Let me tell you about my aneurysm...

...so you might recognize similar symptoms in yourself or others and get help!

It started a few weeks back.  My work demands I do quite a bit of driving.  I noticed that one eye seemed to be a bit weaker than the other.  Thought it was just eye strain from driving.  Then I had what I can only describe as a pressure around my head that was reminiscent of wearing a tight cap.  No pounding, no pain, just a tightness. This had lasted at least a week already.

We went out of town a few weeks ago now, and while I was waiting in line at an event, I had a sudden short sharp pain in my head.  Thinking I was just getting a tension headache, I ran to the car, got out an aspirin, took it, sat down for a few minutes, and then got back in line, and finished the day.  On the ride home, which was several hours, I slept as I was not interested in looking out the window or reading, even though I had a good night's sleep previously.

I thought that if the tightness continued, I'd go to the doctor.  Monday morning I felt better, and worked all week.  That Friday night I was out and about doing what I normally do on Friday night.  I bent down to put something in my car, after shopping, and I got a sudden, more prolonged pain above my left eye.  It may have only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like I was hit in the head with a hammer.  Again, there was no more pain.  I just knew this was something I had to have looked into immediately.

I drove to the fire station, and asked them to drive me to the ER.  They called the ambulance service and I was taken there.  Let me say at this time, my vital signs, with the exception of my blood pressure were normal.  Normal pulse, normal respiration.   I did request something to cover my eyes as lights were bothering me.

Once at the ER I was again given tests that confirmed that my vital signs, with the exception of my blood pressure which was off the charts, were normal.  The doctor on duty was a neuro-surgeon, and he suggested a cat scan.  It was unremarkable.  After hearing me repeat what I had experienced, he decided that perhaps I needed a spinal tap.  It sounds worse than it was.  He explained that there would be no pain, and there wasn't, and the worst thing I might experience would be a headache from the spinal tap.  I could endure a headache, as long as that sharp, shooting pain didn't reoccur.

As it turned out the spinal tap indicated blood in the spinal fluid, and another, more intensive cat scan (actually an MRI) was ordered.  That scan definitely indicated an aneurysm, and surgery was scheduled for later that morning.  All I remember of that is being wheeled into the prep room, talking briefly to the anesthesiologist, and the next thing I knew, I was back in my room, with my head bandaged, arms full of IVs,  talking to Dennis and my doctors. 

The next five days were spent in the hospital, one more day in ICU and then the rest of the time in the neuro-surgery ward.  Except for having to take medicine every four hours, non-stop, and being asked the same repetitive questions (name, birthdate) it seemed uneventful.   I was then  sent home, with medicine that I was to take every four hours for three weeks!   Most of the first week I spent in bed as I just felt too weak to get up and about.   After that I did start getting dressed, and after another week, I ventured out of the house for short periods, or just to sit on the deck, in the shade, and enjoy the cooler weather.

Took the last of my pills on a Saturday, and have not had any adverse effects or withdrawals, so I can only assume they did their work.  The worst part was having to set the alarm for the middle of the night so I could take them.    Now the worst part is waiting for my hair to grow back.  I did get  an impromptu hair cut from Dennis, with my guidance, and it's defintely short.  He suggested shaving the rest of my head, but I was not willing to do that.  For now, I'll just wear a scarf. 

I didn't realize how common aneurysms seem to be until I heard from many of my friends and acquaintances about people who they knew had them, only with much more disastrous results.  All I can say is...know your body, and if you've had migraines in the past, this is SO much more than that!   And don't wait!

Affordable housing

Who says you can't find a nice home at a good price, and not inflated as they were in the late '90s or early 2000s.

I pass by this place at least once a week, and its still vacant!  The location is on a nice highway that they're improving upon as I write.  They're widening the road, and even straightening it.  Right across the street there's a gas station-convenience store, and they even sell bait.  Remember threre are two lakes quite close by.   Of course, there's a bank on the other corner, for convenient local financing. 

You can see from the picture that the highway department put up a drift fence so you don't have to worry about all the street dust and dirt flowing down to your doorstep.  And look at the trees around you.  Shade and seclusion.  This picture was taken in the very early spring; they're much more green now.

Road construction should be finished before the year is out, so get packing!  But don't forget to bring a few tools.  As the sign says, this is a "fixer-upper."

Thank you, Alice Walton!

She's the power behind the new art museum, in of all places, Bentonville, Arkansas of course!  It's called "Crystal Bridges."  And unfortunately, there seem to be too many people who live in the area who know nothing about it, or how to get there!

We went a fewSunday s ago, and everything went "swimmingly" (it was pouring down rain), except the closer we got, the more we knew our directions were spotty.  So we stopped at a few gas stations to ask directions.  Almost no one knew what or where we were walking about.  Although obviously, we did get there.

The museum is all about American art and artists.  A few were immigrants, but they probably came over on the Mayflower, so we can excuse their lack of a birth certificate!

