@xango

I am wishing you and your hubby a Happy Easter. I can just imagine all the food you created and wish I could be a fly on the wall to watch the preparation. I admire your skills in the kitchen and in many ways wish I could do the same. I also miss your posts and wonder if you are OK. Even if you have nothing to add, please say Hi. Hope your hubby is enjoying his new position and working from home. At least he doesn’t need to contend with the traffic. Maybe now, with some of the snowbirds heading home that part will not be as bad. Probably wishful thinking on my part. Tale care/ Stay safe. Hear from you soon, I hope.

@sheba2011

Hi. I see you are kind of late. Hope all is well. I did leave a message for you earlier in last night ‘s post. Not sure if you saw it.

Yes, I made it to the Farmer’s Market. I was surprised that I was able to find a parking spot. They were busy, but not as expected. I surmise most did their shopping during the week. I was surprised to see fresh turkey for Easter. I found a small one and will make it on Monday. Looking forward to bringing hubby a complete meal for a change. They also had Reuben sandwiches and bought one for dinner. It was delicious. But, the prices on their vegetables were out of sight. Tomatoes were $1.49/lb. The yellow tomatoes were soft at $1.79/lb. Bok Choy (which I love) was $2.99 ea. Talk about inflation. And there were apologies all over. I purchased Stone Plums (they have the coloring of Pluots, but are larger. Probably normal size for plums). Most were too soft to purchase. Found 3 and brought them to hubby who devoured them. Hubby was in a good mood today. I did inquire about the bathroom and was told that the aids bring him in the wheelchair. With the aid of the bars he is able to lift himself up from the chair and get to the throne. They leave him alone, but do check to make sure he doesn’t fall. Actually they stand next do the door that is slightly ajar. So there are some things he can do for himself. The nurse did mention that I will be taught how to handle this situation if needed. However, they think with time he will be able to do this on his own. I will probably do what xango did for herself and that is purchase bars that attach to the toilet to enable a person to use the throne. I need to redo that bathroom and will add whatever is needed.

Tomorrow I will need to weed the front area which is now overgrown. Unfortunately, because of my sinuses, I have been unable to do this sooner. Probably will need to mask up and pray that there is no wind. Will do what needs to get done and do the side after the delivery of the dishwasher. We have pickup on weeds, tree limbs, plants, etc. on Wednesdays

Hubby is looking forward to a day away from Rehab.. I thought for sure he would like to see the new Farmer’s Market. No. Not the first choice. Probably the second or third. He wants to go to Costco and end up with the hotdog. I was and still am in shock!!!! I need to find the transportation for the handicapped and wonder if they will be able to help him use the electric cart. It would be a great outing for him and Costco is about 5 miles from the Rehab. The outing will give him the lift that is sorely needed to keep his spirit up there.

On this last note I am wishing you and your family a wonderful Easter and a great brunch. Nice to get together with family, even though it is a small group.
.

@sheba2011

Getting ready to visit the Farmer’s Market and maybe Aldi’s. Just wanted to say Hi before I left. Hubby is trying desperately to come home. Last night he wanted to use the bathroom and needed me to help him into a sitting position. He was in bed when I arrived. However, because of his weight gain and my problem with the lower back, I had to say NO. At the moment the Aid arrived and I mentioned what was going on. Hubby was infuriated that I said something. I will mention this to the head nurse after the weekend. I am also looking into the rides for the handicapped to see if they could drive him from the rehab to our home. and do a return trip a few hours later. I have no idea what this would cost. I think this may make him smile more and will help his return. Hmm……wonder if they would do restaurants…….

Glad you were able to scare the raccoon away and was a happy camper when you mentioned that the kitty had returned. Everything worked out in the end…..PHEW !!! My cat would have swatted the visitor. He loved his food and nothing would get between him and his dish. However, thankfully, I never had to find out. The only visitor we had in our home, and that was on the Cape,, was a skunk. It came in through our sliding den door while we were unloading our van. Our cat was sound asleep on one of the twin beds in the guest room. Never saw the skunk. I saw it out of the corner of my eye in the kitchen. I thought it was a black cat until I saw it again in our living room. Luckily I had some cat chow and made a line from the living room, through the dining room, into the kitchen and from there to the sliding door in our den. We both watched it eat his way out and gladly closed the sliders. Cat never knew we had a “house” guest.

