Indian Hills, Colorado Signs – Vince, the Sign Guy
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor
Source: Unknown
I think this is great advice. I’ve wasted a lot of my life. When I was 14 and in love with the man I would marry 9 years later and share over 56 years with, I counted off the days until I would see him again – practically holding my breath until his next leave from the Marine Corps. Then he finally got out of the Marine Corp, but we attended different colleges, so it was marking off days again until the time we could make to be together.
After the waiting and marking off days portion of my life finally ended, my goals of getting my teaching degree, and then a Master’s Degree, and then my first teaching job, and then starting my own reading clinic overshadowed my day to day life.
We finally had our son, and then our daughter and our life was complete – only to be shattered two months after our daughter was born – when she died of SIDS. We eventually found the strength to go on, devoting ourselves to our son and each other.
I got regular jobs so that I was contributing to our income, starting two career moves – working as a medical transcriptionist/bookkeeper for a busy 8-general surgeon portion of a large clinic in Fort Smith where Harvey had accepted a job. During this time, my son designed a website for me to display and try to sell my artwork. I discovered that I could include the work of other artists for only the cost of my time, so I ended up with a website, “Creative Artworks,” which displayed and sold the work of 100 people. I ran this for 17 years, finally shutting it down because too many of the artists didn’t share the values and work ethic I did, and the reputation of the website is a collective thing. If one person didn’t keep up his/her part and stand behind their work, we all suffered.
I transferred my own work to Etsy, concentrating on learning new forms of art, such as woodburning, glass etching, painting fabric products, using different techniques, materials, etc. It was a fun time.
Then Harvey and I got sick, Brian came from Thailand to help, we sold everything we had in the states and moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand, ready to retire, try to adapt to our new lives, relax and enjoy living under much less stress. Two weeks after we arrived, my husband fell, had his stroke, and is now in a nursing home. I am living in a condo by myself in the same condo building as our son.
Minutiae of ‘life’ – its obligations, the busy-ness of it all, the endless chores at home after working full time, keeping up the house and yard, etc. eat up the time and days/weeks/months/years pass in a blur. Things change and life isn’t what you planned.
The advice at the top of this is to ‘be present.’ Live in the moment. Notice all the wonderful things around you. How precious life is. How precious good health is. How wonderful your friends are. How many good things are happening and how grateful you should be.
You can only be present if you have your health. That’s one of the reasons why I am making exercise, eating healthy food, losing the lard, correcting the things I can a priority.
Happiness isn’t given to you. It comes from inside you. It’s a combination of attitude and gratitude – if you’ll pardon the rhyme. When my mother-in-law moved with her husband to a retirement facility in Tulsa years ago, I asked her how she was feeling about it. She said she would love it. When I probed further, she said she would make new friends, discover new interests, and make it her home. And she did. I have always admired her for that, and I’m trying to emulate that now.
If you live in the moment, being grateful for all you have, determined to let happiness well up from deep inside you, spilling out in all directions, your ‘path’ writes itself. Everything about this gives you the confidence you need to pursue life at its fullest. And the grin that splits your face tells everyone that you have ‘the secret…’
Filed under Attitude
Two of the latest sketches/paintings.
My friend Carla (the pretty lady in yellow) and her son, Clint – to the left of her in the photo – were the car race feature winners last week! They share a love of fast cars and racing, and they enjoy being together to build the cars and try to win on the weekends at the local racetracks. Mother/son adventure – BEAUTIFUL!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!👍🥳
Making progress on the owls puzzle. I’ll work on it again this afternoon.
We are still trying to decide whether to try to go visit Harvey this morning or not. My phone app is saying “Very Heavy Rain” basically from now through the rest of the day. We looked at a radar image of the storm coming toward us from Vietnam, and it looks like the worst of it is going to the south of us (thanks also to Sheila for this info.)
If it looks like ‘just rain,’ we’ll go. If it looks like our places may need bucket and towels and that we might get stranded at the nursing home which is a good 40 minutes away, we’ll cancel the trip for today. We’ll decide closer to the time.
