I just went out for a short walk with the dogs, barely even 10 minutes. Just up to the turn-around/mailboxes, and a bit beyond, and then back. My ears almost froze off (need to get a hat). It's currently -1 degrees F (-18C). I guess that might explain the numb feeling in my ears.
The neighbor's and I sat in their hot tub last night, too. I went over, after they invited me over during the day, and when I arrived mentioned that it was 3 degrees out (at least at our house it was). Bob looked and their thermometer showed 1F! So I joked that we should wait until the temp goes negative. So we did :) We sat around drinking beer until I noticed the thermometer showing -0.3 degrees, and out we went.
Not the brightest idea we ever had, but it was VERY refreshing trying to come back in from the hottub afterwards.
Now that I think about it, maybe THAT's where my ears froze off :) The rest of my body was, of course, nice and warm in the 100F water.
Winter is apparently here...
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Tuba Christmas
Auri took part in an annual event called "Tuba Christmas". A bunch of Tubas (and related instruments) in the Mall, playing Christmas music. It was quite amazing and fun. Lots of deep-low-bass notes vibrating the mall. And Auri in the middle. She had a blast.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Winter heating
With fuel prices being what they are (read: high!), we decided it was a good idea to invest in another wood-stove. We already have one downstairs, but upstairs all we have is a kerosene stove (and another one downstairs). Our kerosene bill last year was somewhere between $600-$700. The new wood-stove was a bit of an outlay up-front, but I can get 4 cords of wood for $20 (provided we cut up the wood ourselves).
We've gone wood-cutting with (auri's best friend) Aspen's parents twice now and have probably a 1.5-2 cords of wood. We have quite the system going, and with all the people there (our family and most of theirs), and we can do truck-full of wood on about an hour, from cutting down the tree to having it in the truck (and another 20 minutes unloading it at the house). And it's fun to boot!
And who doesn't like lighting a fire.
I doubt we'll be cold at ALL this winter: this stove is really good. We can control it reasonably well, but is, I think, on the large-side for the living room (and our bedroom). So when it's on, it's really nice and toasty. That'll work well when the temperature drops (currently, our nights are a balmy 30, give or take).
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Welcome lucy
We acquired a new pet. I think this is pet number 451. Welcome Lucy to the family. (more pics added 9/11/08)
jan
jan
family feet
Auri has been having escalating problems with her feet. She started with sores on her Achilles from wearing ballerina shoes that didn't fit properly. Having her heels hurt caused her to put more pressure on the balls of her feet. Combined with the cleats and the increased pounding from soccer practice, the balls of her feet became increasingly painful...to the point that about 1-2 weeks ago she started walking on her heels with her balls up to avoid any pressure. Then, as predicted, yesterday her ankles hurt her so bad that she woke me up in tears at 6 something am.
We had been soaking in Epsom salts, stretching and massaging her feet thinking it was just soreness from the increased activity and cleats. However, it just seemed to be escalating not receding. So, I took her to the ER for eval (or lack there of as the case may be). A complete waste of time and money!! Diagnosis from ER doc: bruised feet from cleats, stay off feet completely for 1 wk, buy new cleats...realistic considering she has school- Not!
On the way to school, we stopped by Frenchtown Physical Therapy. They were great! After a thorough evaluation, they explained that her joints are hypermobile (move beyond the normal range of motion), they used the word "ridiculous" to describe her hypermobility (surprise, surprise and welcome to the family :); she has high arches and pronates (not a good combo..also not a surprise, don't you just love our genetics)); has comparatively tight medial ankle range of motion; All this combined with the previously mentioned factors related to wounds, cleats and increased activity, walking abnormally to try to reduce pain, escalated an already problematic situation into her current severely painful foot condition.
So, they taped her up really well, had her practice walking barefoot until she approached normal. She will need further gait training and lots of reminders to walk heel to toe and keep her feet straight. She walks with her feet wide, toes out and up (not even touching ground) and pushes off like a ice skater with each step instead of rolling through her toes and pushing with the balls of her feet. They also added pads under her metatarsals to relieve some pressure (which helped a lot in the beginning but was more painful by the end of the day); Told her she is not allowed to wear flip flops for 6 months, no ballerina shoes (or shoes without arch support); and to throw away her current shoes and get new ones. After watching her walk and seeing the conditions of the soles of her shoes, I had to agree. She would never learn to walk correctly in shoes she has worn down so completely. So after school, she hobbled home in tears, iced and took a lortab and ibuprofen. When she recovered enough to walk, a couple hours later, we went shoe shopping and bought her a couple of pairs of appropriate shoes and extra arch support insoles for her new sneakers. Between the PT, the shoe sales persons, Jan and myself hopefully we have finally convinced her of the importance of good shoes (over style).
She is very upset about not being able to play soccer and letting her team down and very hard on herself for not being as good as she wants to be. She will still go to soccer practice and the games, to support her teammates and to learn by watching and listening. We have another MD appt today to try to get an order to cover PT (required by insurance). So, once again we are spending money like it grows on trees...man I could use one of those trees :) Send her love and support, she needs it.
FYI Jamie chose not to play this year related to foot pain, so I will be taking him in for eval here soon also. I am sure he has the family feet also :) Yea...
We had been soaking in Epsom salts, stretching and massaging her feet thinking it was just soreness from the increased activity and cleats. However, it just seemed to be escalating not receding. So, I took her to the ER for eval (or lack there of as the case may be). A complete waste of time and money!! Diagnosis from ER doc: bruised feet from cleats, stay off feet completely for 1 wk, buy new cleats...realistic considering she has school- Not!
On the way to school, we stopped by Frenchtown Physical Therapy. They were great! After a thorough evaluation, they explained that her joints are hypermobile (move beyond the normal range of motion), they used the word "ridiculous" to describe her hypermobility (surprise, surprise and welcome to the family :); she has high arches and pronates (not a good combo..also not a surprise, don't you just love our genetics)); has comparatively tight medial ankle range of motion; All this combined with the previously mentioned factors related to wounds, cleats and increased activity, walking abnormally to try to reduce pain, escalated an already problematic situation into her current severely painful foot condition.
So, they taped her up really well, had her practice walking barefoot until she approached normal. She will need further gait training and lots of reminders to walk heel to toe and keep her feet straight. She walks with her feet wide, toes out and up (not even touching ground) and pushes off like a ice skater with each step instead of rolling through her toes and pushing with the balls of her feet. They also added pads under her metatarsals to relieve some pressure (which helped a lot in the beginning but was more painful by the end of the day); Told her she is not allowed to wear flip flops for 6 months, no ballerina shoes (or shoes without arch support); and to throw away her current shoes and get new ones. After watching her walk and seeing the conditions of the soles of her shoes, I had to agree. She would never learn to walk correctly in shoes she has worn down so completely. So after school, she hobbled home in tears, iced and took a lortab and ibuprofen. When she recovered enough to walk, a couple hours later, we went shoe shopping and bought her a couple of pairs of appropriate shoes and extra arch support insoles for her new sneakers. Between the PT, the shoe sales persons, Jan and myself hopefully we have finally convinced her of the importance of good shoes (over style).
She is very upset about not being able to play soccer and letting her team down and very hard on herself for not being as good as she wants to be. She will still go to soccer practice and the games, to support her teammates and to learn by watching and listening. We have another MD appt today to try to get an order to cover PT (required by insurance). So, once again we are spending money like it grows on trees...man I could use one of those trees :) Send her love and support, she needs it.
FYI Jamie chose not to play this year related to foot pain, so I will be taking him in for eval here soon also. I am sure he has the family feet also :) Yea...
