Pepper is Back!!!!!

This morning I stayed in bed until quite late.   I then thought that I should check the trap even if I didn't hear anything happen.  Wow!!!!!  There was Pepper in the trap just lying there.  She ate the sardines and skipped the dry food.  I was too excited to take a picture.  I brought the cage in to let her out since now I was worried she would go out again.  She hissed at me but ran back under my bed.  Daisy was already there.  Now Pepper is growling at her and I hear some hissing.  I'd like to take her to the vet, but last time she bit me puncturing a blood vessel in my hand which swelled badly and I needed to see a doctor.  So I'm going to just stay away from her and let her decide when she wants to come out.  Thanks to everybody for your ideas and support not to give up.  I took it to heart!

The Havahart trap that caught Daisy

This is a picture of Pepper taken two
weeks before she got out.

So generally, other than the above, this week has not been so exciting. I had my class with Carol who still had recommendations on the pictures I'm working on. Also, I could not find the watercolor pictures I have done.  I thought I had all my pictures together, but evidently not. They are around, but I am disorganized and have some work to locate them. So it will be my drawings which will be on displayed instead  of watercolors for First Friday July 1. There will be several students who's work will be displayed.  Two other of her students met Friday to select which pictures will go up and which ones are back up depending on space. One of the students is advanced in her skills. It was impressive. The other woman had picture that weren't realistic but had such a nice feel of playfulness and character. It was nice meeting them and I will be seeing them again. I did more work on some drawings I had. They do get better each time I work on them. I get excited seeing that. The picture I will be doing will be of a toad. What I'm working on is the warty texture of the skin. 

Waterfall done lightly

Waterfall with more contrast.

Kern River Flowing Over Rocks

Mama and Baby Elephant
Improving a lot!

Amargosa Toad
Done in Colored Pencils

My daughter Shelley painted her main bathroom and redecorated it.  She did a beach scene with surf boards and added this to what she did.  I think it turned out very nice!

Shelley Schmitt's Beach Scene

I was going to visit my nieces this weekend, however, they all got bad colds and I do not want to get what they have. Kerri will be heading home to Washington soon and I will miss this chance. However, we will find another time to get together. I really enjoy getting together with them. 

Since this was canceled, I was able to take advantage of a terrific sale at Columbia at the outlet mall in Tejon and see my Granddaughter-in-Law Meagan who works in sales there. And, I got an additional 30% off because of her employee discount.  She and my grandson Billy and I believe at least the two boys they had, my great-grandsons were leaving about 3:30 Saturday morning to see Billy's father and step-mother in Texas. They will be gone about 1 1/2 weeks. 

Billy and Meagan on Their
Way to Texas

My granddaughter Hailey who is going by her middle name Kathryn (so for now on I will call her Kathryn) left for Texas by air on Saturday to stay with her grandmother there and get together with her dad.  I felt sorry for my daughter,  Ronda, who found a great deal on airfare through Spirit Airlines but very late that there was a charge for carry-on luggage of $70 for a round trip and, because she spoke with someone by phone instead of handling it by computer, she was charged $10 for a live talk.  She would lose her money to cancel. She was angry because she would have had a better deal with a well known airline if she had selected them. We all have to read the small print.  I don't always do that too. 

This week I had my colonoscopy. This was a longer ordeal than I have had before.  My doctor had me start two days ahead drinking a 10 ounce bottle of magnesium citrate and taking four Ducolax before bed. Then the day before, drink only fluids and drink a gallon of Golytely (terrible stuff).  Then that evening, I had to take four more Ducolax. So the morning of the procedure, two hours before arriving I had to do a large Fleets enema and the a half hour later, I had to do that again. Now, have any of you had to do that much?!  Now, I will not argue about doing this. They did find two polyps which were removed. So that is a very good thing. My father died of colon cancer and I don't want that to be another problem I'm dealing with. When I woke up, I didn't realize it was all done. I felt more alert than I have before and told my friend Janet I wanted to have lunch and water. Well this turned out to be by quite what I needed. I ordered a quiche and a salad at Marie Callender's.  I used to loved their quiches. Not any more. The egg was on the bottom half and the cheese and other stuff they used to mix in it was as a topping. Ugh!  Definitely not my style. I make a far better quiche than that. Next time I'll get the Fettuccini Alfredo.  I think that is safe.  When I got home, I went to bed immediately around 1:30 pm, waking up two or three times having the oddest dreams until I was up at seven in the morning. Then I went for chemo. I'm glad that is behind me.  

