journal

A View From the Field

October 15

I was ridiculously late last night - or rather this morning - and I didn't get enough sleep. I got up around 10;00 and I knitted three rows before the nurse called and I had to stop and take my shower.

The nurse came around 2:00 and did my Wound Vac and the other thing, so I didn't have a lot of time to do anything.

I forgot to mention that when I did my weekly backup last night, MS decided to do a complete backup - three disks full - and that was part of what set me on the road to a very late night. That backup is so slow! I have another backup program, but I've never gotten around to learning how to use it. I guess I'd better. i wish I could ditch MS altogether, because they sell junk. Sigh.

Anyway, the weather was not good. When I got up, I saw what I thought was fog down the harbor. Hah! it was snow! There was snow on the garage roof, but it melted, and then a while later it was covered again, then when I was getting dressed, it was pouring rain! Yuck! Altogether, we got 0.11" of precip, but snow. Oh, no. The high temperature was only 40º and this morning when it was raining or something, there were wind gusts up to 36 mph from the north. Needless to say, it was cloudy and dark and dreary all day, even though the rain stopped after about 2:00 PM. I was glad to be indoors.

The guys slept. They both got some lap time, although Louie chased Grayson away. While the nurse was changing my dressing, Grayson was sitting on the bed with me, and he was very interested. I had to keep a hand on him to keep him from trying to get too close to the open wound. Sometimes I wonder that he's managed to get to the ripe old age of 8. He is the quintessential curious cat.

So it was another quiet day. Tomorrow I have to go to the dentist, so I will have to be up at a reasonable hour to get my dressing changed before I leave. I'm tired anyway, so it will be good to get to bed.

Now it's a cold, dark night in the field and autumn is changing into winter much faster than I could wish.

October 14

I wasn't too late last night, but I only had time to do one row on the shawl because the nurse came early. Then I went into zombie mode and didn't do anything at all for the rest of the day. even move. and I had cheese and crackers for dinner.

The weather was nondescript. It was cloudy, and there was a bit of rain around 8:00 this morning. The high temperature was 42º and there wasn't any wind. Blah.

The guys slept. Grayson slept on me for a while, and Louie wanted to get on my lap, too, but Grayson was already there.

So that was it. It's a cold, cloudy night in the field again.

October 13

i made it into bed by 11:00 last night and I got up around 10:00 this morning, much refreshed, although I had a severe night sweat during the night and also a wakeful period, so I didn't really get 11 hours' sleep. I'm tired again now, though. I have no stamina at all.

I knitted three rows, and maybe tomorrow I can knit three more? I took a shower, and it's nice to have clean hair again. A different nurse came, but she was competent and my right side wound is dressed again. I have a load of clothes in the washer that needs to be dried. I am out of compression hose, so I had to wash. I didn't get the dishwasher loaded. I was too tired. In fact, I was so tired that I didn't eat dinner until after 10:00, because I just didn't want to move.

The weather was sort of nondescript. There was a little sunshine this morning, but most of the day was bright-cloudy. It got down to 33º overnight, but the high was 46º. There was a tiny bit of rain after midnight, but none for the rest of the day. The wind has died down, too, to almost nothing. I didn't stick my nose outside.

The guys both got some lap time. Grayson slept on me after I ate breakfast, and Louie came later, but eventually I had to make him leave because he's so heavy. They feel good, though, and I think they're beginning to believe I might not be going away and leaving them.

So that was my day. Now it's a cold, cloudy night in the field and I need to go to bed.

October 12

Much too late again, and I had to get up around 10:00 because the nurse was coming. I did have time to knit two rows - the two easiest ones. Now I'm halfway done with this pattern. Well, not really, because the number of stitches increases by 16 for each repeat, but at least I've done half the rows.

The nurse came and changed my dressings - this was Wound Vac day. I didn't do anything else. Without enough sleep, I didn't feel like doing anything. I can report that I was having a bit less trouble getting out of seats today, which is a good thing. But I'm really tired now, and I will try to be early to bed. Try.

