This is so wrong on so many levels

...but funny.

Sure Happy It's Thursday

There's not much time to write a post, as we're of for some tests this morning. My daughter is doing her best to keep us up to date with the recent addition to the family. I'll do my part by showing her off.

Here's a tender moment with her big brother

I wonder if he will always be so inclined?

oh, that we lived a little closer

Okay, okay... I got it

Suldog asked, the other day last Thursday, "What's Your Entrance Music?"
I took all night [because I haven't figure out how to comment from my iPhone, yet] to come up with an answer.
I shouldn't have rushed.
Here is my final choice.

third time's the charm

When nobody was looking

OMGWTFBBQ*
[we did that already]

There was a big party, an awards ceremony, over at Chant du Départ.
Those Air Force guys have tons of free time for partying.

Anyhow, the Sarge saw fit to present an award to this blog.
The best part about this award, besides the honor that is, is that the recipients aren't required to do anything.
Oh, and we're in pretty good company, too.
Go see for yourself over here.

Okay.
So it's not exactly an award.
But the Seal of Approval is almost the same thing.
We're sure not gonna turn it down.
Thanks!

he said some pretty nice stuff

*this blog does not provide a thesaurus of acronyms
Google it

I know it's not Monday, but...

Did  you ever wonder what would happen if we went back to celebrating holidays on the days they were originally intended to be celebrated?

Another week has proven to be rather uneventful.
Things have again settled in to a routine around here.
Tuesdays and Fridays the Home Healthcare nurse comes for labs and dressing change.
Wednesdays are chemo trips.
We hang a bag every day at 8pm.
It gets disconnected at 8am.
Everything else is pretty much determined by the above.

GS keeps the rest of us on our toes.
Very little gets by her.
We have to listen carefully, though.
She speaks softly.
There are a number of foods she's restricted from eating.
There are others she just plain won't eat.
She doesn't eat very much, but we try to feed her often.

meals are fun

Thanks Dad

I think I have mentioned before that I never knew my father.
I only have others memories of him.

I have managed, however, to visit his graveside twice.
He shares it with a dozen others.

Thanks, too, to my stepdad,  who I called Pop, once I was bigger and faster than he.
He served well in the South Pacific (Australia, New Guinea and the Phillipines) and managed to survive a bout with malaria.

Thank you, also, to those who served even when they weren't called.
It's because of you we stand ready.

Take a moment today and tomorrow

Never forget

When all else fails...

We can always talk about the weather.

We're due for a change.

Actually, as I remember it, it is fairly routine to see rain on Memorial Day weekend.
It used to be, though, that it only rained enough to chase the boaters off the lake for one night.
They would fill every restaurant in town and you couldn't find a parking spot.
This might not be a good weekend to schedule a barbecue... unless you want to chance it tonight.

I suppose since the weatherman is the one reporting about earthquakes, I should update here.
There've been over 200 aftershocks to the recent quake.
I haven't felt any of them, either.
Nor would I expect I would.
There has been some damage to structures in the vicinity of the epicenter, mostly masonry chimneys obeying the law of gravity.
More damage may be discovered when folks from out of the area check on their summer homes.

Monday update will probably be on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, there is nothing new to report.

that's a good thing

(W)hat (TF) was that?

Just another Normal Friday

Whatever it was I missed it.
All over the local news everyone's talking about the earthquake.
GS and PHG obviously missed it, too.
Besides, it was last night.

clicking is optional

There's even speculation [by some idiots] that Mt Lassen is about to erupt.
Come on folks, the ground here in California shakes all of the time, just about anywhere, some places more than others.
It's Mother Nature's way of showing us we are not in control.

live with it

Yesterday

Sandee asked, on her blog,

"Did you do well in school or did you struggle?"

I was sorely tempted to give a smart@$$ answer: "Sometimes."
Don't ask why I spent two years in the first grade...
...or why I wasn't in the second grade long enough to be assigned a seat.
The truth is whatever demons I had were self-induced.
Some things came so easy for me that I didn't even think twice about them.
I was a natural at reading and spelling.
I aced physical education, but that was because all that was necessary was to suit up.
My penmanship is atrocious, though at one time I could print as well as the best cartoonists and mechanical draftsmen.
Geography was fun.
I don't think I've met a map that didn't draw my attention.
History wasn't exactly my favorite topic.
But I slogged through.
Then there were numbers.
I was like, "Huh?"
I got by, barely.
Music and art were another world entirely.

Ironically, all these years later, it's turned out that I read history for fun, numbers stuff seems almost natural, and I have a deep appreciation of art and music.
Though, if you asked me to play a tune, it would still be a struggle.

