Day Off!

Today is my day off from camp duties. Our friend Ray is here until Friday. Dwain and Ray were gone most of the day doing guy stuff. Lucy and I hung out together. We did very little. I needed a day to catch my breath.

The outside of my left thigh has a large area that is numb. When on my feet for a little while, it burns intensely. I've had numb areas on my legs and arms before. Also have had burning sensations, but this is by far the worst combination I've experienced. I get relief by sitting down. I tried a Vicodin, but no success. Also a first time a pain medication did not help. A little scary cause when you need it, you need it, you know ...

My Seth and Steve will be here for a visit in about two weeks. I'm sooo excited. I don't see my kids enough. We will only have four days, but our family will all be together so we will make the most of our time. Then back to Wallowa Lake for the rest of July.

Don't remember if I've mentioned it, but our grandson, Josh was voted on to the Wallowa County All-Star Team. An honor he earned by playing his best.

Way past my bedtime ...

Today we cleaned camp sites after the campers left. Not a difficult job...pick up liter, clean the fire pit and rake the site. Campers were slow in leaving today so the time drug out. It also caused me to be on my feet longer. Had to take a pain pill, which I haven't done for quite awhile. My left thigh cramps and burns beyond my tolerance lately. When I'm not working in the park, I can sit and rest. I switched doctors a couple years ago. This clinic does not prescribe pain medication. They want to control pain through medication, not narcotics. I told them I would be a happy woman if they could. However, it's not happening. I'm thankful I have a few pain pills left. Not sure what I will do when I run out. My plan is to have a serious conversation with my doctor when I see her next.

A classmate from our school days, Ray, came to Wallowa Lake to spend four days with us. Tonight he took us to dinner. We are having a good visit.

Weather has been nice. Cool in the am, averaging 38. Once the sun comes up it warms up quickly.

Lucy has a Vet appointment tomorrow for her second shots. Then I have an appointment for a haircut. I can't keep my arms over my head to blow dry or use a curling iron. So keeping it short helps keep my arm pain down.

Our Joshua made the Major All-Star team for the second year!!

Beautiful Day!

Today was a beautiful day. A few clouds, but mostly sunny, about 75 degrees. We are park hosting at beautiful Wallowa Lake State Park in NE Oregon. We were able to be outside most of the day.

I took a nice nap this afternoon, in between hosting duties. Lucy is getting used to napping with me in the early afternoon. She has such a cute face, that it is nice to wake up to. :D She has not had an accident in the RV for over a week.

Tomorrow we will be doing interpretive work on eagles. The park has spotting scopes and a pair of binoculars for the campers to look at a nesting eagles and their three babies.

My left thigh area has been burning alot. This happens mostly when I've been on my feet too long. I am thankful I'm only having the burning in one leg. :D

"God blesses us...

"God blesses us in spite of our lives, not because of our lives."

Max Lucado

When I read this quote, I agreed. Then I started thinking of my blessings. Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue have allowed me to be more aware of my blessings and to enjoy them. God has blessed me with an amazing family, special friends and a lifestyle that is conducive to my Fibromyalgia pain.

When you are in constant pain and exhausted, you don't always think of your blessings. Usually we are ready to punch someone! When I take a walk, I look at the flowers closely, rather than just passing by. While with my grandsons, I notice the freckles across their noses. My granddaughter has soft curly hair like her Dad, my son. It would be easy to look past these small characteristics. Because my lifestyle has slowed, I am able to appreciate the little things in life. I hope you do too.

This week has been a challenge. I haven't blogged. Sometimes it is one more thing to do. I do enjoy posting as it helps we see my day.

My Fibromyalgia symptoms are still at a higher level, altho better than a week ago. Guess I'm moving forward. My Chronic Fatigue continues to be aggressive. I'm taking two and two and a half hour naps and still ready for bed early.

Saturday I wore my legs out and knew I was close to them giving way. We had wood shed duty (selling wood) for four hours. Dwain was kind and let me sit in a chair to collect the campers' receipt and tally while he loaded the wood. I felt like I was not holding up my end of the job, but he insisted. I was grateful, but had to get to a place of being ok with his generosity. I'm sure others have the same frustration. I want so badly to be normal. Sometimes it's hard to accept my Fibromyalgia. But must move on .....

