Guess Who Began His Last Year as a Teenager Today!

Woody and I headed over to Graham's house mid morning today. I thought that the rain had stopped, but was surprised when we stepped outside on our way to the car. I had been downstairs and was busy and guess I hadn't glanced outside. Earlier I had stuck my head out the door to see what the temperature was and it wasn't raining then...just quite humid. Woody had accepted their invitation saying we would go IF the weather was okay. Once he got out in it and had already gotten wet, he said that he would go. Nathan helped him get inside...I went on ahead so I didn't get very wet...but Woody isn't very fast these days so he did get a bit wet. Nathan got him a towel to dry off his hair! Graham opened his presents first as Abigail had to go to work. She works at a little grocery store at the end of their road so Kathy used our car to take her rather than switch cars around in the rain. After presents we had cake and ice cream. We sat around and talked for a while. They showed us some of their animals...new little baby chicks.

I'll end tonight's blog by wishing Graham a BIG happy 19th birthday. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Friday Doings

It has been a day of doing a little of this and a little of that...a few things accomplished but not a lot. It has been a rainy day...a good day to stay at home and putter around the house. i have done some relocating of some items...always abit dangerous...will I remember where they are when I need them next!?! I am trying to set up things around my recliner so they are easier to get to for whatever I am doing...at the moment doing a lot of cross stitch. So I'm trying to make things handier and not so piled up on the table next to my chair...trying to introduce one of our TV trays into the scheme of things. Repositioning things mean that it is a good time to vacuum under things. So at the moment it is a bit hard to get around in the room with things pulled out and the vacuum in the midst of all that. I wanted the TV tray in a place that wouldn't be very easy to move if I wanted it in front of me so am rethinking...trying something else before I fanagel it into a tight space. Well, it has kept me busy! Woody spent quite a while upstairs this morning doing his puzzles in front of the laptop and looking around the internet checking out happenings in the Cardinal baseball world. Once he came downstairs, it was lunch time and time to once again get connected for today's dialysis. He spent the afternoon reading, watching TV, etc. This evening he is watching Firday evening news programming. I cooked a pork roast this afternoon and steamed some asparagus. I enjoyed the meal...Woody wasn't up to a meal...at least not yet. He said that it felt like his lunch still had him too full. His appetite seems to have dwindled once again. But if any of us had as much fluid in our abdomens, we probably wouldn't want to add more by eating either! I have a little more in the kitchen to do before I close it down for the evening. Then I'm heading back upstairs to the mess that I have created! One other thing that I did today was message our doctor and tell her about the reaction that it seems like I had to the vaccine. I havent heard back from her or her office...but it is Friday...not the best day to correspond with a doctor. The message will be there Monday morning for her staff to deal with as they choose! Our daughter is supposed to get her first Covid vaccine tomorrow...she is part of her county school system's vaccinating their teachers. I just got a drop-down message from my sister. She and her husband got their first vaccine today. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Make Way for Ducklings

This morning I had to S.O.S. Nathan because Woody's walker needed some attention that we couldn't do on our own. On the back legs of the walker there are two little "skis" to help the legs move across floors easier. Well, Woody purs so muc pressure on the walker that sooner of later the walker legs cut down through the ski and you have to replace them. We had the replacement that we needed, but ended up not having the skill or wherewithall to do it. We just managed to break off the little plastic on the outside which made it hard to get ahold of the plastic that was up in the leg. Nathan managed to do it and once again Woody is "gliding (?) along with his walker! Nathan brought along Esther, Isaac and Joseph and Esther, Isaac, and Joseph brought along the newest and youngest of their managerie...four little ducklings. Isaac doesn't look very happy in the photo of the three of them and one of the ducklings...but he was acting happy so I'm guessing I just caught him between smiles! The three children ended up going across the street to show their friends the ducklings and to play a bit while we got Nathan to do a coupld of "sonny-do" jobs. He changed an overhead lightbulb for me and he raked some leaves for his daddy. They pulled away all too soon. I will never get used to them not just walking next door to go home. It was a beautiful morning. Woody and I sat on the font porch while they were here. So nice to feel Spring in the air! Woody got a call today from Dr. Holt, his surgeon who has removed tumors from his arm bone and repaired damage done by radiation to a leg bone. They were requesting an appointment with her. We explained that we had just been to see Dr. Wyman and that he indicated that he didn't feel it necessary to go to see her at this time. And, I told her that Woody was planning to get his treatments here in Tullaoma. She said that she would tell Dr. Holt and let her discuss this with Dr. Wyman. Now we will see if we hear back from her! Woody is well into today's dialysis treatment...just a couple more hours to go. I have a little more to do in the kithen and then I am ready to retreat to my recliner till it is time to disconnect him. I have been going through old cross stitch books...trying to figure out what I will stitch next...after all I need to at least think about the next stitch since I am more than half-way through what I am stitching now! Got to plan ahead...especially if I have to order linen to stitch it on. I found several things that I am considering. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! (And, I do know that today is Thursday! It was so strange as to how late it was before I realized that it was Wednesday yesterday!)

Busy Day

We have been busy dealing with lots of different medical details. Woody called TN Oncology this morning. They had to establish him as a new patient even though he has been a patient of theirs. New condition to be treated = New patient status. The one good thing is that they have him in their records and one of the needed items, a release form, is already on file. When they called him back, he got an appointment next week to meet with Dr. Eze. All that arranging happened while I was sitting on the front porch enjoying spring-like weather while talking with Ruth. We had a nice chat...good to catch up in person! I got Woody's dialysis treatment set up and then went to our pharmacy to pick up two prescriptions for Woody. I decided that while I was there I would ask our favorite pharmacist about a possible reaction to the Covid vaccine that I thought that I was having. Ten or more days after I had the vaccine, I got an itchy, red, warm to the touch oval around the area on my arm where they gave me the shot. I "googled" this symptom and found out that it was called: Covid Arm. I just went on and didn't think much more about it. Then my whole right arm started itching and then I realized that it was probably my psoriasis rearing its ugly head. When the pharmacist looked at my right arm (the one I got the vaccine in) and it is covered from back of hand up to upper arm with red bumps and my left hand and arm only have a couple of places on them, she felt like it was definitely a reaction to the vaccine...that it had triggered flare of this autoimmune disease. She gave me information to be able to report it, which I did this afternoon online. I also attempted to take a picture of my right arm...ever tried to take a picture of your right arm...not easy...just saying! The redness of my whole arm is less and it isn't quite so itchy today...maybe it is calming down? My other medical "business" today was to make another order for Woody's dialysis supplies. That monthly order seems to roll around really often. I got the supplies ordered and hopefully we figured them right. Woody didn't finish his dialysis till 2am this morning. I had hoped that he would try to sleep during his treatment last night, but he said that he didn't think that he could sleep. In the end I slept in a bit later than usual this morning. I'm afraid that I am going to be confused tomorrow...Donna and I just had our Wednesday "library chat." I'm wondering if tomorrow will feel like Wednesday or not! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! ok...I am laughing...just realized that today is Wednesday...guess I thiught it was Tuesday all day long! The doctor appointment yesterday must have thrown me off? Well, anyway that wikl be my story and I'm sticking to it!

