Pot Bellied Stove / Water Cooler
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Good Morning, Jan, you are famous coast to coast!!!
Beautiful photos and YES, Wow, things are DRY there. I've gotten so used to seeing everything GREEN all year round, I have forgotten how brown California can get. But, still beautiful. Nice park and looks like good walking trails. When John and I get out again this year, I'll share pics too.
Dentist went better than I thought, all the teeth that I knew needed help, really do, but only fillings, no root canal or anything major.
The big news is about my Dad, it is bad. He's been failing quickly over the last couple months and the CAT scan yesterday showed liver cancer, stage 4, so it's terminal for him. We will consult cancer doctors, but his regular doctors don't think he can withstand the treatment. His pulmonary doctor has said for the last few years that he can't have any surgery, if they knock him out with anesthesia, he'll never wake up. So, Norma and I talked and just figured that the move to assisted living is off and he'd want to die at home, but last night, he said that he still wants to keep the appointment to visit there and have lunch. Since he will need constant care at the end, maybe he will be better in a facility that has hospice right there and also, the move is still better for my sister, having our parents closer to her home. We'll just take it one step at a time. I'm thinking now that I hope he does have the strength and desire to move, because then, after he's gone, my mom will already be situated in her new surroundings and not have to be moved and face new people alone.
I have some research to do to help my sister, finding an oncologist near her. She has meetings at work all day, so she asked if I could check out Loma Linda and other medical centers in Orange County either on-line or by phone to find Dad a doctor. His regular doctor seemed to think that some Oncologists don't accept Medicare, so we'll have to search for one. I find that very hard to believe, but I'll find out. More details as I get them.
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Sheryl, I'm SO VERY SORRY to hear about your Dad.
It sounds like a good plan to move forward with the move. I hope the search of an oncologist goes smoothly for you. Glad your teeth have held up so well. 0 -
Good morning,
Sheryl, I just read about your dad and my heart goes out to you. In the midst of many big decisions being made, there are still more to make. It's good that you can do the research for your sister. Wonderful that we can gain so much via the computer now. Will continue to pray for your family and everything going on.
Monday night was a good 4-H meeting. We had some good talks and one was even done at the last minute. She did a good job telling us about her baby dwarf goats. One of the moms told us afterwards that she has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. She sees the oncologist on the 18th. You never know who will be next.
Tuesday I had the day at home - no Good News Club to do. I have lots on my list to do at home so worked away. Ralph got the last of the boxes taped up and Alan came over and loaded them for us. So we drove the other car to Jeremiah's musical. They did the story of Jonah. It was so good and they had a huge whale whose mouth even moved. This morning I walked. Now I'm doing my week's "cleaning". I have our bag with snacks and tape, etc. ready for tomorrow. Dinner is planner out - tilapia, baked sweet potatoes, asparagus and strawberries. Oh, Marcie, I actually liked the looks of the plate I took back to Ralph yesterday - made me think of your pictures. We have a church meeting tonight to hear about the man who will be candidating on Sunday for our pastor. I'm sure there'll be lots of questions.
Sheryl, wtg on the mowing. You do have a lot to do. I enjoy all the pictures. Glad the dentist went okay and it's just fillings that you need. Is John watching out the window for the tractor to come? I know he's looking sharp with his haircut and beard trim. And you can research while you wait. It's interesting - my schedule tires you out and I'd have a hard time keeping up with all you do. God does make us all different.
I hope Christina doesn't give up on SS - very few people get it on the first try is what I've heard.
Marcie, what goes in a bean hummus. You had a busy weekend. Enjoy the new clothes. Can you wear comfortable shoes for work or do you have to change whenever you go walking? I like OKP - it's just that's it's one more place to go to. It will take me awhile to make it a habit. I joined moonjoggers yesterday to have a place to record my walking miles so we'll see how that works. I think I have a team set-up if anyone else wants to join (I did the free one). Cisco does not like to be left behind when it comes to walking and yes, your father may not be helping the issue - he's probably laughing behind his door. Bummer on the lady at the market - wonder if she'll catch on she lost business. That's smart to spend some time away from your phone - a lot of people never do - although it can be frustrating too when they aren't by their phone and take a long time getting back to you (talking about my kids). Substitutes in any area are just not as good as our regular. Beautiful park - yes it is dry. We're supposed to get more rain this week - just don't ave a way to ship it.
Have a good day everyone - things are moving along okay here so far.
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Thanks Marcie, this diagnosis is not unexpected, the way he has been going downhill so quickly, I figured something serious was happening.
