Happy Birthday to Me!

It was my birthday last week, and I have to say I have had a great birthday this year! I am quite proud to admit that I am 58 years old. I worked hard to get here, and I earned each and every year.

The celebration of my birth started with a visit from my best friend Kathryn. I have known her since the 2^nd grade (admittedly she thought I was stupid back then) and was so happy to be able to spend Friday afternoon with her and her family. Kat moved down to New York over 10 years ago, but since her entire family lives here she makes a point of coming up for a visit at least once a year. This visit just happened to fall on my birthday, so I’m counting it as part of my celebration.

I didn’t get a picture, since I had put my phone away so as to just enjoy her company without that particular distraction – but here is one from 2018 (not the greatest shot ever, but at least you get to see us both).

On Saturday I went out to dinner with Mother & Bryan to the Raven’s Perchrestaurant, up at the Knik Glacier. Or at least, I thought it was dinner with Mother & Brayn: turns out, Bryan had organized my whole family to surprise us by joining in! We had over 20 people (from age 1 up to age 86)! I was completely surprised’ even though my sister Kelly did kind of let the cat out of the bag earlier by telling me she might be able to come (thankfully I am rather dense at times and completely missed it). The restaurant was a bit overwhelmed by us all as they only had one waitress & one cook and their credit card scanner was being fussy – but they did a great job despite all that stress. The food was good, the company was even better, and you just can’t beat the view out there!

Tuesday was my actual birthday, but it was also a workday – so I headed up to my office early morning and started working away. Around 8:00 Bryan called up asking if it wasn’t Teatime yet, and wouldn’t I like to come downstairs to get some? Who can say no to that? When I got to the kitchen, I found a ginormous box wrapped up in a blanket on the counter! It was a Food Dehydrator – one that I’ve had my eye on for quite some time! I’m very happy with it and am looking forward to dehydrating all kinds of goodies: herbs, vegetables, fruits, even perhaps some jerky!!

Mother then invited us both out to a special Birthday breakfast at the (relatively) new restaurant in town called the Feather & Flour, so we both took an hour or so off work and had a lovely meal. Bryan had the BISCUITS & GRAVY, I had the ORANGE-CARDAMOM WAFFLE, and mother had a cup of their SOUP OF THE DAY (shrimp bisque).  The restaurant is in an old house that they have remodeled with a very European look – very clean and simple.

That evening we got a call from Bryan’s father wanting to take us both out to dinner, so we headed off to the Basil Ginger in Wasilla. Their food is always good, and this time was no exception. I had a yellow curry with tofu, Bryan had his sashimi, Bob had some coconut prawns, and Brenda had the kung po chicken. Again, I did not get a picture because I had put my phone away – but here is a shot of Bryan and his Father from last year.

Believe it or not, the celebration continues! It does end tomorrow, however – one can’t celebrate one’s birthday all year long, I suppose. Anyway, Sunday is another edition of our Family Craft day. I’ll post pictures of it later on, so keep an eye out for that!

Sandhill Cranes!

My Friend Tammy has decided that she really likes big birds, so wanted to get some pictures of the Sandhill Cranes as they come through on their way north. She had heard about the Dale Saunders Crane Sanctuary up in Trapper Creek that in the past has had hundreds of the birds in their fields. She asked if I would take a drive with her to go check it out, and I agreed.

On the actual day we planned our little adventure, she called me and said “I was just now plotting our course and realized that this is a two-hour drive! Did you still want to go?” Mind you, that’s 2-hours one way, so it’s a 4-hour trip all together, and we weren’t even sure there would be any birds!

But, I had nothing else to do that day, so we climbed in to her car and off we went. We stopped at the Subway there at the junction of the Parks & the Talkeetna Spur to grab a sandwich we could eat at the sanctuary, and still had 14 more miles to go. We did eventually find the place only to discover it was still buried in snow up to our waists. However, just as we were turning around to leave, she noticed something in the sky and asked, “Wait, is that… is that a crane?”

It was! It was a crane. As in, one (1) bird. We drove 2 hours - over 114 miles – to see one bird.

Oh well; we had a good drive and got caught up on each other’s news.

