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Post by silk on Oct 22, 2021 2:55:14 GMT -5
Good evening. I must have missed news of Angel.I am not getting in as often these days. She did post on my challenge thread briefly. I'm very sorry if she's ill again. Huronna...that Wandering Jew is pretty but a big pain. Some yellow weed is taking over our garden. Joe sprayed today so here's hoping. It's all getting a bit much for him. Good to know Joe is dong well after the surgery. Flagryl, glad to know that you're all sorted out now and an appointment set up. Ben is sleeping so well after his surgery and the surgeon says it will get even better. He is coming up tomorrow....Ben that is...not the surgeon. Best wishes to everyone.,..be well.
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Post by Huronna on Oct 22, 2021 9:11:45 GMT -5
We have his post op appt this afternoon and I will make sure that he asks her. Best to get them both done especially at this time when we don't have any cruises scheduled until Feb. After he was complaining to me yesterday that it felt like he had an eye lash in his eye. I told him that was probably a sensation from the lens being removed and another one being put in. Lots of manipulation and the feeling would probably go away. But you know men, they always need authority so while he is deciding whether or not to call his doc, I googled and found just about what I had told him. AUTHORITY ha ha is google and he relaxed and in the evening I asked him about it and he said it had gone away.
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Post by silk on Oct 22, 2021 17:22:54 GMT -5
Joe is lucky Huronna....I still feel there is something in my eye after years. I can deal with it though. I felt a sharp pain during the surgery and wonder if it is the cause. The benefits outweigh that though.
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Post by Flagryl on Oct 22, 2021 21:30:22 GMT -5
I hope it goes way, that would drive me nuts. Big day today. Worked out on my new treadmill, getting my old iPad ready to give to my friend Rosemary since her Nook died. Baked John his second Lemon Meringue Pie. His Mom used to bake 2 pies for him and one for the family so on his birthday I baked him one with promise of the second so it would be fresh.
Big event today was some cattle were loose down in the valley below us, neighbor texted me. I think they broke through a fence so John went down and herded them back onto the Forest Service land. Some one must have left a gate opened, has happened before. He didn't need my help this time, we've herded strays before.
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Post by silk on Oct 22, 2021 22:01:29 GMT -5
Good afternoon...my son Ben arrived a while ago. It's two weeks since his nose op. His eyes are still a bit black but the nose looks good. There are daily procedures to be done flushing the nose etc. He sees the surgeon again next Wednesday. I hadn't realized it was such a job. Breathing is good. Some excitement your way Flagryl. I would love to see the area where you live. Photos are good but nothing beats being there. The closest we got was Las Vegas We've had a helicopter landing behind us carrying gear to and from the island where the light house is. Now a tourist attraction but not easy to get to. I am going to ty for a 6th set for the auction....but not looking promising at the moment.
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Post by Huronna on Oct 22, 2021 23:12:48 GMT -5
I can just imagine you heard cattle Flagryl. Come here little doggies HA HA Glad Ben got there Silk, I know you love having him. Joe's post op appt went fine, his final one is next Friday and of course he forgot to ask when the next surgery will be. I will have to pin a note on his shirt next Friday so he remembers. We stopped at Olive Garden on the way home for a late lunch, which meant I we have left overs for tomorrow and I didn't have to make dinner tonight. got the new credit card and got all the accounts changed except for two that have to wait until Monday. That's about it for me, bed time now
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Post by Grassy on Oct 23, 2021 16:22:52 GMT -5
Hi all.
I am here. I am OK.
28 days after I sprained my ankle, I finally got the MRI the ER doc had requested be done in a week. My PCP had put me off that long. With rest and not working so much, naturally the MRI showed mild tendonitis and subcutaneous swelling up into the calf - which, duh. I have been pooh-poohed again because I shouldn't have any swelling and we still don't know the source of the tendonitis - and now the right ankle is doing it too, my PCP just did a really expensive test 28 days after his colleague said do the MRI within the week. Poodle Doo!