I wasn’t able to watch HD, however, I did later on. What a show !!! I had my eye on the elephant necklace and cuff. Looking at the pictures prior to the show I had decided not to purchase because I felt it might be too overpowering. All that changed when I saw the video. I purchased both. The elephant reminded me of our trip to Bangkok from Hong Kong. I had taken some meds prior to the flight on an empty stomach to prevent air sickness. This was a wrong move on my part. I had no sooner sat in our assigned seats that I passed out. Hubby had to keep me in an upright position during takeoff. Luckily there was a doctor on board who had meds with him and he was able to get it to the stewardess. It brought me around in no time. Hubby was able to tell the stewardess that I had taken a pill prior to the flight and showed her the bottle. What I had to drink was snake venom mixed with other herbs. I was OK from that moment on, but reluctantly had to scratch our time with the elephants that afternoon.

Bangkok reminded me of a little New York. Busy place. Hustle and Bustle. Little cars called Toot toots that went on sidewalks to circumvent the heavy traffic. Most spoke English, so I didn’t need to pull out my dictionary. What scared me the most were the police stationed at either end of the hallway on our floor. To this day I have no idea why they were there. They never checked our luggage or the bags of things we purchased. They smiled when we bought food from the vendors to eat in our room. The food was awesome whether from a vendor or a restaurant. I was amazed at the fresh fruit and vegetables and the spices they used. So excited to learn some of their cooking habits and found it somewhat easy to incorporate into our diet, even today. Their jewelry exquisite. So sorry I didn’t buy the sapphire I saw. It was just too expensive. Bangkok was our second stop and we still other places to go. Today, we are both kicking ourselves for that reason. We have never seen a blue sapphire that brilliant to this day.
“C’est la vie” as the saying goes.

Have a wonderful day and a better one tomorrow. Happy Easter to you and your family. Stay safe.

@sheba2011

Hi. It is a cloudy day here with showers, though have not heard a drop as yet. Temp is 72, but tonight’s temp rattles me in the low 50s. Problem will be “what to wear” when I leave here to visit hubby. I may wear a long sleeved sweater and bring a jacket. It is windy and yes, my sinuses are brutal on a day like today. I just took the meds for the beginning of a sinus migraine. This worries hubby because I am behind the wheel.

I am concerned with hubby’s eating habits. I bought a large pizza last night and if I didn’t stop him, he probably would have eaten the entire thing. I have a funny suspicion that his brain isn’t working properly on watching his diet. When I arrived he had just finished eating an entire dinner and was drinking milk. I usually eat with him since I do not particularly care for dining when I arrive home. It’s too late. Like most times after 10pm.

I was unable to watch HD yesterday, but did so when I arrived home. Wow!!! What a show. I hemmed and hawed over the elephant bracelet and decided to purchase. Then the matching necklace which I turned down because it looked so large. But, it was gorgeous with the aurora borealis and the size wasn’t too overpowering, so ordered that as well. Like Frank Sinatra, I have blue eyes, so anything in the blue family makes my eyes pop. This will also remind me of our trip to Bangkok many years ago. I was supposed to ride an elephant during this visit, but it was scratched due to me passing out on the airplane ride. I took the medication on an empty stomach and had a real bad reaction. Thankfully, there was an MD on board who gave the stewardess an extract of snake venom and some other ingredients that brought me back to normal. I was able to enjoy the rest of the flight and the meal they served. Loved Asian life and learning their customs. Bangkok was so different from China. Even the food which I make from time to time.

Well, it’s getting late and I need to do at least one load of laundry before heading to the rehab.
The dishwasher will arrive a week from tomorrow due to the holiday and because the children have this week as a break. So now the kitchen is at a slower pace, but at least it’s getting done.
I’m doing not only the kitchen but the dining area as well. Since I have very little counter space I bought a cart that can hold up to 500lbs. I will be using that cart for the small appliances , thus giving me the extra counter space. I also freed up an upper shelf in a closet. Wonder when Joy will bring in “Clean Boss” again. I am now running low.

Have a great day. Stay warm. Enjoy the moon. May xango be OK. I am really concerned.

Ruby, sometimes the font may be too large for the cell. There should be either a dot in the upper right corner or several dots in a row. If you touch that area it will bring down a list of things. One of the areas just might be called desktop site. If you touch it, it should automatically go to mobile site which will minimize the window. I need to do this with my phone as well as with the Kindle Fire. I use this also for Community to read the entire page and to use the keyboard to leave a message. I hope this answers your question.

@sheba2011

I think the meds hubby was on was the protein drink. He hated that drink and I know he will not miss it. Hubby has never been this high weight wise. It will be weeks before he is down enough for the therapy to start again. I will be checking on those rides for those in wheelchairs or carts.; I just need to know what they charge. He really needs a lift and I know he would love to see the new Farmer’s Market. It will be a nice break from rehab.

