Book Board Chat

Where have I been, very very very sick is where I have been and still am. Several time I have wished I had a gun so I could kill myself and end this misery. I could not go to radiology doctor because I cannot walk up or downstairs anymore. My lympedema is worst than it ever has been with ankles and feet about 3 times their normal size and weigh at least 30 pounds each. My upper body strength is gone, I am so weak. Meals on wheels have started, Last week I finally got someone in with help of a friend to clean parts of the apartment for me. Did you know 911 has non-emergency lift service where they send some firemen out to lift you up where you have fallen? I am still sstruggling along alone, I had my cat put down. Too much to tell here.

whoa, just felt slight earthquake here, kocked down a few books

I wasn't able to get down the stairs to see the doctor, didn't have the srength to get back up the stairs will two you men came by and helped me and my friend. It appears they are going to put me on hospice care after all and I won't be going to radiation treatment. Nurse will be coming by this week to tell me more. Diane's sister doesn't know how lucy she really is to have Diane.

I am somewhat improved in that my BP was 100/60 when I was so very weak and sick. He took me off all BP medicie. Lymphedema is very bad in feet and ankles and lower etremities, almost 3 time their normal size and extremely painful to walk on. I see the radiation doctor today.

I havebeen very very eick this last week wtih no strength at all to stand up to alk to my end, Low BP has been bad with 100/60 so taken off BP medicine of 25 years. Lympedema has come back with vengency double size of left foot, ankle etc so can barely walk, So sick to talk about more right now, Holding in there

Drive by - saw surgeon today everything ok, while the surgery went well the anesthia will leave me loopy and real tired for sometime. I am absolutely exuasted doing nothing. Meals on whell is supposed to start tomrrow. That's all I can write now., too tired

Sam was here today and so very helpful. In meantime BOTH BIl's have lost their jobs today. Don't know what we are going to do as a family.

I sure hope Sam comes tomorrow as I am not doing very well. I am tired all the time and find out I should not have been lifting heavy things. Things found in my sink very stinky and foul.

I had a long message which I lost on the misery of life. Perhaps I will rewrite it tommorrow. One thing I suggest is that you reconsider your living advanced directive - I failed to consider my own twin's fears - she would NOT ALLOW any religious contact to me made with me, even taking my rosary away from me. Both sister and I agreed twin was acting weird during this whole thing.

I know what Sam means, I cannot figure out the vcr tonight. My sis say the anestesia takes along time to work it out of your system..My mind in going a million miles a minute but is not interested in anthing. I am about ready to blow up and I think it is the steroids making me so. Time to get some rest even if I can't sleep

I can't imagine Sam that you have any weigth to loose.. I am left with inabillity to remember some words and some strength trouble in mu upper tighs. I don't reall want cookies, though I will take them. I want bana bread, lemo bread, fruit breads, etc, moist so I can cut them up and spread some marg on them and yummy them down.. I t is utterly beyong me how you got my sink sooooooooooo clearn? You did such a perfect job in ppicking up kittl liiiiter. I worried so much about cat, that she wa dying or world be dead when got home based upon what landlady said. She may have disabetes but we shall have to wait on that because I can't afford physically or financiall to treat that iilness. My apt feel strange cause nothing was put away and things just dumped around place. Too tired to do anything about it. Your pooor poor mom - I would feel like her. Thankfully Have no pain, just irritating pulling from bandage. I seelp semi=erect t helf drain. I am lucy enough to sleep, after days in hospital with no sleep and twin taking everythng I owned cluding all glasses. I understand I was in restraights in getting out of surger. So I am sleeping semi-erectand I am not waking up really till noon (then spend rest of day wondering waht I can going to do till I go to sleep again. But I take nap too during day.

I feel so bad for Furtima's sister, that i didn't know was sick. I am glad she made is thru surgery and hope return of functions. Gee I think it funny that Sam knows where my tumor was and I didn't. LOL

I am home from the hospital. The surgery lasted 8 hours instead of 4-5 he thought. He thinks he gt every speck but took mri and radiation will evaluate me 3-4 weeks. I am abulatory and had no difficult walking after 1st day. i am doing as well as could be expected. Sister got good referrals from social worker. We'll go through everything tomorrow when they come over again. I am going to bed soon. Thats it, folks.

