Alrighty then

 The new vehicle was much easier on my back and legs as we traveled back and forth Up North to medical appointments. As with any new vehicle we have much to learn about the features.

Far Guy saw his Primary Care Doctor for a follow up after his hospitalization earlier this month.  He still has a nagging cough that is concerning so he will be on steroids for about a week.  Hopefully that will get rid of his cough.  Between the heat, humidity and wildfire smoke...good outside air is not here. 

I had test injections for a Medial Branch Block...my facet joints in my back are unhappy.   I did not have a good enough result to continue with another round of test injections.  You have to have 80% improvement and I only had about 60% improvement for the six hours that the test injections last for.  They have cancelled the tests in August ..so we are back to square one....or maybe it is square zero. 

Then I saw the Gastroenterologist to discuss my side duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (SD IPMN) on my pancreas.   It is considered precancerous.  Because of the size of the "cyst" (more than 5 cm) the Doctor recommends   1) MRI to watch what happens next  2) Referral to Mayo Clinic or the University of Minnesota  for surgery.   I have a MRI scheduled for the end of September and then we will evaluate the situation.  It is a nasty big surgery...many days in the hospital and a very long recovery.   I am not thrilled about that option. 

I had a video visit with my Rheumatologist...take prednisone he says ...he can do nothing for me. 

Yesterday was son in law Andy's birthday!  Now that is something to celebrate! 

Far Side

Screen Door

 Son in Law Andy was going to be in our area on Tuesday with his pickup.   Our screen door had seen better days...so I picked out a new one...Andy picked it up and brought it over and installed it.  What a deal...he also brought us a rack of ribs....which are delicious! 

I need to get some paint to get rid of the green..our other storm/screen door was green. The color is Sandstone... hope I can find something that matches. 

Thankful to have a son in law who is handy and a wonderful cook!

Far Side

3

 This spunky little gal is 3!  Hard to believe as she is growing up so fast. 

Here she is with her Mom...she looks a lot like her Mom.

Here she is hiding behind her drink cup with Uncle Andy:) This photo was taken one day before her birthday!  She had a pizza party in the evening but we missed that part...still good to see her! Andy made her breakfast...a dipping egg, bacon and toast and of course chocolate milk and she ordered pepperoni pizza for the evening.

Her person is Auntie Jen but she adores Andy also...he can hold her little feet in his hands and she straightens up to touch the ceiling...again and again...fun stuff!

Happy Birthday Peach!  We love you!

Great Grandma

Minnesota Weather Friday: Rain and a bit of hail.  High 63 F or 17C  Low 47F or 8C.

What's cooking: A chicken hotdish...shredded baked chicken breasts, stovetop stuffing, cream of chicken soup, some sour cream and a bit of chicken broth. Yummy!

Day After Christmas!

 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we had great food; smoked ribs, potato salad, cornbread and fruit....it was all delicious.  

Christmas Eve Day Andy wanted to learn how to make my potato salad...so we did it together and he did a thing! Complete with photos and everything! 

The Grands and Great Grands will have it as long as there is an Internet! 

Today (Friday) Far Guy has his weekly Infusion.  Not sure what I will do...read in the car most likely. 

Minnesota weather; Freezing drizzle with a high of 30F or -1C and low of 15F or -9C. 

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Making goodies

 Sunday was baking/creating day.  Maddie came over with the Greats.

Maddie made peanut butter blossoms, a chocolate chip/Reeses cookie and then Bugles with some almond bark and a M &M...I think it was supposed to look like a Grinch hat:)  

Andy made truffles, pretzels with a Hersheys kiss and an M&M...one night last week we did the pretzels with a Rolo candy and a pecan on top. 

I got to feed Baby K.  She got really mad at me when her bottle was done...her mood goes from okay to screaming crisis mode just like that.  No whining or fussing...just screaming!

She is very focused on her Mother's voice and her siblings make her giggle.   She had a bubble bath and afterwards I clipped her fingernails while she was asleep!

I can report that Maddie put an undershirt on the child!!

It was a chilly day.  High was 6F or -14C low was 3F or -16C 

Supper was a bacon cheeseburger, french fries and a chocolate shake...Andy is one heck of a cook!

Happy 46th Anniversary to my other baby brother and she who sees robins first!  

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Making Lefsa

 Lefsa.  It is a process.  Jen and Andy cooked up the potatoes, riced them and put them in the fridge overnight on Monday.  Far Guy and I heard lots of commotion in the kitchen and wondered what they were doing.  Tuesday evening after supper Jen showed me how to mix the butter, salt, half and half and honey. Andy showed me how to mix the flour and riced potatoes.   So I was a mixer, Andy a roller, Jen and Far Guy were the flippers on the lefsa griddle.   It was a group effort.