I have a weird condition with my breasts. Both of them now. The irradiated tissue is dying and becoming fibrotic at the same time, so it's causing larger problems. I may have to get a mastectomy for both breasts and my chest wall to stop the necrosis (dead tissue) from spreading. But it's how we do it and if it's necessary that is the big pain in the butt.
The hilarious thing is I just completed my five-year breast cancer study. I feel like my warranty just expired. OMG! I am a lemon!
I have a mammo on Tuesday to see what is happening.
I will read and catch up on all the doin's around here.
Just from what I have seen, I am glad Joe's post-op went well. My brother had that done too and he said it felt super weird. His only issue was a bit of dry eye but that went away after a year or so.
Flagryl, I imagined you lived in the desert. I had no idea you lived near grazing land! That is so cool! Are you in the foothills? I am so challenged on Geography! Arizona remains one of 8 states I have yet to visit to get all 50.
I am delighted that Ben is with you Silk! How is he doing?
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Post by Flagryl on Oct 23, 2021 17:29:48 GMT -5
I am so glad Ben is with you Silk and is doing so well, breathing well is important. Glad Joe is doing well too, hope the feeling that something is in his eye goes away.
Grassy, sounds like your ankle is minor though real and irritating to say the least but is a shadow of a problem compared to your issues given the fibroids. Well rats, rats rats. John's niece had a double mastectomy last spring to offset her genetic breast cancer situation. Not fun but she's doing well, she's 60. You take care sweetie and keep us up-to-date on what's going on. You don't need to do this alone, the more friends the better.
We live in the mountains of Northern Arizona and live at 7,600 ft in a Ponderosa Pine forest adjacent to SnowBowl Ski resort. We get about 100 inches of snow a year. It rains in the summer, monsoon July-Sept. No real foothills here but folks at lower elevations like Sedona and Prescott live in areas with Pinon Pine and Juniper trees. The valley below us is grassland. Ranchers pay the Forest Service to graze their cattle on the FS land adjacent to us and there are some people out here who raise cattle, but not many. Some nice looking Long Horns, Black Angus and some specialty breeds I won't go into. Many of our neighbors down in the valley have horses, glad no one adjacent to us have cattle or horses. My parents used to rent out their grassland to a neighbor/friend for his cows and calves. That's where I learned how to herd cattle. They are really quite docile and know where they are supposed to go and be except for some bulls that can get cantankerous if irritated or not. I have some stories but I'll leave that for now.
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Post by Flagryl on Oct 23, 2021 17:33:38 GMT -5
Summer Winter
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Post by Flagryl on Oct 23, 2021 17:35:40 GMT -5
And, our steep driveway Huronna has remarked about so often. It was not paved when she and Suzie were here in 2007
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Post by Huronna on Oct 23, 2021 18:06:24 GMT -5
That photo is deceiving. It's a much steeper incline and she wanted me to back down it? I think I made a 28 point turn in her drive way so I could get my car to go down front end first. Things are quiet her, I went to the gym alone, joe isn't allowed to do much for a week. He's dependent on me, yet again ha ha, so what else is new? Grassy, you poor kid. It is amazing that you have such a sense of humor, most people would sit in a corner and feel sorry for themselves. You are and icon that we can admire.
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Post by silk on Oct 24, 2021 4:24:49 GMT -5
Beautiful photos Flagryl. A lovely place to live. How did you come to live there? I lived on acres and allowed a friend's horses to graze.. For that I received a lovely painting...he is an artist. Grassy...what a miserable time you're having but you can still make us smile.
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Post by Smilyn on Oct 24, 2021 10:31:22 GMT -5
I love the photos Flagryl... and got a kick out of the cattle tales. To me you live in heaven. Horonna, your 28 point turn made me laugh. I would probably have done the same.
Grassy... I can only say I am holding your hand and wrapping you in prayer. Lemon my foot! You are a Star fruit, at least!
I took a day off after the recent schedule marathon. Today I sort clothes in the bedroom. I have a lot to get rid of and seasonal changes to make. It would help if we had a couch to lay things on, but we haven't found one we want yet. Oh well!