Monday, September 1, 2008
End of Summer wrap up
Well, the kids survived their summer adventures. They both enjoyed their time in Vegas and Germany visiting with family and friends. Unfortunately, the summer is over. School starts tomorrow. I posted their holidays and breaks on our calendar (which also posts to the google calendar).
Jan and I spent the summer working on our property. So much to do, so few hours in the day :) We could really use a few more weeks to prepare for winter...hay, firewood, weather treating the fence and barn, preparing the ground and seeding for grass the entire pasture but most especially the area tore up during the barn building which is currently rolling piles of clay.
We bought used Noble feeders, cleaned them up and put them in the barn yesterday. Jan made an opening in each stall to pass the hay, grain and water through...very nice! It is going to be so much easier to care for the boys this winter. We also set up the panels to make stalls attached to the barn. Good timing as it is currently pouring down rain. The horses are trying to eat the barn. So, we sprayed with No Chew and will need to do further interventions later.
My little garden is struggling along. Between the hordes of grasshoppers, potato bugs and other misc bugs, there is not much left of the potatoes and cucumbers. The onions are beautiful and the squash is looking good too. Jamie is digging up the rest of the area a little at a time. Hopefully by next spring, we will have a much larger garden, better prepared ground and...maybe even a greenhouse??
Jan and I spent the summer working on our property. So much to do, so few hours in the day :) We could really use a few more weeks to prepare for winter...hay, firewood, weather treating the fence and barn, preparing the ground and seeding for grass the entire pasture but most especially the area tore up during the barn building which is currently rolling piles of clay.
We bought used Noble feeders, cleaned them up and put them in the barn yesterday. Jan made an opening in each stall to pass the hay, grain and water through...very nice! It is going to be so much easier to care for the boys this winter. We also set up the panels to make stalls attached to the barn. Good timing as it is currently pouring down rain. The horses are trying to eat the barn. So, we sprayed with No Chew and will need to do further interventions later.
My little garden is struggling along. Between the hordes of grasshoppers, potato bugs and other misc bugs, there is not much left of the potatoes and cucumbers. The onions are beautiful and the squash is looking good too. Jamie is digging up the rest of the area a little at a time. Hopefully by next spring, we will have a much larger garden, better prepared ground and...maybe even a greenhouse??
Soccer
Well, Auri survived her first two soccer games! They had 12 girls show up for tryouts, and convinced a few more to return to the team, bringing their number to 15 girls. With 6 girls returning from last year (Frenchtown's 1st season), most of the girls are new to soccer and the team. They began practice on the 18th, with their first games Friday the 29th and Sat the 30th. Due to regulations requiring girls to have 10 practices to be eligible to play, they only had 13 eligible girls (11 players, 2 subs). Most girls had to play the entire game...two 45 min halves.
I have to say we were SO proud of Auriana!! As a defensive full back (libero for our German family), she plays with alot of heart and a strong spirit!! She is sore all over, esp her legs and feet. She has sores on her heels from her shoes and the balls of her feet are killing her from running in cleats. Nevertheless, she really hustled around the field and maintained defensive pressure. No easy scoring on her!! They lost the game, but kept it in the single digits....which against the state champs is pretty good!!
I've posted her games to the calendar, most are within an hour of our home. The dates are Sept 6,9,11,13,19,22,23,27 Oct 4 & 11. Any who want to travel to see a game are welcome to stay with us!!
I have to say we were SO proud of Auriana!! As a defensive full back (libero for our German family), she plays with alot of heart and a strong spirit!! She is sore all over, esp her legs and feet. She has sores on her heels from her shoes and the balls of her feet are killing her from running in cleats. Nevertheless, she really hustled around the field and maintained defensive pressure. No easy scoring on her!! They lost the game, but kept it in the single digits....which against the state champs is pretty good!!
I've posted her games to the calendar, most are within an hour of our home. The dates are Sept 6,9,11,13,19,22,23,27 Oct 4 & 11. Any who want to travel to see a game are welcome to stay with us!!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Rearranged woodpile?
We got home last night from wine tasting in Missoula, and I noticed that some pieces from the woodpile by the fence had been moved. That's weird, I thought. Given that we've had skunks around, and rumors of a bear and lots of deer, I started racking my brain trying to come up with some logical explanation of how any of those animals (or perhaps our cats or dogs) could have moved the wood in this manner.
We walked over to the wood and took a closer, puzzled look. Pretty quickly it became clear that this was one smart animal, since the wood was moved in a very precise way. We looked and looked, and the meaning eventually became clear.
Check out the pictures here
We walked over to the wood and took a closer, puzzled look. Pretty quickly it became clear that this was one smart animal, since the wood was moved in a very precise way. We looked and looked, and the meaning eventually became clear.
Check out the pictures here
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tagged
Skunks! Phew!! Good Grief, what a stink!
Runt got tagged last month..poor thing. By the 3rd bath, he was sure we must hate him. He still has some residual odor. And what foul offensive odor should come in our door tonight????
Romeo...got tagged. I think he got it in the face and shoulder mostly. Poor thing, he is drooling and looks miserable. At least we are getting plenty of practice in animal bathing and skunk odor removal techniques :)
Anyone want to go skunk hunting?? Do you have to have a license or is it justified????
Runt got tagged last month..poor thing. By the 3rd bath, he was sure we must hate him. He still has some residual odor. And what foul offensive odor should come in our door tonight????
Romeo...got tagged. I think he got it in the face and shoulder mostly. Poor thing, he is drooling and looks miserable. At least we are getting plenty of practice in animal bathing and skunk odor removal techniques :)
Anyone want to go skunk hunting?? Do you have to have a license or is it justified????
Monday, July 28, 2008
summer update
Well, the summer is flying by and we still have so much to accomplish before the winter weather returns :)
The barn is complete and paid for (ouch!) and we are happy to have a sheltered place to take care of the boys. We still have quite a bit of work to do inside the barn (no-chew, paint, gates, etc) but we will work on that as time and money allow. Our top priority now is getting the grass growing strong on the hills around the barn before the horses return (They are currently down the street a ways "mowing" our neighbors backyard (about 3 acres of grass :) We do most of our pasture development and maintenance in the morning and evenings when it is cool. I have started composting the horse manure and am looking forward to using it next season in my garden :)
The garden is going well. The potatoes are growing strong as are the onions. I have been fighting with a few pests (lately grasshoppers by the thousands) and am looking forward to having chickens next year!! My carrots and radishes are going well in my herb garden on the patio. However, the carrots and radishes in my garden where consumed before they could sprout well. But, for my first garden, it is progressing well.
They kids are in Germany visiting Oma and Opa. Jamie has been there a week and is having a splendid time playing outside with friends and eating sweets!! Auri just arrived today and is very tired, of course!! Jamie is already planning on returning to Germany as an exchange student next year. I guess we will be learning German and speaking at home this year!! Yea, maybe I will finally learn the language :) Jamie will be returning to Vegas the 31st to spend another week with his father before returning to Montana with his sister Aug. 8th.
I am healing well. Much faster then anticipated (Yea!!) I rode my motorcycle for the first time Sat. It was great! We are tentatively planning a horseback ride this evening (my first since the accidents). I will probably start working with Mave this week to see if we can turn him into a horse that is enjoyable to ride and safe to be around. Sypreme has gotten a bit ornery with me being down for most of the last 7 months; luckily he snaps back into line really easy.
Mom is settling in well. She sounds happier then I have heard her in several years. They have just about finished the Major Overhaul of the apt in WSS. Jan and I will be heading over this weekend to join in the painting party :). Her stuff is scheduled to arrive from Vegas in a couple of weeks. John missed his lifestyle in Vegas and decided to return to Vegas on July 4th. He was in a car accident outside of Cedar City and has whiplash but is otherwise OK.
