Getting Ready

I started a Tai Chi class in the fall and I love it. I feel so relaxed and energized after each class session!

Since I won't be able to lift or drive for 6 weeks after surgery, that also means no Tai Chi. :(

I'm taking the class for stress reduction so now that I'm feeling really stressed what does the doc say? No Tai Chi. Oh, the irony.

I have a phobia about general anesthesia (based on bad experiences I had during multiple ear surgeries as a child) and I'm starting to get nervous about my abdominal surgery next week. Since I can't do Tai Chi, I'm working on my Tai Chi meditation with lots of positive and healing imagery. It's helping some (but so does anxiety medicine). At this point, I'll just be glad when the surgery is over.

I have a few work-related things to do Monday. After that I'm really going to focus on relaxing and de-stressing. It will be hard but I know it will help with anxiety and healing, or so my doc, nurses, and Tai Chi instructor all tell me. Wish me luck!

Surgery (Again!)

In the fall I learned I have a painful condition called Adenomyosis. It's "a condition in which endometrial tissue, which normally lines the uterus, is present within and grows into the muscular walls of the uterus."

I'm thankful I only have pain and not all the other symptoms listed on the Mayo Clinic web site! Strangely, I don't have any of the risk factors (childbirth or prior uterine surgery). Since I'm in my 40s, I thought the symptoms were the beginning of menopause. Nope.

Unfortunately, the Adenomyosis getting worse and the only cure is a complete hysterectomy. I'll be having surgery Jan. 18, so I had to scramble to re-do my lesson plans at the last minute and make arrangements to work at home. Fortunately, my on-campus class does not mind becoming an online class during the 6 weeks or so while I can not drive. Thanks, guys! You made my life a little easier.

I'm hoping that, like my elbow reconstruction surgery, I'll feel better immediately after the surgery. Not lifting or driving for 6 weeks will be hard, but at least I won't have cast! Yay!

Moving, at Last!

A week and half a later than expected, we now know when we're moving! We get the keys Wed., Feb. 24 and the movers will be here Sat., Feb. 27. Yay! The end is now in sight! Best of all, I'll have my spring break (Mar. 1 - 7) to unpack the essentials. After that, I don't care how long it takes to unpack. :)

Only one more week of listening to the shrieking neighbor children...

RIP Mia

Mia Keeler
1992-2010

Rest in peace, fiesty girl. You were my first (surrogate) cat and the reason I love kitties. I miss you already and I always will.

We Are Homeowners - Yay!

Since about 9:00am (after 45 minutes of signing and initialing papers), we are homeowners! I'm sure it will seem real after we move in -- and I can hardly wait.

The owner's son is living there and packing her stuff. He has 30 days to move, but he thinks he'll be done by mid-Feb. That would be wonderful but we're planning on a late Feb/early Mar move, just in case.

I met both realtors (ours and theirs) at the house last night to look at it again, go over any last-minute questions, and to learn how to light the sunroom heater. From the sunroom, we were treated to a beautiful view of the nearly full moon rising behind the branches of the huge trees in the backyard. It was especially lovely since we can't see the moon from our current apartment.

We want to pack as much as we can (especially things like glass, china, and Roger's books), then have movers pack the rest and move all of it to the new house. I've been researching movers and have learned a lot about choosing a reliable, professional full-service company. I think we're going to use Personal Touch Moving, Inc (located in Lake Orion, MI). Their Better Business Bureau rating is A- and they are about $1,000 cheaper than Corrigan Moving Systems (which several friends have used; Corrigan is near Detroit and has a A+ BBB rating).

I'm so excited about the house I'm having a hard time focusing on work. I've never wanted to move before and now I can hardly wait to do so. I'm looking forward to having more room, a yard (with bird feeders!), and no more neighbor kids playing Wii over my head or shrieking under my feet.

As a parting gift to our apartment neighbors, you are invited to a reenactment of Riverdance after our apartment is empty. Be sure to wear your hard-soled shoes! I'll provide loud Irish music and all you have to do is jump around a lot.

The Miracle on 34th Street

I still don't quite believe it, but we are about to become homeowners! (I've always wanted a house. To get one at Christmas is just like The Miracle on 34th Street!) The seller accepted our bid on the ranch I fell in love with. Photos and specs are below.

