Car Crash, Tiles, and a Teal Pumpkin

Yesterday I took Mickey to the vet because he still had lumps where the ticks got him a few weeks ago. The vet said they were fine, still healing, and nothing to worry about. On the way home I got into a traffic accident. Smashed in the right front area of my car pretty badly. The police came, took our information and let us go. My car was still driveable, so I headed home. Pretty achy, but nothing serious and just grateful my dog wasn't injured.

When I got home, I called my insurer and explained the situation. They set me up with a body shop and the shop called a few minutes later to make an appointment for this morning. My husband and I had dinner and then spent the evening prepping the wall behind the stove for tiles. The tiles are stick on, but they needed a smooth surface so we were sanding.

This morning, I had sometime before my estimate appointment, so I put the tiles up. they look good. The paint behind my stove had started to peel, so the tiles are a big improvement.

Once the tiles were up, I headed to the body shop. They said they'd email me the estimate. Off I went to pick up a few groceries. When I came out, I had an email from the body shop saying they mailed the estimate to the insurer and an email from the insurer saying they were totaling the car for much less than it will take to buy another car. I wasn't terribly surprised. It's a Lexus, but it's 17 years old.
So now we get to fit two cars into our budget. My husband needs some work done and it would cost far more than his car is worth, since his is only a year younger than mine.

Once I got home and put some stuff away, I received my teal spray paint. This is our first year of participating in the teal pumpkin project.  It's a way for kids with food allergies to safely participate in Halloween. Put a teal pumpkin out, preferably with this sign and then lay in a small supply of non-food treats. I went to Oriental Trading Co., but a trip to your local dollar store would work just as well. Stickers, fancy pencils, light up things. Fortunately, filling stuffed animals with ground nut shells seems to be a thing of the past, but I'd still check.

So I painted my pumpkin with a couple coats of teal spray paint and after it dried, I brought it in and painted the stem gold. It's going to take another coat of the gold before it's completely covered, but this is what it looks like now.

I think it's turning out pretty well. Now, just to print out the sign and laminate it, because this is the Pacific Northwest and it always rains on Halloween.

Busy and sad day, I'm going to miss my old car. Still everyone is safe and that's all that matters. I did a little home improvement and got a little closer to being ready for Halloween. Not a bad day's work.

So Glad to Have my Husband Back!

My Dear Husband returned last Thursday evening. It was so great to have him back, I missed him a lot. Sounds like they had a great time. First things first, they went to Geocoinfest 2016. It was in St. Louis, MO. Checked out all the different geocoins people have had made to hide in caches and track, give away to other people, trade or sale. Next year, Geocoinfest 2017, will be at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA.

Once the convention was over, the boys hit the road. They traveled to five states and did a bunch of geo-art. Sometimes, people hide a bunch of geocaches in a pattern, so that when the geocaches are brought up on a map, they'll be in the shape of something. I know they did a cardinal but, I'm not sure what else they did. By the time they came home a week later my husband had found almost 500 caches.

Once he was home, we had some tasks and engagements to deal with over the weekend. Poor guy, first day he's home and we've got stuff to do. We've gone a year just letting things go because I was sick and we need to get started. Friday, we quickly ran around the house making it relatively presentable and moving boxes out of the way because we had a man come in and put both of our pocket bathroom doors back on their rails. We have three bathrooms, but we'd gone for months with only one that had a door that closed. Awkward! We also had him install the new range hood we bought. The hood is awesome, if it gets hot under there while I'm cooking, it turns the fan on automatically.

Saturday, quick trip to the grocery store for the ingredients to my broccolini salad. (I got the recipe out of a book, but if anyone's interested, I'll send it to you. Properly cited, of course.) Home to make the salad, then off to the local geocaching group's Halloween party. I'm not sure where they got the white hearse or the coffin falling out of it pictured above, but it was cool. Once I got inside I was grateful my son wasn't with us. The decorations seemed to be all evil clowns. My kid hates clowns.

