For Older People with Sense
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LynMichel, you're in my thoughts--waiting for that oncotype is hell. Hope it says "No chemo!" If you do have to go through chemo, there are a lot of people here who can help.
Sewing machines: I have a Singer Featherweight that is over 60 years old and sews like a dream. The newer ones are billed as "sewing computers," and I have one of those, a bare bones model Bernina that's 11 years old. I would say get the best one you can. The new lower priced models aren't very good. There's a forum called "Stitching the Pieces together" that's good also.
Re: indoor hoobies. I about went nuts sitting around after the surgeries and took up some embroidery. It is something to do that doesn't require a lot of arm movement. Knitting is good too--I can do a pretty good scarf!
It is pretty important with reconstruction to be nice to the girls but I definitely did too much on many occasions. Hang in there LynMichel and all the post-ops; it gets better.
XOXO Dragon
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Erma Bombeck was a wise lady Leah.
I forgot there is something I like to make. Right before my diagnosis I was going to make to sell Moravian (Pennsylvanian German) stars. You use 4 strips of paper to make 3-D stars. Guess when I know a little more of what my treatment will be I should contact my seller about my stars.
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thanks LynMichel - my avatar is my grandson walking ahead of me on a trail by the bay shore near where I live. It was taken in the fall two or three years ago.
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Holy Crapola.....my father certainly is an older person with NO sense!.....He just called me all happy and pleased with himself to tell me he bought a new Toyota Corolla!! He is 89 years old and rear-ended someone on the way home from here Sunday afternoon and I was glad they totaled his car since he should NOT be driving. He says Well, the rental car was costing me $19 per day and the payment on this is only going to be $300 per month. Only $300 per month and he can't get by on his SS as it is and there is very little left in his IRA since he is constantly taking money out of it to get by....and I can only imagine what his insurance is going to be!! His old car was a 2002 and he only had collison on it and a $1000 deductible.....plus he has had three wrecks in the last two years!! As they say there is no fool like an old fool. I was just speechless....did not chew him out and tell him what I thought, just said nothing. He says I thought you would be happy for me and I said Well, I'm not. I marched right downstairs and told Tim that when my Dad starts whining about money, he is not go give him one cent or any sympathy. I am just soooo upset....maybe this is good and now I have something else to stew over other than my rise in tumor markers and the fact the Xeloda and Herceptin combo did not work for me. I cannot imagine a salesman selling a new car to an old man who is bent over and walks in there with a cane. Well, I am not going to ride with him, that's for sure.....I will let the cancer kill me, not a car accident!!
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I own one of those old Sears mini sewing machines, too. I sewed all my clothes for teaching school when I was in my 20's and I'm 68 so this machine is 40 plus years old. It is tucked away in a closet. My last sewing projects were window treatments for the house we've been living in for 19 years. My most ambitious project was my younger sister's wedding dress. It was really beautiful.
For those of you suffering with drains, I really sympathize. I hated the drains. It was disgusting emptying them. My DH took care of that job the first 3 days after I came home from the hospital. When the drains were removed, I had holes for quite a while. Two years later, it's all a distant memory.
I watch Saints football games and sometimes LSU games. Tonight we're watching a baseball playoff game. I find soccer really boring but it seems to be really popular with young kids as a sport to play.
Can't wait for some cool fall weather.
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I love baseball, I coached and managed little league teams for 13 years...I must say I enjoyed the 10-12 year olds better than the 13-15 where the boys begin to "get the lip"...when i started there were few women manager/coaches and boy did those men hate to lose to our team...I had no trouble with parents. Before we started the seasons I would sit them down and told them that if I heard anything from them that wasn't positive, I would stop the game and we would forfeit...my grandmother lived in Cooperstown NY , the home of baseball, and when I was a kid in the forties and fifties, I fell in love with the game...
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Marybe - so sorry to hear about what your dad did. I know it is enough to make a sane person crazy, but I know you still love him all the same. Have you gone to the dealership and talked to the sales manager to see why they sold him a car? There might be some way for them to take the car back before your dad wrecks it, and get most of his money back. You may have to prove that he not fit to drive, but that should not be too hard to do. You might want to see about getting your Dad's Power of Attorney so you would have a better chance of protecting him from himself. Take care dear friend.
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well, i've already talked to Marybe, so thats' that.. i just wanna get my sewing skills up enough to try the pockets in a cami; and the foobs that are on bco.. i haven't tried tho, im afraid with my neuropathy.. i'm gonna try to find some internet tutorioal on photography.. the ladie shere have inspired me, and i got a camera ( cheap!) that chrissy said is pretty good. i love goig outside.. but not doing much of that now.. maybe later.. but thats' a great hobby!just thinkin out loud.........where are you now, chrissy????............3jays
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Ah Marybe, no fool like an old fool, eh!!! Just more crap you didn't need to worry about!! Amy Jo has a VERY good point about getting power of attorney for your Dad!!!