The weather was a bit better than yesterday, but it's still cold. The temperature was nearly steady around 38º for most of the day, but it's now gone down to 33º. I think that's partly because the wind has died down. Earlier, it was gusting up to 33 mph, but now it's down to 7 mph with 18 mph gusts, from the north, of course. There was a tiny bit of rain between 3:00 and 4:00 PM, but there was also some nice sunshine late this morning. It was nice to see the mountain in all its autumn glory, although the camera missed it. Now it's foggy and rainy and yucky again. So far, this has not been one of our best falls.

The guys slept. Grayson slept on me for a while, but I didn't see Louie today. I think he spent the day on his winter bed, which is a scratching pad in the great room. I think the corrugated cardboard on end funnels the heat from the floor. Grayson is back on the flannel nighties outside the door to the studio, which is his winter sleeping spot.

So it was a very quiet day, and now it's a cold, dark, rainy night in the field.

October 11

I was reading the end of Voyages, Part 3 and I wanted to finish it, but it took a long time. I slept well, and I got up around 10:00, I think. I knitted, and this time I was able to do my two rows with no tangles. Tomorrow I will finish the last two rows of this repeat, which are easy ones, and I will be halfway through this pattern.

I had disconnected the power cord for the Wound Vac and I was about to start down to the kitchen to get my breakfast when Debbie called. So I sat down on the toilet and talked to her. It wasn't a long conversation because she was on her lunch hour. I had put her off long enough that we had to talk, and I wanted to know what she had decided about a choice she was facing. I'm still not sure she made the right one, but I can understand why she did.

Then, as I was about to begin making my breakfast, Mary Ann called and I had to talk to her while standing up. I had just sat down to rest when the nurse arrived, so we took care of that. She thinks everything looks good. I didn't finish my breakfast until after 3:00, which meant I just finished my dinner at 9:30. I like to keep a bit more normal hours than that!

I didn't do much else, but I did do the system update on the desktop. I tried to do it on the laptop, but I was halfway through the download when it shut down and now I can't power it up. Every time I do, a little yellow light on the front blinks five times, but nothing else happens. So I left it, and tomorrow I will go searching the Internet to try to find out what happened and how to fix it. If it's not one damn thing, it's another. I want to be able to use that laptop.

The weather was marginally better than yesterday. It did rain a bit, 0.16" worth, but not after noon. Then the temperature went down, and it's been steady around 39º all day. It's been windy, and now the wind has shifted north and the gusts are up to 41 mph. That's gale force gusts. It was cloudy, but a lot lighter than it has been for the past few days, and there were even a few little rays of sunshine a couple of times. Mary Ann and I agreed we needed that.

The guys were sleepy. Today was Louie's day. He spent a long time on my lap, although I wouldn't let him rest his head on my arm. Grayson didn't get any lap time today - not my fault - and he was being naughty. He reminds me of Buster, in that he needs to be the center of attention and he will do all sorts of naughty things if he feels he's being ignored. I finally had to screech at him, but I'm not sure it did much good.

So that was another quiet day, and now it's a cold, windy night in the field, but at least it's not raining - or snowing!

October 10

I was reading, so not only was I not early to bed, I was later than ever. Maybe tonight? I'm really tired.

I knitted, but my yarn got all tangled up again (that yarn is horrible!) so I didn't have much time to do anything but eat before I had to leave for my appointment. It was pouring rain here when I left, but after about Delaware, it just drizzled. I made it in time.

The word from the doctor is good. The thing on my right side has just about closed up and only needs some ointment and a band aid now. I will still have to have somebody come to do it, because I can't reach it. My chest looks pretty good, too, although there is still some infection. He poked his fingers up into my chest to try to dislodge some of the fluid, and that seems to have helped. The wound is already beginning to close, although it will probably be at least two weeks before I can get rid of the Wound Vac. So all that was good news. And I don't have to go back next week, which is also nice.

