Life in the Bristolwood

I cannot believe I have once again allowed this blog to get behind, but I have! It seems like each day brings on more tasks and we are always going upwards! (as in pushing a very large boulder uphill!)

Today, Mark had a dental cleaning appoinment late this morning.  After the appointment, we drove down to Hornell to get the snowmobiles registered.  It is always so much easier to go to the Hornell office, as Canandaigua requires one to go to three different clerks before getting out the door.  The system sounds good, but when going, it is wise to pack a lunch!  Okay, slight exaggeration, but I don’t like waiting in line for hours…and yes, it really is hours!

After visiting the DMV,  we were off to get a late lunch.  We had a tremendous lunch at a Chinese restaurant there and then we were off again…this time to the home of my Amish friend and her husband.  Mark has been trying to help them in negotiating with the hospital for their baby daughter’s care.

If I may rant for a bit…

We are asked to be *tolerant* as far as skin color, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, etc.  Why, then, are the Amish treated like second rate citizens?  Let me make note that an organization that works with Amish and Mennonites has tried to negotiate with the hospital to no avail.  It is a known fact that hospitals charge well above the actual cost of services and goods provided.  The company that tried to do the negotiating offered a higher amount than Medicaid would pay, and they were turned down.  The hospital  never even came back with a counter offer.

My heart aches for my friends. They don’t have a third of a million dollars for their bill.  Why is the hospital being so stubborn!  Well,  my friends have begun making small payments to the hospital and as long as they are paying something, I hope that will keep the wolves at bay.  Why would the hospital have turned down a large lump sum only to be given a small amount each month?  In all actuality, the amount will take probably more than a lifetime to pay off.

Well, sorry to rant, but I feel so helpless! 

Tis the night before the night before Christmas!  Is everyone ready?  I feel like I am behind, but I will leave it at that.  I am tired of feeling like Christmas has to be perfect.  After all, the perfect Christmas gift was offered to all mankind in the form of a precious baby, and He is the best gift of all!

This morning, we awakened to a beautiful blanket of white!  It was so pretty and the Scottie boys were anxious to get outside!

I had an appointment for the dentist this morning at 10:40.  As I was getting ready for the appointment, the office called to say they were way behind and could I come in at 11:30 instead?  And so I did.

Today was the day I was supposed to have the little pin put into the empty space where my tooth was pulled. Instead, I was switched to getting some other work done.  It seems that the office is doing more mini-implants, so they purchased a special x-ray machine that measures bone density and gives the dentist an idea of what size pin to use and how deep.  As I was being worked on, the new machine was being delivered.  As I left the office,  the front doorway was literally being dismantled so the bulky piece could be carried on in!

This afternoon, I was reading emails and looking at different sites on the web.  As I looked at a blog I had started long, long ago,  I noticed an author had written a message for me today.  I won a book!  I love reading boks about the Amish and I had commented on her blog when she interviewed another author.  My name was randomly chosen! Hurrah!!!

It was funny that I won that book because it felt very much like my family was rejecting me today! There was no certain instance or circumstance that brought on such feelings of rejection…just a series of things that just made me feel like….well…I dunno…eating worms?

As I thought about it,  I was feeling a tad lonely, if not pitiful!  Suddenly, I came upon the notice and it was as though the Lord ws smiling down on me and showing me that it matters not how I feel, as in His Great Economy, I *am* loved. And favored, even!  After all, I won a  book!

I was so uplifted by this turn of events that I decided to make Buffalo Chicken Crepes like the ones I got when I met my blogger friend Jeanne last week for lunch.  The end result was that everyone gave me a big thumbs up! Yay! More favor.  I had made my own chicken wing sauce and (this one was pretty exciting when the family all liked it!) my own Bleu Cheese Dressing.  Everything turned out so picture perfect…darn! WHY did I not take a photo?

Here is a photo of the wreath on our front door.  I had loved the bell wreaths and when I spotted one at Big Lots over a month ago,  I bought it.  What was funny is that I had bought an artificial wreath for the door previously. Much to my joy, the bell wreath fit neatly inside the green one!  I love the look!

And, one more. The big wreath on the garage, beautifully “flocked”!

