Keep Your Cool!

Hi Everyone,

Sorry I've been missing so long.   We've been fine - just busier than what I am able to handle.   I swear people retire just to have more time to go to doctor appointments, dentists, and any other appointment you can think of. We've had plenty of them lately - yes, all is well.  My doctor said I have the blood of a 20-year-old.   Hmmm, why does my body feel like 120!    Why can I barely walk because of back problems.  But, I have the blood work of a 20-year-old!  ha ha   But, we're back now and I hope to get around to visit again.  I've missed all of you.  

As all of you know, I love animals.  My mother said I was always in the barn with the cows when I was young.  A couple of weeks ago, D and I were looking outside in the backyard on one of those miserably HOT days where the Dew Point was 70 and the temperature 80!    There were two squirrels out there laying FLAT on the grass - just as flat as they could get, trying to stay cool.

I apologize that the photo is rather blurry, but D was shaky and he wanted to take the pictures.   We tried to get the two squirrels in the same shot, but they wouldn't cooperate.  The grass was getting long too as our wonderful friend who mows for us was camping that weekend..  Just the right length for the squirrels to think they were hiding.  

Squirrels sure do have the right idea on how to stay cool.   Just lay in the tall grass or cool concrete and relax.   I think I prefer a lawn chair however!  LOL.

Hope you are all well.

Until next time,

Mary

Unwanted Guests

Hi,

A couple of weeks ago, Mr. D decided to clean the grill to get it ready for the season.   Imagine his surprise when he opened it up and started working in it.   Yup - a mouse nest.   Apparently they were nice and comfy for the extremely cold winter.  They were well fed too because of my feeding the birds.   They stripped the insulation from the grill cover to build their cozy nest.  Ingenious little critters!

Now we'll spend the next two weeks with mouse traps trying to catch the little critters.   Mario has continuous bird, mouse, squirrel TV at our house.   He's a happy cat while his humans are grumbling!  He he   Guess it serves us right for feeding them so well and providing nesting material.   We'll have to come up with a different game plan for next winter.  

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day.  I sure did.  Daughter & SIL came Saturday night and took us out for dinner.   It's always nice spending time with them and we never seem to get enough of it.

Mary
  

Goodbye Winter - Hello Spring

Dear Readers,

I hope it's safe to say Hello Spring - it is May!  But, maybe I should rap on wood or something.   Mother Nature could still make a liar out of me.  It's a cool spring with temps in the 50's daytime and high 30's at night.   Storms arriving tomorrow - joy!  After this past long winter, even a cool Spring is welcomed.  At least we haven't had the severe storms that so many have had -  so far anyway.

Some good pieces of news for a change.  Mr. D decided to join the Parkinson's water class at the CP Center.   They wanted me to come with him the first session, in case he needed help!  haha! It should be the other way around.  Mr. D is like a fish in water.   But I appeased them and went anyway.   It was nice to see what types of things they were doing.   

The 45 minutes consisted of water walking, stretching, different muscle exercises with the arms, using a 8 inch pool ball and sinking it (not easy), passing it from hand to hand behind the back.  Peddling a pretend bicycle backwards - one leg at a time.   They try to incorporate things that are not done normally to work on retraining the brain.   It's difficult to explain in writing, but some of the arm things were actually difficult.

There are 3 Parkinson's patients in the class, with Mr. D being the 4th.   All three were much more advanced than he is.   This  session will last for 5 more weeks, twice a week.   Then it will be up to him if he wants to stay in that class or switch to a different one.   We both feel that warm water is so therapeutic and we feel better for the day after getting out of the pool. We are blessed to have that option in our small city!   This pool is the only one in Wisconsin operated by the CP Center.

Happy Mother's Day to all you ladies - fur babies count for they are like children to some of us.   (Yes, I'm a crazy cat lady - and admit it).

Mary

Happy Easter

HAPPY  

EASTER

Hi,

I couldn't help but reflect back upon Easters' past because it always meant another family gathering after Sunrise Easter Service.   As I've said before, my mother was from a family of 10 children and all the major holidays were spent with at least one or two of her sisters and their family, and sometimes more.

When we moved to our current home some 40 years ago, we would still travel to Madison for every holiday.  That tradition continued until my parents and/or one of her sisters were too old to host the gathering anymore.   Meanwhile the cousins all grew up, married, and had extended families to spend holidays with.

My husband has two surviving siblings - a brother who lives about 5 hours away and a sister who lives 3 hours away.   Each has families of their own.   

We had a lot of good times during those years and now that there is just Mr. D and I, it's too quiet.  But I guess that is the cycle of life.  And I am thankful that I'm still able to enjoy a holiday, albeit a quiet one.  I'm also thankful that I have those fond memories (and can still remember those times - he he).

Whatever you do for Easter, we hope you can enjoy the beauty of the day and remember why it is we celebrate Easter.

Easter Blessings to each of you,

Mary

P.S.  Last minute update - turns out we have an invitation for tomorrow for dinner.   Will be going to Son-in-law's brother's house for the day.   It's a long story, but I can share that part some other post.   So we'll be with family after all!