Sam just left here - what a blessing she has been. She did some housework , laundrey and fed me. The plan is sis and twin will pick me up Wed and take to hospital for 7:30 urgery - I'll spend 4-5 in hospital and then back home here and hopefully will have people check up on me. I am in the flow, just very tired and weak.
Thanks Irene, Kellie loved your treats. Remember, no fowers or plants as they will die.

no cell coverage this apt.

Can't afford it bob. was onlhy ;30 and kids not home from school uet/ Left side doesn't work right.

Sam I desparately need you this weekend Besides some chorse around here I have more things to get rid of. I justt ook a bad fall leaning over to get newspaper adnd fell down. I call fo help several times as I couldn't get up. Finanny after some rest and wrigging I was able o get on knees and then up. I t was scary, I need to get rid of paintings, records, bookscds,players, chairs, stained glass,panels , old tools etc. What everyou take you can keep. I will be going into Lakwiew Hospial (a kaiser hospital) next wed, I don't know what time or room yout. Please NO FLOWERS Or baskeT = THEY JUST DIE. The other stuff is just too dry to eat cept for that fam place with sausage and cheese. Anyone want to send me homeade cookies, muffins, schone, etc would be great apreciated.

I am utter shock. Twin is coming down to be with me in hospital. Sis will take on Wed to get me to hospital, still don't know what time surgery will be. I think I will be discharge to home since it is way more convenient than sis's house and everything is here. Will have caretaker check on me, twin will see if home health aides can come here. I have been trying to put away groceries neice bought me but it,s slow going. There are 3 things I should get done but not sure I have the energy - what shall be shall be.

Oh what a difference a good night sleep makes. I took the sleeping med and had a full night and feel so much refreshed.
sis called first as I left recording at work. Then surgeon called and I said let's do it, he can't tell me what time time tilll monday. Oncologist called for status - he was happy and want to be kept aware.

You are such a sweetheard Sam, I will let you know what's happening tomorrow.

I am in a steroid rage, having not really slept the last couple of nights. Saw nurosurgeon today - can have surgery next wed which I am pushing for if I can find a way to get to hospital. Will be in hospital 4-5 days. Radiation would not be for 3-4 weeks after surgery. I don't know what's going on or if any help from sis. Sorry to be so abrupt, I can only do so much on my own.

Joanne - I am thinking of what you said. My sis and bil are enjoying having their 25 year old out of the house. He can dress as he likes (undress) and they can interreact with each other without always cognizant that she is there. Even though she is an adult, sis says she still worries when dau is gone and can't sleep until she gets home. When dau has hizzy PMS they get into big arguments. So I don't know what the answer is cept they like her gone. Me, I will never know since I am an aunt with no children of my own.

It's been a long day, just got home a short time ago - spent all day at dr office and hospital where he begged a slip appointment for me for a CT scan to see if chest full of cancer so perhaps I wouldn't want surgery or radiation. So it doesn't look good for me, ce[t tumor is growing fast. Mesg on machine shows nurosurgen appt 5/3 instead of 5/14 - so we will see. Dr can't understand MRI so he couldn't tell me where tumor is or where it started on cerebellum. I've lost more weight since last Fri. I only have 20 pounds overweight to play with now. Funny thing, my taste on tongue has changed to where I am tasting nicotine and it is stopping me from smoking and have cut back 1/2 on cagarettes. Maybe if I slap on nicotine patches I can quit (they say it's never to late! hahaha) Will tell you more when I know more.

I thought you only used channel 3 when you have a converter box? Is it possible your converter box turns off?

I am doing so-so. I have been sick the last couple of days - the euphoria is gone. Been sleeping more hours and I am worried I will miss tomorrow's doctor appt. I have been cold, cold, cold. I can't tell if it is changes in meds - I have lost my apetite again and am forcing myself to drink water. I will let you know more when I do.

Boy, the day sure is long when you are in your right mind and have limited things you can do physically. I am still having some walking problems. I catch up with TV programs watching them online. till I have watched hours of them and I am still bored beyond relief. I guess I will have to hit taxes tomorrow as there is nothing else to do _am due refund and there is no regular time limit on doing those for 3 years.

Well I have had a small ray of hope. I email GP last night and he called me today. He says he checked CT scan and no inflamation there and that UTI can cause ALL the problems I was having. So at this point he doesn't think tumor is affecting me! When I go to Kaiser I advise all clinics of treatment cause there is no automatic notification to them. Like Coumidin clinic changed prescript based on new meds and weight change. So I keep clinics advised to make sure everyone knows what is going on.