I think I should just take up residence at the dentist’s office since I spend such a large block of time there.  Today was actually an easy appointment as it was just a cleaning.  As I was leaving the office when the hygienist was done,  one of the other girls called me over to a cabinet.  She opened the door and showed me an amazing little gadget…it isa little plastic piece of my upper teeth (from the most recent impressions) with a tiny hole where the dentist is supposed to “roto-root” (the hygienist’s words, not mine!) the stainless peg into my bone.  Now this girl was so excited by this new device while I felt a little shaky  just looking at it!

While I was driving down to the appointment this morning,  I happened to make a mental note of a vineyard that had no leaves on the grapevines…just grapes!  They were so pretty hanging there, so I stopped on my way home to photograph them.  I only wish I would have had the Nikon camera instead of the Panasonic.

Not too sure what the grapes on top are, but in the second photo, my guess is Concord or Sheridan.  That deep purple color kind of gives them away!

Nothing is ever easy!  Having said that, the doctor’s office called shortly before noon today to tell us that Michelle’s bloodwork came back okay.  That means that she has no inflammation or infection in her body, so the rash is probably the result of an allergic reaction.  Phew!  That was what we were hoping for.

The nurse who called went on to explain that the doctor wanted to put Michelle on a presciption of prednisone, a steroid.   Mark talked to the nurse for awhile, then said he would call back shortly, after talking to Michelle about it.  Michelle decided that although the thought of taking meds wasn’t fun,  getting rid of the rash as soon as possible would be beneficial.  (She has basically spent yet another day lounging about,  saying that the more she rests, the less the itching and soreness.) 

Mark tried to call the doctor’s office right back, but they had all gone to lunch!  We waited and shortly after one, Mark called to talk to the nurse regarding where we wanted the prescription sent in.  The nurse was busy, so Mark had to wait for herto call back again.  Finally, at about 3:30,  Mark called WalMart to verify they had received the presription.  They had just gotten it and would need about an hour to process it. 

Mark and I went and picked the prescription up and then we did a little looking around at WalMart.  We finally got back home shortly after seven, and Michelle began her first dose.  That was two and ne-half hours ago, and she said she is already feeling the swelling in her fingers going down!

Michelle wasn’t feeling much better today when she got up.  In fact, she came to me in the middle of the night and asked me if her hands were cold.  She touched my arm and she felt like an icicle! I told her yeah, she was cold! Well, when I told her about it today, she said she didn’t remember getting up during the night.  I think she has been sleeping so miserably, she has been doing a bit of sleepwalking.

Mark called the doctor’s office this morning and made an appointment with the pediatrician who has seen Michelle from the time she was born.  I was happy with this because I wasn’t real confident in the earlier diagnosis. 

We saw Dr. Kaplan shortly after two, and he looked Michelle over.  He told us that sometimes rashes are just about impossible to figure out.  He ordered a blood draw and put a rush on it.  He wants to make sure Michelle has no infections or inflammation.  He said the results will be in tomorrow and he will decide on treatment. Tentatively,  he will prescribe a low dose steroid just to eradicate the rash.  After all the running about for this,  I think this course of action will be good.  In the meantime, Michelle has discovered that staying cool and holding a bag of ice in her hands on and off alleviates the itching and burning she has felt the past couple of days. Poor kid!

I did take a photo of Michelle’s hands ast night.  You aren’t going to put that on your blog, are you?  I assured her, no, I wasn’t.  I wanted an image just in case the doctor’s office said we didn’t need to come in today. 

I did take a grand total of two photos today.  They were of a barn with lots of hay in it. The owner sells bales of straw and hay. The first photo I took just because it was “that time of day”when the sun pours on that gorgeous golden hue and everything that is photographed suddenly becomes a work of art!  I just loved the golden hue of the hay.

The second photo I took was from another perspective just to show my readers just how “much!” hay was there!

Well, hopefully by tomorrow at this time, Michelle will be feeling much better!

