Can't get a break!

 Well, I really did when taking my Ru into the dealer for struts and a ball joint. The price was quoted at nearly $2,800. But buying a new car wasn't something I was considering, since basically nothing was wrong with the one I have.

After all, we don't know what is going to happen with the economy or with things like social security or Medicare. Cheaper to fix the well running car than gamble on the immediate future.

Charlie once more took over the dealership. All the Salesforce and staff stopped to say hello.

I got to meet many customers who had to pet him and tell me about their pets. I saw tons of photos of their favorite animals.

One salesman asked to take Charlie for a little walk around the show floor. He took Charlie into an office and...as soon as I was out of his sight for about a minute, Charlie began to howl!

Nope. He is friendly and adorable, but apparently a Mama's doggy.

When the service manager came to hand me my bill he explained that the extended warranty we bought 6 years ago had covered everything. 

WOW!

Since my visit to the ER last week, I have been tracking my BP. My doctor always complains that its a bit high. She agrees that its white coat syndrome.

So since I have to see her next week, I am using a BP cuff that records the readings. My BP has actually been dropping since last week. 

Yesterday I felt like I was getting a cold. This morning I felt awful. Woserthanawful.

Anyway. Imagine my surprise at having a morning BP of 88/66. Yeah. Me too.

I'm going to start pointing at the side effects of Prolia. [The Prolia flier says that it compromises your immune system and to Avoid people with colds...errrr, um...jeeze. Can I just go sit in a box for the rest of my life???]

Let's add the random severe attacks of pain in different parts of my body that come and go. A big toe one day that felt broken. Then was fine the next day. Ankles that feel sprained for a day. This morning, I had a hard time walking without a limp.  My left knee and calf hurt too much to walk.

A jaw that hurts too badly to eat. Then nothing the next day. 

Fatigue and frustration. It's a Whack a Mole Game with a guess at where pain will show up next. Amazingly enough, the intense pain will last up to a few hours or a few days and then disappear. Bone pain, muscle pain, headache pain. Things I normally do. not. have. 

Yet I am still dragging my body out to do chores and when I can, hike with Charlie for shorter distances.

If this medication keeps me from being active, what quality of life is there?

Oh and the last I can't get a break???

The magnificent head cold put me to bed for most of the day. I'm glad I had prepped things like homemade soup ahead of time. ...and purchased some easy to make meals for times like this.

But we are getting a snowstorm! So at least that is beautiful to watch, and I hope to drag my butt out in the fresh air to enjoy the falling stuff.

I actually feel better, but really enjoy wearing a mask [wink wink]. If I can get outside and get fresh air, I will feel much better.

Sunday night we are to go back into a very deep freeze of -17 F so I have some prep to do before that happens no matter how I feel.

Well that was fun!

After chores I headed up the driveway. We were supposed to get about 3" of snow.
Three inches had already fallen as it was chest high on Charlie when he'd gone out on the porch. Three inches had blown into there.

It was over ankle deep and even though that is not an official measure, it was deep enough to call it 4 to 5. No matter, the snow was there and it was deep enough and the winds on the ridge were howling.

I can't resist trying to take some photos of snow blowing and snow drifts....

The road is out there. Just not very visible.

After Rich decided to take a nap, I headed up to feed Sven and introduce him to Charlie.

Charlie tried to play with him like he would another pup. Sven tried to butt him in the head. After a bit, everyone got along with a lot of sniffing. Charlie even went in Sven's crate with him.

We felt it was too cold and snowy to take Sven outside we all got dressed and ventured out. The temps were pretty mild and soon the kids and dogs were at play.

I keep forgetting how much fun I had as a kid with huge piles of snow. Huge piles are the best for throwing yourself down and over the side.

The dogs just ran and chased and rolled in the snow.

Dixie must have heard us from her big bed in the shed down at my house. She appeared and joined in the fun. She watched over the kids like she was their mom.
As the kids dropped over the steep pile of snow, Dixie went down to make sure they were all right. They used Dixie to help get themselves up.

