Thursday, August 14, 2025

 My big, sad news today is that my brother-in-law Mike Moore passed away this afternoon.  Rene, his twin daughters Angie and Kristin, Randy and a couple of friends were there with them.  He had been suffering from COPD for years and recently was needing oxygen and was restricted to a recliner and the dining room table.  

They all gathered at the boat dock (a favorite hangout) and had a 'watch the sunset' memorial for him last night.  Both Michael Owen Bridge and Michael Owen Moore died from the same disease and on the 13th of the month - kind of a coincidence.

I don't know what arrangements are being made or even if there will be some type of funeral service, but I sure would like to be there for Rene.

I took Joey to the dog park on Tuesday morning and we were way up on top of the hill when a guy and his little dachsund came in. That little dog name Chica game running toward us at high speed and the two ran and played for the next half-hour. That's what I hope for when I go there. Joey slept for about three hours after that.

Today was busy - starting with a Silver Sneakers workout - my first.  I had a hard time following the dance moves but will keep trying as it seems kind of fun.  I really need to work at taking off a few pounds that I have gained from the danged Prednisone and seizure meds and my awful eating habits. I am hungry all of the time and have not been making good choices - pizza, bread, and just too much and too often.  

I had a nice facetime call with Jim Bucko, a trip to Costco to have my tires rotated, I then got the news about Mike and was texting back and forth with siblings.  

I also had a phone conversation with my long-lost brother, Russell, the youngest - to give him the news.  His choices in life have not been good and he lives a miserable homeless life in Madison.  It has been a long time since we talked and he cried, misses family, and said his life sucks but blames nobody but himself.  He described the shelter as 300 beds packed into a large building with filthy bathrooms and the noise of that many people in the same situation as him.  My parting words, just before he ran out of minutes was that I loved him and he could choose to take the drastic route and go to detox and rehab - probably the only way he will ever find a home.

I also had a very nice, long conversation with Tom.  Its been a while so we had lots to talk about - mostly updates on my danged health issues. We agreed that it would be nice to see each other again and will try to come up with a plan to make that work.

Sunday, August 10, 2025

 I took Joey to the dog  park on Tuesday afternoon and there was only one other dog there and it wasn't too interested in playing, although they did run around a bit.  I think it is good for him to get out and be around other dogs - he is becoming much more playful with me at home, getting a toy when he feels like playing and he is really good at fetching the ball, as long as there are some treats involved.

I helped out with food shelf on Wednesday morning but had to leave early for an Occupational Therapy assessment with Meghan.  We talked about my concerns and she did an assessment on my driving risk and found that to be of low risk.  I do need to work on the brain to nerve connectings and the shakiness, so she gave me several suggesstions for apps and websites with exercises for that.  I have found some of them to be very challenging.

I had my second and final Hepatitis B vaccine on Thursday and have no other prep for my infusion on the 28th.  I do have an appointment with a seizure specialist on the 25th for a 2nd opinion to make sure that is the right route to take.

I spent the afternoon with Ben yesterday and Jill and the girls were gone for a couple of hours doing back to school shopping.  We had a lovely dinner - Ben smoked a turkey breast that turned out to be tender and very flavorful, he roasted potatoes, and I made Garlic Butter Green Beans that were a huge hit with everyone.  I will definitely make that recipe again.

Monday, August 5, 2025

 Happy Birthday to my nephew Ryan yesterday and to my BFF Patty today!  

Leslie invited me to go to the Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning and I stocked up on potatoes, sweet corn, tomatoes, Shitake mushrooms, cukes and onions - always yummy stuff.

Joey got his first professional haircut yesterday and the groomer said he was a challenge. I knew that would be the case, because it has been a challenge for me and he hates to have his feet messed with, but thought with her experience that it might be easier.  I’m not sure if I will do that again or if regular visits might just become easier for him to tolerate.  