Did I mention I finally got a haircut...
...and new glasses?

didn't much care for school

so we're back

I think I'm gonna buy GS's doc a new watch.
We arrived at 9:00 am for her appointment.
A "quick" conference put GS into the chemo room at 9:45.
I was told the first meds would take a half hour and the chemo would be another hour and a half.
I was back by 11:45.
It was 1:00pm when we finally left the office.

Fortunately this is what it's like.

I can do without the wind.
It was in the mid forties last night.

We were able to reschedule the MRI and CT scans for next week...

...and we gained a pound.

progress

More of the same

I'm fairly certain there might be something to say sometime today...
...or tomorrow.
Right now we are preparing to depart for Redding and the next round of chemo.
So far the only side effect we have noticed has been a seemingly improved appetite.
Improved is a relative term.
PHG has opted out of this trip.
I can't say I blame her.

maybe a picture would help?

Guess what...

It's 7:30 AM and nothing dramatic has happened.

This is why we call them "Monday" updates

The week, for the most part, has gone quite well.
GS has shown no ill effects from the chemo that started last Wednesday.
If anything her appetite seems to be improving.
Part of the Washington Clan snuck [I use that word advisedly] in for a visit over the weekend.
That helps to keep us on our toes.
Fortunately, there were more than enough ribs to barbecue Friday night.
PHG and I went off Saturday to play in the country at the bike ride.
NT, GS's other daughter, and the son from Washington took over for us for the day.
They dealt with the Home Health nurse.
That's not to say we didn't have our moments.
(Read that as I had my moments.
Because don't you know this is all about me).
If everyone did things the way they should be done, we wouldn't have to drive to  _ _ _ _  and gone three for four times a week because somebody else needs something... like blood.

 I'm pretty sure I didn't write that... but I've sure thought it.

that's about all you're gonna get

More about the Century

I mentioned yesterday the bike ride is a big event.
What I was referring to is the sponsoring clubs depend a great deal upon the event to raise funds for their service activities throughout the year.
Just about every able-bodied member of both clubs and other volunteers are needed to operate it successfully.
Preparation started last October.
We also have a good time.
About the only thing we can't control to some extent is the weather.
Yesterday was beautiful.

 The rest stop where I was opened by 8:15.

There was only one minor issue.

The arrow points the wrong direction.

 We didn't have to clean up before we started, though there was a piano someone had dumped.

"I think I can fix that"

 One of the keys to operating a good lunch stop is having adequate help...

...and never more than about seven riders at a time.

 Gratuitous picture of the sky and landscape.

Because this is what I looked like all day.
Note: California is already becoming a golden state again, though it is still a little green where it's shady.

O/T - Friday night we had ribs for dinner.

The meat fell off the bone.

life's good

Today is the big event

Two Lions Clubs have their proverbial fingers crossed, hoping the weatherman is right.
Good weather will be the major determination for how many riders show up the the Anderson Century Ride.
Everything that can be controlled by the Enterprise Lions Club and the Anderson Lions Club has been taken care of.
Now all we can do is go to our various and sundry work stations and see how many riders show up.
We will do our best to comfort and feed them during their respective rides.
Then we'll provide a meal at Anderson River Park at the end of the ride.
It will be a long day in the sunshine [according to the weather man] and we'll meet a bunch of really nice folks who ride bicycles over long distances for recreation.
Maybe I'll be able to tell you more tomorrow.

Meanwhile here are some photos from Thursday evening.
I could hear thunder in the distance but I didn't see any flashes and we stayed dry.

It's all about the colors.
I missed a really neat shot of some clouds when I was driving downtown.

pictures are easier than words

Thanks Buck

My grandkids made it to the cover of a national magazine

Maybe when the youngest learns to talk she'll call him Uncle Buck?
Buck sent me looking for the site.

Just so you don't think I'm going overboard there's this.

site's on F/B

Change up

I was gonna just email this to a few folks...
Then I thought, "Everyone should see this."
There isn't a thing here I would disagree with.
I'm sure my brother-in-law will agree.

   
      Life in the Navy.


    1. Buy a dumpster, paint it green inside, and live in it for six months.

    2. Run all the pipes and wires in your house exposed on the walls.

    3. Repaint your entire house every month.

    4. Renovate your bathroom. Build a wall across the middle of the bathtub and move the shower head to chest level. When you take showers, make sure you turn off the water while you soap down.

    5. Put lube oil in your humidifier and set it on high.

    6. Once a week, blow air up your chimney, with a leaf blower and let the wind carry the soot onto your neighbor's house. Ignore his complaints.

    7. Once a month, take all major appliances apart and reassemble them.

    8. Raise the thresholds and lower the headers of your front and back doors so that you either trip or bang your head every time you pass through them.

    9. Disassemble and inspect your lawnmower every week.

    10. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, turn your water heater temperature to 200 degrees. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, turn the water heater off. On Saturdays and Sundays tell your family they use too much water, so no bathing will be allowed.

