Bitter cold

 6:20 pm

It was a crazy cold day today. I’ve been outside briefly twice with the dog. Otherwise I crocheted, read, listen to an Audible book and cooked a little. Bitzi does not like going out in bad weather. She is a princess. 

Head above water

 It’s Thursday morning. Yesterday’s trip to see Phantom of the Opera was wonderful. It was such a delicious treat. Plus I felt better. When I got home I took a nice hot shower to wash off all the grunge of the crowded bus and crowded theater off me. I wore my germ mash the entire trip to help me from catching any new bugs. The shower at the end of the day felt marvelous. I slept well without getting up numerous times with coughing attacks. Great! Today I’m actually going to a water aerobics class and soaking in the hot tub and sauna after the class followed by a nice long shower. The weather for the next week is projected to be bitterly cold. 

Wednesday morning waiting for coffee

7:58

For some reason my IPad is acting screwy now. I hope I haven’t been hacked. I’ve never had my Apple devices act up this way. After numerous attempts I was finally able to reboot it. We shall see how it does as I continue.

I made a toasted whole wheat peanut butter-banana-raspberry sandwich for breakfast and ate it and took my prednisone and antibiotic. When I made my coffee in the Keurig machine there were a bunch of grounds on the top of the pod when I lifted the lid. I hope my coffee isn’t full of grounds. That would be ICK.

I have to throw on my clothes and take the dog out for a pee walk and then come in and get ready. I’m going to see Phantom today with one of my old teacher friends on a bus trip. I’m wearing my germ mask in case I start coughing. I’m not contagious but other people don’t know that. I’ve been waiting for years to go to this show. I’ve had the entire original soundtrack memorized since ‘94. I’m pretty excited. 

Finishing my coffee (it tastes fine- no coffee grounds.)

Now my mission is to find us a place in Florida to stay for 4-6 weeks next year at this time. I hate this overcast flu season cooped up inside crap. I am on a mission.

Mabel and MLK

 Today is Mabel’s 4th birthday and it’s also Martin Luther King Jr.’s day. I had intended to drive down to Lewistown Friday and take Mabel her birthday present but I’ve been sick and the weather has been bad. I’m going to call her in a couple hours. I can’t drive long distances like I used to. I almost never drive down to Lewistown and back home in one day any more. It’s too tiring and too wearing on my bad eyes. 

I’ve flushed my sinuses with the water pik several times today. I’m trying to get over this stuff. That sinus flushing usually helps me cough stuff up too. Win- win.

The Bears lost to the Rams last night in overtime. It was extremely disheartening. Oh well. It is what it is. 

Blessed

 It’s a sunny morning. I just opened all the window shades around the house and made a cup of coffee with hazelnut creamer. Bitzi just crawled up on my lap. I slept pretty well last night. In a little while I’ll throw on my clothes, boots, coat and gloves and take Bitzi for her morning pee walk. We’re driving down to Original Country Donuts in Elgin after my dog walk to get a freshly-made bagel breakfast sandwich ( the best). Mike caught a milder case of my flu crud and he has a bit of lingering symptoms too but his immune system is stronger than mine at least. We’ve both been mostly homebound the last three weeks with a few exceptions. 

The week before Christmas we traded off my blue Honda Passport for a new orange passport Trailsport elite. It’s pretty striking and I love the interior. It’s about the same size as the older one but seems much bigger with the redesigned front dashboard. The backseat is roomier too. It rides more like a Chevy Tahoe. I really like it. It has way too many bells and whistles on it that I’ll probably never use but  Mike  likes all the gadgetry and sensors and stuff. The was our present to ourselves. Nicer, safer car. Actually it originally wasn’t for sale. It was some prize reward the dealership had won from Honda. The staff had been driving it for a couple months but it hadn’t been titled. I just saw it parked on the lot and it interested me and then when I saw the interior I really liked it. We had to get the dealership owner to consent to selling it then Mike started his wheeling dealing negotiations. He lives to haggle! 

I’m going to finish my coffee and get rolling. (Maybe) more later…..

Friday 1-16-26

 It’s around noon on Friday. I haven’t typed or used this new IPad keyboard in quite a while. I think I’ve only tried to type on this new keyboard once……. I am rusty, for sure. It would do me no good to cuss because I know I’m just out of practice. It’s aggravating but it just goes with the territory when you’re old and out of shape (like most things). 

I had intended to drive down to Canton and Lewistown today and stay a night or two but over night it snowed quite a lot and the roads are really slushy and I am still suffering with after effects of the flu I caught at Christmas time. My nose is still running like the Mississippi River, I’m coughing and hacking, congested in my

 

bronchial tubes, still wheezy and fatigued and short of breath. I did break down and make a video doctor’s appointment with a physician at my primary care doctor’s office so hopefully I can get something to nip this is the bud. It wears you down after weeks of fighting it.

 I’m supposed to go on a bus trip to see Phantom next Wednesday and already paid for it. Come hell or high water I’m going. I went on a bus trip to Milwaukee Wednesday and wore my germ mask all day but was coughing a lot on the bus. I sat by myself in the back and even covered my mask with an extra handkerchief when I coughed but I probably should have stayed home. I lost money at the casino that day but did have some fun. 

