I was sick for about a week and still not quite back to my normal, but wanted to pop in and fill you in on what's been happening around here before I have a zillion pictures and too much to tell--LOL! This is not all of the pictures I actually took, by any means--(I just pick the best ones)--but grab a cup or glass of something delicious and here we go...
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No this is not the goose with the hurt wing. He's safely off at a farm somewhere. This is a new young goose who showed up. Seemed like she had a bad foot or leg.
She couldn't stand very long at all...
...slept a lot...
...walked very slowly...
...and was shaky on her feet.
But she LOVED my patio because I had the water dish.
As you can see, Annie wasn't afraid of her.
[Sure, Annie! Run away if I even stand up or clear my throat, but let a huge goose walk right up to you? Cats! Go figure!]
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This new goose hung around my patio for days and days--more so than the other one! He liked it, too--but she'd stay here most of the day into the evening---sleeping, drinking, and pooping.
She got so she'd efficiently sit, eat grass, drink, and poop all at the same time.
She'd leave and slowly make her way down the apartment building to where there were people feeding her bread, cinnamon rolls, bird seed, and who knows what all every day.
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Annie would wait for her.
The goose would come back here to sleep and drink.
All this Wild Kingdom Goose TV did cause Annie to spend a whole LOT more time out and not under the bed, though--LOL!
But after a week or so Miss Goose was much better.
She could walk faster, stand a long time...
...and was really used to being hand fed. She'd follow me around as I watered the flowers and even tried to peck at my cream colored shoes that must have looked like bread to her. The only thing I had put out was some oatmeal she didn't want--and yet she always expected a handout every time she saw me outside. I'd try to shoo her away--she'd back away, but come right back. Not the least bit afraid of me, really.
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Okay--two Wednesdays ago Leah brought me to that dentist appointment. The drilling went well, but I brought up that my make-shift peg tooth seemed to have kind of twisted a little bit and I was afraid it was loose. Several years ago this dentist had put some kind of filler along the gum line to try to keep it anchored for a while. I was hoping maybe he could do that again. (He was not the dentist that did this in the first place must have been in 2001-2002 maybe--can't remember now--has fallen out before but it has been years ago now.)
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Well, I ended up with an x-ray and a kind of basic diagnosis (which wasn't conclusive--he's afraid I might have a fractured root). But that peg tooth is definitely loose, he can't do that temporary repair again, he couldn't just leave it and send me off in good conscience because I could swallow it or inhale it or lose it (and hopefully that won't happen before I go back on the 17th). Deep breath!
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He needs to pull it out to see what he's dealing with.
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Deeper breath!
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Options:
1. He may or may not be able to figure out a way to adjust or kind of redo the makeshift peg tooth and replace it solidly somehow so that it is anchored (especially if the root has cracked sideways, which doesn't always show up on an x-ray. If he possibly can manage it I will leave with a front tooth.
2. If he can't replace the tooth, then I would need the cheapest alternative which would be a one-tooth-partial. They would have to send a request in to Medicare/Medicaid to see if either of them would cover it. (Aside: the dental assistant told me they usually won't cover a partial unless it's at least two teeth--even in the front...but who knows, she said with a smile...and all her teeth--LOL!) I would go home without a tooth right next to a very front tooth and have to wait for the government to decide my tooth fate.
3. If I ended up being denied...let's just say my hillbilly days would begin--LOL!
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This is the kind of stuff that can keep a person up in the dead of night--for no good reason. Worrying about it won't change a thing. I try not to think about it...as I continue to eat my soft foods, toast cut into bite-sized pieces, and remember not to bite down on anything whatsoever. (Which I have been doing for about a month or two now--and have had to bite on that other side for like 15 years.)
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I was going to explain the background story on the tooth...but not today. Maybe next time. This will be long and full of photos...and I am too tired still after being sick. Got to use my energy for sewing since I am now behind. (We all know what they say about plans, eh?) So after I post this you likely won't hear from me again until the sewing project is finished or nearly so. :)
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Anyways, the next day (two Thursdays ago) Leah was here for a craft night. I hadn't seen her for over a month so it was basically a gab fest and she dealt with my few techie questions. I had already--before the dentist--been in a bad fibro flare for a week or so that I couldn't shake. So I wasn't feeling the greatest that night--but that wasn't unexpected, of course, so I just tried to ignore it, as usual.
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The next day I was getting even worse than my usual worse. Ached all over to the point it felt like my insides ached. I was in my comfy chair all day. My view through the cracked blinds (had jammies on).
Since the goose didn't care for oatmeal and the little 13-striped ground squirrel was absolutely delighted--along with all the birds, of course--I enjoyed some CatTV myself in my misery. :)
By that evening I hurt so badly I could hardly hobble about and realized I might actually be sick-sick. Took my temp. 101.2. Went to bed and slept 15 hours.
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The temp gradually went down over the next three days...I slept a lot...and we had a new visitor!
What a little cutie pie!
I saw it was nibbling on some oatmeal that was wind-caught in some spider webs under the door frame.
Sick or not, I had to throw on clothes long enough to water the flowers, right?
Can you see the baby bunny down there searching for oatmeal?
Well, Caroline was going to be bringing me groceries on the 3rd...so I added some raw sunflower seeds, no mess bird seed, and some more oatmeal.