I hope that good things are happening with/to/for you!
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
@mila83.bsky.social
“Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower.”– John Harrigan
@Miya1156.bsky.social
“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”– Frances Hodgson Burnett
@ioneblue.bsky.social
“I’d rather wear flowers in my hair, than diamonds around my neck.”– Unknown
@Rina2012.bsky.social
“The smallest flower is a thought, a life answering to some feature of the Great Whole, of whom they have a persistent intuition.”– Honore de Balzac
“Backlit” – Joe Giordano – @xtjoe.bsky.social
“A flower’s appeal is in its contradictions — so delicate in form yet strong in fragrance, so small in size yet big in beauty, so short in life yet long on effect.”– Terri Guillemets
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography
@wholesomememe.bsky.social
I’m having a good morning. I’ve had my workout at the gym, breakfast with Brian, washed and hung my laundry on the drying rack on the balcony, and have fun plans for the day.
I’m going to work on the owls puzzle. I may die of old age before I actually finish this, but I’m determined to do it, even if the very last thing I do is to put in the final puzzle piece before I croak.😋
I did some sketches at the cafe yesterday and will start painting them later today. I’m in the middle of “Mirror” Book 2 of a new trilogy, “The Lost Brides” by Nora Roberts on my Kindle. I found out that Book 3 won’t be available until November, but I now have a card I can use to download books to my Kindle from Amazon even though I’m in Thailand now. I’m thrilled.
I’m planning to do a good job on more exercising today. I’ll start with yoga stretches and see how I do with that. I’ve TALKED a good game lately, but have been sloth-like in my actual implementation…
I discovered some good videos about living in Thailand. I’m enjoying listening to those and trying to absorb all the good information.
I got an alert on my phone yesterday that we’re under the gun again from another humongous thunderstorm coming this way from Vietnam. We’re supposed to get it tomorrow, August 31st. ☹️ We were planning to go visit Harvey tomorrow, so we’ll have to look at what’s happening and the timing on what is forecast to see if we think we can get to the nursing home, have our visit, and get back before potentially bad leaking from our windows occurs again. (The round trip when we visit is about 3 hours, so we may have to just decide it’s too big a risk and stay home.) We’ll see.
MAKE this a fabulous day.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
@wholesomememe.bsky.social
We’re having a nice day today. The sun is shining. I’m having some time to myself before my wonderful cleaning lady comes, so I’m going to put in some time on my puzzle. 😁
My laundry is actually out on the balcony, rather than inside on the rack with a sheet under it today! There’s a good chance my stuff will get dry and I can bring it in and get it put away before I need to leave.
I’m looking forward to reading on my Kindle and doing some sketching while Brian and I are making ourselves scarce while Khun Nong cleans.
Did I tell you I really like my life here? I had my weekly massage this morning, the cleaning lady comes this afternoon. Puzzles, sketching, reading, napping, playing on the computer, going interesting places with Brian, working out at the gym, eating good food, or making plans to get out and explore my neighborhood some make up my days now.
We visit my husband at the nursing home every three days when things are going well. I’m so relieved he seems to be past danger with the pneumonia and low blood oxygen. The nasal tube is out, he is able to eat and had good appetite yesterday morning when we visited, and was sleepy from getting his tummy full. The staff there tries to arrange an outing in his wheelchair on all days the weather will permit, so he can get fresh air and maybe see a doggie or two.
I have a wonderful son who is doing everything he can to make sure things are going as well as possible for both of us. The latest challenge of leaking windows from the last major storm may be addressed as early as next week if the handyman can send crews. We’ll keep our fingers crossed they can at least improve the situation until it can be fixed more permanently when the weather dries out.
