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Come to see that I actually have a few new readers. This is nice to see. Thank you for following and I hope you will stay around for a season or two. I was given this award from Herrad yesterday.  Since she is such a great inspiration to me, I am a little chagrined, but I accept this with gratitude and much humility. Thanks Herrad! It was a bit cooler and spitting today, and I don't think I ever warmed up. Last night I crocheted a medium weight hat for the craft bazaar that takes place after Thanksgiving. It was the quickest hat to date. Just a little beanie/cloche with a brim in light blue. Do kids wear hats these days? On their way to school, or when outside playing? Or are they just interested in items that come with a label? I don't know. I guess if they don't sell, we can give them to a clothing bank. I mean, they are not the most stylish hats, but they are cute and functional. And they're made with love! I'm having cravings. I want some of tho...

Hi all. Lately I've been wondering if I was ever going to break the 39 mark. No, not my age. I broke that mark a looonngg time ago. But I have had 39 followers for what seems like ever. So you can imagine my surprise when I noticed today that I have 40. Welcome Laura! So far as I know, you don't have a blog of your own, or I would link you. But know that I won't take up much of your time because I'm typically not the daily writer. Actually that may be why my numbers remain so low; I don't know. In any case, I hope you stay and enjoy what you read. Today was a lovely Fall day with temperatures in the mid-70's. I had made plans with DH (dear husband) to go for a stroll around the Nature Center at Snake Lake. We last went there a year ago on a warm late Summer day. And unfortunately we read the map wrong and ended up on a narrow and rooted less than accessible patch of trail where DH has to muscle me in my chair over some pretty thick tree roots on a narrow pat...

Sugar is sugar. That is what they are saying on television, so it must be true. "Corn sugar or cane sugar? It's the same thing because sugar is sugar." Corn sugar is the new name for high fructose corn syrup. Well uh, not really. High fructose corn syrup is actually a highly refined clear liquid derived from corn starch, which is definitely NOT sugar. Today, food companies use HFCS (a mixture of fructose and glucose) because it’s inexpensive, easy to transport and keeps foods moist. And because HFCS is so sweet, it’s cost effective for companies to use small quantities of it in place of other more expensive sweeteners or flavorings.  So now that the word is out about HFCS they ( the corn farmers ) (Heinz) are "re-branding" it. Since the general public is, in a word, stoopid, no doubt their campaign will work. And we will continue in our quest to be the fattest nation with the highest and youngest number of people with diabetes. That's a sweet thought. ...

After going through a period of plenty of missed shots, I have decided to just stop taking Copaxone altogether. I actually was going to finish what I have left, which is five syringes in the fridge in the house, and I'm not sure whether there's a box outside in the fridge in the garage or not, but I guess it doesn't matter. I gave myself my last shot three weeks ago. I know. Am I going to pay for this with relapses? Your guess is as good as mine. My intuition is telling me no. I believe I am fully segued into secondary progressive MS and am no longer having relapses, per se. Any time I have been down for the count in the past two years I could attribute to either too much heat or an infection. Unlike many people, I have never had bad injection site reactions. Other than the stinging for about twenty minutes post-injection, I've not had problems with the shots. Still, my gut tells me it's time to quit. So I did. If there are shots in the garage, they can wa...

I just realized today that it was September. With that realization comes the thought that there's something I need to do.  Something I need to do, in September . I have been waiting until this month to do it, and now that September is here I can't think of what IT is! It's not my meeting, because I remember that. I remember that I have a meeting and I have to make and bring a salad, and my baby picture, and I hope nothing else. (perhaps I should check). So, what could it be? It's not my doctor appointment, because I remember that I have an appointment to see my neuro on the 20th. I need to check to make sure that a new referral from my PCP was made, and fill out a new intake form, but it's not that. I remember all that. So what is it that I've forgotten? I think it is my cell phone! I need to add more minutes to my pay as you go Tracfone! Guess what! They expired on the seventh. That was four days ago. I went to renew them online, and...

