Saturday, January 8, 2011

A Nothing Saturday

I have nothing on the agenda for today. Maybe I will clean house. I cleaned last week and spruced it up Sunday for the Living the Questions group.

I noticed this morning that my cheek has swollen up some. I stopped the ice because it seemed to make the redness worse. Now my cheek is swollen. Maybe I'd better put the icepack back on it.

I got a lot done yesterday. Yesterday afternoon late, I went to Wal Mart and bought some treats and sent the book off to Scott that he wanted in the same box. It costs $12.95 to send one of the larger boxes.

He wants to to see if I can order Secretariat for him in Blue Ray. He would also like to have 500 Nations, a documentary he wants for his collection. I'll see what I can do at Amazon. If I can, I will have it sent directly to his APO. He would probably get it sooner that way.

Well, they wouldn't ship out of the USA so I had the 500 Nations sent directly to me and I will send it on as soon as it comes. I pre-ordered Secretariat since it is not to be released until the 24th. I will send it on to him as soon as I receive it. They say I will have it by the 29th.

More later...

I couldn't decide what to eat today. I got a milk shake at Braums at 1:30 and fixed some popcorn for supper. I should have heated up some soup...but what the heck!

Friday, January 7, 2011

Friday Hair Day

I couldn't stand it! My hair looked terrible. It lay flat on my head and looked blah! I called Carol, my beautician in Independence, and asked her if she had any time at all this morning (she only works half day on Friday) The only time she had was 7:30 and I took it. Later I called Bob A. and asked him if he would be interested in going with me and then going to their Eggberts afterward for breakfast. He said he would so I will pick him up at 7:00 AM. I was not comfortable going alone right now.

I held an icepack on the eye off and on all afternoon and part of the morning yesterday. The eye began to swell anyhow and the tissue around it turned red. I imagine by tomorrow it will be black. But the eye does not hurt at all. It was a little scratchy last evening and I put some drops in it. In the middle of the night I remembered I had forgotten to put the ointment in it so I got up and did that. It feels fine now.

My back hurt to sleep in the recliner last night so I put three pillows on the bed and slept until 3:00 in the bed. Then my neck got stiff. Slinky got me up at 3:00 to go outside so I grabbed my two afghans and moved to the recliner. I slept just fine until 5:00, when I got up. About that time Slinky started crying for his breakfast too so my night's sleep was over I knew. After I got my makeup and clothes on, I went to the kitchen and gave him his dog food and fixed his oatmeal. What a baby he is. He is lying here beside my chair now....perfectly content. I will put him out at 7:00. This is almost the last day we are to have nice weather.

Sunday we are forecast for snow and also Monday. I knew it was coming but I was just dreading it. Until the eye is well I cannot shovel snow. I may be snowed in for Sunday and I preside for church. If Bob A. comes by (if he can get out) to pick me up we will also have the problem of the drive at church. If we get any amount of snow at all, we cannot get in and out of our drive. We are in the country so there is no city to scrape it for us. We have planned our budget business meeting for Sunday at 10:45 too. It's always something. We will just wait and see what happens.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

The Day After

Leslie and I got to Wichita by noon so we looked around the nearby shopping center until 12:45 when we went back to the clinic and signed in. About fifteen minutes after 1:00 the nurse came out and told us the doctor was running late and it would be about fifteen more minutes. That was about 1:15. By 2:00, he still had not come. 2:30 came and went. I asked the nurse when she thought he would be there and she said he had just come in and was with his first patient.

At about 2:40 they called me in for the pre-surgery paperwork. I was pretty unhappy by that time. My blood pressure was 155/90. They asked me if that was usual and I said it had been 120/71 that morning but after waiting two hours past my appointment time and after driving two hours to get there, I wasn't surprised that my pressure was up. (if I had been two hours late, they would undoubtedly have canceled my surgery).

He finished the first patient about 3:00 and they finally got me in. The actual surgery lasted about thirty minutes. Then there was the post-surgery instructions where they called Leslie in to listen too.

We hadn't eaten all day so we stopped at Olive Garden and had soup and salad at 4:00 and we finished there at 5:00. I called Bob A. and asked him if he would go over to my house and let my animals back in the house. They were hungry by then and it was getting cold too. He was there when we got in at 7:00. He stayed a bit and visited with Leslie and me and asked if I wanted him to stay the night.

I thought I would be alright but told him if I got to feeling insecure or had a problem, I would call him. He said he would come right over if that should happen.

I had a fairly good night..sleeping in the recliner. I had held an ice pack on the eye the entire two hour trip home from Wichita. It did not swell or bleed. It did ache a bit....at times quite a bit. But there was no real pain.

Missy slept on my lap all night. Slinky got me up at 10:30 to go out and then went right back to sleep. He woke me again at 3:30 and spent more time out there. He finally came back in reluctantly. It was 20 degrees out there. He wanted back out at 4:00 so I let him out and went back to the recliner and went back to sleep until 6:00.

Then I got up and let Slinky back in and fed him and Missy and Inky. I fixed my coffee and the oatmeal which I usually share 9/10 of it with Slinky. He loves oatmeal. The eye had not swelled or bled.

I read my e-mail and fooled around an hour. About 7:00 Bob A. popped back in to see how I was doing. He brought his coffee and we visited awhile. He went back home to bring me his two ice packs. I couldn't get the second one they gave me at the clinic to pop and get cold.

Then later in the morning I went back to the recliner to put the ice pack back on it. I noticed a little blood on the ice pack and went to look at the eye. It was a little swollen and was bleeding just a bit in the inside corner of the eye. I took a Kleenex and let it flow onto it and that was all there was.

So, I have sat in the recliner off and on all afternoon and put the icepack on the eye and also paid my bills online.