I had very nice surprise when I got a call from Patty on Sunday night saying they would be in my area on Monday and we could meet up if I was available.  It turns out that the only thing that I had going on was Joey’s grooming.  They showed up at my house about 10:30 and he was done at 11:30. We picked him up and he and their new dog, Chloe were immediately in attack mode, so we headed to the dog park. They ran and played and were the best of friends after that.  We had a very nice visit, we all took short naps, then walked to Willy McCoy’s for a late lunch, early dinner.  They were headed to St. Cloud and left after dinner. What a nice way to spend the day!

Saturday, August 2, 2025

 The week started with a trip to Eric’s Auto Repair to check on the status of the oil leaks. He put dye in the engine a couple of weeks ago and this visit was to see where they were coming from.  Great news! The timing cover appears to be starting to leak and it is something that can be watched over time. It is due for an oil change in the not too distant future.

Weather around here has finally settled and cooled but the haze and poor air quality from Canadian wildfires continues. My eyes burn when I am outdoors and I have had to use my inhaler a few times. 

We had a Meet and Greet with Richard, our new Service Coordinator this week and he seems like a nice guy and very knowledgeable about the benefits offered for seniors. I might just sit down and have a chat with him one of these days to see if I can economize in any way.  

I finally slept a 5-hour plus a 3-hour stretch last night.  I don’t remember the last time that happened. I guess it helps to stop drinking water after 6:30 pm.

Saturday, July 26, 2025

 Last Sunday, I helped one of my neighbors with his MN state renters return forms that we had originally done back in April. He got a letter from the state telling him that he owed them money rather than getting a refund. It was a very simple solution, resulting from an omission that he made on the forms that I did for him and he ended up getting almost twice as much back as what they were saying that he owed.  

He is not the first who came to me for help after not following instructions or not including the correct forms.  I thought I was helping people out but have decided that I will not offer my services next year. It has been a bit of a pain.

I met with the Stampin Up group on Monday and that was a pleasant afternoon. We made a couple of pretty complicated cards - one even has a magnetic opening.  Diane was hostess and brought a yummy lemon pie.  I will have to come up with an idea for next month, as I will be hostess then. 

My problem with these crafts these days is the jitteriness that I am having from the meds that I am taking.  It is difficult to do intricate and fine movements.  I keep trying to write my signature to get it looking more normal, and sometimes it’s not bad but most of the time it’s very difficult to make out.

I bought two new houseplants this week and I think they are so cute - I even drove about 20 miles each to get them.  On the left is String of Turtles and the right is String of Pearls. I now need to get some nice pots and keep them alive.

I hadn’t seen the girls for a while, so I went over there yesterday to hang out and took them to Wendy’s for a Frosty.  Their idea of hanging out is going to a mall, a pool, or Scheel’s to climb on the climbing wall.  And then if you do go to the mall, they want very expensive stuff, so I’m not doing that - especially Mall of America.  It’s not my thing. Instead, we did a painting project . 

A few hours is enough, as there is a lot of sibling rivalry going on with them, always someone saying something mean or hitting or causing problems of some kind.  I never thought I would see that in my little ‘angels’ but like my Mom used to say ‘kids are kids’ or they are ‘angels with black wings’.  I feel kind of bad for Ben and he is at home working (or trying to work) and dealing with this too.

Saturday, July 19, 2025

 Ben and I went to the World Street Kitchen for dinner and then to the Uptown VFW to see Dale Watson on Thursday night and the show was good but not as good as those I have seen in the past.  My impression was that he was drinking too much, telling too many stories, and not playing as much music.  He does this thing during his show with a little lick and and an advertisement for Lone Star Beer and that leads to someone buying the band a round of tequila. There were several of those plus who knows what before the show.  Regardless, I was glad that Ben was willing to go with me.

Thursday, July 17, 2025

 Monday this week was a kind of chill day, although I did get some nice walks in - in between the rain.  We have sure been getting some good soakers around here lately. Deb and I had a nice walk that evening and I had a nice chat with Elaine in the afternoon.

