Thursday, August 1, 2024      
        
What a day! I was off to a late start, didn't do much, and a little after noon I felt like resting up from doing not much of anything, and lay down in my office. I drifted off and woke up about 2:30. That's when the drama started. I tried to get up, but found I was too dizzy to stand. I lay there for awhile contemplating what I should do. I wasn't feeling any better, so I phoned 911 for help. The ambulance guys came and took me to the hospital, because apparently I was exhausted from the heat. After a couple of hours in air conditioning I was still dizzy but feeling better, and Zack came and took me home. I lay on the couch in the living room and we visited until Lori and Donna got back from Wichita and came to see what was up. We discussed some of the possibilities, and settled on a plan. Donna would bring me to her place, and I would stay there in the AC overnight. So here I am, catching up on the blog, and we'll see how I am in the morning.


Friday, August 2, 2024

Not a big report tonight. I spent the day in AC at Donna's, and feel much better. This evening I learned that she and Lori went to my place and cleaned out a downstairs bedroom for me, and Zack went and got a window AC unit and installed it. The plan is for me to spend one more night here, then I'll go home and enjoy the new luxury surroundings.

 
Saturday, August 3, 2024

One more day at Donna's, while she and Lori spent the morning getting more done at the farm. I think it was about three when they reached a good quitting place. They came and fetched me home, and I was impressed by the job they did on the downstairs bedroom. Zack  had helped them move in a bed from upstairs that wasn't being used. They had taken a lot of clutter out of the room and stacked it in the living room, and going through it all to decide what to keep and what to get rid of will be a project for later. I expect most of it will go. No Saturday treat night. I just didn't feel up to driving into town. I sat through a couple of "dramas" that were well-produced but didn't grab me, then watched a half hour of Olympics and turned in.


Sunday, August 4, 2024

I wasn't up for anything involving work for breakfast. I made do with a few handfuls of Cheezits and my morning pills. I spent too much of the morning lying on my bed enjoying the AC, then did something dumb. I went to town for shopping. I was doing OK when I arrived at the Walmart and bought some fig bars. The car thermometer stood at 97º when I drove down to Dillons, which is the Kroger market in these parts. I got into the store, bought some  celery, and took it out to my car. So far so good. Then I dropped my car key. It fell down between the door and the seat and disappeared under the seat. I tried to fish it out, but by this time the heat was getting to me. I went back in the store, hoping the AC would revive me. There was no place to sit, of course, so I sat down on the floor. The manager saw me and found a chair for me, and he and one of he bag boys got me into it. I phoned Donna, who came to town to get me, then she and Lori went back to the market and brought my car home. Such was my exciting day. I have some wonderful cousins, but they have other things to do. I don't want them to have to babysit my useless old self all the time.


Monday, August 5, 2024

Settling-in day. I brought an extension cord in from the shop and set up my alarm clock, took all the smashed aluminum cans from the living room out to the big box in the shop, and otherwise made my newly air-conditioned room more habitable. I figure the clock will be useful on days when I have to get to an appointment. The forecast claims that later in the week we will have a few days with highs in the eighties. It will be nice to be able to enjoy being outdoors.


Tuesday, August 6, 2024

This afternoon I had a nice phone visit with Jesus (Hey-soos, not Jee-zuss) in Nebraska. I've probably told you about him before. He was born in Fremont, but when he was two years old his mom was deported, and he went with her to Mexico. Fast forward sixteen years, and he returns to Nebraska to attend the university in Lincoln. His accent is so strong that it sometimes makes him hard to understand, but he knows his second language, English, well enough to study engineering at the university level. This kid is intellectually no slouch. And what did I do with my morning? I had another session with my therapist at Four County Mental Health. She had the patience to sit through another hour of The Story of My Life. Today I got up to 2016, so we're heading down the home stretch. What will come next? I'll find out next time. My second stop of the day was to drop in at the city building and vote. Here at home I continue to be confined to one room with AC. It's not as bad as it sounds. Being alone doesn't necessarily mean  being lonely.


Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Not a lot to report today. I did pay the bill for property insurance, and commented to the agent that in recent years the price has gone crazy. She said it wasn't just my company, but they're all doing it. it's one more steamy day, with a few cooler days starting tomorrow.


Thursday, August 8, 2024

The "cooler" day was still hot enough to keep me inside with AC much of the day. I did venture out long enough to take the Camry to town for having new shocks installed, and to go get it this afternoon. This was another occasion for sticker shock. Some cars are more expensive to fix, but not very many.


Friday, August 9, 2024

At last I actually accomplished something today. I drove to the computer shop in Winfield and brought home the desktop machine. Donna came and carried it from my car into the house because in my current condition I didn't want to risk dropping it. I'm enjoying updating the blog on the bigger screen. Next up on the list of things to do is fixing the bathroom sink faucet ruined by winter freezing. That will include soldering copper, which I have never done, so it will require some study.


Saturday, August 10, 2024

Trying to unsolder the input to the defective valve was a failure. I used a shop torch, and I think it didn't produce enough heat. So I need to try it with a welding torch,  but avoid overheating anything to the point of melting. This evening I skipped eating in town and dined in. I heated a can of frijoles refritos and made tostadas. That used to be a tasty treat, but with my currently diminished sense of taste it was pretty tasteless. I had planned to take in a movie this evening, but in the living room I sat down and the chair tipped over sideways and I landed painfully on the andirons in front of the fireplace. Nothing was broken, but getting comfortably on my back and then getting up off the floor was a struggle. That was the end of my movie plans for the evening. I stayed home and snoozed with the TV on.


Sunday, August 11, 2024

Gee whiz! A day wasted. It started innocently enough. I went to the Walmart and bought new nail clippers. So far so good. My next stop was at the grocery store for milk, soup, and a couple of other things. As soon as I got out of the car and was standing I felt dizzy. I didn't go in the store. Sitting down in the car I was less dizzy, and drove home. Driving home felt perfectly normal. But getting out of the car and standing was more dizzying than before. I started into the house, but had to sit down. So here I m sitting on the floor of the back porch and unable to get up. What to do? I crawled into my bedroom, but was unable to get up and onto the bed. All I could think of was calling 911 for an expensive ambulance ride. The emergency guys came and got me and took me to the hospital, where I spent the afternoon. The final diagnosis was that I was dehydrated from not drinking enough liquids. An IV eventually took care of that and I was ready to go home. I phoned Zack, who was able to get a hold of Donna, who was closer to the hospital than he was, and she and Lori came and got me. On the way home we stopped at the market, where I bought soup, two quarts of milk to go with the soup, and two quarts of orange juice. Knowing that not getting enough liquids had led to the big adventure of the day, I was determined to not let it happen again.


Monday, August 12, 2024

Less adventure today. I was up for my morning pills before 8:30, then lolled on my bed until ten. After a late breakfast of boiled oats, I wasted most of the day luxuriating in AC in my room. About 4:45 I bit the work bullet and rinsed the salad dressing out of an empty bottle to go to recycling. After a dinner of celery soup, cucumber, and pepper cheese, I dozed in the AC of my room with PBS streaming. Not much of a day.


Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Taking a couple of hours off from full-time laziness, I went with Lori and Donna to the lawyer's office and signed the papers putting the farm into a trust. If I end up in a nursing home that may eat up all my dough PDQ, but the place will be immune to such a fate. I think it was about ten years ago that I started thinking about how to keep the farm in the family after I reach my expiration date. I hope this arrangement will accomplish that.


Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Another mostly wasted day. I should have been out getting something done in the cool of the morning. Instead I lazed in my air conditioned room playing online or snoozing until the heat was on. At five I braved the heat for dinner, but took some of the chow in my room. That was OK for the  refrigerated cheese and cucumber, but heating the soup kept me in the kitchen, and so did consuming said soup. That was too much above 90ºfor me to take, and as soon as I finished I retreated to my cooler   little cubbyhole. This is no way to live, but as long as the heat is too much for me I don't know what else to do.