Sunday, we went North. Spent an hour or so visiting with my father-in-law at his house in Anacortes, then we all went to Mt. Vernon, WA for my Brother-in-Law's birthday. Last weekend day, last long day. Poor husband went back to work today with the beginnings of a cold he probably caught on the plane.

So, my week of solitude is over. We got some needed work accomplished and had some fun with friends and family. I hope your weekend went as well.

Dentist, Nails and Haircut. Oh, and my Husband's Coming Home Tonight!

I went to the dentist today for the first time since the migraines started. I was really nervous because there were times over the past year that I went for two or three days without brushing my teeth because my head just hurt too badly. I guess I was lucky though, although there was a bit more scraping and polishing than usual, no cavities! I'm really relieved and I went ahead and made my next appointment for six months from now so I won't let it slide.

Another thing I've put off for way longer than I should have is getting my hair cut. That appointment is tomorrow morning with the woman that's been cutting my hair for a number of years. Because my neck is still uncomfortable and weak, I'll be taking a shower and heading over with wet hair rather than leaning back in her washing bowl. I can hardly wait to not have to wear a head band to keep my bangs out of my eyes!

The woman who does my hair is the sister of the woman who does my nails, although I've been getting my nails done a lot longer. Nails were the one thing I managed to keep doing through the migraines, although I ended up canceling an awful lot of times. Now that I can drive myself over, it's a lot easier. This is what we did for Halloween this year:

It's not easy to tell in the picture, but the black is sparkly. The black cats are nail stickers.

I went to see the surgeon today who did my neck ablation. He said my progress was really good and when I asked him about my frozen shoulder, he added that to my physical therapy prescription. They sent a new copy, so I'm hoping to hear from the therapist in the next couple of days. I really want to get started. I'm walking as often as I can, but still only managing to add a house or two to the distance each time. I really want to get back to the three miles a day I was doing before I got sick.

Tonight's the night! My husband is coming back from St. Louis. He should be here in a few hours and I can hardly wait. So many things around the house I want him to do! Just kidding. I just want him home. It seems like forever that he's been gone. I hope everyone has a nice weekend, I don't know if I'll be on much.

A Week to Myself

I'm having a relaxing week. My son works all day and then goes directly to see his girlfriend, coming home long after I go to bed. My husband is in St. Louis for a geocaching event. He went with a group of friends that call themselves the Rat Pack and take a geocaching trip together at least once a year. Which leaves me pretty much entirely alone. Well, if you're ever alone in a house with three cats and a dog.

It's really another milestone. They wouldn't have been comfortable leaving me without "back up" before the surgery. I might have needed medication or I might have gotten a migraine aura on the stairs and fallen down them. I fell a lot while I was dealing with the migraines. Aside from the auras, my balance was just way off. I'm on blood thinners, because my blood has a nasty tendency to clot, so every time I fell, I had to go to the hospital to get a cat scan and make sure my brain wasn't bleeding. I'm pretty sure my brain is glowing by now.

Today I get to go out and see real people. I'm getting my nails done, one of my few indulgences. The woman who does my nails is the mother of a boy who my son met in the third grade. We've known each other a long time and it's fun to just sit and chat with her. I'm getting my nails painted for Halloween, with black, white and orange, then she's putting black cat stickers on the white ones.

I love Halloween. I always give out full size candy bars. They have them in mixed packages at Costco and they're not that expensive. It's fun to see the kids eyes light up when they see the big bars. I haven't decorated for Halloween the last couple of years, but I think I might this year.

Speaking of Halloween, tomorrow night I am taking my son and his girlfriend to see "Young Frankenstein" in the theater. It's there for one night only and it's going to be a blast. My son hasn't seen it, but his girlfriend has. Tuesday is also my son's "Friday", he works four tens Saturday-Tuesday. He'll be able to relax, knowing he doesn't have to get up the next day.

