Trees - Dust - Drugs!

The tree man came early in the morning and worked until 4 p.m. Boy, that is a BIG tree - but anyway it's now had a very nice trim and looks quite respectable! AND, if we keep our fingers crossed, it won't blow over when the Santa Ana winds come again.

Mr. Indi's brother came to visit him yesterday and so I made myself scarce. (They talk man talk!) The trouble is that I really don't like going out by myself all the time - and I found myself sitting in the corner of the Italian joint - crying! What a dumbo - the waiter thought I was crying about the food! I almost got a free meal out of it!

I interviewed a cleaning lady this morning. She comes highly recommended and seems really nice. She will come for 4 hours every 2 weeks. She won't be able to start until May 13th though - I guess I shall just have to live with my dust until then!

I'm falling down on the job here! I didn't keep track of Mr. Indi's morphine and he almost ran out. So - it was panic stations this morning as we got hold of his nurse and she called in an emergency order to the pharmacy. They will send the drugs out by courier this afternoon - Phew! I must start keeping a more accurate tally sheet.

I took the picture yesterday afternoon. My hibiscus is starting to look very pretty - I'm glad that something is!

Meeting Myself Coming Back!

I'm having a terrible time sleeping - and I think it's because of my arthritis which seems to be getting worse - especially my poor old elbows. I suppose it is from pulling and pushing his Lordship about the bed all day long! Cor! It is a real struggle to get those diapers on him and shoving the bed pan under that large bum of his requires super human strength. My arms aren't so bad in the daytime but when I have been resting in bed, it's almost impossible to lift up a glass of water to get a sip! Pfft. I hate being old!

We had a lovely day on Sunday as our little granddaughter came to visit. She played with the doll houses and I took her to the park in the afternoon. The weather was lovely and she had a ball clambering all over the playground equipment. She also had no problem making friends with some of the other children in the park and was soon telling them all what to do! A born leader - that one! Her Papa really enjoyed seeing her and he loves the fact that she is so generous with her hugs!

Yesterday was manic! I did the post office - bank - drug store - grocery store - gas station. Also 4 loads of laundry and cooked BBQ ribs and fixed home made potato salad! I'm pedaling as fast as I can!

Mr Indi seems to be getting quite dippy and when the nurse came yesterday, I asked her about it. She says it's probably the morphine and it will only get worse. The other night, he swore that I had gone into his room at 1 a.m. and tucked him into bed (t'wasn't me!) So now he thinks it's a ghost who is visiting him at night. Well, as long as it is a friendly ghost, we'll be OK!

Today, I am having my 80 foot ash tree pruned - so it will be chain saws and wood chippers all day - charming! Nothing like a bit of peace and quiet is there?

The picture is one I took the other day of the inside of a cactus flower that was blooming on my patio. The flowers only last one day but they are stunning.

Catching Up!

I just haven't been able to find the time to write the blog for a few days - but, as it is Sunday morning and I have nothing of any urgency to do for the next - oh six minutes! - I will try and catch my breath and do a bit of scribbling.

Mr Indi is finding the new hospital bed a little more comfortable than the previous one - also, the air mattress is a different type and is both more comfortable AND a tad quieter than the other one which sounded like a beehive gone berserk.

But, he looses a little more strength each day and now, when he sits on the side of the bed, he is unable to lift his legs back into the bed without assistance - and - let me tell you - those legs weigh a ton. He sits on the edge of the bed when he's using his computer and he is making me very nervous because he gets so close to the edge. One of these days there will be an awful THUD from the back room!

He is also losing his hand to mouth coordination and must eat with his elbow resting on the bed rail. Still, he manages to shovel it all in - especially his lunch - his favorite meal. I do tend to spoil him at lunch time and always make sure he gets a big handful of his fave snacks - those horrible Cheetos - Yuck! You can see by today's picture, I am shoving as much fruit as possible down his neck - seems to be keeping the bowels running smooth! Excuse the pun!

