Thursday, July 30, 2020

Thursday, July 30, 2020

Well, today was the day for cataract surgery on my right eye and all went well. I came home and slept for 2.5 hours and woke up feeling good - no irritation in the eye, although it is still quite dilated. We just got back from a walk and my vision was quite good with only sunglasses and it should improve as the days go by.  We saw this momma turkey and her six little ones in a nearby field.





I was a bit concerned about Frisco yesterday. After clipping his nails and giving him a bath, all was well until I invited him up on the bed for a nap. He seemed a bit anxious, going from side to side and tried to jump up twice and couldn’t make it - so I picked him up and put him on the bed. I was petting him and noticed that he was trembling and his entire body was shaking - it was very visible and I could feel him shaking. He didn’t appear to be uncomfortable but he kept looking at me. It went on for what seemed like a long time, but was maybe only 2-3 minutes. I then asked if he wanted a treat and he leaped off the bed and ran into the kitchen, so I gave him a treat and then he bounded back onto the bed like nothing happened.  I’m thinking it was a seizure of some sort and I will be keeping close tabs on him to see if it happens again. 

Monday, July 27, 2020

Sunday, July 27, 2020

We sure picked a hot weekend to social distance in Pat’s back yard, but we were able to find shady spots with a slight breeze blowing and were able to get some good visits in. We spent a few hours together early in the day, then went back to the hotel for naps, then had dinner and visited for a few hours in the evening. It was wonderful to have a face to face visit again. Unfortunately, our cameras never came out.

This afternoon, we went for a social distanced visit to see Jonnie’s completed small house. It is so cute and the 550 square feet of living space is plenty for her.








We also managed to get walks in the morning and evening. Tonight, it was during a light rain and the sun peeked out of the clouds and gave us a beautiful rainbow in the eastern sky. My pics didn’t turn out real good.






Friday, July 24, 2020

Friday, July 24, 2020

We dropped Frisco off at Lucky Dog Pet Resort this morning and headed to Stoughton for a much needed visit with Patrick - it’s been since last September that we have seen each other.  The drive was uneventful and we made a few stops to kill some time before meeting up with Pat and Roger at Cimaroli’s in Portage for fish fry, Old Fashioneds and some much needed conversation with great friends. We sat on the patio and it was pretty warm out there but the umbrella over the table kept us in the shade for most of the time. There wasn’t a lot of social distancing going on in the bar and dining room, so I felt glad that we chose the patio. The weather is supposed to be in the low 90s this weekend - we picked a good one.

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

My eye is healing and getting better every day. My vision sucks with one good and one bad eye and corrections in my glasses that don’t work with the good eye. I picked up a pair of cheap sunglasses and some readers (a little too strong), so I am now alternating between 3 different pairs of glasses. It won’t be long and I will be celebrating improved vision and a prescription that works for reading.

We decided that we were due for a road trip and headed to New Ulm today, a small quaint town of German heritage about 100 miles west of St Paul.  



Our first stop was Schell’s Brewery, founded in 1860 by August Schell. It is the second oldest family-owned brewery in America and the oldest one in Minnesota. We sampled a flight of four beers at the Rathskeller patio and walked through the gardens that surround the family’s mansion. All of the buildings are closed except the small museum and gift shop.












Friday, July 17, 2020

Friday, July 17, 2020

I had my cataract surgery on my left eye yesterday morning and all went well. It was a pretty painless procedure with a few minor discomforts. We took a long nap when we got back home, as the night before was pretty restless for both of us. My follow-up appointment is late this morning, so we shall see how the experts feel that it went.

Another first for me this week was a COVID-19 test on Tuesday, prior to having the eye surgery. That was painless too - the nurse gave me a vial of saline solution to swish around in my mouth while she timed me, then I gargled it while she timed me, then I spit that into a tube. She then swabbed my nose and out that in the same tube and told me I was free to leave and that no news was good news. I never heard anything back, so I am free of the dreaded virus.

