Batteries

Watching the news just makes me worry. The whole battery situation is my current dilemma. Did you see the guy's pants pocket explode and ignite on the news footage recently? It was a rechargeable battery in his E-Cig.

I have a rechargeable battery in this monitor unit that is attached to my chest. I was offered the option of wearing it on a lanyard around my neck, or just tucking it in my bra. I tired it around my neck. The lanyard irritated my neck and because the wires were hanging out I kept accidentally yanking them off the patches and then having to reattach them. Could be why she said most women just tucked them in the bra .....

But I don't want to suddenly ignite inside my bra, well, outside either. Just another thing to ponder in my insomniac mind.

Hot Water

Today was my day to change the electrode patches from the heart monitor. I was told to change them every third day ...... if necessary. I find it necessary. They itch and leave a circle of bumpy irritation that looks like a giant ringworm. I am having a blah day. Gray skies and cold floors have me staying inside and not all that content.

So, it was in that frame of mind that I instructed HeWho to keep an eye out for a reservation we have coming in, that I headed to the comforts of a nice hot shower. I was really looking forward to the hot water hitting my back and soothing my sore muscles ( from painting the ceiling of the porch). I adjusted the spigots to my liking and turned the shower on before I entered.

Just like I always do. My routine settings. Imagine my utmost irritation when the cold water hit me. My hair was already wet, so I was committed. I turned off the cold water and rushed my shower of just warm water. I am not happy.

The problem is not my water heater. The problem is one of my tenants. This particular tenant uses the shower in the mens' room. This is not the first time this has happened and I am amazed that anyone could use that much hot water. The water heater is gas and has a quick recovery. This is the first time we have encountered this. Even when the park is full of tent campers and people washing clothes in the laundry we don't run out of hot water.

This guy is in his early 20's and has some  vague "disability" that has him on the public draw. In addition to his disability check, he gets food stamps. You wonder how I am privy to all this personal information? His family told me so. His mother pays his lot rent, while his grandfather provided the camper he lives in. Brought it out here and set him up ...... and that is the one and only time the LP tank was filled.

He has skated so far with mild mannered HeWho. But, despite my pseudo ringworm rash, I am back up to snuff. I am patiently waiting for him to return to the park and we shall have a nice little conversation and either come to an understanding or he will be escorted from my property.

Yep, I'm back!!

You Can Teach An Old Dog New Tricks!

The part came for the Wi-Fi and I can read again .... and even comment. I am so happy!

Or, maybe it is the cake I just ate. I thought I knew everything there was to know about the process of baking a cake. I used to bake cakes at least 3 times a week when the kids were growing up. Never, ever did a cake dry out in my house. I was lucky if I got the crumbs from the plate after my first piece.

Since it is just the two of us, I don't bake as much. I try to cut recipes in half, but it is just a pain and never turns out as good as the whole recipe. It was our lucky day when DJ and Andrea moved in! I can bake a whole cake and give half to them. Andrea doesn't eat much, but DJ loves sweets as much as HeWho. He never brings a dish back empty, either. He is an accomplished griller and his offerings are usually of the meat variety.

So, I saw this recipe on one of those food sites. I had three really ripe bananas and I didn't want banana bread. I like banana bread, but I wasn't in the mood. I saw the picture of the banana cake and it looked good, so why not. I learned something new with this recipe. It said to take the cake directly from the oven to the freezer! For 45 minutes. Said this would make the cake stay moist longer. I don't think it will be an issue.

The cake is wonderful! The banana flavor is very pronounced, but the cake is moist and light. I was afraid it would be dense and doughy after the freezer thing. It worked, though. Who would have thought I had never learned this trick?

Just Like Her Dad

I don't know if it is my weak Wi-Fi or Blogger, but I have been denied the pleasure of reading my blog roll. When I click on the one I choose to read ..... I get a "Blank Page". It is, indeed, blank and is labeled as such. Weird.

I have been left to the company of the TV and HeWho listens selectively. Maybe that's why I decided to tackle the sewing room. Although I must confess that since finding my box of pictures, I have not ventured back in there. The turn of weather leaves my toes cold in there. We seem to be on a see-saw weather pattern. In the 70's one day, then plunging back to freezing.

My baby girl. Just look at that sweet face. This is one of the pictures found. She was about 2 in this picture and that sweet countenance is deceiving. She had the entire family at her beck and call. This is the child that at age 4 gathered all the mail of an entire street and presented it to me. She thought it would be a good way to get to know our neighbors.

She did not get this courage from me, but from her dad. They never meet a stranger, can talk with anyone. I may be that way now, but I developed it over the years of living with HeWho speaks to everyone.

That's not all she got from him. You will recall that I have NEVER bought a vehicle, never really had any say in the purchase of one (not that I really care). I was having a nice chat with this sweet child of mine today when she casually mentioned that she had a new car. "But, you just bought a new car not that long ago and I thought you liked it. Why did you get a new car?" asked her mother. To which she replied, "I don't know, I went to get my oil changed and left with a new car."

