Starry night on the prairie

Had a delightful lunch with two college classmates of Jim’s.  They were both lovely people and I enjoyed our conversation.  Lunch was easy to fix and serve.

I haven’t gotten much else done today.  I laid down for a short nap this afternoon but didn’t sleep long.  I didn’t have a good night’s sleep last night am feeling tired again today.

Nothing on the calendar for tomorrow.  I did some house cleaning this morning so won’t have to do that tomorrow.  Maybe tomorrow I can get back to my Doulagiver material and see what I need to do to get things wrapped up.

I had a reminder today about how important the Doulagiver work is.  A friend of my daughter died and his surviving brother has no idea what his brother wanted as his final legacy.  It is a wonderful gift to give your family to make your final wishes known and recorded.

Thursday we are going to KC to meet with our attorney to make some changes to our wills.  We haven’t changed them since we got married.  I want to simplify my will and make it easier for all to understand what I want to happen.  I also want to make a change to my living will.  I learned in class that giving a dying person fluids is not a good idea as it can cause pain and discomfort.  My living will has a request to use fluids and I want that removed.

Still working on password changes.  Sure wish I knew what I was doing sometimes.  Sometimes they go so easy and other times I can’t figure out what I am doing wrong.  I go round and round and can’t find my way out of the circle I create.  It is hard when you can’t see what you are typing for security reasons.  Sometimes the site will let you reveal it and some sites won’t.

I didn’t hear from the Vo-Tech teacher so will need to try another avenue tomorrow to find a tech person to make a house call.  Anyone know of someone you can recommend?

Grateful to have some of Jim’s friends for lunch, grateful for a free day tomorrow, and grateful the password situation is getting closer to being done.

Another beautiful day on the prairie today.  It warmed up but not too much.  The 90’s will be back for the next 7 -8 days.

I made a few phone calls this morning.  Somedays I find it impossible to make a phone call.  Today I was able to do so.  I called Modern Air to get on their schedule so they could get my propane fireplace going for the winter.  I told them it wasn’t urgent.  This afternoon they called and told me Justin could stop by today.  That was fast!  He came and got it cleaned and working.  I missed it last year as it wasn’t working and I never did call them to come fix it.

I called the vet’s office to ask about the chickens.  I got to talk to one of the Vets.  He said he didn’t think it was Avian Flu as it would have wiped out the whole flock by now.  I asked about mites and he said they were rarely fatal.  He did say they may have a parasite and if I wanted to I could bring in a fresh stool sample and they could check it.  He also said this happens with chickens after they turn 2 and there wasn’t much that could be done.  Some of them are molting already and sometimes it can cause problems for them.

I left a message with the Technology Department Head at the Vo-Tech and left a message for her to see if she had a student that could make a house call.  I haven’t heard back from her yet.

I called and ask the service station to order tires for my car.  They will call me when they get them so I can take it in and get the tires replaced.

I went to Emporia to get a small ham to make ham salad for lunch tomorrow.  A couple Jim went to college with are stopping by for lunch and a visit.  While I was in town I picked up some Diatomaceous Earth to put down for the chickens to dust bathe in and some granulated Diatomaceous Earth to add to their feed.  If they have parasites or mites, that should take care of them.  I went to the Tractor Supply store first and the lady that attempted to help me wasn’t too helpful.  I then went to Bluestem and found an older guy that knew what he was doing.  I had asked for Chicken Deworming medication and he recommended the Diatomaceous Granulated to add a small bit to their feed.  We will see if it helps.

Came home and made some chicken salad, ham salad and deviled eggs for lunch tomorrow.  I will make a potato salad and a dessert yet tonight and call it good.  I will need to get up early and do a bit of cleaning as I didn’t get that done today.  Maybe tonight I will get some done.

I am tired this evening.  I got two sleeps last night but didn’t feel very rested when I woke up.  I’m back to my old, bad sleeping habits.  Two nights of good sleep was wonderful.  I missed sleep last night while I was up between 4:00 and 6:30 this morning.

Feeling a bit ungrounded and restless tonight.  Not sure why.  It is full moon week and sometimes that can pull me off-balance.  We sat out for about 20 minutes last night and watched the moon rise.  I missed it the night before as it was cloudy.  The moon was beautiful and I love how it turns colors from the top down as it rises on the horizon.  The sunset tonight was a plain Jane one but the simplicity of it was beautiful.  I sure am enjoying being back on the prairie and seeing the horizon.

Grateful I was able to make some phone calls today, grateful the fireplace is ready for the winter, and grateful it is almost bedtime.

 

Another quiet day on the prairie – just the way I like them.  The sky was bright blue all day today and it only reached 75 today.  A perfect type of day.  There is a hint of fall in the air.  Unfortunately it is going to warm back up this week and reach into the mid 90’s most of the week.  I’m ready for soup, sweaters, and a fire turned on in the fireplace.

We lost another chicken today.  That makes three in the last two weeks.  I will call my vet tomorrow and see if they can help me figure out what is going on.  At this rate, I will not have any chickens in another month or so.  They are barely laying right now.  It is too early for them to be molting.  Wondering if they have mites.

Didn’t get much done today.  I attempted to get my new password program to interface with my desktop, iPad and iPhone but didn’t get very far.  I did figure out there are two separate apps that run it but I can’t find the place the instructions show to set up the interface.  They need to write instructions for computer illiterate people like me.

We are trying to get Word installed on Jim’s new laptop computer and keep running into problems.  Sure wish I could find a computer tech person to come to the house and solve both of these problems for us.  The two people I have used in the past are no longer available.  I may call the Tech College or ESU tomorrow and see if they have any students that make house calls.

I watched two movies today.  I usually don’t like to watch movies but it seems to help me relax right now.  I like having the bigger screen to watch them on instead of using my iPad.  I also can work on my iPad now while I watch – or more accurately- listen to the movie.

Nothing on the calendar for tomorrow except to make some phone calls to try to find a computer tech and to the vet to see what is going on with my chickens.  Jim has a college classmate stopping by for lunch on Tuesday so will need to do a bit of housework to get ready for that.  I am fixing ham salad and chicken salad for sandwiches along with deviled eggs and chips.  I will need to come up with some sort of dessert.  Easy meal to fix and serve.

I got more sleep again last night.  Two nights in a row I got more than four hours of sleep.  That doesn’t happen often.  I’ll go for three tonight.  I could get used to sleeping.

I’ve managed to eat on plan for two days in a row.  I got hungry this afternoon but didn’t snack.  I can tell I am detoxing from the stuff I ate on vacation that isn’t on plan.  Trusting I can repeat my success again tomorrow.  One of the things they teach you on this plan is to take it one day at a time and not look beyond that.  Each morning I tell myself, “Just for today I will stay on plan”.  That seems to help if I remember to do that.

I do need to call my fireplace repair guy and have it come look at the fireplace.  I didn’t use it last year as I couldn’t get it lit.  I really enjoy having it so need to get it fixed so it is ready to go when summer decides to be over.

Grateful for the beauty on the prairie today, grateful for a relaxing, quiet day, and grateful for sleep two nights in a row.

A quiet day on the prairie today.  I slept a lot last night without taking a sleeping aid.  I think all the drama over the last week caught up with me and I crashed.  I sure would like to sleep like that every night.

I made chocolate chip cookies and took the dough to my grandkids.  Tagen had his wisdom teeth out Thursday and can only eat soft foods.  I thought he might be able to eat a chocolate chip cookie right out of the oven when it is nice and soft.  Since I was in town, I stopped and got some groceries.

I worked some more on changing passwords today.  I think I am almost to the end of it but am sure I will continue to find others.  I tried turning off the iCloud password manager and use the new one but didn’t have much luck.  I figured out today that I have to put the website address for each password in the password manager.  Some are in there and am not sure how they got there.  Sometimes technology and I are not good friends.

I signed up for Netflix as we both have a few movies we want to see.  Jim enjoys movies more than I but sometimes I get in the mood to watch some.  I happened to remember we have a small TV downstairs that we don’t use and had Jim bring it up.  I was pleased that I was able to get it up and running via the internet connection.  I watched one movie and Jim is watching one now.  I will enjoy watching movies while I knit this winter.  The TV is just the right size to fit on my end table by my chair.  If something special is going on we can watch TV in the living room now.  Not sure why I didn’t think of this before.

The prairie got some rain today.  Last I checked the rain gauge we are still under 1/2 inch but any rain is welcome.  Wished it would rain all night.

It was so nice to have a quiet day at home.  We both needed it.  It finally feels that all of me has gotten home.  It took a bit for that to happen.

We don’t have anything on the calendar until Tuesday when some college friends of Jim are stopping by for lunch.  It will be so nice to have a couple of quiet days at home.  Nothing that I have to do except continue to work on passwords as I think of others that need changed.  I want to get back to my Doulagiver material and finish up the last few parts of the classes.

I got back on my food plan today.  My body feels better tonight.  It is amazing how much better I feel when I stay on plan and don’t cheat.  Remembering that though is not always easy.  I have little self-control sometimes, especially when there are chips, Cheetos or something like that around.  I ate some sugar accidentally a couple times on the trip.  It has caused my cravings to kick in and I will have to detox for a bit to get over them.

Grateful for the rain that fell on the prairie today, grateful for finally getting all of me home, and grateful to be back to our quiet rhythm of life on the prairie.

 

 

I got a phone call this morning at 8:15 from the KS Dept of Revenue.  I had booked an appointment to have an in-office visit with them for next week.  I need to change the banking information for the withdrawal of our KS State Estimated Income Tax Withholding.

The lady that called said she could help me over the phone.  However, when she got my information she couldn’t find the records in her files.  The files showed I had paid two of the four payments due this year but she told me my accountant must have set me up using a third party payment system and she couldn’t help me.  She transferred me to someone higher up that could access the files deeper.  They told me I needed to call my accountant.

I called my accountant and they told me I was paying through the state withholding system and they couldn’t change the banking information.

I feel like a dog chasing it’s tail.  Round and round I go and where we stop, no one knows.  The lady called back this afternoon and was puzzled but couldn’t take it any further.  The accountant is going to print me out a voucher and I will mail the January payment mid December so hopefully the state will have enough time to stop the automatic withdrawal that is due January 15.  I will alert my bank to not honor the withdrawal if one comes through.  It will be on the closed account so hoping that will stop it.

When we got our mail today, we had a refund check from the IRS.  We had to amend our 2020 taxes and pay some additional tax.  While we were on vacation I had gotten a letter from IRS telling me that they didn’t understand why the tax return was amended and that they were returning the additional money we paid.  I called the accountant to let them know I got a refund check.  They told me to sit on it as I did owe the taxes and will have to return it when they figure out how to explain to the IRS their job.  Round and round we go, and when we stop, no one knows.  This all started when the state sent me an inaccurate tax form.  I have little faith or trust in the tax department of the state of KS.

We took my car to get the oil changed today.  Found out I need new tires.  They will need to order some and then I will take it back sometime next week and get the new tires put on it.  I keep getting emails from the Subaru warning system that my Star Link system isn’t operating correctly.  The emails started the morning of the break-in.  Not sure if something didn’t get connected when the window got replaced or if it is even related to the break-in.  Unfortunately the local guys can’t fix it so will have to take the car to Topeka sometime soon and see what is wrong.

While I was waiting for the oil to be changed, I went to the local bank to see what they recommended so I could monitor my account there.  They are going to enroll me in on-line banking for free for the next six months so I can check the account daily and make sure there is no fraud going on with that account.  I have no idea what, if any other information the bad guy got hold of.  Better safe than sorry.

Spent hours today changing passwords.  I got my replacement debit card today so was able to start changing banking information on some of my auto-bill pay accounts.  I haven’t got all of them done yet but made a good start.  It is so frustrating as some of them I can change on an app and some I have to go to a website to change.  Some go so easy and others take me five or six tries to get them correct.  Changing passwords is like that too.  Just about the time I think I am getting the hang of it, I will run into one that I can’t seem to figure out how to change.

It is nice to be able to pay for things again.  I don’t have any checks as the ones I have are for the accounts that were closed.  The bank ordered more checks for me but they haven’t come in yet.  My other debit cards were for the old accounts too.  I am grateful Jim has some credit cards that we didn’t have to cancel.

Jim and I met some friends at Union Station for dinner tonight.  It was a delightful evening.  I needed a break from password and banking information. It was a wonderful and relaxing dinner.  The food was great and the company even better.

We don’t have any plans for the weekend.  Ellexia has requested some chocolate chip cookies so I will get those baked in the morning.  I need to get a few groceries so will take the cookies in and stop at the grocery store.

Tomorrow night is full moon.  The moon is beautiful tonight and casting moon shadows over the prairie.  We have a good chance for some rain tomorrow early evening so may not get to enjoy the full moon tomorrow night.

Grateful my debit cards came in today, grateful for friends that made an evening out a delight, and grateful for the beauty of an almost full moon on the prairie tonight.

It has been a productive day of sorts on the prairie today.  Jim had a doctor’s appointment this morning so we were both up early.  While Jim was in Emporia at the doctors, I got on the phone and talked with my bank for over an hour.  I finally have access to all my accounts.

Last night I loaded and ran the software that checked my computer for malware.  The bank required me to do that before they could give me access to on-line banking information.

The lady I spoke to today was wonderful.  She clearly explained all that they are doing and will be doing for the next 90 days.  Four new accounts got opened and funds transferred to them.  New debit cards and checks have been ordered.  The bank will monitor the old accounts and cover any withdrawals or deposits that come in that I can’t get stopped and transfer money accordingly to the new accounts.

I was given the new checking account number so I could start notifying the companies that I have set up to do auto billing with.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have much success with that project as most request the credit/debit card information and won’t accept the checking account info.  There is an order to changing everything that I have to follow due to restrictions like that.  Each company does things differently.  I’m trying to make a list of what I am doing and where I am with each of them so when the credit/debit cards come in I can  go back and try again.