So this happy camper is very spoiled and counting her many, many blessings. I hope that things are going well for you, as well.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Freepik
We went to see my husband at the nursing home this morning after deciding that we PROBABLY wouldn’t be hit by the awful thunderstorms that have been causing windows leaking in our condos. We didn’t want to leave our places any more vulnerable than possible, and we were ready with buckets and towels to sop up the water. Happily, we only had a regular rain this morning and none since – yet.
The good news is that Harvey greeted me with, “I missed you,” almost causing a meltdown in me. The nasal tube had been removed, and he was able to eat regular food. The owner of the nursing home said she had a doctor look at him before removing the tube, and that he ate a LOT when it was gone. He looked better, though he was really sleepy – probably from eating so well. We left after just a short visit, because he really needed the rest.
___________________
The Telegraph
PROGRESS REPORT: I’ve lost 73+ pounds an 68+ inches from my heaviest now. I’m finally about 15 pounds away from my goal weight. At the gym, I’m concentrating on NOT holding onto the handlebars when I’m walking. This is causing my brain to really work hard, first concentrating on what I’m doing rather than holding on and rather mindlessly putting one foot in front of the other. Secondly, my brain is constantly having to adjust so I don’t lose my balance and fall on my head. I’m watching a video as I walk, and the paths twist and turn, making ME react to stay on the path. I can FEEL that I’m standing straighter and my weight is shifting differently than when I’m slightly bent over holding onto the bars. I’m hoping to retrain my brain and body to improve my balance over time.
________________
Brian contacted the handyman for the building, sending him pictures of the leaks in Brian’s place and mine during the last big storm. The man said he would contact Brian, but it looks like we might have crews doing some resealing next week! It may be that this is a temporary fix to be shorn up later, but I’ll be very grateful for anything they can do to make our problem less intense. Help may be on the way!!!!
_____________________
Today I used my phone for the first time to adjust my hearing aids. When we were in a Grab, being driven to see Harvey, the driver was on the phone with several phone calls. His voice was so loud he made my ears hurt! This is a first since I got my new hearing aids. I got my phone out, accessed the app, and was able to turn the volume down to a level that didn’t hurt! How neat is that!!! (What I didn’t figure out until later was that I inadvertently fat-fingered a toggle icon at the bottom of the screen, turning off the ‘voice boost’ setting that I like and need. When we got home, I found that I needed to turn the volume up again to hear Brian well, and we figured out that I hit the icon, too. We toggle it back on, adjusted the volume, and I’m fixed again. I’m delighted that I can adjust these the way I need (assuming I’m smart enough to use the app correctly….) 🤣
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
@ArtofThinking on X
“That was her magic—she could still see the sunset, even on the darkest days.” – Atticus
@photoblair.bsky.social
“Life does not come with instructions on how to live, but it does come with trees, sunsets, smiles and laughter, so enjoy your day.” – Debbie Shapiro
@jenzsky.bsky.social
“Sunsets are proof that no matter what happens, every day can end beautifully.” – Kristen Butler
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography
This stunning photo is by @Cristy75.bsky.social
My reaction to this is almost embarrassing. It simply filled me up. My juices started flowing, and I felt joy in every part of me. I’m going to save this because I will try from time to time to use my watercolors to attempt to get a small part of this effect. I know I will never reach it, but, WOW.
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography
“I’m a self taught artist, with a particular interest in wildlife art, and canine portraits. Pastel pencils and soft pastels being my favourite mediums to use.”
I can’t say enough about Paul Miller’s art. You can see more on X – @Paulmillerart
Filed under drawings
sent to me by my friend Marsha. 🤣
Dealing with banks in Thailand is an interesting challenge.
When I first moved here, I couldn’t open a bank account at all. I needed to have lived here for 3 months and obtained a ‘Retirement Visa’.
Once you HAVE that, each bank has different requirements. They ALL require my retirement visa stamp on my passport, but then they vary all over the place.
Proof of residence, title, deed, driver’s license, social security number from the U.S., is just the beginning.
