Technology Withdrawal

I brought my laptop computer with no way to access the internet at the moment. A lot of the channels that I'm used to at home on the television are not part of the ever basic package here. I'm starting to go through some technology withdrawals.

Little new has been happening, but that's how it goes when you have a parent who has Alzheimers. I hadn't seen dad in a year, and he is markedly worse. It's sad to see such a vibrant and energetic person fade to a blank stare of non-comprehension.

I took a ride yesterday to a cemetery, but was not able to access it. Over the years the gentle slope that led up to it was carved away for a road, leaving a giant climb up a steep embankment to get to it. I haven't given up hope yet, but it's going to take a little ingenuity to make it up to it. I'm told there may be another small family plot further up the road which I need to check out. That's the way things were done here back then. When someone died they were taken out back and buried in a family plot right on the farm.

6th Anniversary

It's hard to believe that six years have gone by already. I hope that you still enjoy stopping in to see what's going on in my life and to find a new froggy every now and then. I've already received a new one here at Frog East - the original Frogitorium. As soon as we get the computer situation straightened out I'll get it up here for you to see.

The only real change that I made recently to the blog is the removal of The Hopping Frog Webring. Recently it seemed to take over and have a mind of it's own. I was receiving complaints that every time you went to this blog, you were automatically diverted to the webring page. That has finally been remedied for good, I hope....

It was an uneventful trip here. Rain on my last day of travel. Thankfully no snow. That started about 10 minutes after I got here! The last couple of days have been a whirlwind of family and catching up on all the news. Things should be a little more regular now as far as posting goes.

Welcome to year seven - keep sending pictures of your frogs and letting me know about your collection - I'll post it here as the Guest Frog of the Day!

Three to get ready

And four to go! Today has been a really busy day. The suitcases are in the trunk of the car and all errands have been run. This evening and tomorrow morning will be the mad dash to be sure everything is done and then it's on the road. We'll pick this up tomorrow evening if I have wifi access at the motel, otherwise, it will be after I arrive at Frog East - which might be Thanksgiving day, so have a great Turkey Day!

The cellar steps

They are the bane of my existence. I made it down the cellar steps Thursday an did 3 loads of wash. The problem is not going down with the basket of clothes - it's getting back up! I park my walker right at the top step, crawl down backwards, and have a chair with wheels sitting right at the bottom of the steps. Anyway, I made it down and back up. The problem, I left a load of clothes drying in the dryer that I would need to back and get. My basket was full, so it made no sense to sit there for an hour waiting for them to dry, I couldn't have gotten them back up the steps anyway.

Yesterday I made the trip back down and while I was there I did another couple loads of wash - yes, I was way behind and still am because I hate the cellar steps and do not go down unless absolutely necessary. I loaded up my basket and started the crawl back up the cellar steps. I made it to the top and put my right leg down to a very loud crunch. It had had enough. I've been nursing a swollen knee since.

I did not realize that this next week was Thanksgiving and so I'm rearranging my schedule as much as possible to leave for my annual trip eastward a couple days earlier than I planned. Not sure if I'm going to make it or not. I have a list of 5 errands that have to be done before I can go and a leg that's not working well. I guess I better go work on that list before it gets any later.....

Tired

I spent yesterday waiting around for a fed-ed packge to arrive that I knew I had to sign for it. You figure overnight shipping, it would be there by 10 a.m. at the latest. It came shortly after 4. That meant that today I've been going non-stop. I've packed up the majority of my desk needs for the time I'll be gone. Two loads of laundry done and a third is in the dryer. A couple loads first thing tomorrow morning and I should be doing pretty good. I got the suitcases out - which about drove Gertie over the edge. So I'm taking a break for a bit. Tomorrow is going to be another non-stop day with errands around town in the afternoon. Then it's time to start packing the car. Not exactly sure what day I'm going to hit the road for home. We're supposed to have a couple days of rain and I hate the thought of driving in a hard rain.

