Friday, December 23, 2016

Friday-4:30am

Karma wondered why in the world I woke up at 2am--LOL!
Well, I was so exhausted after part two at the eye doctor yesterday that I was in bed before 9pm.  I'm up several times every night and by 2am I couldn't get back to sleep thinking about eye surgery--awk! 
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I went Monday but after an hour we had only worked on my history and the prescription for new trifocals.  So, I had to go back Thursday for part two--dilation and the whole shebang.  Turns out--no glasses for me.  I am being referred to the Fercho Cataract & Eye Clinic because I definitely have cataracts and questionable area that could be macular degeneration.  Need to investigate more.
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So, I am compiling days that would work for Leah to give me a ride and have to call back.  Could take a month or two to get in--kind of like appointments for my rheumatologist.  So, will be some time in January or February, I imagine.  I don't want to go over the holidays, regardless.
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Cataracts run in the family but I thought I'd be closer to 80, to be honest...not 65.  :(  My mom has AMD (Age related macular degeneration).  My Dad had and my son, Dagan, has glaucoma--but I was cleared of that.  Pressure was normal, actually.  Well, that is the bad news I got yesterday.
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 Meanwhile, back at the ranch...LOL!
The girls peck machine-gun style when they first arrive...
...and then they slow down a bit.  I read that they can eat all the calories to last them a day in 20 minutes and I believe it when I see them gobbling away. 
When it was still really super cold (until about three days ago when it warmed up to the 20s and 30s) they were hanging about nearby.  So cute the way they dig themselves a nest sometimes to hunker down to keep warmer against the wind. 
They even stayed next to my patio a couple times. 
This day I caught them in a huddle out on the sidewalk there. 
But they gradually all decided to move over across the sidewalk to catch the last afternoon rays. 
Still been eight of them in my usual flock.  But one day while The Girls were here I saw another flock fly down and land across the way by the garages!  Must have been 7-9 of them, too.  If there is eight--then I might not know which flock is actually here--LOL!  But last fall I saw a second flock and The Girls chased them off with a fury...so unlikely.  But wouldn't it be cool if they got together and were one huge flock!?
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I made a new whatever-is-in-the-freezer/frig/pantry-soup. 
 Frozen diced onions, sliced celery, crinkle cut carrots, mixed veggies, and baby spinach.  Cut up some potatoes.  Better Than Bouillon vegetable stock.  Large can of crushed tomatoes, two cans of black beans,  and some orzo pasta.  Salt, pepper, and some Herbs de Provence.  So good!  I forget about orzo pasta!
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You will laugh when you see what came inside of this box!
One Lamy EF nib!   
It came just like this.  
Nothing whatsoever else in the box.  LOL!
Anyways, I have had these two Lamy Safari pens for...must be somewhere around 35 years.
 Lamy Safaris came out in 1980 (just googled it) and I know they'd been around a couple years before I bought the red one.  That was my first non-disposable fountain pen and I used it a lot.  So much so that I bought the blue one shortly after so I could have two colors of ink cartridges.
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I bought them with EF nibs.  But I was used to my death grip on my ball points.  I loved Flair pens with their felt tips but could destroy and smush them in no time from pressing so hard on the paper.  Needless to say my EF nibs became almost broad nibs over time...a short time--LOL!  For years I have been wanting to switch the old nibs out for new ones...and I finally did it!
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New EF nibs.  I bought one in silver and one in black to see if there is any difference over time.  They had both been black before.
These days I know how to write with a soft touch after years of using fountain pens.  So nice to have my trusty old Lamys back in the game again!
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Speaking of fountain pens.  The first FP I saw was my dad's.  It didn't use a cartridge.  Had to use the lever on the side to fill the bladder from an ink bottle!  I used to beg Dad to let me watch him do it.  He used that special pen to write in his small five year diary every night. 
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Funny thing is, I was just talking about Dad's diary with Leah our last craft night a couple weeks ago.  (She didn't make it this last week because they lost electricity in their neighborhood and manually opening their garage door is a real pain.)  Anyways, I was joking about if I ever had one I know I would keep track of the weather because I think it would be interesting to be able to glance back five years on that day to compare.  But if I ever had one I would want to use FPs like Dad did...and it is hard to find FP friendly paper.
