Finally, One Fawn

 

Finally, one fawn has appeared. I've been looking for fawns since we arrived 6 weeks ago, but none made an appearance. Then on Wednesday, I saw this little fellow. But by the time I found my phone, he was hopping into the forest following his mama. She was walking very elegantly...and he was springing behind. Such exuberance.

The next day, one of my helpers saw him by himself in front of the shed. That proved that I was not seeing things. There is a fawn in the backyard. Yesterday, mama and baby made 2 appearances. I caught the first one on camera, he was running behind the truck and I got a great picture of my truck...none of the fawn. About an hour later, mama comes strolling across the backyard and trailing behind is her springy little fawn. At this age, fawns don't walk. They jump, gallop, and twist in delight as they make progress in the backyard. 

While I was happy to see the little guy cavorting around, I was not able to take a great picture of him. I was in the screened porch and I knew if I left the protection of the porch, mama and baby would scamper in the woods. I did my best and took a picture thru the screen. It's not clear, but there he is. The first fawn of 2025.

Welcome to the world little fawn!

Life in Geezerville: Pain Edition

It seems as if most of my friends have pain some of the time. The pain might be lower back, or sciatica, or knee, etc.--no matter the location, we all suffer from some sort of pain. For me, it's lower back pain that seems to have been with me for over 20 years. Who knows why? I go to PT for back pain and it does not seem to work, as the pain always comes back.

About a month ago, a friend told me about a "nano-pain-patch." His doctor recommended it as a way to stop pain. So he bought one...put it near his sciatic nerve and lo and behold the pain went away. He told me about this and I bought a patch on spec. It took 3 weeks for the patch to arrive and I received a package with 3 nano-pain-patches inside. I put one on my lower back and within minutes the pain was gone. It was GONE! My back felt absolutely normal, not that I have a lot of experience with a normal back, and I was without pain. What a kick! 

That's when I decided to do some research on a nano-pain-patch. The patch, which is reusable, is based on nano-technology using teeny-tiny capacitors. These capacitors work with the body's nervous system (aka electrical system). By placing the patch on the source of the pain, the patch sends a message to the brain via the nerve pathway to STOP THE PAIN. It does not cure the pain, it just stops the pain. While the pain is not cured, living without pain is a good thing. In addition, for me, I've never been able to find a "cure" the pain, but I've managed to stop it...and that's what the nano-pain-patch does.

I bought my patches from Amazon, and not all the comments are positive. Some say it does not work at all. Others say it takes time to find the source of the pain, and that it is frustrating trying to find the perfect location to place the patch. Other folks say it's a miracle. I happen to be in the "miracle" group. The nano-pain-patch stops my pain. 

Using a very non-scientific method, I loaned one patch to my PT person. I asked him if he could use on the other PT folks (not patients) to test it out. Two folks at PT used the nano-pain-patch, one felt relief and the other could not find the right place to locate the patch. As of now, I've given one patch to my sister, and another to a friend. I've yet to hear what they say. But for me, I'm a believer in the nano-patch. So is my friend, and several members of his family who now swear by the nano-pain-patch for pain relief.

There are a variety of nano-patches available, all with different sizes, shapes and prices. All the nana-pain-patches available at Amazon, seem to be reusable if you care for them. The reviews are mixed. Some folks say it works; some folks say it doesn't. All I'm trying to do here is tell you there might be a way to relieve chronic pain and if you have chronic pain, you might be a candidate for a patch. It will cost a bit of money but if relief comes from the patch, it's definitely worth it the price. Remember, we're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville: Coffee Edition

I have good news for coffee drinkers. You know how we've been warned not to drink too much coffee because it will do bad things for us. Remember that? For me that has meant one cup of coffee a day. You have to realize that my coffee cup is 16 ounces big (or small), but I've religiously only had one cup a day. New research is coming out saying that it's ok for seniors (aka geezers) to have up to four --FOUR -- cups of coffee a day. That's a big deal. 

The research says there is a link between coffee consumption and a reduced risk of frailty. So as we age, we become slower, weaker, and less mentally acute, but coffee can help solve some of those problems because it has caffeine. The caffeine gives our systems a boost and that boost helps us do more...and when we do more we become less frail. When we feel less frail we will walk more--and walking helps builds muscle and bone mass. When we feel less frail, we do more "things" and that helps with balance...and when we feel like we won't fall all the time, we will do even more. Lastly, when we feel more alert due to the additional coffee, we talk to people and that helps lessen mental decline. These are all good things.  So coffee is what gives us a boost to feel more energy and that energy is translated into the ability to do more things like walking, swimming, golfing, talking to friends, reading a book...you name it. And, all those things make us less frail. Therefore, coffee is good.  

