Bad morning

Today Cliff and I were getting ready to go to his reunion, so I got up and made some Old Settler's beans to take in the crock pot.  At six o'clock I got my Gabe, my dog, up, fed him, and went out with him like always.  I also open up the garage then; the cats like it in there, and that's where there food is, up high where the grandson's dogs can't get it.  

Blue the cat is always there waiting for his breakfast when I go out, but he wasn't around this morning.  I noticed Gabe tracking, nose to the ground, around the front of the garage, then around a corner, on past the water hydrant still sniffing, and around the end of our trailer house where my flowers are blooming.  Strange.  While I was out I called for Blue several times, but he didn't come.  Shortly after that, the grandson next door let his two dogs out.  When they came back near our place those dogs were tracking the very same places Gabe had, and they even went in the flowerbed.  The flowers are dying from drought anyway, but the dogs were sure interested in the flower bed.  I finally told them to go home, looked closely myself, and found a clue.  There was blood on a leaf.

So I knew Blue was in trouble someplace, if not dead.  I was afraid he was under the back porch:  When cats are sick or injured, they try to hide and don't want to be messed with.  I came back inside and told Cliff Blue was hurt somewhere.  I began to get ready to go down to the reunion at Lake of the Ozarks, but I sure hated to.  I went outside once more, and this time I found my cat in the flowers, hiding.  At first I thought he was dead, but I picked him up and he sort of tried to get up; one of his back legs was very obviously broken.  I put him in the inside back porch, shut the back door, and watched him lay down on a rug.

I called the two closest veterinarians to us, but they were swarmed and told me to call a place in Lee Summit that takes emergencies at all hours.  I called, but nobody was there and I got a message for me to go to Overland Park, Kansas.  I sure hated it that we ruined going to Cliff's reunion, plus him having to mess with me and my cat.  In the back of my mind I already knew that a broken leg would cost more than I was willing to give, and I had in mind the most I would spend on my cat, thanks to a couple of T-bills that I will be getting back soon.  We have nothing but Social Security to live on, and it's plenty until something like this happens.

Sure enough, when the doctor came to tell me what needed to be done, the cost was over my limit.  She was very sweet, and at one point I asked her how much they would charge to put him down.  Honestly, I forget how much it was, because she really didn't want me to do that.  She said they have a list of doctors (three doctors) in different places that will do things for less.  She gave me two different meds to keep Blue from hurting, and one to fight infection.  She said amputation would be cheaper and safer than surgery.  That's fine with me; once he gets used to it, the cat won't care.  When she inspected the wound, she said there were bite-marks on the bone.  Probably coyotes.  Or maybe a dog or a fox.  

I am keeping him in the back porch for now.  It's a small space, and the doctor said that's what he needed.  We stopped on the way home and got cat litter, although I'm not sure Blue can crawl into it in his shape.  He drank a little water when I offered it.  The closest of the doctors on the list is Raytown, so I'll call him on Monday to see what can be done and when.  And "if", because I don't know how much of a break on the price I'll be getting.  

At least my cat isn't hurting too much now.  I just wish it hadn't happened.  Of course, if you have an inside/outside cat, you always know these things are a possibility.  Cliff said we had better start locking the cats inside the garage for the night so this won't happen again.

Believe me, I will.

    

Walking

 I've mentioned many times how Cliff and I used to take walks in the woods and pasture.  When Cliff had to quit because of his hip and breathing problems, I kept on by myself.  The main reason I got a knee replacement was so I could go on my daily walk without pain.  After two or three years, though, I had to make it a shorter walk.  Then another, even shorter.  Finally I had to stop.

I need to have outside time to be happy.  Of course in summer, there's the garden, although I have to put up with aches and pains from gardening.  

Last week I was wanting so much to go down to the Green Cathedral in our woods that I just decided to try it.  I walked slowly, and it isn't so terribly far away; even walking slow it's probably ten minutes.  It's the nearest place where I can feel like I'm in the woods, and I was so happy to get there, I almost cried.  Of course Gabe was with me.

This is where we first got there, leaving the wide-open pasture and going into the shade.  It was so very cool after our sunny-day walk.

This is looking down from the pasture.  There's at least a hundred-fifty-feet drop on either side of the path.  At least a third of our property consists of canyons.   When I was younger I climbed over the whole place often and thought nothing of it.  That's where the really big trees are.  If I climbed down there now, I'd have to call someone to come and pick me up!  

  This is looking back at where we entered from the pasture.  Gabe and I sat down at the bottom of the path for quite a while.