I got home around 5:30. The guys were very relieved to see me, especially when I didn't rustle around and leave again.

The weather was really miserable. We had 2.35" of rain on top of the 0.7" we had yesterday, The temperature was steady around 40º. The wind is still from the east and it was strong, with gusts up to 35 mph. Of course it was dull and gray. Yuck. I was very sorry I had to go out. Oh, and there may be some snow tomorrow afternoon in the higher elevations. Oh, winter!!

I have to say, even though it was so dark, the drive was beautiful. We are at the peak of the color now, and it is very pretty. Since it's the middle of the week, I didn't run into any people standing in the middle of the road, but I did have two or three people who were going very slowly and who pulled over to let me pass, which I thought was very nice of them, especially on the way down.

The guys mostly slept. They were not happy when I got dressed and went off, and they were relieved when I came back and didn't leave again. Grayson slept on my lap after I got home, but he also kicked my flashlight on the floor, which I didn't appreciate. He is such a snot. Louie is just happy I'm here.

So that was my day, and I am tired. It's a cold, dark, rainy and windy night in the field.

October 9

Oh, midnight again. I'm going to try - again - to make it earlier tonight, but right now I'm listening to Beethoven's 6th, which is one of my very favorites, so I won't be early. Unfortunately, I can't stay up until midnight tonight to hear Schubert's 8th. I just can't. I'm so tired!

I got up at 10:00. I had to get up because I was peeing my pants again, but I didn't go back to bed. I knitted two rows - the two easiest - and I took a shower. That went better than the last time, so I guess slowly - ever so slowly - I'm beginning to regain my strength. The nurse came and changed my dressings, which had gotten wet. The Wound Vac thing is sealed, so I don't need to worry about it when I get it wet.

I got my "welcome" call from the company that makes the Wound Vac, and I had to call them back because I didn't have the information about my secondary insurance at hand and the hospital didn't send it on. That seems the norm. I know I've had that problem before. I don't know why they can't send complete information, but they never do. I guess that is set up right now, but we'll see when the bills start to come in (shudder - I shouldn't have to pay anything, with my insurance, but there will be hassles). UPS came with a big box of Wound Vac supplies, so I should be good for several weeks.

The weather was perfectly miserable. The temperature was steady at 43º and the wind was out of the east with gusts up to 30 mph. The lake has been singing. We have had 0.61" of rain so far. The NWS has a flood watch out, but unless we get dumped on overnight, that ain't goin' to happen. Maybe tomorrow, because it's supposed to rain all day, but not today.

The guys were sleepy. Louie wanted to sit on me when Grayson already was, so in the end nobody got to. They are still so glad to have me home and they're not so sure I won't go away again and not come back. I wish I could reason with them.

I just got the bulletin out, I think. It took me a while to figure out how to get pastor's file open, and with all the telephone stuff, I didn't have time earlier.

Now it's a cold, dark, rainy night in the field and as soon as this is over, I am going to bed.

October 8

So I stayed up too late last night, like I frequently do, and I paid. I had to change out the canister around 7:30, and I was just getting back to sleep when the nurse called to inform me she would be here around 9:30. Ack! So I got up and tried to wake up, but I didn't have time to eat before she got here.

I was afraid that changing the Wound Vac dressing was a rigmarole, and I was right. I think it took her at least 45 minutes to do it. I know it's sealed, but the vac isn't drawing out much fluid yet. It has to go through several layers of packing. I was afraid it wasn't working at all, but there is a little stuff in the canister now. I guess I'll learn how it works before I can stop wearing it.

I had a visit from a social worker today, but she didn't have any sources to suggest for help around here. There are only two companies that help older people and neither of them come this far north. It was a disappointment, but I wasn't surprised. As far as most of the Copper Country is concerned, I might as well live on the shores of Hudson's Bay.

