More Heat Advisories

I thought we had finally gotten over the horrendously hot summer. Most of August had been, while hot, bearable. Today we went back under a heat advisory - temps topped out around 101. Tomorrow is supposed to be even hotter. Gertie is a bit cranky with the heat and has taken to laying right next to the air conditioning vent. She's learning.....

An Apology to Dad

I can remember from a young age my dad screaming in pain over a kidney stone. He made numerous trips to the emergency room late at night and even had that treatment where they have you sit in the tank of water and break it up with ultrasound. I always thought my dad a strong man, but couldn't imagine that he was in that much pain. Until this last week.

I have spent the majority of the last week laying in bed screaming "Dear Lord, just kill me now and get it over with!" I couldn't imagine that much pain. Thankfully, so far today things have been quiet on the kidney stone front. Maybe tonight I could actually get some sleep.

They say that once you get kidney stones, that you are more than likely to get them again. Oh joy - Dad, accept my apologies and the hospital better keep a bed on reserve!

You can't get here from there.

I've decided I live in the middle of nowhere - well, worse than nowhere really. It came to light when I ordered a package last week for some bird food. It started out from the place I ordered it via DHL Delivery Service. Of course they don't deliver in this area so by Monday I had word that they passed the package off to UPS. Now UPS does deliver to this area, but they also hand over a lot of the delivery to the regular USPS. And yep, I received word today that it is now in the hands of the United States Postal Service and I should receive it in the next couple of days - maybe. No guarantees. And my mom wonders why when she mails me a letter it takes almost two weeks to get here....

The weather, which had moderated to a much cooler overnight temperature, has once again reverted to hot as hell. I'm spending the day inside with Gertie, keeping cool, and working on genealogy a/k/a the never-ending quest for cousins.....

Earl, the undead skunk....

I went out this morning to run a couple errands. As I pulled out into the road I saw there sprawled across the center line a very flattened, very dead skunk. Part of me was sad to think that Earl came to such an end, but honestly, the majority of me was giving a loud Hurray!

When I got home from my errands I gave Gertie an extra big treat and told her we no longer had to worry about going out at night - that Earl would bother us no more. I did not want to traumatize her with all the gory details. As if - I dread the day she actually grabs onto one of the squirrels or rabbits she chases. I can see her coming into the house with blood dripping off her teeth like Cujo!

So this evening I went to open the door to let Gertie out. The sun had gone down and it was quite dark. I turned on the outside light and was clipping Gertie on her leash when a movement at the end of the ramp caught my eye. A skunk. A really large skunk. A very familiar skunk. Earl. Needless to say I closed the door and Gertie's decided she can wait till morning when the lawn is once again her domain.

So Earl did not die in the road. I wondered about the skunk out there in the road. I decided it was probably a rival that Earl pushed into oncoming traffic as a warning to other skunks. I could see him doing that. He owns this territory. And nobody better cross his path - nobody! Maybe that skunk in the road was a warning for me.....

Feeling better or Thank goodness for pain killers

Either way I'm feeling much better today, which has pleased Gertie to no end. Extended play time today and the ability for me to pick her up so she could rest her head on my shoulder made her day.

The Schwan's man came this evening. Not much to deliver tonight, but I picked up some frozen vegetables and refilled stuff I used over the last two weeks. I still need to go to Walmart, but I think I'll wait a couple days before I head out again.

I decided to take a couple days away from the all day in front of the computer that I've been putting in on the book. A couple days away and then I'll be refreshed and ready to go again. It will give me time to get caught up on things around the house. On second thought .....

Here in Tidy Town we are gearing up for the fall Appleknocker Festival! I highly recommend it to anyone in the area. The apple dumplings are fantastic. I haven't been since my first year here - time goes by so quick! But I think I'll try and make it this year. Maybe....

A bad, bad day

I've been feeling pretty good lately so I haven't taken any pain medication for the last five days. I don't know if it was the change in pressure - a low pressure has brought cooler air to the area, but last night was bad and today was even worse. And of course I had errands to run today. I made it to the vet's office to get Gerti's pills, and the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. I had intended to go to Walmart to do some shopping, but since I could barely stand I decided for the smaller IGA. I picked up some fruit and dog food and headed for the door. I was to the point of being able to only take four or five steps before I had to sit down. I was in agony by the time I got home and of course I couldn't take any medications until after dinner. Finally, things have kicked in this evening and I'm feeling a bit better. Hopefully I'll get a bit of rest tonight and things will be better tomorrow - have a good night!

Bosendorfer

When I went to college at Rutgers University I used to have a key to play the concert grand piano - a Bosendorfer. It was a gift to the college and even more a gift to play. Instead of the usual 88 keys it has 92. The extra keys are in the bass and left open so that there is a sympathetic vibration across the whole piano. It was heaven to play.

I'm on the lookout for a new piano and if the people at Bosendorfer would like to gift me a piano - I wouldn't turn it down! Years ago the new Bosendorfer's were around $150,000.00. Used ones can be bought for around $90,000.00. So if anyone wants to send one my way - feel free.

Seriously, after you play one, you never want to play anything else.

The Big Break

The weather has finally broken! It turned cooler yesterday and the temperature dipped last night into the 60's. It was wonderful! Hopefully it will continue for another day or two!

Today is Miracle Treat at Dairy Queen. If you have a DQ near you, stop by for a blizzard treat and you will be helping a local child who desperately needs it. Here in Flora they are raising funds for a little girl with more medical problems than any adult should have, let alone a child.

Time to play fetch with Gertie. She's got her favorite toy and being very insistent!

Frog of the Day

Frog on Lily Pad, a photo by KenCalvino on Flickr.

It's been a week since my last post! It seems the days just slip away and my to-do list keeps growing. I think it's time to rip up the list and start over!

This frog collectible is called Frog on Lily Pad. It has a made in China sticker on the bottom. It is made of metal and quite heavy. I received this Christmas 2010.

102

The temps today hit 102 with a heat index of 116 degrees. Thank goodness I don't really have to go out in it all that much. The Schwan's man came with a delivery today. One more trip and I'll have both freezers full! I did have to go to the curb with my trash. I didn't put it out last week because I only had a half bag - this week it was full. I was only outside for a couple minutes but I came in and spent the next hour trying to cool down. I normally would have waited until it was dark to take the trash out, but I really don't want another run-in with Earl.

Gertie doesn't seem to mind the heat too much - of course she's outside as short a time as possible. But she still wants to play and has to take in everything she can while making the once around the yard before heading back in.

I've been working diligently on the genealogy book. It seems to take up a lot of my time these days. I'm trying to put the finishing touches on it - polish it up so I can send it out for my copyright and ISBN number. Finally glad that I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.