WHAT A WAY TO END THE MONTH

The day was going along fairly good and then...Lucky was so excited to get a chewy that she didn't look where she was going. Next thing I knew she she fell down a whole set of stairs. She fell down about 10 stairs. I know because I have fallen down them. She sort of rolled down them. I screamed and ran down after her. She snorted a few times and tried to get the biscuit out of my hand. Darn dog was still focused on the biscuit. 

I held her a few minutes and carried her down to go pee but all she cared about was the biscuit. You would have thought I didn't feed the dog. Then we got back inside, she climbed up the stairs herself, and she seemed fine. Then I looked at her face and her left eye was red. In the outer corner it was red like she got hit. 

I called the the vet emergency line and the nice woman told me to send a photo. She said it looks like a superficial scrape or bruise. She did not need to be rushed to the hospital. What a relief. 

I gave her some of her pain meds and she is sound asleep. I put the baby gate across the stairs so no more falls. 

I swear, I was so scared. When I saw her hit the bottom, I thought this is it, she is gone. But I should have known after the neighbors dog fell from the second floor deck and didn't have a scratch, dogs are resilient. 

Enough for me today. I am supposed to do my shot but I don't think I can stop shaking to do it. 

Until tomorrow...

FALLING APART

Yesterday it was my knee and today it is my back. I think I am falling apart. Lucky and I went to bed at 7:45 pm. 

My knee did feel better today. I took Lucky for a short walk. 

Did I mention it is freezing here? It got down to almost literally freezing last night and is supposed to do it again tonight?  I actually wore a turtleneck sweater today. Crazy weather this year! 

Until tomorrow...

DID I REALLY INJURE MY KNEE?

 I spent today relaxing and taking a bath. Then I was happy that my replacement t-shirts showed up early. I walked Lucky and she didn't start limping for a number of blocks. 

I continued with my invoicing for work. I was happy to get two more clients completed. I only have one more client left to finish. 

My knee is beginning to really bother me from my fall a week ago. I didn't think I hurt it when I fell but now I am wondering if I did really hurt it. 

That was the whole day. 

Until tomorrow...

PRODUCTIVE DAY

 I had a productive day. I decided to finally switch out printer tables in my office. I think this current table will work better. Plus it has a closed section at the bottom.

I have tweaked my back. I hurt my back when I was 20 years old. I slipped (like Charlie Brown) on a greasy floor in a kitchen at work. I broke my coccyx bone and injured the L4-L5 in my back. I have been careful for years and try to keep up with my physical therapy at home. Every once in a while it acts up. 

I invoiced one of my clients for December. I want to get all my work invoicing done this weekend. 

I took Lucky for a walk and I was surprised that she went further than yesterday before she started limping. 

Until tomorrow...

WHY AM I WORKING TODAY?

Today was supposed to be a no working day but guess what? That didn't happen. 

I spent the first half of the day waiting for the virtual court to start for my ex-foster kid. The court was backed up so it took hours of waiting. It is hard to do anything while you wait because the court can appear on your screen at any minute. If you aren't there, they will just disconnect you. I usually end up watching TV because I can pause it when the judge comes on the screen. This time I watched The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. 

Then after court, I raced down to drop my UPS packages off. I am returning some shirts that are too large for me. I was surprised I found parking easily at the second place I went to. I already received my refunds! 

I came home to do work. I have a client who has a big project due this coming week and we had to prep for it because they were very nervous. I get it but it is something I have done many times before and I am not nervous. I wish I could I still my calm into other people but that is not possible. I just need to prep them as best as I can. 

Lucky update: she is not limping on longer distances as long as the surface is flat. I think increasing the distance every few days will be good for her. 

Until tomorrow...

NO LANDSCAPER TODAY

I bought some shirts online and today I went to send them back. The place I usually go to send them back no longer takes packages. I had to come home and figure out another place to take the packages. I'm going to try again tomorrow. 

I spoke to the electrician and he said it would be a couple of weeks to get the backyard fixed. 

The landscaper did not come today and probably won't come tomorrow. He has to go get more little rocks for the path. 

Wish I had more interesting stuff today.

