August 15, 2020 - Msg 115146: Hahaha! PH, I do remember that photo album. I don't know what happened to that, it just sort of died out, but I'm almost certain I still have the pictures on the computer. I've been through about three computer changes since then, but everything just gets copied to the new one each time. Since I have probably 2,000 photos on here, I'm not sure what's there and what's not. I had an excellent photo handling program on one of the older machines, but the one that came with this one is the pits, and my old favorite program is no longer supported by the new machines. I had Windows 7 through the last two, but the one I have now has Windows 10, and it's okay, but I liked 7 better. As for your confusion, if you think you're confused now, wait until you get a little older! :) Some days, I'm just happy I could find the computer, let alone some specific file.

Well, guess I'll call it a day. Trinket has strolled by, with big yawns each time. I think it's her way of telling me she's ready for bed. Nothing spoiled about her! Anyway, I think I actually will go to bed at a decent hour tonight. I won't be going to church, though we are having services. I'm trying to abide by the request that due to the limited seating, with all the social distancing and all, they would encourage anyone who is "high risk" to stay at home. I guess that would include me. So, I'll stay here and watch it on the Facebook hookup. I can understand the pastor better that way anyhow, since I can control the volume. And yes, our attending congregation will be singing, six feet apart and wearing masks, but they'll be singing. I'm really glad I don't live in California. Of all the nutty restrictions to place on people..... Blessings, everyone! --Romeena
August 15, 2020 - Msg 115147: There, I cleaned the porch up a little, since I have some spare time tonight. -- Romeena
August 16, 2020 - Msg 115148: Romeena, since my move to Canada, I don't know where my original photo is. But the image might be stored on one of my old computers. Unfortunately, they are in a USA storage locker while I am in Canada. And the closing of the border has been extended until September 21.
Would you believe that the computer I still use has the Windows 7 operating system since I never upgraded. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
As for me getting older, I am almost 70. I outlived my father and both of my grandfathers. But I have a ways to go if I expect to outlive my mother and grandmothers. And although it seems that my long term memory is intact, my short term memory needs improving.
Recently, I went to a body shop and asked for a new body. They laughed, gave me a shiny new quarter, then told me to be on my way.

from Poor Horatio
August 16, 2020 - Msg 115149: PH, you are a bird in this world! My cardiologist, who refers to me as "Timex", once made a related comment to me. He said all I needed to "fix me up" was to have someone jack my body up and run a new one in under it. If I listed all the "specialists" I see for various things, you'd think I was a hypochondriac. However, each problem is well documented, and I must say, they seem to concern the docs more than they do me. Let's see, there is --- ah, shoot. I started listing them, and stopped at 15. Who wants to read about all those "ologists."? Make that 16, I just remembered another one.

Maybe instead I should list all my blessings! They outnumber the "ologists" by a long shot. I just paused in writing this post, and watched this morning's church service live, via Facebook. The service was well-attended in the actual sanctuary, but in obedience to the church's request, I did not attend, since I'm considered a high risk for Covid-19. I'll be glad when I can sit side-by-side with my church family, but in the meantime, I'm very grateful for the technology that permits me to "attend" the service, and even to greet friends, via the "comment" sidebar. Our new pastor, who has been with us less than a year, and is only 29 years old, is doing a wonderful job. He knows his Bible, and has a fine way of presenting the Word, and making it clear. I haven't been able to get personally acquainted yet, due to the Covid thing, but I will, once all the restrictions are lifted. I've written to him, and we have waved at each other through the windshield, when I've attended the drive-in services. He gave me a "thumbs-up" when he saw I had Trinket in the car with me one day. For such a young man, he has a great command of the scripture, and I think is going to really be a blessing to our church. He's energetic, optimistic, and has a very positive attitude. Just what we need at this time, I think. We miss our former pastor, he was doing a great job and we all love him, but he was old enough to retire, and has some health challenges, so we had to understand and accept his resignation, as much as we hated to lose him. It took a year for our search committee to find him and they found him in Alabama. I have attended that church for 46 years, and the new pastor is just my third pastor in all those years. In case you haven't noticed, I love my church! God led us there, I know.

Well, guess I'll go scare up some lunch. Blessings, friends! --Romeena
August 16, 2020 - Msg 115150: I just re-read that last post, and should clarify that I was speaking of the new pastor when I said it took us a year to find him. --Romeena
August 16, 2020 - Msg 115151:
Romeena, your doctors referring you to as Timex reminds me of that old Timex watch television commercial with their brand motto of "It takes a licking but keeps on ticking". Do you remember that commercial that was performed by John Cameron Swayze? Back then, he often did television commercials live on the air. And sometimes things went wrong just like in the following classic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NHq3Yze6s0

