STAIR TREADS

The stair treads that I ordered for Happi have finally arrived!  I ordered them almost three weeks ago and the company forgot to ship them.  I kept seeing that a fed ex slip had been filled out for shipping but no shipping had occurred.  I finally after 1.5 weeks contacted them and asked what was going on.  They shipped them out the next day with a one-line apology.  If these treads weren't rated the best for dogs, I would have canceled the order.

I got the box today and put them down immediately.  They are great.  I gave Happi a treat to come down the stairs and she flew down the stairs.  I had her go up the stairs and called her down again and she flew down the stairs on her own.  She has gotten over her fear of the stairs.  The treads fixed her slipping problem and now she is good.

This makes me so happy.  I hated seeing my confident dog stand at the top of the stairs and shake in fear when she wanted to go out back to pee.  Poor thing hated me picking her up to carry her down the stairs.  I was also so worried that she would slip down the stairs when I was not looking.  Now I don't have to worry anymore. 

There is peace again in the house.

Until tomorrow...

PERSONAL ASSISTANT

I have been trying to hire an assistant to help work on projects for a week now.  First I hired one through an online company.  She was a nice girl (I will call her M) but M was not a proactive person.  I asked her to call about getting touch up paint for my cabinets and she called the company.  She said the woman told her I could get the paint at Lowe's.  I checked online and there was no touch up paint for my cabinets.  I asked her to enter some information in Excel and she didn't know how to use Excel.  I asked her to enter some dates in my calendar and she missed some of my dates.  I will not be asking her back.  She was a nice girl but not for this type of task.

Then my new friend A said she needed some money so I asked her.  She could get all the tasks done but since we are friends, we talked WAY TOO MUCH.  I have to think about if I am going to ask her back to work.  I think we make better friends than having her as my assistant.

The really big problem is that I need to be prepared with projects.  I have so much work and I have to have the things ready for the assistant to do so they don't have to wait around for me to give them the next project or give them the phone number or whatever.  Maybe the biggest problem is me.  I can't let go.  I think I will try one more time.  I will be more organized this time.  Set the work and the time frame.

Until tomorrow...

NEW MEDICINE

I am taking this new medication and it makes me SO tired.  Today I took it this afternoon and tonight I fell asleep watching TV.  I just woke up for a few minutes.  I can barely keep my eyes open.  I really want this medicine in a half pill so I don't fall asleep.

Until tomorrow...

FRIENDS

Today was a very relaxing day.  I went to have brunch with a new friend. We walked to the brunch place.  I wrapped my ankle the same way as I did last night and it didn't hurt as much as it did with the ankle brace.  I am going to call the doctor and let her know.  I think this means something but I don't know what.

We had some good food and then walked to the park.  We sat in the park and talked for hours.  I put on sunscreen before we left the house but I still got sun burnt a little.  It was a very warm and sunny day.  Okay, it was a beautiful day.  We never had a moment that we didn't have something to talk about.

It was nice to meet a new friend.  Two new friends in one weekend!

Until tomorrow... 

INDIAN WEDDING DANCE PARTY

Tonight I went to an Indian Wedding Dance Party. It was a blast. I went with my new friend J. He texted me this morning to say he came out of the closet. Good for him! He still wanted to go to the dance party.

I went to a local shop that had Indian clothing to see if they could help me with my sari. They were so helpful. They showed me two ways to wear it since my cloth was so short. Then they suggested I get leggings to wear underneath. So I took a trip to Target and along with other items I needed, I got leggings and some blingy sandals. Now I am not a blingy person.  So I had to have a Target employee assist me in choosing a style. We both agreed on this pair.

I got dressed early because the top is tie up the back. I asked my neighbor to come over and dress me before she went out to dinner. I put on my bangles, blingy necklace, earrings, shoes and bindi and I was ready to go.

I got to the club in time to join the processional. They did a traditional Indian wedding processional a couple of blocks from the club. In the club there was Indian music mixed with a dance rhythm.  It was not as thump-thump-thump as I thought it was going to be. I liked most of the music. I didn't like the Indian dance rap. I like rap but the dance rap just didn't work too well.  Part way through they had a short dance lesson. They also had a singer but I didn't like her. Some folks did but I thought she was a bit shrill. 