The barn is complete and paid for (ouch!) and we are happy to have a sheltered place to take care of the boys. We still have quite a bit of work to do inside the barn (no-chew, paint, gates, etc) but we will work on that as time and money allow. Our top priority now is getting the grass growing strong on the hills around the barn before the horses return (They are currently down the street a ways "mowing" our neighbors backyard (about 3 acres of grass :) We do most of our pasture development and maintenance in the morning and evenings when it is cool. I have started composting the horse manure and am looking forward to using it next season in my garden :)
The garden is going well. The potatoes are growing strong as are the onions. I have been fighting with a few pests (lately grasshoppers by the thousands) and am looking forward to having chickens next year!! My carrots and radishes are going well in my herb garden on the patio. However, the carrots and radishes in my garden where consumed before they could sprout well. But, for my first garden, it is progressing well.
They kids are in Germany visiting Oma and Opa. Jamie has been there a week and is having a splendid time playing outside with friends and eating sweets!! Auri just arrived today and is very tired, of course!! Jamie is already planning on returning to Germany as an exchange student next year. I guess we will be learning German and speaking at home this year!! Yea, maybe I will finally learn the language :) Jamie will be returning to Vegas the 31st to spend another week with his father before returning to Montana with his sister Aug. 8th.
I am healing well. Much faster then anticipated (Yea!!) I rode my motorcycle for the first time Sat. It was great! We are tentatively planning a horseback ride this evening (my first since the accidents). I will probably start working with Mave this week to see if we can turn him into a horse that is enjoyable to ride and safe to be around. Sypreme has gotten a bit ornery with me being down for most of the last 7 months; luckily he snaps back into line really easy.
Mom is settling in well. She sounds happier then I have heard her in several years. They have just about finished the Major Overhaul of the apt in WSS. Jan and I will be heading over this weekend to join in the painting party :). Her stuff is scheduled to arrive from Vegas in a couple of weeks. John missed his lifestyle in Vegas and decided to return to Vegas on July 4th. He was in a car accident outside of Cedar City and has whiplash but is otherwise OK.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Flying lessons
Poor Sara. She just can't catch a break.
We had the vet over yesterday to take care of some issues with the horses (animal dentistry, to be precise), and the vet of course sedated both horses to work on them.
While Maverick was sedated, I held his head up so the vet could insert the power-tool to grind his teeth down. He didn't like it very much. Can't blame him.
After that was done, I asked if sara wanted me to spray some stuff on his leg-wound also, while he was out (he doesn't like that either, since it hurts), and so I went to get the stuff from the barn. Next thing I know, there's some weird commotion outside and the vet asked her tech-helper "what happened?!".
I rush outside, and sara is about 8-10 feet away from maverick on the ground. She had been about to look at something on the inside of his leg, when I had started to go into the barn. Apparently he'd had enough, and even though he was sedated heavily (close to falling over, actually), he still managed to kick sara with such force she flew back 8-10 feet.
I was not happy with him, but we haven't killed him yet.
Sara's wrist/ulna hurts where his foot connected with her. Also her thigh has a nasty looking bruise, and of course she fell on her hip when landing, and there's some nasty bruising happening there as well.
We'll have to decide what to do with Maverick. This is not the first time he's hurt her, and she's the most experienced of us where horses are concerned, so really it's only a matter of time before one of the rest of us gets hurt by him.
I guess she'll work with him in a VERY serious manner to get some respect out of him, and if that proves too much work or fruitless, we'll probably sell him and get a different horse. He's just too unpredictable and dangerous. I do like Maverick a lot. When he's well behaved, he's a sweetheart. But being unpredictable and lacking respect is dangerous to all of us.
We had the vet over yesterday to take care of some issues with the horses (animal dentistry, to be precise), and the vet of course sedated both horses to work on them.
While Maverick was sedated, I held his head up so the vet could insert the power-tool to grind his teeth down. He didn't like it very much. Can't blame him.
After that was done, I asked if sara wanted me to spray some stuff on his leg-wound also, while he was out (he doesn't like that either, since it hurts), and so I went to get the stuff from the barn. Next thing I know, there's some weird commotion outside and the vet asked her tech-helper "what happened?!".
I rush outside, and sara is about 8-10 feet away from maverick on the ground. She had been about to look at something on the inside of his leg, when I had started to go into the barn. Apparently he'd had enough, and even though he was sedated heavily (close to falling over, actually), he still managed to kick sara with such force she flew back 8-10 feet.
I was not happy with him, but we haven't killed him yet.
Sara's wrist/ulna hurts where his foot connected with her. Also her thigh has a nasty looking bruise, and of course she fell on her hip when landing, and there's some nasty bruising happening there as well.
We'll have to decide what to do with Maverick. This is not the first time he's hurt her, and she's the most experienced of us where horses are concerned, so really it's only a matter of time before one of the rest of us gets hurt by him.
I guess she'll work with him in a VERY serious manner to get some respect out of him, and if that proves too much work or fruitless, we'll probably sell him and get a different horse. He's just too unpredictable and dangerous. I do like Maverick a lot. When he's well behaved, he's a sweetheart. But being unpredictable and lacking respect is dangerous to all of us.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Grades
Report cards arrived today and the results are....
Auri
4th Quarter, Semester
Spanish 2 - A , A
Geometry - B+ 89.8% , B+
World History (H)- A , A-
Health - A , A
Choir - A , A
Band - A , A
English 2 (H) - B , A-
Chemistry (H) - C , C pleasure to have in class (10 absences)
Most of Auri's absences were related to extra-curricular activities. Due to her problem with following up with missing work she will not be allowed to be a sport manager next year. However, she is planning on trying out for soccer in the fall.
Jamie
4th Quarter , Semester
Learning Lab - B+ 89% , B+
Woods - C , C+ pleasure to have in class
Pre-Algebra - C+ ** , B-
Vocational Skills- P , P pleasure to have in class
General English - B+ 88% , B+
Earth Science - D+ 68.4% , D
Health - A , A
Traffic Ed - P , P good driver, but needs additional experience
**According to PASS system Jamie has a 87.2% for 4th quarter. I am unsure as to why he has a C+ for the quarter unless he bombed his final exam.
Auri
4th Quarter, Semester
Spanish 2 - A , A
Geometry - B+ 89.8% , B+
World History (H)- A , A-
Health - A , A
Choir - A , A
Band - A , A
English 2 (H) - B , A-
Chemistry (H) - C , C pleasure to have in class (10 absences)
Most of Auri's absences were related to extra-curricular activities. Due to her problem with following up with missing work she will not be allowed to be a sport manager next year. However, she is planning on trying out for soccer in the fall.
Jamie
4th Quarter , Semester
Learning Lab - B+ 89% , B+
Woods - C , C+ pleasure to have in class
Pre-Algebra - C+ ** , B-
Vocational Skills- P , P pleasure to have in class
General English - B+ 88% , B+
Earth Science - D+ 68.4% , D
Health - A , A
Traffic Ed - P , P good driver, but needs additional experience
**According to PASS system Jamie has a 87.2% for 4th quarter. I am unsure as to why he has a C+ for the quarter unless he bombed his final exam.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
hummingbird wars
I had no idea hummingbirds were so territorial!! We have about a dozen hummingbirds zooming around our feeders throughout the day. It is not uncommon to see all four perches occupied with thirsty birds with 1-2 extra birds trying to take over or share a perch and then within moments a more aggressive bird will drive them all away.. We actually bought a second feeder to help decrease the battles. They are such fierce little creatures. They dive bomb each other, chirp, flap their wings in warning and hover/stand guard over "their" area!! It is a riot!! We are curious about the different breeds (obvious differences in size, color patterns and markings).
