Jerry CGI+

Fleet kits are still in my lifestyle, but better than the alternatives. Still weighing in where I was after the weight loss from the dehydration. Not putting any of it back on. I guess celebrex is history. Not too much difference in pain level, kicks in a little sooner, but not enough to warrant the edema. I can use ibuprofen, which works better for the intense stuff.

74°F, sunny, light breeze, windows open, nice day to feel normal.

Found a tutorial on bones by Percy Danforth. He is the original designer of the Mr Bones minstrel bones that I favor. I haven’t had a chance to try the techniques yet, but I am looking forward to making some new progress on them after a month’s set back. I discovered a new move today, high speed, hard to maintain, and demanding on the shoulder. But the speed is impressive.

One more bowl of soup left, and it vanishes shortly. Sirloin taco as a chaser. Then I need to cook. Eggs ackley and baked potato soup on the calendar. Cheese risotto to follow. Thinking jambalaya (chicken, pork tenderloin, shrimp, scallop) sometime in November. Plenty of lazy stuff in the fridge and freezer.

Halloween, blue moon. Staying away from the stores.

Reset the clock. The chase begins anew. Then reset the clock Sunday morning as we head back to DST. Not looking forward to dark at 5 pm.

There is a blue moon tomorrow morning, on Halloween.

Still waiting for a bill on the dowels. Good thing I’m not in a hurry.

I need to cut back on Myka’s salad. If she had any hairballs, they’re gone now. The pots are bursting full, an explosion of green.

Still not fully recovered. But it won’t last too much longer.

Finished off the eggs ackley. I’ll make another batch soon. Soup about half gone. Spud/marinated sirloin/gouda/avocado for dinner tonight. Baked potato soup coming up this weekend. Boudin, pastrami, and more to fluff out the alternatives.

High in the low 50s. Meh. Overcast day. Meh. Furnace on full time. Meh. Extra clothes full time. Meh. Cold bathtub. Meh. The wool cap has replaced the fedora during store runs. Meh. (Well, the fedora fits on top of the cap, no sweatband.) Cold truck on store runs. Meh. Not exactly thrilled.

But I am doing better. Still not 100%, but close enough. And I have a bunch of yummy soup to help.

I discovered that I was out of marinade for the sirloin. I need a tomato to make more eggs ackley. I could add another avocado. So another quick store run is in order. I made a run to Ace Hardware this morning for a sale on Pennzoil HD-30, which is getting hard to find. I got three quarts on sale. All that the stores want to sell now is synthetic multi-vis.

My store run last night shaved off most of the items I needed. I’m down to $9 mad money. Still no bill for the dowels, but I can wait. Payday is Friday.

One week until the election ends.

The chicken/veggie/rotini soup clone is on the stove, simmering after a roiling boil. Three quarts and a little. It’s almost there. Myka was bugging me, she likes the aroma.

The avocado will be proper this afternoon, for the eggs ackley. Still a couple of pieces of cornbread left.

Sweet potato fries, steamed broccoli/cauliflower/carrot w/ butter, marinated sirloin tacos in the queue. It will cool off in about 24 hours and stay cool, so the oven is an option again.

The senna made a fuss but got no results. Now it’s come down to polyethylene glycol. Tomorrow morning. Gathering steam tonight.

I need to take care of financial matters, with the first of the month coming up. Payday is four days away. Don’t know if the dowels will eat mad money in time or not.

Cleaning out storage of clothes from times past, washing and culling.

…
…

Well, it was delayed, but the senna worked, to a degree. But it allowed the worst of the toxins to exit. So a marked improvement in the way I feel. And no glycol, yet. I may do a maintenance dosing for a few days to help the veggie phase resume normal tracking. But I feel considerably better.

The avocado was perfectly ripe, the ackley delicious. A serious dent in the ackley, but worth it. The soup a perfect clone of the one I had to regretfully trash half. This time, no wasted soup.

The cool front is here, rain with it. Temps dropped quickly, but I closed up soon enough and got in a soak while the house was still warm. Switching to winter socks. It will be cool for a while.

Got the eggs ackley made. A good 6 egg batch. I got an avocado to go with it, but it’s still green. I have plenty of ackley left for when it ripens. Soup is next. I still need to thaw and prep the chicken, then it’s easy.

Changed tactics to senna. Things are still static. The senna is stirring things up with the stimulus, but it hasn’t quite gotten there yet. Just a matter of time now. Not wandering far.