At a Crossroad...Perhaps Out of Vanderbilt Loop

Today has been a traveling day...most of our time away was spent on the road. The Vanderbilt visit was very short--just a little over an hour spent there including the visit with Dr. Wyman. Dr. Wyman feels that Woody should go through immunotherapy tretments again. With melanoma you sort of have to assume that it is in other places. The immunotherapy that Woody had before was Keytruda and that was the direction that Woody and the doctor were leaning at the end of the appointment, though there is another possible one that he could take. The next thing that wa addressed was whether he could receive these treatments here in Tullahoma as we know that Tennessee Oncology does give Keytruda. Woody would like to eliminate the traveling time from these treatments. Dr. Wyman was in agreement that he could have the treatments here in Tullahoma...BUT that it wouldn't be through Vanderbilt and that he would have to see if the oncologist tht he has seen before can take Woody on as a patient. So at the moment he is without a doctor...sort of! He will call TN Oncology tomorrow and see about becoming Dr. Eze's patient and having records transferred here. It is sort of strange not to be affiliated with Vanderbilt after so many years! Though, when Woody was being treated at The NIH he was dropped from Vanderbilt. After NIH he was reaffiliated with Vandy which can happen again if something else arises and we can move back to Dr. Wyman! Instead of fruit basket turnover we are in the midst of doctor turnover! Now about today's photos. We had quite an adventure with trains on our return trip home. Woody decided to take the back roads home and get away from all the semis on the interstate. We also needed to make a stop at Kroger in Murfreesboro to see if they had any pineapple juice, Woody's juice of choice in the mornings these days. Our Kroger had none yesterday. So we stopped...wow! what a difference in Krogers! It took me the longest time to find their juice...aisle 29! We don't have even half that many aisles in our Kroger! Anyway, finally found it and we were on our way. We traveled right along with me snapping photos of barns, etc. as we went along the country road. During this trip we have to cross the railroad track both in Bell Buckle and then in Wartrace. What are the odds of being stopped by trains at both of these crossings? Well, for us the odds were pretty good today. The crossing bars started coming down just as we got to the crossing...almost on the nose of our car! Well, train 3262 was really long and we got to sit there from the engine to the last car. Got across and heading once again toward home and got to the crossing that took us back across the railroad tracks. And lo and behold there was another train coming...this time toward Nashville. Woody just automatically turned off the car as this one wasn't going as fast as the last train so depending on its length it would take even longer! There are two tracks at this crossing and after a while we realized that a train was coming the other direction on the other tracks...it was train 3262...AGAIN! And, at this point it was going really slow and soon it came to a complete stop. The other train was still passing by and it continued for quite a while. Finally the end of the second train was in sight and cleared the crossing and then train 3262 could get underwy again. It still took a very long time for it to clear the crossing and we could get underwy again. I'm sure that we sat at both crossings combined for longer than 30 minutes. We have been caught by trains here before...one time when we were taking the scenic drive when we were taking my sister to the airport. That day we had to leave the line of cars and find another way back to the interstate so we could get to the airport on time. Most of the time when we go this way we don't get caught by trains but when we do..! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! We found out today that Dr. Wyman has had Covid. He said that many of his colleagues had gotten it. He said that one of the nurses in the infusion clinic had died from it...she was only 36. We told Dr. Wyman that Covid was the reason that we hadn't come to see him in a while and he said that he understood and thought it best that we hadn't! He has had both of his vaccines now.

Back to the New Normal

Finally we were able to be out and about today after all the snow and ice of last week. I hadn't been to the grocery store in three weeks so that was at the top of my "to-do list" for today. I got Woody's dialysis treatment going and got him lunch (he wanted Arby's--not exactly on his list of "ok foods," but he follows his diet quite well that a slip once in a while is okay. After I delivered his lunch, I headed to the Credit Union and then to Kroger. We needed quite a few things since it had been so long since I had been to the store. On my way to the store I got two "warning" messages from the car = "low gas" and "low air in a tire." We knew that we were going to have to get gas tomorrow before we headed off for Nashville, but were unaware of the low tire. After I got home from the store and had lugged in the grocery bags (quite a few!), I called Nathan to come to our rescue about the tire and since he was coming to air up the tire, I asked if he would get the gas too. He added in another job...wash the car...on his way back from getting gas, he called Kathy and had her get a car wash crew ready to wash off the car. The car had been a target of many, many, many birds...and they hit their target many, many, many times! It is so good to have it washed off. And, just think that it was warm enough to do it, though still not a balmy summer day temperature wise. Nathan said that none of the kids got wet! That seems like a miracle if they pulled that off without getting wet! All the groceries are put away. The car has gas, has been washed, and has correct air in all of the tires. So I guess that means we are good to go for tomorrow's appointment with Dr. Wyman, Woody's melanoma doctor, tomorrow afternoon. It shouldn't be a very long appointment since we are one of his first appointments of the day and the fact that there are no scans ordered or labs. I have a feeling that he will have labs done before we leave, but we will see. Maybe the labs the surgeon took will be enough, but I doubt it! We have had supper and my recliner is calling...haven't seen it since early this morning! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

