For Older People with Sense

chrissyb

Hi girls!  Phew!  One week down and another just beginning....lol.....two GS's returned home and GS number three has been picked up and is spending his first night of a weeks stay as I speak.......lol.  I am definitely going to need a holiday or something after this week finishes and he is returned home as well.  The other two are a little quieter but this one has asperghes and is a right chatterbox!  Even his mom says she just wishes for some quiet at times.........I know what she means....lol......he kept the chat going all the way home and my poors ears are really looking for a long quiet night.  Don't know if I'll get it but I sure hope so.

Isabella....Oh my!  all that rain!  I sure hope it stop or al least slows downs for you soon and you begin to feel a little better.  Take it easy girl and don't push too hard.

Leah I'm really saddened by your news.  Hoping you make the right decision for you on when to go.  Prayers for a peaceful passing for her.

3jays you take it easy girl and rest up as much as you need.  I am saddrned to think that you are having to cope with all this extra crap with no end in sight.  Post when you can and know that you are always being tought of.

Nancy, how's the breathing?  has it settled.......at least a little? Sure hoping things are getting better for you as well.

Aly are you sick again or still hanging from your last cold?  hope you are staying warm!

Oh, the sixth month checkup went just fine and I'm still hanging with the stable boy.....Yahoo!!  Doesn't want to see me for another six months so I'm happy with that.  He also gave me some vaginal estradoil to use twice a week only to try and solve my dryness issue and the SE's of that...........got a little sick of having a sore twot when I sat so I finally gave in and mentioned it.   Needless to say my GP was not happy about it but relented and said no more than twice a week also so I'll give it a go.  I shall give you an update when I've used it a few weeks.  

Love n hugs.  Chrissy 

Alyson

Has been a busy week here it seems and it has been realy cold. Think flu, which it was, has gone but I was good and stayed in and kept warm. I can't have any vaccinations these days so no flu jab.

Leah, sending really big hugs. I was in Prague when my mother died, it was sad not to be there but I had seen her just before we left. Mum and I had always had an agreement that I was not to wait around for her and if I was away I was not to come home. I had spoken to her 24hours before she became sick but it still was very hard.

Been a funny old day. DGD has chicken pox poor honey, spots started yesterday has many today. DD brought children round as she had to get some ointment for DGD from the chemist. Then this evening DGS fell over in the bath (helped by his sister) and put his teeth through his lip, blood everywhere. DD had enough at that point and Granny was called. By the time I got there all was well except for the lip. This week I have made a skirt for DD1 who is off to Wellington tomorrow as she is singing in Der Valkyrie. It is a concert performance so outfit needed, she purchased a lovely jaket and I made the skirt. 

Must get to bed.

Big hugs to all.

Kaara

Alyson:  So sorry about your mom...I'm glad you were able to see her and have some quality time before she passed.  It sounds like she had a great attitude about life!

macatacmv

Hey Everyone, I'm hanging in there with the breathing. As long as I take all my meds and do the nebulizer 3xday I can function. So I'm getting out  a little more and trying to stay as active as I can. Still very low energy and taking naps everyday. I feel like my life is controlled by drugs, but it is what it is. 

Anyway, I brought my hummingbird feeder up to hang off my deck last night and already a little hummer is out there sipping away. It used to hang down on a hanger from the ground so I could see it from the shop. But since I spend most of my time upstairs now, it made sense to finally move it. So I can watch the squirrels, wood peckers, finches, sparrows and now hummers all at once. Life's little pleasures.

I hope everyone is enjoying their time with loved ones wherever you might be. I can't believe my DS is turning 27 next week. Time certainly seems to slip thorugh our fingers. Seems like just last year he got the chicken pox on the last day of school. I think he was in 1st grade. Of course, his sister got it the next week. So I remember those days well, what a good granny, Alyson to help out in the pinch.

Chrissy, glad you got a good report and have some time to enjoy before the next appt. Hope DGS is not wearing you out. 

Kaara, back from your trip? Was it cooler or hotter in Michigan (?). What funny weather we are having. It is extreme all the way!

I've got to get ready for my Water Aerobics class, so have a great day, all. 

Kaara

Chrissy:  Good for you on the positive report.

maca:  I saw hummingbirds for the first time on my deck this morning.  I think it has been too hot for them but it is cooler today and overcast.  NC was so hot...record temps 106/108...the worst!  I'm going out to do some gardening while the weather is cooperating. 

gardengumby

I've been running the numbers, trying to figure out both a way to retire, and a good place to live after I bid the daily grind goodbye.  Washington (where we live now) is an option - but I get so cold and depressed in the winter, that I'm not sure I want to stay here any longer.  I think both California and Oregon are out of the running due to income taxes.  Anybody have any good suggestions?

Wren44

Gardengumby, No suggestions, but let me know what others suggest. I'm fed up with the endless construction and traffic jams in Seattle. It's becoming a city geared to 30 somethings who ride bikes and have high paying jobs. Grandchildren and a big garden are the glue that keeps us here. Maybe the snowbirds have the right idea. Seattle in the summer, places south in the winter.

ptdreamers

You are right about California and Oregon. We spent quite abit of time exploring before we settled on WA. i agree about the winters and we try to travel as much as we can when it gets really gray. We live near the Hood canal and I have to say I love it. Yes we are small, rural and it takes a car ride to do significant shopping but the views, blue skies, friendly people all make up for it. No rush hour traffic even though we are less than half a mile off 101.

