I meant to post earlier, but forgot I signed up!
There's been a disruption in the force at my house, since Mr. Dog Man was home for two weeks, and now (alas) he is gone again. Our dog Clyde figured out The Man was leaving yesterday due to the packing of bags, hauling of things to the car, garage door opening without loading the dog in the car, etc., and commenced an impressive whine and bark fest. Things settled down in time, but Le Dog was so eager to go see his doggy pals at day care this morning that he jumped right out of the car before I could grab his leash! Jeesh.
AW: Daughter's in the middle of her last final of the year, yay! Tomorrow, pizza night with son and my lovely DIL!
Also tomorrow, an exciting visit with the ob/gyn for the pap. Thus, another spirited day care visit. That should wear the pup out some. Maybe he won't bark as much at my son, for no discernible reason.
What's the haps out your way?
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About the dog -- I'm leaning toward getting another dog to keep Clyde company, because he is clearly a social dog, and needs a lot of activity. But, it has to be an older dog, an experienced dog, who can help with socialization and activity, but is not so needy. My beloved keeps arguing for a puppy, which is easy for him to argue, but I am soooooo holding the line on a puppy. The current dog has too much puppy!
QWP, thanks for the netflix ideas the other day.
Thanks for hosting, Kathy! (And I'm with you on the idea of older dog versus puppy for company. Could you imagine adding MORE energy to that mix?)
AW: antibiotics are kicking in quickly for E! Her temperature is normal again, and although she's still coughing non-stop, she's acting like herself again. My cleverest idea of the week was to make up a lot of breakfast smoothie last night, and then freeze it in the popsicle moulds. That way, she isn't getting QUITE as much sugar as she's been getting from all the other frozen food we have. (Her poor swollen throat! The doctor initially thought it was anaphylaxis.)
W: I am definitely sick, and very much miserable.
Just say no on the puppy. They are high maintenance, and--from how you describe Clyde--they would lead each other into shenanigans, of the undesirable variety
so sorry y'all are sick, QWP. Frozen smoothie is genius.
W: the news today. I just can't, and I feel bad that I'm turning away from suffering, but I just can't today.
Yeppers on the news today. It's awful.
Glad E is on the mend, and excellent mom-pops idea! Hope you are soon on the mend, too, QWP.
W: E was so much worse tonight. (I know, she's only had two days of her antibiotics. It takes time. But waiting for it to work is sometimes rough.) Her ear started hurting, in addition to her throat, right before bed, and nothing was making it better. She's already had antibiotics, pain killers, and has used her inhaler, and still the pain and coughing continue. (I suspect either that the waxy ear is actually a bit infected, or it's actually her sinus.) I think I finally got her to sleep, with an ice pack against her head. I had to spend a long time singing and rubbing her back, and now I'm wiped.
Agreed on the puppy status, kathy, even though I've never had one. We're still waiting for our kittens to settle down and get into fewer fun activities in the wee hours of the night. The kitten/puppy stage lasts awhile! They're adorable, but wow, do they have energy.
(((QWP))) (((E)))
esperanza, I can't even with the news today. It's just so awful.
Seriously, the news today. I feel ill about it. So helpless and angry.
Well, we got through that night. Not a lot of sleep after 4:30am. E woke up crying about her ear before 5:00, but thankfully Mr. Q had gone to the store to get @dvil, both so that I could alternate between that and Tylenol, and because I figure she needed something for inflammation. She isn't crying from ear pain anymore, but she says that it does hurt to touch it. (It's possible that she didn't even notice the ear ache before her throat started improving, but isn't it weird for her ear to start hurting midway through the strong antibiotics?)
I'm tired.
E would like to Old Skool whine that her daddy bought the neon blue "blue raspberry" nonsense flavour of @dvil, which freaked her out at 5am.
QWP, sounds like a good question for the doctor.
Done with the pap.