A Sparkling Morning

The trees were sparkling and the bird visitors were quite colorful, also! It was so good to see sunshine and shadows and blue sky! The scene looks peaceful...but...looks can be deceiving! It was a very noisy day with all the snow and ice melting and falling to the ground...a bit dangerous to walk around outside as snow and/or ice could plop on your head at any moment. There was even a time when the birds left our feeders and weren't around for a while and I think that it was just too noisy for them. The loudest, when in the house, was when the snow/ice was melting on the roof and it began sliding down the slope of the roof. By mid afternoon most of the plops and slides were about done...then it was mainly just drips...almost like it was raining at times. I did manage to get our walkway cleared enough to make it to the driveway (which cleared sooner because it is black. There was still a patch of icy slush at the place where the walkway meets the driveway and I avoided that by walking on the grass at the edge of the walkway. I was leary about doing that since I knew that I was probably creating icing on the bottom of my shoes...but I stomped and that seemed to take care of it and I didn't feel like I would slip so I headed on out to the mailbox. And, for all that effort there was literally nothing in the mailbox after three days of mail that was worth going out for...but at least I was out and about for a few minutes. I also got my new bird feeder filled that Melany and family gave me for Christmas. I did see a little chickadee feed from it but didn't get a picture of it at the feeder...another day! Here's a photo of the new feeder:

We have both just done our usual--as little as possible! I enjoyed a time of stitching...last year at this time I couldn't find enough time to read as much as I wanted to and this year it seems that when I sit down to take a break I am picking up my cross stitch rather than a book. That's just the way it goes...can't do both at the same time...unless I listen to a book and listening to books isn't my favorite way to read. I find when I am in the middle of an audio book, I wander to "do something" and then miss out on part of the story. And, it is a pain to back up and find out what you missed. So usually when I am stitching I am "watching" something on my iPad...these days I am enjoying Flosstube (cross stitch YouTube). I stand I stand in amazement as to the resurgence that is happening with cross stitch. There was a time after I sort of stopped stitching that it seemed to be dying out. That does not seem to be the case presently. I think that the pandemic has increased its popularity because if you have supplies you can stitch...I have had to purchase very little. And, as far as those purchases, I didn't leave my house to make them, as there are so many places to purchase cross stitch/needlework supplies online. I already had the graph that I am stitching currently and had most of the floss, but needed fabric to stitch it on. I ordered it along with a couple of colors of floss that I was low on and it was delivered several days later. While I was waiting I finished up the piece that I was working on that I had bought linen and floss for several years back. I can literally stitch for some time without having to make any purchases...I have a good supply of graphs, floss, and even some fabrics on hand...so stitching has been a very good pandemic activity. Reading was even easier with being able to download e-books. I have had reading material and stitching material on hand throughout this whole pandemic safer at home time. No reason to get bored in this household...at least for me...plenty to do. And, of course, if I was really bored, I could always do some cleaning!!!!! (I'd rather stitch and just do the bare minimum of cleaning!) Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Progression of the Snow

The first picture shows the snow coming down to beat the band on Wednesday evening...an hour or so after I blogged.

The middle photo I took yesterday afternoon after the road started to melt a little where the cars had traveled over it.

And, the bottom photo was taken this afternoon. Definitely our roads are clearing up. But the snow still hasn't disappeared all that much. "They" said that it would get above freezing today, but I don't think that it ever did so some melting took place since the sun came out, but not enough for our front walkway or our steps, or our driveway ever cleared off. Thus I stayed inside once again...not worth risking a fall to go get the mail! That is three days this week that I didn't feel it was safe to walk down to the mail box. That doesn't happen very often! I continue to feel like I am in a bubble within a bubble...snowed-in bubble within the Covid safer at home bubble! I did write up a synopsis of this week's Sunday School lesson and send it out to our class members. Our teacher, Marie, was still without electricity and taking an unplanned vacation at a local hotel! Areas surrounding us that are very wooded had a lot of trees down which means downed power lines. I have spent a lot of time in my stitching chair (recliner) today. I now have a lady bug and a bunny stitched and have started on the fox. Woody has spent a lot of time in his dialysis/reading/TV/puzzle working chair (recliner) today. We started his dialysis early again today so he will probably be finished in a little over an hour. He will have a late start on Tuesday due to his appointment in Nashville. He will decide then if he wants to start having his dialysis over night or work his way back to just after lunch. We chose to do it early this week so he would have as many hours of dialysis in the daylight as possible just in case we had to do manual exchanges. I felt like they would go better if I could see what I was doing! Melany called this afternoon to tell us that she has an appointment to get her first Covid vaccine. Rutherford County is now accomodating teachers with appointments on Saturdays so they don't have to leave school to get them. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

After the Snow

We did get the snow predicted. It really came down for several hours and we probably got 3 or even 4 inches...made everything pretty and white. I missed getting to see the grandchildren having a grand time in the snow. Our birds were very happy that I filled all the feeders yesterday. They really flocked in today...many varieties. I just looked out the window and it is snowing again. It did get to and a little above freezing today so we did get a little meltig. The trees are no longer so heavy with ice. I did hear branches fall a couple of times today. I think that it looks like we may have a small tree down in the back yard. But so far we have managed to have the power stay on. Several of my friends have not been so lucky...several are still "camping out" at hotels here in town. Others have generators and/or fireplaces and have managed to stay warm. And, some power has gone off and on and off and...I'm just thankful that ours has stayed on and we haven't had to resort to manual dialysis. Woody had his telemed doctor appointment. His team seemed pleased with his lab results. They continue to trend in a positive direction. Dr. O talked to him from his car. He was at the hospital due to so many patients going there when they couldn't get to dialysis at the center due to the weather. The nurse pointed out another positive of having at-home dialysis...don't have to leave home in bad weather. I then said, yes, but we still had to worry about power going out and she said that we had manual dialysis to tall back on. I said that what concerned me was having power go out in the middle of dialysis. She said "just drain and begin again! Glad that we haven't had to resort to that...yet...Anyway, it is an interesting world with what tech can do...today we had an appointment with 5 different people...4 at the same time...only one was in a clinic setting, two were in their homes, and the doctor was in his car...and, of course we were at home. One thing I noticed was that I had trouble recocnizing the members of his team...after we "hung up" from our appointment, I realized that it was because I had never seen all of any of their faces before. We started all this during Covid so we have always worn masks. The ony one on the team that I recognized was the doctor and we have known him for years. Woody will have to go into the kidney center some time next week to get his shot that helps to keep him from being so anemic. Unusual for Tullahoma, but the city schools have been out of school all week...one day for Presidents' Day and the rest were "snow days.". Tullahoma doesn't let out as easily as the surrounding county schools because it has no school buses. It still seems strange to have a second reason to be "safer at home!". I still feel like I am in a bubble within a bubble...haven't felt like doing much today so just haven't! After all it is a snow day! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious. I'm still hearing of friends who have Covid...one is in the local hospital with double pneumonia and on oxygen...younger than me (meaning that she isn't in her 70's) Another friend told me that her brother-in-law has Covid and is in ICU in AZ. Cases seem to be going down some, but still not down enough!

