Rain!

Tonight's photos were taken from inside through the raindrop covered window panes. It was nice to get a shower that lasted longer than just a minute or two. Things actually got wet with this rain and there were a few standing puddles in the yard and the water was rushing down the road. The temperature did drop a bit...it wasn't as hot when I went out and picked a few grape tomatoes just a few minutes ago. Still humid, but one can breathe when outside! Last night before I went upstairs for the night, I got out all the items that I would need this morning to make chocolate zucchini bread. That's a first time to make it. It is good...quite choclatey...sort of a cross between chocolate cake and a brownie. I had been wanting something chocolate so this fit the bill. And, it must be good for you since it has zucchini in it...right?!?woody ran an errand this afternoon. He went to the Credit Union and then went to his friend's home. He needed to check with him as we received a reminder about an appointment tomorrow which we didn't know about...nor did his friend. They decided which doctor it was for...the problem is that all his appointments are through a certain medical group...but the doctors are in different locates—Tullahoma, McMinnville, Murfreesboro, and Franklin. The reminder just said the medical group not the doctor's name so that was a problem. By the time Woody got home, I had that mystery solved, as the doctor's office called to confirm the appointment. And, it was not the one that they had come to the conclusion that it was for...his friend decided that it was here in Tullahoma but it ends up being in Franklin, the one farthest away. But luckily Woody thought that I had said that the appointment was at 8am and set up an appropriate pickup time. Well, the appointment is at 9am and the pickup time will work...a for an appointment farther away, as long as his friend doesn't take a tremendously long time getting out to the car (which he has been known to do!). This all means that Woody has a trip that he wasn't planning on. Guess it is good that it was this week rather than next. Woody pretty much has next week filled with appointments...Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Not too many dull moments for us or so it seems lately! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Surgery Scheduled

The blog is back to being a "medical journal" for Woody (reason I started this blog back in 2009). The main information to share today is that Woody saw his surgeon this morning. His surgery is set for next Thursday with preop appointment on Monday. He will become a statistic on Monday...as he will get a Covid 19 test. The surgeon told him that this type of dialysis might not work. One of the problems could be scar tissue from his emergency appendectomy that happened a few years back. He will attempt to clean out scar tissue along with placing the tubing. If this form of dialysis doesn't work then he will have the "usual" type. But we will try this. We were told 2-1/2 years ago that a person can start out with peritoneal dialysis And then move to hemodialysis...but not vice-versa. Both forms can be done at home. So it is a wait and see if this works or if it doesn't. Once again it is very hot (I guess I should just say that it is "still" hot!). I spent some time watering gardens this morning...both our patio herb/veggie container gardens and Nathan's zucchini, tomato, squash, and cucumber garden. I picked a couple of zucchinis and picked up a tomato that had fallen off the vine onto the ground. I ate it at lunch...nice to have a tomato right from the garden. I "thought about" making some chocolate zucchini bread...but just couldn't face heating up the kitchen by cooking something in the oven! Tonight we had some more slices from the pork roast that I cooked over the weekend and then I made Pennsylvania Dutch Style Green Beans with fresh green that Joseph picked and brought over to us the other day...so fresh tomato and fresh green beans all in one day! Pretty good eating! Even Woody said that the green beans tasted good...but of course they are in a sweet and sour sauce...so that slightly sweet taste won him over, I'm sure! Wade talked to his mother today and she sounded positive about the way things were going for her in rehab. She said that she liked her PT person. Good to have things going in a positive direction—good for her and good for Melany's and Wade's stress levels! Melany said that they had some rain this afternoon (so did we...but not much). She said that it cooled it down enough to sit in her new swing in their back yard. She hadn't been able to do that for a while both because of the heat but also due to all the hospital comings and goings of the last week and prior to that getting things ready for Wade's mom to move to assisted living. But today Melany was able to put her feet up for a while and just relax today. And, a good thing to put her foot up as she is wearing a boot due to a bone spur rubbing on a tendon. And, then today she had a skin cancer removed from the top of her head...so she is very ready to do as little of nothing as possible. I'm with her on doing as little as possible...this heat just zaps my energy...all I want to do is sit in my recliner under the fan with the AC running and read...or nap! I just told Woody that I would be down in a little while to finish cleaning up the kitchen after it cooled down a bit...he asked, "When...December?". Very funny, Woody? Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Soooooo Hot!