    11. Raise your bed to within 6 inches of the ceiling, so you can't turn over without getting out and then getting back in.

    12. Sleep on the shelf in your closet. . Have your spouse whip open the curtain about 3 hours after you go to sleep, shine a flashlight in your eyes, and say "Sorry, wrong rack."

    13. Make your family qualify to operate each appliance in your house - dishwasher operator, blender technician, etc. Re-qualify every 6 months.

    14. Have your neighbor come over each day at 0500, blow a whistle so loud Helen Keller could hear it, and shout "Reveille, reveille, all hands heave out and trice up."

    15. Have your mother-in-law write down everything she's going to do the following day, then have her make you stand in your back yard at 0600 while she reads it to you.

    16. Submit a request chit to your father-in-law requesting permission to leave your house before 1500.

    17. Empty all the garbage bins and sweep the driveway three times a day, whether it needs it or not. "Now sweepers, sweepers, man your brooms, give the ship a clean sweep down fore and aft, empty all trash cans and butt kits over the fantail!")

    18. Have your neighbor collect all your mail for a month, read your magazines, and randomly lose every 5th item before delivering the rest.

    19. Watch no TV except for movies played in the middle of the night. Have your family vote on which movie to watch, then show - the same one every night.

    20. When your children are in bed, run into their room with a megaphone shouting "Now general quarters, general quarters! All hands man your battle stations!)

    21. Make your family's menu a week ahead of time without consulting the pantry or refrigerator.

    22. Post a menu on the kitchen door showing that your family is having steak for dinner. Then make them wait in line for an hour. When they get to the kitchen, tell them you are out of steak but can have dried ham or hot dogs. Repeat daily until they ignore the menu and just ask for hot dogs.

    23. Bake a cake. Prop up one side of the pan so the cake bakes unevenly. Spread icing real thick to level it off.

    24. Get up every night around midnight and have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on stale bread. (Midrats)

    25. Set your alarm clock to go off at random during the night.. At the alarm, jump up and dress as fast as you can, making sure to button your top shirt button and tuck your pants into your socks. Run out into the backyard and uncoil the garden hose.

    26. Every week or so, throw your cat or dog into the pool and shout "Man overboard, port side!" Rate your family members on how fast they respond.

    27. Put the headphones from your stereo on your head, but don't plug them in. Hang a paper cup around your neck on a string. Stand in front of the stove, and speak into the paper cup, "Stove manned and ready." After an hour or so, speak into the cup again "Stove secured." Roll up the headphones and paper cup and stow them in a shoe box.

    28. Make your family turn out all the lights and go to bed at 10 p.m. "Now taps, taps! Lights out! Maintain silence throughout the ship!" Then immediately have an 18-wheeler crash into your house. (For aircraft carrier sailors only.)

    29. Build a fire in a trash can in your garage. Loudly announce to your family, "This is a drill, this is a drill! Fire in hangar bay one!"

    30. Place a podium at the end of your driveway. Have your family stand in front of the podium for 4-hour intervals. Best done when the weather is worst. January is a good time.

    31. Next time there's a bad thunderstorm in your area, find the biggest horse you can, put a two-inch mattress on his back, strap yourself to it and turn him loose in a barn for six hours. Then get up and go to work.

    32. For former engineers: bring your lawn mower into the living room, and run it all day long.

    33. Make coffee using eighteen scoops of budget priced coffee grounds per pot, and let the pot simmer for 5 hours before drinking.

    34. Have someone under the age of ten give you a haircut with sheep shears.

    35. Sew the back pockets of your jeans onto the front.

    36. Add 1/3 cup of Diesel fuel to the laundry.

    37. Take hourly readings on your electric and water meters.

    38. Every couple of weeks, dress up in your good clothes and go to the scummiest part of town. Find the most run down, trashiest bar, and drink beer until you are hammered. Then walk all the way home.

    39. Lock yourself and your family in the house for six weeks. Tell them that at the end of the 6th week you'll take them to Disney World for liberty. At the end of the 6th week, inform them the trip to Disney World has been canceled because they need to get ready for an inspection for a visiting Senator, and it will be another week before they can leave the house.

So far GS is handling the chemo just fine...

so probably more like a hanging slider

While you wait

Watch it all the way to the end...

Tuesday's odd and end

There are one of each.

That's not nearly as odd as how the Bruins beat the Leafs.

And that's how we're supposed to be ending the current warm spell.

Change of venue... with less repetition

Tomorrow...
Wednesday is the day treatment begins in earnest for GS.
She has been taking the little pills prescribed by the Stanford Doc for two weeks now.
Tomorrow is her first chemotherapy treatment.
Ironically it is at the same time as the antibiotic treatments she has been receiving for the past week.
Her last dose of antibiotics is later this morning.
I will probably check-in again on Facebook.
I have every morning so far.