Sam, the best thing for fleas is frontline from Vet's for the animal and Raid flea killer spray for furniture, carpeting, you and everything. I never felt earthquake up here

Beth - I didn't see your last reply till just now. It brings back interesting memories of my own. In 1963-64 I was in home ec and had a Class project to do. We were supposed to make a garment at home and be graded upom it. My other had a new fancy sewing mchine, Bernina, which she really did not know how to operate with all those cams and everything - but she absolutely refused to let me use it for this class project. In talks with teacher I implored her for some other project and what I ended up doing was hand sewing a complete Barbie wardrobe including wedding dress and penoir and giving them to little sister when it was graded (I think I got an A). My sis says she's never forgotten it and has the ensembles still in the Barbie wardrobe box she had all those years ago (cept she has so much stuff she can't lay her hands on it). She feels FIL had given her No 1 or 2 Barbie doll and she put it away safely but has not been able to find it (she hasn't loooked hard). But even Barbies have declined in prices and they don't sell as much as they used to a couple years ago. I guess the economy tanking has affected all sorts of people, even collectors. The amount of discretinary funds for playthings have been greatly reduced for most people. The original Barbies did not have bendable legs and a hole was drilled into them from bottom up so they could be and a wire stand. This, as well as the breasts, is probably what made the Barbies so Objectionable when they first come out in early 60s.

I was looking at Ebay to see if they still had seller for you program they had several years ago. SO Mysterhorse (I think) on the Ebay new policies it says feedback from buyers who unpaid transaction initiated from them will be removed (which I what I think Bob was talking about) It starts tomorow,4/23
http://announcements.ebay.com/2012/04/sellers-recent-and-upcoming-updates-may-affect-your-listings-take-action-now/

I am feeling so good, having kept down medications and food. I feel so energetic and my sister says I have talked today the most she has heard from out of me in a year. She feels it is the steroid for the brain. My BIL was having severe physical symptoms (falling down and eventually breaking a rib) which caused his MRI and next day brain surgery. Last night I was thinking in trying to go to sleep about all the things I have collected and now stuck with getting rid of much of it as possible so to clear this apt and get rid of things I know my sisters have no use for. It is a hard thing to do when you are alone. I have at least 20K in stained glass, bevels, tools etc. I have thousands of dollars in lampwork glass and additives. This does not include all my books which I am still working on for Sam because I don't think she got any history and religious books. I still have the sales slips in some of those books which I bought privately. To me, at this point in my life, getting rid of stuff suffering the lose is worth more to me than trying to sell any of it. I have stopped Ebay sales for over a year because I felt I could not get to the PO to mail stuff. So be careful in your collections that you don't get more than you can dispose of quickly or suffer the least lot when you just give it away.

It's a long time since I have had a gout attack since I take allipurinol daily to prevent gout attacks. I think I recall despite pain that cold on the area - which usually is the big toe joint, helps ease the pain. You can use cold wash clothes to drape over foot area. You might find some relief to the pain, although it is uric cystals causing the inflamation and the cold does not reduce that kind of inflamation.

In the mean time Jude, drink alot of water to help flush the urinary system. Gout can get so painful people can't even imagine it.

Casinokat - I am glad to hear Pat is home - that MERSA is horrible stuff and the antibiotic to treat it costs $100 a pill which my sis couldn't afford and insurance denied it to where their doctor was going to import pills from his native Iran for my BIl cause is only cost $8 a pill there. I called the drug company and they told me the procedure to use with sis's insurance which ended up paying for it though BC/BS had a new horredous yearly coppay which had just started.

Ok girls you have me convinced! I was talking to my sis (8 years younger) and what are the odds that one person (her) would have both husband and sister have lung cancer and brain cancer at the same time. His lung cancer started a year after mine, and he is cancer free in the rest of his body (all of it now since brain surgery but the raditation now has him screwed up). The odd have to be a million to one. She is the one I worry about, she has 8 stents in her heart now and she is the diabetic). It's just amazing how much better I am with the medication they have given me.

I am up now. I can only sleep now 2-3 hours then lay awake till I doze off again. Anyhow I am feeling so much bettter physically, my sister says she can hear it even in my voice. I have been able to keep down things I wasn't before, even my medications. The earliest date for nureosurgeon is 5/14 so I have email oncologist to check my CT scan and that through their computer system. Anyhow I am going to stop talking about myself since I think it inhibits some people from participating in the board.

rather than have sam drive all the way up here I asked a friend I haven't seen in almost a year to take me to ER - he is friends husband and he lives close here in Whittier.

