No More Leftovers

There are still some goat cheese and a little bit of yogurt left in the fridge now that the Thanksgiving leftovers are demolished. Aidan is doing his two cello things in Philly with his mom which takes until late this afternoon to finish. Keoni is off visiting local friends. John is somewhere at the other end of the house; his presence occasionally evident when the dogs are let in or out. All but the dogs will converge at the iMax to see the latest Hunger Games edition. I'm not going! Yea! Would have liked some other way to spend Keoni's last evening here, but Katniss rules. "A" being the top ranking of A, B, C, or D, I'd give any Hunger Games a ranking of D-; D for Depraved and worse. But who am I to judge; I laughed at Fargo.

Yesterday, the fencing project came to a halt when the fence wire ran out about six or eight posts short of completion. It was just before rain set in. This morning the three completed sides are looking good...

...though it seems different that the wire goes on the outside of the posts. There was already hot wire  for horse fence on the post insides so that probably answers my puzzlement. They still have Mustang Austin who'll enjoy a change I don't doubt.

Aidan taped papers together again yesterday afternoon to draw a big eye with reflections in it. He turned down big paper and drawing pencils to borrow tape and copy paper to put this together...

...he's working on shadings.

Toby's gradually doing his eating at the barn (and whatever he hunts down). I still give him a splash of goat milk in the mornings. I checked his warmer/tent affair up in the center area of the two lofts, and it is fine. Wendy says she mostly sees him hunkered down between hay bales though. So, that seems to be working OK for him. He sleeps with Fancy and Sebastian on the porch when they're out there, or hogs the big dog pillow from Frezz when the short hairs go inside. Frezz is pretty tricky getting out of the barn lot fence, so he is taken in at night, too. He lives for passion and complete abandon when deer or turkeys roam by.

The walks I'm taking are slightly abbreviated, but I'm happy to be out and trudging along. Each time it seems to get a little better. Not quite ready for prime time, but all will be well.

Thanksgiving, Family Times, Toby and Dogs

Few of you out there avoided Thanksgiving entirely, and yours truly was no exception as I dug in with Wendy and we did turkey and all trimmings. She kept up with the morning milking besides and I took little rest stops here and there to accommodate the lingering effects of the condition that came upon me this month. Besides the continual repurposing of kitchen horizontal surfaces and shifting of the fridge items along with the cheeses and yogurts she makes we did a wonderful pull-together and the feast was on by late afternoon. The turkey itself was handsomely dressed out by Necessity Farm entrepreneurs where it was raised nearby.

Aidan had the table set a day ahead for Keoni's homecoming.

Also, a day or so ahead Aidan and I went late afternoon to the park for soccer moves. On the way he used my camera to quick get this out the side window.

By Aidan.

Felt so good seeing them together again.

And Keoni playing violin again.

Aidan's cello is coming along very well, and he demonstrated his cello chops for Keoni, too. I expect to hear some combined playing before long.

The family spent the afternoon stretching wire around the far pasture to goat-proof it. Just as I approached the scene of family enterprise on my walk, they all flew back to the house for a break. As I finished my walk they were heading back out to labor some more.

Break time.

Fortified and heading back out.

Wendy's idea is to let the near goat pasture (with Austin in it) lie fallow for awhile to get rid of worms. Soon she'll be able to shift their browsing out to the far pasture.

I loved all the Thanksgiving well-wishes. One reply from Utah was amazing. Elijah is 10 and growing exponentially, as is his cousin Aidan...

Elijah.

He is prospering with his school work and bringing home excellent grades. He likes his school. Yea!  Go Elijah! Dimetrios has stayed pretty healthy so far this fall. Young Kingston is having his first holiday season. I am smiling.

Wendy told about Toby the other day. She called to the dogs to come in while she went on errands, but only Sebastian came. She called and called the other two, Fancy and Frezz. Finally, she went out on the porch to call some more. There she could see the outdoor steps. Toby sat on the middle landing looking down at huge 130 lb Frezz and (at least) 85 lb Fancy standing below him. When Wendy called to them again, Toby took a swipe at them and they backed down. She had to chase him to get the dogs in. He and Sebastian play together and chase each other. Sebastian sort of is wise to Toby, too. Or, each other.