I mistakenly have been referring to Orange County when my sister is in San Bernardino County. Probably doesn't mean anything to you guys, especially if you are out of state, ha ha ha
I got a lot of info this morning on Loma Linda Cancer Center. They have 3 doctors that specialize in palliative care, just keeping terminal patients comfortable and pain-free. I'm waiting to hear back from them regarding Medicare. I found nothing definitive on the website, so I sent them an email.
Christina's granny lasted 9 months longer than the doctors had predicted, so I'm hoping also, that my dad can last longer and enjoy some the features at the assisted living facility.0 -
Good morning everyone, our trip was uneventful except for the A/C not working starting in the driveway, we paid about $250 and it still isn't working. I am not looking forward to the trip back in the heat and humidity. It is beautiful here and the temps are perfect so I took a walk this morning.
Sannferris-Sorry to hear about your dad.
Mygnsac-Good to hear you enjoyed the park
Isyvanek-I can't wait to see you on Monday.
I'm off to enjoy my day so I will come back later. I hope everyone's day is a great one!0 -
It's late but wanted to drop in a moment and tell Sheryl how sorry I am to hear about your dad! So hard to hear about someone you love. I hope he isn't in any pain and is able to have a lot of quality in whatever time he has left.
I will try to stop in tomorrow, although I am on call at work and may have to stay after my shift is over! Trying to pick out paint colors and have no feeling about any colors so far
I wish the wall would just paint itself and I wouldn't have to decide. The boys are no help, they like everything or they hate everything!
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Good Morning, thank you all for your kind words and concern about my dad. I talked to my sister last night and they want to go ahead with the move. I am so glad. More detail after his appointment tomorrow with the palliative care doctor, the prognosis and whether it's worth trying any treatment or just keeping him comfortable and pain-free. Yes, he is in pain now. And, he's talking about it, that's what really alerted my sister to a major problem. We knew he was suffering before, but he never complained, now, it must be unbearable for him to tell us how bad he's feeling.
I was so impressed at the response I got from my inquiries yesterday. Everyone emailed me or called me back in record time and answered all my questions and was so helpful and compassionate. I forwarded all the info to Norma and she'll pick up the ball from here, since she has all the details on his current doctors and insurance, etc.
Yesterday was exhausting, the tractor arrived at 12:30 pm, it's beautiful. It was delivered with the front loader bucket sitting on top of the pallet forks. So, the photo looks weird, when the tractor is in use, only one implement will be attached to the front, either the bucket or the forks, not the way it is pictured here.
OK, it's not letting me put in the image. I'll try later.
Anyway, we put the tractor in the barn and I came in to read the owner's manual before we mess with taking it out and using it. I need to know how to use it and feel comfortable on it.
When I say yesterday was exhausting, it's because John did his very best to get me to cancel the cataract surgery for today. It was an on and off discussion all day long. I was getting panicky inside, what if I can't get him into the car? What if I can get him there and then he refuses to let them touch him? I kept my cool and I trust we will be alright. The last thing he said last night was asking me what time we have to leave the house to get to his appointment.
I'm going to submit this and then try to edit the photo in.
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Never got it to work on the Dell computer, came over to the HP computer and no problem, but decided to put the photo in another post instead of editing.0 -
Sheryl, that tractor is NICE! I'm glad you were able to get the ball rolling for your Dad. Poor guy must be hurting so bad to let on like that. My Dad is the same. It has to get real bad before he clues me in on it.
I cracked a tooth in half last night (my baby tooth) and have to leave work in a few minutes to go to the dentist. I'm glad he could squeeze me in. I doubt there will be much he can do for the tooth, other than stablize it until I can get in to have it pulled. At the rate I'm going, I'll be in dentures before I hit 60 years old!
Off to the dentist. Ugh.0 -
I hope John went through with it Sheryl!!
The dentist felt my cracked baby tooth could be salvaged (for now anyway). He cleaned it out and put a crown on it. When I ultimately lose that tooth, I'm probably going to either get a bridge or a replacement tooth.
That dentist, who took over for my long time, now retired dentist, is sure trying to rev up business. He keeps putting up booths in the parking lot and redecorated the entire office (it needed it desperately). New paint job, new super comfy chairs (I almost fell asleep in that thing), TV, new dental gadgets, new waiting area, new bathroom (instead of paper towels to dry your hands, they have fresh rolled up hand towels, and they have table in there with all kinds lotions and hand sanitizers, etc. With the drought, I was surprised about those hand towels. They have to be washed, so it would seem more feasible to install a paper towel dispenser. But it was a nice touch.