Hi there everyone (all seven of you!) How are you all doing? Me? Oh, I'm okay. I haven't been doing much of anything. At all. Not crocheting very much, not reading (much) (well, you be the judge), and not sitting outside, much, as it's been either too hot, or too cold. I need to have my eyeglasses adjusted because Romeo, dear dog that he is (and he is dear), knocked them once too often and now they sit all catty-wompers on my face. It kind of makes the print on the screen go fuzzy. Oh, and I was murdered in Diane's Mystery of the Blotted out Blogger ; I was the first one to be offed. Just my luck.  In the last month I've read, or listened to: Life of Pi by Yann Martel.   Anything But Typical by Tom Parks The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Barbara Rosenblatt and Cassandra Morris Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See Married in Seattle by Lisa Macomber and Curtains by Tom Jokinen I'd tell you a little bit about them, but I don't feel like i...

I should have gotten out of bed when I first woke up, but I didn't. I let myself roll over to get one more hour, and slept like the dead for four ! Biorhythms are once again playing with me. I did have five good diurnal days. Now I have to start all over. DH isn't helping any, either; getting dinner much too late makes me want to stay up even later. It is a vicious cycle. I think I was killed off in Diane's murder mystery The Mystery of the Blotted Out Blogger ; in episode one, no less. Why meeeee???  What did I do to be the first one to go? . . .  But killed by whom? I have no issues with anyone (that I am aware of, anyway). It must be one of those Right Coast  Bloggers who traipsed through Seattle a short while ago. Hmmmm.  I guess I'll just have to keep reading to find out who would hit me with a blunt object - and leave a mark (I know!), on my otherwise unblemished person.  BTW, Diane, did you know that the county morgue used to be on top of QA Hill? LOL...

I actually woke up at 8 AM and go out og bed. My firs instinct was to just roll over, curl up into a comforable position and fall back to sleep, bit I knew I has my requisite eight hours, abd more than that if you count a little dozing last evening. This was after being up for 30 hours sraight! I woke at six PM Wednwsday and stayed up until nearly two AM Friday! Friday morning I awoke a 10 AM, but didn't get out if bed intil 11:30. Then last night, I went to bed at 1:15 AM and got up this morning at 8! I have had wo cups of coffee and my eyelids are getting a little heavy and it's only quarter to five PM.  I guess I can call this Day TWO of a diurnal life. I have yet ti mail my baby blankets and caps. I will finish wrapping he boxes today - taping them shut, and addressing them - so DH and I can take them to the PO Monday and ship them off. I will be happy to have that task done. I also have several Land's End returns o make at Sears, because one big box and four shoe box...

I think I'll begin with what I've been reading since July 2nd. 1.  Inside of a Dog: What dogs see, smell and know   by Alexandra Horowitz     In case you didn't know it, a dog is an amazing creature. Of course, some are more amazing than others ... take my new Romeo, for instance. He's a bright one, he is, with a strong will and a keen nose, and lots of kisses to give. 2.  Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress   by Sijie Dai     This was set during the Cultural Revolution after all books were banned and burned. When two young men suspected that a man in their 'reeducation'  village (the father of the seamstress) had a secret cache of books, they were all about trying to get a chance to read them. 3.  The Map of True Places   by Barry Brunonia       "A novel of tragedy, secrets, identity, and love, in which a psychotherapist finds the strands of her own life in the death of a...

Whee! Here I am again. but what to say? What to say? I'd tell you that my friggin' laptop is on its last legs, but it's probably the keyboard  that just needs to be cleaned. I know that all of my typos aren't my bad typing, or due to MS-numbed fingers;  many of them are, but some keys aren't working properly, either. It makes for tedious proofreading. For instance, just now, I hit enter twice to start a new paragraph, but the curser didn't move; so I hit the space bar, and the curser jumps down two lines and moves a space. It's like he keyboard is haunted, or has a mind of its own. Still, it did everything is was told to; it just didn't show me. Also, at random intervals, the T decides it needs to be punched, and not just tapped. What this means for me is that I have to watch the screen and not the keyboard. I know, that's how you're supposed to type, but this is me I'm talking about, remember? And I. Can't. Type. One day I will...

