So, What Else Is New?

It's been quite a couple of weeks. To be honest, I'm getting a little tired of it all! But the best part was Valentine's Day! Rick pulled out all the stops -- a terrific gift and a dinner to die for with wonderful wine!

 

The main course? My all-time favorite, shrimp and grits! He knows me well!

 

He liked the book I made for him. I was lucky to find a book about the right size, handwrote the poems and did collages of key events from our year. The poetry isn't great, but it's definitely from the heart!

 

As you may know from this blog, I have AFib and have been in AFib since mid-December. On February 16, I was scheduled for a cardioversion, where basically they shock the heart into submission. You are under anesthetic for this, so fasting began at midnight the day before. My procedure was at 1 p.m. and I had to be there two hours before that. Rick pulled saintly duty and went with me.

 

I was pretty hungry, pretty tired and the longer I waited, pretty cranky. The doc came in and said it would only be a few minutes and about 45 minutes later I was still waiting to be wheeled down to the surgical area. Turned out there was an emergency and over two and a half hours later, they took me down. By then, my head was screaming. The procedure itself is fairly short and I was home by 5, but it was a long day.

 

Then the next day, off to see the ENT. My sinus CT scan results were pretty scary (total opacification of the sinuses behind the forehead, among other things) -- which explains why I have almost impossible headaches every day. The only way out of this gig is sinus surgery. That will take place sometime late next month, as they want to wait for my MRI (ordered for another doc, due to the double vision). It gets way too complicated. It's getting old and I'm tired of it.

 

But, I'm not about to let that slow me down any more than necessary. I enjoyed a wonderful lunch with my friend Carol, sharing photos and good times. We were also joined by a mutual friend, Pat, who moved several years ago to Petoskey up north. I saw Pat and his wife Susan last summer and it was good to see him again.

And I also had a lunch with friends Susie and Jane, this time at Susie's house. The walls are filled with art by her late husband, Dick (I wrote about him HERE and HERE).  

 

I always feel completely uplifted being in that house-- or any time I'm with those two. 

 

(And we eat well, too! This time -- grilled cheese with roasted veggies, Waldorf salad and I brought baklava and chocolates for dessert! 

 

I made a wonderful dinner -- well, I started a wonderful dinner. Rick finished it. It was a delicious chicken piccata recipe. Blogger Carole had linked to this New York Times recipe from her blog and it was fabulous. (Rick added some white wine to it, because -- well, it was just sitting there on the counter, so why not?) We had it over brown rice instead of the pasta but either way would be fabulous. (Sorry, no photo!)

The Three Pines puzzle came together well. Yes, I did get to the cursing point, doing those flowers that all look the same! And yes, as in almost every puzzle, I became convinced pieces were (Though there was a distinct possibility that someone in my family with a tail brushed them off the table. They are very hard to see on my rug!) All was well, all 1,000 pieces! 

 

Speaking of someone with a tail, Lizzie is going through some changes. Because she is in early kidney disease, she's now taking a daily pill (broken into two doses and mixed with a treat). She doesn't like it, but so far, so good. I also was told by my vet to cut out her kibble and since then, Lizzie repeatedly tells me that she is hungry all the time and to get with the program and feed her more. So, we're trying to regulate that -- feed her enough to make up for what she's not getting -- and not too much. 

 

The vet also wants her to exercise more but that is proving to be a harder sell. I can relate.

 

I've been enjoying the Olympics, reading a bit (between headaches) and finally finished the cowl (which started out as a dishcloth.) I think it's pretty cute. Now that I know this pattern, I might have to do something else with it before I forget!

On another note, for a brief few days we saw brownish-green grass in the yard as most all of the snow melted. And yes, it is back. But I'll take those days as I can get them! 

 

 I took a walk to the Ditch. It's still very iced over.

 

But the geese were out in force! 

 

I leave you with a photo of my girl.

 

Her world in one of pure bliss. Except when she's hungry!