We can get out of our apartment lease four months early, so we'll probably move in March. I'm simultaneously excited and numb. I'll let you know when it finally feels real!














































































































































































































Brick Ranch in City of Davison. Many updates - Huge add on Family Room, Large Deck w/ Gazebo. 2 Car Garage, Finished Basement, Newer Roof, Electrical, Central Air, Fenced back Yard with Shade Galore ... Must See Home!

Built in 1956 (but in better shape than some new houses we saw!).
Lot size 70 x 136
Home size 1331 sq ft.
Master Bedroom: 11.4 x 11
2nd: 11 x 11
3rd: 11.4 x 9
Kitchen 12.2 x 11
Great Room 20.9 x 13.9
Family Room (Sunroom) 19.6 x 11.8
Downstairs Rec Room (w/gas fireplace) 23.4 x 12.6
Hobby Room (Workshop) 14.9 x 12.8
Laundry and storage room 35.6 x 11.1

The Washer Incident

I spent Thanksgiving week crying about Saffron and have been numb ever since -- and frantically trying to work on my end-of-the-semester grading. Since I teach writing, I don't have to give final exams and the sooner I get done grading, the sooner my Christmas break begins.

Roger suggested we go up north for the weekend. Everyone I talked to thought this was a good idea. I could relax as much as I wanted, work as much as I wanted, and I wouldn't expect to see Saffron everywhere I looked. It was a good idea! We have wonderful time enjoying Traverse City and I even got a substantial amount of grading done.

All that relaxation disappeared when got home and discovered water standing in our hallway (in front of the laundry closet), in Roger's office, and in the master bath. I immediately called maintenance was told that my upstairs neighbor* overloaded her washer (apparently with a comforter, bedspread, AND pillows), then left the house. The washer was so full the sensor couldn't tell when to shut the water off, so the water just kept running. In addition to our apartment, the one next door also flooded. Since there's cement between the floors, the water came in through the smoke alarms and the vent/light in the bathroom.

I was furious at the mess AND at maintenance for not calling Mom and Dad. Before we left town I called the office to let them know we'd be out of town for the weekend and Mom and Dad would be stopping by daily to care for the cat. I gave them Mom and Dad's names and phone number specifically in case of a plumbing emergency so Mom and Dad could be here to prevent the cat from escaping if maintenance needed to come in.

All this was news to the maintenance guy. He did know the apartment next to us was flooded but he didn't even try to contact us?! (No message on our answering machine.)

After soaking up all the waters, then washing all the towels, I collapsed in bed -- just as the smoke alarm started beeping.

I called maintenance again. Apparently smoke alarms beep when they get wet. Taking out the battery didn't help, so we called maintenance AGAIN to learn how to pull the wires (the battery is only a backup). Even then, the damn thing continued to beep far longer than I expected. I was ready to wrap it in a towel and stuff it in a draw (or leave it on the porch) when it finally stopped.

Once again, I collapsed in bed. A few minutes later, Roger informed me that the smoke detector in his office was dripping again. I think I would have cried at this point if not for my anti-anxiety medicine.

The first thing Monday, I called the rental office to 1) make sure there's a note in our file saying no current or future water damage was our fault and 2) to find out why Mom and Dad's contact info wasn't passed along to the on-call maintenance guy. I also complained about the downstairs neighbor** kids who like to ring doorbells and disappear.

My next calls were to the bank and the realtor. It's time to house hunt!


NOTES
* These are the neighbors directly above us, the ones with noisy kids who fall out of bed frequently and play Wii a LOT.

** These children are apparently unattended while the parent works afternoons/evenings.

Good-Bye, Dear Little Friend

Our precious little Saffron died in her sleep the day after Thanksgiving, just two days after my last post. She was sleeping peacefully in one of her favorite beds under the Christmas tree and seemed to know Roger and I were both with her. She coughed very delicately a few times and just slipped away peacefully. I’m thankful for her peaceful passing and so glad she was home with us. I know we did all we could to give her a wonderful life but I miss my sweet little girl already and always will. I like to think she’s already in heaven with Sable.