My hairdresser, who is a very kind lady, came to the house yesterday and cut Mr. Indi's silver locks. She wouldn't let me pay her - and said she was just happy to help. His Lordship now resembles Kenny Rogers - now if only he could sing!

The weather cooled down and is now a bit chilly - (I'm never satisfied!) but at least it has given me the chance to get out in the garden and start pulling off the dead freesias. I hope to get it finished today and then I can go to the garden center and get a few bedding plants. Summer is a'coming!

I got a note from my good friend in the beautiful state of Maine. I was so sorry to hear that she has been very ill in the hospital - but is now on the road to recovery - get well soon Mainey! Miss you.

Peace and Quiet? What's That?

I am forcing myself to sit and write this as I can't seem to find more than 5 minutes in a day in which to sit at this puter! We still haven't changed our internet providers as it is turning out to be a bit more of a nosebleed than first anticipated. We really cannot be without the internet for more than one day because (even though Mr. Indi is now officially on permanent sick leave) he still works from home every day. His boss is so grateful as it seems the place is falling to bits without the magical Mr. Indi touch!

The bed move went without a hitch - except that I was completely hobbled from swinging his Lordship around in the Hoya lift for hours on end! I moved him from the bed to the wheelchair and put him in the living room but that didn't last very long because sitting upright is too painful on his spine. So, after 15 minutes of watching the big telly he needed to lie down. Next stop was "The Green Room." It's the smallest of the bedrooms and decorated with disgusting green paint and wallpaper that has been up for at least 15 years! It was a bit of a job to get the hoist around in there but I did it and managed to get him in "The Green Bed." He was happy to lie down but soon became a bit frustrated because, without a trapeze or handrails, he was unable to move about in the bed.

The first lot of bed people came at 9:30 and dismantled the original bed , stacked it up in the living room and set up their bed in the bedroom. That took about an hour - then with the help of the nurse, I made up the hospital bed with clean linen. I then used the Hoya to get him back into the wheelchair and into the other bedroom - one more trip in the Hoya, and I had him back in a hospital bed. By now my back was breaking! You will notice that the nurse who was sent to help me - helped me put a sheet on the bed! LOL. She's a nice woman but has no clue how to use a Hoya lift. Pffft!

Mr. Indi's bed sore on his bum is doing much better - I have been using a concoction of zinc ointment mixed with calamine and vitamin D - it seems to be working.

All was settled by 12 noon when the mechanic called to say that my car was ready - I had been driving Mr. Indi's hunk of junk and was having big trouble with the power steering so drove his car down and dropped it off with Sonny (the multi tattooed mechanic!) and picked up mine ($150 for a new battery and oil change) It was soon determined that Mr. Indi's car had a serious problem with the high pressure power steering line - cost $398 - ARGGGGGGGG! Anyway - it's all better now - I picked up the heap of junk yesterday afternoon and now have 2 working cars (Am not betting how long they stay that way!)

The weather has been unbearable - over 100F for 3 days. But today is supposed to be cooler - my garden will be happy about that!

I took the pic this morning - the Peace rose is growing in my front garden. My Dad's fave rose. I like it too.

Happy Kidney Day!

Today's is the 13th anniversary of my son's kidney transplant! We are forever thankful to the family of the donor who were so selfless in their gift. Happy Birthday Kidney - and many, many more.

Let me Out!

My Internet is up and down like a bloody yoyo - and we haven't yet changed providers - so I will type this as quick as I can - before I go POOF!

Has not been a few good days. Mr. Indi's constipation became crucial - morphine is a horrible drug when it comes to one's bowels. He was in such pain and discomfort - I just didn't know what to do - and the nurses were no help. But - I finally got him moving with shredded wheat - apples - prunes - milk of magnesia and senakot (double dose!) Yea! Of course, I then became the bed pan emptier par excellence for several hours - Oh well - I wasn't doing anything else important!