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So--it was two days later I find out that Leuchtturm has come out with a five year journal!!  Leuchttrum is the brand I use for my bullet journal and have tested the paper so I know most of my inks and FPs will work well on their paper!  So--yes--I ordered one.  :)     
It's called Some Lines A Day: The 5 Year Memory Book.  
I'm not sure what I will keep track of besides the weather, but I have a week to figure it out.  There's not much room.  Maybe a highlight of the day, gratitudes, diet, health...who knows?  But I will be writing with a fountain pen and will be thinking of my dad.  :)
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I've also been setting up my new Bullet for 2017.  Got birthdays and the usual monthly things entered--and added some washi tape for the pages of each month.  
January 
February 
 March
 April
Yup--have four months set up--whoohoo!  And with the washi tape and sticker color coding it makes it easier to know which month I'm on. 
This bullet will only last about 9-10 months and normally I just finish a writing journal whenever and start the next one...so starting a new bullet, a new writing journal, and now a 5-year diary all at the same time--whoohoo!  Probably will never happen again.  :)
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 While I was working on lists for the front of my new bullet journal...well, I was hunting up old links I had saved for free classes to see if they were still available or not since some of the links are like 2-4 years old.  I clicked on one and...well, let's just say I messed up Mr. Rusty.  Apparently there was a virus attached to that old link.  Dagan was over and got Mr. Rusty back in working order for me.
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Okay, here's the really, really embarrassing part.
I thought I remembered the name of that bad link...yup...you guessed it.  I clicked on it again.  But this time I was on McLap!!   
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So Dagan stopped by to pick up McLap over his lunch hour on Wednesday.  (He didn't even made fun of me--LOL!)  You may remember that Dagan and Leah are not as familiar with Mac products...but he thought he could maybe save my old McLap.  (You suddenly can't close anything and boxes pop up all over the place that they want you to click open--but I didn't.)  I haven't heard the fate of McLap yet.  Let's just say...here I thought I had computer issues before--LOL!  And then I am still having internet issues, too.  *sigh*
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While Dagan was here he shoveled off my patio for me.  After it would warm up and then freeze every night there was a crust built up that I wasn't strong enough to get through.  Thank you, Dagan!!    
They're talking "something" coming Sunday and Monday.  100% chance of something--LOL!  Freezing rain, snow...just sounds bad.  Starts on Christmas Day, too.  So I hope everyone who will be traveling in this area will be safe.  Drive and walk carefully, folks.
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I called Nazar again over a week ago about gluing the flooring down.  Left a message, I should say...as you know he doesn't answer the phone much.  Well, he actually called me back this time--the same day--shock!  Told me he had contacted a flooring company but had not heard back from them.  I asked if he could give me some warning as to when they were coming.  No...not with a third party, he said.  (I knew it was probably too much to ask...and he probably wouldn't do it anyways--LOL!)  No...haven't had anyone show up yet.
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BUT--there actually WAS a notice on the Community Room door that the library lady was sick on the second Tuesday!  Shock!  AND we got a sheet/newsletter in our door this month that was all cheery about the new (and final) building being open now with some information about the new Media Room and Exercise Room in the third building.  No signature as to who wrote it.  If it was Nazar, maybe he is trying to turn over a new leaf?  If they hired a new activity director you'd think they would have introduced themselves, right?  Could have been calendar lady, though.  Who knows?  Anyways, it was nice to get a kind of a newsletter...and a cheery one, at that.  
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So, that's about it from up here.  I'm still letting it sink in about the eye specialist and possible eye surgery.  Karma and I will have our quiet, peaceful Christmas.  (She is still barely self-abusing.)  I will watch It's A Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story at some point as I always do.  We'll have our little private Christmas with McFamily some time in January.  Dagan has his annual heart and pacemaker checkup in Minneapolis beginning of January and then his dad's side of the family is having Christmas in northern Minnesota after that, too.  I'm sure glad I don't have to drive all over for holidays anymore, to be honest.  Been there. Done that.  ;)
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Well, have a wonderful holiday!  
Be safe!  
Enjoy!  
Think positive about the coming year!
Love and hugs from Fargo.  :) :)
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"We must not wish for the disappearance of our troubles but for the grace to transform them."
Simone Weil

"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind.  To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas."
Calvin Coolidge

20 comments:

DJan said...