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So today, I’m driving around in Palmer and happened to see 10 Sandhill cranes fly overhead. I quickly texted her and then headed off to the cow fields to see if I could find any more.

Oh boy, did I find more! There was maybe 50 or 60 of them – and even a few swans, too!

Happy Birthday Stewart

It’s Stewart’s birthday today, so I decided to bring him some flowers. He would have been 63 years old.

I wanted to get one of those gorgeous Star Gazer Lilies or something like that, but the flower shop was closed and Carrs only had yellow ones. I opted for a prettly bouquet of white carnations: simple, pretty, and long lasting.

The cemetery is in rough shape right now. This time of year is always so ugly, with dust and winter debris everywhere. Soon enough it will green up and the city will clean up all the trash – I will go again in July to acknowledge his death.

Hard to believe it’s been 6 years already. There's so much he missed, so many milestones he didn't get to share with us. He didn’t even get to see our new house or know that we’re taking care of Mother. I really do miss him.

Tell me a story about him! How did you first meet him? He’s my older brother, so of course he’s always been there for me, but maybe not for everyone else, eh?

Not a Torn Rotator Cuff After All

I went in for my follow-up visit with Dr. Anderson yesterday and can report that everything is going well. Recovery is right on track! 

First the stitches were removed. The nurse snipped the knots off and then tweaked the threads out with what looked like a pair of pliers. The one in front and the one on the side did not hurt much at all, but (as I expected from last time I had surgery) that back one really stung. Thankfully that only lasted a few seconds and I was fine.

Then Dr. Anderson came in and took a look at my shoulder to make sure things were as they should be. I asked him about the 4th incision (the one I did not expect to receive) and he told me something rather surprising.

Turns out, I did not have a torn rotator cuff after all! Basically, my right bicep got torn off the joint and caused quite a bit of agitation. He had to detach the bicep and reattach it lower down in a new location. Then he went back up to the original location and "cleaned things up a bit". He showed me pictures while explaining things, which was really cool. 

The good news is that recovery should be a lot shorter than what we thought it would be, taking only 3 months instead of 6. The pain is a bit worse, but I can handle that. And (thank god) I only have to wear that sling for another week or two rather than the 3 months he told me at the beginning of all this.

He sent me home with about 6 stretches to do, to get my arm ready for strength training with the Physical Therapist. I start that at the end of April.

Torn Rotator Cuff

I somehow managed to tear some ligaments in my right shoulder which required surgery to repair. Trust me, I was not looking forward to this, having gone through something quite similar already not 10 years ago. But, I do want to be completely healed and healthy by October so I can do my volunteer thing in Argentina – so that at least provides me a “carrot” to aim for in my recovery.

I was pretty nervous the day before, of course (who wouldn’t be) and ended up with a killer migraine to the point where I actually spent the night throwing up all over the place. Poor Bryan followed me around with a bucket and some rags trying to keep me – oh, I don’t know… healthy? Whole? Sane? I was pretty far gone…

I made it through the night however, and showed up at the surgery center on time albeit extremely exhausted and wrung out. The doctors and nurses were all very kind, each one explaining what their roll was going to be in the coming surgery and what I could expect.

I got there at 12:15, pre-op took about an hour or so, I was wheeled in to the surgical room about 2:00 ish, and woke up around 4:30. By 5:30 they released me and Bryan drove me home. Not bad, all things considered.

Recovery has been a lot worse than I expected. I had a nerve block in my shoulder initially, which always messes with me. My skin was super sensitive and as the nerve block wore off my arm would randomly flop around. I was supposed to wear this sling with a big block to position my arm just so – but it really bothered me so I have to admit I didn’t wear it much. I do wear it when I go out, but not if I’m at home.

The bandages they sent me home in had to stay on for 3 days: very itchy and uncomfortable. When we finally got them off, we discovered that I not only have the three little incisions they told me I’d have but I also have a real gnarly looking 2” long incision in my armpit. That one really hurts!

Sleeping has been almost impossible as there just is no such thing as a comfortable position. The first week and a half were spent in my wing-back chair, which Bryan thoughtfully moved into the TV room so I could watch movies. Eventually I felt up to trying to sleep in our actual bed, rolling up a blanket for under my knees in an attempt to keep me from rolling over onto my side. That worked the first night, but by the second night I rolled over anyway and spent the next day in agony.