The hospice company has now insisted that we use their hospital bed as opposed to the bed that Mr. Indi is using - that came from the Home Care company. (The EXACT same type of hospital bed.) What a crock! Now - on Monday, I shall have to use the Hoya hoist and wheelchair to move his Lordship into the spare room while all this bed moving takes place. I shall then have to move him back. I'm glad he's only 230 lbs - I couldn't manage 300!

My car died this morning - What Fun! When the Auto Club came out to look at it, the verdict was that the battery is toast! It looks as though the alternator cooked it. So - I had it towed to our mechanic and they will check it out on Monday. I am guessing $800! So - for the rest of the day - grocery shopping, etc - I drove Mr. Indi's old banger which makes horrible grinding noises when you turn the steering wheel. I shall have to take that one in, too. My guess is another $800.

Last night, the people at the back of us gave a party (they have a swimming pool) - they were still going at it at 2:30 this morning. Selfish lot - or maybe I'm just jealous that I wasn't there! Either way - I am sleep deprived!

Thanks to Jan for the wonderful note - I couldn't stop laughing - and I hope you and Tony have a wonderful time in Wolverhampton - my kinda place!

The picture is of a horrible 6 inch grasshopper that was on my window screen yesterday morning. He jumped - flew - flopped - out of the way before I could chop his head off with my secateurs. But - I shall be on the lookout for him - he'd better beware! I named the picture - Let me Out - but as he was on the outside, I suppose it should be - Let Me In!

Off The Air.

I may be off the air for a few hours - days - weeks! LOL. I am changing internet providers - am sick of the other lot. Don't know what my new email will be - will let you know - but I will still be available on palealepam (at) gmail (dot) com. If the switch over takes too long - I shall be taking my beautiful pink laptop to Starbucks for a nice cup of coffee and free wifi!
IPA

All About Cars - And Other Stuff.

On Monday, a new handicapped placard came in the mail for Mr. Indi. When I opened the envelope, I just sat on the couch and cried. He will never drive a car again - he will probably never even be able to get into a car again. The placard is of no use.

Also on Monday, our friend, Enrique, came to visit us on his day off - this is the chap who has the English teacher who told him he would burn in hell....blah, blah, blah. (BTW - he took my advice and told her to shut up about her religion - which she has!) Enrique has recently bought a car - he used to go everywhere on his bike - and he is now enjoying himself with his new toy! He came to see if he could help me out with some chores and I asked him if he would take John's car to the car wash - (I would pay, of course) It hasn't been driven in about 8 weeks and was covered in dust and even had cobwebs growing in the wheel wells! Well, Enrique didn't want to go to the car wash - he says they are a waste of money and a hand washing is the best! I didn't argue and within an hour he had washed both Mr. Indi's and my car. What a deal! And, what a kind chap Enrique is.

Mr. Indi had a visitor yesterday and so I took the opportunity to go off for an hour and visit my friends, Marika and Cyndi. Both of them have beautiful babies who just turned one year old so I got to see lots of lovely pictures. I also had a nice lunch and a tall cold beer!

Yesterday morning, the plumber came and fixed the broken drain gizmo in the kitchen sink. It didn't take him long and I am now back in the washing up business without any leaks. That was another $150 down the drain! (Get it?)

Mr Indi is not feeling too well - mainly because he is constipated from the morphine again. One of his nurses suggested that I make him a cocktail that they call "The Bomb!" 4 oz of warm prune juice mixed with 2 oz of Milk of Magnesia. I think not! I would be afraid that the ensuing explosion would severely damage the neighborhood! Still, I must get things moving today - I shall start with Shredded Wheat and raisins.

Do you like the picture of my new car? Ha Ha! I have seen it a few times around and about here. I don't know how they get away with driving it on the street. I don't think that it is street legal - but it sure is fun!

No Easter Egg! Boo Hoo!

Oh well, I didn't need an Easter Egg anyway - I already have a cupboard full of sweeties and yesterday, Mr. Indi's Russian buddy came to visit him and bought me another HUGE box of those delicious dark chocolates from Russia. He also bought me a bottle of desert wine from Moldavia (his home state.) He says that the wine is a traditional accompaniment to the dark chocolate. Them Russians know what they are doing! I told Mr. Indi that for dinner tonight we shall be having chocolate and wine!

