Resting Comfortably Here at Home

First off, allow me to say that my Mom is the best Mom ever!

As some of you may remember, I've occasionally made reference to the fact that most times I wake up stiff, sore, achy and like I spent most of the night tossing and turning rather than actually sleeping.  I blame that solidly on my rather solid mattress but I've been rather hesitant to spend the money to go out and get a new one as, let's face it, the darned things are expensive and what happens if you get one home and find out that you aren't sleeping any better on it than you were the old one you just replaced?  T'was a conundrum so I simply continued to flip the mattress and hope for the best ... yea, like I was going to one day miraculously wake up without being stiff, sore, and groggy!

My Mom listened to all of my laments and after probably hearing more than enough, she decided that she was going to do something about it in the form of an early birthday present which has turned out to be absolutely, positively wonderful and apparently just what my achy back needed!  Having bought one for my brother who also has back issues in the past, my Mom went to the local Kohl's and purchased a Home Classics® Dual Layer 4-in. Mattress Topper that makes the claim:

"Experience the comfort of this Home Classics mattress topper. Dual-layer technology features two inches of fluffy fiberfill, followed by two inches of premium memory foam. The dreamlike design relieves pressure points and reduces tossing and turning for the utmost in relaxation."

To say that the "high-density, two-inch thick memory foam contours to the shape of your body, offering personalized, therapeutic support" while the "two-inch thick microfiber fill adds a second layer of luxurious softness" is not just the truth, it's an understatement as for the last few nights I have slept better at home than I have in a very, very long time!

As I settled into the cloud-like comfort of my bed last night after working a 16-hour overtime shift in dispatch, I was reminded of the wonderful beds at the Inn Victoria in Chester, Vermont and the Captain Lord Mansion in Kennenbunkport, Maine. Now if I could just open my bedroom door and find a gourmet breakfast with fresh juice, delectable baked goods, and deliciously hot coffee waiting for me I could almost fool myself into thinking that I was on vacation!

Amanda (who is quite jealous and probably can't wait for me to go somewhere overnight so she can sneak a sleep herself) now refers to my bed as practically being in the clouds as though it was pretty high before, it's now a lot higher with the addition of the 4" topper and the new fluffy mattress pad that I got to go over it. I don't quite need a stool to climb in but it's close and as far as climbing out ... well ... before I was lucky if I could comfortably sleep for six hours at a time and now ... well, now I don't want to get out of bed at all it's so comfortable!

Thank you very much, Mom - truly it's the best birthday present EVAH!

Speaking of presents, while out with my friend Rhonda the other day I found a great deal on a window perch for Tesla - something I had been wanting to get him for awhile as, like most cats, he quite likes sitting in the windowsill.  After bringing it home and having Amanda assemble it, I put it in the window and waited for Tesla to notice it.  He eventually did but he pretty much wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. I was beginning to think I had wasted my money but lo and behold, he apparently has realized that it's a very comfortable alternative to perching on the hard sill and makes a great place for a nap in the sun ...

Thankfully we've had a break from the nasty hot and humid weather that August had been blessing us with so we're able to have the windows open and the air-conditioning off and Tesla has now decided that his new window perch is actually quite nice - even when someone is disturbing his nap by taking pictures!

I wonder if Tesla could talk if he'd tell me that was his best present ever? It would be nice to think so!

Touching Base on Tuesday

Just popping in for a quick post before work to say "Hi!" and dust off the cobwebs. It was another busy batch of days off for me - not because I went anywhere exciting, mind you, but simply because I was up to my eyeballs in everyday stuff.  With a couple of overtime shifts scheduled for this weekend I suspect that it shall be the same on my next batch of days off but that's okay as I haven't worked any overtime in quite awhile and I could use the extra cash for future wanderings!

The picture above is from my last trip to the North Shore with Barb way back in early July though it sure doesn't seem like it could have been a month and a half ago already!  That picture above shows the Twin Lighthouses of Thacher's Island which I pointed out to Barb from the shore near Rockport, if you're interested in learning more about them check out my latest post on Travels With Nathaniel  titled "Going to Gloucester for Great History, Gorgeous Views, and Good Eats!" Not only can you learn about the Twin Lighthouses but take a virtual tour around other nice parts of Gloucester which is America's oldest fishing community and a place I'd love to live someday if I were to ever win that elusive lottery!

After going up to Day Kimball Hospital yesterday morning and having the second half of an EMG done to see if my carpal tunnel syndrome had flared up again or if there was another reason I have numbness in my fingers and pain in my shoulder (the doctor said that the test didn't indicated CTS or any nerve damage), I went to visit with my mom for a bit who is doing great and not showing any signs of the stroke she suffered in May.  They are having a deuce of a time getting the dosage correct with the blood thinners that's she's on and she said that her sugar has been out of whack as they've changed her medications with that too but otherwise she gets around pretty darned good and is doing well.  Until they get her prescription right on those blood thinners, though, I told her she'd best not even get a paper cut or she'd be in trouble!

