The Rabid Librarian's Ravings in the Wind 
So I'm just starting my day
And I haven't made it through all my caffeine yet, but I thought I'd write a little. I want to get back in the habit again. I hate that I haven't done this blog justice in awhile. I guess I'm on Facebook too much. My roommate is getting ready to take a shower and then I'm going to wash my hair and clean up (I can't take a shower due the cast and our shower is not configured right for trying to shower with your foot covered in plastic, even with my shower chair helping.) I long for a shower. After I get cleaned up I need to make a quick trip to the grocery store for a few things, come back, and start my Sunday chores to get the house in order for the Cthulhu game with Brenda. I also am going to put my roommate's bedsheets into the washer and do some laundry, as he sleeps with the dogs and the bed is covered in hair. Fortunately I did my laundry yesterday. Once I get involved in the game, I tend to forget to change from the washer to the dryer. The game last week was very eventful. One of my characters was nearly burned as a witch, and since the adventure before that had had her shot in the face in the Elizabethan era with a flintlock, and her face had been reconstructed with a futuristic plastic skin, her face kind of melted with the fire. But only two character knows about the plastic skin other than mine, and I'm not sure it'll come up, because one would have to remember and the other is usually on the periphery and probably won't get the information she'll need to share. Like I said, it was eventful. It should be interesting to see what happens today. So that's what's going on here. I know it's not particularly entertaining or informative, but it'll hopefully help me get back into the habit of writing, and then I will try to actually generate some decent content. Thanks for sticking with me.
I didn't really need to go anywhere today particularly, not the independent pharmacy I normally use, nor the grocery or other errands. I do need to pickup another prescription drug up at Kroger perhaps today, perhaps tomorrow. So it's been quiet. I stayed up very late with the candles for Sabbath last night, but not as late as they sometimes burn. It was about 1 am. I woke up at 7 am though, got up and used my computer (my roommate was using my old desktop and it crashed a few weeks ago; a friend's son is trying to resurrect it or at least save the data but in the meantime he's using my laptop most of the day, and apparently had used up half my SSD drive in the process). When he woke up I moved to the phone, which I can do most things with, especially as I have a small Bluetooth keyboard that attaches for long posts such as this one. (One can only swipe on an on-screen keyboard so we'll). While I was waiting for the candles to burn out I listened to about three chapters of Caitlin Dougherty's 'Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs'. She is a mortician whose YouTube channel I've watched and enjoyed. The book is all about answering children's questions about death. It's very interesting. Yesterday morning I did a dumb thing. I'd transferred things from a small crossbody purse to my backpack and there was some cash, about $24-$25, and instead of putting it in my wallet (I'm not used to a wallet--I'm used to having a wallet case on my phone and that was not the case yesterday (that is not meant to be a pun). So I put it in my jeans pocket (it was jeans day at work, given that it was Friday). Unfortunately, I thought putting it in the main front pocket was a bad idea, because I was afraid to put it in the same pocket as my keys, as I didn't want to lose the money if it came out when the keys did. I didn't think about the back pocket as I never use them for the most part. So I put it in the coin pocket. Unfortunately, these jeans have shallower pockets than normal (my phone was and issue in the front left pocket), but I thought it would work. Anyway, I went to the UK parking lot, parked, walked to the shuttle, took it to UK's hospital, and then walked around the building and across the street to work (I haven't been going through UK as I'd have to be screened there as well as at work, and it always confuses UK that I'm not an employee). Somewhere between the car and work I lost the money. That was a real bummer. I did try very hard not to let it ruin my day, and for the most part succeeded. I did retrace my steps on the way to my ankle doctor's appointment, and I asked the shuttle driver on the way to my car if anyone had turned in some case, but of course, they hadn't. No doubt I made someone's day, though. As far as the appointment went, I was put in another soft case, so no showers, of course, but this time it will be for two weeks as