

Good morning! Sunday School and Church first!
Walk dogs.
Make pudding.

 

 

 

Just love the way my brain works these days.      This is what I read:

 

Good morning!  Sunday School and Church first!

Walk dogs.

Make puddle.

 

............

.....................

..........................

...............................     Well, I think my brain assumed the DOGS made the puddle, of course!   

 

 

Felt definitely like I had a cold this morning.  DH was feeling stiff neck - his first symptom.  We both loaded up with our Anti-ANY-ILLNESS herbs.  Feel fine now.  I hope cuz I have appt. tomorrow that I'd rather not miss. 

 

MtRider  ....NOT having productive days tho....   

[Littlesister]

Poor Storm.  Hope he gets better soon.  

 

Granddaughter and her DH moved in just after Thanksgiving. We are all getting settled for now. The construction on house starts around the 17th of January. It will take about 4 months to get it all done. 

Still going through a lot of stuff and taken it to the Goodwill.  Getting down to the part that I am not sure if I should keep some things or let it go.  But will get it figured out.  Granddaughter does all the cooking and her DH cleans the kitchen. That really does free me up to get a lot of stuff packed up before the construction starts. 

Need to catch up on the forum and do some reading but will have to wait till I have more time. 

 

 

 

[Midnightmom]

On 12/5/2021 at 8:05 AM, Jeepers said:

I think it will need a brake job soon too. Probably next month. I don't want to let that go too long. I learned that lesson. A brake job is a lot easier on the pocketbook if they just have to change the pads and not replace the shoes too.    If I go back to Conrads they will do a tire rotation for free since I bought the tires there. It seems to be pulling to the right a little bit so the tires could be wearing on that side a little more.

 

Are you talking about 'Disc Brakes' or 'Drum Brakes'

The expense with letting disc brakes go to long is if they loose their "padding" they can dig into the rotor scratching it. This will in turn more quickly wear out the pads. If it gets too bad they will have to "turn" the rotor to get a smoothe surface again. You can only "turn" the rotor a very few times before having to replace them.  Disc brakes are most likely to only be on the front wheels, and the rear tires usually have the old stand by of Drum Brakes.

Here is a very good article explaining both brake systems: https://www.lesschwab.com/article/complete-guide-to-disc-brakes-and-drum-brakes.html

 

[Mt_Rider]

DH and I were both gone today......and Miss HappyDog was just fine in the big bedroom.  Moved water/food....JIC ....tho I don't think she ate anything.  She snoozed on the big bed the whole time, likely.   

 

After his job, DH went to get groceries for my mom and unpack her stuffed P.O. box.  So nice his back is getting better!  He was still sore from that much driving ....but it will be okay after he sleeps tonite.

 

Which I need to begin too....

MtRider   

[Annarchy]

Got an appointment for Storm at 4pm yesterday.  The vet thinks, it might be pulled muscles, however, wants x-rays…. He would need to be sedated, early morning appointment, or I’d pay for overnight boarding. ( X-rays….$500.00!!! )
 

Gave him some anti inflammatory & pain meds, if he doesn’t improve, then, x-rays.  

[Jeepers]

Midnightmom, it has disc brakes. 4-wheel drive. I have let the pads wear thin before causing grinding and etching before $$$. Problem is, my hearing is bad so I don't hear them going bad right away. Best way, for me, to check is to pull up beside a building and apply the breaks and listen for a squeak. Or let son drive it and listen. I seem to be hard on brakes even though I don't 'ride' them or brake fast. Or maybe brakes just need repaired more often than I think they do. I did do a visual check and the tires still look good.

 

I need to order ahead one of those pneumatic things that lifts up the back glass on the rear door. It doesn't hold the glass up high enough any more. Every time I get stuff out of the back I bump my head on the window latch. It isn't sharp but that metal really hurts. I have to hunch over loading and unloading it. And if I forget... OUCH. It's worse in the winter. I plan on keeping the Jeep until the wheels fall of so I'm okay fixing it up. Sort of. 

[Jeepers]

Poor Storm. Sure hope he gets to feeling better soon.  

Vet bills are outrageous.  

