Friends Take the Train Down

My grandson Billy was going to come Monday to put my stationary bike together. But couldn't make it.  My daughter Shelley came by and did it and it didn't take much time. I was so impressed at how fast she did it!  I think it is her skills in putting medical equipment together which made her so comfortable in doing this!  Then I told her I got a digital frame for myself to just put my art on. For some reason, I couldn't figure out how to put it on a thumb drive that came with it. She figured it out and showed me. So now I'm ready to upload all my art.   I think this is such a good idea!  I put a little bit of it on. Hopefully I get this done in the not too distant future.

We had some thunder, lightening and rain this week as we had also last week.  It is strange for us because rarely do we have weather like this in summer.  It has been quite humid which isn't typical here.  Usually it is a dry heat which is easier to take than with humidity.  It is already becoming drier.  

This weekend, two of my friends who I used to work with, Annemarie and Lynette came for one night.  We went to Mama Roomba because I used to rave about this place when I went to work that they wanted to try it out.  They took the train rather than drive the two hour trip up and back which worked out well.  That was Lynette's first time on the train.  Most of the trip was okay except for a woman who seemed homeless with her toddler seemed to stick by Lynette.  Annemarie caught the same train not quite an hour after Lynette got on.  Lynette brought cheese ands crackers and her husband Simon sent a very nice red wine along with Lynette.  What a treat!  I went to Trader Joe's and picked up bagels, cream cheese, lox, tomatoes, sweet onion and capers for breakfast.  I also got orange juice and a good champagne to have Mimosas.  Annemarie brought a chocolate cream mouse, very rich and delicious.  So I'm sure you have noticed here as well as my other posts, I really talk about food.  Yes I do.  If it is tasty, it is really a treat and I love to socialize around eating.  I know that some people don't think that is a good idea, but I have fond memories of eating and talking around the dinner table.  That was always a special time for me.

I have a friend Victor who is writing a book.  We met this week at Chef's Choice Noodle Bar where he gave me the  first 30 pages of his book.  I have read half of it and I need to go over it again.  He has a nice readable style.  So we are thinking we would get together every 3rd or 4th week with a new chapter to go over.  I think this could be a very good book!

I was supposed to go to a Helping One Woman's dinner, but, I started nodding off in the living room about an hour before going.  Since this has been happening fairly frequently, I didn't think I could stay awake and I was worried driving for one and a half hours.  This is the first dinner I have missed since joining this group.  I'm sorry I missed it, but I was really worried about the drive.

I had a great class with Carol Bradshaw.  What we did was each work on painting a day lily.  This was very helpful.  I would watch her and do my strokes right afterwards.  I have not finished it and will post it next week.  I don't have a class this Tuesday which was an excuse not to rush on this.

So this was a relatively slow week and I think I needed that.  I need to work in more rest to do the bigger things.  I have a few things going on next week and expect that to enjoy the bigger event, I will need to rest up more before  I go.  I really hope you have a great week.  I will see you next Sunday, though it may be in the evening since I will have a rather long drive back.            Rachel

Getting Older but I Used to Draw at a Preschool Level

Tuesday was my birthday.  I am older now than my mother and husband were when they died.  I came off rather down in my last blog. I was feeling that this exhaustion might be more meaningful of end of life issues and felt overwhelmed at this thought.  Many friends who have medical training assured me I was not dying yet. I don’t usually feel so down.  I’m aware that this is going to happen, but I stay busy with family and friends and activities I really like.  So, it was strange to me getting this way.

………………

I found a paper that I had drawn on before starting my art class in September 2013.  I really had no sense of art and had not tried.  I took the class since I knew that I would not be able to return to work with my medical problems and I seemed to be around a lot of people who had artistic skills.  I felt strange when I was with them and did an art project as a group.  So getting back to this page (both sides), it is very primitive.  I did it for me because I was wondering if I would see a difference in what I did.  I showed my teacher at our last class and she said she recognized everything I drew.  She thought it was a great idea to save it.  She has had students who would get depressed feeling they had not improved in their art work.  She would have them look at earlier works of their drawing and it was obvious they had grown.  Her students would see this and relax about their growth.  So here are my drawings which don't even come to a kindergartener level.  Pretty bad!  But interesting to keep.  It is just a little over two years ago that I did this.  By the way, those are coffee stains on these papers.

Two  Daylilies

In my art class this week, I showed Carol my paintings.  She felt that they were not too bad.  I could crop them or do minor fixes to improve them.  Then we spent time working on drawing a Daylily.
The next class I will paint a Daylily.

