Nobody move!

I wanted to title it: Don't nobody move, but what bad English. I know I should have titled this blog "Headaches R Us".  I sneeze and I panic. I take the dogs out in the heat and I panic. A car horn blares, I panic. Do not move too quickly. Slow movements. Slowly ascend the stairs.

I awoke yesterday with no pain. Well, a slight tightness around the head - but nothing that needs medication. I tread carefully all day. Funny how when you don't have a headache all the other pains (normal getting older pains) come to the surface. 

Since I had no headache I watered flowers, I puttered and pulled weeds. Ah, the back ache. Back inside. All laundry done. All dishes done. Move slowly, move carefully.

Oh, Friday was hell because that is the day I had to bite the bullet and NOT take anything. If this last rash of headaches were due to a rebound effect then I have to flush it out.

It is one thing to have pain and no medication. It is another thing to have pain and medication that will take the pain away. But to have the pain, the medication that will take it away and not being able to take it is another matter entirely. I knew if I took my migraine meds the pain would go away and I would feel good and be able to function. If only for 12 to 24 hours.  I opted out. I took Friday and just let myself be miserable. I had to flush out this mess if it was rebound.

Well, it was rebound or the weather changed or my hormones evaporated. Sinus pressure dissipated? Something. Day two of not having to take medicine. Well, not yet anyway.

The photo above is not mine. I lifted it. This is the way my head feels when I have no pain. Crystal blue. I found myself yesterday wanting to cry. With relief.

If the article is correct, then I am certainly a candidate for MOH (medical overuse headache). It would take longer than two or three days to kick the over the counter meds. The migraine medicine I can go for long periods of time without taking them. During menopause the migraines have increased. I am on a daily beta blocker. It is supposed to lessen the number of migraines or perhaps the intensity. Well, I sure would hate to see what would happen if I didn't take the beta blocker. 

I hate the beta blocker! Side effects are horrible. You know that 'second wind' you get when you need it when hiking - especially up a hill? You cannot get that with a beta blocker. It does not let my heart beat harder. The first time I experienced this I could not figure out for the life of me what the heck was going on. I loved to walk and hike and I always had that extra burst of energy to walk fast and get up that hill. No more.

Am I in menopause? Ha! The average time for women to experience menopause is 51/52  years old. I am 52. This menopause can go ten years or longer. Migraines are supposed to ease up after menopause. I am taking cues from my sisters who also get migraines. The oldest one said her 50's were the worst for migraine. Nice.

There is a test the doctor can do to determine if you are experiencing menopause or not. A few years back when I had blood work taken for other tests, she asked me if I wanted to test to see if I was in menopause. I said sure. Not thinking. A few weeks later I received a bill for over $70 - insurance does not cover this test. Arrgghh! I had not even thought of that. So the medical diagnosis from an actual doctor will remain a mystery as to whether or not I am. I have no night sweats. Not yet. That would be horrid. I do get hot very quickly and have to have a fan on me constantly. That could be anything.

So anyway. If only for a week or so, I hope to be medicine free. Of course there is the occasional regular headache you get from sitting at a computer too long, or lack of sleep. Sleep problems are also a sign of menopause. Heck, I had lunch with an old friend and she said that memory loss is a sign of menopause. I had not heard that one. I thought it was my medication. Hmmm. I see no documentation that states memory loss as a symptom. She also said we crave calcium. I don't recall hearing that one and I cannot find any documentation to back it up.

Back on the carousel - or merry-go-round, or roller coaster.

Number eight

Yesterday was this blog's eighth birthday. Whew. What a bunch of words. I still like to do it...blather on, that is. So, here's to another eight years!

Stay cool

The dog days of summer have started a bit early 'round here. My grass is burnt yellow-brown and crunches when I walk on it. When I take the dogs out - we head straight for the shaded areas where the grass has managed to remain green.

Sometimes, the dogs get a little too cool in the house, I think. When they go outside they begin to roll in the dry grass to scratch their backs and to soak up some warmth on their belly. All four paws in the air and twist! It looks like a canine Hokey Pokey .(interesting read about this popular dance/song).

Do like the little fella in the photo, find a cool pool and stay in it. Shaded of course. The sun is a killer. I was never a sun bather. Time in the sun produced a 100 % certain headache for me. Indoor A/C, fans, shade and hats are my style.

To get the % (percent sign), hold the alt key down on your keyboard and type in 37 on your numeric keypad. Num Lock must be turned on.

On the road

I sat here this morning nursing my coffee and hoping it does not make me sick as I am plagued by more headaches. BORING! Stupid weather.

I said to myself "You have no new pictures. What in the hell are you going to post about? Since you are taking it easy this summer you go nowhere, nothing happens to give you any stories to tell."

Well, not true. For work yesterday, I drove to a high school close to the river and whilst on the road, a huge yellow truck followed me for quite a while. The driver had a yellow shirt on.

And what is that name splashed across the grill? Why, it's GRUMPY! LOL! Click it to big it.

A closer view

A close up view. I get the windshield replaced on Monday. While I am at work. They come to the parking lot and replace it. You have to wait an hour before you can drive the car.

