yeah, obviously.
31 July 2010
mmmm
Oddly, this actually looks like something I wanna try.
Right now.
This morning, Jerry and I went to the Starkville Community Market, where we run into a buncha folks we knew from over the years in different contexts. It was a bit tiring for Jerry, as the surface is not entirely even and there were folks jostling each other. And it was hot.
I spent an absurd amount of money on quick~breads {chocolate friendship, banana nut, zucchini, pumpkin} and other breads {zaatar, pita, cheesy bread sticks}, along with some sun~dried hummus. If I can, I'd rather spend the extra money to support local businesses and farmers and vendors. Most of the time, I can't do that; so I don't feel bad about shopping at a huge box store {like WalMart}. However, if possible, I'd rather see my money staying locally, helping our community's economy.
sharing the chucks!
A friend sent me the link for a slideshow of fifty vintage ads with contemporary commentary. She'd worked in our local public library. So when I saw this with the caption, "wow, librarians where hot back in the day", I just had to grab it.
Other than this one {#30 of 50}, I found quite a few mildly funny and a few that made me burst into chuckles. It was hard to pick one, cuz there are so many to choose from. And I'm not even thru yet!
There were a shit~load of beer and cigarette ads {oh so glamorous}. And of course, lots of women in the kitchen cooking or cleaning {vacuums, laundry detergent, kitchen appliances}. Some for electronics that seem bulky and obsolete now, but were cutting edge technology then {Apple, mighty mini}. And of course, folks are absurdly happy, just as they are today, in most ads.
Thanks, Andrea, I love getting your notes!
30 July 2010
recycle
Well, there've been some things that I've been wanting to do for about a year now. I've just been lolly~gagging around and haven't gotten to them. One of those things was to set up some recycle bins here. There were definitely enough tubs/boxes/garbage~cans and things around to use as the receptacles for newspapers, plastics, cans, paper, and such. I just hadn't gotten around to clearing out an area and rearranging the space to do it.
I finally did it! I went online, to Starkville Recycles, to check out what they take and how they take it. I am disappointed that they don't take glass, but we don't usually dispose of very much glass anyway and we may find some purpose for it in the future. If we don't, there are other recycles programs that if we do stockpile our disposable glass, we can probably take it to another town to use that location's glass services {like Columbus, when Jerry goes over to the military base}.
Starkville Recycles does take almost everything else tho. So I visited their physical facilities on the edge of town, and checked out how to go about dropping off items. And I managed to talk with some one who works there cuz I needed a few questions answered.
Last week, Jerry and I decided to look around for a can~crusher. We want one that we can use for soup cans and other food cans in addition to beverage cans {twelve and sixteen ounce}. Jerry'd asked at work and one person told him {erroneously, as it turns out} that our plant wouldn't take crushed cans. We couldn't figure that one out so we were going to call Starkville Recycles to find out.
When I went online to get the number off their site, I was in for a surprise. The website had disappeared! In its place was a generic site that was not related what so ever to any one particular thing, let alone Starkville Recycling!
This made Jerry and I pause and wonder whether our plant went out of business and was no longer operational. Jerry asked around at work {MSU} and one person told him that they weren't around any more. So I decided to check with the actual facility after I picked Jerry up from work one day.
We were able to speak with an employee who said, yes, they are still doing their thing. No, sorry about the glass. And we don't care what shape your cans are in, squish them if you want, or leave them as cylinders, it matters not to us.
So that night, I scrubbed out the dog dishes and moved them from the room the deep~freezer is in to an area next to the fridge in the kitchen. I broke down and put away the dog cage we haven't used for about six months. And moved the huge wooden trash~can {it actually says "trash" on the lid} out of the deep~freezer's room which is attached to the kitchen.
The following day, I scrubbed that floor. In just the year {eek, it's been that long?!?!} since I last scrubbed it, the floor had become positively gross and disgusting. I swept it, did a rough spot cleaning, wiped it done and disposed of the used sponge/scrubby...and that was before I scrubbed it on hands and knees with a scrub brush, using a bleach based solution. That floor was clean to the nth degree when I was done. That won't last for long, I'm sure.
That done, I moved in the containers Jerry and I decided on. The other day, we sat down and looked at our consumption habits. We knew that we do use lots of cardboard, most shelf food items we use are either boxed, bagged, or canned. Some stuff comes in aluminum pouches. It turns out that we use a ton of mixed paper items, food wrappers, magazines, junk mail, ya know all that glossy stuff.
And now, we have everything labeled so that when we go to dispose of anything, we have tubs for cardboard and mixed paper, boxes for newpapers and office paper {which includes most mail, bills, letters, copier paper: we'd normally shred those documents, but for the time being we can't because I seem to have misplaced our shredder}, and that wooden "trash" can I mentioned earlier? It's for all the metal, aluminum, tin, etc that we go thru.
Our actual trash can is lil, and I've taped a note to it that says: *STOP* Can this item be recycled? Composted?
I think it will take a lil effort for us all to get used to using these containers. But it reminds me of being a kid in PA and we recycled. There was no sorting after you threw things out, you sorted at the point of consumption. You finished a can of soda {emphatically not "pop"}, you rinsed it out, crushed the can, and tossed it with the other cans in the bin.
It feels good. It took a few hours to clean and set things up. But that's the hardest part, and it's done.
Last year, Jerry's eldest child and her family were composting. For awhile we also saved our banana peels and such and then would send the ice~cream tub over and when we got it back, we'd rinse it and reuse it for the next batch of onion skins and radish roots. But I think we stopped or they stopped or whatnot.
I didn't really think much about it til earlier this month, My Jerry asked for some scrambled eggs. I stared at the shells thinking, dude, this would be cool to chuck into the pines. So, along with the recycle bins, we now have a compost pail. We might not have an actual pile set up at this time, but til we do, we can toss some here and there thru~out the land behind the house and ponds. Besides, a nice stroll every other day or so would be a good thing.
So I feel better about finally getting those things done, so that I don't feel so bad about throwing so much away. Everything has lids, so we don't need to worry about the tiniest smidgeon of food drawing bugs {shudder} or creating decaying smells that might make me regret doing such a "good" deed!