Kaara

gardengumby:  Florida has no state income tax, and the home prices are very reasonable right now.  North Florida has cooler winters, but any way you cut it, the summers are hot!  I'm in Hendersonville NC for the summers and I understand that the winters are very mild here.  You also have the mountains which are beautiful!  There is a state income tax but you get breaks for retirees, and the property taxes are low.  We pay only $1,500 a year for a 2,600 sq. ft. home.  I think TN also is a good state to look at for retirement with no state tax.

gardengumby

ptdreamers - the option of traveling in the winter is one my hubby has been pushing.  There are so many things we enjoy doing around here - horse track, museums, wine tasting, fishing, beach exploring, clam digging, hiking - the list goes on and on and on.  We could end up here maybe up around Whidbey - but I have to admit that I personally would prefer living somewhere that's great 90% of the year and crappy 10 instead of the other way around....

Kaara - thanks for the suggestion.  I'd probably move to Florida in a hot minute, but the other issue that we have to be VERY cautious about is allergies, and we've found that my husband's allergies do NOT do well in Florida.  In fact, he has asthma pretty much the second we step into the state until we leave.  The weather is lovely, but hot and wet spell mold, and that's his very worst allergen.

Neither of us have yet visited NC, so maybe we'll make a trip there to check it out.  Family is a concern as all are left coasters, but they have this new-fangled invention called an airplane that makes that somewhat moot (thank God).

Dilly

Gumby, a lot of folks I know in the northern Sierras move over to the east slope, into Nevada, where there's no income tax but still not far from the CA attractions like the mtns & beaches.  The NV climate might be an option for your DHs allergies & asthma.  I don't know NV well at all, but some parts are not so desert-ish.It would sure be a different climate and terrain.

No way I'm going to be able to catch up here ... have been busy getting ready for our Fire Safe booth at the local fest; plus taking care of yard & garden while DH rebuilds the big shed..  Started freezing vegs this week and am giving away cukes & (of course) zucchini.

Today was a huge thrill for me. My big dog (125#+) decided he really doesn't like to travel and he already hated going to our normal vet. It was time for rabies & other shots, and I was in a real dilemma until I found a mobile vet - in the yellow pages.  She came out today & gave the shots & he didn't even notice.  The dog liked her, and the clincher was she was so reasonable this actually saved me money over going to town to our regular vet!  Oops, she now is our regular vet.

Kaara

Lost Creek...what a great idea...a mobile vet.  We used to have a terrible time getting our cat to the vet...he hated the car!  He tore up three of my good pillowcases when I was trying to swaddle him so he wouldn't claw.  This was before they invented cages you could put them in.

purple32

maca

So glad to hear you are hanging in there ...you have been through so much with the breathing, but seems like you are in good spirits.

Enjoy those hummingbirds!

Gardengumby

My friend just bought a mobile home in FL.  $50000.00 and she is loving it . Not tiny/ a double wide .

She is having the time of her life and says prices are reasonable.

Good luck on whatever you decide .

Gingerbrew

Hi everyone,

My dog Stewie was neutered yesterday. He was groggy and sleepy all evening. We are told he isn't to run free for some time. This will be difficult to manage as he will run wildly from one end of the house to the other if he needs to go out and run.



Isabella, About my back, I was in the hospital for about 10 days all together. Three of the days were after the surgery. I was released the day I got up and walked around the floor pushing my IV pole. I had micro surgery (a small incision)on L4 and L5, a discectomy and laminectomy. As a side effect my sciatic nerve did respond by firing spontaneously for some time, about 6 months. Neurontin cured that! That was very difficult, but the constant back pain was gone. Knowing what I do now, I would have gone for the surgery a year or more sooner! My delay only made it worse. The meds after surgery will be good, I do not remember pain after except the Sciatic nerve firing now and then. I hope your surgery comes soon and you can let go of being the strong one.

I think that "being strong" might be a way to feel we are keeping control of our own lives. I know for sure that letting back pain go can cause "foot drop" and that can be permanent and impair our mobility. So being prompt in getting treatment can affect our quality of life and we are in control of a lot of that. I hope your treatment is just right for you. I had a neurosurgeon do the surgery. I just don't see how this sort of surgery has been delayed for you Isabella. I hope there are no more delays.

Hugs Ginger

gardengumby

LostCreek - thanks for the suggestion - we've considered NV before...  I guess we're going to just have to wander around the country-side like a dandelion seed until we find a place were we can plant ourselves...

In regards to getting animals to the vet for shots...  though we have no pets at this moment in our lives, we've always had animals up to about 5 months ago and for years and years have administered the shots ourselves.  It's much less expensive, and less traumatic for the animals, as they know and trust you.  It's not difficult once you get the hang of it.

barbe1958

I have foot drop now!!!!! Yikes!

chrissyb

Hi girls!  Just taking a moment of peace and quiet before hitting the pillows.  It's been a busy day of constant chatter and jokes.......you know, the kind a 13 yr old boy likes to tell.......lol.   Love him to bits but so looking foreward to my peace and quiet again......lol.