Our Easter was very quiet. I went out with my camera for an hour while Mr. Indi was visiting with his work buddy and sharing all the dirt and office gossip. I didn't find much to snap - the California poppies are all blooming along the freeway but there is no place to stop and photograph them - grrr! I did get a couple of Day Lily pics - and some of that wonderful purple ice plant that is opening up all over the neighborhood - but nothing spectacular.

My day was ruined when, as I was going to make dinner, I discovered a big leak coming from under the kitchen sink. I opened the cupboard door and there was 1/2 inch of water in the cupboard - ARGGG! I emptied out all of the cleansers and stuff and mopped it all out. I then began the task of trouble shooting - with Mr. Indi shouting instructions from down the hall! Talk about the blind leading the blind! Anyway - it's a problem with a gasket and I don't have the tools, knowledge, desire or time to fix it. So, this morning I called my plumbing buddy but he can't come out until tomorrow morning. So - I have taken the interim step of shoving a bucket under the sink! Looking on the bright side - that cupboard needed cleaning out anyway!

On Saturday, my son and DIL bought over lots of drinking water in the big 2.5 gallon jugs. I can't possibly lift them and my back is still messed up so I was thankful for the favor. They also gave me the lovely orchid that is in the pic. I love orchids and am hoping my little plant in the family room will soon sprout as it did at about this time last year.

Mr. Indi has now begun to take the necessary steps to give up working from home and go onto disability. He is just unable to keep up with the deadlines and gets rather forgetful because of the morphine. So, tis better for him, I think, to be able to relax and not worry about month-end reports, etc. They have already picked a replacement and Mr. Indi has been trying to guide him through the requirements of the job - but the replacement is happy to let Mr. Indi do the work - Pffft! He needs to give it up and take his sick pay - for which he has worked so hard.

Thanks for all of the suggestions regarding Mr. Indi's bum. Yes, he does have an air mattress (provided by hospice) and yes, he does have a doughnut to sit on - and yes, I think praying for his bum is a good idea - can't hurt! I will look into the other remedies.

A quick "Thanks" to Jan for the pic of the bunny wabbits - they are adorable. Also, a quick "Happy Holidays" to Sybil who is in Cyprus - lucky old thing you xxxxx - and, as always lots of hugs to my special friend in Colorado xxxxxxxx - and big sloppy kisses to the rest of you xxxxxx.

T'aint fair!

BUT - nobody ever said that it would be fair!

We had a terrible night last night - poor Mr. Indi's bowels started to move - at about 10:30 pm - while I was fast asleep - Argggg! I was awoken by this horrible yell - "Oy - I need you!" I spent the next hour and a half putting him on the pan - taking him off the pan - putting him on the pan again. We went through about 300 yards of lavatory paper Pfft! Do you know the price of lavatory paper?

I finally got into my bed at 12:00 - and was so happy to rest my poor old back which I have put out by carrying heavy grocery bags. Or maybe it's getting those diapers on Mr. Indi's big old bum! Pfft!

On Thursday, I was talking to the pharmacist in our local grocery store - we were discussing bed sores - particularly Mr. Indi's bum sores. He said that there is no real cure - the problem is that our skin gets thin and does not repair itself as we get old. The joys of reaching the "Golden Age" Arggggg!

So, today is a long and sad day - I wish he could get out of bed and join me for a trip to the craft store - he needs paints and stuff for his modeling - but I will have to go and guess what it is that he needs. It is more than sad - for a 58 year old man, who has worked so hard all his life, to be a prisoner in a bed - unable to control his bodily functions - it stinks! (Argggg!)

Happy Easter Bunny to all of those who believe in him - I do! I'm hoping he leaves me a chocolate egg! Yumm!

The pic is one of the blossoms on my flowering cherry tree - I think it's a pretty good shot.