Battening Down the Hatches...Once Again

We have made it through the first storm and now a second one is on our doorstep! We are hoping that this one is more snow than ice. We have been getting winter weather warnings off and on all day...heavy mixed percipitation...last I heard they were predicting more snow than ice...but when the ice falls makes a lot of difference in road conditions...ice first and then snow is not a good thing. And, of course, ice on top of the ice that is still on our trees is not a good thing. I looked out about 20 minutes ago and nothing had started here yet. I looked out just a minute ago and it has started to snow...no clicking on the windows or siding so that is good...silence is golden and in this instance silence is snow! There is stilll a lot of power outage around us. So far our power has stayed on. Woody is once again nearing the end of today's dialysis treatment. We got a phone call from one of Woody's dialysis nurses and she was attempting to rearrange appointments...either do telemed visits or reschedule appointments. We are going to attempt to do a telemed visit tomorrow morning on my iPad. I hope that we can figure it out! I did some cooking today...trying to have food on hand, but not too much that might spoil in case the power goes out. These snow days make it seem really strange...sort of like safer at home surrounded by another safer at home bubble. Good days to read and stitch and keep warm! We are faring well...at least so far. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Faucets are Dripping!

Having trouble getting a photo to post. I will go on and write the blog and then try again with the photo. Hoping that this isn't an indication that internet is having problems. I am sort of sitting here holding my breath hoping that power continues to stay on. Several of my friends are without power and have been for over 24 hours...not good! I don't think that our temperatures even rose out of the teens today. We have stayed put and haven't even stepped outside. I decided that I wouldn't take the garbage can to the road today for tomorrow's pick up...didn't want to face the cold or take a chance of falling if there are icy patches. Our front sidewalk was still covered with either snow or ice. We woke up to the yard and road being snow covered so at some point in the wee hours it snowed. We started Woody's dialysis early again today so he is is in his 4th cycle so nearing the end...once again it looks like we wil make it through another of his dialysis treatments without losing power. We are getting warnings of another storm coming through tomorrow. Crazy, crazy weather! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! Photo posted!

Beautiful...BUT...!

Right now if you look out our windows you will see the trees glistening if a light is hitting them...but I sit inside holding my breath that power stays on! If you have ever been without power for almost a week due to an ice storm, you don't forget it AND you sit in dread of the words, "ice storm!". Woody and I decided to get his dialysis underway a couple of hours early since the storm hadn't gotten to us yet and we knew the more of his cycles we could get through before possibiity of power outage the better. At this point in his cycles he is nearing the last drain time and then it will be time to disconnect him for tonight and we will have avoided having to do manual dialysis at leasat for today. Yesterday in the early afternoon, we received a call from one of Woody's Fresenius Kidney Care nurses. She was checking to be sure that we have enough supplies on hand to be able to do manual dialysis in case of a power outage. I decided that I had better review the manual method so got out the instructions and also opened up the boxes with the solution for manual exchanges...there is a whole different set of rules and supplies if we hafe to do it the "old-fashioed way if the electricity goes out. I went on and got out the supplies for one manual treatment so we would have them in reach...just in case! Hopefully being prepared will mean that we won't have to do it this way! We have heard several loud cracks...maybe a branch hit the roof one time...I could never see what caused the noise we both heard. I'm hoping that tonight won't be like it was so many years ago...all night long you could hear loud popping sounds...like canons going off. It was branches snapping and falling. Tonight's photos show the first time this afternoon that I noticed that ice was beginning to build up on the branches. I attempted to take a photo out the front door of the dogwood tree sparkline in the light from the street light. I will insert it here to give you an idea of what it looks like everywhere a light hits the trees at this point in what we are getting...not a good. picture...but carries the "idea" of what it looks like!

I just heard sirens go down the road behind our house. This is not a night to be out and about! I just got an alert from Bedford County (not our county) that driving is extremely hazardous and that there were trees and lines down and to stay home if at all possible. I'm not sure about our roads. Before the sun went down they were okay, I think. The tempertures are supposed to really drop tonight. I'm all about staying in and staying safe...just hoping that we will be able to have light and heat while staying safe! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

A Finish and a New Start

Just a few moments ago, I put the last stitches in my Shepherdess Sampler...my goal for the day...finish her and start my next cross stitch piece. I have met the first part of the goal and it won't be hard to get at least a few stitches into my new project. The new project (bottom photo) is totally different from what I have been doing. It is a cross stitch interpretation of a Charley Harper print. I am pretty much a traditionalist in my likes, but for some reason I have always been attracted to Charley Harper's art work...often stylized birds...specifically cardinals and usually they are flying in the picture in an unusual angle. I was attracted to this graph when I first saw it in Just CrossStitch Magazine...many, many years ago (the March/April 1986 issue). When going through my cross stitch magazines a few months back, I was attracted to it again and put it aside. The cross stitch industry has changed a lot since I was so "into" cross stitch. One of the new things that I am curious about is the overdyed linen...we mainly stitched on white, cream, and what was called dirty and/or natural linen. Now they are taking these neutral linens and overdying them with various dyes and also natural dyes (like coffee and tea). The name of the piece that I am going to stitch is called "Space for all Species." Since it has an environmental message, I decided that one of the overdyed fabrics that were green and sort of camo looking might work for this piece. So I perused online cross stitch shops and found what I thought might work. My order arrived yesterday and I think that it is going to work very well. I plan to use this piece when stitched for a pillow top. I look forward to getting started on it. I forgot to mention in the blog an interesting call we received yesterday from our pharmacy. They were checking on their customers (I'm sure of a certain age) to see what their status is for the Covid vaccine. I told her that we had gotten our first and had an appointment for the next. I did inquire as to whether they were going to be getting some of the vaccines and she said yes and that they were checking to see how many of their customers needed one and wanted to get them at the pharmacy. That would have been my first choice, but the last I checked it was still an indetermined amount of time till they got them. I am glad to hear that the vaccines will be more easily accessed than having to go to the next town. Today I was busy upstairs and heard a knock of the door...my first thought was which grandchild had info to share with us! But it was someone who wanted to know if we were interested in selling our Ford Taurus which is parked on the street. The reason it is parked on the street is that the last time we went to use it, it wouldn't start so it is sitting there awaiting warmer weather when it will be more conducive to putting in a new battery! Never know what one will be asked when going to the front door! It has been a quiet day here...mainly sitting around...Woody reading, watching sports, doing puzzles and having his dialysis treatment of the day. I have done a little...very little around the house...mostly stitching in order to complete my little sampler. And, once I publish this, I will probably go back to stitching and start my newest project. I have to decide if I am going to stitch it in hand or put it in a roller frame. The thread count on this linen is also very small. It looks smaller than what I was just stitching on, but I think that is because it is a tighter weave...at the moment the holes at the intersections of threads are hard to see. I'm hoping under my magnifyer and also once I have got some stitches in the holes will open up! I'm going to start on the lady bug. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

More News Shared!