As I was leaving the dentist's office, at the front counter they had a loaf of freshly made sour dough bread waiting for me (apparently they have an oven in the office and they bake loaves of bread for patients). That really surprised me! Of course, they tell me I can't eat anything for 2 hours, and then say here, have a loaf of warm bread. Ha! Before going back to work I went home to drop off that bread. Dad didn't even wait for me to leave for work before tearing into that thing! Warm bread with butter, had me drooling!
I just popped into La Bou's across the street from work and got a big bowl of cream of asparagus soup. I haven't eaten anything today and I'm starving. As soon as my 2-hour no-food restriction ends (in 15 minutes), I'm diving into that bowl of soup!
It's starting to cloud up outside now. They say we should get some rain later this afternoon on through tomorrow morning. I hope it waits for me to get home from work before it starts.
Better get to work and make up for being gone this morning. You all have a nice day!
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We're home, it all went smoothly. More details in the morning.0
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Good Morning. I'm up really early today. We were so tired yesterday, went to bed early and went right to sleep. The surgery itself took about 10 minutes, but the prep time was over an hour. They took all his vitals and gave him a series of eye drops to numb and dilate the eye, came back in 10 minutes and gave him another series of eye drops. 5-10 more minutes and more eye drops. They offered an oral Percocet to relax any patients with anxiety, but John declined. About 10 more minutes and took him in for the injection in the eye for anesthesia, came back to a big comfy easy chair and took vitals again. John said he was feeling so good, he could take a nap in that big comfy chair. Then, finally, took him into the "operating room" and I went into the viewing room. I was about 6 feet away from him with a glass wall in between us. It was fascinating. Obviously there's a camera feed overhead, directly into his eye and I could see the magnified procedure on a monitor. They made a dvd of it for us to bring home.
We took a long way home, John wanted to go a different route and see the sights. Although, his new good eye was taped shut, he was oohing and aahing over the scenery and I just kept saying wait until tomorrow, it will be better. After the post-op check this morning, we're meeting Carol for breakfast and then we'll go for a drive.
After we got home, I took the tape off and put drops in his eye. The area was still numb and he wasn't blinking yet. If his eye had stayed open, without blinking, I would have taped it shut again, but it just stayed closed. I'm anxious to see how he's blinking this morning when he gets up. I'll put drops in his eye, 4 times a day for a week. And, next Thursday, we do it all over again with his left eye.
I think this next week will be difficult, having one good eye and one bad eye, but our brain is a miraculous thing, it will probably compensate for the difference. I'll see how John functions.
Forecast to be cloudy today, which is good for John's eye. If we are driving around, a bright sunny day may be too much for him right at first. Slight chance of rain tomorrow, so I'll wait and see if I want to take the tractor out and mow. I imagine that I'll wait for really good weather before I pull the tractor out of the barn.
My sister is going to work early today and taking off at 1:00 pm to drive to my folks and take Mom and Dad to the doctor appointment with the Palliative Care doctor. Norma doesn't think Mom and Dad realize the severity of Dad's condition yet, but this doctor should lay it all out on the line for them. I'll talk to them tonight and we'll swap stories, how they are doing and how John is doing.
Marcie, glad the dentist could save the tooth. Hope it lasts a very long time for you. Way too funny, not in a good way, that your dentist gave you a warm loaf of freshly baked bread and you can't eat anything for 2 hours. I'm sure Dad enjoyed it, did he leave even a little morsel? Your soup sounds wonderful, I love asparagus.
Jannie, wouldn't that be great...a wall that paints itself. And, chooses just the right color. If we could manage that, we'd be millionaires. Let's work on that!
Anew, I was looking forward to hearing all about your trip...BUT...Texas to California without A/C. Yuck!!
Good Luck, keep all the windows rolled down. Have the wind blow through your hair and then find a great salon in San Diego just before the wedding.
Debora, your dinner sounds marvelous, tilapia, sweet potato and asparagus. Hmmmmm, I have tilapia in the freezer, and asparagus in the yard, I'll just buy sweet potatoes.
It seems we can not dodge cancer, even at 4-H, so sorry to hear about that mother. Does she have a lot of young kids?
Hi, all you lurkers, wish you'd pop in here and say something.
As usual, my mug needs a refill.
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Woo hoo, it's Friday again!! Do you ever get tired of me woo hoo-ing about Friday?!
My step count was pitiful yesterday. I never got a chance to walk during my work breaks, and it was pouring rain last night so I didn't walk around the neighborhood. Trying to do better today. Our rain storm has passed now, so no excuses tonight. We sure got a lot of thunder and lightening with that storm. It sounded like it was right on top of us. Scared the dog of course.
I just got back from a long walk around the city, and during my walk I discovered a gelato bar I never knew about. Of course I had to pop in and get a scoop of pistachio gelato. Wow, was that ever good. They make it fresh there and it's worth every calorie. A nice little treat.
