March 8, 2026 Sunday

Greetings!

Another eventful week--even though most of it was spent doing nothing with Allie and I sleeping a lot--lol!  I wasn't sure why she was so fascinated...

...watching a kitten sleep?  Only moving its tail to flick it and watching her chest rise and fall.  They really have some weird videos on youtube--lol!

I went for the checkup on Thursday not expecting good news.  Still couldn't see much with that eye at all--just blobby shapes.  But I guess the front of my eye was looking less red and swollen and I can now touch the eyelid without sharp paint.  Turned out to be about a three hour visit.

Apparently the inflammation has moved into (or was all along) the inside or back of my eye.  They tried to get pictures of the inside of that eye.  Used two machines.  Got another person to come in and grip my head still.  I had tried so hard not to move.  Didn't think I had.  It made me feel like it was my fault they couldn't get a picture.  Couldn't see what they wanted me to look at so tried to look wherever direction they described to me.  Bright lights hurt and made me blink and eye water.  Couldn't open my eye all the way.  Neither machine was successful.  Went back to the room and they dilated my eye. Dr. Breen tried to look inside, too, but couldn't see.  They couldn't see inside and I couldn't see much looking out.

Called in another male doctor to do an ultrasound on my eye.  He called in another guy.  The two of them seemed baffled by the "mystery" in my eye.  I tried to tell them about my compromised immune system and the Keytruda aftereffects but they paid little attention.  Even though I had done some researching online during the week and read about the eye issues previously mentioned in summaries (uveitis, for one) which seem to correlate with autoimmune diseases even though there is often not a known cause if it isn't an injury.  They both seemed a bit freaked out and confused, Leah and I thought.  (She was in the original room with me the whole time except when they took me off to the two picture machines for a long time.)  They threw out numerous possibilities of what it could be.  Said I needed to see this other doctor so he could take a sample of the fluid in my eye in order to determine what they were dealing with in order to treat it.  

Left with an appointment at 8am on Friday with this Dr. Ridgeley.

Thinking about a needle in the eye...well, I didn't get a lot of sleep.

Friday morning Leah and I were there to meet this additional doctor.  We were both so impressed!  He was calm and didn't act freaked out like those other two guys or the nurses trying to get those pictures.  First of all, he asked me about whether I had an autoimmune disease...and listened when I filled him in.  He dilated my eye.  Told me that because of all the inflammation my eye was not dilating properly.  Tried dilating it again.  Said he couldn't see well enough.  Told me he wanted me on dilation drops 3X a day and to take the steroid drops every 2 hours I am awake and he wanted me back on Monday.  

As soon as he left the room Leah and I talked about how calm he was and how he seemed to actually know more, etc.  I may still get a needle in the eye tomorrow, but I do trust this doctor more...like I trusted Dr. Breen.  

Also, a bit scary when I heard fibrotic membrane or something like that when the two guys were discussing the ultrasound with the poor pictures.  Who knows what is going on.

Meanwhile, I rewatch Vera in dim light with one dilated eye and a painful hand and feet.  Slept 12 hours Friday night-lol! 

I caught Allie playing with the white bouncy toy on the top of the cat tree.

She's suddenly been back up there again/

The card for this week.  :)

I think I am pretty comfortable.  I know I do not know everything, that's for sure.  But I do have that "stubborn Swede" side to me, too--lol!  How about you?

Anyways, that's it for this week.  I hope we can find out something about this eye.  I probably won't get a lot of sleep tonight, either--lol!  Sorry that I still haven't been able to write letters.  I have tried to make a few comments while I can on some blogs.  Reading almost all of them, also, when I can.  Thank you so much for coming around to say hi every week.  Thank you for the cards and letters.  Means the world to me.  Till next week.  Thinking positive.  Fingers crossed.  

March 1, 2026 Sunday

Greetings!

