Sunflowers and Seven Sticks

 The Sunflowers are just starting to bloom.

It was easy to stop by this field as it is off the beaten path....and there was an approach with a turn around...meant to be. 

Far Guy's fav Nurse is on vacation so his usual one stick for his IV became seven...uffda he looked like a pincushion when I picked him up. 

I ran the usual errands..Aldi, Walmart for the order pickup, Hugos for stuff Walmart didn't have, Walgreens and the Bank.  I made it in record time and was able to get 20 minutes of reading in the parking lot of the Clinic before Far Guy messaged me to pick him up.

We came home, unloaded the groceries put them away, had lunch and a nap. 

Minnesota weather: Hot  High 87F or 31C   Low 65F or 18C

It has been a very warm July...I wonder what August will bring? 

What's cooking?  Breakfast for supper; eggs, sausages and potatoes.

Far Side

Blanket Flowers

 The Gaillardia or Blanket Flowers join the Daisies in bloom in the Wild Gardens. 

They reseed freely. 

They even grow on the sandy area where the big greenhouse was once upon a time. 

I mowed some more yesterday...I am done for a few days now.  

What's Cooking?  Freezer meals...Spaghetti for Far Guy and Vegetable Beef Soup for me.

 Minnesota Weather: After Supper it was stormy.  High was 89F or 32C  Low was 65F or 18C.

Far Guy is gaining a bit of strength every day, yesterday he sat outside a bit. 

Far Side

Books

 I have been reading quite a bit...when Far Guy first got sick I wanted to do quiet things so he could rest. 

I had some Debbie Macomber books as part of the Rose Harbor Series.  I read the two previous books in the series last Summer.

It was light reading...a bit of fluff. 

I now have 59 books on my list and the books are stacked up under the TV.  My goal is to get it under 50 books.  It doesn't help that my Sister was trying to get rid of three big bags of books...I took one bag and selected a few to donate to our local little library.   I have not added the ones I kept to read to my total yet....she said sticking her head in the sand. 

Presently I am reading a Sanda Dallas book The Diary of Mattie Spenser that is a very enjoyable read.

Oh yes Jen gave me a book...The Day of The Bonanza it is about the Bonanza Farms in North Dakota. I have not counted that one either. 

Far Guy is napping often and resting...I am encouraging him to stay upright more.  He has lots of sleep to get caught up on after being in the hospital.

What's Cooking?  I rescued a chicken hotdish from the freezer, then I made green beans that Far Guy will eat and peaches from the freezer. 

Man Green Beans

Fry up some bacon until it is crisp then cut it into small pieces.  Drain most of the grease out of the pan then add a can of french style green beans and about a tablespoon plus of vinegar.  My Mom used to make it with fried onions in with the bacon...I do not. 

Minnesota weather:  It rained several times in the afternoon on July 4th.  High 77F or 25C  Low was 62F or 17C.

Far Side

GERD and other crap

 Far Guy is being released from the hospital today and we will begin the trek back to our home in the woods. He needs to work at getting stronger…which means lots of walking!

I had a procedure called a EGD/EUS or a Esophagogastroduodenscopy with Endoscopic Ultrasound on June 17th.

I have GERD and some stomach ulcers and something on my pancreas...everything was biopsied and we are waiting on those test results.   They found the “something else”on my pancreas quite by accident on the MRI that I had for my back problem.  The Gastroenterologist's impression is that I should have MRI's every three months depending on the biopsy results.  He also said it is possible that my RA has gone nuts and attacked my pancreas. 

In the meantime my back problem has been diagnosed yet again ( facet joints and nerves are inflamed)..I am having test injections for a Medial Branch Block in late July and late August...thirty days apart for Medicare purposes. If it works then the real procedure may take place sometime in the Fall. 

  My Primary Care Doctors thinks I may have some other Autoimmune Disease....and he would not venture a guess as to which one.  I have an appointment with a Neurologist in September and I am on the wait list.

 Far Guy took really good care of me.  I am still recovering from the procedure. I was having lots of stomach/pancreas pain.  I could not sleep through that pain.  Everyday gets a bit better but I now have new pain (upper between the shoulder blades pain) that joins my lower back pain.

Biopsy results are taking a really long time. 

Finally got biopsy results this week it is a SD IPMN or side duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm and I should come back in three months for an MRI or sooner if new symptoms develop.

Clouds in June.

Far Side

A little pink

 The Showy Lady's Slippers are in full bloom.

They can be found in the roadside ditches for another week or so then they will be gone for another year. 

Such a perfect flower.   It is Minnesota's State Flower.

Far Guy has a cold.  He thought it started as allergies late Thursday..but it is a full blown "man cold"  I am keeping two eyes on him.   He has begun the medication prescribed by his Pulmonologist.  