I was so tired I didn't do anything else besides my surfing. I had to wash a plate and a bowl to eat my dinner, but I am too tired to do the dishwasher tonight - again.

I am just tired, though. I don't feel sick and I'm not running a temperature, so it's all just the stamina I lost last week. Disappointing, but then, the whole thing is.

The weather was miserable and I ignored it. The temperature was marginally warmer and steady, about 45º. There was some wind from the south in the middle of the day, but it didn't last long. It was dull and gray and there was a lot of fog down the harbor and we had 0.38" of rain in small doses. Not nice.

The guys slept, mostly. Grayson slept around or on me as much as he could, and Louie sat on me until I had to move him because my legs were getting twitchy. They are so happy mommy is home! Maybe almost as happy as mommy is.

So that was it. Now it's a dark, cold and rainy night in the field, and I need to crash.

October 7

So I sat and did whatever it was I was doing (don't remember) until a really stupid hour before I went to bed. I was only up once and I got up around 10:30, I think, maybe a bit earlier.

I knitted! I was so sorry I decided not to take the shawl with me to the hospital. It's not that hard a pattern and I had all kinds of quiet time where I could have concentrated. Oh well. I only did two rows, because the nurse called and said she would be here between 12:00 and 12;30, and I wanted to eat before she came.

I'm moving slow. Most of the stamina I'd built up before last week is gone and I'm starting over. I needed to feed the cats, but I did manage to make and eat my breakfast before the nurse arrived.

She is another nice person. She repacked my wound (the one under my right arm) and we had a good discussion about the Wound Vac. She showed me how to replace the canister that holds the stuff, and it's a good thing. We checked, and the one I have in place is close to full. In fact, I am going to take another one with me up to the north end tonight, just in case. It's an easy thing to change, but it has to be done quickly so that the unit isn't off for too long. So far I'm all right, but I don't trust it. Tomorrow, the dressing will be changed.

Otherwise, I did nothing. Sundays are like that when I don't go to church.

The weather was nondescript but not very good. The temperature was nearly steady around 42º and there wasn't much wind at all. It was cloudy and dark and gray. The humidity was over 75% all day, which would have left me creaky anyway. Oh, and it looks suspiciously to me like WU has abandoned Internet Explorer, too, which means I will be using Firefox even more than I thought. Humph.

The guys were sleepy, of course, but they both got a lot of lap time after the nurse left. I don't think my lap is the most comfortable place for them to sleep, because eventually they get up and go away.

So that was all. I was so reluctant to move that I just finished eating at 10:30. Well - it was partly that and partly because I had to wash a pan and a dish in order to eat. Obviously, I didn't get the dishes washed again. Tomorrow, maybe? I hope so.

Now it's a dark, cold night in the field and I need sleep.

October 6

I didn't notice exactly when I got to bed last night, but it was after 10:30 and before midnight - or I think so. It wasn't easy. The only plug I could reach to plug in my vac is on the front wall of the bedroom, which means I have to walk all the way around the bed to put it in and take it out. Oh, and the directions say you should unplug it from that plug. Now, that one I'm ignoring, mostly because it's stupid, but also because the plug is very hard to get in and out of a receptacle and I'm weak.

Getting up to pee was a pain - I had to unplug the pump, wrap up the hoses and the straps and try to get to the bathroom - I kept my cane with me last night - and then when I was done, I reversed. That was harder, because of the weird way I get into bed, Then, once the pump was connected to power and in a relatively safe spot, I could figure out where I was going to be, making sure the hose was properly arrayed. What a pain!

I woke up around 8:30 and decided that was too early to do anything but take my pill, but the nurse woke me at 9:30, so I got up and took a bath, which felt so good! My hair looked like it was wet before I got in the shower, it was so oily, and I hate that. The only mishap I had was that I tried to restart the pump before I unclamped the hose, but it told me that very gently. And the nurse later told me she's done that many times herself. There is a joint in the hose so one can take baths and things, but it needs to be clamped on either side before it's opened.