Boys will be boys. 

Far Guy is feeling lots better today.  His appointments went well.

Oh yes it snowed and blowed around.  Our first snow.  The Interstate highway from Grand Forks to South Dakota was closed. 

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Sick

 Far Guy shared whatever bug he has.  Feeling pretty rotten but I should be good as new in a few days.  Far Guy is about the same...not any better for sure.  He is teetering between being sick enough to go to the ER and sick enough to stay home.

We had a slow water leak in the bathroom upstairs...it was a bad shut off valve.  Our son in law Handy Andy came and fixed it for us!   Thank goodness for helpers!

Our oldest daughter Trica came last night to help the sick elderly for a few days.

I made chicken and wild rice soup for supper...chicken soup helps everything!

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Good news!

 The oncologist says the tumor is still shrinking, the cancer meds are working.  In two weeks Far Guy will have a pet scan and a Dr visit and the Dr will have a plan. All the prayers are working!

Far Guy has some of his appetite back…maybe that is Andy’s good cooking. Ribs on Monday night and last night was BLTs and green beans. 

Far Side

Meat with your meat

 Andy made the most incredible meat for Easter Dinner. 

No not this although the double smoked ham was delicious!

This is what we are talking about!

Melt in your mouth Pork Belly! The strips of pork belly were rubbed with a special spice mix and then put out in the smoker and then were covered with some fancy kind of glaze after they were sliced into bite size pieces. 

We call this have some meat with your meat! 

I haven't had pork belly in years...back on the farm when I was growing up and a pig was butchered we often had pork belly. 

Updates: 

Brother In Law Dean is out of the hospital and recovering at home after the car accident.

Lolli is having a blast with Baxter, they ran around in our yard for a long time today so they should both be tuckered out.  Her rectal bruise doesn't seem to bother her. 

Far Guy is still hanging in there, he had his infusion yesterday and had fun visiting with his favorite nurses.  Hoping we can avoid a hospital visit in the next few days maybe we will be over the hump. 

Me I am not all unpacked yet or caught up with laundry.  We have enough groceries in the house now that we can stay home a few days and just rest and sit outside and enjoy the sunshine.  

Far Side

Italian Dessert

 Andy  grilled one evening.  Steaks, salad with cheese, strawberries and blueberries, gluten free popovers, roasted carrots and wine.  Then an Italian Dessert...Tiramisu, that we had much later in the evening. 

It is Andy's favorite dessert. A sliver was just about right for me as it is a very rich dessert. 

We made the trip back to our home in the woods yesterday. We got the car unloaded but not everything is put away yet. Far Guy is doing so so, just the change from one house to another is a breathing adjustment for him. 

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Day after

 We are birthday and valentined out.   I took Far Guy out for supper on his birthday, he had a Clucker ( Chicken with cheese and bacon) and I had a plain old burger just the way I like them nothing else touching my meat and bun.   Far Guy said he had a good day and 73 seems older than 72 or at a minimum sounds older!  He says "Thanks for all the birthday wishes!"

After supper on Valentine Day...Andy cooked...Philly Cheese Nachos... we took Valentines to the little kids. 

Now back to our normal scheduled activities.  Onward and forward to another year! 

I finally got the tax info in the mail to the account...so I can cross something off my list! 

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Crochet and Flu Report

 I finished the section that is called Baubles.  I would call them ornaments.   It was part 7 of 9. 

Now I am working on part 8...called Dala Horse.  It has 31 rows...I debated if I wanted horses in my blanket and decided to just go with the flow and stick to the designers pattern.  I will slog through the pattern row by row.  

Andy got the stomach flu over the weekend.  He is feeling better after a couple of days and is back to work.  Far Guy and I have escaped it so far.  Knock on wood or what ever  good luck charm may work. 

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Andy Cooks and Bakes

 Son In Law Andy made Wild Rice Soup to be served in bread bowls. 

I asked for my bread on the side. 

It was really good soup...and the bread was excellent!  The soup had chicken, chicken broth, wild rice, potatoes, carrots, bacon and cheese.

Far Guy's bread bowl filled with soup. 

Andy cooks and bakes. These are buns...delicious.

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Cooks

 There are five cooks sometimes six cooks in this house.  Noah is here off and on and is getting his own place in a few days.  Adam is mostly at work...although he does make lots of dishes to wash. That leaves four cooks...one who hates to cook and likes to eat cereal ... that leaves three cooks.  Me, Andy and Far Guy. 