Well, I thought that my eye watering less was a sign it was getting better.  But I guess I hadn't tried to cover my left eye and see through it.  Totally covered by a light grey film and can't see anything but blobby shapes.  Dr. Breen put me back on steroid drops four times a day for 10 days straight and come back to see her.  The Iritis is gone but the cornea is still inflamed.  They've done everything they could.   If there hasn't been noticeable improvement she will refer me to a corneal specialist.  

Been a week. Can't see any better at all in that eye.  The bad eye messes/overlaps with my good eye but some days less than usual for a while.  I occasionally have been able to write a couple comments.  That's improvement, I guess.  But I can't count on it.  Still takes me many hours to write a blog, but it is worth it.  You are worth it.  :)

I go back on Thursday.

Good news this week is Dagan had his surgery on Thursday and all went well.  They drove back on Friday.  He can't lift and has to take it easy for a good while, but he's doing well.  :) 

We are glad they decided to just replace the pacemaker again this time.  He really needs new leads.  That is why his pacemakers are not lasting that long (2 to 3 years).  Next time will probably be open heart surgery for the replacing of leads.  His heart has so much scar tissue from past surgeries...it's kind of an if it ain't broke type of situation, you know.  I think I told you he has been opened up so many times for pacemakers that he doesn't bleed anymore when they cut into him because of scar tissue there in his abdomen.  (He was only 12 when he got his first one and was too small to put it up into his chest like they usually do for adults--and just has remained there all these years and they don't plan to change that, either, unless they have to.)  So, he should be good to go for hopefully another 2-3 years if the leads hang in there.  :)  They do keep a close eye on him.

Allie is happy I can at least open the blind partway on a sunny day now most of the time.  Me, too.  Less water running down my cheek is a good thing.  :)

I stumbled across Wild Card with Rachel Martin from NPR over on YouTube.  LOVE the show!  She asks guests a series of deeper questions they choose from a series of cards.  They are questions that you really have to think about.  (Stuff I often think about--lol!)  The show was asked so often about selling a deck of cards people could buy that they finally made up a deck.  I had preordered it a while back and it just arrived this weekend!

I thought it might be fun to pick a random card to reply to.  Maybe every week?

I have!  Mostly as I was waking up when I was young...like a dream.  When I was in 6th grade I had this "dream" where I was frozen in place--standing--couldn't move my arms which were in front of my chest--blackness--couldn't see anything--but there was this super loud sound almost like the train going by Grandma and Grandpa's house when they lived in Cokato if you were standing too close to the tracks--and I was being hit by small rocks or pieces of something all over the front of my body but they didn't quite reach me for some reason even if I could feel them hit like maybe I had a big cardboard box over my head or something???  That voice I would hear in my head sometimes said very clearly--"remember this".  (I have always called him GA--my guardian angel.)

Ninth grade.  I was at the junior high science fair with my two guinea pigs.  Long story short--tornado--grabbed up my two guinea pigs to my chest--watched all the people scramble to get out of the gymnasium--adults pushing kids aside--people screaming--decided I wasn't going to be a part of that--watched a section of the roof blow away and another--a small funnel started to form in the center of the room--the lights went out--a large piece of posterboard from someone's display suddenly plastered itself to the front of me and the deafening sound!  I stood there and thought to myself--this is the dream!!  Broken glass and who knows what else pelted the poster board that protected me.  My hands weren't tied.  They were holding my guinea pigs.  Stood still until the wind left and the poster board slid down to the floor. 

That was one.

Another bonus I will throw in.  When I was about ten I dreamt that Mr and Mrs Little One (brown male and albino female hamsters) had nine male albino babies.  Mrs Little One was pregnant and due any time, but I knew enough about genetics to know that would be nearly impossible.  I had no other hamsters.  Thought it was a very funny dream.  Mrs had nine babies the next day and they were all going to be white!  That was weird enough!  But after about a month you could tell they were all males!  Blew me away.  Still makes me chuckle.