Speaking of the dreaded virus - the numbers keep climbing and beating all previous records. Many states are shutting down public options that were recently opened up and many are also mandating the wearing of masks. Of course, there are some states and some individuals that absolutely feel that it is their right to choose and refuse. My only hope is that they are the ones that get it but unfortunately, they will be spreading it like wildfire.

Monday, July 13, 2020

Monday, July 13, 2020.

Tom booked seats for us for a Monday Madness boat ride on the Anson Northrup Riverboat along the Mississippi River today. We boarded the boat and found that they were practicing social distancing with tables and seats spread a safe distance apart. Most of the tables had people at them, but we still felt comfortable with the number of folks on the boat.  Our ride was very relaxing and scenic with some interesting tidbits of history along the way. It lasted about 90 minutes and was quite enjoyable. 





7





























































We took a different route on our walk tonight and went through a nearby apartment complex called Sibley Manor. As we were walking along, a couple of kids approached us and wanted to pet Frisco but it seemed like they were being cautioned by their mothers. When I said it was ok for them to meet Frisco, about 10 kids approached and took turns petting him. He was in heaven and I think he really did some good things for the kids too. He kind of pranced when he walked away. We might just have to go back there occasionally since they all enjoyed it so much.







Saturday, July 11, 2020

Friday, July 10, 2020

The news in our country is so negative and depressing. The Coronavirus is still ravaging and the daily cases have topped at a record breaking 59-60,000 per day, with 136,000 deaths. The President is pushing to open schools everywhere and is saying he will block funding if they don’t. Minnesota is doing well with leveling off and most counties and cities are now requiring masks in every public building.

As far as our ridiculous President, a new tell-all book written by his niece has just been released and he tried to block it but didn’t succeed. He has been ordered to release his financial information (that has only taken most of his term), he commuted the sentence of one of his cronies, Roger Stone from going to prison - he was convicted of lying to Congress about interference in the 2016 election.

Tom and I continue our search for apartments and may have found just the one today - The 
Henderson Senior Apartments in Shakopee, although there is a list and no apartments are available. We will have to make some accommodating arrangements in the meantime - not sure if that will be extending my current lease, going month-to-month, or just packing my stuff into storage again until something opens up. The prices of apartments have increased by over $100 in the last year. I just got my increase notice from River Crossing and the rent is up $55 and garage up $15. It is ridiculous for those of us on fixed incomes.

Yesterday, I had my pre-op appointment with my doctor, in preparation for my cataract surgery. I also had blood work done for my upcoming annual checkup and a hygiene appointment at the dentist. Its seems like I’m going to the doctor a lot lately. I am kind of dreading the COVID test and surgery next week.

Wednesday, July 8, 2020

Tuesday, July 7, 2020

The hot days lately (low 90s with humidity) have shortened our daily walks although we still get close to 3 miles in each day. We didn’t do much on 4th of July, took Frisco for an early walk to avoid fireworks, then Tom and I walked along the river in hopes of seeing fireworks on the horizon. We got to chatting with a guy and walked with hm for quite a while. He was a Vietnam Vet, so we thanked him for his service and that opened the door and he told us of his experiences, his wife’s bad health and how he wouldn’t be able to care for her much longer, and how his family is protecting them from COVID. I guess he really needed to talk and we let him. We stood at the overlook and watched fireworks in the distance and got a good look at the full moon. There was an eclipse of the moon tonight too, but we didn’t wait around to see it.  I was expecting there to be many more people with the same idea, but there were only a few.  

My photos didn’t turn out so great, but here they are anyway.






















Friday, July 3, 2020

Friday, July 3, 2020

Where did this week go? Our only walk that took us out of the neighborhood was the far eastern section of the trail at Crosby Farm Park. We have gotten little walking in the last 2 days as the temps have been in the 90s with pretty high humidity.

Today, I got another haircut, this time at Ulta Beauty in Eagan.  It had gotten so long that I couldn’t wait for my next appointment that would have to be canceled anyway since I am having my cataract surgery that day. 

The COVID-19 cases have exploded in the US since things started to open a few weeks ago. My Granddaughters went to horse camp last week, so I have not been near them all week - who knows if they had been exposed. Some states have had daily increases of 5,000+ cases.