Rick and I decided to spend a relaxing week or two at the cottage. My last hurrah for the year, though he may come up again later. He handles the cold better than I! When the lake is as still as glass, pretty much all boat traffic apart from fishing boats is gone and the only sound you hear for the most part is distant road noise, it's a perfect time of year.
The weather wasn't great during our first days but it warmed up some and when the sun came out was far more inviting. But it seemed like we would never get here for this last visit.
First, we were delayed at home, because of my sciatica. Then the dishwasher, which I may have told some of you about. Rick generously gave me a dishwasher for Christmas 2021. Mine broke in 2019. It proceeded to sit in the hall for three weeks after it arrived because he was going to install it. Finally, he decided to do it on a Sunday.
He's done this many times before -- he's no rookie, which is why he insisted I not call someone to do it. It was a most generous gift and I'd gladly have paid an installer. Anyway, it had the wrong parts or the wrong manual. It was too tall for the counter so the legs had to be cut down. The pieces that are supposed to connect didn't fit and the hardware store didn't have the pieces that did. The manual gave one size; that size didn't work.
After ten hours and more than nine trips to the hardware store or his house (I stopped counting by then), after cutting down the legs and cramming it under the counter, after quite an increase in voluble vocabulary, it's in place -- but not bolted down because there was a problem with that, too.
We were planning on leaving the next day for the lake, but I've been having a-fib complications and had to get a heart monitor placed so we aimed for Tuesday morning, an early departure. I was packed and ready with all in the car except Lizzie. She hid.
I had blocked off what I thought was every possible place she could get into. I finally nailed her under my desk but she escaped while I was getting up after pulling her out. And then she really went down under. See the chest in the photo below? It is about seven feet all, filled with books, china and all things heavy, and about three inches from the wall, if that. She somehow got her fat bottom behind it.
Eventually she got out, in the box and off we went. It started out sunny and we stopped for donuts. After a three-hour stop en route for Rick's guitar lesson, we finally arrived.
The next day, I woke coughing constantly -- not always unusual for me and I chalked it up to the fire in the fireplace, which had been burning constantly since we arrived to heat the house. (Space heaters and the fireplace are how we heat at this time of year.) But the cough felt different than my usual one -- it actually hurt. Still, the day was perked up by a visit from my cousin John, whom I've not seen in years. He was bringing his wife, Becky, to Michigan to show her where he'd grown up and it was our first time meeting her. She was delightful and it was so good to see him again.
We had a great lunch at Big Buck Brewery (a salmon BLT and mushroom bisque) before they took off. Rick and I went back home and I coughed. Coughed all night till he decided if he wanted any sleep, he'd best move somewhere else. When I finally emerged after no sleep from 3 a.m. on, I got dressed and went straight to the Urgent Care, where four hours later they sent me home with three prescriptions for bacterial pneumonia.
So, I've been laying super low. And by now feeling a little better (nope. Optimistic when I wrote that....) but still coughing incessantly and still terribly tired. I was able to paint a bit and worked on a couple of my Este MacLeod color challenges. The theme for this one was "fur" and we had to use the two shades of purple, the pickle green and a crimson. I'm not thrilled with the eyes (or at least the more prominent one) but it was a fun challenge!
While I was out with the purples and greens, I did this one (not for the challenge), which I think I'll divide in half for bookmarks for my sale. I love this Fabriano paper. This set of challenges has been a good one and I hope to finish the last few this week.
It has warmed up here a bit. When we arrived it was so cold in the house but now we're very comfy with a couple of space heaters and the electric blankets we've been very cozy. Someone has found the best place to sit on the cooler evenings!
The color is slow up here. There are a few spots that are brightening up a bit every day and I'm hoping to feel good enough to take a little drive farther north later this week. (I don't think Rick's any too keen on being in the car with me, though I should be past my contagion period, just not the obnoxious period!) Here's a view of the lake from the porch. We've been lucky to be able to at least have a couple of dinners on the porch since the weather warmed.
So, I'll leave you with a happy photo -- Cousin John and me. And clever observers will note I finally got my Covid hair cut!
Now, THAT was worth smiling about!
60 comments:
I”m sorry to hear about your pneumonia, which you have mentioned but not elaborated. I hope you recover quickly and completely. Your challenges getting out of the house sound really frustrating!
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Oh, my! I was all excited about your photo of the fall scene and then I read what all you've been through. And pneumonia :( I'm so sorry. I hope you recover quickly.
The Autumn scene is gorgeous!
Oh dear me, Jeannie, I am certain you needed a spell in that gorgeous place by the lake and enough leisure to admire the beautiful autumn colours after so much hassle and trouble. I hope you'll soon feel recovered. We folks with lung problems really do suffer from a lot of breathing ailments.