 

Guess they have to pay for their fancy diagnostic machines too though. Seems like they could spread out the cost a little more evenly though. I think I've paid for a few machines, in the past, all by my self a few times.   

[snapshotmiki]

Praying for Storm to get better without x-rays!  Or anything else!

 

Jeepers, I plan on keeping my jeep too!  It has cost some money this year, but I still love it!

 

Yesterday, I walked first.
Filled up gas tank in jeep.
Went to walmart and local grocery.
Did laundry and made a Burrito casserole for dinners.
Went to a friend's home with Bible Study ladies to watch Christmas Vacation and chat. Had a great evening. Didn't get home until after 11 pm which is unheard of for me (at least for the past 30 years).

 

This morning, walked and walked dogs.
Made potato rolls and partially prebaked so I can heat and serve.
Met with a friend at Church to make a list of folks to get a senior ministry going.
Still need to cut carrots for dog treats and wash rugs.

[Mt_Rider]

Yeah, Annarchy.      You always want to do what you can to treat without the expensive stuff...if it's possible.  [human or animal!]   We paid out a LOT of money treating Koa.....     ....then paid out more for the "last appointment" and went home with an empty car.   

 

I've said that getting HappyDog has helped but was also bringing up the sadness.  A LOT!  I'm glad to say that the severe sadness has been fading as this little [relative to Koa's 120# ] joyful dog has been fitting into our lives.  Kinda brought the processing of pain to the front, perhaps.  I'm still mourning but not as often and not as painfully.  [ as I type....still painful tho] 

 

MtRider  ...thanks again ...all of you...for the prayers you've sent up during this harsh year for our family.   It helps...it truly does!!   

[snapshotmiki]

Any update on Storm?  

I sure agree with you, Mt Rider about the grieving.  I keep Buddy, Lucee and Stevie Rae's nametags on my key ring.

 

Walked first this morning.
Cut carrots for dogs treats.
Tonight is Christmas dinner at Church. Making a 6 quart crock pot of tomato soup and 4 loaves of garlic/ garlic cheese bread to take with.
Will be serving and cleaning up at Church.
That's it for today!

[Littlesister]

Praying that Storm will heal fast.  DD went through a lot with one of the ferrets. He was Losing fir and scratching a lot. He needed a small implant that would take care of it and now I can't think of what it was called. Other vets wanted to put him through a series of labs and other test before doing it. And they would have to put him under just to do the labs. This vet said it was obvious what was wrong and inserted the implant. Only took 10 minutes to do and a lot less money. 

 

Still going through stuff and packing up everything I can to move out of the way for the construction next month.  Grandkids have been a big help moving the heavy stuff and helping with the cleaning of house. 

Today I did make some chicken salad for lunches. With one working early morning till 3 or 4 pm and the other child working evenings. It gives them something to have that is fast and easy for their lunches. 

Half of my Sunday school class are either going in nursing homes or in hospital with one being now in hospice. Our class is getting smaller and smaller as we all age. Most of the people in our church are elderly, so I guess it is to be expected. Need to get the young folks in there to get the church growing again. It is a neighborhood church and most of the kids have grown up and off to college or have married and moved away.  I know my neighborhood has done that and now the children are back after a long few years of no young people in neighborhood. So I guess it will happen in the neighborhood the church is at as well. Just have to be patient. 

[Annarchy]

1 hour ago, Littlesister said:

Praying that Storm will heal fast.  DD went through a lot with one of the ferrets. He was Losing fir and scratching a lot. He needed a small implant that would take care of it and now I can't think of what it was called. Other vets wanted to put him through a series of labs and other test before doing it. And they would have to put him under just to do the labs. This vet said it was obvious what was wrong and inserted the implant. Only took 10 minutes to do and a lot less money. 

Thanks to everyone for the prayers.  He “seems” to be doing a touch better each day.

 

Ferrets, I know, acutely.  We rescued them from the early ‘80’s.  … adrenal issues, insulin deficiencies, cancers, etc.  tough on the heart & wallet.  We finally quit rescuing them, in 2019.   We were their forever home.  I miss them, but, I don’t miss the daily work.  
 