I didn't have time to eat before the nurse got here, but that was all right, although I was hungry by the time I ate. Getting "admitted" to home care wasn't a problem this time, since nothing had changed from the last time. She repacked my right side before she left and she agreed with me that it needs to be done every day, to make sure it heals properly and doesn't get infected again, so I guess I'll see a nurse tomorrow, too.

Other than that and talking to several people, I didn't do much. I've been having a problem with one of my comics sites all week, so I finally threw in the towel and installed Firefox. I'm not very impressed, because it lacks some of the functionality I use in IE, but it runs faster and the website that had broken works very well. Why any large website would not support IE, I don't know.

Ron came with my Schwan's order and he was kind enough to help me get it packed away, so now I have lots to eat again. I had screwed up the order and gotten two boxes of ice cream bars, so I gave him one. I have enough. I do have some great friends.

The weather wasn't great. The high temperature was 48º, around noon, and there was a northeast wind in the 10-20 mph range. It rained overnight, but not a lot. It was dark and cloudy and dull.

The guys were all over me today. They both got lots of lap time and they were both very happy about it. But then Grayson decided to get shirty, so he got chastised. He does not run this place. Louie would have been happier if we hadn't had visitors.

So that was my quiet day, and it sure was nice. I hope for lots of those in the next few weeks so that I can heal in peace. I'm not having too much pain, but my scars are stiff and bothersome. That will pass eventually, and it will be better when I get rid of the fluid and whatever infection is left. I'm still tired and I can't walk very well yet. That's annoying, because I was doing so well before I got infected again.

Now I'm going to at least see if maybe I can start a load of dishes washing. I am flat out of clean dishes, except for the good china. It's a dark, cloudy, cold night in the field.

October 5

Before I begin, today would have been my father's 106th birthday. Happy Birthday, daddy!

Well, I'm home. I'm exhausted and frustrated and the whole thing, but I'm here. I'll recap fand then I can move on.

The surgery wasn't Wednesday night. I don't know the reasons, but I imagine it was a combination of how many emergencies the doctor had that day and how late I was getting back to the hospital - it was almost 7:30. It was scheduled for 7:00 yesterday morning.

I didn't get admitted and into my room until after the kitchen closed, and it wasn't until after 9:30 that I got a bologna salad sandwich and some fruit to eat. Then I tried to get to sleep in a bed that is about a third the size of the one I usually sleep in, and it was so cold in the room that I froze until sometime around 4:30 or so, I think - i forget now. Of course, they had me up early for vitals and they took me down to the OR not long after 6:00. I did get to inform the perky nurse who let me go home the first time that she had screwed up, not for that but for not noticing the drainage from under my right arm. I had a different nurse in recovery.

The surgery was successful but fairly long. There was a massive hematoma that had formed about where the breast tissue came out and it had gotten infected at the edges, so there was a lot of sopping up and cleaning out that they had to do.

After that it was a matter of recovery. The only glitch was that my hemoglobin dropped off quite a bit after the surgery and it worried the doctor, so they gave me a unit of blood. That seemed to help, but this morning, the levels were down again and so they gave me more. By then I had remembered that I've had problems with that before after major surgery, but I never did get to talk to the doctor today. He was off in Wisconsin or something. Oh, and last night, I got hot blankets to keep me warm and they finally - finally!! - turned the heat up over 70º. so I wasn't freezing.

The final straws were trying to pry the portable Wound Vac out of Medicare and the company that makes it and in getting my antibiotics, so I didn't get home until after 6:30, totally exhausted and frustrated.