It’s truly amazing to me that what will obtain an account at one institution isn’t acceptable at another. The amount of paperwork is amazing, as well. It’s almost as much as we needed to buy our house 40 years ago…
Thank GOODNESS Brian goes with me, speaking Thai, answering questions, translating, telling me what I need to do next, bringing paperwork, etc.
Makes me feel pretty secure once it’s done.
Filed under Wonderful Things about Thailand
Freepik
13. Murphy’s Law of Lockers – If there are only 2 people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.
14. Law of Physical Surfaces – The chances of an open-faced jam sandwich landing face down on a floor, are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet or rug.
15. Law of Logical Argument – Anything is possible if you don’t know what you are talking about.
16. Brown’s Law of Physical Appearance – If the clothes fit, they’re ugly.
17. Oliver’s Law of Public Speaking – A closed mouth gathers no feet.
18. Wilson’s Law of Commercial Marketing Strategy -As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it.
19. Doctors’ Law – If you don’t feel well, make an appointment to go to the doctor, by the time you get there you’ll feel better… But don’t make an appointment, and you’ll stay sick. This has been proven over and over with taking children to the pediatrician.
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor
Photo by Atilla Bangol
About an hour ago, the sky turned really dark and the rain came down HARD. It pelted my windows so hard I thought it must be hail, but I couldn’t see any when I looked out. I DID see completely flooded streets – water rushing by like a river – with cars and motorcyclists (poor people!) at a standstill.
Since then, I’ve been mopping up water in my place. It filled up the window sills on the inside and spilled over and down the walls. The floor had some standing water and the bottom side of the rug was soaked.
I think most of it is under control now. I got towels and sopped up water on the window sills, wiped down the walls as best I could, soaked up the water on the floor, and now have two portable fans on high aimed at the floor and the rug bottom.
I can only imagine what kind of flooding people at street level had. I feel sorry for the shopkeepers and people who live at street level who must be trying to do what they can to contain the damage.
This IS the ‘rainy season’ in Thailand. It’s supposed to continue until around the first of November…
Filed under Seasons/Holidays in Chiang Mai, Thailanf
Pinterest – Treadmill – Lazy Dog gif
This morning I changed things up and took our son’s suggestion that I just walk using no incline and NOT gripping the handle bars as I have been doing to make sure I don’t fall.
I used a speed of 3.5 ( my normal walking speed) and just touched the handle bars with my fingertips. They were there if I needed them, but I didn’t have to grab them today. I DID notice that I held myself differently when NOT gripping the handlebars. I had to concentrate a LOT more, and I FELT muscles working in my back, my butt, and the backs of my legs. I may be sore in the morning, and that will show I’m waking up this old body and building new strength. I also am retraining my brain at the same time, so this is a really good change.
________________
The nursing home texted Brian with a video and some pics of Harvey in the wheelchair outside, getting fresh air and a bit of sunshine yesterday. He also was petting a couple of dogs we hadn’t seen before. The nurse said he didn’t want to give up the squeeze ball we brought him, so she just let me hold it as long as he wanted to. She said she thought it was a great toy for him. 😁
_______________
Today we’re going to run a couple of errands. I’m hoping we don’t drown in the rain and I’m watching the skies to rush to get my laundry in before we go if the rain starts up again. So far, so good.
I hope that you’re finding something today that makes your face crack you’re grinning so hard!
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Freepik
7. Law of the Bath – When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.
8. Law of Close Encounters – The probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you are with someone you don’t want to be seen with.
9. Law of the Result – When you try to prove to someone that a machine won’t work, it will.
10. Law of Biomechanics – The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.
11.. Law of the Theater & Hockey Arena – At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle, always arrive last. They are the ones who will leave their seats several times to go for food, beer, or the toilet and who leave early before the end of the performance or the game is over. The folks in the aisle seats come early, never move once, have long gangly legs or big bellies and stay to the bitter end of the performance. The aisle people also are very surly folk.
12. The Coffee Law – As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor
David J. Salter, an artist on X, said, “This is what 6 years of practice looks like The same photo (one of mine) 4 separate drawings.”
