A Beautiful Day

What a beautiful day it has been today, the weather is absolutely glorious. I had a rough night and woke up a wee bit stressed, but watching Easter services on the telly brought my mood up. Plenty to think on, and to uplift my spirits.

Hubby and I thus had a later-than-planned start to our day, but it turned out productive nonetheless. 

A trip to Lidl netted me 2 raised planters, that hubby will be putting together tomorrow, some lavender seeds (which we have already planted in a triple pot and which will eventually be on my front porch, once we "revitalize" that), and 2 motion detector lights for the yard, so that I can look out of the window when the deer or rabbits set it off, and watch them. I love my dusk and nocturnal visitors and I'm pretty sure they'll soon get used to the lights coming on as they are feeding.

My peas and beans are growing nicely, they are about 6" tall now. We've had to cover them the past couple of nights because of the frosty temps but they do love the sunshine. I've got them in big tubs out under the oak tree.

So many plans running through my head right now, so many things I'd like to accomplish over the next few months. Both indoors and outdoors.

Hubby and I are both thoroughly enjoying using his smoker and grill, and trying out different marinades, and different woods for burning. On the bad side - yesterday's pork was so delicious, it was being sliced on the grill and snacked on throughout the day! NONE made it into the freezer for another day ... not good! We all (grandson, hubby and me, ate way too much of it just snacking that way. It just tasted soooo good!

I hope you've all enjoyed a beautiful Easter Sunday, ours has been very enjoyable.

#whoisrosedempsey #containergardening #watchingwildlife #cookingout

Welcome to the 2nd quarter of the year

April arrived yesterday with some gorgeous weather but then decided to remind us of her fickleness overnight with some frigid temps. Indeed, under the covers, I felt quite warm, but as soon as I stepped out of them, the heat had to go on. Def not a morning for brass monkeys!

Hubby is snoozing still, beside me. It's his Friday off so the 5am alarm was silenced. Unfortunately, my body is so used to waking at that time, that it does it anyway, whether it's a workday or not. Still, I do make use of the quiet of the mornings. It gives me time to get my thoughts in order, plan my day and daydream about the things I need to be considering, whether to do with my business, my home or life in general. Sometimes even abstract stuff that pops into my mind, seemingly out of nowhere.

So, since I am unable to walk unaided, or kneel, or get up and down to or from ground level, gardening as I used to has become a thing of the past. Not to be thwarted in my desire for home grown fresh stuff, a couple of weeks ago I planted a few seeds in some large container pots outside. We've done that for years with cherry tomatoes, it just seemed a good idea to take it a step further. 

Yesterday, with a cold night promised, I had hubby put a tarp over the pots to protect my beautiful seedlings. They are about 6" high already. 2 different types of peas (they will NEVER make it into the house, they'll be eaten straight out of the pod, just because, and they always taste so good!) and one type of green bean.

I am going to get the plot down the field tilled again and have someone plant other seeds for me down there. I'm also wanting to get some grapevines to trail up a trellis, the way I had in Florida many many many moons ago. 

Years of keeping goats and chickens means our soil is well enriched and fertilized naturally. 

A recent visit to my doctor showed a weight loss of 8lbs, YAY me. It was the first drop in over a year. She and I discussed my joy at the numbers. I KNOW that muscle weighs more than fat, BUT, as I said to her, despite all the exercising and eating correctly, sometimes you don't just need to be dropping sizes in clothes, getting more definition, losing inches ... you NEED to see those numbers drop. It's a psychological thing, I guess. So, I am happy and satisfied. Slow ans steady will win this race. I don't weigh at home, I just go by the doctor's scales, that way I don't get obsessed by the numbers.

Losing the weight is so difficult with a slow metabolism. My resting heart rate is between 45 and 50, so even after exercise, it's maybe 65-70, and quite honestly, at that it pounds and I worry that an A-Fib episode may start, but thankfully, those seem to be getting fewer and farther between. 