Following that visit, I came home and took a Benadryl as my arms had broken out pretty badly from where the metal leads of the test device they used at the hospital had been applied as I seem to have developed a horrible metal allergy as of late.  That knocked me right out so I found myself going to bed at 7:45 and not getting up (except for that short break in the middle of the night when my bladder was screaming at me!) until 5:00 this morning.  Yikes!  I should be well rested for work at any rate!  At least that's my hope though I'm sure a nap will sound lovely right around 2:00 this afternoon but that will most likely be when most of the 911 calls come rolling in as it's another of Murphy's Laws that the number of 911 calls meets or exceeds the number of yawns executed by a dispatcher at any give time!

Ah well, speaking of which, time to climb into my uniform and go earn a paycheck.  Hope all is well in your parts of the world no matter where they may be! 

Time Flies Whether You're Having Fun or Not!

Quick update over here being that I have managed to go another week without posting anything.   First off - happy May!  Hard to believe that we're into May already but indeed we are and I hope that whatever your May flowers bring it's not a boatload of Pilgrims!  I've been working on some posts for a travel blog project that I'm doing in conjunction with the Hawthorne Hotel so I've had lots of Pilgrims on the brain lately myself as I research and write about Provincetown on Cape Cod;  I can only imagine how many more Pilgrims I have on the brain once I get to Plymouth!

Anyhow, as vague as that is, suffice it to say I've been busy with that project as well as dealing with some cervical issues that have cropped up and given me a royal pain in the neck (not to mention some numbness and tingling in places I'd rather not have - my right hand for example). While I'm trying to work through that inconvenience, my mother is working through the effects of the stroke that she had this past Thursday which most definitely caused pretty much everything else to come to a screeching halt.  Fortunately for me, the ambulance ended up bringing her to to the hospital right down the road from me rather than the one she normally goes to which is 40 miles in the other direction.  Having her close by has been good.

As of my last visit to see her yesterday, mom's looking a lot better as well as speaking better (not as much hesitation) and the movement in her right arm and leg are continuing to improve. Today we find out if she'll be going to rehab at a nursing home for a little while or not and which one it would be. Obviously this wasn't something that any of us had planned for as I can't think of a single person in my family who has ever had a stroke before and truthfully, even though I know my mom is getting up there in years (she'll be 78 in June), I never think of her as being that old.  Not that you can't have a stroke at any age of course but obviously age played into it with my mom.  That and the history of high blood pressure and high cholesterol and diabetes - all of which were under control with medication but apparently some of the medications she was on weren't ones that should have been mixed.

My Dad always said that doctors don't really know much about drug interactions and he was right.  If you're on a combination of medications and don't use the same pharmacy for all of them (because of her Tricare for Life benefits my Mom gets some of her meds at the Navy Base pharmacy and some through Express Scripts) be sure to let each pharmacy know all of the medications that you've been prescribed as unlike doctors, pharmacists DO know what drugs play well with each other and if they don't, he/she will be sure to let you know so that you can get your doctor to look for an alternate.

Anyhow, that's things here for the most part.  Being busy and adjusting priorities ... no wonder it's already into the second week of May and I hadn't really noticed! 

The Best Deal of the Yard Sale

I may have only raked in a measly $18.50 at yesterday's yard sale but that doesn't mean that I didn't come home with a couple of things that I didn't have before - like a George Foreman style grill that didn't sell which my sister-in-law was just going to send to Goodwill and a couple of pretty blue kitchen cannisters.

The best thing, though, wasn't in the yard sale but was found in my Mom's house while we were gathering things up to put in the sale - this circa 1950 picture of my Mom when she was about 16 years old, the same age Amanda is now. You'll notice she doesn't have pink or blue or green hair, though!

She said that I could keep it and I've got to say that's worth a lot more than $18.50 any day of the week!

Happy Mother's Day 2008!

The bucket of flowers above is the Mother's Day gift I put together for my own Mom but I thought it was so pretty that I wanted to share it with the rest of the moms (and not-moms!) out there! Not to pat myself on the back too much and sprain my hand but I think I did a pretty good job with it!

I hope that all the mothers of the world have a glorious day today with lots of special times to create special memories! Now I'm outta here to go to a cook-out with Jason and Amy and Cate and Amanda and whoever else shows up! Behave yourselves while I'm gone!

Birthday Wishes

Today is my daughter Amanda's 15th birthday as well as my mother's ... uhm ... not 15th birthday! A very happy birthday to both of them with much love!!