A week without caregivers…

 Monday June 1 2026

Liberty texted the dream team crew and me to see if anybody could take over her shift. She twisted her ankle while hiking, so she'll be out for a couple of days. I already lost Ashlyn because she couldn't do the evening shifts due to her husband's scattered work schedule. She agreed to cook for me, and I'm kind of excited. I always ask her what she made for dinner, and it always sounds so delicious! Becky has been out for a week and in the hospital, so basically that just leaves Brooklyn and Cruz. I don't want either of them to burn out, so I'm hoping Becky comes back. I texted her to ask how she was doing, but I didn't hear back.

TJ and Brooklyn came in. We made plans to go to Home Depot to get the stuff we needed from my new planter outside, and, of course, some plants. I'm going to get a couple of curtain rods, hang them above my windows, and have some plants hanging from them. ChatGPT said that my windows are perfect for plants! Everything is starting to come together very nicely! We came back, and they filled up the planter and planted the plants, and it looks awesome! I can already tell I'm going to spend a lot of time out on my new porch, just me and the pups! I could see myself out there with my little charcuterie board, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and some sun tea! DJ and Brooklyn went home, and I played on the computer. McKenzie came in to discuss a couple of things we needed to go over.

Brooklyn came back in, toilet-trained and bedded the dogs, put me to bed, and got me something to eat. We talked about our trip to see the kite festival in Lincoln City, both of our birthdays are in June, and it sounds like so much fun! She went home, and I took a little nap, hoping that when I woke up, I would feel better. I did not. Whenever I don't feel well, I just want to go to sleep and wake up when I feel better, and sometimes it actually works.

Stanley came in and took the dogs out one last time, filled their water, and put on my CPAP mask. I slept through the night. McKenzie texted me and said she heard back from Becky, who said she's still not doing that great and that we should go ahead and replace her.

Tuesday

I had an appointment at Cascade Infusion, but I had to cancel because I didn't have anyone to pick me up. McKenzie came in and fed the dogs, and later Stanley came in with some coffee!

Amy came in to give me a nice, relaxing massage. My arms have been hurting so much, and although they hurt a lot during the massage, they felt much better afterward.

TJ and Brooklyn came in again and fixed up some stuff around the house. Brooklyn put me on my side, and they went home for the day.

Ashlyn came in with her adorable little son! This is her first day of cooking for me, and I'm really excited. We did some meal planning, and she cleaned out the refrigerator and then went shopping.

The guy from Numotion came to pick up my chair so he could take it back to the shop and do the repairs/add-ons. All the buttons were there on my chair for the lights, signals, and stuff, but there was no light pack, so none of it worked. I got a harness that will hopefully keep me from slipping over in my chair. I don't know how my shirt will fit around it, but we will see. I may need to wear the harness over everything, which will be an adjustment. Sam from Numotion brought my chair back, but there was nobody here to put me in it, so he said he was gonna have to come back. It needed to be adjusted to fit me. I don't know why he couldn't just leave it here, but he took it. Maybe it's a liability thing?

When Ashlyn came back, she brought her cousin and said that she was looking for a caregiver position. I'm so excited because I don't have to put in an ad and interview to see how much experience they have and try to guess whether they're going to stay nice or turn mean or lazy after the first week.

The rest of the evening, I just watched TV and played on the computer.

Wednesday

Stanley came in, toilet, fed the dogs, and got me some coffee to hold me over until Brooklyn comes in. Everybody else in the household has been sick; it seems to be my turn now. I haven't had much of an appetite, and I have had diarrhea, since I don't have a caregiver through the night, it's pretty scary because I never know when it's going to happen. I've been taking a lot of Pepto-Bismol, and I'm afraid that that's going to come back and bite me in the *ss.

TJ and Brooklyn came in and hung up a curtain rod and about four or six plants hanging down in front of the window, it looks amazing! I've been wanting to do that for a while because I love plants, but they always seem to die. I asked ChatGPT, and they said these windows in my room would be perfect for plants. I printed out instructions for each plant so we know how to care for them, the right soil, and fertilizer. If they grow and thrive, I will be so excited! They went home, and I just hung out on my side. I played on the computer. Tried to schedule another appointment for Sam to bring my wheelchair back and get fitted, but it's not going to work out today either, so I guess tomorrow.

Brooklyn came back, took care of the dogs, got me something to eat, sent me back up to my computer, and then went home for the evening. My plants look really good so far, and I'm excited! They made it through one whole day!

Thursday

Same thing, McKenzie came in to let the dogs out and feed them. Standing brought me coffee and some little visitors. This has been a busy week for great-nieces and great-nephews, but unfortunately, I haven't been able to get up and hang out with them. They are also adorable and funny; it's never a dull moment!

TJ and Brooklyn came in and stuff around the house, took the week off from work, and it was nice to get some stuff done around here! They are both putting their hands around. TJ took the dogs for a cruise while Brooklyn put me on my side and got me some more coffee and something to eat. I still don't have much of an appetite, but I managed to choke down some breakfast casserole and some fruit. They left, and I'm starting to get pretty bored staying in my bed while it's such a beautiful day outside. I called Sam and told him that my caregiver would be here at 3 PM, and he said he would bring my chair.

Brooklyn came in at 3 PM, and Sam came by shortly after. She lifted me up and put me in my chair, and I was praying the whole time that I didn't have any gas or a blowout while Sam was here, and thank goodness I didn't. Brooklyn put me back to bed. She took my vitals, and my blood pressure was way too high, 199/140, and my blood sugar was really low. I haven't been eating, so beef jerky sounded good, so I had some of that and felt better. Unfortunately, I took the clonidine because I panic at high blood pressure, and of course, later my blood pressure was super low. I hate this game!

Brooklyn fed the dogs and noticed that the box at the bottom of my bed was not lit. We tried plugging it into different outlets, flipping breaker switches, anything we could think of, but my mattress was flat. Of course, this happens on a Thursday evening. I have to jump through some hoops to get a Hill-Rom support person to come out, so that gives me Friday. They're closed for the weekend. I tried to call, but it was already 5 PM, and they were closed, so I set a reminder to call them first thing in the morning. I still wasn't ready to eat, but the beef jerky tasted good, so that was food and salt for me for the rest of the evening. I watch TV and play some games on the computer until I fall asleep. Stanley came in and woke me up to put on my CPAP machine, let the dogs out one more time, and take up their water.

Friday

Liberty was supposed to be here at 7 AM. She was late, and the dogs were getting restless, so Stanley came in, fed them, took them to the toilet, and got me some coffee. When liberty came in, she took the dogs over to Naomi's to get some exercise and playtime with the pack. I love Naomi days because they come back so worn out and tired and sleep the rest of the day! Liberty came back and put me on my side, and we did some personal care. After a couple of hours with no success, she left me on my side and went home. While she was gone, I tried to call Hill-Rom again, and it was my lucky morning because someone answered right away, gave them my information, and said to watch my email. Less than five minutes later, I checked my email, and there it was. I called them back, paid the invoice, and they said to wait for the tech to call. About an hour later, Jay called and said he'd gotten the ticket and was on his way. Jay has come out quite a few times. It's so nice to have somebody that I already know, and he knows my bed and all of its weird little quirks. The first thing he did was check whether the cord had power running to it, and it did, so he plugged it in, and BOOM, it worked! WHAT?!? What just happened? We tried everything, and nothing worked. We chatted for a bit, and then he went home.

