thread for middle age to older Christian women.
Comments
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Nancy, you are dealing with so many issues at once, and I pray you can get them all sorted out, and I am concerned about you physically too. HOAs are a lot of work. We were just informed today of a $25,000 special individual assessment for our condo in San Diego, due July 1st. The building is 50 years old and some of the posts for the walkways need to be completely replaced. There are four floors all with outside entrances to the 40 units. (California style.) The wear and tear of the salt water climate does a lot of damage and has caused rotting. This will take all of our annual profit for the rental unit. It is a good thing we cancelled a recent doorway upgrade we were hoping to get done in our current home in Colorado Springs so we can pay for it.
I had a tough PT appointment yesterday but I know it is helping me. I am more mobile and have better balance. Hopefully today I can accompany my DD to my granddaughter's school for a "lunch with family" event. Tomorrow is the last day of school for her and we drew the last possible slot to do this. I want to do as much as I can while I still feel able. I have an oncology appointment later today just to check on the progress of my new meds, and a dental cleaning tomorrow so I am sure I will be extra fatigued this weekend.
My DD has suddenly been hit with back pain. It is difficult when he is laid up as he does all of the heavy housework lately. I will need to do more until we can get him sorted out. We are hoping to smoke a turkey on Monday. It has been in our freezer for awhile and needs to get used. It is already thawing so we have to cook it. My DH handles the smoker but I suppose I can do it if I need to. Fortunately we did not invite any company so it will be just the four of us.
Take care dear friends. I hope you can enjoy the Memorial Day weekend.
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Oh my, Chris. That is a very high special assessment. Loss assessment coverage under your condo insurance policy may help absorb some of the expense. Ours covered a special assessment when common areas of the building were damaged by a storm. I especially hope your husband's back pain subsides and you both enjoy the long holiday weekend with your family.
Dear Nancy, your plate is becoming very full. I'm praying that relief is just around the corner. May the new HOA job title be "in name only" and not add many more responsibilities to your already busy schedule. I do hope that today's appointment was encouraging and productive. Please take care.
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Thanks Hershey—I had forgotten about loss assessment insurance. I know we just updated that last month so perhaps we can get some help.
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Nancy, praying that your appointment today was productive and helpful, also praying for all the other issues you have going one now and that they are soon straightened out and most of all that you are feeling better.
Chris, continuing in prayer for you and the new meds and that you are feeling stronger and praying for your DH and DD that they are feeling better too.
Hershey, I am sorry to hear about your thumb, that sounds very painful and I know a thumb is all important for doing things. Praying that you are doing well and your thumb heals nicely.
I'm still struggling with shingle pain, it's been about 3 weeks now and most people that have had them say they had a lot of pain for about 5 weeks. I went to the eye doctor for a follow up today and got so sick in there with nerve pain along side my head, it was so severe I thought maybe it was something else like a stroke or something. But my nurse friend went out to get a nurse to come in and she said right away no that is what shingle pain does. They were all so nice and brought in water, some crackers and an ice pack. It was so painful I was getting sick to my stomach. The eye doctor did say the eye is still inflamed but getting better. So I can use the prednisone drops 3 x day instead of 4 and the anti shingle pill is still out to jury if I should continue that yet or not. I would encourage everyone to just go get that shingles vaccine. My nurse friend has been so helpful and that is really nice.
Praying for you all.
Love, Wheatfields
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I am going to try to keep this brief as I am so exhausted I can't see straight. Very little sleep last night.
Wheatfields, I am so sorry you are having such a horrible time with the shingle's pain. I thought the anti shingles drug was only something like 7 days. They used to say if you didn't start those meds asap then they would not work but that has been a long time ago. I had more trouble with fatigue the first time I had it and that lasted for a long time but I don't recall the pain lasting as long as your situation. I am praying right now for you!
Chris, that is some special assessment. Good grief. I do hope what Hershey said regarding your insurance will help out with that. I'm sorry to hear that both you DH and DD are having challenging physical issues. I am glad your PT is helping even though it is difficult during the sessions. Your turkey in the smoker sounds wonderful. This has been such a challenging week I completely forgot it was Memorial Weekend.
Hershey, I hope your thumb is healing well. Can you still garden with your thumb being injured? Yes, I already know how busy I have been with being on the HOA board. The president assured me that me being VP is only in name only. I hate to say this but the person who had this position really did nothing that I could see the whole time I have been on the board. Our HOA financial company is actually doing some of the VP work for us so I just hope that is true.