We are going to purchase a "bird book" to help identify our local aviary population. Aside from hummingbirds, we also have several robins, blue jays, blue birds, large and small hawks, owls, geese, several woodpeckers, swallows, various small birds and of course magpies!! We also had a bat resting the the side of the house last week-very cool! We are also discussing building nests/homes for the swallows and bats. We'll take all the free insect control we can :)
We are going to purchase a "bird book" to help identify our local aviary population. Aside from hummingbirds, we also have several robins, blue jays, blue birds, large and small hawks, owls, geese, several woodpeckers, swallows, various small birds and of course magpies!! We also had a bat resting the the side of the house last week-very cool! We are also discussing building nests/homes for the swallows and bats. We'll take all the free insect control we can :)
barn, fence, kids summer, Memorial Day & Jamie Bday
A fence! A fence!! We finally have a fence!! As you have probably guessed, we are very excited to have finally fenced in the back of our property. It is a 3 rail fence, that follows the natural curves and elevation changes of our landscape. We are also building a barn. It is coming right along and should have a roof on Thursday. Jan has taken some pics and posted them in our gallery (vilhuber.com/jan) The horses are really enjoying all the extra room to roam. Sypreme is especially fond of running (and chasing/herding Mave). We love watching them tear across the pasture as fast as they can go, heads up and tails flying.
This Friday will be the last day of school. The kids are sooo ready!! They have a busy summer planned including visiting grandparents in Idaho, Germany and Montana (as my Mom will be in Montana soon), as well as spending time with their father and friends in Las Vegas. Rachel, my niece, is here this week having riding and horse care lessons ( as part of her birthday present from us) and Ryan, my nephew, will be here Friday to hang out with kids for a week before they head to Idaho for a short visit with Giz & Brew before heading to Vegas with their father.
My sister, Tammy, came over last Friday evening and left her kids, Ryan and Rachel, here for the holiday weekend while she worked in Philipsburg (about 1.5 hrs away). Tammy has begun working as a traveling CNA (nursing assistant) and will hopefully be able to come by and visit more often :) While Tammy worked Sat/Sun, we went to a BBQ at the DeCan's. As you may or may not recall, David DeCan was our realtor and rescuer during the fire last August. We really enjoyed visiting with them and had to drag the kids away from playing with the DeCan kids. The Graduation Ceremony for the High School Seniors was Sunday. Auri performed in both the band and Accidentals, an extracurricular choir. She then attended a couple of grad parties, including Val's. Jan and I also went to Val's grad party to hang out with the adults and celebrate their pending freedom :) (Val is their youngest and is going to PA for school). Jamie, Ryan and Rachel stayed home playing in the forest, and on both the computer and the Wii. Tammy arrived late Sunday, exhausted, and practically fell into bed (with a 'gentle' push...you know how hard headed the women in my family are :). Monday, was set up to be Jamie's birthday celebration. However, all he wanted to do was play with his cousins that he hadn't seen all winter. So, that's what he did!! Tammy and I took the opportunity to ride the horses bareback with only a haler/rope to guide them around the pasture. It was so great to be on horseback again!! Of course, I am only allowed to walk (no bouncing to aggravate my ribs), but it was fantastic! Then around 4pm, Tammy hauled the kids to town for ice cream and shopping at the mall. Jan and I met them downtown for dinner at Sushi Hana. It was Ryan's first time eating sushi and he liked it alot!! Rachel went crazy with the Udon noodles. Jamie and Tammy's teriyaki chicken and salmon didn't last long on the communal table. All in all it was a great weekend!
This Friday will be the last day of school. The kids are sooo ready!! They have a busy summer planned including visiting grandparents in Idaho, Germany and Montana (as my Mom will be in Montana soon), as well as spending time with their father and friends in Las Vegas. Rachel, my niece, is here this week having riding and horse care lessons ( as part of her birthday present from us) and Ryan, my nephew, will be here Friday to hang out with kids for a week before they head to Idaho for a short visit with Giz & Brew before heading to Vegas with their father.
My sister, Tammy, came over last Friday evening and left her kids, Ryan and Rachel, here for the holiday weekend while she worked in Philipsburg (about 1.5 hrs away). Tammy has begun working as a traveling CNA (nursing assistant) and will hopefully be able to come by and visit more often :) While Tammy worked Sat/Sun, we went to a BBQ at the DeCan's. As you may or may not recall, David DeCan was our realtor and rescuer during the fire last August. We really enjoyed visiting with them and had to drag the kids away from playing with the DeCan kids. The Graduation Ceremony for the High School Seniors was Sunday. Auri performed in both the band and Accidentals, an extracurricular choir. She then attended a couple of grad parties, including Val's. Jan and I also went to Val's grad party to hang out with the adults and celebrate their pending freedom :) (Val is their youngest and is going to PA for school). Jamie, Ryan and Rachel stayed home playing in the forest, and on both the computer and the Wii. Tammy arrived late Sunday, exhausted, and practically fell into bed (with a 'gentle' push...you know how hard headed the women in my family are :). Monday, was set up to be Jamie's birthday celebration. However, all he wanted to do was play with his cousins that he hadn't seen all winter. So, that's what he did!! Tammy and I took the opportunity to ride the horses bareback with only a haler/rope to guide them around the pasture. It was so great to be on horseback again!! Of course, I am only allowed to walk (no bouncing to aggravate my ribs), but it was fantastic! Then around 4pm, Tammy hauled the kids to town for ice cream and shopping at the mall. Jan and I met them downtown for dinner at Sushi Hana. It was Ryan's first time eating sushi and he liked it alot!! Rachel went crazy with the Udon noodles. Jamie and Tammy's teriyaki chicken and salmon didn't last long on the communal table. All in all it was a great weekend!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
ribs, weather, burning , taxes and my Mom
As many of you know, I broke a couple of ribs in January. I then dislocated several ribs end of Feb/begining March. The MD says that I tore the cartilage that secures the ribs...which is very slow to heal. So, I have been on restriction for the last 2 months. No twisting, lifting, driving, exercise....nothing that may aggravate or inflame my rib cage and it's supporting muscles. At first, I was in so much pain that it was fairly easy to comply. But, now that my muscles are calming down and I can move easier...and the weather is gorgeous...I am finding it harder to stay down. As of last week, I am now allowed to take walks :) The natural consequence of this restriction is that Jan has had to pick up my load...driving the kids and I to MDs, therapy, groceries etc. It has been chaotic!! I am doing much better, and following the rules....so hopefully, I will be allowed to resume driving and light exercise soon.
The weather here has been gorgeous!! 60's & 70's most days with occasional rain or snow (but it doesn't stick). It was 79 F Sunday, light breeze, perfect!!! We've been able to open the windows and doors. I am just dying to go riding!!!
We have had a large pile of wood, scraps and brush in our upper pasture area since we purchased the property. We have added to it over the winter and spring as we try to clean out some of the dead trees, brush etc on our property. Well, burning season has arrived and so, we burned our pile on Sunday. We also burned some of the tall dead grass/weeds in our pasture so that the new grass could grow easier. It was scary fun. I was allowed to man the hose!! It was great fun and soooo HOT!! Who knew fire would put off such heat :) We still need to burn the dead debris along our side of Spring Hill Dr. and haul our smaller piles up for burning. We also need to get a metal detector to get all the wire, nails, screws and other crap that the previous owner dumped into the pile when "cleaning up" the property to sell. Realistically, we have a couple of years of work to get the property into shape. But, we are very excited about the potential and are enjoying the work.
Whew! I finally finished the taxes...74 pages via Turbo Tax. What a bunch of work that was!! Thank goodness I had Davie to help with some of the more confusing issues (like rental property depreciation schedules :) Thank You Davie!!!!