Cruz came in, took care of the dogs, and got me something to eat. To me, a nice long hot bath put me back to bed. She folded some laundry, straightened my room, and then went home. I thought I was feeling better, but all of a sudden my stomach ached again, and I was burning up, which usually happens around this time of the evening. I'm freezing. I started watching a little miniseries by V.C. Andrews called Dawn this morning, and it sucked me in right away. I don't really like to watch series because I always seem to get annoyed when people come in to talk or when my caregivers come in to work, and that's not right. I remember a while back watching another miniseries by the same person, only it was called Flowers in the Attic, and I couldn't stop watching that either. Janet came in to talk to me about the other house; we have a couple of options. Stanley and Janet could move back in and rent out the bottom unit while it's on the market, which will give everybody around here a little bit more privacy and space. We could rent out the whole house, either way, I won't have to pay two mortgages anymore, and I am all for that!

Saturday

What a miserable night. I had my fan on all night long because I was burning up. I thought I was through with the stomach thing, but now I'm not so sure.

Brooklyn came in, and I could hear her toileting and feeding the dogs, but my eyes just wouldn't open. I finally opened my eyes, and the first thing she said was, "I don't think I'm gonna be able to stay very long because I'm really sore." She didn't look good. She had a video visit with the nurse, who told her she needed to go to OHSU in Portland for an ultrasound. She called her mom to see if her mom could drive her up, and she left.

I texted Cruz to see if she was still in town or had gone back home. Hopefully, she will get back to me because I'm going to need somebody for the rest of the weekend.

I was waiting to hear some stirring around the house. Stanley was gone, but I was waiting for Robert or McKenzie to get up so I could ask them to take this blanket off of me because I was burning up. I brought up the kitchen camera and saw Nori getting a drink of water. She looked so adorable! It looked like everybody was already dressed up, so I texted McKenzie and asked her to come in and help me. She came in and took off my blanket, and they set off for the day.

Cruz came in, and we did some personal care. I stayed on my side for a while while she and her daughter took the dogs over to the park. It was supposed to rain today, and it did for a bit, but then the sun came out, and it was beautiful. Cruz set me back up and got me something to eat, then she and her daughter left. I watched TV for a while and took a nap; it was a very good nap!

When Cruz came back, she sent me up, took care of the dogs, and got me something to eat. I still don't have much of an appetite, so I had a chicken salad sandwich with avocado, bread, and butter pickles. I found this new bread, it's called Orawheat carb control bread. It's the best one that I've found so far, it's really soft and tastes good!

I listened to some music for a while, and then I heard the doorbell ring. So I knew Robert, McKenzie, and the family came back, so I turned the music down. I listen to music and play games until I fell asleep.

Sunday

Brooklyn is still not feeling very well, so Cruz came in, I fed the dogs and me, and then took off. She needed to go back and take care of her aunt, but I'm thankful she came over here to take care of the dogs and me. I lay around for the rest of the day and tried to figure out something that I could do with myself.

Robert took Nori Jude to church, but McKenzie still wasn't feeling well, so she stayed home to rest.

I don't know if this stomach flu is lingering for a really long time or circling its way back. I thought I was feeling better a couple of times, and then my stomach started aching again. I have been burning up with the fan on me all night, and my window is open. I'm usually really cold, so there must be something wrong. Kona has been lying on the bottom of my bed again like she used to. I had to keep her from crawling on my stomach because it's too much weight on my supra pubic tube, and it started leaking, and she even pulled it out one time. So I couldn't let her get up here for a while, and it broke my heart. It's the only way that we can get on each other's level to cuddle. 

Stanley came home and got me something to eat and some tea. I don't have my appetite back, but my blood sugar is getting pretty low, so I have to make sure I eat something. It's really nice to have Stanley back home. While they are away this weekend, I have been thinking about how much I rely on him for pretty much everything. I don't know what I'm going to do when he moves out permanently, of course, I'm going to miss him like crazy! There's some property for sale kitty corner to my property and I asked him tonight if he would think about buying that and building his own place there, that would be really awesome!

They were also thinking about living in the other place while we keep it on the market. I think they are just eating/wanting their own space, and I don't blame them.

Stanley came back, let the dogs out, filled their water, and we shared some beef jerky before he put my CPAP machine on. I almost fell asleep several times, but I was having some really weird dreams, and I woke myself up with a start a couple of times.

It's starting to heat up…

 Monday May 25 2026

Liberty came in. I took care of the dogs, got myself something to eat, and had breakfast casserole. It was so delicious! It's a nice, healthy breakfast until I add half of a bagel. I love bagels so much, and if you put cream cheese on them, they're better for you. If my blood sugar gets too high, I just stop eating them for a couple of days.

I don't understand this weather in Oregon. We get a couple of really nice days, and then BOOM… It's cold again. And then there's the sideways rain that you can't protect yourself from because it comes at you from all sides and under your umbrella.

Brooklyn came in and put me on my side for the day, another boring day stuck inside when I could be out cruising my pups around the neighborhood.

Well, I'm getting my cookbook together. ChatGPT is helping me with some diabetic-friendly, gas-free recipes, and some of them sound so delicious! A lot of people are cutting carbs and adding protein with cottage cheese. I tried it in my chicken salad, and it was pretty good! Becca made a lemon-blueberry loaf, and it was really good, too. When I see people eating good food and desserts, I get so envious. Now I will have my own desserts. I'm losing my cook again, Becca is moving on with her business, and Ashlyn is going to start cooking for me. She seems to be a good cook. I ask her every evening when she comes in what she had for dinner, and it always sounds really yummy!

It's a good thing I didn't get up, because Ashlyn also called out, deciding that her husband's schedule would keep her from coming in. I really hate to lose her, and hopefully she can find childcare in the future and come back! Brooklyn came in, picked me up, and then left. It's so nice to have somebody that you can always rely on! I always hope she knows how much I appreciate her!

I watch TV and play games for a while until I fall asleep.

Tuesday

Becky called out this morning. She is having some health problems. I hope she feels better soon. She is way too young to have problems. I don't know what to do. I really don't want to lose her either, but I need to get somebody who can get me dressed, and up so my old body doesn't deteriorate…oops, too late. Luckily, Liberty also comes in on Tuesday, so I do have coverage. I had to cancel my cardiology appointment because we missed personal care last night, and I was going to have Liberty do it, but she could only stay for two hours. At least I get to be on my side and give my butt a rest.

I called my friend Cruz, and she said she would come down and help me out for the evening! She is another one who has always been so helpful and a good friend! We have been friends for about three years, I think, and no matter what we do, we always have a great time! We did some personal care and then a nice, hot, relaxing bath. She put me back to bed, and I think I fell asleep before she left. She always texts me, so I know she made it home. I woke up when Stanley came in to put on my CPAP mask, let the dogs out, and put up their water so they don't have to go potty at 2 o'clock in the morning. Thankfully, I fell right back to sleep. When I was younger, I always envied people who could take naps, and now I can, and it's so awesome!

Wednesday

Stanley came, let the dogs out, fed them, and then got me some coffee… he makes the best coffee! Becky didn't come in again today, but Liberty agreed to come in and get me dressed and up in my chair. I can't wait to hit the open road with the pups and cruise the neighborhood to see who's out and about today. Just as we were getting ready to get me up, Chris came in and said they needed access to my room. I definitely don't want to do anything to slow down the process of my new deck, so I decided to just stay in bed and go on my side.