Good Friday

As all of you know - I am not a religious person - but I always remember Good Friday- although not for the right reasons!

When I was working for a large company, they let us have 3 hours of paid time off - from noon till 3 p.m. on Good Friday - so that we might attend religious services. Of the approximately 50-60 workers in our building - all but 2 or 3 took advantage of this generous offer and left the building at 5 minutes to 12 and scurried down to the nearest church. We all piled in and sat in the last rows of pews - making sure that we were seen by the pastor and local parishioners. Once the service was under way - and the religious ceremony began in earnest, we all crept out of the back door and moved on to "The Church of the Holy Pizza and a Pint"!

Many glasses of suds were consumed and the pepperoni pizza filled our guts. We all arrived back at the office at 3 p.m. with a general feeling of well being! And we gave thanks to the company for our 3 hours of good times.

About 5 years after I joined the company, the policy was changed. We could still take the 3 hours off on Good Friday - but it would be UNPAID and reported as an approved religious absence on our record. YIKES! The following year - I think only 6 truly religious people went to Good Friday services - the rest of us heathens had lunch in the cafeteria! Shame - I did enjoy our Good Friday get-together! And, it's amazing how money can play a part in one's faith! LOL

On to other things - the volunteer who came to watch John yesterday, while I went shopping, was wonderful - she is a very kind and loving lady - I will be calling her next week. Our friend, Enrique, came by the house too, yesterday - another kind and sweet person - he is coming again on Monday to help me with some gardening.

The weather stinks! Grrrr - cool and cloudy and the kind of day that makes you want to curl up on the couch with a blankie. But - I have too many things to do - and his Lordship needs to go back on the bloody potty again! Grrrr! If he keeps this up, it will get stuck to his bum!

I took the picture today- one of my fave geraniums.

PS - Thanks for all the emails and notes about Mr. Indi's sore bum. My friend Ann suggested something that is nasty and brown and smelly - (I hate to tell you that we already have that!) My other dear friend, suggested a balm made of cows udders - Argggg! I already have enough trouble - I don't need to wash a bum full of nipples! But, keep the suggestions coming - all are welcome - Love you all!

I Hate the Internet!

I have just got my connection back after spending 2 days arguing the toss with my provider. I shall be getting a new provider within the next week - can't put up with the BS anymore!
In the meantime - I'm crossing my fingers that this connection stays up.

Things that go ........CURASH!

So - there I was getting his Lordship ready for bed - putting a special goop on his bum because he has a pressure sore - OUCH! - when all of a sudden my computer (my beautiful pink Dell) fell off the portable computer table and landed on the oak floor - BANG! I was a little more than annoyed!

I was too tired to try turning it on and surveying the damage - so - I picked it up and chucked it on the dressing table and told it that it could bloody well stay there all night! Which it did.

Imagine my amazement when Mr. Indi switched it on this morning and everything worked perfectly! So - if you want a computer that will still work after you have thrown it on the floor in a temper tantrum - buy a Dell (bright pink!)

I am very excited because the weather man says that it is going to rain tonight - it doesn't take much to get me excited! But, it does mean that I won't have to drag that 200 foot hose all over God's Little Acre. Actually - it's only 1/3 of an acre.

Off to do more chores - must mail Easter Bunny cards to the prettiest girls in the world.

I took the picture yesterday - on the embankment. I love wild flowers - and didn't even notice the little bee until I loaded the card onto the computer. Isn't he sweet?

Thoughts.

I have been very busy today - nothing unusual there - but I've also been a little bit - how can I say - scared maybe?

On Saturday, Mr. Indi had a visitor who - so I have it on good authority- is something of a psychic healer. The guy seemed nice enough and sat with Mr. Indi for quite some time and did a bit of mumbo-jumbo - praying and stuff - and talked about getting a friend of his to come to the house and use his powers as a psychic surgeon to rip out the cancer in Mr. Indi's spine. Wooow! Now, I wasn't feeling very happy about that but Mr. Indi says he'll give anything a go. Hmmmm!

