The Beast actually *forgot* about his appointment this morning, mainly because he really didn't remember what day it was.  However, the hospital was on their toes and got ahold of him so he went right in.  He claims the gal that administered the concoction was actually a bit less rough with him today but....within about four hours, he was in total misery.  He was both in pain and suffering from heavy bleeding.  I wanted to call the hospital immediately but he refused to allow it and said if it was still bad in the morning, he would just go in.  I agreed but figured I would keep my eye on him.

The Princess brought us home some late dinner and OMG!  Not only is there enough in just mine to feed several people but it is so delicious I can't even describe it.  I got some chicken rigatoni and the beast got some meat lasagna.  His looked kind of messy but he said the same thing...it was delicious.  The salads she brought us are also huge!  The garlic bread and garlic breadsticks were just right.  Not too much garlic and not too little.  I ate what I could and will eat more for lunch tomorrow (and probably dinner, too....).

The heat here today was just awful and tough on the Beast.  Even Baron only wanted outside when he couldn't avoid it.  The weather people say the air quality was awful but I didn't breath in much of it, trust me.  I spent much of the day just relaxing with my foot up, hoping to speed healing up.  I'm heading back that way as soon as this is posted now that the Princess and Chewlee are gone. 

I never thought much about my feet except for their size.  They got kind of big early but then, thankfully, they stopped growing.  I didn't expect pretty feet.  In fact, other than babies, I haven't seen anyone's that I would call *pretty* or even *attractive*.

To me, feet were for walking, dancing, jumping rope, helpful in acrobatics, good for climbing, that kind of thing.  But, good heavens, what I am seeing and attempting to walk on these days is just plain UGLY.  My poor baby toes needs debriding again and my second toe is probably going to need some skin trimming from the (now) dried up blood blister.  I won't describe it any more than that but, when you add the slight swelling of the foot in general, the colors of purple and yellow that are still quite vivid (although they ARE beginning to fade) and no one would want to claim it as their own.  I sure don't like the idea that it is attached to ME. 

My feet were always just *there*.  I had to clip the nails on all my toes from time-to-time and I would sometimes even paint my toenails but it wasn't a vanity thing.  I never in my life thought I had pretty feet.  Functional, yes, but never pretty, cute or attractive.  Now that I am getting older, I've noticed that my feet are starting to be subject to some minor changes, too.  For instance, my big toes seem to have made a slight bend toward the outside of the foot they are attached to.  The cuticle on my little toe seems to want to overgrow the nail so I must keep an eye on it and keep it clipped.  My heels have gotten dry and I have to keep it pumiced or else use one of the *egg* things (you know what I mean...hell, they flooded TV with the ads) that remind you of a small grater and then you sand the area smooth.

So I now have to apply moisturizer to my feet as well as my face, hands, arms, legs...let's face it.  I could lay in a tub of moisturizer and it wouldn't really help all that much.  That's part of growing old that sucks a big one!

The Beast has been checking out Facebook and has found some of the people we used to hang out with as teenagers.  He laughs because some of them look SO old that they are almost unrecognizable.  I told him he had better stop laughing at THEM or I will post the picture I have of him with Baron in his lap and let all of THEM laugh at HIM.  He got a horrified look on his face and he's still not certain if I meant it or not.  He has no idea I have this blog (for which I am grateful because otherwise I would never be able to blow off any steam over some of the crap he pulls).  The few family members that DO know about this are sworn to secrecy and, thankfully, they have kept their word.  The rest of you will never meet the Beast in person (I hope) but you would find him much as I have represented him all along.  He's capable of being charming but also being very cruel if he doesn't get his own way or you challenge him in some way.

We had an unexceptional evening together, Chewlee and I, but she wore her Tinkerbell sandals today to show me how they light up.  They are so cute.  She and I watched her TV programs together and she wanted to hold onto the pole I use for balance when I needed to leave the room.  I tried to tell her that she couldn't do that because *I* needed to place it where my feet needed it but....after five or six steps, she found my progress too slow and let go so she could surge ahead.  When she left, she was more than ready to go to bed when she got home although she did try to get her mother to take her to see Tara and her family but it was half-hearted.