Minnesota Weather:  It rained.  High 73F or 23C  Low was 67F or 19C.  We are supposed to warm up into the 80's F this week.  I like the 70's F  the best. 

What's Cooking Lately:  Spaghetti, Pizza, Eggs...nothing very exciting.

Far Side

Happy Father's Day!

 We remember our Fathers on this special day.  

Far Guy's Dad, Far Guy and Far Guy's sister photo taken in the Summer of 1950.

My Dad, my baby brother and me in the Fall of 1954...note how attentive I am.

My Dad with my sister and my other baby brother in the Spring of 1967.

My husband is also a great Dad!!

Trica, Far Guy and Jen at the Needles in South Dakota Summer of 1978.

Happy Father's Day!

Far Side

Hark! Back! Issue # 6

 March 02, 2008

"Janice go see is he is dead"

Oh, sometimes little boys do the darndest things...well boy things...they have a curiosity and an ability to scare their Mothers half to death.

When Far Guy was little he apparently had a fascination with electrical outlets.  One day the fascination became experimentation...and he did it...he tried to electrocute himself...something to do with a record player and an electrical outlet...the fuse popped, all the lights went out...his Mother said "Janice go see if he is dead."  He recalls having to wear a mitten in the Summertime because his hand had been burned.

Janice and Far Guy

Far Guy must have been a handful, because his Mother had a harness for him, she would put him in the harness and then clip him to the clothesline. This worked fine for some time and gave his poor Mother some peace and quiet.  However he learned to unhook himself and escape into the neighborhood for wild adventures and then hook himself back up on his return.   I used to think that this was a cruel thing to do to a child but he must have had Attention Deficit Disorder, because as an adult he has it...so I am sure that any treatment to save your sanity was warranted.

Speaking of little boys...our youngest daughter Jen and her husband Andy have two little boys...they are older now but when they were little we had a checklist.  Hide at least one flashlight because we may need the batteries in one to be working.  All ladders should be folded up and laying on the ground.  Put the three wheeler keys in your pocket...the boys should never have access to keys because they are brilliant mechanically and only have to see the sequence of starting one time and they will attempt it.  All sharp tools should be put away out of sight. All water hoses should be disconnected because water fights will happen.   This is all a learning experience for me but Far Guy being a former boy has a special insight into appropriate boy behavior.

**************

Yes a long time ago houses had fuses that screwed into an electrical panel...the fuse would burn out and have to be replaced.  As I recall the fuses were small about the size of a quarter maybe a tad larger, one end screwed into a spot in the panel and the top side had a small window where you could see if there was a burn mark...as I recall the fuses came in different colors I suppose something to do with wattage.

Oh yes...boys do grow up...way too fast.

Far Side

Hark! Back! Issue #1

Hark! Back! Is a look back at blogs that appeared in a now defunct blogging site before I started with blogger in September of 2008.  They are in no particular order.  

March 24, 2008

The Cockatiel "Pearl"

One day I was at a garage sale, there was a bird for sale, so I purchased her cage and all.  She was a female cockatiel, we named her "Pearl".  Well as it turned out she hated me, even though I kept telling her "Pearl I rescued you, you should adore me, and worship the ground I walk on." 

She had a love affair with Far Guy...it was sickening.  When he would get home from work she would coo and make little throaty noises until he talked to her.  After supper he would take her out of her cage and she would sit on his shoulder and groom his moustache, sideburns and ear hairs.  If he had a toothpick in his mouth she would take it from his mouth ever so gently and then turn around and give it back to him.  If I came anywhere near this exchange she would squawk at me and act like I was going to kill her or something.  I can't lie...sometimes I thought I should wring her neck.

During the daytime when I was home alone I liked to catch forty winks on the sofa in the afternoon.  Pearl would wait for me to go to sleep and then she would go ballistic, flapping her wings and squawking. This in turn would wake up the four Shelties that were napping near me and they would bark and bark. The cats would yawn and stretch..it was a zoo. 

The cats loved to perch above the cage and stalk poor Pearl. We had one really fat cat "Shadow" who needed a little help getting above the cage, so I would give him a boost...great entertainment during the day.

Pearl never did like me, even if I was the only one that cleaned her cage and brought her food and fresh water everyday. Occasionally I would give her wet lettuce leaves to bathe on...none of this mattered to her. Sometimes she would peck my arm so hard it would bleed.

This evil bird was always transformed quite magically every evening at 6:15 when her best friend in the whole world came home from work.  I guess she must have been a one man bird:)

Pearl with Caramel looking on!

************

Update

Every time I see a  box of Chicken in a Biskit crackers at the grocery store I think of Pearl as that was her favorite treat. 