I finally did it! I went online, to Starkville Recycles, to check out what they take and how they take it. I am disappointed that they don't take glass, but we don't usually dispose of very much glass anyway and we may find some purpose for it in the future. If we don't, there are other recycles programs that if we do stockpile our disposable glass, we can probably take it to another town to use that location's glass services {like Columbus, when Jerry goes over to the military base}.
Starkville Recycles does take almost everything else tho. So I visited their physical facilities on the edge of town, and checked out how to go about dropping off items. And I managed to talk with some one who works there cuz I needed a few questions answered.
Last week, Jerry and I decided to look around for a can~crusher. We want one that we can use for soup cans and other food cans in addition to beverage cans {twelve and sixteen ounce}. Jerry'd asked at work and one person told him {erroneously, as it turns out} that our plant wouldn't take crushed cans. We couldn't figure that one out so we were going to call Starkville Recycles to find out.
When I went online to get the number off their site, I was in for a surprise. The website had disappeared! In its place was a generic site that was not related what so ever to any one particular thing, let alone Starkville Recycling!
This made Jerry and I pause and wonder whether our plant went out of business and was no longer operational. Jerry asked around at work {MSU} and one person told him that they weren't around any more. So I decided to check with the actual facility after I picked Jerry up from work one day.
We were able to speak with an employee who said, yes, they are still doing their thing. No, sorry about the glass. And we don't care what shape your cans are in, squish them if you want, or leave them as cylinders, it matters not to us.
So that night, I scrubbed out the dog dishes and moved them from the room the deep~freezer is in to an area next to the fridge in the kitchen. I broke down and put away the dog cage we haven't used for about six months. And moved the huge wooden trash~can {it actually says "trash" on the lid} out of the deep~freezer's room which is attached to the kitchen.
The following day, I scrubbed that floor. In just the year {eek, it's been that long?!?!} since I last scrubbed it, the floor had become positively gross and disgusting. I swept it, did a rough spot cleaning, wiped it done and disposed of the used sponge/scrubby...and that was before I scrubbed it on hands and knees with a scrub brush, using a bleach based solution. That floor was clean to the nth degree when I was done. That won't last for long, I'm sure.
That done, I moved in the containers Jerry and I decided on. The other day, we sat down and looked at our consumption habits. We knew that we do use lots of cardboard, most shelf food items we use are either boxed, bagged, or canned. Some stuff comes in aluminum pouches. It turns out that we use a ton of mixed paper items, food wrappers, magazines, junk mail, ya know all that glossy stuff.
And now, we have everything labeled so that when we go to dispose of anything, we have tubs for cardboard and mixed paper, boxes for newpapers and office paper {which includes most mail, bills, letters, copier paper: we'd normally shred those documents, but for the time being we can't because I seem to have misplaced our shredder}, and that wooden "trash" can I mentioned earlier? It's for all the metal, aluminum, tin, etc that we go thru.
Our actual trash can is lil, and I've taped a note to it that says: *STOP* Can this item be recycled? Composted?
I think it will take a lil effort for us all to get used to using these containers. But it reminds me of being a kid in PA and we recycled. There was no sorting after you threw things out, you sorted at the point of consumption. You finished a can of soda {emphatically not "pop"}, you rinsed it out, crushed the can, and tossed it with the other cans in the bin.
It feels good. It took a few hours to clean and set things up. But that's the hardest part, and it's done.
Last year, Jerry's eldest child and her family were composting. For awhile we also saved our banana peels and such and then would send the ice~cream tub over and when we got it back, we'd rinse it and reuse it for the next batch of onion skins and radish roots. But I think we stopped or they stopped or whatnot.
I didn't really think much about it til earlier this month, My Jerry asked for some scrambled eggs. I stared at the shells thinking, dude, this would be cool to chuck into the pines. So, along with the recycle bins, we now have a compost pail. We might not have an actual pile set up at this time, but til we do, we can toss some here and there thru~out the land behind the house and ponds. Besides, a nice stroll every other day or so would be a good thing.
So I feel better about finally getting those things done, so that I don't feel so bad about throwing so much away. Everything has lids, so we don't need to worry about the tiniest smidgeon of food drawing bugs {shudder} or creating decaying smells that might make me regret doing such a "good" deed!
Starkville Community Market
For a few weeks now, I've noticed that there are a few folks who are leveling and laying concrete, building a patio, trimming with wrought iron fencing, building a stage, and erecting a roof over a small area just behind main street downtown. I've been watching the area develop into a nice sized, friendly, welcoming newly crowned "Starkville Community Market". Their website shows a weekly "this week at the market" of some produce sure to be there {figs, blueberries, peas, okra, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, bell peppers, salsas, hummus, watermelons, baked goods, granola, etc}. They also host a variety of live music and some educational classes which focus on appropriate topics like small live stock, gardening, cooking, diet/nutrition, fitness/exercise, and arts/crafts. I especially like that they limit the content to market~related content, and ask that the demonstrations and classes be free of any political or religious overtones.
It's open Saturday mornings, 8~11. So tomorrow, My Jerry and I intend to start our ninth month anniversary day with a visit to the market. I love figs, and am really looking forward to getting some hummus!
29 July 2010
love this idea
Earlier today, while waiting for a handy~man to come help with assorted jobs {like the shower head and tub~spout, hanging a towel~rod, and installing the hardware for me to hang a curtain~rod}, I decided to start going thru the small pile of magazines that we've been accumulating. I haven't had the time to do so before, but this was the perfect time, cuz I didn't want to be in the middle of scrubbing the floor or setting up the recycling station when the dude showed up. So most of it was crap and not worth the ink and pulp that was wasted to print it. But, I did find some tids and bits that were pretty interesting. Including a short article on MobMov in a mag that Geico puts out.
MobMov is a shortened form for "mobile movies". Remember drive~ins? Shuddup if you're way too young but think you may have been conceived at one. Basically, this is the modern drive~in experience.
You can sign~up at the site: http://mobmov.org/ This allows you to join a hub, which are numerous...believe it or not but Mississippi has more of them than what may be assumed to be more progressive places, like Oregon! Then when someone decides to have a showing, there is an eMail sent to you {some hubs offer a service which calls your home or cell} telling you when and where. You show up. Tune your radio. Watch the movie.
It's that simple!