I just got home from ER - I have a brain tumor at the cerebellum which can cause the nausea and I have a UTI which can cause nausea. Surgery is not done where this mass is so steroids given to reduce any swelling and referral to nurosurgen for this coming week. That's all - dizziness and nausea almost gone but hanging on the edges.

I talked to nurse and she says I should go to ER, so Sam is coming to get me to go to ER.

I don't think I have dehydration. I have called the oncologist office and left message for doctor to call me.

Pam- that's part of my problem in that I am not eating, because I end up throwing up everything I eat even yogurt. I am throwing up even clear bile - I don't know what is causing this but it is getting more frequent during the day. I am dizzy all the time and clutching onto furniture to even get to one room to another. I have started peanut butter and honey bites to help give me some energy.

I have had gout, Mim, so I know what you mean. I take allupurinol every day to prevent gout attacks. My warefarin check showed blood too thin also, 3.3 - must be something in the air. For the last two months I have been so weak I can hardly do anything. I just manage to survive (thanks to Sam and Pam ). Now I am throwing up and dizzy as can be, don't know what is wrong cept I know I don't need surgery. I have been to ill to even take chemo therapy. Hope you are feeling better though.

Oh yes, I still have plenty of stained glass here in my apt.

My sister's decd FIL worked at Mattel and bought loads of Barbies as an investment for niece's college education. I researched the hundreds of dolls (and photo'd them). Book value was $33,000 Ebay sold value a few years ago was $13,000 and worth even less now. Only ones worth any money are the early ones, in years he didn't work for them. When my BIL left his managerial job a couple of months ago, I told him to give away the stained glass he was storing for me since it had become a milstone around my neck. Made someone pretty happy doing that. He brought his milstone home (Barbies-MNBO) and filled his garage up with the boxes. He should give them away to Toys for Tots at Christmas and just take the right off.

Casinokat - I sincerely hope Pat is doing better. Hopethey give him a more powerful antibiotic to knock our that pneumonia. Hope you are taking care of yourself as well.

I use the jar of paste called "better than bouillion" which comes in beef and chicken flavors. They are the best around for getting soups a more full bodied flavor which I like.

I used to put sweet pickle relish in the egg/mayo part of deviled eggs, and people raved about it and ate as mamy as they could get away with.

I have been using the 1940 Census site and it much faster and smoother than yesterday. I already found one side of the family and the other side is in a unique situation where it could be in 5 enumeration districts but going to the districts does not give you any information on anyone. So I will have to research that later. The key to the 1940 census search is to know where the people were living, street name.

These beans were about 6 inches long and small in circumference, straight as could be. You could not tast any strings to them (cept for the third time microwaving them to heat them up as I could only eat a little bit at a time)

Sam - Pam's food is delicious but best of all is the string beans! I have never tasted any as good as those they must be a special brand that she grows or buys. Can you find out for me? To see all those boxes of books and trash bags gone is so wonderful - I am so appeciative for all you guys did for me.

Pam makes some good chicken noodle soup too!
It's made me feel much better now that I have something in my tummy.

Well Sam and Pam just left here and what a blessing they have been, not only in going out with a list of groceries to buy me but taking away alot of those boxes of books and disposing of my garbage bags. That's a big load off my mind!

I think the majority of the value was the book (his first book) and Tolkien didn't sign many of them

If you all would like to see the Antiques Roadshow that has the Hobbit book mentioned last night at value $80K-120K you can do so online at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/video/1610.html
It's the last one of the night.

Yes Sam, I am finally to the point where I desparately need help and I shall email you.

Thank you Gail - I am hanging on - very weak and fatigued - I am sleeping 12-14 hours now and I can't seem to set my internal clock from am to pm. I don't seem to be strong enough to skip sleeping to get to doctors appointment which I skipped on Friday along with chemo. I am getting desparate here, down to the last of my food and cat food.

I hate Win7 because it will not allow you acess to certain directories on your hard drive. Since Microsoft has allowed the worst of virus and that, I don't feel they should have the right to take away my rights to see what programs are running in certain directories. I bought the computer and the hard drive, I should have acess to everything on it. Unfortunately when I bought this newer laptop all you could get was Win 7, which even uses SATA hard drive (which is different than the computers before it) which means I cannot pop in my old hardrive and have that work on this computer. Which is just another way of making you spend more money on machinery they have planned for obsolescence.