Well, you won't believe this one as if my list of challenges were not enough already. I saw my new very young dentist yesterday for the first time. I don't have a lot of cavities but I had two on my bottom front teeth. I gave her a head's up that I take a lot of pain numbing so that played out that way. She was very nice and said if you have any rough edges to let her know and I could come back. With my HOA meetings last night I didn't have a lot of time to think about how my numbing agent had finally left. My two teeth felt like sandpaper and the skin below the teeth also felt like sandpaper. It was fiery red. Today it was worse. I have not called her yet as I am seriously wondering if I trust her at this point as I have never had anything like that happen in my whole life with dentists. Her sanding tool obviously accidentally hit my skin.
My apt with the PA went very well today. This young lady was very good and I really liked her. She looked over the past notes and showed me the CT scan of my sinuses which I never got to see. She didn't see anything looking bad in my ears but she had me get a timp. (forget the name) test from the audiologist. Things looked normal. She said I may be dealing with post viral issues and that they could possibly go on for a while. The good news is if I have dysfuction of the Eustachian Tube it is mild. I asked her if there would be any reason to keep my apt next week with the ENT and she said not really. She said I could cancel up to the day before. I may cancel tomorrow as I know many people like me were waiting for a long time to see him. She said if things get work in the next few weeks to reach out to my primary doctor.
I couldn't sleep from the stress of everything so I am so exhausted. I tried to make an apt with the Geek Squad tonight and they transferred me to a Samsung customer line without telling me. They don't deal with Samsung phones apparently so I decided I would say I need to change my password in my computer with my Google Account as that is the issue and just happen to have my phone there to see if it helped. If not I can either talk to my neighbors who are very phone savy and ask them to help. I can always call back the Samsung hotline but I really don't like to deal with these issues on the phone.
Can you believe that my car wouldn't start today. However, I bought a new purse a few months ago and my car sometimes doesn't "see" my car fob when it is in this new purse. That is all it was. I was so relieved when it finally started.
So with my "short" email which apparently is just not possible with me I will sign off and wish everyone a good Memorial Weekend.
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy,
Remember, seen by a PA, might be wise to keep appointment with ENT. ;o)
Be Back Later!
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Wheatfields, I am so very sorry that the shingles virus is causing such pain and discomfort. I'm thankful that you are under the good care of your nurse friend and medical staff. I pray for pain relief and your complete healing from the infection.
Nancy, please keep your appointment with the ENT. You've patiently waited to see a specialist, and meeting your new doctor may be beneficial if circumstances change in the future. Getting a second opinion can be helpful and reassuring.
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Teka and Hershey,
I've been praying for wisdom in what to do. I was initially going to cancel and then I realized that I didn't even discuss any surgical procedures with the PA but she did mention tubes in the ears in her summary as a treatment possiblity. So I am leaning on keeping the ENT apt. now because I want to see what surgical options are possible. I really preferred the balloon surgery if it comes to that but we'll see. I can cancel up to 24 hrs but at this point I am probably going to keep the apt. Thank you both for your input.
Wheatfields, how is your pain today? Praying that it will leave soon!!!!
Take care everyone and have a safe weekend.
Love,
Nancy
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Hersheykiss, the loss assessment insurance won't cover our cost because it is considered maintenance and not a loss from some event. Apparently exposure to salt air isn't considered an even… lol.
Nancy, glad you have decided to keep your ENT appointment. I think that is a wise decision. How is your phone?
Wheatfields, your shingles saga has encouraged me to get a shingles shot…now I just got to do it!
Well, my dental appointment today was discouraging. My teeth look great according to the hygienist; however, I have two crowns that are disintegrating allowing stuff to get in underneath. He showed them to me live on the computer screen so I know it is true. They are old so I am not surprised. He said I have a year but I don't want problems like my DD just had. Maybe he can knock me out for it! One can only wish.
Thinking of all the soldiers past and present on this Memorial weekend. I live in a super military area so there are lots of events happening. We have two military bases, Cheyenne Mountain, the Air Force Academy (graduation is next week) and the Space Force headquarters all within 15 miles from us. I can see parts of them from my deck including Pikes Peak. We choose to stay home away from the traffic. Be safe everyone.
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Chris, I am really sorry that your insurance wouldn't pay for this damage. That is a really big expense especially if you weren't prepared for it. I just got back from the Geek Squad. I really prayed that God would intercede for me and give me a tech that was good and didn't mind working with my Samsung phone even though they state now that they do not repair Samsung phones. I had my computer to make it all legit and told him my issue and this young guy had it figured out in a matter of minutes. So now I will hopefully transfer the data myself. I have done it before and will do it again. The price of the phone dropped $130 just a few days after it was delivered and I did a chat with Amazon after finding out with cellphone you can ask for a price drop refund within 14 days. At first it was looking iffy but when the guy came on after talking with his manager I got a $140 refund which included taxes so I was thrilled about that.