Dad wanted to go out for dinner last night, so we went to Coco's. As we were leaving to go, the sky looked ominous, so I told him I wanted to grab and umbrella, just in case. He assured me that we would be back before it started to rain, so I went umbrella-less. By the time we left Coco's to get in his truck (parked far out of course), it was raining harder than I'd seen all year. We got drenched! Ha!
When we got home from dinner, Dad harnessed up Cisco for his last walk of the night. When they got back I had a thoroughly drenched dog who was not happy at all. He raced around the house as fast has those little legs would carry him. Luckily he dries fast. I laid a thick beach towel down for him and he rolled around on it for the longest time. I made him wait until he was completely dry before I allowed him to get up on the bed or in his dog bed on the floor. He just laid on the ground giving me the sad doggy stare.
I tried a piece of that sourdough bread the dentist's office gave me yesterday, and it was so good. It's a huge loaf though. It will take Dad and I a while to get through it. He said it was the best sourdough bread he's had in a long time. That's probably because it was homemade and not store bought. We used to have a bread maker. We used it quite a lot the first year or so, then we stopped eating a lot of bread (we mostly eat sprouted grain breads now). I finally donated it to Goodwill a couple years ago when we were in purge-mode.
OKP is starting to bore me now unfortunately. Just not enough people post anything or reply to posts, which is what I suspected would happen. I hope it picks up. I'm sure glad this little group here still chats. I like it better hear than Facebook. I don't get a lot out of posts where people just hit a Like button, but don't actually talk to you. Too impersonal for me.
Deborah, I think you had asked in an earlier email about if I wear the same shoes for work and walking. No. I keep a pair of walking shoes at work and change into them when I go walking. My regular shoes are usually open-toed wedge sandals. I don't like wearing enclosed shoes all day. It bothers my feet.
Sheryl, I'm glad to hear it went well yesterday with John. That was a lot for him to tolerate! I probably wouldn't show him that video until after next week's procedure. Ha! Sounds like it will be a really tough day for your parents, learning of the severity of your Dad's condition. I remember all too well sitting in that room as the Oncologist told my Dad and I there was nothing else he could do for my Mom. She was so far gone at that point, we never relayed that information to her, and she passed on several days later. Such an awful time.
Time to get back to work and finish out this week. Bye y'all!0 -
Good Morning. Yesterday was a great day. John's post-op check went very well, his eye is healing normally and looks good to the doctors. Better yet, John is thrilled with the results and EVERYTHING looks GOOD to him too. He is commenting on everything he sees. Every detail. It's so wonderful, even better than I could have ever imagined. Just wait until his other eye is done and he is completely healed, he'll be a new man!!
The 9 am appointment only took about 15 minutes, so I called Carol when we were done and we met at the café for breakfast. (I ordered my favorite avocado eggs benedict, oh so yummy). We visited for over 2 hours and then started driving. John was amazed at his vision, telling me every detail of what he was seeing. It was fabulous to see this spark in him and rejuvenation. I am so thankful and blessed.
The only problem is the adjustment this next week of having one good eye and still having one bad eye. John keeps putting on his glasses, thinking it will help, but that just makes things worse. So, we will patiently wait for next Thursday's procedure.
We drove north and through areas that we hadn't been before and ended up at Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge, a place where we have been many times, but enjoy it so much, we like to go there again and again. Of course, John doesn't remember, so it's like the first visit for him. It's a 4.2 mile loop drive through a beautiful area. You stop at the info station at the beginning and pick up a free audio CD that will guide you through your drive, telling you what you are seeing at each marker post. At one point, you can park and walk another 1.5 loop trail, which we did yesterday. I thought that we would walk just a little bit down the trail and turn around and walk back, but we ended up walking the entire 1.5 mile loop. Felt Great!!
Well, I'm not able to upload another photo here, I'll submit this and try in another post.
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During the drive, we saw such a variety of birds: ducks, geese, herons and small birds. And saw deer and nutria on the water's edge. John was pointing out stuff that I couldn't see, of course, I needed to keep my eye on the road too.
We got home a little after 4 pm and I knew Norma and Mom and Dad were probably still at their appointment, but I called my folks' house to leave a phone message that I was home and they could call me back last night or today, which ever fit into their schedule. They called at 7 pm. The appointment didn't do what my sister had hoped, laying it all out on the line so she didn't have to try to explain to them. The doctor seemed to dance around the subject and wasn't forthcoming until the very end when my Dad said "OK, what's the bottom line". Long story short, he is on a Rx of Morphine for pain and was told he has months as opposed to years. Norma will make calls on Monday to find out where to go from here. They still plan to visit assisted living on Monday.