Michelle has been resting all day today. She awakened during the night, terribly itchy and miserable.  She had told the doctor and nurse that examined her yesterday that the rash hadn’t itched at that point.  Oh, what to do, what to do?  One of the main reasons I thought she should see the doctor yesterday is because I am allergic to the  diphenhydramine in antihistamines like Benadryl.  When I saw Michelle breaking out in bumps all over, I wanted reassurance from the doctor that she too was not allergic because she has been taking the medication.  When I mentioned yesterday I am allergic to said medication,  the doctor looked at me and commented that was very curious, as Benedryl is administered for allergic reactions.  Argh….

Tonight, poor Michelle has many terrible bumps all over her hands.  They have crept up her legs from her feet and now bother her behind the knees and on her kneecaps.  The bumps on her elbows have also increased.  The nurse told us to give this 48 hours and if it doesn’t begin to subside,  I think both Michelle AND I are going to SCREAM! The poor kid.

Late this afternoon,  Michelle made a little request for a pizza for dinner.  Well, after all she’s been through,  I told her it was okay.  I left and ran up to the store to grab the pizza.  As I was returning home,  just before Bristol Mountain,  a very small fawn came bolting out into the road.  As fast as it was running,  I was afraid of hitting it, as I had been going about 55 mph.  I stopped with about 25 feet to spare, and there was a car coming in the opposing lane.  I held my breath and yelled “NO”!  The little animal then stopped abruptly,  and tumbled down onto the asphalt.  Nearly as quickly as it had fallen,  it lurched to its feet and made a hasty retreat back toward the mountain, from whence it had come.

As I had applied the brakes on the Explorer,  I was glancing in my rear view mirror to make sure no one was tailgating to rear end me.   As it was, the truck which was behind me had plenty of stopping room.  Once I had slowed down to a near stop,  I kept tapping the brakes to let them know I was stopping.  After the little one had scooted off the road, I watched the couple in the truck pointing toward the deer.  They understood why I stopped as I did and for that,  I was so thankful! 

After living here in the Bristolwood for almost eighteen years,  we know to travel cautiously.  Seer abound in the area and we have become pretty much aware of the spots they prefer.   Several years ago, Mark had a close encounter with our Volvo in this same spot.  There was a buck standing in the road.  Mark came to a complete stop and the buck must have become disoriented.  He turned around and ran direcly into the side of the Volvo!  No damage was done, but we were surprised and it taught us to keep a watchful eye out for these animals!

And…

Speaking of animals!  Last night, Michelle decided to spend some time watching movies on her little laptop.  When she got bored, she asked Angus if he would like to “watch a little something” with her.  Michelle sat at her little desk with Angus propped up on her lap.

Since Angus seems to enjoy observing wildlife,  Michelle found some goodies for Angus to watch on YouTube.  The results were nearly hysterical!

Well now, if Scotties are not your cup of tea,  how about a photo I took this morning?  We had some rain during the night and my (newer) pink and purple Fuchsia had some tiny raindrops still lingering on it so I tried to get a good photo.  I liked this one best….

I am hoping and praying that Michelle will be much improved come morning.  It is no little thing to just whisk her off to the pediatrician’s office as it is located about 40 miles from our house.  We don’t mind the drive,  but sometimes it is tough trying to coordinate times so she can be seen quickly.

If there is one nearby town in which visitors could linger for hours, maybe even days, it would be the beautiful little scenic town of Fairport.  Perched upon the Erie Canal, the town is juSt a delight.  But then there is the flip side.  If a cute little town could annoy one to the point of screaming, it is Fairport! There are two reasons!

If one is heading westward into the town,  there is the liftbridge to encounter.  When the family was seeing a dentist in Fairport years ago,  I cannot tell you the number of times we were several minutes late because the liftbridge had backed up traffic halfway to Victor!  Well, almost…. Every time a large boat must cross under Main Street, the bridge goes up and traffic is at a standstill for many minutes.  Tick, tick, tick…..

The second annoyance comes just a bit farther down toward town and is every bit as inconvenient as the liftbridge.  That would be the railroad crossing!  Be aware that both of these roadblocks are right along Main Street!

Michelle had another bout with poison ivy a few weeks ago and after it finally dried up a few days ago,  her hands, feet, and elbows all broke out in a rash!  This morning,  Michelle was nearly reduced to tears as she told me her hands hurt from the swelling from the rash.   I got concerned and did something I have rarely done for my kids in ages!  I called the pediatrician!