from Poor Horatio
August 16, 2020 - Msg 115152: Good evening, porch! PH, while I don't recall that particular commercial, my doc's reference to me as "Timex" is based on the Timex claim about it keeping on ticking! As for Timex watches themselves, I got one when I started my nursing career, and 35 years later, when I retired, it was still ticking and keeping good time. The only time I didn't wear that watch was during the 2 years that I did pediatrics part of the time. I was officially a med/surg nurse and we didn't have an actual pedi floor, but four of our rooms on my regular unit were "swing" rooms, where pedi patients would be assigned if any were admitted. None of the other nurses wanted to do pedi, so I took a crash course on pedi meds, and accepted the alternate duty when I was needed. I kept a Mickey Mouse watch in my locker, and wore it when I had pedi patients. I would get them interested in the watch, maybe let them hold it, to distract them while I did whatever I needed to do. I've started IVs in three year olds who were too busy with my watch to notice! Pedi was good duty, I don't know why the other nurses didn't want to do it. If I had one patient, or four, that was it. Even with just one, I would not be given any adult patients that day. I loved it! Some terrified little kid would come in with an asthma attack, couldn't breathe, I'd get an aminophylline drip going, and in just a few minutes, they were breathing easy, and smiling. Talk about the rewards of a job! Then a respiratory therapist would get their breathing treatment going, and the kid would become a space pilot or whatever, with the mask and lines as props, and we would make up stories! Some of the best duty I ever had.

As for John Cameron Swayze, that was professionalism at its very best. He never missed a beat! We don't have anybody like that today, I'm afraid. If it's not on their cue card, they would just collapse. Where have all the good ones gone? Thanks for sharing that.

Well, Trinket has opened a seam in her toy snowman's head, and has pulled all the fluff out. I guess I'd better take it all away from her before she swallows some of the fluff. I suppose I can shove it all back in and sew it up, but she'll probably just do it again, now that she knows what's in there. Little brat, but I love her.

Blessings, friends, and prayers for all who need them. I guess that's pretty much all of us. --Romeena
August 17, 2020 - Msg 115153: Morning, folks!

Another quick update...my wife's friend came home from the hospital yesterday. he is resting at home and expected to make a full recovery. Despite his health problems, he seems to be sailing thru COVID.

Boo - I read that Texas made a big counting mistake and about 25% of the total COVID cases were inaccurate.

Be well, folks!

John Masters
August 17, 2020 - Msg 115154: Good morning, porch! Well, I guess we had a big old storm last night, and it looks like it's "clabbering up" to do it again today. I don't think we got a lot of rain out of it, judging from the birdbaths, but there must have been some powerful winds. I saw it when it began, and it was really whipping the trees around. This house is so well-insulated, and I'm half deaf, so I don't hear a storm unless there's some terrible thunder, and there wasn't, just a little rumble now and then. The wind must have gotten really bad though, because the evidence is there this morning. Both my potted plumeria trees were blown over. They're terribly heavy, but leverage helps me when I use the trunks to set them up again. Pulling or lifting on the pots is futile, and only results in sore arthritic joints and broken fingernails. I got them upright with very little trouble.

However, I also have (had) a big beach-type umbrella that shaded part of the pond, to give the fish a shady place to hang out in the heat of the day. It's a nice bright red one, 8 ft diameter, crank open and close, and I have PVC pipes sunk about 15 inches into the ground at strategic places around the pond. The umbrella's pole just drops down into any one of those and it holds it upright nicely. I can relocate the umbrella as needed. It's pretty heavy, but I can carry it.

Well, it got blown over too. It's happened before, but it always was lifted by the wind and carried away from the pipe it was seated in. This time, it just got blown straight over, and about a foot of the pole is still in the pipe, bent over and cracked. The pole is probably not salvageable, and I'll have to explore possibilities for replacing it. I hope the bottom section is replaceable. If not, the whole thing is ruined, because the rest of it is all integrated, crank, umbrella and all, and it wasn't cheap. I may sic Ted on it, and see if he can straighten out the bent and cracked pole, and insert some sort of wooden or steel rod into it, to hold it straight. He's very resourceful, I'll bet he can fix it.

If I had known that wind was coming, I'd have closed the umbrella, and probably would have just brought it in. Once the wind began, I knew better than to mess with it. I'd have been flying over the rooftops, like Mary Poppins!

The umbrella itself appears to be undamaged, and is lying in the middle of a big flowerbed. I'm not going to fight off the hordes of mosquitoes and slog through the muddy flowerbed to retrieve it right now. It's okay where it is, and it can just stay there until I can talk to Ted.

My little hummingbird has returned. He/she came in about a week ago, checked out the dirty old feeder and flew away, apparently disgusted. The feeder needed attention, but it was hanging just out of my reach, and I DO NOT climb on anything anymore. The last time Eddie was here, he lengthened the chain the feeder hangs from, and now I can reach it, so I had cleaned and refilled the feeder. Little Sweetie Bird appears to be enjoying it, bless his or her little heart.

I haven't fallen, but I don't intend to, either. I may be old, but I'm not stupid. Several of my friends have fallen - one broken wrist, one broken hip, several sprains and bruises. I don't plan to join the club. I fell once a while back when my bad knee just gave way unexpectedly, and got some bruises and a busted lip out of it, but that couldn't be helped. I don't have to climb up and fall from some high place, so I don't.