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Post by silk on Oct 26, 2021 3:00:43 GMT -5
Good evening. Ben left at 5.30 this morning but will be back soon with Steph. He is looking good with the septum now where it should be. A very nice nose.I miss him the moment he walks out the door. What a day. Our upstairs and main freezer/ fridge started making loud noises and not working. My ice not freezing. Someone is coming tomoorrow but we're hoping it won't be necessary now. Now the battery on my stair lift needs replacing ( $200 ). Has to be done. Dear Grassy...how are you? Flagryl I would still love to know how you came to be living where you do ? It's beautiful.That driveway is more like a road. Best wishes to everyone one. Be well.
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Post by Huronna on Oct 26, 2021 9:47:28 GMT -5
A very scary road I might ask LOL
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Post by Flagryl on Oct 26, 2021 9:55:42 GMT -5
It's an interesting story, will get to it. We are off to John's doc appt, stops for groceries on the way home. Will check in later.
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Post by Flagryl on Oct 26, 2021 17:59:06 GMT -5
Okay, got the flu shots and get the Covid Moderna Booster on Saturday. So, how did we get to Flagstaff? We were both working in Ohio back in the 90s and when we got married, we flew out to Flagstaff to get married in a meadow with a view of the San Francisco Peaks. Because we had talked about where we might want to retire and Flagstaff was the most reasonable option. John is from Wisconsin and I was born and raised in Iowa, both of us had spent many summer vacations on the lakes in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Loved the lakes, but those areas empty out in Winter and it's colder than a witches you know what. Neither of us do well with heat and humidity. Flagstaff has mild winters though lots of snow, but we love snow...both of us downhill skiers. Summers are not hot, only 2 weeks out of the summer does it get up to the higher 80s. The monsoon season brings rain in the afternoons July-Sept. And, ironically there are lots of Midwestern folk here. John had spent a couple of sabbaticals here in the mid 70s and mid 80s so he was familiar with Flagstaff, actually chose it so he could ski and work on his research at the university. We bought land the year after we married and John took my dad's advice and retired early at age 58. So, we sold our house and moved out here in Mar 2002. Even earlier retirement for me. We lived in an apt while we built our house and moved in just after Thanksgiving, 2003.
The story of how we found the land is funny but interesting. We spent 4 weeks out here and found a realtor. Told him we wanted trees and a view of the Peaks. So he called us after we were back in Ohio and said he had a prospect. I couldn't get off work so John flew out. The property had 3 trees, down in the valley and marginal view of the peaks and was only 2 acres. He really didn't know what John did for living and proceeded to tell him that trees out here did not lose their leaves. In classic Midwestern style, John said Oh is that so. John is a botanist. Actually pines do shed their needles but do not have leaves pe se. So, John was disappointed in the property after flying out here and this guy knew it. Then he said, you know there is some land somewhere up there and he pointed to where we now live. It hasn't been listed yet but I could check. So, he did and John hiked all the way in from the major road and hiked up the 500 or so feet. No view of the peaks because of all the trees but he knew the view was there. He had brought his camera and took a couple of rolls, not digital then. Brought them home and said what do you think? Steep in the winter but beautiful. We can manage the driveway, and we did.
More land than we had anticipated but we broke the bank and bought it. We hired the guys who were out here this spring to cut some trees and they cleared quite few Ponderosa Pines under John's direction. We did not want to see houses below, only the peaks. The driveway was dirt until about 2009, made it easier to clear snow. So here we are. I am going to look to find someone to clear snow for us now. John has the largest snowblower one can buy but it takes 3 swipes and he just turned 78 so I think it time for a younger person to run that big boy.
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Post by Flagryl on Oct 26, 2021 18:08:50 GMT -5
Oh, we almost bought a couple of large lots out in what was a new area then Amberwood. It's all residential now with paved streets and sewers and sits above another nice residential neighborhood. Not the same feel. We live 11 mi outside of Flagstaff and you drive through a Ponderosa Pine forest practically all the way out here. The area below us in the valley is filling up but we can't really see them from our house, only on the way to/fro. A large part of the valley is Forest Service land and hosts the headwaters of the Rio de Flag which runs through our property down there. I love the solitude up here. We are adjacent to FS land that goes for miles to the south and the west, love the wild life.