Look after yourself.
My goodness! What a time with sciatica, dishwasher, pneumonia, cat and cold.
Dang , Pneumonia will put your lights out! Terribly exhausting and it does go on for a few weeks so do not over do! I have had it twice, bilaterally and it was the worst thing! Rest is very important.
Damn the dishwasher!! Rick has a lot of patience to get that thing in there. Get well, stay well, be kind to yourself.
I love your results for challenge!
Cozy cottage fall vibes are as wonderful as in the middle of summer vibes.
Sad you have been sick. I hope you are at the last of it.
Cute, Lizzie knows her way around.
We have had a dishwasher “avalanche project “ as we call them involving our very old kitchen years ago. The countertop had to be taken off and raised, and the back wall had to taken back to the original brick!! And husband did it all. I feel your pain!! Sorry to hear those ol’ lungs are giving you problems but at least you got some quick care! Take care, Jeanie! - Jenn
Hello Jeannie :=)
So sorry to hear of your health problems and hope they will be sorted soon. It was a frustrating time for you before you left, with one thing and another, but now you have arrived and are medicated and warm, and have that beautiful view to look at over the water you will soon feel better. Your fur challenge went well...don't know how you had the energy! :=)
Boy, you've had a lot going on, Jeanie. Sorry to hear about your pneumonia! Hopefully you are feeling better soon. Jobs seem to take longer for us as we are sure appliances are so different from the past. Rick certainly stuck with his task at hand for a long time! The colors reflecting on your lake are amazing! I love this time of year and hope you will be able to enjoy it soon.
I like your painted cat with the purple fur! I hope you're feeling better, and the antibiotics are working. Do you have any Vick's vaporub? It always makes me feel better. :D
This autumn colour is so surreal! What a beautiful turning of leaves here
Oh dear, what with one thing and another you have not been having an easy time recently. I hope you are feeling better soon.
The colour in your trees look lovely, Autumn is a wonderful season.
All the best Jan
Beautiful colours and reflections in your lake photo. Glad you are feeling better but seems like you had a full plate of unexpected surprises. Have a wonderful new week!
That is a story of long perseverance, but finally, you are at the lake!! I hope you get the best rest possible there.
Ugh that dishwasher situation sounds so frustrating. We have done some projects at our house and they always seem to require way more stops at the hardware shop than you’d think is possible! But that project sounds especially awful!
And pneumonia sounds so terrible. I had walking pneumonia years ago and thought it was awful. I thought I might cough for the rest of my life. The cough was so endless.
Lizzie and Oscar are kindred spirits. Oscar is the same when she has to go in her carrier.
I think the change in season has many folks getting sick. My brother is a store manager for CVS and he has seen a run of sick folks coming in with prescriptions for Bronchitis, pneumonia and other issues. Even my mom just got over having bronchitis. Glad you were able to spend time with your cousin and his wife. We have our family reunion this coming weekend and am looking forward to it! Happy Fall! Janice
Hope that you will be feeling better soon, Jeanie, and able to get some rest. The dishwasher project sounded like a major headache and hope it will work well once it’s bolted down. Did Rick think an installer would have been a better idea after all those trips he made? It was nice to see you and your cousin John reunite after so long.
That view of the lake, with those stunning fall colors is from your porch?! What a gorgeous view! I like those paintings, very nice. I hope your cough subsides and you begin to feel better very soon!
Oh, good, healthy, happy wishes for a speedy recovery….the rest can wait. Your painting and photography are great….and, your smile is infectious. Take care. so, V.
Hope you shake off the pneumonia soon! The sun and colors on the still water ought to do some good. I hope they have, by now.
How nice that you could visit with your cousin and wife. I’m sorry you are not well. The autumn trees are gorgeous!
Oh no! So sorry to hear that you are so sick! Be extra kind to yourself. Glad you got a visit with your cousin and got to meet his wife. The trees look beautiful in that first photo with the still reflection. I hope you feel better quickly.
Wow, Jeanie, so sorry about your getting pneumonia. I hope this finds you fully recovered. Your lake shot is outstanding! We are nowhere near that brilliance yet, but if we come anywhere close to that, I'll call it a fantastic fall. Love your watercolors, and I just wrote about a special one I have which you painted. 😉
Pneumonia is not to be trifled with, Jeanie, so take good care of yourself. As for the dishwasher installation, I suspect that Rick might secretly regret not calling the local appliance serviceman. We actually hardly ever use our dishwasher even though it sits beneath the counter ready to be pressed into service at any time.
