Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

“A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject.”

Winston Churchill

Mike the Vet is going to bringhis lawn mower over here for me to use while mine is being repaired. He really is a friend.

Re the Prius -
All is fixed without any expense but for the new battery. Once a car mechanic, always a car mechanic. Never pay anyone to fix your car even if you only have one eye working.
Heidi, that car in over 14 years old. Hopefully Toyota has come up with better access to the rear of the car in the case of flat battery. Like just put a keyhole there at the rear door like on the front driver's door. Easy.

I don't know about those things. I drive a 21 year old Toyota Tundra pick-up. Nothing fancy like a hybrid.

Well, Heidi, if someone ''pushes the right button'', I resemble your top. Good one...

I am sickened by all the violence and hatred in this country. ALL lives matter. Yesterday another unarmed, well respected black man was killed by police in Louisville, Kentucky. He was on the outskirts of a protest march and was shot by police. He did nothing to instigate it. He was the owner of one of Louisville's most popular barbecue restaurants. The police had their body cameras turned off again before they opened fire. They claimed that ''someone'' shot at them first, and they used that excuse to open fire on the crowd. But without their body cameras on, there's no proof of their story. The police chief has been fired because this this is the second incident of Louisville police killing an unarmed black person while their cameras were turned off. The protest march was over the killing of Breonna Taylor, a well respected EMT who was asleep in bed with her boyfriend when the police broke into their apartment without identifying themselves or showing a warrant, and opened fire, killing Breonna in bed!!! (They claimed they'd heard someone in the apartment was selling drugs). The boyfriend's 911 call is horrifying to hear. I am sickened by this brutality. Canada looks better every day.

Oh no, Heidi!! And that one didn't even make the news over here. There is so much horror and violence going on over there. How positively awful.
It's disgusting that just because of the colour of a person's skin, they are judged so differently.
And it's not just over there. It happens here a lot with our indigenous people who are looked on, as a whole, as low life criminals.
And the kind of people who believe that to be true gravitate to the jobs, like policing, that give them power over these people.
A lot of lip service has been paid to these people over the years giving them their rightful equality, but nothing changes.
White privilege dominates this world.

I've watched so much footage of peaceful protesters being attacked by the police lately. Earlier today, a black minister was peacefully marching in Louisville. A cop came up to him and started screaming in his face, calling him names and giving him crazy orders. The minister stood there for a few seconds, and was prompthy hit, wrestled to the ground, handcuffed, then dragged into a squad car. I've seen the video. People started screaming at the cops that this was the minister of their church! The cops then released him with no apology. The chief of police in Louisville has now been fired. But the police are so used to treating black people abominally that they are continuing this. We need DRASTIC changes. We have a document which states clearly that ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, ENDOWED WITH THE INALIENABLE RIGHTS OF LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. I wish more people in power believed this.

On another subject, I finally talked to pain management this afternoon. Their only opening in the next month is at 8 AM tomorrow. That means leaving here at 7 AM. I am not a morning person, but I REALLY need this epidural. This will be the first one in 20 years that my previous doctor hasn't given me. I hope this guy is good. He's kind of young.

They called back. They changed the time of the epidural from 8 AM to 10:40 AM. Thank goodness.

So saddened from reading your entry Heidi - we do not get all of the news here - in Melbourne we have reports of the riots but not of the subsequent atrocities. Hope common sense prevails and they become peaceful again. Such a bad state of affairs when the police behave like that - we are supposed to respect their authority but how can you ??

To make it worse, I was watching the footage of that minister being manhandled by police and I recognized one of the policemen. He is the son of a good friend, retired after 20 years on the Louisville police force, who passed away from cancer last year. He would have been shocked and ashamed of his son to have seen this.

Hi, Everyone!

Heidi, I'm glad you were able to see/meet with the temporary replacement pain management doctor. I guess that means you'll be able to get your epidural this week. I hope it's a doozy! I'm certainly glad you were able to convince him that you needed to have the epidural as soon as possible. Then when you have some pain relief, he can discuss your methadone prescription (or a replacement) with you.

CynB, I'm so glad Col's appointment with the cancer surgeon went well! It sounds like things are going well leading up to his eye surgery. That's wonderful news!