Well, guess I'll go annoy Trinket. She needs a brushing, and her topknot scrunchie has disappeared. She looks like a little ragamuffin. She's so weird. I had a bag of dry kibble that she will eat only if I really dress it up with some gravy, mix in some cheese, or some other enhancement. So, I bought her another kind, which she eats just a little bit better. However, this morning, I was pouring the last 2 or 3 cups of the old kibble into the new bag, to just mix them together, and managed to spill about half a cup of it on the floor. She ran in like gangbusters, and snarfed up every single piece of the old kibble from the floor! Refuses it when it's in a clean bowl, wolfs it down when it's on the floor. Go figure. Little dingbat.

Blessings, friends! --Romeena
August 18, 2020 - Msg 115155:

RO--could Ted possibly cut the pole off at the kink and stick it back in the hole? I know it would be lower, but if it is just for pond shade, it might be ok.
We had a big blow here tonight! Lots of wind gusts, lighting, thunder, and dust, but just a spittle of rain, but it was still a nice break! Our old record of 33 summer days (June, July August) of 110 or more has been shattered this summer (at 43 right now!!),
and two more weeks of August to go!
That is very cool what you did in peds! When I was teaching Jr. High,
I tried things like "Grammar Jeopardy" and of course Spelling Bees, etc. I also tried to have them do some sort of 'interesting project' with prepositions, etc. I have about 15 former students who sought me out on Facebook the past few years, and we now post back and forth. Gives me a nice feeling inside. :)
Before my heart operation I also had a lot of 'ologists!' ha
including a nephrologist for my kidneys, but my stage 2 CKD actually reversed itself once blood was again going thru them as it should, praise God! :)
PH--love that old commercial! Like RO said, he didnt miss a beat, just kept it going. Reminds me of a weatherman here who's computerized forecast screen messed up, but he just made some funny comments and did fine. I posted this a couple years ago here when it actually happened, but here it is again if you'd like a good laugh... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXuc7SAyk2s
ASA--have you seen anything of Dr. Richard Kimble lately? We get the Fugitive here late on Sunday evenings. I take in an episode from time to time.
PH--I heard that since January of this year, Windows 7 is no longer supported by Microsoft, meaning they are no longer doing updates, patches, etc. Be careful that nothing gets corrupted.
Some of our school districts started in-house classes today. All went well, all wore maskes, desks spread out, directional arrows in the hallways, only three classroom changes, etc. Also for the last 2 days AZ has had zero virus deaths reported.
APB FOR LUCY, NN, FRANKIE, MAUDIE, SPOTTY, POSSUM, MBM, JASON, AND ALL!
Prayers for all!
MDC




August 18, 2020 - Msg 115156: Yesterday, the postman brought me a surprise. It is a US Treasury check for over $1,000. At the bottom of the check it indicates "Economic Impact Payment President Donald J. Trump". I never applied for it. Has anyone else gotten one?

From Poor Horatio
August 18, 2020 - Msg 115157: MDC, I am aware that Microsoft has stopped supporting Windows 7. However, I have a good internet security software installed that seems to stop every known threat.
I am surprised to learn just how many hot days you have experienced in Arizona. You mentioned the high temperatures, but what about the humidity? Has it been dry heat or humid heat?
By the way, what is CKD?

from Poor Horatio
August 18, 2020 - Msg 115158: JM, that doesn't surprise me a bit about the covid thing in Texas. Things are a mess in the larger cities, for sure. Not telling what is really going. I stay out of Corpus Christi these days. We are continuing to have covid deaths there daily.

Not much to report today, just wanted to check in. I am having a lot of stomach issues, maybe related to stress, but no big surprise. lol I am drinking tea with ginger and taking a probiotic. I had what I think was a stomach bug a few weeks ago but have never fully recovered from it so am doing a juice fast and limiting stress as much as I can. We will see. I am trying to avoid the dr's office.

Hope all of you are well today.

Boo
August 18, 2020 - Msg 115159: One question: Have any of you ever tried taking the cayenne pepper capsules for digestive issues or pain? If so, what was your experience?

Boo
August 18, 2020 - Msg 115160:
PH--the check you got was sent to almost every US household many weeks ago. They were part of a 2 trillion dollar package passed by congress in early May to help us get thru this virus time.
As former US military, you most certainly deserve it! :)
And cdk is for chronic kidney disease. I 'got' it as my circulation got worse and worse before my heart operation. My liver was also similar and enlarged, but it is all well now also!
BOO--try also to read scripture. I often quote verses like "I am more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus!" Does a person good! :) Keep up the good work, especially with miss toxic now gone. :) God bless,
MDC

August 18, 2020 - Msg 115161:

Oh PH, our heat is mostly dry, but we have about 30% humidity today, so still not too bad. mdc