Well, look at it this way. At least it was Lizzie who got stuck behind the hutch, and not Rick who got stuck under the dishwasher. I have a feeling getting him unstuck would have required a little more effort, and perhaps a visit from the EMTs! I'm glad you finally got out of there, and predict that the healing vibes from the lake will help you feel much better. Those glorious autumn colors can't hurt! I did laugh at your space heater, etc. Yesterday morning, about seven o'clock, I thought briefly (for about a half hour) that a jacket might have been nice. After all, it was all the way down to 62 degrees at the refuge!
Poor you Jeanie..sciatica and pneumonia..J installed our new dishwasher too and he’s great at things like that..took forever ..different connections etc…so I hear you.Take are of yourself
That is gorgeous color! Hope that dishwasher is beat into submission enough for you to use. Feel better!! Rest and plenty of fluids!
Jeanie, so sorry to hear about your pneumonia diagnosis. I hope that you'll have a speedy and full recovery. Rick is quite a guy - what a frustrating experience to deal with that dishwasher! The fall color across the lake is just spectacular! We are no where near that stage yet, although the weather had changed, and the heat is now on at times. Hope the days ahead are pleasant ones!
I really hope the prescriptions are working and you are feeling better. If not, do not hesitate to go back to a doctor. We have to be careful, you and I. I'm glad you saw your cousin. Seeing family reaffirms who we are. I haven't seen my cousin for over 10 years. Take care and enjoy the lake.
Sorry to hear about the pneumonia and sciatica. Ouch! Our dishwasher was broken down too and also. when it rains, it pours.
Oh my, you can't be serious! Bacterial pneumonia? Wow. Anyway, I hope you feel better. I love the photo of the reflection on the waters of the lake. It would be a beautiful watercolor painting.
Dear Jeanie, so sorry to hear that you have been sick. I do hope you are on the mend. Your area is beautiful and I hope you will feel well enough to enjoy the beauty before you leave for home. Be extra good to you and have a restful and lovely week.
Feel better soon!! Our trees are just beginning to change..Yours are lovely..Soon the leaves will be falling..Enjoy!!
You have really been through quite a lot . Bacterial pnemonia is no joke. Hope you will be back to normal soon. Everything looks beautiful especially that fall scene near the lake. Love your ending photo of your and your cousin.
I feel for you Jeanie, I have had pneumonia and it is awful. Wishing you back to 100 percent real fast. Those fall colors are incredible! Take very good care of yourself. I know our tendency is to try and do things even when we are sick. Rest and relaxation is very important at such times. Speedy recovery!
I hope you feel better soon. Love your purple paintings. Love the photo of the lake. I'm enjoying the bits of color cropping up in Kalamazoo.
As I said before, you’re an overcomer. Now I just have to add the word ‘super’ in front of it. Enjoy your lakeside retreat, Jeanie!
Not the best way to see out the lake season!
You're lucky it hasn't been too cold yet. It has gotten chilly here. And I hope you are feeling better too. It's no fun being sick, especially when you have some pretty foliage to look at. And a new dishwasher to come home and use. Other than the pneumonia life sounds good. Hope you are up on your feet and feeling great by the time you read this. hugs-Erika
Get well soon Jeanie
Goodness, Jeanie, pneumonia is nothing to ignore. I hope you are feeling better soon. I will be glad when you say you are finally well.
I love this post, which is filled with color. Vibrant paintings to the changing leaves. What absolutely stunning and glorious colors and photos.
You poor thing! Sending a virtual cup of lemon-ginger tea with plenty of honey (and a slice of chocolate cake for extra boost).
Amalia
xo
That fall scene is breathtaking, Jeanie!
So sorry about your pneumonia.
I hope you recover quickly.
Hugs and blessings, my dear friend.
Hello Jeanie,
I am sorry you have been sick, I hope you are feeling better. Your views of the lake and fall colors are just gorgeous. Lizzie is a little stubborn, but still cute. Rick is a handy guy to have around! We have a dishwasher that we do not even use. Take care, have a great week!
Well that was quite a start to your taking off! That’s too bad that you came down with pneumonia. I had it one year and I understand about the coughing part. I got retested after 10 days are there was still some left so I went on a 2nd round of antibiotics. It was something like 6 mos. before I could navigate the stairs without being winded! These cold nights should be causing the colors to come on. Gosh I love your art! Take care and I hope you’ll continue to enjoy being there.
Oh gosh, Jeanie. I'm so sorry to hear you're under the weather. Also sorry about the dishwasher episode but how nice of Rick to get it for you.
Love your purple Lizzie pic. So pretty.
YOU take care of yourself. Please feel better soon.