I also have AMD but it's pretty much stabilized since I started seeing a retina specialist. At first I went every six months but now it's every year. I will have cataract surgery some day, too, so I'll be interested in how yours goes. Sending you and Karma lots of love and virtual hugs for Christmas! :-)

GrandmaG said...

So sad to hear about your eye problems. You're in my prayers. That shipping box for such a small item is disturbing. Such a waste! Enjoy your pens and quiet Christmas. We're hosting Christmas Eve as usual, but it'll be much simpler than previous years. Easier menu, smaller tree, and no adult gift-giving. I'm loving the changes! Best wishes for 2017!

Krisha said...

WOW! You are all set up for the new year with your new journals. I haven't used a FP in YEARS, my BF and I used them all through junior high school, and our favorite ink was called Peacock Blue...............what a memory ...LOL!
I am working on a journal for 2017, but a bit more artsy fartsy. I made a 3 month one to see if I would stick to it, and I have enjoyed it. I found if I keep it right on my craft desk, I write in it each morning. It is a bullet style 5 1/2" X 8 1/2" ( half sheet) but each week is a two page spread.

Eye surgery is daunting, but much better these days. My husband had cataract surgery a couple years ago and it was way different than when his Dad had it done......and the recovery was a lot easier and shorter. Time and technology have made such a difference in medicine, but still scary!

Merry Christmas!

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

It was disheartening to read about your eye problems. I can only imagine the cost. I hope they get you an appointment sooner rather than later.

Hope you get McLap fixed. Seems something always happens, doesn't it? Same here, although I've been relatively healthy.

Enjoy your holidays with Karma, and have a truly lovely, safe, warm, stress free, and healthy Christmas.

Janie Junebug said...

Oh, I'm sorry about the eye problems and it's messed up your sleep. I was awake at 5:30 this morning to read and then went back to sleep for a while. It's nice that you have journals and pens and good things that you like. You're kind to take care of The Girls and watch out for them.

Love,
Janie

Jo-Anne's Ramblings said...

I like the idea of a five year diary to keep track of things like the weather, I have a diary I write in each night and keep have a heap of them in the bedroom and have had to hide them as my daughter keeps wanting to toss them in the bin, I even found a few in the bin at the start of the year when Natasha was here and tossed them but I was able to rescue them.

Sorry to hear about your eye troubles, my dad has glaucoma and he has had cataract surgery to both his eyes and it made such a big difference to his sight, just have to get mum to have it done but first have to get her to see a specialist about her eyes.

Intense Guy said...

I hope the eye problems are "cured" with whatever they do nowadays for them soonest and without hassle.

Merry Christmas to you, Karma and yours --

Divers and Sundry said...

I just read the section of your post about fountain pens to my husband. He has several and enjoys using different colored ink in his, as you do. There's quite a welcoming community of fountain pen folks. :) I got a kick out of the box. I guess they wanted to make sure it didn't get lost in the mail as tiny as it was.

I have cataracts, too, and my eye doctor says most people do at some point develop them. I'll need that surgery eventually, but not yet. I know people who've had it done, and they talk about how much easier it is than it used to be back in the day.

Merry Christmas Eve Eve ;)

Serena Lewis said...

Dad had cataract surgery and he could see so much better afterwards. The possible macular degeneration would be my biggest concern. On a positive note, it's good that you were cleared of Glaucoma.

How sweet that The Girls stayed near your patio.

OH that soup sure looks yummy!

