Tried Something New

Good Morning one and all. It's a pleasantly cool morning, something rather rare these days. Life has been quiet and uneventful, which isn't a bad thing. The produce is beginning to produce. Soon I will have tomatoes and eggplant. Fennel and the accidental celery. Herbs are in their glory and all is well. 

My good friend Lori posted a recipe I found unusual, so I had to give it a try. It turned out to be really good. 

I don't have biscuit mix so I put the dry ingredients together for biscuits. I used about half of that for this recipe. The oil threw me off but I gave it a go. It worked! I used olive oil as I haven't any vegetable oil. I used Gruyere and Pecorino Romano with some shredded mozzarella on top. I had to cook it 50 minutes. I think I had it in a smaller casserole dish which made it thicker. Thank you Lori. You got an A+ from Mark!

 

Winter is Coming Soon, Right?

I walked through a patch of catnip yesterday. The cats have been enthralled by my tennis shoes. They take turns.

Another, just like the others, hot and humid day ahead. The horses are doing well, handling this weather like the Arabians they are. They do remind me they are Minnesota Arabians. I'll be doing like Gatto and lay low.

Donating Gatto?

I took this photo of Gatto just now. The fellow has claimed this donation box as his own and that is that. There is no explaining them, so I don't try.

His Highness, McCool, has decided he is a house cat yet still enjoys a good lounge outside, so the deck is his outdoor version of the house. He rarely leaves it unless he decides to come inside.

 

Of course I have to comment on the weather. This morning the Twin  Cities had a dew point of 80 degrees. You know, that state the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon used for Frost Bite Falls (International Falls) where everything was frozen? Welcome to the jungle. We have condensation on the outside of every window. The old grey mare and her herd will be staying in for the day. Yes, I will too, but this referenced Babe. Horses that have been somewhat pampered don't need to struggle in their twilight years. That was the message left for me anyway. 

Quiet Day

Happy Saturday. 

The cats have the day off.

Birds on a Wire

 

*Matthew dislikes Leonard. When I asked him why he said because he thinks he's so cool. That's because he is said I.*

Weeds and Such

We are having three days of what was once normal summer weather. I am taking full advantage. Yesterday I weeded this flower bed. It was laden with weeds. I had to carefully maneuver my way into the inner area to pull weeds and vines. Me treading carefully is a laughable idea, since I can barely walk without tumbling over, but somehow I managed not to fall and destroy what I was trying to clear. This flower bed took four hours to weed and my body knows it.

This wildly overgrown patch is next on the list but may need to wait until tomorrow, the last day of a working temperature. Today will be a less stressful-on-my-body day. Just some general cleanup, maybe some mowing. Then more weeding Thursday.

This overgrown spot will be tilled for Iris transplant later this year. I have many that need a new home. The daylily population, here and everywhere not pictured, all come from the few I brought with me from my home in Saint Paul, as well as the yellowish iris which are also in abundance. It's a pleasant remembrance of that grand old house.

Enjoy a stroll through a garden. 

Dogdom

I am certain one and all are anticipating the day I would start going down the doggo memory lane. You will wait no more. Introducing two of my three bassets. These two did live together for two years. Lots of twos in there.

  Howard B. Hound

2007-2017

Basset Hound Extraordinaire

Murphy the Magnificent

2003-2018

Rescued Fella

2015

Are you going to eat that?

This Is Not a Yawn!

Howard worked himself up from a barely audible squeak until he reached this, full-blown howl that could shake the roof. It was all about biscuit time.

I do believe I've put enough photos up for you to catch the common Basset theme. They can be slugs. They are also incredible clowns and very stubborn beasts. They have a thing called 'flat basset'. When they decide they are not going to move, down they go and good luck to the poor soul who thinks they will move them. My friend and helper on the farm said it was like moving a wet bag of cement. With big-boy Howie it was probably two wet bags of cement.

Aroooooooo

 

Is It Caturday?

Gatto and Jigs wanted their day in the sun.

It is cooler today but humid. The smoke is gone for now, anyway. It is nice, and the cats appreciate it, to have the two kitchen doors open.  One door gives them access to this porch you see them snoozing in. We don't use it much since it started to heat up, especially after the enormous tree that sheltered it died. It had been a pleasant place for many a lunch and dinner.

Stay well, my pals.
 

Reprieve in Sight

This is what the cats have been doing during this excessive heat.

Today is our last extreme heat day, or so they say. Fingers crossed it is. We are still under a smoke alert. My area is under the 'bad' warning. The horses are staying in the barn again today, both for heat and air quality. Without a breeze the heat, combined with the smoke and those flies that grab on and won't let go, the geriatric club stays in the barn. They don't care as long as there is hay and water. They are barn babies.

I have an appointment at the end of the month at a spine clinic. I have little doubt about what is wrong but I'll get a definitive answer then. I have an appointment with my primary the next day. That will be interesting.

I think I may spend the day like Frieda.

Otherwise there is nothing of interest. Mark attended a funeral for a classmate this week. He grew up in a small southwestern town in Minnesota. His went to school with the same kids from kindergarten through to graduation. This is the eleventh to die out of a class of thirty. I had a class of about four hundred. To say we came from different universes would not be far from wrong. He keeps in contact with them through their frequent class reunions and funerals.

Medical System Rant. Enter at Your Own Risk.

As anyone who has followed this blog for a while knows, I have had serious back problems and serious medical care/interest problems. I spent 9 months in physical therapy after leaving my prior provider. The therapist was helpful, I was given exercises that could help, but stopped short of what the underlying problem is. I was too far along, as I have now found, at this point for exercises alone to help. The NP I'm seeing has shown interest but either does not know or didn't care to get into it. I think she doesn't know.

Last week while once again looking for exercises that may help, as the numerous others have not, and I stumbled upon my problem. It is a real thing with a name. The common name is Flat Back Syndrome. Who knew? Not me and apparently not the three different medical professionals or the two PTs. 

This is what Flat Back Syndrome generally looks like.

This is my poor attempt at showing my back. My lower lumbar is not flat. It is curving outward. The cervical spine follows the lumbar, so the more it flattens, or curves outward, the more the shoulders bend forward and the head juts forward. I am thrust forward from shoulder to head. To give an idea what that looks like from the side, standing with my back against the wall my head is 6 inches away from the wall. I cannot bring it back.

I've looked at a lot of YouTube videos from doctors to chiropractors. The symptoms described are what I was describing from the start. A tug, pulling me forward that I could not control. It is like something is attached to my neck and shoulders pulling them forward. It just got progressively worse while I was being told to pull my shoulders upward. Do chin tucks. Etc. Walking and standing is painful and exhausting.

Now there is nerve pain. Surprised? A recommendation is to try decompression therapy. I did find a chiropractor near me who does this. I'm going to make an appointment. If this does not work there is spine surgery, which I do not want. I also don't want to spend the rest of my life like this. The past five years have been enough, thank you very much.

So, how was your week?😉

Flat Back Syndrome 

*Video is a bit over 5 minutes. There are many more going into more detail.

Another Heat Wave.

With 90+ F/30+ C temperatures and high humidity for the coming week I have been thinking of winter. That's where this unbearable weather takes me. Frankly, I prefer the snow. With this thought, a lovely photo of Sir Gatto in the gentle light of a winter evening. He wanted an appearance on Caturday.

Matthew is coming to visit today, bringing lunch. It's been a long time since we have seen him. Life is busy.

We can dream. Right?