Friday Already!

Wow. I missed a few days. Wednesday my husband got a cancellation from the eye doctor so Thursday's trip became Wednesday's trip. This was hard on me because I had to work all morning on a grocery list and other paperwork that needed to be ready. We picked up prescriptions and did all the shopping and I spent almost an hour and a half finishing paper work for medical needs we had. By the time we got home I was spent.
Thursday was a wash-out. I got up ate, took meds and laid down on the couch and slept until the middle of the afternoon! Had some yogurt and slept some more. We both had oatmeal for supper and then went to bed, watched a couple of episodes and fell asleep again!


This morning I am feeling much, much better. The pay loader finally came to clear our door yard.
View from my recliner.

The breathing is difficult and I am using my inhaler but at least I am awake.
I wish I had the energy that Smudge has!

Personalities

It's a beautiful sunshiny day with temps rising a bit above zero. We spent about an hour tidying and shoveling for our 9:00AM realtor visit. She was positive and upbeat. She seemed realistic about the price we could get for our property. Our kitten, Smudge, really liked her. What does that matter you ask? Well Smudge growled at the other realtor from high on her cat walkway. She practically got in the second realtor's lap. I was put off by the first realtor even though he seemed to present a wonderful marketing plan.
We are praying daily for God's will to be done and if it sells/or not, it won't matter who the realtor is.
We love our home and we have made it special for us. If we thought we could stay easily we would.
He has a plan for us here or somewhere else.

Well the "no show" finally came late this afternoon.  I am sure glad we let him come because he had good information. He felt our house was worth what we wanted to ask for it. Our kitten followed him all around the the house while he and my husband were looking at it. She climbed into his lap. This man really likes what he is doing and had a lot of good marketing ideas.

Tonight we talk about it. Tomorrow we make a commitment.

I have been in a lot of pain this afternoon. Probably this is happening because tomorrow another storm comes our way. The 6 to 8 inches will have no place to go!
This is a view from my recliner almost every night. It was taken back in November.

Restful Day

In spite of the biting wind blowing snow and filling our walkway several times we have had a restful day. We are learning to be together 24/7 once again and finding that we will be all right. I have had to remind him that I am not an invalid and that I have pain when it comes whether I do nothing at all or am very active. That is the nature of Fibromyalgia. He is doing better at not insisting so often that I not do something. He has jumped in and helped several times and made my life much easier. There are just some things that are hard for me to do and sharing helps.
We truly enjoy the antics of the kitties. Both of us carry on serious conversations with them!
Hands and feet are aching today. The osteoarthritis is taking its turn. I am sure the dropping temps are not helping. It's supposed to be about 19 below tonight!
I am thankful for a warm cosy house and a wood fire!

No Show

We had a few inches of snow in the night and our Siamese wanted to go out. Her short term memory is non-existent as she hates the snow but in a couple hours after looking out she cries to go out again! Here are some pictures of her and her dilema!

The Saturday realtor showed up right on time. Today's guy was a "no show".  We had originally contacted him a few weeks back and he never got back to us.  He wanted another chance so we scheduled a visit this afternoon. He did not come. However we'll see if Tuesday's person shows up.
The fellow who came yesterday has a great marketing group behind him and was well versed in what he could do and what he thought our place was worth.
Today was a beautiful sunny day. The temps were in the high 20s and it felt warm! My husband was able to rake some snow off the front roof but he blocked my window view because the pile was so high.  When I told him it blocked my view he gracefully shoveled it over. I can see out again!
He was outside most of the afternoon and when he came in as the sun was setting he started the wood stove.

I have been very tired today Perhaps from the hurry, scurry of getting things looking as good as they can. I did get a lot of reading done today while rested in the recliner. I also got outside for a few minutes.

Listing Our Farm

Argh! Listing our farm is a lot of work. I will not have any pictures taken unless it is clean. I have seen so many place listed where there is junk everywhere. That won't happen here. We spent part of the day doing clean up and part of the day trying to access sites online where we needed to apply. Today must be one of those overloaded sites day because half way through an application the site shut down. The stress is catching up to me. No fun! No fun!
I probably did too much today.
Getting in bed early is a necessity.
Another storm is expected tomorrow evening

Another new day and it seems there is so much to do. Really, there is just enough to do! No more, no less. What gets done, gets done. Sometimes I just need the basics done: bed, dishes, counters and stuff put away. Other times I have the energy to do more. But really there's just enough to do. My body isn't always able to do very much but that's okay. I am still alive and kicking. My life is good. God takes care of me and has provided me with a thoughtful, helpful, caring husband.

A real estate agent is showing up later this morning. Then one is coming again tomorrow and a different one Tuesday! We want the one who will market our home and farm as the unique property it is.
Got a painful glitch on the side of my ankle before I got up this morning and it is still tender. Such a random pain giver is Fibromyalgia!