While I was waiting, I read the instruction manual that came with the Wound Vac, and it is by far one of the worst manuals I have ever, ever read. According to them, you are supposed to keep it plugged in at all times, except that it does have a battery. You are supposed to keep it "upright" except that it is shaped sort of like a slightly curved 2" book (and weighs more) and it has no flat bottom to keep it upright and you might lay it flat on a table. I wanted to hurl the manual out the nearest window before I finally gave up. Sheesh! I'm hoping to get some tips from home care when I see them tomorrow, because my first abscess still needs packing. Sheesh. It does work, and the fluid left in my chest is already decreasing. I've been on the antibiotic (IV until I got home) again, and the infection is going fast.

Oh, and I'm going to have enough clindamicyn to swim in, because somebody at the hospital (or doctor's office?) ordered it from the mail order pharmacy before the nurses could get it from the hospital pharmacy, and that caused a delay of about two hours with the idiot prescription service I use. No wonder I tried to go through the back of the garage when I got home. I think the car is all right, but the back wall of the garage isn't.

The weather for the past three days was really interesting. It was very windy, rainy and warm Wednesday night, but the temperature dropped from 62º at 10:00 to 44º at 4:00 AM Thursday, when the wind was gusting up to 49 mph. I think we had a power failure. At least the fridge was blinking. Yesterday was colder, with a high of 47º, but dry. Today the temperature has finally risen to 43º, and there was 0.22" of precip - some here was sleet, according to Mary Ann, and there were snowflakes in Calumet which, fortunately, I didn't see. Yuck.

When i was moving the stuff to the platform tonight, Grayson was watching, and I thought I would get it all in all right, but then on my last load, he bolted out the door. So i screamed at him and proceeded to ignore him until he came back to the door looking sad. What a rat fink. And then he expected me to welcome him onto my lap! Ha! Louie would have sat, but I had taken off my jeans, and I didn't want his prickers on my bare skin. So he has been sitting and waiting and I expect to have cats tonight. Maybe tomorrow I will relent and pet Grayson. Not tonight.

Now I have to move some stuff off the bed so I can sleep in it and figure out what to do with this thing I am currently wearing around my neck. It has a case and a strap, but the strap wants to ride up around my neck and it's very uncomfortable. And I'm not exactly sure what I'll do with it tonight to keep it close enough for the tubing and safe from falling on the floor. The plug is extremely difficult to plug in and unplug and the unit is very heavy - not like the old continuous infusion pump I used back in 1998. And I'll have to figure out what to do with it when I have to get up. It is attached to me, so I can't just leave it behind most of the time. I will be able to clamp it off (with clamps I can hardly use) when I have to take a bath, though. We'll see how that works tomorrow, I think. I really need a bath.

So it was another experience. Care at the hospital is excellent, the food is mediocre at best, and the equipment is not the best. I'm so glad to be home!

Oh, yeah, and the camera hung up around 4:30 this afternoon. Now it's a dark, cold night in the field, but it's good to be here.

October 3

Just so nobody panics completely, I'm on my way back to the hospital. There has been a lot of fluid buildup in my chest, under the skin, that seems to be infected, that has to be drained. It's another surgical procedure. Not what I wanted!

I think I may be back home tomorrow, but if you don't hear from me, you'll know why. I'm not going to haul the laptop around just in case.

I'll be back soon.

October 2

I made it into bed by 11:30 last night and I got up at 9:45, so I should have had enough sleep. I knitted three more rows after the nurse said he wouldn't be here until after 4:00.

I did my surfing, and I realized I was feeling rather lousy, but after I took my bath, it was a bit better, or I thought so.

My wounds look OK, but there is a lot of fluid building up in my chest, away from the drain, and when he took my temperature, I am running a small temperature - about 1.5º. This isn't a good sign, but I refuse to go to the emergency room. I'm not in quite that bad shape yet. I'll be interested to see what it is. My nose has been running like a sieve and I have a headache that comes and goes, but it doesn't feel quite like a cold.

Well, it seems like I take two steps forward and one step back. Sigh.