Now I have to get a hearing test which was in my after visit notes and need to get a bone density screening and then my ENT apt and I will hopefully be done with medical apts for a while. One of my really good friends is dealing with a large mass in her pelvic area and another probably malignant node that has metasisized so I was shocked when she told me that. She had just gotten back from a missions trip but knew there were issues for quite some time.
I made a redo dental apt for Tues morning. If I knew of a good dentist in town that took my insurance it would probably be a no brainer as this is a 45 min commute one way in wild traffic. I only started with my old dentist there as he dealt with TMJ issues and night guards. Now a days probably every dentist does those things now.
Chris I'm sorry you have to have some crowns that need to be replaced. I suppose you could ask your dentist if they could knock you out. I vaguely remember as a child getting gas to knock me out but that was back in the dark ages and may not even be a thing now!
Enjoy your turkey.
Love,
Nancy
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Honoring all of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom as we honor them on this Memorial Day weekend.
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Nancy, I am relieved to hear of your specific answers to prayer for your phone and with money back too!. Specific prayers do work! My DH has struggled with hearing more and more lately and I have been "suggesting" he needs to get it checked for some time. When I got home from running errands with my DD just now he told me his doctor told him to schedule a hearing check! I am so glad. He is still reluctant but actually scheduled it. Yay! I don't know why this is so hard for him. He misses a lot of conversation.
Gotta go and fix dinner. God bless.
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Chris, my hearing is quite good but many times ENT's use hearing tests to help diagnose problems. When I told the PA that I may have lost some hearing I think she wanted to check it out. In my imediate family my parents both wore hearing aids and at the age of 50 my sister had to start wearing hearing aids. I was the only one that didn't wear them. God knew if I was going to have a career in music I needed good hearing so I look at it that way.
I am glad your DH is going to have his hearing test. When I first was teaching in Naperville I was teaching with a guy who didn't want to wear hearing aides because we were teaching junior high at the time and he didn't want the kids thinking of him as an old man. He wasn't old but he definitely needed hearing aides. I think it is a guy thing but maybe I'm wrong.
I am off to bed as it is very late. Enjoy your weekend.
Take care.
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy,
I'll be waiting for results with ENT. ;o)
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HI ladies,
My long awaited ENT apt I finally had today. I did a full blown hearing test and repeated the test I did last week. He did a scope up my nose. I am a bit baffled by some of the things that were said regarding my CT scan from April 22.He said my sinuses look good from that scan. He said your hearing is really good. I have a slight loss and he said that is normal as we age. Having a career as a band director is not one that is kind to hearing loss so I feel grateful I am doing so well. At one point he said you are an enigma. I said well if you would have seen me back in April when I was so sick you would not be saying that. I said I booked an apt with you weeks ago. He said I know I am hard to get into. His PA I saw last week prescribed Flonaise for me besides my usual nose spray I use with my allergy doctor. He said you can use that all the time. I told him one doctor last summer prescribed it from urgent care but didn't give any refills. This PA gave me three refills I believe. He said let me know when you need more. He seems to think that will help with all of these ear issues.
He did say that I would never qualify for the balloon dilation surgery with my current test results so that was good to know. He asked about my previous sinus surgery and my ENT then he told me had died of lung cancer as a non smoker. That all was news to me. He said if you needed sinus surgery again I would know it by now. I didn't think I needed sinus surgery. My nasal rinse is definitely helping as a preventive for sinus issues and he said continue doing that in the morning and use Flonaise at night which I have been doing.
So I am of course thrilled to hear all of the good news. I did ask him about my dizziness and he said that is related to your ear. He did mention the fact that with having TMJ it can cause ear pain which I have known for a long time and he must be experiencing that now too so he was well aware of how bad the ear pain could get with that.
I just don't want to have to live through weeks of ear infection and related side effects again if I can help it. I think I was hoping for surgery that would make that possiblity greatly reduced but I hope that the Flonaise does the job.
So that is the long story. My awful sense of taste has greatly improved so that is also a big plus.
Have a great day everyone. I appreciate all of your prayers and support during this wild ride I have been on for so long.
Wheatfields. how are you feeling? Praying no more horrible pain like you have had.
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy,
Excellent no surgery! ;o)
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Nancy, it sounds like you had a very productive and thorough appointment with the new ENT. I'm thankful that he gave you such good and reassuring news.
I've used Flonase for decades and not suffered a sinus infection since starting the medication. I hope you experience the same kind of result. (Quick tip: Make sure to rinse the bottle cap and applicator with warm water each week. The liquid suspension is a bit sticky and builds up over the applicator opening.) Take good care.