I guess the best thing about the chemo, besides the fact that it treats the cancer, is that it isn't a daily thing.
We may come up with a few more positives about it as time progresses.

Tonight is the Lions Club meeting at El Mariachi.
I'm fairly certain the main topic will be the bike ride this weekend.
Every May on the third Saturday [except for that one time] the Anderson Lions Club and the Enterprise Lions Club sponsor a century (100 mile) through the foothills just west of Mt Lassen.
The weather promises to be perfect.
The Anderson Lions will be staffing three of the six rest stops along the routes.
There are three other rides (60 mile, 40 mile and 25 mile) besides the century.
The 60 mile ride is a metric century.

Also on the agenda will be the Lions Clubs annual calendar fund raiser.
I am betting that it will get tabled until the next meeting.
I am also thinking it should not be tabled.

I guess, since I am writing up the agenda for the president, I can keep it in the forefront.
Besides, that will keep me from thinking about other things.

staying busy is good

National Dance Like A Chicken Day

.

It's

National Dance Like A Chicken Day

why's there no national duck day?
.

Hey kids guess what*

A month ago, to the day, I was griping.
It's one of the skills I learned in the Navy.
It is probably the only one I still use on a regular basis.
It comes in handy while I am figuring out what I have to do.
It's how I think out loud.
What really irritates me is when other chime in with their two cents worth.
That screws up the thought process.

Do I have to tell you what yesterday was?
Go look at yesterday's post.

We made the daily trek to the hospital for the antibiotic infusion.
Since it's the weekend, outpatient services are closed.
They have to find a bed so a nurse can hang the bag.
This is usually handled on the surgical floor.
Those same nurses are also handling numerous other patients.
The admitting office is not fully staffed.
There are all kinds of ramifications we don't have to deal with during the week.
Saturday had been a long morning.
We got there early and, at admitting, had to wait until someone came back from a break.
All in all it took almost three hours for a half-hour process.
We weren't expecting much yesterday.
It went like clockwork and we were done before 11:00.
There was still some waiting around, but that's a given, even under the best of circumstances.

Today it's back to the outpatient section in the dungeon.
And tomorrow is the last day.

GS is feeling pretty darn good.
She still hasn't conquered the diarrhea.
She doesn't have much of an appetite.
But her weight has stabilized.
The oncologist will start more aggressive treatment on Wednesday.

I think maybe I prefer driving to Redding on Sunday morning as opposed to any other day of the week.
Probably that's because the idiots are all still sleeping.

*Friday the 13th is on a Monday this month.

has nothing to do with anything

Worth a thousand words

and cheaper than a Hallmark

A little miffed, we are

Speaking of which...
Has anyone noticed just how much alike furry little Grover and Yoda sound?
I mean there's enough of a difference to tell who's who but they're really pretty close.

But that's not even close to what this is about...

Our daily routine since Wednesday finds us driving to Redding for a 9:30 appointment at the outpatient clinic in the hospital where GS receives antibiotics intravenously for a half hour.
We will do this through Tuesday.
There's only one minor hitch.
The outpatient clinic has to order the meds from the pharmacy.
By hospital rule the meds cannot be ordered until patients are on the premises.
So it usually isn't until after we've been at the hospital for well over an hour that the medication is delivered..
That means the entire morning is shot.
The weekend may even be more fun.
The outpatient clinic is closed on weekends.
We will have to deal with hospital admitting today and tomorrow.
Then wait until a bed is available... even though it is an outpatient process.

But even that's not what this is about.

I managed to finally get a haircut.
I feel much better now.
The car, Misty the Honda, needed servicing.
I thought oil change, spark plugs and tire rotation.
Turns out it was check valve clearance, too.
Anyway, after I took Grandma Skip back home, I turned around and drove back to Redding to the dealer.
They told me it would be a couple of hours.
I walked across the street to a barber shop at which I hadn't been.
I will be going back again.
I may even make special trips to that shop even though I hate going to Redding unless it is absolutely necessary.

That certainly isn't what this is about.

I received an email last evening from some Lions who are visiting another district convention down south.
It seems some folks are spreading a story that GS is on hospice and only has a short time left.
It seems to me those folks could at least have the courtesy to call or email to find out first.
We really don't need that kind of crap.
We've got enough going on around here.

some people don't have

 enough to occupy their time

Normal Friday

Yeah... I remembered, after missing two weeks.
I don't have anything regarding normal.
But if you ask anyone with any amount of intelligence, they will tell you that normal is whatever you say it is.
The past month or so has been anything but normal routine.
I guess I could consider that normal?

I stole the following image from the sidebar over on IT's blog, Well Oh Yeah!!!.

