Our Furnace (Boiler) at Home Isn't Working and It's -8F Outside - Life Can Suck Sometimes!

 As all of you know (probably - LOL), I live in the Frozen Northlands - Minnesota, to be precise. Yesterday, our old boiler which provides heat to my house, decided it was on strike. *sigh* I contacted my furnace repair guy (yes, I have one of those who keeps my shop furnace functional) and he'll get back to me as soon as his schedule is set for today, to let me know when he'll be able to come out at take a look/fix my home furnace. I have zone heating in this house, but right now, it's qualifying as "frigid", "more frigid", and "ACK - Damn Cold". We have my small space heater in the computer room and that's where we're spending our time. 

It's cold outside (currently -8 F degrees), and since I have 
no functional heater inside, we're cold in here too. Nowhere 
close to as cold as outside, but not comfortable either. 

DH is the lucky guy who will get to stay home until after my furnace guy has been here. It's reasonable, because he's also the guy who'll get to write a check for the repair. Meanwhile, I'll head to the shop and try my best to be functional with about three hours of sleep. I got to sleep just fine, but the constant clicking on and off of the boiler trying to switch on awakened me in the very early hours and I moved to the computer room. There's no place to be prone in that room, but I sat in my chair, turned on my space heater, and at least I was cozy, if sleepless. I'll be a wreck today, but hopefully will return to a warm house after work tonight. 

It would be nice to just toss another log onto the 
fireplace, but since our flue needs a good cleaning 
before we light any fires (and I have a family of 
squirrels who have been living in the upstairs 
chimney for generations now), I don't light any fires 
any more. 

In some ways it's too bad we don't live in the days when we'd just toss another log onto the fire in the cave, in other ways it's damned nice to have electricity (even though Tesla's electrical ideas were WAY more efficient than Edison's). We all rely on electricity so much, and even though we often have fall backs available, they're far from convenient. The last time our heat died at the house was more than 20 years ago and I sat near the downstairs fireplace and fed it with wood. The flu needs a cleaning, however, and I don't want to roast the squirrels who nest in it every year, so a fire is really a last resort for me this time around. 

Time for a nice, hot, cup of tea. 

So, I'm signing off and going to make myself a nice, hot cup of tea. Have an excellent Monday and I'll be back tomorrow - hopefully with heat and a bit more than three hours of sleep. Slava Ukraini. 

Living An "Interesting" Life with Heterogeneously Dense Breasts - LOL

It's two days in a row that I'm skipping the treadmill. Yesterday was because of my doctor appointment and the schedule that required. Today I was just lazy - sometimes I have to allow myself those little luxuries. I'll be back on the treadmill on Monday, but I guess, subconsciously, I needed a bit of time off. 

I love my treadmill, but today I'm COLD, and I'm allowing 
myself a day of lazy morning before heading out to the 
shop for a day's work. I've been repairing broken beadwork 
for the past few days. At least that's enjoyable, as opposed to 
other tasks (like sweeping and general cleanup) LOL. 

My doctor appointment went VERY well. I adore my cancer doctor - he's absolutely marvelous. It was time for a one-year checkup - it's hard to believe it's been a year since my initial diagnosis, but the calendar doesn't lie. I asked him about getting annual MRI exams since my breast tissue is very dense. Apparently my breasts come in at a Stage 3 of the four levels, and usually only Stage 4 level is covered by insurance for annual exams. It's a matter of phrasing. 

This is my cancer Doc - Doctor Domingo Perez. He's got a 
couple of short YouTube videos out there if you're interested 
in why I like this guy so much. His care for patients comes 
through the videos beautifully. I totally trust him to be on 
my side in this. 

Here's what Google says about it: The four levels of breast density, classified by radiologists using the BI-RADS system, describe the ratio of fatty tissue (dark) to dense fibroglandular tissue (white) on a mammogram, ranging from A: Almost Entirely Fatty to B: Scattered Areas of Fibroglandular Density, C: Heterogeneously Dense, and D: Extremely Dense, with higher densities potentially making cancers harder to spot and increasing risk. 