Yes, I have a green cover for my phone. It is to help me find it in the deep dark depth of my purse. It makes it easier than the black cover I had.

I watched "The Pianist". This one had escaped me. I knew it was praised but I just did not get around to watching it. Very disturbing..as most war biography movies are.

What are you going to do?

Yep, it was THAT kind of day, yesterday.
Click it to big it.

Magenta

Last year I planted all red in this container. This year I went with purple and pink and magenta. Looks like I have a spot on my lens I need to clean. Oily finger, no doubt.

Dry here in this part of Ohio.

My favorite part of the festival

As you would know...my favorite time at the festival was when I got kisses from this adorable canine. And she would not stop. She was smaller than my cats. I wanted to take her home with me. Sigh.

I finally slept in this morning. I did not wake up with any pain but sometimes it comes after I move around a bit. I want to do so many things. I managed to get more flowers planted  yesterday and some shrubs cut back. I want to pull more weeds and thistles today but am also trying to balance it with rest.

This is not a bad pain. It is just annoying. Bending over is the worst. Clanging dishes brings in a close second. Dogs barking (when they hear something outside) comes in third. I know better than to clean with any harsh chemicals (smells). I will try to clean up but that means bending over.

I did not have to take any Treximet yesterday. I am taking prednisone for five days. It tastes awful! I am still swallowing my Advil. At this point my headache could be rebounds from this medication. Need to ween off of it.

One good note. I have washed everything in the house. Rugs, sheets, clothes, towels and pillows. I am caught up on that. My dishes are all caught up. If I can manage to stay home today and tomorrow I should feel much better by Monday. Right? Right!

Keeping warm

I did not take this photo. I believe my nephew did. Quite a few campers came in on Friday night (the 1st of June). It had rained all day and the weather was very cool for this time of year. Many chose to sit around the big campfire to stay warm before heading to their tents to sleep and prepare for the next day (the wedding).

I drank earlier in the evening at dinner but stopped when we got to the campground (private field). It was not a public campground. My nephew and I went to rescue a couple who had broken down on the expressway. Tolls are tricky when you need to get on the road and pick up people. We had to travel 12 miles past the broken down couple to exit properly (pay the .50¢). No illegal U-turns allowed. If we had not exited properly, the ticket booth lady said if we brought the original ticket back to her (or that checkpoint) we would have to pay the full toll fare (which was $80). Ouch!

The couple could not get their car started after it cut out on them, so we gave them a lift to the party. I spoke to them on Sunday and they had to have her mother drive all the way (across state) to get them and use her Triple A to tow the car back home. They had just picked the car up from the garage. (They used wallet mart - but I am going to refrain from any comments here).

The next day my nephew chose to ride with me and leave his car at the motel. He gets real tired of being the "sober" guy who has to drive everywhere and do everything. I don't blame him. This may not have been the issue, he said it was because of parking room (there was plenty). I think the colder rainy weather may have kept a few of the party goers away. One guy counted 220 people, but I wonder. There were so many people and they kept moving, I don't know how he could have counted them. Anyway, there were tents on the fields all around us - as far as I could see.

I think a lot of people had a really good time. If I were 25 years younger and I did not have the impending headache, I well may have been one of them. Minus the smoke. I cannot stand smoke of any kind. I learned something I did not know. A "nugget" is a ball of of weed. Some sites say it is a bud. I think they roll it and smoke it in a bong. I am not certain because I usually was not around this activity. From what I see on TV, it still requires using a cigarette lighter (the movie Hesher) and I say that means smoke of some kind. (maybe? - maybe not).  Ha, ha - I really DON'T know.

There were no other drugs that I could see (except for alcohol). No pills, no cocaine, no sniffing or huffing. Just weed. A real hippie festival. 

What am I talking about? How would I know if anybody took pills or imbibed in ecstasy? How do you take ecstasy? Ah...thank-you Google. It's a pill. They did not have this kind of stuff around when I was in my 20's. And meth? What the hell is that? One of my ex-boyfriends OD'd on this (years after we broke up).  Wow. Looks like you can snort, smoke or inject this drug. The pictures of people on meth are horrible! 

Hey, it is way too early in the morning for this sh!t!

No, wait! One more. My neighbor told me about this one. He said they used to breathe nitrous oxide out of a balloon when he went to the festivals in the 90's.  This is laughing gas like you would get at a dentist's office. I have never had any at any dentist so I do not have any idea what effect this has on folks. My daughter has had it (at the dentist) and she said it feels like you are floating. Man...I need to switch dentists. :)

The "in-between bands" band

This group of singers were friends of the groom. Most of the songs they sang were his songs. I had heard them because he has a web page where he has his songs and I had listened to them. They sang on the small stage between gigs while the bands on the big stage set up for their next set. My niece had arranged bands to play from 1:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. on her wedding day. Minus the hour during the ceremony of course.

My niece is very happy. As long as she is happy. She is a bright,  young and very sweet girl. She just graduated with a degree in Psychology. I hate to see her take this hippie route; but again - what do I know? She wants to continue her education in holistic medicine or naturopathy.