It's always nice to start with the good.  The Beast checked the cherries and...so far, so good.  I told him he needs to get some netting for them, however, since I have seen all the different birds that will eat them even before they ripen enough for us on many different documentaries.  He just kind of *poo poo'd* the idea so here's another instance of his having to learn a lesson the hard way.

The bad is that he's having to spray the garden more often than he thought he should.  I told him there are things he can plant along the edges of the garden that will discourage some of them.  We just need to do a little research.  His dad always planted garlic around the base of the trees for some bug or other (wouldn't it be funny if it were Japanese beetles?) and I've read how marigolds will discourage others.  We just need to identify the bugs that cause serious damage and research some holistic remedy for them.  We have enough lady bugs around to battle aphids, thank goodness but we might need some other type insects to battle the pain in the ass ones. 

I mentioned that the Beast was going to thin out his melon plants and a couple others that he had *overplanted* since he's such an idiot about how big the plants get?  Well, OVERNIGHT more than half the plants went through a fantastic growth spurt.  I kid you not.  Some of the plants doubled in size from yesterday to today.    If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it.  Even the grape vines suddenly shot up!  I mean, what causes that?  Some atmospheric phenomenon?  We haven't had any rain, thunderstorms..nothing...that is more than hot, hot and bright sun for weather.  It can't be weather then but it's certainly inexplicable on my end.

The Beast took one look at it and almost threw up his hands.  I told him to ignore the size.  Just trace it to the root and pull!  He hates the very idea that they might have veggies in process and he's pulling them out.  I looked at him and said they will choke each other off and prevent good growth but it was up to him.  As of right now, he's thinned NOTHING and he hasn't lifted the developing fruits up off the ground (melons).  He says *Oh, they'll be okay.  I'll do it when they get a bit bigger.*  If my foot were better, I would just go out there myself and start pulling and lifting.  I'd let him have a heart attack over it.  I have had gardens where I kept my family in veggies all summer long but....I was smart about WHAT I planted and HOW MUCH I planted.  That was when we were a family of six.  Now there are only two of us but...I could provide the Princess and Chewlee with some, too.

One thing my injured foot has done is cause me to start having problems with my other leg and my hip.  It's because of what you do to compensate when you try to get around.  Our bodies are a nice balance when everything is working but, throw that off for a while (and it's been almost 3 weeks for me), and you create other problems with the additional stress put on those *good* parts.  That's me.  Today, I almost fell again (thankfully, I had my walking stick) when my knee almost gave out.  That's the knee on the good leg.    I was dumbfounded.  It wasn't long before my hip on that side started yelling at me.  It was NOT happy!

Right now this poor foot of mine is really pathetic looking.  All five toes are now black and blue.  IF this foot heals the way other black and blue marks heal, I should be on the way to repair and it can't happen soon enough for me.  It's still painful and will wake me up throbbing and sensitive after only 3-4 hours of sleep.  I have to get up, walk a bit and then put some heat on it for a half hour or so.  Then I can lay back down and grab another two hours of rest.  I spend more time laying down than I do on my feet and it's starting to get to me.  I never had to work hard to keep this house in shape but...I did have a daily routine I needed to keep to for that to work.  I look around and see all the things I can't do and know it's going to be a bitch when I can actually start doing things.  Oh well....one day at a time.

I watched Chewlee today since her mother had switched a day or two with another gal that needed today off.  No Chewlee tomorrow, as usual, then Chewlee every day until Saturday.  I get Sunday off.  Of course, they will be heading for Colorado shortly and I will get a whole week off then but that's another story.  The Princess texted me this morning and asked me if I would like her to drop Chewlee off before she goes to work since I really can't drive.  I told her I thought that was a great idea, at least until my foot heals and everything is working properly.  So, that's what she will be doing for me for a while.

Chewlee had been sleeping until her mother woke her to bring her here.  She was still tired so she laid down quietly on my recliner and watched her Land Before Time DVD.  She asked if she could see it *one more time and then no more* so I ran it over for her.  It's a couple cute shows from the TV series and I enjoy them, too. 