Jill’s Dad is in a care center adjacent to the hospital after having a T-cell treatment for his cancer. I had planned to go visit them on Tuesday and thought maybe Charlotte would be interested in joining me. Yay - she was! So I went and picked her up and I couldn't believe how much she had grown since I last saw her - seems like at least 2". We drove to the University of MN Medical Center downtown Minneapolis - talk about some crazy construction and traffic conditions and finding the parking lot to that place.  Since Charlotte has been to various camps over the previous three weeks, it had been some time since she had seen Granny and Papa and we had a really nice visit and heard all about her experience at the Boundary Waters and previous camp (?).  She is such a good sport! I heard her say "love you, Grandma" many times while we were together and she always has plenty of hugs for me. 

When Dennis got tired, we left and headed to my place and stopped for a DQ blizzard along the way and then Ben came to pick her up when he got off work.  I was exhausted by then, but I’m so glad that Charlotte was willing to hang out with me. We didn’t get any photos - darn!

Yesterday started with dropping my car off at the repair shop. It has some small engine leaks, so had to have the oil drained, engine cleaned, oil with dye put in and then I drive it for 100 miles and take it back so they can see where the leaks are coming from.  Fingers crossed that it isn’t anything too serious and costly.

Back home, I helped out with food shelf and we ended up having lots of volunteers this time and a pretty good selection of foods. 

It poured and poured most of the day - 3 of our 4 walks were wet ones and even the last one, we walked in some drizzle.  Some areas nearby got up to 3".  There have been rivers and streams flooding for weeks. The Guadalupe River near Kerrville, TX flooded and has killed 134 people.

Saturday, July 12, 2025

Every day gets a little better with how I am feeling, gaining back strength, and getting good sleep.  I had to get two HEP-B vaccines this week and a Covid vaccine last week before I can start my infusion therapy that is now scheduled for August 28.  I will have another a second infusion on September 10 and then every 6 months after that. I sure hope it keeps my immune system healthy.

I also had an appointment with the speech therapist and learned that my brain and memory are working in the normal range for a gal with my education and my age.  Now, to get working on the occupational a bit more - hand/eye coordination, writing, steadiness, etc.

My brother Randy and I were reminiscing about our brothers who have passed on this week and I couldn’t help but chuckle when I spotted this at the grocery store.  I’m glad they keep sending us little reminders.

Talk about tomatoes, the fresh fruits and vegetables that are available to us right now are so yummy.  I had mouth-watering sweet corn, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, strawberries, onions, potato, and green beans this week.  I’ve been eating as much as I can and can’t seem to get enough.  I guess my body is telling me that I need all of those good vitamins.

We have had some real stormy weather this week. My friend Deb, who usually walks about the time that the sun comes up sent me this photo the other morning.

 

Saturday, July 5, 2025

 I’ve been doing some driving each day, after a nap to be sure I am rested and alert. I drove to the airport on Monday night to pick up Pat & AJ and he drove back to my place, they spent the night and then I took them to the Amtrak station the next morning.  

I did get involved with helping with food shelf on Wednesday and that went well.  One of our residents passed away that morning, a friendly guy named Tim who always had a smile on his face and the thing I will remember about him most is the sign on his walker that said "I’m Fine"  That’s what we have to look forward to, folks.  

There is a Vietnamese lady named Haung who lives here and is always very friendly to me.  I wish I could understand her better but I did understand that she was telling me that she was cooking on the weekend and she wanted to share some food with me. I just finished an egg roll that she delivered and it was delicious. 

4th of July was not a big deal to me this year, mostly because of what is going on with our government.  DT signed his ‘Big Beautiful Bill" that is going to benefit the rich and take away from the poor, once again.  They are adding to the wall between the US and Mexico that was started during his previous administration and building huge holding facilities for immigrants that look like prisons.  I just don’t understand how anyone could vote for some bratty privileged child still acts like one and couldn’t come close to understanding how the majority of Americans grew up.