August 18, 2020 - Msg 115162: Good afternoon, porch. Just spent a pleasant few hours with Ted, my handyman friend. He can fix anything! I had called him yesterday morning, and told him about the broken umbrella pole, and told him it was no emergency, just whenever he had time. He showed up this morning around 10:00. As he walked into the back yard, he noticed that the west side gate was hanging, and didn't close right, so he fixed that before I even knew he was here. He had also picked up, sawed up and bundled several fairly large limbs that had blown down in the front yard, and I didn't even know it. He put them out on the curb, and the city will pick them up. Then he tackled the umbrella. He was able to get the pole up and out of the pipe that supports it, which I had not been able to do. The pole was kinked badly where the wind had bent it over, so he sawed out the kinked part, lost about three inches of length. Then he took a 3' length of 2x2, which is actually not quite 2x2 - all that stuff, like 2x4s, is a little less than the description. He shaved all the corner edges off down the length of the board, making it almost round, but not quite. Then he inserted it in the sawed-off piece of the umbrella pole and hammered it in until it reached the end. He stuck the other end of the wood into the part of the pole that remained with the umbrella, and hammered it in from the bottom end, and stuck the whole thing back down into the pipe by the pond. It's snug, no play in it at all, and my fish are in the shade once again! From now on, I will crank that rascal down when the wind starts acting up!

Finally, he hung a solar-powered wind chime, with six glass hummingbirds that will light up, from the eave of the house where it will get some sun, just outside my window. It's pretty, and will be even prettier at night. All those things he did, and he charged me $35. Ted is a treasure! We sat in the sunroom and shared lunch, Trinket ate the little plastic ends off of his shoe strings, and we solved a lot of the world's problems. Ted is a man of faith, and we think alike on just about everything. He's been a good friend over the years, and I know that God put him in my life, to smooth out the little bumps, like a broken umbrella, or a major roof leak that threatens to bring my bedroom ceiling down, or a room that needs painting. I can always count on Ted.

PH, I don't know why your check was delayed, but I'm glad it arrived. We were supposed to get another one in August, but Miz Pelosi squelched that when she sent Congress home before they could approve it. Now she's calling them back, in order to ram through her bill to send billions to the Postal Service, so they will be able to handle her vote-by-mail project. Can you imagine how much voter fraud there will be if all you have to do is mark your ballot and mail it in? Well, guess I'd better not go there, don't want to start a moulage.

MDC, I'm glad that the improvement in your perfusion status has corrected your CDK, as well as your liver issues. I have mild CDK too, but my nephrologist says he thinks it's just "old kidneys" (well, thank you very much!) and not anything we can fix, nor should we try. The numbers have hit a low plateau, and don't seem to be getting any worse, so I don't worry about it.

Blessings, friends! --Romeena
August 18, 2020 - Msg 115163: Ro, well, we're not spring chickens anymore! Lol!
August 18, 2020 - Msg 115164: Hahaha! Actually, believe it or not, the doc also included that little comment! I've known him for about 40 years, so he knew I wouldn't be offended. He's British, still has his accent, but has been in the U.S. for at least 40 years. He was a physician there, but left because the regulations imposed by the British medical system, which is "free" healthcare for all, paid for by the government (with higher taxes, of course) didn't permit putting elderly kidney patients on dialysis. He was so frustrated with that, that he just picked up his family and moved here, where he said he could still save people and give them years of life, which was not permitted in England. I just, out of curiosity tonight, ran a search on that topic, and learned that they have loosened the restrictions and are more lenient on who gets dialysis there now, but it was a long time coming. I'm sure he wouldn't go back now, even with the changes. His life is here now. He's a good guy, and a fine doctor.

Good night, all. Stay well. --Romeena
August 19, 2020 - Msg 115165:

HI ALL! Just quick hello tonight. Saw the ep about "Floyd Lawson Enterprises" and Ms. Grayson. Really like that one, but Andy sure took a chance using
someone's house that way! I guess Mayberry had it's uppity area of town! (And here I thought that Jimmy the goat was seeing uptown!) haha
RO--glad Ted was able to get so much done. I'm sure it was well over $35 worth of work, but he probably just likes to get out, do some work, and enjoy a good conversation with you. Priceless!
Well...nite' all!
MDC
August 19, 2020 - Msg 115166: Hey all.

MDC, I always get a kick in that episode when Floyd is calling himself a miserable wretch in the mirror. I'm not sure why but that little scene is hilarious to me. Maybe it's my twisted British humor. And the ending when Andy decides to not tell Floyd who she really was and what she was about.
As I read about your health issues you had MDC, I wasn't aware you had so many other problems as a result of your heart issue. But it sure sounds like you have come back strong. Good deal. You are our Male version of Romeena.

Speaking of that Timex commercial, one of the better commercials I ever heard was they were strapping a watch on to the front bumper of a truck. Then they showed the truck driving in all kinds of terrain, up hills, flying over bumps, driving through axle deep water, through the dessert, just about any abusive thing you could imagine. Finally the truck pulls up to the announcer who removes the watch and say "And the watch... well it has stopped working, but the new Ford pickup truck is running like a champ". (It was a commercial for Ford) Now I thought that was a great idea.