Thank you for all your love and support during her illness, from all of us.

Cathy and Roger (and Sophie the oblivious cat who nevertheless howled at the moment of Saffron’s death)

Saffron Update

Saffron hasn't been doing so well recently. A couple weeks ago she had some kind of "event": she fell over, acted a bit weird for a few hours, and was back to normal the next day. There's no way to know for sure what happened, but since then, she's been acting like an old cat (pacing, vocalizing, and occasionally a little confused). The old cat behavoir appears to be unrelated to her liver problem or the "event."

I became really worried this week when her weight dropped to 4 lbs. (she should weigh about 7 lbs.). She's eating, but not nearly as much as usual. Although she's still drinking and getting around, I'm afraid she doesn't have much time left. We don't want to make "the decision" as long as she's not in pain and is still eating, drinking, and getting around. She seems comfy and happy -- I'm the one who is distressed! I guess we're never ready to say good-bye, no matter how much time we have to prepare. I'm still hoping that when the time comes, she'll leave us peacefully in her sleep. Until then, I'm going to sleep in the living room with her and love and comfort her as much as I can.

Here are some photos of her eating in bed (yes, she's the most spoiled cat on the planet) and sleeping in her favorite spot in the whole world (of course we put the tree up early just for her!). Say a prayer for my sweet little girl.

My Interview on Mystery Matters

Today I'm the guest on Mystery Matters, an internet radio show hosted by author Fran Stewart. You can listen live at the web site at 10 a.m. or listen later via the site’s archive or podcast at Mystery Matters.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Yesterday we visited the Star Trek Exhibit at the Detroit Science Center. It featured lots of costumes and props but the coolest part was the recreated bridge of the original series:





















That's my husband in the Captain's chair and I'm at Sulu's station.

A volunteer told us the set was one-third scale, except for the chairs. The captain's chair is one of three actual props. Yup, I sat in it, I just didn't get my photo taken there. That's right: my butt sat where William Shatner's butt once sat! At least I wasn't geeky enough to wear a uniform to the exhibit. :)

Reindeer Cherrries?

Sometimes being hard of hearing is almost (but not quite) amusing. The other day Mom gave me some Ranier cherries, but I thought she said "reindeer cherries." What the hell are reindeer cherries, I wondered.

They are beautiful cherries that look like this:





















Not like this:






















They were delicious and didn't taste anything like venison.

Back to Work!

Hoo-ray, the physical therapist says I can work again as long as I take frequent breaks and don't overdo it! Starting today, I am slowly working on updating my Fall classes. I figure it will take about a week.

Sadly, my Detective Fiction class, which I was really looking forward to, has been cancelled for low enrollment. Oh well, maybe things will work out the next time it's offered. In the meantime, that means I have only one class to prepare for Fall. Teaching four sections of freshman composition will be a LOT of grading, but it does cut down on the prep time.

I'm really annoyed with our Regents. They have changed our academic calendar and for the first time in years we'll start Fall classes AFTER Labor Day. That means exams will last pretty much until Christmas. Look at our schedule:

Sept. 8 -- Classes Begin
Dec. 14 -- Classes End
Dec. 15 -- Study Day
Dec. 16-22 -- Exams
Dec. 24 -- Grades Due

Yes, you read that correctly: grades are due on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve! Apparently our Regents don't actually teach and never have. Bah! Humbug! It's going to be a LONG fall semester and a very short Christmas break...

Going Paperless

I feel so 21st century: my husband and I have decided to cancel our subscription to The Flint Journal, the major newspaper for our area. Like many other papers, it's facing tough economic decisions and the recent change from daily to a three-day-a-week paper just didn't help. At best, it was good for local news (and the funnies and syndicated columns I like to read daily), but with the three-day format there was even less local news AND they got rid of a lot of stuff I do like.

For a while now I've been reading the funnies and syndicated columns online so the Journal's change to a useless three-day format made canceling an easy decision. Unfortunately, the Journal's web site is one of the worst I've every seen, so I won't be reading it. Sadly, the same company provides the web sites for most of the city papers in Michigan (Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, etc.) so they are all equally bad. I'll be referring the web site for my local ABC TV station for local news from now.