Until tomorrow...

MOCK UP FOR THE ELECTRICIAN

Today was just another boring day of work. I did talk to the electrician company and they had me send over a photo with a mock up of what I want done. I'm hoping this will be an easy thing and won't take weeks to get scheduled. 

I also scheduled the handyman to come and stain my standing garden to match my bench. I think that will look nice. 

Lucky is quite sedated and sleeping so we only went down the block and back on a quick walk. She needs to rest her legs/hips. 

A few weeks ago I bought a few shirts online. I received them last week and this week. All of them are too big. I have to send them all back and get a different size! Today I packaged them all up to take to drop off. I already ordered the new shirts and they will be delivered next week. 

Until tomorrow...

SECOND PHYSICAL THERAPY APPOINTMENT

 I got up early and took little Lucky to the vet. My vet is so nice. He didn't even charge me for the visit. He looked at her walk and said there was nothing broken but he thinks it is a muscle strain. He said up her meds and make her sleep for a few days and see if she feels better. She probably pulled a hammy. 

Then I got home for the electrician. He found the problem and it was not good news. The electric plug in the backyard where I was going to plug in the water feature has died. Died in like not to be revived. The line is dead. Something happened and it isn't the plug but the whole line. ERG. He got the rest of the backyard working again. Darn rain!

Now I have to problem solve and figure out a way to get electricity to the water feature without digging up all the newly laid landscaping. If the plug died a week ago this would have been a lot easier! I have a plan but I need an electrician to come back and implement it. 

Then in the afternoon I went to my second physical therapy session. It has been ages since my first physical therapy session because the scheduling person messed up and put me with the wrong PT person and then when I tried to change it, the hospital said I could not change it in the new year because they were checking to make sure everyone had insurance. Then when that date passed, I called and they said that now my order for PT had expired and they needed a new order to make new appointments. The bureaucracy! It was easier to foster a kid! 

I have my new PT exercises and the physical therapist was quite pleased with my progress. 

Until tomorrow...

RA DR VISIT

I trekked over to my doctor's office today. She is really a bit hot and cold. I'm guessing she is not going to be the warm person she was in our first meeting. 

I found out that my X-rays show I do not have any degeneration of my joints in my hands. That is good news. Getting on the biologics early was a good thing. 

Then she informed me I was not taking enough of my new medicine. It was a communication issue. Fixed now. 

Then I got home and my new glasses showed up. I can see much better now. It is taking me a while to get used to them. 

I took Lucky for a walk and now she is limping on both legs. I called and I am taking her in tomorrow morning. 

Until tomorrow...

THIS IS WHAT RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS FEELS LIKE FOR ME

 I woke up today and I feel a little bit better. Isn’t it weird how for days you can feel so horrible with this disease and the next day feel a bit better? I always am shocked when it happens. I wake up and get my mind ready for another day of not feeling good and then when I feel good it is almost a surprise. A good surprise! But after three days of feeling crummy, it is a surprise. 

I spoke to a family member and tried to explain what I am feeling and once again the person didn’t get it. It is very hard to explain what goes on. This is the best way I can explain it: imagine you have the flu and you know the way your brain feels when you have the flu? Sort of foggy, out of sorts, thick, like you just want to sleep and then you can function. Okay, remember that. 

Now, imagine being on the longest airplane flight you have ever been on and (hopefully) it was overseas. Remember how you felt jet lagged when you landed. Groggy, out of sorts, very tired but wanted to do things, you can barely walk anywhere except to bed, maybe a bit foggy. Okay remember that. 

If you have been drunk before, remember the day after that bachelor /bachelorette party or wedding or 21st birthday. Remember how hungover you were and how you could barely lift your head or hands to get the water bottle to your lips. How putting a sentence together hurt your head. Okay, remuer that.

Now imagine you twisted an ankle or hand and it hurt but you had to stand up and get out of bed or hold a cup of tea. It does matter if it hurts, you still have to let the dog out and open the door and make breakfast. Okay, remember that. 