Lol, I made a batch of rose water, I thought it smelled wonderful… DH said it smelled like ferrets……

[snapshotmiki]

I've only had one ferret, but I don't remember it smelling like roses!  I rescued it at a Walmart.  Someone had let it go in the garden center.  It liked me, but bit DH.  Kept it anyway!

 

Had a great time last night at our Christmas dinner at Church! Cleaned up and got home around 8 pm.

Walked first.
Went to town for a couple of things for DH.
Still have to walk dogs when the drizzle stops.
Count how many and what size banana breads I have frozen, so I know what I need to make the total number for Christmas. It can get complicated.
Rest this afternoon!

[Mother]

As a wildlife rehabbed we once had a white ferret brought to us by the local police.  They found it wandering around in town.  The people in the area were scared if it and believed it to be a wild animal.   The police did too.  The policeman was concerned that some one had it illegally and had let it go because it came right up to him. He warned me to be careful as if years of wildlife rescue didn’t teach me anything.  I could not convince him it was NOT a native wild creature and finally told him I’d see it was placed where it belonged.  That night it slept with my 7 year old son.  A friend who already had ferrets gave it a good home.

 

It did NOT smell like rose water but it was a delightful, engaging “wildlife”! 

[Mt_Rider]

   I got to ride today.  Ranch called me at 2:00 .... can I manage to be there by 3pm?  Yessss!  A bit of a rush but we were planning to take my mom out to eat this evening anyway.  So yeah,that worked.  Brrrrrrr!  Not a warm day and in some places a very chill wind was blowing.  I'm gonna have to dig out the silk long underwear.  Jeans are not going to be adequate.  But with upper layers on, I was pretty comfortable.  Glad I grabbed DH's insulated gloves from the car tho.  He and HappyDog went off to do errands and took a walk around the ranch till I returned. 

 

Then went to my mom's.  I got ready for restaurant.  It was a lovely meal at an Asian place.     I forgot that some ingredient in their tasty broth soup IRRITATES my throat.  It had happened last time too.  Fortunately it doesn't swell up or anything.  But sets me coughing.  Last time I coughed for 5 minutes.  This time I remembered when it began and grabbed for the tea.  Handed my soup off to DH.  Really do wonder what it might be????  But the tempura was great.  DH has never been able to replicate that. 

 

Brought my mom home.  DH and I carried the Christmas tree up in 3 sections.  Finally she gets to have it in front of her windows.  [my dad refused that idea....for whatever reason]  

 

My dad is now calling my mom again.....tho only once or twice a day.  I don't think he's answering when she calls him tho....

 

MtRider  ...my toes are still warming up.  Cowboy boots are not warm!

[snapshotmiki]

8 hours ago, Mt_Rider said:

Finally she gets to have it in front of her windows. 

That's about 1/3 of the reason we bought our house!  That's a best memory as a child (seeing trees in folks windows).  I wanted to be able to contribute to kids in the neighborhood today.

 

Today, will walk first.
Drop off Christmas basket with homemade jelly, banana bread and hot chocolate to local Police Dept.
Walk dogs.
Figure how many bananas will be needed for banana breads as I didn't get that far yesterday.
Do eBay photos.
Spend time outside with pups as it will be 81 degrees today (and rainy tomorrow).

[Mt_Rider]

On 12/9/2021 at 12:44 PM, Annarchy said:

Thanks to everyone for the prayers.  He “seems” to be doing a touch better each day.

 

Annarchy....you've got to see this article of a dog with a "bum leg".  Hilarious! 

 

https://news.yahoo.com/dad-spends-400-vet-bills-212755753.html

 

MtRider   

[Annarchy]

That’s cute.

 

Storm does nose my back injuries.  Unfortunately, I believe he actually pulled a leg muscle playing hard with Gunner.  He’s doing much better now, still yikes if he steps wrong, but, not like he did at first.  Keeping him from playing has been hard, Gunner just doesn’t understand & tries to get him to play.  

[snapshotmiki]

I'm really glad that Storm is doing better now!  It is hard to control their play time, though!

 

Already walked.
Will label file folders for next year.
Grill some pork steaks for breakfasts.
That's all. Maybe watch a Christmas movie!

[Jeepers]

That video is so cute!  