Sick as I was--I stayed dressed after I hosed the plants and put out oatmeal so that I could have the blinds open for a while and Annie and I could watch CatTV. :)
I just adore the little ground squirrels!
And this is the best pic of Annie and the baby bunny!
But then--here comes Miss Goose. She was feeling much better and is so used to being fed that she has gotten a bit forward, shall we say.
She was still spending time at my patio...
...even though she doesn't like oatmeal.
But I had about had it with her!
Marching up and pecking on my screen.
Attempting to eat my shoes while I am trying to water the flowers.
Totally ignoring my derogatory remarks on her personal hygiene...
...her manners...and I even stooped to personal attacks on her behavior. She could have cared less.
Look at my patio!!
That day this was what she had done in a few hours just since I scrubbed it down in the morning with the deck brush/broom thingie. I was crubbing down the patio a couple times a day and I was running a fever, for goodness sakes. Can you blame me for not talking nice to her?!
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I took away the water dish for days, we also had storms for a couple days (apparently geese don't like rain--or being sprayed with a hose shower).
Oh, Monday night we even had a hailstorm.
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I walked down to pay my rent on my first "well" day (the 4th) and ran into Pam, the activity director. I told her about how I wished they'd stop feeding the goose because she's better now--and how she poops so much on my patio that it's just gross and stained--and how she's trying to come into the apartment even! Pam said she suspects that somebody HAS let the goose into their apartment. (Bet the quit the first time she left a nice juicy poop to clean out of their rug!)
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Pam was wistfully hoping they could catch her and bring her to that farm, too. But I told her this one would be impossible to catch because she CAN fly and run and she's fine now. She's just human-spoiled. Pam joked about me having a craft group to sew goose diapers--ROFL!! (So she was listening from the kitchen in the community room when I was explaining about sewing cloth pads and panty liners--LOL!)
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Pam mentioned the "gophers". So I also explained that the 13-striped ground squirrels are not "gophers" and do not dig up the yard like our pocket gophers do up here. Yet they are not like a "squirrel", either, because they don't climb trees, get into houses, etc. They are prairie critters who have small little holes. I grew up around them. Was really hard to even find a hole. So, I hope they don't trap and kill them anymore. Maybe she'll google them like I suggested?
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And maybe they either stopped feeding the goose or they decided to feed the heck out of her while she still thought there was no water at my place anymore--because I haven't seen her now for like three days!!! I put the water dish back out, the bird seed and sunflower seeds arrived with my soft groceries. Gooseless! Been wonderful! So that is why I have so many pictures of the bunny and ground squirrel! I didn't mind helping the goose out when it was in trouble--but she's fine now. They are just soooo messy. About 2-3 blocks from here is a culvert--and an absolute horde of geese. The sidewalks and grass and street are just thick with poop. I sure don't want that here! (Told Pam that, too.) Could easily happen if they are feeding one, you know?
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Anyways, I hope that's it with the injured geese. I am thrilled--and so is Annie--to have the regular bird and critter crew back. :)
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I got a few pics back from McFamily. (You may remember I lost all my pictures.) Here's Ian in the back yard with his water table, lawnmower, and other toys. Busy boy!
This was from back at his birthday party in June...eating his cake.
Haven't seen him for a while. Grandma needs an Ian fix here pretty soon. ;)
I can't remember where Dagan told me they were when Ian saw this old upright manual typewriter...
...but he was fascinated.
Funny--he's never noticed the one in my bedroom...that I know of--LOL! ;) Might have to get some paper out and show him how it works, eh? Mine is an Underwood.
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Oh, and I almost forgot. Since I was mentioning Medicare and Medicaid. Got a bill from the eye doctor and they sent the bills through both Medicare (fed) and Medicaid (state) and out of $270.00 I owe $207.82. They covered $62.18 between them, I guess. I called his office to double check. :( Oh well. Another place I will make payments to.
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Oh! (still quite foggy brained)--Leah came this last Thursday, too--and we did no crafts again--LOL! (I still felt too crummy to go to CCC Group--stayed home and sewed.) Leah and Dagan decided I am going to be the guinea pig to try out an Amazon Fire Stick so we spent the evening setting that up--well, Leah did. ;) It's kind of similar to Chromecast but has a remote control I need to figure out how to use. I can get anything online you already pay for--Amazon Prime videos (& music, I guess, but I have never used that before), HBO Now, Netflix, etc. More narrow with the services, but I like that it has a remote...once I figure it out--LOL! At the moment I am watching Netflix DVDs, anyways. Catching up on Outlander.
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Well, that's it. Right now--I need a good long break for my cranky body (has taken me three hours to write this) and then back to sewing. You are all caught up. Cross your fingers Miss Goose went back with her poopy friends--LOL! We've had wonderful cooler weather for days!!! I have been loving having the place opened up. Annie does, too. As I look out right now the ground squirrel is filling his pouches with seeds, birds are pecking away around him, Annie has her eyes on everybody, I have a fan on me, and it is a cloudy 79 degrees. Warmer than it has been for a few days. But we're supposed to stay with upper 70s for highs for the next week, it looks like. I'll take it!
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Be back when I have at least a huge dent taken out of the sewing project...I hope. :) :)
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"Even if I should be locked up in a narrow cell and a cloud should drift past my small barred window, then I shall bring you that cloud. Oh God, while there is still the strength in me to do so."
Etty Hillesum