Boo, sorry your tummy is ailing. I'm sure stress is not helping matters. Just try to let your mind go blank. (I love the ending of the Mr. McBevee episode when Barney is trying to calm Andy down telling him that)

Romeena, That is why I was wondering if you had a main valve shut-off just for your sprinkling system. If you do, you can shut that off then check the meter and if it has quit spinning you at least know your problem is somewhere in that system. I wish we lived closer so I could come try and give you a hand.
Your story about your Doctor coming to America because of the frustrations for treating his patients is very similar to one I had told to me by a spinal surgeon years ago. She had been practicing in Canada and had become so fed up with the restrictions with their socialized medicine that she left and came here for the same reasons. That has been quite a few years ago so who knows what it is like now. But she was tired of not being allowed to treat folks suffering in great pain, because either the system did not cover them, or it was a year or more wait. Not trying to stir up a hornets nest here PH. I'm just repeating what she had told me. The idea of "free" seldom seems to be the panacea the promoters promise.

Sakes alive it has been hot here also MDC. They are saying the big high pressure that has been over us is starting to show some signs of moving though, and we might finally get some of that monsoon moisture up here. Sure hope we get a little.

Well off to go putter around. I need to clean the bathrooms. That's a fun day, aye? lol

Asa





August 20, 2020 - Msg 115167:
Good evening! Two good episodes on tonight...the one about the 3 escaped cons, and O'malley's place;
and the one where Miss Peggy and Opie become 'blood brothers.' The only thing is, that is the last we ever see of her. I guess that's showbiz. :(
I hope everyone is doing OK. I sure miss our 'regulars. Hope y'all come back and set a spell. Yes ASA, that high pressure ridge just won't budge will it? They say that a tropical storm coming up Baha may
move it out vand bring some moisture, so we shall see.
HA! What a neat Ford commercial! I tried to find it on youtube, but no luck.
Not much else happening, DNC has been a snoozefest, and I didnt watch much of it anyway. Their health plan is plain scary.
ROMEENA, yes, feeling really good these days, but I do miss not going to the gym. Sure hope they open up soon.
Take care my friends,
MDC

August 20, 2020 - Msg 115168:
Ha! BaJa !
August 20, 2020 - Msg 115169: Thanks Asa, Im trying. lol. Tummy troubles were better most of the day because I ate no solid food. I drank a little juice mixed with water and some veggie broth that I made. At around 9pm, I tried eating broth with a couple of spoons of rice in it so my night time meds wouldn't hurt my stomach. 2 hours later I was having the runs. This is difficult but life goes on. I guess I will have to start trying to find out what I can and cant eat. Right now my stomach is bothering me cause I ate a couple of spoons of oatmeal.

Hope the rest of you are doing well.

Boo
August 20, 2020 - Msg 115170: Good morning, porch! It's hot here, too, and very dry. My sprinklers run, and half an hour later I go out there and the grass is dry, and there's a crust of dry earth in the flowerbeds. We need rain so badly. You can water until the bill is overwhelming, and it just barely keeps it all alive. Let a good rain come, and the grass grows two inches in a day. You can almost hear the collective sigh of relief from the things trying to grow out there.

Asa, thank you! I don't know where my brain was! Yes, I have a separate meter-like device on the sprinkler water line. It's an anti-backflow valve, not a true meter, but I do know it can be used to shut off the water going to the sprinklers. Now why didn't I think of that!

Boo, have you seen a doctor with your digestive issues? If not, it sounds like this would be a good time to do that! What you're describing could be just an aggressive bug, or it could be signs of something else that needs attention. Please get it checked out!

Well, my umbrella that Ted fixed needs fixing again. We had another brief, gusty, windstorm last evening. I happened to look out and saw the umbrella tugging at its moorings and trying to sail away. It seemed to me that it was a bit taller than it had been, and obviously it needed to be cranked down, so went out to do it. I found that the end of the pole was solidly wedged in the mooring pipe, but the tugging had begun to drag on the splice that Ted made, and it was now open by about three inches. Where the edges of the pole he had sawed open should have been meeting, there was about three inches of the wooden splice showing. I began to try to crank it down to relieve the pulling action, and found the crank only worked for about three turns, then jammed. I think the thing may just be a loss, dadburn it! I pulled it up out of the pipe, and carried it up to the house, turning the top of the umbrella toward the house, as close as I could get, with a hedge in the way. About the same time, the wind died down, and this morning the umbrella is right where I left it. I called Ted and left a message on his recorder. If he can fix it, okay. If not, I'll just do without an umbrella, I guess.

Well, gotta go see my pacer doc this morning, routine pacer check. I'd better get dressed and head that way. Blessings, all! --Romeena
August 20, 2020 - Msg 115171: I just remembered something, on the water leak thing. Years ago, I had a valve installed that lets me shut off the water to the house and still have water going to my sprinklers. We did that when I was going to be in Mongolia for two weeks. A friend's house was robbed, and the burglar turned on the water in a sink, plugged the sink, and left it running, so the house was flooded. I had that valve installed near the house so no one could do that, but my sprinklers could still run while I was gone. No water for two weeks, and my yard would have been ruined. So -- I can shut off that valve, wait for things to subside a little, then see if the meter is still running. If it is, then the leak is in a sprinkler line, please, Lord! --Romeena
August 20, 2020 - Msg 115172: Thanks, Romeena, I actually already made an appointment this morning and will be talking to the doc tomorrow. Im tired of dealing with it and I am due for a colonoscopy anyway. I remembered something today; I remember that when I was a little girl, my mom had bleeding that landed her in the hospital and was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. She had problems with it off and on for many years (remember the gas station restroom story? lol). Anyway, I know those kinds of things can run (no pun intended) in families.