This morning we got a call from Nathan saying that he and Joy wanted to stop by...that Joy had something to tell us. This time I guessed before they got here. Just after Joy turned 15 (5 months ago), I told her to be sure to let us know when she got her driving permit...so that was my guess. Woody continued to guess "his guess:" that she wanted to tell us she has a date. I won this time. Joy had just gotten her driver's permit. She drove for the first time on a "real" road after she left our house. She drove from our house to her house. Exciting growing up time in sweet Joy's life! A little after they left I was putting some things away in the pantry and noticed someone walk past our window. It ended up being a friend and also Nathan and Kathy's realator. He was hoping that we still had a key to their house (next door)...the lock box had frozen shut and he couldn't get in the house and had an appointment to show it. So I guess it was good that we had a key still. He brought it back. I think that he wants us to have one in case something like this happens again! Vanderbilt made two robo calls, again, today wanting us to make appointments...which I have already made the one we are going to make at this point. I wonder how many times they will call with those reminders. Soon we should be getting the phone reminders to go to the appointment that they are telling us to make! This afternoon after I got Woody's dialysis treatment going, I decided that I wanted to cross stitch. I am getting closer to finishing the sampler that I am working on and I want to go on and get it finished as tomorrow was supposed to be the day that some new linen, that I plan to stitch my next needlework project on, was supposed to arrive in the mail. I was also waiting for a screen protector for my iPad. Well, they both came in this afternoon's mail. So now I really want to get my sampler finished so I can start my new cross stitch. I did put the screen. protector on and it went on very well...no bubbles. This is a screen protector that makes it seem like you are writing on paper when you use the Apple pencil. And, it does that...I still haven't gotten used to the rougher feel when I use my fingers on the screen...but it is definitely easier to write on the screen. Before it was sort of like writing on ice. This is supposed to keep fingerprints off the screen and also cut down on glare. Time will tell as to how I like it, but pleased at the moment especially how easy it was to apply it to the screen. we have had supper and are now settling in for the evening until it is time to disconnect Woody from today's treatment. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious1

Thursday, I Think!

Several times today I thought that it was Thursday...not sure why...oh, well, it doesn't make a lot of difference mowt days what day it is, anyway. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen today. Put dishes away including some that go up high in a cabinet. I had been letting a few of those gather on the counter under that cabinet till I had enough energy to get the stool out to be able to reach...but today was the day. I also mopped the kitchen floor. I had "been meaning" to do that job for several days, too. Then I got things ready to make a skillet dinner recipe. In the end only I ate that as Woody decided that it was time for one of his protein shakes. Just before I got Woody's dialysis going this afternoon, Abigail texted me and asked if she could stop by as she had some news to share. She and Nathan stopped by just a little after his treatment was underway for today. She definitely had me curious as to what she would share. Woody guessed that she was coming to tell us that she had a date! He was wrong. She came to tell us that she will graduate from high school in August. She will have just two more classes to take when this semester is over and she has chosen to do the class work on them between now and August. She is very excited to get high school behind her. The other funny thing that she showed us...that one of their new goats had gotten a hold of a small section of her hair and had given her a bit of a hair cut...so not all her hair is the same length. Oh, the joys of farm life? Not the life for me...that I definitely know! This morning we go two recorded calls from Vanderbilt...about five minutes apart. The message was to call two different numbers to make appointments with two different doctors. I did call to make the appointment with Dr. Wyman. Woody wanted to see him first as he is his melanoma doctor and let him make decisions as what comes next. That appointment is in a couple of weeks. Woody did tell me today that his arm that had been hurting for sometime when he put pressure on it (like when he is using his walker, etc.) was no longer hurting. He feels that the benign cyst must have been what was hurting, since after the surgeon removed it, it had stopped hurting. I know that he is glad for that. The appointment scheduler asked if we preferred a morning appointment or an afternoon appointment. I, at first, said morning and then remembered that Dr. Wyman only sees patients after lunch. I said that to the scheduler and he checked and said I was right! Been there done all this many times! Then he asked me if we knew where the appointment was located and I told him that we did...unless the cancer center had changed location in the last year...he said they were still in the same place! When I told Woody that we only had an appointment with Dr. Wyman and no labs or scans, his comment was, "Good, at least we won't have to walk the long hall!" I have a feeling that he will have labs before we leave that day, but that is just across the hall from where we see the doctor. And, valet parking makes it very convenient to not have to walk too far before coming to the check-in area and then just a short walk across the hall to the BIG waiting room to see the doctor. I guess you can say that our Vanderbilt loop has begun...once again! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Positively Wednesday

i know for positive that it is Wednesday. Why? Because Donna and I had our "library phone chat" this afternoon. We did discuss the library...just a little! For me the day after a doctor visit that takes us away from the house for quite a few hours is a down day...never seem to have much energy to do a whole lot the next day! I did make a big batch of high protein pancakes for Woody this morning. And, then this afternoon I made breakfast sausage. So Woody is set for breakfast for several days...at least! I just got the kitchen all cleaned up and the dishwasher loaded and running before I came upstairs to write the blog. We did get one Vanderbilt call today to schedule an appointment, but it was the follow-up appointment with the surgeon in May. So at this point we haven't heard about any other appointments. When I stepped out the door this afternoon to check the mail and to roll the garbage can back, I found a package on the doormat. It was the missing boxes of gloves from the order that was delivered yesterday. When I put away the supplies, I realized that they didn't sent the number of boxes of gloves that they said they would send. And, I knew that I couldnt get through the next month with the number I had...but that problem was solved without me even having to say anythiing! I like it when problems get solved with next to no effort! Woody has worked his crossword puzzles today and has done some reading and has also worked on a puzzle book that he got for Christmas. During my "down times" I worked some more on my Shepherdess Sampler. It's coming right along. The other night when I siad that there were 40 x's in every inch, that was incorrect, at least for most of this sampler, as I am stitching over two threads...so it is 20 little bit larger x's per inch. There is a little stitching over 1 thread and those I don't cross, but there are 40 little slanted stitches in an inch in that area. The shepherdess is finished except for her eyes and I have started stitching the tree. Now I am back working on filling in all the rest of the bottom area around the shepherdess with green for the grass...then it is the rest of the tree trunk, the leaves, two clouds, and then fill in the sky with blue stitches. I continue to enjoy working on this piece. For the most part it has been a very quiet day. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Doctor Visit Pretty Much What Was Expected