My mom was laid off last week. She has been a well respected Title Officer in Vegas for decades and loyal to her company. However, the housing and general economy being as it is, all the title companies are downsizing and out sourcing to India. No one is hiring; nor planning to in the next year or so. As she is will not be able to afford to live in Vegas without her job, she has decided to rent her home in Vegas and move into one of the apartments at Tammy's house (in Montana). It is a win/win for Tammy and for Mom, and I support the idea wholeheartedly :) (At least as a starting point). She is tentatively planning to load the Uhaul and head up the end of May (next month).
The weather here has been gorgeous!! 60's & 70's most days with occasional rain or snow (but it doesn't stick). It was 79 F Sunday, light breeze, perfect!!! We've been able to open the windows and doors. I am just dying to go riding!!!
We have had a large pile of wood, scraps and brush in our upper pasture area since we purchased the property. We have added to it over the winter and spring as we try to clean out some of the dead trees, brush etc on our property. Well, burning season has arrived and so, we burned our pile on Sunday. We also burned some of the tall dead grass/weeds in our pasture so that the new grass could grow easier. It was scary fun. I was allowed to man the hose!! It was great fun and soooo HOT!! Who knew fire would put off such heat :) We still need to burn the dead debris along our side of Spring Hill Dr. and haul our smaller piles up for burning. We also need to get a metal detector to get all the wire, nails, screws and other crap that the previous owner dumped into the pile when "cleaning up" the property to sell. Realistically, we have a couple of years of work to get the property into shape. But, we are very excited about the potential and are enjoying the work.
Whew! I finally finished the taxes...74 pages via Turbo Tax. What a bunch of work that was!! Thank goodness I had Davie to help with some of the more confusing issues (like rental property depreciation schedules :) Thank You Davie!!!!
My mom was laid off last week. She has been a well respected Title Officer in Vegas for decades and loyal to her company. However, the housing and general economy being as it is, all the title companies are downsizing and out sourcing to India. No one is hiring; nor planning to in the next year or so. As she is will not be able to afford to live in Vegas without her job, she has decided to rent her home in Vegas and move into one of the apartments at Tammy's house (in Montana). It is a win/win for Tammy and for Mom, and I support the idea wholeheartedly :) (At least as a starting point). She is tentatively planning to load the Uhaul and head up the end of May (next month).
Friday, April 11, 2008
Auri's activities, grades and phone issues :)
Auri has been keeping excessively busy. She tried out for MCT's Suessical production along with 75 other kids for a total of 5 roles....tough competition!! She was quite disappointed with her audition performance, as she feels she did not do her best (she was VERY nervous). She is still taking voice lessons, but has finished dance for now. She is currently helping the school track team as a manager. As a manager she goes to all the practices and meets....basically after school everyday til 6pm and some Saturdays. She travels to the games with them. However, I have forbidden her to miss school on chemistry days, as that class is very hard and she missed so much last quarter that it really effected her grade. I am such a mean mother :)
Auri is currently out of town with the school band/choir. They are traveling to Washington to perform in a music festival and work with a well know director there, as well as making several stops along the way to perform at local venues. She will return Sunday night, and has a choir concert at FHS on Monday night.
I am proud of how well she is blossoming here in Frenchtown, but have had to remind her that school is top priority and she can not let her grades fall due to her social calendar. On that note, her grades are as follows:
Spanish 2 A
Geometry B+
World Hist. (H) B
Health A-
Choir A
Band A
English (H) A
Chemisrtry (H) C pleasure to have in class
In the 3 classes where she did not get A's, she had missing and late assignments (especially in Chemistry).
Auri and her phone.....the continuing saga. Auri has ruined another phone. She lost it at her friends last week and now none of the buttons work. So she can not make calls or read messages. I know that you are all aware of the frequency of this dilema. Jan and I refuse to buy another phone for her and I do not believe that her buying another phone is the answer either. So, I had a discussion with her about phones and personal responsibility. After much contemplation, she accepted her role in this problem and how she can avoid it in the future. She has decided to treat it like her ipod (which is always charged, working and on her person or in her purse). Her alternate choice is a kiddie phone with 4 preset numbers and no texting.... :) needless to say, she is not excited about this option :)
Auri is currently out of town with the school band/choir. They are traveling to Washington to perform in a music festival and work with a well know director there, as well as making several stops along the way to perform at local venues. She will return Sunday night, and has a choir concert at FHS on Monday night.
I am proud of how well she is blossoming here in Frenchtown, but have had to remind her that school is top priority and she can not let her grades fall due to her social calendar. On that note, her grades are as follows:
Spanish 2 A
Geometry B+
World Hist. (H) B
Health A-
Choir A
Band A
English (H) A
Chemisrtry (H) C pleasure to have in class
In the 3 classes where she did not get A's, she had missing and late assignments (especially in Chemistry).
Auri and her phone.....the continuing saga. Auri has ruined another phone. She lost it at her friends last week and now none of the buttons work. So she can not make calls or read messages. I know that you are all aware of the frequency of this dilema. Jan and I refuse to buy another phone for her and I do not believe that her buying another phone is the answer either. So, I had a discussion with her about phones and personal responsibility. After much contemplation, she accepted her role in this problem and how she can avoid it in the future. She has decided to treat it like her ipod (which is always charged, working and on her person or in her purse). Her alternate choice is a kiddie phone with 4 preset numbers and no texting.... :) needless to say, she is not excited about this option :)
Jamie- MRI, NFT & school
MRI & meds
Jamie's repeat MRI was mid March. We went to the MD, 3/28/08 and received the results.... Good News!!! The MRI came back as very stable, next MRI in 2 years!! Yeah!! We also got Jamie's drug level (for his seizure med) which were very low...as he had not been taking them. Jamie was supposed to start this med in mid-January, but he didn't like the side effects and was afraid it would make his grades fall (he was very proud of his grades). The MD told us it may make him feel "foggy" and a bit mentally slow at the beginning til he adjusts. So, he stopped shortly after starting (without our knowledge). The MD made it very clear that Jamie needed to be on this med. So, after the MD explained it throughly, Jamie agreed with the need to take it and has been complaint since then.
NFT
Jamie is finally completed his series of NFT. Thank goodness!! We were all exhausted!! To finish up his series before the approved time ran out, he was also attending daily NFT (each session being like an extra full day of school for the brain). He had daily sessions Monday, 3/24/08, through Tuesday, 4/1/08.
We were so happy to be finished! He has one more CPT appt, 4/15. Then, we will follow up with the neurobehavioralist in May. When I asked jamie if he felt the NFT had helped him do better in his classes by having better focus and attention. He said, "not only in class!!! but with my friends too!!" He said it is easier to follow conversations and that he thinks more quickly. He states that he is better able to come back and be witty/funny. He seems very pleased.
School
Jamie did very well 3rd quarter (January-March). He had no referrals for behavior, no detentions, no complaints from teachers. As a matter of fact all of his teachers have mentioned his improvements and several of his teachers state that he is "a pleasure to have in class." He has been keeping all but his science grade at strong (A, B) levels most of the quarter (the first time he ever kept his grades elevated for longer then 1-2 weeks). I was therefore quite surprised when I noticed an abrupt falling of grades in several classes the last week or so of school. This directly coincided with Jamie starting a new med for seizures and daily NFT. I wrote to his teachers and learned he was indeed tired in school, laying his head on his desk. Here is an email I received from his math teacher (also study hall and lunch supervisor):
"From my view his grade and effort has been consistent in math all
quarter. He has days where he is a little more 'bouncy' than normal and
needs more assistance, but nothing that is intolerable. His final test
was done very well and that is consistent with the daily work he did
throughout the quarter.
