SATURDAY, WHAT'S NEW

Hi Cindy and my OFF family:

It's snowing here again ... we had about 8 inches in Georgetown Township (officially where I live, although Hudsonville is the address) ... Grand Rapids had nearly a foot on Thursday into Friday. I really hate the snow, so why do I live in the Midwest? I had one year and a half respite of no snow when I lived in Georgia ... liked that aspect of it, but missed my family and didn't really like the South for the most part (some of the attitudes, actually, of my coworkers). Oh well, I mostly like where I live now ... if only the job weren't so bad now.

I had one page to do last night and all the stuff came in in the last hour. So I had to throw it together in an hour ... luckily I can work fast. Before that, I offered myself to the news side. So much for my boss' insistence that I wasn't a team player. I did the Monday business page, proofed a bunch of pages for the Saturday paper and some advance pages. If I didn't have that to do I would have gone stark raving mad. After work, two coworkers and I went out for drinks ... Kim bought for me, thankfully, because I'm short on money, and I only have one beer anyway (really good beer ... a Christmas ale with cinnamon and nutmeg ... yum!). I groused about my lot in life and they both told me to keep on doing what I'm doing and Andy would see all the good I was doing and pull me back off sports ... but I don't see that happening because when Kalamazoo comes over on Dec. 15, they are bringing no sports copy editors ... so guess where I'll be stuck? Both coworkers say I should be happy that they trust me doing sports, and maybe that's right, but I'm not happy there ... I don't feel challenged at all. I know I could do more.

Anyway, I have to work again tonight and then I'm off for two days. There's a work Christmas party Sunday, but I'm not going this year ... not in the mood to socialize and besides, I'd probably say something that would get me in trouble. So it's better not to go. I'm going to do some Christmas baking and finish the decorating. Can't wrap presents yet because I only have a few squirreled away for grandnephew Ben. I have to buy some next week with my paycheck. Fortunately, I don't have many to buy because I don't have much money. But ... the good news is the bankruptcy will be over by the end of the year. Then on Monday I have to get an EGD done to check my Barrett's esophagus. So I have a low-key weekend (mine is Sunday-Monday) planned.

Well, have a good day. I'm on my first cup of coffee but will have to get dressed soon and off to work by 3:30 p.m.

Eileen, who is doing your EGD????  Will it be at Grand Health Partners?

Hope you get a good report,
Pat

Nope, Dr. Paul Farr, my GI specialist, at Saint Mary's. He does one every two years usually, except last year's came back with "unspecified changes," so now I have to have another one done this year.

Dr. Farr is one of the best doctors in Grand Rapids. I really like him. He has a great bedside manner too ... he comes out after the procedure and explains everything in detail to you, gives you a written explanation with photos even. I lucked into having him as a GI doc when I was with Grand Valley Health Plan HMO and have kept him since then.

Hi Cindy,

So good to see you this morning! I haven't been posting or reading much. Nothing bad, just busy. Finally getting a bit of seasonal stuff done.

And this weekend I'm the "house protector!" The 5th Annual Sausage Fest is here in my new home. . . Grrrrr. . . .last year it found a new and what I thought was permanent home. The guy that held it last year is now divorced so how it got back to us I don't know but it did. Those of you who have been around a while have heard about the first Sausage Fest.

This is a male bonding thing with my husband and what started out as about five friends. Well the second year it was held it grew way out of bounds and ended up being about 8 sausage makers and 12 beer drinkers. Mike claimed they had bad pork or something as the sausage wasn't nearly as good as the first year.

Between me and thee:  Me thinks it had something to do with the amount of beer consumed while making the product! So. . . . when I heard it was being held here (I told Mike if anything is damaged he could be the one divorced next year!) I put my foot down and said I'm staying home. Not that I enjoy being around this much testosterone, but I have a new home.

The first year I went up to Lake Chelan for the weekend. When I got home the disposal was plugged, the garage door was stuck half way open and my feet stuck to the kitchen floor when I crossed it.  And, this was after they had "cleaned."