I am in awe of his talent. If I drew the same image 100 times, I would be proud to be 1/4 as good as the FIRST drawing…
David J. Salter – @Davidjsalter on X
Filed under drawings
Freepik
5. Supermarket Law – As soon as you get in the smallest line, the cashier will have to call for help.
6. Variation Law -If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will always move faster than the one you are in now.
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor
giphy.gif
Today I did 28 minutes at an incline of 12% at a speed of 3mph on the treadmill. Hooray!
At breakfast this morning, though, Brian brought up a great idea. I’ve told you that after my surgeries in February, I had a hearing loss that eventually required hearing aids. I also read that anesthesia for old ladies like me also has a possible side effect of balance issues.
Brian suggested that I slow the speed even more, NOT have any incline, and just rest my fingertips on the handle bars of the treadmill, rather than gripping them as I do. This would force my body – my legs, hips, back, and brain – to work together on balancing without having to grip anything. The bars would be right there if I needed them, but this practice might help resolve my problem. I’m going to try it!
This is a new toy Brian got for my husband at the nursing home.
It’s a squishy ball where the ‘bubbles’ come out through the mesh when you squeeze the ball. It’s super soft, very colorful, and mesmerizing.
The bubbles are different each time. It’s fun – much like popping the bubbles on bubble wrap, but doesn’t make any noise. We’re hoping he likes it. Brian, who knows me well, got TWO of them – one for Harvey and the other for ME! 😁
Other than visiting Harvey at the nursing home, it should be a quiet day. My laundry is out on the balcony drying – even though my phone weather app said it should be cloudy all day, the sun is shining brightly. I’m hoping that if my clothes aren’t dry by the time we leave to see my husband, they’ll be ready to bring in by the time we come home.
Have a wonderful day!
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
@gelena.bsky.social
“In nature everything is valuable, everything has its place. The rose, the daisy, the lark, the squirrel, each is different but beautiful. Each has its own expression. Each flower its’ own fragrance. Each bird its’ own song. So you too have your own unique melody.” ~Diane Dreher
@edithh72.bsky.social
“Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and again.“ ~ Will Smith
@rwlatstetter.bsky.social
“As far as our noblest hardwood forests are concerned, the animals, especially squirrels and jays, are our greatest and almost only benefactors. It is to them that we owe this gift. It is not in vain that the squirrels live in or about every forest tree, or hollow log, and every wall and heap of stones.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
Journaling Happiness – @alycearmstrong.bsky.social
“Let me tell you, if you have never seen an agitated squirrel you have seen very little, nor have you heard much, because the sound of an angry squirrel is not to be forgotten.” ~ Joe R. Lansdale
Filed under Amazing Animals, Favorite Quotes
Source: I Can Has Cheezeburger?
I did 25 minutes at 12% incline on the treadmill this morning! I used 5 minutes to get up to the 12% incline and then just walked the rest of the time. I think I will do the 12-3-30 method one day and the Japanese method the next to keep my body awake and working without hurting myself. 💪🏻
I will also TRY to do a better job of getting my yoga stretches in, as well as my exercises with water bottles, and my dancing to wonderful music. Since I’m a lazy woman, I think I will try for ONE of these things each day in addition to the treadmill and then try to incorporate more once I actually DO this – rather than just INTEND to do it.
___________________
I’ve been working on my owls puzzle, and have to admit it’s still frustrating me, although I am DETERMINED to get it done eventually. I got the owl eyes in the middle recently, but they were running into pieces in place toward the top. When I looked super closely, I had to remove some pieces in the top owl to be reworked. 🤨
_________________
Two sketches I painted recently. I really love trying to reproduce designs I find on the net the best I can and then paint them. I’m hoping to improve my ability to draw what I see. My progress is slow, but I have a blast trying and the time flies by so fast! 😄
__________________
I’m very happy with my new hearing aids. I had one afternoon where I was overwhelmed by sounds all around me that I haven’t been hearing since my surgery in February, and then smooth sailing after that.