We are enjoying the other campground hosts. They are friendly and do their work well. Our duties are to clean the camp sites once the camper has left (two days a week), sell wood (two days a week) and on Sunday we will do an interpretive program. Dwain will teach basic photography, taking the campers over a nature trial, ending up on a viewing platform where they can learn about eagles. That's my job...to learn about eagles and provide information. We have an eagle and two fledglings (baby eagles) in a nest. The park provides binoculars and spotting scopes. A couple days ago I walked to the marina area. It was a perfect day...blue sky, warm, adults and children were fishing and/or picnicking. The eagle was flying over head. It was very calming and I soaked it up for awhile.

We are attending grandson Patrick's spring music concert tonight. Always an enjoyable evening. He is an 8th grader and plays with the high school band. After he attended the Seattle Heritage Music Festival, he received a invitation to audition for a band that is traveling to New York, time at Julliard then a concert at Carnige Hall.

Tomorrow our youngest son Adam, daughter-in-law, Carrie and granddaughter, Lyla will arrive for a two day visit. Hard to Lyla is 20 months. I'm grateful they can take the time to visit as it is a 6 hour drive.

It's only about three weeks until our oldest son, Seth and his partner Steve will visit from Chicago. They will spend July 4th with us. That is also Dwain's birthday. Very excited for their visit. I wish we all lived near one another. I miss seeing my kids daily.

Lucy continues to grow, but not by much. She will be three months on Monday and is still potty training. There are moments when I think she's "got it" but not yet! She did take me to the door this morning, but not since. She is due a Vet appointment next week for a checkup and second set of shots. She is a source of great entertainment...a funny puppy. She is a snuggler, which I have enjoyed. We took a nap together yesterday. :D

Hard Day :>(

What a day this has been. Every time I took a step, I want three backwards. It has rained all day. Taking Lucy out for potty calls is an ordeal. Neither one of us wants to get wet, so we battle tugging on the leash.

Dwain isn't much help with Lucy. He has taken the stand that Lucy is my dog and I should take care of her totally. He plays with her and lets her sit in his lap, but when it comes to taking her outside or watching her so she doesn't do her business in the house, he's worthless. Lucy might be closer to him when she is doing something wrong, and he will tell me what is happening, expects me to stop what I'm doing. I'm about to loose my patience. If he would loose the attitude and pitch in once in awhile, that would be nice. HE got two naps today...not I. I'm about to loose my patience.

I'm having a hard time with my Chronic Fatigue and nod off periodically. I had to force myself to stay awake.

We have moved our home to Wallowa Lake State Park. We will be camp hosts for the month of June and maybe July. We had our orientation today. Soon after lunch our friends came to visit. After they left I started dinner preparation. About 6 pm my Aunt came for a visit. I did get one load of towels and a rug washed today, I am so tired I can't think straight. My cognitive is running amuck.

So off to bed to catch a few winks before Lucy wakes up. After two nights of 8 hours straight, she got up twice last night.

Friends

Our friends from the coast came to visit this weekend. They arrived on Friday and were able to stay until Monday morning. We have been friends for nearly 40 years. We raised our children together. They were able to see Wallowa County, fish, hunt and visit, visit, visit. Oh..we ate a lot too! We had long days, ending with a campfire and smores. :D It will take some time for my body to recoup.

My sinus infection is better, altho the phlem is thick in my throat. I will have another cup of hot tea and add vinegar and honey. The phlem is a symptom of my Fibromyalgia. The more tired I am the thicker it is. It also increases after I eat.

We are moving to Wallowa Lake State Park tomorrow. We will be park hosting for two months. It's a beautiful park. We work in the morning so afternoon and evenings are free to do as we want, including attending our grandsons' baseball games.

Our new addition, Lucy, fits in well. She doesn't allow me free time. She slept thru the night last night. We had 8 hours of sleep. I hope it is the beginning of sleeping again.

I've been living with a sinus infection and our new puppy Lucy. The combination has not been good for my Fibro. Hence why I haven't been on blogging. My body protested wildly. Usually when I have a flare I am able to be on my computer. But the combination of the three, knocked me down. I had to increase my Neurotin. But I'm doing better and so is Lucy. I'm still moving slower.

Lucy is improving with her house skills. Yesterday she went to the door twice and again first thing this morning. She is also sleeping in her crate well. Friday morning she even put herself in the crate for a nap. :) She is getting up 2x a night. I will be soooo happy when she decreases the night potty calls. :)

Our friends from the coast are here this weekend. It is good to see them. We are having a wonderful visit. Today the guys are off to see the lay of the land. The girls are going to do a little shopping. My grandkids will babysit Lucy. I've been having increased pain in my upper legs so don't know how long this shopping spree will last for me. That's ok, there are many places to sit and enjoy the busy activity of the small town of Joseph.