I left the two of them alone as I have no interest or belief in any of that kind of stuff - but when the chap left the house, he came into the kitchen and put his hand on my back (uninvited, I may add) and started praying for me (uninvited, I may add!) He left about 5 minutes later - and, for the next 20 minutes, I had a horrible cold feeling on my back where he had touched me. Creepy. What do you think it was? I think he washed his hands in cold water (he was in the loo for quite a while) Anyway - I think it's all a load of tripe!

I have been quite sad today - probably because I am very tired - no much sleep. I feel the need to leave a message for someone. I just wanted to say that whenever you needed help - I was always there.

Mr. Indi needed a new catheter today - the old one was leaking - too small ( Hehehe! - Don't say anything!) He goes through so much. It's so hard to cope sometimes - but he keeps his spirits up - most of the time.

Tomorrow will be another busy day - a visit to the attorney - more paperwork - a call to the pension people - trying to sort out their mumbo-jumbo - and maybe, just maybe, I can get a few minutes to clean up the 900 emails on my computer!

I took the picture today - when I went to City Hall to pay the water bill. I almost fell down the embankment trying to get a good shot of these daisies. Silly old bag!

Catch of the Day!

Yesterday's 'catch of the day' was a 230 lb whale! And a happy whale he was too!

I had to get his Lordship out of the bed because the bed fixing man came to fix the side rails on the hospital bed. Mr. Indi had pulled on the rails so much that he broke them! What a wally! Anyway, the medical supply company is very good and sent a nice young hospital bed fixer out on a Saturday morning to replace the rails. He (the bed rail fixer) was very impressed with the fact that I could get the Hoya lift out and have Mr. Indi suspended in mid-air in about 5 minutes! His company doesn't allow him to help move patients (insurance issues, I suppose) so he was a very interested spectator as I lowered my big fish into his wheelchair! He thought it quite amazing that a little thing like me could catch such a big one!

Yesterday afternoon was perfect for gardening and I am finally feeling well enough to get out the spade, fork and hoe and have a good go at the little rose garden that is outside Mr. Indi's bedroom window. I pruned all the roses back and pulled out all of that bloody alyssum that seeds itself everywhere - cursed stuff! I then added some clay soil amendment and finally gave all the roses a good dose of rose food. I let the water spray over the whole thing for at least an hour and I'm now expecting to see prize winning roses within a month! Well, at least I hope that Mr. Indi will have a pretty view from his bed.

We received the income tax paperwork from George and it seems that he had made a slight mis-calculation. Now, we don't owe the government thousands - just hundreds! Phew, that's a relief! I think! Poor old George is getting a bit long in the tooth for the complex nature of US income tax. Next year, I shall look for a new accountant - one who is under 90!

Well, Mr. Indi wants to get out of the bed again - Argggg! He wants to sit in front of the big mirror and cut his hair and have a shave. S0000000000 - Off I go to get the Hoya lift out of the spare room and sling my big whale around the room.

*Note to Lexi - Hey! A little less of the old - if you don't mind! LOL xxxxxxx

A Milestone!

Yesterday was such a busy day - but I accomplished quite a lot and went to bed feeling very proud of myself! (Big head!)

Mr. Indi wanted to get out of his bed using the Hoya lift. I had never used it by myself - but after some trepidation - I thought "What the....lets have a go!" It's a bit awkward to use as it is quite a large piece of machinery and the bedroom is not very big - so my first task was to move some of the furniture around. Next, I had to get him in the sling and attach the chords to the sling hooks on the machine. Then, with the machine locked in place, I began the slow task of pumping the hydraulic lift and getting him up in the air and clear of the bed.

Now came the scary part - turning him around and placing the wheelchair within reach of his bum. I slowly let him down and VIOLA - he was in the wheelchair. Now it was just a matter of unhooking all the straps and off he went down the hallway - anxious to see the rest of the house. He was surprised that the living room still looked the same after 8 weeks in bed. Did he think I had plastered the walls with Clive Owen posters?- or worse yet - Russell Crowe!