The van is done. I just need to have a ride to the dealership. They were supposed to contact me this afternoon. I did call them and left voice mail. I had problems with Uber when hubby took sick in Savannah as we were heading North. I will NEVER use them. Worse part, there was no way to contact customer service. Only the employees had a way. LYFT was the same way. However, I had a fantastic driver and I would have loved contacting their customer service. This driver went up and above.

So sorry about the squirrel. I felt for you and your concern. Last Friday I witnessed a vehicle that was driving too fast and hit a puppy that was crossing the street. The pup was hit twice, but managed to get up and make a mad dash towards home. I hope he/she is OK. The driver never stopped. i tried to get the license plate, but he drove away too fast for me to catch it. I was going to make the left turn to make sure the pup was able to get home. He may have been a stray. Had no collar or leash. There was another dog at the curb. He was barking as he ran, so I know he was hurt. When I left hubby, I did retrace the area and went up the street. Did the same the next day. Nothing. Again, I hope he/she is OK and got the help he/she needed. Lastly, I hope it survived.

I postponed the delivery of the dishwasher. The new date is April 5th. I received an e-mail from the dispatcher and in the note it gave me their phone number and two e-mail addresses. I called and left two messages and followed up with two -emails. There was no reply. So today I contacted Costco and explained the situation. The person I spoke with said he would contact the people and put me on hold. When he returned, he said everything was taken care of. I asked for an e-mail to show the new date. I’m still waiting. I will check my order in a few minutes to see if there was a date change. If nothing, there will be another call tomorrow and I suppose a 10 minute wait time.

What a day this has been. Time to rest. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better and saner day. Oh, by the way, the moon was dressed in yellow tonight. Absolutely beautiful. And, last week I purchased HD’s Dragon. The price was reduced and I contacted CS using Chat. All taken care of. Love saving $$.

@sheba2011

Yesterday I had a phone call that the van was ready. Have not heard from them today about a ride. I surmise I will have to bite the bullet on this one.

Glad your headache has let up. Mine came again this morning and now feeling better. Will take a ride to Sam’s club on the way to rehab for gas.

Hubby has gained over 50 pounds in the past 6 months. Had a phone call from the Head Nurse who thinks it might be due to one of his meds. I noticed that he is always hungry and I thought it was because of the pituitary gland. From this day on, I will limit what I bring. He needs to get the weight off so he can stand on the good leg and maybe take a few steps as well. Guess I did too good of a job.

Sorry about the squirrel. So sad. Probably no way to avoid it in the rain. Thankfully, you have Poppy on a leash and are with him at all times. Well, it’s that time for me to get ready to see hubby. Hope you have a great day. I had a chance to watch HD. As always, it was fun. I had to
hit my hand a number of times not to use the mouse to purchase. As it stands right now, I will have a huge bill in a few days. We are paying out of pocket for hubby’s stay at the rehab.

@sheba2011

Hope you are feeling better. Lately, I can really feel your pain having the same problem. Friday was the first time it aff ected my eyes. Blurry vision. Stayed home rather than drive to see hubby. Called the doctor’s office only to find that they were closed for the day. OK now and realized that it was a weather change. Been Ok since Saturday.

Well, after a wait time of 3 1/2 months, received a phone call that the van is ready. However, I will need a ride to get to the dealership. This happens to be not their policy, though I was told they could do it when the car was towed to them. Unfortunately, that person was fired and the reason was for giving false information. I will figure something out.

Hubby was in real good spirits. However, I was late in getting there. Went down the road for the rehab only to come to a dead stop as soon as I turned the corner. There were four fire engines, 6 police cars and two or three EMT vehicles. The Fire Engine behind me made it so I could not turn around. Finally saw a policeman and I explained where I was going. They actually moved two vehicles so I could go down a road and then make a turn towards the rehab. I thought someone had fallen since most of the vehicles were parked in front of a house. As it turned out, there was an auto accident. One car was completely turned over and the other had so much damage to the front end that I wonder if anyone was alive. I did see one person sitting upright on a stretcher. Luckily, the hospital is only a mile from the accident and hopefully the people are OK.. This road is narrow. Have no idea how this accident happened. Not enough room for racing. When I left hubby I used this road for the return. Everything was cleared. You would never know an accident happened. No glass around.

On this note, will now get ready for some sleep. Here’s hoping for a better day tomorrow for all.
Pleasant dreams.