I purchased a new password manager program to use but am struggling to learn how to use it.  As I checked the different accounts I started using the new password manager and change the password to a much longer one than the ones I had been using.  I ran into some walls though.  I changed it for one of the companies using the password manager first.  I carefully copied and pasted the new password and when I finally found the correct spot to change the password, I copied it in.  It wouldn’t accept the new password because it had too many symbols.  Dang!  This is complicated.  I then had to go back to the password manager and change the new password back to the old one.  I may have said something naughty.

I have over 20 accounts to repeat this process with.  Maybe by the end of it I will figure this thing out and the process will go smoother for me.

At noon today we went to the Grand and met the Democrat running against Jerry Moran for KS Senator.  We both really liked him and his moderate approach.  I’m not sure he has much of a chance to win but we will do a bit of volunteering for him and see if we can get him there.  His focus is on the younger voters and disenfranchised voters that came out in support of the defeat of the Amendment proposal in August.  If they all would vote for him, he might have a chance.

Jim took me to Emporia this afternoon so I could drop off a letter we had gotten from the IRS at my accountant’s office.  My taxes had to be amended and the IRS was confused about what the accountant had done.  I also had to deposit a rent check and give a bank the police report file number so they could put an alert on my rental properties checking account.

I took a two-hour nap this afternoon.  I had woken up during the night and I was very disoriented.  I didn’t know where I was.  I was up for about three hours before I got another hour of sleep.  The drama of the last couple days caught up with me this afternoon and I was wiped out.

I still need to get out and finish the mowing.  I will make our dinner and then go out and do that.  I got most of the mowing done yesterday so only have about 30 minutes or so to go.  It will be nice to get that job done.  This evening I may attempt a few more password changes and to see if I can have auto pay taken out of my checking account instead of a debit/credit card.

I need to spend some time and organize all the little pieces of paper I have taken notes on.  I must have 20 little notes scattered all over my desk and I need to figure out what is still important and get it recorded in a form I can easily find.  Way too many names, numbers and little bits of information that are all important but hard to find right now.

Tomorrow night we are meeting some friends and going out to dinner with them.  All four of us have had a tough week and it will be nice to take a break together and spend some time together.  Sometimes it helps to take a break from it all and have a spot of fun.

Grateful for my bank’s attention today, grateful for friends and their support, and grateful progress towards restoration is being made.

We are home.  Rolled in around 4:30 this afternoon.  I have never been so glad to be home as I was today.  It was a trip to be remembered but for all the wrong reasons.

Last night I got a phone call from a guy who said he was from the fraud department of my on-line bank.  The call came in with caller ID as my bank number. He told me someone had tried to Zelle pay $2,000 out of my account and they were checking to see if I had done that.  I had not.

He kept me on the line for about 45 minutes as he froze my accounts and collected information.  He told me he would call me back this morning.

He called as promised and this time told me someone was trying to wire transfer $37,800 out of one of my accounts. Jim was listening to part of the conversation and got nervous.  Jim suggested we call the bank and confirm this guy was legit.  I borrowed Jim’s phone and called my bank to confirm that this guy was legit while the first guy was still on the phone.  The second guy I spoke too seemed to think it was OK so I continued with the conversation with the first guy.

After about 45 minutes he said something that made me get nervous.  Not sure I remember what it was but something felt off.  I think he could tell I was getting nervous and he ended the call with a promise to call back.

I immediately called the bank again and this time asked for the fraud department.  They checked their records and told me no one had spoken to me except for the second guy I spoke to earlier.

After another hour conversation and filling out a fraud report, they froze all my accounts, are going to close them and reopen them with new numbers.  She recommended I report all my credit cards as stolen and change all my passwords on every account I have.

I’m still a bit nervous that I still have all my money in my accounts.  I can’t access my on-line information for a day or two.  I sure hope the three people I spoke to weren’t working together and that my phone wasn’t compromised somehow.  I will call the bank tomorrow morning using Jim’s phone and confirm what is going to happen next.

I have cancelled all my credit cards, changed my Apple ID password, and a few other passwords.  I notified social security.  I have a credit report monitoring program.  I notified the other two banks I have accounts with and put an alert on those accounts.  The bank sent me a free malware program to put on my computer.,  What else can I do?

I’m concerned that while I was talking to the guy he was able to gather any and all information I have on my phone somehow.  Not sure how to check it and protect it.  I changed my Apple ID password and will change the log in code.  Any experts out there that can advise me of what else I need to do?

I sat in the car and shook for about an hour after I figured out what was going on.  I feel so violated.  Not sure if this crime was related to the car break in.  The lady in the fraud department said they could have taken pictures of my car registration, passport, etc. and gotten personal information.  I don’t know if I had a checkbook of checks in the glove compartment of the car that was stolen.  I can’t remember if I had one in there or not.  The two crimes may not be related but it sure is a huge coincidence that this happened shortly after the car break in.

The guy that first called me used the same terminology as the lady I spoke to after I spoke to him.  I wonder if he used to work for the bank?

It is going to take me several weeks if not months to get this all sorted out.  I use auto pay on all my bills and now I have to change the bank account information when I get new bank account numbers.  I hate password changes and I need to change every password I have in case those all got compromised.  If you hear some naughty language echoing in the hills it is me trying to straighten this all out.

We had a safe journey of over 3,500 miles the last two weeks.  It was wonderful seeing so many members of my family and Jim’s family and meeting three of Jim’s friends from college.  I need to remember all the good and wonderful things that happened on the trip and allow the energy of the two crimes to dissipate.  It will happen someday but right now it feels too raw to let go of.

My house sitter left the house in wonderful shape and the critters were all well taken care of.  I went out and mowed most of the yard when we got home. I needed to be outside and get grounded.  Mowing does that for me.  The grass was knee high and way past due to be mowed.  I have done three loads of laundry and have one more to go.  My soaker bath will feel good tonight.

Grateful for a safe journey, grateful for gut instinct that told us something was off, and grateful to be home.

 

We hit the road a little after 9:00 this morning.  It always breaks Jim’s heart a bit to say goodbye to his family.  They were so gracious to us and treated us well.

We stopped at The Abbey of Gethsemani mid-afternoon.  It was a peaceful, restful stop.  We each bought a book from their book store and then went into their simple church.  We sat and rested for a bit in the church.

Drove through some heavy rain for short periods of time today.  The road to the Abbey was narrow and twisty.  Traffic wasn’t too heavy on the highways most of the time.  Ran into a few slow down areas but luckily they were short and didn’t slow us down for too long.

We stopped in Mt. Vernon, IL for the night.  We will have a little over 6 hours drive to get home tomorrow.  Had dinner in a restaurant within walking distance of our hotel.  We are now tucked in for the evening.  Trusting both of us will sleep good tonight.  We are both tired.  Neither one of us slept really good last night.

We finally saw some open land on the last part of our drive today.  There are still too many trees but occasionally I get a glimpse of the horizon and some open space.  Did my heart good to see open land.

We will both be glad when we get home tomorrow mid-afternoon.  It has been a wonderful trip but there is no place like home.

Grateful for a safe day of travel, grateful we stopped at the Abbey, and grateful the traffic was not so heavy most of the day.

 

Had another wonderful lunch today.  This one was at Jim’s oldest brother’s house.  It was nice to see John and Trinny,  and two of their children Wendy and Philip, along with three of the grandchildren.  We all had a nice visit.

Came back to Tom and Sandy’s house and I took a nap.  It has rained most of the day and was the perfect napping day.  We will have dinner here tonight.

Tomorrow we will pack up and leave for home.  We are going to take two days to get home.  It is over a 15 hour drive so could make it in one day but that is too much for me.  I think we are going through Kentucky on the way home, but not sure what Jim has decided.  He will do all the driving so I will leave the decision on which way we go home to him.

It has been fun to see Jim’s family.  We hadn’t seen some of them since September, 2019.  Jim usually comes here once a year but with Covid our travels got delayed.  His family rolls out the carpet for us and treats us like royalty.

It will be good to get home.  Two more days and I can sleep in my own bed, take a bath in my deep soaker tub, and sit in my corner chair.  Jim will have to talk hard and long to get me to go anywhere else this year.

Grateful for extended family, grateful for rainy day naps, and grateful we head home tomorrow.

Had a delightful day visiting with more of Jim’s family.  Today his sister Jane and her husband Harlan hosted seven of us for lunch.  Three more of Jane’s family showed up later in the day.  It is nice to get to know Jim’s family better and spend time visiting.  Jim’s brother and wife from the Winston-Salem area drove up to join us.

Jim’s sister Jane tried to teach me how to spin yarn today.  I struggle with the hand, foot, finger coordination and didn’t get the hang of it.  I kept letting the yarn twist and that is not good.  It was fun to try.  I think it could become a very relaxing thing to do once I got the hang of it.  I may go back out tomorrow afternoon and try again.  We shall see how tired I am after our lunch tomorrow. I so appreciated the patience Jane showed with me.

One of Jim’s brothers brought a camera identical to one of the cameras that was stolen from our car while we were in Silver Spring.  How very kind of him to do that  He also collects cameras and had one in his collection.  That takes a bit of the sting of loosing a camera from Jim.

It was nice to take a day and not be in the car much.  Tomorrow we will have another day like today as we are going to one of Jim’s brother’s house for lunch.  Some of their family will also be joining us.

I am tired this evening.  I took too long of a nap yesterday so didn’t sleep well last night.  I didn’t take a nap today so hoping I will sleep well tonight.

Today would have been Chris and Nicole’s wedding anniversary.  It is a bittersweet day for Nicole.  We all have beautiful memories of their wedding day and the love they shared.  Chris left us way too soon.

One more full day in Swannanoa and then on Tuesday we start the long journey home.  We will stop somewhere along the way Tuesday and get home Wednesday afternoon.

Grateful for this time with Jim’s family, grateful for another wonderful home-cooked meal, and grateful I got to attempt to learn how to spin yarn.

We have had a much better day today.  I don’t think either of us slept very good last night.  We were both emotionally and physically tired last night but sleep was hard to find.

We got up before 8:00 this morning and were on the road before 9:00.  Thankfully the traffic was lighter today.  Jim actually got to use cruise control on the highways today.  We didn’t see any accidents and didn’t run into much road construction.

We got to Jim’s brother’s house by 11:00.  We visited with them for a bit and then went to one of their grandkid’s house for a family lunch.  It was so nice to sit outside under the shade of a porch umbrella and eat lunch and visit.  They have a beautiful family.  Not all were able to come but it was nice to see those that could.  We so appreciated the lunch they put together for us and that each of them took time out of their busy lives to come visit.

We came back to their house mid-afternoon.  I went down to the bedroom we are staying in and took a long nap.  Jim went to visit one of his other brothers.  It was so nice to relax in a quiet room all afternoon and evening.  I was talked out for a bit and needed to recharge.

Tomorrow noon we are going to Jim’s sister’s house for a lunch with her family.  I will enjoy visiting with her and she has offered to teach me how to spin yarn.

Jim is still very sad and angry about his cameras that were taken yesterday.  He wants to contact the local pawn shops and the police and give them the serial numbers from the cameras in case someone tries to pawn them.  We both doubt that he will ever recover them but I guess it doesn’t hurt to try.

Four more days and we will be back home.

Grateful to Tom and Sandy for hosting us for the next three days, grateful for the family lunch today, and grateful for some quiet time today.

Had a rough start to our day.  We got up early and took our time packing.  We took a load to the car.  Something felt wrong when we got to the car and it took me a few minutes to realize what.  Someone had broken the passenger side front window and broke into the car.  There was glass all over the front seat and floor.

Everything inside the car was upside down and tossed around.  As far as we can tell now, they took the coins that were in the car, two rolls of quarters, and Jim’s camera case that held three of his all time favorite cameras that he has had for a long time.  That one hurts.

Judy quickly got on the phone and found a glass repair guy that could come to the car and replace the window.  Thomas brought down a vacuum, broom, dust pan, brush and trash bags.  Jim, Thomas and I started picking up glass.  It took us about an hour to remove most of the glass.  I’m sure we will be finding pieces of it for a long time.

The repair guy showed up about two hours later and very efficiently replaced the window.  He charged $300 which felt fair, especially since he came to us.  The repair guy had a powerful vacuum and sucked up the rest of the glass.

It was a tough morning, especially after Jim discovered his cameras were missing.  The worst part of that is two of them hold more sentimental value than monetary value.  The guy will get some cash for one of the cameras and will probably throw the other two away.  One of them Jim has had since 1967 and the other one since 1969.  One was the first decent camera Jim ever owned.  Hard to replace that!

If this had to happen, I’m grateful it happened in a big city with this type of service.  It would have been more of a pain if it had happened in a smaller city somewhere else along the way.  Judy and Thomas were a huge help.  The window repair guy said this happens over 100 times a day in Washington, DC.

I felt so violated afterwards.  It took me a bit to fully understand what had happened.  This type of thing is so foreign to me.

We finally got on the road around 11:45.  We had to skip going to Monticello as planned as we had a timed entry pass at 12:45 and couldn’t make it by then.

Traffic was very heavy all the way to Abingdon, Virginia which is where we are for the night.  We saw one crash shortly after it happened and there were lots of road construction slow downs and too many people on the road.  Stressful driving to say the least.  It took us almost two hours longer than expected to get here due to the heavy traffic.

The highlight of the day was having dinner with a college classmate of Jims.  She was a delightful person and we had a fun dinner with her.

Tomorrow morning we drive to Jim’s brothers house and will stay with them for three nights.  His family is hosting a lunch for us tomorrow.  Hopefully we will have a smoother morning tomorrow than todays was.

It feels good to be tucked into our hotel room for the night.  We are both emotionally and physically worn out tonight.  We will sleep in a bit tomorrow morning and not rush too much.  We have a little over a two hour drive tomorrow.  Hoping traffic won’t be so heavy.