Yesterday, the desk heaved a sigh when I cleared the last of accumulations. My pony's yearly inspection scheduled, today day began at the Fuzzy Dice Auto Center and Pennsylvania Official Inspection Station. It has a fascinating array of autos along the roadway edge of their parking. Many beautiful restorations. Aidan loves the occasional sleek sports model, or a restored Mustang will grab his attention, too. It's an ever-changing array that keeps us all looking as we so frequently go by. The manager stuck a coffee in my hand while I waited and I took in the eclectic collection of artwork on the walls and standing around. Pretty cool way to start the day.

Aidan and I teamed up, and in stages (I still need some little timeouts--Aidan needed to perfect tiny airplanes he makes from 3 x 5 cards) he straightened, I dusted, and he floor-vacuumed. The entire downstairs was done while Wendy was off to get the shopping for Thanksgiving.

You may think this is merely a dusting tool. But wait. You only think this is a duster. You, with your light sabers, BEWARE! Remember, it's a wand!

I'm Baaaaccckkk!

Got home this afternoon after wondering if they were going to let me drive myself home. I told them, if they wouldn't let me drive I'd call my friend to come pick me up to ride on the back of her motorcycle. Actually the doctor is great and very sensible. It was fine to drive myself.

Goodbye, empty hospital bed.

The hospitals name is Grandview, but it wasn't a grand view.

Good to be home and dig into the organization and soon this young fellow and his mom

will be home from his Sunday in Philly playing his cello for orchestra and having the lesson with his teacher...

Xarelto

Dried grass, sticks and dust settled on the battlefield. Into the brightening sunlight emerged the Goddess of Medical decisions with a smile on her face. The sun glinted off her shield as she said, "Xarelto has won. " Then, she became pixels and scintilated into the atmosphere.

The awful injectable and Coumadin blood-thinner combo wasn't doing the job very well so the medical contingent prevailed and Xarelto will begin working tonight with the paperwork begun for my release tomorrow. On Monday I will begin my part time job of follow-up planning, execution and follow many trails of paper. My pony Subaru will be ready to help.

Healthcare - Mine

Wishing not to exclude family and friends from current medical events I'll fill in: My recent asthma coughing wasn't asthma. A series of (mostly small) events beginning three weeks age were on Thursday emphatically pinned down as blood clots--leg and lungs. And a hospital stay.

(Blogger on my iPhone isn't retrieving photo of my hospital bed which you didn't want to see anyway.)

The medical world, the insurance world, and the government world are meeting on the battlefield of perpetual conflict to decide on the cheapest way to administer injectable blood thinner since I've assured all concerned I'm not about to do this to myself at home. A decision will fly out of the jousting for either another day or so in this institution of lukewarm foods and coffee, or a nurse will be deployed 2 times a day to do the injections until tests I drive to reveal that something called a INR reaches the level of 2, or better. Then, a pill will maintain levels to make the clots go away.

Just think, we could have had single payer or universal health care.

Many thanks to all who've contacted or come. Seeing you or thinking of you in my cyber world goes deep into my sense that all will be well.

In Solidarity

For the victims, the families and the friends who loved and cared for those lost and hurt by the soul-crushing atrocities of murder and hate; for all suffering wounds from terrorism in towns, cities, across nations and continents; for all flung aside, abased by war and oppression; I surround you in the light of love. 

Weather Report: Giant Leaf Blower Downs Tree Branch

Just as the wind increase outside drew my attention by hurling most of the maple leaves across Ridge Road, down came a small to middling size branch off the tree. It stabbed the edge of the parking pullout where an hour earlier John backed out to go to work, saving his car's front end from a dent or a smashed headlight.

A recent walk around the property showed me I was in trouble from a persistent headache, chills that kicked in a week ago with coughing joining the mix by Sunday evening. Not just asthma this time, but something else surely was going on I thought by Wednesday. An appointment was added to Thursday's agenda. I began Thursday with the two-week followup at the Ophthalmologist, and my Primary visit ended the day.

At the eye guy exam I learned that the small piece of old lens he left behind in my eye while removing its cataracts is diminishing in size as my body slowly absorbs it. Keep on with two kinds of drops now only once a day. Answer to my question "How come I see double through this new lens?" "You need a new glasses prescription." "How come I see double with no glasses?" ...same answer. I describe how letter "a" looks like one sitting slightly askew on top of another "a". Ponderously, with deliberation, he changes the sentence, "New glasses will clear that up." In three more weeks my lens speck has to be observed again. Please, body, absorb this thing so I can put this man into a back file somewhere near the misogynists and studied boors.

