tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73489702008-10-03T21:19:04.484-07:00They call me <em>The Universe</em> but really, I'm not that big.bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comBlogger764125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-36101249383001903032008-09-30T20:13:00.002-07:002008-09-30T20:21:23.783-07:00

As part of the Master Gardener Foundation Growth Committee (yeah, sorry, I have no idea what that committee name means) I took part in a $5,000 spending spree today, in our first grant cycle. Cool, huh? It was wonderful to work with a diverse group of people, listen to each other's arguments, and reach consensus. We even funded a couple of extra projects that were lower on our list, because we

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-11150074718065028792008-09-30T18:11:00.003-07:002008-09-30T18:14:03.721-07:00

Okay. That wee rant? Blame it on some drama of the past weeks. And neighbors. Didn't want to make it sound like I'm complaining about my two blog readers.

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-65620546038602718242008-09-29T18:32:00.004-07:002008-09-29T19:46:16.808-07:00

I made a promise to myself almost 14 years ago that I wouldn't walk in craziness and I wouldn't walk with anyone who did. At the moment, I find myself surrounded by crazymakers. Normally I would have more compassion for their suffering but right now I'm fresh out. If you want to be one-dimensional and combative, fine. Seriously. That's fine. It will break our friendship. That's not a threat. It's

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-16364483507034044772008-09-27T17:59:00.000-07:002008-09-27T18:00:20.633-07:00

I lived a dream, walking in brown fields among a chorus of crickets, in the dust and under the sun. I remembered the beauty of the Milky Way, slept, and had vivid, disturbing dreams. I snored like a water buffalo. Evidently. I baked bread, heard terrific music, read incredible books, built a few toasty fires. My bank failed. I finished 436 crossword puzzles, pretended I could get away with

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-44773530571643990522008-09-16T14:23:00.002-07:002008-09-16T14:26:16.938-07:00

Okay, I don't discuss politics in here much. Okay, at all. I save that for face time, when folks can be civil. 'Nuff said. And this isn't political. But it sure is funny. If Sarah Palin were your mother, what would your name be? Signed, Revolver Trooper Palin

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-50723289408326901852008-09-12T19:55:00.002-07:002008-09-12T20:04:10.015-07:00

The advantage of taking your physician to your test is that the specialists take notice, particularly since said physician walked out of the facility with her own personal set of films from the MRI. What would normally take two to three days to happen (full report of results), took less than one day. So when Doc Mel called Thursday morning with the results, I was still fast asleep. I didn't get

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-70480279501353425752008-09-05T22:04:00.003-07:002008-09-05T22:17:16.605-07:00

So I had this iffy mammogram. Calcifications. Not microcalcifications. Just regular ones. Which usually form around scar tissue and are benign. My doctor consulted with the local surgeon. Together they agree that the calcifications aren't exactly new, and indeed are near the scar site from 14 years go. But - they want a better picture. So on Wednesday, I'm going into Seattle to an imaging

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-89274134211194491772008-09-02T18:03:00.002-07:002008-09-02T18:16:21.238-07:00

Not what you think. I love Gold Toe® socks. I recently ordered 9 pairs. Last year I did the same. That means I have approximately 18 decent pairs of socks in the drawer. Additionally, I own probably another 9 pairs that are in various states of decomposition, and a single odd one. When my new socks arrived, hobbitt asked me if I was going to throw any of the old ones away. See, I have three

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-35124310890656949342008-09-02T12:38:00.001-07:002008-09-02T12:38:46.050-07:00

No matter where I've lived, the end of summer always came with a profound stillness. I grew up at the New Joy Sea Shore. Labor Day marked the end of extra bridge openings, strange accents at the beach, and traffic congestion. Boardwalk businesses were open only on weekends. Our church scaled down worship services from having 3 on Saturday night and 6 on Sunday mornings to 1 and 2, respectively.

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-46656650815947447502008-09-01T00:40:00.002-07:002008-09-01T00:51:06.032-07:00

hobbitt and I had dinner with my friend M and her spouse tonight, followed by a gripping game of Settlers of Catan. hobbitt was leading for a while, and then with the longest road I forged ahead, but in the end my friend M came storming up from behind to win. The evening started with hobbitt giving some Photoshop pointers to H. When the fellows were doing that, I mentioned to M that I'd gotten

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-61685519914767162932008-08-30T18:04:00.002-07:002008-08-30T18:08:50.480-07:00

The other day I was feeling like a real winner. I was a little overdue for some of my yearly tests, and when I got to the hospital, the phlebotomist got the draw on the first stick (hasn't happened but a few times in 14 years) and the mammographer got good pictures the first time around. That's always a plus, because it's pretty painful on the left side. Today I got the results: "Recommend a 4-

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-55945541723378896842008-08-29T18:05:00.002-07:002008-08-29T18:11:28.130-07:00

First day of physical therapy. Soft tissue work on the iliotibial band was excruciating. The exercises didn't hurt at all. So. One session. My walk this afternoon was probably the least painful and awkward in many, many months. This is good. Also: I woke at 7:45, a few minutes before hobbitt came in to wake me. As always I had to struggle to come to, but I felt refreshed from a good night's

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-43644019306982309702008-08-26T17:43:00.003-07:002008-08-26T17:51:25.155-07:00

My sleeping habits are no secret. Toss and turn for a few hours, start to drop off into deep sleep about dawn, and if left undisturbed, sleep blissfully until noon. This doesn't work in today's world for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that I have responsibilities. If I were awake and being productive until dawn, that would be one thing. But that's not the case, of course.