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Are you seeing three photos? Only one is coming through for me.0
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I'm back and all the photos appear to be uploaded now.
Marcie, thank you for sharing your experience with your Mom, that must have been so difficult. I'm amazed that you were able to keep it between you and your Dad, I blurt out too much info and spill my guts. So sorry that it all happened so fast, just several days, no time to adjust to the changes.
I agree with you about OKP, I want much more activity when I pop in there. Any site, I want more new news every time I "tune in". I guess I simply check too often and don't give anyone a chance to post. I have to realize that people do "have a life".
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Sheryl, yes, I see all three pics. What a pretty place! Can you get John an eye patch to wear over his bad eye until next Thursday?0
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Hi everyone! Wow, so much going on in just one week!
Sheryl, so very happy to hear that John's cataract procedure exceeded both or your expectations! I was really praying that all would go well and isn't it just like our great Lord to exceed our expectations!
So sorry to hear about your dad. I agree that it would still be a good idea for them to move to the assisted living facility so I hope they make that decision. It looks like a wonderful place.
Too crazy that John all of a sudden said that his stuff is not for sale. God is teaching you patience! Sounds like you're handling it the right way as usual. It was a great idea to tell John that he could go thru the junk in your parent's garage so that he will be willing and even excited to come along.
The pics you posted of the wildlife refuge are stunning! Thanks for sharing.
Debora, you are busy as usual. I can't believe you wore size 3N shoes! My mom wore size 5 and we thought her feet were tiny. She had to shop in the children's shoe section sometimes.
It is interesting that you were right - "the guy" is interested in dating Julie. I think it is to his credit that he wanted to discuss it with you all first. It will be interesting to see how long he waits before asking her out.
Marcie, I never get tired of your "woo-hoo it's Friday". I can SO relate! So cool that your farmer's market is open again and your little farm stand. Did you get some cherries from the farm stand guy? I bet they are fabulous! I was so jealous and our little local Baron's store had them on sale for $1.98 per lb so I was able to get some. I'm sure they aren't as wonderful as yours but I sure enjoyed them anyway.
You are doing really well with your steps! You should be very proud of yourself; and the added benefit of weight loss is the icing on the cake. Yay for you!
I thought it was so very funny that your dentist gives his patients warm fresh bread when they can't eat it. He has got to be a sadist! I love fresh sourdough bread. I thought about getting a bread maker but aside from the fact that I don't really have the counter space for it - I am afraid that we would eat way too much of it!
Nice to see the pics of the park near your work.
Jannie, the blue jean insulation is supposed to be really good environmentally in so many ways. What colors are you considering for your walls? Do you want something really colorful or something like a basic warm off white? We found a color that we liked so well at Frazee paint that we like so much that we have now painted all the interior walls in our last 2 houses this color. It is called "sand rock" which is a nice warm off white. We learned that different whites have different bases such as blue, gray, yellow, and pink, and depending on what base you choose it will give your white a different look. The sand rock has a pink base so the off white is really warm and welcoming (you don't see pink of course).
We had a really nice week. Tuesday the 12th was Dan's birthday so we went to the hamburger factory for dinner along with our friends Jami and Joe. We had a really nice time. The burgers are 1/2 lb and I ate every bit of it! It was SO good! They called it the branding iron - it had sliced jalapenos on it, then pepper jack cheese, then a jalapeno cream sauce on the side to put on it. I certainly got my jalapeno fix! My friend Grace from Florida sent him a home made shell and drift wood wind chime for his birthday and my brother Joe called and sang happy birthday to him. He said he really felt special and loved and that it was one of his best birthdays ever!
I took next week off of work for a staycation and am really looking forward to the R & R. We will get together with Anew and her husband and also Pam Ray and Tere on Monday the 18th so that will be really special. Then Thursday the 21st is our wedding anniversary so we are going to use our last massage coupons and get a couples massage then have dinner out and rent a movie from red box that I have been wanting to see called "The Duff".
We had some really good much needed rain on Friday so that was a real blessing!
We have new neighbors on either side of us. I don't remember if I mentioned we met the neighbors on the west side a month or so ago. Young couple with a 14 month old girl and a bun in the oven. The neighbors on the east side moved in today. A couple with 2 boys about 8 and 13. They seem very nice. We welcomed both families to the neighborhood when they moved in and look forward to a good neighbor relationship with both families. I had been praying ever since they became vacant that the Lord would bless us with good neighbors.
Well, I think I have rambled on long enough! I'm always afraid it is going to time out and lose all my stuff but so far, so good. Talk to you all later.0
