Norwegian Knickers

Tasina...I think shoes may be a little less offensive than these get-ups! ;)

I guess all of the legging companies decided to create stockings to keep all the Scandinavian legs warmer.

Blogger play

I love BLOGGER PLAY! Discovering lots of new blogs and find that some are wonderfully humorous, some disturbing. This made me laugh!

This is truly magnificent
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipN6Rtt-w_UyyXg6ep37mXiFuCyBhqZ6CkJdcz6u9fPB3Nx-5mc9uajY0fHDL9gnwTmpZDuSWY7Dd6DuadeSmkeLBaeDX1apenj1mJQYtIoda3kNxqL7Ml_Q9_mJM0OpPBVkwL5IG2CNtS/s640/P1010527.JPG


Really???? Scandinavian????


Though provoking...

I swear this baby has the same expression as the dog lounging behind him!!! I am sure he is an adorable little guy, especially when he smiles!


No...really honey. I don't know who she was...you wouldn't recognize her anyway!

Drugged and Dangerous...according to the side-effect list

So I just explained that my doc put me on Prednisone. I have to say this list of side effects is disturbing...The ones hi lighted are the ones I think I have. Does this make me a hypochondriac? But wait...I don't see hypochondria as a side effect. The last item listed disturbs me...are there actual photos of this? Does it mean you develop double chins but only on one the left side of your face? What the heck?

Prednisone Oral

Common side effects:

Infection	Severe
Conditions of Excess Stomach Acid Secretion	Less Severe
Abnormal Trouble Sleeping	Less Severe
Increased Hunger	Less Severe
Nervous	Less Severe

Infrequent side effects:

Bleeding of the Stomach or Intestines	Severe
Osteoporosis	Severe
Diabetes	Severe
Cushing's Syndrome	Severe
Irregular Periods	Less Severe

Rare side effects:

Extreme Sense of Well Being	Severe
Depression	Severe
Pseudotumor Cerebri	Severe
Disease of the Nerves	Severe
Muscle Disease	Severe
Persistently Increased Pressure in the Eye	Severe
Increased Pressure in Eyes	Severe
Cataracts	Severe
High Blood Pressure	Severe
Complete Stoppage of the Heart	Severe
Slow Heartbeat	Severe
Abnormal Heart Rhythm	Severe
Chronic Heart Failure	Severe
Obstruction of a Blood Vessel by a Blood Clot	Severe
Obstruction of Blood Vessel caused by a Fat Globule	Severe
Vasculitis	Severe
Blood Clot in Vein	Severe
Hemorrhage of Blood Under the Skin	Severe
Fluid in the Lungs	Severe
Ulcers of Esophagus	Severe
Ulcer from Stomach Acid	Severe
Acute Inflammation of the Pancreas	Severe
Inflammation of Skin caused by an Allergy	Severe
Redness of Skin	Severe
Skin Stretch Marks	Severe
Hives	Severe
Rupture of a Tendon	Severe
Muscle Weakness	Severe
Nerve Pain	Severe
Delirium	Severe
Hallucination	Severe
Fit	Severe
Rash	Severe
Visible Water Retention	Severe
Fast Heartbeat	Severe
Trouble Breathing	Severe
Enlarged Liver	Severe
The Presence of Sugar in the Urine	Severe
Abnormal Liver Function Tests	Severe
Broken Bone	Severe
Wound	Severe
Life Threatening Allergic Reaction	Severe
Reaction due to an Allergy	Severe
Water Retention	Severe
Confused	Severe
Mood Changes	Severe
Paranoia	Severe
Over Excitement	Severe
Mental Disturbance	Severe
False Sense of Well-Being	Severe
Disorder involving Personality Changes	Severe
Abnormal Hair Growth on Body or Face	Less Severe
Acne	Less Severe
Feeling Faint	Less Severe
Sensation of Spinning or Whirling	Less Severe
Dizzy	Less Severe
Excessive Sweating	Less Severe
Temporary Redness of Face and Neck	Less Severe
Small Reddish-Purplish Pin-Point Sized Spots on the Skin	Less Severe
Scaling of Skin	Less Severe
Weight Gain	Less Severe
Head Pain	Less Severe
Hiccups	Less Severe
Feel Like Throwing Up	Less Severe
Swelling of the Abdomen	Less Severe
Numbness and Tingling	Less Severe
Not Feeling Well	Less Severe
Abnormal Fat Distribution	Less Severe

Interesting thoughts & Hospital stay

I have decided that I have none of the above. In order to have an interesting blog, you need to have an interesting mind. I have decided I am a very uninteresting individual and why would you bother reading my drivel.