So, another startling piece of news once you've passed 60: The doctor told me that they stop doing routine paps after age 65 -- you can still go in for checkups, but it's not the kind of thing where they'll keep reminding you to schedule because it's time again. Huh. (I believe the mams keep going routinely, though.)
Even though it's just the kids coming over, I have neglected the vacuuming portion of the program lately -- so, guess I'd better do that. Don't know why I hate it so much! Got one sector done yesterday; two more this afternoon.
QWP, sometimes one antibiotic isn't as effective with a particular kind of infection and vice versa. I once developed pneumonia while on antibiotics for a UTI, for example. Some bugs are more responsive to particular drugs. That might be it.
I'm going to wait it out, since she just only had her third dose of antibiotics. Her temperature is back to normal, and I'm going to keep her out of the wind and pollen for another day, since there's been a direct relationship between her playing outside and getting worse. (I did already suspect an ear infection before we went in on Sunday, but the sore ear is so full of wax that the doctor didn't see anything. It also could be connected to the infected sinus she has. I keep having to remind myself of the time I had a wicked sinus, throat, and ear infection, and was put on these same meds, and even I started improving right away, the pain and congestion didn't end until the last day of my antibiotics.)
W: it's a gorgeous and hot day, and I am trapped indoors with a sick kid.
Y'all know my husband has legal responsibility for his sister with early onset dementia? That means the court does periodic reviews to see that everything's ship shape. He spent really a lot of time preparing an accounting for the most recent reporting period, and the lawyer just somehow didn't file it; and the lawyer wanted an update some months later. By then, my beloved was deep in a work huge work thing, had no time. The lawyer filed something, and now the court wants an updated accounting -- for a hearing next week, which now the lawyer says my husband has to attend.
My husband is in a huge deal through next week, in a town hours away. NOT the right time, dude! We really have to find another lawyer. Meanwhile, I've sent a stern email about the impossibility of cleaning this up by next week, and suggested he get a new court date, because seriously, this is impossible. (And, it's not my beloved's fault, either.)
The original lawyer was great; but she passed this little easy thing off to someone who evidently can't manage it, and who also lacks social skills. Harrumph. (Yes, we really do need a lawyer who isn't us.)
Oh my goodness, so many cluesticks for the lawyer that didn't file the stuff! (And of course you need your own lawyer that isn't yourself! Isn't that a standard thing?)
Yeah, about people close to the situation being ill-advised to represent themselves.
OK, the real lawyer got involved, and she says no, he doesn't have to go to court; she will go to court; all he has to do is look at a one page summary and approve it. So, that sounds a lot better....
Oh good! I'm glad that the real lawyer is involved now, and I hope this foolish other lawyer learns not to do this again.
AW: it's 32C/89F outside! We've even used the air conditioner a bit! When Mr. Q got home, I managed to sneak outside and plant more seeds in my garden, because it's supposed to rain a bunch for the rest of the week! E is going to bed soon, and isn't crying about her ear! (Okay, she's also on the maximum dose of two different painkillers, but I'm seeing clear improvement, finally.) I've realised that when she says that her ear is hurting, she points below her ear, to the swollen gland in her throat, and that every time her ear starts hurting, it's after a long coughing spell. So: clearly all the same infection.
Same temp as here, QWP (well, at 8 PM; I suppose it was hotter earlier)!
I had a strep throat infection high on my tonsil, and I took myself to the doctor absolutely convinced I had an ear infection. I made him look twice. It was somehow activating the same nerve, because it was so high up on the tonsil. So, yes, same infection. Poor thing. I hope the antibiotics start to work--really work--soon.
kathy, glad the real lawyer is involved. And can we outlaw fake lawyers?