I haven’t heard from my oldest daughter in months. She is going to “no contact” with the whole family over her and her siblings dispute over the farm their father left them with a totally screwed up confusing will. Just like him…….so I catch the brunt of it- the shit splatter From my ex’s bullshit. Evidently my oldest daughter had a big problem with the fact that I was actually still talking to my other daughter and two sons and she (in her delusional state) assumed I was a spy SO no contact. This is far from the first time she has done this. And she’s done it to lots of people not just me.

SOOOOO I just try to do my best and stay positive. That’s all you can do.  

I just flushed my sinuses with the water pik on gentle and took 2 Advil Cold and sinus capsules. They always help relief my head funk. I try to take them sparingly but they’re really the only thing that really seems to help with the sinus head pressure funk. My mom had many years of sinus misery and I seem to have inherited it form her. I’ve had two sinus surgeries but I still get this stuff. 

Sometimes it’s kind of weird being retired, finding things to do and be productive, especially this time of year when it’s cold, overcast, icy and unpleasant outside. In warm weather I can spend most of the day evening outside puttering around with my plants. Mike and I just played checkers-probably the first time we have ever played checkers together. I forgot how much I like it. I have a bunch of other games set out to play. I have a brand new one I bought a year or more that is all about the national parks. It’s supposed to be fun and educational. I’m hoping we’ll play that tomorrow. I should be going to the lodge pool or fitness center but I just haven’t felt up to it the past 3 weeks as I’m coughing a bunch and my damned nose has been running nonstop. YUCK.

I’ve been creating and posting stuff on TikTok and have gained quite a few followers but I never go “live” or sell stuff. It’s just kind of cool with all the templates and filters and then to see which ones get more hits and what is popular. I don’t really promote it or make any profit. It’s just kind of creative and interesting. Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of TikTok’s about life in China. Those are pretty interesting. I never really wanted to go to China before but now I’m kind of interested. I guess I’m living vicariously through TikTok.

My oven beeper just went off. I’m baking biscuits.

My immune system is weak, I assume from all the chemo and drugs I had for my brain and eye cancer in 2008 and 2015. I actually technology had Large B-cell diffuse non-Hodgkins central nervous system lymphoma. I about died in 2008. It took a couple years before an accurate diagnosis was made. After nearly dying i eventually got better and went back to teaching. In 2013 I was declared “cured” but then it came back in 2015 so more tests, chemo and then a stem cell transplant. Something in all that caused me to not produce enough immunoglobulins so I get sick pretty easily. I went back to teaching both times (against doctors orders) and did manage to actually get my years in a retire in 2020. And here I am now, sick a lot but still kicking.

I just took the biscuits out of the oven. Mike is going to make himself some lunch with them I guess. I’m having my tea and the second half of my Wendy’s Frosty from yesterday that I saved in the freezer. It’s pretty good. I also took out a jar of ham and bean soup and two plates of stuff frozen from Thanksgiving. Once it’s thawed out we’ll evaluate to see if they’re okay or go to the trash. I’m guessing they’ll go to trash. We discovered a few days after Thanksgiving that the garage freezer wasn’t working right and brought some things inside to the kitchen freezer so these items might not be safe. I say they are going. Better safe than sorry. I have had food poisoning before and it is very unpleasant. 

I’m going to end this now. I have gotten some typing practice in on my new keyboard.  My head congestion is feeling somewhat better since the two Advil cold and sinus pills kicked in. It always makes me feel somewhat better to write things out and journal. Yes, I’m an introvert and weirdo but I believe I am a nice person most of the time. None of us are perfect. I believe in the goodness of people and have faith that things will work out. My brother-in-law Pete is having a kidney transplant in a few weeks and my niece Lisa is the donor. A few weeks after that my sister Sallie is having another heart surgery procedure/ She had a heart attack and quadruple bypass in September. SO much going on, so much to pray for, so much to be hopeful for. I’m looking forward to 2026 being a really good, successful year for us all. 

Later

We just played several hands of Rummy. I won the first couple then Mike won the last three. Pretty fun after not having played un probably fifty years or more! It’s about time to take Bitzi out for her afternoon walk. In the winter she goes out in the morning and later afternoon. In warmer weather she’s outside all day or at least 4 or 5 times. She’ll be 6 years old in March. 

Monday, Dec. 8 2025

 

This is my first time typing on my new IPad with the new keyboard and new padded platform with the little wrist support pillow. It will take some getting used to. I really haven’t typed much at all in years. I would like to get back into practice and habit. It’s kind of slow and painful right now with all the stopping and correcting. Plus my vision is poor so there’s that on top of the rest of the bullshit.

This morning I typed out letters for all the grandkids to put inside their Christmas cards which will hold money. I’m also getting them a few little things as well. There are a lot of grandkids and it’s quite the undertaking. I have some shopping to do and have to go to the bank. 

It’s pretty damned cold outside. I walked Bitzi around the block this morning but there is so much ice on the sidewalks it’s nearly impossible to walk here there. I went in the street for most of it. Then Mike suggested we take her up to the lodge to try to walk her and see if she’d go potty there and sure enough she did. Winter is such a challenge with that little dog. 

Gotta run. Errands to do.