I know I have not been putting up many posts, but I didn't realize just how few!  Two per month for May and June! I'm sorry about that, and will try to be better, but once you read this post you will realize why I haven't had the time for posting. I have been listening to digital books from the library!!! and I have been able to finish all three baby blankets and hats while doing so. 1. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman     This was about a girl in Indiana(?) who was being raised by her bi-polar mother while her father was away most of the time as a traveling salesman.  After her mother dies in an accident when CeeCee was 11, her great-aunt from Georgia takes her in. Life down South  was her salvation. Highly readable, and I enjoyed it very much. 2. Classic Driveway Moments I and II-    These were excerpts from This American Life on NPR, so was not technically a digital book, but interesting just the same. 3.  Say You'r...

I am feeling rather depressed today. My PT, Shannon, pointed out some truths to me about my "lack of compliance" with my exercise routine. She sees right through me. She's good. And she isn't even a specialist with MS! Still, she certainly hit on my buttons, in a very kindly way, as we discussed the ebbs and flows that is MS. Why am I not doing my home exercises? I don't know. Because I don't believe that they will keep me from getting worse, I guess. In my heart of hearts I feel it is inevitable - getting worse. I have seen it - too much of it - it will happen to me, too. And I guess I feel that there's not anything I can do that will change that. So, I don't bother. I started out with high hopes, and I was getting stronger. . . THEN, I got that damned sinus infection which pretty much put me back where I was. I guess I'm feeling, "What's the point?" Of course, I know that  if I continue the way I have been - not doing much of ...

Thursday, June 17, around 11 AM found several bloggers from the East coast to the West meeting in person. And do you know what? There were no surprises. We all were who we are in this venue - cheerful, funny, quiet, articulate, a listener, a laugher, a questioner, a singer, a smiler - in person. You get the picture. It was nice that we all were the same in the flesh that we are on the 'net.  There were a few who had been invited who for one reason or another could not make it, and I am sorry I did not get the chance to meet them in person. But that is the way of life. It is also the way of things that we didn't have enough time. Maybe we needed an agenda - a list of questions that we wanted answered. But no, that would not be natural, and we just wanted it to, well, be what it was. It made for a busier than usual day for me. First of all, I'm sure I've mentioned my nocturnal habits, so trying to turn that around to allow for an hour drive to Seattle wasn't easy. ...

I just got home from PT. I chose not to do the AquaCiser today because we were running late and didn't have time to change clothes, etc. Also, last time it kicked my ass (figuratively, not literally), and I didn't need that today. Why? you might ask. Because this weekend is ESA convention, and my Chapter is putting it on - so that means three relatively early and busy days ahead for me. Remember, I am nocturnal by nature and habit. Getting out of bed at the butt-crack of dawn is not my idea of a refreshing start to an amazing day. But I will do my best to drag myself down to the continental breakfast by 7:30 AM Saturday and Sunday. Oh, so looking forward to that. On a positive note, I will be taking my w/c with me this time which will make things a lot easier and I won't be wasting a lot of energy walking. Even using a walker, hotel hallways can be very long. Also, I will be using pharmaceuticals if necessary. On the reading front, I just finished Saving CeeCee Honeycutt ...

It's been two and a half weeks since I've posted and did I miss it? Sorry, but not really. I've been keeping up with my blog reading, and listening to World Without End by Ken Follett ( Damn, he's long winded -- 45 hours of listening!), which I actually enjoyed. Who enjoys a book about 14 th Century lustful relationships and treachery amidst the plague? Apparently- me. I love historical fiction. While I listen, I crochet. I do that somewhat slowly, or else it's just this pattern that seems to be moving along that way. I've had to do some ripping out of rows, so slow isn't necessarily a bad thing. The bulk of this baby blanket is a single crochet, double crochet pattern, and it's pretty. The borders on either end are a little different, and I don't like the color I chose for the ends, but too bad, I am not starting over. As it is, Even after consulting with some experts, we couldn't figure out how to read the directions on how to crochet in the...