the doctor is taking next week off. He does think, since it's feeling better, that I may be able to take it off then and keep it off. Let's hope so. I did order a little hose and shower head that is just rubber and you put on a sink to help me with my hair, since I've been doing sink baths and haven't had a shower since June 22nd. :(Anyway, that's what's going on lately. I also used a good trade-in deal to upgrade my four-year old phone while I could (it wasn't being updated with security patches or anything anymore). It was good while it lasted, but it was time for another. I've been trying to figure out the differences in Android 10 from Oreo, and working with some of the features. I plan on having this phone just as long, if possible. I know some people who change phones every year. I'm not one of them. I did try to make sure that instead of getting cases that match what I wear, I'm doing neutrals. I ordered a wallet case, and I financed a case and screen protector before I even got out of the store, because I do that (I also keep insurance on my phones, and my last phone had actually been replaced under that because it went haywire, not because I abused it in anyway.) I made sure I got a black case on the way out, and then I ordered a wallet case in grey. When my roommate asked me about my Amazon order (remember, he's on my computer), I explained I'd had to get a wireless charger and that I'd gotten a wallet case. [I know, you can't use them together; I can with the other case]. I also got a car charger because this takes a USB-C cord, which I didn't have. So I think the accessories are covered. I explained the wallet case was grey, so it would go with most things (I think it's part of my OCD, all my clothes down to my underwear need to match, as do purses, phone cases, and even facial masque. It's pathological, I know, but mostly harmless). However, over the four years I had my last phone, I had gotten maybe seven cases. This time I got the grey one. My roommate, an artist, immediately pointed out that it doesn't go with everything--not red and yellow for example. I pointed out that I rarely wear red and never wear yellow, they look atrocious on me. So I think I'm okay. I'm going to try to keep it to just a couple of cases, then. We'll see. So that's why I didn't have a wallet case to put my cards into, which is why I had to put them in my wallet, which I then packed away in my backpack and didn't think to put the money there, and then managed to lose money in the process. I feel stupid. It was a costly mistake, but on the other hand, lesson learned, hopefully. Okay, I'll sign off here for now. Hope you have a pleasant weekend. I've gotten a lot of rest (I've already laid down for about an hour and a half, dreaming vivid dreams of superhero stories in cinematic quality). I'm going to try to read and maybe get a few of my Sunday things done early. And there are game notes to do, yay.
Gardening
Yesterday, among other things, I repotted or side-dressed every pot on our back porch with fresh potting soil, putting the tomatoes and a few others into bigger pots. Normally I wouldn't do that while they are blooming/putting on fruit, but the big tomatoes were shrivelling up in the sun easily and there was a smaller pot of tomatoes that just weren't doing well. (These were all cherry tomatoes from a friend at work.) Plus, I had a couple of new dwarf tomatoes plants from another friend that I put in slightly larger pots, and I put the olive trees in a bigger pot. I was very tired and I got covered in soil, which is bad when you are in a cast and can't take a shower, so I had to do my best in the sink. My roommate doesn't understand why I was so hot--he basks in 90 degrees. I did wait until the last part of the day, but still, it was very hot! Here are some before and after pictures:Original configuration96 quarts of soil and three new pots (I used 64 qts of soil)..Everything re-pottedOregano, sage, tomatoes, bamboo, and aloeTomatoes, bamboo, aloe, hyssop, dill, and olive treeTomatos, dill, jalapeño, dwarf tomatoes, and red velvet echevariaOlive tree, dwarf tomatoJalapeño, dwarf tomatoes, and red velvet echevaria
Well, damn
