Monday, December 29,2025

 The weather has turned once again and we are getting another full on snowstorm that started with rain and drizzle, followed by heavy, wet snow and then changing to a light snow that is accumulating to about 6". Temps are to drop near zero with wind chills in the -20° range. Yuck!

I had a really nice conversation with Pat yesterday morning and just as we were ready to say goodbye, another topic came to mind.  I love it! Pat recommended a Netflix move, "Train Dreams" and I watched it this afternoon - just down my alley with love and romance, adventure, history, and some tear jerking.

I was just off the phone with him when Ben called to tell me about their terrifying afternoon.  Since the roads were so bad, they decided not to take Yoshi to the dog park, but invited the neighbor dogs over to play - Cliff is a retriever and Kevin is a pit bull mix and they are together quite a bit.  Things started getting rough and Yoshi backed off and was barking at the other two when Kevin turned and attacked him.  Ben was kicking Kevin and fighting to get them apart, broke his collar, held him down, and Jill even ran into the house to get a kitchen knife in case it came to that. Fortunately, it came to an end before he had to use the knife but they ended up having to make a trip to the emergency pet hospital where Yoshi had several deep cuts and got lots of stitches. 

The neighbors immediately returned home with Kevin and surrendered him to the place where they got him - they have 2 little toddlers and I question why they ever chose that kind of dog in the first place.  On Christmas Day when we were out for a walk, we met up with them at the end of Ben's driveway and Ben intervened so I could get past them with Joey - the owner had no control and he is a very big dog.

Today is my brother Ron's 65th birthday. Happy Birthday, Ronnie!

Friday, December 26, 2025

Well, today started out with terrible news that my 68 year old brother Randy had a stroke last night and has a 90% blockage in the carotid artery. He had surgery at noon and the doctor said it was a very back blockage but he came through the surgery well and is expected to have a full recovery - might even get to go back home tomorrow.  Whew!  What a relief but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed and positive thoughts going his way.

Going back to the last time that I updated, most of my activities were related to getting ready for Christmas.  I was supposed to go to Charlotte's 8th grade choir concert on the 18th but the weather was questionable and when I looked out the window just before time to leave, the snow was blowing sideways, almost a whiteout, and I could hardly see across the street.  I cancelled and was glad that I did because I learned that it was really slick and I had made the right decision. Needless to say, I don't feel very comfortable driving in the slick or in the dark these days.

On Saturday, the 19th, it was cookie baking day at the Bridge's house and we had a very productive afternoon.  Charlotte and I worked together to make peanut butter kisses, Granny and Camille made Rice Krispy treat wreaths, Jill and Norah worked on cutout sugar cookies  and Granny made Spritz with the help of everyone who wanted a turn.  Ben was chief dishwasher and cleanup guy and helped where needed - always a good sport.  It was a fun afternoon.  As I was leaving I got a request to make my fudge too - guess it just isn't Christmas without it.

This week, I started the reduction of Prednisone that I'm taking from 10 mg/day to 7.5 mg/day and have been keeping a log of side effects/reactions.  The worst is fatigue, just feeling dragged out and tired.  The strangest was waking up at 4:30 am with my teeth chattering - it lasted at least a minute but hasn't happened since.  I will be at this level for 3 weeks and then reduce by another 2.5 mg/day and then will consult with Neurologist again to see if I can completely discontinue.

I made the fudge on Monday so it would have time to settle and the traditional Cranberry Cake with Hot Butter Sauce on Christmas Eve before I went to Ben's house.  Ben and the family went to Christmas Mass (a Quinn family tradition) and I met them at their house when they got home.  We had their tradition Mulligan Stew with Blueberry Muffins for dinner.

Naturally, the girls were excited for gifts, so we all got decked out in our Christmas PJs and we did our Secret Santa exchange that was lots of fun and the gifts were all thoughtful and personal.

Oops, I wasn't wearing mine at that time.

I slept in Norah's room with her, didn't sleep very well, and none of the girls were into sleeping very late on Christmas morning. The girls opened their stockings, we had breakfast, and all headed out for a nice walk to get some fresh air.

We played a silly game where gifts were tightly wrapped in a Saran Wrap ball (see picture above).We sat in a circle, one person had the dice and the person next to them had the ball and was wearing oven gloves.  The person with the dice threw quickly until they got doubles, while the person with the gloves tried to open the Saran Wrap and release as many gifts as possible until doubles was called and it all passed to the next person.  We also played  Spoons and BS.  

I remember when the actually fit on my lap - kind of miss those days. 

It was a wonderful Christmas, I decided to spend another night and slept with Charlotte, again getting little sleep.  I headed back home this morning after having a bit of coffee and I couldn't wait to get a bit of a 

nap in.

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

My Stampin- Up group met at the Club room in Pat's apartment building and what a beautiful place Amira is!  It's got to cost a pretty penny to live there. Everyone made very unique cards and gave beautiful and thoughtful gifts and we had a very nice luncheon.  

 Sunday was so darned cold that it took four attempts in the morning for Joey to be able to take care of his big business. He couldn't keep his feet on the ground long enough to squat and poop.  Our trips outdoors were very quick and limited.