Well, I had a bad morning but feeling better this afternoon. Gotta go...Bruce came home early and wants to take a drive

Boo
August 21, 2020 - Msg 115173:

BOO--so sorry that you are ailing. I hope they can find
out what's wrong with you. They say that as our 'gut goes', so goes
our whole constitution. I just did a Cologuard test and it came back
negative, Medicare pays for one every three years, and so far all have been negative. My doc let's me do that in place of a colonoscopy.
I got a letter from Squibb the other day that says they are not making Coumadin after August 31.
I have taken it for 19 years, and had tried generic warfarin, but the purity and consistancy of China made generics always threw off my INR. My cardiologist is going to prescribe another brand one called Jantovan. So hopefully it will be as good as coumadin.
Guess what?, I discovered that a local independent station shows tags color eps at 10 PM here! Last night was the one about movie star Tina Andrews coming back to mayberry on a train, no less, and barney is on the train too. And I guess mayberry built a new fancy hotel, as it was much more than a 'bed and a Bible!' Ha! Anyway, I can finally see some color ones again.
RO--glad you thought about that other valve. Hope it helps to find the problem.

MDC



August 21, 2020 - Msg 115174: Good Friday morning all.

MDC, That is shocking that they are going to stop producing Coumadin. That seemed to be used a lot by folks. Did they give a reason why? I hope the other stuff will work ok for you.
As many times as I have watched that color episode it never dawned on me about how fancy Tina's hotel room was. Good observation. I guess I was to busy watching Tina. lol

Hey Boo, You asked if we remembered the rest room story with your Mom. lol I don't think I'll ever forget it. I hope they can find what is ailing you and it's not serious. You got anything we can loosen? :)

Romeena. I am a big fan of using isolation valves. The place I worked at was pretty good sized, especially the main shop and I would get to mad at times because when they built the place in 1986 they did not install many isolation valves. I remember more than once having to turn the main water supply to the building off (an 8 inch supply line) because I had a toilet problem I needed to fix but there was no isolation valve to the restroom. It wasn't just water lines either. I had the same issues with the Natural gas lines and the shop air lines. Over the years I spent a lot of time installing isolation valves for the exact reason you mentioned, you could still use your sprinkling system outside while turning off water to the house. BTW, Those robbers you talked about sounded just like the "wet bandits" on Home Alone. lol Anyway, it was always a pain in the you know what to install a valve on an existing system when it would have been so easy to do when putting it in initially. That is why they should have the input of a maintenance guy when planning new construction. Amen GF, my maintenance Bro? When you live the life of maintenance men you see things a little different.

They said today and tomorrow should be the last of our triple digit temps here. Supposed to cool all the way down to 95 by Sunday with a chance of some thunderstorms. Boy do we need it.
Off to go do my mowing before it gets to hot out.

Asa
August 21, 2020 - Msg 115175: Good morning, porch! And I do mean, good "morning." I was up at 6:30, of all things. Ted was already here, so I had to get up and meet the world. Just about the time I hit the floor, a loud hammering started outside, and I could tell it wasn't Ted, unless he could hold a hammer with both hands and his feet as well. Sure enough, there is a crew on the roof of the vacant house next door, putting a new roof on. At 6:30 a.m.? Well, I don't blame them. It will be so terribly hot in about another two hours, if I had to be up there, I'd start early, too! That's why Ted arrives so early. He'll quit around noon, we'll eat lunch in my sunroom, and he'll work another hour or two, then knock off for the day. He spends another couple of hours at the suppliers, getting the stuff he needs for the next day's work. He's home before 4 p.m. Smart man.

Asa, you are so right, and it's not just maintenance men. I think anybody whose job involves using something created or installed by someone else has a different point of view. I remember when the hospital's board of directors decided to "create a quiet, restful environment" for our patients. They were inspired by a complaint from a patient about the noise made by people walking in the halls, especially at night. So, they decided to carpet the halls, and the patient rooms as well! They established a "noise abatement committee" and I was asked to serve on it. Believe it or not, when it came to the carpet plan, I was the lone holdout, perhaps because I was the only nurse on the panel. I tried to voice tactful arguments, not too graphic, and was getting nowhere. I mentioned how difficult it would be to push a bed, with a patient in it, down a carpeted hall. They didn't think that would be a problem, as the carpet would be low-pile. I pointed out that the floors could no longer be mopped, which was a daily routine. Not a problem, they would be "steam-cleaned" monthly. Finally, I gave up and gave them a very graphic description of my trip from the bed to the bathroom with a patient who had severe gastric distress. From both ends. Let the steam cleaner handle that! I also described the confused old gentleman who pulled out his catheter and two IVs, and was strolling down the hall dripping blood and whatever. One dear little snowflake nearly fainted, the chair person said they would take my argument "under advisement", and the idea was never mentioned again. I was just a little bit proud of myself, and I noticed that I wasn't asked to serve on any more committees, probably at the snowflake's request.