I had a dentist appointment early this afternoon,  so I agreed to bring Michelle in to visit the doctor’s office mid afternoon.  The dentist visit was non eventful, which was good, as the gaping hole from having my root pulled out is filling in nicely.  The dentist merely looked and poked at it a bit, then I left!

We took Michelle for her appointment and she saw a nurse.  The nurse came to the conclusion Michelle’s problem was probably something like a viral contact dermatitis.  She wondered if Michelle babysat or came into contact with any young children.  Not that we know of!  The nurse then called one of the pediatricians to verify her diagnosis. The pediatrician looked Michelle over well and said she thought the nurse was correct.  The good news is that they didn’t give any meds and told Michelle it is likely to disappear as quickly as it came.

After Michelle’s appointment, we had some supper,  looked around a couple stores, then headed home.  Michelle was feeling terribly, so we were trying to get home as soon as possible. 

Then we came to Fairport.

As soon as we came into the town,  the railroad lights began flashing and we knew there was a train headed our way. 

We sat and Mark and Michelle counted 122 slowly moving railcars.  We sat for quite awhile while watching all sorts of cars passing with seatainers of every color.  When the last car passed,  traffic began to start to move,  only to become instantly immobilized once again!

Yes, indeedy!  The westbound train was barely out of view when an eastbound train approached with three engines in front, no less! Michelle and Mark counted about 142 cars on this train!  If the other train was moving slowly,  this train was barely crawling along the tracks! We never thought it would end!

We all kind of giggled about this sign!

As soon as the second train was out of sight,  we were off again, heading toward home!  I told Mark maybe we could be further detained if the liftbridge was up now, too!  Mark didn’t laugh, actually, but the good news is that we had no further delays!

Until we were almost home, that is!

As we traveled the highway leading to our road,  there were flares in the road.  We wondered if there might have been an accident ahead, but were relieved that wasn’t the case.  As we moved along the road,  we saw large amounts of debris that had washed out of the hills and deposited on the road! There were three separate areas where this happened.  What a mess all over the road.  There must have been some very serious downpours while we were gone! This was all about 5 miles from our home.

When we arrived home,  all of the water running on our property was behaving nicely and there were no washouts here.  Thank you,  Lord!  We did notice the water level rose between an inch and an inch and a quarter in the pool while we were gone. Good news….I didn’t have to water plants this evening!

After our lovely time out for a few days,  immediately upon arriving home,  my stomach has decided to do acrobatics at my expense…cramps, cramps, and more cramps.  I thought I was all better last night so I ate a piece of pizza.  I went to bed later, feeling fine.  I slept the entire night with no problems.  This morning, after a cup of morning tea, the acrobatics have begun yet again.  Feeling hungry, I went down to prepare a Spring Roll for something good to munch.  I thought I was going to die as I prepared it, so I abandoned it and Michelle put everything away for me.  Not fair. Not fair at all!

Yesterday, the kids attended a graduation party for one of their friends.  It was held at a park not far from our house, so Mark drove them on over.   Since my stomach was beginning to feel better, we decided to go for a little ride. I asked Mark to take a drive along the lake road….that ride is so soothing to my soul.  Mark agreed and as always, it was an interesting drive.

We came to the Wegmans Organic Farm and Mark decided to drive up the road that runs perpendicular to the lake road.  He had never really looked at the vegetable beds and he just wanted to see the farm. I was in awe of the gorgeous Meadow Flowers growing along the fencing….it was so beautiful!

After enjoying the flowers, Mark turned the Explorer around and went back toward the lake road.  Suddenly, he stopped.  He looked at me and said,  “Katya, I think I just saw two fawns lying in the grass back there”.  Well!!!  Back UP! And he did….

The fawns were fairly large and they were just resting and looking so beautiful! (The Wegmans Organic Farm has very tall fences just across the road from where these little ones were enjoying a pretty summer’s day.  The high fences are intended to keep deer out of the gardens!)

Mark commented on just how beautiful and peaceful it was there….you could see the lake below, and everything just looked so “perfect”! Even the little fawns didn’t seem overly-concerned about the humans looking at them!

We went to Canandaigua and checked out the progress at Finger Lakes Community College where Michelle attends. They are building and expanding like crazy! Wow!  That is one community college that is growing!

