Gardening and Observing Life in SW Washington

Not long ago, I talked a bit about board games. Here's a recent article I ran across that tells more about this relatively new and social entertainment trend.
Break Out of the Basement

And then there's the story of a young male wolf from NE Oregon who has traveled over 1000 miles looking for love.

Hi Sandi, GGrrl, Ylee, and lurkers! Thanks for dropping by.

It's been a very disruptive week with all the appointments mixed in with some auto repairs. I've been poked, prodded, Xrayed, marched here and there, with interminable waits in between. Despite all that, my blood pressure is down to 102/68; evidently I'm not as stressed as I feel and/or the switch to tea has been really beneficial.

And there was a bit of unexpectedly good news today. If we pay the hospital bill in full within 30 days of billing, we get a whopping 20% discount off the balance after insurance has picked up their portion. Since we only have what's commonly referred to as catastrophic coverage, that discount is going to be quite a welcome chunk of change.

In the automotive health department, it's been just as disruptive. The Hyundai went to visit our resident Toledo mechanic on Tuesday for scheduled maintenance and naturally, the Ford Ranger got jealous of the attention. Suddenly, when the brake pedal was pressed, it stuck in the down position. Worse yet, when stepping on the clutch, the brake pedal also went down and even at a dead stop, changing gears was a struggle.

I have to commend DH, who was driving. Not once did he stall it. The air did turn blue a few times with muttered, mumbled invective. At various times, the wheels spun and the pickup jerked and lurched, but DH got us safely to the appointment and back. I was quite impressed. There's no doubt in my mind, I would have stalled it multiple times and maybe not gotten to the appointment at all. Remarkable.

So we picked up the Hyundai late yesterday afternoon, and left the Ranger. We told the mechanic we understood that we didn't have an appointment and it might have to wait a day or three, but no way were we going to drive it another mile. It won't be needed again until it's time to bring me home from the hospital.

It's DH's birthday tomorrow. Not surprisingly after the week we've had, he wants to stay home and have a quiet time. I'm thawing out a nice prime rib roast I purchased back in December and saved for just such an occasion. To go with that, I'll fix a nice green salad and fry up his favorite thin-sliced potatoes and parsnips. I also have locally-grown scrumptious strawberries in the freezer, which he likes served with angel food cake. By the time I'm through, it'll be better than anything he could get in a restaurant.

Saturday is game night. And then Sunday, sweet Sunday, I'm looking forward to being lazy and brainless all day. Then I'll have Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to take care of any loose ends. Too much fun!

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Just for fun:

Ylee: Yep, very strange Ranger. I was also thinking maybe it's because it sits outside and doesn't get driven much (vintage 2000 with only 62K miles). No word from the mechanic yet. And I'm making the birthday dinner as nice as I can. Just got back from the grocery store and got something not on the list: shrimp cocktail for 2. Didn't see the Ranger, so it must be inside the mechanic's shop.

Ran across this on ThereIFixedIt and couldn't resist, as that's about the way the Ranger handled.


Sp: Always let the bright-sider show -- it brightens the day for you and those around you, as well. I used to knit all my sweaters, and my fingers can fly. Being of Whoopi Goldberg's age and disposition, I'm not as patient/persistent as I used to be. I have been giving some thought to crocheting new throw rugs for the bathrooms and/or a new afghan. I can spend an evening crocheting and get quite a feeling of accomplishment.

Sandi: An accelerator is the very worst thing to stick in a car. That's just plain scary. I have heard of drivers panicking in that situation and then people die. I'm so glad you were a quick-thinker and only required a double brandy afterward.

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Update on the strange Ranger: No parts were needed, but the mechanic spent 3 hours standing on his head, working under the dash taking things apart, wire brushing and oiling them, and then putting everything back together. He's never seen such a problem in his 40+ years working on cars.

OregonBOP: Nice to see you! I don't generally comment on Dr. Rood's blog because of all the nut-cases there, but this time I couldn't resist. ;)
Looks like we've got more than one thing in common. Presumably, you're pain-free and a-okay now. I will be, too.

Off pain meds for this final week to clear all the anti-inflammatories out of my system, so I'm pretty much in a grouchy holding pattern for the final countdown. :( This, too, will pass.

Thanks for the kind wishes, Ylee, WTS, Karen.

Beautiful cactus flower, WTS, the color is vibrant.

DH got tapped to do the vacuuming yesterday. When game time arrived, I said Hi to the gamesters and then retreated to the recliner where I caught up on reading my magazines.

I only need to run a load or two of laundry in the next couple of days. DH is going to make a stable platform to raise the recliner to the minimum 18 inch height.