I did have a nice conversation with my friend Leslie, we celebrated  the 4th of July together for many years out at ‘The Land" in Richland Center. It was always tent city with lots of adults and kids and dogs running around everywhere, chicken and corn roasts, beer, chats around the fire pit and fireworks.  Lots of good memories.

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

I can finally write that I am feeling a bit better each day. Last week on Wednesday, it was starting to look like a very busy week when I made the call to do nothing but rest/sleep every chance I got and that is exactly what has happened ne the best thing that I could have done.  I have gotten told sleep and felt more rested the last three days, to the point of feeling like doing my stretching routine and getting decent walks in.

Deb and I did some driving (she's out of practice too), made a stop at the store and then I drove to a spot that she recommended where we parked the car and had a beautiful view of the Minnesota River valley, chatted and just enjoyed the countryside view and quiet. 

On Sunday, Cathy and I took a drive, did a bit of shopping (I had to replace my toaster/oven that died) and I got a little more practice doing that and am feeling comfortable driving as long as I'm feel rested and alert.  

I spent the last two days working on Joey's haircut - I take a lot of breaks nd he is pretty good about it - NOT about the feet and legs though.  Just looking at him now, I have quite a bit of touching up to do.  Back when we had our Standard Poodle Belle, I gave her a haircut using scissors only. She was such a good girl, would stand patiently on the picnic table and let me do the trimming.  

I took all of these photos on my 30-40 minute walk yesterday - the flowers are lush this year.

Sunday, June 24, 2025, MN

Since I haven't been sleeping well at night, I have been trying to get as much rest during the day as possible, napping every chance I get, so not a lot is happening in my world these days. I have never been a good sleeper but this is really not good.

Camille played a role in a 4th & 5th grade play called "Cats" on Sunday and it was so cute and fun to go to.  I had intended to go to both shows but it worked out better to come home after her first performance. She was one of many gel cats and they had her hair all frizzed out so it was a little hard to pick her out. They did a great performance and the stage design was very professional - a Broadway musical right here at the Minnetonka Art Center.

Ben and I had a meeting with the neurologist yesterday, got an answer on what happened and idea of a care plan. Of course, it is complicated because the diagnosis was of an unusual condition called LGI-1 encephalitis that caused the seizures and is considered to cause  in the brain. The good news is that there is little risk for relapse and chances are good for full remission. I've always known I was kind of an odd ball, but this proves the point. Ha! Ha!

Friday, June 20, 2025

 It was another night of little and poor quality sleep. I placed a call to the nurse line, mostly to see if there was anything that I could do to improve my sleep and learned that I need to keep taking two of the most important medications, prednisone (I believe that drops to the lowest dose this week) and sodium - probably the ones that are having the most affect on sleep. She didn’t make any other changes other than suggest melatonin might help a little bit.

I had couple of fun conversations on the phone, one with my sister-in-law Karen and one with my long time friend Leslie who is the wife of Mike’s friend and coworker. Those two guys met at Madison Kipp - a factory in Madison where they both as for life drivers right when they got out of college.

Denny was able to go home from the hospital.

This brought me joy today.

Thursday, June 18, 2025

Ben came to pick me up for a neurology appointment and I intended to drive but didn’t feel comfortable doing it, mostly  because I don’t feel alert and rested due to lack of sleep lately. We both agreed that we had a good and productive appointment, the cognitive testing resulted in a score of 27/30 - considered to be in the ‘Normal’ range. My friend Deb says that ‘normal’ is a setting on the dryer - ha, ha!

I also learned today that my sister Rita is sitting in the ICU with her husband Denny who went in for a simple heart ablation procedure and they ended up nicking the wall of his heart, causing it to bleed, and then having to pump all of the excess blood from there. 

One of my longest and dearest friends, Patty & her son AJ are coming to spend the night with me, as they are on their "Then & Now" adventure - a exact repeat of a hiking and fishing trip taken seven years ago in Alaska.  Their travels were filled with delays and at the last minute, I was unable to pick them up at the Amtrak station,due to the neurologist suggesting that I might not be quite ready for driving just yet. 