I did see the pathology reports prior to going to see the surgeon today so we pretty much knew what to expect the doctor to say...part of the report was easy to understand and then there was some medical mumbo jumbo! We knew that the pathology report didn't show up anything new. The one new place that shown as a "hot spot" on the PET scan was benign and the extra area that he reexcised was clear. Of course, that is good news...BUT it is melanoma and melanoma isn't something to just say it is all gone and will stay away so he wants Woody to follow up with two of his doctors at Vanderbilt...both his melanoma doctor and his orthopeadic surgeon (she did surgery on his arm and leg). The melanoma spot that was removed does seem to be a totally different type of melanoma than what he had before. But it is also an aggresive melanoma so it isn't something to just sit back and watch and see what happens. The doctor said that if it was one type that it has a 50% chance of recurring and if it is another type that it has a 70% chance of recurring...not the best odds...that is the name of the game with melanoma! He also wanted to check out some other things so ordered some bloodwork that Woody had done today before we headed home. Dr. Kelley's scheduler is taking care of making the appointments with Dr. Wyman (melanoma) and Dr. Holt (bone)...sometime in the next month. So...exactly what I expected...back in the Vanderbilt loop...been there done that...deja vu all over again! Before we left this morning I got Woody's dialysis treatment all set up so all we had to do when we got home was get him connected to it. I guess we will have a bit later evening since we were about 1-1/2 hours later than usual. I checked our answering machine as soon as we got back as I needed to know if the Fresenius delivery person had called. Our delivery is scheduled for tomorrow, but he always tries to deliver it today so he doesn't have to come here early in the morning. He had called and I tried to call him back as he requested but didn't get him. An hour or soo after we got home, the doorbell rang and it was the delivery man. He said that he decided to take a chance and drive by to see if we were home. I'm glad he did! So we have our next month's delivery...though they shorted me two boxes of gloves...we'll see if I can make it with the number of gloves that they did put in the order. Ir will be cutting it close. I got all the supplies put away. I took the trash to the road and took out all the boxes, that we had gone through in the past week, out for recycle. Our entire day is mixed up...with a big hole missing out of the middle! We didn't eat lunch till 3pm...so meals are all off. When my reminder rang at 4:30 I was surprised that it was that late. Breaking into routine is hard on internal clocks! I'll bet we had better start getting used to these breaks in routine. I must admit that I don't look forward to those long Vanderbilt days again...we so often had 8+ hours away for appointments. The last year off from Vanderbilt appointments has been nice...I guess a gift of 2020! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Monday Rolls Around...Again

It seems like everytime we turn around another Monday rolls around. Today was a cooking day for me. It was time to make something with the sourdough starter so I made waffles that I can put in the freezer and pull out when I feel like having them for breakfast. Our fridge was just about bare once again so that means that it is time to start cooking something again. I made a hamburger-hominy bake...leans toward Mexican in flavor. Even Woody said that it was good. While I was in the midst of making the casserole, the doorbell rang and I opened it to find Nathan, Kathy, Isaac and JOseph on the other side of the door. They came in and visited for a while. I visited while I continued to make our supper. After I got the casserole preparations done, I went upstairs to sit and stitch for a while. My little sampler is coming along. I added a sheep and some grass and some sky this afternoon. Yesterday I finished the house...now for the shepherdess and a tree and more sky and grass...I could say, "and I will be done," but that is lots of little x's so it will still be a while till it is done. To show how small the little x's are...it takes 40 of them in a line to measure an inch. I am thankful for a very good magnifying light! But I have discovered that I rarely wear my glasses when I stitch these days...but the magnifier is necessary...along with the light that it provides. Woody has had a quiet day...mainly sittig in his recliner, though he did fix his own breakfast and lunch and made it upstairs for a while to print his crossword puzzles and to check out email, baseball sites, etc. on the internet. Kathy just texted me with news that someone she knew from her BSF Bible study had passed away from Covid today...we're not out of the woods yet! So...Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Saturday

Tonight's photo intrigues me...not a barn...but cows taking shelter on a very cold day...using the truck for a wind break, I believe. Today has been a stay at home kind of day. Woody said that he didn't sleep very well since he couldn't get comfortable due to his arm hurting from the vaccine...he sleeps on his side...and his arm that he got his shot in is on that side...can't sleep on the other due to it having had the surgery and also all the hardware that is in his upper arm. So he really didn't have a side to sleep on...and, he has to sleep on his side as he has severe sleep apnea if he sleeps on his back! He couldn't win for losing last night! Hope that it hurts tonight and that he can get a better night's sleep. My arm doesn't bother me unless I reach up high for something...hurt when I put the shades up and down in the kitchen and when I reached up to a high shelf to get something. Oh, and, when I was putting something back into the refrigerator and managed to lean my arm into the open refrigerator door...when I did that I knew that I had had my vaccine yesterday! But other than sore arms, we have had no other reactions to the vaccine. I decided that it was time to cook today and I made White Pizza with Roasted Tomatoes and I added some of the roasted red pepper strips that I had in the refrigerator that I roasted in the oven when red peppers were at their peak harvest time. I made this to use up the Ricotta cheese that was left over from the lasagna that I made last week. This pizza had an onion/herb crust. I really liked it. Woody said that it was just so-so. He isn't the adventurous eater that he once was...not as much fun to try new recipes as it used to be. The rest of the day seems to have been taken up with cleaning up the mess in the kitchen...loading the dishwasher, doing the dishes that xouldn't go in the dishwasher and then unloading the dishwasher. I did intersperse that task with getting to talk with friends on the phone...catching up is always fun! I have worked a little more on my sampler. I plan to do some more after I publish this. Woody has spent the afternoon and evening in his recliner for his dialysis...resting his eyes, reading, working on word puzzles or perhaps a number puzzle and has watched TV which included a basketball game. Today's treatment should be over in another hour-and-a-half or so. Then I will get him disconnected and finish the night time routine after the dialysis...changing his dressing on his site, etc. and he will be ready to go to bed. And, as I said earlier, I hope that he will sleep better tonight! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Smooth and Simple