The oat grass has topped 4″. It is growing like crazy, only a week in the soil. Myka is starting to go to the kitchen and face the back door, wanting me to bring in the pan and cut some for her. She seems disappointed to be fed wet food instead.

Had a rain yesterday, temperatures dropped into the 50s last night. Got to about 70°F today, so central heat stayed on, though it didn’t run much during the day. Myka has switched to warm beds. She enjoyed hammocking last night.

Watching the new Borat movie. It is funny.

I voted Thursday afternoon. The annex was less than a third full, no lines. A very convenient parking space near the door. I even got to keep the cheap ballpoint pen. (They didn’t want it back.) It helped that I felt up to it. Second Thursday afternoon of early voting has always gone well for me.

Almost there. At times I feel pretty good, but it’s not entirely flushed yet. At least the slippery bulldozers are history. I need to cook. A light store run is in order.

Got a reply from the dowel maker. He is currently working on my order. He was swamped by large commercial orders, so the timing is quite serendipitous. I’m ready to pay, make mad money for the month much easier. So something to look forward to receiving in the mail/delivery in the near future, now that I’m getting back in shape for finishing them.

Myka got to go after her oat sprouts two days running. I had to clean the floor after the second one. New growth is potent stuff. It’s over 2″ tall in the big pot. It has taken off like only fresh seeds can. Myka is very polite when I feed her, carefully taking the shoots from my fingers without dropping them or biting me. She is a very happy kitty and constantly stealing the l z b.

So now I’m on my own time. Chores are mostly done. I can relax and be me for a change.

the shade replied. (Today ends week 3.)

I need to feed the horde in about 4 hours, then I’m off the clock. Caught up on chores. Inflatable bed deflated. Stretched the rug in the office.

I didn’t vote, yet. The afternoon was a don’t-stray-far alert. The bulldozers are working. The liver gets whacked, toxic headaches, kidneys whine. But progress will be taken wherever it comes. Not clear yet, but in the right direction, getting close. Needless to say, I didn’t leave the property. I slept as much as possible.

Risotto got made. Need to eat gravy. Eggs ackley later today, fates and subjective schedule willing. Soup on the horizon. Eat! Eat!

Things are getting boldly back to nominal.

Just about back to being myself again. Shifting to catchup mode, albeit a tad slowly. Cleaned out the fabric softener dispenser on the washer. Bleech, what a job. Flat out bad engineering.

Eating is a chore. Staying at it, though not as aggressively as my patience would like. Still haven’t made the risotto, but I’m not shy on edibles. Bbq pork loin tacos for dinner. Wasn’t on the menu, but I needed to eat some, get it down to the eggs ackley portion. Making some progress. I still have sausage gravy to do in, but I’m over half way.

Was 88°F during the afternoon, perfect for a long hot soak. Windows have been open all night, a Gulf breeze propping up the dew point.

If I feel up to it, I may vote today.

Time to unleash the horde.

I have been having a writing urge the last couple of days, this morning for example. Nothing new to report from the last report, other than the sausage gravy and slippery bulldozer #2. But I have been actively avoiding sending more emails. And I’ve been avoiding chatrooms.

Despite the high levels of pain and discomfort and isolation for nearly three weeks, I have managed to keep my sanity. But after so much being internalized, there is an urge to bust loose. Kind of like the horde barking at the darkness. A need for confirmation after being brutalized from the inside out for two and a half weeks. Yes, I still exist.

The central heat was on tonight, was in the 50s briefly. In the 60s as dawn breaks, a warming trend. The furnace will be turned off and windows opened today.

Been a hit and miss style to passing the time. A short attention span, a lack of patience, and a sense of fatigue says it pretty well. I am improving, but not to the level I want. I want “WHEW!” Instead, movies about pain. Politics. People with their heads en procto. Not my usual mix. But it’s hard to avoid that stuff these days.

I still survive. My usual self is still inside here whenever my gut and Dixie permit.

…
…

I discovered what was causing the fuss this morning, a opossum was in the yard. I bopped it on the head to get it to play ‘possum, then hoisted it over the fence. I last saw it wandering across the street to hide.

Generally doing better as the slippery bulldozers are making their way through my digestive tract. Still not out of the woods, but the trees are getting thinner, and I am more capable. I will probably make cheese risotto tonight.