I do wish I could still walk normally, I used to love to go walking, but it seriously hurts my knees and back now, so most of my exercising is at home, on my elliptical bike, and I do 20/30/40 minute sessions a couple of or few times a day, basically until my bum gets numb and then it's like "ok, time to stop". I love going to the gym, and use a seated stepper there, and also work on my arms and back. On the stepper, just like at home, on my bike, I get my nose into a good book and escape into another world as I wile away the time.

Hubby has been back at work a month, and doing well. He has some residual effects of the Covid but hopefully they will ease or disappear as time goes on. He has been working on the roof in his spare time, with assistance from my grandson, Dylan. It'll look good once it's done. A shiny red metal roof. Something else, I hope, that will enable me to listen to the rain drumming, much as my metal awnings do.

He also attended his BBQ class that had been postponed from a year ago. After 25 years working with his company, they gave him a catalog to choose a gift from, and he chose a barbecue grill/smoker so I had scheduled him the class to learn about smoking meat, grilling, rubs, marinades and all the intricacies of becoming a BBQ king. To add to that, this year, birthday-wise, I got him a really nice grill tool set in a case, a cover for his grill, and an accessory rack for his sauces, paper towel etc, so I have him well kitted out. He has turned into quite an afficionado! We have had some delicious offerings to tantalise our tastebuds.

I am struggling over a new website for my AVON business, so have been watching videos and reading up on how to use the new medium, and I jokingly feel that I am getting to where I am getting to understand parts of what I am supposed to be getting to know. My brain no longer works with what my intentions are. The short term memory loss makes learning new things extremely difficult. Even taking notes on a video or training modules end up with me needing to go back over a sentence of what was said, 3 or 4 times, in order to make the notes that I need to, to understand it. So a 60 minute training takes me hours to make the notes on, and I really need the notes as I can then refer back to them step-by-step.. It seems, saith she, that everything in my life now operates on 2 speeds, slow and slower. Ah, but it is what it is and we work with what we've got, as they say.

Meanwhile, I am excited about all the new stuff that AVON is introducing, now that we are a part of LGH&H. All sorts of things for home care, personal care (most def needed during this Covid awfulness) and venturing into many vegan products so as to widen the customer base for myself and other reps. It's all good, and I just keep plodding along, trying to keep up with all the new stuff and trying things to see if I like them, or not.

So, as April comes in, I have hope for this month to start a better quarter than the first one of the year. That one wasn't a very good one for us, with hubby almost dying from Covid and being sick, in hospital and the nursing home (they say rehab) for most of January. We are glad that's over and hope it will never be repeated. I am so thankful that I didn't lose him. I prayed so hard for him to get well I think God must have gotten fed up with me. But He is good, and He sent my hubby back to me, so I am grateful for that and know that I am well blessed.

Life goes on. Be blessed my friends. Live every moment. Make memories with loved ones. Life is precious - don't waste it!

#whoisrosedempsey #AVONlady #life #goals #reflections #hope #weightloss #containergarden #covid

 

Happy Monday! I'm ready for the week!

Good morning!  It's Monday, another first day of a new work week, and I am already feeling like I'm on the ball. That's a good thing, as I'm often dragging, in body even if not in spirit.

We had a lovely weekend. 

On Saturday, hubby and I went to the gym, slowly and surely he is regaining the muscles lost when he was sick. I am also trying to get back to the level I was at before. My mind wasn't on anything but him, when he was sick and almost died from Covid. We are both gradually increasing the levels and amounts of the machines and activity.  

After the gym we went to the Berea library to pick up seeds to plant. Coming back, we took back roads and saw some beautiful scenery, It's sad that it's there and many people never get to see it because they want the speed of the interstate to get from point A to point B.

Then, yesterday, we spent an awesome afternoon with my grandson, granddaughter and great-granddaughter, at Mile Creek park on Lake Keowee, close to Pickens. 