Pearl lived with us for about ten years. When Far Guy retired we put everything in storage and bought a camper we found a home for her with a nice old lady who she loved...and she lived a good long life. 

Far Side

Waking up

 Our woods is slowly waking up.  The trees and bushes have had a long Winter's nap.

The Thornapple is awake.  You can see the thorns...it is a nasty shrub. 

Far Guy has been doing some woodcarving...he finally came inside and grabbed a bunch of bandaids and told me not to pay attention to the blood spatters on the patio. 

I am playing with paper and doing misc stuff that never shows up anyplace. 

 I finally got confirmation from Gethsemane Lutheran Church that doesn't have a cemetery and they were cooperative and were also going to contact the Find A Grave Community to delete the cemetery.   Everyone not familiar with the area thinks the cemetery belongs to the Church because it is across the road...it was not always that way...they had a small Church right in the heart of downtown Snellman where they used to have a smelly old smelt fry every Spring...I can say the ladies made some great pies.  Anyways they raised all the money and members all helped to have the Church built on the outskirts of town on the hillside across the highway from cemetery aptly named The Snellman Cemetery. 

Minnesota weather: Windy...a chilly wind like after it hails.   High 58 F or 14C  Low was 39F or 4C.  It is supposed to rain the next few days....we and the woods need the moisture. 

What's Cooking: Leftover Calzones...cook once and eat twice:)

Far Side

Tilly on Main Street

 We ran all kind of errands in town...Post Office, recycling etc...then we picked up Tilly and went to lupper.

He has his blinker on here as he was leaving the parking spot.

Not many tourists here yet so we could park in the center of Main Street.  Yes Park Rapids is one of the few towns where you can park in the center of the street or diagonal.  The Main Street is extra wide because when they laid out the town they wanted enough room for horses pulling a sled of lumber to turn around in the street. 

A number of buildings on Main Street are empty.  There is no longer a dime store or a fabric/quilting/yarn store.

Gasoline was $4.04 in town. (Tilly uses lots of gas)

Anyways.  Tilly endured a few snowflakes in the air....I think Far Guy was about ready to catch them all. Tilly is home and safely in her garage.  Goodness knows what he would have done if it started to rain!!

Minnesota Weather:  High 42F or 6C  Low was 27F or -3C. Cloudy all day. 

Far Side

Dryer screen

 Who knew? Or remembered?  We were having a problem with our cloths dryer...the clothing was so hot I could barely touch it to fold clothing even during the cool down cycle.  Ouch!!  Something was a muck.

Far Guy tore apart the front panel to locate a temperature sensor...then we called the appliance shop in town and talked to Bert because he might have the part we needed.   It is a stacked Maytag and we have had it a really long time...over twenty years. 

Bert said "The soaps and fabric softners today that are used sometimes build up on the dryer screen, clean the screen with soap and water and it may fix your problem."

Low and behold it did the trick.  It had been a year maybe two since I last washed the lint screen.  I know I have heard this little fix before but did not recall it.

We are especially vigilant and never leave the house when the dryer is on.  Years ago I saw a house fire that was caused by a dryer and our oldest daughter lost her first home to a dryer fire when Savannah was a baby. 

Smoky Hills were really smoky one day last week. No fires just humidity.

Supper was Far Guy's amazing dip and tacos.

Minnesota weather: High 49F or 9C  low 27F or -3C.   It was supposed to rain...but it did not.

Far Side

A plan

 Well...finally all four Doctors agree on a plan of action for Far Guy's Thyroid Nodules that are benign.  They will be watched for change.  NO SURGERY.  The Oncologist wants a PET scan done in three months.  The Endocrinologist wants a ultrasound sometime...six months maybe...I need to check for that appointment. 

We completed #12 and #13 out of 21 medical appointments yesterday.  We are making progress.  One Dr says come back in six months and the other in three months.  Yeah !!

It was a snowy day.  The roads are slick in some spots.

We must remember that God is in charge! 

Far Side

2nd eye

 Far Guy had his last eye surgery yesterday.  The left eye this time.  It all went well.  

The total number of drops in EACH eye is 159 over four weeks.  Good thing we have a chart to fill out with the times. 

8 out of 19 appointments completed. 

Some of the snow has melted in the front yard. Dirty snow remains.

Minnesota weather:  High was 32F or 0C  Low was 13 or -11C. Mostly cloudy.

As I write this on Tuesday late afternoon...Andy is cooking up a storm in the kitchen...it is Cee Cees 6th birthday and she requested a surprise supper...but she said "It better be good!"

Far Side

Keep smiling

 Thankfully we are at the end of this week.  #6 of 19 appointments have been accomplished...with no extra appointments added!!

I am all done with Physical Therapy...my therapist is a gem.  I will keep keeping on with exercises!

