Blog Time

OK, I guess this is gonna be the new way to blog - wait a while and recap. Better than nothing. Occasionally there will be special events that merit their own special blogs but otherwise - this is what you get!--


As Rick mentioned in one of his latest blogs I am just over a cold, most likely the swine flu. While I was sick he did some investigation and found that most people sick at that time had the swine flu. It was definitely a flu and that's what's out there now. But since we don't all run to the doc the minute we are ill they have no way to tell exactly what the statistics are, only what they can collect from those who are going to the doc. It was a typical flu, chills, aches, etc, etc. Only one week long, then a week of just yucks to follow and now a residual cough and asthma.--

Cookie was ill at the same time and I know that cats are often susceptible to the same illnesses we get so - who knows? I did end up taking her to the vet due to bumps all over her head. The vet determined she had an allergy to her food. The thought had crossed my mind because I had just started her on a new bag. So I got an antibiotic that I never got to give her but she's back to her old self now. She's still not exactly adjusted to her new non-allergenic food though. They also ran a test for a cat ailment, Bartonella, which can cause "cat scratch disease" in people. It is very prevalent in cats and causes problems all their life but is easily treatable with a 21 day dose of an inexpensive antibiotic. So she's on the mend for that as well, her test came back a strong positive.--

Our woodstove project is moving forward. This week we moved the stove into its new place and got the stovepipe through the ceiling. We hope to get the chimney pipe up and through the roof this week and be enjoying a warm house this weekend!--


Attempting to do this project as a team has caused lots of problems that we needed to iron out. I think last night we finally got to the root of the problem and how to solve it - communicate! Strange, but that almost always seems to be the solution!--

Monday we'll have another family member back in our midst - Rach's ex, Tony, from Cincinnati. After moving out there, trying to reconnect with his Ohio family and friends he realized that he was happier here. So, after finally getting his jeep to him and finalizing their divorce in June, he's on his way back. Maybe not to be remarried to Rach, but he'll always be family. She's flying to Kansas City to meet him and help him drive out. They plan to stop in Utah and visit my brother, Mark, on the same day that Rick and I visited last year - November 1!--

I've been looking for work and went on an interview this week. I'm looking for something that will be part time, close by and hopefully fun, or at least not awful. I interviewed to be a floral merchandiser at the nearby Covington Costco. Close, fun, but definitely NOT part time. It's actually 7 days a week! I think I would have gotten the job too, the guy really seemed to like me and kept making comments about things he saw in me during our conversation that were good for the job. He'll keep my name in mind, he said, to suggest to whomever he hires to maybe consider as a backup, to work a couple days a week so they can have some time off. That would be ok.--

Rick's cousin's husband, Danny, is actually an Alaska resident and works there often. This year was no different, he was there for months building bridges. He also did some fishing - very successful fishing! He sent pictures of a salmon trip they did where they caught 94 great, big salmon! He also brought home to Chehalis halibut, clams and scallops. They have a party every year and this year they shared their seafood bounty with friends. We looked forward to the event for months. We got to the house and the table was set with about 30 bottles of wine. There was finger food and Danny was in his element, grilling tons of food. Though I'm not typically a seafood lover I did try everything and it was all delicious. I even asked for seconds of the scallops and was too late, they were gone! No wonder, they were yummy. But about 20 miles into our 75 mile drive out there I discovered I forgot my inhaler and by about 8:30 I was done, all I could do was sit on the couch. We regrettably headed home. It was a great party, I schmoosed with just about everyone there, even the quiet older guy with the Einstein hair. We got home and were in bed about an hour later, I guess my request to come home was actually a timely one.--

I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out what is holding Keith back, why he stays up all night and sleeps all day. Why he doesn't go job-hunting and why, in view of all the above, he's so unhappy. In a conversation with Rick the other day we came up with a possible explanation that I wasn't seeing. He may follow in the family tendency of being depressed! Hey! I can do something about that! When I asked him if he thought that may be a possiblility he agreed. So I'm going to start him on a treatment of St. John's Wort. It would be nice for the old happy, talkative Keith to be back! He stopped talking back in middle school.--

So, unless something big happens, it looks like you can expect to see my next blog on your front porch in about 2 weeks!