[Jeepers]

 I had a good day...so far. Went to the bank and had no problem depositing a check. It was a personal check from out of state and I usually get the talk about holding it up for a week to 10 business days. Out of state and a different bank.    Nothing this time. I guess after over 30 years there, they figure I'm not much of a threat of absconding with my own money.   Actually they are a very good bank.

 

 

I stopped to top off the gas tank. It was $3.19 at B.P.and $2.98 at Meijers. Guess where I went. 

 

Went to Wal-Mart for a look see. What I really wanted to look for were car parts. I looked around the food section first though. The shelves looked pretty good and there were stock people all over the place. It looked encouraging. I got to the auto department and it didn't look very encouraging. Lots of empty items. I flipped through the info books and became a tad confused. I was way out of my element. So I left without buying anything. On the way home I passed an Auto Zone and pulled in there. My goodness, they were so helpful. I didn't know the answers to all of the questions so they went out to the Jeep and looked it all up. I didn't know which brands to get so I told him to just give me the best rated ones. We were laughing and having a good time. At the end of the sale I told him that I was actually buying spare parts while they were still available and that I had heard they were getting hard to find in some places. Kinda playing a little bit dumb. Then he raised his eyebrows and told me that it was true and it was a very smart move and wished more women felt that way about their car. I told him I know and that there are plenty of men out there to help us if we just ask. He told me (which is what I was fishing for) that they are having a hard time getting parts in already and that their stock room is running very low. He said some of the problem is that the auto repair places can't get the parts they need so they go to the auto supply places which lowers their inventory. He said that is making it harder on the DIY-ers. So...I got 2 air filters, 2 oil filters 2 front brake pads, 2 rear brake pads, 2 front wiper blades and 1 rear wiper blade. All of that for under $150.00. I have 2 cans of Fix-A-Flat and 8 quarts of oil and an assortment of fuses already bought. I think I need a spare belt and maybe a hose. I have no idea about those. Will have to ask son about it. Maybe some replacement lightbulbs?  So far all of the things I've bought, son can install. Oh, and I have 2 gallon jugs of windshield washer fluid. Should probably look into a spare jug of antifreeze too. I want to get one of those small carts to store all of the auto maintenance stuff on and stick it in the second garage. 

 

I'm trying to talk son into trading in his old beater truck and his MIL's car in for a newer more dependable truck. One that is an automatic so I can drive it. Momma's got some shopping to do in Indy. Things like toilets, kitchen sink, bathroom sink top and big shelving units etc. He will gladly haul me around but I'd rather go do it myself. I can drive a stick shift car but I'm not sure about that truck with all the traffic and round abouts over there. Plus I'm short and the shifter is a big long pole on the floor. Probably wouldn't be prudent. 

 

Amazon messed up again. I paid an extra $2.99 for expedited delivery and it didn't show up on time. Long story short they credited my account for the $2.99 plus a $5.00 bonus and I got an email saying they were giving me a $3.23 gift card. Strange amount. The next morning the package was at my door.  I've never done the expedited delivery before but wanted to make sure it was here before I left for Christmas. Good job Amazon. 

 

Last stop was the library. I didn't realize 3 CD's had slid under the car seat and went unnoticed for a few months.   That is so unlike me. I hate to have anything even a day late. Anway, being a senior finally came in handy for something. Seniors don't have to pay fines here. Good thing. It would have probably been cheaper to buy them. Feeling lucky with senior discounts, I drove thru McDonalds and got my $0.50 senior discount coffee. 

 

 

I'm going to dig out my old portable DVD player to see if it still works. If so I can take it to Indy for some company. I'm still not ready to pay for cable or internet over there yet. Heck, I don't even have a TV over there for local stuff. 

 

I have some phone calls and emails to catch up on and then I'm done for the rest of the day. I hope.

[Mother]

Jeepers, don’t be too quick to have your so get rid of his old truck.  Depending on its age it might be the only vehicle that would run or could get running in an EMP.  And don’t discount a faraday box for storing electrical components of vehicles. I’m not real up on what those parts might be, probably not filters , belts, and such but a faraday box is not difficult to make and would be a good way to store parts in the garage.  I admire you for getting these thing bought ahead.