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Teka, no one wants surgery but I had hoped a procedure would prevent this from happening again but if Flonase is the trick I'll gladly take that route.
Hershey, he told me I could use Flonase every day as only 1% goes into the bloodstream. I do remember asking a health insurance customer care person about a med that they did not cover. They said if it is sold OTC they will not cover it. I mentioned that to the PA that prescribed it and she said if you only use it once a day they probably will cover it which they did. Do you use yours once or twice a day? There was a big difference in price when insurance covered it as compared to the much higher OTC version. Yes, I am definitely ready to put all of that behind me and now I have to find a neurologist and make an apt. I also have to get a bone scan which my PA in oncology was always good about that timeline. My MO didn't remind me and it was my PCP that caught it earlier this month. It was supposed to have been last fall.
How is your thumb doing? Are you able to garden?
Hope everyone has a great weekend.
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy, I use Flonase once a day in the morning. Insurance has always covered the medication, and my copay is very affordable. My PCP orders a 90-day supply with 3 refills. I've not checked out the cost of the OTC medication. Now I'm a bit curious to price compare the next time I go to the grocery store or to Target.
My thumb is better. Thank you for asking. The nail has turned black where it's separated from the bed, and I wear two pairs of gardening gloves at once to protect the thumb. So far that approach has worked well for me.
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Hershey, thanks for info. My ENT told me to use it at night since I do the nasal rinse in the morning. I think I just checked the OTC amount online. I'll have to look again. Glad your thumb is better and to hear the doubling up of gardening gloves helps.
After feeling very isolated for the last many weeks I finally got to go out to breakfast with my good friend who is possibly dealing with some time of cancer in the pelvic area. She unlike me is not used to being sick at all so this is something new having multiple apts in one week. We have all been there I'm sure.
I have been tempted to write SSA and ask if they double billed me for Medicare which I think they did. I am almost afraid to say anything for fear it might make things worse and reduce my monthly benefit. So we'll see if even a letter will get any response. I have not tried the phone call again.
It is a beautiful day here and I hope you are enjoying that too.
Chris, how are you doing? Haven't heard from you in a while.
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy, the Social Security Fairness Act was passed and implemented so quickly. I too wondered if my payment and deductions were correctly calculated.
If you log into your online SSA account (My Social Security account), click on Payment History and then expand the most recent entry. As far as I can tell, the information looks accurate in my account. I hope it's accurate for you as well.
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Hershey, there are a couple of things that just don't seem to make sense to me. Since most of my money earned where SS was taken out is when I was self emplyoyed and I paid not only the employee taxes but also had to pay the employer portion of SS as well. They mentioned my employer paid x amount and I paid x amount. I have a feeling they aren't aware that I was mainly self employed during that time. I just have this fear that I could possibly make it worse and may not get even what I am getting now. I know I need to make a quick decision on that.
I feel bad for those who are still waiting for their retro pay. At any rate I a very thankful what I have received.
Have a good week.
Love,
Nancy
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Here are my first roses of summer. I took these on May 31. I don't remember having this many roses in May so this has been exciting, These were taken from my new camera phone which I can tell has so many possiblities similar to my professional camera so this will be fun exploring all the lens available.
I made it back to church today. My ear issues are resolved but I have residual fatigue that is really disturbing. I make plans and realize I don't have the energy to even start some of the things on my to do list. I experienced this with Shingles and Covid so whatever I had I am going to have to go with it until it resolves.
Wheatfields, I know dealing with pain for a long period of time is awful and I pray that your misery will come to and end very soon.
Chris, are you okay?
Have a great week everyone.
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy, lovely pictures and beautiful roses. Yes, I am okay—thanks for caring. This new med actually has easier SEs than some of the others I've taken, but of course they are still there. I am not sleeping well and have the continued fatigue. Usually for an hour or so after I take my med (with dinner) I have a stomachache and headache, but they dissapate. Other than that I feel I have a little more freedom to leave the house. Thanks to the PT I can actually do a little more around the house which makes me happy. Yes, doing dishes makes me happy lol. My son and his family will arrive in two weeks so I have started the preparations. I am praying I have enough energy to enjoy my three grandsons. Well, even if all I do is sit around I will enjoy their visit. My biggest issue is the fatigue from living with this disease for so long. I try so hard not to be a burden to my family but they are fabulous not to show me any negativity. My DD and I bought our annual flowers this past weekend and I hope to get them planted the next couple of days. Of course I depend on my DH to do the bulk of the work. I am blessed.
