Mountain Mama's Point Of View

I know I had no intent to write this week, but we have stopped on the first night of the trip near Paducah, KY. Duck Creek RV Park. Close to the interstate and easy to find. Nice people and everyone who stays gets a duck. HeWho went to check us in and came out to park us and told me that. A duck? I didn't see a duck with him. I wonder if this is going to be a live duck. It was a rubber duck, but I would have been okay with a live one. As long as it was small enough to share a habitat with Dora, the turtle on the trip. Why not? Uneventful trip, unless you count all the potholes we hit. I sneezed and coughed, and my head throbbed. HeWho suggested I try to nap. I did TRY. He kept stopping and hitting pot holes. I consulted with Siri to find a Walmart and gave directions to the driver. It was supposed to be 11 minutes away and we kept going and going, following directions. I spied a Dollar Tree and we stopped there. I just wanted some Tylenol and they sell it. They were locat...

  Oscar here. I have not been feeling dapper of late. Mom suggested it could be my advanced age. How could she say that? She has admitted that she doesn't know how old I am. She approximates my age at around 15. Is that so old? Whatever. Things around here have been crazy! When HeWho is our dad goes outside, Eddie gets to go, too! Just Eddie. I am not happy with this turn of events, and neither is Toni Louise! Mom says that Eddie will stay right next to Dad or her and comes immediately when called. I could do that. Mom reminded me that the last time she let me follow her up that hill, she had to pick me up and carry me most of the way and back. So?? I admit that I do tire easily, and she promised me that when she starts working inside her She Shed I will be keeping her company. Eddie thinks he is hot stuff now that he can go outside. Toni Louise is not taking this well. Every day she sneaks out several times as Mom goes in and out. She is not helping to convince...

  I heard that bumblebees are an endangered species. True or not, I can assure you they are not endangered here in my tiny slice of paradise. They seem to be everywhere, but especially in the dog yard. They hover over my plants, too. I am happy to share my home with them. Well, I was. They have been here since the first hint of Spring. I noticed a few bumblebees in the kampground, of course, but they are all over the place here. Usually buzzing around with two or three friends in tow. I have just let them be and gone on about my business. I don't swat at them or run from them. They will usually just go on about their business and we have cohabitated in peace. Yesterday, I was mindlessly raking pulled weeds and dead leaves clinging to the side of the embankment. My mind was busy with thoughts of our upcoming trip, so I was not paying attention to anything, having determined there were no snakes around. Out of nowhere came a mad bumblebee and he stung me! On the face right below my r...

  There is a chill in the air as I sit here sipping coffee. My fingers are stiff and cold. I am betting it is warmer outside as the night air is still trapped inside. My toes are cold despite the blanket on my feet. My side is toasty warm with the butts of two dachshunds' snug against me. It was a long week of dreary rainy days, and I am happy to see the sun. Thursday was the ultrasound of HeWho's arteries in his legs. Yesterday's visit was for the results. Next month will be a flurry of doctor's appointments for both of us. He will need to see a vascular surgeon to deal with the blockages in his legs. Sooner rather than later. Not the news I wanted to hear. We will be leaving a day early to make our trip to Minnesota, so that we can stop frequently. It is about 15 hours. In our younger days we would have driven straight through. It would appear we are no longer young. I wonder when that happened. I discovered a cart full of plants to rescue on our trip to Walma...

  No pictures today. It rained all night and all day. Supposed to rain all week. Just as well, I suppose. I can't work outside for the next five days. My visit with the cardiologist went well, I guess. More questions than answers. My EKG showed PVC's and she was not pleased with my blood pressure. My last check-up with the cardiologist was in tandem with HeWho had the big heart attack and was devoted mostly to him. I was an afterthought and was told my arrythmia was "nothing to worry about". So, I haven't worried about it. That was in St. Louis. Reminded me of pre-natal check-ups. They checked your vitals and weight and asked how you felt, then sent you on your way until the next one. Besides my on-going debate about Lipitor that left the doctor exasperated because I was not compliant and would never be. This appointment started with an EKG, then a review of all my medications and why I was taking them, as in what did the prescriber say when he/she prescribed them...

  Martha, the boy cat has healed up since his encounter with a feral cat in the neighborhood. His wound was hard to care for, because he is a cat. Cat's like to lick. I was applying Neosporin, but you can't really bandage a cat without a cone around his neck. Wouldn't have prevented the wound from being licked, at any rate. Mr. BoJangles fancied himself to be Martha's caretaker and was eager to clean the wound. I ended up with that stuff you spray on that is an invisible Bandaid. It must taste pretty nasty because the licking ceased. I would think that one of the animals would have a hairball after licking all that fur away. The initial wound was 4 times larger, but it wasn't deep enough to see his ribs. Could have been stitched, I suppose. My opinion was to leave it open in case some nasty bacteria from the other cat was in there. I poured peroxide in it and cleaned it daily. Well almost daily, if Martha could be caught unaware. Looks good, no signs of infection. C...

  How dost thou annoy me? Oh, let me count the ways. I worked far too long one day last week and was exhausted when I came limping down the hill to the smell of pork chops on the BBQ. Oh, good, I think to myself, he has prepared dinner. I comment that it smells good and wonder aloud what he might be serving along with the chops. He answers, "Whatever you fix." I know he had to hear the door slam as I went inside. I was thinking I would open a can of green beans and a can of corn and heat them while I showered, since he had announced that the meat was ready. The can opener must have gotten up and left the building. I searched all the most obvious places and have yet to locate it. I yanked open the freezer and grabbed the first vegetable I saw and put it in the microwave. He seems to notice that I am annoyed, but he is perplexed. After all he did cook the pork chops that I got out and put in a marinade. He cooked dinner, what is she so annoyed about!! Because I am tired and...