My neighbor Celeste finally sold her home and the people asked to get the Keys this weekend because they are stripping out all the carpet and will refinish the wood floors themselves. They are a couple in their 20's, no children at this time and a rescue pit bull mix. They are excited and will not move in for two weeks while they work on their home.  Celeste and I and my friend Janet have gotten together for dinner at The Renegade Room. We've enjoyed getting together with her. She was a Docent at the California Living Museum (CALM) and will return to this in the Fall to an indoor exhibit.  Celeste and I have had some health issues and have commiserated when in the middle of issues. But, both of us prefer to stay active where and as we can. 

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. My husband, my father and his three brothers served in the Armed Services. I support people who have been put in harms way for us and feel they need much more support as veterans than they get. I don't think they should be homeless, get inadequate medical care or make so little money that they must have food stamps to make ends meet. This just seems so wrong with all that they have done for us.  After a typical barbecue of hamburgers with all the fixings, coleslaw, pasta salad, potato salad  and watermelon, I hope we can go to the cemetery to see Paul in memoriam of him, other family and all of those who have lost their lives during and after war.  

That is my week. I hope yours went well and I will see you next week.          Rachel

Holiday Lights, Potlucks and a Christmas Puppet Show

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I went with my friend Barb to an Audubon potluck and auction.   They did a nice puppet show. 

There were nine puppets with two women controlling them.
They presented different holiday situations told in poetry.
Lovely!

It occurred to me we are the generation of casseroles.   I make a salad of some kind to break up the starchiness of the casseroles.  I brought a green salad and it was almost all eaten.  What variety of food.  In the silent auction there was a used electric Yamaha organ. I bid on it and got it. I used to play the piano, so this is exciting. Then they had a auction caller. Barb and I checked out what they had and we were interested a tour of Tejon Ranch Conservancy. Including us, we can have 6 people. I picked my daughter Shelley and friend Janet. By Barbara and I splitting the cost of this, we were able to go higher and win the bid. Now Barb needs to pick two people. We want to wait until the weather is milder. We will pack a gourmet lunch and wine. 

This is the Yamaha I got sitting on my dining room table.

If you are interested in what we will see when we do the tour of the Tejon Ranch Conservancy, go here.  There are pictures, a blog, a write up on what they want to accomplish. and other information.

Tejon Ranch Conservancy

Wayne came back to art class!  Yeah!  I enjoyed him and he is very talented so that is good. Linda was also there, so we actually had a "class". We started on lions and next week is our last class until sometime in March.  Carol will have surgery, then have rehabilitation. My plan is to work on transferring  drawings from tracing to  drawing paper by measuring and blocking it.  I've never fully understood this, but in class, we used this technique in drawing lions.  We have done this before, but I think I'm just beginning to get this.  Linda picked up on the problem with my deer.  I thought it was the bent back leg, but she felt I needed to put a little angle on the front back leg.  That solved the problem.  I showed them my horse, but I was embarrassed by it.  They felt just a little work would do it.  So, I re-did it.  It looks better, but something is still off.  While Carol is off, I'm going to work on the pictures that I have.  And finally, I did a lion.  Though, it may be a little off, I like him.  He is sitting on his haunches, somewhat to the side.  I can't seem to show all the skin that is wrinkled, but I got the idea.  Also, he had a lot of hair, not just in front, but underneath and to the sides of his belly.  I never noticed that before.

My deer continues to improve!

She is improving, no longer a cartoon, but she is still off on
proportion.  I think it is the legs mostly.

I like him!  He has character!

Janet and I went to the Holiday Lights at the California Living Museum (CALM).  We really enjoyed it!  It wasn't quite as cold as last year. I bought these Hot packs to attach to my socks at my toes and to also place in my pockets.  The Christmas lights were timed with the Christmas music.   It was all so lovely. After, we went to The Red Pepper to top the evening off. 