 Gardengumby good luck on your search for a place to settle in your retirement!

I have a cat at the moment that has a full blown panic attack if she even sees the carry cage!  She has a heart problem but I'm loath to try to take her to the vet as I'm sure she would give herself a heart attack long before we'd get there.  The vet just has to go on what I tell her and give me meds when I ring to organise them.  It's just unfortunate that the nerest vet is a half hour drive away.

Barbe.....drop foot!  Oh no!  Can anything be done about it?  I am supposing that you are using a cane for stability but still, you be very careful moving around........we don't want you falling over!

Hope you girls are not melting in the heat!  

Love n hugs.  Chrissy 

barbe1958

We used to have 4 cats and 2 litter boxes going. One cat was sick. The vet asked us to bring her a sample of the sick cat's stool. I just stood there, then said "Why don't we bring you the litter box contents and you figure it out?" Vet was not impressed. But seriously, how do I get ONE cat's poo? Watching this cat was not an option as it obviously had performance anxiety...

Chrissy, I can't use my cane anymore as it's just too much for my arm. I put a lot of weight on my cane, which means my wrist is really taking a load. I've been falling a lot lately; so much that I'm getting a brain CT on Monday! My DH says I always fall to the left. I wonder if it's because he's supposed to be on that side for me!! Tripping over my feet with my dropped foot doesn't help either! Shoes that were perfect for walking before, now seem to make me more clumsy. 

chrissyb

Barbe I'm really sorry to hear that things seem to have deteriorated for you.  Would a walking frame make it easier for you to get around a little safer?  Gee I'm hoping your brain CT give you a good picture of whats going on and hoping there are no nasties lurking.  Please let us know.  

I don't know about anyone else but I have missed not seeing you here and reading your acerbic wit.

Love n hugs.  Chrissy 

SoCalLisa

We have the perfect climate..not too cold in winter and not too hot in summer...It does get some gray clouds in May and June..we have about ten inches of water a year...right on the ocean...our climate is much better than Orange County or LA..so we pay taxes, that is life..when my husband retired from the Navy 30 years ago now he asked where do we go now..I said, I don't know about you but I am staying put right here in San Diego..he found another 20+ year career here before he retired for good...I have lived many, many places and this beats it by far..

In Washington a couple of my friends moved to Sequim WA...it has a microclimate that gets very little rain...

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SoCalLisa

We also have sandy beaches..

Kaara

Love San Diego...particularly like La Jolla...but of course it's out of my price range:(  My favorite restaurant is George's at the Cove.  The oysters with champagne sauce are to die for!

SoCalLisa

La Jolla is pricey, but there are other nice areas too Kaara...

Wren44

My Mom visited San Diego when my brother was in the navy. She pronounced it the perfect climate. I'm sort of afraid to go there for fear I will agree. I was born in Long Beach, CA but left before I was old enough to remember it. A cloudy May and June would sure beat a cloudy Oct to July.

gardengumby

I love love love San Diego and environs.  Sequim, WA is nice from the lack of rain point of view (it's because of the rain shadow from the Olympic Mts), but it's about 10 degrees cooler there during the summer than it is in Seattle - so from the warmth point of view (which is really important to my aches and pains) it's not as good.  Still it is an option that we've considered, as it also has good fishing and boating.  Right now we're strongly considering moving to Hawaii.  It satisfies two of our lusts - mine for heat, his for fishing (and both of ours for salt water).  So we'll see if we can make it work.  If we can - great, if we can't then we'll keep hunting.  I'm a little afraid of getting "rock fever" which has been my big hang-up over making that move, and why I keep hunting for other (cheaper) options....

SoCalLisa

Always best to start with a rental to see if you would like to relocate

gardengumby

True - especially so since a move there is SOOOO pricey.  But my in-laws spend 1/2 (a little more) of their time in Hawaii, so we can probably use their condo in the summer for a few months to see how it "fits".  We're spending a month this winter and hopefully will be able to extrapolate some from that - but knowing you're leaving as opposed to knowing you're staying can certainly give different dynamics in how you feel about a place.

barbe1958

What is rock fever garden? Is it like my gypsy feet that keep wanting to move on? I have already repainted 2 rooms of this house that I painted 1 1/2 years ago when we moved in! Redecorating makes me feel like I've moved sometimes...

I do have a very nice walker that I can balance my weight better on and even has a shopping basket! I put glittery smiley face stickers all over it to take the seriousness of it away when I first got it years ago. I've had a handicapped license plate for 4 years now and just dare (!) anyone to question my right to use it!!! I don't use it all the time, but appreciate it when I need it. 

gardengumby

Rock fever (or island fever) is the feeling that you are trapped on an island (rock) in the middle of the Pacific with no way off. 

barbe1958

Ahhh, opposite of gypsy feet really. But WHAT an island to be trapped on!!! I wouldn't be able to handle the humidity, the wind/breeze or the hilliness. At least I know what to look out for.