Andy cooked last night... Prime Rib, potatoes and carrots.  What a treat to have someone else cook!

Far Guy says he wants to try something called Sticky Chicken this week.   

I just say ...go for it! 

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Family time

 The cold weather makes for dry skin.  

Little kids and lotion...they got their hands full of lotion and helped out Uncle Andy. 

Maddie and Brenton and the kids brought over pizza and we had some good family time last evening. 

We also met Adam's girlfriend...since I just met her I didn't get out my camera ...didn't want to scare her off!  She is cute and blonde and the same age as Adam...they have quite a few things in common. 

Far Guys new infusion nurses did a number on his arm...one stick but afterward he bled just under his skin.  He already misses his infusion nurses back home. 

It looks awful.

Far Side

Painting Projects

 Handy Andy our fantastic son in law installed a new garage side door for us.   Yesterday I began painting ...of course I did not buy the correct size roller...but I did get one coat on the door frame.   The door is steel and I will get it done in no time with a roller.  The next week or so looks like good painting weather.  I hope those stinky beetles stay away....they usually invade us after the beans are harvested. 

I would also like to repaint the sauna...we will see what happens with that after I get the door done.  ( I also have to clean the interior of the sauna before the snow flies...because we like a sauna when it turns cold outside)

It froze here yesterday morning.  There was a real nip in the air. 

Far Guy is rounding the bend on woodcarving the Christmas Ornaments.  He has less than ten left to do.  They have to be painted too...but that can be done indoors on not so nice days.

Nature's paint brush

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Happy Birthday Andy!

 Yesterday was our son in law Andy's birthday!  

Sadie likes him a little the best!  She loves everything he does. 

Happy Birthday Andy!

Far Side

Another Snowy Day

 It was snowy and blowing again...most of Minnesota had blizzard conditions.   We are thankful that we are in town. 

Jen and I went out to do some errands.  Far Guy puppy sat Sadie.

I took this photo while waiting in the car.  The North Dakota field has some black dirt...so windy that the snow blows away to Minnesota.  The wind was cold...somewhere in the -25 F windchill. 

Andy made prime rib, popovers and cooked carrots for supper...really yummy!  

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A day

 It was a day yesterday.  I sorted through some stuff in the garage and sprayed some Ivy and Thistle before the smoke descended on us from Canada. 

My Dad was diagnosed with a blood clot in his leg...the Doctors think that is the source of his pain...and that his Cellulitis is better.   He was released from the hospital and my baby brother brought him and Mom home.

Son in Law Andy's Mom had a stress related heart attack...scary for sure.  It is their 50th Wedding Anniversary this Saturday and a party is planned...hope it still happens. 

Far Guy brought his woodcarving project into the house...he would rather carve outside but that is just not happening this week. 

I crocheted in the afternoon while watching The Mole on Netflix.  Supper was ribs, baked potato and fruit. 

I am real tired of summer...the smoke, heat and humidity...

Far Side

Hawaii: Day Eleven

Our last day in Hawaii began with a breakfast of various meat, eggs and fruit...oh and a bit of Passionfruit Jam!   The lanai was a perfect place to eat.

Goodbye Ocean View Condo

We headed out to visit some different beaches.  Our flight did not leave until 9:30 in the evening so we had all day. 

Kukio Beach

We watched turtles in the water and sunning themselves on the rocks. 

We headed out to The Lava Lava Beach Club for a late lunch.

We played Giant Jenga whist we waited...well Andy, Logan and I played.  I lost, I had my board removed but as I was placing it on top the whole thing toppled.

The table next to ours was vacated and the birds moved in...birds must eat too!

Me, Jen and Far Guy (Photo by Andy)

Jen loves Hawaii, the sun and the warm weather. 

We headed to the old Kona Airport Beach to watch the sunset before we headed to the airport.  Just as we got there a whale was sighted just off shore...we watched and watched but we didn't see it again. 

Andy, Adam and Jen

Goodbye Ocean, Goodbye Sun, Goodbye Hawaii

Off to the airport to get checked in with just one tiny glitch that was quickly corrected.  I think Far Guy had visions of another paperwork/oxygen nightmare.  

We got to Los Angeles in the middle of the night and then from there to Minneapolis in the afternoon and home in the evening of day number twelve ( or day number 15 if you count blizzard days in Fargo in the motel.) 

The change in weather was drastic.. but it was good to be home safe and mostly sound...Far Guy had a bad cold that he is still recovering from. 

We cannot thank our daughter, son in law, grandson and grandson's friend enough for putting up with us old folks.  It was a wonderful multi generational vacation!

It was a trip we had always planned to do after we completed our pet responsibilities.

Far Side