I had a video visit with Dr Pati on Monday and it was good news and bad news.  The bad news is that the EEG confirmed that I continue to have seizures, although they appear to be mild and since I am in the 20% range of repeat seizures for those people with LGI1 Encephalitis.  The good news is that I can start to wean off the prednisone and/or Anti-Seizure meds, under the guidance of my Neurologist.

The Neurologist suggested cutting back on the Anti-Seizure meds first but when I told him that I was more concerned about the side effects and long term use of the Prednisone, I would prefer to start there. He agreed and once I get back from my holiday vacation with the family, I will start.  According to what I have read, there is the possibility of having withdrawal effects (headache, achy joints, fatigue, loss of appetite & weight - yay! - and also possibility of having seizures) when cutting back on the med and I don't want to go through that while I'm on vacation.

We actually had a couple of nice days that were in the upper 30s and 40s this week and I was able to get out for decent walks with Joey.  It felt good to get some fresh air.

Saturday, December 13, 2025

 I went back to the clinic on Tuesday to have the electrode connections checked and everything was intact and none had come loose - thanks to the technician and to me for being careful.  They even called me to see if I wanted to come in early, as there was snow predicted and roads were expected to get nasty.  I did see some issues but not much.

Another trip to the clinic on Wednesday and I was able to get the apparatus all removed and, like Randy said, I am wireless once more!  They used acetone to get the glue off of the gauze pads that were holding the electrodes and that was stinky but didn't hurt at all.  Those technicians are going to get good reviews from me!

We had to move our cars out of the parking lot by Thursday morning so the snow removal company could come in and clean it out.  They do that whenever we accumulate around 10" of snow.  This year so far has been the coldest and the snowiest in many years around here but it looks like it will turn around starting again on Monday.  Since I had to move my car back into the lot later in the afternoon, I decided to get some groceries so I wouldn't run out of anything over the frigid weekend when temps are expected to be below zero with some even colder wind chills.  

I started working on Joey's haircut later that afternoon, as it is way overdue and I don't want it to be an issue while I'm gone over Christmas.  He does not like it at all, but he sure is a good boy about it.  I got the upper part of his body and his face done. 

I finished the job on Friday morning, it took about  two more hours but we made some progress this time in that he actually let me use the clippers on his legs, tummy, and rear end.  He's getting better about it all of the time.  A few little chunks of cheese every now and then really helps .

Monday, December 8, 2025

 Norah called yesterday, asking if we could hang out - Ben wasn't feeling good, Charlotte was with friends, and Jill and Camille had something going on.  I headed their way and we went to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum where they had over 50 Christmas trees on display, all decorated in different ways, plus the gift shop, a craft sale, and the cafe.  Norah was excited to find a gift for our Secret Santa exchange on Christmas and now has that checked off her list.  

While we were having a snack, she told me my fortune - first, that I would get good results on the EEG test that I am having today, second, that I will live a long life, and third, that Joey would settle down and be a really good dog in two years (this one is really funny)!  

I went to the clinic to get my ambulatory EEG apparatus hooked up this afternoon and it took about 2 hours to complete.  The technician  sectioned off my head, put markers in about 25 different areas, scrubbed this areas, then glued gauze pads that have the wire connectors attached to them.  She used some type of heat/air gun to set the glue.  The wires that are coming off my head are individually attached to a small box like a purse that I will carry around and that box is a recorder that will document any seizure activity.  It is not painful, just kind of awkward and I was able to get a decent night of sleep.

 

The white diagonal piece is the wire that can be seen farther back on my head - it is harnessed with all of the other wires that are connected to the recording box that is in the over the shoulder bag.

Friday, December 5, 2025

I didn't do much over the weekend, we had about 9" of snow on Saturday and it was the light, fluffy stuff.  All I had to do was clear it from my car and shovel a path on both sides of the car to get in and out without dragging the snow with me.  I did shovel an area on the side of the building where Joey didn't have to go through deep snow to go potty. I did venture out to the grocery store to stock up on a few things before the snow got too deep.

I helped out with the food shelf on Wednesday and we got a lot of extra stuff this time (probably additional donations over the holiday) and we had less helpers, so I was ready for a nap when we finished.  Mary, the pet nail trimmer came that night and I escorted her to three apartments for kitty nail trims.

Typical for this area after a snow, we got hit with a real cold spell that night and it was -6° when I woke up on Thursday morning. It was not fun to take Joey out - even with his fleece lined blaze orange jacket on, he had a hard time finding spots to go potty and the big potty had to wait until later.

I got up on Thursday morning and made ham and bean soup and delivered some to Ben for the family (he was on a work call when I got there) and I wasn't able to stick around to visit because I had an appointment.  

I saw a doctor about my right ear that has been bothering me for a while.  I had been to urgent care for it about 3 weeks ago, prescribed some meds, but not improved. She found no infection, only some fluid behind the eardrum, but since it has been persistent, she referred me to an EMT, so I'm hoping I can get in to see someone before our trip on the 22nd. 

Joey tried to wake me around 3:00 this morning but I told him to go lay down and he did - until 6:00 and I knew then that he really had to go potty. I dragged myself out of bed threw on some socks and a sweater, my coat and boots and headed outside. I really do not like getting up and moving first thing in the morning, but he really did need to take care of business.  He is so good about that kind of thing - has only made a mess in the apartment once since I got him and that was probably out of desperation. I will definitely be having a nap in a few hours.