Liberty fixed my computer so I can print out more of the personalized recipes for my diabetes and gas. Food is so wonderful again! This time, Becca made greens and country spare ribs. She also made roasted chicken, roasted vegetables, breakfast casserole, chicken salad, and Chia pudding. Today is Becca's last day of cooking for me, and I'm really gonna miss her!

I got a text from Chris, and it looks like they're going to come today or tomorrow and finish the deck. That is the coolest project in the world, and I can't wait to have my own little private deck outback! Chris finished up the deck platform outside, and it looks awesome! There's going to be a ramp that goes down the back. I'm out of the gate, and this way I won't have to track my wheels through the house. Not to mention, I have such an awesome place to kick back at night and, during the day, hang out, watch Dude and Kona play, and figure out how to decorate my new deck.

Brooklyn came in, set me up at my computer, and I had some greens, ribs, and half of a bagel for dinner. It was so delicious! She wasn't feeling well, and she didn't sound well; she wasn't sure whether it was sinusitis or she was getting sick. I don't know which one would be worse. I'm really tired of staying in bed, especially when it's not even my idea; it's other people not coming into work. It's very frustrating! I know I'm going to get up the next two days because I have doctor's appointments. For the rest of the evening, I deleted my unwanted emails, played games, watched some cop shows, and then played more games before falling asleep while listening to an audiobook.

Thursday

Becky texted me and said she still isn't feeling well enough to come into work, which I figured. Liberty came in, fed and took care of the dogs, got me some coffee, and dressed up in my chair. I have an early appointment. I have no idea why I made an appointment so early, because I usually don't, but I think it was the only appointment I could get for a while, and I wanted to get new glasses as soon as possible.

When we got there, the lady was checking me in and said my appointment wasn't until 8:50 AM, but for some reason, I had it down as 8:00 AM. Well, at least we are here and not late. We went and sat down, expecting to wait about an hour, and after about five minutes, they called me into the room. That's always what I hope for when I'm early, and I was so glad! The doctor said my patient has changed a lot, probably because of the diabetes. I need to really start sticking to my diet because eyesight is something that I really don't want to lose, since the only way I get around is with my power wheelchair.

We came home, and it was so nice outside that I decided to sit outside and have my breakfast and another cup of coffee. We let the dogs run around in the front yard for a while, and then came back to my room so Liberty could put me to bed and go home.

Naomi texted me. Naomi is the lady who exercises, trains, and grooms my dogs. She is awesome and really knows her stuff! Kona has really come a long way since we introduced her to Naomi, and Kona loves learning as much as Naomi loves an obedient dog. I get a lot of compliments on how well Kona obeys, and it makes me feel proud. Chocolate labs tend to be really energetic and easily distracted.

McKenzie and I got together to talk about my budget that she put together for me, and I'm really excited to get started and save money instead of wasting it like I've been doing for the last 30 years. The first thing I did was go to my Amazon cart and delete everything except what I really need. It actually felt really great! I have a bunch of lists, so my arms are so tired from deleting. I'm going to delete a lot of the stuff from my list. I just keep adding stuff.

Tonight I won't have an evening caregiver, so Stanley agreed to take care of the dogs and me.

Cruz texted me, and we talked for a while. She said that she will come in tomorrow night and give me a bath. I am excited for that!

Stanley came in at 9:30 PM, took the dogs out one last time, filled their water, and put on my CPAP machine. The machine really annoys me sometimes. I have to put Vaseline under my nose, or it doesn't seal and leaks all night long. Sometimes it drives me so crazy, I have McKenzie come in and take it off. I feel guilty because I'm supposed to use it for at least 4 hours every night, but most nights I end up using it for 8 to 10 hours. Like my sleep study doctor says, you can't wear it one night and then not wear it at all the next night.

Friday

Stanley came in this morning, took care of the dogs, and then got me some coffee. He was in bed at 6:30 AM. In fact, I was still sleeping when he came in.

Liberty came in and got me some coffee, got me dressed, and got me up in my chair. I have an appointment with my dentist at 9 AM. The last couple of mornings, I've had really early appointments, and I usually don't make them until 10 AM. I figured that since Becky comes in at 6 AM, I can make earlier appointments, get back, and have the rest of the day to play and hang out with the dogs. Unfortunately, Becky hasn't been feeling well, and Liberty was nice enough to fill in for her. Liberty got me dressed and up in my chair, and we made it to the doctor's office just in time. Everybody always remembers me and makes me feel like an old friend. I never liked going to the dentist before, but I don't mind visiting this place. The dental hygienist took X-rays, cleaned my teeth, flossed, polished, and applied fluoride. She said they looked pretty good, which surprises me because I think the last two or three times I was supposed to go, I had to cancel for one reason or another. I always leave, promising myself that I am going to make sure everybody brushes my teeth in the morning and in the evening, and this time I'm really going to stick to it! We came home, and Liberty put me back to bed on my side, and we did some personal care. She put me on my side and went home for the day. Cruz came in, got myself something to eat, gave myself a bath, and while I was taking a bath, I thought about how my house had always been really clean and orderly when I was in Santa Cruz, and I want it to be like that again. I get everybody to keep it clean and put everything back where it goes, but after a while, it starts getting sloppy again. I'm just going to have to keep on top of everybody. I hope they'll figure it out on their own, but it's obvious they're not. Cruz straightened out my bedroom and my bathroom, and then went home. For the rest of the evening, I watched movies and just did a lot of the usual stuff.

Saturday

Brooklyn and TJ came in, Brooklyn tended to the dogs, and TJ tended to the weeds. After the dogs ate, they took the dogs over to Naomi's so they could play and expend some energy. Brooklyn got me some more coffee and something to eat. It was time to go get the dogs, so they went to get the dogs and bring them back. On their way back, they decided to go by the old house and grab my Adirondack chair and loveseat I had on my porch in Santa Cruz. It was such an amazing surprise! Brooklyn asked if I wanted to take the dogs and the kids over to Mento Brown Park and go for a hike; heck yeah, I did! It was supposed to be colder, but it turned out to be a perfect day. We went for a 2-mile hike and then watched Kona swim in the water. We definitely need to do this more often! We came back, and they headed home. I leaned back in my chair, took a little nap, and then watched TV until Brooklyn came back. I ate dinner out on my new deck, and it felt so great! McKenzie, Nori, and Jude came out and sat with us for a little while. She put me back to bed and went home for the evening. I shopped online at Amazon for some stuff to add to my new porch! I love it so much, and I know I will be spending a lot of time out there!

Sunday

Sunday is one of my favorite days, and we order breakfast from the Black Bear Diner. I am obsessed with our spicy sausage, and I can't even try anything else. I ordered two eggs, which used to be poached, but they ended up with too much water, so now I just do them fried. Two sausage patties, an English muffin, and some country-fried potatoes. Because of my diabetes, I only eat half of it and usually either put the other half in the refrigerator and forget it, or have it for breakfast the next day.

TJ has been coming to work with Brooklyn, and I love it! He gets so much done! He vacuumed the couches' front porch, and they would be absolutely gorgeous!  TJ and Brooklyn went back to the old house and got a tractor tire that I was using to grow cherry tomatoes. I just love that idea, and it will be great for a little planter in my backyard. We went to Home Depot to get some potting soil, fertilizer implants for the tractor tire in the backyard. We picked a nice little variety, and I am very happy with them! They filled up the planner and planted the plants, and it turned out even better than I had imagined!

They went home, and I just sat in my room, not feeling very good. I don't know if I was too hot or too cold; my body is so unpredictable because I was sweating, but I was cold. The more I swear, and the cold air hits me, the colder I get. It seems weird, and I don't know why, but the only thing that seems to help is putting a rice bag in the microwave and wrapping it around my neck. When the sweating went down, I went outside and sat in the sun, which felt better!