Grateful for Judy and Thomas’s help today. Grateful the window was repaired so quickly.  And Grateful for another day of safe travels.

We went to the Capital Building today.  This time we took the guided tour through part of it.  We left a little before 9:00 this morning to catch the train to the city.  Got off on the correct stop this time and had a short walk to the Capital Building,  The 45 minute tour actually lasted almost 1 1/2 hours.

We had a neat tour guide that knew his stuff.  It was amazing to see the Rotunda where bodies lie in state.  It was smaller than I expected it to be.

We walked through part of the Botanical Gardens afterwards.  It was refreshing and green inside.  We then went to a little cafe and had lunch.  We road the bus home.  On the bus route home we road past Howard University and part of the Walter Reed Hospital complex.

Jim’s son Thomas went with us today.  He knows all the shortcuts and best way to get around,  We appreciated him acting as tour guide for us today.  We stopped at Target on the walk home after the bus so I could get some berries and yogurt to get me by the rest of the trip.

We got back to the room around 2:30 and have been resting and relaxing since.  We are both a bit wiped out from all the people and noise.  Not what we are used to.

Jim is off visiting someone that lives in this complex that he had met before. He likes history as much as Jim does.  I choose to stay in the room and enjoy the quiet a bit longer.

Later we will meet up with Thomas and Judy and take them out to dinner.  Jim wants to eat some good crab cakes while we are here.

Tomorrow we have to be on the road by 9:00;  We have booked a 12:45 tour of Monticello.  After that we are driving to Abingdon, Virginia to have dinner with a college classmate of Jim’s.  We will spend the night in Abingdon and then drive to Swannanoa, NC Saturday morning.  We are having lunch with one of Jim’s brother and his extended family.  Sunday another of his brothers is hosting us and on Monday we will go to his sister’s house for a meal and visit.

We will stay in Swannanoa until Tuesday morning and then head home.  We have two stops planned on the way home so will hotel it somewhere along the way and arrive home on Wednesday.  I am ready to get home.

The best part of a trip for me is the day we arrive home.

Grateful we got to go inside the Capital Building today, grateful Thomas helped us get around today, and grateful we only have 6 more days till we get home.

 

I am tuckered out.  We walked over 6 miles today and I took over 15,000 steps.    We took the Metro to the Mall.  We went one too many stations so had to walk a bit longer than expected.  Since we were close to the Capital Building we walked by it and then went in the Library of Congress.

We were walking up to it and Jim started talking to a young man from CO.  When we got to the Library of Congress we discovered you have to have a timed entry pass.  I got on my phone and got all three of us one.

I had never been in that beautiful old building.  I was glad we ended up there.  Jim loves seeing Thomas Jefferson’s library.  I enjoy the building itself.

From there we walked down to the Mall and to the African American Museum.  We spent three hours there and probably could have spent longer.  It was the first time either of us had been in it.  Jim teaches an OSHER class on Black History and appreciated the museum very much.  The slavery stories and stories about lynchings were hard to hear and read but necessary to do so.  It is a dream that someday we will do better.

From there we walked to the Metro Station and came back to Silver Spring.  We managed, with the help of Maps on our iPhones to get there and back without getting too turned around.  This city is not easy to get around in.

We have rested in our room for about an hour and are getting ready to go have dinner with Thomas and Judy.  They are grilling steaks for our dinner tonight.

Not sure yet what the plan is for tomorrow.  I may be too sore to get out of bed and move but we will see.  Taking a quiet day sounds good to me.

I was pleasantly surprised that there were not hundreds and thousands of people out and about today.  It was still too peopley for my liking but it wasn’t a mob scene by any means.

Got a report from my house sitter that one of my chickens died.  I hate that she had to deal with that.  Down to 24 chickens now.  Never knows what causes one of them to die but it seems to happen occasionally.  Part of farm life that is hard to deal with.

Grateful for the beauty of these old buildings in DC, grateful that hard stories of our past are being shared and told, and grateful for my house sitter.

We made it to Silver Spring.  The traffic was heavy most of the way today.  We only hit three or four stop and go spots but we didn’t hit many open places.  We  briefly saw the skyline of New York City and I saw the Statue of Liberty from a distance.  There are too many trees everywhere out here to see much of anything.

We made good time – we left the hotel around 8:45 and made it to Thomas’s place by 4:15.  We stopped for a few potty breaks, to get gas and to have lunch.  All in all it was a smooth day but Jim is tired tonight.  Neither one of us is used to riding in that much traffic for that long.  We both found it stressful and tiring.

We had a nice visit with Thomas and Judy and Thomas fixed a nice dinner.  After dinner we all took a nice walk around the neighborhood.  It felt good to stretch our legs after sitting in the car most of the day.

We are staying in one of the guest rooms in the East Village co-housing building.  The room is as nice as any of the hotel rooms we have stayed in.  The bathroom is much bigger than any of the hotels so far on this trip.  The cost is much lower.  We are close to Thomas’s condo and we have our privacy and they have theirs.  Nice.

Tomorrow we want to get on-line at 8:15 and reserve tickets so we can go to the African American Museum.  We will build our day around our ticket time.  We will take either the bus or the subway into the city and leave the car parked.

It is awfully peopley out here.  So many cars, people and trees everywhere you go.  I miss my wide open space on the prairie.  One more week to go before we are back home.  I think I can.  I think I can.

Grateful for another safe day of travel, grateful to see Thomas and Judy, and grateful we can leave the car parked tomorrow.

Typing through tears as I had to hug my sister goodbye.  It is always so hard to leave her.  We had a great visit.  We seem to be able to pick up where we left off last visit and we built some more wonderful memories together.

This late morning we went to the Mystic Seaport Museum.  Jim was like a little boy in a candy store seeing all the ships.  We walked around outside at the museum for a couple of hours.

Went to a lovely restaurant for lunch.  All three of us were pleased with our food.  Jim got some Clam Chowder which was very good.  He was disappointed in the crab cakes but the chowder made up for it.

Went to UConn Avery and sat by the ocean for a bit.  It is so nice to see an open horizon.  Drove through downtown Mystic Port and saw the draw bridge.

Ended our day at the Submarine base and museum.  We saw the Nautilus sub but it wasn’t open to tour.

Came back to the hotel.  I think I will take a nap.  The heat of the day has worn me out.  I did sleep last night from 10 – 2 and was up between 2 and 5 and then got a second sleep between 5 and 8.  More sleep than I had been getting.

We are still very full from lunch so not sure we will need dinner.  There are several choices within walking distance of the hotel if we decide we need a bite later.

Tomorrow morning we head for Silver Springs, Maryland to see Jim’s oldest son Thomas and his finance Judy.  We will stay with them until Friday morning.  I’m not looking forward to the drive tomorrow as we have been told the traffic will be very heavy most of the way.  We will make it through somehow.

Grateful for the time I had with my sister, grateful for the wide open space the ocean provides, and grateful for another day of safe travels.

We made it over to Kathy’s house late morning.  We sat and visited for a bit and then went to lunch.  After lunch we went to a beach and walked the beach looking for sea glass,  It was a beautiful day to be on the beach.

We stopped and Jim and Kathy got ice cream and I got a bottle of water,

After we left that beach we went to another one.  It was just as beautiful.There is something very healing and soothing about watching the waves come in and starring out over the water.  Lots of sail boats and other boats on the water.

The water was surprisingly warm.  It felt good to walk along the shore and let the waves crash over my feet.  The sand was fine and white.  I laid down for a bit and let the warmth of the sand warm me up.  There was a gentle breeze and the warm sand felt good.

We dropped Kathy off and then came to our hotel for the night.  I am tired.  All that fresh sea air and walking on the beach wore me out.  Maybe tonight will be the night I sleep really well.

Grateful for a quiet day on the beach, grateful for the time with Kathy, and grateful for a beautiful day.

 

Spent a delightful afternoon at my nephew’s house.  My sister, her three kids and some of her grandchildren were there.  There were lots of other family and friends there too.  My brother Gene came down for part of the afternoon.

It was a beautiful day to sit outside and visit.  The food was great and fun was had by all.

We got to sleep in this morning and didn’t leave the hotel until check-out time at 11:00.  We drove to my nephew’s house.  There are lots of little twisty  turns in the roads here.  Hard to find where you are to turn sometimes as we couldn’t tell if it was a road or a driveway.  Too many trees to see the landscape.

We are checked into our hotel in Groton.  I think tomorrow we are going to slow it down and go to Kathy’s house and the beach and have a quiet day with little driving.  Monday we will go to Mystic Seaport and a few other scenic places.  Hoping there won’t be too many people out and about on Monday.

Tuesday we drive to DC.  My family told me that the drive to DC is a hard one as the traffic is really heavy.  Not looking forward to that.

I’m ready to go home.  We still have a week and half to go though.  Maybe after a quiet day tomorrow I can face the rest of the trip.

Grateful to see more family today, grateful for beautiful weather today, and grateful for a quiet night in the hotel.

It has been a long day but we are safely tucked into our hotel for the night.

I went down to the office of the hotel we stayed at last night to sort out the billing.  They charged me three nights worth of stays.  The poor kid that checked us in didn’t know what he was doing.  I stood and talked to the morning guy for over 20 minutes while he attempted to sort it all out.  He was still figuring it out and I went back up to the room so I could finish packing up.

When I came back down, the manager was involved.  I think we have it sorted out but not sure yet.  The manager said it would take up to five days to show the reversal of the extra charges on my bank account.  Thank heavens I have extra money in the bank right now and am not running it close.  That could have created a big problem otherwise.  I took her business card in case I need to get back in touch with her.

We hit the road around 8:15 and made a quick Starbucks stop for coffee for Jim and a McDonald’s stop for iced tea for me.  The manager at McDonald’s told the customer in front of me to use the kiosk to order or it would be a 10 minute wait before she could take their order.  I used the kiosk and it took 10 minutes to get one burrito and 2 iced teas.  Not too impressed!

Traffic was heavy most of the day but most of the time it was moving.  We did hit one accident on the New York Turnpike where it took us over 35 minutes to go two miles.  It didn’t look good for the driver of the car that was under a semi when we passed the accident site.

We stopped at the rest area on the New York Tollway for lunch.  A quarter pound value meal was $11.89.  Ouch!  Their soda machine was down so Jim had to go to the convenience store next door to get a Coke.  They were super busy so we had to wait about 10 minutes for our food but they had a person that took our order and we didn’t have to use the kiosk.  The burger and fries were hot and fresh.  Best McDonald’s food we have had for a bit.

We got to Gene’s apartment around 5:45.  We unloaded the book case Jim had built for him and the six boxes of books we brought.  Gene had stored them at my house when he moved from Emporia 14 years ago.  He still has some more boxes of books at my house but we brought what we could fit in the car.  After we got that all moved into his apartment we went out for dinner together.  We had a very pleasant evening visiting with him.

Tomorrow Gene is going to Kathy’s son’s house for a family gathering in the afternoon.  Since he is coming to that we won’t go back to his apartment in the morning. That means we get to sleep in tomorrow morning.  We are about 1 1/2 hours from Kathy’s son’s house so will head that way late morning and spend the rest of the day with Kathy’s family and Gene.

Tomorrow night we will check into a hotel in Groton, CT and get to stay in the same hotel for three nights.  That will be nice.  It is hard to remember what our room number is when you change rooms every night.  Not sure what we are doing with Kathy on Sunday and Monday.  Jim wants to go to Mystic Seaport and spend some time on the beach.  We may go to Cape Cod but driving that far doesn’t sound inviting right now.

Tuesday we head for the DC area to see Jim’s son and his fiancée.  We will get to spend three nights in the guest room of the co-housing place Thomas lives at.  It sure is easier when you spend more than one night at the same place.

We are tired today.  Sitting all day in a car is tiring.  Dealing with traffic is stressful.  I’m tired of trees and miss my wide open vistas.

Grateful for another safe day of travels, grateful to see Gene, and grateful we are safely tucked into our hotel room for the night.

We made it to Mentor, Ohio tonight.  We traveled over four hours midday and then spent the rest of the day with a college friend of Jims.  We had a delightful afternoon visiting and they fixed us a delicious dinner.  After dinner we drove about 2 1/2 hours to Mentor, Ohio.  Jim wanted to get through Cleveland tonight when there was little traffic.

We both got some good sleep last night and took our time leaving this morning.  It was nice to only drive for four hours, take a long break and then drive for 2 1/2 more.

Tomorrow we have an 8 hour drive to get to Springfield, MA.  That sounds better than 10 1/2 which is what we would have had to drive if we hadn’t gone 2 1/2 hours tonight.

We will cut through the NW corner of Pennsylvania tomorrow morning and then drive mainly in New York State tomorrow.

We are both tired tonight but not near as tired as we were last night.

I booked our hotel while we were driving this evening.  When we got here the guy that checked us in told me it was his third night on the job.  He was the only one working and had to call someone to help him through the process.  I checked my bank account and he charged us for our room and I paid for the room through the booking company.  I will sort it all out in the morning as I don’t think the guy knows how to fix it.  It took him 15 minutes to check me in.  He was most pleasant but still has some things to learn.  Jim asked him where the ice machine was and he said I don’t think we have one.  Jim found it and then told him where it was.  Ahh, the joys of new employees.

I’m excited to see my brother and sister this weekend.  We will also get to see most of Kathy’s family.  Saturday we check into a hotel in Groton, CT and get to stay for three nights.  That will be nice too.

Grateful for another day of safe travels, grateful to have met some of Jim’s friends, and grateful this day of travel is done.

We made it to Terre Haute, IN today.  Drove over 500 miles today.  We are both exhausted.  We got up early and were on the road before 9:00 this morning.  Neither one of us got much sleep last night.  We kept thinking of one more thing to take or to do.