The weather was not too bad. The high temperature was 55º, and there was a light wind. It was mostly sunny in the middle of the day, but by 4:30 it had clouded up. I guess it's supposed to be a lot warmer and rain tomorrow. Yuck.

The guys were both clingy. They know, don't they, even when i don't. Grayson slept on my lap for a long time and Louie got some lap time, too. They don't like the disruption of my schedule. They want things the same.

So tomorrow I'll be off to the doctor (appointment at 3:00). The bulletin stuff just came in, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I'm going to bed. Really. Now. It's a sort of warmish, cloudy night in the field.

October 1

So I was even later last night. I slept very well, and I didn't get up until around 10:00. I was awake around 8:00, but I didn't think that was enough sleep. The extra two hours wasn't either.

I didn't knit, and I was still eating when the occupational therapist arrived. She is a nice young woman who is pregnant. We talked and I showed her most of what I do to compensate for my disabilities, and I assured her that the surgery didn't make anything very much worse, so I don't really think she needs to worry about me. She seemed to agree.

Then the nurse came. This was the one I hadn't met - a guy. He was nice, but he decided he should poke around in my right side, and evidently there is still quite a hole there. It's healing, but it's going to take a while. He was going to report to the doctor what he found. I only hope he didn't cause it to start draining again, but I haven't looked at my bra yet.

All that activity, especially walking up and down the house, really did me in, even though I felt fine this morning. I'm so tired that I wasn't even hungry, although I did try to eat my dinner, and I did most of it. I was so tired that I didn't do anything I'd thought about - especially the dishes. Tomorrow I really have to do them, to at least get some clean things to eat off of. It will take two loads, I'm sure. I just couldn't. Part of it may be that I was in need of food, but I'm still very tired. So I'm doing better, but I have no stamina. I'm sure that will continue for a while. After all, it's only been three weeks tomorrow...

I rebooted the computer. I simply could not get one of my comics sites to work right, and the way it was not working led me to wonder if the problem was my computer. Well, it isn't. And of course, there is no way to get to their tech support to tell them they have a problem. It was annoying. I wanted to do the reboot anyway, actually. For the past couple of days, I've been having trouble with my mouse going down. I don't think it's the mouse's problem - I think it's either a problem with Windows or with the USB port cluster. Anyway, it was annoying, and it hasn't done that once since I rebooted, so I think it's another data leakage problem...maybe they will fix it in the October updates.

The weather was so-so. The high temperature was 48º and there wasn't much wind. The humidity was in the 70s for most of the day. it was cloudy all day, although there was some lightening at sunset - same as many days lately. it made for a rather dramatic late evening, before it got dark.

The guys were themselves. However, Louie liked the occupational therapist. He didn't make over her like he does Mary Ann, but she has a dog, and he clearly like the smell. I wonder if he shared his previous home with a dog. He ran away when the nurse came. Grayson made a pest of himself for both of them. He wants to be noticed, and he'll do almost anything to see that he is, including annoying me. Little snot. He wanted some of my dinner, too, but he didn't get any. Tomorrow I really have to order some cat food. I'm out of their favorite kind of kibble, and I might as well get some canned food, too.

I may very well look into getting some stuff like laundry detergent and fabric softener, too. Walmart will deliver it, and their prices are much lower than Pat's or even Amazon. I think Amazon has ceded things like household items - soap, toilet paper, etc. - to Walmart. At least, Walmart has been consistently cheaper for the past six to nine months. That's fine with me - Walmart uses FedEx exclusively for their shipping, and they will deliver to my house even in the wintertime. Ron and I had a confrontation about that. He told the FedEx people they could leave packages at the post office, and I told him, no way. I need them to deliver to my door. He was trying to be nice to the FedEx delivery people, not thinking about me. Ron is a nice guy, but he's a guy, and he is that way.

Anyway, now it's October and winter is on its way, hopefully not for another six to eight weeks, but it's coming. Now it's a dark, cloudy night in the field.

Last updated 10/15/18 09:02 PM