So funny that they sent such a huge box for one pen. haha

A Leuchtturm memory book would be awesome! I like your idea of tracking the weather. I think it would be good for noting down one highlight for the particular day, maybe even two or three highlights. It would depend on how eventful the day was, I guess.

I kinda work with the same way with bullet journals in that they are continuous — not relegated to one for each year only. I finished my previous Leuchtturm in August 2016 and continued the year in the B5. Looks like you're all set for the New Year.

It's terrible that you are given no notice when work is done through a third party. Here, it's law, that tenants must be given at least 24 hours notice. The third parties usually contact me direct to arrange a suitable time.

Something tells me that, if the cheery notice was from Nazar, he won't stay that way for long.

We will be having a quiet Christmas Day at home. Beau may call in for a visit and Christmas dinner, just depends on how he and his partner feel after going hiking.

Wishing you, Karma, and your beautiful family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Love and hugs xo

My name is Erika. said...

Life has been busy, hasn't it? You have a lot on your plate. I hope your holiday weekend is wonderful, but I love the idea of having a get together later in January-it really spreads out the holiday. Enjoy. Hugs-Erika

Deb J. in Utah said...

I love your calendars. Hope you and Karma enjoy your relaxing low-key Christmas. Sounds like good changes are coming to your apartment complex. Prayers for a good outcome with the eye issues.

Jon said...

I'm so sorry to hear about your eye problems. Unfortunately, they often come at a much earlier age than we expect. I had surgery on both my eyes for torn retinas in my 40's. My mother had macular degeneration by the time she was 60. The only good news is that the methods of treatment for eye problems is much more advanced now than it used to be. Try not not worry (easier said than done).

I hope your Christmas is enjoyable. Like you, I always watch Christmas movies - but this year I haven't yet decided which ones. Take care.

Jenny Woolf said...

I hope you and Karma have a great Christmas and I love the idea of the January get together too, spreads the warmth out. I think cataracts can take a very long time to get bad enough for surgery, but it sure isn't something that's fun to think about in the middle of the night. I read recently that treatments for AMD are getting better and more effective all the time. Oh and that pen nib! What a hoot! Makes you wonder what size box they would use for something the size of, say, a chair cushion :)

Anonymous said...

Consider your eye surgery as a belated Christmas gift to yourself. Good luck & have the best of all possible Christmases!!

Far Side of Fifty said...

Merry Christmas!! It sleeted and rained earlier today, now it is snowing...strange weather.
You will need an appointment to be measured and worked up before Cataract Surgery and also a physical. They will only do one eye at a time. It isn't a bad surgery...it is well worth it to be free of glasses...well I still need glasses for reading but not for distance. The worst part is learning to put eye drops in your own eyes...so it is a piece of cake!! You will do fine! Get er done and stop thinking about it! :)

Stephanie Faris said...

My mother-in-law ended up getting laser cataract surgery and afterward, she didn't have to wear glasses/contacts anymore. Once it's over, you'll feel much better!

Anonymous said...

I got a hoot out of the box! At least they didn't waste a lot of packing material.
I hope you had a pleasant Christmas day. I'm with you, glad I don't have to travel around and all that. We had a nice little Christmas, just us.
Good luck with the surgery, and the news about your eyes. I'll be thinking of you.
I love your quotes.

Sherry Ellis said...

Wow! You have a lot of snow! Would you believe my neighbor's roses are blooming? It's 65 degrees here!

Best of luck with the surgery!

Have a Happy New Year and a wonderful 2017!

Harvest Moon by Hand said...

You do such a nice job with setting up your bullet journal. Loved seeing the birds outside your window. They are so big! Sorry to hear about your eyes and surgery. Hope everything works out well. The soup you made looks delicious!

Zue said...

Don't worry too much about cataract surgery, though it's easy to say that. I do know that surgeons are excellent at this procedure and the results can give you crystal clear vision again.
Knowing people who have had good results I find encouraging.
Anyway, I hope you had a good time at christmas and hope also that 2017 brings you lots of good things.
Sue x