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Post by nlwilkins on Nov 6, 2019 17:30:26 GMT
We have not had a tree for several years now because of a new kitten. Well, she is older and I think I am going to try a tree this year. It will be an artificial tree and all the ornaments are non-breaking - very pretty though as they are the handmade sequin and bead kind. I'll hold off on the tinsel as I worry about her trying to eat that. The kitten is now almost four and still is pretty active so this is going to be iffy.
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Post by nlwilkins on Nov 6, 2019 17:07:53 GMT
I was astounded when I found out that cutters at Hancocks provided their own scissors. The ones I talked to though preferred it as anything provided by the store would be duller than a butter knife.
The thing with box cutters is there are good ones and there are not so good ones. Plus, the blade would get dull fast and need replacing yet if it was the store's cutter, no one would take responsibility for it. Then there is the issue of the box cutter accidentally going home in someone's pocket and then never making it back. I'm sure that would happen very often.
Of course they could do what my school did about staplers and tape dispensers. We had to check them out at the beginning of the year and then check them back in at the end of the school year. I always tried to get mine as early as possible to be sure and get a decent set.
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Post by nlwilkins on Nov 4, 2019 23:02:50 GMT
Wow, it is hard to take in I'm sure. Hope he is able to find another job real soon.
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Post by nlwilkins on Nov 4, 2019 4:31:23 GMT
In my teens we always had sailors over for home cooked meals. Thanksgiving and Christmas was especially popular. The guys just hung around, talking, working on their cars in the driveway, played games or whatever. This was on Guam in the 60's so no video games and only one station on the tv that did not play during the day. That was a long time ago, but I imagine it is still the same.
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Post by nlwilkins on Nov 3, 2019 16:10:48 GMT
For this situation since these people took care of your mother for an extended length of time, I would want something that kept on giving. How about a subscription of some sort, maybe a coffee of the month type thing? That would work for male and female plus be enough for a crowd to enjoy.
(I realize it is the final days that you are most grateful for, but they were there for the long haul also.)
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Post by nlwilkins on Nov 3, 2019 16:06:07 GMT
I had a hysterectomy around the age of 30 - around 40 was started on Premarin. I am still on Premarin although I have tried several times to quit. I was concerned about the stories of cancer. Turns out that the research connecting cancer to HRT was faulty and invalid. After a long talk with my GYN, I decided not to worry about it and continued the Premarin at the smallest dose. It helps with the hot flashes - flashes that come and stay and don't every go for hours.
I am almost 70 now and don't regret a thing. Before the hysterectomy I was in a lot of pain and lived on vicodene in order to stay sane. I cannot imagine trying any other route if you could just be quit of the whole issue.
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Post by nlwilkins on Nov 1, 2019 19:13:08 GMT
Give yourself a break and don't fret about not being motivated or being tired. Your body is telling you to rest - listen to it. Every surgery is different and our bodies react differently to every surgery. So, don't compare this surgery to past ones and just go with the flow. Fretting doesn't help and may even inhibit the healing. All easy to say, but hard to do, right?
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 31, 2019 5:32:31 GMT
wow, I only knew anything about two of the questions. there are some weird monsters out there!
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 29, 2019 3:44:58 GMT
Say something nice about her hair or make up that has nothing to do with the sport or the team or her captain type abilities. Also she can make it a compliment with a zinger in it: "I like the color of her hair, she must spend a lot of time on it" "her nails are always so pretty I wonder how she manages that and still participates in our team?" "she always has a great tan even in the winter"
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 28, 2019 23:34:27 GMT
I had one and thought I never would get to sleep. It did not help that they put me to bed before 9 and at the time my bedtime averaged around 2 in the morning. But I did manage to sleep.
You might want to consider wearing comfy shorts and a t-shirt to sleep in at the clinic. You will be hooked up to all kinds of leads and heaven forbid if you need to get up to go to the rest room. For my study I had a button to push and kept it by me. It was a comfort to know that I had help just a button push away.
Be sure to take your medications that you take at night with you and if you have a favorite pillow take it as well.
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 24, 2019 23:22:48 GMT
So sorry for your loss and what you are going through. Please take care of yourself and get the help you need for your blood pressure spikes.
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 24, 2019 23:09:22 GMT
I might catch her eye and ask a question, something like, "Are you two making one transaction together?" or " Were you here before I came up? and just rejoined the line?" OR best of all, "What would you do if someone came up and cut in front of you like you just did?"
Then again, I might not get up the nerve to do so. Or I might make a loud comment to the person behind me in line to get my displeasure across.
