The Box Fairy strikes again!!

So funny!!! For those of you who remember my incident with a single skein of Red Heart yarn in a great big box a couple of years ago......here we go again! Different company, same type of packaging. The box is about 13 1/2 inches by 9 inches by 7 inches...and the 4 items in it would nearly have fit in a #10 envelope.

The three freebies they sent, the packing peanuts and the box they used probably cost them more than one thing I ordered!

My grin for the day!

I survived!

So......the teeth are gone and here I am. Contrary to popular belief (mine!), my oral surgery went fine....I did NOT die from fright, though I believe I was close...I think I came very close to crushing my poor husband's hand during the procedure, as well. My top dentures fit fine and I've had them in full time since the surgery. My bottom ones, however, do not fit, so are sitting in a container. They fit my bottom gum, but they don't fit with my top ones....when I close my mouth, there's a gap between top and bottom in the front where they don't come together...a BIG one....at least 1/4 inch........but they're together in the back - so I can't use them at all.

Ed did fine with his surgery, too, and his dentures fit fine. He's had his over a week - the swelling is going down, so he's ready for a reline, which will be done today. So, while we are at the denturist for that, they'll figure out what they need to do about mine. I have a feeling they'll have to make a whole new bottom denture - I can't see how they can possibly adjust the existing ones, but I don't know.

Oh, and....talk about strange!! No, not the dentures, though that IS a strange feeling. Usually Ed has a very high tolerance to pain and heals more quickly than the average person. I, on the other hand, have a really LOW pain tolerance and heal quite a bit slower than the average. Apparently, this is not true of either of us when it comes to our mouths! My mouth isn't bothering me much at all and his is hurting him....though, admittedly, I'm using every bit of the allowed dosage of pain meds they gave me and he isn't - they knock him for a loop and he can't work or drive. Also, I had much less swelling than the norm and he's had more than the norm! It was 3 days before Ed could eat anything that was not put through a blender with added liquid..........I had scrambled eggs for breakfast Sunday morning (just 36 hours after surgery)......so....maybe I feel better about this whole thing because of that?

We visited friends for a bit yesterday morning and then went to my niece's and hit the tail end of a "2 months til Nick comes home, fill boxes for his detachment" party late in the afternoon, so got to see some of the family for a bit. Nick is my grandnephew in the AF, stationed in Baghdad.

Nothing much else happened last week or over the weekend...not that I can remember, anyway. If anything comes to me later, I'll add it next time!

Done Ramblin

Ugh.....just my luck

I discovered I've not been able to concentrate enough this week to do anything right (frogged the same section of a bolero 4 times in one day), so about all I've done is read and play electronic solitaire and computer games.

Monday afternoon I started having trouble with a tooth....or, to be more precise, trouble with a blood vessel near a couple of loose teeth - every time those two move just so, it bleeds copiously around the third tooth (not loose, had a root canal in that one years ago) for about 30 seconds...just enough to make an ungodly mess. Sheesh. This happened twice that afternoon and once in the night. I had immediately started with salt washes every couple of hours...yesterday it only happened 3 times all day, as I was careful to not let the teeth wiggle (but I had to eat!). This morning, however, that area of my gum was swollen a bit and sore...so Ed (poor man has to do everything for me) called the dentist, who called the oral surgeon.....and they both agreed it's starting with an infection...but if they could get the amoxicillin in me right off, it will not interfere with my surgery on Friday. And, of course, THAT was my biggest fear.......big sobbing fear, actually. It's bad enough having a phobia about the surgery.....but it HAS to be done......if it gets postponed, there may be no AK trip for me. So, they called in the scrip and Ed took time from work to go get it and bring it home to me - by 9:30 I'd taken the first dose.....man oh man, I hope it works.

Sunday's snow didn't amount to much, but it snowed Monday as well.....and the wind blew really hard all day yesterday......welcome to Spring in Maine! All told, we probably only got about 3 inches of snow....but the wind drifted it to over a foot in places.

