Monday, September 25, 2023

Maple tree forecast

 I have noticed the last few years that the east maple tree starts turning about 4 to 6 wks. before the 1st snow. It started turning 2 weeks ago.




She's watching to see if I come up through E's pasture. 

This year it's turning faster than last year. 

I need to get the stove cleaned and ready and the front porch set up for wood. Hubby is allowed to move wood (with breaks) starting next week. Since it's load the tractor bucket and move it we should be able to handle it with breaks. 

Tomatoes need picked LOL. I did get 14 quarts of pears canned, am making pear sauce of what is left.


This week... back to ER

Thursday:

We ate the last of the leftovers except biscuits

I got green beans done. 

I planted 6 varieties of garlic so that took 6 garden beds out from spring planting.

We bought a very old apple press. Hubby is bored. Right now we have E's kids pick the apples, E takes them to the cider press guy and we pay to have apple cider. E paid for the cider this year so we only got 1 gallon. His oldest boy went with Hubby to get the press (he made sure Hubby wasn't lifting). Hubby showed him where the Scioto river starts as it's runs past his grandpa and uncle's home. We will have to learn how to use this press. It takes about 40 apples to make a gallon of cider.


Friday:

Appts are time suckers. 

Worse when you already don't feel well and your great PA( I've watched him take on his own boss to back me) decides to become a wall and not listen. He thinks I should suck it up and get rid of what ever to pay for biologics when I am on Medicare. I finally told him I would when he paid my mortgage for the farm, the taxes and the insurance. He frowned at me over that. Doesn't want me to go back on the OTC meds I was on that worked before the company was sold and the idiots that bought it changed the formula to be worthless. Wanted me to have blood work done to find out if my biologic is not working (really? Like having break throughs every other time doesn't tell you that? and Not having that done either because I am not paying $250 for it) and was not happy when I said I would ONLY if I didn't have to pay out of pocket. One of the nurses told the doctor he is under and HE called me. He told me to pay the mortgage, do what ever holistic I needed to do and take the old formula (his wife takes it also). He grew up poor, he understands, knows he grandparents had to go without meds due to costs, has watched his parents at times do the same and even though he is a doctor, he is not a rich one and knows at some time he will make the same choices. What he does see is the ones that never had to make that sacrifice, or their parents hide that from them.... are clueless and are really going to struggle when they get older.

We stopped on way home at Hurley's Farm. We know they sell a variety  of winter squash. They even had the baby butternut so Hubby got 3 of them, we picked up 2 more Acorn squash (A's wife B  had a couple) I picked up 1 spaghetti squash. It's a so and so on our like list but it's another veggie on the table. We also got carrot cake, pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting and fry pies, pumpkin, blackberry and buckeye (we have no freaking clue but hope for peanut butter and chocolate)

We went and got my meds the PA insisted I have even though the ER put me on antibiotics.  Doc told me to NOT take that strength To take half (pharmacy back that as Doc called them to fix that order) and I can't take it while on antibiotics. 

We had sausage gravy over the leftover biscuits. Both of us is calling it an early night.

Saturday, Hubby was doing odd jobs in the yard and E come ask me if Hubby was allowed to do that before he stopped him. GOOD NEIGHBOR. Yes he is allowed. As of Saturday the 5 lb. weight limit was lifted though I noticed he still put the brace on the wrist that they used to enter his artery. He did some small odd jobs that has been on the list forever. Got the info to fix the solar pump then had to find old computer as the new one doesn't do ethernet cable and you have to have that to program it. He is going to let the company know they need to update how to program it. 

THEN  we were back to ER... this time not for us but Son 2 who is single was in ER. HE was vomiting, shaking, and BP was high. They thought heart attack. ER called and told me as he couldn't hold phone due to shaking. I told them his BP runs high, his old doctor refused to put him on meds because he was active duty and he is retired. ASK HIM when he last drank water instead of pop.... he couldn't remember... yeah. He was dehydrated. His VA doc and civilian doc now know he has a problem. His follow ups are this week. He also knows to lay off drinking pop when he is working a family day at the VFW or at least drink water every other time as they have bottle water. 

Not only that STUPID drove himself instead of calling the squad AND went to an ER that isn't connected to a hospital so would have had to transfer him to the hospital that was actually closer to him that the squad would have taken him to. HE got that lecture from the ER doctor and then another about having his parents who both had been in the ER in the past week drive 2 hrs. to come get his car and drive him home. 

Wait until Daughter 2 gets ahold of him as she is only 15 minutes from him and could have took him to the ER (attached to hospital) if he was that freaking concerned about squad bill. We thought he had called her and she wasn't able to go get his car and him... 

OF COURSE, that retriggered my Crohn's and Hubby's BP was up so we sat around on Sunday enjoying the decent weather. Hubby brought up how stupid it was for Son2 to drive himself to the ER with a possible heart attack. I said he is his father's son since he just was going to drive himself to Urgent care and WAS having a heart attack. 

I do have to order mesh bags for the apple press. Hubby wanted a ladder to use to get things out of his tool box on the back of the truck. I told him to use the freaking steps built in the end of the truck. He was not happy with me but I made it clear he was just being lazy and if getting into the bed of his truck using those steps was too much he needed to sell that big truck and get something smaller he could manage. 

Then he said something about buying another vehicle... NOT now, we have hospital bills to pay off and the next vehicle we buy I am picking out as it will be the one I drive the most. I am not just going after something that isn't a good fit and definitely not when I know there are bills in the thousands to be paid off. He got nasty mouthed (which is not his norm, well wasn't his norm until the dementia started that they know think was caused by his heart issues). I can handle nasty mean mouth. Mother was the champ in that contest. He came back two hours later and said he was sorry and figured he made the Crohn's worse... I asked for his BP... it was up also. HE sighed. Made note on his phone of talking over with his Cardiologist about his blow ups as he put it. I told him he was a grenade not a bomb if that would help. Got a laugh out of him but he was quiet the rest of the night which was peaceful. 

I know we don't NEED another car at this point. He is not working so we can balance doctor appts BUT I also know the work truck costs more to run as it's diesel.

He is struggling with what is a want vs a need. 

He can start on the wood shed this coming week.