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 24, 2019 15:31:35 GMT
I am surprised to hear that your teaching skills were not judged and only your willingness to sacrifice seemed to matter. Are you not assessed twice a year by a administrator who comes in and watches you teach for an hour like we were? Also, administrators were in the classrooms visiting and evaluating. We even had programs where we visited each other's classrooms to see if we could learn from each other. There were other ways our teaching skills were evaluated as well. Sacrifice had no bearing on how good a teacher we were considered to be. Some of the teachers considered to be the greatest were the ones who were out the door as soon as allowed and did not come in until required. That was part of why they were considered so good, that they did not have to spend hours and hours of their own time completing their job.
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 19, 2019 5:33:18 GMT
I am so sorry you are dealing with all of this. Such a heavy load and the worst part, you cannot see anything changing in the future. I hear the sadness in your post and it makes me just want to reach through and give you a huge hug. There is nothing anyone can say that will change that.
You might sit down and figure out the things that really upset you the most and then brainstorm with a friend or a family member how you can make that "thing" more bearable. For example, the trip to the cancer treatment can become a little more bearable if you let someone go with you, or perhaps allow yourself a reward for doing it each time, something special. Take brownies to treat the nurses, or to treat yourself while waiting for the infusion to be done. BTW - do they give you lidacain gel to rub on your port an hour before your infusion? If not, shame on them. Ask for it!
If your doctor is not dealing with your pain you need to add another doctor to your team. My husband is in lots of pain and finally, a Pallative care doctor came on board and that turned out to be wonderful. There was no problem getting the pain meds he needs. In fact, we just picked up a refill with 100 Narco pills. All I had to do was tell the doctor's nurse that I was worried about running out over the weekend and she talked to the doctor and the refill was sent in to our pharmacy. I keep hearing about patients having problems getting pain meds due to the opioid crisis and wonder how come when we have had not one problem.
If your doctor will not deal with your pain, then ask for a Pallative care doctor. They not only deal with the pain, but also deal with a whole lot of other issues for you. Ours even made sure we had the medical type papers filled out for medical power of attorney, DNR for home and hospital (there are two different forms) and so on. They are wonderful and very supportive of any and all problems we have. They are not just for end of life patients but others as well.
Please take care of yourself and allow yourself to rest when you need to. Don't let what you can't do rule your life, but be sure to save your energy for those things that are most important to you. Sure, there are things that people think you should be doing as a parent and all, but don't listen to them. Prioritize what gives you pleasure and what is important to you and blow off the rest!
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 19, 2019 5:07:08 GMT
It should be like Elmer's glue thick. that - it should be thin enough to pour.
About using Elmer's glue. They are really two different things. Mod Podge has some UV protections and also some shellac type stuff in it and works for the long term better than any white glue.
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 18, 2019 3:27:07 GMT
Just got all my cards done this week, great timing. (I have made 150 cards and hope that will suffice.)
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 17, 2019 14:55:23 GMT
Cool, black kitties are so pretty.
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 16, 2019 1:40:46 GMT
I just have to throw this in:
When I lived overseas and was the daughter of a missionary I saw first hand how much effort and time it took to minister to the "flock". A man with a family has to give up much family time in order to take care of his congregation in the way it was expected. Time spent with family and taking care of family was precious and meant missing out on something to do with the church. In the islands below us, known at the time as the Trust Territory of the Pacific, there was a group of missionaries called the Liebenzell missionaries who came from Germany and were connected to the Lutheran faith. Some of the women were called sisters and were not allowed to marry or have a family and it was a life long commitment. As Germans, they also had to give up their German citizenship to live in the Trust Territory as only US citizens could even visit there. The life they lived was devoted to service of the community they ministered to. What they had to offer was much more than the families that were doing the same thing as they had no other commitments. Life in the Trust Territory was very primitive and labor intensive. Electricity and running water was not available in big portions of the islands.
This was taught to me the reason priests did not marry or have families. Their lives were devoted to service to the church and the congregation of the church. They did not have to divide their attention between family and congregation.
Whatever the Catholic church decides to do, I hope they can come to a compromise and have two kinds of priests - the ones who marry and have families and then the ones who don't. It seems there is a need for both.
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 15, 2019 20:51:20 GMT
We have thought of moving, but now that husband has a terminal case of cancer we are kind of stuck. I probably will move closer to Houston and family and friends there when I'm on my own. Our current house would make a great rental and help support me there.
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 15, 2019 4:50:21 GMT
If someone rides my bumper, I slow down and the closer they get the slower I go. You will not make be go over the speed limit by riding my bumper.
If a stranger I am interacting with does not smile or act friendly, I do my best to be obnoxiously friendly to the point it extends the time you have to deal with me. If you are a cashier and act impatient, I will take longer pulling out my credit card and punching in my numbers. The same if you are crowding me from behind at the register.
