Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[Weldman]

Stress from traveling doesn't help with trying to get well. Sounds like you are talking about cattails.

 

[Baymule]

Not cattails, might be dog fennel.
It sounds like the sheep are enjoying their new home.

This crud sure is hanging on to y’all. Have yall been to a doctor or clinic since yall got there? Might be a good idea to get checked out. Maybe even a different prescription. Just thought if Vicks VapoRub. Rub some on each others back before bed, wear a t-shirt and go to sleep. That stuff loosens up the congestion and clears the lungs.

 

[murphysranch]

Agree, Bay. This has been hanging on too long for two older Prime people.

 

[Ridgetop]

I am getting better with the cough, but DH's is hanging on. He doesn't have the head congestion so probably draining into lungs instead of blowing it out. I think I will take him to Urgent Care in SS. Unloading the trailer, carrying boxes, and stacking the alfalfa probably isn't doing his lungs any favors either with the coughing. We are taking lots of rests as we work which is why it seems to be taking so long to do things. My mind is also operating on a 30-year-old age working time expectation instead of Prime working time actuality. LOL

Finally got the trailer unloaded yesterday evening but have to get everything inside and then unpacked and put away. That will be my job once the furniture is moved in. The electric outlets are all in the wrong places in the office, so we have to get some extension cords with the flat plugs to fit behind the heavy furniture. Another trip to Lowes. Can combine it with the trip to Urgent Care, the feed store for more pellet, and possibly the pharmacy after Urgent Care. Went to the post office and the property tax people to register DH's 80% VA disability and Senior and homestead. Could only do the VA disability since they required a TX driver's license for the others. Did get our horse halters back from Bob in the mail. After dinner I found an old type of basket pullout that was the right size for one cabinet so I installed it. Crawling into a 14" wide cabinet opening to screw down the frame at the back was difficult. Then it was just a millimeter too far to the side so the basket scraped the frame as it was pulled out which meant that loaded down it would not work. Back into the cabinet to remove the frame and then remeasure and reinstall. It was almost all I could do to shimmy back out. I would have called DH to help pull me out but with my head in the cabinet and his bad hearing I would have languished there for days. I finally squirmed out. This time the basket rolled perfectly so I cut a piece of cardboard to line it with, put stuff back, and decided to quit for the day. Today I have to install 2 more slide outs - this time in 11" wide openings. Oy Vey!

 

[murphysranch]

I'm glad you are taking him to UC. Smart move...

 

[Baymule]

Y’all are goa have to take a day of pure rest. Feed animals, watch movies, eat snacks and REST.

 

[SageHill]

DH here had / has the same crud you two have. That damn cough lingers - goes away for a few days and comes back. He's using the cold and cough pills that help. Told him to use the mouthwash (from YL) for at least a few weeks - it should kick whatever the bug is out - takes time (he thought it was a one and done thing) and needs to be used for at least a week after the cough stops. It's still a process here. Hope both you kick it soon - it's especially a drag when you've got so much to do.

 

[rachels.haven]

Reminds me of Swine flu. You'd get it and suffer through a week, then it would go away for a week before coming back WORSE. That was not fun. Take care of youselves-all of yourselves. That kind of crud is dangerous.

 

[Ridgetop]

Haven't had time to get on here. Lots of people to catch up on.

DH has lost 16 lbs. since we left for Texas. Smaller meals, no snacks, active walking to barn and doing stuff, and NO MAYONNAISE SANDWICHES have helped him lose weight. he noticed it when he could put on his socks without help. LOL Checked his weight on the vet's scale last Monday and again yesterday. I did not bother to weigh myself but my jeans that were tight are loose now. Hopefully this continues.