Carole, with sewing machines, I always say "don't blame the car, blame the driver" if something is undoable. In your case you excelled!! I won a "Best of Show" on something that I sewed up on a $200 machine!! I hate a machine that I have to pull out a manual to use.
3jays, you don't need a tutorial on photography. Shoot from your heart and not your head and you'll do great! When I work with my DIL, I tell her to "shoot the nose hairs, not the nose". In other words, we know what a flower looks like, shoot it from the back or dead centre or something different that you've ever seen. I have a store in town interested in selling my photos! They have about 12 of the ones I framed this summer and are considering what to do. I don't know if I want to sell them outright as if they don't sell, I'd like them back but they don't normally do consignment. ALWAYS frame with a mat. Most of my frames are from Walmart! I sign the mat on the bottom right under the photo and put it's name on the left side. Looks very professional that way.
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Barbe, I'm so with you--hate a machine that comes with a 60 page manual. Plus you have to take a class to use it. I'm just too impatient. Singer featherweight is so simple you can take it all apart and put it back together in one day.
My sewing machines all have names: Betty, Charlotte and Maxine. Thinking of naming my new computer George but maybe should name it Steve after Mr. Jobs. Bought it the day before he died.
Can Robins nest twice in one season? I swear I heard babies cheeping and the big male is scavenging like mad. It's so late in the year for babies.
Marybe, so sorry about your Dad. The dealership is totally at fault and you could talk to them. The thing is, you probably have enough stress of your own without dealing with this on top of it. Is there another person who could intervene on him? My grandfather did that same thing and we finally had to go to court to get him out of his car. He even ran over a little boy (fortunately no serious consequences). If I ever get like that please lock me up (put my dog in there with me, though).
Lynda
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I had doves nest twice in one season...that or if there was a female in the first bunch, she was a real slut!
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Barbe1958: The dove slut! Priceless!
Marybe: Seems like you ought to be able to do something about the car dealership. It seems to be an example of someone taking advantage of the elderly.
Lisa: Love what you said to the parents re the baseball games. Parents can put so much pressure on kids about sports that they forget to have fun.
I am having some trouble with my left side again. I can't tell if is muscular or what, but it hurts a lot when I take a deep breath and now even when I use that arm at all. I do feel some fluid build up, but not sure if that would cause pain. This is the side that the last drain came out of. I called PS office and they said to take 800 mg motrin and get some rest. They think I might be overdoing it a bit. I stayed home from work today (I took a vacation day because I don't have any more sick days left). I didn't sleep at all last night because I just could not get comfortable.
I have done quite a bit of sewing this past year. My oldest is into "cosplaying" anime characters and has gone to some conventions. I have made 3 costumes for her and 1 for my youngest daughter. I also took the oldest one's friends and helped them get fabric and then 1 of them came over and I sewed most of her costume. Also, since I am a big Barbie collector and my youngest daughter loves them too, I have made several beds for Barbie. I will see if I can post some pictures of them.
Phyllis
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I'm votin' for the Dove slut here!
Phyllis, so sorry you're having so much trouble with the drain site. I really sympathize with that. Please take as much time off as you need (and be sure to take the Motrin with food as it's hard on your tummy. If I were there I'd make you some tapoica!
Love and comfort to all--it's a cloudy day in Portland, the kind we like. Trying to talk DH into building a fire and then will lie down for a while. And then make muffine.
Dragon
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Phyllis, I TOLD you that you would be sore!!!!!!!!! I hate to be right, but the area of my ribs took almost 6 months to calm down once the drain was out. It REALLY irrrirates the area, then settles down just in time to get ripped out. I really hope your's resolves a lot faster than mine!!! I was SURE I had mets or something as the pain was breathless at times.
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I had my drains taken out this Tuesday. I didn't realize what was in me until the nurse showed me. I must have done too much though since under my both arms I have a little more swelling. I just try to do little things. I've had this annoying cough since before my surgery. It's from allergies. It's just an annoying itch in my throat. My DH told me I coughed nearly all night while sleeping. Guess that can't be good for me right now.
Barbe the area under my ribs really hurts too at times. Phyllis the drain sites are a pain in the butt to say the least. Marybe so sorry about your father. I agree with what everyone else said about the dealership. Last year I had to take my disabled brother's car from him. He wasn't happy about it at the time. But now he's okay with it.
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I don't sew but I have a good friend who does it professionally (she made the gown I wore for my daughters' weddings). She told me she started sewing when she was a little girl. She had a Barbie and clothing her cost more than clothing a kid so her mother gave her beginner's lessons in sewing and she's been doing it - and loving it - ever since.