All I can say is -what a great way to practice your psychological skills.

The children

Remember the saying "Not in front of the children?"  Many people brought their children to the festival. Beer drinking, whiskey drinking, pot-smoking, and hippies stumbling around. 

I saw many moms watching over their children. I saw no dads helping to take care that the children stayed out of harms way.  Except for my niece and her new husband. He watched her six year old like no other.

The children were having a wonderful time. From what I could see. There were no tears. There were not tantrums. The children danced, hula-hooped and laughed.

What do I know?

One family had all their blankets and sleeping bags stolen. They had to rent a motel room because they had small children and needed to provide them with warm shelter. 

I overheard others talking and one guy said "Possessions are not important." Kiss my ass, mister.

It may have been my headaches that soured my experience at the festival also.

I'm back in the saddle

This festival of hippies? You can have it. I was not impressed.  Quite the opposite, in fact.

The wedding was wonderful.

I am just posting a few sentences because I had a massive four day migraine hit and am just now able to function thanks to First Care and tramadol HCL.  No thanks to my doctor's office who would not see me until 10:30 tomorrow morning. Boo!

I have been a patient for over ten years. Maybe four or five times have I called in those ten years asking to be seen right away due to some pain or ailment. I think they could have done better.

My migraine was not responding to any Imitrex or Advil that I would throw at it. I had a thunderclap episode that I have had before but not as severe. It was followed by severe vomiting and a massive migraine. It scared the bejesus out of my daughter. I was beside myself with pain. It was 1:30 a.m.

I am stubborn about going to the ER.

I will post more about the event when I am feeling better. The highlights for me were the people who brought their dogs.

Away we go

We  have an outdoor wedding this week-end. It is a 3-day event. Music, food, beer. Weather has been perfect up until today. Rain. Cooler. Eh. We'll do our best.

Encyclopædia

October 1966 is the date on the photo. The corner of the living room in the house where I lived from 1966 to 1985. Notice the huge encyclopedia set in the bottom right corner. That was a beautiful set. It was probably the 1964 or 1965 Britannica version. I am guessing. The set was destroyed by water damage and soot damage. Not a fire - chimney damage caused soot to back up into the house. I can still remember me trying to tell my brothers and sisters - we have to do something. Mom's house has black soot on the walls - it is sitting on everything. Finally a brother found a chimney brick had fallen into the furnace (or something). It was probably horribly dangerous.

Then the house literally began falling apart and we still could not get her to leave. We tried to make the house livable but it was beyond our means. Water ran down the walls of the living room and between black soot and water damage - that encyclopedia set did not survive. It didn't have any pictures that I recall. If there were any, they were small and black and white.

I had tried many times to get my Mom to move in with me but she was having nothing to do with it. I tried to find a place where she could have her own independence but time ran out on us. She would have never moved. I came to realize that. She was so happy when we moved into this house in September of 1966. She had a home that her daughter purchased. Nobody could make her leave, now. She lived the rest of her days here until she passed in 2000 from a vehicle accident.

I can still remember the scathing e-mail I sent to sisters and one brother who had e-mail. One sister-in-law asked me if I was drunk when I wrote it. I was not. I guess I set the family on edge. I had come back from visiting my Mom and the house was in such horrid condition I slammed everybody. Not personally but as a group. I said we should be ashamed of ourselves for letting our mother live in such horrible conditions. The electrical wires were exposed in my old bedroom where the plaster had literally fallen from the wall. Water from outside ran down the exposed walls. My Mom's bedroom had a leak in the ceiling. I had a huge red bucket tub that I would empty each week-end that I went to visit. There were eight children and only two visited her on a regular basis.

Eh, I did not mean for this post to go here today. I am done.

Hold it High

I missed posting on the correct day, but I figured I could not pass up posting one of my poppy flowers and recite yet another section from In Flanders Fields.

Hold it high.

It is a fact

Ever since I was little I had issue with words. I did not know it at the time, but it could have been a fore runner to my migraines. One symptom of migraine is the speech (dyslexia, I call it) aura. Your brain thinks one thing and the words that come out do not match.

When I was little my family used to laugh at me because I said "cob on the corn" or rolliavi.

I have had I believe, all of the symptoms. Two times (and only two) one eye has completely lost sight. That was weird. I can't recall if it was the same eye each time. The episodes were a couple of years apart.

Anyway, the speech can be quite amusing. I am known to be rather clownish and funny anyway, but this speech issue can really create some havoc.

My medicine takes care of the nausea and pain. Eventually. I am left with what I call a migraine hangover. I am not feeling great but I can function.

A co-worker was introducing a new intern in the tech department. I asked her what her background was and she said "Web page design."  I replied "What did you use, html, frontline?"  The other tech laughed. He said "Frontline? That is for fleas!"  We got a good laugh at that one.

Usually I get words switched. For example, if I want to say - "It sure is hot in the car"; I may say instead "It sure is car in the hot." Things like this have happened all my life.