I have Grade C on my mammograms. If I had D, an annual 
MRI would automatically be recommended and covered by 
insurance. I have C, though, and so we'll have more hoops 
to jump through to get any MRI recommendations and 
procedures covered by my health insurance. We'll work on that though. 

So, Doc Perez is going to see if it's possible to adjust things to allow an annual MRI exam. He totally understands my desire. As I told him - "A friend's mother just went through breast cancer and her cancer was 2mm large. My own, as you know, was 10mm. That's a huge difference, and possibly could have been found earlier if I was able to get a mammogram that didn't come through with "Heteogeneously Dense" tagging. According to Doc, if my mammograms came through as "Extremely Dense", an annual MRI would be recommended and covered by insurance automatically. It's all a matter of getting the insurance to cover the procedure. MRI exams are VERY costly. 

So, we're going to see what we can do about this. He agrees with me and understands my frustration with the whole business. Meanwhile, I have a shop that needs serious work to be ready for our clearance sale which is upcoming almost too soon for all of the work we have to do. There's nothing like living an "interesting" life - LOL. *hugs* to all and have a wonderful weekend, I'll be back on Monday. 

It's a Lazy Morning ... Well ... For Another Hour - LOL

 

I was up late last night, watching an episode of "Brokenwood", so I'm in a bit of a rush today. I start the day out by dropping by my cancer center for a quick update meeting with my Primary Care Physician. I'm hoping to get the OK for an MRI, and that's got to come from him. I'm absolutely fine with that - he's awesome and actually lives just a few blocks away from me. 

We love the Brokenwood Mysteries, and since it was an 
episode that I barely remembered, I stayed up to watch it. 
I gave up my treadmill because of it - I actually needed 
some sleep. 

Since I was running late, I skipped the treadmill today. I have to work, even though it's a "day off" for me, and time isn't my friend today. Yesterday DH and I wrapped and identified and switched out artwork from the store walls. Originals and pieces we feel will do well at auction we'll store and take down to the auction house later this Summer or in the early Fall. He brought a bunch of artwork home yesterday, and we have three that he forgot to load into the pickup that will come home with us tonight. 

I have nothing against being a little lazy. It's 
never something that hangs around for long. 

Sometimes it's nice to be a little lazy, even though I'm really nowhere close to being lazy if truth be told. Still, I had a bit longer sleep-in, and wasn't quite as rushed with my daily meditation as I sometimes am. It's cold, but not snowing, the roads are just fine for driving, so it'll be a nice trip out to the Cancer Center in a bit more than an hour. Right now, however, I'm going to grab a quick breakfast and then get my act together before I head out. Have an excellent Friday and I'll be back tomorrow to wrap up the week. Slava Ukraini. 

Time - Not Really My Friend Today

Just a fast post today. It's a swimming day, DH is already stirring (during MY quiet time) and my internet connection required me to actually move to the study to do my morning meditation. Thank goodness I was able to connect downstairs because upstairs simply didn't happen this morning. 

A fast post this morning. I have about ten 
minutes before I need to leave for the swimming 
pool. 

Yesterday's crazy schedule actually went quite well. I got my injection - I'm always a bit astounded by getting an injection in the back of my arm instead of into the upper arm muscle, but it's almost completely painless in this area, and the more standard way of injections always is painful. So I guess it's a win even though it's a massively expensive procedure. This is for bone health, which I don't really have - LOL. My exercise regime and my diet help my bones, but not enough. Chemical assistance is necessary. But I'm done for another six months now. Yippee! 

I was getting Prolea for my bones, but the Doc switched 
me over to some other name now - a generic. Since each
 injection is almost $2000! (Yeah - that many zeroes), I'm 
fine with whatever he recommends. Thank goodness for 
health insurance or I'd be totally sunk. 

I got quite a lot of cooking done. I found a wonderful package of six boneless pork chops that were calling my name. So I made a quick cook of those yesterday and I have my meals for the next few days ready. The trash and recycling were finally picked up, and my recycling bin is already at least 1/3 filled with what I couldn't fit into it yesterday. Just missing a single pickup can really mess things up and I was off schedule on the last pickup. My bad. 