From an organizer's stand~point, it's a lil more involved. Folks use the exterior walls of abandoned buildings, warehouses, grocery~stores, etc. as the viewing~screen. In order to show a movie, one person uses their car to power a laptop and projects the movie from their computer onto the screen. A lil modern technology goes a long way toward enjoying the drive~in experience! But you, as the audience, don't have to worry about a thing! After all, do you worry about how the indoor~cinema works?
I think this is a great idea! You might remember an entry that I'd written last summer about a local community organization that showed several movies using a canvas hung over a local elementary school's outside wall. Folks spread out on the grassy lawn, sitting on chairs, laying on blankets, eating snacks or fast~food, or munching on popcorn and slurping sodas for sold by the hosting organization. I loved that!
And right here, in Starkville, we have a hub that participates in the MobMov. Well played, Starkvillians, well played. wink.
MobMov is a shortened form for "mobile movies". Remember drive~ins? Shuddup if you're way too young but think you may have been conceived at one. Basically, this is the modern drive~in experience.
You can sign~up at the site: http://mobmov.org/ This allows you to join a hub, which are numerous...believe it or not but Mississippi has more of them than what may be assumed to be more progressive places, like Oregon! Then when someone decides to have a showing, there is an eMail sent to you {some hubs offer a service which calls your home or cell} telling you when and where. You show up. Tune your radio. Watch the movie.
It's that simple!
From an organizer's stand~point, it's a lil more involved. Folks use the exterior walls of abandoned buildings, warehouses, grocery~stores, etc. as the viewing~screen. In order to show a movie, one person uses their car to power a laptop and projects the movie from their computer onto the screen. A lil modern technology goes a long way toward enjoying the drive~in experience! But you, as the audience, don't have to worry about a thing! After all, do you worry about how the indoor~cinema works?
I think this is a great idea! You might remember an entry that I'd written last summer about a local community organization that showed several movies using a canvas hung over a local elementary school's outside wall. Folks spread out on the grassy lawn, sitting on chairs, laying on blankets, eating snacks or fast~food, or munching on popcorn and slurping sodas for sold by the hosting organization. I loved that!
And right here, in Starkville, we have a hub that participates in the MobMov. Well played, Starkvillians, well played. wink.
sharing the things i stumble upon
Some ideas just seem good, standing the test of time. I love that this was from 1925, projecting what things might be like in 1950. There are some things that wouldn't work as drawn, but there are a ton of really good ideas in this picture of potential!
28 July 2010
aha!
much better from this angle! you can see the bulk of the braid better! sorry about the puffy sleepy face.
Thanks, Mere!
This pic doesn't really capture how much I love the cuteness of this hair! My friend, Mere, french~braided the longer portion I have in the front, and the rest is all spiky from the shower. What's great about having thick hair is that even when it's ultra~short, it poofs up like a koosh~ball even without gel and other hair product.
27 July 2010
sharing the things i stumble upon
For some reason, I almost pissed my pants when I read the caption on this webcomic. It encouraged me to poke around the rest of Dante Shepherd's "Surviving the World: Daily Lessons in Science, Literature, Love, and Life". I love the fact that his dog, German, is actually a different breed. He even pokes fun at himself, as can be seen here. There's something for everyone, with a brain, so go check it!
26 July 2010
I've got a fever and the only prescription is...
There's just been alotta stuff going on over here at Chez d'Wolf for the past couple~few weeks. Jerry's continually improving, this is his third week of PT and partial days at work. He isn't allowed to put weight on his leg yet, but we go to see the ortho~dude in a few weeks, I'm sure he'll have a different story. Cognitively, Jerry is improving, as well. He isn't quite up to par, but has made rapid and huge strides in that direction. There isn't a doubt in my mind that as far as most things go, if he isn't already there, he will be soon.
About two weeks ago, something bit me. I didn't see it, in fact, at the time, I didn't even feel it. But later that day, or maybe it was the next, the bite was definitely making itself known! High on the inside of my thigh, it is right about where my shorts' hem would have rubbed it, irritating it constantly, had I not taken steps to avoid that.
Then about a week ago, my joints started to swell and ache. My muscles felt like I'd been beaten with a ball~peen hammer, a rubber mallet, and a meat~tenderizer. At night, as I would crawl into bed, I thought I had the makings of flu, without the fever.
That changed tho. Saturday night, I started running a fever of 101. I ended up changing my t~shirt three times due to night~sweats. I got the chills. And when I got up Sunday morning, I had these lovely red dots all over my arms.
This morning, after dropping Jerry at work, I went to see my GP. I was running a fever of 102. My joints in my upper body were swollen visibly. My left wrist was so swollen and painful, we thought it might be broken. I was feeling miserable.
Then my GP, her colleagues, several nurses, lab~techs, and a few other patients all crammed in my room to gawk at me. Wow, you probably won't ever see this again. This is something not generally found outside of the western mountains, let alone in the flats of Mississippi.
Jaynie assured me that we've probably caught it early enough that after treatment, it should go away entirely, with no lingering effects like recurrent joint pain. Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! Can I just crumple up and sleep on the nice cool tile right here in your office?
It's tick~fever. It's not contagious. And after I took the first dose this morning and slept for a few hours, I already feel sooooOOOooo much better. The swelling in my joints is receding, the muscle aches are not nearly as bad. I go back to see Jaynie on Wed morning, just to check in and let her track the progress {she likes to look and poke at weird things and I qualify}.
So, tahDAH! Much better. ahhh.
21 July 2010
self~pict
Ya know all that bleaching, dying, coloring, etc that I did in late~winter/early~spring? Well, my hair got sorta fizzled with chemical damage. I wasn't to worried about it. Hair grows and mine does fast and thick.
Then last week, a handful of fizz broke off and I thought well, perhaps now would be a fine time to cut it. I had in mind what I want and it seems that I never explain what I want properly or clear enough to the cutting~dudes. So I cut most of it last night, and defined the general shape. And today, while I was doing some errands, I dropped in to see my barber~dudes. He fixed me up, but good!
After hours of dealing with lil snippets of hair stuck inside my shirt and bra, I practically stripped before I even got into the house this afternoon. I took a shower and here I am, fresh and clean, still damp.
I'm really liking it!