They are rechargeable, so they go from my ears to the charger. They are comfortable – in fact, sometimes I forget I’m wearing them! I can hear Brian now whether I can see his lips or not, whether I’m facing him or not, even though he is VERY soft spoken. I miss a word or two now and then, but he doesn’t have to repeat virtually everything he says anymore.
I can hear the traffic now, but the background noises don’t drown out someone else’s speech. If there is any problem with unduly loud background noise, I can use my phone to either increase the volume or use a thing called ‘voice boost.’ I haven’t had to do much fine tuning with my phone, but it’s great that I can do this myself, rather than having to get an appointment with the place that sold us the hearing aids to get an adjustment.
HOOORAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Snoqualmie Falls – Richard A. McMillin – Shutterstock
Niagra Fallas – Tony Shi Photography – Getty Images
Pick – Uppath – Getty Images
Filed under Waterfall gifs
@TweetsofDogs on X
“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive.” – Gilda Radner
@Tokyoon on X
“No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as the dog does.” – Christopher Morley
@BestinDogs on X
“No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich.” – Louis Sabin
@puppieslover on X
“Be the person your dog thinks you are.” – C.J. Frick
@dachshund_heave on X
“The bond with a true dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth will ever be.” – Konrad Lorenz
Quotes – Ride the Sky Equine
Filed under Amazing Animals, Favorite Quotes
David J. Salter – @Davidjsalter on X
The critters we saw today weren’t nearly as ‘impressive’ or ‘regal’ as this beautiful tiger painting, but we enjoyed them thoroughly nonetheless.
We saw a frog that was HUGE sitting by a wall. We just stood and admired him, trying not to bother him. He was at LEAST 4 inches tall, if not more. He looked beige colored, but he was in the shadows, so it was hard to really tell.
We also saw a cat sleeping on the seat of a motorcycle in the parking garage. I spoke to him and he looked at me briefly, then stretched and got comfortable again. I’ve never seen a cat sleep on a motorcycle before. I don’t know whether it belonged to its owner or not, but the cats around the building seem to be strays that wander in and out. He was a pretty, gray striped cat.
Lastly, a rust brown dog with a collar was running down the heavily traveled street, barking occasionally, looking madly happy running after someone on a motorcycle. We have seen him before. He has a collar, so he has a home. This is apparently one of their ‘togetherness things.’ The dog negotiates the traffic really well, speaking of lots of experience. He certainly looks joyful as he runs.
We visited my husband at the nursing home again this morning to make sure he was continuing to improve from his pneumonia. He was resting comfortably and shook his head slightly when we asked him if he were hurting anywhere. He didn’t cough while we were there, but he wasn’t nearly as responsive as he was yesterday, so we just stayed a little while and then left.
I’ve been having fun painting a cats sketch I did recently. I’ll post it when it’s finished.
I’m trying to get closer to my goal of doing the 12-3-30 method of walking on the treadmill in the mornings. Today I used the first 10 minutes to go from 0-12% incline, then set the speed back to 3 kilometers per minute and walked for another 20 minutes. I’ll try to add another couple of minutes tomorrow, speeding up the incline gradations a bit. (The goal in this method is 12% incline at 3 kilometers per minute for 30 minutes.
It’s been raining off and on all day, so my laundry is on the drying rack inside. I have the fan turned to ‘medium’ and have it blowing on the clothes and towels, so I’m hoping things will dry by tonight, or at least overnight.
I hope you’re having a fun day.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Filed under Uncategorized
If you expect an apology from me on this, you’re out of luck. 😂🤣
Source: R. G. Ryan – @RGRyan777 0n X
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor, punny
TeMata Peak, Havelock North, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand – Jos Buurmans – @josbuurmans.bsky.social
TeMata Peak, Havelock North, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand – Jos Buurmans – @josbuurmans.bsky.social
I think these are gorgeous. I would love to see more. I’ll look and see if I can do a follow up on these at another time. Beautiful place – wonderful photography!
