Leaking at the Seams

I'm like a leaky bucket. My brains keep leaking out while stress keeps pouring in. I normally keep work out of this, but let me just say that, as a non-profit worker in administration the end of the year brings LOTS of tax work. And our main event for the year is in March, so about the time the taxes calm down, the advertising and people wrangling ramps up. 

In short: I'm so ready for the vacation I have scheduled for April.

Wrangling two customer service organizations, a handyman, and emergency computer support is slowly unraveling my brain. But it's the end of my workweek, and boy am I ready for a break. Last week? Silence and not much work. This week? Yeesh. But I do need to feel needed from day to day. And I am.

A Good Thing I noticed recently is that I can drive into tight-ish parking spots and manage to wriggle out without endangering other cars! This is an awesome development!  On that good news, despite sabotaging myself food wise and only sporadically walking, I managed to lose weight over this week. Maybe paying less attention to what I am eating can cause acceptable results. This is counter to my wiring of tracking everything during the day. Now I know I have a little wiggle room and still can have the desired results. I like that.

This is the pup pre-winter

The dog is still healing, but he wants to play tug sooo bad. That is one thing that he may no longer be able to do. I need to call the vet tomorrow and give her an update on his condition. He even isn't being overly sore when getting up from a dead sleep and he is managing stairs as well as he was pre-injury (read: gimpily because of lack of ligaments in his back legs.). Looks like he may be able to jump onto Dad's lap sometime in the near future. Dog and Dad are in a game of seeing who can block/bypass an attempted leap onto the chair. Dog still hasn't figured out that it isn't allowed because he occasionally wins the game and ends up with a lap. Variable wins equal good conditioning.

But now I think I have other things to do, much as I would rather just sit and slouch. But I'll do the necessary thing.

What We Do for Our Pets

What do we do? Torture them, of course. Or at least they think that is what we are doing. Why?

Dog +Hole = Broken Dog

The elusive pupper blep

What did he do? Let's start out by saying that he loves to dig holes to stay cool during the summer like a little bed. I haven't filled in the main hole in the middle of my parents' yard, which was a problem. The dog charged out the back door to catch a bird invading his domain and faceplanted directly into the hole. From then on he was lame, not wanting to put any pressure on his front leg. After a while of him not getting better, I took him to the vet. 

Link is none too fond of going to the vet, but I think that is because of all the wrong smells since he is a perfect angel for the vets and techs, even when he is scared and in pain. He's a good boy. There he had an x-ray and found the problem: spondylosis deformans, or bone spurs connecting vertebra where no bone should be. It happens in most dogs as they age, and Link is now 10 so he counts (and has two more fusions already). Well, when he dove into his hole he broke one of those connections loose between his shoulders, hence the lameness in his leg. He simply didn't want to put pressure on a painful spot on his spine rather than a leg or shoulder problem. 

With that knowledge we were able to come up with a plan: hit it with anti-inflammatories until it calms down and hope that the other two spots of spur connections behave themselves. It also meant that all things hoppable, like couches, recliners (well, laps), or non-ramp car exits are all out. Which makes Link sad. Especially the no-lap rule since his favorite spot in the world is on Dad's lap on the recliner. He spent a week and a half challenging Dad to a game of you-can't-stop-me where he would leap onto the lap when Dad was least expecting of the incoming dog and didn't have time to stop said pooch.

The rest and recouperation over two weeks didn't completely solve the problem since he is still really tender and has trouble getting up in the morning. Since the pain meds wore out on Wednesday, I called the vet and they prescribed me more meds with an order to call in two weeks to see how he's doing. We are hoping that the joint calms down and he heals up well, but if if not he can stay on meds for as long as he needs to stay comfortable. I do believe that his many-hour hikes are out of the question, especially for the next couple months. (Not that I really want to be out in the cold or really exercising outside at all, but I can tell myself that he is my excuse.) It also means that I am going to restrict his access to stairs during the day since he likes making several trips up and down for no good reason at my parents' house. At night he stays by either Dad or myself, so it isn't really an issue then. I just need to make sure he can peep at me (like a bird) if he needs to go out in the middle of the night.

New regimen: vitamin E and fish oil long-term and pain meds for a while to keep him comfortable. But perhaps not so comfortable as to have him reinjure himself!

I love my pooch. Link is very much a Good Boy. My Good Boy.

The Day We Turned in the Tumor Fryer

I bring you: The tumor fryer. 