To me, the best exhibits were the original Rosie The Riveter, by Norman Rockwell.  The guard told us an interesting story too.  Seems Rosie was portrayed by a 19 year old girl.  Then Rockwell looked towards Michangelo's painting of "The Creation of Adam" for the musculature he wanted to depict.  Needless to say, Rosie is a bit too mannish, and supposedly Rockwell apologized to the original model for the way he portrayed her physique.  There are also some areas of the painting, that were omitted from the Saturday Evening Post.  I'm not going to say what...if you go see the painting, you'll know!   (...depending upon your age...)

My second favorite exhibit(s) were the Alexander Calder mobiles.  I just love them!  So simple and yet so unique. 

And the buildings and grounds are amazing.  Pictures cannot do them justice, so just go there!  I know Bentonville is NOT a destination for most, but if you're in the general area, or passing through, or passing close by, DO go there!  Oh...did I mention it's ALL  FREE???!!! (Closed Tuesdays.)

Again, THANK YOU Alice!

A case of mistaken identity.

We have mice in the country.  Of course there are mice in the city too, but in the country they seem to get into things, like your car!  And they do things, like chew on the wiring.  And that means a trip to the car repair guys, and lost time, and money spent, etc. etc.  Well, you get the picture.

So when I got in my car the other morning, and looked at the passenger seat, I thought I saw mouse droppings!  Oh no, not my new car!  Damn them...

I got out, went over to the paasenger side, opened the door, looked really really closely at the little black things (turds?) and realized...that they were thistle seeds that fell out of the bag that I bought the day before.

BIG, big sigh of relief!

They're baaacccccccckkkkkk...

The hummingbirds, that is.

Dennis went out the front door (where the hummingbird feeders usually hang) and said one flew up into his face.  I told him that's the way they tell us they're back, and want something to eat!  I had already cleaned out the feeders, and so it was a small matter to make up some food for them this morning before I went to work.  Never did get a chance to ask Dennis if he saw any more today.  I watched the feeders for a while, when I came home from work, but no one showed up.

At our old house, I had a window above the kitchen sink, and they'd hover in front of it when they came north for the summer.  Again, signalling they were back!

Interesting story about their arrival times...we have a local gal who is certified to band hummingbirds.  She gives demonstrations at the local Nature Center a couple times every summer.  She said the earliest she ever saw a hummingbird was in February, and NOT this past February, when it was so warm, but last year, when it was in the teens and twenties.  The hummingbird had probably, she surmised, come up with a load of flowers destined for Lowes' or some other big box store that get their plants early.  Not a totally unusual occurence. 

When it showed up at her house, she rigged up a light for warmth, and a feeder to keep it going.  The bird survived, and when the weather finally got warm enough, and the local plants started blooming, the bird left. 

Don't have hummers?  They need adequate nesting areas (think lots of trees and cover), and seem to prefer cedar trees (or at least those are my observations) as they can be preyed upon by a lot of things, including dragon flies!  No kidding!  And I saw a big dragon fly this afternoon...

Nothing is more relaxing that sitting on our covered deck, reading a good book as the sun sets, and listening to the buzz of the hummers' wings as they feed and fight and fuss over each other. 

Retractions and corrections...

If you've read my previous posts, you know I said nothing eats a skunk. Well, skunks are everywhere these days, dead on the road. And for the most part, they just seem to disintegrate, rather than be torn apart by a carrion eater. That being said, I did see a group of crows gathered around a dead skunk. I wonder if they were just curious, or if they actually took a couple bites. They will eat other dead animals. Maybe it was mom and the kids, and she was showing them what to avoid!

I also said, in an earlier post that I saw some turkeys eating on a dead deer. At another deer carcass, I noticed what I thought were the same type of birds. Turned out they were not turkeys, but black vultures. We have two types of vultures in SW Missouri, turkey and black. The turkey vultures are bigger, and uglier, and they migrate, whereas the black vultures stick around, or at least that's my best guess, and I'm sticking to it!.

So many similarities and coincidences...

...it's almost eerie.

I went to a 50th wedding anniversary this past weekend, and caught up with some of my relatives, whom I stay in contact with, but living 600 miles away, but not closely (think once a year or less.)

It was interesting, to me, to see how my family, although living far apart, have so many things in common.  Don't know if it's genetic (can't be as some of the relatives are only through marriage) or it's the water, or the environment.

I found out my cousin has similar tastes in art, and has the same "couplet" of pictures from a particular artist, that I have.  I found out another cousin works for a Subaru dealership, and drives a Forester, as I do.  Wish I knew that before I bought my Subaru...might have made a better deal.  Found out the person who "sponsored" my grandfather (and may have been a cousin, or uncle) when he emigrated from Germany, had the same first name as my nephew, even though we never knew this other person existed, until my cousin started her genealogy search.

It was almost like living in a parallel universe, and it was definitely a fun weekend!