Thursday, August 15, 2024

It was one more in my string of worthless days. Again I holed up in my air conditioned room, avoiding the heat of the day. When dinner time rolled around I made brief excursions into the hot kitchen to get food, but ate in my room. Apparently I neglected getting enough liquids during the day, because standing up still made me dizzy until I made a special effort to rehydrate. Maybe tomorrow I'll use the cool of the morning to do something useful.


Friday, August 16, 2024

Today's accomplishment was another ER stop. It started innocently enough. I felt up to driving to town, so I went and bought a 44 pound bag of dog food for the feeder. While I was in town and feeling up to it I stopped at the market for jalapeño cheese, eggs, cereal, and a couple of quarts of OJ. I made it home about the same time Lori arrived, and I was starting to feel lousy again. Lori brought the groceries and dog food into the house, and took a couple of pill dispensers to fill and put me in position to be ready for two more weeks of pills. After she left I spent a couple more hours in AC hoping to feel more alert. Remembering more groceries I had forgot, and not feeling like I should risk another drive to town I phoned Donna and she took me to Walmart for the groceries. When we came out of the store I was feeling none too spry, and I suggested a stop at my doctor's office. When we got there I was feeling dizzy, and when we got inside I felt the need to sit down and they got me into a chair. After sitting awhile I felt less likely to faint, and Donna got me into a wheelchair and out to the car and she took me to the hospital. So I spent a few hours lying on my back, attached to an IV.  It was after nine when I was recovered enough to go home. I was alert enough to eat, and they left me with an Arby's sandwich and some curly fries. Feeling somewhat better, I ate and turned in, hoping for a better tomorrow.

Saturday, August 17, 2024

Yes, Saturday was much better. I holed up in my AC-equipped room. By dinner time I was feeling almost normal, and had a couple of cans of sardines mashed together with with chopped onions and jalapeño slices. Dessert was chunks of watermelon the girls had left in the refrigerator. By that point I was feeling almost normal, and decided to take in a movie. I went to see Trap, the latest release by M. Night Shyamalan. Over the decades he has directed some movies that I considered very good, and some others that were disappointments. This is a good one. It's about a concert by a pop music star, staged as an elaborate ruse designed to attract an unknown serial killer who has always escaped being caught by police. Excellent performances by the actors, and excellent work by the experienced director make for a good movie. Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, and Ariel Donoghue lead a cast that turns in impressive performances all around. I made it through the movie and into the sack feeling pretty good.


Sunday, August 18, 2024

Feeling normal (whatever that is now) I spent the day at home being a lazy bum. I made a conscious effort to stay hydrated, remained in AC for the afternoon and evening, and made it through without feeling any need for medical intervention. Given recent history, I count that as a win.


Monday, August 19, 2024

Another "normal" day, with the added pleasure of a visit by Lori and Donna. We discussed various aspects of keeping the old man living at home rather than institutionalized. I broke the news to them that I was thinking of driving modern to the Old Car Festival, which will be September 7 and 8 this year. I also brought up the idea of taking the trailer to Indiana and fetching the remains of my 1915 runabout. For that I'm thinking of imposing on them to go with me and share in the  driving. We will need to figure out the best way and time to go about it.


Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Today I did go off the place, but only for one thing. I had an appointment with my doc as a follow-up to my recent hospital visit. I've made a conscious effort to avoid overheating and to stay hydrated. I came out of the session with an up-to-date list of my prescriptions. I'll pass it on to Lori, who has taken on the job of scheduling my pills. The bottom line is that I feel OK. Nothing hurts, and I'm not dizzy. Now I need to accomplish more than just taking up space.


Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Today's highlight was bringing in the mail and looking through it to see if there was anything important. There was. I got lists of my medical expenses for two months from the insurance company. That will be more work for me. I'll need to check all my bills against the lists to make sure I'm not paying money I don't owe. I realize that this is a service "for my own good". But it's work. It requires me to do something. I wonder why dealing with "the system" feels like harassment.


Thursday, August 22, 2024

No report. Nothing special happened.