I was feeling better, and so earlier this week I dispensed with the boot and just wrapped my foot, and I did pretty well, not hurting any more than it did in the boot. I had an MRI on Monday, and got the results on Friday.So by the time I went to the appointment on Friday, I actually showed up in sandals without having even wrapping my foot. This was not a good idea, and the doctor was not pleased. Now, in my defence, he didn't think there was going to be much on the MRI to be concerned with when he ordered the MRI. And my foot and ankle was feeling much better.However, his first words to me when he came in was that the MRI had shown all sorts of problems. I do have arthritis midfoot and some mild plantar fasciitis, but the more worrisome issue was the ligament status. Several were terribly sprained and one was actually kind of lax. So...I have to be in the boot, probably for about five weeks, to make sure the ligaments do not become any more damagaed, and certainly I don't want to tear anything completely. This was not the information I wanted to hear. Even worse, without me quite realising what he was doing, he put a soft cast on my foot, using a plaster bandage with magnesium in it that helps keep down swelling. But I can't get it wet. And I don't go back for a week, which means I can't take a shower. On the one hand, I've talked to a few people at work (we are an orthopaedic hospital, after all, even though we mostly deal with children and adolescents). Several suggested putting a heavy plastic bag wrapped tightly with tape over my foot, but the problem I have with that is the layout of our bathroom. The shower has two doors and is set with the tub between two tiled pedestals that are tiled halfway up and glass above, so glass on three sides. I have been using a shower chair, but if I sit on it and open the door with my foot out in the bag, the shower head is on that side and the water will spray out, but if I turned on the other side, my foot would be on the wrong side to put it outside. Plus, the tub doesn't quite drain quickly, so if I get up to get out, I'd have to put my foot down into the water, which defeats the process. So it's sink baths fo me, I guess. :( So yeah, not ideal. My roommate has been mocking me unmercifully and not letting me forget that I was not being compliant, and rightfully so. So, since I don't want surgery and don't want to be out for weeks on end (wearing the boot), I will wear the boot like I'm supposed to.
I understand why my break wasn't bad enough for surgery
I finally got out my old external DVD-ROM drive, as my laptop is new enough it just has an SD card slot for removable storage, and put in the CD that has my x-rays on it. I understand why, while it hurts and is making me limp, I can still bear weight on a broken ankle. Yes, it is a medial malleolar fracture, which is a broken bone in the ankle joint on the inside of the ankle. I had one on my right ankle when I got hit by a car years ago, but that was due to a lot more force and a different subtype of fracture. It took me a little while to see the broken part on this one...it's just a little bit on the end of the tibia, which isn't all that integral to bearing weight and doesn't require surgery. Here's the image, with the broken bit on the left tip of bone:That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, of course, but it is much milder than my fracture of the right ankle eight years ago. And thankfully, being on the left, it doesn't affect my driving. I am taking the boot off and just leaving an ACE bandage wrapping, sock, and shoe on while driving, but I drive an automatic so the left foot is not used.I went back to work today, had a very productive day, and despite being physically tired after walking all over the place in a boot, I feel good about going back.
*Facepalm*
Sigh. My roommate worked as a CNA for years. I have learned today that 1) I was wrapping my ACE bandage wrong, and that's why it was slipping and 2) I sat on the shower chair (which is backless) the wrong way when I showered. (Should have YouTubed that one first). Once he showed me how to properly do the bandage, it occurred to me that I didn't do well in the shower and that was probably wrong, too, so I did, indeed, look it up on YouTube.How is it that I had THREE nurses in the family and no one bothered to tell me? And I sprained my ankle approximated four times a year. I guess that's on me for apparently not paying attention, but still.As I have said on numerous occasions, I realise that I'm book smart, and I may have once been in a Gifted & Talented programme, but my common sense leaves much to be desired. Which I know, which is wisdom, I guess. But man, I feel dumb right now. [And just in case you need it, here's the video that comes up when you Google 'how to use a shower chair']:
Okay
So I didn't quite get to the shower part today, although I got a lot of rest. We're down to one lightbulb of six or seven in the bathroom and I wanted to make sure I had light and my roommate was around in case I fell.But...despite sink baths, I haven't really felt clean since I showered five days ago. Now the puppy just smelled me all over like, 'hey, you smell like garbage, can I roll in you?' I am definitely taking a shower first thing in the morning after my roommate and I are both up! I hope the chair fits, as this shower is a bit narrow.
