San Francisco Wedding At City Hall

San Francisco is a Beautiful City with a Beautiful City Hall and can be a Beautiful Venue for a Wedding.

(source-Google)

This is my Granddaughter yesterday following her marriage in San Francisco.  Such a beautiful bride.

(source-google)
And, this is the Wedding Venue!

These photos of the bride and groom were taken by a guest at the wedding and were on her Facebook page.  The professional photos will take a while for processing.

I am so happy for them and their children.

My head is filled with a myriad of emotions this evening.  I guess the only thing I will say is that I have a tremendous amount of sadness regarding family relationships.  And, I look foreward to seeing the photos of my Great Grandchildren as I understand they were going to be in the wedding.

Well, the week is nearing an end and I hope your week has been going well.  It has been a difficult week filled with severe back/leg pain along with heavy emotions on several fronts.

Remember to always take good care of yourself and the ones you love.

Mary

Garden And More

The garden is certainly sleepy and very drab these days even though we have had a fair amount of sunshine along with the cold. And, we have recently started to get a little rain and also snow at the higher elevations.  This little stem of White Narcissus is the only flower in my entire garden.  Evidence of last nights rain shows as water drops from the petals.  How cool are those raindrops captured in the photo.  Didn't see it until I saw the photo on the computer.

And, the only other activity in the garden that I noticed is the Yellow Daffodils I planted last fall in two large planters.  The taped grids across the top are to save my precious bulbs from the many squirrels that traverse my gardens.  The squirrels have been very busy little fellows searching and digging for any little goodies they can unearth and carry away.

I have been busy taking care of necessary activities which seems to be quite difficult with coping with the intense pain, especially the burning pain that is radiating down my left leg to my ankle. I saw the Primary Physician on Monday and I had a chance to read the MRI report for myself.  I was more than surprised to see the more than I expected undesirable pathology.  Each vertebral space (seven) in my low back is showing broad bulging of the disc cushion into the spinal canal impinging on nerves.

That is the best way I can explain it even though there is a lot more trouble like worn out, dried out and old aged disc cushions.  You can laugh with me as I know that sounds very old lady dreadful!  Yes, humor aside, it is a little frightening ! ! !  My appointment with the Orthopedist is February 2.

Yes, life goes on and as you may know,  I am quite tenacious.  For reasons not necessary for this topic, I had to replace the straps supporting my water heater in the garage as required by California law.  I followed my usual methodical, thoughtful and slow approach and I am proud to say I think "my shirt buttons are bursting" with my pride with this accomplishment.  It was especially difficult because the straps have to be secured to the wood studs behind the sheet rock and the lack of good clearance around the water heater made for an almost impossible task.  I thought of removing the sink but really did not want to and did not have to.








Ya gotta do - what you gotta do !  Some day I hope to be able to delegate.  Maybe, a Home Maintenance Person and - - - why not add a Cleaning Lady ! ! !

I think this is about the time you can call  me CRAZY.  It's OK with me ! ! !

I hope you have had a good week and the Week End will bring good things your way.

Mary

Slow Down

The days are flying by for me possibly because I am not able to physically take care of things like I have in the past.  And, my self imposed stress is causing me difficulty.  I have some deadlines to meet and I have not been able to get started with my afghan crocheting as I had hoped.  In a couple weeks my time management should go smoother for me.

I am very happy to say that I have an appointment the first of February with the Orthopedic Surgeon (that I trust) so I can discuss any recent developments in pain management procedures and his recommendations regarding my age and future pain relief to help me function to the best of my ability.

Since I feel pulled in many directions I will not be bloggling very regularly until I feel less stressed and in better control.

Give yourself time to Take Care Of Yourself .

Mary 

Looking Forward To A First

On Friday I will be starting a CAL (Crochet-Along) Woodland Afghan under the direction of Lucy at Attic 24  .  It will be the first time I have ever joined a blog group to crochet a project.

These photos are from Lucy's blog.

I already have my yarn.  Aren't the colors pretty?  I ordered it from Lucy's homeland in England and the price and shipping were very reasonable .

Oh, I know -  I have lots of yarn but how fun is it to have new colorful yarn.  I am hoping that joining a CAL will help get me on track and stick with it.  I can't tell you how many times I have "beat myself up" for not finishing a project.  But, I am not going to do that anymore.  I now look at it as a pleasureful time with my yarn and I don't have to always finish a project. 

"THE SKY ISN'T GOING TO FALL" !!!  I have known people that never buy new fabric or yarn until the last project is finished.  But, I can count the number of people on one hand.  At this age, if the sky does fall - oh well!

The term WIP  (Work-In-Progress) is no longer going to cause me any concern. I am going to just listen to the click-click of needles or quietness of my hook and settle into peaceful enjoyment.  However, I don't doubt that working along side other crafters will provide added motivation when and if I get to the first lull (it happens to most of us) on such a big project. 

If you have interest in the afghan project, be sure and check out Lucy's blog.

I still have more work to finish with paperwork on finances and life matters.  But, I am mostly finished. Our weather has been quite nice.  We are suppose to get some rain tonight.  Actually there are three small weather fronts on the way.  We really need some rain badly.  We are very below average rainfall.

Stay well.

Mary

I Welcome A New Year

However, I don't know why I feel many strong emotions today.  For one thing, I feel very tired and that possibly could be my body reacting to how hard I am trying to deal with my pain. Earlier today I watched the New Years Day Rose Parade and that always causes a flood of emotions.  I was going to blog all about that but that is not going to happen.  But, I will make a brief list of things I have been thinking about.