Spring Has Finally Sprung

Dear Readers,

It's finally happened!  Spring is here!   Last week at this time we were being warned of a possible big snow storm.   We ended up with about an inch, that promptly melted the next morning.  The Big Storm missed us by about 150 miles - it was close.

The tulips are starting to come up and also the Daffodils.   As you can see, the grass hasn't turned green yet, but hey -  we can't expect a miracle in one week.  LOL.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that Mr. D, my other half, is probably headed for knee replacement surgery once again.   He saw the doctor about 2 weeks ago.  The X-ray showed he had no cartilage.   He had knee replacement of his other leg about 15 years ago, so this is not totally unexpected.   Right now he says the Cortisone has helped.   We know he is buying some time - eventually it will have to be replaced.   

We are very thankful for the stair climber we had bought about 4 years ago.  Thankfully he is  riding in it now, whereas before he only used it to transport "stuff" up and down the steps.  I think it was a male ego thing.  He still insists on going with me to the grocery store, but refuses to ride in one of those auto carts available in most larger stores.   Time will tell.

I'll try to be more regular with posting now -  maybe at least once a week.   But will still visit all of you hopefully on a daily basis or every other day anyway.

Thanks for visiting. 

Mary

Finally An Answer

Hi Friends,

Happy St. Patrick's Day!   I've always loved this holiday even tho there is not even a tiny drop of Irish in my blood.   I think it's because I've always loved this song, and it usually means Spring is around the corner.

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, sure 'tis like a morn in spring.

In the lilt of Irish laughter, you can hear the angels sing.

When Irish hearts are happy, all the world seems bright and gay,

And When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, sure, they steal your heart away.

I'm so please that I went to my regular doctor this past week. I suggested he check my Thyriod levels again because of tearing up so easily, body hurting all over, feeling tired, and on and on. I've been on Thyroid meds for 25+ years, so I know the symptoms pretty well. It was not the generic Synthroid making me feel that way, although it may have played a tiny part in having the symptoms. The doctor prescribed Synthroid at 0.112 MG - I was taking 0.138 in a generic. He also put me on Cymbalta to help with the pain and mood. So all in all, it was a good visit.

There isn't much that can be done about my back. He said the same thing a couple of other doctors have told me - You never want to have surgery on your back unless it's absolutely necessary because you sometimes create more problems than before.

Spring is slowly coming to our state.  We did have one day this past week where the temperature actually hit 50!.  Woohoo - It was fun to see people walking or jogging on the street once again.    We still have about 8 inches of snow on the ground, but it is slowly melting.   

Hope Spring has arrived where you live.   Enjoy the  "wearing of the green."

Until next time,

Mary

Here We Go Again

Disclaimer:  This is written from my perspective only and based on my experience.  I am not a doctor nor a pharmacist, nor do I have a medical background.   I'm just the normal person who experiences problems with SOME generic drugs.  I just want to raise awareness  to the fact that generics are NOT exactly the same as Brand Name drugs.


Dear Friends,

Those of you who have been reading my blog since the beginning might remember I've touched on the subject of Brand Name drugs versus Generic.   That blog post was primarily talking about Parkinson's Drugs.  Here's the post if you wish to read it, click here.    Well, now I'm having problems with a generic Synthroid for my Thyroid.   

I've been on Thyroid medication for something like 20+ years.   On January 1st, we switched insurance companies for both insurance coverage and prescription drug coverage.     When I saw my doctor in January for new prescriptions, he requested a generic version of Synthroid (I think I remember telling him - let's try them again because it's so very much cheaper.)   Well, bad decision.   

I held off cracking open the new bottle because I still had older ones to use up. I decided to try the new generic last Monday.   By the second day my system felt hyper - felt like it was rushing rushing rushing!   People who have anxiety attacks tell me that is how they feel when they are having an attack.   I kept taking the drug for 2 more days by thinking I'll get used to it.  WRONG!   Over the weekend, I went back to taking my left over Synthroid drug - symptoms went totally away.   Yesterday I decided to take another of the generic - back to anxious feeling again.  So, on Thursday I'll be visiting my doctor to get a new prescription for Synthroid.  Guess I'll just have to pay the outrageous price.   I don't know for sure that it's the generic drug, but I'm suspecting that it is.   Generics only have a fraction of the original ingredients found in the brand name.  That is a percentage approved by the FDA.

I don't have a total dislike for generics, but I use them cautiously because I've had several bad experiences.   It's a shame that drugs have to be so very pricy that we have to resort to a lesser quality.    if generics work for you - that's great.  I wish more of them worked for me.  But it is "buyer beware."   The consumer also has no knowledge of the "fillers" used in the generic.

Dr. Oz has a great article that I ran across yesterday when I was researching generics again.   It was written by a physician and is  easy to understand.  You might find this interesting and helpful.    http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/what-you-need-know-about-generic-drugs

Until next time,

Mary