It was chaotic when they arrived - just the excitement of seeing each other again, their pile of stuff in the living room, serving dinner (of course I had all good, healthy beef, chicken, & Ben’s slow-cooked pork and all of the condiments for tacos.  We visited for a while and then hit the sack about midnight as Cathy was giving them a ride to the airport at 7:00 the next morning.

 

June 18 2025, MN

Happy Father’s Day to all you guys who have been a part of my life, especially my Dad, and Dad Bridge, and the great one that I chose (I guess we chose each other) and had for my life partner.

America and many parts of the world are experiencing unrest and this morning, as I was just sitting here reading a post from Hillary Clinton that showed side-by-side news images from Trump’s parade of military might and American’s Power birthday bash and the millions of Americans gathered in huge groups that showed up for peaceful No King’s Day protests. I started to bawl - overcome with deep, achy heavy-hearted tears rolling down my cheeks that even drew Joey’s attention and he came over to comfort me.  What a world - full of turmoil, possibilities of war and yet, you go to the store and all seems normal (like my friend says, "a setting on the dryer".

I had a nice conversation with Tom this morning and I’m glad that we have kept our friendship going. He is a good guy and we had lots of fun adventures for a few years.

While Ben and I organizing my medications for the week and were working on some technical issues, we had a good chuckle. The background is that way back when I was a kid, my brother gave the the nickname of Schosher (maybe instead of Roser?) and that is what he always called me.  This is what gave Ben and I the chuckle.

Later on when headed to their house for dinner with the family it was with me behind the wheel. It was a bit stressful but Ben said, he didn’t have to react by slamming on the ‘fake’ brakes. The guy is so good at putting a positive spin on things.

The Quinns and Bridges had a lovely visit,  hung out on the deck, ate a yummy dinner and then Ben and I came home again and agreed that I was competent to drive.

Saturday, June 14, 2025, MN

A childhood memory came to me as I was waking up this morning - on this day in 1956, as Rita and I were walking my friend Louise home from some play-time, I was hit by a Gardner Bakery truck while crossing Main St. they left femur was broken just about the middle between knee and hip and I spent the summer in the hospital in traction and got out a little before Labor Day, in a cast that went from the toes of my left leg to just under my boobs. They fixed it good and I never had any issues. 

Today is "No King’s Day" and there is an incredible amount of protesting and instability going on in our country recently, much like during Vietnam war.  Immigration and Customs Enforcement are inciting riots and there have already been two senators/representative's  shot and injured and two murdered in their homes already today. The current administration seems to hate anyone who isn’t rich, has brown skin, or doesn’t side with them.  They certainly can’t even try to relate to how the majority of Americans grew up or got here.

 It’s been a busy day and it’s not even 1:00 pm yet.  Another night of restless sleep and when awake you might as well get up, so that happened at 5:15 this morning. 

While I was having my last cup of coffee, I had a call from Tom and we had quite the good conversation, always a few good laughs  and pokes about him sitting around the pool and me.still dressed in my fleece sweats and wool socks.

After that, Leslie and I went to the farmers market and I stocked up on groceries for the week. It is pretty expensive but when you really consider the quality, freshness, and the fact that I will be eating good healthy stuff for the next week, it’s not much more than the grocery store. To top it off, I bought a small bag of mini donuts to share and have for a couple of mornings.

Friday, June 13, 2025, MN

Absolutely perfect timing and the old superstition certainly held true last night.   I prepared for bed by taking my nightime meds at dinner time, had a short walk (it was raining), took a hot shower and went to bed about 9:00.  Joey barked at something that woke me up around 10:00 and that was it for the night, waking almost on the hour, stirring quite a bit and then repeat the process all night long.  He chewed on a bully stick that he found in his toy box and that must have upset his tummy as he had to go out at midnight when it was pouring down rain. I guess we will see what today brings.