So, when you feel like having another cuppa it's OK. It will help you feel better and in the long run give you a better body. Sounds good to me. Remember, we're all in this together.

PS..I'm going to make my second cup of joe now.

Going--Going-Vertigone

You read the title right--the vertigo is gone. I want to shout it from the treetops as I finally feel like my old self! I took a LOT of different medications none of which helped in the long run. Finally I saw the doctor I needed to see from the beginning. I saw an ENT and he knew what to do! Turns out I needed a muscle relaxant. 

One day last week I had a CT scan to see if there was an issue--and the CT scan came back showing NO problems. I knew that was wrong as I was dizzy. The ENT said that a typical head CT scan does not get all 4 sinus cavities in the head--it only gets one. Who knew that I needed a Sinus Cavity CT instead of a head CT. (Something to keep in mind if this ever happens to you--which I hope never happens!)

Someday last week I started the new regimen of pills and they seem to be solving the problem. There's another factor in the equation too--the pollen count is down and that is a big help too. 

All told, I had 27 days of dizziness. The most I could do was sit in one place, hold my head still, and veg out. I became good at that routine but that does not do the housework, or the cooking, or any of the stuff that needs to be done to run a household. I hope the vertigo is vertigone and I hope it does not come back for a long long time. Vertigo is something I do not wish on my worst enemy. 

I Tried

 Several weeks ago, on a TV newscast there was a call to send cards to a D-Day soldier who was celebrating his 105th birthday. The newscast said he wanted to receive 105 cards from all over the US. I took up the challenge and sent him a card.

Yesterday, I got the card back. For some reason the post office was not able to deliver it.

So, Mr. Denver Moore, D-Day soldier and World War II Vet. I hope you had a happy birthday. I'm sorry my little card did not arrive. 

I tried.

Allergy-Ville: The Saga Continues

Many people in the valley are complaining about this allergy season. I have lots of company. It's the worst one I've ever seen in the valley--and it's escalating. I now have a sinus infection in addition to vertigo. Miserable does not really describe this new kind of ugly.  

After 2 days of feeling pretty good, I was thinking that I had finally "nailed" the allergies to the wall, but  yesterday rolled around. It was the worst. I told folks I was going to see the docs at Urgent Care on Monday, but I felt great. No reason to see someone if you feel good. Tuesday was another story. I saw the doc at urgent care. He was very sympathetic. He implied my head was a like a sponge filled with bad sinus-juju.

He looked and poked and prodded and came up with a list of stuff for me to do. I think I came away with 4 new medications and a strict time-table to follow. Some meds I take 4 times a day, some twice, some once. I'm supposed to drink lots and lots of water and if I can get all the nasty allergy-gods to align forces, I'll get better. 

Send me good vibes. I'm laying low, away from the great outdoors and all the pollen. I'm really trying not to be cranky and rude but it's hard. I want to lash out at that invisible something that is bringing this on. It's a good time to paint some rocks -- I can't hurt their feelings. Remember, we're all in this together. 

Allergy-Ville: Rocky Edition

The saga of vertigo continues. It's not as bad as it was, but it is still rearing up its "ugly little head." The Prednisone has not stopped it..but antihistamines seem to be doing the trick. Lots of antihistamines. To that end, I can sit around and do nothing...or I can play. We had a beautiful afternoon. I felt pretty good. I found my cache of smooth, clean,  river rocks that I've been collecting for years and I painted four of them.

You have to understand something first and foremost: I am not an artist. I can crochet with the best of them, but when it comes to painting anything, I'm pretty talent-free. This lack of talent does not stop me from painting rocks, because my goal is to have fun, not create the Sistine Chapel of Painted Rockiness.

Today I tackled four little rocks. I tried a pointillist approach, which I call "aboriginal art" and happily tapped tiny bits of color on my rocks. It was so much fun. I did not have a pattern to follow. I did not have an idea where I was going. I was putting tiny dots of colored paint on a background. Pure fun.

In case you are wondering, I have now officially entered the cadre of "dotty old rock painters" and I love my membership status. Painting rocks is relaxing, creative, fun and a good way to forget that vertigo might start up again. There are not many rules but there are some guidelines.  First off you need to find the perfect rocks and collect them. That's part of the fun. Sometimes they are in riverbeds; sometimes in parking lots but once you belong to the cadre, you're allowed to hunt anywhere for smooth rounded rocks with a good painting surface. Next step is to wash them as soon as you get home. You can't paint dirty rocks and you can't paint wet rocks. So wash them right away to have them ready when rock painting mode tickles your fancy. Of course you have to have paint. I use acrylics in tiny jars and acrylic pens. Then you put paint to rock, mix in your imagination and you're off to becoming a member of the dotty cadre of rock painters. Give it a try. Remember, we're all in this together.