I’m doing a lot better now. The neve block is completely worn off. My stitches are due to be removed tomorrow. The cut in my armpit is looking better. I may even be able to drive soon!

This last set of pictures was taken just a week after the first set, and you can definitely see improvement!

Family Craft Day

While Bryan was in Australia I decided to host another Family Craft Day, so I invited everyone to join me at my house for an afternoon of crafting. I think we all had fun!

Tara came and worked on the buttons of her jacket and then on a embroidery project she’s in the middle of.

Heather, Tabi and Kaylee came. Heather had her beadwork with her, so she and Kaylee made zipper pulls while Tabitha worked on an art project involving lots of colored pencils and paper.

Laurel came with her daughter Autumn. Laurel had a crocheted lap blanket she wanted her mother to help her on, while Autumn joined Tabitha with their coloring project.

Kelly had her knitting to work on, but spent most of her time helping Laurel.

Noel brought her crocheting with her, but ended up spending most of her time with her grandson.

Katy even joined us but did not bring a project to work on since Henry is little still and requires all her attention – even with Grandma there to help.

We had lots of snacky things to munch on, with plenty of tea & coffee as well. All in all, it was a success! We decided to we should all get together once a month – so stay tuned for more craft days!

The Denali Overlook Inn

Bryan was gone for the last three weeks in February visiting his friend Leigh Anne and going fishing in Australia, so when he finally got home I took us both for an extra special Weekend Get-Away at a Bed & Breakfast in Talkeetna called The Denali Overlook Inn.

What a fantastic place that was! I splurged on the costs a bit, spending at least twice as much as I normally do on our little mini-vacations. But it was so worth it, if only for the view alone!

Our Suite of rooms was up on the third floor offering THE BEST view of the house. We could lay down in our bed and look out over the river to Denali – it was spectacular. We had plenty of room for Bryan’s fly tying and my card making. We even had a clawfoot tub for Bryan to relax in after a hard day of being pampered and doing nothing.

March being in the “off season”, the Inn was not providing breakfasts as they normally do – but for an extra $25 each, our host went ahead and cooked a very tasty breakfast for Saturday morning. We fended for ourselves for the rest of the meals – which is hardly in imposition as Talkeetna has several really good places to eat. We also brought snacks to munch on as we worked on our projects in our room, and our host baked the most scrumptious chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookies. We were well fed, that is for sure.

The room did not come with a TV as they showed in their pictures online, but thankfully Bryan had packed our portable DVD player along with the monitor and all his cords and what not – so we were able to watch our movies all weekend while working on our projects. The theme this time was: Outer Space. All the movies I chose had that in common: Apollo 18, Pandorum, The Europa Report, Galaxy Quest, Event Horizon, and Interstellar, to name just a few.

Botox

In my never-ending search for some relief from the Migraines that have plagued me since childhood, I recently decided to try Botox. My doctor was quite hopeful as she has seen a lot of her other patients respond quite favorably to it.

First, however, we had to convince my insurance company that I actually did need it. Thankfully my doctor went to bat for me, taking several months of phone calls and lots of paperwork. Eventually they agreed to pay, so my first session was scheduled for a Saturday morning, giving me the rest of the day in case I reacted to it.

Botulinum toxin, or botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), is a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum and is used for both medical and cosmetic purposes. For migraine prevention it is injected directly into the muscles around the face and on the head. The location of those injections is different for each patient based on their particular migraine experience. The procedure is repeated about every 6-9 months.

For me, my doctor injected about 5 doses around each eye and another 10 or 15 (I lost count) in an arc from one temple up over my head to the other. The needle she used was very tiny, so it didn’t hurt much at all. But it is poison and my body did not exactly enjoy the process. The whole procedure took maybe 15 minutes, so I headed on back home with a brief stop at the donut shop for an apple fritter, because Hey – I earned it!

I was hopeful, but sadly I did not respond well to it. I had no change at all: my head still hurt just as bad and as often as before. Unfortunately Botox is now added to the ever-growing list of treatments that don’t work.