Now, put all those things together. You are foggy, out of sorts, thick, want to sleep, groggy, tired but want to do things, can barely walk except to bed due to fatigue, putting a sentence together hurt your head, barely able to lift your head or hands, and your body aches but you still have to get up to do things. That is how I feel when I say I don’t feel well. No, I am not depressed and no I don’t just need a good nights sleep. 

I did watch my beloved Cowboys lose today. It was such a good game. Too bad they lost. It would have been fun to see them play again next week. 

Until tomorrow…

TODAY WASN’T THE DAY

 I don’t feel well. I am calling it a day at 6:30 pm. I basically laid on the couch all day trying to get up and finish the list of things I needed to get done this weekend. 

Until tomorrow…

EVEN MORE PROGRESS ON THE LANDSCAPING

The backyard looks great. I am starting to picture myself in my hammock and having a party. The water feature is working with water trickling. 90% of the patio is laid. 

It could be done next week. The landscaper says he will come back in the spring and clean the pavers. All this rain has caused them to get a bit green. 

All that is left to do is plant plants, put the sand between the pavers, finish lights, irrigation, mulch and clean up. 

Today was supposed to be my day off but I ended up working almost the whole day. I had a few things I needed to get done and they sort of spiraled out of control. Hopefully tomorrow I will get to rest. 

Until tomorrow...

PROGRESS ON THE LANDSCAPING

The landscaper came today with his assistant and they got to work. They installed almost all the lights. They put together the bench. They put together the standing garden. Things are coming together. 

I was lucky the landscaper was here today because someone came to my door who only spoke Spanish and I could not figure out what he was saying.  He didn't speak a word of English and he was showing me his phone which was only written in Spanish. The landscaper came and figured out it was a delivery service (not the supermarket) delivering my groceries.

I am beyond exhausted today. I feel so horrible. I'm not sick in the traditional sense; I don't have a runny nose or cough. I feel inside sick. I'm exhausted and achy and in pain and my mind feels tired. I can't stop feeling overwhelmed. I know part of it is because I am not sleeping.  I'm just a mess to myself. The outside world would never know if I didn't tell them. 

Until tomorrow...

THREE RACCOONS

It just started raining again but I hear it is a short storm and will be over before morning. It is really coming down. 

This evening before the rain storm, I let Lucky out back and as she got 1/2 way down the stairs I saw three raccoons in the backyard. I ran down to stop her but she went running down barking. She is so fearless. Those raccoons are bigger than she is. I finally caught up with her and carried her in the house. The raccoons ran off. Five minutes later I took her out on a leash. 

I woke up super early this morning to drive to the x-ray place near my RA doctor. I am lucky that I was the first person in line . 

Until tomorrow...

STEP TWO INVISILINE

The sun came out today. I barely remembered what to do. Lucky remembered and she wanted to go for an extra long walk. 

I tried on my Christmas present T-shirt from my sister-in-law yesterday and the seam is sewn on the outside. I tried to return it but the return label said I had to pay for the return. I am not sure if you have sent a package lately but it ain't cheap. I called my SIL and she contacted the company and returned it on her end and was able to get a shipping label with free shipping. 

I went to the dentist for the next step in my Invisalign. Today they took photos and scans of my teeth. To do this the dentist had to take the bonding off my two front teeth for the first time in 30 years. My two front teeth have always separated if they weren't bonded so I was afraid to have the bonding taken out. When she took the bonding off I thought my teeth would start to separate right away but it's been hours and my teeth haven't moved so the laser surgery last Friday seems to have worked. I forgotten how thin front teeth are without bonding on them. It feels very weird. Now I wait 3 to 4 weeks for the Invisalign to drive.

Until tomorrow...

MLK JR DAY

 I was so excited to have a day off to lounge around and get some things done. I was going to finish watching a series I was watching, invoice my clients for December, and do some more clearing out of Christmas stuff.  Well, that didn't happen. 

First, something happened with my online calendar and it didn't block out my scheduling system, so someone scheduled a meeting in the morning. Who schedules a meeting on MLK day? It was only for 15 minutes but still. I had to be dressed and ready on video. 

Then, out of the blue, the auto shop called to say the part arrived late on Friday and did I want to bring my car over today? I did the calculations and I could drive my car over to the shop, take a cab back and be ready for the video meeting if I left in 15 minutes. I gobbled down my breakfast and put on my shoes. 