I usually only have one week's worth of 
trash, but this time I was double that, and 
the recycling was a month's worth. My 
cans were FULL. 

My swimming friend, Rosemary, has been MIA and we've all been concerned about her. Sabrina, our "Gate Gargoyle" was determined to make sure she was OK (Rosemary is elderly and lives alone with only a land-line, no cell phone). We both were very concerned. But she managed to contact Rosemary on Tuesday afternoon. Apparently she's sick - too sick to swim. No surprise there - she spent a week closed up in a large rental house with her three sons and their assorted families. It's a New Year's tradition for the family - they come to Northern Minnesota from all over the nation for this after-Christmas reunion. She ALWAYS gets sick from the kids. Always. Hopefully she'll be feeling better today and will be back at the YMCA to reclaim her swimming lane. 

So, I'm out of here. Have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow on another very busy day with another doctor appointment - the story of my life sometimes - LOL. Slava Ukraini. 

It's a VERY Busy Day Today and a Wellness Check

Today is VERY busy, and fortunately the roads seem like they'll be good. I have to get up to the clinic in the Northern part of the Cities for my semi-annual infusion, and then I can actually go grocery shopping. I also have to get a few things at the local Target if I can squeeze in the time between doctor and cooking. 

I get a subcutaneous injection twice a year to help 
keep my bones intact. Today is the day for this six 
month period. 

My friend Rosemary has been MIA from the pool. That's concerning because she's as regular as clockwork. I knew she was spending her after-Christmas with the extended family - her three sons and their families come in from out of town/state and everyone rents a large house together for a week. Well, that's her three sons, their wives, and their assorted kids. A LOT of people. It's a tradition and she looks forward to it every year, but she often will catch whatever flu or cold has been going around because kids are germ machines. 

If you ever want to get sick for any reason, hang out with a 
bunch of kids. They're germ machines! 

That's what happened this time also, we found out. She's been MIA from the pool, and she NEVER misses except when she's with the family for this get-together. But the family thing ended last week, and she hasn't returned to the pool. We've been worried. My Gate Gargoyle, Sabrina, determined that she would phone Rosemary yesterday and I gave her the information for her to access the e-chart for contact information. She contacted Rosemary's son yesterday and found out that, indeed, she's been down for the count with a case of the flu, or just a cold. Whatever, she's been sick. Perhaps she'll be at the pool today, or not, but at least we know why she's been MIA. 

Rosemary is a regular - five days a week in the pool, rain 
or shine, every week of the year except right after 
Christmas, when she gets together with the family for a 
family celebration of one week in the Frozen 
Northlands. 

Yes, that's the kind of people we are here in the Frozen Northlands. We look out after each other. Rosemary is older and lives alone. She'a also at the pool every day during the week without fail. For her to be missing for something other than the family get-together (which she reminded us was happening so that we wouldn't worry about her) ... well, if she's missing, we'll do a wellness check on her every time. 

Since Rosemary lives alone, we're always super worried 
about her when she's MIA. Hopefully she's feeling better 
today and can return to her daily swimming routine. 

So, I'm out of here. It's a trash and a recycling day, I also have to drive WAY OUT to Coon Rapids for my semi-annual infusion injection, and I need to do grocery shopping and some cooking as well as my usual three loads of laundry for a Wednesday. Whew! I'm exhausted already just reading about my schedule. LOL Have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Mixed Up Days and Time

It's hard to be running behind at 4:00 am, but I'm succeeding in that difficult task - LOL. It's the first of my three swimming days today, and I need to be in the car, heading for the gym, in less than 30 minutes. I do have a little bit of fudge room if needed, but I like to be early, not late. I've always joked that I must have been an eight-month baby because I always want to be early. Was I in real life? Who knows? 

I always joke that I must have been a premature 
birth because I despise being late for anything. 