On another note, I want you to know that I have gained a great amount of
respect for Jamie this quarter. I have discovered that he is a warm
hearted young man who really wants to do the right thing. He sometimes
gets caught up in the moment and will make mistakes or do things that he
knows are wrong, but when he does he does the right thing and apologizes
to people face-to-face and makes a concerted effort changes his
behavior."
Jamie's 3rd quarter grades were:
Learning Lab B
Woods C+ (79%) pleasure to have in class
Pre Algebra B+ (89%)
Kitchen Aid P (pass/fail class would have given an A+++ if possible)
English B+
Science F (missing assignments)
Health/PE A-
Traffic Ed F (pass/fail requires 80% to pass, Jamie has 78%...missing assignments)
missing assignments the last week of school dropped his grades in 4 classes. Such a bummer...leading into the last week of school, Jamie had 4 A's, 3 B's and a D (science).
Saturday, March 22, 2008
fingers crossed
Running water, who knew how much we would come to appreciate running water :) It has been about 2 mo's since we had a functional well. After much speculation and testing of our well, we learned that our water table dropped, leaving our water level in the well at 81 ft. Unfortunately for us, our well was only 82 ft deep and the engine to run the pump was as low as it could go, and sucking air at 80 ft. We tried to lower our 30+ yr old well to make room to lower the pump, but, it failed :( leaving no option except digging a new well. Chuck, who dug our original well, is also digging our new well. His rig is a rusted out 1950's relic, not as speedy as the newer rigs, but on all accounts he is good at finding water and creating a good well. The weather has not been helpful. It has alternated between cold, snowy days and warm, muddy days. Neither of which are helpful in getting a vehicle up the slope from our well site.
On Monday, Chuck thought he may have found water at 85 ft (the table has continued to drop and probably will for another month or two til the mountains start to thaw). He had to go to Helena Tuesday. Weds he continued "drilling" to 110 ft and confirmed that we have water at 85-90 ft flowing at least 20 gallons a minute ( a very nice well), with 20 ft of storage (so as not to have the same problem in the future). Thursday, he never showed. Friday it was snowing heavily in the morning and we didn't expect to see him. However, he arrived late morning and started pumping out all the muddy water to clean out the well and make sure it wouldn't collapse. Jan was able to arrange for our neighbors and friends to come by fri night/sat morning and dig the 6ft hole we need to set the well apparatus in so it will not freeze. The Dunlaps, who have been allowing us to shower at their home and use their water for our horses and for in our home, will come by with their tractor to help haul out equip from our well area. The pump person (Bob) will be by to set the pump up late morning (ish) :) soooo, IF everything works out, fingers crossed, we may have water by Sat night!!
When asked what we are doing for Easter, Jan's response...."showering" :) Personally, I have been longing for a nice hot soak :) and am so ready to have water again.
On Monday, Chuck thought he may have found water at 85 ft (the table has continued to drop and probably will for another month or two til the mountains start to thaw). He had to go to Helena Tuesday. Weds he continued "drilling" to 110 ft and confirmed that we have water at 85-90 ft flowing at least 20 gallons a minute ( a very nice well), with 20 ft of storage (so as not to have the same problem in the future). Thursday, he never showed. Friday it was snowing heavily in the morning and we didn't expect to see him. However, he arrived late morning and started pumping out all the muddy water to clean out the well and make sure it wouldn't collapse. Jan was able to arrange for our neighbors and friends to come by fri night/sat morning and dig the 6ft hole we need to set the well apparatus in so it will not freeze. The Dunlaps, who have been allowing us to shower at their home and use their water for our horses and for in our home, will come by with their tractor to help haul out equip from our well area. The pump person (Bob) will be by to set the pump up late morning (ish) :) soooo, IF everything works out, fingers crossed, we may have water by Sat night!!
When asked what we are doing for Easter, Jan's response...."showering" :) Personally, I have been longing for a nice hot soak :) and am so ready to have water again.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Junior prom '08
As you can see in the previous post, Jamie went to the Junior Prom this year. Although he is only a freshman, he went with a Junior girl named Nikki. They had a great time! They went as a large group of friends to dinner then the dance. There is a tradition here called the grand march. Parents, family and friends all fill the bleachers, camera's ready, to see the participants be formally announced, stroll down the path in a spotlight and strike a pose for pictures before being seated. When all names have been announced, the parents, friends and guests leave the gym so that the dancing/partying may begin :) He looked so dashing and yet so like a my little boy..geesh they sure do grow up fast! The background music is Jan's pun regarding Jamie going with the older girl ;). The march was actually to modern pop music played quietly so as not to be heard over the announcer.
Auri almost went to Prom, however, the guy she wanted to go with was unable to attend as he would be out of town for the weekend. He did invite Auri to go with him, however, upon learning that it was a proselytizing activity for his christian church...she decided that she couldn't miss anymore school :)
Auri almost went to Prom, however, the guy she wanted to go with was unable to attend as he would be out of town for the weekend. He did invite Auri to go with him, however, upon learning that it was a proselytizing activity for his christian church...she decided that she couldn't miss anymore school :)
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Maid Marion's Maid
The Missoula Children's Theatre is world famous for traveling to various national and international cities and towns, large and small, and putting on a play within a week using local children (k-12). There is even a documentary about it called The Little Red Truck. They set a prearranged location (for us Frenchtown High School) and have try-outs (involving singing and acting); they choose which children will have which roles and start practicing right away (the same night for the larger roles)!!!!
This years MCT Frenchtown play is Robin Hood. Auri tried out Monday afternoon and has one of the top 5 roles :) She will be Maid Marion's Maid, who is much more interesting and has as many lines as maid marion (per Auri)!! So, she will be exceptionally busy this week, as if TAG, dance class, singing lesson, and pep band were not enough things to do in a week! She is so excited and states that the play is going to be so funny. She really shines as she describes her character and how she is going to portray her.
There will be 2 shows on Sat. I am not sure if they will be in our theatre or in at the Missoula Children Theatre, either way, it should be great!!! For those of you who are able to come up, you are more then welcome to stay here...just think of it as indoor camping :)
This years MCT Frenchtown play is Robin Hood. Auri tried out Monday afternoon and has one of the top 5 roles :) She will be Maid Marion's Maid, who is much more interesting and has as many lines as maid marion (per Auri)!! So, she will be exceptionally busy this week, as if TAG, dance class, singing lesson, and pep band were not enough things to do in a week! She is so excited and states that the play is going to be so funny. She really shines as she describes her character and how she is going to portray her.
There will be 2 shows on Sat. I am not sure if they will be in our theatre or in at the Missoula Children Theatre, either way, it should be great!!! For those of you who are able to come up, you are more then welcome to stay here...just think of it as indoor camping :)
Monday, February 25, 2008
Skiing Fun
We went skiing at Discovery yesterday and had a blast. Sara took lessons and learned a lot, so we can go without fear next time, and I turned Auri into a speed-freak. By the end of the day she was trying to go as fast as possible down the blue slopes :) Jamie did boarding and lots of neat tricks.
Some (few) pictures at our site.
