Kevin finally got the release from his doctor and has been here working every day for the last week. There is just a bit left on the south side of the second floor, some upper trim work along the roof line in the back and some corner work left. Add the new gutters, and house done! The electrician still has to figure out why the porch lights are not working and get them fixed, but then the house will be finished at last. Now we can start to worry about the yard and the inside of the house. We still have a few rooms to paint, we would like to replace the awful carpet with wood floors and expand the kitchen. These will have to wait for us to win the lottery though.
Kayto and Yaar have continued to bring us joy. They love having Kevin back and will really miss him when he's gone. I will add some recent snapshots before I sign off.
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About me and the smoking. Today is day # 20 without the cigarettes. Now I love to smoke. I enjoy it. I didn't want to quit. They say you only do these things for yourself, no one else and myself hated the idea of quiting. But, I hate the huge hernia I have even more. The surgeons all refused to do the surgery as long as I continued to smoke. Something about the nicotine hindering the healing process and making it more likely for the hernias to return. So with the help of a wonderful PA named David, the support of my wonderful husband, family, friends and that wonder drug, Chantix, the smokes went bye - bye on September 7th. October 6th will be my 30th day and I plan to have the surgery date scheduled by then. You bettcha !
I haven't had too many of the side effects reported by other Chantix users. No erratic behavior, desires to do harm to myself or others and no wacky dreams. I've had a few dreams but then I have been sleeping better so that explains that. At first I was getting very nauseous after taking the pill. The instructions say to take it with food, so I was taking it about half way through my meal. Within minutes I had to stop eating and lay down. After a week I said, "Self, something is wrong. Do not put food behind this pill!" So I started taking it after I eat and all is well with the world. I promise to keep you posted on how all this works out. Oh, by the way, I have managed to loose five pounds along with this. I'm drinking water instead of eating when the cravings come.
I can't say why this is working this time. No one nagged at me. No one tried to shame me into quitting. Lord knows I was fighting it tooth and nail! Support has come from all over. My daughter-in-law, Jenene, will call from Washington state to give me pep talks and to relay words of encouragement from son, Jerry; friends will stop me on the street and ask if I am okay. And it's true, things smell different and taste different. I've smoked since I was 12 (49 years) and never thought I would see the day when I didn't have smokes in my pocket. Now I've seen 20!
Aunt Amelia fell and broke her right arm at the elbow and had surgery to repair it. She now has a titanium plate and numerous screws. She will gladly pull out the copies of the x-rays and show them to one and all. The surgery was done in Boston, after a few days she transferred to North Andover for rehab. She is doing very well. The staff there works with her several times a day. She is learning to use the left hand, keeping her legs in good condition and already working on the elbow flexing. She tells us they give her a couple of Tylenol before the workout. That's Auntie's idea of pain medication! She also had a hairline fracture of the right cheek, but the doctors say that will heal on it's own. She got the okay to use a straw and blow her nose, the two things she couldn't do until the plastic surgeons checked the bone.
Jessica is starting her EMT classes this fall and will have her exams for certification later in the winter. This is a field where she is going to really shine! She's going to make a difference, that one will. And people are going be so glad she is there for them. Samantha switched to U MASS Boston and keeps herself busy working two jobs and studying to keep her top grades. Josh has decided to forgo baseball this year. Despite all the work to strengthen his shoulder, there was some pain when he pitched and he made the choice to not take the chance of doing serious damage. He is keeping very busy with his classes, an internship with the Andover Police Department, his job at the Hyatt and his numerous jobs around campus.
So as I said at the begining, this has been a busy month. I had no idea so many were following my little saga about life in Winthrop by the Sea. But I promise to try to do better in keeping you all up to date. I may even tell you about my addiction to this season's TV shows and my plot to TIVO, DVR, and Hulu my way through all the shows I like.
Bye for now...
