A Different Life II

[Lily&Me]

Well, if I only knew their plan before they executed it, I could perhaps intervene.

The neighbors have now run 2x4’s, I think, along the entire bottom of their side of my fence, as well as replaced the broken slats, so if that isn’t effective my gentle suggestion is electricity.

Closer supervision when the dogs are in their back yard is probably in order. The dogs dig a hole, then break the slats pushing themselves thru.

I have yet to see it as it happens, but the holes are not that deep so there is some serious force and determination behind getting themselves to my side.

As with anything else, I guess once it is accomplished they know it can be done.

It’s really kind of cute, and I’m not yet annoyed by it because they’ve done no real harm and the goal seems to be to visit me.

The dogs are very sweet, and follow me right back over to their own home.

It’s a pandemic, what can I say...we are largely housebound, so one takes diversion and entertainment where one can find it.


Tim, I post things here that are of interest to me and which I think may be of interest to others.

Glad you find something of benefit to you.


Am starting to think toward travel south in a couple of months, and what staying safe in a pandemic on my usual winter sojourn would look like... and, can it be done.

My only reservations are the two weeks at Edisto in March, and I’m thinking that risk to self can be probabiy be effectively managed within the Interstate as it was this last summer.

We’ll see what things look like, and what it feels like.


I am not one to get the seasonal flus that go around, but have in recent years gotten an annual flu shot because my PCP tells me I need to.

They are in some short supply this year, tho I was able to get one of 9 left of a just-arrived batch at my Walgreens a few days ago.

It’s been quite the year.

Stay safe, folks.

Maggie

[mimiandrews]

I keep hoping that you can schedule a trip to Texas in the March-April wildflower season. You were last here in the dead of winter, and didn't get to see how beautiful this part of the country can be when things are in bloom. Of course, you are always welcome to come by, any time of year.

[Lily&Me]

Hi Mimi, and thank you.

Having even a small house, spring is a very busy time for central Illinois homeowners, and it is hard for me to be gone that time of year.

But I’ll keep it in mind.

Maggie has

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

. . .
It’s a pandemic, what can I say...we are largely housebound, so one takes diversion and entertainment where one can find it.
. . .

Der ya go!

[Lily&Me]

39 degrees here when we got up this morning.

New flannel sheets arrived the other day, have been washed up and are now on the bed...So cozy, they’re like sleeping in a hug.

Took Lily up the the forest preserve a bit ago for a rip around off leash...we had the place to ourselves, tho I have to admit that since I saw that mountain lion in Wisconsin in June I am always checking the trees.

[Lily&Me]

Dropped off a full sack of hats and scarves at the soup kitchen this morning, the first of the season, then made a little sojourn into TJMaxx....just because I wanted to be out and to shop a little.

Did I need anything from TJMaxx???

I did not, but I found some lavender and chamomile body wash, some rosewater body wash, and some CuddlDuds socks.

Intended to get some salmon jerky for Lily, but their dog treats section was near-empty and no salmon jerky was to be had.

She had to come stick her nose in the bag when I got home, tho, just in case I’d brought something for her.

May be time for a little field trip to PETCO...mask on and socially distanced, of course.


Saw my PCP yesterday and see the eye doctor on Friday... part of the run up to cataract surgery here in a few weeks.

This is the third week I’ve been in glasses, and I have just stopped reaching for the lens case right before I go to bed.

I have heard very mixed reviews about the outcome of cataract surgery.

No one I have spoken with has not needed anything additional to help see post surgery, like at least reading glasses, and one woman told me yesterday the surgery basically did nothing for her.

I’m trying not to have high expectations, but am really hoping for significant improvement.


I finished “The Jack Reacher Experiment” a couple of nights ago, and although it wasn’t awful this series of 9 fairly short books did not have the usual charm of a Jack Reacher novel.

Then, I realized it was not written by Lee Child but “in the Reacher universe” by some other author with her permission.

It is set in the future, and is not without any interest, but it does not have a good beat and is not easy to dance to.


We have had chilly nights and moderate days here the last few, and I have had a fire in the wood stove recent mornings...because it takes the chill out of the house a bit, and because I love to look at it, feel it, and get the occasional whiff of woodsmoke.

A couple of loads of firewood were delivered a few days ago, so I should be set there til spring.

Fall...my favorite time of year.

Maggie

[rmkrum]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

Dropped off a full sack of hats and scarves at the soup kitchen this morning, the first of the season, then made a little sojourn into TJMaxx....just because I wanted to be out and to shop a little.

Did I need anything from TJMaxx???