I'm not sure that's the correct ratio.
But it's the right idea.

I haven't mentioned that I have a good friend in the Sacramento area who is doing chemotherapy.
I think of him often.
I know he and his family, particularly his wife, will appreciate your thoughts and prayers.

The weather has taken another turn here.
It's is trying to be summer again.
But with big white thunderheads in the mountains to the west, north and east.
Wednesday evening they rolled into the valley.

ya never know how spring will hit us

but that's normal

Sure Happy It's Thursday

The weekend promises to be interesting.
We're informed out daily routine will be a little different.

There is this thing I do mentally and continually.
I remind myself of the things for which I am grateful.
Sometimes that is a stretch.
I also am able to understand that there is no conspiracy.
There are just a lot of individuals who are trying to control things which cannot need not be controlled.
Then doing things their way instead of the right way.
So they're just screwing up the universe.
We do our best to treat each of these irritations as an individual incident.
Because if they were all lumped together, they'd be overwhelming.
It helps, too, that I have a sense of humor.

Three dead bodies turn up at the mortuary, all with very big smiles on their faces.
The coroner calls the police to tell them what has happened.
The Coroner tells the Inspector:
''First body: An Italian , 60, died of heart failure while with his mistress. Hence the enormous smile.'
'Second body: 'Scotsman, 25, won a thousand pounds on the lottery, spent it all on whiskey, died of alcohol poisoning, hence the smile.''

The Inspector asked, ''What of the third body?''

'Ah,' says the coroner, ''This is the most unusual one. Danny O,Neil, Irish, 30, struck by lightning.'

''Why is he smiling then?'' inquires the Inspector.

''He thought he was having his picture taken'' replied the coroner.

maybe population control is the answer

Sometimes blogging is hard

Ask the Ol' AF Sarge.
Actually sometimes life happens and interferes with what we want to do or know how to do with what we're supposed to do.
So, yesterday morning before I was interrupted by life I was ranting about being inconvenienced because nobody felt any of the same urgency I did.
There is a recipe for disaster.
Things like that happen when everything starts being about me.

Not to say that I am totally responsible.
I just have a part in it.
It didn't help at all that I was hungry.
I'd had a bowl of cereal, glass of oj and cups of coffee for breakfast.
I was thinking about lunch when GS called to come and get her.
I was mildly irritated on the way to angry because it was spur of the moment rather than planned out.
We were prepared, but not ready.
I was lonesome.
I miss her being at home.
I haven't been sleeping well and it is worse when I am alone.
I was tired.
I'd only had about five hours sleep Saturday night.
Sunday was good for a full eight but was still balancing out.
Hungry, angry, lonely and tired is a bad mix.
Fortunately I was totally aware of the combination.

The first thing I had to do was restart the TPN.
This time it's through a PICC line rather than the port.
I'm thinking it's easier.
I just have to remember to feed the tubing through the top of her shirts instead of just connecting it.
Otherwise she's stuck wearing the shirt until we change bags again.

Anyhow, there's a carry over.
I managed to pick up the scrips on Monday night.
The hospital had faxed them so I didn't have to hand carry them and wait.
I only had to wait.
And that was for just 20 minutes or so.
I got home and sorted through the meds looking for the ones to start immediately.

Having not heard from the outpatient center at the hospital, I knew I would have to call them first thing about the IV antibiotics GS will receive for the next week.
I also had a message to call the infusion outfit regarding the TPN.
Then I was going to have to reach the oncologist, as well.

That done I fixed my dinner.
I had one think lamb chop and some Fritos while I watched the rest of the Giants v. Phillies.
The chop was good... the game, not so much.
I struggled to stay awake until eleven.
I watched Castle, seeing the end in bed.