LynMichel, I use large doses of Vit C when my allergies bother me. It's a natural antihistimine.
Today was Yom Kippur, our Day of Atonement, and it is a fast day. For us a fast is complete, no eating or drinking the entire day (starts in the evening and ends the next evening). My doc says it's all right if I don't eat but I must drink. For me, the one thing harder than fasting on Yom Kippur is not fasting on Yom Kippur.
Leah
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Not much pc time tonight...been busy and it's late, so will read back late.
Did see Marybe's post. I am so sorry that your markers have gone a little bit mad, Marybe. I hope you can quickly get onto another combo and get them started coming down. Awful as it sounds your Dad will be taking your mind off things with his antics. NOT what you need right now tho'. I really don't know what you can do..I think in extreme I might have a word with the local police, maybe they can be persuaded to take the darn keys from him. Could give him a scare.
I remember a few years ago, one of DDs boys was playing her up, so she strapped him in the car, drove him to the police station, frogmarched him to the front desk, and told the custody sergeant about the trouble the young lad was in, and asked could he lock him up, broadly winking at the policeman, who went along with her, and took G/son to the cells, read him the riot act, and said 'NEXT time !!! I seem to remember it worked for a while !! This is the G/son who now helps me.
I have had DD to see me today, she is all exited about going on a model photoshoot tomorrow. Two G/daughters went about a month ago, and the photos were very good.....so DD decides she will go. She has, at the moment, bright red hair, and I mean red... NOT ginger. (Last week it was the same shade of red for about 6", then jet black....sort of 2 tone !! ) This morning she had on black tights and not just short shorts, but short short SHORT shorts , plus a grey bustier. OMG. Looked as if she was about to take to the stage in a dance troupe routine...when she was only going to the supermarket. I really dread to think what she will wear for her photoshoot !! She has just turned 44. I am sure she thinks she is 14. If she was then I would give her a swift slap on her behind, and send her back upstairs to change !!!!
I have been quite busy all week with 'goings on' at my neighbours farm. All started last Sunday evening. I was outside just after midnight, locking up gates, letting guard dogs loose, feeding cats when I heard a truck coming down my lane. It shouldn't have been there. I jumped in my 4WD, and chased after it. I managed to stop it, by blocking its path...and then wished I'd popped one of my Rottweilers in with me. It was a monster Artic, great big long thing, pulling half branches off my trees, but hell bent on getting by me. We had words....damned big words, and the outshot was he couldn't turn anywhere at all with a vehicle that big. Both sides of my 1 car width lane have steep water drainage channels, and one slip and the waggon would have gone over. I had no choice but to let him come forwards, and cross over onto my neighbours land, and proceed to his farm. I was really mad, drove up to the top of my drive to see the gate had been taken off its hinges, and thrown to one side...so I was back into the house and screeching at the police to get out here. As I came back out of the house I could see MORE lights coming down my lane. another monster Artic came down. About 15 mins later, after another call to the police, they turned up, in 2 cars....I sent them up to my neighbours farm. I hung around until 3.30am. then went off to bed.
Next morning the police were here again, wanting a statement from me. They had caught the 2 Artics unloading their goods, my neighbour and his wife helping, all this at 1-2 am, one load was electrical goods, and the other a whole load of food. The farmer, and his wife, and the 2 drivers were arrested and taken away. The police came down again early afternoon, and told me they were locking my lane up, and my neighbours lane at the other side of his farm, and that no-one would be getting in or out for a while. OK by me. I wasn't going anywhere. At 5pm the police came down and told me they had found thousands and thousands of poundsworth of stolen electrical goods, and foodstuffs, PLUS 3 vans and 2 tractors, and 'many' farm implements that shouldn't have been there.....all were stolen.The helicopter was up above for threequarters of an hour photographing everywhere. I have since had the police down twice asking about unusual non-farm vehicles that have been coming and going for months. I voiced that I was down here alone, and didn't want reprisals, so could they put me on their list of "places to drive by" !!! At 9am this morning I had a small police car in the yard, and a policeman at the door asking if I was OK. Don't suppose they will keep this up....but it would be nice!! I am just wondering if, with the helicopter going up they were looking for drugs. I was told they were looking for 'recently disturbed ground', but they never said drugs....or bodies.... for that matter !!! My neighbours are out of the cells, and will be in Court on Dec 2nd. ....in the meantime I'm feeling a bit like a sitting duck !! Will have to call on my friends the gypsies to see if any of them would like to camp in one of my fields !!!
Too much exitement for me this week !!! Yesterday I had to take DH to hospital to have his knee cleaned out. Took him at 10 am, picked him up at 4pm, and made sure he got back to his own house !!! He 'was wondering if I'd like him to come up on a night' .NO.