Charlie and Dixie had a blast. Lauren had to take Basil in as her legs got so full of snow balls she could barely move. Dixie and Charlie have hound dog coats so they don't collect the snow.

But we all had a blast and too soon I had to take my dogs and head back down the hill and return to my mundane tasks of chores and supper.

It was a great snow day. Sure the schools were closed and the roads were terrible, but we made the best of it.

Good neighbors are the best.

Basil....

All dogs slept soundly last night.

This morning brings sunshine and we can prepare for another 'event' this weekend.

Walk

The woman unsnapped the leash and Dixie looked up at her.  First Dixie sat, then she realized she no longer had to 'heel'.
She ran off through the snow covered soy bean field.  She turned and ran back to the woman who only smiled and let her bare fingers trace the top of Dixie's head.
Dixie pushed her nose hard into the hand and took off again for another boisterous romp through the deep snow.

Dixie quickly discovered that it was much easier to follow in the woman's snow shoe tracks and let her break the deep trail.  When there was a deer path in the snow, Dixie ran ahead smelling and pushing her face deep under the snow.

It made the woman smile.  Dixie liked that.  They hiked across a large open field.  The woman kept doing something with a camera.  She never said a word except a quiet 'Good Girl Dixie' whenever Dixie checked back with the woman.

While going through a drift, the woman paused to catch her breath.  Dixie took that moment to stand on the back ends of the snow shoes.  The woman tried to take a step forward and ended up going face down in the snow.

Immediately Dixie decided the woman needed help and assurance.  Surely she shouldn't be sputtering snow.  Well, maybe she smelled something good.  Dixie plunged her face into the snow next to the woman and smelled.

The woman said something quietly that sounded like 'sh...t'.  Then the woman reached out and firmly grasped Dixie's back and helped her self up.
Then came the nice gentle hand and the trace of the finger across Dixie's skull.
Dixie was so pleased that she banged her hard long tail against the woman's legs.

The snow fell hard, sometimes the horizon where the field met the sky would disappear.  Dixie didn't mind, she was with the woman.

Dixie turned to eat some snow.  The woman called softly to her.  The woman opened up a bottle and poured water into her palm.  Dixie liked that.  Water from the nice hand.

They came across a scary place.  It was an abandoned mobile trailer on the edge of the field.  Dixie growled.
The woman put her camera away and carefully looked around.
Coyote tracks.

The woman called Dixie quietly to her side.  Dixie obeyed and sat in the deep snow.  The woman stood rock still and watched the woods and the edges of the fields.
She saw it.  A slinking coyote.  The woman touched Dixie softly on the head and said 'Come'. 
They headed back following the broken trail.  The woman watched carefully for the coyote, but he/she had melted off into the deep woods.

When they reached the road, the woman took off her snow shoes.  She held up the rope with a snap and clicked it.  Dixie came and sat next to the woman. 
They walked down the road towards home, Dixie walking quietly and stately by the woman's side.

Our Wonderful Wicked WI Weather

Should have gone with ALL W's there, but couldn't figure out how to do it.

Most of the animals stood around during the last storm and just took it all in stride, pointing their butts at the wind or going into the woods to hide.

According to NOAA, locally we received about 6" of snow.  Now that is hard to measure because the winds were whipping up on the ridge at about 35 mph.  Our road was drifted in ~ in several spots.

Down in our 'hole' it wasn't so bad.

But get out into the areas where the wind could reach and...we had whirlwind snow or Snow Tornadoes.

When I walked back towards the house I was lucky enough to catch the wind whipping snow off from the shed roof.

Very impressive winds.  The trees behind me were moaning and creaking.
So I decided to pocket my old P&S camera and head inside.

What was even more impressive is that our Town Patrolmen [they do all the maintenance on our town roads], were out in force using front end loaders and the road grader to clear the plugged roads.

Kudos to those snow plow drivers, both our county and townships.