Brooklyn came back and put me to bed, and we did some personal care. She sat me up, got me something to eat, and fed the dogs. She went home for the evening, and I felt a little bit better, but my stomach is still so distended. While Brooklyn was getting me up this morning, I burped really loudly. I think it was the loudest I've ever burped, but I started to feel better, so I was wondering if I ate something that didn't agree with me.

For the rest of the evening, I played on the computer until I fell asleep.

The weather is getting warmer and warmer…

 Monday May 18 2026

Monday

Monday was a really good day! It's starting to get warmer outside, now this is my kind of weather! The weather has been in the 70s, but it must be a different kind of heat from Santa Cruz, because I tolerated it better there, probably because it was by the ocean. I was looking online at what's going on this summer in Santa Cruz, and it makes me sad that I didn't get out more. I just took it for granted that it would always be there.

Becky came in and took care of the dogs and then got me some coffee, I ate breakfast and then she got me dressed and up in my chair. I hung out in the kitchen for a little bit with my brother and the kids. They are getting to the age where they each have their own little personality, and they are all going to be funny! Some of the stuff that they say is just awesome!

I took Kona out for a cruise and then took Dude. I met a guy down the street on the other side of the block and talked to him for a while; he was outside with his wife. After we talked for a while, he said that he was a cousin of Dolly Parton. I can't even imagine how awesome that would be! I have read so many really sweet people on this block and one that was not so sweet but I guess in life you just encounter people like that? Kill them with kindness, right?!

I came back, took a little nap, then played on the computer until Ashlyn came in. She took care of the animals and then put me in bed and got me something to eat. We did some personal care, I'm trying to drink some hot tea every night, and I really like it! Ashlyn got me something to eat, set me up at my computer, and went home for the evening. An eventful beginning to the week, but I like it!

Tuesday

Good morning! They came in at 6 AM, got me some coffee, took the dogs out and fed them, and cleaned up my room while Amy was here giving me a massage. Until we sell the house, I'll need to reduce Amy's hours to once a week. I hope it goes by fast. I sure have felt a lot better since Amy started coming twice a week.

Liberty came in and got me dressed and up in my chair. I have an appointment with Oregon Infusion and Disease Control to see if I really actually have SARS. I had it before when I had my stage four pressure sore, and I guess you never get over it, as far as the hospitals are concerned. Every time I go into the hospital, the nurses and everybody else still have to gown up before they come into my room. Last time I got tested, I didn't have it, but they still have to take precautions at the hospital.

It came back. I took the dogs for their routine cruise, then came back and just hung out in the front yard for a while. It was so peaceful and beautiful.

Ashley came in, and after she took care of the dogs, I got a nice, long, hot bath, the best feeling in the world!

She put me back to bed, and I played on the computer for a while, losing all track of time. Stanley came in and took the dogs out for their last hurrah before the morning. I was already asleep when Stanley came in, so I skipped my CPAP machine. I know I'm supposed to wear it every night, and the sleep specialist told me that just because I wear it for 10 hours every night doesn't mean I can skip a night or two, and that it won't make up for it when I don't use it.

Wednesday

Becky came in, let the dogs out, and fed them! I have to put their water up at night because Dude we drink a lot of water and then have to go out at 2 AM or 3 AM! They sure remind us if we forget to put it down in the morning.

I took the dogs for a cruise, then hung out with them in the front yard. I just love it out there, and my brother and the kids came out for a while to enjoy the weather!

Chris and his crew came to put the door and a porch on my bedroom. I am so excited about this; it is going to be so awesome to sit out there, and when the dogs need to go potty, we won't have to walk all the way around the house. Especially since they usually don't wait until they get to the dog jog, they end up pooping and peeing on the rocks in front of the house, and the kids put them in their mouths.

Ashley's husband won't get off until really late, so Cruz came in to cover Ashley's shift. It was really nice to see her; we always have a really good time laughing and catching up. We did what we needed to do, and then she headed home. She lives in Portland, which is an hour away, but she said it's not that bad. I watched a movie, deleted my unwanted email, and fell asleep.

Thursday

It was pretty much another typical day, took care of the dogs, got me coffee and something to eat, got dressed up in my chair, beautiful weather, my kind of day! Brooklyn came in again, put me to bed, got the dogs and me something to eat, and then went home!

They finished the door yesterday and I still can't believe it, it looks so awesome! I can picture myself sitting out there with my tea and my charcuterie board and just watching the sunset! The realtor said that from the windows in my room, we would be able to see the fireworks! I love fireworks! It will also be nice to keep the door open, since none of the windows in my room open, and it can get pretty stuffy.

Friday

Becky came in, and we did the regular routine with the dogs and got me dressed and up in my chair. I got a bath last night, but I didn't wash my hair because I didn't wanna go to bed with wet hair, so we washed it this morning. It always feels so awesome to get my hair washed, it just makes me feel so great!

I wanted to get up and get out of the way so the guys could come in and finish up what they needed to do. It turned out that all they needed to do was put cement in the ground for the deck posts and at the end of the ramp. We were gonna put stairs, and then I thought, why don't we just put a ramp so I can have another entrance to and from the house? Because of the ramp, it's going to take up a lot of the dog jog, and I hope they still have enough room to run around and play. Still, if not, we could always make the dog jug bigger. There's about a quarter of an acre of property just below mine, and I'd like to sell the house so we'll have a little more property. I would like my nephew and his family to build their house there. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Everything depends on selling this house; I can't wait to get out from underneath it.

Liberty came in, and we did some personal care, and she sent me up to my computer. I kind of like Fridays because Liberty usually comes in around noon, and we usually finish around 4 PM. It gives me a lot more time to be on the computer and relax from the day. I have caregivers around for 4 to 6 hours in the morning and 4 to 6 hours in the evening, so I just feel like I don't have enough time to myself. I really enjoy it when I have it. The evening still goes by really fast, but at least I feel like I got more done on my computer.

I wrote a cookbook for people with spinal cord injury and gas problems, and the recipes turned out so well that now I'm making a cookbook with even more recipes for myself. My health has been so much better since I've been eating diabetic- and gas-friendly recipes; there are actually some really good dishes you can modify and eat. I just found out that you can get a lot of protein from cottage cheese, and it cuts down on fat. I use almond flour and cottage cheese for a lot of baked stuff that I love, like biscuits, bread, pizza dough, and even bagels!

Saturday

Saturday was a really great day! Brooklyn came in and took care of the dogs, got me something to eat, and then got me dressed and up in my chair. We took the dogs over to Mento Brown Park, and Brooklyn usually plays ball with Kona. In contrast, I take Dude on a cruise around the park. As we cruise around, I see a lake, and I keep thinking, one of these days, I want to bring Kona over there and watch her go in the lake. I know she loves the water, and I've seen a lot of pictures and videos, but I would love to see it in person. I got a baby pool out front but when I put water in there she won't go in it, maybe it's not murky enough?

We came back and cleaned up the garage a little bit more. I feel like we keep getting everything we want put away from the garage, and then we open it up, and there's more stuff. We started collecting stuff for the kids' playroom out there, and they're just going to be so awesome! A couple of my great-nieces and great-nephews have mentioned what a fun place it is, and boy, does that feel great! I love having a place where everybody can come, relax, and have a good time, and I think I have it! I know for sure I had it in Santa Cruz, and my nieces and nephews would come down for vacations and holidays, and it was not only the perfect place, a mile to the beach, Boardwalk, and downtown. A couple of nieces and nephews came down for their honeymoon. It's actually the perfect place!