Jeanie, I think the Autumns in your area are one of the prettiest I've seen. Such glorious colors! We don't have a lot of color yet, but soon. Oh no, Lizzie got stuck behind of your china cabinet. I'm so sorry you had bacterial pneumonia. I hope you are feeling better with the medication you're taking. Those coughs can last a long time. I had bronchitis a couple times when I was younger. That's great of Rick to try to tackle the dishwasher project. Sounds like a really big project. I do hope he gets it up and running soon. My kitchen is very small and no dishwasher, and it's tiring washing dishes several times a day. But, we'll see about putting one in sometime.
I love catching up with you and what's going on around your neck of the woods. And I love to see all the seasons where you live too.
~Sheri
Even with everything going on you still managed to produce some beautiful art. I hope you are feeling better by now.
I'm so sorry to hear about all this, although glad that there were many bright spots too. Now, I have an idea of the chronology of it all - one thing and then another. I do hope that you are on the mend, and both of you will get a bit of clear sailing after all this.
Rick was a hero about the dishwasher, although I don't suppose he set out to be one - these technical things can have a tendency to grow and spread, don't they? But then I think that if the installer had come and done it, it would have been quicker but perhaps Rick is better. So often when we have work done, T. finds that there are things he would have done differently (and better). It's happened too often to be coincidence. Enjoy the rest of your time at the lake Jeanie, it always looks so cosy up there! I hope Lizzie is less recalcitrant when it comes to returning home - I can't imagine how you got her out from behind that cabinet either!
Oh my! You have had a bundle of troubles. The pneumonia sounds like the worst. Sending good thoughts and prayers, my friend.
Love that reflection photo!
Glad you were able to visit with your cousin and his wife. Sorry you're sick... Hope the medication starts to help enough that you feel better very soon.
Beautiful first pic!
Wow, things like your dishwasher usually end up here! I always get the broken, "handicapped" stuff. By accident, too.
Hope you are well?
Oh, and Lizzie had to add to the stress?
Nice you met your cousin and his wife!
But, oh, sorry for getting sick! And still you got a beautiful piece of art done, I´m impressed.
Happy last pic, hope you are fully up and healthy now!
I am late enough again for it to be true! Darn it. Work and sport... and then I get tired. I blame it on the weather!
Jeanie, I am sorry I am so late in commenting. I hope by now you are feeling better, pneumonia can be serious. I used to never have a cough, but I now have asthma and it produces a cough. It is impossible to sleep when you cough all night. Take care of yourself!
Your lake photo is beautiful. We don't have so much color yet. It's mostly golden yellow here abouts.
I love the autumn colours. It seems we are living in more or less the same climate zone. I am sorry to hear about all your troubles. Pneumonia is a serious matter, and I am happy to hear you are feeling betteer.
As for installations, well ... an expert is always a good choice. A very nice present though.
How wonderful with visits from old friends. Enjoy the autumn.
Jeanie, I hope by now you’re feeling much better by now! I’ve got a tickley cough that’s driving Mr. Cottage and I batty. I keep sucking on cough drops. We’ve had a few sunny and warm days and this afternoon a big cold front is supposed to arrive. Take care!
I'm sorry that you had pneumonia, Jeanie. Another illness that is no fun! I hope you recover from it and the other health issues you've been dealing with. Feel better soon! I had to laugh at Lizzie's antics, especially squeezing behind the cabinet. Lizzie sounds like a pretty smart cat to me. How aggravating the dishwasher installation must have been, especially for Rick. It's good that you had a couple of good and beautiful days at your lake and with your cousins. Take care of yourself!
I'm catching up Reading Blogs, fell behind in even Writing them lately. So sorry you're battling illness, hope that you're getting stronger and feeling more like yourself soon... Healing Energies being sent your way. A COVID Haircut had me Smiling, it was Fun to me to see people I know let their Hair grow out during Pandemic, perhaps for the first time in Years they were looking different and for some, it was quite becoming, they have great Hair. With Dreadlocks I don't cut them, tho' at some point I'll have to figure out how to when they get so long and heavy that I must consider it... since they are thick as Rope, it will be interesting. *LOL* I haven't had super long Hair since my Hippie Days so I don't really mind how long they get if they remain comfortable, I always wanted thick Hair, now I have it, I'm enjoying it.
Oh so sorry to hear you've been sick Jeanie, not fun at all, but your paintings didn't suffer, they look great! You take care and tell Lizzie to behave!
Jenna
Doesn't it feel good when we get our "Covid hair" cut? So happy you are feeling better, but oh my! pneumonia and a-fib. is absolutely not fun! Let's now have some fun. Glad you are painting, that is one fun thing to do.
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