GS was up a couple of times during the night.
Evidently the lasix hasn't entirely worn off.
I was up by seven, drinking coffee and scanning the blogs.
I started on yesterday's screed and waited until eight to start phoning.
I called the infusion folks to tell them of the day's plan.
They said to come by after the antibiotic treatment.
Their office is only a block down a steep hill from the hospital.
If it wasn't for the hill you could walk.
We arrived at the hospital and arranged for a volunteer to transport GS to outpatient, while I sought a parking place.
I ended up on the roof of the parking structure.
Then I went looking for GS.
She was in the dungeon (the lower level).
It isn't exactly underground but you can't get out except at the very back of the building.
She was still being checked in.
The nurse soon came out and took us back to an area quite similar to the emergency room.
She had a couple of sheets of paperwork to fill out and called (actually faxed) for the antibiotics to be sent from the pharmacy.
Nothing is sent ahead of time because there have been too many patient no-shows.
A half hour later the medicine was a no-show.
The nurse was a little put out.
The pharmacy said they'd sent it.
It would have been so bad for me, except I'd forgotten to bring any reading material.
I can take doing Facebook on an iPhone for only so long.
The nurse apologized.
Finally, an hour and a half after we arrived in the out patient cubical, the antibiotics arrived.
The nurse was sweet and did all of the paperwork necessary to get us on our way when the infusion was done.
That took about an half hour.
I took off to get the car, while the nurse called for transport.
I called PHG to tell her what was going on.
She said the hospital business office called and we needed to call them back.
What?
It took about a minute to drive down the hill.
When I got to the infusion company parking lot I dialed the number PHG had given me.
It was the hospital in Sacramento.
They wanted to know when we are going to pay the $121.00 we owe them.
I told them we'd just received the bill the day before and would like to know what the $121.00 is for.
The lady said she didn't know, but that they could send an itemized bill in a week to ten days.
I said I wanted to know why we were being called just one day after receiving the stupid bill.
She had no idea.
She said the billing date was in October.
I asked why after so long they were finally pressing for payment after only a one day notification.
She had no idea.
I was getting aggravated.
It was something about an accumulation of incidences of incompetence...
...and people who are in no hurry until it suits them.

So I dropped it and we went to see the infusion folks.
First the nutritionist came in and talked about eating.
The TPN can only go on for so long.
There are foods that will provide some nutrition.
The cycle will be adjusted.
It will no longer be a continuous 24 hour feeding.
We'll switch to an 18 for one day, with a slow ramp up and ramp down. 
Then we'll have a 12 hour overnight feeding.
GS will be bag free during the daytime.
That will make travel much simpler.
Since we will be going to the hospital every day until Tuesday it will be nice.
After that there will be the visits to the oncologist, at least weekly.

Somehow we have to schedule the CT scans and MRI that were missed because she was in the hospital.
Maybe I may find my sense of humor again.
Maybe too sometime during that time I might get to visit a barber.

the least of my concerns

...continued

So a member of the Lions Club called asking if she could stop by to return the projector borrowed over the weekend for Officer Training.
PHG was in the shower when I went to the garage to assist with storing the projector and its accessories.
After a brief discussion I came back into the house to view email and, possibly, even to respond to some of them.

Suddenly the cell phone began to ring.
I have assigned specific ring tones to certain individuals.
This particular ring tone sounds an emergency siren and then a voice announces in an alarming manner, "It's the wife... it's the wife."
That way I know it is someone calling from our home phone or it actually is Grandma Skip.

Since the first of the year she has only called me twice.
On both occasions it was not entirely unexpected.
She was being discharged from the hospital.
Fortunately, yesterday I didn't have to drive to Sacramento and back.
The call came at about 12:45pm and I was at the hospital about 1:30pm.
That's when the fun began.
The first person I talked to, even before getting to GS's room, was one of the Case Managers [that's the hospital's title for them].
We used to call them expediters.
She informed me that, although GS was coming home, she would have to return to the hospital at the same time every day for an infusion of antibiotics.
Another department would be contacting us to make those arrangements.
So much for managing.
Then about a half hour later, while I was waiting in GS room for more information, my cell rang again.
A strange number appeared, three digits, a hypen, and another digit.
I almost didn't answer.
It was someone from the hospital.
When I came up to pick up GS would I bring a TPN bag with me.
I informed her I was in the room with GS as she walked in to tell GS what they were up to.
This had become a Chinese Fire Drill.
Okay... since I was already there, they were going to have to wean her from the TPN by ramping down for two hours so they could remove her current bag.
Then I could drive her home and hook up a new bag there.
Then a nurse came in and hooked up an antibiotic, saying they couldn't start ramping down until after it was done.
They were in no hurry.
The antibiotic takes about fifteen minutes.
The nurse returned about twenty minutes after that.
Then she realized she had to get someone else to change the TPN setting.
Ten more minutes.
Now it was almost 3:00pm.
Now the earliest we would leave would be after 5.
The rush hour is nothing like in major metropolitan areas.
But the drivers are just as stupid.
They all have to be first.
They take unnecessary risks.
But we're not there yet.
We are still in a hospital room watching a bag of white fluid go drip.... drip.... until the nurse changes it to drip....... drip........
Kinda like watching the grass grow.
So 5:00pm rolls around and it's still drip........   drip........
Finally a nurse comes in and says she'll take care of disconnecting the TPN...
...as soon as she starts putting the discharge paperwork together.
WHAT?
So they've known for over four hours GS is leaving, but the process has yet to be started.
Give me a freaking break.

Long story shortened, we finally got home at 6:45pm with a list of prescriptions a mile long that need to be filled...

And if I didn't have to leave right now I would finish this post.

@#$&%*

It's about time for a Monday update

But, first the weather.
The recent heat wave, which would have been considered a cool spell had it occurred in July, has left us.
The past two days we've experienced what my mother called electrical storms.
The rain that normally accompanies such events, however, has been missing the ground.