Now I'm going to make some dinner. I've got a lasagna that I thought I'd make this evening and that should last me a couple of days to be sure. I bought a small cherry pie for dessert. I've been wanting pie for a while now - maybe it's because of the Thanksgiving holiday coming up, when pie is second only to the turkey. I actually would have bought a pumpkin pie but that would have meant going back to the frozen section for some cool whip (or to the dairy, which is even further away, for some whipped cream in a can).

Enjoy the evening - I need to stop and rest.... I get cranky when I don't have my nap!

Tuesday

I decided that I was feeling well enough to head over to Walmart to pick up some last minute things. I forgot to buy some bottled water for the trip - I'll buy that when I get the car gassed up. Our local convenience store is also a gas station. Anyway, I thought I was going to die. I haven't been out and about for a while because of the flu. It was utterly exhausting - and I only did a couple aisles.

Tomorrow I have to head into the basement to do a couple loads of wash and get things ready down there for my trip home. Not sure yet just what day I'm leaving, but I hope to get on the road soon.

Today I printed out the latest version of the genealogy book. It's coming together nicely. I had a lot of information to add since the last printing - and I have a lot yet to add, but I wanted to have a nice clean copy to take with me.

Now to bed.....

I'm alive!

If I hadn't of been, this morning would have been enough to raise the dead. Last night I finally got some much needed sleep. I'm still a bit under the weather but on the mend. This morning my sinuses got cleared right down to my toes. I awoke to the smell of skunk - very strong. It smells through the whole house. Then I heard some strange noises coming from the basement and a moment I had always dread met me head on - going after an animal in the basement and how do I get it out. I went down to the cellar to find that the plumber had left the basement door to the outside wide open when he was here two weeks ago! I searched the basement from one end to the other but did not find a skunk so I'm hoping that my clunking down the cellar steps chased it out. I closed the door cursing because I now knew why my heat has been running strong (read non-stop) the last few days as its gotten colder. Now I'm hoping the smell will dissipate quickly.

So I just had to look up the spelling of dissipate - my spelling has gotten worse as I grow older - my dictionary, a giant American Heritage Dictionary, is in constant use. It's one of those that used to be in schools. The binding was torn and I got it at a sale years ago for a quarter. That meant I could take my little paperback one and keep it next to my chair where I do crossword and word puzzles. I'm surprised at the people who do not have a dictionary and instead call me to ask how to spell a word or worse yet, misspell it. I know that you can also look things up on google or use spell check, but I enjoy pulling out that giant volume and flipping through and finding the spelling, just as I enjoy reading books in book form. It's something that's lost on many people today.

Veteran's Day

Sprogz - Pond Force 1
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino

Today is Veteran's Day and of course that means another parade here in Tidy Town. Our last parade was about 12 days ago, the next one will be in about 15 days. We love our parades!

The big question is how am I feeling today. Craptastic! I actually got a couple hours of sleep last night, so I hope that's a good sign that I'm on the downside of this flu. I still have the chills and incessant sneezing, and a nose that runs non-stop. OK, maybe I'm not feeling all that well yet.

This is Pond Force 1 from Sprogz making a repeat appearance in honor of Veteran's Day.

Thanks

I want to give a big thanks to the maker of the flu shot. I don't know who you are specifically and I think that you want it that way. But you do such a great service that I couldn't let today go by without giving you the credit you so richly deserve. You have protected me from getting the flu from all those sick people who are out there and who I might run into some day. You did this all for me - thank you - you did a phenomenal job of giving me the flu all by yourself.

To those who say you can not get sick from the flu shot I can only say Poppycock! It would overwhelm the statistical odds that every year I get the flu shot I shortly thereafter get sick. So a couple of days ago when my nose and sinuses started filling up, I thought nothing of it. When I woke up Sunday feeling like I swallowed razor blades, I did not complain. Yesterday I awoke with what I thought was the worst headache ever (today proved that to be wrong), I said nothing. Today I woke up with a worse headache and the chills - and frankly I'm ready to bitch! However, you knew I would not have the strength - Bravo! flu shot maker. I would applaud your sadistic humor if I could get out from under the comforter, but it's too heavy and I'm too weak.

Good night!

Weekend Dog Blogging

Gertie
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino

Of course I'm not happy - you gave me a bath! Am I supposed to be happy about that - I don't think so!