Getting him back in the bed, I ran into a little snag. I got him hooked up and started winching away - "Cor Struth", I thought. This thing is getting harder to pump. Then I realized that I had part of the sling wrapped around the wheelchair and was lifting both Mr. Indi AND the wheelchair! What a wally!

I went to the Wings place for lunch - I ordered myself some wings and a glass of cold beer and then I waited - and waited - and waited. It was only 11:30 and the place was almost deserted s0 I couldn't imagine what the hold up was. Finally a sweet little waitress (about 19 years old) came and asked to see my ID!!! HaHaHa! I nearly fell off my seat - I told her that I am 66 years old and just go and get my beer. She said that I could not have any beer until I showed her my driver's license - stupid girl! I asked to see the manager who told me that it was a new company policy - EVERYONE must show ID before they can have a drink! Whatever happened to common sense? I suppose I should be flattered but I was actually quite annoyed - and parched for a drink!

We had a meeting with a very nice lady yesterday afternoon who is a volunteer with the hospice company. She lives close by - about 3 miles away - and is willing to come and sit with John while I go off for more than an hour at a time. She seems very trustworthy and I think I shall ask her to come one day next week so that I can go to Riverside and spend some gift certs that have been hanging around since Christmas.

Mr. Indi wants to get out of the bed again today so I shall be having another go with the Hoya Lift - His Lordship was wondering if I could use it as a trebuchet (look it up!) but I don't think there is enough space in the bedroom to get a good fling going - however, if anyone sees him flying out of the window - you will know that it worked!

Today's picture is one that was taken by my good pal, Lexi. I think it is lovely.

One Year Ago - WOW!

Today it is exactly one year since I had my last radiation treatment for my throat cancer. I can't believe that those 365 days have flown by.

I am very happy to report that - as of my last check up in March - my hero, Dr. K - can see no trace of that horrible thing that was blocking my airway. He saved my life. I will be going back for my next check up in July.

The picture is of the mask that I had to wear while on the radiation table. The mask was placed over my head and bolted to the table - Arggg! The staff then left the room and I could hear that 4 foot thick door close with a CLUNK! Arggg. The radiation machine would then start it's whirring and clunking and zapping! The whole procedure only took about 5 minutes - BUT - with my head bolted to the table it seemed like 5 hours. I had treatment 5 days a week for 7 weeks and while I dreaded every day - I must say that the staff was wonderful and kind and lovely. Bless xxxxxxxx

When I graduated from radiation - yes, they gave me a graduation certificate (I suppose if you die before you are finished you don't get one!) they also presented me with my mask. I don't know what to do with it - play ice hockey, maybe!

Mr. Indi is not too bad this morning - bladder infection is on the mend. He gave me a gift certificate for Borders book store for my b'day. He has now given me a list of books that he wants me to get for him - with my gift cert! Men! LOL

I Hate Uncle Sam!

So, I went to see George, the tax man, and at the end of the meeting, George determined that we have to pay Uncle Sam lots of dosh! Grrrr. We normally get a few shekels back as a refund - BUT - because I am now over 65 and receiving a pension (which I worked for over many years!) our gross income has now gone up and we must pay more to the government. What a load of old cobblers! I worked for over 30 years and now I am penalized because I get a pension. Pfffft!

As I sit it here and ponder how I'm going to pay Uncle Sam - I can't help but think of the wasters that claim to be disabled and sit at home and play computer games all day - and walk the dog and drive the car and work in the garden - it must be nice!

Oh well, mustn't be bitter - I'm a better person than they!

Mr. Indi is doing quite well today. His bladder infection is clearing up and when Claudia came this morning, all of his vitals were good. I am looking into hiring a private care agency. I really need to get some help and even though it may cost a few bob, it will be worth it to give me a few hours of relief.

The picture is one from my good friend Jan P. Jan is a wonderful lady who also takes care of an invalid husband. We are sisters in the heart. xxxxxx. And, the spring flowers are lovely.