One thing that I am looking forward to today is going out for a yummy, juicy burger with Cathy this evening.  No Friday fish fry for me tonight, as I have had fish twice this week and I have had burgers on the brain all of this week. Cathy’s son-in-law said this was the best place in the area and it has been a tradition around these parts for years - it proved to be true.

My friend Judy has a cute little black and white dog named Oreo and she walks him to the neighbors, Tom & Sue’s house three doors down because they just love all of the little neighborhood pups.  The other day, she was walking past the house next door just as the lady was turning into her driveway and the lady stopped and pointed to her stone wall, shook her pointed finger at Judy and demanded that she not allow little 8# Oreo to pee on her stone wall. Tonight, I got a good chuckle as I walked past Tom & Sue’s driveway and saw this.  They are such sweet neighbors. 

Wednesday, June 12, 2025, MN

A lot of thoughts have been going through my head, especially during the night that have mostly identified the seriousness of this whole darned episode.  My sons and I agree that the whole thing that led to a hospital visit back in January indicated nerve and neurological issues with continued follow-ups.  Well, here we are.  I have not have any sensations that would indicate seizures but am still quite unsteady on my feet, wobbly, and definitely not clear-headed and my memory sucks. Names, faces, events, the location of items are hard to recover.

Little by little, though, I’m gaining ground as I’m getting better sleep, stretching, a more normal routine, walks, and cheerful hugs and conversations with friends and family. 

I attended our monthly art class with Genevieve yesterday and we decoupaged oyster and conch shells - a project I have never done before.  After class, she helped us put up the clay garden totem that we made last year.  It was several attempts before I could recognize the ones the were my creations.

Mary, the Vet Tech who comes to trim pet’s nails came tonight and we visited five apartments. One cat and one dog - guess who? were uncooperative so it might be another trip to the vet my little brat. 

Monday, June 8, 2025, MN

 Well, I’m back at my own home and little by little am getting settled in.  Just walking in the door to this place, I was greeted with several big smiles and welcome home hugs - I think it is reassuring to Ben that there are many good friends here and we all watch out for and help each other when needed. This beauty greeted us when we came in the door - thanks to Deband Cathy.  

He was so helpful - it took us an entire hour to distribute my many meds into the container for the week. I sure can’t wait to decrease that load, although there are some that I will probably be taking long term. I have a telephone meeting with the pharmacy specialist this morning.  

We also looked at my finances and realized that my brain might have been experiencing some trauma back when I let that whole scam thing happen in February.

We stopped at the grocery store to pick up some fresh fruit to have on hand and my neighbor, Sue from down the street greeted me. She had to remind me of her name (that memory thing this embarrassing)

This beauty was 

Saturday, June 7, 2025, MN

I saw this guy out the window last night, they and the turkeys have been pretty active since I’ve been here. 

The family is getting ready for an afternoon of activities with friends in their old neighborhood and I am looking forward to having the house to myself for a few hours. The kids are hanging out with their friends and the adults are doing a brewery bike ride.  

I’m feeling a little more energetic and steady each day but it sure is going slow.  

I started this jigsaw puzzle yesterday, so it was a 2-day challenge.  Fun though - it reminded me of one of Ben’s breakfast offers. 

Thursday, June 5, 2025, MN

 I was a little more active yesterday and even managed a walk with the dogs up to the bus stop. I still feel real exhausted and have taken lots of naps and rests.  Today has been even better for short activities.  Norah gave up her room for me and it is quite comfortable and they are all attentive and caring for me.  I have also been shown lots of love and support from my wonderful family and friends.  I’m ready to start feeling a little more perky and alert.  

I had a phone follow-up with my Primary Care Physician today and she feels that all is on track, cautioned me on some things to be aware of what to do if something happens - mostly signs of urinary differences and/or seizure activity. 

And now for something beautiful - the view from my chair on the deck. 