So On my birthday I went with my friend Janet to a restaurant on the golf course she uses (Sundale) called La Foret.  This restaurant is open to the public.  I ordered a beef stroganoff.  It didn't taste the way I think of it, but it was good.  Janet got a chicken dish and gave me a taste.  Delish!

The day after my birthday I went with my friend Barbara to Chef's Choice Noodle Bar and then to see The Minions.  Good choice for lightweight entertainment.  I enjoyed it.  And, Noodle's is always good.

I was supposed to go to a birthday party for three of Billy's and Meagan's children, but I kept falling asleep.  I cancelled out and said that I would give the presents to Billy when he comes to put my stationary bicycle together which will be tomorrow.  It turned out to be way too heavy for me to handle.

My daughter Shelley and I went out for brunch at Anita's.  We get a chance to talk when we can have these outings.  Very nice.

So that is it for the week.  I hope your week goes well and I'll see you next Sunday.         Rachel

Periodical Struggles I Try to Deny

I met my friend Janet for a Margarita and a snack at Mexicali's.  She really pushed me saying I was not using the blood pressure cuff or the pulse oximeter because I was afraid of something.  I was irritated with her about doing this and asked that we not discuss it, but then I told her I was worried. I'm not ready to throw in the towel, but I get this sense that more things are going on.  She did not feel I was near death and felt that without checking those numbers regularly, I would have little to share with the doctor.  Her feeling was that it very likely could be an easy fix, but we haven't got to the problem area yet.  This actually was comforting to me. I have thought that when I hit the time of the dying process, I'll be okay about letting go.  This is the sense I got when seeing my mother, father and my husband Paul die. I also worked in hospice as a social worker.  When patients were this close to death, their concerns were about being pain free and seeing certain loved ones and perhaps letting go of emotional issues they might have with them. It is about comfort and I didn't think that was my issue yet.  Most of the time I feel just fine and then periodically, I feel very alone and somewhat frightened.  I feel better now.

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Last Sunday, late afternoon, my daughter Shelley, her son Kevin and my friend Barbara came over to watch a movie, Interstellar, which we never saw.  It came out in 2014. Though it is long, we all thought it was a very good movie. My friend Barbara recommended The Martian which will be coming to theaters soon. That too tied in a lot of science, so both use science as the base of their stories. I finished the book The Martian this week and look forward to the movie. 

At my art class with Carol Bradshaw, we talked about how hollyhocks grow and practiced drawing them.  We also worked on mingling colors  as opposed to mixing and painting with the combined colors with the idea to make that the background when doing a watercolor of the hollyhocks.  Carol invited me to come to her home in the mountains because she knows of many places to take pictures for my art work.  I went up there yesterday morning and spent the day there. We went to see waterfalls. Since the drought, the waterfalls were very little or trickles, but I learned a lot about composition and about layers, what is in front of what. So fascinating.  Carol also showed me where she would set up to paint or draw, where the water runs. Some of it so obvious, but really I never thought about it. So I have to say, my eyes saw so much more than I have in the past. I loved Carol's home. She has different projects going everywhere. In addition to drawing and painting, she quilts, does needle point, sewing. So much more than that. Her home once was around 800 square feet and it is about 3,000 square feet with her doing the planning all the way. I was so impressed. And, on top of that she made a wonderful soup with no meat which was so flavorful. She will give a copy at our class on Tuesday. Her dog, Sofie is such a sweetie!  She introduces me to her as a Aunt Rachel. When she meets people this way, she sees them as okay.  Next time I go up to Carol's we will look for barns.

Hollyhock with Mingled colors in Background
Definitely requires a Redo

Hollyhock with with Bud
I did not understand mingling colors, so it is painted.

Hollyhocks in pencil

Sofie knows me as Aunt Rachel

Very small water fall, but at least you get the idea

Water low but looked and sounded nice going around rocks.

A Leaf Caught Up by the Current

My Teacher and Friend Carol

I have been homebound most of the week. I continue to tire out quickly and sleep long hours.  My friend Barbara suggested I get a stationary bicycle and use at least 20 minutes a day. So I ordered an inexpensive one. I'm too anxious to go walking on my own, though Barbara said she would go with me sometimes to walk at the indoor mall.  The bike came and I will set it up in front of the television today.  I  have a friend Mimi who exercises this way but when she was trying to sell me on doing this two or three years ago, it seemed so unappealing. But now I'd rather do this than end up with diabetes.  Also she had it in her guest room.  I find that unappealing.  I need to have my mind on something else to do it.