I am trying to keep up on the daily things I was doing, but with no one here, I've kind of slipped back. I haven't walked in the last couple days, I'll try to do it today. It's amazing how much motivation slips away when I don't see anyone. It's far too easy to spend hours on Facebook in my pajamas rather than completing the tasks I've set for myself each day. I've never been good at being a self-motivator and I really need to work on that. If I'm going to get healthy again, it has to be for me, not because someone is there watching.

Mt. Rainier and a weekend away

Last weekend my husband and I went on an overnight trip across the state. For him it was a chance to pick up some of the geocaches in a series he's trying to complete before the snow flies on Mt. Rainier. Local geocachers, including my husband, jointly with the National Park Service put out 100 caches all around Mt. Rainier to celebrate the NPS's 100th Anniversary. By the time our weekend was over, he was down to two. He gets a coin when he finishes.

For me, it was a bit more meaningful. First, it was the first time since my migraines stopped that I was able to get away. It was only for one night and I wasn't up to actually geocaching yet, but it was still a milestone. I didn't sit in the car half-stoned on Oxycodone and muscle relaxants just to keep from screaming. We downloaded a book to listen to, but after the first couple hours we turned it off, we were enjoying each other's company too much to have to remain silent while the book ran.

Second, the first stop on Mt. Rainier was the spot where we spread my parents' ashes. It was my Mother's birthday and I hadn't been back since I'd spread her ashes seven years ago. We'd spread my Father's ashes in the same spot six years before that.

My Dad had loved that mountain. We moved up here from San Diego when he was 46 and he just fell in love. I think everyone who lives here, loves Him, so beautiful and stately against the sky on a clear day. My Dad had this silly joke he used to tell, and he loved it when he found a new victim, "You know, if you can see the mountain, it's going to rain." "Really?" his new victim would ask, "Yeah," he'd answer nonchalantly, "If you can't see the mountain, it's raining."  Living in the Puget Sound area, the victim would always chuckle.

I walked out to where they were and spent some time with them. The picture above doesn't do it justice. When we spread their ashes we had permission to leave the path and when you get past the trees, the view is breathtaking. I couldn't leave the path on Saturday, so you'll only get a hint of the beauty through the trees and the fog.

Since we were up there, I thought I'd give you some idea of what's up there on the top of the world. I don't remember the name of these falls, but I made my husband turn around on a twisting mountain road so I could go back and take pictures for you.

Guard rails on Mt. Rainier

They didn't mess around

I think these last two pictures are of the Sidney Falls. They're actually, two falls, a top one then a bottom one. The falls were the first tourist site on the mountain and they designed the bridge to compliment the landscape.

So, we had a full weekend. We caught up with each other as equals rather than patient and caregiver. I checked in with my memories of my parents and we ate dinner at a restaurant where the server didn't know what "on tap" meant. Fun times.

Trying Not to Over Do

I have been suffering from almost daily migraines for almost exactly a year. Real, clinical migraines, with auras of flashing lights before my eyes and ringing in my ears that lasts for approximately 5-15 minutes, then the pain starts.The pain can be excruciating. It's not just a bad headache. I had them nearly every day for a year. I was just this side of bedrest. I'd get up, put on pajamas, go downstairs and sit in my easy chair all day. If the auras let me see, I would be on my computer. If I needed to go somewhere, almost always a doctor, my son or husband would drive me. I couldn't risk getting an aura while I was driving.

Two weeks ago, tomorrow, I had an ablation procedure in my neck which stopped my migraines cold. Went into the Operating Room with a migraine, came out without one. I haven't had one since. It's amazing. I had doctors telling me I might need to learn to live with the migraines. I spent days after that looking at my cooking knives and wondering if they were sharp enough to cut my wrists.