Later in the afternoon I got a call that my car was ready for pickup earlier than expected. I had just walked Lucky so I called a cab and went right over to get the car. They only had to replace one of the two parts. The hose was not leaking. The car is in good condition and now I can make a longer drive without worrying that I would loose power steering. 

While the car was gone, I took advantage of the time and I swept out the garage. So much dirt and leaves flew in in the last few weeks with the storms. 

Lucky Update: She seems to be doing much better. She is more energetic, eating more, barking at things, and wanting to play. This is all good news. She is still on five medications and we need to get her better so she is not taking that many. She hates me when I have to shove medicine in her mouth. 

Until tomorrow...

BOOK CLUB ON A RAINY DAY

 Today was book club. I had two months to read the book because we didn't meet in December because of a scheduling conflict. The book was Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union. I know this book is a best seller but I didn't like it. It is not my type of book. 

The book club was interesting listening to everyone talk about the book. I added what I could since I only got to chapter 10.  I was not the only person that did not like the book. But some did like it.

I think I will like next months book much better. 

Until tomorrow...

EXTRAORDINARY ATTORNEY WOO

 And the rain continues. Today we had rain, thunder, lightening and hail. Always fun to have interesting weather. 

I basically stayed on the couch and watched TV most of the day. I walked Lucky during a lull in the rain. I started watching a series Extraordinary Attorney Woo on Netflix. It is really good and I could not stop watching it. 

My mouth still hurts from my minor mouth surgery. I am still eating soft foods that I don't have to bite into. 

Until tomorrow...

SLIGHT MOUTH SURGERY

Well, I never thought after wearing braces for years when I was young that I would be wearing "braces" again. Today I went for my consultation for Invisiline. I was only going to get Invisiline on the bottom but it turns out my upper teeth are too close to my bottom teeth so I need it on the top too. 

My dentist convinced my to finally get the surgery to remove the muscle that is between my two front teeth. My two front teeth naturally want to be separated like Madonna or Michael Strahan. I didn't want that after wearing braces so I had my teeth bonded together because I did not want the surgery. The surgery is much easier today because they use laser. She did it in her office today. My upper lip, above my front teeth and front teeth are in a lot of pain. She says it will subside. 

Next week we do the prep for the trays for the Invisiline. I'm excited to get my bottom teeth fixed. They are no longer pretty and they are bothersome. 

I talked to the vet about Lucky. We are decreasing one med but increasing another. She has a lot more energy these days. 

Big rains coming tonight. 

Until tomorrow...

THE SUN IS SHINING...FOR ONE DAY

 I woke up and the sun was shining today. No rain, no hail, no thunderstorms. It was wonderful! Lucky was so happy to go for a walk with no rain coming down on her head. I was happy because I had to drive to a doctor's appointment and I didn't want to drive with all the crazies who don't know how to drive in the rain.

I went to the eye doctor's office again to get my eyes checked because the prescription in my new glasses are wrong. I get to the office and the doctor is super nice. It is a different doctor. She puts me in the machine and then she has me do the whole "is this better or this better" routine. Then she shows me through the machine what I could see with my current glasses, the prescription that I used to get my new glasses, and the prescription she was going to give me today. Now I see the huge mistake the other doctor made! The prescription was way off! No wonder I had a headache. And I drove with those glasses! 

She told me the appointment was free and that if she wrote redo on the prescription, the eye glass place should redo them for free. I was skeptical. 

I got home and called them and sure enough, they will make me a new pair. I have to send the current pair back. They were so nice to me. Give a shout out to Warby Parker! 

Had the RA group meeting tonight. We did chair yoga. I did most of it. I skipped the standing part. It was relaxing. I liked the instructor. 

Until tomorrow...

RAIN IS ALL WE TALK ABOUT

I know I sound repetitive but more rain. It is all anyone talks about. At least today it was just rain and not lightening or hail or super loud thunder. 

I tried the solution the nutritionist and I came up with. I drank more water (room temperature water) and today is the first day I felt good in two weeks. 