Once I got my bill I was actually quite happy it did not work for me. The treatment cost well over $4,000.00 of which my insurance company paid roughly $200.00.

Here's Your Sign

My sister Noel, as I am sure you all know, owns a hair salon in Palmer called, coincidentally enough, Noel’s Hair Salon. It’s just a small shop with three chairs and a few rooms in the back for the more private stuff. She has one girl working for her who is very good at taking over whenever she needs to tend to family matters. 

I stopped by the other day for a visit and saw this sign in the window.

I thought to myself, “That’s a horrible sign! I can do better.” So I started designing a new sign in my head, listing out all the materials I would need and the new dies I could buy for myself (it’s justifiable! These are for a gift!).

My biggest problem was figuring out how to handle the different times at the bottom. Not all lunches are going to be at the same time, so they needed to be able to write down a different estimated time of return each time they use the sign.

I thought at first I could make four or five little cards that could be placed in a little pocket: each sign having a different time on it. Like 12:30, 1:00, 1:30, and so on. Then I could attach an envelope to the back of the sign to hold all the cards. Not a bad solution, actually.

But then I came across this nifty stuff: it’s like duct tape, only it provides a dry-erase surface like on a White Board! I cut out a little plaque, covered it in white board duct tape, attached it to the sign, and there you go – they can write down any time they need to!

I have to say I’m rather pleased with the end result. I hope she likes it!

¡Progreso! (Progress)

I had the most excellent meet-up the other day! I’m so excited about it.

Several weeks ago, I had posted a question on the Palmer City Buzz Facebook group, asking if there was anybody who spoke Spanish who would be will willing to meet with me once a week for lunch (my treat) and tutor me in Spanish. I got a lot of replies, mostly from people who had suggestions on aps to use and/or websites to go to. One girl did volunteer, and I think she’s going to help me a lot in my endeavor to learn a foreign language, but we have to wait until she gets home from College this spring.

The best thing to come out of that post, however, was the creation of the Conversational Spanish Meet-up group! Which is basically just a group of people who want to practice their Spanish together. We meet once a month at The Black Birch Bookstore in Wasilla, and basically just chat with each other.

Our first meeting was a little awkward at first. There were four of us, and we really didn’t know what to do. So, since I am the one who put the whole thing together, I just started out by telling them WHY I did it, and what I wanted to gain from it. Then each of the others told their story about why they were there and what they needed to get. That got the ball rolling, and from there we just kept going.

One of the ladies had her three children with her. She told us that the kids were enrolled in a Spanish Immersion school, and she was just trying to keep up with them. Two of the kids spent their time browsing the bookstore and playing with toys they had brought with them. Her oldest son, however, actually sat with us at the table and participated in our group discussions. His name is Jackson, and he was awesome. I love that kid! If I were to have a son, I’d want him to be exactly like Jackson. He was very respectful and polite, and yet confident enough to not only answer questions in full sentences, but to even ask his own questions and contribute to the conversation. And he was only 13 years old! At the end of our meeting, he said that he had fun and wanted to be a part of the group from now on. Go Jackson!

Another lady told us that she had recently taken a DNA test and found out that she was 100% Spanish. Apparently, she had been adopted and had not known that about herself. She felt the need to connect with her roots by learning her native tongue.

The third person in our group was a Sophomore in high school who was teaching herself to speak Spanish (she already knew how to Sign fluently). She was painfully shy and barely spoke above a whisper, but by the end of our meeting she warmed up enough to even ask some questions.

And then, of course, there’s me – struggling to learn a new language so I can go meet up with my friend Marina down in Argentina.

Conversational Spanish

In preparation for my trip to Argentina this fall, I looked in to getting some Spanish Lessons. I eventually found an on-line school called Varsity Tutors who offer Conversational Spanish. I called them and found that it cost $269.00 for what I thought was an hour each week for a year; each lesson is one-on-one with your tutor via their education platform on-line.

Sign me up!

Except that, now that I’m two classes in, I find out that it’s actually $269.00 each MONTH! That makes it over $3,200.00 and I simply can’t afford that.