Baked potato, butter, diced pork loin, cheddar, avocado from above (it took two rest period to stretch the stomach), Fleet kit from below. There were a few moments where things got weird this morning. But, I’m in a better place this afternoon. The lower track is clear, stomach is receiving, just a matter of giving the middle an eviction notice. In other words, eat. Eat slippery bulldozers.

I will make sausage gravy tonight. After I do chores. I have some catching up to do. The horde is good until dark. Kitchen is where the neglect is. Not a lot, but nonetheless, Myka is getting impatient. I think I’m up to it.

Got the oat seed planted today. The rain moistened the soil a bit, but it needs a soak to trigger germination. Tomorrow.

It was about 60°F last night. Cool enough to put Myka on her aerie. Mid 70s today, 50s tonight. The furnace may see its first run of the season.

I have hope this afternoon.

Two days of waiting for the follow up to clear my system. *Snort* Still waiting and listening to the borborygmi fussing and grumbling. Not a lot of fun. But I’m managing. I want to be able to eat. I may use a Fleet kit if things don’t develop on their own. I’m tired of this.

Released and fed the horde this morning. Cycle #1 completed.

I think I will start on the oat grass planting for Myka today. Cool front blowing in tonight. It would be nice to get it started while it’s still comfortable outside.

Still waiting to hear on the dowels. No price quoted, etc. Not in any hurry, but…

…
…

The front is blowing in at 8 pm sharp. Winds went from calm to 20 mph/G 25 in very short order. AC turned off. Chance of rain is minimal to none. House is closed to retain the heat.

Still no action internally, though things are starting to settle a bit. I’m going to eat the avocado tonight regardless, baked potato/pork loin/cheddar. I haven’t eaten anything that massive in weeks. I hope my stomach can stretch enough to hold it. If that doesn’t move things, I have a Fleet kit ready.

Got the laundry done, including the new stuff.

Got the potting soil in the pots for the oat grass, but no seed or water yet.

♫ At last…

The digestive tract has moved, carrying a lot of toxic garbage with it. This is not to say that the hazmat site has been certified clean. But at least I can eat again.

The last two weeks was sufficient affliction for any given period of time. Throw in the water heater, radiator hose, and other twists of fate, it’s not something I want to relive. October 2020, weeks 1 and 2, RIP, good riddance.

I lost 20 pounds, the majority of it being fluid weight, such as the edema from the hypertensives. But the inability to eat shed a few elsewhere. I’ll take whatever silver linings I can get.

Looking forward to finishing the purge. I’m tired of feeling like garbage.

…
…

I drove by the courthouse annex at 3:15 pm, and a group of three people were waiting to enter to vote early. So much for long lines…

Did a full check on the truck; battery, tires, fluids, windows. Store run tonight, short list.

The pharmacy changed their hours, closing two hours earlier than when I last checked (not all that long ago). This means my Friday night shopping spree that ate almost $200 off the mad money ($100 cash back) beyond the $50 for the radiator hose, was without the script. So I went back Saturday morning, another time I wasn’t particularly glad to be in the stores, only to find the script was OTC and already here in the med drawer. (*snort*)

I’m trying to be patient. The kidney is doing well. The digestive tract is not moving yet, and I’m getting hungry. The semi-fast that allowed the kidney its respite from toxins is shaving off a few pounds. I broke down and ate the Popeye’s breast (only one in the order). I hope I don’t regret it, but I felt the need for protein. Boudin on bread is likely to be the next in line.

I got milk and pan sausage for gravy (plenty of spuds left) plus risotto. Not yet, though. I got plenty for the return to intake, whenever that happens. There are rumblings, and there is maybe some progress. I even got a pack of pastrami to celebrate the full return. Food is aplenty for when I can eat again, wherever I may want to take it. Another batch of the chicken/veggie/rotini soup I had to toss (boo hoo), eggs ackley, penne alfredo, jambalaya, etc.

Got a new toilet seat, the condition of the old one no longer a novelty. Also fresh socks and briefs. Replaced the roll of electrician’s tape. Nothing on the list left wanting, except the avocado.

Watching Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet. I can still sing the theme, play the melody and chords, all still there after 50 years of neglect. What is a youth? Impetuous fire. What is a maid? Ice and desire. The world wags on…

Made it to the doctor’s appointment and got a script called in. That part was actually fairly easy, less discomfort than I expected. Certainly not what I experienced all morning.