Later in the day was the real kicker. As you know a few days ago I watched the pilot to Gilligan's Island. The regular theme song form the television series has been stuck in my head for days. I walked downstairs to use the restroom and then off to the mail room to see if I had mail. As I walked back through what I thought were empty halls I was singing "Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale.." I turned a corner and there in front of me was one of the younger fellow psychologists. He was always shy and never said much.

Being a tiny bit self conscious that I had been caught singing, I barked out "I've had Gilligan's head stuck in my I...."  That is when my mouth stopped. My brain was saying WTF are you saying? Stop, stop, stop - you idiot. It was too late. My mouth had spit out the switched words and stopped. The poor guy was texting. He glanced up at me and I was trying to backpedal as fast as I could by talking quickly and saying "I mean the song Gilligan's island has been stuck in my head!"  He was long gone, having returned to his texting.

Yep. My daughter is right. They are scared of me.

What 'cha doin'?

I checked back and discovered that I have not posted any pet pictures in May. Nothing from Sable for a while, so here is one from March of this year. My Sable girl. We rescued her from the pound in March 2003 (if my memory serves me correctly).

The vet guessed her age at 7 months. So we figure that makes her almost ten years old.

Spruce

A manager I worked with in Virginia back in the mid-80's said "Let's see if we can spruce up the office." That was his way of telling me he wanted me to clean it. It is a phrase that makes me smile because I had never heard it put that way before or anybody use that word in that respect.

I purchased some bedding flowers to "spruce" up my area.

Orange

The Professor

I had no idea. I will be 52 years old the end of this month and I had no darn idea that the pilot of "Gilligan's Island" had three different characters than the TV series. Ginger and 'Bunny' were secretaries. Ginger the smarter one and Bunny the dumb blond. The Howell's were the same and the skipper and Gilligan were the same.

The professor. Oh, the professor! Why didn't they keep John Gabriel? I guess it would be too much of a stretch to have somebody looking like that to be a brilliant mind, too? I watched and liked the show when I was young, but gee whiz. I might have made it a priority if they had kept Gabriel as the character. Sigh.

Just google 'Gilligan's island pilot' and you can read all about it. One site said that the pilot was lost for years and first aired in October of 1992. Well, I missed that memo. And if you get the chance to watch the pilot or watch the YouTube video check out the theme song. It isn't the one you remember. LOL!

Oddly Familiar

I watched "On the Bowery" the other day. It was so oddly familiar to me. I didn't catch the fact that it was a documentary until afterwards. I was astounded at the authenticity of the actions, mannerisms and speaking of the drinking men. This is how I remember my father when he drank. Looking like the lead character (although a bit older) but the style of clothes and hair almost identical. The mannerisms in the drunks around them - the walk, the slobber, the loud story telling, the grabbing of another man's arm to get their attention. The stumbling, the swaying. So oddly familiar. So real. I have witnessed my father's friends when they were under the influence.

We think there are vast groups of people who are lost in this life, but if you dig deep enough - you discover that this form of "losing one's way" or wasting of life has been going on for all time. If you read up on the documentary you find out that the guy with the white hair died shortly after filming and the main character - with the neat haircut was offered work in Hollywood but decided to stay on the Bowery. The pull of alcohol (or rather the mood alteration that the effects of alcohol brings) is very powerful indeed.

While watching, I just got the feeling that most of the dialogue was not scripted. Or the actions, for that matter. I don't see how they could have been. The stagger was just too real. Were the men actually 'acting' drunk on the set or was this a real documentary? How did the filmaker get around permissions? Was this even an issue in 1955? Maybe they did not need permissions. Maybe documentaries such as this created the need for TV production companies to get authorization before they placed somebody on film. Hell, maybe the guys signed the authorization paper for a drink.

It made me feel a bit better knowing that this seemed to be an epidemic of some proportion. How many of these men had families at home? Families who stopped expecting them to come home. Maybe they had been abandoned by family members and ended up on skid row. Skid rows still exist. Maybe we need another documentary. Maybe there is one and I just have not found it, yet.

Regardless, this film was gritty and messy. It was not the choreographed films you see today that show you how things were back then or how things are in 'loser territory'.  No matter how hard they try - the films today always have some sort of glamour or gloss to them. Not this one. I kept expecting one of the old men to stand up to see that he had pissed his pants. Maybe they cut those scenes out. 

Why such small glasses? When I worked in a bar in the mid 70's all the drunks at the bar drank out of those big fish bowl mugs. Or the big handled mugs. My dad had a dozen of the big handled mugs. He kept all kinds of doo-dads in them. One would be full of watch parts. One would be full of odds and ends. I spent hours going through those big old mugs of junk.

I think my Mom threw them all away after he passed. I think she just went in his room and tossed everything out. I would guess he had a hundred ties. I think I recall him teaching me how to tie a tie when I was young but I seriously doubt I could do it now. I did love to go through those ties though, and look at them. When he was sober he was a very kind man.Well, I thought he was. Different siblings have different memories. I think my dad had his favorites. There may have been a brother or two that do not recall him as being so nice. 