Anyways, let me know if you have ever had a premonition that came true.  I'd love to hear!!  Do you think it would be fun to do one of these cards every week--or most weeks?  This is my big writing effort for the week and since I feel my communication is so one-sided right now, this idea came to me.  What do you think?  Have you ever watched the show?

Allie is happily basking in the sun this afternoon.

 Life is good.  Till next week.  :) :)

February 22, 2026 Sunday

Greetings!

McFamily came home late Tuesday night.  They are leaving for Minneapolis again on Wednesday.  Dagan's pacemaker is almost out of juice so they are going back down so he can get a replacement once again.  I don't think any of us remember how many pacemakers he's had since he was twelve.  He'll be having surgery Thursday morning.  Not sure when they'll be driving back.  Depends on how he does and sometimes to be on the safe side they don't want him to leave town for a while since he lives so far away.  (It's a good 250-260 mile drive.) 

When I was upstairs keeping Blink company last weekend I took a picture of the back yard to show you how little snow we had left after the brief warm spell.

I figured out a crazy way to show you my swollen hand.  Used a cell phone holder and a stylus between my teeth to press the button--lol!  May be hard to tell but my right hand has swollen up since the IV.  Just had a slight swelling at the base of my first finger before the surgery.  (And I thought that hurt enough--lol!)

But you can see how badly swollen it is.  Can't stretch it out straight right now.  Hurts to use it for anything.  And it's my dominant hand, of course.

Just wanted to show you that I am not exaggerating as to what I am up against as far as typing and handwriting...and that's not even counting the watery eye--lol!  

We had another winter storm.  The view from the basement after about half an hour.

By the next morning.

I never heard how many inches we got.

Anyways, Monday I go back for a follow-up on my eye.  Bright light (and not what I would have previously considered all that bright--lol!) still makes my eye water more.  The brighter the more it runs down my cheek and the more it hurts.  It is still sore to the touch, but not as sore as it was.  Be interested to see if they have any suggestions as to what else can be done or should we just continue to wait and hope it clears up eventually.  I think it will.  Eventually.  Meanwhile, I am happy for cloudy dark days and live in dimmed lights or half-darkness down here.

I have had so much enforced, unexpected inactivity recently...been thinking a lot about my soul...my path.  The intensity of this past year, especially, has really weighed heavily and I've been carrying so much negative energy.  I haven't felt like myself.  The endless threats, worry, judgement, disrespect, sorrow, shock, embarrassment, shame, anger, disbelief, violence, disgust, pain, and death can creep into your soul.  I think I have even been carrying it in my body.

I grew up in a time where we learned in grade school how to hide under our desks in a ball and cover our heads to protect us from an atomic bomb.  (Even as a child I thought that was a ridiculous defense.)  In junior high they shot the president.  In high school I ate dinner every night to the sounds of helicopter blades and gunfire and bombs as my folks always watched the news.  Vietnam was the first televised war.  There were protests about the war, women's rights, civil rights.  I graduated in June of 1968 and was snatched off the street walking home from a beach dance and was beaten and raped in July.  Many times when I was growing up I wondered if it was the end of this country and everything I knew.  But we survived.  I have tremendous faith in humanity.  We have failed and risen again so many times.

So, crazy as it sounds, I went back and watched 1968: The Year That Changed America.  I saw it on HBO max.  Prime has it--but only to rent.  I don't know where else one can find it.  But I watched all four episodes.  I cried.  As I did back then.  But I had always believed that even if things fell apart that people would find a way to build again, you know?  People--humanity--would never give up.  They never have.  Not in the long run.  There has always been a battle down here on this earth between love and hate--positives and negatives--good and evil--compassion and cruelty--however you want to label it.  I have always believed that we are here to choose...to try to live the best life we can...to be the best person we can be.  Each day...we choose.  