This was only hubby's 3rd epidural. (The first was probably about 10 years ago, and the second was earlier this year). I don't think it could have been called a doozy, but at least he felt SOMETHING! He said he could feel kind of a numbing spreading down his right leg, but nothing on his left. His back and one leg seem to be doing better/not as painful as they had been, but it doesn't seem to have had any effect on the neuropathy pain in his feet.

Heidi, I'm glad you're due for some drier weather, so you can work on mowing. How awful that your mower chose now to act up! Hopefully you have been able to get it fixed by now! And what a horrible time for your A/C compressor to bite the dust! (Our high today was 94, so I'm sure it was hotter there.) I hope a replacement condenser can be found VERY quickly!

WOW, CynB! What a horrible state of affairs trying to get into the car and get to the battery to remove and replace it! Now's when you are very thankful to have a handy husband, but how inconvenient to need to spend most of the day to get things done! Surely there must be some 'go around' or handy but unshared 'hack' for doing this! I hope Col was able to get a replacement battery and get it installed!

DOrA, you're right about 'Job Preservation.'

Great TOPP, Heidi!

Heidi, Mike the Vet is indeed a good friend! I hope you get everything mowed before the rains return!

This is a horrible time in the U.S. Racial hatred (sometimes hidden just below the surface) has been unleashed. I know there are far more good police than bad, but the bad are certainly showing themselves. I read that the 'suspect' the police had been looking for when they broke into Breonna Taylor's apartment had already been apprehended earlier. Someone needs to create a body cam that can NOT be turned off while the person wearing it is on duty. I hadn't heard about the black owner of the barbecue restaurant who was murdered by police.

CynB, I'm sorry to hear that there is similar racial profiling there. I've been doing a lot of reading and listening over the last several days. White privilege is far more prevalent than I had realized.

Heidi, I hadn't heard about the black minister's treatment by the police. I'm sorry that one of the policemen involved is the son of a good friend.

Hooray, Heidi! You have your epidural scheduled - and at a more convenient time! I hope it's a doozy!

Thinking of everyone and sending healing energy, prayers, , positive thoughts, and {{{{{HUGS}}}}} to Everyone!

The epidural was a doozy! I have a good feeling about it. I need to spend a few days resting now, with the first 24 hours doing nothing.
I can hear Mike out on his tractor bush hogging the calving pasture. I'm going to talk to him in a couple of days about us sorting out his fall calves and weaning them. We have the pen available where we weaned the last bunch.

Glad to hear it was a doozy Heidi - hope it lasts and your new dr is better than the last.
I agree Julie - i did not realise the 'white privilege' - i was brought up with a couple of aboriginal families as close friends and we have never seen any difference. We shared holidays and family times together - sure we used to get some people looking surprised but it was nothing. I just don't understand anybody thinking they are better than the other. We should all be judged on our own merits and nothing else.

I'm so glad your epidural was a doozy, Heidi! I hope it lasts until the next one! Hooray for Mike bush hogging the calving pasture. You need to just relax and enjoy doing nothing for the next few days!

Amen to your comments, Midge. Even though there seemed to be no racial divide in the small community where I grew up, I guess I benefited from white privilege. I remember when I was in high school my younger brother worked at a gas station. Someone pulled in to buy some gas and asked him where our town's ghetto was. He told the customer that our town didn't have a ghetto. People just lived in whatever house they bought or apartment they rented, regardless of who the neighbors were.

Thinking of everyone and sending lots of {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, positive thoughts, healing energy, prayers, and ! Good Night and Stay Safe!

I'm glad your epidural went well, Heidi!

Greetings to all!

We have a new primary care physician. The one we had for almost 40 years retired at the end of February - just before hubby's hospital visits. We had one appt. with one of the 3 doctors who temporarily kept his office opened until the health care system found a replacement. She didn't feel like a good 'fit' and her regular office is about 45 minutes away from our home. We asked several people for recommendations and did some research. Today we had our first face-to-face in-office appointment for our annual physicals with a new doctor. We both like her, and the nurse sincerely likes working for/with her. It's a relief to know that we have a new doctor!

Heidi, I hope you have been taking it easy and doing nothing today! With luck you can just ease back into chores.

I hope everyone is staying healthy and avoiding any protests or uprisings!

Sending healing energy, positive thoughts, , prayers, and {{{{{HUGS}}}}} for Everyone!