20 July 2010
18 July 2010
16 July 2010
for "toon"
Oh my fah~REEK~in gawd! I saw this and all kinds of wrongness came to mind. Enjoy!!
In a slightly unrelated matter {I actually found this pic when I was googling the image of "giggle sleep" for this post}; My Jerry told me an amusing tidbit this morning and I thought I'd share it here.
My Jerry's hospital bed is close to the front door, in front of the TV, near the windows. The bed I've been sleeping in for the past month had been the first bed that he slept in when he got home from the hospital. I moved it to the other side of the living area when they brought the hospital bed in and set it up. So last night, I went to bed before Jerry did and fell asleep. He watched TV for awhile {"How It's Made"} and then he noticed a sorta sighing sound. He thought it was my shaddow {she's a nine year old black lab} rearranging herself and settling in for the night, she sighs lots and then snores very rhythmically and deeply {I call it her Zen Breathing}. But then he started hearing lil sounds that sorta sounded like squeaking. Coming from my bed. So he got up, and wheeled himself over to my bed and looked close.
There I was, all snuggled with my hands folded beneath my chin, with a smile on my face, and I was giggling. For close to an hour or so, I giggled on and off. He said that it made him smile and soon he found that he was giggling just watching me and listening to me. I can't remember what I dreamt of last night, but it must have struck my sillee self just right!
look ma! I'm quoting you!
Hello from the FLPL of years gone by! Long~time readers may recall that I was unable to use my computer for awhile and had made regular visits to my Freakin' Local Public Library. The main reason I had slapped "freakin'" on there had nothing to do with the library itself, I like the place and people. It mostly had to do with the fact that I was unable to use my laptop and spent lots of time at the FLPL...and their computers sometimes were up and running, sometimes not, and sometimes I could access my accounts, mostly not {cookies and public places do NOT mix}. And using another computer besides my own brings to mind something my mother always says, that computers are like toothbrushes, you should only use your own.
My Jerry's PT appt is not til 4:30 today, so we decided to have a late start to our day. I brought him in to work at about 11 and then I tootled around, cuz I didn't want to drive home. I thought that I'd stop at a local coffee shop that's fairly eco~friendly and catch up on some reading. But when I went by, the windows were dark, and I noticed piles of fabric and stacks of chairs within...yeah, so I'm thinking it may have gone out of business. Not terribly surprising, as the hours were not convinient nor consistent.
So here I am at the FLPL. Which is kinda cool, it's not crowded and sorta peaceful. The odd thing is that now I'm chilly. It's over a hundred degrees out and a good thirty degrees cooler inside the building. So brrrrrrrr. Now I understand why the staff here are always wearing long sleeves. That and the fact that most are skinny lil minnies {I'm not exactly sure why, but the computer I'm using is named "minnie" and the one next to me is "pluto"...I'm guessing the easy identification helps when printing and also for maintenance purposes}.
I've been keeping an eye on the weather forecast for this weekend. Today, there was 40% chance of rain. That 40% was 100% correct, cuz it's not just raining out, but downright storming..complete with thunder booms and high winds and flash floods.
Yeah, so I'm thinking that tomorrow's 60% chance means that it might be a good idear to hold off on hauling a bed in the GMC truck. The mattresses might get wet and no one likes to sleep on a wet mattress. No one.
Even using tarps, tie~downs, and bungee cords...and lots of duct~tape...there is no such thing as waterproofing a load in an open~bed truck. Previous experience has borne this out time and again. Especially if you're hauling for a distance more than cross~town.
Yeah, so maybe a change in plans?
My Jerry's PT appt is not til 4:30 today, so we decided to have a late start to our day. I brought him in to work at about 11 and then I tootled around, cuz I didn't want to drive home. I thought that I'd stop at a local coffee shop that's fairly eco~friendly and catch up on some reading. But when I went by, the windows were dark, and I noticed piles of fabric and stacks of chairs within...yeah, so I'm thinking it may have gone out of business. Not terribly surprising, as the hours were not convinient nor consistent.
So here I am at the FLPL. Which is kinda cool, it's not crowded and sorta peaceful. The odd thing is that now I'm chilly. It's over a hundred degrees out and a good thirty degrees cooler inside the building. So brrrrrrrr. Now I understand why the staff here are always wearing long sleeves. That and the fact that most are skinny lil minnies {I'm not exactly sure why, but the computer I'm using is named "minnie" and the one next to me is "pluto"...I'm guessing the easy identification helps when printing and also for maintenance purposes}.
I've been keeping an eye on the weather forecast for this weekend. Today, there was 40% chance of rain. That 40% was 100% correct, cuz it's not just raining out, but downright storming..complete with thunder booms and high winds and flash floods.
Yeah, so I'm thinking that tomorrow's 60% chance means that it might be a good idear to hold off on hauling a bed in the GMC truck. The mattresses might get wet and no one likes to sleep on a wet mattress. No one.
Even using tarps, tie~downs, and bungee cords...and lots of duct~tape...there is no such thing as waterproofing a load in an open~bed truck. Previous experience has borne this out time and again. Especially if you're hauling for a distance more than cross~town.
Yeah, so maybe a change in plans?
15 July 2010
high~arches
My Jerry is enjoying the mental exercise of during partial days this week at work. Wednesday, I went to Jackson to see an ortho for myself. I'd had the appt scheduled in June, but changed it when Jerry's accident occurred.
My friend went with me, and Jerry stayed home. It was a good day, we had lunch at the Mellow Mushroom {mmmmmmmmm pizza!} and the folks at the University Medical Center were speedy and efficient. I do have plantar fasciitis in the bottom of my left foot, so now I have a boot to sleep in. I've been doing stretches for about a year, and she wants me to continue doing those {no problem}. I also need to order some inserts for my shoes. We gazed at some x~rays, and her main concern at this point is to arrest any worsening so that I don't develop arthritis. My main concern at this point is to not only halt any worsening, but hopefully stretch things to the point were I'm able to regain full usage with no ouches! involved.
So last night, as we were getting ready for bed, he scruching around in the hospital bed with pillows supporting his knee and me with my boot across the room in his grandparents' bed; I'd burst into giggles and said, "well, between the two of us, we have one good pair of legs at this point."