I've been called three times in the last 5 years, despite the forms being filled in and signed by doctor stating I have terminal cncer and prognosis is not good. So what does that tell you about California registration process. I read an interesting article in the paper today that an aspirin study seems to show that those who take a daily aspirin for a long time see to not get cancer, because of the antincoagulation properties = maybe my being on counmidin is what has helped me survived?

It seems that cold here - in the 60s and rainy.

Does the rest of the world go through this silly time changes twice a year? I can see doing it for WWII, but it's utterly ridiculous to be doing it now. (Thking of th world's official time in Edinbergh)

Jim you are such a purist, I would just wait until I woke up and then change the clocks. I am waiting to see what my computer time will do.

Diane - I gave the wrong impression, everything is even keel for me, it's my sis and BIL that has terrible things happening right now.

Hi everyone - wanted to let you know I am here reading every day, just don't have anything good to relate although there is some pretty bad things happening right now which I do not want to tell you about because I only seem to relate bad news and doom and gloom So instead, I will say nothing. The one book I would like is the Duc de Berry' s book of hours. I am totally enamoured with illuminated manuscripts and that is the best of the best, IMHO.

Yahoo reference mentions google, but you also need to go to youtube and change your preferences there - they are gonna track you usuage there unless you tell them not to.

Don't you think June, that he does that for the kids who come flying out to meet him - protects them from cars going around him?

On Feb. 23, 1942, the first shelling of the U.S. mainland during World War II occurred as a Japanese submarine fired on an oil refinery near Santa Barbara, Calif., causing little damage.

I have no desire to listen to the hate video. However it is hard to think that a child would develop such a "hate" unless they heard it expressed in the "inner family" (or if they were deliberately trying to garner publicity through "shock and awe"). I would cringe as a parent thinking people would think that I expressed such feeling while remaining PC in my outward public appearance.

My mother had several of Myra's cookbooks. Julia Child was Myra's downfall. I recollect that Myra did not transition into the technology of TV, whereas Julia was loved in her TV persona. Switching in technology left many people in history in the dust (ie. silent films), I wonder what that says about graphic novels (dumbing down is my personal opinion) and e-books that can be stored on electronics which is good until you have a EMT burst (sun flares) or hard drive failures (I have had a few of those). Then you lose every book on your storage device. When I download books from internet archive, they are not really ebooks because they are actual pictures (for the most part) of actual printed books (for now). But because I downloaded them I can also save them to CDs. Some new technology which is being developed is similiar to Dick Tracey's wristwatch, where the computer in in the watch and the keyboard/screen is the air/space in front of you where you can move, rotate, enlarge etc with the movements of your hands. I saw an MIT demo of this developing technology and it was amazing and very SF.

Oh Bob, I am so sorry for you, there are tears in my eyes. Kellie had similiar problem last year.

I downloaded The Gods Must be Crazy and am watching it - what a hoot. A tribal guy trying to get rid of a thing of evil (a coke bottle) while a revolution is ocurring in the countryside. All in 1980 color and sets, etc. It's in a semi-documentary style.

I am always forgetting your doctor daughter Patsy!.

Patsy I am worried about you. Did you actually talk to your doctor after your hand swelled up? or was this information he had given you before. I don't think your blood should be that thin and that they should have had to you immdiately for an INR blood test. Normal human blood is 1.5 - 1.8, I am on thinners so mine is to be between 2.1-2.9, if its more than that then I have to stop taking meds for awhile (or like Last July when I had exunexplained bleeding they gave me an antiheparin drug - to stop the thinning)

I keep on thinking about cultural changes - like when my sister went to japan and stayed with local family for two weeks, and then did the reverse for them. Then when the little kids of Belfast were able to come and spend a month here so they could play with out gunfire in the streets. The cultural shock of bringing the Vietnames to US in the 70s. All these cultural shocks changes just made the people want to stay here. Because US is the best possible place to live in the world.

I thiink about the movie I never saw - it was a coke bottle fell off an airplane flying accross the desert in Austraila and was found by a bushman and everything it did that changed his work for having found it. Wish I could see that movie now.

Mysteryhorse - you should get the pic We bought a Zoo for DH to watch. charming heartwarming family movie. Makes you wonder about that guy who let all his animal cages open then killed himself. I suppose he thought police could kill his animals whereas he coudn't (cruelty to animals). More and more zooz will not take overflow animals from family farm.