Julie, I'm glad you found a new Doctor that you both like. We had a wonderful doctor for years and he retired 12 years ago. We just could not find a new one that we liked or felt comfortable with until a friend recommended her Doctor about 5 years ago, so we went 7 years without a Doctor we were comfortable with. Now, this guy is a young good-humoured man who is quick off the mark with accurate diagnosis. It was he who decided that Col's vague tummy pains needed further investigation last year. A scan found the cancer and it was dealt with quickly and efficiently. We are forever in his debt for that. He is so humble, he says any doctor would do the same but I'm not so sure they all care enough to look at the whole picture. To some it's just get em in, write a prescription and get em out. Or am I just cynical?

It's Saturday morning here and a high pressure system over southern Australia is bringing cool, clear weather over the whole country according to the weather man. I love these cool, crisp winter mornings. It's 7.20am and 11C here but colder in southern states.

You're not cynical, CynB. Too many doctors fit that description. I've been to a few. The ones who really care about each patient are few and far between. I think a lot of it, in this country, is due to insurance companies being able to dictate to doctors how they can treat patients and with what, and the doctors are getting too apathetic about their professions.

This was such a humdinger of an epidural that I'm still sore from it, and spending most of my time resting in bed. Which isn't all that fun, since I still don't have a/c, and it's swelteringly hot and humid here. I am getting a lot of reading done, though. I'm just starting with an author I've never read before: Elizabeth George. Great murder mysteries. I'm having dificulty putting her books down.

Greetings to All!

CynB, how awful to go 7 years without a doctor you felt comfortable with! The good news is that you finally found someone who you both like and who seems to have some diagnostic skills! What a blessing! We felt an urgency to find someone as quickly as possible with all of hubby's issues, including the 2 hospital 'visits.' He has quite a few specialists, but it seems important to have a primary care who kind of knows all of your history and keeps tab on what all of the specialists are prescribing.

CynB and Heidi, I think a healthy dose of cynicism is called for, at least here in the U.S. Big pharma has a lot of money 'invested' in politicians and the political process. The good doctors who really care about their patients seem to be few and far between. No doubt we could all list several complaints.

Heidi, I'm so glad this epidural has been a real humdinger. I'm sorry you're still sore, but if that's what it takes for it to last until the next one, then so be it. I wish you had functioning A/C so you could be reading in comfort!

Thinking of everyone and sending healing energy, , prayers, positive thoughts, and {{{{{HUGS}}}}} for each of you. Take care, Everyone!

You never realize how
anti-social you are until
there's a pandemic and
your life doesn't
really change that much...

This heat is really getting to me. I want my A/C working again!!!!

DOrA, it may not be a TOPP or even a BOPP, but I like it!

Heidi, is there any guesstimate as to when the necessary parts might arrive? I hope it's soon! Our temperatures were in the 70s today, but going up to 90s again by Monday, before dropping again to the 70s by next Friday and 60s by next Saturday. I hope some cooler air is headed to your area!

Thinking of everyone and sending healing energy, positive thoughts, prayers, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and for all! Enjoy the weekend!

Our LOWS are in the mid to upper 70's!!! Even the thunderstorm yesterday didn't cool anything off. They don't have a clue when the part will come in, since so many non-essential factories aren't working during this pandemic. They're trying as hard as they can to get me up and running again, but I need a miracle. Then to have my mower down too! Frustrating. I like my mower so much more than Mike's.

I can understand your frustration over the Aircon not working, Heidi! Ours limped through summer. If we turned it on, it worked for 6 hours and then would just shut down. So I'd try to manage until 2pm, then I would get cool air through the heat of the afternoon and while I cooked dinner. It's the main unit needs replacing, understandable after 16 years, according to our aircon man and former neighbour. The ducting etc is fine. But we're still looking at about $6000 for the main unit. We left it due to uncertainty during Covid becauses of job uncertainty that never happened, but we must get it done before October when the heat returns in earnest. Also best to get it done while the repairmen aren't busy.

Col's eye op on Thursday. He's already started preparations with eye drops in both eyes for 3 days prior to op. This is a different hospital again and it's in the city. I wasn't looking forward to the traffic and parking but my grandie Madeline has come to the rescue. She insists on coming over to pick us up and drive us in, stay with me while the op is done and drive me home, Col will be in overnight. What a treasure she is! Not sure if she's staying the night and doing the same procedure to pick him up, I should be able to do that one myself. The older I get, the more nervous I get about driving in areas I don't know and in heavy traffic.
Laughable really since I worked for over 20 years and had to travel to and from work on the main highway across Brisbane. I was a very aggressive and fearless driver once. This may be payback?