We cooked out and filled our tummies with chicken, bbq baked beans, potato chips and salads. 

It was a gorgeous day, just a bit cool in the shade but nanny was happy, she got some gorgeous smiles off Lily.

I stole the pics from yesterday, as my grand-daughter-in-law took them.

This morning, well that 5am alarm is never really welcome, but I got up, packed hubby's lunch bag, grabbed juice and chicken biscuits for his breakfast, fed both moggies, and put the chicken scraps from where hubby split the raw breasts yesterday, into my soup pot to cook down for bone broth. A little while ago, I picked meat off the bones and froze them, strained and skimmed the liquid to get rid of the scum and a lot of the grease, and am now simmering to reduce it.

Methinks, I am doing well for starting Monday being this productive!

In a little while, I plan on pedalling on my elliptical bike and reading one of my latest library books, and I have a health call around 10.15am, part of a health and wellness program that hubby's work offers. I'm hoping to get 3 or 4 20-30 minute pedalling sessions in today and that would get me pretty much back on track how I was doing before everything went pie-shaped in January.

Later, I have 2 other blogs to update and some AVON posts to make on social media. Obviously, like my exercise routine, my business suffered during my hubby's "incarceration" (as he calls it) in hospital and the nursing home, when he was really sick, and the 5 weeks of me taking care of him at home (although the last 3-4 of that were just him convalescing and me reminding him (he says nagging him) to eat and take it easy, when he tried to overdo things.

Anyway, I wish everyone an awesome Monday ... make it everything you want it to be!

Hubby's Voice Is Getting Stronger

I got to speak to my hubby this morning and he is doing much better in many ways. His voice has lost the thin reediness and has a much more normal timbre now, although talking still leaves him breathless and sometimes sets him off coughing. The doctor is perplexed by some things, as to why he is not getting well as fast as they feel he should be, and has ordered another CT scan of the lungs, which seem to be the main issue. Mark said, his physiotherapy and occupational therapy are both going well, but he has no stamina, he tires easily and it effects his breathing. This is a long hard journey for him. 

I'm thankful for all the prayers and the progress he has made but he still has a long way to go to be back to "normal", so please keep them coming.

As for me, today I have a goal of sweeping and mopping all through. The kitchen is done and I am resting up before attacking the living room area with the carpet sweeper. It's hard for me as I have difficulty standing to do it, but when I try to sit and do it, the sweeper handle folds so my efforts are thwarted. I sit to cook and wash dishes, fold laundry etc but the sweeping isn't something that works that way.

I figured it was a good day to do it as it's pouring with rain, thunderstorms promised, and as all my friends know, I am terrified of storms and don't get in the shower, have my hands in water in the sink, or go out if it's thundering or lightning. Yes I'm a wuss but oh well, it is what it is.

Have a wonderful day everyone. God is good. Please continue prayers for Mark's return to health. I appreciate you all.

A Beautiful Day

 I got to see my hubby today, and although looking extremely worn out and def sick, he looks so much better than the last time I saw him. He's having problems sleeping because of the noise, so I got him some ear buds and the doctor is giving him some melatonin tonight so I'm hoping that both will work in unison and give him some good zzzzz.

He is def starting to feel better. Slowly but surely. He said he joked with his aide about it being like a prison camp, so he needs to get his strength up so's he can dig a tunnel and escape. That and saying how terrible the food is. Complaining is good, all the more motivation for him to get well.

He def needs some sunshine though, they don't let them outside, they are basically in their rooms most of the time. Methinks some fresh air and sunshine would do him good as well, so I've told him, as soon as he gets out, we'll go by one of our special places, Cedar Falls, one of the lakes, whatever he feels up to, so that he can get some.

I have him well stocked with snacks, sugar free Russell Stover's, pork jerky (it's lower in sodium, believe it or not!), nut mixes, Snap bbq black bean snacks, and an assortment of drink mixes so he can flavour his water. I just want him putting on some weight again and getting his strength back up.