Here I Am!

Hi! My name is Lucy Sue. I am nine weeks old and I have been living with Dwain and Debbie for three days. I love my new home. I'm a little spoiled, but not enough to be obnoxious...yet. :D

I went to the Double Arrow Veterinary Hospital yesterday. WOW! What an experience. First the Vet Tech weighed me. I am 2.5#. I may be small, but don't under estimate the weight I can throw around. Next she used a thermometer in my little bottom. My temperature was just right. She took my picture for their file. Dr. Greenshields came in and had a big smile when he saw me. Little did I know that he was going to poke me with a needle and make me drink something that tasted like bananas. I think they are going to keep me healthy. Dr. G poked, squeezed and lifted. I had been taking a nice nap before we got to the clinic. :(

Before we left Dwain and Debbie bought me a new halter and leash. Guess what color? PINK!!!
I have some great tasting food and treats too. I also have two new toys.

Because I'm small, I get cold easily. Debbie thinks she might find a sweater for me. Our friends, Clarence and Debbie gave me a nice crate. Dwain put my food and water in the back of the crate along with a blanket. I don't mind going in the crate to have a bite to eat and drink, but they want me to sleep in there. That's going to take alot of convincing as I'd much rather sleep on the couch or on the floor next to their feet. Actually, I like to drape myself across their foot. Debbie thinks that is because I miss my five brothers and sisters. That might be, as their feet are the same size as my siblings.

They want me to sleep when it is dark outside. I would rather be awake at night and sleep during the day. What's wrong with that? Many people have this schedule, granted most are teenagers and those under 30. Just because Dwain and Debbie happen to be over 30 (he he), should I change what makes me happy? Besides, Debbie stays up with me. That won't last much longer, because she says she can't take it anymore. Her Fibromyalgia is flaring. I don't like to make her hurt, so we may need to compromise. While I'm taking a cat nap...oh...I'm a dog...they put me in my crate. I show them...I wake up immediately and come out of the crate and sleep in front of it.

I went to Josh's baseball game last night. There were kids who wanted to hold me. It was nice for awhile, but I was glad Debbie retrieved me. Patrick then came along and saved me from Debbie's lap. Unfortunately, he dropped something, bent over to pick it up and I tumbled out of his arms. That hurt! But I survived. I have a voice like my sister Heather and the whole ball field heard me.

Time for me to sleep for a couple hours more.

My Name is Lucy!

We have named our puppy Lucy! A more true statement is I named our puppy Lucy. Dwain informed me that this is "my puppy." He would've named her Pepper. He is enjoying her as much as I am, although he might not admit it. In the past it would have been the other way around. I knew he would have been ok with having a dog so when I finally got to a point where I was ready, it was a matter of keeping our eyes open for the right one. While our eyes were busy, Dwain decided we didn't want a dog...we would want to train our dog and in order to best insure that feat, was to find a puppy. He didn't want to be up in the middle of the night and we all know that someone with Fibromyalgia doesn't want to loose sleep either. If you read my last post, you know I found Lucy at Josh's baseball game. Dwain was trying to protect me when he said no to the puppy. I love him for that protection. I'm strong-willed too and I stood my ground and he let Lucy come home with us without saying another word. I was fortunate for not fighting about it. I have often read that pets in the home help reduce stress. For myself, I wanted a lap dog that I could love, enjoy and in return she might lower the tension in my body. What I have noticed is that Dwain is smiling more. He has been down this past winter and spring. So another gift. I love finding gifts during my day. The trick is to be aware that you are receiving them. Lucy is a gift for both of us. On that note I have been the one up at night with Lucy. Of course living in a 37' RV, Dwain isn't sleeping either. My Fibro is miserable due to the lack of sleep. I have periodically taken a Vicodin. Because I have lived through raising three children, I know that Lucy will eventually sleep through the night. I hope I can hold out 'til she gets tired enough to sleep through the night! We took Lucy for her first Vet appointment this morning. She weighs 2.5# and is perfect! Goes again in a month for her next shot then after two months she can be fixed.





Josh has a ball game tonight. There are no more puppies to bring home so we will go and enjoy the game. Josh is the starting pitcher of this game!