I guess today was the day the Princess took Chewlee shopping and let her buy some things she wanted with some of the money her paternal grandfather sent her.  She got a cute digital watch which I noticed was set on military time.  I'll have to correct that.  I think the Princess just didn't want to fool with it since Chewlee would have been anxious to put it on.  She also bought the Tinker Bell shoes she has wanted forever....they are cute.  Chewlee told me her mommy said *no toys* and that made her unhappy but she accepted it.  I told her that I think for now she has plenty of toys and that's why mommy said that.  She said, *I know.  But I really wanted the Fairy Barbie, Grandma.*  I know why that wasn't going to happen.  She is expensive and Chewlee likes to take all her Barbies into the bathtub with her.  With the mechanism for hiding the fairy wings, it just wasn't going to work.

Chewlee told me today that *Grandma's make toast.*  It was a statement of fact according to Chewlee when she ordered the Beast to make her a hamburger and then turned to me to tell me she wanted it *on toast*.  I said to her, *Are you sure you want that on toast?*

The Beast has started pulling out a couple of the cantaloupe and watermelon vines.  I told him not to plant more than one or two but did he listen?  Of course not.  Now he gets to see what space hogs they are and how tough it can be to even locate their fruits so you can elevate it off the ground to keep it from rotting.  He is also amazed at one of the bush bean plants he has.  The darn thing became huge before it ever flowered and started producing beans.  These are not the normal green ones.  They are a pale yellow and brown spotted variety.  I told him when he planted them that they were different and I would be interested in seeing (and tasting) them.

If no bugs attack them, we may have a bumper crop of tomatoes but I told the Beast that it works for me.  I can put up as many as we can grow with all the Mason jars I have.  Been there, done that.

The pears are doing great so far.  They are getting to a nice size.  The problem with pears is that you must leave them on to ripen.  They don't continue to ripen if picked early.  I haven't asked about the cherries at all but our ears of corn that are developing are doing okay.  Every day the Beast inspects the plants for bugs.  Every new bug he finds is a knife in his heart but he's managing to survive.  He's also planning his next garden and says he's going to do it differently.  Yeah, more like I told him he should.  He had no idea how much room some would require nor their water needs.  Some lessons we learn are hard.

Chewlee is now more eager to go home with the Princess most nights.  A lot of that has to do with the fact that I haven't been *grandma* between the pain and trying to get around (which is very slow).  That also means I haven't been playing with her like I normally do.  She's spending a bit more time with the Beast because he goes outside.  As long as she has shoes on, she can go with him.  Today, she came with no shoes on so she didn't even ask.  Smart kid.  When I asked her why she didn't wear any shoes, she told me she was just *too tired* for shoes today.  I think she must have been cranky when the Princess woke her up to bring her here and she just figured it wasn't worth fighting over.  She usually just takes them off here, anyway, and runs around barefoot.

Chewlee was dropped off before 10 am today since this is the Princess's early day and she was in a cute mood.  She always asks first about my foot and, because she now has tee-tee back, she will wrap up my foot with it and tell me she is *sharing* her tee-tee.  That's only because she doesn't need it at the time, of course. 

She went outside a couple times while Baron ran around the yard and came back into the house with him.  She was a little less dependent on my company today, which was nice for a change since my foot is really sore and is many shades of various colors.  It SCREAMS at me if I put any weight on it at all and I know my body is telling me to STAY OFF IT! so it can finish healing.  What surprised me was the black and blue around my heel down towards the sole of my foot.  How in the hell did I manage THAT?

When the Beast went out to water the garden, she wanted to go with and watch so the Beast took her.  You will never guess what he found IN the dirt of the garden.  Little feet prints.  He pointed them out to Chewlee to see what she said and she got this innocent look on her face and said she didn't know where those came from.  I laughed and told the Beast, at least she didn't walk on any plants.  She just wanted to get up close and personal with the plants.

We now have seven ears of corn started.  The Beast says he's never going to plant eggplant again because today he found them FULL of several different types of bugs.  He checked his Japanese beetle traps and was shocked to find out how full of them they were.  Now he knows why he hasn't seen any on the trees.

