Monday, March 11, 2024

The party with our condo neighbors was a success. I had also invited the former owners of our condo and the unit next door since we are friends and the neighbors are always asking about them. Lots of good camaraderie and food. The guys ended up mostly in the kitchen while the women were in the living room and lanai. Sort the reverse of the usual LOL.

DS had some tough news last night after he got back from dinner with friends for his birthday. Another friend who has suffered from depression committed suicide yesterday. He leaves a wife and a young son. So sad.

Time to change and drive DH to golf. I may go to the beach and shelter behind a wall because though it is sunny it is super windy. This is a changeover day from higher humidity to nicer air. It will be back in the 80's for the rest of the time until we fly north a week from today.

Have a mild Monday!

My internet is out and has been since the middle of the night. Just when Kirby's Imodium kicked in and we both could sleep, the alarm panel in my room would beep loudly every 20 minutes or so as the internet came on and went out, requiring me to turn on the light to see what button to press to shut it up. I would have committed murder if a representative of the internet company or my alarm panel designer was in the room! It's still out, but apparently OH's design is so old school, I can get the webpage on my one little bar of cell service. And I can't call the internet company because of not enough cell coverage or internet. Country living!

Yes, Kirby's tummy is temporarily calmed, but I'm sure he still needs something to kill whatever parasites are in there. I'll call the vet when they open and the internet is back.

The other call I need to make is to my propane company. Have I ever mentioned there is a funk by my buried propane tank and my septic? Given it was there from the beginning and the propane guys never mentioned anything and there was nothing on the inspection report, I assumed it was septic gases. But the tile guy was keeping his tools over there and said, "I smell propane." I explained I thought it was the septic, but ordered a gas detector device on Amazon for peace of mind. Sure enough, it lit up near the shut off valves over the buried tank. Given it's had a smell the whole time I've lived here, I don't think I'm going to blow up today, but I need to call someone to fix it.

Kirby got his bath and smells much better. He's been good in his crate after some initial fussing.

I think that's it! Take care all...

Homeownership: It's always something!

Liz, I'm sorry to read about Connor's friend. Very, very sad news. It's hard to understand for us who don't suffer from profound depression. I'm sorry he wasn't able to get help.

B'day get together was fun. We basically watched the Academy Awards, had a nice grilled tri tip dinner, and celebrated with an ice cream cake (a favorite of mine!). Not gonna lie... I had a piece of ice cream cake after dinner, but also another piece several hours later. I planned the extra piece because the cake was so delicious and it doesn't last, but I really didn't need the extra calories. No regrets! LOL

Checked in with PCP today. He's on board with the semaglutide compound, but wants me to be very careful to monitor how I'm losing weight. He has seen some non active patients lose muscle mass, which is not a good thing. Given my weight lifting, I don't think that's likely, but still I will monitor.

I think to eat a little more cleanly than I did last week. I don't understand the pattern of appetite suppression with the semaglutide. Today I am absolutely NOT hungry. I didn't eat until noon, and then that was forced. I had a Fairlife drink to start, then a few bites of a turkey and veggie sandwich. Then I was done. I'm wondering if I will be extra hungry after school. I'll find out soon enough.

Merry Monday!

I think it is imperative that we enjoy special occasions!

The good thing with us is that we already know the importance of not losing muscle mass and have the knowledge of what high protein means. You will be fine.

PS - My internet is back!

Kirby's fecal test was clean of giardia, ****idia, and worms. I think it could be his food. Peps had sent me an article a month or so ago about people saying Purina was making their dogs sick. Kirby was doing great on his, so I tucked it away in my mind. It dawned on me this morning that I had just opened a new bag of his food last week when all his problems started. So I'm going to slowly transition him to a new food. He has an appointment at the vet tomorrow just to be safe.

I called the propane people and they had me spray soapy water on the pipe fittings to check for leaks. Sure enough, loads of bubbling in multiple places. The office gal asked if I hand tightened everything. I laughed and said that was impossible as the nuts are about 6" across. The repair guys came and didn't have wrenches big enough. They need to come back tomorrow. I think they were a little irritated as it's a long way out to my house from town.