You know I'm going to talk about the Primary visit next. That started with the front check-in desk and a bright-eyed woman whom I just could tell by looking was going to take care of things. My things. I'm willing to cut some slack for harried people behind front desks, but, boy, you can tell when someone is connecting with people standing in front of them. And so professional besides! She even found a mistake their billing had made in September and righted it. It has to do with our old friends the supplemental insurance and the Medicare who don't talk to each other. They only talk to offices and mail paper statements to everybody including insureds who examine the pages at their home desk trying to figure out what just happened. Standing there, I said, "Just think, we could have had universal health care and you wouldn't have had to do that." She smiled. I smiled back, "And I wouldn't have to tell the checkout clerk at every single medical office visit to bill Medicare first."

Weighed, BP'd, temperature taken, I sat coughing in the exam room. When Dr. Parke arrived I was ready to jump up into his arms and say, "Hold Me!" I didn't, but he is a warm human being and so competent I felt like the Ace Mechanic from Mercedes Benz just arrived from Germany to fix my stalled car on the Turnpike.

So, the upshot is I have little to no air activity in upper lungs indicating a possible bronchial pneumonia accounting for the chills and aches. Parke's conservative with meds, but this time he's treating aggressively and I return to see him tomorrow. Today, there's a ripple of progress, but we're not there yet.

Neither is the USA system of health care.

I had to ask Wendy what this box is that materialized this week.

This is a soap box. Wendy is going to make goat soap.

I'm off my soap box.

Painting on a canvas in my tiny space is so daunting that my resolve melted and I'll take it up when I go house sit for a friend. Yes, it's that canvas I started messing with awhile back. When it's finished it is supposed to be my version of The Last Supper, and it's for Lent at church. I can't get Leonardo da Vinci's out of my mind either. Patience.

The First Supper.

Will have to wait until I secure more room.

I took this through the laundry window onto the porch. I didn't open the door because they come running. Sometimes Fancy makes it a threesome.

Today, Toby saw me.

Triple Chocolate Cake and Paganini Inspired Happy Birthday

Wendy and John's Philadelphia Art Museum trip on Saturday turned out great for them, and gave Aidan a chance to whip up the planned birthday cake for his Mom.

The icing was a little stiff so the squeeze thingy barely worked for him, but he soldiered on and this was finished in plenty time before they got back home which was the idea since he wanted it to be a surprise for her.

Another surprise came via text delivery for her just after the cake-eating took place.



Keoni's Paganini-inspired rendition of Happy Birthday was a great treat for his mom's birthday, too. He sent it along a little later for the rest of us to enjoy. Wish he'd been here for the cake, too.

John's museum tickets were good for another 24 hours, so Marge, a friend of mine, and I drove down there on Sunday and had a very nice time. Followed a tour, and then our own tour. We have our sights on the Barnes Foundation for another time. She's been to all these places dozens of times over the years with nieces and nephews and the grands in tow.

Shoutout to Carol: It looks like I'm getting to these wonderful places you've been telling me about.

Let us never imply that Aidan's life is racked with boredom. Example: a slow beginning to Saturday morning a week ago he took an amazon box destined for the re-cycle and instead re-purposed it. A hole cut into the long edge to accommodate his neck, and a hole cut in the top for his iPhone allowed him to watch YouTube hands-free.

The contraption was meant for his bedroom, but he didn't mind demonstrating on the dining room floor.

Cello practice, some Centenniel Park soccer time...

There are many parks around here that came from these sources.

I still don't know what Boroughs or Townships really are.

Aidan still had time to carve his 2015 jack-o-lantern before heading off to his friend Nikan's where further Halloween events were in play.

But he didn't leave before he lit the candle.

Neighbor friends in Tucson shared pictures their daughters' 2015 Halloween costumes...

Bara

Mary Ann

Elizabeth

In Texas, Cousin Jim and Nancy's granddaughter Jessa had a recent special dress-up day at school...

All here enjoy the electronic contact that so many Southwest good friends, and relatives and other friends scattered about the nation have maintained with all of us. We are in a special time that gives us this ability.

It is again Saturday, and this time it is Wendy's birthday. Aidan is baking her a cake from the Landis Supermarket purchases I got for him yesterday. In between, he is working on his math. Wendy and John went to Philly Art Museum. John won some tickets at work for that recently. We expect them back early afternoon.

The week brought me some weird bone-aching ague that seems to be subsiding a little today. I tell myself, it might have been worse without the flu shot.

I didn't know until we came here that bamboo can grow in this climate. A lot froze last winter,  but recovered through the summer.