Now, I have a body that has had almost no exercise, and a home which has had nothing done but the things required to live, for the past year. I want to fix it all today. My son starts his new, and first, job on Saturday. This morning we ran errands to make sure he had what he needed to do his job. I have a lot of other things I want to do today, but at the moment, I'm exhausted from the running around.

I want to clean out all the piles of stuff that have accumulated over the last year. I want to dust everything. I want to get back to walking three miles a day, but I can barely make it to the corner with my dog.

I'm so frustrated, but I don't want to increase the time it takes my neck to heal by overdoing it. I just hope it doesn't take as long to recover as it did to get in this deep.

One day at a time,  right?

Dog walks, IKEA lamps and Thanksgiving

It's Monday, October 3, 2016.

I want to talk about my weekend.

On Friday, I went for a walk with my dog, Mickey. We didn't get very far because my neck is still sore and I get tired holding my head up. I think we made it four houses and an open space.

On Saturday, I didn't really accomplish much, Jim was out geocaching and I was here sitting in my easy chair and relaxing. I was mostly bored, but I did spend some time trying to figure out how to do this whole "recovery" thing. I downloaded some apps and went through some I had downloaded a few days before and tried to decide which was better for my plans.

On Sunday, we went to IKEA to buy some new lamps. We got a couple of other things, too. We went home and put the lamps together, then headed north to meet my husband's family. It was his brother's birthday. While we were waiting for our food I offered to cook Thanksgiving dinner. We had been going out to eat for Thanksgiving for the last several years. They immediately started a discussion about whether prime rib might be better than the traditional turkey. Personally, I'm just hoping I'm strong enough by then to follow through, whichever they decide.

Today, I went for another walk with Mickey and made it passed a couple more houses. I planned out what the menu would look like for either turkey or prime rib and sent emails to everyone who's supposed to be there to vote on. I also spent far too long on Facebook.

Oh, did I mention I started testing my blood sugars starting last Friday. I'm diabetic, but it's not too bad yet. I know I need to keep track of my sugars, but with the migraines, I just couldn't handle more than one thing at a time. Since I'm not having migraines, I thought it was time to start thinking about my blood sugar again.

Never going geocaching again?

Today is October 1, 2016. I am feeling pretty good today. I still have a sore, stiff neck, but I'm planning to take my dog for a walk as soon as I recover from showering and drying my hair.

I downloaded some apps to help me get back on my feet and get the house in order. I found a Spring Cleaning app. I'm pretty sure it will work in the falls too. I also downloaded an app that claims to get you from couch to running a 5K in about three months. I'm guessing that's aimed at couch potatoes and not someone who has been just this side of bed rest for a year. I'm going to give it a go though, even if my milestones will be further apart than the app expects.

Today is Saturday and my husband has gone off geocaching, leaving me home alone. I know he deserves time when he isn't either working or taking care of me, but sometimes I wonder if he'll want to go back to geocaching with me once I'm capable of going. The few times I went with him while I was having the migraines, he would be standing next to a stump with the cache in his hand before I, and my cane, made it around the car. After that happens six times in a row, it's just easier to stay in the car. He doesn't understand why I end up just sitting in the car and when I try to explain it, he gets defensive. He asks if he should just wait by it until I go there so I could be the one who "found" it.

The thing is, I don't blame him. It's not his fault that I move like a slug. It's just that geocaching isn't a spectator sport. If I can't get out there and, maybe, find the cache myself, it's just boring. So I ended up begging off and he's found another geocaching buddy whose wife isn't interested in geocaching and I'm not sure he'll be willing to change back.

It's going to be months of steady work to get strong enough to climb hills or walk down trails that are two miles each way. I can practice the walking part, but the only way I'm going to get strong enough to climb up hills covered with brush or rocky downslopes is to do it. My husband has a buddy who can do all those things without him having to wait patiently for me to manage things. If I can't have geocaching time to strengthen myself, his friend is always going to be more fun and capable.

I don't know if I'll ever really be able to go geocaching again. That saddens me. Especially since it's the only recreation we do.