I wonder how much "cultural" things really impacted upon our lives and made us better or not. Politically hands across the water in ballet and table tennis made for beter status as friends rather than enemies. But for ordinary individuals I don't really think it's anymore than just something to talk about - nothing you really learned or took as a life lesson.

I think the best cooking reality show is Masterchef UK. They have 16 chefs and cull them down to 3 for the final faceoff. What I particularly like is that they place them in actual restaurants in one challenge and have th Michellin star chef show they how to cook the dish they will be preparing and then let them have that station for their lunch or dinner serve. You really get to see the food cooked. Masterchef Professionals was outstanding, finale was 3 cooking for 40 star chefs in Britian and their dinner party. It may be on BBC but I catch it on one of the sites for pirated tv shows (tehcake.com) I lost most my TV shows when government swooped down and closed megaupload. What those people don't understand is that I could never afford to have bought the CD's like you all mention you do. I waited 10 years for Farscape DVD's to go from $500 for the series down to $50. Just recently I have gotten so tired of all the violence, the cut open the bodies, the twisted police stories (except I love the closer) and have just stopped watching most of the shows. I guess Kyra has made back all the million Madoff stole from them? Hugh Laurie is going to retire? afte House ends. I just hope when the star decide to stop working a popular and fruitful show that the little people who depend upon that show for their livelihood have another show they can go to. It's bad enough when a netwrk cans a show, but a start? That's why they are gonna try the closer with Mary McDonnel as the star to see if they can keep it going. I am happy to report that the terrible terrible nause has gone - after 6 days of not being able to eat anything but ensure and spending all my time in bed - Sunday found me able to eat anad move about again. Today I was actually strong enough to dress and drive myself to post office to post some bills.

Patsy - can't you just throw a cotton sheet over the azealeas to protect fthem from freezing?

The new flourescent light bulbs are too big for all the fixtures in my aprtment which means the fixtures are stored away on a shelf and bare naked blubs are in my overheads

One Maggie Smith I liked was "What's a weekend?"

Joanne - I agree with you and you seem to be the only person besides myself to think that the snake was involved in Mrs Bates death. After all, she tried blackmailing him into publishing the Turkish Viceroy's note and death info when he wanted to keep it quiet so he could blackmail his fiancee.

The PBS Antique Roadshow has commercials of cars.

For those of you who would like to download and read Elizabeth's books menioned here as well as some her others, they are available at http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=Elizabeth%20von%20Arnim

Jude – Picture was taken last night using my ucamera on my competer. No hair – it all falls out in the first few weeks. I thought I would show you all a real pic of me as that other one made me look much better than I am. But this one is too indistinct to show you the bags under eyes, the growths on my face, etc. I have a wig the cancer society gave me but I don’t wear it as it gets real hot and my scalp sweats and to scratch the area moves the wig around on my head. The only good thing this time with chemo is that I still have my eybrows and eyelashes. I wasn’t able to get chemo on monday as I couoghed so badly for three days I gave myself a whiplash in my neck. I was pain level 6 then and am down to about pain level2 now. So will have chemo this coming Monday.

Congratulations Bob and LOL !

LLudwig - the latest thing in book illustrations seems to be "graphic books" where the whole book is in picures with minimal text (Isn't that the definition of a comic book by another name?) Some books I have read have been reprinted as graphic novels putting a face and mood on characters in the book people have read, which I feel greatly impairs an individual reader's own imagination and feelings about the textual atmosphere. Except for turning a quick buck I can't see why the authors are going along with this. The quality of illustrators have greatly diminished in my opinion which is sort of demonstrated by the decline in the fashion industry and the dumbing down to rags for clothes so do the illustrations go. My niece came by no too long ago wearing jeans that were strategically rock ripped in spots for which she paid good money. I shake my head and just cannot wrap my wits around it.

I called laurie and left a message on her machine and have not heard back. I am wororied about here too.

That was an outstanding performance Stamphick. Thanks for pointing us to it.

It's amazing but when they did the tests for my DVT, they could tell it was a second one I had and that meant i had to be on coumidin for the rest of my life. If it's your first clot, then you only have to be on anticoagulants for 6 months or so. The clot traveled down the outside of my left leg and across the ankle and started moving up on the inside of left leg and got stuck at behind the knee. Thankfully thats as far as it went before they found it. It felt like someone had whacked me with a 2 x 4 and had a fist size red spot that moved with the clot. The real "pain" of the DVT is the constant testing every 2-3 weeks of blood levels. So when I started passing alot of blood last June I was scared to death that I was gonna die from blood loss. Thankfully I didn't even need a transfusion and am still here today. Good thing they caught it for you Dan, it can be a nasty thing.