I’m really bummed. I was having fun with it and just knew that it would work for me. My tutor was a black man who was born in New York by parents who had immigrated from Ghana. He had spent 2-4 years in Korea where he met his wife and moved to her homeland where they now live in the Philippines with their son.

I bought the textbook my tutor had recommended for class, and still have that. I can assign myself homework each week, eventually making my way through the entire book. And – since I own it, I can repeat it as often as necessary to make sure it sticks around in my head. I also bought a set of flash cards (201 Spanish Words and 201 Spanish Phrases) so I can practice with those on our Weekend Get-Aways. Bryan might be persuaded to quiz me with them each night.

I also reached out on Facebook and found a young girl right here in Palmer who is willing to meet with me for lunch once a month to help with any difficulties I may encounter. This will be invaluable, no doubt – but won’t happen until spring when she gets home from college.

In the meantime, I also found a group of people who speak Spanish and want to get together once a month just to keep practicing together. To that end, I set up a Meet-and-Greet at the Black Birch Bookstore in Wasilla this Saturday at 1:00. There’s no agenda or any kind of requirements to attend other than that you speak the language. I’m hoping the group will meet every month, either there at the bookstore or somewhere else if need be.

So, While it’s not as great as I thought it would be – I still have hopes that by the time I find myself down at the opposite end of the world, I just might be able to actually speak to a few people.

The Bullet We Thought We’d Dodged

I was so proud of myself for having not gotten COVID in our household for the past two years – but it finally happened.

Bryan had been feeling pretty crappy over the weekend but didn’t think anything of it. We even went to the movies on Monday (first time in over two years – we saw the new Avatar movie). By Tuesday he was down for the count though so on Wednesday I talked him in to taking a test.

Sure enough = positive

He is now sleeping on a pallet upstairs in his future pool room. Mother has been instructed to stay away from him. And since I have to work all day at “my office” I only need to worry about our dinners.

Hopefully we can contain it.

Christmas Pajamas

Each year, Bryan and I give each other a new pair of Pajamas on Christmas Eve, so that we can wear them Christmas Morning for opening gifts. I borrowed the idea from my sister Noel, who always used to do that for her kids.

It’s nothing fancy – but I love my new PJs from Victoria’s Secret. Mother got a set from Land’s End – dark blue and made of soft Tencel. Bryan’s is also from Land’s End, and I must say he looks quite handsome in his long-sleeved black t-shirt.

Penguins!

My annual review was the other day – although technically it can’t actually be called an annual since it was the first one I’d ever had. I suppose that speaks to their intentions, I guess. Anyway, in preparation for the review process, we were given some forms to fill out as well as a copy of the National Standard Pay Rates for people in our business. We were instructed to compare our own salary with what was listed, to see if we were being properly compensated.

I looked through the list and found three positions that could be used to describe what I do: Drafter, CAD Operator (Senior Level), or Designer (Architectural). Since my business card has me listed as a Senior CAD Designer, I went ahead with the middle choice. According to that – I am woefully underpaid.

During my actual review, my boss admitted to the shortage and said “I’ve never given such a substantial raise before, but we have to bring you up to standards!”  and not only that, but he made it retro-active to the beginning of 2022!

Hot Damn!!! I am now $8,000.00 (before taxes, of course) richer with a salary much higher than it was.

So of course, I immediately called Earthwatch and signed up for another expedition – this time I’ll be going to Argentina to work with Penguins!!!!

I’m so excited. I have a friend who lives in Buenos Aires, so I plan to stop in and visit her either before the expedition or on my way home, depending on our schedules.

In preparation for the trip, I have already signed up for Conversational Spanish lessons, and have plans to join a gym to get into better shape.

Lunch at Long Rifle Lodge

To celebrate the sale of my house in Anchorage, I took Mother & Bryan out to lunch at the Long Rifle Lodge. It’s a bit of a drive and the weather was not the greatest – but I just love that place, and I knew that Mother would enjoy going out there.

She was a little confused and kept thinking it was his birthday, but she really did have a good time remembering all her old stories from working out there all those years.

She ate an entire cup of chicken soup with wild rice & mushrooms. Bryan had a burrito with black beans & quinoa (seems I’m rubbing off on him finally) and I had a salmon burger with fries.

It was a fun day!