We picked up a pizza for the kids on the way home and it looked so good, I had some!  Everything seemed so fine, afterwards….until this morning!

Not fair, say I, again!  I won’t tolerate this much longer. It HAS to GO!!!!

Wow….I cannot believe this week is coming to a close! It seems like we were just camping and having fun yesterday!

And that reminds me that I had just a few more photos to show from that adventure.

On Monday morning, we got up early and headed for Bradford, Pennsylvania.  Bradford is only a few miles from the park where we were staying and Mark and Randy wanted to visit the Zippo Lighter and Case Knife Museum.  Bradford is the home of both Zippo Lighters and Case Knives….Zippo acquired the Case company, so both companies are housed in one museum.  There is also a gift shop located there.

When we arrived at the museum,  one of the first things we saw was a 1947 Chrysler that was used to advertise the “windproof Zippo lighter”.  This isn’t the original auto,  but a replica of the one that was driven all over the United States to advertise the lighters.

With the great hazzards of smoking being made so public, I suppose the Zippo facility is seeing fewer visitors.  Then again, maybe not.  The company offers many special lighters that are treasures amongst collectors.  Because of the proximity to the Seneca Nation where Native Americans can sell cigarettes without all the taxes, perhaps smokers are drawn to the museum.

The museum contains many interesting documents and such…there are letters from veterans who lost their lighters during the wars,  letters from people who mangled their lighters in accidents such as hitting one with the lawn mower or running one through an ice crushing machine.  There are also hundreds if not thousands of lighters displayed. One of the first displays is a huge American flag formed from hundreds of lighters.

The Case Knives were also interesting. There are so many varieties and colors.  I was amazed at the extensive uses for all the different knives.  As with the lighters,  there were many collectibles displayed throughout the museum.

We also visited a few stores in Bradford and just enjoyed the day.  It was very hot, but we had fun just taking our time looking about.

Of course, I loved the Welsome to Pennsylvania signs and the informative sign located nearby….

Yes sir, if I could have my “druthers”, I would be living in Pennsylvania.  I love that state. No particular reason. No, there are many particular reasons!  As I looked at that last sign,  I couldn’t help but think of my mother’s ancestor who surveyed for William Penn.  How exciting is that?

As I thought about the above, my Great Aunt Vera came to my mind.  Vera was my special aunt. She had a terrible humped back and stood not much more than four feet tall.  I suppose such a defect would be diagnosed and corrected nowdays, but being tiny to begin with made my great aunt even more special!  Vera had worked as a courtroom stenographer for many years and never married.  She lived in the house that her father built for the family.  She also had a cabin in the woods…at SB Elliot State Park.  That cabin is where I learned a great love for the woods. Memories are so rampant and plentiful. All pleasant and all happy!

Okay, so back to reality!  We came home on Monday and Tuesday was spent just relaxing after all the busyness associated with returning home from camping.  Wednesday was *the* day….Mark had an appointment with the dentist and so did I.

Mark was the more fortunate of the two of us; he was going for a cleaning whereas I was going to have my tooth pulled!

The dentist was gracious, giving me novacaine in every strategic area he could.  He worked on my tooth for quite a while.  As suspected, the root ofthe tooth was cracked and that is why the area above the tooth never seemed to get over being infected. A great deal of exertion was necessary to get the root out, but my dentist is fantastic.  I was actually laughing during the process!

After the root was removed, the dentist filled the hole left behind with a special mix of sterilized bone fragments and material to encourage bone growth.  This process felt like he was jamming the mix into my head, but thankfully, he worked quickly!  The next step was what bothered me the most….stitching the mess up! Something about the thread brushing my nose and face just really unnerved me.  Once again, the dentist worked with speed and confidence that made it seem more bearable!

As I left the office, I was given an instruction sheet on how to care for my wound.  I now left with a sweet little plastic partial that made it impossible to tell I had anything done!

The plastic tooth is the third from the left on top….if you look closely, you can see black stitches! My little partial and I will be together for the next 4 to 6 months, depending on how rapidly I heal.  Modern dentistry is amazing.  As I left, the girls told me to take some ibuprophen as soon as I got home.