Brooklyn went home for a little while, and the rest of my family came over, so I texted her and asked her if she could come in a little bit later so I could spend some time with them. I've noticed they've been coming over every Saturday, so I'll need to make arrangements to get to know them again. I have the best family!

Brooklyn came back to put me to bed. She cleaned up my room. It seems like for a while, everybody keeps it clean and wipes down the surfaces, but then everybody slips back into stacking everything everywhere, and I hate that! I always want it to look like the housekeepers just left. I also get to go to bed early on Saturday and Sunday nights so that both Brooklyn and I can have an early shift, go home, and have some time to do what we wanna do. I asked her about coming in later on Saturday so I can spend time with the family, and she said that would be fine.

Sunday

Sunday, I would have to say, is my favorite morning out of the whole week. Brooklyn stops on our way in and grabs us some breakfast from the black bear diner. I have a really good breakfast every morning, but it's nice to have something different and maybe a little bit more naughty. I usually get sausage patties, egg or fried eggs, an English muffin, and really good-tasting home fries. I ate half of it, then saved the other half for the next morning, and it didn't make my blood sugar jump as much as if I had eaten the whole thing. My family goes to church on Sunday, and that's also when I can turn up my music without bothering anyone.

I think I'm getting the hang of this blogging every night again…

 Monday May 11 2026

Liberty came in, fed and toileted the dogs, then got me dressed and up in my chair. I had a follow-up visit with Dr. Nweale. It just so happened that the day before, I had blood in my urine, so it came at a perfect time. I called my urologist, and I told them, and they may have an appointment for tomorrow to see him. Of course, I asked GPT, and they dated a lot of horrible things that it could be; I should know better by now, but I ask anyway. 

I also had an appointment with Dr. Cheng, regarding my spinal cord injury, but I had to reschedule cause I wasn't feeling very well. I was going to see him to follow up on what I was having problems with, but it just so happened I was having bowel problems, so I rescheduled.

I took Kona for a 4-mile cruise up and down the street, then took Dude for 2 miles. It was a beautiful day, so I ended up sitting outside for a while and enjoying the sun with the puppies. I came back and played on the computer for a while until Ashlyn came in. She's in personal care, and she sent me up to my computer and went home. She's had a really bad toothache since Friday, and I feel so bad for her. She tried everything, but I had some original Listerine, the brown one, and I got to rinse out my CPAP machine. She tried some, and she said it worked better than anything else that she had tried. I hope she can get it fixed soon because she just looks miserable. She went home, and I did my usual relaxing and played on the computer.

Tuesday

Becky came in at 6 AM and took care of the dogs then got me some coffee at breakfast, we had a bunch of stuff that we brought in from the garage in the hallway outside by door so she put that away and cleaned up the counter in my bathroom. Liberty came in at seven it got me dressed up in my chair. Stanley took me to my urology appointment. There was no more blood in my urine, of course, so they told me that it just happened sometimes and not to worry about it, but they will schedule me for a bladder scope and some Botox for my bladder to hopefully stop it from leaking. Becca came in, and we did some meal planning. Since she only cooks for me, now I feel like we never have time to catch up at all, and so it was fun shopping with her. I get to survey what kind of things they have in the store for future meal planning. When we got back, I took Kona out for a 2-mile cruise up and down the street. We came back home, and Dude and I went for our slow and steady cruise up and down the street. I kicked back in the front, hung out with Stanley, and watched the kids on their new climbing-and-swinging toy. It was so hot outside I was burning up, it takes me a while to cool down when I get overheated because my thermostat is broken. I took a little nap, then woke up freezing; that's how it always worked for some reason. Ashlyn came in, and I got a hot, long, soaking bath, and it felt great. She put me to bed and then left. What's it again? I fell right to sleep.

Wednesday

Becky came in. I took care of the dogs, and they got me some coffee. How did it end up that the dogs get taken care of sooner? They are adorable, so I guess that's why! She got me some coffee, I love my body coffee! Yesterday, McKenzie red-shampooed the carpet in the living room. Somebody put a cream-colored carpet in there, and it's so plush. That's basically where the kids and the rest of the family hang out, so it gets pretty dirty. Also, I think a couple of dogs went to the bathroom in there, so now every dog that comes to the house has to go in there and christen it. I hope shampoo puts an ad for that.

Chris came over to work out the door to go outside from my room and the deck. I am so excited about this. The last couple of days I just lay here and watched the sunset and it's so beautiful. I can't wait to sit out on the deck and just enjoy the sunset with my tea and mini charcuterie board. TJ at Brooklyn came by, and they were going to shampoo the area rug, but I was a little nervous about having it shampooed while it's on the floor. I didn't want the floor to get wet and ruined, so we decided to wait till next week to power-wash it outside. I'll let the sun dry it. They took me to the store where they sell all the stuff that gets returned to Costco. They have some really cool stuff there, but for now, I've tried to hold myself back from buying anything. I did get a couple of things that I needed, and got Nori and Jude a couple of really cute outfits. After that, we went to another discount place, which was kind of small, and although we found a few things we would like to have, we didn't get anything. They came home, and I took Kona out for a dice 2-mile cruise. We left her hardness on her, and by the time Stanley came in for a doggie last call, she chewed it off from the front. I hung out in my bedroom until Ashley came in we did some personal care and she left, while I'm on my side I love watching movies and tonight I saw a really good one call the best of me, I watched it twice it was so good. I caught up with my blog and then went to sleep watching cops with body cams.

Thursday

Becky called in sick, another one of her migraines. I've never had a migraine, but I heard that it's like an ice cream headache that doesn't go away. She didn't text me, but she texted the dream team group text that she was going to take the dogs to Naomi's for me after Amy left.

I texted Naomi to let her know that the dogs would not be going to her place today,y and my text with Naomi is a group text with Stanley,y so he brought me some coffee. Amy came in to give me a massage. My shoulder has been really bothering me, but I had her do my legs because I'm afraid of getting my blankets and shirt messed up and then having to stay like that for the rest of the day.

After Amy left, Stanley brought me some egg casserole and half a bagel, my favorite breakfast. Brooklyn saw the post and came in to put me on my side, old reliable! She left, and after a while Stanley came back in to tell me he had made a fresh pot of coffee, so I had some coffee with celery and cashew butter. My spinal cord injury doctor told me to have two sticks of celery with each meal. 

I'm so glad to have the chicken salad and cashew butter because they're snacks I like. We only put half the mayonnaise in, and the other half is cottage cheese, so you don't even know the difference.

Brooklyn came by and put me on my side for the day. It was a long day, and starting to get a little uncomfortable staying on my side, I've been trying to get up every day. When I don't get up, I get really antsy and sorry. After I played games on the computer, watched some WebCam cop shows, deleted email, and shopped for something I can't buy, it was finally 9:30 PM, and Stanley came in to put on my CPAP mask, take up the dogs' water, and take the dogs out one final time before everybody goes to bed. I talked to ChatGPT a little bit, and then I fell asleep.