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

 What a week spent in the Neurology Department of Methodist Hospital since Tuesday, the 27th and I was released from the hospital yesterday.  It all started with seizures that led to a 911 call. At one point, they glued about 50 probes to my head and they were all connected to a machine that recorded the seizures.  They told me that there was a lot of activity although any times I didn’t feel a thing.  Getting up to use the bathroom was a real hassle and I wasn’t able to have a shower for a few days. 

The cause is suspected to be auto-immune/low sodium but tests were sent to Mayo Clinic and I have not heard any conclusive results. It has been pretty serious brain trauma and I am feeling exhausted and it will take some recovery time.

Saturday, May 17, 2025, MN

Happy Syttende Mai to all of my Norwegian and Norwegian-by-proxy friends! Living in Stoughton, I would be participating in many of the weekend events.

I saw the Urologist on Tuesday and learned that there is no infection now and that my bladder is emptying as it should be. She suggested that I make sure that the cranberry supplement that I take is for urinary support and contains at least 36 mg of PAC  and D-Mannose (limits e-coli bacteria from adhering to bladder walls). What I had been taking must be for dietary support.

My third doctor appointment this week was with my primary care provider and we just reviewed all of the other results and I have no further actions to take other than possibly   COQ-10 supplement for cramping in my hands and feet that has been going on for a while.  No more doctor appointments for a while - Yay!

I helped out with the girls after school on Tuesday and Thursday as Ben was out of town on a business trip and Jill wasn’t able to get home in time.  I took the twins to swim practice and fed them some dinner.  Charlotte sang in a choir performance Wednesday night at her school and that was very enjoyable to watch. The 7th grade Honor Choir got to perform three songs in the annual 8th Grade Concert. 

Cathy joined me for dinner and a drink last night and we had a great chat. I made pizza and a huge salad and she came to the door with a huge salad too.  Guess we didn’t communicate that very well and will be eating lots of salad over the next few days.  I love it and won’t have a problem at all. It is what I have most nights for dinner - a salad and a protein is about the extent of my cooking these days.

Monday, May 12, 2025, MN

 It’s been a week since I’ve written and I will really have to dig to remember the events of the last week. I’ll start with the most recent - Mother’s Day yesterday. It started with a call from Pat and Tracey and we had a lovely conversation.  I then met Ben and his family, Lois and Dennis at Olivia’s organic restaurant in Burnsville.  We have been going there the last few years and it is so nice because it is a celiac friendly restaurant so Norah and Camille can select items from the menu and know that they are safe for them to eat.  It is also quite delicious and I just had a repeat of my breakfast this morning with leftovers. 

In the afternoon, I went with Cathy to her friend Heidi’s house and enjoyed her beautiful yard and gardens and good food and conversation with some great people.   It was a beautiful day and felt so good to be hanging out - looking forward to a while summer of it. 

Sherry and I went shopping for flowers last week and I spent part of the day on Friday getting the planters in front of the building planted.  They look very nice and I’ve gotten lots of compliments. 

I had an appointment with the Neurologist this morning, a second opinion and follow-up to the  issues I was having in February. It is all related, still considered to be mild, and was told to just be cautious about stumbling, dropping things, having trouble with grasping or picking up items, confusion, or any other unusual symptoms - otherwise follow up in six months. 

It appears that the fluid that insulates the spinal cord is pinched off because of the compressed disks and is what is causing the problem. Surgery is an option but that was left up to me and I would prefer to put it off as long as I can and that decision was supported by the doctor. 

Wednesday, May 7, 2025, MN

 Yesterday morning, I got a call from my clinic to tell me that the bacterial bladder infection that I have can’t be treated by the antibiotic that was originally prescribed and I was to stop taking that and go to the ER for an IV infusion of a different antibiotic.  I’m glad they are on top of it. I headed for Methodist Hospital, waited in the busy ER waiting room for 1 1/2 hours and then the infusion took an hour - now, I hope that takes care of it.  

We have had some beautiful weather here the last few days and everything is greening up so nice. I think it reached 82 yesterday and is predicted to be nice for the next week. I will take it!