Tomorrow we are driving to Columbus, Ohio which is a little over four hours from where we are.  We are meeting up with a college friend of Jim’s and having dinner at their house.  Not sure if we will spend the night in Columbus or try to get a few more miles in before we stop for the night.

Friday we are driving to Springfield, MA which is over 10 hours from Columbus.  It would be nice to drive two hours Thursday evening before we stop but we will see how our visit goes and how tired we are.  Grateful we are only driving four hours tomorrow before we get to stop for a bit.

We stopped for gas once and a couple of potty breaks today.  Traffic was heavy but we only hit one real slow down outside of Terre Haute.  We had dinner at a Texas Roadhouse – it was excellent.  Service was great, the food came out hot and quickly, and the place was clean.  The hotel gave us a coupon for a free appetizer.

It is only a little after 7:00 eastern time but we are both ready to go to sleep.  We are going to call it an early night and get some good rest tonight.  Onward to Columbus tomorrow.

Grateful for a safe journey today, grateful for food in my tummy, and grateful to be out of the car for a bit.

A busy day around here today.   It sure seems like a lot of work to get away.  I didn’t sleep well again last night so was up early this morning.  Got most of the laundry done before I had to leave for Topeka at 9:45.

Had an interesting visit with my Endocrinologist today.  She thinks my TSH levels are well controlled – even with them bouncing between 0.5 and 7.2.  She said she has seen TSH levels higher than 100 before.  She told me I was very aware of my body and very sensitive to the level changes.  Most people wouldn’t recognize the differences like I do.

She did tell me that a person that has even part of a thyroid wouldn’t have as much trouble keeping their levels more stable as the thyroid is constantly reading your body and adjusting the levels it produces.  Medication provides a steady stream of TSH and your bodies needs flex minute by minute.  Stress, heat, food, etc. can all cause your demand for TSH to change.  That is why she doesn’t respond aggressively to my levels being high one time and low the next.  She said if I were to have them checked three times a day, all three would be different and bounce all over.  She is happy if I can keep them where they have been.

When I told her the MD from MD Anderson said to keep them in a target of 1.5 -2 she said that was impossible and way too tight of a range for someone with no thyroid.  She helped me understand better how the TSH levels work and I need to let go of trying to keep them within that tight range.

She still wants me to get my levels checked every 6 – 8 weeks to make sure they aren’t getting too low as that can become a life threatening situation.  Too high can cause longer term problems but are less threatening urgently.

Next time I have my levels checked she might change me to a lower dose of the liquid thyroid medication Tirosint instead of me alternating it with tablets of Synthroid.  She thinks we might maintain better control that way.  I will have to get insurance approval to change the dosage.  She said I am her only patient that takes a combination of the two drugs.  That is why they have trouble communicating with me after my blood draws.  Not sure I buy that excuse as I would think they have to look at my chart before they make their recommendations but what do I know?

She is willing to refer me to a specialist if I want that but feels my levels are “medically well controlled”.  I asked about adding Armour but since I had A-Fib when I had the thyroid storm that started this whole thing she didn’t recommend it.

She happened to notice my birthday was Sunday.  She thought I was 59 instead of 69.  It took her a moment when she realized I was 69.  She thought I looked younger than 59.  That made me smile!

Later in the conversation though, she said if I was her mother this is what she would recommend.  Not sure I feel old enough to be her mother but I am betting she is in her 40’s and two of my three kids are in their 40’s so guess I am.

The Nurse Practitioner that I used to see left the practice and moved to Florida.  The first NP that I had seen left the practice too.  She has a new NP that has started and another one coming later this year.  They are running one person short right now.  I will meet the new NP in February, 2023.  My next “annual” visit with the Doctor won’t be until November, 2023.  That is her first available appointment.

Went to Chipotle for lunch and then came home.  Had to make a few stops in Emporia.  I delivered Chex Mix to both sets of kids in Emporia, mailed a letter at the Post Office and made a quick Walmart stop.  It was good to get home.

When we got home Jim helped me take the recycling in to Cottonwood Falls to dump and we made a couple other stops in Cottonwood Falls.  When we got home I got the rest of the mowing done.

My to-do list had 12 things on it this morning and I am down to two things – packing and finishing cleaning the main level of the house.  I think I can.  I think I can.  I think I can be ready to leave in the morning.

Grateful for a doctor that listens and explains things, grateful for a safe trip to and from Topeka, and grateful my to-do list is almost done.

 

It has been a productive day so far on the prairie.  Project Clean House is well underway.  I’m not done yet but getting close.  It feels good to have a totally clean house.

I went to Emporia this morning to pick up supplies to make Chex Mix for the grandkids before we leave Wednesday.  When Covid started, I started making a treat each week to take to the grandkids.  I couldn’t see them or be with them but thought maybe they would remember me if I sent them treats.  This week they requested Chex Mix – again.  It is one of their favorites.  I got it made this afternoon and will drop it by when I am in town tomorrow.

I picked up a few things on my list that I needed for our vacation.  I got a couple more pill organizers so I don’t have to take all the bottles of pills with me.  I can fix three weeks worth and call it good.  We are going to be tight on space going out as Jim is taking Gene a bookcase and six boxes of books.  Three pill organizers will take up way less space than all the bottles would.

Tomorrow I go to Topeka to see the Endocrinologist and I have an errand or two to run in Topeka.  One the way home I will stop and drop off the Chex Mix for the grandkids.  When I get home tomorrow afternoon, I need to do laundry and pack.  I also need to mow.  It will be a busy day.

The TROPP forms I have been waiting for finally came in today.  I ordered them the middle of July.  What I ordered they couldn’t send me but we finally figured out something that would work.  The guy on their end was a bit slow to respond and communicate with the person that does the mailing.  Good to have them.  I have a client that was waiting on one so I will get that off to her tomorrow.  I’m glad they came in before we left Wednesday.

I have been a bit low on energy today.  I slept hard for about four hours last night but couldn’t get a second sleep.  I feel a bit draggy today.  It didn’t help that I ate some food I shouldn’t have eaten.  That slows me down too.  One of these days I will learn to stick with my safe foods.

My attorney called me back and I scheduled a Will review for the middle of September.  Jim will need to update his too.  I hate doing that project but it always feels good to have it done.  Our old one shows Jim as my companion and not my husband.  It will require two trips to KC as we will have to go back and sign final documents after he makes the changes we need.  I will try and schedule lunch with some friends or my daughter that day so the day will be more fun and worthwhile.

Still not mentally ready to leave for two weeks Wednesday.  Guess I best be getting packed and ready and getting there quickly.  I have become such a home body since Covid hit.  There is no place like home!

Grateful the TROPP forms came in, grateful Project Clean House is almost done, and grateful for all the birthday wishes sent to me yesterday and today.

 

What a wonderful day it has been.  I need to sit down for an hour and catch up on my Facebook page and read and respond to all the birthday wishes.  I appreciate each and everyone that took a minute and sent a greeting.

Jim has treated me well today.  One of the gifts he gave me is an organizing notebook titled “I’m Dead, Now What?’  Not sure everyone would appreciate it but I do.  I will spend sometime with it and see if it is something I will recommend to my clients.  It has space to plan your funeral, emergency contact information, passwords, financial information, personal wishes, etc.  All someone would need to know when I die.  It will take me sometime to get it all completed but I will work on it as I can.  Someday this will provide an even bigger gift to those that have to deal with my affairs.

Have had lots of texts, emails, PM,  and phone calls today to wish me Happy Birthday.  It is a good day when your family and friends think of you.

Project Clean House is going strong.  I managed to make a quarter size blister on my knee from scrubbing the floor of great room downstairs.  That floor looks best when it is hand washed.  The basement is all clean.  Tomorrow I will do the main floor and then Project Clean House will be completed.

I am grilling some of our new steaks for dinner tonight.  I wanted to taste test the new beef and having steaks tonight for my birthday dinner felt right.  Jim offered to take me out but we are going to be eating out for over two weeks on our trip and I prefer home cooked meals.

Tuesday I go to Topeka in the morning for my appointment with the Endocrinologist.  When I get home I will need to do some mowing.  Hopefully the grass won’t grow too much while we are gone but if it means getting rain I will be OK with it growing.

I still haven’t thought much about packing.  Last trip when we left Estes Park and headed west I fixed a bag of clothes for each day.  When we got to the hotel, I grabbed a bag and only had to take in a small tote of toiletries, medication, charging cords, etc.  It worked so well that I am going to do it again this trip.  It saves having to decide what to wear as I put on whatever was in the bag I grabbed.  I may have to do laundry somewhere along the line as I’m not sure I have 16 different outfits.  Most hotels have laundry machines so we should be OK.

Again, thanks for all the birthday wishes.  Turning 69 isn’t bad when one has as many caring friends and family as I do.

Grateful for another birthday, grateful the basement is clean, and grateful for my friends and family and all the wonderful way they show their love to me.

 

 

 

 

Project clean house is underway.  Made some progress on some rooms downstairs.  Have lots of house to go but have to be careful not to do where Tony goes until the last minute.  He leaves cat paw prints everywhere as he likes to play in water.

We got 1.9 inches of rain last night.  It was very welcome.  The cooler temperatures and lower humidity today was a welcome change.  You can almost smell fall in the air.  We have a chance for more rain next week.  We could use another couple of inches.

Got a phone call from Aunt Glenda today.  She and Aunt Marylyn have decided not to schedule a Koch reunion for this fall.  The risk of getting Covid and taking it to Jack in the nursing home is too high.  I’m sad that we won’t gather this year but fully support and understand their decision.  Aunt Glenda was exposed to Covid via a neighbor last week and is in isolation as a precaution.  It would break her heart if she got it and gave it to Jack.

Aunt Glenda did say that if the cousins want to gather without her and Marylyn she would understand.  I doubt that we do that but we will see what happens.  I treasure those two women and want to see them stay healthy.

About five years ago I came up with a list of 70 things I wanted to do before I turn 70.  Have managed to cross many of them off the list but still have lots on the list.  I realized today that since I am turning 69 tomorrow, I better get busy and get to the rest of the things on my list.  Covid has slowed down my travel schedule and not sure if and when that may change.  I had a couple of international trips on my list but none of them seem enticing to me right now.  I have some friends that have started international travel again but I just don’t feel comfortable doing so yet.  Maybe I will add 10 things and call it 80 things to do before I turn 80!  70 snuck up on me quickly.  I can’t believe I will be 80 in 11 years.  It will be here before I am ready for it.

Got a phone call letting me know about a person in my community that doesn’t have any family and is going into Hospice care.  If we weren’t leaving on vacation this week I would have called and offered my services.  The call gave me confidence that the training I took will come in handy and I will be able to use it to be of service to others.

The girls only gave us 8 eggs today.  Not sure why they have slowed down laying so much.  I keep hoping that since it is cooling off they will start producing better but so far they have not.  They are only 2 years old and should be be giving me twice what they are now.  Jim doesn’t want to hear that they need replaced next year.  They have become his pets and he will struggle to let them go.

Grateful project clean house has begun, grateful for the rain the prairie received last night, and grateful for my two aunts and the richness they add to my life.

 

This has been a great day.  I got birthday cards and handwritten letters from my mother’s two sisters.  It is a wonderful treat to get their letters and cards.  I so appreciate them and love hearing from them.  What a great birthday gift and to get two of them on the same day – wow!  I hit the jackpot today.

I took half of a sleeping pill last night.  I had slept for two hours than was awake for two when I took the pill.  It took another hour for me to fall asleep but then I slept for over six hours straight.  Unfortunately I have a hangover today from the sleeping pill but it was nice to sleep for longer than two hours at a time.

The rain has gone north of us so far.  Still calling for a chance for rain this evening but not going to hold my breath.  We sure could use a rain that would pull up a chair and stay awhile on the prairie.  You could break an ankle tripping on the cracks that are in the ground.  They are wide and deep.

Project clean house needs to get started tonight.  After dinner I need to clean a few rooms and get that project started.  I only have until Tuesday to get the whole house cleaned.  Trying to figure out what rooms I can do early. Jim’s cat Tony likes to leave paw prints everywhere so need to clean the rooms that I can shut the doors and keep him off the floors.

I am grilling chicken tenders on the grill for dinner tonight.  Will fix some potato wedges in the oven to go with the chicken.  It will be an easy dinner to fix.  Tomorrow night I want to try some of our new beef and taste test it.  I’m sure it will be wonderful.  Sunday I will fix some steaks for my birthday dinner.

Feeling a bit restless today again.  I hate when that happens.  I have trouble settling and doing much when I am restless.  My mind is busy and I am not well grounded.  I need to get up and move my body and see if that will help.  Only trouble is I have trouble getting myself up and moving.  Just one of those days I guess.  They seem to pass quickly if I don’t obsess about them and allow it to be what it is.  Sometimes that is easier said than done though.

I find myself resisting going on this trip.  It will be wonderful to see my family and Jim’s family.  Not sure why the resistance is there.  I am trusting that once we hit the road my resistance will lessen.  I have become a homebody since Covid started and being away from home feels icky to me.  Anyone else have that feeling?  Maybe I am just getting old and Covid has nothing to do with it.

Can’t believe I will be 69 Sunday.  Next year I start my 70’s.  Where did the time go?  As I get older it seems like time goes by even faster.  I don’t do much these days yet the days pass quickly by.  I have gotten very good about sitting and allowing myself down time.  I do more of that than busy time these days.  I remember when I was younger sitting and “doing nothing” was impossible for me.  Now being busy feels impossible to me.  How things change as we get older.  I certainly don’t feel 69 but then again I’m not sure what it is supposed to feel like.  70 is the new 40 – right?

Grateful to hear from my two Aunt’s today, grateful for sleep last night, and grateful for the time I have had on this trip around the sun.