Friday

I usually wake up about 2 AM, and I'm super cold. I share a thermostat with my nephew, niece, and their baby in the next room. When I go to bed, I'm usually warmer than after I fall asleep. I wake up really cold. I have a heating pad that I wear on my chest, so I can turn it on when I get cold, but Dude sometimes decides that he needs some attention, and when he pushes on my arm, the remote falls off, and there's nothing I can do. A couple of times, when I couldn't stand it anymore, I called my brother and woke him up. He always has such a good attitude; he never makes me feel like I'm bothering him. I know things will probably change when he and his wife move out, and I am not looking forward to it. I'm hoping maybe I can find a caregiver, friend, or retired nurse to stay here and take care of me.

Becky came in, took care of the dogs, and then got myself some coffee. I noticed that the dogs are always first. I make them my first priority. I empathize with them and feel bad about the wait. That's not really true. I usually have her turn on my heating pad if it's not already on and heat me up a rice bag in the microwave. That is the best feeling in the morning, feeling the rice bag on my neck and my face too, but it only lasts for five or 10 minutes, and then we have to do it again. After coffee and breakfast, she got me dressed and up in my chair. I went to hang out with my family for a while. The kids are getting to the age where they're all talking, and some of the stuff that comes out of their mouths is so funny and precious! When I end up staying in bed, I feel like I miss a lot.

I took Kona for a 4 mile cruise up and down the street, down to the end of the street and back is almost 1 mile. I slept quite a few neighbors up and down the street, most of them older, and they are all very sweet. I came home, rested my arm for a bit, then took Dude out for his 2-mile cruise. I never thought I'd see the day, but he looks to me like he's lost too much weight. I sat outside for a while; it was so beautiful, and I could hear the waterfall and the birds chirping. I just lay back in my chair and took it all in. I always wanted a pond and a waterfall, and I bought a couple online, but this is amazing! I'm definitely going to push it back and make the pond bigger one of these days. If I ever sell that other house, I have a whole bunch of ideas that I want to do here; this is going to be my forever home!

I procrastinate way too much in the morning. It feels so good to be nice, toasty, and warm, and that's when I sleep best. I keep telling myself I'm going to have one cup of coffee, get dressed, get up, then eat breakfast. I'll have another cup, but I've yet to start that. I'm going to need to when it gets really hot because I can't stand this heat here. I'll need to get up early and get everything done so I can come back feeling great that I got everything I needed to do, and my dogs are exercised and happy. 

Ashlyn came in, took care of the dogs. We did some personal care, and she got me some tea and dinner. Ashlyn washed me up, set me up at my computer for the evening, got me a snack, and then went home.

Stanley came in at 9:30 p.m. And I decided not to wear my CPAP mask. I know I should wear it every day, but sometimes when I get annoyed, it just makes everything worse, and then it ends up leaking air, and I can't even be more frustrated. I don't see that out loud because I mean, there's a doctor-ordered thing, and everybody else that passed away, it seems to be OK with it, and I'm trying really hard. After a while, I fell asleep.

Saturday

Brooklyn came in, fed them, took the dogs out for a toilet break, fed them again, and gave them water. My bed was soaked. I'm so tired of having bowel and bladder problems. I am trying to just face the fact, and I'm getting older, and my body is slowing down, I can't believe that next month I am turning 65. Sometimes when I look in the mirror, I see my mom staring back at me, and I think, "What happened??"I was always told that I don't look my age, even though I put my body through hell in my life. Maybe this is just me overthinking. I feel like I started really noticing my age when I moved to Oregon in 2022, but then I see my friends from Santa Cruz, and they look just as old. I even went and got some lip filler, eye filler, and filler on the side of my mouth. I told the lady I did not want to have big duck lips; you can't hardly see my top lip, so I wanted it to show, and it also got rid of all of the wrinkles from all those years of smoking. Sure enough, I got out of there and took one look, and there were those duck lips, everything else looked the same…wrinkled and saggy. And I didn't realize it was gonna cost me $3000, when I first moved to one of my caregivers, who took me to a yearly event they have at the spa, and at that time I thought I had money to throw away, so I had about $5000 for hair removal, facelift, stuff like that from there. I thought I was doing really well until all of a sudden, my gift card was empty. I was so upset that I haven't gone back, and I don't know if I will. I cruised the dogs; actually, I had to take off my Sherpa because it was so hot. I've been waiting for these days. I do love being able to lie in my bed and watch the sunset to my left. There are a lot of windows in my room, and I love them! All the windows in my room are only half of one window opens. I don't understand how you could have all these beautiful windows and none of them open? The hallway, the library, and the living room are the same. I like to feel some breeze, so that's what they are definitely going to do: have a couple of the windows in each group of windows made so they can open. I guess one good thing out of it is that I haven't seen a fly, bug, or mosquito in my room. I have seen spiders. When we took down the drapes, there were so many spiders and spider eggs, I remember not sleeping for quite a few nights cause I was looking at the ceiling for spiders to descend on me. I remember seeing a couple of them coming at me, and I flapped my arms like a crazy woman and screamed, but I think it probably just piss them off.

Brooklyn came back in. She does double shifts on Saturday and Sunday. Once again, my chair and I were soaked, so we gave me a bath and put me back to bed. I should've called my urologist, even the fact that I have a urologist just makes me sound old? I didn't even think about it on Friday because I didn't have a problem, and then, of course, it started on Saturday, so now I have to wait until Monday. I went to bed, and she packed towels around me just in case. I just wanted to go to sleep and wake up in the morning without any problems. Eventually, I fell asleep.

Sunday

Brooklyn came in add breakfast, I LOVE blackbear diner especially for their sausage patties, I wish I could find the recipe somewhere I'd have them made right here at my house…I would eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and never get sick of them. But it was a really good breakfast. I usually get two poached eggs, an English muffin, sausage patties, and home fries. I eat half of it on Sunday morning, and then, to be honest, I put the other half in the refrigerator to eat the next morning, but I always forget, and it ends up getting thrown away a couple of days later. For a while, I was going to church with Stanley but my bed feels so comfortable in the morning. The people there are so nice and friendly that quiet place with all those people, I get such anxiety, and I either play Candy Crush or fall asleep. These days, when I fall asleep, I wake up with a big snort that's not making me any friends. TJ came over with Brooklyn, and they took me to a store that sells all the stuff people bring back to Costco at a discount…what?? How come I never do anything about this store? Before we head home, they took me to another discount store. Usually, I love to get out and shop, but until my house is sold and I have a little bit of money in the bank, I have to hold down my spending. We hung out outside by the waterfall for a while, and when they left, I took Kona out for a 4-mile cruise, and that took Dude for 2 miles. I thought it was getting pretty hot, I was glad to get inside and turn up the air conditioner. It took me a while to calm down because I was a little overheated. I keep hoping one day I'll be able to figure out my thermostat, until then, I just keep getting overheated, happy, thankful when my body cools down.

Brooklyn came back, took care of the dogs and me, and then went home to rest up for another crazy week. I watched TV until I fell asleep.

Hospital Stay Summary

In the last several months I've been having a really hard time with my bowels, because of a spinal cord injury I've had for 30 years and an SCI disorder called Autonomic Dyslexia. ⚠️ What the Heck Is Autonomic Dysreflexia? (And Why Should You Care?)Autonomic Dysreflexia (AD) is when your nervous system throws a full-blown tantrum — usually if you have a spinal cord injury at T6 or above.🎯 Trigger warning: Stuff like a full bladder, constipation, tight clothes, or a wrinkle in your pants can set it off. Yes, a wrinkle.🧠 Here’s what happens: Your body senses a problem below your injury, but your brain can’t send back the “chill out” signal. So your blood pressure skyrockets, your face sweats like it’s at a BBQ, and your head pounds like it’s auditioning for a rock band.