But I'd rather deal with tight plantar fascia then a fractured patella and tibial plateau. Besides, I think a major reason for the my complications is cuz I'm fat~~I gained fifty pounds in the past year. If you've lost them, I found them; you can have them back.
10 July 2010
introducing, my jerry, an honest~to~god fashion~plate
This evening, My Jerry and I went out to China Garden. He'd had a hankerin' for sushi. {I just thought about how odd that sounds, "a hankerin' for sushi"} The buffet has a wonderful sushi bar at fair prices so that's what we did. Had us some sushi.
Then we headed down to WalMart cuz Jerry thinks he should oughta go to work Monday morning, for a few hours. Since he usually wears jeans, and they would be too heavy, and since the shorts he does have are WAY too casual; we needed to find a couple~few pair of acceptable leg~wear for work. Whilst we were there, we ran into one of Jerry's co~workers. So with her nod of approval, I picked out a few pairs of dress~casual shorts that would be acceptable for work~wear.
Jerry decided on a pair of dark grey cargo shorts, a pair of lighter gray with a sort of plaid pattern of what on closer inspection are dark grey bones {pictured in red here}, and a pair of khaki shorts. We got all three pair for about thirty bucks. I'm kinda wondering what he will look like in these, cuz they are soooOOOoooo not his normal wear. By god, he'll be a fashion~plate! *hoo~boy*
He's truly my special needs child.
09 July 2010
off loading
I'm starting to wear down. Yeah, I know, bitch bitch whine whine moan groan, right? Today was a full day of errands for me. I got alot done, and the accomplishments were good to have checked off my list. But man, I'm T~A~R~D tired.
This morning, I stopped by the post~office. I'm not sure, but I think someone pissed in the teller's cornflakes this morning. Cuz he was in a mood.
Then I went to pick up the corrected accident report, and the secretary there was a snot, but the dispatch was nice. I think power, or the illusion of power, goes to some folks' heads and since they have no power in other areas of their pathetic lives, they seize what they can when they can. The dispatch, however, was super~sweet and she really went the extra distance for me. Kudos!
Then I went to see the Wm Wells dudes, you might remember me referring to them as the Fix~it Dudes from a few years back. They are incredible folks, friendly and fabulous! Since My Jerry's bike is no more, we will be relying on the Sanford Truck more often. I call it the Sanford Truck cuz I hear the funky soundtrack in my head whenever I open the door. It's a bit rough around the edges, a 1983 GMC pick~em~up. A little truck, but a boat compared to my Yaris, so parking can be a real bitch. Actually, parking's not bad, it's the getting out of the slot that sucks. So anyway, we wanted to make sure we have a good spare, so I dropped off a tire to be fit onto a different rim, cuz dude, the old rim was rusted thru in areas and the rubber wouldn't create a tight enough seal. So the spare wouldn't have been good to use in a pinch, which is exactly when ya need it...in a pinch.
I also arranged for Jerry's first physical therapy appt. He will be going three times per week, for six weeks. He'll be going to the same place where I'd gone a few years back. So maybe at the end, he can go ahead and get a membership at the Wellness Connection attached to the physical therapy building, and start to enjoy the pool and such. We'll see.
And then I stopped to pick up The Chair. Right now, Jerry is using a hospital bed. But eventually, that will go back. And we don't have a suitable place for him to sit. A few weeks before the accident, we'd gotten rid of his old recliner, cuz it fell apart. So we were going to think about getting another. But then this happened and now we don't have the luxury of waiting. So we had stopped at a few places yesterday...and he said that the one he liked the best, cuz it was the most comfortable, was at the Palmer Home for Children's thrift store. We got it for twenty bucks. So today, the folks there loaded it into the truck and I cleaned it some while it was outside. But then I felt a few suspicious droplets and I heard thunder, so I brought it up on the porch.
And I topped it all off with a WalMart excursion. Whilst they were refilling Jerry's meds, I picked out a birthday card, picked up some more food, and other essentials like toothpaste {I don't feel secure unless I have an extra tube in the closet. Ya just never know when you might have to use an entire tube, RIGHT NOW.
By the time I got home, I was tuckered. The heat index at 4pm is at a whopping 105 degrees. We had manicotti for dinner, and Jerry and I sat down with the check books. He has done the finances for thirty some years and so not being able to do them this past month has really been bothering him. I've been keeping records, but haven't written anything in the actual registers, cuz I know Jerry has his own methods and I knew he'd feel better if he could go thru and see what's what. So we sat down with all the receipts for debit card purchases, ATM withdrawls, and a long record of all I've been maintaining for his approval. I've been writing checks for the bills, and keeping track of all that too. So after we ate, I got all the stuff and we went over the books together; everything balances and now he feels better just knowing what our financial picture is at the moment.
I also showed him all the clothes and his helmet from the accident. He can still wear the shoes, eventually. And his belt is still good. The helmet, of course, is not. It's mishapen and cannot be worn again. The clothes were all cut from his body, so none of them are any good anymore. Jerry loved the shirt {"I love cats; but I can't eat a whole one"} which he had picked cuz later that evening, we were supposed to attend a cook~out at his mother's assisted living home. Apropos, right? And he loved those jeans {"man, but that sucks. {sigh} I really liked those jeans. {sigh} I know WalMart has others. But damn. {sigh}"}.
And we also went thru all the stuff from his wallet. Which was a mess. Totally understandable, cuz they had to rifle thru it to find his insurance and also his contact information. What's weird is, we put the emergency list in there for me, with all my info {Dx, Rx, allergies, names/numbers, etc}, never once thinking, "well, this works for him as an emergency contact sheet too". But it did, and that was good.
He actually hasn't gone thru his wallet in a long time, so there was all sorts of stuff tossable. Now it's organized and I've returned his driver's license and his insurance cards, which I'd been carrying with me for the past four weeks.
Then Jerry reached his limit, and lay down for a few minutes. And fell asleep. Which was cool. But he startled awake and started to ramble on about a grey and red sportscar and got really mad that I didn't know exactly what he was talking about. Cuz dammit, it was GREY. And RED. And it was a SPORTScar. A GREY one. Or maybe a RED one with grey. But it was definitely something.
Then he dropped back to sleep and I thought, "he makes much more sense than I do when I wake from a dream, where I lost the THING to catch the STUFF with."