Friday, August 23, 2024

Today I actually did something. Up early, I did laundry. It was much as I have done for years except for my decline in balance. I had to be careful lifting wet wash above my head and pinning it on the clothesline. Now that I often feel headed for another face plant, it's more of a challenge than it used to be. Today I also went for another session with my therapist. A few years ago talking about myself for an hour would have taken an effort to think of something to say. No more. Now, with 83 years of material, just get me started and stand back. I described my emotional change since my wreck almost a year ago. With many weeks of lying in bed with plenty of time to remember and reflect, my emotions, happy or sad, are much closer to the surface, and I often laugh or cry much easier than I used to. She wondered if that bothers me. Not a bit. It's a relief.


Saturday, August 24, 2024

Another day wasted by heat. 100º+ F used be unpleasant, but it didn't cause me to get nothing done. I don't know if it's my age that starts with 8, or my TBI, or both, but now I let things slide while I stay holed up in AC. I still haven't removed the old license plate from my car and installed the new one because the mounting screws are rusted in place. I'm hoping I can work on the heads with a small grinder enough for a vise grip to grab them well enough to get them out. I need to get on the job early in the morning while the outside temperature is down around 80º F. Tonight I tried Treat Night one more time. I went to La Fiesta and had a burrito de chorizo, a tamal, and frijoles refritos. That has been one of my favorite meals for years, but tonight made it clear that the magic is gone. I've read that a loss of taste and smell is one of the after effects of Covid 19. Food that was once tasty doesn't taste bad. It just doesn't have much flavor at all. Apparently that has happened to me. This week's movie was Blink Twice. It's about rich people being degenerate. I have no complaints about the cast, production values are great, there's a lot of good camera work, all of which should add up to a very good movie. But somehow this one missed the mark. The story just didn't appeal to me.


Sunday, August 25, 2024
Monday, August 26, 2024

Two lazy days went by with nothing worth reporting. I tried and failed to remove the old license plate from the Camry both days and I spent most of both days holed up in air conditioning. Monday afternoon I went to town for more oyster crackers to have with soup, but that was about the only accomplishment of the day. I did take a few minutes to squirt some more Kroil on the stuck mounting screws.


Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Success! I found a reversible drill and a Phillips bit to attack those stuck screws. I don't know if it was the Kroil or the better tools, but both screws came loose and were out in less than a minute. It was too late in the afternoon to go to town for new screws, so that job will be on tomorrow's schedule. They will be stainless so as to not rust in place.


Wednesday, August 28, 2024

What a can of worms! I went to town for those stainless screws. The tractor supply struck out. The hardware store found no match. O'Reilly had some that looked like they would be right. But they were in a plastic package so you couldn't check them to be sure. They were too big to fit. You can't buy screws separately these days. You have to buy a plastic package of several to get one or two. I know the things I hate about living in the Digital Age aren't directed against me personally, but they feel like harassment.


Thursday, August 29, 2024

Another defeat. One of the too-big machine screws went in far enough to get stuck. Even trying to grab the head with vise grips failed to turn it. But if I do get it out, where will I find screws of the right size? Certainly not locally. That ship has sailed. If I go to a Toyota dealer it will be a lengthy drive.


Friday, August 30, 2024

Success! (Sort of.) I used the small grinder to flatten the stuck screw enough for the vise grip to get a sufficient hold of it that allowed me to turn it out. Once the hole was empty I started looking for a screw that would fit it. A 10-32 machine screw was still undersized enough to be loose in the hole. A ¼-20 was too big to go in. I wanted to try a size between those two. It was not to be found locally. I did still have one of the original screws that  would fit, but the other was lost. All I could think of was to go to a Toyota shop. That means driving all the way to Stillwater or Wichita. I really don't want to take the time for either. Maybe tomorrow I can think of another measure that will work.


Saturday, August 31, 2024

Today's activities included a stop at the post office to have my mail held next week and a trip to the pharmacy for more pills. While I was there I got this year's flu shot and the latest Covid booster. Later, finding the dog feeder empty, I went back to town for a 44-pound bag of dog food. I hope that will be enough to last until I get home. Today I also got started organizing stuff I want to take with me to Dearborn next week.

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