W: frustrating news from the developmental pediatrician. He was befuddled by the side effects and non-effectiveness of the two medications Sweet has tried. Her reactions are not typical. So we're trying a third class of ADHD med before school is out to see what happens. He really thinks if we can hit on the right med, it will make a big difference. He's worried that if she goes on as-is for too much longer, she will get so far behind academically that the school district will want to un-mainstream her, which wouldn't be good. So I am reluctantly willing to continue with Sweet the Medication Guinea Pig.
AW: these last two meds have been controlled substances, so the Rx has to be delivered in person, which means the insurance company is not hounding me to use the mail order company, which means that I can use my nice local pharmacy. The pharmacist (a) noticed that we were trying a third med this season; and (b) encouraged me that it sometimes takes a while to find the right one. That right there is why I prefer my local, non-chain pharmacy, thankyouverymuch.
I'm afraid the real lawyer is married to the other lawyer, who seems to really be struggling with simple things. She's getting it straight, though.
Show time with the kids! My son came by earlier, we talked a bunch, and now he is out picking up his lovely bride from the train. I'm making the pizza come a tad earlier than originally planned.
The stupid dog went all barky on my son again -- like, even when my son gave him his very favorite treat, he was kinda growling as he snarfed it down... Dinner is served for the canine contingent. It's still plenty light out, so Clyde can go enjoy the yard for a while, is my opinion.
Esperanza, best of wishes on the third try being a charm! And also, yay for the local and helpful pharmacist.
Have a lovely evening, Kathy!
Hugs, esperanza. I hope this med helps Sweet. And thank goodness for local pharmacists.
My dog spent over 3 hours barking, and refused to come in for a long time, and is trying the barking again. Mama has some issues with this. Great dinner with son and DIL, and they carted away a small box of son's treasures -- but between the barking and the search for treasures, I forgot to send them with this box of leftover pizza....
Hugs and love to all of you, pixies. Yesterday was an insane day (and only 10C, QWP, so being indoors all day wasn't so bad).
I hope E is feeling better this morning. I also hope you send your good weather our way.
Poor Sweet. It's tough trying new meds. I'm glad you've got a good pharmacist, though - they make a big difference.
Yikes, kathy! I'm glad the good lawyer is on top of things now. Sheesh. I wonder if there's something in Clyde's history that makes him particularly wary of your son. Maybe a memory of a bad time.
AW: After living in our condo for ten years, we're finally getting the last two rooms painted. We are the first owners, so when they were building, we were more interested in getting things right for hubby - a roll-in shower room, lower island in kitchen, top quality laminate flooring (wheelchairs and hardwood never work together) etc. Neither of us cared about the walls, so builder beige it was. Five years ago we painted everything but the two bedrooms in lovely colours. Now those rooms will be done on Tuesday.
W: I'll be spending the long weekend prepping the rooms for painting. It's not a massive job, but heavy. Plenty of books and shelves to relocate.
AW: Paint! Fresh colours!
So exciting, Sue! What colours are you using? (And I'm trying hard to send this nice weather to you! It's so strange that it's such a big difference. I know there's a 12-hour drive between us, but I'm so used to our weather always being the same!)
AW: better night than the previous one. Still a couple of wake ups, but nothing too bad.
W: E is now complaining about pain in the opposite ear from yesterday.
AW: she says that yesterday, TWO ears were hurting, but the other one was so painful, she was only talking about that one. So: the really bad ear is better, and the other one has been downgraded to "bovvering me" rather than "hurts so much." She's touching it a lot, but apparently, the grossness of the blue raspberry painkiller is worse than the pain (and so she'd rather have no painkiller).
Wait, Sue -- you moved 10 years ago?? Time flies. But now the rooms will be cheerful! Yes, moving stuff away from the walls is a real pain...
QWP, has E had an evaluation by an ENT doctor? One of my kids had chronic ear problems, and once she got tubes, voila. She needed ear plugs for swimming with the tubes (we used a silicon kind that warms with kneading and molds to the ear), but it really cut down on the problems.