Snowing Again

Whatever's going on with the weather my body is taking exception to it. Earlier this morning after eating, dressing, medicating, stripping the bed I had a period of extreme shortness of breathe. That hasn't happened in a long time. It has past but now the rib/ chest pain is sneaking in here and there. I have been resting and doing some reading. I feel exhausted and its only mid morning.
We did go into Calais yesterday to get my new thyroid medicine. I started that this morning. Because my husband is home, he does all the driving and he is very helpful around the house.
Our sweet new gray kitty fell and hurt herself yesterday so she is laying low.

She likes to be up high but yesterday and today she sits at the bottom and meows to be put up there. What a bright and personable kitten she is.
The birds are making the most of this weather.

A Return to the Quiet

I am always glad to see my grandsons and their parents as well as the grand dog. It shows me how quiet and uncluttered my home actually is. The amount of time the dishwasher ran was far more than we do. Of course there were a whole lot more dishes to be done. My wonderful daughter-in-law did all the cooking and most of the clean up. She is a treasure.

But with two growing boys and a hungry husband she serves large meals and both husband and I found ourselves overeating. By yesterday my body was feeling awful and I worked at cutting back and eating some of my regular foods. At some point yesterday I had a reaction and found myself having stinging like bites all over. I took a Claritin and it helped.  By mid day each day my body began to hurt with muscle pain, finger, hands, hip and knee achiness. Meds and rest helped.
The dog although gentle and quiet by nature scared our two cats and they spent a lot of time in the bedroom with us. His click, click , click on our floors sent them skittering under the bed.
My almost 40 son spent a day and a half building a beautiful igloo.

His kids helped at first and then his father got involved. They made it big enough to stand up inside and fit 4 or 5 people.
When they left before noon the house became very quiet. I took a pain med to catch up with the rib pain I'd been feeling and ate the lunch my husband fixed from the yummy leftovers.

Wild and Windy

Today is wild and windy. My son and his boys are working on an igloo.

His wife and I are taking pictures from inside the house where it is toasty and warm. My husband is keeping the stove going and it is very cosy inside.

We love having the kids and grandkids here but I get very tired with two very active boys.  The routine of the household gets changed and as I get older change is hard. With the wind chilling cold my hands are giving mr a hard time and they hurt especially the palms of my hands. Seems odd. Ah but, fibromyalgia is hard.

My stomach is rebelling against all the available rich food and the abundance. Eating can happen whenever I think I might be hungry even if I am not really hungry.
My husband got let go from his job on Friday so now we can really put the house on the market and move from rural Maine to a place that is nearer to services that we can access easily. Still in Maine but it will probably farther south. He is 67 so he should be retiring anyway.
Moving will be a big deal since we have lived here 29 years and are attached to the land.  

Snowy Sunday

We are in the middle of the blizzard and the younger set has already been outside snowshoeing and shoveling.  I am feeling good this morning, no pain and some energy. My son and daughter-in-law made a wonderful breakfast and served it as well. What a treat. Then they went outside and used their new snowshoes.

My son fixed the issues I was having with my computer and it is making me smile from ear to ear. Al of his family are computer geeks. He writes code for new things for his company and does code writing on his own for fun!

I have been reading quite a bit about thyroid and fibromyalgia. My Tsh number was elevated and we are now looking at medication. Anyone having any advice I would appreciate it.  I didn't realize that fibromyalgia and thyroid were related.
My son's family came with their dog, pushing the two kittens up high on the cat walk. They can watch and feel safe there. Cosmo, the dog ,is mild but to them he is huge and scary.

Company, Blizzards and Other Interesting Events

My body was well aware yesterday that bad weather was coming our way. The pain was relentless. Meds helped very little. Resting didn't work either. So I pushed on trying to get the downstairs free of clutter and readied for four more people (and a dog) sharing the same space as two usually do. Two and two kittens I should say.

By the way the two kittens have decided they could tolerate each other enough to play and dart out at each other as well as race through the house and up and down the stairs. What energy has arrived at our house!

Today I'm washing some extra blankets to drape over the couches and chairs so when it hits -30 wind chills and the air seeps into the house we can wrap up and be warm. Tonight it will be -18 but we all will be toasty in our beds with electric blankets and down filled comforters.

I'll do some cooking this morning, probably magic bars and cookies. I take inventory of the food we have and go to the grocery store later to pick up what we need.

My grandsons will bring fun and excitement to our home for a few days. My son called and said they would wait out the storm here since it will be just as bad at their house as here and we have a wood stove if the electricity goes off.

I am fortunate that my daughter-in-law also brings a lot of energy and she is a great cook. If I get tired she will step in. Its always easy when she is here.

I will rest awhile now as I wait for the payloader to show up and make room in the driveway for the next blizzard arriving according to the forecast early Sunday morning and hanging on until Monday morning.

I Didn't See This Coming!