What was this gadget? Well, now it's called Optune, but was very much in clinical trials when Jason was frying. A set of four electromagnetic pads stuck to the head that wiggled and jiggled the electromagnetic fields where appropriate to try to keep the tumor from growing. This was the day we returned the device.

Today ten years ago we decided that it was time to stop. To stop not only the hail-Mary tumor fryer, but also all other active treatments. We were admitting defeat. We were acknowledging that treatment needed to shift from living as long as possible to living as comfortably as possible. 

At that point, three days from Christmas, we gave back the fryer and decided to see all the family we possible could over the holidays. And see we did! It was a bittersweet holiday, but we did get to see most of our family while Jason was still 'him' instead of what steroids did later. 

And it's been ten years. Huh. I can't believe it's been that long. I've healed a lot since then. Though there are raw days. Today has been... Difficult. I was mostly useless at work, though I didn't tell my boss why. He is probably assuming it is because I'm still a little sick still from over the weekend. Given that the chest cold knocked me out from last Wednesday up until Tuesday, that's probably partly true. Still fighting that cough. (And I may have gotten Dad sick too. Dangit. Let's see if I managed to share with Mom as well.)

But today I'm going to giggle about explaining that piece of tech to everyone from people with medical degrees on down to tiny kids curious why my man had that not-quite-tin-foil hat on. And explaining why I was schlepping fifty pounds of batteries through TSA.

The "Meh" Phenomenon

It's been a month since last on here. Welcome back!

I've been watching lots of YouTube videos on many different topics. I realized that some days left me down and just sort of, as my late husband would say, "Meh." Others had me happy and (sort of) full of energy. All because of what I was watching. Or what the weather is doing. Like now, when its cloudy, grey, and chilly, I want to wrap up in a blanket and drink tea/nap. Not both at the same time, please. So now I am trying to mix up my watching, especially at night when I have massive trouble not eating my way through till bedtime. We'll see how it works.

Not My Mix. Not My Egg. Not My Pic.

I made a cake. From a mix. And messed it up. Duncan Hines Keto mix. I halved the mix, the eggs, and (part of) the water. But not the butter--I could only pour out some of the extra water when I realized my mistake. It was a mess. A tasty mess, but not worth it foodwise. All told, Meh. The frosting, also Duncan Hines and impossible to screw up since it was canned, was tasty but had a very shortening feel to it. I can use it for something else assuming I don't eat it with a spoon because that's what frosting is for, even when described as Meh.

I keep losing weight, slowly and steadily. Slower than I would like, but that is probably a good thing since that would mean that I'm causing more problems than I solve over the long run. So close to 70 pounds down! Two pounds to be exact. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. Which I do. Though there is one problem: I'm not exercising. Only I can fix that. And I do. Rarely. So it goes. My opinion tonight about actually getting off the couch? Meh.

The dog could use some exercise as well to get muscle tone...and rein in his behavior. That little son of a ***** decided that it would be a good idea to growl at Mom. She took away the item being growled over then made him wait to get it back. Well done, but I don't want to have that happen again. So I've been requiring him to work through small things before he gets anything. Not a lap. Not treat food. He doesn't care about his regular food at all, so I don't make him sit from another room. I am hoping that little bits take down his ego. That and repeatedly taking away and giving back high-value treats. "Come" is starting to work better as well, even in a just few days. Whistles are still doing nothing, unlike a month ago when he knew what they meant (show me where you are, get over here eventually). Meh, he will get it again with repetition. 

So it's Fall. And Poly-Ticks season.

Almost a month since last posting. Lots of work drama going on, but that's not for here. 

I've been in and out of a good mindset since I started my vacation at the beginning of the month. Finally seeing the light from that and looking forward to seeing more light in the morning come the DST change next weekend. Soooo much easier than the spring version of the jet-lag the nation goes through (well...most of us).

I guess that it is officially fall since the low temperatures are only in the 30s now. I even had to wear a jacket! Gasp! All the pumpkin spice stuff being off limits makes my splurge food a lot easier. I do miss those supermarket pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, though. I do have to admit that I have a pumpkin pie (keto) recipe that I have my eyes on. And creme brulee too. But I haven't really cooked since starting this thing, knowing full well that I have a hard time ignoring sweets and baked goods in the best of times. Not baking is the same thing as not buying 'keto' bread since I know I will devour whatever it is. So I am reluctant to try out the new goodies. May try that bread to see if I can control myself with it and see if I trust myself for even more tantalizing treats. But what I'm doing is working, so I don't want to screw it up.