I stayed for three hours. That is a lot for me. Guess what? I wrapped my ankle in an ace bandage because the blingy sandals wouldn't fit with the ankle brace.  My ankle never felt better. Okay it felt better before I tore the ligament but since then it has never felt so good.  I am going to try it again tomorrow. 

I am glad I went. I had a great time. I haven't danced in years or gone to a club in years. J was fun to hang with. I did something out of my comfort zone. I went to a club on my own. That takes guts. 

Until tomorrow...

SAREE OR SARI

I am going to an Indian Wedding.  Well, not a real Indian wedding but an Indian wedding dance party.  I am real excited to go to this event.  I am going to dress up in Indian attire, I hope.  Years ago my friend R gave me a very special present from India, a sari.  A sari is a very long strip of cloth -about four to nine yards in length and as wide and the loom it's made upon -that can be as colorful or plain as the wearer chooses.  A saree is sort of a drape, which is wrapped around the body.

My sari has less fabric than any other sari on youtube so I am confused on how to wrap my sari.  I have to figure it out before 9pm tomorrow when the dance party starts.

Until tomorrow..

SURGERY OR NO SURGERY, THAT IS THE QUESTION

Went back to the ankle doctor today.  My ankle has been hurting more since I have been wearing the compression socks.  I am not sure why the socks are bothering my ankle but they are.

The doctor said I don't have to wear the compression socks all the time only when I am standing for long periods of time.  I am going to talk to my primary doctor about why my legs are holding fluids.

She moved my foot around and looked at it.  I had taken photos of the spots where it hurts when I walk.  She said those were very helpful. She gave me a shot to see if that helps.

The new plan is to get a new MRI before surgery.  Yup I said surgery.  She thinks I have torn the ligament in the back part of my ankle.  I already had the ligament on the front of my ankle torn and fixed.  Now it is the back ligament that it is torn and causing pain in the front of my ankle.  I am now thinking of surgery after Labor Day.  Enjoy the summer.  It would be nice to have one summer in the last few years not in a boot or on crutches.  I can limp around a bit longer.  It will mean surgery and a boot for 6 weeks.  Boo!

The shot did nothing!  Waste of time.

Since it will be a complicated surgery she is going to have to think about it and plan for it.  I have torn a ligament or whatever that doesn't normally get torn.  Leave it to me!

Until tomorrow...

VISIT TO THE BREAST CANCER DOCTOR

I went to see my breast cancer doctor today.  She did the breast exam and found a little something. She thinks it is a cyst and fibrocystic thickness.  She did an ultra sound over and over again.  The spot hurt a bit.  She ordered my usual MRI and mammogram.  She is going to see what the MRI shows.

Oh, there is this new 3D mammogram that I can get if my insurance company will pay for it.  I think it is cool.  I will receive more radiation but what is more radiation with all the x-rays and Cat scans I have had already.  I keep saying I am going to glow when I am 90.  If the insurance company doesn't pay for it, I can pay for it out of pocket or go for the 2D mammogram.

I have to see her in 6 months instead of the usual one year.  I know I should be concerned but I have had so much chaos in my life lately that one more thing on top of the pile doesn't get me riled up. 

I will go for the mammogram and MRI over the next few weeks and I will have my answer.  I am sure it will all be fine.  The power of the Tiara!

Until tomorrow...

ANKLE CONTINUING TO HURT

It has been five days since my doctor visit and my ankle is hurting more than ever.  On the other hand, since wearing the compression socks, my legs have been feeling better.  The sharp pains in my lower legs has gone away after wearing the compression socks for a long period of time. 

I have not figured out the connection but I talk to my doctor on Thursday. 

I got a very nice surprise today from my brother and his family.  They sent me a book of photos of their family.  I can't believe how grown up the kids look.  I feel like I have not seen them in forever.  Thank you for the lovely book!

Until tomorrow...

COMPRESSION SOCKS

I have been wearing a compression sock on my left leg for a few days now.  Today I got a compression sock for my right leg.  The end goal is to see if the sharp pain in my legs stops or decreases after wearing the compression socks for a week.  If the pain stops or decreases, then I will possibly have to wear them longer. 

Let's hope the weather stays neutral these days.

Until tomorrow...