Today when I checked with Donna to see how their Covid vaccines had gone, she said "smooth and simple.". That is exactly how ours went, too. So I stole her words for tonight's blog title! We got over to the fair grounds a little early and got into the line (#1,#2). We moved forward and at different points people would give us papers...info about the vaccine (Moderna), a paper to fill out with name, address, etc. and a few questions to answer. We were told to have our arm ready to get the shot when we got under the tent. The shot was given in the tent...drive through at its finest!?! (#3). The nurse came to my window first and gave it to me...I literally felt nothing and then she went to Woody's window and gave him his shot. Then another lady came to the window on Woody's side and gave us our vaccination cards and told us that our appointment for the next was on those cards. We drove out of the tent and got in line to wait to see if we had any reactions.(#4) Someone from the National Guard came to the car window and told us that we were to wait in that line until told we could leave. He put a Post-It note on the windshield with the time on it. And, he told us if we had any reaction to honk the horn!!!!! We kept moving up in the line as cars left and finally it was our turn and we were on our way home. The whole vaccination process probably took 30 minutes. So far we have had no reaction. We both feel that our arms are a little sore, but not bad. It's about a 20 minute trip from Tullahoma to Manchester...so 40 minutes of travel...took more time to get there and back than it did to get the vaccines. I put numbers on the photos as I never know the order that they will publish in! We are just glad that we have both gotten our first vaccine and will be even happier when we have gotten the second...a little over a month away. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Thursday...All Day!

Woody is back to going upstairs each morning. Yesterday was the first time that he ventured up this way since his surgery. He prints off his crossword puzzles of the day and checks email and several sites that have to do with baseball and others of interest to him. He also often just sits up here in the office chair whie working his crosswords so he can check on clues that stump him. The incisions on his arm are healing nicely. Late morning we headed off to Fresenius Kidney Care Center for his monthly check-in with the nurse for bloodwork and for iron infusions, or whatever is in his orders for the visit. The nurse said that he was really pleased with how Woody's iron counts are coming up. Hope that still proves to be the case with today's labs. He did get an iron infusion this morning. Then the nurse changed the extension on the PD catheter...that is changed every six months...so that gave us a touch point as to how long he has been on dialysis. Woody said that he felt it had just been a couple of months rather than six! The nurse appointment is usually a rather short appointment and today's proved to follow that pattern...we were in and out quite quickly. After the appointment, Woody made the rounds of his deacon family members who are shut-ins and delivered church literature to them. In the process we were in the vicinity of two of the five houses that we have lived in during our 50 years in Tullahoma. Our first home was an apartment over a garage...that no longer exists...just an empty place on the lot now. The other house that we drove by was the third house we lived in...the one we lived in just before relocating to California for two years before coming back. That house now has siding and a metal roof...but it is still there at least! Of course, we also saw the fifth house that we have lived in as we live here presently1. The other two that we live in, I pass quite frequently as I head either to Walmart or Kroger. I think by going by these two today, I can say that I have seen all five of our Tullahoma abodes in the last week or. perhaps week and a half. I can reach each of these homes in less than ten minutes from where we presently live...Tullahoma just isn't that big! Two of our residences were on the "other side of the tracks" and the other three "this side of the tracks!". I decided that I was going to bake a pumpkin pie...why? Because when I was putting things in the freezer after shopping yesterday I saw all the frozen pumpkin that we have and also that we had Cool Whip...decided to get two things out of the freezer. I ate warm pumpkin pie for supper tonight...figured that would count as a veggie! It is pretty good...at least the pumpkin part...it was another questionable crust...conditions weren't right...or something. The recipe I used is my tried and true recipe that I have used the entire time of our marriage...the one that Woody would say was the best crust in the world...well...in the last few years something has changed and I no longer take credit for the best crust in the world...more fails than successes! But in the last year they were starting to turn out the way they used to...so now when I think about making a pie I don't dread making the crust. So today I got everything out and got to work...but I knew from the moment that I started cutting the shortening and flour together that something wasn't right...it started acting like there was already water in it and started clumping together rather than staying separate till I added ice cold water. I probably should have stopped there and started all over...but just didn't feel like it...so after refrigerating it the way I do and started rolling it out, I could tell. In the end I just sort of patted it into the pie plate and then added the pumpkin filling and popped it into the oven. I had a feeling that the fluted edges weren't going to withstand the heat in the oven so to keep from having the crust all over the oven, I put a cookie sheet below the pie...glad I did! With in a few minutes almost all the fluted edge had fallen below! Oh, well, the pumpkin filling is good and it still cuts like a pie. We will enjoy it...but I do miss the flaky fluted edge of the pie crust! I believe that conditions were too humid and/or the flour or shortening had extra moisture in them...at least that is how I will end this story! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! And, tomorrow we will be part of covid statistics...we will have gotten our first Covid vaccine. It is good to start hearing that local friends are getting the vaccine...tomorrow two couples that we know well are also getting theirs, too.

Error in Scheduling

Last night, after I blogged, I discovered a message on my answering machine. It was from the TN Dept. of Health. I was asked to call them back, which I did this morning. I was told that there had been an error in scheduling Covid vaccines for tomorrow and could we please come Friday morning instead. So that is what we will do. Which puts us back to just one appointment tomorrow, monthly appointment with the nurse at Fresenius Kidney Care Center. Donna and I didn't meet at the library to work today...we did so much last week that we feel that we don't have to go in weekly, just yet anyway. I spent part of the morning getting the living room back to preChristmas...which I successfully did...now to ove the vacuum out of the middle of the living room floor. A little after lunch we got Woody connected for his daily dialysis. I rested a bit and then headed off to Walmart. I'm not sure how long it had been since I had gone to Walmart...quite a few months...well before Christmas. But we both needed over-the-counter meds so off I went. I had been getting the over-the-counter meds at the pharmacy and Kroger...but since we both needed several, I decided that this time it would be more economical to head to Walmart! I had told myself that the next time I went to Walmart I would get some canned green chiles that I use in several recipes. Kroger hasn't had them during the pandemic...for some reason. I knew that Walmart usually had a good supply...well, not today...just one very dented can which I chose to leave on the shelf for someone more desparate for green chiles than I! I am trying to figure out why this item is so hard to come by! Some of the things that have become scarce are strange items, in my opinion! I am making good progress on the little sampler that I am stitching. Woody is minding his "p's" and "q's"...what else can he do, when connected to a machine for so many hours everyday!?! His arm seems to be healing well from the surgery and not giving him much pain...he said yesterday that it was starting to itch...that tells me that it is healing! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Busy Tuesday