I opened the door into the garage and I thought I was in the middle of a meth lab. There were turkey friers and propane heaters filled with boiling vats of sausages in casings. Smelled wonderful though!  So far it's pretty mild this year. A much smaller group and they brought in old carpeting to cover the garage floor. When they finish cooking the sausage tomorrow they'll just roll it up and throw it out.

I'm sure he could go out and buy it cheaper, but it's fun. Just wish they would share the fun and rotate where it is held! We'll have sausages, home made grape jelly, and little pumpkin and chocolate zucchini breads to share with friends during the holidays.

I'm headed upstairs. I've taken over the bonus room with my sewing stuff. Making aprons and rice/flax "Comfort Bags." I've made rice bags before. This year I'll try flax and add some dried herbs. Anyone tried these? I love them. Kind of like an old fashioned hot rock in the bed. You microwave them for a couple of minutes and they stay warm for several hours. They are wonderful on a sore neck or back and for cold feet. . . and with lavendar or chamomile or peppermint inside. . . they smell wonderful.

I've gone on long enough. Sending good thoughts to all of you. I know many have challenges right now. As Maui Karen said I guess we're at that time of our lives. We just have to do the best that we can do. And sometimes we need to just take a break and have a good cry. Sending hugs to you all.

Karen:

Your guy's Sausage Fest is definitely different than the one held by my coworkers. They just bought sausage and beer and grilled the sausage outside. But the sausage had to be homemade by some butcher shop and not just Johnsonville, etc. They invited the womenfolk this year (i.e., the rest of the coworkers) and it was a really nice get-together on a fall day. Good food, good beer, good company considering we don't all see each other anymore.

mmmm karen...am i on your rice/flax bag gift list??? mmmmmmm lavender....sore neck....mmmmm

If we lived closer you sure would be! They are heavy so pretty pricey to mail. So easy to make even if you don't  sew. Google: Rice/flax comfort bags. You'll find all kinds of info. Easiest: Take a clean tube sock, fill with flax or rice, add lavendar (or sleepytime tea packets emptied into the filling), sew or tie the sock shut.  Microwave 2 minutes and use! You may spritz a little water on the bag or sit a bit of water in a cup with the bag wrapped around it. That makes it a moist heat.  I'm getting creative. Making foot wraps kind of like ankle weights. My ankles hurt in the cold as do my wrists. The bags had kept falling off. Oh, I fogot, if you sew it's a good idea to divide the bag into sections about every 5 inches. Then fill and sew shut. That way the filling doesn't all fall to the bottom. . .

wonderful! i could do this!!!!!!!
big hugs!!!!!

Hi Cindy and everyone - happy Saturday!
I have found one additional perk from having WLS that I wasn't expecting.
I have gotten up in the middle of the night for years to go to the bathroom.  I have hated that my REM sleep was interrupted and knew that I suffered from fatigue as a result of this intrusion of my sleep.  Well, now, I don't wake up to go to the bathroom.  I noticed this on the day of the operation.  I thought that I should go to the bathroom just before I went to sleep, but I was in so much pain that I thought 'to hell with it - I'll ring for a nurse if I need to later on'.  Well, I never did wake up that night nor any night since!!!!  
No one mentioned this to me before the surgery, so I don't know if this is common on not, but I am as happy as a clam for this added bonus to RNY. I now have a full night's sleep!!

Prayers and good thoughts for all who need them.
Connie - I have been where you are and I don't offer any advice except to say that 'this too shall pass' even though I know that it feels as if it never will.  You have loads of people who care for you and who are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers.

We still haven't had any snow here and last night was the first night of frost.  I can't believe that I still have petunias blooming - what a weird fall.
Have a great weekend.  Margaret
Margo - I don't think that Ihave heard anyone say "nutsy cuckoo" since my mother passed - it gave me a chuckle to read that and to read about another bird in your family.

Margaret:

Soon after surgery, I had the blessing of uninterrupted sleep, but lately, I'm back to getting up to go to the bathroom or getting up in pain again. I think that's a symptom of my knee and back again, though. I did enjoy it for awhile.

At about two months out, I got this incredible burst of energy, too. Don't know if anyone else had that, either, but unfortunately, mine passed as the pain returned.