This morning, I stopped by the post~office. I'm not sure, but I think someone pissed in the teller's cornflakes this morning. Cuz he was in a mood.
Then I went to pick up the corrected accident report, and the secretary there was a snot, but the dispatch was nice. I think power, or the illusion of power, goes to some folks' heads and since they have no power in other areas of their pathetic lives, they seize what they can when they can. The dispatch, however, was super~sweet and she really went the extra distance for me. Kudos!
Then I went to see the Wm Wells dudes, you might remember me referring to them as the Fix~it Dudes from a few years back. They are incredible folks, friendly and fabulous! Since My Jerry's bike is no more, we will be relying on the Sanford Truck more often. I call it the Sanford Truck cuz I hear the funky soundtrack in my head whenever I open the door. It's a bit rough around the edges, a 1983 GMC pick~em~up. A little truck, but a boat compared to my Yaris, so parking can be a real bitch. Actually, parking's not bad, it's the getting out of the slot that sucks. So anyway, we wanted to make sure we have a good spare, so I dropped off a tire to be fit onto a different rim, cuz dude, the old rim was rusted thru in areas and the rubber wouldn't create a tight enough seal. So the spare wouldn't have been good to use in a pinch, which is exactly when ya need it...in a pinch.
I also arranged for Jerry's first physical therapy appt. He will be going three times per week, for six weeks. He'll be going to the same place where I'd gone a few years back. So maybe at the end, he can go ahead and get a membership at the Wellness Connection attached to the physical therapy building, and start to enjoy the pool and such. We'll see.
And then I stopped to pick up The Chair. Right now, Jerry is using a hospital bed. But eventually, that will go back. And we don't have a suitable place for him to sit. A few weeks before the accident, we'd gotten rid of his old recliner, cuz it fell apart. So we were going to think about getting another. But then this happened and now we don't have the luxury of waiting. So we had stopped at a few places yesterday...and he said that the one he liked the best, cuz it was the most comfortable, was at the Palmer Home for Children's thrift store. We got it for twenty bucks. So today, the folks there loaded it into the truck and I cleaned it some while it was outside. But then I felt a few suspicious droplets and I heard thunder, so I brought it up on the porch.
And I topped it all off with a WalMart excursion. Whilst they were refilling Jerry's meds, I picked out a birthday card, picked up some more food, and other essentials like toothpaste {I don't feel secure unless I have an extra tube in the closet. Ya just never know when you might have to use an entire tube, RIGHT NOW.
By the time I got home, I was tuckered. The heat index at 4pm is at a whopping 105 degrees. We had manicotti for dinner, and Jerry and I sat down with the check books. He has done the finances for thirty some years and so not being able to do them this past month has really been bothering him. I've been keeping records, but haven't written anything in the actual registers, cuz I know Jerry has his own methods and I knew he'd feel better if he could go thru and see what's what. So we sat down with all the receipts for debit card purchases, ATM withdrawls, and a long record of all I've been maintaining for his approval. I've been writing checks for the bills, and keeping track of all that too. So after we ate, I got all the stuff and we went over the books together; everything balances and now he feels better just knowing what our financial picture is at the moment.
I also showed him all the clothes and his helmet from the accident. He can still wear the shoes, eventually. And his belt is still good. The helmet, of course, is not. It's mishapen and cannot be worn again. The clothes were all cut from his body, so none of them are any good anymore. Jerry loved the shirt {"I love cats; but I can't eat a whole one"} which he had picked cuz later that evening, we were supposed to attend a cook~out at his mother's assisted living home. Apropos, right? And he loved those jeans {"man, but that sucks. {sigh} I really liked those jeans. {sigh} I know WalMart has others. But damn. {sigh}"}.
And we also went thru all the stuff from his wallet. Which was a mess. Totally understandable, cuz they had to rifle thru it to find his insurance and also his contact information. What's weird is, we put the emergency list in there for me, with all my info {Dx, Rx, allergies, names/numbers, etc}, never once thinking, "well, this works for him as an emergency contact sheet too". But it did, and that was good.
He actually hasn't gone thru his wallet in a long time, so there was all sorts of stuff tossable. Now it's organized and I've returned his driver's license and his insurance cards, which I'd been carrying with me for the past four weeks.
Then Jerry reached his limit, and lay down for a few minutes. And fell asleep. Which was cool. But he startled awake and started to ramble on about a grey and red sportscar and got really mad that I didn't know exactly what he was talking about. Cuz dammit, it was GREY. And RED. And it was a SPORTScar. A GREY one. Or maybe a RED one with grey. But it was definitely something.
Then he dropped back to sleep and I thought, "he makes much more sense than I do when I wake from a dream, where I lost the THING to catch the STUFF with."
08 July 2010
suds 'n scrubs & officers too
I was gonna post some pix, but then I thought, dignity debra, leave the man some shred of dignity. My Jerry had all the staples removed, yes, but that wasn't what I found photo~worthy. A barber shaved his head, so now he looks like the Jerry I know, yes, but that wasn't what I found photo~worthy.
My Jerry took his first shower in four weeks today! With a back~scrubber and everything! My god, but he is human~and feels that way too! That, I found photo~worthy. But nope, I refrained.
And boy is he glad.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, today was another big~ass day. We got lots done tho, and it was a good day. We got lots done, in addition to a few finds.
Along with a myriad of other errands, we also stopped by our local highway~patrol office so I could speak with someone in person. See, as of tomorrow, it's been four weeks since My Jerry's motorcycle accident. Now I can understand an unreturned call due to a vacation, or busyness, or forgetfulness, or whatnot...but three over the span of four weeks, mmmmmmmmmnnot so much.
The reason I was calling them was that the state trooper who responded to Jerry's accident, and wrote the accident report, mistakenly decided at the end of the report {page five of six and page six of six} that what was once a motorcycle was now a car. We weren't contesting the accident, nor the write~up of it. We just wanted the report to accurately and consistently reflect that it was indeed a motorcycle that my husband was riding.
Oh, and please note that this little box that says, "no EMS required" was marked, and very inaccurate. Cuz not only did EMS respond, and transport my unconscious husband to the local hospital, but they didn't feel that they could adequately address his injuries so they then transported him to the nearest trauma unit which was over an hour away. Yeah, could we get that lil notation fixed too? Thanks.