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Chris, thank you. I am so glad to hear that overall you are doing better with the side effects. You know I have prayed for years for you to have good quality life on earth so that is definitely an answered prayer. I know our timelines are not always what God's plan is. I know you will love having your your son and his family come to visit. Knowing you, you will have your house spotless. I know your family is concerned about you and loves you and I doubt that you are a burden. They probably see you as a hero that keeps forging on.
Enjoy your flowers when you get them.
Love,
Nancy
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Wheatfields,
I hope you're having minimal shingle pain.
Chris,
You're a blessing not a burden to your family!
Hersheykiss,
Take more than a sore thumb to keep you from gardening.
Nancy,
Lovely rose blooms.
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The results of my annual bilateral 3D Mammogram on 6/2/25 are normal/benign. No better way to start June.
Teka stays frisky nibbling on fresh and dry catnip. She'll be 16 on June 10th.
In my prayers one and all.
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Nancy, your roses are very pretty. Are they little tea roses?
Teka, such good news on your mammogram!
Wheatfields, how are you feeling? I pray that your shingles pain is now in the rear view mirror.
Chris, I can sense your excitement about your son and grandsons' visit. They must be excited to see you, too.
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Nancy, your roses are beautiful! Thank you for sharing! I am thankful that the ENT wasn't suggesting surgery and am praying that the remedies he suggested are working and you are feeling better.
Chris, so good to hear your family will be visiting in a couple weeks, and praying that you continue feeling as good as can be on the new med, and like Hershey said you are a blessing!
Teka, praise the Lord for a good mammogram! And a happy birthday to Teka!
Hershey, praying that your thumb is healing nicely and causing no pain, also hope your garden is doing real well!
I have a couple follow up appointments this week about the shingles, one with the primary care doctor and the other with the eye doctor. Most of the rash is scabbed over and most of the remaining scabs are in my hair, so not too noticeable. I still have a dull achy feeling in the left side of my head and a numbness from the eyelid through the forehead and half of the top of my head on the left side. I'm somewhat concerned about the numbness part and why it is taking so long to go away. I'm down to Tylenol 3 times a day and I'm starting to cut back on the Lyrica (nerve pain pill).
Praying for each of you. Love, Wheatfields
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Teka, congratulations on a good result on your mammogram. Happy Sweet 16 to Teka. I am now an 11yr bc survivor as of April. I think I was too miserable to celebrate at the time. Yes, catnip can be the devils lettuce. It made Cammie more aggressive than normal when she was younger. I haven't tried it on her since then. It made my previous cat very chill.
Hershey, no they are not tea roses. They are knockout roses. I hope I can get outside with my good camera and play around with different lenses with the roses. I am busy with getting my flowers in place and am a bit behind.
Wheatfields, I didn't realize you had shingles under your hair. Oh my goodness. I'm glad you will be seeing your pcp and your eye doctor. The numbness would be concerning to me too. Hopefully they will tell you that this will eventually go away. I think you have just had a really bad case of shingles which is really unfortunate and I am sure miserable. Praying that the worst is over and that you can regain your life before this onslaught.
Thank you everyone for your nice comments on my roses.
I was discouraged by this fatigue that had been hitting me during the day and ruining all of my to do lists. I had lunch with a good friend on Saturday and I ran a few errands afterwards and I got home and I felt like I had done hours of hard labor. Then I realized later that the antihistamine I had been taking at night causes dizziness and fatigue among many other things. So I tweaked my cocktail of sleep aids and completely eliminated the antihistamine. Today I got groceries and then built up my courage to trim some bushes in my front landscape which I needed to do to put my pots I had planted and a new birdbath in that space. The landscapers trim our hedges but by the time they do it my yard looks like a jungle. So I was very happy that I managed to trim three bushes that are very difficult for me but I made it and I was so happy that maybe it was just the antihisitmines that were causing so many problems. I even did some vacuuming tonght. I am so behind on housework but chipping away at it. As one of my friends used to say how do you eat an elephant……one bite at a time.
Chris, I hope you are enjoying the spring now.
Have a great night everyone.
Love,
Nancy
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Wheatfields, it's a blessing that you are under the care of a skilled eye doctor and your PCP. The numbness in your eyelid is concerning to me. My prayer is that it subsides quickly, once and for all, with no lasting effects to your body or eyesight.
Nancy, Knock Out rose bushes are beautiful. We had a similar bush at our former house, and it was prolific. Of course, that was prior to the invasion of the insatiable Japanese beetles. I hope the bush has not succumbed to their ravenous appetites.
No gardening for me today. We received a great deal of rain overnight with more rain forecast through Thursday. Our tomato plants are loving the moisture. So are the weeds… 🌱🌾🙂
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