If you can't find another flavor of the @dvil, or even if you can -- we had some better success shooting the liquid meds into the back of the throat (head tilted a little back), followed directly by something the kid wanted to drink (chocolate milk, for example).
AW, I guess: I bagged up most of the leftover pizza (several baggies) and stuffed it in the freezer, for future use. That was supposed to be my big indulgence for the week, and the plan was to send most of the extra home with the kids! Ah, well.
Further AW: My son had excavated all these old star trek thing from his past at Christmas; and then he left them sitting in my front room. He did further excavation last night, and found a number of other treasures -- including a large special ring his grandfather gave him, originally from his great-grandfather. Plus, his special coins. For some reason, he left his rock collection here.... ;)
Guess I forgot the important point: son took a box of his stuff home with him!
Freezing the leftover pizza is so smart! And that's great that your son took a box of his stuff home.
I'm going to talk with E's pediatrician about her ears. I suspect they're to blame for the recent motion sickness issues. I did find a way to get her to take her @dvil: one spoon of jello, and then chug the medicine, and then another spoon of jello! We've tried all kinds of combinations, and E says this one makes the medicine taste good.
Go, Mama QWP! Whatever Works is our motto.
In one of the weird things that happens, a childhood family friend posted a nice article today on the book of visages, about the rare neurodegenerative disease that my SIL has. We are not close enough for her to know that this has been going on in my life -- but *nobody* knows about this thing, and I'm a big fan of spreading the word! I don't know why this caught her eye, but am grateful.
Was it perhaps an article from a Canadian magazine, about a young man with said degenerative disease? It was from a year ago, but started making the rounds on Twitter today. I'm not sure what prompted it, but people are starting to spread the word.
AW: today was a perfect blend of warm, windy, and dry, and I managed to dry three loads of laundry outside on the clothesline today. It helped that my sister came over to entertain E today, and so I managed to get a few things done.
W: I'm realising that E needs one more day at home tomorrow, and I feel very grumbly about that realisation.
Hooray for sisters who come to help, and cooperative weather!
No, it was this very recent thing -- which might have just caught the old friend's eye because it's a good story. https://www.nextavenue.org/ftd-dementia-misdiagnosed/?utm_source=sumome&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=sumome_share
Oh, that story looks really good, Kathy!
AW: E had a really good night's sleep, with minimal coughing, and both of us slept through the night! I'm going to take her to school today!! That deserved an extra exclamation mark!
Yes, 10 year! Imagine!
The main part of the condo is a soft slate blue/grey, with an accent wall in the same colour, only two shades darker. The den (smaller bedroom) will be the colour of the accent wall - it's called Oxford Blue and it's really rich and lovely. The plan there is to put a comfy chair and more bookshelves in the room to make it a library.
The big bedroom will be a light grey - sort of a light stone colour. It will brighten up the room and compliment the bedding and curtains.
The main bathroom is a pretty lavender colour, which I simply adore.
I'm glad you found a way to get the meds into E, QWP. It will be good to check out her ears with the specialist too.
kathy, that's so great about the article. Awareness is good!
My bedroom (most of my house, actually) is a light, blueish grey, and it's so peaceful. Such a nice plan. (And exciting plans to turn the den into a library!)
W: that stage of sickness recovery where the kid is most of the way better, but all the way crotchety.
So, I thanked the old family friend for the article, and she responded with something like, "So, I guess this is what they call early onset Alzheimers." And, the entire point of the article is that this is NOT Alz. Oh, well...
QWP, have no fear! The crankies will fly away soon.
Sue, the new paint sounds lovely.
In the news -- I've been joking for months about the "friday news dump," but lately it is trending toward all bizarre revelations, all the time. Plus, new cast members almost weekly!
A lot of people spend their Fridays bracing for the news lately!
AW: E went to school today and was fine, although the process of getting the crotchety child to school gave me a few more grey hairs.
W: now Mr. Q is sick. I told him that he's taking care of himself, after the week that E and I had. He agrees.