Janet at The Holiday Lights at CALM

Me at The Holiday Lights at Calm

So here is another picture of Conner and Kason.  They are a year apart, and they look like twins to me!

My great grandsons Conner and Kason

My granddaughter Crystal is ready to deliver Nylah Marie this month.  She is more than ready.  She feels fat and ugly, though none of us feel she is.  She is just a beautiful young pregnant woman.  She is running out of clothes to wear and feels very unattractive.  I have heard this from others, so I think this is common.  She and Lorence got an apartment.  She came to borrow money to get cleaning supplies, but I had a lot here and gave it to her.  I think things will be so much better after Nylah arrives.

I did see my primary Doctor, Doctor Quiogue. She had breast cancer and chemo and recently returned.  She used to have long straight hair. Now it is short and curly. She looks lovely the way it is, but my friends whose hair did this eventually returned to how it looks before chemo. She said she will leave it short because there is little to do when leaving the house. It saves a lot of time. So I told her my right hip joint was really hurting for about six weeks. She felt it and told me I had bursitis. She gave me a cortisone injection in that point and now it feels a lot better. She gave me instructions on exercises which will help with this. She also had me get lab work done. I'm so glad I saw her.

Here is an excellent description of grieving. This is how it has been for me. 

http://www.thatericalper.com/2015/08/16/person-is-asking-for-advice-hn-how-to-deal-with-grief-this-reply-is-incredible/

So, I liked the week.  It was not completely filled, which is the way I need it.  I have events scheduled this next week that I am looking forward to.  I really hope your week went well and I will see you next Sunday.    Rachel

Holiday Celebrations Begin

We finally got rain Tuesday!   What a nice change. Leaves are down because of the wind. I really like this. Since it has been so dry, it is a pleasant and much needed change. However, no rain for the rest of the week.

Linda Mather thinks I'm doing great in Occupational Therapy.  What I worry about is the pain in my index finger and the limits in movement in my wrist.  I want this to improve.  I was hoping she wouldn't end my therapy earlier than what has already been approved. So I did talk to her about it, but what I did find out is that I will always have to exercise this to keep movement in my hand. I was told the same thing about my back. I had this naive idea that I would just get back to before injury state and not have to exercise. NOT!  These things then become a part of my life. Oh, and she isn't ending my therapy early!

I went with my friend Barbara to a potluck fundraiser for the Audubon Society. I made a fruit salad and Barbara made a pasta dish with a homemade marinara sauce (delicious).   They had a silent auction and an auction caller for the other type of auction.  They had three items I would have liked.  One was a handmade quilt, the other two were tours by van through Tejon Ranch and through Wind Wolves Preserve each for several people. My friend and I bid on the tours, but it got way too expensive for us. But it was fun.   (I'm going to check out these tours because I would really love to do this with friends.)  They had never had such action in the past and everyone enjoyed it. I think they raised more money than they ever have. There were also students from Bakersfield High School who sang Christmas Carols. Lovely!

My Red Hat dinner was at the Hungry Hunter. We make our reservations way ahead of time and asked for this table in front of the fireplace where we do an exchange of Christmas ornaments. Well there was a large group of men at "our" table. In addition they put us at a table for eight, when there were nine of us and didn't respond to us when we pointed this out. Our leader Evelyn found a chair and made room next to her at the head of the table for the ninth person in our group. Though the food was good, the treatment was not. Our group will not go back there again. 

Me with my fellow Red Hatters Pamela and Vicki

We drew numbers to pick a present in order.  I got this Santa from Jo.  Love it!

So I saw my oncologist Dr. Tun this week before my chemotherapy.  Tests I had came out okay, but for some reason, I didn't get the test for the tumor marker. He said the next time I go in for blood work, this test will be done.   I did tell him about seeing a surgeon in Los Angeles who had asked me why I would overdose on calcium. I said to Dr. Tun, "why would I do this?"  So I had thought about what I had been doing and told him I have a lot of stomach pain and take Tums regularly.   He said "that would do it, since it is calcium".  He suggested I take Prilosec or Pepcid. He said to take Tums when this doesn't work. I told my nurse about this and she told me to contact my primary doctor about this. I told her I've had this problem for years and thought I was doing what I should do.  She made me promise to let my primary doctor know. I agreed to but said I wanted my vision checked by an ophthalmologist before I went for new glasses because I thought something was going on with my eyesight that might be more than glasses. I feel all these medical issues are getting a little ridiculous. Perhaps that is why she has suggested palliative care two years ago.  I'm waiting for a call back probably to see her first.  