You are absolutely right Kathleen about the Baking Soda, I also keep a box right next to my stove. You can smother a fire by putting a lid on a pan, but that still involves getting your hand too close to the heat. I also keep a small A B C fire extinguisher in kitchen, which also puts out all types of fire including the grease kind. It has to be the 3 kind extingusher. This is encase there is electrical fire as well (don't think baking soda would work on that.)

This year in California they made it mandatory to have a carbon monoxide detector in every apartment and house. I got one, but I am still trying to figure out why I might need one. It only detects carbon monoxide which is gas when fuel is inefficently burning, like charcoal. You have to have a flame to something inorder to hace CM. My sister's wood stove might make CM, but can't imagine anything in my apartment would. All my areas of concern is when the flame goes out and the gas fills a room (which is why natural gas has a odor to it, usually). I have a big problem with pilot light on stove going out.

so I don't see anything that would help me in that area.

NEW YORK — A rare first edition of John James Audubon's illustrated "The Birds of America" depicting more than 400 life-size North American species in four monumental volumes was purchased at auction Friday for $7.9 million.

Christie's auction house identified the buyer as an American collector who bid by phone.

The winning bid was within the presale estimate of $7 million to $10 million for the work, considered a masterpiece of ornithology art.

Another complete first edition of "The Birds of America" sold at Sotheby's in London in December 2010 for $11.5 million, a record for the most expensive printed book sold at auction.

The 3 1/2-foot-tall books feature hand-colored prints of all the species known to Audubon in early 19th-century North America. Audubon insisted on the book's large format – printed on the largest handmade sheets available at the time – because of his desire to portray the birds in their actual size and natural habitat.

He found creative ways to paint them to fit the page, including showing large species feeding with their necks bent.

The set at Christie's was offered for sale by the heirs of the 4th Duke of Portland. It was accompanied by a complete first edition five-volume set of Audubon's "Ornithological Biography."

Experts estimate that 200 complete first-edition copies were produced over an 11-year period, from 1827 to 1838. Today, 120 are known to exist, with 107 in institutions and 13 in private hands. The book, part scientific and part art, includes 435 hand-colored, life-size prints of 497 bird species, made from engraved copper plates based on Audubon's original watercolors.

Audubon sold the engraved plates in a subscription series in England, Europe and North America.

I just finished watching the 14 minutes on Jake from 60 minutes ( http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7395214n&tag=contentMain;contentAux ) and what a delightful kid he has turned out to be. Someone needs to buy the kid slip on shoes cause I would hate to think of him tripping on his shoelaces. Casinokat - you must be immensely proud of not only Jake but you son and DIL as well. What swell parents they are to have recognized his needs and their determination to give their child what he needed most in the world. Kudos

One thing I do enjoy in being old is if others view my actions as odd, they can attribute it to an eccentric old lady! (which means I don't care what they think anyway)) I am all for comfort anyway. People find it strange that I push a wheel chair like a walker. I do so because then I have comfort of a place to sit when I have to stand in line. Grocery stores, where I don't use the wheel chair/walker get most upset when I sit down on the floor because I can't stand in line for butcher, etc. It doen't get me any quicker service, they are just upset because I am down there waiting my turn. When was the last time you saw seats or benches throughout a grocery store? Some have food courts but that is not where the food is. Business do not realize or have refused to think about that over 1/3 of population is going to be elderly soon and they have done nothing to accomodate declining health of those poeple. Kaiser built a new hospital in Downy and it won many awards for it's wide open spaces but it is a PITA to go to it because you have to walk so far to get where you are going. There is real competition for handicapped parking these days and it will be even worse in the future when so many are handicapped through old age, bad heart, leg problems, etc.