((QWP)) sorry for the week you and E have had, and that Mr. Q is sick. Hope everyone is healthy soon, and yay for E going to school.
Sue, the paint plans sound lovely!!
((esperanza)) sorry the meds aren't working yet-- I know you'll find one that works soon!
kathy a, glad you had a nice visit with your son and DIL!
w: chin whiskers. (mine) that is all.
--Neighbor lady
NL, that's such a great Old Skool Whine. I hear you.
An excellent Old Skool whine, NL! And they always show up when they're already five thousand feet long.
W: I'm feeling sicker today, and I've hit my limit for mostly-better-but-still-tired kid meltdowns.
Also, in the course of a single day, I went from turning on the air conditioner to turning on the furnace. Which feels so wrong (even though it's pretty standard for May here).
Winner for Old Skool!
Definitely, an Old Skool Award for NL!
In related bodily whines: why are my eyebrows turning silver? (Duh. The rest of my hair is, too, but for some reason it never occurred to me that my eyebrows would gray)
And real whine: another school shooting.
Another fireplacing school shooting. WTF? "Up to" 10 dead so far. Apparently guns have more rights than live humans trying to go to school.
My eyebrows aren't going at the same rate as the rest of my head, though. My giant recurring chin hair shows no sign of silver, which just shows the unfairness of the universe...
So, the women's health doc advised me that I have ringworm in the inter-boobal zone, which she says is common for that area. Easily treated with an anti-fungal -- which sadly is marketed heavily for "athlete's foot," which makes me feel super attractive...
W: my state's elected officials are beyond embarrassing.
I was just reading about elected officials' comments and was horrified, esperanza. And hugs, everyone. What a horrifying, awful day.
And oh my goodness, Kathy! And award-worthy whine!
Fireplacing school shootings... :(
Tips for greying eyebrows: Don't pluck them out! Buy a good eyebrow colouring product - they're everywhere, reasonably priced, they come with a brush applicator. A friend told me about this years ago and it's saved my brows. The other thing she told me was to condition my brows. I just put extra face moisturizer on brows at night, and that works. When brows turn grey they get brittle and can break. Moisturizer is your friend.
*steps off soapbox*
kathy, has the dog been tested for ringworm? They use a special ultraviolet light to test, plus tissue samples. Ringworm can be passed from animals to humans, and since he's a rescue, I'm wondering if he might have picked it up at the shelter. Despite all the best efforts, shelters have a hard time staying ahead of it.
(((QWP))) I'm so sorry there are so many sickies in your home right now. :(
WW: come for the whining, stay for the beauty tips :) Thanks, Sue.
Kathy A, you're making me glad I no longer have a dog. My kids really want one, but it seems like it would just add more complications to life at this point.
QOWP, I hope everyone feels better soon.
Still waiting on the DV report here.
Oh, also you can use anti-fungal spray for horses on ringworm, if you like that option better. It can be purchased at any feed store.
Also sad over the news.
I don't know whether to blame the dog, my husband's sweaty feet, or Mother Nature in general. Ringworm happens! I wear a heavy duty bra, and also have hot flashes, so that area gets sweaty from time to time. I think maybe I can live with the generic anti-fungal from the drug store better than Horse Spray! (Not that I have anything against horses. Or dogs.)
Well, at least I got an eyebrow beauty tip... :)
PK, it's about time they finished up that darned report, already... xoxox
AW: our summer vacation to Old City/Island Home on the West Coast is coming together! It briefly looked like it wasn't going to work, because Mr. Q's school wanted him to take an accreditation course this summer, which would have happened when we wanted to be out of town, but they found a way to put that off for another year. And so the trip is on! We've found house sitters! (Our friend's parents are coming to town for several weeks, for a few family weddings, and she didn't want to have to host them in her own home for the WHOLE time. So: win-win. We have free house sitters who are excited to take care of our garden, and they stay out of their daughter's hair for a week and a half.) And I booked a vacation rental that has two bedrooms and a kitchen! That way, we can vacation at our own pace, and not burden our friends this time.