Common signs you’re in the AD danger zone:

😤 Headache from the underworld

🔥 Sweating above your injury

🌡️ Flushed skin or chills

😵‍💫 Nausea, blurry vision, feeling like you might explode

💥 That “my body’s going DEFCON 1” vibe

🆘 What to do:

Sit up (gravity helps drop your BP)

Fix the problem (empty bladder, fix the wrinkle, check your bowel)

Yell for help if you need it. (Or text your brother, like I do.)

Bottom line: It’s not just annoying. It’s a medical emergency. Treat it like one. You deserve to feel safe in your body — even when your body is trying to throw a rave without permission. 💃🛑.

Early on in the injury it's not that bad but as time goes on and as you go through it more and get older it worsens.

Here is a little bit about my journey the last couple of months:

Blog Entry: My Stay at Salem and Santiam Hospital – December 2025–January 2026

Let’s talk about what happens when a missed bowel program becomes a full-blown hospital saga — and why something as simple as a call button can change the entire outcome.

Saturday, December 13 – It All Begins

Last Monday started out unremarkably, which in my world counts as a win. We did my usual bowel program and got what I would generously call an acceptable amount. Not a victory parade, but enough to declare success and move on.

Wednesday night? Not so much. Barely anything. Friday? Nothing. I was concerned, but deeply practiced in hope-based denial. I told myself, “It’ll sort itself out,” even though it never does.

At 4 a.m., I woke up knowing my body was about to betray me. I threw up, felt better, and went back to sleep. By 6 a.m., my caregiver showed up and did vitals: low BP, high blood sugar, low urine, and yes, more vomiting.

She said what no one wants to hear but everyone eventually accepts: “I think you need to go to the hospital.”

We called an ambulance. For once, I was taken straight into triage. My blood pressure was bouncing between sky-high and basement-low. They admitted me “just for the night,” which of course became multiple days.

Welcome to the Hospital Loop

Imaging showed things had moved into my colon, so they decided to do what I already told them works: suppository + digital stimulation. The suppository was placed. They said they’d be back in 20 minutes.

Two hours passed.

I started sweating, shaking, and getting a pounding headache — classic autonomic dysreflexia. I reached for my call button… only to realize it had been moved out of reach when they turned me on my side earlier.

So I did what any independent quadriplegic does in a hospital: I texted my brother and asked him to call the nurses’ station. He did. The nurse finally arrived.

“I’m having AD. My blood pressure is probably 200.”

She gave me the Look™️ — the one that says, “This patient is dramatic.”

It was 200/140.

She evacuated my bowels, which produced a full-blown gas explosion. She looked at me and asked, “What do I do next?”

I told her: “Set a timer. Rest ten minutes. Try again.” She left the room.

Eventually, they gave me lorazepam — hospital-speak for “please dissociate quietly now” — and I passed out. I had another blowout later that night, but finally got cleared for a full menu. They forgot butter and jam, but I wasn’t about to die on the dry toast hill.

I left exhausted, frustrated, and yet again reminded that I’m often the most informed person in the room about my body. The nurses were kind, just underinformed — and didn’t ask enough questions.

January 16–21: Round Two at Santiam Hospital

Just when I thought we were in the clear, I was back in the ER with abdominal pain, distention, and blood pressure that bounced like a toddler on a sugar high. I was admitted to Santiam Hospital (which, side note, is about to merge with Salem Health — so I expected info to show in MyChart. It didn’t. Cool cool cool).

They ran every test:

CT scans, multiple X-rays

Sigmoidoscopy (tiny camera, big relief)

Labs to check for infection

CT showed significant stool burden (shocking), mild inflammation, no obstruction. The scope found proctocolitis but no alarming findings. Biopsies? Normal. No malignancy. No severe inflammation.

They manually disimpacted me again (shoutout to my dignity), gave me IV antibiotics, increased my Metformin, and kept a close eye on my blood pressure.

By January 21, I was eating, feeling stronger, and cleared to go home with instructions to:

Follow up with GI for a full colonoscopy

Check in with my rehab specialist at OHSU

Bonus Plot Twist: CPAP Chronicles

Oh yes — because my body never skips an opportunity for a subplot.

While I was asleep one night, they hooked me up to my CPAP. I stopped breathing. Respiratory got called. Oxygen was added. When I woke up, people were standing around my bed talking about me like I was a Netflix true crime documentary.

The hospital respiratory nurse told me she’d been on the phone arguing with my regular respiratory nurse. The hospital wanted to change my settings, but my nurse refused. I haven’t even been able to meet with her because she keeps canceling my video appointments.

Turns out Medicare wants me to use the CPAP 90% of the time. I’m at 40%. My respiratory provider says it’s a leak in the system (which I can’t fix due to dexterity). Sometimes I just throw the thing across the room like it’s haunted medieval armor.

Hospital nurse actually listened and advocated for me. I felt seen. Which, sadly, feels like a revolution.

Final Thoughts

I’ve had a lot of hospital stays, but this stretch reminded me that healthcare systems still haven’t quite figured out how to care for complex patients who know their own bodies.

So here's my advice:

Always bring someone who can advocate for you.

Keep your phone nearby.

Never assume your care team knows everything about your condition — teach them.

And above all, do not underestimate the importance of a reachable call button.

More updates soon. Hopefully from my living room — not a hospital bed.

Your full blog post is now merged, simplified, and dramatically cohesive — just the way your story deserves to be told. It’s all there: the humor, the chaos, the medical drama, and of course, the dry toast.

A Christmas months make me so happy…

December 8 2025

Monday

One is the things I was most excited about when we looked at this place it's right outside the front door across the walkway is a Koi pond/waterfall. I love water features and I have always wanted to have one. Another thing was the beautiful, luscious, fairytale like, multi tear fantasy Garden. Not to mention the layout inside, it reminds me of something in Santa Cruz California and the fact that it's one story, 3200 feet long, the rooms are humongous and there's lots of room for everything I have always wanted. When I take the dogs out for their cruise on Monday mornings the gardener is here, the garden always looks so awesome! I got his name from the handyman that I use, Dakota is the perfect handyman and so far the references that he's given me are awesome as well! I took Kona for her 4 mile jog, it still doesn't wear her out and sometimes I do it a couple times a day but she's happy and needs a lot of exercise! Then I take Dude for our 2 mile, slow and steady cruise. I came back and hung out with my brother, my niece and the kids for a while, I love the fact that the kids aren't as afraid of me as they have been in the past. The place we lived before I was down in a very small, dark basement I'm mostly in my bed the whole time. I didn't see him very often and I'm sure the power wheelchair is very scary for them. Now they jump on the foot plates and I give them a ride around the room and they love to honk the horn. It feels great! I usually end up going back to my room and hanging out with the pups or else Kona screams and nobody can get any sleep or take a nap. She's still only two years old so I'm hoping she can grow out of it or we can train her out of it. I stay in my room on the computer until my afternoon caregiver comes in and then she puts me to bed, feeds and toilets the dogs, we do some personal care and hopefully a bath. And my caregiver goes home for the evening while I watch movies, play games, chat with GPT, make pictures to upgrade this place after I sell my other house or update my SCI manual.