I've been courteous with my messages, but I was losing patience. So today, spur of the moment, I pulled into the highway~patrol lot and lo! and behold! there was a very nice, and it turns out, efficient officer who we spoke with, explained the situation, and left the matter in his truly capable hands. And when we got back from Tupelo, we had a lovely message on our voice~mail telling us that not only was the matter corrected, but we can pick up the accurate report tomorrow.
Whatta man! Thanks, Officer Dude! We love you!
07 July 2010
knowing your limits
Ut's all relative, and it's the little things that become bigger things when you have problems doing them. You never think about sitting up and how that affects various parts of your body and various systems' ability to work properly. So when My Jerry first started to sit up for longer periods of time, like a few hours; it would take it's toll on his circulatory system, and his leg would feel like it was thROBbinG like a cartoon character's sore thumb.
Yesterday was a huge day out. We met with a friend for lunch and then ran some errands, including going to the courthouse to renew our Yaris's tags. While we were there, I turned in his bike's tags for some miniscual credit and we asked what we need to do for a temporary handicapped placard. The lady, bless her heart, just gave us one for a few months and asked us to have the form faxed to her tomorrow. It was obvious that I wasn't making a story up, what with Jerry standing behind me with his wheeled~walker. I told the woman that just getting into the office, I had to park ... "in Jackson," she completed. Yup. And the state's capital is two and a half hours away.
Yesterday took it's toll on My Jerry today. He's worn out. Plump~tuckered. I guess I should be extra vigilant that he doesn't push himself to do too much. So maybe starting back partial days next week for partial weeks at work isn't such a great idea. We'll know more after tomorrow.
Tomorrow, Jerry gets about 45~50 staples removed from his leg. It's the general consensus that there will be immediate relief. Not that everything will all of a sudden be peachy~keen, tweeting birds will descend onto his shoulders, or that a glittery ball~gown will drape itself over him {cuz dudes, that would be weird, and I would seek confinement}; but he'll feel much better.
And boy has he been looking forward to it. Counting the hours, and very much impatient. Soon, Jerry, soon. I promise.
If I wake up to him honking the car horn tomorrow, him strapped in, his walker in the back of the car, and a steaming cup of coffee in the holder...I think I'll have to break his other leg.
06 July 2010
rubbing off on me
For those of you who know My Jerry, you know that he relentless enters contests; but what you might not know is that he also sends folks thank~you notes. Sometimes those are letters so that bosses realize that a particular employee went out of their way to make a certain experience more pleasurable. Sometimes those letters might express extra appreciation regarding a product.
Now, I usually will note if someone has helped me in some way, expressing my appreciation to that particular person. Sometimes they are just doing their job, and that can be rare, since there are lots of people who are in service~oriented positions who do not seem to be aware that the nature of their position is such that dude, you are supposed to be doing what you are acting so put~upon over. So when someone in customer~service actually assists me and is pleasant about it, then I appreciate it and will tell them so.
However, I don't usually take the time to send a letter, or complete an eForm, or look up the "contact us" information to say, DUDES, your product really pulled thru for us. But this note I wrote to Walgreen's compliment/complaint dept's eForm is the exception. When I read it to Jerry, he loved it! I hope you find some humor in it too.
On Friday 11 June 2010, in the afternoon, my husband was riding home on his motorcycle after having stopped at the Starkville, Mississippi's Walgreens and purchasing the entire stock of Deerfield Farms' Jumbo Sunflower Seeds {which had been shelved earlier that day}. An elderly man turned his vehicle into my husband's lane and my husband had neither the time nor the distance to react {less than 10' at 40 mph}. My husband collided with the car, the road, the ditch, the wooden fence post, etc. He took a bruising, and in the process broke his C7 vertebra {in his neck}, fractured his knee and his shin, and took a rather hard blow to the head, along with some road~rash. My husband came to rest on his back, with the biker's back~pack filled with Deerfield Farms Jumbo Sunflower Seeds {seven 13oz bags} absorbing most of the impact that may have prevented further, more severe injury to his back. I thought you might like to know that we've found yet another use for in~the~shell~sunflower~seeds!! Have a great day! Grins, Debra Wolf
Now, I usually will note if someone has helped me in some way, expressing my appreciation to that particular person. Sometimes they are just doing their job, and that can be rare, since there are lots of people who are in service~oriented positions who do not seem to be aware that the nature of their position is such that dude, you are supposed to be doing what you are acting so put~upon over. So when someone in customer~service actually assists me and is pleasant about it, then I appreciate it and will tell them so.
However, I don't usually take the time to send a letter, or complete an eForm, or look up the "contact us" information to say, DUDES, your product really pulled thru for us. But this note I wrote to Walgreen's compliment/complaint dept's eForm is the exception. When I read it to Jerry, he loved it! I hope you find some humor in it too.
On Friday 11 June 2010, in the afternoon, my husband was riding home on his motorcycle after having stopped at the Starkville, Mississippi's Walgreens and purchasing the entire stock of Deerfield Farms' Jumbo Sunflower Seeds {which had been shelved earlier that day}. An elderly man turned his vehicle into my husband's lane and my husband had neither the time nor the distance to react {less than 10' at 40 mph}. My husband collided with the car, the road, the ditch, the wooden fence post, etc. He took a bruising, and in the process broke his C7 vertebra {in his neck}, fractured his knee and his shin, and took a rather hard blow to the head, along with some road~rash. My husband came to rest on his back, with the biker's back~pack filled with Deerfield Farms Jumbo Sunflower Seeds {seven 13oz bags} absorbing most of the impact that may have prevented further, more severe injury to his back. I thought you might like to know that we've found yet another use for in~the~shell~sunflower~seeds!! Have a great day! Grins, Debra Wolf
02 July 2010
Independence Day
As you know, usually I am crocheting something or other. But since My Jerry's accident, I've not been feeling to crochety {wait, that came out wrong...I have been crotchety, like a crabby ole lady...at times; just not crochet'ee...sigh, oh forget it}. Aaaaaaannee~way, I've not been crocheting.