Got some books in the mail yesterday that I'd ordered at Half.com - I was down to my last book, so I'm all set for a bit....plus I have a bunch more coming that I got on eBay. When I've read them, I'll put them back on eBay - and likely not make a cent, but that's ok......it keeps me in reading material!

Ok.....can't think.

Done Ramblin

And I'm still waiting...ugh.

Nearly another week gone since my last post....lazy, lazy!

I called the motorhome rental co. and set that all up on Monday. They mailed us the contract, which we received Friday, and as I was reading it over and filling out the necessary parts, I noticed a place where it said something about being able to get into the rental after hours if your arrival time is after closing.....WHAT?? Nobody mentioned that! We arrive around midnight and thought we'd either have to get a room for that night (and the night before we leave) or we'd have to just hang in the airport until they open at 8 am. So...I called them back on Saturday - we can extend our rental times and get into the motorhome when we arrive. We can do the same on the other end (our plane departs at 1 am), and can stay right in the motorhome until it's time for us to get on the plane! So much easier for us - well worth the extra two days rental fees!

Wednesday we left home around 9 am - went to Bangor and did what we needed to do for shopping before going to the oral surgeon appointment. The guy has an issue with my herbal supplement, but not with my coumadin....so they wouldn't schedule me for Friday (they were going to!)....I have to wait until this coming Friday. I will be so glad when this is over....I'm such a wreck....the constant nausea, headache, inability to concentrate.....I can't do anything right........gad! I'd be better off if they just knock me out for the week.....probably Ed would be, too!

We went to my niece's just before suppertime Wed. and dropped off our bags, visited with my SIL for a bit (she was babysitting), then went out for supper. Back to niece's, visit for the evening, to bed, then up early to get to Ed's appointment at 8:30. He was done and back to the car (where I was waiting...no way could I go in that office!) around 10. They'd had a problem with one root and ended up with a little "bleeder", so couldn't put his dentures right in. He was to keep gauze in for half an hour, then take it out and put in his dentures. That, of course, meant that we couldn't head up the interstate for home.....we live an hour and a quarter away and there was no place to stop in half an hour! So, back out to niece's - thank heavens for understanding family!!!

We got home around 2 pm - Ed spent the rest of the day lazing and dozing. Friday he had to go to the denturist - after that appointment, where they rechecked his fit and he was shown some "tricks", he was feeling better, so we headed to P.I. to pick up stuff we couldn't get in Bangor.

Friday night the predicted snowstorm came in.....by yesterday morning, we'd gotten 6 or 8 inches of snow, then it had turned to sleet....by 11:30 am (which is about when the plow truck FINALLY went by), it was pouring rain. Ed went out to plow - got his work van stuck in the driveway, so I had to go help "unstuck" it....then I used the snowblower to do the path to the house and clean around my car (it had blown right up against it) while Ed finished the plowing. By the time we were done, we were both soaking wet. We spent the rest of the day (as it kept raining until after supper) watching tv. Er....well, Ed did....I also did laundry and packaged books and sorted paperwork, etc.

Today it's snowing again, but I doubt it will amount to much...it's a "lazy" snow.

I'm going to print off another copy of a pattern that I misplaced (in the middle of working on it!) and maybe crochet. Or maybe read. Or not.

Done Ramblin.

Another week gone

Thursday's doctor appointment went fine.....once we got it through the CNA's head what I was there for...happens every time with this particular girl...oy!! Dr thought I had more than 2 appointments with the oral surgeon, so was going to give me a scrip for 5 Xanax. As I'm only supposed to have two appointments, one for the exam and one for the extraction, I had her change it to 3. She also agrees that I may have acid reflux, but since it's not bad and I've no previous history of it, she thinks it may be due to stress....I'm to take Tums or its equivalent (ick, yuck, bleck) until after my surgery. If it doesn't go away then, we'll deal with it. yay. However.....by Saturday night it was gone....maybe I'm in luck.