I had a busy morning in Emporia.  I dropped off some out-of-date and unused prescription medication at the bin at Walmart.  Went to Goodwill and dropped off two bags of donations.  Stopped at the library to drop off some books I had read.  Both the auxiliary and main library buildings were closed.  There is a little free library by Capital Federal so I put the books in there.  Mailed a letter at the Post Office.  Stopped by the church to drop off some green beans.  While I was there I saw a friend I hadn’t seen for a long time so sat and chatted with him for a bit.

Went to the hospital to have my mammogram.  The lady that did it was efficient and quick.  She didn’t even smash me too hard.

I came home and had lunch and while I was eating, the doctor’s office called to tell me the results were negative.  That was fast.  I appreciated being told so quickly.

It felt good to get some stuff out of the house.  I take great pleasure in giving away things we don’t want/need.  The house always feels a bit lighter to me when I do that.

I attempted to take a nap this afternoon and maybe dozed for 15 minutes.  Sleep is playing hard to find for me right now.  I was up between 4:00 and 6:30 this morning again.  Maybe tonight will be the night that sleep finds me for longer than 2 hours at a time.

Nothing on my calendar for the rest of the week.  I need to start cleaning house so it is clean for the housesitter next Wednesday.  Not sure either one of us is ready to hit the road again.  It will be here before we know it and I have not done much to get ready to go.

The boxes to return the DISH equipment came in today.  Jim had to get the tall ladder out and get on the roof to remove a piece of equipment that I had to send back.  I can’t believe they ask us to do that.  Jim had to go to town this afternoon to get a part for his saw so he took the box and dropped it off at CVS  which is where you can drop off UPS items.  It is good to have that out of the house and on its way.  Hopefully they will receive it on a timely basis and I can be done with DISH.

Jim’s oldest son Thomas, sent a donation to the Kansas Abortion Center in my honor as a birthday gift to me.  What a nice gesture.  Nicest gift I have received in a long time.

Grateful to have some extra stuff removed from the house,  grateful to see an old friend and have a nice chat, and grateful for the early birthday gift.

 

 

Another lazy day on the prairie.  Can’t say I got anything done today.  I am on a roll of lazy days.

Got a recorded phone call from DISH telling me if I don’t return my equipment they are going to charge me for it.  Only problem is I haven’t received my boxes to send the equipment back.  I called them and they tried to get me to stay as their customer.  They offered a huge reduction in the price for 12 months, although you have to sign a two-year contract and won’t tell you what they will charge for the second year.  I kept telling the lady move on – I wasn’t interested but she kept circling back to their offer.  The lady finally looked up the tracking information and told me the boxes are expected to arrive Friday.  That call was to make me call them so they could try to get me back.  I am so glad I am almost done with them.

My local bank called me today to let me know my account was overdrawn.  I found the account my credit card payment came out of.  I use the automatic payment system with this credit card.  I had checked the credit card on-line to see what account the funds would be coming out of and it showed my regular checking account number, not this account number.  When I had the Airbnb I used the local account for that business and used that credit card if I needed to charge things to the Airbnb account.  When I closed the Airbnb, I changed the automatic withdrawal account number to my regular checking account number.  I haven’t used the card since.  Not sure why they picked up the wrong account number.  The guy from the bank was nice and I appreciated his call.  I transferred some funds to cover the overdraft.  That mystery is solved.

Called about the TROPP forms and had to leave a message.  I got an email from them late afternoon today saying they needed my shipping address and will mail the forms tomorrow.  Not sure why they didn’t have the original order that showed my shipping address but what ever.  Grateful the forms will be on their way to me tomorrow and I can scratch this off my pending list.

Called my attorney to see if I need to change my will.  When I was pulling out my living will to make a copy of it to give to my doctor, I read through my will.  Found out I haven’t updated it since Jim and I got married.  He is named in my will as my companion, not husband.  Nicole has changed her name since I did my will.  Not sure what needs to be done to fix those.  Jim will need the same thing done to his will.  I also want to make a change to my living will.

As I read through my living will, I realized it stated that I wanted IV fluids as part of my end-of-life care plan.  I have since learned that is not what I want.  Giving fluids to a person that is dying can cause pain and problems.  Your body does not need fluids as it goes through the dying process.  I will get my living will changed when I fix the will.

I have my mammogram in Emporia tomorrow late morning.  I don’t think I need any groceries but I do have some books to donate to the library for their book sale, some things to drop off at Goodwill, and some medication to put in the disposal container at Walmart.  I always like getting extra stuff removed from my house.

I cleaned out the refrigerator and took some tomatoes that were soft, some old grapes and old spinach down to the chickens.  They went after the grapes first but made quick work of all three.

When we cleaned out the freezers yesterday I found some whole chickens I had bought from a local rancher that is trying to start an organic ranch.  The problem with these chickens is they were butchered at the wrong time and there is little meat on them.  I think if you worked hard, you might get 6 ounces of chicken meat off the whole chicken.  Too much work for so little effort.  I was going to throw them away but Jim convinced me to keep them and cook them up and give them to the dogs.  I put one in the crockpot today and cooked it.  The dogs loved it.  One down, seven to go.  I’ll try to remember to do one a week for them.  We had bought a box of bones for them from the butcher so the dogs are really getting some special treats right now.

Had trouble sleeping again last night.  Sure hoping that tonight will be the night I can sleep longer than two hours at a time.  Once I wake up I am usually up for a couple of hours and on a good night can get a second sleep of two hours.  I’m starting to run on empty due to little sleep.  I have come to dislike going to bed as I never know if I will be able to sleep or not.

Grateful the credit card mystery has been solved, grateful my TROPP forms will be on their way tomorrow, and grateful the dogs like cooked chicken.

We picked up our beef today.  A steer that weighed 1,150 pounds yielded 663 pounds of hanging weight.  A friend took 1/8, another friend took 1/4 and Nicole is going to take 1/8.  My freezers are full.  Bring on cold temperatures so I can bake a roast.

It was a bit of a job when we got home to sort and count all that beef so I could divide it up evenly.  Trusting I didn’t short anyone.

The final cost was close to $2.00 a pound.  Not bad considering all the steaks and roasts I have in additional to lots of 90/10 hamburger.  It was much higher than last year’s price but worth it.  I’m anxious to fix some of it soon and taste it.

Didn’t get much else done today.  I didn’t sleep well last night and am tired today.  Maybe tonight will be the night that I sleep well

Jim has a doctor’s appointment in Emporia tomorrow but I don’t have anything on my calendar.  I do need to start pulling some things together for the trip.  We leave a week from tomorrow.

I called about the TROPP forms but had to leave a message and I haven’t heard back from them.  Not sure why I am having so much trouble getting those.

I ordered a shirt on-line and when I paid for it I noticed they charged $7.99 sales tax for an item that cost $22.99.  I sent a note to them to tell them if they can’t fix that then I want to cancel my order.  Over 30% sales tax is unacceptable.

Still working with the company that I used to get my notary supplies.  You are required to be bonded and the bond they sent me didn’t have the correct dates on it.  I sent my certificate from the state but the bond hasn’t been corrected yet.  Sometimes it is the little things that drive me batty.

We have only gotten sprinkles off and on today and no measurable rain.  North of us got lots of rain.  We were close but no cigar.  We sure could use a day or two of rain.  Still have rain in the forecast but not looking good at this point.

Grateful for full freezers of beef, grateful for friends that take my extra beef, and grateful for a cooler temperature day.

 

 

Went to Emporia to get my haircut this morning.  Stopped at Walmart to pick up a prescription and eight more free Covid tests.  Spent over $100 on Jm’s cat.  Tony needed wet cat food and cat litter.  He is an expensive cat to keep around.  Picked up a few groceries and then came home.

My doctor’s office called to tell me the Celiac test and the autoimmune tests were both negative.  He was trying to help me figure out why my TSH levels won’t stay stable.  We tried!  Guess now I will wait to see what the Endocrinologist says next week.  She may refer me to Mayo or MD Anderson.

Got a call from the meat locker this afternoon to tell me our beef is ready to be picked up.  I need to sort through my freezers and make room for it all.  I will coordinate with two of the three people that are taking part of it to see when a good time for them is to pick it up.  When I get it home, I have to count it all and sort it into who gets what piles.  It will be nice to have full freezers again.

Still haven’t received the TROPP forms I am waiting on.  I will call them tomorrow if they don’t come in by then.  Their office is a bit slow to respond so not sure if they have even been shipped out yet.

Need to start thinking about cleaning the house before we leave.  I hate to do it too soon but if I wait too long I won’t get it all done.  Tony, Jim’s cat, loves to walk in our wet shower and then he leaves paw prints all over the house.  He also plays in his water bowl and leaves paw prints down the hall downstairs.  If I clean the hallway now, I will have to do it again before we leave.  Dang cat anyways!

Looking forward to the cooler temperatures that are coming starting tomorrow.  Along with the cooler temperatures is a chance of rain.  We have some wide and deep cracks in the yard.  I am so over the hot temperatures we have been experiencing.  Bring on fall temperatures, please!

I’m grilling Jim some Sirloin steak for dinner.  I will have my normal chicken instead.  Sirloin is not my favorite steak.  I have been trying to use up the beef from last year and found a couple packages of steaks to use up.  Jim will enjoy his steak tonight though and will have a second one for leftovers later this week.

Maybe with the cooler temperatures I will regain some energy.  I have felt like a slug bug lately and haven’t been doing much.  My get up and go got up and left without me.

Grateful for a haircut, grateful our beef is ready, and grateful for cooler temperatures the rest of the week.

I have managed to string a few lazy days together.  Can’t say that I did much of anything today.  Too dang hot to be outside and I am too lazy to do much inside.  It is to cool down Tuesday and maybe my energy will return then and I will get something done.

Tomorrow morning I have a haircut in Emporia at 10:00.  Need to run a few errands while I am in town.  Always feels good to get my haircut.  I’m going to pick up 8 more Covid tests while I am in town so we have plenty for our trip.  We want to test before we meet up with family to make sure we aren’t giving our family Covid.  I have a big stack of Covid tests already but better safe than sorry.

The grandkids start school Wednesday.  I may try to get them out here Tuesday to spend some time with them before they get busy with school.  The summer flew by and we didn’t get much time together.  We got out of the habit of spending time together when Covid hit and it has been hard to make it happen since.  They both have friends that are much more fun to spend time with than coming out here for the day.  Tagen will be a Jr. in High School and Ellexia is starting 7th grade.  Where does the time go?

The girls only gave me 7 eggs today.  This heat has taken their energy and they don’t have enough to lay many eggs.  I trust the cool down that is coming this week will help them cool off and they will start laying more eggs again.  I can’t keep up with demand for eggs.

Jim only saw three meteors last night.  The moon is so bright that it overshadows the meteors.  We sat out again last night and watched the moon rise.  There was a bank of clouds low on the horizon and the moon would go behind them, then peak out, then get lost again.  It was a beautiful night to sit out and enjoy the light of the moon.

Hoping the box i will use to return my DISH equipment arrives tomorrow so I can get things boxed up and sent back to DISH.  I managed to hook up the downstairs TV to Roku and Hulu.  It went fairly easy once I could get the plug in thingy to fit correctly.  I need to remember to go downstairs occasionally and watch a movie.  I forget to do that.

Grateful for the beauty of the moon on the prairie, grateful for lazy days, and grateful for quiet days at home.

Lazy day at home today.  Not sure I got much done today other than laundry and fixing dinner.  It was way too hot to be outside.

I submitted my case study information for my class.  I’m not sure when I will hear back from them.  I still need to submit the presentation I have planned.  I was halfway through submitting it and discovered I have to do more than I thought I did.  I need to write up a few things and try again another day.  Not sure why they are making me do all of this but it is what it is.

I need to call my attorney and change some things on my will and trust.  It still has Jim listed as my companion instead of my husband.  Maybe it doesn’t need to be fixed but need to check.  I also have a change I want to make to my living will.  I made a copy of my living will and Jim is going to take it to our doctor when he goes for his appointment next week.

Nicole seems to be getting a bit better as she deals with her second bout with Covid.  She said she is very tired but the congestion was a bit better today.  Trusting Geoff won’t get it again.  That stuff is nasty.

I don’t think either of us is ready to hit the road on August 24.  Neither one of us has done much to get ready for the trip.  Maybe the reality will hit soon and we will get it together and start getting things ready to go.

Monday I have to go to Emporia in the morning to get my haircut and pick up a prescription.  So far I don’t have any groceries to pick up but that may change before Monday.  Thursday I have my mammogram so will have to go to town twice next week.

No plans for tomorrow.  We are to start to cool down on Tuesday so will wait until then to clean the chicken coop.  My girls turned 2 this week,  They better start to lay more eggs or I may have to replace them.  I am hoping that when it finally cools down a bit they will lay better.  I can’t keep up with my customer requests for eggs.

Grateful my case study has been submitted, grateful I got to stay home all day today, and grateful for air conditioning.

Met with a client today in El Dorado.  We had the most delightful conversation.  It is interesting to me how our life experiences shape our beliefs about death.  We didn’t get  her end-of-life plans finalized and that was expected and perfectly OK.  It is so important that my clients feel very comfortable with the decisions they are making.  The big advantage to doing it way ahead of time  is you can take your time and think things through.  When she is ready, we will meet again and get them wrapped up.

Between what I did today and yesterday, I have enough done that I can send in my final paperwork and finish up the Care Specialist Class.  It will be good to have three of the four classes completed.

Today confirmed for me this is the part of Doulagiver that I will enjoy.  I find it fascinating to learn about others beliefs about death and what happens next.  I enjoy deep conversations around the topic of death and end-of-life.

After we wrapped up our session I went to Wichita to make a stop at Costco.  I managed to fill a cart with necessities – some I didn’t know I needed until I saw them in the store.  It is probably a good thing that the nearest Costco is over an hour away from me.

Took me a bit to get the car unloaded and everything put away.  I bought a bunch of chicken that I needed to break down into smaller packages and freeze.  Trusting I will have room for the beef when it comes next week.