I had to remind myself that it's Saturday
I've been off since Tuesday after the accident. I am glad I'm going back to work this Monday, though. I was so happy when Dr Fine told me that I didn't need surgery that I cheered in the exam room. See, the last time I broke an ankle (my right one), I got hit by a car on October 12, 2012, and didn't go back to work till January 2, 2013. And I didn't even get to take a proper shower till December 13, 2012, because a stitch had popped up so it didn't completely heal as it should have immediately. My doctor did tell me I could take a shower with this as there's no incision, but to use a shower chair, which I have with me. I've actually been putting a pillow on it and using it to prop up my ankle for icing. I got a walker, a boot, and the chair out of my storage unit the other day because I was afraid I might need surgery or even might be put non-weight-bearing when I went to my appointment on Thursday. I am so glad I went in a few months ago and brought them from the back of the storage unit to the front. But I didn't need the walker, at least, although the boot was useful, as I didn't need to get another, and my goal today is to use the shower chair and get one, as I'm tired of sink baths.I'm also just taking it easy. Saturdays I have a few chores I normally do, but I'm not going to today, although I do need to see if I can do just a little laundry. It isn't much, so it won't be heavy. I think I can do it without pain.
Had an early morning appointment
With my ophthalmologist, Dr Kielar, today. I started seeing him twice a year several years ago because I had a little ocular hypertension--not glaucoma, or even high enough for drops, but the pressure in my eyes was just a bit too high. He also follows me to see if there are changes in my retinas or eyes due to my diabetes. This was just a brief exam--no field of vision test or picture of the optic nerve this time. They basically numbed my eyes with these yellow drops and did the pressure check, after just running me through a quick exam to make sure I was seeing well.He said the pressure was a little higher, but not enough for drops as if it gets too high and I'm put on the drops I'll be on them the rest of my life. But apparently, it reads a little higher anyway because I have thicker corneas, which is genetic. He said that's better than if they were thinner as they'd have higher pressure than the readings. He also gave me some tips on my contact wearing (which I knew, and which I follow, thankfully, except sometimes I'm a little over my monthly wear, and so I've started changing them at the beginning of the month to be sure I don't go too long). But I don't sleep in them or swim or shower in them at all; I even take them out for naps. I usually do take my contacts out when I get home, which he encouraged, as 12 hours is about the limit of what they should be worn. We also discussed amoebic and bacterial infections and what happens when they infest the eye (apparently it's extremely painful and takes 6 months just to kill amoebae, and then there may be scarring and a need for a corneal transplant. I first was made aware of them by my optometrist, Dr Zent, who stressed drying hands thoroughly after rinsing or washing them with tap water, as any wetness could allow the parasitic infection. Dr Kielar said you should not rinse your case with tap water, but use solution, and if you can, have two, so you have one drying at all times. I don't use tap water on mine. I actually just ordered a multi-pack of the solution I use, Bio-True, from Costco yesterday (that was what I needed but wasn't going to go in-store for because of my ankle). It has two full-sized containers, one travel one, and a couple of cases.Speaking of my ankle, I'm feeling pretty decent. I did wear my boot today while I was out, and I remembered the secret to getting the thing on without stress. 1) Put your foot into the inner lining. 2) Put that with your foot into the plastic/rubber case. 3) Line up the bladder with the hole on the cover. 4) Lace the straps through their loop and fasten. It makes it so much easier than trying to just put your foot in the whole thing at once. Also, I wore short capris today, which was a mistake, and I must remember to wear long pants rather than a skirt or shorts or capris. I have a pretty large calf and the velcro only closes in a sort of 'v' shape, leaving part of it unattached. It doesn't hurt as far as the fit and the use, but it does rub against bare skin unless I have some cloth there. That is not good for someone who is diabetic at all. So again, lesson learned. I'm glad I have till Monday to work out the kinks before returning to my job.Okay, it's late morning and I haven't eaten anything. I'm going to go have some cereal. :)