I remember (laughing) one time asking my Mom why she married him. Because when I came along in 1960, she had been married to him for twenty years. I only saw the drunk who could not keep a job. It was hard for me to imagine that he had been anything else. My mom laughed. She said he wasn't like this when she married him. I laughed at myself. Of course he wasn't. Who would marry something like that?

Click, click, click, click!

I have been up reading for over an hour. Oh, Peruby will you never learn?!  That large glass of cold and sweetened iced tea certainly tasted good at 8:00 p.m. Sigh.

My neighbor has one lone iris blooming this year. Strange year for the flowers. You could figure with the odd weather we have had. I snapped some shots of my one lone poppy blooming and my peony bush but they all came out blurry. What evah!

Anyway, Muse stated she was having issues loading a picture onto blogger with Firefox and had to use IE, so I had to test it. I had to click and click and click and click but it finally went. Who knows what is mucking things up this time?

Green May

According to the date stamp on this photo, it was taken nearly a year ago. I think when I moved out of state I missed the greens of Ohio most of all (next to family of course).

Baby Doll

I think I found the model for the little baby dolls they sell in stores.

Silhouette

Serene photo, except for the cable wires and that alien-esque street lamp. Directly after the wedding ceremony at Sm@thèrs Bè@ch, Kèy Wè$t;  I pointed my camera west and caught the sky. The photo is untouched except for a slight shadow border and I blacked out the date from the camera (which was incorrect anyway).

Pearls

My grand niece playing in the sand at Key West. I love her blue finger nail polish. On her wrist is my Mom's (fake)pearl bracelet. Funny how her grandmother (sister 1949) helped herself to things in my Mom's house before we all took the time to clean it out. She made certain she got there first and took what she wanted. During my niece's wedding was not the time for me to mention it to her. She would just say that Mom had given her granddaughter the jewelry before she passed anyway. We have no way of knowing.

It Makes you Wonder

When I did the driving, my daughter and nephew entertained themselves with making funny pictures of themselves on the iPad. I heard them laughing and carrying on but did not see any end results until after we stopped for the evening. This was on our way to Key West two weeks ago.

We stopped in middle Florida and picked my daughter up. She moved there recently. I jumped at the first chance I could when I heard that anybody in the family was headed to Florida so I could see for myself where my "little" girl was staying and to see how she was doing. I also have Google Earth and Latitude to see where she is at all times. Until she removes herself from Latitude, that is. If she thinks I am stalking her too much, she may do that. I don't know. At 21 years old I am not certain how she feels about me knowing her where abouts.

It isn't like around here where we grew up. If my phone tells me she is in Orlando, I have no clue if it is a red light district or if there are biker bars she is frequenting.

I watched a movie that had me wondering. What would you do? The movie is "London River".  It is mostly about a mother in Britain during the 2005 bombings, who after two days of not hearing from her daughter goes to London to check up on her. She is perplexed as to where she lives and that she had an Arabic boyfriend. She finds this out by searching her apartment which the landlord gives her access to. A day later enters the father of the boyfriend. He is searching for his son.

The mother seems to remain in denial for the first few days. Probably a safeguard. Did this daughter and her boyfriend live in a cocoon? One of the first things my daughter did when she moved to Florida is to tell me all about her boyfriend's family and his friends. I have met most of them. It just seems to me after two or three days a friend would come to the apartment and ask about the daughter. Have you seen her? Did you go here, there and here to check on her? The police were not much help to her. The hospitals were even worse. Is that how it is in Britain?

Anyway, towards the end of the movie, they finally find a travel agent who recognizes the daughter and her boyfriend and tells them about a trip they planned to France. So were they in France hiking through the wilderness and had no cell phone service? Service was kind of poor after the bombings so that could have been a reason why she did not communicate with her mother.

The mother's brother stayed at her farm and took care of it while she went to London. I would have given the key to a neighbor and been right there with her in London. I mean, what the hell? Just let her roam the big city alone and looking for her lost daughter? Sheesh. It makes you wonder.

Doctored

I doctored the above photo. Key West Sunset.

Sunset Sailing

Another shot from Mallory Square in Key West.

Trauma

The first move that I ever watched in a theater (to the best of my knowledge) was a comedy called "Monkeys Go Home".  Disney, funny, entertaining to a (then) seven year old. I was with other siblings, I don't recall all that went, but I do know my older brother (1953) was there and I felt safe and happy. All was good. We were kids on our own while my Mom and older sister did some business downtown so we sat right down in the front row, because we didn't know any better. :)

The second movie I ever watched in a theater (to the best of my knowledge) scared the bejesus out of me. I would have been eight years old by now and having filled up my days with stick horses, baby dolls and Dick and Jane books, my oldest brother (1942) decided to take my (1957) brother and me to see "2001: A Spacey Odyssey."  I know by today's standards this movie (rated G, by the way) is so low on the horror and scary scale it is beyond ridiculous. But in 1968 to a small girl who could barely keep her eyes open through a Twilight Zone episode and mostly watched the westerns with her dad, I was wracked with fear.