I’m tired tonight.  I didn’t sleep well last night.  Thinking the influence of the full moon had something to do with that.  Jim and I had sat out on the front deck and watched the Super Moon rise last night.  It was lovely.  We didn’t see any Perseid Meteors though as the moon was too bright.  Love seeing the moon shadows across the prairie.  I was up between 4:00 and 6:00 and didn’t need a light turned on in the living room as the moon light was so bright.

Nothing on our calendar for the weekend.  It is to be hot again this weekend so will take it slow and easy if we go outside to work.  We need to clean out the chicken coop before we leave August 24 but it is to cool down later next week and will probably wait to clean it out then.

Grateful for this new line of “work” that I am doing even though it doesn’t feel like “work”, grateful for the beauty of a full moon, grateful for lovely moon shadows across the prairie.

 

Went to town this morning to have my blood draw.  The lady did a great job – I didn’t feel the needle entering my arm.  She took four vials of blood.

The Doctor’s office called early afternoon with part of the results.  My cholesterol is high which is normal for me.  They wanted me to try the injectable medication.  I reminded her that I have been here, done that and it didn’t work before.  The nurse was going to check with the doctor and see if he had any other recommendations.  I can’t take Statin drugs.  I told the nurse my levels have been much higher before and to take a deep breath and not worry about them.  She laughed!  The rest of the blood work results that are back were all normal except for the two that have been off for a long time and no one ever mentions it.  The Celiac and Autoimmune tests will take a week or so to get results back on.

The scheduling department called and got my mammogram scheduled for next week.

A dear friend sent a message to me that a member of her family had received a scary diagnosis and they needed to make their end-of-life plans. They had called their attorney but he wasn’t available to help them.  She came out today and I gave her the forms she needed.  When they are ready we will finalize them and get them notarized.  It felt good to be of service to this family during this stressful time for them.  Hopefully they won’t need to put their end-of-life plans in place for a long time but it is helpful to know they are ready if it comes to that.

It is so much easier to make your end-of-life plans before someone is sick or dying.  Death is hard to think about but it will happen to each of us sooner or later.  May as well plan for it and have it go the way you want it to go instead of leaving it up to someone else to make decisions for you.  You can always change your plans if you want something different to happen in the future.

The Hospice Volunteer Coordinator called me today.  She is arranging a training class for sometime in September and will be in contact with me about it soon.

I’m going to El Dorado tomorrow to meet a client that is ready to make her end-of-life care plans.  This case will be my final project for this class.  I have to write a summary of how the visit goes and submit it to my instructor.  It may take more than one visit to get everything done, depending on how fast of a decision maker the client is and how comfortable she feels with the process.  When I get done with the visit, I am going on to Wichita to go to Costco.  I need more chicken tenders among other things.

I mowed the yard today.  Had to go to Strong City to get more gas for the mower.  Grateful gas is down to $3.59 a gallon.  Spending $36 to fill my mower gas cans seems like a lot of money.

Tonight is a Super-moon and the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower.  With the full moon, I doubt that we see many meteors.  The moon is to rise around 8:35 tonight.  The sun sets at 8:24 so it will still be fairly light out when the moon rises.  Last night the moon cast some beautiful moon shadows across the prairie.

Found out a family member has COVID for the second time.  Dang it anyways.  This virus just keeps going and going.  Hopefully they will have a smooth course with it and not have any complications or have long-Covid afterwards.

Grateful the yard is mowed, grateful most of the blood work showed normal, healthy results, and grateful to be of service to a friend today.

 

I did no work on my classes or marketing plans today.  I had my physical this afternoon and did some errand running in Emporia before I came home.  My physical was not what I called a physical.  The Doctor listened to my heart and lungs and checked my ankles for swelling and that is all the hands on he did.

I discussed with him my unstable TSH levels.  He added some extra blood work to check for inflammation and autoimmune problems.  He is also checking for Celiac disease.  I have to go to the lab tomorrow to have the blood drawn as some of the tests require me to be fasting.

The scheduling department is to call me and schedule a mammogram sometime soon.

I did ask the doctor if my Advanced Directives were charted.  They are not so will take a copy with me when I go to the lab tomorrow and drop them by his office so they can get charted.  I had given my Advanced Directives to my other doctor but they must not have transferred with the rest of  my medical records when I switched doctors.

I didn’t get much else done today.  I don’t feel like I have much energy today.  Good thing I didn’t have anything that had to be done.  Not sure it would have gotten done.

Other than the blood draw I don’t have anything on my calendar for tomorrow.  Hopefully I will find something productive to do with myself.  I don’t like lots of lazy days in a row.  I feel better about myself when I do something productive during the day.

Tomorrow I need to bake Jim some more cookies.  He is on his last bag of them.  I bake a double batch and freeze them for him.  I enjoy making them and he enjoys eating them.

I picked up a Roku device for the TV that is downstairs.  I may go down tonight and get it hooked up and running.  I trained Jim on how to use the one in the study.  He wants the extra apps to disappear but not sure I can do that.  I trust Jim will get used to the new way of getting to his news program soon.  Change is hard sometimes!

I haven’t gotten the shipping box from DISH so I can return their equipment.  Trusting it will come in this week.  I will be glad when I am done with them.

Grateful my physical is over, grateful the doctor is exploring reasons my TSH levels are wacky, and grateful I can go to bed early tonight if I choose to do so.

 

I passed my Death Doula final.  Yay!  When I got to the sheet that I report my hours, I read it carefully and found out that I have already met their requirements.  So that class is done!

I will do an end-of-life care plan with a client Friday and then I will be able to graduate from the Care Specialist class too!  Feels good to have that class almost done too.

Finally figured out a solution with the people that provide the TROPP form.  They have a booklet that includes a copy of the TROPP form, the living will form and the Medical Power of Attorney form along with instructions on how to complete them.  It will be perfect for my work with my clients and will keep me from having to make copies of the forms.  They are to ship it out today and I should have it later this week.  Grateful that worked out the way it did.

I haven’t heard from Hospice in Emporia yet.  I called them yesterday morning and they haven’t returned my call yet.  Maybe I am not to volunteer there?  We shall see.  I don’t need the hours now but I would enjoy the experience.  Maybe another path will open for me instead.

Now I need to give some thought as to how I will find clients.  I am doing a presentation at the Emporia Senior Center sometime in September or October.  I have a press release of sorts that I could write up but who reads paper newspapers anymore?  I am working on making a Facebook page with my services on it.  I’ll get that up and going this week and see if that brings any clients in.

If anyone wants to work with me, give me a shout.  I’m looking for lots of clients to practice on – you don’t have to pay.  It is something that feels heavy to think about doing but it feels so good when it is done.  If you change your mind later, you can always change your end-of-life care plans.

I pulled weeds around the swing set this morning while it was still damp and cool out.  The weeds pulled easy and the swing set looks much nicer.  I picked a few more tomatoes while I was down in the back yard.  I may need to mow later this week.  That little bit of rain caused the grass to grow a bit again.

I cleaned the very tops of the kitchen cabinets as well as the six pendant lights in the kitchen and dining room today.  Jim acted like a nervous Nellie while I was doing it.  Sometimes he is overprotective of me.  Next time I clean them, I will do it when he isn’t home.

Tomorrow I have my annual physical.  I think it will probably be a waste of time. Physicals sure aren’t what they used to be.

Need to give some thought about what to fix Jim for dinner.  I have some hamburger thawed so need to use that up.  I get stuck on ideas and end up making the same thing over and over again.

Grateful one class is complete and I am certified as a Death Doula, grateful the light fixtures and tops of the cabinets are cleaned, and grateful for Meteor Showers that put me in Awe of the mysteries and beauty of the Universe.

 

Did one more class today and printed out my last class to read through later today.  I’ll take my final exam tomorrow.  I still need to document 15 hours of Hospice care before I can officially graduate.

I call Hospice in Emporia today to find out why no one has gotten back to be about me becoming a volunteer for them.  Found out the Volunteer Coordinator has been out on personal leave for over a month.  She returned to the office today.  I left a message with her and trust that she will call sometime this week.  There is some sort of training that I have to go through before I can do patient interaction.

I have been waiting for over two weeks for a supply of TROPP forms to come in.  I called them today and have had several conversations with them.  This is a medical order form that is used in the hospital setting that states the patient’s wishes for end-of-life care.  I want the original form to show my clients what the form looks like so they can request one if the time comes for them to need that.  Since this form is a medical order form, the doctors are legally obligated to follow your wishes.  Doctors have the right to refuse to follow a Living Will if they think it is not in the best interest of the patient or if a family disagrees with the living will.  I have a copy of the TROPP form I can give my clients if they won’t ship me the originals.  The TROPP form is printed on pink paper and I thought that my clients would remember it better if they saw the actual pink form.  We will see how this shakes out.

I went to the Chase County Senior Center today to see if they would allow me to work with their customers and help them make their Advanced Directives.  The Director of the Senior Center told me she does that for them and they don’t need my services.  I asked a few questions about her process.  It sounded like what she is doing isn’t acceptable but I didn’t push it.  Maybe the local hospital will accept what she has done for her clients.  Oh well, I tried to help them out.  Sometimes it feels like one step forward and two backwards.

Jim and I are both feeling at loose ends today.  Not sure if it is the weather or what is happening.  Guess it is just one of those days.  I’m sure tomorrow will be better.

We got less than 1/2 of rain this morning.  Grateful for what we got.  The grass looks a bit greener today than it did yesterday.

I remembered to call and schedule a hair cut for next week.  I needed to get one in before we leave on vacation the 24th.

I was getting ready to get in the shower this morning and looked out the west window.  There was a beautiful rainbow.  I had to go outside to take a picture of it.  About 15 minutes later there was another rainbow to the southwest.  I love rainbow days!

Grateful for the rain the prairie received this morning, grateful to see two rainbows today, and grateful I only have one more class to complete.

Did another Death Doula class today.  This one was more interesting than the last couple of classes.  It gave me a list of supplies that I should have on hand if I attend a death.  The most interesting part of the class though is when she talked about the science of what happens when someone dies.  It aligns with what I believe.

The next class doesn’t have a transcript so will need to sit at my desk with my head phones on to listen to it.  May do that this evening.

I fired DISH today.  They are going to charge me $15 to send me a box so I can return their equipment.  I swear they have got you in a corner.  I can’t return it to a store as “it might get lost”.  So grateful to be almost done with them.

Took a short nap again this afternoon.  I seemed to be back into the habit of taking naps.  I will take sleep whenever I can find it – or it finds me – not sure which is more true.

Not very motivated to do much today.  Good thing I don’t have much that needs done today.  It is too hot to be outside doing anything.  It is only to be 84 for the high tomorrow so might get out then and get some things done.  We have a 40% chance of rain for Tuesday but am not going to hold my breath.  I’ll believe it if I see it.

I have some errands to run tomorrow so am grateful it will be a touch cooler.  We will be back in the upper 90’s the rest of the week after that.  Can it be fall yet?

The Perseid Meteor Shower is this week with the peak coming Thursday – Saturday.  There is a full moon on Thursday so the sky may be too bright to see too many.  We have been seeing a couple a night the last couple of evenings.  Maybe this year will be a good year for them.  The last two or three years haven’t put on a good show.

Grateful for a lazy day at home, grateful for air conditioning, and grateful for afternoon naps.

 

 

Have a bit of a puzzle happening.  I charged the cost of the Doula Class to my Amazon credit card.  I transferred money to my checking account in anticipation of the credit card bill being paid.  I have it set up for an automatic withdrawal of the total amount due.  I got notice from the credit card company that they would be withdrawing the funds July 28.  Nothing showed up on my bank statement.

I waited over a week and called the credit card company to make sure the payment had been made.  It had and my balance is zero.  Only problem is the money was never withdrawn from my checking account.  They told me to call my bank and see what happened on their end.

I called my bank and after waiting 45 minutes finally talked to a clerk.  She double checked and confirmed no charges were made against my checking account. She said there was nothing else I could do.  I had her check with a Supervisor and the Supervisor said the same thing.

Who paid my bill and how?  It is a mystery.  The credit card company said it came from my bank account but it didn’t according to the bank.  Guess I wait and see what happens and if someone will catch the mistake that was made somewhere along the line.  Neither the bank nor the credit card company want to take any action to solve this mystery.

Anyone work in the banking or credit card industry and can tell me what happened?  Curious minds want to know.

I got the Hulu thing working today.  Still not 100% sure how I get to what I want.  Sometimes it goes right there and other times it doesn’t but I eventually get there.  I will train Jim on how to do it and then will call DISH on Monday and fire them.  I’ll probably have to go to Topeka or Wichita to return the equipment sometime next week.  I’m going to El Dorado Friday to meet a client so could go on to Wichita from there if I need to.

Did another lesson from the Death Doula class and printed the next lesson off so I can read it this evening.  Not sure how many lessons I have left but am on the third and final section of the class so almost done.

Jim went with a friend to an old fashion tractor show today.  He had a good time but came home exhausted as it was hot.  He sent me a couple of videos of a thrasher machine being used.  Grateful I didn’t have to go.

Got some letters written and mailed today so am finally feeling caught up with my paperwork.

Nothing on my calendar for the next couple of days.  I do want to call Hospice Monday and find out what is happening with my volunteer application.  I also need to go to the Senior Center in Cottonwood Falls and ask if I can do a presentation about Advanced Directives and start scheduling some clients through them.  I meet with my first client on Friday.  Wednesday I have my annual physical.

We are leaving on vacation again on August 24 so need to start thinking about that and getting things ready.  I found a housesitter and that is the hardest part about getting ready.  I need to start a packing list and see if there is anything I need to buy to take on the trip.  We will have to do a feed run before we leave to make sure we have enough feed for the dogs, cats and chickens.  I also need to book a haircut.

