Funny Household Fixes

Seemingly Simple Things - Aren't!

Still laid up with asthma (crappy lungs) and bad gut bacteria (fun with SIBO*). I haven't gotten much accomplished and it seems daily there's always something new to accomplish. Isn't that homeowner life though?! haha

Trying to stay positive in my inability to run, do yoga, play hockey, work on sailboats, work in my career much, socialize or think (I'm a big grumpy grumbly mess when I'm not doubled over in pain or struggling to breath - I'm so much fun!) - I'm taking a look at some of the good things, funny things, lovely people in the past couple of weeks. 

Sweet texts from friends keeping in touch - you know who you are. Summer, Heather, Mom, Dad, Q, Kate, Erin, Jess (your children who hug me and giggle and make me smile), Courtney, Janelle, Jeri, Julie, Dougie, Vonda, Kaylee, Crispy, June, David, Stephen, Gina, Oscar, Julie - and so many more sweet friends and family. 

A care package!!! 

Janelle, you made my day, my week!

K's birthday - celebrated from afar and via Jess delivery. Miss her.

Dryer vent: WHY is THAT so difficult? There has to be a better way. Thanks Brendan - my hero seemingly always - who makes me laugh and laughs with me. 

I struggled and huffed and puffed. B squeezed behind the dryer and succeeded. 

This thing! 

Storm door: A few weeks ago, I returned from the ER with Erin - we had gone during a thunderstorm so I could get some breathing relief - to find the lovely storm door Elana, Brad (and the onlooking supportive Bothwells) and I had installed to be broken. It wouldn't close - the hinge was bent and warped. I ordered a new hinge, which sat in its box for a week - or two.

Ahem - who put that piece on wrong? Brad?!!!

                                                                          

All better. Good as new. Oh - it IS new!

      Other happies:                                                                                                                                                                      

Coffee mug prezzie :) 

Mimosa in the middle of the afternoon.

Julie, friends and a beach afternoon

Uncle Jimmy

Oscar! 

Happy lovebird friends. Kate and Franco.

Works in progress - still:
Eventually this TV is going to be on this messy wall. The bracket is up finally! 

Still no file cabinet - ugh. Whatever - I'm on enough Prednisone going forward that eventually I will feel better and sh!t will get done.

*What is SIBO?
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/2014/03/25/sibo-a-four-letter-word-for-bloating
http://blog.katescarlata.com/fodmaps-basics/low-fodmap-shopping-list/

Tea Mug Mahem

My Fumble Fingers

Since I have been out and down with asthma - yes still - I haven't been able to do anything in my condo or to my sailboats or in my life - mostly have been just lying in bed - and breaking tea mugs.

Or like now, up at 4 a.m. Three weeks of steroids means not much sleep.I'm thinking about having a cup of tea.

Anyone who knows me knows I like my hot tea - friend Oscar at Wake Up Marco has been making me giant mugs of cafe Au lait for at least a year, but lately I have returned to Earl Grey tea, with sugar and cream like my grandma Matlock used to make me. It is very comforting.

In the past 3 years, I have trimmed my coffee/tea mug collection and kept only those very special ones - because I don't have space for all the generic coffee mugs over the years even when some were from fun spots in towns where I lived. Duane, I still have the one you gave me when I spoke at Lindsey Wilson College more than a decade ago - was it two decades?

I have also gathered a few more special mugs - a hand thrown one from the Bothwells in Illinois, a lovely island mug from Sylvia, a gorgeous New Jersey made beauty Courtney gave me to replace one she broke that Cis (miss you everyday, Cis) gave me from lovely Maine. Courtney glued that mug for me and I still use it for pens and pencils.

This week alone, three of those lovely mugs have broken. Well, I broke them. I want desperately to blame the lack of oxygen to my brain. One of them fell off my night stand while I was sucking on a nebulizer tube. When it fell, full of tea, under the bed where I couldn't reach it, I slumped on the floor and just cried about my life. I quickly got over it - needed that meltdown.

I cried.

Yes, I will glue this one.

Poured hot water in for tea and it just leaked - big crack on the side. Forever to be the holder of lobster and crab crackers.

So if you are somewhere with lovely pottery, feel free to send me a mug. I'll handle it with kid gloves. Sniff. 

Just Breathe

Big Plans Waylayed By Big Bad Asthma

It's Thursday - I had big plans this week that included lots of work at work, which is very busy and will be busier next week.; cleaning, straightening, moving around items in my condo; hanging pictures, tackling the file cabinet, getting a massage, running at least 3 days and going to yoga at least 3.

None of those things has happened because since Monday morning, I have been unable to breath well, laid up in bed with a nebulizer, propped up pillows, prednisone and a peak-flow meter.

Yesterday when I didn't put my contacts in and got out of bed only once before finally deciding around 4:45 p.m. that it was time for the ER, I did accomplish one feat: I programmed my remote to work with the flat-screen TV Chris gave me months ago. The TV is finally connected but not up on the wall yet - having some trouble with the mount (surprise surprise) and Chris is still looking for the screws to the back of the TV.

The TV is merely sitting on my dresser, propped up against the wall held by a very large and useless University of Kentucky Alumni Directory 2007.

The ER - hours there with my dear friend Erin - and Kate and Jess on standby and B in DC feeling helpless but he was super helpful in his concern and encouragement. I'm feeling better. Not great, not 50% but better. I think the healing has at least been kickstarted. I'm trying acupuncture this afternoon for the first time - hope that helps too.

I'm optimistic the breathing will improve quickly, then the prednisone takes over and I can get things done this weekend. I just have to take it easy until that happens and not let the prednisone guide me first.

Cheers to that, and the Kentucky Derby, which is Saturday.