MDC, I'm glad they're scrapping Coumadin. There are other drugs on the market now that work as well, with lower risk. Actually, I'm wondering why they still have you on Coumadin, now that your A-fib is fixed. People who experience lengthy runs of A-fib are at risk for developing clots, but since you had the ablation, your risk should be lowered dramatically. Of course, I'm not a doctor, just a nurse, and I know your doc has a reason, but I would be professionally curious to know what it is. Personally, I've lost an aunt and an uncle, both on Coumadin, to severe brain bleeds after receiving just a little accidental bump on their head, and I'm afraid of Coumadin. When my doc mentioned it, I told him of my fears, and he said, "Fine. I hear you, your concerns are valid, and we have options. Coumadin is just first on the list in the guidelines for treating A-fib. Continue taking your baby aspirin, and you should be fine." Now I should note here that my A-fib was not continuous, it was episodic, with runs lasting five minutes or less, about three times a day. Not really long enough to form a clot. I've ticked along for nearly ten years now, on baby aspirin alone.

I do have a pacer, but it's not for the A-fib. I also have episodic bradycardia, where my heart just slows down into the 20s or 30s, and if I was standing, I'd fall down. I could feel it coming on, and would sit down in a deep chair, where I wouldn't go to the floor, and wait. After 3 or 4 minutes, it would start to climb back up into the 80s, and I'd feel fine. Once we documented one of those spells (it happened at work, and a nurse slapped a monitor on me), and my doc ordered a demand pacer. If my rate drops below 70, the pacer kicks in and supports me until my heart decides to speed up. I usually don't even know when that happens, but the quarterly reading the doc takes from the pacer shows it. It also records any periods of A-fib, and I'm still just doing it now and then, for short periods, and my aspirin is enough. For those with extended periods or constant A-fib, a stronger anticoagulant is needed.

Well, Mr. Ted is busy out there, guess I'd better go see if I can be of any help. His poor knees, both of them, are just absolutely shot, and he's in constant pain. I can do a little gophering for him. Honestly, I don't know how he even walks on those knees, but he does. However, ask him how he's doing, and his response is always the same. "Doin' fine!" He's a good guy.

Blessings, friends! --Romeena
August 21, 2020 - Msg 115176: No, Asa, I am already loose. lol

Boo
August 21, 2020 - Msg 115177: Well, Ted has been and gone. Using the shutoff valve I mentioned earlier, we shut the water off to the house, leaving the sprinkler lines open. The meter stopped when we cut the water off, so the sprinklers are not the problem. Almost certainly, there is a leak beneath the slab.

The plumber I have used for many years recently retired and sold his business to someone else. I was sad to hear that, because he's very good and charges fairly. The reports on the "someone else" have been terrible. Apparently their work is acceptable, but their rates are astronomical. They fixed a leak under one of Jerry's rent houses, not a slab leak, it's a pier and beam foundation. They went under the house, took them about fifteen minutes to repair the leak, and they presented him with a bill for $1600. He paid it, reluctantly, and told them not to expect him to call them again. Then Jerry happened to see Mark (the original plumber) and told him about it, Mark gave him his cell phone number and told him to call him next time. He is now in litigation with the people who took over his old business, because he has gotten dozens of complaints. So, Eloise gave me Mark's number, I called him, and he will be here this afternoon. Thank God, for small favors!

Ted was able to fix the splice in the umbrella pole, and found there is nothing wrong with the crank, there's a little release button that I didn't know about it, and it was keeping the umbrella from closing. All I had to do was depress that button! Duh! So my little fishies are in the shade again.

Boo, I'm glad you're pursuing an answer on your problem. If it's something stress related, I wouldn't be surprised. If it's something else, I'm glad you're doing something about it. Keep us posted!

Well, got an appointment with the hearing aid doc this afternoon, guess I'd better think about heading out that way. Blessings, everyone! --Romeena
August 21, 2020 - Msg 115178:
Romeena and Asa, when my mother was in the hospital many years ago, the staff administered warfarin intravenously to her. Then when she was discharged, they switched her to coumadin oral. Her doctor told me how important it was to monitor her every second day in his office. But on that first second day, she forgot who I was and thought I was our parish priest. That made me believe she had a stroke, so I called for an ambulance. A surgeon told me that with all that blood thinner in her system, she would bleed to death on the operating table so surgery was out of the question. After having done my best to take care of her at home, I now felt helpless. Sadly, one day later, my world came crashing down when she passed away. So don't mention coumadin around me. It was listed as her cause of death.