GS has a great panoramic view of the eastern half of the north valley.
She could see Mt Shasta if there wasn't a wing of the hospital in the way.
As it is, when the smoke clears, she looks directly east to Mt Lassen and the northern Sierra Nevada mountain range.
She is feeling much better now, than when we went up to the hospital last week.
It really helps that they can treat her with all kinds of stuff we don't have at home.
She has even managed to eat a little more, though the results from than continue to remain the same.
But the a-d med helps.
PHG an I anxiously await her return home.

This week, too, once she is free and clear of antibiotics, chemotherapy can commence.
We're told it is a mild form, but will be done every week.
I'm sure we'll learn more.

GS's nephew in Detroit was lamenting the places where he normally (I use that word advisedly) have  been cancelling because the Wings are in the playoffs.
I guess they figure they don't need music when everyone would rather watch the games.
I told him he should be happy he doesn't live in Northern California where the only team not to make the playoffs is the Raiders.
I haven't heard from him in a few days.

Have I mentioned it now takes twice as long to get to the hospital than it did when I first moved to Anderson.
Part of the reason is there is more traffic, with everyone trying to get there first.
The other factor is the traffic signals.
Back in the day there were only five signals between our home and the hospital.
Today there are eight before we even get out of Anderson.
They are all timed such that they turn yellow as I approach.
Oh, well... it could be worse.
We don't have to drive into downtown Redding...
...or deal with the railroad tracks.

Speaking of the railroad tracks.
Someone asked, the other day, why they built the track through the middle of town.
The party who answered tried to explain how the tracks were there first.
Then the other party asked why the river was allowed to flow through the middle of town.

It's much better without the haze

another day in paradise

Another take (ya know... like a rerun)

amen!

Or there's this...

Happy stuff

Oops... we missed Normal Friday again.
So much for expectations of a continuing feature.
Such is life.

But, we do have happy stuff.
I announced some time ago (has it been a month already?) I have a new granddaughter.
Now I have more pictures to post.
Enough to bore most folks.
Well, those who'd rather look at airplanes.


She picked up the nickname Little Teeny before she was born.

Here she is with Mom

Mom and Dad have a friend who's a professional photographer.
This is my favorite shot so far.

She may not like it so much in a few years.

This is one is tied for favorite.
It has lots of love.

Bubba*, or Buddy*, can't keep his hands away.

I can't wait to see all of them again.

be happy they're not all here

*yep, Mom calls him by both

I'm guessing the lawn's not going to cut itself (today's not Monday either)

When I started yesterday's post I was in a purple funk.
I was ready to say, "I'm a mushroom."
I had talked to Grandma Skip, but hadn't seen her, yet.
Well, I still hadn't seen her when I finished yesterday's post either.

Most of the funk was caused by what creates most issues... COMMUNICATION.
Sometimes that's about listening.
Sometimes it's about how the message is perceived.
Sometimes it's about stupidity.
Whatever it's about, if you ask the right person the right question everything is cleared up.

I'm a bit numb.
It's probably mostly about driving between my house in Anderson and the hospital in Redding at the whim of medical folks.
Once on Monday.
Twice on Tuesday... or one and a half if you consider the return home was at 2:30 am Wednesday
Once more on Wednesday (or one and a half).
Twice Thursday because I visited GS twice.
Oh yeah, about that whimsy.
Monday the home health nurse couldn't change the needle in the port-a-cath.
She called another nurse with more experience.
She couldn't couldn't change it either.
So they called the infusion outfit.
They said to come to their office.
Their nurse changed it in about five minutes.
Tuesday morning my brother and sister-in-law stopped by on their way home from Portland.
We had a nice little visit and we heard about their car running into a coconut in Hana, Maui.

Tuesday's first trip was back to the infusion palace to get TPN that is only mixed in the morning.
Then on to a visit with the oncologist a couple of block further on.

That's where my confusion... and GS's... came about.
The Dr. started telling us how chemo was going to begin next week.
We were under the impression that wouldn't be necessary.
She said she'd talked with Stanford Doc and he agreed.
That's not what he'd said to us.
I was beginning to think the truth was being stretched a little.
Anyhow we went along with the plan, because I know all about plans, and left for home.