Are you like me in this? Do you like to be early for appointments and events rather than on time or (heaven forbid) late? Were you the one waiting for the bus as the first person on the corner? Or were you the person running for it to catch it quickly before it left for the next stop? If I have my preferences, I'll always be early. I can always sit and read a book or do a quick puzzle on my phone. I'm usually on a rather strict time schedule and don'e have a lit of wiggle room available. To get my swimming in before the next group of people start arriving to share lanes ... it's important. 

Of course, if you're catching a bus, train or plane, you 
always want to be early. They're scheduled, but they 
also run late or, sometimes, early. 

I have Wednesday in my head today. Have you ever had that feeling when you think of the day as one day but it's actually another one? I don't get those often (that's lucky since my days are crowded at best). When I get them, it messes everything up. Last week was messed up. I put the garbage and recycling out, but it wasn't a recycling day. The calendar provided by the service is less than readable. So, I had to leave the recycling until tomorrow which means my bin is EXTREMELY full and I'm stashing some recycling until after the bin has been emptied tomorrow. 

Sometimes I need a signpost like this to keep the days 
straight. Holiday times, especially, mix the days up - 
holidays in mid-week, days off other than Sunday. 

So, I'm going to get this moving and head to the swimming pool. I hope you have a fabulous and a bit less mixed up day. I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini! 

Shaking Things Up - Cleaning, Charging and No Running Shoes (Yet)

I'm shaking my schedule up a bit today because I forgot to charge my phone overnight. Now ... if it was a swimming day, that wouldn't be a problem. But it's a treadmill day, and I use my phone to listen to Sirius Turbo on the radio while I'm looking at scenery on the screen. Without the music and the scenery, I don't treadmill. So, I plugged the phone into the quick charger and I'll take care of my blog first to allow it to get enough charge to get me through my 45 minutes on the treadmill. 

I'm shaking up my schedule today to allow my phone to 
get some power before I start my workout on the treadmill. 
I always listen to the phone while "running", and it's TOO 
boring for words (even with the virtual scenery) to deal 
with in silence. 

My goal for yesterday had originally been getting my running shoes. I did "fess up" to DH about losing my certificates from the holidays, his response was "they're probably around here somewhere". *sigh* But, since I still hadn't found them, and he wasn't paying much attention to the fact that I really need some new running shoes, I just followed the leader yesterday. He tackled the dining room and made some serious inroads into that room by the end of the day. We've been using that room for basic storage for years. Now things look almost civilized, a lot of trash was added to the trash bucket, and I did a ton of shredding old paperwork. It might not have been what I really wanted to spend my Sunday doing, but I was quite happy with the end result. 

The Nike outlet store might be my best bet. I'm not really 
looking for any specific model or appearance, I just need a 
set in my size that will work for my treadmill. I generally 
use my running shoes for up to five years (or more), so 
I'll get my money's worth from them, once I finally 
purchase a pair. 

I did take a little time late yesterday afternoon to check the costs of new Nike running shoes. OUCH! Expensive! There is a Nike outlet store at the outlet mall and their prices seem much more reasonable. I'll keep wearing my current set until they're a bit more dead, but then I'll head to the outlet store for my replacements. I probably won't find the certificate, but paying a bit more than $100 is a LOT better than paying a bit more than $200 for a set of shoes. OY! When did things get so expensive? 

I just purchased a GaN fast charger from Amazon 
and received it late last week. I've been using 
it and it works like a dream. It's a LOT faster 
than just plugging in with a normal charging cable. 
I'm now at 57% charged and I've only been 
writing this for about 15-20 minutes and had been 
below 10% power. 

I had plugged my phone into the fast charger when I sat down to write this. It was at 8% power. I've been writing this and just checked - I'm up to 46% power now. I still have to plug in my pictures and get things posted, so I'll be at more than 50% by the time I'm finished with this and changed into my exercise gear. I can live with that. A treadmill run without music is just TOO boring for words! LOL. So, I'm hoping I'll have a good Monday, and I hope all of you also have a good one. I'll be back tomorrow for a quick post before heading to the swimming pool. Be kind - the world needs kindness right now. Slava Ukraini.