Since then I've walked back there four more times without making my knees hurt any more than usual.  I also decided to try the exercise bike again; if I leave it on the next-to-the-easiest level, I can pedal fast enough to use 110 calories in half an hour, so I've been doing that some days too.  My worst pain comes from my left knee, which is my replacement knee.  Lately I've tried to be aware of what it is that makes that knee hurt, so I don't do anything to cause the pain.  I think I may be onto something, but we'll see.

Even if I find out I can't keep on walking for exercise... and that day will come, I'm sure, unless I die first... at least I can be thankful every time I do it.  And that makes it more special.

Project 2,996

In past years I have participated in Project 2,996 by choosing (or being given) the name of someone who died in the disaster that happened on September 11, 2001.  The idea was to make folks aware that these were individuals who died, not just a nameless, faceless crowd.  My job was to use Google to find out something about some of the people who died on September 11, 2001, as a result of the tragedy at the World Trade Center.  I found some information about all of them, often from their obituaries.  Every once in awhile, especially around September 11, someone will comment that they knew that person, and will thank me for keeping that name alive. 
I'm linking to the entries I did about each of those people in different years.  The project seems to be no longer active, but I'm glad I was part of it.

Thelma Cuccinello

Christopher Sullivan

Veronique Bowers

Derek James Statkevicus 

Linda C. Lee

All those entries get hits throughout the year, but on September 11, they get more.  People who were friends of these people leave a comment, thanking me for doing this.  Project 2,996 seems to be operating mainly on Pinterest this year, and I have no desire to add another time-wasting site to my online life.  So what you see here is my only way of participating. 

I updated this page I originally did in 2012, rather than try and do it completely over.  Project 2996 has idled to a halt, I believe, as well it should.  It's no use trying to keep anger alive after so much time has passed.  This is a reminder to live each moment to the fullest: one morning these people got up, went to work or to the airport expecting an ordinary day, and never came home. 

A thing about my husband

Cliff has been looking for three of those yellow buckets that cat litter comes in for quite awhile.  I figured it would be easy to find them, but my daughter asked people at her workplace, and said everybody is using the "fancy kinds" of cat litter now.  I put a request on the Wellington community page on Facebook, and could have gotten one bucket, that's all.  However, my husband happened to remember someone he's known for years who gave him some of those buckets in the past:  One of my daughter's old boy friends.

He lives across the river now, but told Cliff he'd bring him some buckets.  We rarely see him, so when he showed up, he stayed and visited for about two hours.  I began to wonder if he was going to leave before dark, but around 6:30 he was gone.  Gabe and I met Cliff halfway as he was coming to the house, and he said, "I'm going to be needing a Superman shirt."

"Huh?" I said.

Turns out this guy told Cliff that when he was in high school, he had always wished he had him as a dad, because his dad wasn't very nice... that's all I'll say about that.

But here's the thing:  Everybody the age of my two children (in their mid-50s now) wants Cliff for a dad!  And yes, my children are glad they had him for a dad, by the way.  I think even my son-in-law wants him for a dad, although basically he already has him, ever since he married our daughter.  Some of our nephews are in this Clifford-fan-group also.

So, where does that leave me?  

Well, I am the mom who tried never to say anything bad about my husband in front of my children (or anyone else, really).  I don't think I ever slammed him, although I got peeved at him at times; but I made sure they knew he was the sole breadwinner and we should appreciate him for that.  If we bought things for him to take to work in his lunch box, the kids knew the rules, knew that he deserved it, and never even asked for those things.

I'm the reason both children left home at the age of 17 or 18, mostly because of some of my rules.  But at least they have a Superman dad!  

 And I'm pretty proud of that.  By the way, the kids do still claim me.

Fun with goats

I try to spend at least half an hour sitting in the goat pen each day.  It's just so nice to pet them and watch them chewing their cud or eating hay; I take a cup full of sweet feed, and mother and daughter almost get in a fight, each one trying to get the most of it.  Gabe was jealous and acted like he wanted to chase them for a while, but the goats aren't afraid of him; in fact the youngster, Louise, loves to play with him.  I'm glad that's working out.  Louise insists on sitting on my lap every time I'm out there, although she's growing so fast she needs my help to get up on me.

Blue the cat was going to the goat pen every day with us, but it appears he went in on his own at some point and got stung by the electric fence.  I always turn it off when Gabe and I go in.  I hate it that Blue won't join us now.  He really doesn't understand what happened, so when he got shocked, he seems to have decided it's dangerous anywhere in the pen.  I even carried him out and put him down on the ground by me thinking he'd be alright if he wasn't getting shocked, but he ran out as fast as he could.