@sheba2011

Yes, I am concerned about xango. It’s not like her not to say Hi even when there is nothing to add.
I do know the area she lives in, but not where. When we were able to e-mail within Community, there always seemed to be a response of sorts. But since we no longer have that luxury, it is impossible to know what is happening. I sure hope we hear something soon so we can be there for her whatever the reason. I so hope everything is OK.

Hubby is doing good. We had quite a few laughs when the aid was in the room. Hubby was in bed when I arrived. He was in the wheelchair earlier. Anyway, he was way down towards the foot of the bed and when the aid came in he said he liked where he was. Neither of us were impressed. So, he raised the bed and the foot area and the next response had us rolling on the floor. He decided to do a backstroke to get to the other end. It was hilarious. Picture someone doing a backstroke and then boxing and pretending to row a boat. He is not a dancer. nor is he graceful, but the combination of these had us laughing our full heads off. I left soon after. It was after 10 pm.

The ride home was windy and cool. The rain event was over and the stars were out. Could not find the moon. I guess it took the night off. Anyway, I made all but one light and so it only took about 20 minutes. I had stopped at the Farmer’s Market prior. I had an ice pak in the car just in case. They had added a new thing to their takeout. Oven baked chicken. I decided to give it a try and I was pleasantly surprised how delicious it was. Hubby ate two good sized drumsticks.
They did have dragon fruit. Price was $2,99/lb. This is the only place that it can be found. Not many people like it, though I found it pares well with blueberries and some dinner items such as lamb, chicken and pork. I’m not ruling out lamb since I haven’t tried it. I actually find that adding fruit to any dish adds flavor.

Hope you three stay warm. Are the kitties using your outdoor shed when the weather is bad????

@sheba2011

Hi and a good afternoon. We are getting some much needed rain. Expecting at least an inch. However the aches and pains say we may be in for more storms. For the past couple of days I have been hit with migraines, Guess it’s the upcoming storms in Texas and beyond. Luckily, aspirin is helping.

Hubby is doing OK. He is trying to lose weight from all the food I brought. At least he is over the hump of not eating. Saw my first rainbow this year yesterday afternoon. All is well.

Oops. Just saw lightning. I will be getting off. Take care.

I have a feeling that something may have happened to xango or her hubby. I just hope these feelings are wrong……..

@sheba2011

I am home and it’s early morning. I had a hair appointment this morning and while driving I was behind a van. A very interesting van. On the back there was printing that stated they take people in wheelchairs and with scooters to doctor appointments, theater, parties, etc.. Unfortunately, since i was in the driver’s seat, I was unable to take note of the name of the business. However, it did give me food for thought. At least I know that there are businesses out there getting the disabled out and about. Definitely will do some research today and will also check to see if there are others in New England. I mentioned this to hubby and he was all smiles. Would be nice to give him a treat on the lanai, or a trip to the Farmer’s Market or Costco Nice to know there are ways. to get him up and about. I will do the research and will make a list for the Rehab as well in case there are others in this situation.

Hope you had a nice day. It’s cold tonight. A/C is off. Wearing layers of clothing.

@sheba2011

Today was one of those days. Head was throbbing this morning and I took the meds. Didn’t seem to hit and then realized the sky was becoming quite dark. Guess this headache was due to the low pressure. Then it happened again as I was getting ready to leave hubby. This time I took the meds and before long it was raining. When the storm passed I began looking for my eyeglass case and it was nowhere to be found. During the time I had the headache he was telling me not to drive and to stay the night. That was impossible. Have appointments tomorrow morning. Anyway, I had checked t he nightstand and hubby’s dresser to no avail. I wondered if it got tossed by mistake with either the laundry or the garbage when the Aid was there to get hubby ready for bed. But he mentioned that they weren’t there. Normally I wouldn’t care, but along with the reading glasses, I also had the house key. The only thing I hadn’t checked was hubby’s bed. And there they were all tucked in with him. I was going crazy then, but am laughing now. He would do anything to keep me there. He gave everyone a good laugh. I will be getting some duplicate keys made just in case.

Taci, I wasn’t too happy with hubby’s situation either. It has been reported since staff did not notice or if they did, just let it be. The aid that was on tonight is a good worker. He and my hubby share lots of laughs and is right there if needed. Also, the sherpa blanket was missing. This time I told an aid who went searching and returned from wherever with it. He loves that blanket and it does keep him warm. I also purchased one for his roommate. His is no where to be found either. I will be making a call to the Head Nurse in the morning. .