This really would be the ideal time to do so tho. My Jerry's been watching a ton of TV. We've been watching the CSI, NCIS, and similar shows together. When Jerry fires up the Flintstones, SpongeBob, Jetsons, and other cartoons, I usually escape to the computer. Ditto for his "UFO" DVDs. And for certain movies. He can watch allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll he wants. I just gotta make my exit at such times.
For those of you who were following along a few months back, you might recall that Jerry and I were going to be heading north to visit our BestMan Bill, along with some other folks. We were to leave today for that eighteen hour jaunt. In all likelyhood, we'll postpone that trip for a year or so. We'd briefly, VERY briefly, thought about giving it a go for the fall foliage, but nope. Cuz dudes, My Jerry heals fast, but I do think that would be pushing it.
Instead, we may return to Natchez, where we went after our wedding last fall, and stay in the bed and breakfast. I didn't say for our honeymoon, cuz as far as I'm concerned, we're still on our honeymoon. {quitcher gaggin'} Besides, that'd be a great idea, cuz two weeks after our first anniversary is my fortieth birthday. So we can combine celebrations.
Well, getting back to our BestMan Bill...in honor of our forecasted visit, he was gonna have a huge get~together at his place for a fourth of July cook~out with fireworks and all that stuff. Last year, I think, we went to Jerry's youngest son's place down in Mobile. We had a crawdad boil, with corn, potatoes, and mushrooms {omg, sooOOOOooo good}. I can't tell ya what we were doing the year before that, cuz "we" weren't! We hadn't yet met.
This year, now, we will be spending our fourth cool and indoors. Jerry will be watching some TV, DVDs, and such. And I will be doing whatever. I may even decide to participate in one crochet blog's Christmas in July event.
At any rate, enjoy your independence, I know we are! Oh, and be safe. Especially in your travels. Ya always gotta watch out for the other guy.
This really would be the ideal time to do so tho. My Jerry's been watching a ton of TV. We've been watching the CSI, NCIS, and similar shows together. When Jerry fires up the Flintstones, SpongeBob, Jetsons, and other cartoons, I usually escape to the computer. Ditto for his "UFO" DVDs. And for certain movies. He can watch allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll he wants. I just gotta make my exit at such times.
For those of you who were following along a few months back, you might recall that Jerry and I were going to be heading north to visit our BestMan Bill, along with some other folks. We were to leave today for that eighteen hour jaunt. In all likelyhood, we'll postpone that trip for a year or so. We'd briefly, VERY briefly, thought about giving it a go for the fall foliage, but nope. Cuz dudes, My Jerry heals fast, but I do think that would be pushing it.
Instead, we may return to Natchez, where we went after our wedding last fall, and stay in the bed and breakfast. I didn't say for our honeymoon, cuz as far as I'm concerned, we're still on our honeymoon. {quitcher gaggin'} Besides, that'd be a great idea, cuz two weeks after our first anniversary is my fortieth birthday. So we can combine celebrations.
Well, getting back to our BestMan Bill...in honor of our forecasted visit, he was gonna have a huge get~together at his place for a fourth of July cook~out with fireworks and all that stuff. Last year, I think, we went to Jerry's youngest son's place down in Mobile. We had a crawdad boil, with corn, potatoes, and mushrooms {omg, sooOOOOooo good}. I can't tell ya what we were doing the year before that, cuz "we" weren't! We hadn't yet met.
This year, now, we will be spending our fourth cool and indoors. Jerry will be watching some TV, DVDs, and such. And I will be doing whatever. I may even decide to participate in one crochet blog's Christmas in July event.
At any rate, enjoy your independence, I know we are! Oh, and be safe. Especially in your travels. Ya always gotta watch out for the other guy.
01 July 2010
Out and about
Last Sunday, Jerry decided to visit his mom {she lives in an assisted living home}. So we used the wheel~chair, and visited her for a bit and then I picked up some pizza and we came home. That was a big outting at that time.
Last night, Jerry mentioned that he was in the mood for a hamburger. I'd asked him to give some thought to what he might want to eat over the next couple days, cuz I figured we'd go get a burger today and I'd stop at WalMart and pick up some food along with a refill of his pain medication. We thought Jerry might be up to using his wheeled~walker.
So I get down Wendy's and realize that I did remember the list, the Rx, my phone, but totally forgot my wallet {money, debit card, and his driver's license so I could get his meds}. So we drove back to the house. Since being in the seated position, with his leg down, tends to get a bit painful, I could tell things were starting to tax him some.
After running back home for my wallet, we finally went into Wendy's and I ordered our food whilst he sat at a table. I ate way Way WAY too much, cuz I ate my sandwich and a good portion of Jerry's. Ugh. Note to Self: portion size, debra, portion size. {sighs} big eye~roll
When we were leaving Wendy's, we discussed our exit strategy. We decided that I would pull the car up into the handicapped spot and that way it'd be a shorter distance for Jerry to walk/wheel, and be much easier for him to actually get into the car. So while I moved the car, Jerry started to get himself together.
A helpful woman held the doors for him and said, "here, let me help you out while your daughter brings the car around." Jerry said that he felt about eighty years old and wanted to start to speak in a high~pitched creaky old voice. She was so nice about it, Jerry didn't have the heart to correct her.
So then I went to WalMart and Jerry stayed in the car. The windows were down and the soda was handy, but I still tried to hurry things along as much as possible. He was started to flag and between being tired and having some pain, I was concerned that I do this as quickly as possible.
Well, the folks in the pharmacy were extra~speedy today, so by the time I had the food altogether, the Rx was ready. I can tell you that is not my typical experience at WalMart with their pharmacy. I like most of the folks who work there, but there is one woman that moves at glacial speed, molasses in January moves swifter than she does.
So now we're home. Poor Jerry is exhausted, and in another few minutes, I'm sure he will be sleeping. The pain meds knock him out and he had a big day with all that getting in and out of the car and riding around!
That's ok, cuz I think we are in for the week. We've got plenty of food and drink, popsicles and ices, and the dogs have plenty of food now {thanks!!}. So I don't think there is any reason we need to getting out in holiday traffic.
A week from today, we return to Tupelo to see the ortho~dude. Jerry gets his staples removed. So we're looking forward to that.
No rush tho, I think Jerry may have overdone it today.
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