Chewlee came in to my room to complain that the Beast got her all wet while they were watering the flowers out front since I can't.  I told her that she has to learn to keep out of his way and she said, *No....he did it on purpose!*  I just laughed and told her that he was playing with her.  She got all indignant and said *Well, he didn't have to get my nice top all wet.*  I checked it out and she only had two or three small spots that were wet.  I gave her a hug and told her that they would dry quickly so she shouldn't worry about it.  It was only water.

I'm kind of happy that she has taken to drinking more milk than anything else lately.  I know her mother has started giving her juice when she wants it but....she must drink a glass of water after she has one.  Chewlee told me that herself and I vaguely remembered the Princess mentioning that.  Chewlee will ask for milk or strawberry milk.  I have some strawberry syrup from Quik that the Beast bought for over ice cream but didn't like, even in a milk shake.  So, Chewlee has taken it over and she likes it just fine.  I make it very light because she doesn't know the difference and I prefer that she keeps her sugary things down to a minimum lately.

Right now, we actually DO look like a brat farm.  It's amazing how our garden is growing.  The corn is over 5 foot tall and we have two little corns started!    The crooked neck squash is looking good; the stawberries are amazing;the green beans are coming in fast and furious.  The carrots have started as well as the onions; the peas took off like a shot; the tomato plants are full and have many little ones started as well.  With the stink bug around, however, we don't know how much of those we will be able to salvage.  The cucumber plants all look healthy.  The beets and turnips seem to be doing well.  I won't even discuss the watermelon and cantaloupe.  They look fabulous. 

Bratfink sent me several seeds she found in one of those seedless watermelon plants.  I'm sorry to say that only one of them seems to have germinated but, hey, it's a start.  I'll keep you informed on how that one does.  I found some plants I didn't recognize and discovered the Beast has planted potatoes.    I told the Beast he'd better keep a close watch on all those vining type plants because they are attracted to each other and can really create a mess once they intertwine. 

As you can tell by the variety, it's going to be an interesting summer around here.  I think I discovered why the doctor said it would take my foot two weeks or so to heal.  It's because diabetics are prone to both circulation and nerve problems that start in the feet and work it's way upwards.  The saying is that *diabetics die from the feet up*.  It's why I watch the color of my foot closely.  I've gotten other injuries on my feet and never had a hard time healing.  What scares me about THIS injury is the EXTENT of it and the severity.  I can run my hands up the front of my leg next to my shin and find the very, very sore areas from being hyperextended.  With the way I walk right now due to the pain, I'm creating a whole different set of problems with the legs, mainly the darn back of my thighs. 

The first several days, my foot was full of fluid and I spent a lot of time with that leg elevated above my heart to encourage my body to reabsorb the fluid and to get rid of the *stretched to the limit* feeling of my foot.  I found a great lotion to help keep that skin nice and smooth.  I can't imagine having stretch marks on my foot, can you? 

When I called my doctor's office and explained to the nurse what the problems were, she told me not to make too big a deal over the fluid in the foot because the body uses that fluid as a cushion in an injured area.  I told her I knew that but elevated the foot at night so I could get *some* sleep (and it varies from night to night).  If I let the fluid fill up the foot, it becomes painful in general.  It's painful to touch, amplifies the pain of walking and even just sitting quietly.  I end up having to take a pain pill, which I hate doing but aspirin just doesn't cut it.

Chewlee spent about half the day with the Beast today helping water the veggie garden and then the flowers, too.  He had to go get some dog food for Baron and took her with them.  They went up to Petsmart and Chewlee was to find out that Baron was going into the store with them.  She begged the Beast to let her hold Baron's leash and he let her because Baron wasn't acting hyperactive.  He said it looked so funny because he was so much bigger (weight-wise) than she is plus her head isn't all that much higher than his back.

Afterward, they went over to the park nearby to let Baron run around a bit but, for some reason, he chose to stick closeby to Chewlee and the Beast.  This one poor guy has been trying to get Baron to be friendly but Baron won't have any part of him.  No clue why but we trust Baron's instincts.  When they got home, I was given a blow-by-blow dialogue on everything by Chewlee.  I know that SHE had a good time. 