Here's a little video to show you how much fun a dog and a young goat can have together.

I need a sleep test

Now that I've had my Fitbit watch for a while, I'm pretty sure the reason I can't sleep is that I have sleep apnea.  A good night for me is six hours, but I don't usually sleep even that long.  I always wake up at least four times each night, sometimes more; this morning when I checked the Fitbit, I had only slept four hours and ten minutes.  And yes, I snore, which is another indication I may have sleep apnea.  Other than the last symptom on the list below, I have all these problems; well, except of course I don't know if I stop breathing in my sleep, so there's that.  More often than not, when we're watching TV Cliff has to wake me up at least once if I want to know what's happening on West Wing, my very favorite show.  Also during the Chiefs games, my other favorite show. 

• Snoring too much
• Periods when you stop breathing during sleep (sleep apnea)
• Daytime sleepiness
• You can't sleep (insomnia)
• You are very sleepy during the day and fall asleep without warning (narcolepsy)
• Conditions that cause leg discomfort. These are called limb movement disorders. They include periodic limb movements during sleep (restless legs syndrome).

I suppose I'll have to see my regular doctor first.  If I could just sleep without all the interruptions it would help.   

Oh, and according to what I've read today on the Internet, there's a sleep study I could do at home now.

I've had other folks tell me how good they slept after they got their Cpap machine; I'd like to know what it feels like to wake up and actually want to do things without having to force myself.

Wish me luck.

Yesterday was a happy day!

Thanks for reading my daughter's story.  And Rachel, thank you for doing it, because I have not had anything to talk about lately... until NOW.  Also, I love you.  

So let me tell you about what a wonderful thing happened a week ago.  In 2009 I bought a washer without an agitator and hated the thing from day one.  It was a top-loader, which may have been why it didn't work very well, but our clothes came out as if they hadn't even been washed.  I bought other products that got them a bit cleaner, but a person shouldn't have to do that.  I know many people who love high-efficiency washers, but mine just wasn't much good.  However, I made the best of it.  Every once in awhile it would put some code up to let me know something was wrong, but I would do one thing and another and get it going again.

Finally, it gave me a code I couldn't figure out how to fix, and the code supposedly wanted me to call a certain phone number.  I have had to put up with that lemon for fifteen years, so I had Cliff take me to Home Depot to get a new washing machine with an agitator.  Of course, I had to wait a week for them to deliver it, but we had enough clothes to wear until it showed up.

Apparently this machine, a Maytag, is also a high efficiency model, according to the information that came with it.  I had assumed that HE meant no agitator.  So it still doesn't waste more water than is needed on the clothes, just like the one I got rid of.  But I was amazed when some kitchen towels that had stains from long ago came out of the washer without stains.  Yes, it was a good day.

It doesn't take much to make my day.  Like my young goat, Louise.

A story from my daughter: Feeding the Cats

We had an unbelievable cold snap last winter that happened during a week that Kevin and I were both home with Covid.  That caused us to spend a lot of time staring out the windows and doors around here out of boredom.  We noticed a small tortoise shell cat on our back porch in a makeshift dog house that's been out there for years.  I told Kevin to please grab some cheap cat food the next time he's at the store. I can't stand to see a cat hungry and cold. We decided we should name her if we were going to feed her, so Kevin named her Daphne.  Since then, she appears twice a day for feedings, usually with one of her adolescent children that are wilder than her.

Kevin's knees are really bad, as are the rest of his joints.  Walking hurts and is difficult and stairs are worse.  Each evening, Daphne is sitting on the side porch near the door, yeowling to make sure he is very aware that she is hungry.  He has to walk up the steps of the side porch and into the house, get cat food, then down the same steps and to the back of the house, where we feed them.  Then he returns and climbs the steps again.  

A coworker and I were brainstorming and she said, "You meal prep for your lunches every week, meal prep for Daphne!"  I liked the idea, so I packed several baggies with servings of cat food to keep in his car.  This got annoying REALLY fast, having to refill those baggies.  I decided to pursue other experiments to find a more suitable solution.

We were in WalMart together and I said, "Let's find a container that locks closed," and settled on a rubbermaid type tote with a locking handle.  We were pretty sure that nothing would be able to get into it.  The next morning, Kevin went out to feed them and the lid was in the window well and half the food was gone."  Have I mentioned how much I despise racoons?