Earlier I batched and froze some PF Chang's Mongolian Beef - the sodium is high if you do it as is (it makes two and a half servings) so I added a pack of frozen mixed peppers and one of diced carrots and peas (both containing 5 servings) and 2 portions of Korean BBQ sauce to it. I divvied it into 5 portions, with rice, and froze 4 ... and had the other for lunch. It was sooo good and the sodium level was so much better!

I also met up with my darlin' Kwacha, masked and anti-bacterialed, to give her some AVON brochures and just catch up on chatting. It had been too long since our last sight of each other, before Christmas. 

So, today has been a good day, and I am thankful for it. As Don Moen sings "God is good all the time". I am thankful for all his blessings right now, and answering my prayers for continued improvement for my hubby.

Plus it was glorious and sunshine-y ... who could want for anything more?

More Questions Than Answers and Getting Into Doing Things Again

Today is a better day for me, although things with Mark are only marginally so. He is still in rehab, still quite weak, still has a high white cell count and tachycardia, but it seems there is a slight improvement in his breathing and that is a big blessing. Once he can breathe normally again, I think possibly the anxiety (and maybe the high heart rate) may lessen, and my family doctor said that she wouldn't worry too much about the high white cell count until after he is off the steroids, as those can cause a high white cell count.

Mark texted me earlier, short and sweet. They woke him at 4am to do a chest x-ray and EKG. Yes, that's right, 4am. I wish they'd let him sleep while he could but maybe they were trying to do it quietly before the morning routines began. I don't know.

He did text that he needs to regain his balance, so I'm guessing his mobility is about like mine at the moment. At least he is up some of the time and doing physio, so I'm hoping his balance will come back with his strength.

Despite leaving messages yesterday for a nurse to call me (I need to know what they think is going on with Mark) nobody bothered to ring me back, so today I've messaged through Facebook and maybe that will do the trick. The lack of communication is def worrisome, and having worked in nursing homes I am fully aware that the standard of care is entirely dependent on the work ethic of the person giving it. Thus, not bothering to call me back does not give me a lot of confidence.

As for me, I am doing ok. 

Today I batch cooked toad in the hole, and had some for lunch with potatoes, carrots, brussels sprouts and gravy. Indulgence! Although I did stay good on portion control. 3 portions of t-i-t-h for Mark at later dates and 2 for me (1/2 size). Plus lunch tomorrow!

I am trying to decide whether to take a book and go sit down in Conestee Park for an hour or so, and get some fresh air. Added to which, I do my butt and thigh exercises while driving, so kind of killing 2 birds with one stone.

I have to start getting my mind back on business as well. AVON has changed its name again and is introducing a slew of new products and I have 3 weeks of catching up to do plus training for upcoming things. 

The past 2 and a half weeks though, my sole concern has been my hubby and his well-being. Worrying about almost losing him only a week ago, worrying how he feels, how lonely he is in there. I just didn't have any brain cells to devote to anything else. My concentration was non-existent.

I stayed busy at home, made up bleach solutions and bleached everywhere and practically everything. Laundered bedding, clothes, pillows, all in bleached soapy water and dried on as hot a temp as the fabrics allowed. I made up a plain water spray and put lemon juice in, as an air purifier. 

The laundry was a slog since you need 2 hands to carry laundry and I usually use 2 hands to steady myself walking through the house. I'd get it out of the dryer and totter to my wheelie chair, put it on there, then push the chair to the kitchen table, put the laundry on the table, and then sit and fold it.

Where there's a will there's a way, as they say. When Nicolette came over, she carried piles of stuff back to the bedroom and put it away for me. There are now other piles in their place. Each morning I toss one set of clothes and a towel over my shoulder, to make it back to the bedroom, to shower and dress. It's the only way I can do it, but at least I'm able to, and that counts for a lot.