This is a blog by Doreen Tapper going through treatment for breast cancer. She started a blog called The Middle of the Journey.  She shares how writing a blog helps her.  I feel the same. Read her story below.   You might want to sign up to follow her.

http://doreentapper.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-3-things-i-learned-from-blogging.html

This woman shares her request to others not to offer platitudes (like "give it time"). Though many of these sayings are true, it absolutely does not help the person grieving. They will come to this in their own time, but you saying that tells them you don't want to hear. That is the problem. That is what we need. We need to talk and cry and we need your comfort, like a hug.  So this is what she shared. It really is universal-  we all go through this.

http://thegrieftoolbox.com/article/pleasenomorewords

This next week I have a lot planned (so what else is new Rachel?!)  I do love that until the exhaustion takes over. I'm hoping getting on the stationary bike helps with this!  I hope you have the week you want and I'll see you next Sunday.                         Rachel

   

Wall is Done; Why Am I So Exhausted?!

The block wall is up and everything is cleaned up. On Monday, they shoveled all the dirt in front of the block wall and put it behind.  They did a good job cleaning up including sweeping my patio. Though it was expensive, I see it is well done and they used lots of re bar to reinforce this retaining wall.  Now we don't have to worry about the wall falling down.  It has also been very hot which would have made this job much harder to do. They started very early, like 6:00 AM and stopped 1:00 to 2:00 PM.

The new block wall

That day was also the day I went in to get a Cortisol Stimulation Test.  I was there about two hours as they did injections into an IV and removing blood. The results came through the next day. My cortisol level was okay. But, the word came back with a Pre-diabetic diagnosis. I hope that is the issue, because it is in my hands to control this mainly by diet and exercise. I have been anxious about walking because I have fallen and I could fall again. But I think I'm going to have to do this.  I'll just watch my feet.  I've been checking if I could get into a Silver Sneakers program, but I don't think Kaiser does this.  They were closed to these sorts of questions on Friday, so I will call on Monday.

I showed Carol Bradshaw my painting of the sunflowers. She loved it and had a small suggestion which I incorporated. The assignment this week was to draw Hollyhocks. One of the things Carol does is work on getting us (me) to see whatever we are working on, what are the elements of the subject and what they do.  I appreciate that and have come to understand better what I am looking at. 

Our Red Hat group met at the local ice cream parlor which is called Dewars. This is an annual tradition. It is well known even beyond the borders of Kern County. There was a good showing of our group. We don't meet in August. I look forward to seeing them in September. 

So for Independence Day, I went with my daughter Shelley and several of her family plus Crystal and Devin, Jennifer's children.  Their father brought them.  Crystal and Heather came with their boyfriends.   We had hot dogs and side dishes of baked beans and potatoes.  There were three carloads of us and we went up to Lake Isabella which is in the mountains where they did a fireworks display over the lake. They started a little after 9:30 pm and it was over about 10 pm.  It was enjoyable evening for all of us who went.

Marvin, Crystal and Devin's dad took the picture.
We are at Shelley's home ready to head up to the mountain.

Shelley and Me
It was much darker than this, but I suppose the flash gave the
sense of it being more daylight than it was

Kevin and Shelley

The rest of the group sat mostly in the back of Marvin's pickup truck

This is such a terrible rendering of the scene we saw!
The fireworks were very colorful followed with loud booms.
There were a couple of small brush fires on the small island on
the lake where the fireworks were being lit, but they had it under control.

A little later this afternoon Shelley and other family members plus my friend Barbara are coming over to watch the movie Interstellar.  It came out last year, but for some reason Barbara and I missed it.  I watched it On Demand through U-Verse.  I thought it was a fabulous movie and decided to purchase it, because I knew I'd want to watch it again.  In addition to that my  friend read the book The Martian and the movie version of this is coming out soon.  From Barbara's description, it sounded along the lines of Interstellar so I downloaded it to Kindle in addition to Audible.com so I can listen to it and read it.  Anyway, that is a great story too, so I think I'll be buying the movie when it comes out.  It has a lot of science in it, like Interstellar, so I knew I'd like it.   We are going to have popcorn, iced tea or lemonade as our snacks during the movie.  

Still sleeping a lot.  I had dinner with my friend Janet who talked me into getting a blood pressure cuff and a pulse/oxymeter reader.  When she asks me what were the results, I kept forgetting when I felt knocked out, and when I felt okay, I didn't see the reason for checking.  Anyway, I'm going to have to start charting it.  She said, "how can they determine what is going on if you can't let them know when it happens and what are the results.  So this next week, I'll start charting this.

Another full week, despite sleeping a lot too.  I hope your week is going well.  I'll see you next Sunday!                   Rachel