Jen made this ...she loves sea glass:)

We were up early for Far Guy's appointment for an echocardiogram.  It was a tad slippery out.  No sunshine here...maybe over the weekend! 

Far Side

Stripes

 I ventured into something new for me.  A striped blanket.   

 Hobby Lobby Cozy Occasion Yarn one skein ivory and then five skeins of colored yarn.  I used a 6.5 hook and the Linen Stitch.  I repeated the colors twice so it ended up an ok size.  This is the yarn that was supposed to become colored hearts on an ivory background...I didn't like it at all so I frogged it and went with a totally different idea to use up the yarn.  I finished this blanket on March 4 and quickly began an ivory blanket to use up the remaining yarn plus two more ivory skeins procured on a trip to Hobby Lobby. 

4 medical visits out of 19 are done.  The ENT Surgeon advises that Far Guy see the Endocrinologist for follow up ultrasounds/biopsies to keep an eye on the Thyroid nodules.  So no thyroid surgery is scheduled. 

I picked up groceries at Wally World while Far Guy had his infusion and then we went to Hobby Lobby together and out for lupper at Perkins where we had breakfast. 

Minnesota Weather: Cloudy, gloomy, frosty, slippery.  We are in a Winter Weather Advisory for all of Friday mainly for ice and slick roads.  High was 36F or 2C Low was 19F or -7C eh.

Far Side

Eye report

 Lots of drops! Far Guy had cataract surgery on Monday. He is doing just fine…he reports that some colors are surprising. 

Far Side

Fantastic News!!

 How about a little good news! 

Far Guy has two nodules inside his Thyroid Gland. They were first discovered when they lit up last August on a Pet Scan.  He had one biopsy in September that didn't tell anything useful because that Surgeon was an idiot.  He had more biopsies on February 9th. One nodule we knew was benign and the other biopsy was sent off for genetic testing and the results are back...BENIGN!!!

So the Doctors three will all have opinions...the Endocrinologist, the ENT Surgeon and the Cancer Doctor.  The Endocrinologist thinks it is reasonable to have the surgery (to remove half of the thyroid) and it is also reasonable to monitor the nodule for change....so she is not that much help with the decision.  The other Doctors will be seen in March. 

The good news is that it is not cancer!  If he has part of his thyroid removed he will not have to have further treatment.

Far Side
 

More snow

 We had more snow overnight on Wednesday and into Thursday...about 10 inches total.   The roads are fair for driving conditions on snowy icy roads.  A few days of sunshine will help melt the roads. 

I took Far Guy to his Infusion appointment, I waited in the parking lot while Far Guy had his infusion.

I am feeling less pain after my back injection...fingers and toes crossed that it will be helpful for a while.

Suppers lately...hamburgers and French fries, chicken and wild rice soup with Gluten Free Red Lobster Biscuits and tonight is tacos and Far Guy's dip:)

I watched Song Sung Blue on Peacock TV and really enjoyed it...in fact I may watch it again.

Friday is a day off of medical appointments!!  

Far Side

Threads

 Embroidery threads are part of my recent days.  

I brought ten dish towels with me to be embroidered over the Winter.  Five are done...so I am making progress.  Slow but sure.  

Far Guy is doing good...he is back on the treadmill and doing at least 5,000 steps a day.  He has his sense of humor back and that is a relief.  We are waiting for the genetic testing to come back on his Thyroid Nodule biopsy.  He has two nodules inside his Thyroid...one is benign and the other is questionable hence the extra testing that takes weeks.  

We had breakfast for supper..we all cooked!  

Minnesota weather: High 42F or 6C  Low was 32F or 0C eh!

Winter Storm for Wednesday and Thursday

Description

...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO MIDNIGHT CST WEDNESDAY NIGHT... * WHAT...Heavy mixed precipitation and areas of blowing snow expected. Total snow accumulations between 5 and 10 inches with locally higher amounts. Ice accumulations of a glaze. Winds gusting as high as 40 mph. * WHERE...Portions of north central and northwest Minnesota and northeast North Dakota. * WHEN...From 6 PM this evening to midnight CST Wednesday Night. * IMPACTS...Travel will be very difficult. Falling and blowing snow will lead to areas of quick and sudden reductions to visibility, making travel difficult, especially in rural areas that are prone to blowing snow. The hazardous conditions will impact the Wednesday morning and evening commutes.

Far Side

Blessings

 We are blessed with a great family.  Those who could come came to wish Far Guy a Happy Birthday.  We ate lunch and then an early supper.  Every one was here except for our oldest daughter Trica, youngest Grandson Adam, Paige’s husband Cole and Noah’s wife Hanna.

  

The Great Grands made birthday cards!

Fun to see and hug everyone! 

Far Side