@sheba2011

Yesterday could have been fiasco if I hadn’t shown up when I did. I literally just walked into his side of the room and found a sheet up to his neck and was shivering. I spied the aid and mentioned that hubby was ice cold and if there was a comforter around he would love it. I also said that he only had the top sheet. Within seconds she tapped me on the shoulder with a comforter. Hubby is in an oversized twin bed and luckily the comforter was queen size. I folded it in half and redid the top sheet with the comforter on top. Thank goodness I am there almost daily with a few exceptions. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn’t shown. Of course he could have used the buzzer which was attached to the top sheet. But, he is always afraid to make a scene. But being cold is not good.

Today I will cut the grinder up into quarters. He has cupcakes for dessert and I also have a blueberry pie. I will make tuna salad or salmon salad for me, but enough for two or three. I also will bring a garden salad from the Market. They are closed on Sundays and I’m hoping they will have something on special for tomorrow. Hubby cannot wait to see this store. He is in for a huge surprise. Oh, they also have fresh orange juice and apple juice to try. No preservatives, no added sugar, etc.. On my way to the rehab I pass the Tropicana factory. There have been many times that I sat in the car dealing with waves of nausea from the smells/odors dealing with the fermenting process from this plant. How the people who have homes in the vicinity live is beyond my comprehension. The odor is gross. Because of this I will not permit hubby to purchase orange juice that is not fresh.

Hubby can eat children’s food and applesauce. Actually, he can eat most foods as long as he takes small bites and is sitting upright. For some reason the esophagus is very narrow and the muscles don’t seem to be working properly. This is the reason why he has problems. The nurses think it’s due to age, but he has had this problem for as long as I’ve known him. He has to remember to take those small bites. But, if it’s something he likes, he forgets. Apples, pears, pineapple, are hard, thus need to be pureed. Fruit such as watermelon, dragon fruit, some grapes, etc. are a bit softer. The Farmer’s Market sometimes have cut up fruit. By the way I have paired the Dragon Fruit with blueberries and other fruit as well. Even cooked it with fish, pork and sometimes beef. The flavors these ingredients bring give it an extra touch. Actually, I cook with a lot of fruit. Just have to remember not to cook it all the way through unless I need it to be opaque as in soup.

Well, I used the keyboard enough. Need to return to the kitchen. My dishwasher made a mess of the dishes and silverware. My sink is loaded. Will do what I can by hand and then call it a day. Hope you and hubby are relaxing with Poppy near both of you. Have a great day and then some. Happy St. Patrick’s to you both.

@sheba2011

I arrived home about an hour ago. Wanted to make sure hubby was warm enough before I left.

Stopped at the Farmer’s Market prior to visiting hubby. Picked up a few salad items for me and an Italian grinder for him. While browsing the take out area noticed they had a complete dinner of corned beef and cabbage. Sounded good, so I bought one to share with hubby. We usually make our own corned beef, but this year it’s a bit different. However, I must admit that this was not bad. Actually, it was quite tasty. Plenty of corned beef with cabbage. Mixed in were boiled potatoes (goth yellow and red) along with carrots. Hubby loved it and there was more than enough for two. He is craving apples. I do have one in the frig which I will need to puree. He cannot bite into one because he takes too big of a bite and then starts coughing. The last episode almost sent him to the ER.

When I arrived hubby was shivering. Because of rushing around and with the temps almost 80, I did not feel the A/C. Hubby had only a sheet. No blanket. He was no where near the top of the bed, so made him move upwards. I took the sheet off and covered him. Saw one of the aids and asked for a quilt. She brought one almost immediately. Since it was a queen size, folded it and at the same time redid the bedding again. My only question was why someone didn’t see this when they delivered his dinner and then returned for the tray. I asked if he ate and he said yes. I think he lied. But, I have no way of knowing. Anyway, he not only enjoyed the Irish dinner, but also the cupcake and chocolate chip cookies. All this was made in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. I will need to get their recipe on the cupcakes. They were delicious and there are quite a few left which are sitting on the nightstand.

An aid came into the room about an hour later. Hubby was still cold and I happened to say that we had a Sherpa blanket that was taken about two weeks ago and was never returned. She went looking for it and found it. At that point hubby was ready for bed and everything needed to be changed. The room was now icy. Luckily, I had one of my winter jackets, but pretended I was warm so I could give him something while the bedding was changed from top to bottom including new pillowcases. Within ten minutes hubby was again under covers and warming up. I stayed another hour or so.

We will have another nice day tomorrow and then rain on Monday. We will have more spring like weather for a few days and then back to summer. Our nighttime temps will be in the 50s. Daytime 60s to low 70s. Hope you three had a nice evening and accomplished whatever. Enjoy St. Patrick’s Day.

Hope xango is OK.