Ed was on call for the weekend (heating tech) - had one late Saturday night that took longer to get to than to fix! Only had one or two others the whole weekend. His chiropractic appointment on Sunday (yes, our chiropractor works Sundays!) went well....he's all cleared from his injury on Christmas Day and goes back to his usual "every 8 week" schedule for adjustments. So, now we send in the mileage paper and get reimbursed for that.

I crocheted some more squares in between running around over the weekend - my pile of leftover bits of yarn has gotten lots smaller! If I could just get my muse back to finish that bolero I started....it was supposed to be for someone for this winter.....don't see that happening!

I had listed some books on eBay last week...forgot to mention that! Did some on Tuesday and some on Wednesday....around 15 or so, I think. So far, 5 will sell - what doesn't sell I will put in a box to take to VT next trip.

Speaking of Ed......his dad seems to be doing a bit better...they talked this morning, but the doctor had not been in yet, so we won't know if he gets to go home until later this evening.

Oh, Alaska plans are progressing!! Friday we got a bunch of quotes from motorhome rental places in Anchorage. Of the 8 quotes that we requested, a variety of things narrowed the choice to 2 places. One is not taking reservation requests at all; one didn't give us a quote, simply emailed us their rate schedule from their website (which is where I filled out the request for a quote from them!!), 2 were not able to fit our criteria for size (24 or 25 foot) for our dates....we don't want a 29 or 30 footer! We'd had a recommendation from a friend, but that particular company isn't even open Memorial Day weekend......which is when we arrive. That left 3......2 of those were very close in price and the other one was much more expensive - nearly $500 more. Of the final two, which seemed to be nearly equal in features offered as well as in price, we decided to choose the one that is right at Anchorage Airport - I will call them later today to reserve.

Time to send the Roomba around a couple of rooms...boy, I love my new toy!

Done Ramblin.

We have teeth!

Ok, that sounds weird, I know...but, it's true. Yesterday, I lazed and crocheted until Ed got home - he came home "on time" so we could go to the denturist and pick up our teeth. Now, they're sitting in their little bags on the kitchen counter waiting for our trip to the oral surgeon next week. I thought about putting them away out of sight....but that would mean out of mind for me....I'll be in no shape to remember them when the time comes.......ugh. I've got an appointment with my dr today...she's gonna give me Xanax, otherwise I'll never make it through the door for the surgery....I'm a wreck just thinking about it.

I never did get any crocheting done Monday.....I did more housework and a bunch of paperwork.

Ed's dad is having a hard time of it again......had more fluid in his chest cavity, so went into the hospital Monday. They've drained it and put some powder in to soak it up...I think as soon as it stops draining, they'll send him home. Poor man - as of last night, he's been in 3 different rooms in the 3 days he'd been there...he was in the women's & children's wing one night. Unless something changes, his knee surgery will be on the 20th...then he has to restart chemo again asap after that......geez, it never rains but it pours for the poor guy....and it's hard on the whole family, too.

We've had three days of quite cold weather with lows in the -10 degree area...and windy - with the wind chill, it's been about -25 out there the last few days! Normally I don't mind it too much......it IS winter, after all...and it will all be a distant memory soon. (about the middle of blackfly/mosquito season, half the people around here that complained about the cold will be wishing some of it back!)

Even as cold as it's been, Tuesday I had to go grocery shopping - I'd not been since we got home and we had NO food in the house. Oh, well...ok, so that's not exactly true, there's always cereal or crackers. But, we had no food for meals. So, I went to Houlton and got enough stuff to get us through the week.

Woke up with an awful taste/feeling in the back of my throat in the middle of the night...it sort of went away after I drank some water, but it's back this am...comes and goes.......gad, I think it might be acid reflux. Figures.....I always said how lucky I am that I don't have it.....and everyone else in my family does. Murphy's Law, as usual. Just what I need, another med. Sheesh.