Boo, I am looking forward to a positive report regarding your health issue.

from Poor Horatio
August 22, 2020 - Msg 115179:

Poor Horatio, I am so sorry to hear that regarding your mother's passing. It is made for helping to prevent strokes, etc, and not be the cause of them!
I was first put on it because of my a-fib, and that was around 2000.
RO and ASA, I feel that I have some 'splainin' to do about my a-fib.
I was first diagnosed in 1985 with it when one evening I started having palpitations and a very rapid, irregular heartbeat. Once they got it under control, and saw the a-fib, they did put me on aspirin;(no ablations back then) and that worked ok until my heart grew more enlarged and my valves were prolapsing. That's when my cardiologist prescribed the coumadin. As mentioned in my earlier post above, I tried the cheaper generic warfarin, but it was very hard to keep my INR between 2 and 3 even tho i was watching my eating habits, etc. Finally, tho it cost much more, i again asked for the brand name, and now I am always between 2 and 3. ROMEENA, the heart operation in Sept of 2018 was to replace my mitral valve and my tricuspid valve with cow valves, not an ablation. (I was told that I was in a-fib too long now and such a conversion attempt would be futile.) (I had asked the surgeon about it) With such valves, and with the fact that I'm still in a-fib, I remain on the thinner. A friend of mine tried Xeralto, but almost died with bleeding from a small cut, so that's why I've stuck with coumadin. ASA- Bristol Myers Squibb's letter states it is "due to an unexpected manufacturing issue that could not be resolved." So your guess is as good as mine what the heck that means.
I think they should have said "because we don't want to make it anymore!" ha
I just hope this Jantovin will be as consistent as far as in staying in range goes.

On other topics, RO that is too bad about the plumbing company. A similar thing happened with
our long time pest control guy. A few years back he sold his business, and the new guy was so lax, and his prices twice as much that we dropped him after only two visits!
Also, good for you on the carpet issue, I can just imagine what patients would do on a carpet,
plus carpets hold germs, allergens, etc!

ASA and GF, you seem like you were both very conscientious maintenance/hvac guys!

HEY TO SPOT, POSSUM, FRANKIE, MAUDIE AND ALL! Tonite's ep was about the new kid stealing apples, etc.
A good lesson on 'bud-nipping!' :)
Prayers,
MDC


August 22, 2020 - Msg 115180: Not another hurricane! lol

Boo
August 22, 2020 - Msg 115181: Good morning all.

Mercy sakes, I slept in till 6:30 this mprning and it felt so good. I am an early riser and a morning person by nature, but every now and again I will zonk out.

PH, So sorry to read that about your Mother. As I mentioned in an earlier post, my Dad was on the stuff and after falling had some serious issues with internal bleeding. I think I heard somewhere it was similar to the stuff they use in rodent poison like D-con. That is why folks on it have to have their blood checked often. Is that correct Ro and MDC?

Romeena, I had the heart ablation for a-fib. In fact I have had two of them. I was put on Xeralto both times prior to the procedure. Interestingly enough, my yearly visit with the cardiologist this year was by phone (due to covid) and it was with a PA. I told her I had not had any bouts of a-fib or flutter during the year prior. She then mentioned that I should consider going on a blood thinner at this time. I asked why on earth would I do that? She said I was now at two markers, 1. A history of a-fib and 2. I was now 65. Well I was not okay with that idea, so I told her I would pass for now. I completely understand if you are in a-fib taking the stuff, but taking it because you had a-fib at one time and are 65 seems a bit over the top. What do you folks think?

Romeena, I was hoping your leak was not under your slab. Do you know what material the pipe is? I am suspecting copper. I just worry that there might be more leaks in the future. I hope the plumber you get is able to fix you up at a fair price.

Boo, your response made me laugh. You are loose enough. lol I do hope you are feeling better.

MDC, Thanks for the compliment. I'm not sure how conscientious or even competent I was when I first started. I was 29 and had worked in industrial maintenance for almost 8 year and completed an apprentice electrical course. My real expertise was in working on controls on heavy industrial equipment. Although I had some skills in other areas, electrical troubleshooting seemed to be my baby, and I quite enjoyed it. I had several offers from contractors wanting me to go to work for them, in fact one of them I did for a while, but I loved the variety of work I got in maintenance. Then this offer came for the job that I accepted at age 29, and I stayed there 35 years. I was to be the head man. The only problem was I was the only man. lol. My boss was based out of Salt Lake, and once he gained trust in me, he seldom came up to see me even. It was a 40 mile drive north, and he was always busy. So I was forced to be married to the job. I was on call 24/7 for 35 years. The last 10 years they finally hired a helper for me because the workload had gotten so large. I was working all kinds of O.T. But I was a bit proud of the fact that I was hired on in the end of 1984. In 1986 we moved in to a new 12 million dollar facility and they entrusted me to take care of it. So I did, to the best of my ability.

MDC, I was happy to see Opie stand up to that bully. Funny how the bully backed right off when Opie challenged him. That is often the case. Not always though. Like the time that the feller was hitting on Millie at the Bakery, and Howard stepped in and told him he better leave, and the guy gave Howard a gutful of fist.

Well off to rustle up some breakfast.

Asa