Don't be thinking she is a pushover for some eager sales person, I am sure she argued herself into a good deal, just like her dad.

I Need A Nap

This is my old guy, Oscar .... in his prime. Most of those teeth are gone now and his muzzle is gray. I still think he is a fine specimen and have been told that he looks good .... for his age.

As you can see, he is not too happy about the hat and doggles. No, I did not buy these. HeWho is a sucker for such things. The dog wore them once, long enough to capture the moment.

This was Oscar's dog-wife, Emmy. She was as sweet as she looks. I still miss her every day. She was my constant companion whenever I sat in my chair. Oscar would join us. If there was no room, he would lay nestled next to my leg and Emmy would curl up on his back. She only weighed 6 lbs. Six pounds of pure love.

I was cleaning out my sewing room and found a bunch of pictures I thought I had lost. The sewing room is a mess, but I sat down with the pictures and here I am. Cujo has taken the coveted spot right next to my leg and Oscar is on his bed on the floor, all cleaned up after Toni Louise had her vomit spree last week.

Think I might just have a little nap. My results from my stress test came in today. Normal. I am still wearing the monitor until March, then I will be scheduled for a sleep study in our quest to find out what is irritating my heart. I don't really need a test to know that my sleep patterns are not good. I just really need opportunity and some inner peace to sleep.

I worry. About things, not really important things. I just worry and my mind gnaws at little things until I come up with a solution. I always have an ear open to hear the whimper of Oscar in the night, lest he wet the bed. He would never set out to pee in his sleeping place, but he is old and accidents happen.

Then here is that boy cat named Martha. Martha prefers to sleep all day and wander all night. He hides at bedtime and avoids being put out if he can help it. He has chosen the hours of 2 and 3am as his time to go out. Like clockwork, that cat will wake me. First he moves the shade at the window (on my side of the bed), then he meows. If that doesn't wake me he will claw and scratch the wall under the window until I get up. This annoys me, since I recently painted the wall and the window sill. He is very aware that it annoys me. I told him so. Oh, and I sort of flung him out the door one night after a particularly long session of cat scratching my wall.

Yes, I deserve a nap.

Still Not Hungry

Today was my big day. I woke up bright and early, very cognizant of the fact that I could not eat or take my medications. Not that I ever eat breakfast, but today I wanted to .... just because I couldn't. My appointment was not until 1:20, so I wanted to lounge in bed and doze until it was time for a shower.

I was up at 7:30, the sun was bright and the weather wonderful, downright balmy. Oh, the things I could accomplish in this t-shirt weather. Not only that, I felt marvelous! Full of energy, like my old self. Or my younger self? Cause the self I am now is certainly older, but I digress.

The dogs would not allow this lingering in bed, they also saw the sun and were jumping at the chance to run circles in the back yard and bark at things. All of them except my only girl, Toni Louise. She snuggled close to me and after sniffing my eyeballs and trying to take my breath away. She was not herself. She is usually the first one out the door, but she refused to go out at all. She tucked her head into my neck and would not move. I instructed HeWho is her person to take her out and he did. She made a bee-line for me as soon as she came back in.

I am so glad I did not insist on lingering beneath my almost fresh sheets. I got up and had a nice cold glass of water and settled down to read e-mail. Next thing I know, Toni is vomiting everywhere. She vomited in the kitchen, on Oscar's dog bed, beside Oscar's dog bed and in about 5 other places (including on HeWho's chair!). The aroma was such that I was no longer interested in eating. I promise you, this poor dog had nothing left in her poor belly. I pondered the task in front of me and finally settled on a drywall scraper and a plastic bag to most efficiently scrape it all up, then mop.

After that I showered and readied myself for my big adventure, still not hungry at all. We were gone for about 5 hours and upon returning, I could still smell it. She had crawled behind and half under my chair and vomited there. Poor girl. I know exactly what happened to make her so very sick. I had some dog treats left that are very crunchy. They look like cheese puffs. I wanted to refill their jar with some softer treats that Oscar would be able to eat with the few teeth he has left. I tossed what was left in the back yard yesterday.

Toni growled and spit at the other dogs and ate them all to make sure she was the only one to have them. Serves her right! I still feel bad for her. But more for me, since I had to clean it up.

Blood Tests and Bubblegum

Despite the fact that the phlebotomist drew the tiniest amount of blood before blowing the vein (I fully expected to be called back to provide more blood), it must have sufficed. They called today with the results. Normal. Everything was normal.

The cardiologist was thinking that my thyroid might be the culprit. It would be a simple solution to my problem and easily fixed. No such luck. Everything else was good, even great. My liver is functioning as it should. My blood sugar was excellent and my cholesterol is good, too. More tests this Friday.

Felt pretty chipper today and since I was low on dog food, I ventured out into the big wide world. Well, my small piece of it. Took my time and gathered all my necessities and some things that could never be called needs. Like the peeps from the Easter candy aisle. Bubblegum Peeps!!!!! I love bubblegum and I love peeps, so, of course I had to get some. My blood sugar being so good, I deserved a little reward!