I did not, but I found some lavender and chamomile body wash, some rosewater body wash, and some CuddlDuds socks.

Intended to get some salmon jerky for Lily, but their dog treats section was near-empty and no salmon jerky was to be had.

She had to come stick her nose in the bag when I got home, tho, just in case I’d brought something for her.

May be time for a little field trip to PETCO...mask on and socially distanced, of course.


Saw my PCP yesterday and see the eye doctor on Friday... part of the run up to cataract surgery here in a few weeks.

This is my third week I’ve been in glasses, and I have just stopped reaching for the lens case right before I go to bed.

I have heard very mixed reviews about the outcome of cataract surgery.

No one I have spoken with has not needed anything additional to help see post surgery, like reading glasses, and one woman told me yesterday the surgery basically did nothing for her.

I’m trying not to have high expectations, but am really hoping for significant improvement.


I finished “The Jack Reacher Experiment” a couple of nights ago, and although it wasn’t awful this series of 9 fairly short books did not have the usual charm of a Jack Reacher novel.

Then, I realized it was not written by Lee Child but “in the Reacher universe” by some other author with her permission.

It is set in the future, and is not without any interest, but it does not have a good beat and is not easy to dance to.


We have had chilly nights and moderate days here the last few, and I have had a fire in the wood stove recent mornings...because it takes the chill out of the house a bit, and because I love to look at it, feel it, and get the occasional whiff of woodsmoke.

A couple of loads of firewood we’re delivered a few days ago, so I should be set there til spring.

Fall...my favorite time of year.

Maggie

DW and I both had cataract surgery a year ago. The doctor we used at Kaiser has done an estimated 10,000 of these operations. He lost track, so I helped him come up with that estimate...

Our results were super good. We both can see much better, and he managed to hit our past and now present prescription closely. We both need new glasses now, but still see fine.

We did one eye at a time, and he prescribed drops including a steroid, an antibiotic, and a pain reliever that were a bit tedious to use 3-4 times a day, but we were back to driving and other normal activities in a week or less.

Note that we did not attempt to correct astigmatism, just cloudy lenses. No real pain for either of us, and recovery was total in 2-3 weeks or so. Very satisfied with the results.

Did go back a week or two ago to clean up some residual cloudiness with a laser treatment by the same doctor. Very quick recovery and that fix should last at least 2-3 years or more. Only needed steroids for that, and only for a day or two.

[Lily&Me]

Thanks for that info, Rich.

I also have the drops, and am going to Gailey Eye Clinic here for the surgery.

Having functional vision without needing contacts is my hope, so we’ll see.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

If you haven’t seen the baby giant panda born at the National Zoo in Washington, here is the panda cam link...

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/panda-cam

There’s something about watching animals so tenderly care for their young that just tugs at your heart.

Once upon a time, maybe 12-13 years ago, a mama bear named Lily up in northern Minnesota had a den cam that witnessed the birth and tender care of a tiny cub named Hope.

Grands growing up and no babes-in-arms, I became enamored with the den cam and watching this little girl grow.

That story did not end well, but a year or so later an abandoned black lab mix was found by us at a state park in Louisiana, and I named her Lily.

Have had her now for 10 years.

[mimiandrews]

Cataract surgery worked well for me. It's been two years now. My distant vision is 20/20 for the first time in my life, and that's fantastic!

I do need reading glasses, but that was expected. I did not opt for the lens implants that are supposed to do both near and far vision because of FAA pilot medical requirements.

I did need the follow-up laser procedure on my right eye about a year and a half after the surgery, but that's done in the office and is painless and easy.

[Lily&Me]

Good to hear, Mimi.

I will get more information when I meet with the eye doctor on Friday.

A close friend of mine had this done a few years back, and had told me of being presented with the option of seeing better at a distance or up close, and I am going to take the at a distance.

She’s very happy with the results of hers, tho never needed nearly the level of correction that I have since a small child.

I have needed reading glasses for years, anyway, and what I really want is to be able to read signs without having to squint a bit.


My son and I are are taking a little road trip this morning, to meet up with my sister in law and sign with a Notary the papers to be her power of attorney in the event she becomes unable to make decisions for herself.

A first, for me, and my son unhesitatingly agreed to be secondary for his Aunt in the event I should die or be incapacitated before her. He’s a really good man.

Something Doug and I had not gotten around to in March of 2014, when he was there one second and gone the next.

As his next of kin, I could and did make medical decisions, but if I had needed to draw off certain assets to, say, medically transport him home for long term care, I would have had to first go into court.


A Public Service Announcement: If you/your loved ones haven’t signed POA forms, you can download them online and do it in front of a Notary.