I came away from that theater with a memory of looking at the aisle lights. I recall seeing beautiful red lamps that were high up on the wall (a dim light to help people find their way, I suppose). Now, as I think about it - they probably looked an awful lot like HAL.

Who remembers or knows what relationship the letters HAL has with an infamous computer brand? Kind of neat. Many years later in a training session in Pittsburgh, I found out about a similar naming of computer related acronyms.

Sailing

Off the shore of Mallory Square in Key West at the sunset celebration.

Doll face

My great niece brought a friend with her to Key West. I let her wear my glasses one morning and snapped this photo of her. This friend was amazing. She won ALL the staring contests - hands down. She also won the "Who can be the quietest the longest" game and I don't think I have ever met a friend so polite and quiet. She just went everywhere we asked her to go and didn't even mind if we left her in the room while we went on without her. She did sleep when she lay down and never opened an eye until she set up the next morning.

Well, come to think of it, I was sleeping - so how do I know she didn't open her eyes? She may have been watching us all night for all I know. Creepy.

Shoes

When you do a lot of walking, shoes are important. I suppose if you do a lot of standing and running, too. Nurses have special shoes or they wear a good pair of tennis shoes. My foot doctor told me to wear New Balance (the higher the number the better). They get too hot and they do not look good if I have to dress up and give a presentation or go to a meeting. The highest I find is 610 at my local shoe store. Where I purchase my SAS taupe huggies. I can get away with wearing these to meetings and they are cool. Ugly shoes but they let me walk without pain. Or, very little pain. Not like before with the plantar fasciitis. I do get some burning from the friction, I will start using baby powder to help remedy that.

I think I just found out why I cannot find a higher number of New Balance. The 800 series runs over $100. Well, that is about the same that I pay for my SAS. If it stops the pain, it is worth every penny. And, so far - the SAS sandals stop that horrible heel pain. I seem to be able to walk almost forever. Now, I need to find something for my aching back when I walk too much. I did find out that if I pushed myself (like I had to in Key West) the back pain finally dissipated. YAY!

The above photo was taken while I was sitting in Key West at Mallory Square waiting for the sun set. You remember, where the cruise ship had to wait over an hour for the girl to arrive? Most folks tell me that a ship won't wait very long. When the doors are closed that is it, they said. This one waited, however.

I can see by the little emblem on the side of the shoe, that it must be the real deal. I have purchased knock-off crocs but not the real thing. I may have to give the real ones a try to see if they help my feet during long standing episodes or when I do a lot of walking. Do you have a certain type of shoe that you swear by? Have you had episodes of plantar fasciitis or heel spurs? If so, have you had a shot in the heel? I heard that hurts a lot. Maybe foot surgery?

Bar is Open

Key West is known for the bar scene. I guess. A group of us did go out one evening and meandered in and out of bars. We started at the Hard Rock for dinner. A lot of the bars in Key West are multi-faceted. You walk in one place and if you continue to walk around or upstairs, you enter another bar area with different music and a different crowd, but it is the same named bar.

On our trolley tour, we were shown the bar that opens at 7 a.m. and closes at 4 a.m. We didn't make it to that one. Heh, heh. There is an open atmosphere in most of the Duvall street bars. There is no glass on the windows. I am not certain there were any doors. I have no idea how they lock up after hours. I would have to say our favorite was Pete's Dueling Pianos.

A lot of the drinkers stood outside on the sidewalk. No drinks allowed outside but some had one foot in the bar and one foot outside. They spilled out and mingled with the tourists. Perhaps a lot of them were tourists. It was odd for me to see this mixing of people drinking and families walking (with little children) through the same drinking crowds of people. I'd say it was about eleven p.m.

There was one group that came in. Four in total. I only saw the two guys dressed (horribly) as women. They had exagerrated make up on and scarves and old lady skirts with tragic white hose on. Somebody in my group said that there were two women with them. I only saw the men. It was amusing.

Chubby

I had to share this photo of my great nephew. His mom had over 80 photos taken and this one just jumped out at me. It gave me a shiver when I looked at it. Such a face!

Oooh, the icing

The icing that gave me heartburn. I don't care for the cake. In fact, I leave most of the cake and just eat the icing. Just like a little kid. Keeping in the fashion of the rainbow theme, my local bakery came up with the air brushed rainbow colors. I loved it. I did not notice the rainbow bunting around the sides until later when the box was opened up. Even when I snapped this photo, I had not noticed it, yet.

I had put things off too long while preparing for the event and with other members of the family arriving fifteen minutes before the event (they were bringing half the food and the decorations) our shower started 30 minutes late. 

My family is known for over-doing it. Well, most of us are known for that. Our general mind set is "the more the better". I am the youngest (closing in quickly on 52) and I don't suppose we are going to change any time soon. 

There was a lot of food. We had 15 women at the shower. There were four out of the five sisters in my family in attendance. I was a bit frazzled at first but calmed down enough to enjoy the event. We also tend to run notoriously late for events. We have exceptional organization skills, but we tend to over extend ourselves and that leaves room for a meltdown during the last phases of arranging an event because we simply run out of time because we try to do too much. This one was no exception. Two sisters travelled with extended family members and that led to late arrivals and needing to leave earlier than they wanted to. They usually do tend to stay and help clean up but sometimes the party you are with needs to be back home or somewhere else so they have to book it out of there.