I've finished my ten days of amoxicillin , and only missed a few doses which I made up on the 11 th day, and I am happy to report that nothing hurts and I'm no longer spewing, I mean coughing up or blowing out, colored phlegm and mucus. As a matter of fact I feel well enough to reschedule my PT appointments. I wonder how much taking three weeks off has set me back. Oh well. That's MS (only this time it's not) - two steps forward, time for a relapse. Or in my case, a sinus infection. So Romeo is working out well. DH is allowing him into the living room - something he never did with our other dogs, and something I always hated. Dogs are pack animals and want to be with their peoples. Romeo spends a lot of his time on his blanket near DH, and he spends a lot of time near me in the living room. DH is definitely the top dog, because that's because he's the strongest. Romeo doesn't always obey me. His attention span is a little on the random side, but he is a gen...

This is my 11th day of feeling like crap and my fifth day on amoxicillin. Will this never end? At least I've stopped with the low grade fevers, and my throat isn't sore anymore, but my head is thick with ghostbuster goo. I've been slimed, and if you come near me I will slime you too. So my question to you is, "Who you gonna call?" I went to my meeting last Thursday. Luckily, I didn't have anything to present because my voice was all froggy. Since it's a sinus infection, I know I'm not contagious. DH won't let me go to PT. My PCP doc told me not to go to PT. So I sit here and hope my ear doesn't pop (which hurts like hell). I've been listening to The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold while crocheting a baby blanket. I also finished My Lobotomy by oops I forget, and it was sad what the psychiatrists of the 1950s and early 1960s got away with. That poor guy was nearly ruined by the manipulations of his step-mother in collusion with a doctor just ...

Made it in to the doctor today and had it confirmed what I already knew: I have a sinus infection. He said my right eardrum was bright red, which might explain why it hurts like a sonofabitch when I swallow sometimes. Not every time, mind you. Just at random times, which makes me hesitant to swallow. Then, just as I've forgotten about it - YEOW - gotcha. "So I guess this means I shouldn't go to PT tomorrow, huh?" I asked coyly. He looked up from his notes with a 'You gotta be kidding me' expression on his face. "No. You shouldn't. No PT tomorrow. Just lots of rest, and lots of fluids, and take your meds ." He returned to his notes, shaking his head, but smiling just the same. I like my PCP. He's a real nice guy. This is the first time I've actually had to see him for being sick. Actually, this is the first time I've seen any doctor for being sick. [MS doesn't count - it's not being sick, it's a condition, a disease. Nop...

And it's not just puppy love. I either have a nasty sinus infection, or a head cold. Since it hasn't moved below my throat which is sore, but not as sore as yesterday, I am thinking sinus. So I have done three nasal washes with a warm (body temp) saline solution. It helps clear out the yuck (you don't want to know - believe me.) So that's why I haven't had an update on Romeo, but I'll say this - he sure is cute. Good Night, TTYL, and Be Well, Webster

Hi Everybody. I'm Romeo. I have one blue eye and one brown eye, but with her phone camera, you can't see my brown eye. I look like a pirate. Ha Ha. I'm a Huskador - That's what my new peoples call me. I'm Half Husky and Half Labrador, and I like to chase balls. It keeps me in really good shape. (but I heard someone say I look like I'm a pit bull), Actually, I only have about 1/8 pit bull in me. I just came here today with these new peoples. They even let me get up on their couch, which I like, because my other peoples let me sleep on the couch, and even in their bed every night. I'm nervous at this new place. I'm a little scared, too. Everything is so quiet here. In my other house there was noise ALL the TIME! I had kids in my other house too, but not here. There are kitties though. One just sits on a chair and watches me, or naps. There's another one who comes out from behind the sofa sometimes, but goes away when he sees me. I think he's s...