Until tomorrow...

RAIN, RAIN, RAIN

Last night there was a horrific storm. At 3 am the house was shaking, lightening was flashing, the wind was blowing at speeds I have rarely ever seen here and there were terrific booms of thunder. It was so loud! 

Then at around noon the skies opened up and there was hail, more booming thunder, lightening, and torrents of rain. There were flood warnings. It was so much that I turned my computers off and unplugged them just in case. 

When there was a short break Lucky and I went for a short walk and checked the drain. 

I had a virtual nutritionist appointment this morning. We talked about water consumption. It seems I have been dehydrated and that is why I have been so miserable. He gave me a great solution. I will be drinking more water now. 

Until tomorrow...

WHY CAN'T I SEE?

 Today was a busy day. I had the handyman here to fix a few things. Then out of the blue the landscaper showed up to do some work. I wasn't going to turn him down. 

The handyman fixed the leaky spot (where the roofer fixed the roof leak) and painted it. Then he painted a spot that he fixed a few weeks ago. He installed my new lock on my door. Then the landscaper pointed out maybe he could move an outdoor plug lower. He did that! Then I asked him if the plug worked and it didn't and he fixed that. He had some time so I asked him to fix two door nobs that have annoyed me for ever. The doors don't close unless I slammed them. He worked his magic and now they close. Then as he was leaving the outside door wouldn't close properly. He fixed that! We also discussed a leak that will have to wait until the rain stops. It is a bigger project. 

The landscaper installed the water feature. It looks nice. I worry a little bit that it is too close to the trees. 

 

I think it will be so great to hear the water sound. 

Meanwhile I was inside trying to work.  I also had to call the eye doctor because I got my new glasses on Friday afternoon and wore them all weekend. I realized that I was getting a headache every day. I could not see far away. I could not read any words on the TV. I put on my old glasses and I could see the words. Something was wrong. Either the eye exam was wrong or the eye glass place made a mistake but someone needs to figure this out because I spent hundreds of dollars on glasses I can't wear. The eye doctor was very nice and made an appointment this week to see what was going on.

Until tomorrow...

ADOPTED A DRAIN

 I have adopted a drain in the neighborhood. That means I need to clear out the leaves and junk from the drain before it rains so the street doesn't flood. I have been doing it voluntarily for years but now I am doing it voluntarily as part of a program. Today Lucky was my helper. 

It was an overcast and rainy day all day. It keeps raining. 

Until tomorrow...

VEGAN LASAGNA

Today was another rainy day. Well, sort of rainy, more like drizzly. It stopped for a bit in the morning and Lucky and I went for a walk around the block. 

Lucky is doing so much better. She ate both breakfast and dinner. She is not happy about all the meds I have to give her. She runs off and hides when she sees me coming.

I decided to make a vegan lasagna for dinner. I came out really good. I didn't have any vegan ricotta or soft tofu so I made a bechamel instead. That is used to make a "cheese" sauce. 

I put spaghetti sauce, spinach, peas, shiitake mushrooms, and carrots in it. It really tastes good. I have a whole pan to eat all week. 

Until tomorrow...

SOMEONE IS FEELING BETTER

Once again I got up early in order to get my car to the garage in time to get it fixed. I have a slow leak in my power steering that needs to be fixed. Since my car is 20 years old, it is hard to find parts. 

I took the car to this new place and the guy put the car up on the lift before I left. He called me over and showed me the slow leak. Then he laughed and said he and his son used to work at my dealership and they recognized my car because it is so clean underneath (which it was) and they both remember working on it.  They said my car is in very good condition. It was nice to hear because I don't want to get rid of it yet. He ordered the part and he will fix it next week. 

Then I went home and the landscaper arrived. It wasn't raining so he got a whole days work done. It is looking great. 

The pink triangle is a piece of slate drying in the middle of the photo. The black is wet soil. 

Lucky was sound asleep most of the day but around 5 pm she woke up and wanted to eat. Boy did she eat! She ate the food in her bowl then she wanted to play the game where I put kibble in a hidey toy and then she wanted snacks. I think someone is feeling better. 

Until tomorrow...