Some (few) pictures at our site.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
1+1+160+166 horsepower
Here's a nice picture on this sunny day. The two 1-horsepower... ahm... horses and the much more powerful cars, including the new one.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
friends, neighbors, skiing/sledding and a new CR-V
Well, we are still showering at the neighbors.... Laundry there also (if at all) They are wonderful people, but I still don't feel right bringing all our laundry, so I suppose I'll head to the laundromat this week :) Max and Jill came out Feb. 7th-11th...It was so awesome to have them over!! Max introduced us to a new board game called Blokus. It is like 4 player tetris. We went horseback riding, but the horses were so excited to be out for a ride that it was more rodeo then trail ride :) Jan, Max and Jill went skiing up at SnowBowl (Missoula) on Sat. Sunday, Max & Jill and the kids had an awesome time sledding and riding Jamie's snowskate (snow skateboard) on the hills of our yard and also on our neighbor's hill. The kids are doing well. They took advantage of the 3 day weekend to hang out with friends. Auri went skiing Sunday with her friends. She had a great time and was very sore the next day (yesterday) :) We are still trying to get her 50 hrs of driving logged (for her license). To that end, she drove us up to Kalisbell yesterday (Monday) to pick up our new car, a Honda CR-V 4wd. It is going to be nice to have a vehicle that is suited to country living. We bought it through the Costco program which saved us a couple grand. We could have bought one in town at full price, but decided that saving $2,000 was worth the 2hr drive!! The Mission Mts are breathtaking and Flathead lake is spectacular! The dealership was having technical difficulties, and Jamie had an appointment for his NFT. So, Jan and Auri left early to get back to town and I waited for the CR-V. Unfortunately, I was so tired of waiting by the time I got the car, I didn't pay attention to the interior color. We had requested grey(leather), but we got black leather....So now I am waiting for a call back about exchanging it. Black leather in the summer does not sound fun.... Jamie is doing well. He has been taking his meds, mostly without reminders (He made signs for his room to remind him to take his meds twice a day). He sprained/strained his wrist last week while sledding with friends and has been wearing a brace to help protect it. We took Jamie in to a GI specialist to get some help with his chronic diarrhea. The MD thinks it is IBS, but is running some tests to rule out other factors. Auri and Jamie are doing well with school, except for getting their make-up work when they are absent. Therefore they are each failing a class at this time. Auri's case is complicated but he fact that her teacher has been out related to her father's health and so Auri has not been able to make up a test or turn in her missing work. Jamie has lost his science book and will have to buy a new one. It has been missing for awhile and is probably a factor in his low science grade. The weather here has been gorgeous!! highs in the upper 40's/lower 50's, lows in the 30's. Unfortunately, it is melting all our snow..such a bummer. However, this morning was quite nippy (18 F). So, I guess winter is not over yet :) Thankfully, it seems to be warming up quickly (25 F at 9:30am) Well, I need to get myself movin', lots to do before I take Jamie to his orthodontist appt this afternoon and Auri to her theatre group and dance lesson this evening.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
family update
We are struggling with having enough water to shower or even sponge bath/wash our hair, water the animals, do dishes/laundry....and may continue for the next month or two...Yea :( We are still trying to figure out the extent of the problem and if we will have to drill a new well or will be able to extend this one a bit deeper (without destroying it) or if it will all resolve to a functional level with the thaw...
Auri is loving her new courses this semester, esp. band and choir. She is making new friends and discovering a new passion in the arts. She has also joined the Teen Arts Group in Missoula, and a modern dance class. Her voice lessons are going well and she is constantly singing around the house...esp. Sweeney Todd-her current favorite soundtrack. We went on a Mommy-Dtr date last night to see the Headwaters Dance Company performance. They are a modern dance company in Missoula. It was awesome. They even invited the members of the audience to stay after and discuss the performance with the troupe. Fantastic!!
Jamie is also enjoying his new classes this semester. He is taking woods, kitchen aid, and driver education as his electives. He is very excited that it is the 2nd week of the quarter and he still has 7 A's and 1 D (science). I am trying to set up a teacher conference with his science teacher to see if we can get Jamie on the right track in that class. He is still going to Neurofeedback therapy 3xwk and states that he is feeling less brain tired. We went to see the Neurologist regarding his EEG's. His MD felt very strongly that with the abnormal EEG, the 2 episodes of passing out vs seizures in 3 months, the location of the lesion in the seizure area etc that Jamie should be on meds. So, he started Tegretol 100mg BID (2xday) for 1 week then 200mg BID, with a blood draw to check therapeutic levels in 2 weeks. The main side effect noted is feeling "spacey". So, far he has voiced no complaint regarding any side effects...so far so good. He may out grow this problem, so the MD suggests that he be on the med for 3 years, then wean off and see if he has any further episodes.
I went to Vegas last week for my mom's birthday and to visit my gramma Freemyer, who is dying of jaw/throat cancer and renal failure. It was a good trip. I enjoyed visiting with my Mom and sisters and even seeing my birth father, Melvin. Since, we were only able to visit with gramma one person at a time, we were able to visit with Melvin for several hours each day. Although she is very very ill, gramma was very happy to see us and Melvin commented on how good it was to see his mom happy for the couple of days we were there. I was really torn and wished I could stay and help, but my family needs me at home.
Jan did an amazing job holding down the fort while I was away...Driving the kids to their various activities, making them brush their teeth and very their coats :) hee hee. He is leaving for CA next week to work in San Jose. When he returns Friday, he will have Max with him. Jill will fly out Thurs night and we are planning a ski/boarding trip that weekend. It should be awesome! We are soo looking forward to their visit!
Auri is loving her new courses this semester, esp. band and choir. She is making new friends and discovering a new passion in the arts. She has also joined the Teen Arts Group in Missoula, and a modern dance class. Her voice lessons are going well and she is constantly singing around the house...esp. Sweeney Todd-her current favorite soundtrack. We went on a Mommy-Dtr date last night to see the Headwaters Dance Company performance. They are a modern dance company in Missoula. It was awesome. They even invited the members of the audience to stay after and discuss the performance with the troupe. Fantastic!!
Jamie is also enjoying his new classes this semester. He is taking woods, kitchen aid, and driver education as his electives. He is very excited that it is the 2nd week of the quarter and he still has 7 A's and 1 D (science). I am trying to set up a teacher conference with his science teacher to see if we can get Jamie on the right track in that class. He is still going to Neurofeedback therapy 3xwk and states that he is feeling less brain tired. We went to see the Neurologist regarding his EEG's. His MD felt very strongly that with the abnormal EEG, the 2 episodes of passing out vs seizures in 3 months, the location of the lesion in the seizure area etc that Jamie should be on meds. So, he started Tegretol 100mg BID (2xday) for 1 week then 200mg BID, with a blood draw to check therapeutic levels in 2 weeks. The main side effect noted is feeling "spacey". So, far he has voiced no complaint regarding any side effects...so far so good. He may out grow this problem, so the MD suggests that he be on the med for 3 years, then wean off and see if he has any further episodes.
I went to Vegas last week for my mom's birthday and to visit my gramma Freemyer, who is dying of jaw/throat cancer and renal failure. It was a good trip. I enjoyed visiting with my Mom and sisters and even seeing my birth father, Melvin. Since, we were only able to visit with gramma one person at a time, we were able to visit with Melvin for several hours each day. Although she is very very ill, gramma was very happy to see us and Melvin commented on how good it was to see his mom happy for the couple of days we were there. I was really torn and wished I could stay and help, but my family needs me at home.
Jan did an amazing job holding down the fort while I was away...Driving the kids to their various activities, making them brush their teeth and very their coats :) hee hee. He is leaving for CA next week to work in San Jose. When he returns Friday, he will have Max with him. Jill will fly out Thurs night and we are planning a ski/boarding trip that weekend. It should be awesome! We are soo looking forward to their visit!
Goodbye Kizmet
We held a family meeting to discuss Kizsie's condition. Her tumor was slightly larger then a football, extending up to her spine and across her chest. Her leg was no longer used and swollen like a stroke victim's dependent limb. After discussing her decreased mobility, the swelling in her leg, her not getting up and coming over for pets (she would wait, looking at you, to see if it was worth getting up), her breathing (which was getting more difficult), and her level of pain (which is hard to judge, except by the large amount of drugs we had her on and still not using her leg, limping, falling, not moving as much). So, we decided we should put down sooner then later...that her quality of life was very low and we didn't want to keep her alive for our selfish reasons. We took her to the vet yesterday afternoon. She went to sleep easily and without distress. We, of course, cried our eyes out and continue to weep off and on today. We are sorry for the memories we will not get to make with her, but are happy that she is no longer suffering....we will miss her sweet spirit and kind eyes until we meet again at the Rainbow Bridge.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Well woes
Our well seems to be malfunctioning. This is apparently normal in the winter here, since the springs and maybe some of the watersheds that feed the well may be freezing up. The pump guy that was just out here thinks the fire we had in the summer might also have damaged the watersheds, which he's seen in other areas with fires. So more fall-out from the fire.