As far as I'm concerned it is too hot to do anything...especially outside. I did water this morning before it got too hot. But the trip to the mailbox after lunch was just a "too hot walk," as was taking out the garbage. I came back in after each of those outings and collapsed into my recliner with the ceiling fan going full speed and the AC on! Each job I did either inside or out just seemed to take extra effort today. I did manage to get a load of clothes washed and dried. Woody sat out on the front porch for a while this afternoon. He enjoys basking in the hotness! As you can tell...not me! It was too hot to cook so luckily I had plenty in the fridge so we "scrounged" today. The microwave heated up our lunches and this evening we both ate cold salads. The good news for the day is that Wade's mom was discharged from the hospital and transported to rehab. And, it did work out that she is having rehab at the same facility that will be her assisted living residence. She was doing better today. She was able to put a little weight on her left leg. So...progress! I hope that rehab goes well for her and that it won't be too long before she is up and about and able to move into her new home! Woody received a call from his surgeon's office confirming his appointment tomorrow. I wonder if he will have a surgery date after he sees him tomorrow. I am guessing that he will. In the meantime...Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! And, try to stay cool!!!

Clean Up: Aisle 13!

I came downstairs to quite a mess this morning. Woody decided last night that he wanted to make pancakes for his breakfast this morning and asked me to get out the recipe that I use. I got out the recipe and got out all the paraphanelia that he needed: bowl, measuring cup, measuring spoons,etc. along with nonperishable items that he would need. One of the items that I got out was a neat pancake batter "distributer" that helps you pour the batter onto the griddle and make less mess. Abigail gave me this neat kitchen tool several years back. I showed him that I had put it out on the counter and told him that all the batter in this recipe would fit into this container. Sometime in the night Woody and I both heard something that sounded like something had fallen. Neither of us knew exactly where the sound came from. Well, Woody got all the batter put together and poured it into the container and took it across the kitchen to the counter next to the stove and all of a sudden all the batter started pouring out of it all over the counter...some on the front of the cabinet and some on the floor. I happened to be at the bottom of the stairs when I heard Woody's SOS! Suffice it to say that side of the kitchen got a thorough cleaning along with the whole kitchen floor. I discovered that the handle had broken and that the metal spring had fallen out...we guess that was what we heard in the night. Woody had never used this item before so didn't realize that the handle wasn't right. Anyway...big mess to start out our Monday! Could have been worse...the thick batter didn't run down between the stove and the cabinet and pretty much stayed up on the counter top except for a small amount. I will say, though, that I have found batter in several other places as the day wore on...handle on the faucet, front of the cabinet under the sink, etc. Now for a report on Wade's mother. She is doing better. The blood transfusion seemed to get her turned around. And, her blood pressure is back to normal. They finally got her out of bed today. She's not in a lot of pain and it doesn't seem to be her hip that hurts but her knee when she tries to put weight on that leg. But all in all her recovery is heading in the right direction. Melany was told when she was at the hospital today that she would be moved to rehab in the next 24 to 48 hours. Melany texted me a little while ago that they are now saying that she will be released from the hospital tomorrow. There is a room in the rehab part of the assisted living facility that she will move to after rehab...so that is good to be going to the same facility. I haven't given a squirrel update for a while. That is because the count remains at 46. Those last couple of squirrels that we see at time just don't seem to be interested in going into the traps...they just seem to feed around the traps! Over the last few days we have only seen one squirrel at a time...so definitely the squirrel population in our front yard has lessened! I know that Elijah is aiming at 50 so perhaps it is time for him to get those last four out in the backyard. It's up to Elijah if he wants to move the placement of the traps. I know that he would like to reach that elusive 50 total! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Looking Back a Year