I have let despair and disgust and fear creep into my days.  I am not proud of myself.  We humans can be such a weak lot.  Need to kick myself in the butt and refocus.  If I let all of that weigh me down and become a part of me--then hate wins...negatives win!  I am adding to their side!  I watched all the neighbors helping neighbors in Minnesota and it made my heart soar!  THAT is who we are!  THAT is the core of humanity I believe in and have faith in.  All I have to do is hold tight to my core belief that love is stronger than hate...and more precious and beautiful.  It is the side of us we can be proud of...aspire to.  They were beacons of holy light in the darkness. 

I choose.  

It won't be easy.  Hate is loud and cruel.  But I am just glad I realized I had to make a more definite choice.  That it is just a choice I have to make for my own soul.  Maybe all this division all over the earth is part of a huge shift in this earth energy.  If so--I believe we can heal.  I believe we can learn a better way.   Each soul is precious.  We are all imperfect.  We truly are all in this together.

So--that is how I have been spending some of my forced inactive time.  Well spent, though.  I can feel it growing like a seed in my chest.  I have always said that it is not what we do in this life or how long we are here that is the most important.  It is who we are--what kind of a person we have chosen to be.  Now--walk the talk, baby!  I feel this has been a long, drawn-out test for my soul.  More intensely since becoming disabled honestly.  Been a long slow process of baby step insights--lol!  Well, I will work on my soul.  I promise.  It's been a lifelong job...that doesn't end till it ends.  (And even then, I may be back for all I know--lol!)

Meanwhile, Allie appreciates the little things in life.   

Watching fish swimming in a Game of Thrones fish tank--lol!  Reminds me of the years I spent in pet shops.  Ran the fish departments in a couple places.

I realize this is my own personal spiritual journey, but I always do tell you what is going on in my life.  Whatever that is.  Let's just say it has been a contemplative last couple of weeks--lol!  I am feeling the slow lifting of a weight in my chest...and that is a good thing.  I just have to keep remembering to make choices all the time.  ;)  I believe it will get easier.  I know what side I have chosen.  ;)

Till next week.  You are blessed to me.  Sending love and hugs from Fargo!  :) :)

February 15, 2026 Sunday

Greetings!

Finished the steroid drops on Thursday.  Eye still watering like crazy most of the time.  Not worse, but not better.  I go back for a checkup Monday the 23rd.  If it seems to be getting any worse, I will call to get in earlier.  But I have to admit that this eye thing is really getting me down.  Allie is a good companion.    

I have been quite the boring companion for her lately.  So, I at least...

... put on CatTV for her.  She also loves the ones with peaceful music.  

Puts both of us to sleep a lot--lol!

Wednesday I had packages arrive.  Leah brought down the bag of kitty litter and dumped it into the container for me.  She also put together some tuna salad and changed my shower curtain for me!

Called the boys down to see what I found.  Magnetic 3D frogs!

They found places for the set of four.

That was about all the excitement for this past week.  (Must have been a fairly boring Superbowl game as it was pretty quiet upstairs last Sunday-lol!)  Been extra quiet here lately.  McFamily headed down to Minneapolis on Friday for Dagan's heart checkup and won't be home till Tuesday.  I have gone upstairs to spend a little time with Blink and will again.  

I am rather in the dumps not being able to do much of anything I am used to doing.  When life gets so limiting you really appreciate what you could do, for sure.  Since I had the IV in my hand the joints have swollen up a lot more and my dominant hand usage is less, too.  Toe joints swollen and painful, too.  Hobble about.  (And, no, don't have diabetes.)  My ear still hurts quite a bit at times.  Nerve not healed yet, I guess.  Jaw is better.  I have found keeping a cool, damp cloth in a bowl next to me to set below my eye quite often helps with the watering a bit.  Well, I don't know if t helps.  Just feels good and I've got to wipe my cheek anyways.  