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography
@DavidJSalter on X. – isn’t this a wonderful drawing?
___________
My husband Harvey was transported by ambulance to the Intensive Care Unit at Bangkok Hospital in Chiang Mai two days ago for fever, cough, pneumonia and low blood oxygen. Thankfully, they were able to get him on antibiotics for the pneumonia, and clearing that up will take care of the fever, cough, and low blood oxygen. He was released to go back to the nursing home last night.
We went to see him in the hospital the two days, and then in the nursing home this morning, so we could see for ourselves that he is better. He was more alert. He wasn’t talking much, but he was nodding at the things we were telling him, explaining what had happened to him, reassuring him that the antibiotics would make him feel better, plus filling him in on news about the family, etc.
____________
I got the results of my labwork from the doctor via email yesterday. When I first saw her in May, the BIG concern was my sky high blood pressure – into the stroke zone. They took my blood pressure so many times I lost count, and she put me on a strong combination medicine to try to bring my pressure down as quickly as possible. She told me I needed to lose weight, exercise, and was also bit concerned about some of the numbers on my lab work.
When I went in follow up this week, she was SO pleased with my weight loss, blood pressure under good control, and my lab work, she said I didn’t need to come back in follow up for six months! The only suggestion she had for me was to drink more water. THAT I can handle! 😛
My goals between now and my follow up are –
All in all, though my husband’s adventures for the week were pretty scary, the results on both of us are good, and for that I am very thankful.
Filed under Health Alert
Dr. Jamie Hardy
Harvey is on his way back to the nursing home after being taken by ambulance yesterday to the intensive care unit in the hospital for pneumonia and low blood oxygen.
We went to see him yesterday and couldn’t be sure he knew we were there. Today he knew us, but didn’t communicate. His caregiver from the nursing home was there today when we arrived. There was a nasal tube and I.V.s everywhere. He did open his eyes. The bottom line is that we okayed another medicine and are paying yet another huge bill for hospital services. They did put him on antibiotics for the pneumonia.
I was upset because it seemed to me that they were criticizing us for not going for everything they wanted us to do. Brian said I was overreacting, but I guess I’m sensitive when we know Harvey better than anyone and know how he would react to many of their suggestions.
The good news is he will be back at the nursing home this evening with his full time caregiver and familiar surroundings. We will wait to see what happens as far as our next visit.
My stress level is through the roof, but I’m glad that the pneumonia seems to be solvable and that he didn’t seem to be in pain.
Filed under Family
Calm
Very soon we’ll be leaving to see my new doctor in follow-up. 3 months ago we went for an initial visit, and my blood pressure was so high she prescribed blood pressure meds on the spot. Any other issues could wait. We went back in a month and things were better. She suggested I lose weight and exercise. (Surprise😜)
It is now 2 months later. I’ve been going to the gym daily with our son, walking a mile on the treadmill and then tweaking my workout in various ways that are supposed to be more effective. I’ve lost 8.55 kilos, or 18.85 pounds since we saw her last. She will be doing bloodwork, but I will have to wait a day or two for the results. I’m hoping we’ll see some improvement there.
I’ll have the afternoon to myself once we get back from that. My friend Marsha wanted to know if my art has improved. I’ve been trying to learn to draw better and then painting the sketches. I don’t know if I’ve improved or not, but I’m having a really good time trying. Here are some of the latest –
I charged my new hearing aids overnight with no problem and got them in this morning. Everything is still really loud, including my own voice. Thankfully, Brian installed an app on my phone that will allow me to adjust the sound, boost voices, and more. I’ll tweak it today, continuing to adapt my BRAIN to being able to hear things like light switches, napkins being crushed, water being sprayed, etc. 😃. It’s WONDERFUL to be able to hear again. I’m SO grateful to be trying to adapt to such a great thing!
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
creativeartworksblog 