This past week has been an interesting one. Sunday afternoon my family and I went to lunch with my grandmother-in-law. By Sunday evening, I was feeling a little ill. Monday morning I called in sick. Monday evening, I was so ill I used my nebulizer 4 times. I have asthma, and have since I was 12 years old. ***I have officially quit smoking by the way.*** While lying in bed I told my husband I was truly "afraid" to go to sleep. I was up every hour or two and using my neb even more. On Tuesday morning I went to Urgent Care. My doc at Urgent Care scared the @#$% out of me when he reminded me that Asthma is a life threatening disease. My O2 levels were considerably low and they sent me off to the Hospital.

While at the hospital...
Chest x-rays were take...negative.
Lab test were completed...negative.
18 neb treatments completed...helped me breathe.
I spent 2 days in that wonderful place and have several healing holes in my body to prove it.

There were a couple of nurses that I really appreciated. Sue was so helpful, thoughtful and willing assist with anything. She really reminded me why some people belong in the caring field.

I am still suffering. 4 nebs a day, plenty of pills (including prednisone), my lungs ache with each breath. I will survive, I will never smoke again. I will find a new "addiction" to replace that one.

I will blog about nothing. I will bore you to tears! Please continue to read my blog about nothing! It's really more of a diary at this point.

Tired

I have decided blogging is a difficult thing to remember. I have been so exhausted with family, work, dogs, local happenings and Special Olympics Bocce that I have had no time to do this.

I have 2 days left of Special Olympics and the Bocce season will be over, unless of course someone wins at the state tournament and goes on to Nationals! That would be exciting and phenomenal! We have a very new team this year, our area has never offered Bocce as one of the S. O. sports. During the summer season we have only had golf.

Our team did very well at the Area meet last month and I truly hope they do just as well at state.

The morning will begin at 4:45a, I will shower...pack my lunch and snacks, then off to town to pick up my athlete at 5:45a. On to the bowling alley where we board the charter bus and off the Blaine, Minnesota. Blaine is about 2 hours away from home. There we will meet up with approximately 1,000 athletes putting on their game faces.

I am very excited to be involved in the Special Olympics this year. Wish us well!

Chantix

My friend explained that if I said I was on Chantix...I might increase my readership! Did it work? Really I am not on Chantix...I quit a long time ago, then started smoking yet again...Sorry Tasina, I just didn't have the heart to tell you I started up again. Stress! That is my excuse.

Hey maybe I will finally tell my Dr. that I am smoking so he can prescribe Chantix. I think he might kick me out of the office because I have been lying to him...and I have asthma.

Smart I am not when it comes to addiction.

This picture is of my beagle...Scout, and Boo the Basset Hound. These two were best friends while Scout was with us. Scout was a mean ol' dog and was unfortunately put to sleep because of his aggression. Boo is a sweet loveable basset mix that has completely won over my heart. She now has a couple of other companions. Godzilla the cat, Chase the Cocker Spaniel and Mike the Dachshund. Boo and Godzilla clash like thunder and lightning. They regularly antagonize each other. I can't imagine my life without this crazy lot!

I really believe that one day when I am 50 or 60 I will have turned into that crazy "cat" lady every town has, only I will be the "crazy dog lady" on the edge of town. Dogs enter my life and I can't send them away. Most dogs I have owned have been rescues or second hand pups. Chase came into our lives after Scout was put down. His owner was unable to keep him after learning she would be moving and the condos would not allow animals. Mikey was owned by our neighbors who decided that 2 puppies at once was too much. Potty training a doxie is very difficult! Boo was chosen out of a litter of 7. She was the most active and friendly.
On to my CAT GODZILLA. He was rescued from a "gang" of kids who were enjoying torturing him in the middle of winter. I really don't care for cats...after all I am a dog person. When I saw those kids throwing bottles, snowballs and anything else they could find, I decide to rescue him. I tried to find his owners, who apparently did not want to be found. He really does deserve his name! He is mean, nasty, ornery, moody, annoying, expensive, self-absorbed, temperamental SHIT!!!
For all that he annoys me...I do like it when HE wants to be cuddly.
I realize that at this point my best friend is the only one reading this, to her I say, I am sorry I cannot come up with more interesting topics. So far this blog sounds more like memory lane or a poorly written memoir. Thanks for reading!