I had sold another book on Amazon so I packed it up and asked Bob A. if he would go to the post office for me and send it off. He was happy to do that. Before he got over here, Cyndi came and brought me the income from the booth for December. Then when he came, I was able to give him his $25.00 for the sale of his dishes. And I was able to get an ice bag back on my eye.

Judy and Marilyn came awhile ago and brought me a gift. It was a lovely little bird and a card that one can cut up and plant in the garden and it is made from seeds and will grow flowers. I will keep it and cut it up and plant it in the new flowerbed in the spring. How thoughtful! I have the neatest friends!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Today's The Day!

Today's the day I have my eyelid surgery. It's probably a good thing the doctor is only going to do one. I hope that doesn't make me look any stranger then I do already. But I couldn't afford the $2,000 to do the other eye anyhow. Medicare won't pay for this surgery unless it is causing problems with your sight. My left eyelid droops and catches on my contact so it qualifies.

I only brushed my teeth this morning...no makeup. I look all of my 75 years without my makeup. I never approach a day without makeup so this is a first. I am also wearing glasses. The only time I ever wear glasses is in the evenings after I take out my contacts to give my eyes a rest from them. I have worn contacts since I was 40 years old. Two different doctors have told me I should give them up at my age and go back to glasses. Why, I don't know. I have never had any problems with then. I see mush better with contacts. And I don't get a sore nose or ears. So as long as my optometrist says it's alright, I will wear contacts. But not after this surgery...I can't wear them for three or four weeks.

I ate some oatmeal at 5:30 this morning. I am not to eat or drink anything after 7:00. It is ten till 7:00 now. My surgery is at 1:00 this afternoon.

This afternoon I have to keep ice pack or cold washcloth on the eye until bedtime at 20 minute intervals. Tonight, and for three nights, I am to sleep in the recliner. That will be interesting! Not that I don't sleep in the recliner. I do..practically every evening..but only for an hour or so...not all night. So this will be interesting indeed. I got Jerry, the Episcopal priest, to take my minutes at CMA tomorrow. I know I will not be able to be there.

I have to preside at church on Sunday. Let's hope things will be better by then or I may be presiding with two black and swollen eyes. Then on Monday, I have two meetings. One will be strictly social in nature....a coffee. The other is my MC3 meeting in Independence at 4:00. I am secretary there so I hope to be able to attend.

Yes, this will be interesting.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Cold Tuesday

I am waiting for it to warm up enough to put Slinky outside. Right now he is sleep in the utility room. It is just now 32 degrees. Maybe another thirty minutes until it gets warm enough for him to be outside.

Then I will go mail off a book I just sold last night on Amazon.

The cat, Missy, is asleep in my reading chair by the window here in the dining room.

I have been reading my Kindle and working with the internet all morning.

I have nothing much going today. I am anticipating my eyelid surgery tomorrow in Wichita. Don't know how that will go. I will just play it by ear. Leslie will pick me up at 10:00 tomorrow morning for our 2 1/2 hour trip up there.

More later:

Monday, January 3, 2011

Busy Monday

I had Living the Questions meeting here last night. Twelve attended. Two did not. My new dessert went over well and it was very easy. I love easy recipes.

I have several things I must do today. For one thing, I need to pick up a few more things at the market.

I also need to go visit Gerry at the hospital and Phyllis at Windsor Place.

Then I need to drop by the pharmacy for a prescription refill. And I need to get some cash and drop by the bank with a deposit.

I hope it warms up again today because otherwise I will need to put Slinky in the garage. It's 24 degrees right now. It's supposed to get up to 40 degrees. He can handle 40 degrees.

I would like to wash my hair today because after I have my eyelid surgery on Wednesday, I can't wash my hair for several days. Bob A. is concerned that I will be here alone after I get home from Wichita. He thinks he should come over and stay with me at least the first day or two. I will play this by ear.

I think I am supposed to stay at Leslie's tomorrow because a technician is coming out to get them on HD TV. They are on the satellite and I thought they would already be on HD TV. She will have to explain to me what she wants me to do. I heard her talking to Cyndi about it but she never told me what she needs.

Keith called last night. He and Esther want to come the last week in February. He wants her to meet me. They are now going to drive her car back here because the airline tickets would be $500 each. They can drive much cheaper even though it's a 15 hour drive from Phoenix. He is dying to get married again. I think it's much too soon myself. But it's none of my business. He's free, white and well over 21.

I got all this stuff done today except to make the deposit. I can do that anytime. I will wash my hair tonight. Gerry had been moved into skilled nursing. Phyllis was fairly lucid. Bob did call in Hospice for her.

The Wichita doctor's office called again to remind me not to eat after 7:00 AM on Wednesday but to go ahead and take my blood pressure medicine.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Busy Sunday

I went to church this morning at 9:00. Bob A. picked me up. I had the sermon. Afterward, several of us went to eat out. Bob A., Leslie, Bobby and Karan and I all ate at El Publito. It was very good but I had more then half of it left over so I brought it home for tomorrow.

We had a nice crowd at church today at last. The holiday had really caused our attendance to suffer. You would think folks would want to be at church over the holidays but not our congregation.

I worked for the past hour and a half on my letters and got them out on the mailbox for the mailman to pick up tomorrow. I still have to make my dessert for tonight's "Living the Questions" group here. While it bakes, I will spruce up the house a bit.

I just let Slinky in. He must be chilled to the bone. He was barking to come in. This morning while it was 23 degrees he wanted to go out. He hates to be shut in the garage while I go to church...even though the garage was almost 40 degrees this morning. The sun was shining and he loves to lie in the sun. But awhile ago, he started barking to get in and so I let him him. It 41 degrees out there now. But maybe he just wanted the company.

More later....