I take my time getting out of the car when being dropped off - at almost 70 years of age it is too easy to fall or stumble when trying to hurry. Too many other people really hold up the line of cars trying to park for nonsense to make me feel guilty for trying to safely exit the car myself.
I do not find it pleasant to be around very loud children even though they are laughing and squealing in fun. Noise is noise and I give the culprit the evil and will move away if I can. (this one might upset some of you, sorry, but that is the way I am)
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 14, 2019 23:04:09 GMT
I refuse to have a pelvic exam unless there have been problems that indicate it. I only go to gyn so I can get my premarin refilled. When filling out their forms I answer N/A for many of their questions. When asked about surgery I write will discuss if needed. There are way too many to write down.
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 14, 2019 22:01:30 GMT
I love the easy exit feature on our car What's this? Does it involve a spring-action ejector experience? When the car is turned off, the seat slides all the way back to make it easier to get out. When you get into the car the seat moves forward into position once the car starts.
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 14, 2019 20:58:24 GMT
Noneya is a good answer. Make them ask and if they do ask, ask why they need to know. Chances are they cannot tell you. (They being the officious office person who wants every single line filled out.)
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 14, 2019 20:56:08 GMT
My husband and I use the same seat settings which is strange as he is several inches taller than me. I love the easy exit feature on our car and was upset that it was not working after the last oil change. Husband read the manual and got out the CD that came with the car and could not fix it. I got out there in fifteen minutes and had it working again. He is so tech challenged!
Anyway, if both of us are in the car he is driving unless under doctor's orders not to. But it still identifies me as Driver 1. If it is your car, you SHOULD be Driver 1 and I validate you on this.
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 13, 2019 3:39:37 GMT
Have you reached out at all to him this past year? This can work both ways. He might be telling his friends that he has not heard from you for a year. But, I feel for you. It would be very hard for me to not have heard from one of my daughters for a year.
I would of course, send a card. You might even enclose a gift card in it. Then a week or two later I would contact him and ask if the two of you could meet at a neutral place and talk. You need to find out what is bugging him and be prepared to listen. Let him tell it all without interrupting but up front make sure that he knows to stay so you can tell your side. You could even explain up front that he is different person now, twenty years later. Your willingness to help is different now than when he was not behaving responsibly.
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 13, 2019 3:29:54 GMT
Sure count me in For today: created Christmas cards using no electrical tech made a casserole cutting the veggies in it by hand and no technological equipment checked my paper calendar to plan the coming week wrote supplies needed on grocery list on refrigerator door took out trash with using my hands and feet and no tech played with the cat with no tech (no laser light, etc)
AND the list can go on. We all do things everyday without technology. It just helps to recognize it sometimes. Of course if you ask what I did with tech today, the list would probably be long too, though not as long.
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 12, 2019 0:36:41 GMT
I moved half the world away when I graduated from high school. Mom was on Guam and I came to the States for college and never went back. That was fifty years ago when traveling that far meant a major investment.
Currently, in-laws all live within 30 minutes of us yet we rarely see anyone except one sister. My family is all over, closest is four hours away, one brother is back on Guam and the other is up north. All have families and lives where they are at. Daughters are close enough to visit often, one is one and a half our away, the other is three hours away.
I would love to have the daughters closer so we could keep up with each other and be a part of each other's lives. But they have their jobs and own lives to lead. I am used to my siblings being so far away although it would be nice to see them more often.
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 11, 2019 0:37:10 GMT
What a terrible loss for you and how wonderful to have had such a friendship. Cherish the memories and continue to tell the story as it will help some. Of course nothing takes away the grief and pain, but we try. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and her family.
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 10, 2019 14:46:04 GMT
I am so sorry you have experienced this. It really hurts when you reach out for help and get crickets in return. For me the answer is not to go to church which is a not a good solution. In the past I have looked at the people around me and the ones that impress me with how they live and apply their beliefs to their daily lives are the ones who I want to know where they go to church. Because, obviously their church is doing something right.
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 8, 2019 20:08:26 GMT
To start down the road of Medicare for all, we need to address the high cost of health care and how much it costs just to stay healthy. Just to see my PCP for a follow up costs almost $500. For a pre-op visit with a Nurse Practitioner cost $188. Each visit was less than twenty minutes. I realize that there are costs involved that are not readily available, but geez, that is a lot of money per hour pouring into the clinic. For just my PCP it adds up to over $11,000 a day. then you start to look at the cost of medicine, it is nauseating. Before you consider health insurance, look at the actual cost of medical care itself.
It used to be that you could pay off your hospital bills yourself if you worked at it. I know cause quite of few of us used to do it back in our early years. Now, it would be impossible. Sure we worried about the big ones such as cancer, so we got "cancer insurance" and felt better.
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