I've been watching lots of good shows.  Rewatching Cadfael right now on Britbox.  (Loved Derek Jacobi in I, Claudius, too.)  I tried audio books but fell asleep faster just listening and not at least trying to peek at the screen--lol!  I think I am just bored and in the dumps.  So, I am extra grateful to those of you who have commented on my blog, emailed, and sent letters even though you know it will take a while till I can write back.  I can enlarge comments and emails so I can read them more easily and I do have a good-sized magnifying glass.  :)  And some of you have even written more than once!  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I have been reading your blogs, comments, emails, and letters.  Feels weird for it to be so one-sided.  I feel so cut off.  But it's so wonderful to know you're not forgotten.  I appreciate every word.  :)  Things should turn around soon...well, am still hopeful.  Till next week. 

February 8, 2026 Sunday

Greetings!  Another week with little to say.  The oral surgery went well Wednesday.  Got out of there in plenty of time before the boys came home.  The worst of it was getting the IV in.  The lady tried twice on my left arm and then went over and ended up using my right hand...pressing hard...and putting it into the swollen red arthritic joint at the base of my first finger.  (Still hurts more.) 

 

I think it was because I wasn't supposed to drink or eat anything for 6 hours before--which meant I hadn't had anything to drink since the night before.  I think I was dehydrated because I've never had troubles with all the many IVs and blood draws I've had these past few years. (Except for that one young guy who wasn't allowed to poke anybody more than two times--but I think that was inexperience--lol!)  Anyways...thank goodness I was out for the rest of it--lol!  

Been another recovery week--lol!  Ear was noticeably less painful even right after.  Jaw swelling is 

going down along with pain.  Still sticking with soft foods.  

Allie catching some rays.

The boys were down in the window well playing one day.  I had the shade down and I must have been sleeping.

I took the orange memory foam cushion out of the cubby hole in the cat tree as Allie never sits in there and put it back under hercat bed on the red chair.  Allie must have missed it!  She's preferred sleeping there all week--lol!

I asked Liam if he wanted to come down to help me with taking down Christmas cards.  Well, you know how he loves the magnets...he was down here in a flash.  The frig looks quite empty now by comparison to both sides being full.  But then I got a February card right after from Ann!  Always enjoy her handmade cards.  :)

Things are gradually improving.  I really miss the use of my sight, though.  Am hopeful things will keep improving.  R&R for me.  It will get noisier upstairs tonight.  Dagan and Leah always host a Superbowl Party.  Me.  I don't even know who is playing.  Pay no attention to sports rally--lol!   I know they will enjoy themselves.  I plan to watch the new season of Father Brown on BritBox.  I will enjoy myself also--lol!  Til next week.  Hope you enjoy the whole week!  

[Note:  I hit some key again this time and couldn't fix the sentences or spacing.  Not sure what I hit by accident due to depth perception being bad,  I'm sure I have more mistakes, but eye is having a cloudy day so I hope you can figure out what I meant--LOL!]

February 1, 2026 Sunday

Greetings!

Quick one again, but some good news this week!  :)

Spent the week in semi darkness whenever possible, as usual these days.

Have to peek at the snow sculptures every day, though--lol!

Monday--eye doctor.  Finally starting to see improvement enough that she kept me on the same steroid decrease schedule.  If it gets worse supposed to call right away.  Go back in a month.  Fingers crossed!

I had ordered an eye patch.  Some days I can't wear it because it rubs on my eye to much no matter how much I try to move it around.  I think I need a more dome shaped one like I had after my cataract surgery--lol!

Woke Allie up when she was sleeping.  Hard to sneak up on a cat.  ;)

Wednesday--Dr. Failing, oncologist.  All good.  Can go for a year and after two years we can quit getting rechecks!!  (If all goes well, of course.)  As we were waiting for the valet parking a lady in a wheelchair rolled up to Leah and I in the waiting room and handed each of us a little folded up piece of paper.  She told us it was something from tick tock she saw about giving people little messages from a stranger.  She continued to hand them out to other people in the waiting room.  We couldn't read them until she wasn't around, she said.  Leah's was yellow and mine was green.  That was a sweet thing.

