Feeling like I'm doing nothing but cleaning and cooking here. Very little time for computer and just sitting.

The  flock is happy though, and voicing their approval over most things, and hubby is back working, so he's happy too. Son says the birds eat better than he does, I just told him that he needs to show up for dinner more often.

Beyond that, It's good to be alive.

 

I have the computer looked up and would you believe no desk, just the cabinet that was full of books but since I gave those away I ended up with some room for the computer and tower...

 

I thought how handy when I stay awake during the night to have it in the bedroom, instead I have slept from early evening till morning the last two nights, I never do that and was so surprised to see daylight, so I should have moved the computer years ago!!

 

It turned cold the last few days and the birds can't get outdoors till almost noon time... they are bored and all I seem to do is clean up one mess right after another since I give them lots of phone books and shredded typing paper to play with. At least they have fun for a short time!

 

Crystal, I'm sorry that you moved the wrong way and ended up feeling so much pain again.  Hope you can take it easy so that doesn't happen anymore.

 

Dale, will your Mom be able to have the laparoscopic surgery?  I sure hope so! 

 

I have declared myself all recovered from my surgery, and will be going back to work on Monday when the homeless shelter opens for the winter months.  I have printed off all your nice messages to put in my 3 ring binder with all my other information about gallbladder surgery.  I finally counted all my tiny sand sized up to large pea sized gallstones the other day and there were about 803 of them, including the 27 the pathologist got.  It was no wonder my gallbladder was cranky when I ate something it didn't like.  Over the past few months I have finally been able to get down to a more ideal weight (5'6"/138 lb), which I hope to maintain with exercise and a healthy diet.  It has been years since I have been in the "normal" range for weight...too bad it took being sick to make that happen.  I have lost all desire to eat fatty foods, so I don't know what would happen if I did.  The blood work for cholesterol, etc., was all fine in August and I don't want to mess that up by eating bad stuff.  I really appreciate all your encouragement and prayers the past three weeks!  Kathy 

Less than an inch of rain ALL YEAR?????????

Wow Kathy--803 stones?   No wonder you lost weight! 

 

What causes those? And what are the stones composed of?

 

Sherri, the stones were the typical yellow-green of cholesterol stones, but I haven't seen the pathologist's report to confirm that.  Most of them were really tiny, so that is why so many of them.  Some of the larger ones seemed to be smaller ones that had joined together.  After doing research about gallstones on-line, it seems that the liver doesn't make enough bile salts to keep the cholesterol (which it also makes) in liquid form in the gallbladder where extra bile is stored.  Another reason that it might form stones is because the gallbladder doesn't empty like it should.  The main risk factors are having a close relative with gallbladder problems, having female hormones or being pregnant (birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy), being overweight or going on super low calorie diets, being of certain ethnic groups.  Even when I was a teenager, eating too much fatty foods would make me sick to my stomach, so I think that my gallbladder has always been touchy.  For the past ten years I have had the typical pain in the upper abdomen.  I tried to ignore it, but the past year the attacks became more frequent and took less and less to set them off.  Even when I wasn't having an attack, there was a constant ache and fullness in the upper abdomen.  The last three months I lost almost 35 pounds without much effort, just because I didn't feel like eating.  Since my dad had his gallbladder removed about ten years ago, I was a prime candidate for the same surgery.  Fortunately, I had it done when it was elective surgery.  He waited until a stone plugged up a duct and he had to have emergency open incision surgery.  I did not want to wait too long and end up being in the same situation.  Kathy 

Gosh, only 1 more day until it's December.  Hard to believe.

 

Last night around 1:30 a.m. while we were fast asleep, the shower curtain rod in my bathroom gave way (and why it did, I can't imagine) and crashed into the tub, waking up up instantly.  Also waking up all the birds and the dogs.  Pandemonium.  We never forget to set our security system, so we weren't too worried about someone  being in the house, but it took about an hour before my heart stopped pounding.

 

Going to put up the outdoor Christmas lights today, as it's mild and very pretty outside.  We try to pick a nice day to do this task; that way, we can feel all smug when we see people putting up their lights later in December, when it's cold and windy and snowing. 

 

Barb

I woke up exhausted and my bed looks great at the moment...but can't go back as I still have a house full of family.

 

Barb that would have scared me too!!

I know I can't get the Christmas lights up this early as the guys have another project going. It warm and muggy, the birds were oput by 7am as it was in the 70's by then...

 

Everyone shopped on Black Friday, not me though as I can't stand crowds to begin with so I avoid the shops.

 

My cactus are all in bloom and looking good... I wondered why sometimes they loose buds and found out they hate to be moved and will drop the buds/blooms... Goodness plants have personalities too

Our Thanksgiving/Christmas Cactuses are outdoing themsleves again this year too.   Too bad ours have to live out in the the wood room because it's too hot in the house for them and too cold out on the deck...I told Don he ought to sell tickets for us to get into his wood room to see them.

 

It's a sunny day with blue skys so *Sunshine-Goodshine* is in the books for Glory and Twiggy today.

 

Hope everyone has a relaxing day today..I'm planning on one.  di

 

Snow here in the Chicago area today. Was out and about when these beautiful big flakes started coming down. My child-like joy and awe lasted for a few minutes....

Until I realized that snow means freezing, shovelling, scraping car windows....

Making a big pot of chicken and dumplings for dinner... had to buy an aluminum roaster pan to make the dumplings in, don't have a pan big enough here any more for the amount of dumplings I have to make for these guys.... also didn't have any flour or baking soda here.... no wonder the guys miss me when I'm south, They don't cook!!

Di, that cactus is gorgeous (can't tell if it's just one, or more).  

I was over at my neighbor's house a couple days ago and hers were blooming, they're big, but not quite as big as yours. Dark fuchsia colored blooms. She has a neat little sunroom at the entrance of her house, it's almost all glass, but with a wooden deck-type floor.

 

 I have a small plant I started from a broken piece of hers.  Mine didn't bloom....didn't get any hint of buds at all.   Now I think I've just figured out why.   Its on top a little speaker beside my computer, next to a lamp that stays on all the time.  So it doesn't get any darkness, and temps stay pretty warm.