So a whole lotta nothing accomplished today!

Liz, so sorry for your son's loss. Sadly, depression is sometimes a fatal disease. Years ago, one of my friends, unknown to us, was planning suicide. Her DH caught on, and had her involuntarily committed. Once that happened, she agreed to stay, and go through treatment. She was/is a loving, devoted Mom. I know she would never want to hurt her children. When she arrived at full on suicide ideation, she said her disease was telling her that suicide would be a favor to them, they would all be better off if she did it. Thank heavens she didn't, but I think about that often. The pain a person must be feeling to imagine that your loved ones would be happy you're gone. Very sobering.

My gosh CC, when was the last time you actually got a full nights sleep? I guess tile guy's attention to details paid off on more than tile!

I would say another thing to watch on these drugs is how often one is pooping. When I've read some online forums where people say, I haven't pooped for 6 days, I'm like what?!! A medication that has gastroparesis as a possible complication, I wouldn't wait 6 days to start being concerned. Or maybe that's just me. Enough people have reported pancreatitis to keep that in mind too if suddenly there's left side abdominal pain, especially if it becomes acute. And then there is always the possibility of gall bladder problems. As your doctor pointed out muscle loss is a general concern, but your workouts and your knowledge of protein consumption will protect you.

Had our eye appointments today, and DH got his 1st ever prescription, bifocals no less, at almost 64 years of age. I told him he had a good run. He has the start of cataracts, but the doctor said he has a good 10 years before surgery is warranted. My eyes were good, small change in prescription. My last check up was 59. Apparently I need to go every year now that I'm in my 60s. Apparently DH also.

After our appointments we dropped off bags of clothes at St. Vincent DePaul Thirty store, and then tea and scones. I love this thrift store. They give vouchers for people to come in and shop for free through different programs, like people re entering employment or back to school. I always find something there. Today I got 2 interesting books, yarn to make my lumpy,wavy wash clothes, A black tank top from Chicos, and 2 feather filled throw pillows that I will recover with my fabric. Even foam inserts are crazy priced, and now I've got feather ones for 3.19 each! With beaded trim I might also repurpose :)

I love thrift shops! We have donated a lot of furniture to Habitat for Humanity and I have bought a lot from there as well.

Liz, I forgot to say that the charcuterie tray is beautiful, too pretty to eat. Not that that would stop me :)

Greetings all

The rain is back. So much for spring. Not yet.

Spent some time at the studio doing glazing. Also did banking. I am finishing up the gallery tax returns. The cal return had some weird changes that took me awhile to figure out. Still not sure if I filled the form right but I know the result is correct.

What a great charcouterie board Liz. Never thought of adding blooms but why not. Looks great. Makes me think about planting my herb garden soon. Sorry your son lost a friend. Depression can be deadly. What a tough thing to have happen. It's about the worst thing that can happen to any family.

CC good luck on the home repair front! At least you can get someone to do stuff. Hope it's all done soon. You may be right that Kirby needs different food. I am not a fan of Purina. Instead I am a sucker and buy expensive boutique dog food. Stuff is $25 for a small bag. I have heard that if you want dogs to have firm poop to feed Iiams. I have heard kennel operators do that as it's easier to clean up after. Raw diet also makes for less poops but my niece the vet thinks it's a bad idea. Too much risk of salmonella. I hope you can find a good solution soon. I have heard there is a web site at UC Davis vet school that has good information on dog nutrition but have not checked it.

Peps keep sharing the adventures with semiglutides. muscle loss can be an issue in any weight loss I think. And yeah, I am all in on the ice cream cake. Not like you have that around every day. (note to self: consider starting a drive through restaurant that sells slices of ice cream cake). Wishing you a great school week without too much sugar in the teachers lounge.

DD coffee, scones and new glasses. Sounds like a fruitful day. Your DH really has his first ever glasses? Amazing.

Yikes it's 5 pm already. Seems like 3. Gotta get my walk in.

Diane S