I had cancelled my DMV appointment.  Leah needed to be able to fly this week for work and didn't want to wait till the last minute so she rescheduled hers for Monday early before work.  Then there was no point in me making a solo trip when I wouldn't pass an eye test right now anyways.  My birthday isn't till the end of March so I have a while if they really do give you a year.  I'm not worried about it since I haven't driven for years anyways and could always get a ND non-driver ID.  I can wait to go later when I can (hopefully) at least see to pass an eye exam--lol!

I already got a bunch of review paperwork from ND.  I had been working on those forms for two days and hadn't gotten halfway through it all.  Leah volunteered to come down and help me by filling out the rest.  She even vacuumed for me and did a couple other things.  

I realized on Friday while rereading the surgery information that Dagan might not be able to stay the entire time I am at the oral surgeon's on Wednesday.  Didn't know Leah was going to be out of town and the boys come home from school at 3pm.  My appointment is at 1pm.  If I am not ready to leave by about 2:30 he would have to go home, pick up the boys and come back to pick me up.  They make a big point of saying you need a driver and they must stay there the entire time.  So I sent the oral surgeon a text to let them know the situation.  He wouldn't be gone long but, if it was a rule of theirs, I wanted to know if I'd be done by then, or could I come in earlier, or would it matter?  Good grief.  I've never had a problem being put under.  But the information mentioned that specifically twice.  Something must have happened sometime along the way.  Maybe I should have asked if I could sign a release form--lol!  Anyways, I hope that doesn't interfere with the plan.  I've waited long enough to have this tooth out as it is, you know?

So...that is that.  Still waiting on the eye, but it is slowly getting better she said.  I can't necessarily tell that much.  I have made a couple short comments on a couple blogs, but then can't see well enough later when I go to read some more blogs.  I guess I should wait a while to push that.  Still frustrating.  I do miss writing letters, commenting on blogs, playing a little with art, and doing so many other things.  Patience.  Just have to be patient.  

New month.  Hopefully a very good month...where feeling better is right around the corner.  :)  

Till next time...love and hugs from Fargo.  :) :)

January 25, 2026 Sunday

Greetings!

Much the same here.  Not much to tell.  Eye still about the same.  Hard to type or write.  I did really well on not watching much news at all until Saturday.  I have family and friends who live in the Twin Cities.  Leah's youngest sister and her family live in Minneapolis.  This has been a horrendous last couple months watching what is being done to my hometown.  I thought it was bad enough watching it before happening around the United States.  I am so proud of the Minnesotans out protesting every day--helping their neighbors get their kids to school or getting groceries for them...whatever they need.  We are the community of man.  We are the human family.  Why can't so many people not know that?  I am humbled by the protesters all over this country who gather to protect fellow human beings...who blow whistles...reach out to help when they can...and record it all!!  

Crying does not make it any easier to type...but I can't help it.

I do love seeing the wind sculptures in the window well.  I wish I could have the blind open like this all day...   

...but it is mostly only open a little because the light hurts my eye and makes it water and hurt even more.

Miss Allie fell on Tuesday on her last jump up on the cat tree to get to the dresser.  She didn't seem to be hurt badly, thank goodness.  But she didn't go near the cat tree for days.  I told her how much I totally understood about being leery after a fall.  

She finally got up her nerve again about three days later.

Happy girl again.  (The fall wasn't from this top bed but the step below that.)

Me.  I'm still not feeling steady.  A bit wobbly due to whole head feeling weird (eye, ear, tooth) and always having a headache and no depth perception.  Hopefully it will all get better over time.  I am beginning to think my eye may not improve much with its inflammation until I get the molar removed on the 4th.  I suppose that is possible.  

Endurance.  

Pain endurance seems to have been the name of the game for me for the last 25 years--lol!  But it is an inconsequential problem in the big picture of life. 

The wind still creates beautiful sculptures with the snow.   

It's -9F (-23C) this sunny afternoon.  Nature is doing her best to freeze ICE.   

Monday I check in with the eye doctor again to see how I am healing.  I haven't noticed much change yet.  Probably need another bottle of the steroid eye drops.

