And Snows and Snows . . .

The gorge is closed on both sides of the river. Marcus decided not to go to work last night because he didn't want to get stuck in Portland for Christmas. It is still snowing today. The bishop decided just to have sacrament meeting at 11:00 and only if we feel totally safe in getting out. It took me two hours of leaf blowing the snow to get the car and pathways cleared yesterday. Freddies was a madhouse yesterday. Of course Jim and I got separated in the entry foyer. I stopped to put change in the SA kettle and he was gone. It took about an hour to find him. People we know kept saying they had seen him, but I couldn't find him until he had Cheryl page me to the nutrition center. Fun times. Mark next door shoveled the sidewalk in front and the steps up to the house this morning. I though Harmony would like the view of the birdbath/barbecue. We made end up with more than two feet today. School was cancelled so I stayed home Thursday and Friday to get Jim to his appointments and to keep Mom from trying to drive with just all weather tires. After what happened to Daddy three years ago, I don't want her taking any chances. We got three boxes off to Guam last week. Hopefully we won't have a repeat of gifts arriving 6 weeks late. I still have more boxes to send, but they are not Christmas stuff. I will be baking goodies to take to work tomorrow to share with a couple of offices in our area of the building. I hope I can get there from here tomorrow. I really don't want to walk that far. Tomorrow our days start getting longer. :)

It snowed and snowed and snowed

The forecast was right on the mark. It has been snowing for 3 days and will continue through Christmas. In a brief break yesterday, I cleared the walk up to the front door. This morning it is as high as the step up to the front door. Beau liked it yesterday, but not so much at this depth. He chose the flower bed instead.

These are pictures I took this morning so you can envy our 20 degree weather and winter wonderland.

Snow in the forecast

Snow is in the forecast this week. I knew it was cold the last couple of days, but with some warm days before that. We got our roof fixed yesterday. The stove pipe is completely gone. It was really rusted. We took the dogs for a walk yesterday and it was comfortable in shirt sleeves for me. Jim had his heavy jacket, gloves, and hat to keep him warm. Later, we went for a walk with Amy and the kids on riverfront trail. By that time, it was getting pretty cold. Christmas activities are rapidly approaching. Grandma's workshop has got to get in high gear. I did get the tree up today. I like to let the grandchildren decorate it. It is so much fun to watch them enjoy each ornament.

The view from my window

I took a picture of Beau in front of the fireplace so Ryder went over and sat down in front of it. Beau couldn't be outdone, so he went back to get in on the photo op.









I wanted to share a taste of fall in the gorge in these pictures taken from by office window. Getting the right focus makes all the difference. I can't figure out how to delete the fuzzy one.

This is Beau the night before his visit to vet for surgery. He came through like a champ. He didn't even act like anything had happened until he jumped up on the couch. He and Buttons are going to the groomer together tomorrow. Another first for Beau. Since his surgery, he has not liked to be brushed like he used to.

This is our new fireplace. We like it a lot better than the big black wood stove that took up a huge part of the living room. Everything seems more open and brighter. It is also the perfect place to displace important family members.

Jim is having a rough time with the change in his medications. Today was the best day so far. We hope that in a couple of days, he will be able to get back to his regular schedule.

Beau & Teka

Beau loves to play in the pool. Teka wants to be wherever Beau is, but her legs are way shorter than his so she doesn't stay in as long as he does. We took Buttons and Beau for a walk this evening after it cooled off a bit. Compared to Guam, our temperatures in the morning are very cold now, but it gets up to the mid to high 80s in the afternoon. It is kind of strange weather for this time of the year around here. Usually as soon as school starts, it gets really hot. We didn't have very many days over 100 this summer. It rained several times in August. Jim felt well enough to go to sacrament today. He hasn't been for two weeks. Hopefully the Cymbalta is going to be helpful. He has only been taking it for four days and it is supposed to work faster than similar meds. We even went to a missionary farewell this evening.

59 and holding

Dylan has already shared the first cold of the school year before school even started. Since I don't feel very well and Jim's foot keeps him housebound for the most part, it has been a quiet evening. I did make it out to the grocery store. My new favorite snack is Nutella. Dylan got his hair cut for school so Jadyn had to keep up with him. She has a short bob that will be easier for her to take care of herself. Ryder is growing so fast. He is getting three molars at once inspite of the fact that all he has in front are his two bottom teeth. Nevertheless, all of our grandchildren have fantastic smiles.

Jim is officially a senior citizen

Today is Jim's 65th birthday. He went to the chiropractor to see if there was something he could do to alleviate some of the pain in his foot. It is really hard to imagine that is is now covered by Medicare. That means he finally has double insurance coverage again and finally able to get back some of the money he has been paying into the system all these years. Katy and Ryder came to visit and we got some cute pictures. Ryder climbed into Beau's kennel to check it out. He was able to turn around inside and come out head first so it must be plenty big enough for Beau.