E is going to see the ocean and mountains, for the first time she remembers! (We flew there, when she was a year and a half old, and still free on airplanes.)
Yay for the summer vacation trip!
My beloved got home before dinner! There was dog walking; there was a good dinner; I managed some dog couch time between The Dog and The Man for a while. (Did I mention the dog allergy? That much snuggling doesn't happen so much.) Everybody's winding down early tonight.
xoxo
Wait, is the Dog Man allergic to dogs? I'm glad that your beloved is home again.
So, now that I'm thinking ahead to this summer: what's a good thank you for house sitters who we aren't paying, but who are taking care of things like garden and yard? (They're retirees, and also they will be visiting from far away.) Should I leave a nice basket of fruit, or something else that they consume while they're staying here? Bring back a souvenir from the tourist town we're visiting?
No, I'm the allergic one. Poses a problem, but I take allergy meds and wash well after contact.
Oh, I vote for some fresh fruit (not too much), staples, maybe a couple meals in the freezer that can be thawed and re-heated? Plus a souvenir, nothing huge. This is truly a gift -- for everybody.
Wow, QWP, what a great arrangement for your vacation and your housesitters!! I'm so happy for all of you. Yes on the fruit basket. We have a place in town where you can customize a basket so it includes fruit, favourite crackers/cookies, a few chocolates, cheese... That might provide some snacking as well as healthy fruit. I agree with a few freezer meals too. If they're going to be gardening, maybe put a few cans of lemonade concentrate in the freezer too, and make sure they know they can use them. Gardening is thirsty work!
Also, if it helps, we woke up this morning to 8C, rain, and high winds. Yay for the May long weekend!!! Lol! :)
My sweetie was on the phone with a colleague before 8 a.m. (yes, on Saturday), and now is at the office. He's off again in the morning. It'll be over next week, but it's been almost nonstop work for months now...
Brr, Sue!
I'm still giggling a little -- daughter called *me* about a plumbing problem! And I had the answer!
That swoopy tube at the bottom of her sink drain started leaking, and it looks all rusted out to the point where a hole appeared. So, I advised putting a pan under it, and calling the management company because this is all on them. (Also, it's not that hard a part to replace, but again, it's on them.)
This incident is apparently motivating her to do some cleaning in the bathroom, too, because that was one of the things that got left by the wayside recently.
AW: If my goal was to get the Baboos out of their Saturday couch potato habit, then I was about 50% successful.
W: our outing was mostly mopey because Mini had decided to be miserable.
AW: after their usual tussles, they finally played together for a good while
AW: and we walked Daisy the puppy together
W: in the heat. It was cloudy and breezy, if warm, when we started. But the clouds went away, and it got hot in a hurry.
Last night, my cat was in my lap purring, I was petting her, and then suddenly I was doing it wrong and she clawed me! Unlike all the other times this has happened, she directly hit a vein on the top of my hand, and -- wow, was it a mess.
Oh no, Kathy! How is your hand doing?
Happy birthday to esperanza!
Happy Birthday, Esperanza!
My hand's OK, kind of a bruise there. There was just a horrifying amount of blood -- she nicked just the wrong spot, I guess.
Well, my husband spent approximately 40 hours at "home," counting several hours in the office yesterday. This is the last week away.
Greetings from a quick break during my May Long Weekend project: I'm staining the fence! This project has highlighted how out of shape I have become. Dear goodness, are all of my muscles ever tired! I have to take a break after every fence panel.
Thank you!
The Baboos have mostly behaved nicely, we had an old-fashioned country fish fry at church, I went to a meeting (fun fun), and then relaxing at home with chocolate cake. Pretty good day!
Happy Birthday, esperanza!!!
:) Neighbor lady
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