Myself, I needed folks to leave so that I could relax for about ten minutes and then clean up. Relax again and clean up. There is a certain amount of chaos when people are helping you clean up. The shower was held at a building I am very familiar with and I knew what needed to be done and where things needed to go. Do not get me wrong. They did a tremendous amount of work helping me to clean up. The hardest part (for me) is lifting and taking everything out to the cars. I was fortunate in the fact that we could park just feet away from a door to the room where the event was held.

I do try to remember the pain (lower back and feet and head) so that I can better prepare for the next event and if I try really hard I am certain I will remember some that I have hosted that came off without a hitch and ran smoothly with a lot less stress. One more caveat that my family tends to have problems with. Asking for help. Is caveat the correct word, here? Eh, possibly.

To sum it all up, I realize and acknowledge the fact that I have all the above issues, but it is in my nature and after watching my sisters all of my life have come to find out - it is a family tradition. I doubt that I can change my ways even if I wanted to. So, Advil it is today as I set out to my niece's house to help her set up her computer. Besides...I get to spend more time with my older sister, her husband, my grand nephew and this beautiful niece that I do not get to see nearly often enough. It's all good.

roygbiv

This is not my photo. I did take some of this arrangement but I am so blessed tired I can only type a short post here and will take the pictures off my camera later. My feet  hurt so bad right now. I was even wearing my SAS sandals all day.

I overdid it. I am paying the piper, now. My sink is still full of dirty dishes. I managed to get all the perishables in the refrigerator (some veggies remain in a cooler outside - it is cool enough). 

I thought that the lady at the place where I get balloons did a fantastic job with the rainbow arc (arch?). On each end she taped them to the floor and made a tissue paper puff to cover the tape. I was VERY happy with the results.

I love that icing on the cake but the heartburn I get after eating it is excruciating! I am going to try and find some medicine that will work, take the dogs out and go to bed!

Pre-windows

Many, many moons ago - I used a program called Wordperfect. This was before the days of Windows and MS Office. That enormous package may have been around but my establishment used Wordperfect and Lotus. Remember Lotus 1-2-3? Anyway, I think it was Wordperfect that used the Blue Morpho butterfly I have pictured above. I fell in love with it way back then.

The conservatory at Key West was polluted with them. I like blue and I am sure this may be one of the most favorite of the butterfly species. In the conservatory at Niagara Falls and Columbus it was difficult for me to get a photo with their wingspan open. When this butterfly lands it folds up its' wings and they are brown on the underside.

Until I found this one. Sitting on a blue bench. It sat there for a long time and I think I took about 20 pictures of it. I had to be called away from this presentation of blue on blue. My grand niece had a butterfly on her head and my sister wanted a picture. I obliged.

Now, looking and posting the picture I am thinking to myself, 'Maybe it was dead.'

I kind of liked having the sailboats in the sunset. After the sun set we realized there were many houses on the island in the right of the photo. We even noticed more islands that we did not see before because of the glaring sun.

I had an extra three week days to recover from the vacation and I have to say, I think I needed each and every one. I must have slept through Sunday and most of Monday. It was also so cold when we returned I could not move very far away from my electric heater. Of course, having the heater on may have contributed to my sleepiness.

Sigh. I guess I am ready to go back to work today. I tried to keep up with the e-mail messages. I still am not certain if I am supposed to report to a school this morning or go directly to my office. I will go over some of the early messages to see. I recall reading a message or two "...when Peruby returns from vacation....", so I will re-read.

I shopped for the food supplies for the wedding shower yesterday. I am making calico beans, taco dip, cheese tray and the punch. Non alcoholic. I am going to try a recipe that uses cranberry juice, pineapple juice, ginger ale, sugar and almond extract. I have never purchased almond extract before. Ouch!

The cake is ordered. I have to print off a pretty picture of a rainbow and run it over to the bakery today. I was out of yellow ink at home. The bakery will take any photo you print and create the edible picture and decorate around it. I may keep it simple and have this one:  simple. I really like this one:  bars   and this one:   butterfly.

A nice lady helped me decide on what to do for favors. I will assemble and take pictures. I have a party out of town Friday night so I do not have much time! Yikes!

Cruise

I have one brother who prefers to vacation via cruise ship. I have not been on one, yet. I have had a couple of opportunities to go, but have not, yet. We wanted to get as many family members as possible, but nobody ever has the money to go at the same time as a deposit is required many months in advance.

This cruise ship was in the harbor when my nephew and I slipped down to Mallory Square to capture photos of the infamous sunset. As we waited for the sun to set a young lady ran up to the huge ship and the crowd cheered. Seems as though the entire cruise ship was waiting for her. From a distance I could see that she had long flowing blond hair. Had on a black short outfit and was drinking a fountain drink. I wondered what had held her up for an hour. That was how long between the ship sending out it's long wail to call passengers and the actual time she arrived. They had to completely re-open the doors and put the walkway down especially for her.