Next step: Can it be repaired? Dug deeper? Reamed out?
Living on the land....
Next step: Can it be repaired? Dug deeper? Reamed out?
Living on the land....
Monday, January 28, 2008
broken rib, dexascan
Well, as you know life has been a bit crazy. Just after Christmas, I broke a rib :) and the next day a toe. Both events occurred in rather uneventful manners. The rib was during a rather exuberant bear hug and the toe from a casually tossed book (falling no more then 1 foot before landing on my toe. As these seemed a bit ridiculous and I am at increased risk, I requested a dexascan for bone density. They scan your lower arm, hip/leg and lumbar area. My arm and leg bones were normal. My hip (neck of femur) has notable bone thinning and increase fracture risk called osteopenia (the step before osteoporosis). My lumbar area is severely osteopenic and on the verge of osteoporosis. I had the scan about a week ago and saw my doctor the day before leaving for Vegas. They do not put you back on hormone therapy anymore, as it has not been proven to be overly helpful. I must continue my 3-6 days a week workouts and increase my calcium intact to 1500mg per day in 500mg doses. I guess the body can only process up to 500mg of calcium at a time the rest in wasted. Of course, I will also be taking vit D & K or magnesium to help with absorption. So, with the natural decline that comes with aging, I can be back within normal limits in a couple of years...provided I can maintain or increase my density. There are medications to help with osteoporosis, but they are not safe for long term use and have a limited period of use and effectiveness....I am not there yet. It is best to save those for later, if needed. So, although this sounds alarming, I am doing all I can to keep up my health and decrease my risks and with Jan around to ensure my compliance....I should be great in no time :)
Monday, January 14, 2008
cavities, braces, NFT & a holiday recap
Well, the holiday season has come and gone in a whirl wind of activity. David came up to Montana to visit with us for Christmas and New Year's. It was wonderful to see him and great to spend some time together. The kids went to Vegas via Pocatello and had a great time visiting family and friends (and getting spoiled rotten I am sure :). December and January have been quite busy so here are the highlights....
Neurofeedback Therapy (NFT)
Jamie completed his NF (Neurofeedback) testing the 2-3 week of December. We met with Dr Velin the first week of January and he basically verified that Jamie is very intelligent (95-98th percentile), his attention is normal for his age-but quite far below where it should be based on intelligence, his concentration(distractibility) is below average and a definite problem. He also stated that Jamie's brain gets fatigued quickly due to his irregular brain wave patterns (make it harder for him). He gave several good suggestion for helping Jamie in school and will have these written up and sent to me in a couple of weeks...so that I can take it to the school. He also felt that NFT would have an 80% chance of helping with his concentration/distractibility and brain fatigue, which will raise is over-all ability and function and decrease his irritability. Insurance may or may not cover it, but we felt it was the best avenue...so we started a 20-30 session NFT program. His first session was last weds. Starting this week he will be going 3xweek (MWF) in Missoula (across town- of course :) His first session was amazing! He has electrodes attached to his scalp and ear (the ear is to rule out artifacts caused by physical movement). He has to control a computer game with his brain alone-very cool. His brain wave patterns show up on the tech's computer screen. The screen showed 3 types of waves (they can very depending how he is hooked up). Jamie's brain was producing too many large delta (sleep waves) and too many large "high activity" waves intermittently...and not enough of the calm, focused waves. It was easy to see that his brain was very working ineffectively. No wonder the boy is exhausted after school and brain dead by his last class! The tech was very impressed with how quickly Jamie's brain was learning- a great sign!! If you'd like more detail then just give me a call :)
Braces
Jamie had a consult with Dr Olsen. He will be getting braces tomorrow morning (tuesday) on his top teeth. He will get braces on the bottom in a couple of months. He has had spacers between his teeth since friday to help make space for the bands around his back teeth. We have loaded up on yogurt, oatmeal, jello and soft foods so he can survive this transition :)
Cavities
We are all going to Dr Skilstead this week. Jamie received his cleaning and checkup mid december (to prep for braces). For the first time in many years, he has cavities!! SO, he went last week and today and got fillings. He also Finally got his baby silver tooth out. The tooth was wedged a bit,so it was difficult to remove, even though it has been loose for months. He finally used a pair of pliers and pulled it out himself!! Auri and I go to the dentist tomorrow...As we have the family teeth (very soft)...Thanks MOM :) I am sure we will have cavities, yet again :) Jan will be going in on Weds for his check up.
Neurofeedback Therapy (NFT)
Jamie completed his NF (Neurofeedback) testing the 2-3 week of December. We met with Dr Velin the first week of January and he basically verified that Jamie is very intelligent (95-98th percentile), his attention is normal for his age-but quite far below where it should be based on intelligence, his concentration(distractibility) is below average and a definite problem. He also stated that Jamie's brain gets fatigued quickly due to his irregular brain wave patterns (make it harder for him). He gave several good suggestion for helping Jamie in school and will have these written up and sent to me in a couple of weeks...so that I can take it to the school. He also felt that NFT would have an 80% chance of helping with his concentration/distractibility and brain fatigue, which will raise is over-all ability and function and decrease his irritability. Insurance may or may not cover it, but we felt it was the best avenue...so we started a 20-30 session NFT program. His first session was last weds. Starting this week he will be going 3xweek (MWF) in Missoula (across town- of course :) His first session was amazing! He has electrodes attached to his scalp and ear (the ear is to rule out artifacts caused by physical movement). He has to control a computer game with his brain alone-very cool. His brain wave patterns show up on the tech's computer screen. The screen showed 3 types of waves (they can very depending how he is hooked up). Jamie's brain was producing too many large delta (sleep waves) and too many large "high activity" waves intermittently...and not enough of the calm, focused waves. It was easy to see that his brain was very working ineffectively. No wonder the boy is exhausted after school and brain dead by his last class! The tech was very impressed with how quickly Jamie's brain was learning- a great sign!! If you'd like more detail then just give me a call :)
Braces
Jamie had a consult with Dr Olsen. He will be getting braces tomorrow morning (tuesday) on his top teeth. He will get braces on the bottom in a couple of months. He has had spacers between his teeth since friday to help make space for the bands around his back teeth. We have loaded up on yogurt, oatmeal, jello and soft foods so he can survive this transition :)
Cavities
We are all going to Dr Skilstead this week. Jamie received his cleaning and checkup mid december (to prep for braces). For the first time in many years, he has cavities!! SO, he went last week and today and got fillings. He also Finally got his baby silver tooth out. The tooth was wedged a bit,so it was difficult to remove, even though it has been loose for months. He finally used a pair of pliers and pulled it out himself!! Auri and I go to the dentist tomorrow...As we have the family teeth (very soft)...Thanks MOM :) I am sure we will have cavities, yet again :) Jan will be going in on Weds for his check up.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Happy New Year to all!
It's been an interesting year, and not always exactly the best of times. But overall, due to my bad memory and the fact that I'm in a good and optimistic mood, I think the past year was actually not too bad. I also feel like the next year will be even better!
Happy new year from Montana!
jan, sara, and the kids (and david).
Happy new year from Montana!
jan, sara, and the kids (and david).
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