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Post by silk on Oct 26, 2021 19:44:26 GMT -5
I am feeling pretty rotten today so thought I'd check to see if you had posted your story Flagryl. Thank you it's a great real life story. I so enjoyed reading it. John being a Botanist interests me also...in another life it's what I'd like to be as well as an ornithologist....well I am an amateur orno. You live in a little piece of paradise. Although I like people I also love solitude...if I were younger I'd be begging to visit. Thank you for telling your story. I really appreciate it...made my day.
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Post by Huronna on Oct 26, 2021 19:46:39 GMT -5
Great story, interesting to know why people are where they are.
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Post by Grassy on Oct 26, 2021 20:34:19 GMT -5
Flagryl, I love the story! My super fantastic sister lives way up in the mountains in Colorado. All of her neighbors except for her (so far - knock wood) are having well troubles. Your land is wonderful. I thought your area was all desert and the Grand Canyon ha ha ha. Do you have to do a lot of fire remediation too? I never knew John was a Botanist! That's really interesting. I bet that driveway is just a doodle to navigate in the winter! Yikes!
I love everyone's stories! Huronna's right - I love to hear where people come from and why they are where they are.
I had a mammogram today. I hope we can get to the bottom of all this Bewbie trouble. I also got a cheese filled soft pretzel. Yummy!
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Post by silk on Oct 26, 2021 23:10:26 GMT -5
My best wishes Grassy for some good news. The pretzel sounds great.
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Post by Smilyn on Oct 27, 2021 9:48:47 GMT -5
That's a fabulous tale Flagryl. We love the Flagstaff area. We used to wander around up there in our little old RV in the late 90's. We would stop there both going to and returning from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, our favorite place to camp. You described our fav temps and conditions perfectly. We call that North Rim weather as so often that is the weather we found there. The university area had some lovely shops and pubs and coffee houses; we would stroll with our dogs and take it all in. Your choices and risks sure paid off for you. You made me laugh with the snowblower bit. That big boy will not want to give up his big toy, I bet.
Grassy... Crossing fingers for good news. I have never had a cheese filled soft pretzel. Hmmm...
Silk... I do hope you feel a bit better soon. Gentle hugs to the amateur orno. Glad Ben has a nice nose now!
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Post by panthera66 on Oct 28, 2021 4:36:48 GMT -5
Flagryl... What a lovely story, i like the idea of living remote and wild, and those photos certainly portray that. Could imagine bears and wolves roaming through as well as deer etc. Do you see much wildlife?
Silk. hope you feel better soon, nothing worse than not feeling your best.
Hi to all yes been a few days or so since i posted, i have a nasty cough and flu like symptoms, took a test and thankfully not covid. Just have to grin and bear it and it will go away, first illness since december 2019!..
Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone.
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Post by silk on Oct 28, 2021 4:59:40 GMT -5
I have lived in so many different places. Born in Melbourne Victoria. A lovely city. I moved to work on the Snowy Mountains Dam Scheme in NSW. There I worked with 23 nationalities. The contractors were American and I met many Americans making a close friend from Fresno. I have a funny memory...the Duke of Edinburgh ( the Queens' husband ) was to open the flood gates on one dam . When it was time the American boss called out, 'Let er go dooky !.' I married and went to live in the desert. That was a great place. The desert is beautiful in it's own way. From snow to the dry. I won't bore you with all the other places I have lived but the longest is here by the sea. Today we had big hail storms and a power outage for hours. Our water dragon loved it... Thank you Milyn for your good wishes and hugs...the same back at you. Still nauseous but better than yesterday. For dinner this evening I cooked salmon and asparagus with a nice sauce. Simple, and I ate it all. Grassy....how are you ? Do please let us know how things go for you. Thank you Tilly...so glad you don't have CoVid but the 'flu certainly gives you a beating and hope you're soon feeling better. I'd love to see more stories here.
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