Wednesday I see my oncologist, Dr. Failing.  I already got my results online from the CTscans and know I am cancer free still--whoohoo!  Am hoping I can go a year now instead of six months between checkups.

Friday I am going with Leah to the DMV.  With the move and all I totally forgot to renew my driver's license last year.  Didn't even realize it until after I moved...and, as you know, been practically sick ever since--lol!  Says online that you have a year to renew it.  We'll see if that's true.  Will they renew a license if you fail the eye test?  Another question I will find the answer to--lol!  I haven't been driving in years anyways.  Leah needs to go in to get her real ID so she can fly, so I figured I'd get mine taken care of at the same time.  You can make appointments these days online.  If I can't get mine renewed due to the eye or whatever, I can probably just get a North Dakota non-driver's ID.  Just as long as that is a legal identification for voting and such federal and official things.  I think it is.  

Going to be a busy week.  

Well, been working on this all day so far.  I think I caught most of the mistakes...thanks to spell check--lol!  Will just post early again when I am done.  Bless you all!  Till next week.....

January 18, 2026 Sunday

Greetings!

This will be short again.  Went to the eye specialist on Thursday.  There had been a little bit of improvement, but not that much.  She bumped me back to starting the gradual steroid withdrawal from the top again.  That means I went back to 4 times a day for a week, then 3 times a day, etc.  I see her again on Monday the 26th to see how I am progressing.

Yes, this inflammation could have been caused by my chronic inflammation (fibromyalgia) that has been set off into the unknown by my immunotherapy cancer treatments and has not settled down since it did cure me (attacked the cancer cells).  Immunotherapy works by getting your immune system (mine had been compromised for about 20 years before getting cancer) to attack the cancer cells that don't belong.  Trouble is it can also attack any cells it chooses to and there's no real way to stop the random attacks.  So, yes...my own body's immune system may be the cause of the wisdom tooth (dealing with that on Feb 4th) which is causing the nerve to my ear to be quite upset and may also be the cause of the sudden eye inflammations.

So, instead of waiting to use up foods I already have as I slowly switch over to the one ingredient natural foods diet with no processed foods...Leah really got on me about doing it right now.  Okay.  Can't hurt and might help.  I packed up everything I could find quickly and sent it upstairs this past weekend.  

I can make soups and such if all the ingredients are whole foods.  Basically it is eating whole foods.  I haven't investigated it thoroughly yet, so I don't know where dairy products land in this new way of eating.  But I shall search more this week.  I still can't see well to read or write or type for any length of time, so I do things like that little by little.  That's the goal for this coming week--research this diet more.  (This was what the first eye specialist recommended...with intermittent fasting as a way to try to stop inflammation in my body.)  

Also, stress has always affected my fibro.  Leah talked to me about watching even less news than I already have been.  I don't get regular TV or cable--only online stuff.  I cancelled several YouTube political channels--even though I often just read the titles to know what is going on.  I will still know the basics, but am going to try to watch much less for a couple of weeks and see how it goes.  I may decide I prefer it.  Who knows?  But I have never been one to be the ostrich with my head in the sand.  Time will tell.

I did tell her that if we are talking stress...not being unpacked is stressful to me, too.  Enough said.

We have had snow a few times.

Have had blizzard condition winds the last couple of days, but not much additional snow with them.  Whips all the loose snow around like crazy, though.  I do love wind snow sculptures!

Life has still been dim lighting, the eye patch when too sunny out, gradually reading blogs but not commenting, and doing things like laundry.  Not up to much, but getting in a lot of good shows...even if I have probably only actually watched maybe half of the episodes or movies--lol!  I get the gist by listening closely with my good ear--rofl!  So grateful there are so many good things to watch on streaming!  