Grateful I was able to get Hulu working, grateful Jim had a safe and fun trip today, and grateful I was able to stay home all day.

I finished the Care giver Doula class today and passed the test. I was disappointed in this class. I’m still a bit confused as to what a Care Giver Doula can and cannot do. Grateful it was a free add-on and not the class I paid for. Good to have it out of the way and completed.

I sent my Notary approval letter to the company that bonded me and am awaiting their final approval so I can begin notarizing things.

I did two more classes in the Death Doula class. I finished up the second part of the class which was on the disease process of the top ten diseases that a Death Doula will see. Interesting material but a bit overwhelming to a non-medical person. Still not thinking that is the path for me but we shall see where this journey takes me. I will start the third and final section of the class tomorrow. I need to call Hospice in Emporia on Monday and find out if they received my application and if so if I was accepted and when I can do their training. I mailed the application while we were in CO and haven’t heard anything yet.

I booked my first appointment with a client to complete their end-of-life care plans. It will be good to have that first appointment over and done with. Once I do that I will complete my assignment worksheet and get that turned in for approval. Then the only other requirement I have is to schedule a presentation. I only have to have it on the books and not completed before I can graduate.

I am now accepting appointments to do end-of-life care plans. If you have been considering making yours, hit me up. I accept donations but don’t charge for my service. It may take one, two or even three sessions depending on how quickly you feel comfortable making decisions and how detailed you want to be. My phone number is 620-481-8323 and my email is kaykrause872@yahoo.co.uk I would love to work with you.

Had trouble sleeping last night so at 3:30 I took half of a sleep aid pill I had gotten from Costco. It is basically a Benadryl type pill. I slept until noon and then had to take a nap this afternoon. I have felt hungover all day. Wonder what would have happened it I had taken a whole one? My body didn’t read the rule book and has strange reactions to medications.

Didn’t do much today. Did get some paper work cleaned up on my desk this evening. I got some correspondence taken care of. Still have two more letters to write and then I will feel caught up.

I didn’t mess with the Roku system today. I was too tired and drugged feeling. Jim is going to be gone tomorrow so will play with the system then. I can get MSNBC to come up live on my iPad but not on the TV. I will hopefully figure it out tomorrow and then can call and fire DISH.

No plans for the weekend except for completing more class work. It is going to be hot all weekend so won’t get outside much. This heat is starting to wear me out. We need rain on the prairie but it isn’t in the forecast. These are the dog days of summer.

Grateful for my first appointment on the books, grateful I passed the Care Giver test, and grateful I got some sleep last night.

Good news. My Notary certificate came in today so I am legally a Notary Public now. I can start booking appointments to help people make their end-of-life plans now. Yay! I am still waiting on one more package to come in but it isn’t essential that I have what is in that package.

I did a couple more lessons today in both the Elder Care Class and the Death Doula Class. Neither one were exciting. I did find out I have to take a 20 question multiple choice test for the Elder Care Class when I am done. It is open book though so shouldn’t be a problem. The Death Doula class requires 15 hours of hands-on experience with three different dying patients. My time with my parents counts so I will need to have one more experience before I can “officially” graduate from that class.

Now that my Notary approval has come in, I will contact the four brave people that volunteered to be my guinea pigs and get them on my schedule. I only have to do one for my class but the more practice I can have, the better. I’m hoping to get at least one done before we leave on vacation August 24.

Went to Emporia this morning to deliver some Ritz Cracker peanut butter treats to my grandson. Stopped to get some groceries and a Roku device. I managed to get the device hooked up but haven’t figured out how to watch MSNBC live without the 10 minute thingy. Jim is watching DISH TV tonight so I will work on it some more tomorrow. Grateful I got as far as I did. Sometimes technology is not my friend. Once I figure it out I can call and fire DISH.

Took a nap today and finally feel rested and have a bit of energy tonight. I was wiped out from family day and election night results. The older I get, the longer it takes for me to recharge.

August 11 is the peak of the Persoid Meteor Shower as well as the full moon rising. Not sure if the bright light of the moon will allow good meteor shower viewing. Jim reports the Persoid meteors have already begun.

Nothing on the calendar for tomorrow again so will get a few more lessons read. I have a couple of letters that I want to write and get in the mail so will do those in the morning. I always have cleaning I could do if the urge strikes. Unfortunately the mood doesn’t hit me very often these days. I let my house get dirtier than I ever have before. Once it really starts to bug me I clean it.

For some reason we had a high electric bill for July. We used way more electricity than we had a year ago. We have had a long heat streak so thinking that is the cause. If the bill is high again in August I will call the solar company and ask them to troubleshoot for me.

I want to go to the Senior Center in Chase County tomorrow and see if they will allow me to get on their schedule to do a presentation about Advanced Directives and then come in once a month or so to do one-on-one consultations with their clients. I was waiting for my Notary approval to come in before I went to talk to them.

Grateful my Notary approval came today, grateful I am feeling better this evening, and grateful I was able to get the Roku device hooked up.

Completed two more lessons today. Another one on the most common diseases process and one of the Doula Elder Care classes. So far I am a bit disappointed in the Elder Care Class content. It isn’t very detailed as far as what one might actually be doing. She tells a lot of stories of clients she has worked with but not much information about what I am to do doing in this role. The common disease section is a bit overwhelming with all the medical stuff that might happen. It helps me realize that the Care Specialist role which helps others arrange their end of life care plans is the role I want to play.

No new supplies arrived today. Still waiting on my notary approval so I can start scheduling my first test cases.

We had a wonderful time last night. Four other couples came over for dinner and to be together to watch the election results come in. We ended up out on our deck and I read off the election results as they came in. We had a champaign toast to celebrate the defeat of the Amendment proposal after the New York Times called it a victory. It was a beautiful night to sit outside and enjoy the company of good friends.

I must say I was pleasantly surprised that KS rejected the proposed amendment as soundly as they did. I really thought it would pass. That gives me great hope for the November elections. The vote in Chase County was 48% NO and 52% YES. That was much closer than I had hoped for. There were over 1,000 people in the county that voted which was a very high turnout.

I have felt hungover all day today. I had two sips of wine last night so don’t think I had enough to have a hangover of that type. I have been low energy and draggy feeling all day. I took a two hour nap and still felt tired and worn out. My tummy was a bit upset most of the afternoon as well as having a headache. Trusting I will be feeling better tomorrow. Thankfully there was nothing I had to do today and could take a day of rest.

We have an empty schedule the rest of the week. I plan on continuing to work on my classes and get some more of them knocked out of the way. I will be done with them soon. Then I need to complete my class projects and I will be ready to get to work.

There was a beautiful rainbow this evening. We have had little bits of sprinkles off and on all day. Not sure it has been enough to register in the rain gauge though. We could see the rain all around us but it didn’t manage to get to us.

Have been doing some research on different ways to watch TV. Dish TV pissed me off yesterday and I want to fire them. I’m going into town tomorrow and will pick up a Roku device and see if I can make it work. If so, I will get to fire Dish. That would make my day.

Grateful for the beautiful rainbow this evening, grateful for the company of good friends last night, and grateful the amendment proposal was defeated.

Did a lesson in my Death Doula Class. This series of lessons is teaching me about the top 10 diseases that a Death Doula will see and the symptoms they present with and how best to help the family deal with those. Tonight’s lesson focused on COPT and Emphysema.

I will continue taking this class but am more and more convinced that being a Death Doula is not my path. My skill set is better suited for helping people before they get to this point. Life may have other plans for me and I may change my mind but for now I am going to focus on being a Doulagiver Care Specialist.

Two of my supply orders came in. One is a booklet called 5 Wishes. It provides a detailed format for someone to express their End of Life Plan by giving them lots of options. These booklets will be very helpful to the person they name as their Medical Power of Attorney as it really spells out what your intentions are. The other thing that came in is a game called Elephant in the Room. I will use these cards when I do public presentations to small groups. Each card has a question about end of life that is intended to stimulate conversation.

The main thing I am waiting on is my Notary approval. Kansas is one of six states that require Advanced Directives to be notarized. It will simplify the process when I can do that for my clients. You have to have two unrelated persons as witnesses in addition to the form being notarized. KS doesn’t make things easy!

The window guys were to have come today at 9:00 to start repairing all the windows in the house. They didn’t show up and Jim called them a couple of times and got an answering machine. Finally got hold of them around noon. They told us it was too hot for the material they used and they rescheduled to come next week. Wonder why they didn’t call this morning and tell us that? Not a good way to do business.

We have to replace our air conditioner and that job was scheduled for Thursday. They called today and moved it up to tomorrow. Now that is the way to do business!

I got most of the yard mowed today. I mowed for over two hours and took a break and didn’t make it out to finish. It was a hot one today. I got sun kissed a bit today. If I remember I will get out early tomorrow morning and finish it up. I only have about 30 -45 minutes of mowing left to do.

My Endocrinologist’s office called to give me the results from the TSH test. Unfortunately the orders they gave me don’t make sense with the medication I am taking. I told the nurse and she was going to send a note to the Doctor and then call me back. I haven’t heard back yet. I am going to have a discussion with the Doctor when I go to my appointment in August. I get my blood checked every 6 – 8 weeks and every time I go through this with them. They give me instructions that don’t make sense with what I have been doing which is following their orders from last time. It always takes at least two calls or messages to get things sorted out. It is frustrating, to say the least. It decreases my confidence in their office. You would think my chart would be in front of them when they place new orders. I don’t understand why they can’t fix this.

Jim and I are making plans to go back east the end of August. We found a house sitter which makes getting away possible. We are making contact with all the family and friends we will be visiting and firming up our agenda. It will be good to see my brother and sister as well as Jim’s family.

Tomorrow night some friends are coming over for dinner and we are going to watch the election results together. I am going to fix a crock pot of White Chicken Chili and everyone is bringing something to go with it. Trusting we will be able to break out the champaign and celebrate a NO victory on the amendment proposal. We may be crying in our soup instead and will be drinking to cope with the disappointment. Please go vote NO tomorrow if you haven’t already voted. We need every vote we can get.

Grateful the yard is mostly mowed, grateful the new Air Conditioner is coming tomorrow, and grateful some supplies came in today.

I did no work on any classes today and took a family day instead. The classes I am taking have reminded me about choosing the best quality of life I know how to choose. Taking a family day is for me the best part of living my life to the fullest. It was wonderful to have all three of my kids and their families over for lunch today. We were missing one grandchild but everyone else was here.

Lunch was a taco bar. It went over well. We had some leftovers but not too many. I sent home some meat from my freezer with each of the kids. Making room for the beef that is being processed and will be ready to come home mid August. With beef prices the way they are in the grocery store right now, the kids appreciated some free beef.

I have an 1/8 of the steer up for grabs if anyone is interested in purchasing it. The cost will be approximately $250 depending on how much the processing fee is. You will get about 50 pounds of beef which works out to about $5 a pound. That would include steaks, roasts, and hamburger. It will be ready around August 21 if not a bit before.

Tomorrow I will work on some more lessons. Today I am going to bask in the after glow of a day with the family.

Grateful all three kids were able to come home today, grateful lunch went over well, and grateful for a heart full of love tonight.

Finished my last two sections of the class today. Now I need to do my two class projects and I will be official as a Doulagiver Care Specialist. I am still waiting on supplies to come in before I can do my case study and wrap up this class.

I made contact with the director of the Emporia Senior Center today to discuss scheduling a public presentation on the work I am going to be doing. He will allow me to do so sometime in September or October. I have to have an event on the calendar before I can graduate and don’t actually have to have held it which is a bit weird but that works for me.

I also want to go to the Senior Center in Cottonwood Falls and make the same offer to them. I’ll try to get in there sometime this week. I was waiting to get my business cards in and they are to arrive by Wednesday if the tracking is to be believed.

Got a letter for the State of KS from the notary department. I thought it was my notary approval but it was to return my application as they no longer process credit cards in office. I have to pay on-line. That meant figuring out how to download a copy of my application that they returned. I remembered that you can scan using your iPad so looked up directions for doing that. The first try was all four pages in one file but that made the file too big so had to send four separate attachments. I was proud of myself for figuring out how to do that. I have the hardest time with figuring out how to manage files.

When I hit the final submit button it told me there was an error and to try again. However I checked my bank account and the funds are showing as pending so am guessing the error was in generating a receipt and not that the application didn’t go through. Now I wait to see if I sent them the right things and that they can read them. Somedays it feels like I take two steps backwards instead of forward.

While I wait for supplies I will start one of the other three classes that I have to take. I’ll start those Monday as tomorrow all three kids and their families are coming for a family day. I am fixing a taco bar for lunch. I have the desserts made and the chicken cooked and shredded. Tomorrow I will brown the hamburger, make nacho cheese sauce and heat up the refried beans. Easy peasy! It will be a fun day to see all the kids – those make the best days ever!

Feeling a bit frustrated as my TSH levels for my thyroid came back way too high again. Eight weeks ago they were too low. I sure wish we could figure out why my levels roller coaster so much. They just don’t seem to want to stay in the acceptable range. I think I am doing everything I can to control them. I take my meds at the same time each day. I wait an hour after taking them before I eat. I have read all the literature and avoid the foods and meds that interact with the thyroid meds. I don’t eat sugar. Not sure what else I can be doing to help level out my levels. I see my Endocrinologist August 23. She may have to refer me to a higher level specialist somewhere. She talked about doing that last year if we couldn’t get things leveled out.

Grateful I completed the lessons for my first class, grateful to my friend at the Emporia Senior Center for allowing me to get on their schedule, and grateful the kids are coming home tomorrow.

One of my lessons today was on trusts and wills. The most important part of it was to remind me to remind my clients that everyone needs a Power of Attorney to take care of their affairs should they become unable to do so while living and also someone to take care of their affairs after a death.