Gotta get ready to go to my appointment.

Done Ramblin

Home Again

The trip home on Saturday was better than expected - the weather forecast was for rain and snow, but they were wrong - yay!! We ended up making a short side trip halfway home to see the parents of a close friend in southern ME. They treated us like their own for so many years - they are very special to us.....we had missed his 90th b'day party a couple of months ago, so we were glad to have the time to stop in.

After all our other stops (gas, meal, etc), we got home around 8:30 pm. Got the car all unloaded and got some things put away, started a load of laundry and relaxed for an hour, then to bed. Got up late Sunday morn, went to breakfast then stopped at our neighbors to get our mail and visit for a bit. Caught up on emails while Ed cleaned up the yard - it snowed while we were gone, but we only had our friend plow enough to get the vehicles in, not actually do a "real" plow job.

Got 4 loads of laundry done Sunday....sent the Roomba through 4 rooms, too. I finally got around to opening all the mail late in the day...hadn't paid much attention to the packages in the bottom of the box, as I knew I had two coming (meds)....but there was a third....a really NICE surprise for me!

A cyber friend of mine had sent me TWO (count em...not one, but two!!) BIG BEAUTIFUL DOILIES....."just because"!!! I was nearly overwhelmed....it was such a sweet thing for her to do. And the card was almost as nice as the doilies, too......I will cherish both, "S".....thank you!!

Oh.....I don't believe I mentioned that the old snowblower sold within days. The old Olds, however, is still here. We've had one email on it - the lady misunderstood that it was a parts car, saying she'd thought about buying it because she needs a car...she called a garage to see how much it would cost to fix...then she went on to complain about that cost to me. I was going to respond, but in the end, I just deleted it - the ad lists it as a "parts car - as is"........it's really not my problem if she doesn't understand what that means.

Today is lazy crochet day, I think. When I get off here, I'm gonna see if I can finish up a couple of wips. Ha. We'll see!

Done Ramblin.

Almost the end....

of the week.....boy, has it gone fast! Hard to believe it's Friday already. Monday we got just a few inches of snow - enough to keep us inside. Tuesday was supposed to be chemo day, but it got canceled as all his docs want him to have the bad knee taken care of - most likely that will be done next week, so he can get back to the chemo pronto. He'll probably be in hosp 4 - 5 days for that, then will likely go to the nursing home that Ed's Mom was in for a bit - they have a rehab section and will get him back on his feet.

Wednesday we took an aunt to lunch in MA for her birthday - a really good oriental restaurant.

Thursday saw us back in the same area of MA to hit Walmart....took a few days, but we finally figured out why the heck I kept having to sweep bits of "whatonearthisthis???" from under the table......the chair pads were leaking....and after discovering that they'd all had the seams resewn more than once, I requested that we throw them and buy new ones. We also figured what the brown plastic pieces on the sideboard were, too.........from the crock pot control.....we made it through the meal whichever day that was, but I watched it quite closely most of the day. It was old old....the liner wasn't even a removable one....all the plastic parts were disintegrating...and there was a crack in the outside of the pot, too. After the meal, we chucked it. He chose non-skid chair pads this time (no ties to rip) and a 6 qt West Bend - less $$ and not as fancy as some of the others, but he doesn't use one much. We would have gifted them to him, but he's a tad stubborn and refused us, so we just stole the lunch check instead...his son did get some of the stubborn tendencies :-))

Today the weather has been bad - started around midnight with snow, sleet, freezing rain and constant wind...all at the same time! It has now turned to just rain - what a mess. We'll stay in until it's time to go to Ed's brother's for supper tonight.

In between all that, I have been cleaning a bit....Ed has been doing some of the heavy cleaning (floor scrubbing, etc). I've actually gotten some crocheting in, but I probably won't get that box mailed until tomorrow or Monday (you know who you are!!).

We head home sometime tomorrow morning.....so.....

Done Ramblin