Oh, and after the eye appointment I did go to a lab and get my bloodwork done for my CTscans this coming Wednesday.  :)

I am focusing on watching more art videos.  Hope to be able to manage to do something simple soon.  Found a lady doing Tiny Tuesdays this year where she does simple small (ATC size) paintings but you could do any size you want and use any medium you want.  Week one was a coffee mug and week two was a fried egg--lol!  Sounds like fun.  They look simple enough I could maybe do them with one eye--lol!  I haven't been able to participate yet, but I plan to soon.  And then I could join the show your art on Sundays on DVArtist's blog where you can show art, your art area, or talk about art/creativity each week.  :)  All that really does sound better than watching the news--lol!  

I  seem to be getting slower and slower to heal and am having such weird things happening to my body.  Maybe this will help.  Can't hurt, right?  Change of diet and focus of mind.  Wish me luck.

Until next week...thanks for hanging in there with me.  You have no idea what you all mean to me.  *love and hugs*

January 11, 2026 Sunday

Greetings!  

This will be very short...for me--lol! Iritis plus corneal edema has remained about the same all week.  If I try to read or type too much or even watch something where I need to pay close visual attention then the headache, pain, and endless watering gets set off...often until I sleep/nap for a while and rest the eye.  A sunny day is not welcome for the first time--lol!  BUT--I bought a new neck pillow for sleeping in my chair and it came with one of those cheap, flat eye masks that are always too small for my head and have velcro on the straps that pulls my hair out.  I was about to toss it out when it occurred to me that I might be able to cut out a makeshift eye patch to slip behind my glasses.  Yes!  It does often press on my eye (hurts) but it does block out the light so the watering will slow down--tada!  I must look pretty funny, but it's something I can use to help over those eye-waterfall hours if I want to stay awake--lol!

I am kind of half watching/mostly listening to various series where I already know all the characters and it is not a fast-moving type of visual show.  I am pretty well caught up, I think, on all the new seasons of shows I am familiar with.  I will gladly rewatch Vera or some Agatha Christie movies or something like that.    :)

I have managed to do laundry, very slowly put together a crock pot of cabbage soup without cutting myself, and even changed the shower curtain finally.  

But I don't want to try climbing on the step stool again as I am still wobbly and my depth perception is poor.  Example: imagine putting the cap on a pen and missing the pen entirely.  (Hence my being quite ridiculously proud of myself for chopping up a cabbage and an onion and not cutting myself!)

I moved around Allie's beds again.  Put her bigger bed up on the dresser.

So funny!  Sometimes I can only see the tips of her ears.  If she curls her head upsidedown I can't see her at all from my chair.

That has been my week.  Still reading what I can of all your blogs.  (Sorry, occasionally the print is too thin and light colored for me to read even with enlarging.)  Still not commenting on blogs or writing letters yet.  But I am so very grateful for every comment and email and letter I have received!  Especially in such a stressful shocking time in my home state of Minnesota.  The cruelty and indifference this past year shakes me to my core.  Hatred, murders, bombings, kidnappings...just seems to be increasing and spreading like a cancer.  Maybe that adds to why I can't stop the tears from flowing down my cheek... 

Had to stop for a while.  

This week I go see the eye specialist on Thursday to see how my eye is progressing.  I'm hoping she will be able to see some healing inside my eye that I can't notice that much myself--lol!  Afterwards I have to stop and get bloodwork done for my CT scans the following week.  

I am grateful to be moved--unpacked or not--settled in or not.  The boys brought down more of their pottery to show me yesterday when they got home.  They are improving every time.  Again, Ian left his in a bag here for the eventual display shelf in the studio and Liam took his back with him.  Ian hung around to chat for a while.  I like seeing them all more.  :)  

I have lots of soup to eat.  Dagan and Leah made me up some hamburger patties (do love my cheeseburgers) and some chicken (even cubed it up for me).  Allie is loving her new viewpoint of the world and her independence.  I am sooooo grateful for streaming on the internet.  (Am grateful for the internet in general--even if I can't use it as much as I had been previously for all the things--lol!)   Even grateful for cloudy days these days--LOL!  And I am soooo grateful for you!  Till next week...