I remember I was the person who handled my mother’s estate and I used the power of attorney paper a lot. Even if you don’t have lots of financial resources to leave someone, the power of attorney will save lots of headaches, time and money for those that have to deal with your affairs after you are gone. With all the new laws regarding privacy these days, it is very difficult to get access to your accounts without a written power of attorney form.

Wills and trusts are not always needed but if you have special items that you want to go to someone special, it is helpful to have that in writing. You don’t need an attorney to do this for you. Attorneys are needed if you have a large estate but for simple affairs you can write your own will. It needs to be notarized and have two witnesses sign it. This is something I will be able to help you with.

One of the kindest things you can do for the executor of your affairs is leave a notebook with all your financial records, bank account information, passwords, and directives that you want to see happen. Having everything organized is a real blessing for the people you leave behind. Your phone has a wealth of information in it but without a passcode to get in it, no one can access that information – i.e. your contact list. Putting together a notebook that contains all your pertinent information, including your end of life plan is a gift you can give your family. Make sure several know where you keep it so it can be found immediately so your final wishes can be carried out. Better yet, make sure those most important to you have a copy of your final life plans so they can be prepared to honor those wishes immediately upon your death.

When you are putting together your notebook, take some time and check who is your beneficiary on your banking accounts, etc. Is that person aware they are listed? I remember mom had an account and for what ever reason she only listed one of my siblings as the beneficiary. He wasn’t aware of it. The person at the bank couldn’t tell me who it was. The manager of the bank helped me narrow it down by having me play a guessing game of sorts. Technically he probably shouldn’t have done that but the balance was not very big and he was working hard to be helpful for me. It would have been helpful if mom had written it down for me. Maybe she had forgotten who she named – who knows. IF we hadn’t of figured it out, that money would have eventually been turned over to the state as unclaimed money and we would have had to go through their process to claim it.

Once you make your notebook, make a habit of reviewing it annually to see if anything has changed. Doing the review on your birthday makes it easy to remember to do. Check your driver’s license expiration date on that day too!

I only have a couple more review classes to do and then the classroom part of this first class with be done. Next up is waiting for my supplies to come in so I can do my case study which is working with a client setting up a complete end of life care plan. I also need to plan an event in the community to help spread the word about the importance of doing advanced directives. I then have a worksheet to submit my results of those two projects and a final written test to take and then I graduate.

While I am waiting on my supplies to come in, I will start working on one of the other three classes I have to take.

Just a heads up for those in are around the Emporia area. The wonderful Colorado peaches are here! The truck stand is in front of the mall just north of Walgreen’s. I picked up a case today. When Jim and I were on our trip earlier this month we actually drove through Palisade, CO and I got a few peaches then. They had just started picking them and didn’t have a full case to sell yet. They were so good!

When I was in Estes Park the local grocery store had some peaches – not from Palisade but they were good. I baked them for the first time. I melted butter and rolled the peach slices in the butter and placed them in a baking dish. I then sprinkled them with cinnamon and added some chopped pecans. I baked them for 30 minutes. Wow! They were SO GOOD! Legal for me to eat as I didn’t add sugar. I will have to be careful not to make them very often though as I could have eaten the whole pan of them. I served them with cream cheese on the side instead of ice cream as I can’t eat ice cream.

Grateful for fresh peaches, grateful for the beautiful sunset tonight, and grateful for a safe trip to and from Topeka today.

Today’s lessons were all about how to engage people in conversations and how to get them to feel more comfortable discussing end of life care plans. I ordered some more suggested supplies that may help people engage. Most of the tips were about practicing good listening skills and allowing the client to steer the conversation. I can do that!

Spent some more time organizing the resources I have gathered so far. Need to get a file box to put my folders in. I will need to make a bunch of copies sometime soon. Next time I go to Walmart I need to pick up a file box and another ream of copy paper.

There is a lot of choices one can make – or not. The more a person makes ahead of time, the less choices the family will have to make after a death. It feels a bit overwhelming to consider everything but much easier now than after a death. The good news is that in most cases there is no urgency to make the decisions and clients can take their time and consider all the options. That is why it will take several sessions with clients to finalize everything. They recommend an annual review in case things have changed.

The more I learn about end of life, the more I want to live my life, fully embracing the moments I have. As the instructor said in the video today, there is not one thing I can change about my past. I can change my relationship to the past and accept it for what it is and leave behind any regrets or shame I may still be carrying. Letting go frees up space inside that I can use to live more fully in the present.

One homework assignment I have is to write letters to those that I want to ask forgiveness from. Mailing them is optional and maybe not even desired or needed. The forgiveness I am seeking is really self-forgiveness. Writing can help process those thoughts and allow one to let go easier. Many of us carry guilt and shame about situations from the past that the other person involved has long forgotten about. Think of the freedom it will give you to put that energy to a positive use instead of all the stinking, negative thinking.

There are those situations where a relationship was damaged and there is no longer communication with the other party. Maybe you felt that you were wronged and are waiting for the other person to admit their fault and apologize. Writing a letter to yourself about that situation may be helpful to allow yourself to finally step out of the binds that hold you to that person and allow yourself to be set free. Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting. It also doesn’t mean that engaging in a relationship again is needed. Boundaries are there for a reason and it may be appropriate to continue to have the distance between you. What is important is that the situation doesn’t consume your emotional energy and that you forgive yourself for your part of the situation.

This isn’t easy work! It takes a lot of courage and authenticity to step out and cut yourself free. The freedom you will feel afterwards is worth it. Sometimes it helps to find someone neutral and have them hold your hand through the process.

I think the world would be in a lot better place if more people could take the steps to learn forgiveness and set themselves and others free. We would then each have more room inside to use our energies for positive things if we can release the negative experiences we each carry.

There is an emotional scale that is used to gauge where a person is emotionally. Let’s say it is a scale of 1 – 100. 50 is at a point of being neutral. Anything below that is a negative drain on yourself and everything above 50 is a positive charge. Did you know that the vast majority of people run on a negative charge all day? They take out more emotional energy than they give to the world. If we each could do our own inner work and find ways to be above neutral, collectively we could change the energy of the world.

No one is asking one to always be above neutral. That is for the saints to accomplish. But if the majority of your time you could stay above neutral you would be more emotionally healthy than the majority of people on earth. The way to get there is to let go of the stinking, negative thinking about past situations that you cannot change. We can only change things by staying fully present moment by moment. By having more personal emotional energy available we can be more fully present and have a much better chance to react to life in a positive way.

If you need help getting to a positive, emotional state, reach out. My Hand in Yours would be glad to help!

Enough preaching! Grateful to be increasing in my gratitude for the little things that happen each and every day. Grateful for the 2 inches of rain the prairie received overnight. Grateful for the cooler temperatures today.

Today’s two lessons were all about reviewing. There is a lot of new language to learn and the instructor repeats herself many times so the terms become familiar. Most of it is making sense to me now so I think her repeating is working.

We were given some more resources to look up to ensure that we understand what applies in our state. I am grateful I have my notary papers in process as in KS several of the forms have to be notarized. I should receive my notary approval within the next 30 days.

I spent some time today organizing all the forms into folders so I can easily find them. I had quite a stack a papers growing on my desk and it drives me crazy not to be able to find what I need easily. I will need to make some copies of some of the forms so I have them available when I meet with clients. I need to put the originals in a plastic sleeve so I don’t give them away.

I went to the website for the Secretary of State for KS and did the initial paperwork to register My Hand in Yours, LLC as my business name. I will need to get the LLC paperwork drawn up but that can wait a bit. I also found business insurance and got that taken care of.

I’m still not sure how much business I plan on doing but for the first year I will do things by the book and decide from there what I want to do for the following years.

I found out the easiest way for a person to donate their body to medical research. If the body is accepted the medical research place will pick up the body, issue a death certificate, and then at some point return the cremated remains to the family. All of this happens with no charge to the family. I am seriously considering having this done for my body. Saves the expense of a cremation and someone could benefit from my body. I know of two different families that did this and I see it as a wonderful benefit for medical science.

I found out in one of my lessons today that one of the graduation requirements is to do a public presentation on the importance of having Advanced Directives. I will have to give this some thought as to where I might do so. I will check with the Senior Centers in Chase and Lyon County and see if they allow such a thing to happen. It would be a good way to find some clients that I could help.

I have decided to not have a flat fee but instead allow my clients to pay what they think the service is worth. I’m sure some will pay $10 and some will pay much more than that. It will all even out. I’m looking to earn back what it has cost me to take the course and order my supplies. The rate the instructor recommends is way too much – especially for this area. She lives in New York and can probably get that there. Don’t think I would have many clients if I tried to charge $1,000 – $1,500 like she suggests.

The other graduation requirement is to work with someone from start to finish on writing out their Advanced Directives. I have three people that have volunteered to let me work with them. I’m waiting on finishing the rest of my training and for my supplies to come in before I get those sessions scheduled.

There is also a written test that I will have to take. Not sure how long or big the test is but I can usually pass those fairly easily so that shouldn’t be an issue.

When I finish this class I still have three other classes to work on. The Death Doula class requires 15 hours of bedside service to a dying patient. Hospice hasn’t called me back so I’m not sure how I will get those hours in. Not sure that is the path I want to take with this training anyways although I would like to have a bit more experience with that path. I attended the death of both of my parents and those hours count. I have to attend a total of three deaths to graduate so only need one more. If it is meant to be that I get that certificate a way will be shown to me.

I have a physical scheduled for August and will practice what I preach and have a discussion with my doctor about my wishes for end of life care. I want to take a copy of my advanced directives for myself and make sure they are entered into my medical records. I think I did this before with my other doctor but not sure the records transferred when I changed doctors.

My kids are all coming Sunday for a family day. I will again communicate with them what my wishes are so they are all on board with my decisions. Surely not planning on them needing to know that information immediately but it will be good practice for me to communicate to them as that is what I will be asking my clients to do to their families.

Thinking about death sure helps me be grateful for living and the little things that happen throughout the day. My appreciation for all the blessings I have continues to grow and deepen. I am embracing the thought that some day things will change. I see death as my next grand adventure so I don’t fear death. Making my end of life plans feels like a gift I am giving my family ahead of time.

Grateful for the rain we got on the prairie last night. Grateful for the cooler temperatures. Grateful for knowledge that helps me make better decisions about my end of life plans.

Todays lesson taught me more about completing Advanced Directives and naming a Medical Power of Attorney. A couple things I learned that surprised me I thought I would share.

Advanced Directives are not legally binding. A Doctor can choose not to follow them. That usually happens when there is one or more family members that disagree with the directives. The legal system backs the Doctor’s right to refuse to honor them. That is why it is so important to have a family meeting before a family member is in crisis and get everyone on board with your wishes.

There is a work around available but you have to know to ask for it. It is called a POLST which stands for Physician Order of Life Sustaining Treatment. In KS and MO it is called a TPOPP which stands for Transportable Physician Orders for Patient Preferences. Unfortunately these orders can only be issued when a patient has a terminal diagnosis. They can be written when a person is frail and old, however. But usually they are forms that can not be done years ahead of time.

When I work with my clients I will give them a copy of the TROPP and they can complete part of it and take it to the hospital or doctor if and when it might be appropriate to do so. It is hard to ask for something that you don’t know exists – right?

I also learned that your Advanced Directives, or at least your DNR orders should be hanging on your refrigerator. That is where EMS professionals will look to see if you have them. It might be wise to keep a copy in your car, your purse, and a copy with a few of your loved ones. Without them present they won’t do any good. You can also give a copy to your doctor to scan into your medical records. That presents a good moment for you to have a discussion with your primary doctor about your wishes if and when that time should come.

Advanced Directives can be cancelled if you change your mind. If you get divorced and you had named your ex as your Health Care Proxy they are automatically cancelled upon divorce.

Think carefully about who you choose to carry out your wishes. If your partner is struggling to accept your choices maybe it would be best to choose someone else. They don’t have to be related to you. It makes things easier if they are geographically close to where you live so they can be present at the hospital. Who you designate may change throughout your life. Relationships change and people move on. Maybe set a reminder on your birthday each year to review your records and see if the person(s) you choose still works for you. It is also a good idea to name two people in case someone isn’t available.

The instructor also talked about the need for people of all ages to do Advanced Directives and a end of life care plan. Accidents and medical trauma happen and it is a real gift to the family if they know what your final wishes are. My family learned that a few years ago. Making all those tough decisions when you are under an incredible amount of shock, grief and stress adds to a hard situation. Knowing what they would have wanted and being able to honor that makes things easier for loved ones left behind.

Advanced Directives and end of life care plans can be changed as your life changes. The choices I make as a 68-year-old are probably different than the ones I would have made as a 30-year-old.

Another choice you can make is to designate a conservator. They will be the one that has the duty to carry out your wishes as to what will happen to your body when you die. This can be the same personas your healthcare Proxy or Healthcare Power of Attorney or you can designate a different person. Again you predetermine what you want to happen and this person will then carry out those wishes.

Another point that was made was to remind us that the Power of Attorney that was designated in your will to handle your material and financial matters is not automatically your Medical Power of Attorney or Healthcare Proxy. You may name the same person to do all these tasks or you may have different ones doing different things. You need different paper work to name the different roles people will be playing for you. Man! This gets confusing and challenging to navigate through.

I ordered a stack of TPOPP forms today as well as new business cards. I am going to call my practice My Hand in Yours. I have my notary stamp papers in process and should be good to go as a notary soon. All these little bits and pieces that need to be done so I can be in service to others.

I had three people reach out to me and volunteer to have me help them create their end of live care plans and directives. I so appreciate their willingness to be a guinea pig for me to practice on. I could use at least two others so if you are interested in getting your wishes on paper let me know. I won’t be ready to do the sessions for probably another month but we shall see how quickly I move through my training and when my supplies come in.

Doing this work has helped remind me to be grateful for my healthy body and to live each day fully as we never know when our time will be up. There are no guarantees of another day but there is a guarantee that one day we will each die.