Hello everyone – good morning. Here is another inconsequential posting. I have been fascinated with illuminated manuscripts for many years and have purchased many books on the subject, to which Lludwig can attest, having sold most of them to me. An interesting program on BBC about Books in England beginning with illuminated manascripts incunable (the 9th century) with utter fantastical filming of stupendous pages of these books. Couse, being English, they also show a few abbeys and churches to go along with it. In cast you are interested you can watch the first program on http://tehcake.com/video/IlluminationsThePrivateLivesofMedievalKings/1×1.html

Sometimes bad things happen to good people for reasons why don't know why. And this is what has happened to BIL. We just have to have trust that good will follow, and it has. My BIL has lost his job, the store he is manager of has been poor producing (because of economy) along with 5 other stores. They have offered him a different job in another store. He won't be superising other employees, he won't be first in and last to leave. They will give him the same salary he has had, the truck they have loaned for work they will give to him outright and they will continue paying his gas. MY BIL is so happy to have been relieved of such a burden and still be able to retain his life, that he is dancing in joy. I have never heard of a company being so benevolent to an employee that is "making an accomodation" (my words) for a disabled employee. Some of the other 5 managers have already quit (I assume they were not offered the same as my BIL and that they were not disabled). Evidently it had nothing to do with his health insurance after all. So this is an eample of a bad thing happening which turned out good and we are all so relieved and know it will be better for his health to be relieved of so much stress which running a store entailed. And I am just so happy for them!

June - also advise them that using the figure of getting just what they can afford, does not mean that there isn't costs overides and delayes which can increase costs 1-0 20% more than what was expected.

I had chemo Monday and been deathly sick since even with lower dosage this time. It appears my BIL (who had cancer and brain tumor) may have been fired and they will lose their house, his car and their entire way of life. I appears to be effects of his medical costs on the company's medical insurance plan for employees.

Joanne - you can watch all of Downton Abby Season 2 online with your computer at
http://tehcake.com/video/DowntonAbbey/welcome.html

For those of you who have a kindle, I thought you might like to know that many books can be dowloaded to your kindle from http://www.archive.org . this ia the website that has most books no longer under copyright (like I checked Charles Dickens)

My eyeglass story. I had an expensive pair of prescription sunglasses that I had lost. I went back to every place I had been, checked apartment over and over and still could not find them. I found them a year later in my glove box in the car when I went to put the car registration in it. By the time I found them, my eyesight had changed and I couldn't use them any more.

Patsy - if I am watching a DVD where I cannot understand the actors either because of accent or their not clearly speaking, I turn on theclosed captioning feature of the DVD and have the words written down below on the screen. Helps me undertand better.

Today was my first good day in almost three weeks. I go for chemo again on Monday but was able to go for blood draw and precription refills today.

I don't get mad, I am redacted.

I just finished downloading the Christmas 2011 2 program of Downton Abby so I will be able to watch that tonight. I couldn't see anywhere if there plans on showing it here - was it in you bonaza over the weekend?

Thanks Joanne for your sage advice.

One of my most favorite of British programs is Doc Martin, and they are not sure they are going to have a 6th season. I also like the newest program Death in Paradise with a Britisher police detective assigned to Jamica and he abors the place (sand, surf, heat) and at hearts seems to be a bumbling fool and solves his cases with great logic through deductions.

My Dad was Archie Bunker reincarnated. Some times we were embarrased to be out in public with him. He hated blacks and we asked how he could do so yet have black friends through work - they were different he said.

Excuse me again, just consider me a befuddled old lady. Everytime I try to join a conversation someone is sure to point out that I am wrong about something. So I guess I don't have anything of value to talk about these days.

There is some doubt as to whether there will be a third season of Downton Abby because British viewership is so low. The British are avoiding it as they consider it like daytime soap opera, and castigate the story and actions of the actors. Such a shame as we like it so much.

I am feeling much better now, the nausea is gone. It was my mistake in having chemo done on Monday 12/19 thinking I would be over it 12/25. And while I spend Christmas alone, I was happy talking to family and friends over the US. Sis stopped by yesterday for 5 minutes having done some grocery shopping for me and bringing me my Christmas presents. My big disappointment in being so sick was I could not get to the store to buy a prime rib roast while they were on sale at half price, so will probably have to wait until easter now.

I thought Congress amended that 1099 law, did they leave the 200 transaction still in it?

The thing that bothers me the most about these kindles etc is what happens when the hard driver or whatever fails. Like on a laptop computer you can put in a new hard drive and reformat it. Can you transfer your purchased and downloaded books to a computer and then on the DVD's for saving them? Some of my books I have had for over 40 years and can walk over to bookshelves and retrieve them in a flash

SAreader - I would think Ebay is asking for social security numbers because next year tax law requires them to issue 1099 forms to high value sellers of their income from Ebay.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. I will be spending it alone, still to sick to be driving 2.5 hours. Sis and BIL will come down on Monday. Don't feel bad for me, it's just like "any other day" for me. I am sad I ws not well enough to get to grocery store to pick up specials on ham and rib roast - oh well there is next year.