Fond memories

As I have said, I am owned by dogs. I wake up when they have to go out, feed them before myself, make sure they have enough water...take them to the vet regularly...in return I have the satisfaction of having a warm blooded animal snuggling up to me.

In the course of my life I have owned several dogs. Growing up, Rusty the Golden Retreiver was our family dog for 14 or so years. He was my first. My favorite memory of Rusty was running along side our pick-up on our way to grandma's house. We would stop a mile and half away from Gram's and he would jump out and run like the wind on the edge of the gravel road until he reached her yard. He would then run over to her well and drink from the horse watering trough until he swelled like a water balloon. He loved to lay under the enormous cottonwood tree that stood near the windmill.

By the time I came along, my grandmother's farmland was rented out to a local farmer, so the barn, silo, and grain storage units were rarely used. The rats really enjoyed the safety of the unused buildings and scraps that remained after the last grain was sent out. On the farm Rusty's favorite pastime was tormenting the local rats. He would flush them out of their hiding places, relentless run after them until he caught them. Rusty would grab them gently between his teeth and whip his head back while opening his mouth. The result was a flying rat that would flip and twirl in the air only to land and be whipped back into the air seconds later. Rusty would torment them for hours until they died or got away. He was an equal opportunity tormentor. The mice suffered the same treatment.

I miss having my old dog Rusty. He was laid to rest under that cottonwood that gave him shade while he was alive.

You will learn more about my other "family" in future installments.

Garage Sale Part II

I AM DEPRESSED!!! I have spent 6 hours purging my life's possessions, half of which I am glad to get rid of and the other feeling as if I am selling my memories. On one hand, I know that the memory does not live in an object...on the other I mourn for the memories lost by not having that knick-knack present in my life.

I have decided to celebrate the "life" of my knick-knack's. I will remember them as long as I can, and then let them go to live on in another's world.

Isn't it interesting that so many people go to garage sales. Why? I think that most go thinking "I'm sure I will get one helluva good deal" and the others just to accumulate more clutter.

I have come to an easy resolution to this mess we have created for ourselves. I may decide (when my son leaves home for good) to buy a large fishhouse, move a few items in and live out the rest of my days mortgage and clutter free. On second thought...I may need to have a garage built nearby just so my husband has a place to go. If we were to not have a garage (male sanctuary) he may not be my husband for long.

Continue to wish me luck on my purging efforts.

Garage Sales

My husband and I decided to have a garage sale to eliminate 50% of the clutter in our home and storage unit. I have never been a big fan of garage sales, the whole premise is somewhat irritating. I have agreed to said sale and now need to go through, what seems like a mountain of crap that I forgot I even owned! Maybe this is why garage sales are needed.



Keep me in your thoughts as I dig...and dig...and dig through boxes that have not seen the light of day in several years! YUCK!



I must ask myself, why did I ever bother to keep these possessions this long? Hopefully, in what I consider to be boxes of garbage, someone else will find treasure.



The sale is scheduled for this Thursday through Sunday. The smell of "old crap" will probably linger on my skin for the next week.

I am fearless....maybe!

After my best friend started her blog over a year ago, I finally decided to begin mine.

Phobia that I suffered from was driving over bridges, ESPECIALLY driving on one that crossed some sort of water. After I met my husband I had to face my fear of bridges. His mother lives in the Twin Cities and in order to arrive at her house, we had to cross over the Mississippi. Over the course of 2 years I progressed from keeping my eyes closed while crossing to being able to drive myself! This was a phenomenal feat in my opinion. (For some reason I still get nervous when I have to drive under a train bridge!)

After the 35w tragedy, I asked my husband (who was somewhat relentless in his jokes about my phobia) if my fear was grounded. He laughed for a moment and said, "Possibly." I really don't think that a setback in my progress is eminent, however, I do think I will pause when I do cross my next 100 bridges!

Living in Minnesota my entire life, I still felt removed from the collapse of 35w. My family and friends were not involved in this life changing event. It did hit close to home when I received a company wide email stating one of our A.P. staff, who offices out of the Twin Cities, was in her car with her family on the bridge when it buckled. Her family is alright, she needed to undergo surgery and I haven't heard the latest news on her recovery. My thoughts go out to her and her family.

I am very thankful that this tragedy will result in the careful examination of many of our nation's bridges.