 I took the medicine and as the novacaine wore off, I thought I could feel pain. Mark wanted to go to Canandaigua after the appointment and after giving it some thought,  I decided to go, thinking diversion would distract me from the pain. The good news is, there was no pain. None.

As I was feeding bottles and cans into the loud recycle machine at Wegmans,  there was some shaking caused by a 5.5 earthquake located in Canada!  I never felt a thing, but I was busy moving around, grabbing items to feed into the machine.  I know many people nearby did indeed feel the earth move.

I spent today just lying low. I was told to take it easy the first 24 hours to help the healing process.  I did manage to eat some chicken salad on a snadwich thin….I cut it into tiny pieces and used my molars on the left side to eat.  After a while, I did wander down to the grocery store and bought some vanilla ice cream. That was much easier to eat!

Phew. What a week, indeed!

Well, after my previous post regarding my colorful flowers,  I guess the color theme for yesterday would have been the awesome blue skies!  The weather forecast for the entire weekend called for the possibility (quite high, actually) of rain falling.  However, the amount of rain that fell was tiny!

The kids had friends over on Saturday.  They arrived at about two in the afternoon and left around eleven.  This made for a bit of a long day, but it was good seeing everyone together.  One of the guys is attending college down in Pennsylvania, so it is nice to see him back home.

Yesterday (Sunday) afternoon, we were invited to attend the graduation party for a friend.  The kids would be hanging out with the same friends they saw Saturday, olus a few more.  It was great seeing all the kids, but a little awkward, as there were few adults I knew!  Egads! 

Mark was wiped out from the get together the kids had on Saturday, so I took the kids to the graduation party.  I hung around for awhile, but was feeling uncomfortable because one of the mosquito bites I had seems to be going through some kind of “reaction”.  It is red, swollen, and it hurts more than it itches. I went back home and got Mark and we decided to just go for a little ride to Canandaigua.  The place where the graduation party was held was only about ten minutes from Canandaigua, so we would pick the kids up as soon as they called.

As we were driving in Canandaigua, Mark pulled over off the road so I could shoot a photo of the moon and clouds above….

Yes, the sky was that marvelous intense blue and the clouds were just awesome against it!

The kids called us shortly after eight and we hopped on over to pick them up.  The party was held at a Christian camp on Canandaigua Lake.  I was so disappointed about not taking many photos yesterday, but what a grand opportunity I got as we waited on the kids, saying their good-byes. These kids were just sitting, talking on the dock as the setting sun ricocheted its light off the clouds, leaving little streams of light poking through the clouds, here and there!

My head hit the pillow last night and I was out like a light!  It felt so good to go to sleep, knowing there was no appointment or activity planned for today.

I got up as usual, taking care of the Scotties,  then realized it is getting very warm very quickly. A look at the forecast says it all…the temperatures will be soaring upward today.  I scurried in and asked Mark if we could go out on our walk and roll early so I wouldn’t melt!  He told me he has been experiencing some numbness in one of his hands. He is pretty sure it is due to rolling the wheelchair two miles every day.  So, he sat in the truck while I soloed today.

The heavy blanket of dew on the grass when I walked around the track the first time left a scent that was awesome!  I love the scent of freshly watered soil…I worked in a greenhouse many years ago and learned to love the scent.  The sun had already arisen in the eastern sky to the point that three-quarters of the track was receiving full sunlight.  The other quarter is my favorite part of the entire track, where I was sheltered from the sun and heat by evergreens.

Just behind those evergreens to the east is a house.  This is where I took the photo the other day of the flowers against the unpainted building.  I decided to grab a photo of just the field of flowers…they are so very beautiful! (And yes, I do take time to stop and admire, even though I am walking!)

A little Killdeer joined me for a bit!

I am battling with a bad reaction to a mosquito bite on my leg.  It is near my ankle and it is red, hard, and swollen. It itches, but the swelling seems more annoying than the itching at this point.

If this doesn’t clear up soon, I think I may see the doctor.  With only a few mosquito bites thus far this year,  I have about had it!  I always try to avoid the things, but I cannot be suffering with mosquitoes and bites all summer! Thankfully,  I was able to walk three miles today, even though it was a bit painful!