Finally got my desk unloaded. DH and I unloaded it into the carport, then had to go to Lowes for supplies I needed to repair the 24"w x18"d press board shelving units I put in the closet. I broke the bottom shelf by dropping my electric canner on it. Oops. Got enough metal elbows to repair the shelf, then added some more elbows to stabilize it and attached the top. Moved it back into the closet and began unloading office supplies onto it. I was afraid we would not have as much storage in the office as in CA but the office closet is very large and with shelving units at each end, as well as the extra 3 file drawers in DH's new desk, I can store some things like file folders and hanging folders, etc. in any empty file drawers. Had to stop early and bring in the sheep and feed dogs since storm was supposed to come in. Once that was done, I could work on moving boxes of office stuff inside from the carport. The carport floods on the sides so I also wanted to move any cardboard boxes of tools into the middle along with my desk. That was the day of the major thunder and lightning and massive rainstorm so lucky we did that.

The next day we brought it into the house and down the hall to the office. DH was coughing so bad I made him leave on its side on the floor and go sit down. I had all 3 30" x 84" oak bookcases on the living room wall but had decided they took up too much space since you had to leave at least 18" in front of them. I wanted to move them and decided to move one into the office next to my oak desk. DH's desk takes up an entire corner since it is a large L shape. First, I had to move all the boxes around in the office and get my desk up off the floor. Solid oak plywood so lighter than pressboard. I lifted it up on one side and maneuvered it into place. After measuring, I got the bookcase from the living room. I had to remove the (probably unnecessary in Texas) earthquake straps that I had attached it to the wall with. I laid it down and slid it on the carpet into the room. Again, solid oak plywood so lighter than pressboard. After getting the first bookcase in place, I measured again and found that I could fit another on the other side of the desk and still have plenty of room for the other metal file cabinet. DH was feeling really bad and had complained about not getting his breath so I made him stay sitting down in the living room and dosed him with cough meds. That was the night DH went to bed early feeling really bad. I was watching rodeo while rested from moving the furniture but couldn't sit still, so paused it, moved out DH's chair and table, and moved the second big bookcase off the wall and down the hall. Now I had to remove everything I had put back into the desk and maneuver it over about 4". Doing that took the most time. But all 3 fit perfectly in the space. I never noticed but the bookcases and desk have similar rounded face frames. Looks like they were made for each other. Yesterday I cleaned the bookcases and desk with furniture polish and put in the shelves. Then I unloaded a lot of the DVD/CD boxes and put them on the shelves. Looks good. Unloaded 8 file boxes of files and put them in the drawers, then unpacked some of the office supplies boxes. Still have a lot more to finish up with, but it is on the way to being finished. Last will be hanging family photos.

Took DH to Urgent Care yesterday (Saturday). He wanted to go to a VA emergency room, but the nearest one was either Dallas or Tyler - both 1.5 hours away in either direction. However, after 2 hours on hold and being sent to lots of other numbers on Friday, he found out that VA has contracts with various Urgent Care facilities in small towns. Saturday, he decided to stay in bed in the morning! So unlike him that I determined to take him to Urgent Care. Turns out the Urgent Care in SS we used before is one of the VA contract sites so Yay! He brought a glass he had coughed up stuff in for the doctor to see. I sealed it in a Zioc bag and I refused to look at it! DH said that I drained abscesses, pulled lambs, checked scours, treated wounds on the sheep, etc. and why was I not looking at his sputum. Blaaaagh! Told him it was different with the sheep. Doctor wouldn't look at it either! LOL When we left I asked the nurse to dispose of the bag and cup in the infections trash. DH said I could take the glass home and wash it. Told him NO! DH got a steroid shot to help his breathing, antibiotics, and a prescriptions for something to help the constant cough. The doctor also told him that he should be taking an allergy medicine every day too. Stopped at WalGreens on way home and picked up the prescriptions, allergy meds, etc. killed 2 birds with one stone since they had milk, and Blue Bell ON SALE! $1.50 off per 1/2 gallon of Blue Bell. Not a lot of choice but I got 3 good flavors so we are set there for about 2-3 weeks. We have one bowl of ice cream after supper while watching TV at night. I have some tiny bowls that just fit one large scoop which is just right. I eat mine with teeny bites to make it last longer. Lol

Yesterday while I was working on the bookcases Larry came by to bring his electrician over. He said he can get the Generac 26KV with transfer switch for $6000. The electrician said $2000 to install with copper wire which DH insisted on. DH says aluminum wire is only safe for the giant overhead lines. It added $500 to the bid but DH was adamant. So we are getting our Generac installed for about $8000-8500. I have to call the propane company tomorrow to get them out to install a tank. I priced it a couple months ago and I can get the tank installed for about $1500-1800, including the propane fill. With the storms still coming in and the threat of a larger hurricane season followed by record breaking heat this summer I wanted to be sure we have power. I also am wondering if I should have delayed moving until September.