MORE WORK ON THE BACKYARD

 The landscaper came to work in the backyard because the rain stopped for a little bit. He really hustled since he hasn't been able to work for days. 

If only the rain would stop for a few days, he could get the backyard completed. 

Lucky is looking better. She is eating more. I am holding my breath. 

Until tomorrow...

SANDBAGS AND LUCKY

I'll start my day at 6:30 am, although my day started much earlier. Lucky was up almost all night. She was staring at me, standing up, moving around, at one point she laid on her side and shook and later looked at me with her tongue coming out of one side of her mouth repeatedly. I thought this was the end. 

At 6:30 am I bundled her up and took her to the vet yet again. I had to wait a bit to see him but we problem solved the situation. He gave her an ultrasound of her belly. Her stomach and intestines are horribly inflamed. No wonder she can't sleep! She must be in horrible pain. She is now on some pain management, anti-nausea and antibiotics, as well as steroids. That should calm things down. 

I brought her home and she still didn't want to eat for hours. Once she ate a few kibble, the medicine went into her mouth. 

In the afternoon I saw there were more sandbags available. I jumped in the car and went to get some. A large amount of rain is expected tonight and tomorrow. There were some detour directions and a long line but I got 5 sandbags. The process was a well oiled machine. It reminded me of getting the first COVID vaccines. A few cars tried to jump the line but city workers caught them and sent them to the back of the line. I waited longer than 30 minutes but the guys load the bags in your car so it was worth it. Now if they came to my house and got them out of my trunk, that would have been worth it! But I can't sneeze at free sandbags. Free in that I paid for them with my taxes. They are sitting in front of my garage door, hopefully, keeping out any water. 

Around 5 pm Lucky miraculously ate some food. Not a lot but some. I just gave her more pain meds so hopefully she will sleep most of the night. 

IF YOU HAVE EVER HAD A PET

If you have ever had a pet that you loved a lot, you will understand this post. Last night I barely slept. I had nightmares that Lucky died in the bed. Everytime she stopped snoring I woke up. It was horrible. 

First thing when I woke up I called the vet and asked for the Dr. to call. I had an appointment at 2:30 but I wasn't sure if I should go because it was a tech appointment. I would not be seeing a Dr. Finally I decided to go. I bundled the baby up in the blanket and drove there. Our parking Karma was working and I got a spot right out front. After some discussion I was told to wait for my fav doctor. He was in surgery but he would come out soon. 45 minutes later he came and we solved the issue I think. We agreed the injection she got yesterday was no good. For whatever reason she did not tolerate it. We changed the medicine to one that she used to take. It is the medicine that went bad months ago, but this batch came from the doctors office. He gave her some fluids at my request. 

I took the pup home and immediately raced out to get some sand bags. I was the the first person to be turned away because they ran out. I may go back in the morning. 

I got back home and Lucky started pacing and pacing. She wouldn't eat so I could not give her her medicine. Pacing and pacing. I made her rice, rice and chicken baby food, put out kibble and canned dog food. I even gave her snacks, pretzels and potato chips. Anything to get her to eat. Finally she ate 15 kibble. I shoved that medicine in her mouth. 

Now we are in bed so she can rest. 

Until tomorrow...

BOXING DAY

 Lucky and I got up at 6 am and were at the vet's office at 7 am when they opened. I rushed her in wrapped in a blanket. She was so lifeless.. We sat for a bit waiting and then my favorite doctor came out and we discussed what to do. He is convinced it is her stomach. I am not as convinced. 

He said it would be good if we gave her a medicine that would stop any stomach upset so she could eat. She had this medicine before so I said okay. He gave her the shot. A few hours later she was limp as a rag, tongue hanging out, eyes rolled back in her head. I thought this is it! She is going to die right here on the couch. She didn't I was hysterical. 

Until tomorrow...

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S DAY!

 It is New Year's Day and I am home worrying about Lucky. She is not much better. She just lays there and stares at me like I can fix it. She shakes and shivers. I feel helpless. I cry and try not to think what my world will be like without my little feisty girl. 

I can't write anymore I am so upset and it is just miserable outside and raining. 

Until tomorrow...