Backstory: in July I had a shot to the foot for plantar fasciitis that I had been nursing unsuccessfully since the beginning of the year. Well, it came back. I tried to tough it out for a month and it rapidly deteriorated. Once I finally convinced myself that it wasn't going away I got back into the doc. Another shot later and I am well on my way again! With orders to come back as soon as it starts up again, if it does. Plantar faciitis: 100% do not recommend. But if I can get back to my walking I will be much healthier than just losing weight as I am. I miss walking and hiking on a regular basis. Just have to get my rear off the couch now! (And keep yelling at Pro-Form since their damn software is bricking my treadmill. Again.)

I've been watching a lot of YouTube lately. Mostly educational titles, with a few random things added in there for good measure. I've been noticing that 90% of the ads for the programs are political. At least 90%. I already voted! There should be a button that says that I'm no longer their prime target and to spend their money elsewhere. But that wouldn't work, I suppose. I'm so tired of hearing people bash each other with half-truths or whole-lies at every possible turn. But it's going to be over shortly. Not soon enough for my liking! Unfortunately, once again, I sometimes had to choose between the lesser of two (we)evils. But I guess that unless I step up to the political plate, which I will NOT do, I can't expect any candidate to fit my wishes completely. (By the by, the other 10% is mostly comprised of religious propaganda due to the atheist topic of one of my shows. Everyone wants something from me.)

Uphill Both Ways

I decided that today was going to be an adventure day in the hopes that by Tuesday I can repeat without feeling dead and able to go farther on the trail.

Since it has been raining I decided to go on the well-maintained trail just ten miles down from the cabin. Dog and I geared up (only a leash on his end of the packing) with my Camelbak and goodies in there. Then we headed out. Finding the trail was pretty easy courtesy of a pre-loaded map on with the help of Google. Nobody there and it didn't look too used, but the trail was clear with a rocky base. I was really glad to be in real hiking boots for this trail, but that is what I usually wear, so I was already set to deal with uneven terrain.

The View from the Top (one top at least)

Up we went. And more up. By the time I reached the top (or one of the tops) of my hike I was fairly tired, but I wanted to go further. about a quarter mile down the trail I noticed Link starting to act stiff and sore, which was just no good. That was about where it was a good time for me to turn around as well, as my knees were starting to be vocal and we still had to get back to the car. So back we went. It was quicker back down the other side of the hill, but I hate downhill walking since it is harder on knees than going up. We didn't make it to the mile-and-a-half mark. Not even close. I want to hit that next time when it shout be cooler, though there is no guarantee about that.

An hour after starting we were both back down and headed back to the cabin. In which I had to backtrack THREE TIMES to get to the turnoff for the cabin. Normally I just can reorient myself to have no troubles finding my way back home. Apparently I was tired enough today that I just couldn't do it.

Now it is thundering and sometimes spitting rain, which was nice to sit on the front porch for a while. I am glad that my hikes are all in the morning since I don't want to deal with getting rained on. And boy has the temperature dropped with the rain! Time to turn on the furnace and warm up the room a bit as I indulge in a little bit of Switch Zelda..

Of Thunder and Woods

 As of today I am on vacation. Away from work (for the most part) and cell coverage--though I do have text and internet. One must be aware of necessary comforts, especially when on call for work to a certain degree.

The cabin is wonderful, and smaller than I expected from looking at the images on the advert. Small makes me happy, though the stairs are going to kill me whether through their angle or the 2" risers on the landings. It's cozy.

I am going to have to keep an eye on the weather while I am out here. Rain and storms are supposed to be out every day in the afternoon, much to the dislike of the pooch. Tonight's storm included a strike that shook the house and cut the power. I, of course, have my handy dandy portable surge protector so my laptop does not get fried. I have had a frizzled hard drive once before when a transformer went poof. Only once.

My plans, should it not be too muddy, is to go out to the "Walk in the Past Trailhead" just ten miles from the cabin. I am hoping that it is nice, since my other two options are going to be off limits due to the monsoon rains. We shall see what it's like tomorrow. But now it is time to make sure the gear is all set and ready to go. And to watch some YouTube. It's too bad it's too wet for a fire in the handy pit out front. But that's okay. It's a change of place...er...pace.

Link, of course, had to christen all the trees