DS1 is delayed on loading the corrals and coming out this month. Apparently, the kitchen sink drain in CA was clogging up again. We have had problems with it over the years. This time it was bad. The drain wouldn't unclog and kept backing up, then sprung a leak under the sink. DS1 took apart the plastic drainpipe but the metal drain kept backing up. The drainage plumbing in that sink is a nightmare and original to the 1954 build. He found out why the leak would not stop when hecut out and removed the cast iron drain pipe.
Luckily DS1 is great at all repairs since his dad and granddad taught him everything they knew and Ridgetop are big DIYers. (Or maybe just not inclined to pay high repair bills. LOL)

Anyway, after multiple calls to DH talking about the various ways he was trying to repair it that failed, they decided to cut out the bottom of the cabinet (which needed to be replaced anyway since it had been damaged over the years by leaks). Then he will use the tool they have that chips through rock and concrete to cut through the concrete foundation under the house to get to the plumbing from under the sink. He already pulled up the bricks that I laid in sand to access the cleanout. That didn't help matters. He needs to replace the drain pipe and the T that connects to the breather pipe on the roof. Poor DS1. Lucky DH not to have to help work on it.

DS2 is unable to help him since he was working and then went to the emergency room on Thursday with a 103.5 fever and a draining spot on his neck he thought was an ingrown hair. The hospital admitted him since it turned out that he had a raging infecting in a lymph node! They drained it (leaving what DS2 described as a large hole), put him on antibiotics and finally sent him home. He had a gauze pad over the hole and they told him that it would continue draining for several days. He was sick for another 2 days with an intermittent fever. I told him if I was home I could have lanced it for him, but he was not happy with the idea that I did not use any painkillers. Wuss! Anyway, I told him to take a syringe, remove the needle, fill it with Hydrogen Peroxide and use that to wash out the hole a couple times a day to make sure that all the debris came out. More yucky health issues. So glad we are here.

The sheep are doing well, a couple of the newest lambs are looking a bit thin, but hopefully they will fatten up. If not I will try to catch them to give a supplemental bottle. Coconut the bottle lamb, so named by Elizabeth because she is the color of the inside of the coconut, is doing very well. I have her on 2 bottles per day. She takes about 10-12 ounces at a time. She wud eat more but I don't want her to end up like Crystal that died the day I planned to wean her. According to Jane Patton I might have been overfeeding her with 3 16 ounce bottles a day. Coco gets an am and pm bottle and goes out with the sheep. She also is nibbling alfalfa in the creep and grass in the field.

The sheep have eaten down the pasture outside their pen and are venturing further out to get the best stuff. Then they found a large stand of white clover in the pasture near the driveway. They enjoyed that a lot!

When we go out to bring them in, waving out arms to herd them didn't work so I cut fronds of this to use. Baymule said it was good for them and they liked it. She was right since all that is left is bare sticks sticking up wherever it grew.
I left my crooks, flag, and paddle at home. I bought 2 more flags that are longer and they work great. The sheep move away calmly from them, and if they are recalcitrant, I snap the flag and they get with the program. LOL They are as good as the crook, and lighter to use.

Got to go unpack more boxes. Might be another couple days before I am back since I am short on time here to finish everything. I still need to go out and reattach some loose galvanized siding to the barn where the sheep come in and replace the cow panels with wire to lamb proof the pen. So much to do, so little time (to work when it is cool).

 

[Mini Horses]

And -- overall -- it's beginning to be "home" !!

DH should clear up with meds. AND there's that VA coverage right there near home! Amazing how things happen. Just keep looking.

Of course, the sheep are in grass heaven!
The kids in CA are functioning very well without you.
I hope Rika is doing better

Before long, you'll be looking for "things to do"

Congrats!