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-11330494108026615382008-08-12T14:33:00.002-07:002008-08-12T14:37:24.850-07:00

Wishing a happy birthday to my one-and-only, hobbitt. I love you! I do! And you know this is how much of a dork I am. I went to the supermarket to get greens for our lunch salad. Remembered that my younger brother and sister turn 49 on Thursday. Picked up birthday cards for them. When I got home, and while you were unpacking the grocery bags, you handed the cards to me saying, "I probably

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-33980336437237250112008-08-04T14:32:00.003-07:002008-08-04T16:31:19.656-07:00

So all you have to do is scroll down a bit to see that I've been having some issues lately. Big ones. It's tiresome and familiar. I want to be done with that but I'm not sure brain chemistry is subject to my will. And on top of that I tend to think of myself as a weak person. But something amazing happened this weekend. It was part "hang out with people I love, indulge in very bad behavior,

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-24412672550195355722008-07-26T21:22:00.002-07:002008-07-26T21:25:44.733-07:00

Thank you, my friends, for worrying about me. Here's why you can put that to rest: A few times in my life I've experienced the "wow, this would be easy to end" syndrome. Every time I've known it was appropriate to immediately talk to my doctor. I'm not prepared to even begin to think about ending my life. Not on my list of things to do, as long as I'm healthy and in full possession of my

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-15535257375810612932008-07-25T14:05:00.001-07:002008-07-25T14:07:33.218-07:00

Where have I been? Vancouver, Chicago. Off to Lexington next week. And in-between? Stuggling with a very dark depression, and doing mega-mailings for the new grant program our local Master Gardeners Foundation has begun. Mostly I'm okay. No worries. I'm sure I'll be back to this soon enough. When I have something to say, that is. Carry on!

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-44843821096713879562008-07-07T22:12:00.003-07:002008-07-07T22:25:34.020-07:00

I bought a new bra today. This is noteworthy for two reasons. First, I haven't worn anything but sports bras in more than a decade. The uni-boob look works for me, since I'm so lopsided since surgery. Think left = C and right = DD. Second, I haven't bought a bra, any bra, in almost that long. Dammit but these sports bras are indestructible! So I got fitted and tried on some high-tech big girl

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-57815598462388122442008-06-30T21:09:00.002-07:002008-06-30T21:17:41.367-07:00

I was in hot,warm or cool water, or lounging in a hot room, or a warm room, or a cool room, or a sauna, or a steam room, for about six hours today. I had my entire body scrubbed, in a way that it probably hasn't been scrubbed since, well, forever, for almost an hour. I got purty toes now. I had a delicious Korean meal. I spent a long relaxing day with some old and some new friends, took about

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-61809000325947413822008-06-29T20:41:00.002-07:002008-06-29T20:46:03.099-07:00

Tomorrow I'm spending the day with my friend M and her school chum S, as well as M's office manager B to spend a day at a Korean women's day spa, voted some time back in Seattle as "best place to get naked with your girlfriends." I plan on a full-day nap in a warm room. Okay, no fun, but what the hey? My weekend was amazing. We visited dear friends in North Vancouver BC on Friday night and then

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-24884498839542126372008-06-22T14:56:00.001-07:002008-06-22T14:56:39.196-07:00

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-33428320475579538782008-06-15T20:32:00.001-07:002008-06-15T20:33:49.907-07:00

My dad was a prince. Funny, sweet, loving. Not perfect, by any means, and not much of a friend to his only son when my brother John needed it most, but there you have it. Worked hard, loved us, provided. Loved my mother until the day he died, like sweethearts. Gotta love that. Adored his grandchildren. Knew he wouldn't live to see them grow up. Told me in the vestibule of the church before my

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-48245437447446268002008-05-28T17:06:00.003-07:002008-05-28T17:32:57.978-07:00

Lately I've been feeling very homebound, crippled almost. It's nearly the same feeling I had in 1993 when my job crushed my spirit and I started to head into agoraphobia. Okay, so there's no job to crush the spirit but I tend to nurse along depression without thinking much of it, and all of a sudden, I'm stuck. Really, really stuck. Running away from home worked back then. I was gone most of

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-20050400945963021232008-05-28T15:33:00.005-07:002008-05-28T17:02:20.263-07:00

For the past few weeks our neighbors have had a caregiver working for them. Ron and Connie are in their 80's. He's been retired for more than 20 years but has enjoyed little of that time because of the health and attitude of his wife. As long as we've lived next door, Connie has been unable to walk unassisted (she refuses to have the necessary knee surgery), has suffered urinary incontinence (but

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348970.post-84046485179505607052008-05-10T10:44:00.004-07:002008-05-10T11:43:17.845-07:00

I've been wearing New Balance walking shoes exclusively for a decade or so. In Illinois I put as much as 300 miles on a pair, never had to "break in" the new ones, and have stayed loyal to one particular model line as it changed. I get emails from New Balance Direct letting me know when the shoes are on sale (read: about to be discontinued) and when I see that, I'll buy a couple-three pairs at a

bhdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745845682132788731noreply@blogger.com