My fingers are crossed that the surgery goes better than expected, and even hoped for.

Got the lawn mowed again. It looks good. I'm supposed to call the lawn mower repair people tomorrow to see how mine is doing.

I hope I hear good news from the Air conditioning folks this week. This heat is so draining.

We're working the cow herd on Wednesday morning. Putting fly tags in all the cows and calves, retagging my one heifer who lost her tag, and weaning the Fall calves. We're due to have thunderstorms that day, so that should keep the cows cooler while we work.

Hi, Everyone!

Heidi, I wish there were some way to help you find the parts needed for your A/C! If only a local repair company could find the parts somewhere within driving distance of you and could then send someone to pick it up, that would be helpful. I guess the coronavirus hit at a time when companies would have been making parts for A/C, and so they are in short supply. I'm hoping for that miracle you need! Add to that your frustration that your lawn mower also needs repairs. I hope you're keeping your activity to a minimum through all of this!

CynB, at least your zircon was able to get you through your summer, and hopefully can be repaired during the colder months so it's ready to jump into action when the heat returns. That's going to be a big expense! I wonder what they cost here, as we may not be too far off for needing replacement. They're coming out tomorrow to service our air con.

Hooray for Col preparing for his eye surgery on Thursday. I hope all medical personnel will be in tip-top shape for the op! You and Col are so blessed with wonderful children and grandchildren! How wonder that Madeline will help to get you to and from the hospital and will be your 'buddy' while the surgery takes place. That will certainly help the time to pass more quickly! By the way, I can certainly understand your nervousness about driving in unfamiliar areas in heavy traffic times. I know that would be a concern for me, as well!

Thinking of everyone, whether you have posted recently or not, and hope everyone is well! Sending healing energy, positive thoughts, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, prayers, and ! Take care!

Good Evening, Friends!

Thinking of everyone and sending positive thoughts, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, healing energy, prayers, and . I hope everyone is well!

Still no air conditioning, and still no lawn mower. At least we're going to have a front move in later today with rain, thunderstorms and a small drop in temperature. That will be nice.
We're working the cow herd tomorrow morning. I'm excited about that. I'll get a close up look at this year's calves.... including my heifer calf that was born yesterday. This one was sired by Mike's Balancer bull (which makes her 3/4 Angus), so I'll be able to breed her to Laird next year.... maybe..... if he's ready. I still have one cow left to calve (#75), and she's due any day. I really hope she has a heifer, too. As it is, I have 2 heifers so far this year, twice as many as last year. Both will be keepers.

We've got all the cows and calves caught for tomorrow except for my cow #12 who just calved and Mike's oldest cow. They both refused to come out of the woods, so we'll do them another day. They aren't the important ones, anyway. We need to castrate bull calves (except Laird), fly tag everybody, and wean the 3 Fall calves. The calf back in the woods with mama is a heifer, so she can wait.

It sounds like you've had a really busy day, Heidi! And tomorrow sounds busy as well! I'm hoping the excessive heat didn't make things harder for you. With luck, the temperature may be cooler tomorrow due to the effects of the tropical storm. Crossing fingers that your air conditioner will soon be repaired and cooling the house and you soon!

Thinking of Everyone and sending {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, healing energy, , positive thoughts, and prayers!

Once the A/C is back up, I think I'm going to sleep around the clock. It's too hot to sleep with this heat, humidity and dogs cuddled up with me. I have a fan over the bed, but that gave up the ghost 2 weeks ago as well.

I need to do the last few things before Mike the Vet shows up, in under 2 hours, to work cattle. I've got to pen up the alpacas out of the way, locate a replacement tag for my heifer that lost her tag, and pull the buggy out of the barn aisle so it doesn't get damaged by the cows or bull. I also need to make sure I have a few cold drinks for us in the barn.

Oh Heidi, not even the fan? Women our age need a fan. Hope you get both sorted soon. And then get some good sleep!

Well, today's the day!
32nd Wedding Anniversary -nice
And the big one - Col's Lens replacement.
He'll be in hospital overnight, hopefully tomorrow morning, we may know if it has been successful (should be, good success rate) but it will take a few weeks of healing to discover how much sight he gets back.
Fingers crossed!