I'd thought I'd miss reading a printed newspaper but I don't. (It looks so quaint now on Miss Marple!) By reading it online I don't get ink all over my hands, don't have to worry about recycling, and never miss an issue because the paperboy forgot me for some reason. I think I actually prefer electronic format! I still love printed books but I'm also not opposed to ebooks and magazines, especially for travel.

Now I want a Kindle. :)

Damn Ragweed!

Argh! The ragweed has started pollinating early this year. I'm so allergic that I react to the merest hint of ragweed pollen. I'm so annoyed! We're having a lovely, cool summer and I can't leave my air conditioning (aka my friend the pollen filter) -- and the first killing frost usually isn't until the first week in October.

Enough whining! At least I have air conditioning and allergy medicine to make life tolerable! Even so, I'm dreaming of lovely October weather.

Saffron Update

Much to the vet's (and our) surprise, our sweet little Saffron is still hanging in there. She still appears comfy, eats a lot, and purrs a lot. Isn't she cute sleeping under her cat tree? It takes a comfy, secure cat to sleep with her head upside down!

Thank you to everyone who asked about her and sent prayers and good wishes for her. Her liver is clearly getting larger and we know her time is really getting short and thank everyone for being so supportive.

Surgery + Seven Weeks

Almost seven weeks ago I had surgery to fix my tennis elbow. What an amazing difference it has made! I had a regional, not a general anesthesia, and as soon as the numbness wore off the tendon pain was gone. The doc fixed the two tears, looked at the joint to make sure there where no problems, then sewed everything back together. The only pain I've had since surgery was muscle soreness.

The first 12 days I couldn't type with that hand or drive. For the first 6 weeks I wasn't supposed to lift more than 4 oz. with my left hand. Now I can type, drive, and lift 1 or 2 pounds (very carefully). I feel almost normal again!

I started physical therapy this week and we're going really slow to prevent re-injuring anything. I still spend lots of time resting and icing my arm. The cats love it because I'm available for cuddling. (It's going to be hard to go back to work in the fall!)

The doc said to take it easy typing (no novels or anything like that), so I've been limiting my e-mail, etc., but I missed blogging so I'm back!

Tendonitis Update -- It's fixed!

Surgery went well and I’m so relieved it’s over. The pain isn’t bad but I can’t use my left arm. I have bandages from my knuckles to my shoulder; can remove them Sun. but can’t use my arm until my follow-up visit June 3.

Typing with one hand is really annoying so I won’t be doing much e-mail or blogging. Thank you all for your kind messages, thoughts, and prayers!

Saffron Update

Our sweet little Saffron is still hanging in there! Isn't she adorable sleeping in her bed (above)?

A few weeks ago the vet tech thought Saffron was having trouble breathing. An x-ray showed that her liver is much larger and is pushing on her lungs, tummy, and intestines (which is probably why she has diarrhea). The vet said she might make it to July 4th, but he'd be astonished if she made it to Labor Day. We've known for a long time that her days are numbered, so we're just glad she's comfortable, eating a lot, and has no trouble breathing. If any of those things change, we'll have to make The Decision, but we're still hoping she stays comfortable for as long as possible and slips away peacefully in her sleep.

Saffron has never been a lap cat; she's just happy to be near me, especially if she can see me, but every now and then she wants to snuggle (below). I'm thrilled with every happy minute, every sweet kiss that wakes me in the morning, and every cuddle. Maybe our Miracle Kitty will surprise everyone again...

Free at Last!

After a very long semester (more on that later), I have turned in my grades and am ready to enjoy having the summer off.

Yesterday I celebrated my 46th birthday with my husband his parents by having dinner at Taboon's (a middle eastern restaurant). We got the mixed grill for four and had more food than we could possible eat; I swear it included everything on the menu!

Afterwards we browsed Border's Books where I had a butterbeer (warm frothy milk with vanilla, hazel nut, and caramel -- topped with whipped cream and more caramel). It was very sweet but very yummy! (For the unfamiliar, it's based on a drink in the Harry Potter books.)

The best present of all is that my sweet little Saffron is still here to celebrate our birthdays! Friday she officially turned 13 (but is probably much older) and Sophie turned 12 (which we are sure of).