It has almost been a month since I posted
I'm not sure why I dropped the ball on that. I've been busy--I went back to work full-time on June 1st. Then three weekends in a row we took down a honeysuckle hedge and then our friend Brenda came over and we chipper-shredded the resulting wood so Brenda could take it to her garden and spread it on the paths. We've filled up the lawn waste receptacle two times with branches that were sawn because they were too big for the chipper-shredder. There's about one more load. But we got enough done so the mowers could mow.So my weekends have been busy, too. In fact, the only reason I'm writing now is that I'm home for a few days because at 12:37 am on Tuesday (Monday night), I tried to pick up something that had dropped off the bed (if you must know, it was a teddy bear). I had my CPAP masque and a pair of headphones on and was teetering on the edge and trying not to lose the headphones or masque at the same time while trying to grab the stuffed animal. And then I fell, with a very loud boom, onto the hardware floor.Once I picked myself up, I was hurting all over and it was hard to tell what I'd done to myself, although my toes looked bruised pretty quickly and my foot and ankle hurt more than everything else. I went to an urgent treatment centre for x-rays the next morning, first thing, and found out that I had broken my ankle (yes, again, but this time the left instead of the right, thankfully), a medial malleolar fracture (which is what I had on the right when I was hit by a car in 2012). They gave me a lace-up brace and made me make an appointment with the doctor who did my ankle surgery back then. They sent me home and didn't say anything about being non-weight-bearing, so while I've stayed off of it mostly and iced it for two days, I have put some weight on it. I had an appointment with my doctor today. I do have a fracture, but it's more like a chip on the bone, and he didn't think it warranted surgery. I could go back to work Monday in a boot and since it's the left ankle, I can still drive and then take the shuttle with the boot on, which is much easier than if I'd had to have a walker or something. I'm the only driver in the house, so it was important that I be able to drive. However, he did want to get an MRI to make sure the deltoid ligament was okay, although he said it was a large ligament that was not likely to have torn. He just wanted to rule that out. So I should have an MRI sometime next week. I'm off till Monday but I can go back, to the relief of my backup person at work, I'm sure. My boss was relieved as well, I think. Considering the last time I broke my ankle I was off for three months, this is really good news. And yesterday I'd gone to my storage unit and got out my walker, my shower bench, and my old boot from the last time. I couldn't find my cane, but I took the walker with me today in case they made me non-weight-bearing. But I'm okay. I just need a boot, and the boot I have is universal, not right or left, so I can use it, although I forgot how long it took me to get into it and how heavy it is. But it's better than surgery. And he said I shouldn't take a shower standing up but could use a shower bench, so it's good I pulled that out. I've taken sink baths and washed my hair in the bathroom sink the last couple of days. I am definitely showering tomorrow!Anyway, that's what's going on in my world. Hope you're doing well.
Better
This is my last day off before returning to my normal schedule on Monday. I'm feeling much better, despite about four hours' sleep. I took my medicine right after I woke up, got some cereal, started the caffeination process, etc. So far I've done two loads of laundry, put two hampers of laundry away, made my bed sans sheets (I've got some on the way but the first lot got lost, so at the moment I only have one set of sheets and pillowcases and I plan to launder those, so in the meantime, the duvet and other pillows are on the bed hiding the mattress cover from curious kitties. I've also washed my hair, which always makes me feel better. I've made sure the table linens are ready for tonight, and the bread is ready, of course. I've been listening to music (Lewis Capaldi) while I've been working; I think now I'm going to read and maybe study for a bit.