I had a wonderful visit with my friend Janet. I told her I want to give a short speech at Helping One Woman (HOW) on what I have learned going through all this.  I like to bounce ideas off of Janet because she makes me think more.  My head is working on it, but she thought I needed to write some thoughts down because something very special might flit in and just as easily flit out. So true. I forget much when it isn't written down.  She also gave me a hook to hold my keys in my purse and a lighted pill holder. How ingenious!

My granddaughter Kayla and I went to lunch yesterday.  She wanted Mexican food, so we went to Mexicali's again (for me).  I could be in a rut here, because there are hundreds of Mexican restaurants, many of them excellent. When my brother Ben visits, he can't get enough Mexican food and he'd be willing to go for breakfast, lunch and dinner in Mexican restaurants. Connecticut has few Mexican restaurants and they don't taste like here.  We had a wonderful talk about books and reading. She wants to read the book before seeing the movie. She enjoys reading dystopias (some horrible event happens and how people try to deal with this new society.  I enjoyed our talk. It was very interesting.  I enjoyed Kayla very much.  I actually think this is the most conversation we have had at one time.  I told her that I hoped she and her friend would join me in June when I go to Martha's friends and family reunion.  She does want to go.  I hope I have no big issues going on then like last year (I broke my wrist and was in the hospital).

Today, my friend Barbara and I are going to a matinee performance of the Bakersfield Community Concert Association with Mark209 performing. They are influenced by country western music and sing hymns. They are from Nashville and do four-part harmony. There are lots of good reviews. We will also get dinner after the event.  We haven't decided where, but I want something different from Mexicali's.

So I have had plumbing issues that just continue to get worse. So I broke down and called someone to deal with this. I used Gundlach's Plumbing which said they could come out that day. Wonderful!  I really didn't expect that. I turned off the water to one toilet,  but I didn't clear out the cupboard under the sink to replace  the kitchen faucet which is also leaking.  There is always something to repair.  So he took all the stuff out and he put it all back. That was nice. The fill valve was broken and had to be replaced. Okay, it was not cheap. Each thing to repair has a flat rate charge, but it is all done and was done well. I wouldn't suggest buying a faucet at Lowe's or Home Depot unless you use their list of contractors or you are POSITIVE you can do the work yourself.  I certainly can't spend like this too often.  I did sign up for their Comfort Club which is $20 a month and they will come out twice a year to service the air conditioner, the heater and the water heater.  No other charges for this but all other charges will be reduced 15%.  

A 21st Century Faucet in a Circa 1950's Kitchen

My friend Janet gets the magazine Bakersfield Life.  In this month's edition there is a short article with mostly pictures entitled Deck The Zoo which is the California Living Museum's fundraiser Holiday Lights Extravaganza. Well Janet and I were there last year when this photographer went around taking pictures. He approached us to get our names and take our picture.  This is not the one, but another one.  We are a part of the scene in this one. I like it. So if you ever see the magazine, it is the smaller far right picture on page 139. Wonderful event by the way. It is beautiful and periodically the lights go to the music. It's very magical. Kids love it, but so do adults.

This is a a Picture of a Picture at CALM from Bakersfield Life, December 2014.
I'm on the right and Janet is on the left.
Much better picture if you can get the magazine
But, it is a wonderful shot of the lights you would see.

Here are the latest pictures of my great-grandson Conner. He has gotten his first tooth.  

There was this very cute picture of a little girl who looks like a future Red Hatter.  I saw it on Facebook.  The sentiment is right too!

So I hope you have a great week.  I'm going to be busy as usual.  I probably will have to take a break from my daily activities for the next big week, but I love it all and feel so fortunate I can still do these things.  See you next Sunday.                  Rachel