I did this with my children a few months after Doug died...for my son to take over if my physician determines I am unable to make my own decisions, and my daughter to take over in my sons absence.

We think we have time, until we suddenly don’t.

Maggie

[OTRA15]

Cataract surgery is great. Did one eye a couple of years ago, and still need to do the other.

The main benefit IMO -- totally unexpected -- was the brilliance and depth of color I had been missing.

All of a sudden . . . wow . . . that is blue!

Also opted for distance, while continuing with reading glasses.

Happy trails,

[Lily&Me]

I have a digital calendar these days, rather than paper that I look at every day, and so have Alerts set for appointments and anything else that needs tended to.

And, a good thing, as an alert today popped up that my eye doctor appointment is actually tomorrow at 8 am, not Friday.


We have had a nice drive to the Putnam County Courthouse and back this morning...where Abraham Lincoln once practiced, and with a Circuit Clerks office run by an exceedingly capable 20 something year old Circuit Clerk and her equally capable sister of similar age.

Got to love small town America.

Maggie

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

39 degrees here when we got up this morning.
. . .

Are you tracking this new cold snap coming?

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f16...ng-215881.html

[Lily&Me]

I looooved having about 5 hours with my 48 year old son all to myself today.

We talked about many things , the last being parenting in general and his late step-father, my Douglas Dwight, in specific.

Doug’s kids as adults did not appreciate their father, evidenced in ways I shan’t go into here and which resulted in them experiencing tremendous guilt when he died so suddenly...but then they never experienced the absence of a father who just couldn’t be bothered, as many including my two did.

One of the things that first endeared me to Doug in our early days was that he had custody of his oldest boy and had never once missed his alternate weekends with all three of his kids.

He also never missed a child support payment, showed up for soccer games, wrestling meets, choir concerts, awards ceremonies, graduations, etc., etc., etc.

And during visitations he stocked the frig with their favorite foods and prepared them three good meals a day, also packed a cooler with healthy snacks for the soccer games and wrestling meets.

We still had his little red Igloo cooler when he died, and I sent it off with his kids, who immediately recognized it.

Doug was that kind of Dad to his kids, and an excellent role model for my children, whom he never tried to “parent” but instead strove to be kind, supportive and offer the occasional sage words of wisdom.

He walked my daughter down the aisle the year before he died, as he was the only father she had ever really known.

I credit his spoken and unspoken guidance over his 27+ years in our lives with a good part of the decent, solid adults my children have become, and the father my son has been to his three.

Not a perfect man, but a very good man, and we had different personal strengths that were a good balance most of the time.

We ideally parent with the goal of raising well adjusted, functional, productive adults. That is the work of childhood, to learn with loving help how to function well and independently as adults...to love and nurture, work well at something, accept responsibilities, make a contribution to the world, etc., etc.

It’s why we don’t just close them up in a room or toss them out to fend for themselves.

We parent.

That’s our job while we have them in our care, and as we are able to influence once they are on heir own.

As long as we and they live, we parent.


A bit of a soapbox, tail ended to my extended visit with my son.

Just had some thoughts I wanted to share.

And so here’s a shout out to all the Dads out there...the intentional, the accidental, the surrogates...those who step up and consciously do the very best they can.

And particularly, to those like my Doug who took a gentle but positive, crucial role with fatherless children and helped shape them into the adults they are today.


There, I said it.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Are you tracking this new cold snap coming?

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f16...ng-215881.html

Yep, I did know serious cold was coming, also that it’s supposed to be near 80 degrees tomorrow, before the bottom falls out.

Leaves are just starting to turn here, so I suspect they will come down mostly green this year.

But, I have lots of firewood!

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

I went in to my eye clinic for the measurements of my lenses pre-surgery yesterday morning, thinking I would also be seeing my eye doctor.

I was not scheduled to see my eye doctor, tho I had many questions and in trying to get answers to them learned for the first time that cataract surgery is routinely done with the patient under conscious sedation, such as when you have a colonoscopy.

I was supposed to have had this done last spring, and I suspect there has been some disconnect in patient preparation. This is the premier eye clinic locally, and my experiences with them have always been excellent, so I will give them basic benefit of the doubt.

Ummm, going into eye surgery not knowing what to expect??? Umm, no.

To make a long story short, I now have an appointment with my eye doctor first thing Monday morning, when he will talk with me about the type of surgery, the lenses he recommends, etc., and basically walk me thru the whole thing.

And I will talk with him about the bad reaction I had the last time I received conscious sedation.

Thank you.