It was the folks on land that cheered. Not the passengers on the ship.

But, oh what a sunset. My nephew was upset at all the sailboats and other vessels that blocked the view, but I rather thought their silhouette against the backdrop of the setting sun added more character to my pictures. By the time the sun set my camera battery was depleted (as we had been out walking for seven hours straight by then) and I had to use my cell phone. I was so worried I was going to drop it in the water. I had used up all the camera battery power at the Butterfly conservatory. My group of family kept laughing at me because I kept mistakenly saying the Butter conservatory. I came back with the obligatory coffee cup (my souvenir of choice). And a tote. Of course a tote to carry all the other souvenirs I purchased for other folks.

I washed all my totes when I came home. I really need to spread them out and get a picture of all of them. The cats love them so I have to hide them so they do not sleep on them and get their cat hair all over them. Most of my totes are black. The one I purchased in Key West is a clam shell white.

Do you have a certain item that you pick up each time you vacation? My brother-in-law collects shot glasses, so I picked up one for him. He does not even drink. LOL! I picked up tee-shirts for all the grand nephews. A couple of magnets for sisters. A hat for my brother. I also grabbed a new key ring for myself. We ate at the Hard Rock cafe but their souvenir selection was quite lacking.

Am back..

On reflection, I would have added one single strand of white pearls. Regardless, I think my niece and her husband look stunning. 

I am back but very, very tired. I am catching up on washing clothes, housework, e-mail, reading facebook, checking bill status on-line and sleep.

Returned to a very cold and rainy Ohio. What a shock to the system. I got a little burn on one side of my neck that affected my purse holding but all in all, I came back unscathed. I cannot say the same for other members of my party. Lotion sunscreen. Throw the spray sunscreen away!

Cayo Hueso

On our way tomorrow morning. See you when I get back. I don't know if I will post anything while I am away. I don't have any pre-posts set up (yet).  I hope they are finished hammering and grinding on that house across the street by the time I return. Ugh!

Sunscreen? - check

Cooling burn lotion? - check

sunglasses?  - check

Migraine medication? - check

hat?....hat?....Uh, oh. I am going to need a hat.

I knew it

When I bought my house about nine years ago, I just knew somebody would build a house in that tiny lot directly across the street from me. I just knew it. One week after construction started one neighbor on the right put their house up for sale.

Printing directions to a wedding shower this morning. The invitations and cards are all done. I just need to put a little map inside the envelope and where the bride is registered. I will be home on a Sunday and the shower is the following Saturday. I work only Thursday and Friday of that week, so I should have time to plan a few games and tie up the loose ends. Right? Right!

21 today

A few weeks back I posted a picture of a nest. An EMPTY next. Some time later I wrote that there were a couple of things I had happen in my life that I was not quite ready to talk about. I told you about the Boxer. Now about my little girl. She moved to Florida one month ago.

This photo is about two years old. She dyed her hair dark brown since then. I will see her in seven days. My nephew and I are driving. We will pick her up near Orlando and drive on to Key West. This is by no means my "dream" vacation. I do not like the heat. I am not a big "ocean" person. I like it, sure - but, if I had my choice - I would see the ocean from Nova Scotia or Maine. Better yet, a fresh water lake. Sigh.

Regardless, my daughter moved away and then I gave my Boxer away all within about a week of each other. I am still reeling from the shock. I am not near ready for ten days in Florida. Not NEAR ready.

We will have the latest iPad (4G) so I may post some photos as I get a chance. My nephew purchased a new Sony  (do not have the details with me) - but he was showing me the sensor sizes chart. Interchangeable lens, it has 1080p video, etc... He is having a blast with it. He is going to take some great shots. Me? I will have my two Canons with me (one heavy and bulky and one point-and-shoot) and my daughter will have her waterproof Olympus. I am going to check to see how deep it can function because we plan to snorkel.

I have a niece getting married in Key West on the 18th. The heat may be unbearable for me, but the company is outstanding. I am certain the view will be great as well.

Creepy

A few weeks back I met some family for dinner and across the street was an antique store. It was nice to look at but I do not (nor need) anything from an antique store.

 

Come to find out, somebody was watching us from the third floor window. Ominous.

Death by chocolate

On the tenth of March I was at a birthday party for a two year old. In some areas or families it is traditional to give a baby their own cake on their first birthday. This little one got an entire chocolate cake with vanilla pudding just under the surface of all that chocolate icing on his second birthday. You can see a little of the pudding peeking out at the bottom left. What he ate was at the bottom right. He was not impressed. He ate a little. Then pushed it aside. 

Towards me. Very close to me. He soon went into another room to open gifts. All eyes were on him. I myself, was very interested in the cake. Let's just say by the time all the gifts were opened a big dent had been created on the other side of that cake. Mmmmm.

Communication

My dog, Cheech (a.k.a. Chester/Cheesecake/Chesterfield/Cheesy/Chimichanga and Sugarfoot) does a bark/howl sound when he is in a playful mood. You cannot see his one sugar-coated foot in this photo.