Our DVD day today was as follows:  Barbie movie, Madagascar, Son of Godzilla, Mothra, Barbie movie (I set a new rule that we only play the same movie twice on the same day), The Land Before Time Friends Forever (from the TV show...4 episodes).  The Princess showed up earlier than expected due to a migraine so we only got to see two episodes when I shut it off.  We will watch the other two episodes tomorrow.

We got almost to 100 degrees here today and the dog acknowledged his understanding of that fact by plopping down on the wood floors in the coolest area he could find.  I guess even when you have the AC on, there are differences to be found.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUUU.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR BRATFINK!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!!

My foot was so painful that it woke me up.  It didn't help that Baron had his head on my ankle, of course.  I got up and painfully made my way into my computer room.  I turned on the computer and the local news (it was almost 6am).  After checking out a couple things online, I turned my attention to my foot and almost fell over in horror.  The area of hyperextension is really obvious because it's turned a deep red.  It goes from my second toe on an angle up to my right side ankle then there is a band around my ankle and up about three or four inches on the leg.  But, the worst part is the way the skin FEELS.    It was almost like sandpaper and extremely dry to the touch. 

I bought some Lubriderm Intense Skin Repair and am totally amazed at how it works (or seems to) on that whole area.  It now feels smooth but is still that deep red.  Now I think I get an inkling of why the doctor said it would take about two weeks to heal.  I told you I don't have the super-sensitive soles on my feet since the doctor changed the dosage to a higher one.  It only took two days (but that was six doses because I take them 3x a day.

Be assured.  It's painful but I can hobble around and can move my toes and my ankle.  Not without pain but......

Bratfink and the Boy sent Chewlee a late birthday present.  It came today and, even though it was addressed to me, I knew it was the movie Bratfink told me that it was.  I saved the package, unopened, until I brought Chewlee back here after picking her up from preschool.  The poor baby has a boo-boo on her face from being hit with a stick by....guess who?  Harley.  I was shocked and said, *And Harley is your boyfriend?*  She shook her head *no* and then said, *Harley is my BOTHER.*

That cracked me up because I knew it was from the cartoon show *Olivia*.  Olivia has two brothers and one is a baby but the other one is just old enough to constantly get into or want to be part of Olivia's games, etc.  She introduces the baby as her *brother* and the other one as her *bother*. 

When we got some cherries for her to snack on before dinner, we came into my computer room where I showed her the padded envelope with her *surprise* in it.  She let me cut the top so she could look inside.  When she saw the DVD, she did one of those sharp intakes of breath, took the movie out and hugged the movie to her chest.  She then said to me, *We HAVE to watch this movie....it will be AMAZING!*  It's a Barbie movie and Chewlee checked to see if there was a prince, too.  When she saw the picture of the man with his hand in the Princess's, she just KNEW she would like it. 

She learned a new word...Pegasus.....and kept trying to both say it and remember it.  She knew where she SHOULD use the word when she would ask me a question so I would help her with the word again.

Chewlee had both a good and a bad experience here today.  The Beast took her outside and took some pictures of her.  She was, for once, cooperative and he got a couple that weren't bad.  Not his best but Chewlee had come from school and being out in the playground part of the day.  I was surprised because she let him brush her hair and not a single *ouch* out of her mouth.

Later this evening, about a half hour or so before her mother came to get her, she walked out in the living room, walked up to Baron and poked him in the eye.  The Beast gave her a little smack on her cheek and yelled at her and she cried like her heart was broken.  She crouched down, in the dark of the guest room and cried for about 5 minutes or so before she finally came in to me.  I talked to her about it being a bad thing for her to do that to Baron.  I said that it HURT and how would she like if Baron poked HER in the eye?  She just said she was going to tell her mommy and I told her to go ahead because I was going to tell her WHY Papa *smacked* her (her word).  There wasn't even a red mark so it was a gentle tap but totally unexpected by Chewlee....especially from Papa who almost never even yells at her.  That's really why she was crying.  She was so surprised!

The therapy went great for the Beast today.  They wanted him to try to keep it in......get this!.....for TWO hours.    He actually managed 1 and 3/4 hours but he didn't need a refill like some patients do.