Sunday, May 4, 2025, MN

 The last few days have been busy ones. I ended up meeting Ben at Staring Lake Park on Friday for a walk around the lake with the dogs.  It’s been quite a while since I’ve done that and I can really feel it in my hips and thighs ever since.  It felt good! and that was the first night that I have slept through with only getting up once to go potty and that felt really good too.

Yesterday, Ben called to see if I was interested in playing a game of mini-golf. So I headed to his house and he, Charlotte, Camille, and her friend Bryn went to the Big Stone Mini Golf in Excelsior that was part of a large sculpture garden.  It was fun to play a game of golf and then we walked around the gardens taking in all of the sculptures. 

After the sculpture garden, we headed back to his house where I joined them for another delicious dinner - pork tenderloin, baked potato, and salad. Yummy!

I was up every half hour to hour all through the night again and I am suspecting another UTI. I had a video conference with a nurse this morning and she is prescribing another antibiotic (I just finished the last round on Friday morning).  I’m getting real tired of this shit and not feeling well. Hopefully, this will get me through to my Urology appointment that is scheduled for the 13th.  Fingers crossed.

Thursday, May 1, 2025, MN

 My friend Cathy treated me to dinner tonight for my birthday.  We had it at my apartment because the smoke alarms in her apartment go off all of the time and she can’t cook a steak there. So she brought everything to my place - a good sized sirloin steak, twice baked potatoes, a yummy salad with lots of veggies, nuts, and crunchy stuff and I made us a little dish of fruit to have for dessert.  How nice is that?  I’ll have to out of the way when her birthday comes around in December.

We had a beautiful day today - it felt so good NOT to have to wear an additional warm layer - and the sun shone bright all day long!

Wednesday, April 30, 2025, MN

My birthday was so nice, spending the afternoon the Ben’s family and getting lots of calls, text messages, and posts to my Facebook to wish me happy birthday.  I just love that I have so many great friends that have reached out to make my day special.

I cleaned at Ben’s house on Monday, as I was dealing with fraud charges last week on my scheduled cleaning day.  Before that, I have been spending much time to get my accounts straightened out and filing claims and taking care of my money and bill pay situation.  Previous accounts have all been changed, a police report has been filed, and I am working on getting all of my accounts updated with the new information.

Wednesday, April 23, 2025, MN

What a week it has been! My iPhone was hacked on April 23 and it all started with a email from PayPal showing a charge of $909 went through my checking account. I called the fraud number provided in the email and was on the phone for over an hour with that customer service rep and , supposedly, the charges were backed out.  In reality, the person I was speaking to was the hacker.

Immediately after hanging up from that call, I received a call from my credit union fraud department and they were already aware of the charge and had tracked the charges to a local Marshall’s store, they were coming from a Chinese iPhone 13 mini. My phone was hacked and they had all account information that was in apps on my phone.  The person stayed on the phone with me for over 5 hours, directing me to drive to that store, attempt to make a purchase of a gift card, and they were tracking every attempt to get at my card.  He explained that hackers not only go for money but also for any information that is on your phone (accounts, addresses, etc) and they are seriously attacking seniors these days.  Needless to say, I should have been suspect but I fell for it - hook, line, and sinker.

While on the phone with the fraud control person, I was directed to several stores where I purchased gift cards, then back in my car, provided them with photos of the cards - front, back, and the receipt, then instructed to cut them up in many pieces.   Over and over, I was assured that my accounts would be replenished and I would not be out the money from these transactions. Fingers crossed that this person is truly a fraud control person and not a hacker, he is very thorough and reassuring - nope - he was the hacker and by that time, all of my available funds were used to pay for the gift cards that were not available to me to use as I had destroyed them as I was instructed.  

I am much smarter than this and I’m sick just thinking of how vulnerable I let myself be and now I have this huge mess to clean up and to try to recover the money that I lost - possible through my credit union or also a claim that I will make with the MN Dept of Commerce.