I remembered that the hummers are due to arrive around the 15th, so have put up a feeder for them. And yes, they really are punctual, arriving between the 12th and 19th every year, regardless of the weather.

When it comes time to talk to the anesthesiologist, I'm going to ask for something in addition to the epidural. I don't want to be awake if someone says Oops!

Poppy: I keep watching my hummingbird feeder, but they haven't arrived yet. The American Goldfinches are making us refill the thistle sock every couple of days and they are starting to turn yellow.

WTS: Thanks! I was hoping there would be a cactus flower show. That really is spectacular.

Spathy! Welcome back! I've missed you around here. The dr. gave me a booklet that explains the whole process and it has a section on the rehab exercises I'll be doing. I've got them memorized already. I know from my mother's knee replacement that those exercises are really important.

Sandi: Yes, I was up late, but partly because we just shifted to daylight savings time and it was later than I thought. ;) I went to bed shortly after that, but I might as well have stayed up. I had trouble getting to sleep and then every time I drifted off, strong wind gusts making noise in the trees woke me up again.

Peak wind gust so far in the current storm is 39 mph. So far, the lights have stayed on, but we have had a couple of flickers.

Ylee: DH is a technophobe, but I will show him how and ask him to give you an update. No guarantees. All I can do is try. You know how Luddites are. 8^D

Well, I violated Ggrrl's most important rule that she talked about in her blog months ago. Bad me -- shoulda listened, but no...! I wiki'd "epidural" and thought ooooh, creepy. She knows all about how the clock moves slower and slower as the time approaches.

Good thing BFH's crystal ball is working, 'cause he came to the rescue saying he was already asleep when he got his. Whew! That's a relief. Sleep is good.

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Recliner is now on a 4-inch-high platform thanks to DH. It's so much easier, both sitting down and getting up -- hardly even hurts. Should've done that a year ago.

Sandi: It's fun running into you in the middle of the night, because you are proof that tomorrow is on its way -- metaphorically as well as chronologically.

Pros: You're just so full of good vibes they spill over into the frames you make. Funny-cute, and appropriate, too. My crocuses are just starting to hint at coming blossoms, so yours are especially appreciated.

Shore: The Beach Boys are always fun and they bear the test of time well. Good Vibrations much appreciated, too.

BFH: Thanks for the offer of adaptive aids. It's good to learn about a geographic neighbor in WUville.

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It may be awhile before I can do this, but it's what I'm thinking because of all my WUfriends in WUville. Thanks guys!

Karen: Strangely, the hospital doesn't figure out their schedule until the afternoon before. I was told to expect a call between 3:00 and 5:00 tomorrow.

Rob: Nice of you to stop in. I recognize you from several other blogs around WUville. Your poor mother. 3 hip replacements -- assuming she doesn't have 3 legs, I gather that there has been at least 1 do-over -- hopefully with many good years in between.

I plan on sitting DH down at the computer tomorrow and show him how to make a blog comment here under my screen name. Then all I'll have to do is nag him until he posts an update. Believe it or not, I am pretty good at nagging. >;-}

Rob: Your mom has had a tough time of it. Thank goodness polio is a thing of the past. Bad enough just having to deal with arthritis, let alone the after-effects of polio.

Thankfully arthritis care has improved a lot in 60 years. My great grandmother spent the last 8 years of her life bed-ridden because of arthritis and my grandmother had to use crutches for more than 10 years. My mother has had her right knee replaced twice and now I'm getting my hip done. I'll take joint replacement over crutches or bed any day.

Puget: I could have kept my mouth shut and fingers off the keyboard, but I'm glad I didn't WUfriends really are a wonderful support group. I am truly amazed at the number of people here who have had a hip replaced or know someone who has. That really says something about the positive results to be expected.

Jus: As Readers Digest has known for years, laughter makes the best medicine. And I know that puppies and kittens are two very dependable sources of laughter. I'll be sure to look for your... (well, not your!) er... the puppy.

Update from DH:
Surgery tomorrow will be at about noon time - need to arrive at the hospital at 10 AM. Tune in tomorrow for what it is like to live with someone who on a good day is at a 5 pain level and now has been off meds for a week! Also have lots to say about other comments about myself over the years - like alleged procrastination, swearing .... Can't put that stuff in now because I'm being "supervised"

From the "real" me:

Okay, DH has now made his first blog comment and, hopefully, he will keep my WUfriends and lurkers informed. That said, I want to put in a disclaimer here and now:

While DH will be posting under my screen name on my blog, I claim absolutely no responsibility for anything he tells you. Pretty soon, you'll see what I have to put up with every day. ;-D