But the upper radiator hose blew on the way over. I had ample electrician’s tape and water in the truck. A quick repair and I was home. Found online which auto parts store had the part, and a little extra water, and I was there and back. I just finished making the swap with fresh antifreeze. My hands are clean, and I’m ready to roll, at 5 pm on Friday. I’m in no hurry at the moment. I’m thankful that it happened on a local run and not out on the highway.

So, now a store run and gas up on the truck. 16 items on the list. Not that I ate a lot this month, but some things already needed replacing. Risotto and sausage gravy on the horizon. Bread, tortillas, chips, bbq sauce, smoked boudin. Underwear, socks, cat food, electrician’s tape. I have until 9 on the pharmacy. Hopefully my body will hang with me that long to do an after dark.

The highlight of the day was the credit card printer at NAPA. It refused to print out without attention. The clerk apologized, and I said, “If that was the worst thing that happened to me this week, I’d be blessed.” He had no idea. It was a good understating smile when I left the store. I am starting to feel a little better since the warm bath at noon.

Not eating much yet. Hopefully that will change.

Got a sprinkle thing morning, from what I surmised from the evidence. I think that is all we’ll see of Delta. It’s pretty green now, don’t need more. A little breezy today, not very warm. 90s this weekend, back draw off the Mexican desert.

Digestive tract is still a train wreck. As far as I can tell, the stone has been passed. But the digestive tract is not moving and exiting the toxic waste through the liver and kidneys, which have been feeling it, especially where the stone formed and was dislodged. A minor fever plagued me for days, but it seems to have passed as well. I hope it stays gone.

I’m eating lightly, taking on nutrition without adding a lot of bulk. Dealing with the digestive toxins has been the main issue of the past few days. I have considered an oral sea salt flush, but I haven’t yet out of caution for the kidney and fever.

Back on meds, except for the doxazosin, its one dose giving me a rather intense heartbeat. BP is high, but all considered, it’s to be expected.

The new water heater is night and day compared to the old one. Enough hot water to fill the tub without a dip in temperature and plenty left for the rinse and a load of laundry immediately afterward. I am very pleased with it. I was out of pocket for it, but worth it. The tub fills in less than half the time, now that all that scaled up plumbing was replaced, and the hot water is much cleaner. That has been a happy aspect of the last week.

Only thing in the fridge is rice. I’m not thawing anything until I get a better handle on the toxic slush inside.

Still haven’t left the property. Still haven’t spent any money this month except for bills and plumbing. Mad money will come late this month when I am fit to move around.

The water heater is getting replaced today with a brand new one. YEAH!!!! The plumbers went off to grab something they needed after unpacking the new heater. Won’t be long before I’m soaking in a hot bath and doing laundry. Myka and I are in a holding pattern in the office. She is not quite sure what all the fuss is about, but she’s hanging with me and has all the creature comforts.

The stone is still sitting tight above the bladder. Had a fever last night, but I cocooned and took care of the infection. The lymph nodes were singing, so I think something bacterial in the blood attached itself to the release spot in the kidney that is trying to heal. 100.1°F was max and not for long. The heating pad and blanket allowed me to make it through the weekend without an ER visit or antibiotics.

I still need to go gas up the tank in the truck. I haven’t budged since I got home from Bryan. I could use a few groceries too, but not going hungry in the meantime. Nothing critical on the list. Working on a shrimp penne alfredo. Digestion still not 100%, but sufficient.

Finances clearer today. Not the dent I had feared. So I can start thinking in terms of mad money. I need to cash Vince’s check this month.

About where I was yesterday, the stone hasn’t moved. My digestive tract hasn’t moved. I am still waiting for progress.

The critters performed a theater this morning, Little One window fighting with Myka. I went out to run off the cat to stop the fuss and tore some of the kidney where it had been healing. Then the horde shows up and start fussing at Myka in the window and wouldn’t stop. An impatient “KNOCK IT OFF!” finally got them to quieten down.

I messaged my doctor and got a thumbs up for the way I’m proceeding.

I managed to clean out the central heat closet and fire up the furnace for a burn out while the windows are open. Lows are upper 50s and lowers 60s this week, not cold enough for the heat, but it’s ready now for when it does.

I may go to AC this afternoon if I feel the need. Normally I wouldn’t for the 80s, but…

I still need a bath. Maybe today when it warms up.

Spent the last three days trying to get what appears to be a calcium oxalate kidney stone from my right kidney out of my body. My digestive system shut down for two days, rejecting fluids and solids. I lost 15 lbs of edema fluid (a tough silver lining). The pain has been intense. It’s almost left the ureter, an inch or so more to go.