Bedtime right now. I have had some new locks fitted...well, extra locks, one on my bedroom door....which I am hating...it looks a mess. If I could trust one of my Rotweillers to be quiet, and most of all NOT to pee on me when I am asleep I would take one of them to bed with me !!!!! But, male dogs are NOT clean in my house, as I only keep female dogs in the house, and the Rotts go mad when they smell where the females have been. If one of them gets into the kitchen the place is like a gents toilet in 10 seconds flat !!!!!
Isabella.
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Isabella, I like the idea of getting hold of your gypsies to camp there, and not just a few of them either. In your shoes I know I would want some protection and from what you said of them at the time of they wedding I have a hunch they would be willing. Just having people around should be a big deterrent.
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Holy cow, Isabella! I hope you are managing ok. Your DD's antics are relatively common among the 40s trying to recapture the 20s...
But your neighbors sound like something out of a cop show !!! I'm like you and would be concerned about reprisals, but I am sure that they know that they would be suspect immediately should anything happen around you. Still, I'd be for calling my gypsy friends and asking if they had someone who might bring their own caravan & camp & help out for a while... What about your grandson - could he stay over from time to time? Until this is sorted? I hope your back is holding up all right.
Leah, how are you feeling? I liked what you said about the fast.
I don't think I feel up to going for a drive today after all.... the anti-b's are working, but slowly.
BarbA, I hope you have gotten some relief.
Best to all...
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Wow, Isabella!! I wonder that it didn't all come out at that Council meeting you had!! You should update that committee on just what they were allowing your neighbour to do!! Tractor trailers in the middle of the night to a non-working farm should always be suspect!
Leah, I too, loved the wording of your post. I bless you with the words that should be said (tho I don't know what they are) for this time of year for you and your family.
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Isabella, let your rotties roam around. They will keep you safe.
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Hi all, wanted to join in here. I identify with so many of your posts
(Marybe) elderly fathers - mine is 89 also and still drives although almost blind, deaf, and a tad too slow at processing things to make me feel comfortable driving WITH him
(Isabella) criminal neighbors: last night we watched as police cordoned off the street with crime tape and proceeded to photograph tons of blood spots on the street and in our shared driveway after our teen neighbor was stabbed multiple times (but then, I live in the city and strangely feel safer than I would out there with you - Please get someone to stay with you, although you sound like a very brave woman)
(So many of you) sewing people: I have been wanting to buy myself a new sewing machine to get my mind off things. I used to be so busy this time of year making all my kids their costumes. Now, the costumes the kids buy are so authentic looking and well made ...can't really do a better job for my grandkids than they could get in costume section of the toy store. Thinking of making clothes for myself instead.
Looking to get my lumpectomy and SLB out of the way (scheduled for Oct. 31st, (ironically) and hopefully rads done before Christmas. (?)0 -
Our San Diego friends were so happy to met Chrissy today...such fun
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Lisa--who is who? I recognize Crissy but please identify the rest.
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hbcheryl, chrissy, shirlann, me, and standing behind us, guitar girl
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Thanks Lisa. I thought you must be the one on the end--if you weren't behind the camera.
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I'll say it again Lisa, change your avatar!! You look way younger in the couple of pics I've seen of you...
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Chabba, I am what I am...
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great pics, Lisa.. i can now put a face to 3 more women on bco......3jays
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What a weekend! Daughter #2 came home from camp with lice! I hate those buggers. She hadn't told me about it right away and slept in my bed -- she snuggled up to me and I ended up with a few of them too. So spent the weekend de-lousing. Vacuumed everything, washed bedding, pillows and clothes in hot water, we used a non-toxic product I discovered a few years ago called Lice Freeee. You end up smelling like licorice, but it really works. Even kills nits. The we got a Lice Freeee shampoo that works as a preventative -- it keeps you from getting re-infested. We will still be checking heads daily for a while, but I think we beat them by getting on top of it quickly. I did overdo a bit, but really didn't have a choice.
Isabella: What a fright! Keep yourself safe and let those rotties protect you. Good idea about the gypsies! It is tough when you can't feel safe in your own home. We had a problem a couple of years ago when a house in our neighborhood was raided by ATF (Alchohol, tobacco and Firearms). I was outside getting ready for a garage sale and suddenly there were swat team type guys surrounding the neighbors house. The were all geared up and armoured and were armed with automatic weapons. Apparently this guy was dealing drugs and firearms. I was so scary! He ended up getting killed later in a nearby town in a drug related battle. For a while, I didn't let my kids go out or even walk past that house. Since then the house has been sold to a new neighbor and I wonder if she knows the house's history.
Lisa, great picture. Nice to be able to put faces with the names.
Later!
Phyllis
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