What a day
I had my first attempt to use the dough setting on my machine, followed by punching it down, one more knead by hand, my first try at braiding, brushing with an egg mixture, and baking for 25 minutes. The first picture is the braided dough before baking, the second is the final result. It was a recipe that did the two loaves I needed at once. I'm really looking forward to tasting it tomorrow. I even put a few sesame seeds on top to be fancy.The bread was my crowning achievement for the day, along with getting in some information on a website in a timely fashion. Otherwise, I managed to 1) forget to take any of my medicine, oral or injected, 2) had my blood sugar fly up to the 340s as a result, 3) received a kitchen timer in the mail that didn't work per the instructions so rather than just returning it I unscrewed and fiddled with it most of the day, figuring out how to put it back together but unable physically to do so, and getting mightily frustrated, to the point where I just threw it away, since I couldn't return it, 3) slept most of the rest of the day, 4) had a recurring anxiety dream which began with Dungeons & Dragons (which oddly enough, as a gamer, I've never played) in the Patterson Office Tower at the University of Kentucky, and ended with a full-out musical number with Nancy Drew in that location.I get a little off when my medicine's off. The dream was my anxiety, I was more frustrated than normal, my blood sugar was affecting my thinking and in general, I was both anxious and depressed.But I made good bread, so that's going to be my takeaway. In the meantime I've taken all the meds I can at night (ADHD and water pill/potassium are the exceptions, as they're a morning thing). I've also had a bit too much caffeine today, and it's late, 1:35 am and I'm both tired and awake. I watched some 'Designing Women' with my roommate just now, though, so I feel a little better.That timer was sort of a metaphor of my day. Non-operational, then wound too tightly, and you take me apart and the spring explodes and you lose the screws.
Whew!
Our project for today: cutting down the HUGE honeysuckles that take up about 1/4 of the backyard. They have always been the place the dog poops (she's shy) and we hate doing it, but the dogs have been digging behind there at the fence. The challenge is we're doing it with a pair of loppers, him lopping and me dragging branches. The new dog sees nothing wrong with it and seems to just be happy being out there with us. The older dog is decidedly not happy we're messing with her yard. We may be about halfway through after 45 minutes to an hour with this part (there's also the getting twine and tying them into bundles so they can go to the curb). Now to get water and a rest break. It's about 6 big honeysuckles.
Today was rather busy
I:1) watched several episodes of different shows : a) Designing Women, b) Bless This Mess (3 episodes), c) The Great, d) Rizzoli & Isles, and e) Grimm.2) totally redid my closet, taking out the intermediate clothes to take to storage as erk a the long organiser, rolling all my tops into two short hanging organisers with two sections each, hanging my purses and lunch bags, and putting my hamper underneath, and organising the shelf above. This is a small entry closet, so space is at a premium. I put away any remaining laundry, gathered clothes I'd pulled out that are for cooler weather, and put them into two plastic bags, along with the six-compartment organiser, to take to my storage unit.3) cleaned the bathroom and completely emptied and refilled the cat boxes as we have an outdoor project planned for tomorrow so I did some Sunday chores today. 4) watered all the plants inside and out. 5) did the dishes.6) dusted my DVDs and the shelf above them (I do two shelves a week, rotating throughout the house).Not too bad, right?
Two things
First, I got my test results by 8 pm tonight, which was pretty speedy, and yes, I am negative, but of course, that just means right now. Still, it will help going forward at work.Second, while I was at Kroger this morning I looked at their plants. You see, we have a hook next to the front door and last year midway through the season I got some impatiens that did well in the morning sun. Granted, I've only looked at plants at the grocery because I was out making essential trips, but I haven't seen any impatiens or other part-sun/part-shade plants. Everything has been petunias or geraniums or the like. So today I saw a Fuschia plant tucked in with everything else, a type I hadn't seen before. I don't have a great deal of luck with them, as I've tried twice and gotten whiteflies each time, but also tried to raise them as a houseplant rather than outdoors. I decided to give it a shot, especially as they were $17 for a very decent size.Here is the plant in its place by the door, both the whole hanging plant and a close-up. These are more slender and elongated than some I've seen, and it's more the bushy rather than trailing sort, which I thought odd in a hanging plant, but oh, well. As a plus, they're not toxic to animals as near as I can discover--they're not on the ASPCA list at all, for example.