• In my youth I worked several years on the parade floats applying flowers.
• I lived in that city sharing an apartment with two girls.
• I had a regular boyfriend and ate at Bob's Big Boy more times than I can count. The days of popular "Car Service".
• I went to Nursing School in that city .
• I worked several places supporting myself while going to school.
• I graduated in the Pasadena Rose Bowl Stadium as a candidate for licensure as a Registered Nurse. 
•  I Passed State Boards as a Registered Nurse at age 19 in 1959.   There were five categories of subject matter tested, Medical - Surgical - Obstetrics - Pediatrics - Psychiatrics.

The Nurses in Uniform and Red/Blue Nursing Capes and White Nursing Cap walked at the front.  Oh, and White Stockings, also !      I believe there were 46 of us who were able to complete all the requirements.  That was about half the number who started.

It was very very hard work.  Especially, supporting myself at the same time as schooling.  My two roommates were fully funded by their parents.  And, let me tell you, it was a huge feeling of accomplishment.  Yes, I still have my Wool Cape.  I don't really know why, but I do!

Some day I may blog about how I happened to go into Nurses Training.  It was not the story of the little girl who always wanted to be a Nurse!

Hope your Day has been Fabulous and if you are in the COLD STATES, please be safe !!!

Mary

Three Years Ago Today

I lost My Special Man to cancer.

He gave me so many gifts during the five years we spent together.

 THE GREATEST GIFT IS LOVE !!!

And, his love for me was deep.  As my love for him is deep.

Give an extra HUG to those you Love!

Mary

Medical Diagnostic Report

Yesterday while I was out to the store I saw this back brace that was reasonably priced.  I have a brace that I use frequently but it is quite old.  So, when I saw this one that has a removable lumbar pad cushion for added compression to the lower back I decided that I needed to buy it.  I have worn it a lot today and I would say that it helps more than the old one.  I think buying it was a good decision.

And, then this afternoon I received a telephone call from the nurse at my doctor's office with the MRI results.  It revealed that there is an increase in the degree of impingement on the nerves which would explain my symptoms.  The doctor's recommendation was that I have an Epidural Injection.  A needle is injected into the epidural space which surrounds the spinal canal and a steroid medication is injected which is suppose to shrink any swollen tissue and decrease inflammation in or around the nerve roots.

Well, through the years, I have had several epidural injections with poor or no positive results.  The last time was in 2012 when I went to Daly City near San Francisco to get the injection.  The doctor was highly recommended by a Neurologist I had seen for a consultation.  The doctor is an Anesthesiologist and is one of the pioneers in the field of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Spinal Injections.  I was very impressed with the doctor,  office  and surgical center.  Usually, a second procedure is done in six weeks if the injection gives some relief.  SADLY,  The procedure did not give me any relief.

I explained this to the nurse and told her I did not want to do it again.  By the way, the injection is painful and they can not put you totally asleep because you need to be able to tell the doctor where the pain is the strongest.  Then I told the nurse that I would like a referral to the Orthopedic Surgeon that I have seen in the past for regular follow-ups.  He comes to this area from the Bay Area a few days a month to see patients.  The nurse said that is who my doctor would recommend and she would send the referral.  The reason I want to see this doctor is that I respect his opinion and I want a consultation, especially since there continues to be new treatment approaches.

So now we start the "wait game".  But, I am very appreciative that the MRI results were reviewed by my doctor and I was notified promptly.

I am wishing all of you Good Health and Happiness.

Mary

Pain And Other Things

Yesterday, the MRI was completed at the local hospital.  The technician was exceptionally knowledgeable, professional and very nice.  It has been several years since I have had a MRI completed at that facility.  They have a very nice new department for the MRI which has replaced a modular trailer of the past.  The report will be available to the doctor in about two days.  But, who knows when I will get the results.  It may not be until my next doctors appointment on  January 18.  I am so tired of this continual pain and I have NOT noticed any difference with the anti-inflammatory medication I started taking.

When I was leaving the hospital the technician asked me where I was parked because a Medical Helicopter was coming into the Helipad  that was nearby.  The area was already surrounded with policemen and other designated personnel.  He said I might want to leave before they arrived.  It gets very windy when those  "big birds" arrive!  Since I have never been "up close and  personal" to a landing,  I decided to go across the street and park in a parking lot and watch it come in.  It was what looked like a perfect approach and landing.

This google photo looks exactly like the helicopter I watched.  Along with emergency pickups,  they also transfer patients from one facility to another.  I did not see anything in the newspaper about any accident nearby.  And, they did not look like they were in any hurry.  Hopefully, they were just making a transfer.

About a week ago my solar vertical lift gate started to have difficulty.  And, I usually attend to it almost immediately because I have gotten accustomed to the security that I feel by having the gate.  Maybe, it is a false sense of security !  But, I think I recall hearing that the homes with the least resistance are more likely to be targeted for mischief.  This is what the gate looks like.  All of the pulleys, cables, springs, battery, etc. are housed in this big box.

Well, anyway even with my pain, it was time to fix it.  And, it looks like it is the battery  (like a car battery) needs to be replaced.  The battery is the back up for the solar.  This one lasted 7 years and I can't complain about that.  So, off to the store to buy a new one to the tune of about $100.00.  Since the battery  "weighs a ton" my neighbor it going to put the new one in tomorrow.  The new battery will stay in the trunk of my car until tomorrow.  The gate which I bought in 1996 has been exceptionally good and has required very little expense other than a replacement of a battery every now and then.

This is a good photo of THE GATE.       A photo from a few years ago when we had snow at Christmas time.

Well, I think that is it for this time.

We are having beautiful sunny weather here in California.  If you are in a snowy state I hope you are warm and safe and cozy.

Mary