I woke up early Tuesday morning so when my husband left at 6 AM I was fully awake and ready to eat and get some household chores done.  By 7:30 AM I was cruising the 'net. We had wanted to get Suki a kitten friend a Christmas time to give her some stimulation. Nowhere were there any to be found.
Last week I answer two ads for kittens by Email without getting back any response.
So this morning I went on the barter, trade, sell, free site and started to look there. There was one ad that had three tiger kittens. I responded but got no response back.
Then just for fun I put up "in search of" kitten 8 to 16 weeks. In just a few minutes I had thee responses. When I asked for pictures the most beautiful gray kitten came up for one gal. I was smitten.  I asked if I could pick her up right away and she said yes and gave me directions.  It was a little more than an hour trip and I had the kitten in the carrier and we were headed home. My friend went with me and did most of the driving.
As soon as we got home I took the kitty out of the carrier. I put her in the wire cage so she could look around and so that Suki, my Siamese could get to know her.  This morning when I got up my husband had already let her loose and was enjoying that fact that she was so friendly to him.
No lie, I am achy and tired today but I am enjoying watching the two cats do the meet and greet "touch noses and hiss" dance. It's also been a joy to watch the little one explore.  She is fascinated by the birds outside on the feeders.

I didn't see this coming!
Here she is waiting in Papa"s chair.

Pain

A wonderful turkey dinner yesterday was followed by over the stabbing pain in my left side and shoulder. It persisted most of the afternoon until I decided to treat it with double the meds I usually use and lay down. I should have been asleep in about 20 minutes. But no... I did not sleep at all but got welcome relief from the pain. I never got off the bed but I certainly felt much better. My husband cleaned up the kitchen and offered me a smoothie before we watched a couple of episodes.
I was happy to wake up this morning pain free.
I needed a blood draw today to recheck my thyroid. The poor little gal that was doing it wasn't very good. She had to stick me twice and the second time it really hurt. I was happy to have it over with and should know the results tomorrow. Three weeks ago my TSH was elevated.
This afternoon I am exhausted and have done very little besides tend the stove and rest.

Making the Best of It

I have stopped whining about cabin fever!

I have two good reasons:

1. I went shopping on Friday...got out for five hours. We had lunch at Chinese. I found some needed clothes for my husband at a reasonable price.
2. It is Sunday and I am still recovering from the excursion!

However, I feel better (emotionally) because I have the pantry full again and the freezer has some meat in it again.  It stresses me to get so low in the food department. Grocery shopping is a game for me when I try to get the best value for the least money!  I have played this game for years. It makes me feel good. It was easier when I was well and young. It is harder when the grocery stores are 40 minutes away. This time I went with both a list and seven days of meals. The list certainly helped me get done before all the energy was gone!

I did put the food away and I did put together and serve supper but...
my wonderful husband cleaned up the mess I had left and ran the dishwasher! What a guy!
Fatigue and pain had landed and decided to hang out for a couple of days.
I managed to make lunch on Saturday but ran out of energy before supper.
Today I have the turkey breast cooking and the potatoes done. Whether the energy will hold out until I serve it is questionable. We'll see.

I am trying hard to live in this day and not be anxious about any other day.

Winter Weary

I am winter weary. It continues to snow today and the temperature is dropping. I want to just sleep and sleep. I have been a bit concerned about carbon monoxide since we use a back up gas heater. My husband has assured me that our farmhouse is not tight and we have lots of air leaks. Now for that nap!
The ongoing fatigue and the body pain is getting me down. It would also help to get out. I haven't been food shopping in a while and am getting quite low in necessities. The snack "stuff" is gone as well. You know having snacks around really helps!
I'm still taking"recliner" pictures of the birds at the feeders. Today is was chickadees.

Yippee More Snow

Winter has been here since the first part of November with plowable snow! It seems to be continuing non stop with only a day or two of breaks between storms.

My body is feeling the changes in air pressure and I am hardly managing to function. I can't seem to stay awake today. I have no ambition and am so glad I made a crock pot meal early this morning.
I seem to have some cabin fever as well since I haven't gotten out for several days. I just as well since the pain level is all over the place!

Crabby

My house is in need of a good cleaning. My body is in need of a change. I have done too much today. I hurt and I am crabby.
I hate being crabby. I need to get supper going soon and am waiting for my honey to arrive. He had the late shift today and then he had to go to the pharmacy for me. My meds won't even be able to be picked up before tomorrow. I feel awful making him stop there.
He is on his way home now and it is dark outside. The roads are very slippery and he didn't take the four wheel drive.
As I said, "I am crabby."

Purple Finch

I have a lot of time to observe the birds that come to the four front feeders. All the feeders are for small birds. Most them are picky preferring sunflower and Niger seed. With all the snowy and cold days they are very hungry chow through the seed at breakneck speed. There is an upside to the cost of bird feeding. It is less than the cost of cable.  The entertainment is far superior and the picture is crystal clear! This is a purple finch in his bright red winter colors.

The sun is shining although outside is is cold and windy. I feel the low pressure coming in withe next storm. My husband is helping me to gage the need for extra support with my PRN meds. I am just starting to feel breath restriction the precursor to air hunger and a very tight chest. I have been proactive today and am feeling no pain. Sleepiness and lack of desire to do any heavy lifting/or lifting at all are keeping me in the recliner watching the snow swirl in the wind.
Our Suki (my siamese cat) is dealing with two problems today. She wants to go out but not in the snow and she doesn't get the window that puts her so close to the birds.