Tuesday

Becca came in I did the thing with the animals, got me some coffee, breakfast, dressed and up in my chair. My brother took me to my appointment I think urologist where he changed my SP tubeAnd encouraged me to get a visiting nurse to change it at home or show one of my caregivers. I used to have my caregivers change it but figured since I'm getting older I should see a urologist but there's no reason they can't do it. I had an appointment at Neiman Medi spa for laser hair removal, it doesn't feel good but it sure is nice to not have to wax my face every two weeks and so much better than walking by a mirror and seeing a long whisker hanging out on your face that you can't do anything about. Before I move to Oregon her friend that I got to know at the hospital and I started three support groups, people would come if there was food or a party but not really to talk about accessible things. Santa Cruz is fairly accessible and there wasn't really a lot of problems. A couple of months later we decided to start another one and see if that one would take off, it didn't. After the pandemic we decided to try it again and that's when it really took off, people had a lot of time to sit around and think and it was scary! Unfortunately, that's when I moved but they're always inviting me to drop in on the meeting virtually and surprise everyone…I miss them all so much! We got some dirty chai tea at Dutch Brothers and came home to hang out with the kids and the family for a while, I have to admit I really love hanging out and getting to know everyone better. Ashlyn came in and we ran through the routine with the pups, put me to bed, dis some person care and Ashlyn went home early. Sometimes when there's really nothing else to do she doesn't mind going home early and I don't mind having a little extra time on the computer.

Wednesday

Becca came in into curve the dogs then got me dressed and up in my chair. No appointments today so it's just me and the dogs cruising around and hanging out with family. I'm trying to get up every day but when I don't have anywhere to go or anything to do it's kind of boring and uncomfortable sitting in my chair but it's good for me and hanging out with family makes it nice. My house is still new enough to where I love cruising around and looking at it, I am so happy with it! I hung out in my room with the dogs until Ashlyn came in. She fed and toileted them, put me to bed and fed me, we did some personal care and a nice long hot bath, I know I'm going to sleep good tonight. She put me back to bed, put on some lotion, braided my hair, brush my teeth and then went home. It was so nice to relax the rest of the evening and watch some movies.

Thursday

Becca came in and we went through the morning routine, she's getting so much better and so much more confidence and that is great to see. She's really hard on herself when she doesn't do everything perfectly but it takes time. She got me dressed and in my chair and hung around for a while so we could work with Naomi, the dog trainer. Becca is really good with keeping the dogs in line and helping me work with the other caregivers to keep them obedient pups. It makes me feel really proud when the pups behave themselves and doesn't knocked over the kids.

Here I am jumping ahead again…

Friday, April 17, 2026

I really want to get back into the habit of blogging every night. I did it for so many years, and for some reason when I moved, I just kept lapsing. So I’m going to start right now and just go forward.

It’s Friday evening, and the sky outside is an amber sunset. It’s so beautiful. I changed my room around again, and I like the way it’s situated now because I can see out of all the windows. There are three big windows to the left of me and three in front of me, so I can see all around. I love this place so much. I still look at houses that are for sale and haven’t yet found one that I would rather have.

I just wish somebody would buy the other place so I can quit paying a mortgage on two homes and settle down to work on this one. We’ve had to lower the price so many times. I once thought I was going to make a hefty return, but right now it’s not looking so good. I’m torn between taking a huge loss and just getting it out from under me… or is it over the top of me?

Becky was supposed to come in this morning, but she wasn’t feeling well, so I missed my eye appointment. I really need to get new glasses. It’s always so frustrating having to cancel appointments because my caregiver didn’t show up or something beyond my control. I’m the one who looks like a flake, and I would really like to explain everything to the other person on the phone, but they don’t really care.

I ended up staying in bed, and it was so beautiful outside. The weather is so unpredictable. It always seems like the days I get up, it’s raining on and off, and the days I stay in bed are nice. I have a lot of things on my computer that I should be doing—deleting pictures, purging email, making appointments… stuff like that. But what do I end up doing all day? Watching YouTube and playing games.

I wish I had enough willpower to do what I’m supposed to do first and then relax. Maybe I’m too old to stop procrastinating. I keep saying, “Monday I’m going to stop procrastinating and do what I’m supposed to do before I play,” knowing all along that’s not going to happen. By the time I look up from my game and decide it’s time to get down to business, the day is over and my caregiver comes in.

Ashlyn came in, and we did some personal care. Usually I get to take a bath after, but since her husband is working later, we’ve been doing personal care on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and a bath on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday or Sunday. The shifts seem to go by really fast, but by the end of it, I’m ready to get back to my games and my drama TV.

I’m also trying to finish—or add onto—my memoir. I started it probably about 20 years ago. I’ll work on it for a while, then put it away, then bring it back out again. I keep telling myself I’d better hurry up or I’m going to forget everything. I love going back and working on different segments, and I’m amazed sometimes at what memories pop back into my head.

Same thing with my blog. When I start getting overwhelmed with life, I read back over it and realize my life wasn’t so bad.

Saturday was a great day. The sun was out, and I got up to enjoy it. Brooklyn came in, took care of the dogs, fed me, then got me dressed and up in my chair. She threw the ball out front while we watched Dude sniff around in the yard for poop—such a disgusting habit, and I wish I could break him of it.

We finally got the front yard fenced in, so I don’t have to worry about the dogs running into the street. If I had thought about how close the street was, I probably wouldn’t have bought this house, even though I loved it so much. Sometimes I get blinders on and don’t think about the consequences.

We had two one-year-olds escape a while back. They made it out the front door, past the gate that was left open, up the driveway, and into the street. I saw the footage on the cameras, and it was terrifying. The lady next door happened to be getting her mail and ran after them. When McKenzie went out to grab the kids, she collapsed in the middle of the driveway—she was so distraught. I timed it, and they were only outside unattended for four minutes, but that’s all it took.

It’s really nice now to take the dogs outside without having to watch them like a hawk or yell when they get too close to the road.

Brooklyn brought her husband TJ over, and he washed the windows. It’s so beautiful, and being able to see clearly outside is just awesome. We decided to get a storage unit because the garage is so full. There are three families living here, and it’s depressing to see all that clutter. I promised myself when I moved that I wouldn’t live like that anymore, but I’m still working on it. I’m a work in progress.

Brooklyn does double shifts on Saturdays and Sundays. She left Saturday, and a couple of hours later I started getting autonomic dysreflexia—headache, sweating, chills. I knew what it was right away, but there wasn’t much I could do. I texted her, and she rushed back as soon as she could. Sure enough, I was soaked.

At that point, I decided I might as well go to bed. My niece came in to tell me how beautiful it was outside and that I should go enjoy it, but it was too late. Brooklyn put me to bed, got the dogs settled, and then went home.

After everyone leaves, I usually pick a movie or watch a series while playing games on the computer. As I was falling asleep, I noticed my throat was really sore. I was hoping it would go away by morning.

Sunday morning, I woke up with an even worse sore throat, plus coughing and sneezing. I had planned on going to church with my brother, but I could just picture myself sitting there trying to be quiet while coughing and sniffling, so I stayed home.

When Brooklyn came in, she said the pollen count had been really high on Saturday. I haven’t dealt with allergies before, but apparently now I do. Not only am I getting older, but now I get the joy of allergies too.

As if that wasn’t enough, I ended up with two small pressure sores from sitting in urine in my chair yesterday. They’re always worse in the summer because of sweating and prolonged sitting, so I really need to be careful.

TJ came again with Brooklyn, and she brought her son Zaden. They helped move my room around so I can get ready to add a door to the dog run next month. I’m really excited about that because I’ll be able to let the dogs out more easily—or even install a doggy door so I don’t have to ask for help constantly.

I had two big kennels in my room with a butcher block on top that turned into a catch-all for everything. My room looks much better now. We removed one kennel and moved the other into the bathroom.