Painful foot saga

After a long flight back home from Guam, Jim started having trouble with numbness and pain in his feet. The right foot is way worse than the left. His primary doctor treated him for a fungus which did improve, but the pain remained. The neurologist did a nerve conduction study that showed minimal nerve damage. He has been to the pain clinic in Hood River. They ordered an MRI and a bone scan. He has several bulging discs in the lumbar and lumbosacral area so they did an epidural steroid injection and a nerve block. What we have learned from all this is that he does not have a sympathetic nerve disorder which is a good thing, but they don't know what is causing the pain. We still maintain that is coming from the bulging discs. In order to start him on a new medicine called Cymbalta, he has had to stop taking both antidepressants to wash them out of his system. He should be able to start the new one by the end of this week. We truly hope that this gives him some relief. Fortunately he has no pain when sleeping. It has been a really rough summer and we have not done much except massage his sore foot and figure out ways to distract from the pain. Walking sometimes makes it better. Beau has been good little pal for him. Mom has also spent time at our house while I have been at work to keep Jim company. Hopefully, the solution is near. He is going to see a chiropractor again to see if he can relieve some of the pressure on the nerves in his back.

Happy Birthday Marie

It has been a long time since I have posted. I had to wish Marie a fantastic birthday.

She is my most favorite daughter-in-law and not just because she is my only daughter-in-law. She is so devoted to her family and such a wonderful mom.

Gardening

I love the mimosa tree. The blossoms are fantastic. The second picture is looking up into the tree. The hydrangea blossoms are on the same bush. They start out pink and turn purple. Beau thinks he is the chief cultivator. He prefers the bark to be on the outside of the flower bed and loves to dig it out. He is learning quickly that "outside" is his favorite area. Buttons has almost trained him to give her plenty of space. They actually took a nap on the floor together yesterday. Of course I was at work so I missed the photo op.

The boots on Jadyn

Edson is helping Dylan get all his gear on for roller hockey. Because he is in the youngest group, their games are at 9 a.m. on Saturday. We did make it to one game. Hopefully, next year we will make it to all of them. He had never been on skates until a week before this game. Most of the time, he was pretty stationary. The stick definitely helps with balance.

I shared the picture of Jadyn in my boots because she puts them on so the puppies can't scratch her legs when she is wearing shorts. She found out that long pants and shoes work just as well.

We took Dylan and Jadyn to the Discovery Center on the 4th of July. Dylan is standing next to a sculpture of the Columbian Mastadon. As you can see, it was a really big elephant-type animal. It is part of the Ice Age presentation.

Pictures

Tagged by Marie

This is Teka. Beau is nibbling on my toes. You can see

some of the swollen right ankle and foot.

3 joys: chocolate, grandkids, sitting in my adirondack chair in the yard listening to the leaves rustle in the wind.
3 fears: not reaching my goal at WW; flying, but I'm getting better; surgery
3 goals: pay bills early every month, save more and spend less, paint my dining room

3 obsessions: reading, knitting & crocheting, chocolate

3 random facts: I was 18 when I got my driver's license. I tend to be a night owl even though I really enjoy the crisp air in the early morning. I love crawling into clean sheets at the end of the day.

Alive and well

It's true, we are still alive and well. My fracture healed, but that ankle swells up like a balloon so I have to wrap it until that goes away. It seems like summer just arrived a couple of weeks ago. We had such a cold spring that dragged on and on. This week, we have been pushing 100.

We have a new puppy. Why are there two in the bed? We are puppysitting Amy's pup, Teka. Ours is Beau. Teka is the one with her tongue out. They are half Yorkie and half Papillon. They will not weigh more than 7 pounds when all grown up. Since they are terriers, they have lots of attitude and don't realize they are tiny. They wrestle till they drop. Their ears should stand up by the time they are 3 months old.

The Western Walker

On March 29th, I had just finished making the bed with our new cozy warm comforter when my ankle rolled and I was on the floor. After collecting my wits, I crawled over to the foot of the bed and pulled myself up, stood up and was able to bear weight on it so I did. I wrapped it with an elastic bandage for a week. This week I just wore my walking shoes, but last night it started hurting more and the swelling wasn't going down. An xray and visit to the doctor's office revealed that the lateral malleolus (the outside ankle bump) is fractured. Therefore I will be wearing a western walker for 6-8 weeks. Now I know how someone can walk on a broken ankle for two weeks before finally seeking treatment. It's not much of a fashion statement, but it is high enough to be level with some of my sandals. It is supposed to be 82 on Saturday.

Talofofo Falls

Talofofo Falls was one of the places we visited. This is where one of the Japanese soldiers hid for many years after the end of WWII. He hid in an underground cave that was only 3 feet high. We also saw pigs that wandered around the grounds with their piglets. We took a tram down to the falls. It seems that I am not only member of the family who is afraid of heights. Since we were four adults and four kids, it was a fun day. On the way to the falls we got to see lots of the countryside on the southern end of the island. It is so green and lush everywhere. There were so many beautiful flowers and trees. The roads were bumpy in some areas. We saw a few boonie dogs, but no snakes.