I got to wondering a little while ago, as I was cleaning up the kitchen, what the kitchen looked like a year ago. The blog comes in handy for me when I want to know what was happening at a certain time in the last eleven and a half years that I've been blogging...it acts as a diary for me. I can head to the date or at least the month and find out pretty much what was happening. On this date last year the kitchen was really taking shape...still no refrigerator and still no running water...so had neither a working sink or dishwasher. But both of those things would happen the next day. So I was close to being a very happy camper! I would no longer have to go upstairs to the bathtub to wash my dishes!!! I'm very glad that the remodeling is a year behind us! Glad to be where I am today...continuing to enjoy my new...well, not so new now...kitchen! Still feels new to me! Update on Wade's mother isn't as good as I wish that it were. She isn't doing all that great today. She continues to have low blood pressure so hasn't been able to get up yet. She also had to have a transfusion today. Melany spent several hours with her today and she said that she was a bit more confused than she had been...but that she did answer all the questions that the doctor asked her except for the name of the hospital that she was in...she just knew that she was in the hospital and that it was in Murfreesboro...in that respect passed the doctor's test! Wade is spending time with her this evening. They will only let two people visit over a 24-hour period...at different times. And, the one person can't take a break and go back to her room. Covid 19 certainly makes things more difficult! I made book requests for Woody as he finished the two paperbacks that the Hastys brought him and is about finished with the last of the public library books that I got for him a couple of weeks ago. I got a call from the library that they had them ready for me to pick up and we set up a time for me to get them. That was my only time to leave our driveway in several days...I guess since last Saturday when I got our groceries. We are still very much sheltering at home! Woody spent a good portion of the afternoon on the front porch reading and watching the birds and other activities in our neighborhood. I did cook a pork roast this afternoon...something that sounds and seems to appeal to Woody these days. His appetite has definitely lessened and he only wants to eat things that he really likes...Feench toast, corn on the cob...sometimes jello with fruit in it...always cookies...though, even those seem to hang around longer than they used to. He has enjoyed the limeade that I made the simple syrup for earlier in the week. He has enjoyed a glass of limeade while he sits on the front porch. Also I managed to get some peaches that have ripened and taste good to him. I am not having to cook quite as much as I had been for a while...guess a respite for the moment. I'm hoping that his interest in food picks up once he is on dialysis. I have a feeling that it will since he has been told that he will be able to eat a more "normal" diet then. Again, as with most things, time will tell! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Friday Fun?

Our main activities of the day have been porch sitting (for Woody) and baking cookies (for me). And, we have both done some reading. And, of course, Woody has worked crossword puzzles. Just a quiet day for us. It has been really hot, once again. I'm going to go out and water the patio container gardens. I've talked to Melany and she said that Wade's mom is doing fairly well. tonight they are celebrating Alex's birthday. His birthday isn't until next week, but they planned an early celebration prior to Grandma Proctor moving to assisted living...oops...that didn't work out. Nathan and Kathy dropped off Alex's birthday cheesecake when they went to Murfreesboro on Wednesday. Melany ordered one of Abigail's specialities: a Reese's peanut butter cheesecake. Alex is celebrating a week early and, I doubt that anyone realizes (except me) that he is celebrating on what would have been his great grandmother's 108th birthday. I guess I'll head out to water before it gets too dark...it is starting to get darker earlier these days...each day gets shorter now that we are in the second half of the year! I jus had a drop down on my iPad that showed that one of my childhood friends had made a new Facebook post. I went immediately to read it as I was sure that it was good news...her almost 92-year-old mother just got home from the hospital. She is home having put both Covid19 and pneumonia behind her. She went into he hospital on Monday and she got to come home today. As my friend said...wear your masks and wash your hands! She caught Covid from her son and grandsons who live next door to her. They didn't believe in wearing masks...until they got Covid and then passed it on to their mother and grandmother. They are part of Arizona's pandemic statistics! So as I say each night: Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Hip and Kidney Reports

The report from Wade's mom around 10pm last night was that she had broken her left hip. She had surgery this afternoon. And, from the last report she was doing as well as could be expected so soon after surgery. She is back in her room and Wade has gone to visit her (which is allowed in regular rooms...so glad someone can be there with her!) They have already told them that she will probably go to rehab on Monday...might have gone sooner, but the weekend has to be factored in! Monday is the day she was supposed to move into her new assisted living residence. They have spoken to them and they will reserve her room till she is out of rehab. They are not sure where the rehab will be...they are hoping that it will take place in the rehab that is attached to the assisted living where she is moving...but...not sure that there is a bed there. Time will tell. At least her surgery is over and she is now in the healing process! And, we did hear back from Woody's nephrologist's office this afternoon. He said that looking over all labs, that he recommends getting the peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter surgically placed so Woody will be ready for dialysis when the time comes. They made an appointment for Woody to see the surgeon next week. I will eventually remember the type of dialysis Woody is having! The catheter that Woody will have will be placed into the peritoneum, which is the lining of the abdomen. Blood is filtered naturally, via a peritoneal catheter, using the blood vessels in the lining the abdomen, the peritoneum. This is one of the ways that dialysis is done at home. There are no needles, and the blood never leaves the body. This type of dialysis is done daily...can be done during the night. The fact that this type of dialysis is done daily will allow Woody to have a more normal diet. Not that Woody really wants to go on dialysis...but once it is necessary then he looks forward to eating some of his favorite foods again! So I'm figuring that a new learning curve is about to be introduced to us...a new normal...or as someone has put it...a new abnormal! That can be applied to this new medical situation in Woody's life as well as what the pandemic has pushed us into...THE NEW ABNORMAL! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!