Gertie actually did really good with her bath and nail trim this week. She's being a little extra clingy - I think she realizes that something exciting is going to happen soon. She hates riding in the car and so I'm not looking forward to three days of being cooped up with her on the road.....

Frog of the Day

Hope for Hope
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino

Yesterday was a reallly bad day. I have a list of errands for each day between now and when I leave to head east. Yesterday I had to go to Walmart to get dog food and treats and a couple odd and ends to make things easier on the road. When I go into my local Walmart I have to make an immediate left hand turn and then walk the front of the building to the pet section, going right past the pharmacy and personal care section where I planned on picking up some hair gel and other miscellaneous items. It took me an hour and a half to make that walk. Not because it was so busy, but because my knee has all but given out. A couple steps, then I had to sit for a while, a couple more steps and then sit some more. It was quite a long process, but I finally made it to the dog food section, only to find they did not have Gertie's dog food in stock. She's enjoying a new brand as I write.

This frog collectible is actually the first in the Hamilton's Hop fo a Cure Frog Collection, but the last one I received. It is called Hop for Hope. They are each limited edition and numbered. This one is numbered 1091A. A portion of each sale goes to breast cancer research. I received this frog November 2010.

Thursday Evening

It was a cold, windy, and rainy night..... lol..... it really is this evening. This morning I woke up after two days of running around like a crazed person and my body said enough! From my swollen knee that I could barely stand on to stabbing bursitis in my shoulder. It was a day to stay home and rest and relax. Thankfully I could sit here and pay the monthly bills on-line. I do love that. I just click on my bank's website and put in the amounts I want to pay on each bill and click pay - done!

Tomorrow I have another extensive list of things that have to get done before I head east. Things are coming together, and I'm sure some of the things on my list don't have to be done, but I feel that I should try to get everything done up.

Gertie smells so good after her bath and she got her nails trimmed down. I don't know how they make them so smooth, but they did a nice job and she seemed to like it. She'll be going monthly upon our return.

The genealogy project is going well - I've connected with another distant cousin and receiving more information.

I've got a few frogs here I need to put up - I'll try to get one up tomorrow.

VOTE

If you haven't voted, there is still plenty of time. Get to the polls and pull that lever, or fill in those bubbles, or touch that computer screen - whatever your polling place provides. Thankfully, I live in a small town and I was in and out in about 5 minutes - and only that long because I stopped to talk to someone.

Gertie went to the groomers at the vet office this morning. It was the hyperventilating ride down there for her. I let her curl up behind me (she smushes herself between me and the seat back). I had forwarned them about the experiences she had at the previous groomer, coming home with blood spatters all over her from where they pulled her hair out by the roots. So they took a lot of extra care with her. They spent about a half hour just holding and petting her - generally spoiling her. Then they gave her a bath and cut her nails. Everything was fine but she hated the drying cage - so she came home a little damp. That's ok. They loved her and can't wait to see her again. And I was happy she got some interaction with other people, which she really needs.

The plumber came out to clean the furnace. The filters were caked solid. He said that may have been what caused the air conditioner to stop working and he's going to look at it in the spring, but he's not sure if it can be fixed. Yikes - I can't make it without air conditioning. So not sure what's going to happen there. The furnace is all cleaned and ready for a winter's use. And hopefully cheaper than last year, when I thought I would save money by not having the furnace cleaned. You just can't cut corners on these things.

Finally Gertie and I are back home and both tired from a long day. And tomorrow I have to do it again - the car is going to the garage and I have some other errands to run. Who knew getting ready for a trip East was so exhausting......

Blog Problems

There are some blog issues lately and I'm attempting to resolve them. If you have any problems while viewing this blog, please let me know.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is going to be one another busy day. Gertie is going to the vet's office by 9 a.m. for a bath and nail trim. I'm going to vote on the way home and then rush back because the plumber is going to be here by 10. Then I'll need a nap for sure! Gertie is not coming home until late afternoon, so I really need to run a couple errands after the plumber leaves. Things are falling into place for the big trip East.

Today has been exciting. I've located and connected with another person in my genealogy search. Slowly, things are coming together.