GS was bushed so she laid down.
I don't remember what I did.
PHG went to the store and bought pork chops and asparagus.
When she came in I rubbed down the pork chops with a clove of garlic (cut in half), drizzled some evoo on them, and place a bay leaf on top.
I set the oven at 350º to preheat.
I then drizzled the asparagus with evoo and put them in a cast iron skillet to scorch a little.
Once the asparagus was scorched I set it aside and put the chops in the skillet to sear.
Yep, high heat.
Once they were ready I turned off the burner, put the asparagus back in the pan on top of the chops and put them into the preheated oven for ten minutes.
Then I threw together a salad and set the table.
At that point NT and her husband arrived for a visit.
They always seem to show up at dinner time unannounced.
GS was up at at the table, PHG was also ready to sit down.
I blew up.
I can't remember the last time I went off like that.
Yes I can.
I'm just not proud of that time either.
About the only positive thing I can say is nobody heard any bad words even though they were getting into the filter and clogging my thinking.
I am pretty sure everyone knows how I feel.

In the meantime we noticed GS was running a temperature.
That was a first.
It is scary because it can mean there's an infection.

I know by now this is boring everyone because it is an elaborate rehash.
You already know GS had an ambulance ride, came home seven hours and then went back to be admitted eventually after spending nearly three hours in the waiting room and another four hours in the actual ER.
She is now in a room with a view.
Well, it has a view when the valley isn't filled with smoke.

So yesterday I woke up at about 6:30 and caught up on a few things around here.
I was typing yesterday's blog post when the phone range.
It was the second phone call in two day from a doctor.
This was another doctor who dialed his own phone.
I always thought they are like above making their own calls.
It was the Stanford Doc and he was all apologetic because there was some confusion on our part.
He had talked with the Redding oncologist.
After being brought up to speed with her knowledge about GS case, he had agreed that chemo is the best treatment.
His apology was that his assistant, who we'd met, had not been privy to the two Drs. conversation and, thus, did not know about the chemo.
That was why we were so surprised about having it sprung on us.

That's also why we're a little happier today, knowing the two doctors are in agreement.
I then spent a good part of an hour attempting to get all of the providers read in to the situation.
GS has had two visits and a phone call from me at the hospital yesterday.   
She couldn't talk the first time I called because the hospital doc was there.
When I called her back a little later, she told me they're fairly certain the infection is not related to the TPN.
That's a huge relief.
Because if it is, there are all kinds of complications involved.
We're still waiting to see were things lead.
There is no time set for GS's release from the hospital.

Someone's cutting the lawn today.

would rather write

 about bacon

My back lawn is a foot tall (is today Monday?)

At about noon Wednesday a Dr. from the hospital called.

Yes, a Dr called us.

There was an issue with one of the three samples taken Monday Tuesday night.

The culture showed infection.

That's scary.

Particularly scary for a patient on TPN.

We were asked to come back to the ER again.

Sharon was seen by the triage nurse and then by the ER Dr.

They asked why we were there.

My head was telling me, “You tell me!”

We were nice and explained all of the circumstances, including the part about being kept at the ER until almost 3am.

They said okay and told us there'd be more blood drawn.

In about a half hour a sweet young lady phlebotomist [I've mentioned before that I like big words] came and took GS to a small room where she poked her with a needle and took a sample for testing and for a culture.

She told us a nurse would be taking another sample from the port.

We were sent back to the waiting room, which was beginning to fill up as those with no service provider and the uninsured woke up and made their way in for various treatments.

We waited and waited some more.

After an hour and a half, GS was exhausted, so she laid her head down.

Then I gave her a sweatshirt for a pillow.

Then an aide came over with a pillow.

Then he brought a blanket.

Then the triage nurse came and took her to check her blood pressure again.

She also took her temperature, which had increased.

Finally, after three hours, we were taken into an examining room in the ER itself.

They hooked her up to the vital sign noisemaker.

It didn't seem to need her assistance for making the noises, squawking regularly about every five seconds until they turned the stupid thing off.

Nurses and aids and janitors and trash collectors kept coming and going for a good long time.

The attending nurse took a urine sample.

Then after we'd been there a total of four and a half hours, the nurse drew blood from the port for more testing and a culture.

The thought is there is a bacterial infection in the blood.

It remains to be seen from where it originates and it is still too soon to tell.

The port has been shut down and is embargoed.

TPN has been stopped.

At 6:45pm it was announced GS was being admitted to the hospital and a major antibiotic was being administered via IV.

At 7:15, the paperwork for admission was being attended to.

Another 20 minutes later “Josh from Transport” showed up to roll GS through the hallway to a room with a view of the mountains to the east and a really ominous looking smoke cloud.

As it stands right now we don't know much and even that is ambiguous at best.

On the plus side, I had a full night's sleep... meaning more than eight hours [by a few minutes].

I will be showering, shaving and heading to the hospital shortly.

Part two is better news

looking for good news

Last evening

A dark cloud rolled in over the local community.
Fire season has already started.
I first noticed it as I was leaving the hospital.
This shot is from the parking lot at Costco on the other side of town.
I'm going to post the crappy photos I took with the cell phone on Facebook.

I don't have much more information to post now.

yes, hospital