What surprised me was they sent him home after loading him up.  But he was good about sitting down when he urinated and during the three hours afterward.  It was a whole lot easier than disinfecting everything around the toilet.  I just sprayed bleach over everything and let it sit for five minutes to make sure the live germ was dead.  Well, as dead as I could hope for since I didn't have a microscope nor do I know what that particular germ looks like.  The internet probably would have provided the answer if I had a microscope.

Now we just have another week before his next treatment.  He said the girl hurt him a little but she was cute so he didn't say anything.  She actually flirted with him.    Smart girl!  He did tell her that I couldn't walk for very long because I had injured my foot (or so he says...LOL)  MEN!!!!  So predictable.  They don't see themselves as they are.  Not that I blame them.  It's a real bitch getting old and wrinkled.  None of us asked for that.  I know *I* didn't.

Chewlee got promoted this week to the *big kids room*.  They will be learning different things and will start her on the way for when she goes to kindergarten.  A little more structure, a little less play.  The teacher told us that she knows her numbers and colors plus the alphabet.  It's not that she can recite the alphabet but, if you hold up a letter, she knows what it is.  The sad part, she said, is that so many of the kids can't do that.   She will even discern the *light* colors and say that when asked to identify the color.  She also knows all the different farm animals and many of the large wild animals found in the zoo.  If they were in the Madagascar movies, she knows them. 

It's been hot as hell outside (95 or so) and I was treated to the Beast walking around in just his tighty-whiteys.  I was glad Chewlee wasn't here because she would consider that *naked*.    She would run into my room and lock the door while telling me that gramdpa was nekkid!  I have no idea why she locks the door but she does that even if just his shirt is off.

Bratfink has been the first one to read my posts and she was laughing at some of my mistakes I was making.  She knew right away that my nails were probably too long (she calls them *claws*) but she helped me out so I could go back and correct them.  My nails WERE getting too long but I cut them down so it's okay now.  I think.  I hope.  LOL.  Anyway, thanks Bratfink.

Why is it that you worry about getting to the doctor's office on time and then you sit there for an hour or so?  That's what happened to me this morning.  I spent a half hour in the waiting room then another half hour in the secondary waiting area.  That's where the nurses plunk you down until they are ready to weigh you and THEN you get to go into an exam room.  And then there's another wait. **Sigh**  I got apologies for the long wait from pretty near everyone and I never said a word about it.

The doctor examined my foot, ordered an x-ray to be sure but told me it would probably take about two weeks for it to heal.  Since I am diabetic, he put me on a 10 day round of antibiotics plus an antibiotic cream for where I had a rug burn blood blister.  I drained the blood out of it and the skin died.  I got that off and the raw area is a deep red.  That is NOT normal and is why the doctor wanted me to use the antibiotic cream, too.  He increased the individual dosage of my pills I take for neuropathy and the strength of my pain pills, too.

I picked up Chewlee from preschool and got a non-stop recital of what HER day was like.  I never got my nap this afternoon and found myself nodding off twice around 9am.  Chewlee was getting tired, too, and she crawled up into my lap, grabbed my hands to put around her and then leaned back into me.  The Princess had gotten a rather late party in for dinner and they didn't leave until it was almost 10pm.  When she got here to pick Chewlee up, Chewlee never gave her a problem about going home.  That is both unusual and a bit incredible.

Tomorrow morning the Beast starts his chemo or treatment, whichever you prefer.  He has to *hold it* for an hour before he can void it.  It's a type of tuberculosis that is inserted in the bladder and why that is, I have no clue.  The doctor says it will delay another tumor.  It's an aggressive cancer and I've been told by people that have experienced with the same thing that even with the treatment (which is six weeks long), he will be back in surgery in six months.  The only *cure* for it is complete removal of the bladder which the Beast totally rejected.  Just say a little prayer that he gets through it all without embarrassing himself  For the next six weeks he will have his Thursdays full.  And me?  I will be armed with a spray bottle of bleach because for three hours after the treatment, he will be contagious and I will have to totally clean up the toilet and surrounding area if he uses the bathroom.  Since I have Chewlee here on Thursdays, I am concerned about the possibility of her being exposed to it.  I gather it only lives 4-6 hours so, if he gets it anywhere close to his scheduled time, Chewlee won't be exposed to anything even if I missed a spot.