There's a reason...

...why I have not been posting. My keyboard melted from this extreme heat. Well, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Not certain why I am in a slump. Just a dry spell, I guess. I am reading all of your posts, though. Very good stuff and very entertaining.

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