Saturday, Kevin finished the last few pork rinds from the bottom of a rather large container.  I said, "Hey, that's a screw top!  Racoons can't open THAT!" and washed it out., filled it with cat food, and put it out there.  I was pretty smug, this time.  I've camped a lot and I was sure they wouldn't be able to open that jar.  The next morning, I went out to feed the cats.  The cat food was gone.  GONE.  The jar and all.

It was still dark out, so I returned for a flashlight in case it was down in the window well or something, but it was nowhere.  I probably stood out there with my mouth hanging open for 2 minutes before I gave up and came back inside.  A few hours later, I looked out the window and saw a splash of yellow in the brush pile behind the neighbor's shed. I asked Kevin if the lid to the pork rind container was yellow and he confirmed my suspicion.  Those suckers hauled that 5 pound (or more) container over 40' across our yard.  All I could picture was a group of them, all lined up and rolling it along like in a log-rolling contest. 

This weekend, I'll be out there trying the next thing.  All for a stupid feral cat that isn't even mine.

Nothing much

Once again, I am reading a book I hate to put down:  The River, by Peter Heller.  When I started reading it, I learned it was about two college guys who shared their love for the great outdoors, going on a canoe trip in northern Canada.  I'm not even halfway through it, but already they are facing fire, white water, and violence.  

I love the plot, although there is a lot of talk about canoes that I read, but really don't understand; I'm not going to be going canoeing any time soon, and it would take a whole other book to understand everything about canoes!  I've read many paragraphs like the one below, because I don't want to miss anything that might be associated with the main plot:  

"Jack set a hard pace and they paddled in perfect sync.  On the lakes above they'd had all the time in the world and so had paddled expedition-style, with the sternman finishing his stroke with a slight twist of the shaft and the paddle's power face arcing outward, the J-stroke.  It kept the canoe straight.  It was invented long ago because physics dictated that a stroke in the stern had much more steering power than a stroke in the bow..."

You get the picture.  But I am loving the book. 

Anyway.  That's what I'm doing, and I have several books on hold again, so there's no fear of not having a book to read.

I actually came here to tell my readers that since I don't have a lot to say lately, my daughter agreed to send me a story she told us last weekend so I can share it with you on my blog.  She works, so it may be a day or three before it comes.  

Lovely, lovely weather outside (although it's still dry).

Peace. 

This is a boring entry. Don't waste your time.

So how can I do a blog entry if all I've done is read all week?

We're having cooler weather but no significant rain.  I'm letting the weeds grow in the garden now.  What's the use of wasting my time?  Bah humbug  

For the first time in a long time, I decided to read Harlan Coben's latest Myron Bolitar book, Think Twice.  About halfway through the book I remembered why I have a problem with his books:  He has so many people in his stories, I can't remember who is who.  I did finish it though.  Thank goodness when I'm reading on the iPad and see a name I've forgotten, I can hold my finger on the name and it will show me where the person was in the previous part of the story, so I usually can connect the name with the person.   

This afternoon found me reading The Last Thing He Told Me, which is holding my interest so well, I hate to put it down.

I went to both churches this morning and after heating up leftovers for dinner and reading for a couple hours, I made some oatmeal cookies so I wouldn't be ashamed of myself for doing nothing.  Cliff is still trying to lose a little more weight, but he thinks he can get by eating just one cookie a day as long as I put them in the cabinet so he isn't looking at them all the time.  Next-door grandson will eat one every time he comes over.

Cliff is having dizzy spells again.  Disappointing, considering he hadn't had that problem for several weeks.  At our ages we never know what kind of curse is going to happen to us next. 

Grandmother's Oatmeal Cookies

This is the best Oatmeal Cookie I have ever tasted and is my family's favorite. This is a recipe that I have had for years that a friend of mine gave me.

Submitted by Sheryl Bohn

Prep Time:

 

20 mins

Cook Time:

 

12-13 mins

Additional Time:

 

1 hr 28 mins

Total Time:

 

2 hrs

Servings:

 

48

Yield:

 

4 dozen

Ingredients

• 3 eggs

• 1 cup raisins

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup butter flavored shortening

• 1 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 cup white sugar

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 2 cups quick cooking oats

• ½ cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Beat eggs, and stir in raisins and vanilla. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

3. Cream together shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the sugar mixture. Mix in raisins and eggs, then stir in oats and walnuts. Roll dough into walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Cool on wire racks.

I do believe I'll take my dog and go to bed.  Good night, fearless readers.