Always be a good advocate for yourself, and for those who depend on you for whatever reason.


We have rain here today, and after an 80 degree day yesterday temps are now in the 40’s and cold is returning. Snow may soon follow.

I turned my oven on this morning to bake this small apple crisp...because it is October, and because I wanted it.

https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes...a-f5022ae8bad6

So, while I cleaned the little house this morning and did up laundry, the scent of apples and cinnamon filled the air. Heavenly.

I had tried this “Apple Crisp for Two” recipe as written a couple of weeks back, and this time doubled the apple filling while doing just one recipe of the topping.

I used Splenda Brown sugar, and added a handful of walnuts to the topping.

Only 2 tablespoons of butter in the entire recipe, which is pretty darned minimal.

So, not too lethal, as we say, and doesn’t make a huge pan of it.

[Mansderm161]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

I went in to my eye clinic for the measurements of my lenses pre-surgery yesterday morning, thinking I would also be seeing my eye doctor.

I was not scheduled to see my eye doctor, tho I had many questions and in trying to get answers to them learned for the first time that cataract surgery is routinely done with the patient under conscious sedation, such as when you have a colonoscopy.

I was supposed to have had this done last spring, and I suspect there has been some disconnect in patient preparation. This is the premier eye clinic locally, and my experiences with them have always been excellent, so I will give them basic benefit of the doubt.

Ummm, going into eye surgery not knowing what to expect??? Umm, no.

To make a long story short, I now have an appointment with my eye doctor first thing Monday morning, when he will talk with me about the type of surgery, the lenses he recommends, etc., and basically walk me thru the whole thing.

And I will talk with him about the bad reaction I had the last time I received conscious sedation.

Thank you.

Always be a good advocate for yourself, and for those who depend on you for whatever reason.


We have rain here today, and after an 80 degree day yesterday temps are now in the 40’s and cold is returning. Snow may soon follow.

I turned my oven on this morning to bake this small apple crisp...because it is October, and because I wanted it. [emoji38]

https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes...a-f5022ae8bad6

So, while I cleaned the little house this morning and did up laundry, the scent of apples and cinnamon filled the air. Heavenly.

I had tried this “Apple Crisp for Two” recipe as written a couple of weeks back, and this time doubled the apple filling while doing just one recipe of the topping.

I used Splenda Brown sugar, and added a handful of walnuts to the topping.

Only 2 tablespoons of butter in the entire recipe, which is pretty darned minimal.

So, not too lethal, as we say, and doesn’t make a huge pan of it.

So glad you are seeing the doctor before surgery! You should always get all your questions answered before undergoing a procedure...

BUT, it was your baking that caught my eye....AGAIN! you may already know this but it was a recent discovery for me. All cinnamon is not created equal! I was doing research because "true" or "real" cinnamon is supposed to help with blood sugar. Ceylon cinnamon is lighter, sweeter, and more fragrant. It also has only a trace of Coumarin compared to other forms. Some say Ceylon is true cinnamon. So I bought some on Amazon from the Burma spice company. Its more expensive but it really is good. I'm using it on just about everything...yogurt, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, coffee, baking. I'll try it on your apple crisp next...apples were on my grocery list. Thanks for sharing that.

And thoughts and prayers to a speedy recovery after surgery! I hope it opens up a brighter more beautiful world for you! See you soon!

[Lily&Me]

Hi Deb, and good to hear from you!

I sent this recipe to my good friend in northern MN yesterday, and she is also baking it today for she and her hubby of 50+ years.


Yeah, I’m not sure what to make of maybe going in for that surgery without all the information about what was going to happen.

Had I not asked and raised questions, I think that’s what would have happened.

I have been with this clinic many years, and this doctor got me thru the post-stroke vision issues.

On the one hand, I will give them basic benefit of the doubt, because of our history.

On the other, outpatient surgical centers are a booming industry these days, and it can feel a bit like we are cattle just lining up.

So much is impersonal, you just have to be aware and stay on top of things...yourself.

They all want you to nearly sign your life away beforehand, and of course make your copayment.

I don’t know. We’ll see what Monday morning is like.

Maggie

[SSquared]

Hi Maggie, thanks for your thoughts on fatherhood.

As for cataract surgery, I am not there yet, but my wife had both eyes done two years ago. They put her under for the first eye, and she came out nauseous and sick to her stomach. So for the next eye, they did the surgery with just a local. So there are options.

Another choice some people face is astigmatism correction. If you have a lot of astigmatism, they can give you a correction in the new lens, but that is more expensive and may not be covered by insurance.

Good luck with your surgery!