We woke up to a very cold day in Middle TN...not quite as windy today, though...which helps just a little with cold temps! My first duty of the day was to make pancakes for Woody...got that done and he has more for several more breakfasts...I like to do it that way as that lets me not have to get up and make breakfast every morning! On these cold mornings I would just as soon stay all comfy under the covers! Today was to be a grocery shopping day, but I really didn't want to get out very early so decided that I would go after I got Woody connected for his dialysis treatment. I worked on the grocery list and cleaned out the refrigertor. I used to clean out the refrigerator while Woody was doing the shopping...that routine doesn't work any more since I get the groceries. I usually just wipe off the shelves where and when I spot something that needs to be wiped up. But today I moved everything off each of the shelves and gave it a much better cleaning...better than a lick and a promise! It really wasn't all that bad...but it is good to know that it has all been wiped down. I got Woody connected and then headed off to run the errands of the day...library to drop off books, Credit Union, Kroger, and pharmacy. I got a lot done in that two hours our and about, but it was very good to get home again. Of course then it was time to bring in the groceries and then put them away. After that big job, I had the usual Tuesday job...take out the trash and items to recycle. While I was in going in and out mode, I also headed to the compost pile and emptied the compost container. I was very ready to sit for a whle after all that! Woody is in the final cycle of four as I type this. We are back on schedule with starting his dialysis in the early afternoon so he is finished by bedtime. When we hadn't heard back from the Vanderbilt scheduler by midmorning, I decided that I would email Dr. Kelley's office through Vanderbilt MyHealth. I figured that if I tried to call I would just get the run around. My email worked. Before I left for the grocery store, I got an email back saying that she had changed our appointment to Tuesday so we can see him at his Franklin office. That email was a lot easier than all that phone calling yesterday and getting no where! I think that after I post this and check on Woody, I am going to pick up my sampler and a needle filled with embroidery thread and get back to work on my sampler. i am enjoying stitching on it, Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

On Hold...Busy Signal...Systems Down

Our day started out with disconnecting Woody from his dialysis treatment...we will be back on disconnecting prior to going to bed...once again tonight. He has slept during the night despite his treatment these past two nights, but he still prefers having the treatment during the day and evening and sleeping without being tethered to the machine. After breakfast, I began trying to get a hold of the appointment making folk for Woody's surgeon...not an easy task. I got through, but was told that there would be a wait as all those making appointments were busy. I decided to hold. Well...I held and held and finally did get to speak to a person. This person took my name, his name and birthdate...then asked if he was a new patient. I said "no, been a patient for thirteen years.". She then told me that this was only for new patients...ok...this was the number we were told to call. She told me she would connect me to the correct person...so back on hold...well, I wasn't on hold long until a message came on that said that there was a problem with the system and to call back later...and connection was broken. I waited a while and tried again and at that point there was a message that their systems were down. This wasn't the surgeon's office, but Vanderbilt itself. Then I had to make a decision as to whether to make the other call that I had on "my list" to call today...our county's health department to see if we could get on the list for our covid vaccines. I wanted to have the appointment with the surgeon made first, but since I couldn't get through, I decided to go on and give the county health department a try. I learned Friday night that our county was lowering the age to 70 and above rather than 75 and above...reason I was giving it a try. I first got a busy signal...waited a few minutes and tried again and managed to get through to a human. I told her what I wanted and she asked out ages and she took our names and said to wait a minute and the next thing I knew she told me to be at the county fair grounds on Thursday for our vaccines and gave me a time! So...looks like we will be getting our first vaccines in just a few days. I expected to be put on a list...but won't complain. Not long after I got that appointment, I got a call from Vanderbilt and it was a scheduler for Woody's post op appointment! He had it all set up...but...not at the doctor's office in Franklin, but at Vandy. The surgeon had told Nathan that we could see him at either Franklin or Vanderbilt in Nashville. Franklin is closer and an easier drive...non interstate all the way. So I told the scheduler that we wanted it at his office in Franklin. The appointment that they had already set up was in Nashville. He said that he would have to call the doctor and set up a different appointment and he would call me back. while I was setting up, he called back...but when I attempted to answer there was no one there that I could hear...there is a chance I pushed something wrong as I had gloves on. But so far we have not heard back from him...maybe tomorrow. I checked the Vanderbilt app and there is an appointment set up, but in Nashville. I still hope that we can move it to Franklin. So a good portion of my day has been on the phone. And, I guess, we do have appointments for all that I set out to do this morning...just want to change one of them. I have worked on getting things back to normal in the living room. I had removed all of Christmas, but had not gotten all the "normal" things back downstairs and in place. As of tonight I have everything done except for a corner curio shelf...I've had it in the upstairs hall since I decorated for Christmas and it has all the decorative items on it. I'm working on getting all those things downstairs and then I will carry the shelf down...tomorrow! I did a LOT of lifting this afternoon, when I moved all the boxes of solution to the front of the living room from the far wall in thee iiving room. One type of solution I had used up from one of the deliveries so I needed to move the last delivery's solution into the spot where I keep the boxes that I am currently using. Next week is the next delivery so I decided to move it all forward so the back wall would be ready for the new boxes. I guess I moved, shifted, and/or carried 23 boxes that contain 10 liters of fluid each...each box weighs over 20 pounds. I was tempted to not do all of them today, but...I also knew that I might not be able to move them (or me) tomorrow! My back was none too happy with me when I finished. The heating. pad has helped! Woody has had another quiet day. He says that he doesn't have any pain. His incisions look good...no bandages...he is glued together. I think that he has taken a few extra naps the lasat couple of days since the surgery, but seems to feel fine. He slept in later this morning than usual...but perhaps he had awakened earlier and decided to go back to sleep since I hadn't shown up yet to disconnect him from his treatment. It has been a really cold blustery day. I only ventured out to take a bag of medical supplies to the trash can and then got the mail. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!