So, please keep praying for my hubby to get better. For his lungs to heal, and his breathing to continually improve. For his heartrate to go back down to normal, ad his white blood cells also. For his mobility and stability to return to normal. And finally, for him to get well enough to come home.

I miss him. I miss his smile, his silliness, his helpfulness, our conversations, holding hands, hugs and just being together. He misses me too and I hate to think of him down and so alone.

Thanks for the prayers!

The roller coaster that is Covid

It has been a very stressful couple of weeks, and to those on all my social media outlets who have been praying for my hubby, I say a big thank you, and I apologise that I have not been on more to update on his situation. To be honest, I couldn't face Facebook or Twitter with all the political fighting going on, and I really wasn't up to dealing with questions about how Mark was doing, when - a lot of the time - I was trying not to allow the worry to make me ill as well. I had to stay calm for my own health, and it has not been easy.

His glucose level remains higher than what they like. Apparently, when they are in hospital, they take them off their usual diabetes meds and then just put them on insulin. Then, when they return home, they go back to their usual drug regimen. Despite my worrying over it, none of the doctors see that as a major issue right now.

The coughing is the major issue. His O2 levels go down when he coughs ... and trying to talk makes him cough so I am limiting attempting to talk to him. I text him a lot, but he is so weak right now that he barely looks at his phone through the day, so his responses to me are few and far between. That's fine though, he needs his rest, and as long as he doesn't feel abandoned by ME, that's all I care about on that score.

He had been sick for a week when they admitted him, and the first few results of labs were extremely scary. One issue they don't understand is that his white blood cells remain high. I had originally thought this was a good thing, your white blood cells are the ones that work to fight infection after all, but it's been explained to me that in most people with Covid, the white blood cell count drops really low. His have not gone down and remain high even though they are now in the process of moving him from Hillcrest Hospital to Greer Rehab for a week or so.

Earlier this week, I was terrified I might lose him. His heart rate was 170 and apparently, his blood pressure went up to almost 300 over almost 200. As a BP sufferer, that terrified me as I knew how dangerous it was, and to tell the truth, I had never know that BP could go that high and someone be ok. I prayed so hard. I just wanted him to be ok, to feel better, not to be afraid (since he has seen me deal with mine, I knew he'd understand the significance of how bad his numbers were).

Overnight of the 12th/13th, his BP returned to his long time usual 118/73 and his heart rate dropped in increments, 130 for a while, and then to 105. The doctors were satisfied with that.

Today he is being moved to rehab so that he can continue to get medical care (he still has O2 when he gets coughing spasms), physiotherapy to get his leg muscles capable of doing their job after almost 2 weeks of very little use, and to allow him to rest and rebuild his strength as he is only now beginning to eat even semi-normally. He doesn't have much of an appetite so is not being a good 1960s kid and clearing his plate yet, that is still to come.

For now, it's just a matter of time and for the rehab to get him back to a semblance of normality - at least being able to breathe without coughing at all, eat normal size meals so's he can build his energy, and work on the physiotherapy to get his muscles back up to par.

His big thing is weakness and that's what's going to be the longer term issue. The doctors have said that he will need short term disability after he is released from rehab, and possibly long term after that, as there is no telling how long the weakness will be a factor, and how long it will take for him to recuperate.

I tested positive after he did but am thankful that my only real issue has been loss of taste and smell, which are slowly returning although in weird ways. I had an orange and could "taste" the citric acidity as a slight sourness but couldn't discern an orange flavour. last night, I had a hot chocolate, and although I didn't taste the chocolate, I could taste sweet and creamy. 

As long as I don't get any kind of fever between now and the 16th, I will be good to go on that date, and once ok myself, am hoping to go visit my hubby at that point.

I appreciate all the prayers. Please continue to keep him in them for his healing and recovery. I have seen some miracles through prayer and I honestly believe that it has been the force behind him coming through this thus far.

Bless you all and stay safe.