Health Items: Diverticulitis Flare Up, Spot Removed From Face

So Saturday, January 27, 2024 the Better Half was sick to her her stomach for most of the day. The next couple days eating was not agreeing with her. Then we remembered past event like this and thought it might be a flareup of diverticulisis. Dr. prescribed an antibiotic, did blood test. She wasn't improving so Tuesday Feb. 6 we went to Carthage Hospital emergency room. The place was empty so took her right in. 5 hours later she was transported to Wynn Hospital in Utica, NY. Some IV antibiotics for treatment, a cat scan and other stuff concluded it was diverticulitis. I drove her home Thursday evening, arriving around 7:30. 

Bandage on my face where spot was removed by dermatologist. I've had quite few spots removed from my face over the years. 

Today (Friday) I had a crusty spot on my right cheek removed at Northern Nurse Practitioners in Watertown. They sent it out to a lab to check for skin cancer.  Hopefully it's no more than an actinic keratosis. 

Weather today was mostly sunny with high temp of 58 degrees. Quite unbelievable really. May be a record high temp. After the spot removal I did some work on Clay St apartment house front porch. 

The evening sky at 5:30 today behind our house in Chaumont, NY

Snow Sculptures, Clay St. Door Trim

Saturday February 3, 2024 

Snow sculptors at work in Watertown, NY during annual Snow Town USA festival.

Today I finished trimming out the new door at our Clay St. apartment house. 

After that I swung by the Watertown Fair Grounds to see how the snow sculptures were doing.

The snow sculptures are part of the annual SnowTown USA event. Scroll down to see more snow sculpture photos.

Finished putting trim around Clay St door today. 

Snow Town USA 2024 snow sculpturing at Watertown NY Fairgrounds 

Snow Town USA 2024 snow sculpturing at Watertown NY Fairgrounds 

Artist Jerry Merrill at work, Snow Town USA 2024 .

Snow Town USA 2024 snow sculpturing at Watertown NY Fairgrounds 

Snow Town USA 2024 snow sculpturing at Watertown NY Fairgrounds 

Snow Town USA 2024 snow sculpturing at Watertown NY Fairgrounds 

Blood Donation, Haircut, Guitar Lessons

 Today, January 30, 2024 I awoke at 5:30AM. 

Got up at 6:00 

Got haircut at the Sportsman's Barber Shop, State St., Watertown. That was at 10:00

At 11:00 I was at the state office building donating blood at a Red Cross drive on the 11th floor.

Stopped at Lowe's & bought 2 8 foot 1x5 pine boards for Clay Street door repair.

Back home at 1:30

3:30 I was at Copley House in Chaumont for a couple of guitar lessons. Back home from there at 6:00PM.

Very tired. 

Watch some TV with Better Half and calling it a day at 10:30

Clay St Door Trim, Jigsaw Puzzle,

 Saturday, January 27, 2024

Eggs & Croghan bologna for breakfast. 

Weather was nice today with sunny afternoon and high of 38 degrees.

Cut & placed pine trim boards around stairway door, Clay St.

Worked on door repair project at Clay St apartment house. Cut some pine boards to train around the new door. Took them inside and coated them with some white shellac to block stains from knots in the wood.

Took trim boards inside vacant unit to prime them with white shellac.
Blotch on floor caused when I knocked shellac can onto the floor.

Spilled the shellac on the living room floor. Not big deal. Carpet is horrible and needs replaced. 

At home worked on a jigsaw puzzle with nice fire in wood stove. Later watched Walter Matthau & Goldie Haun movie from 1967 titled Cactus Flower. Very funny & enjoyable. 

At home worked on a jigsaw puzzle with nice fire in wood stove. 

The Better Half has been sick all day & evening with stomach issues. Hopefully she is better in the morning.

Cement Face With Snow Cap; Cabbage and Sausage

 Photo presented here was taken on Thursday, January 18, 2024. It is a cement face that I created some time last year I believe. It hangs on the fence at our Chaumont house. It is wearing a cap of snow. 

Cement face wearing a snow cap, Chaumont, NY

Today is Monday the 22nd. Got up at 6:30 AM. did some guitar practice. Made a Dutch Baby for breakfast. It looked like it was burnt, but was OK. 

We took our Christmas Tree down today. 

We went to the grocery store in Clayton. 

For dinner I made some cabbage with bacon and Johnsonville cheddar smoked sausages.

This evenings dinner:  Johnsonville cheddar smokes sausages with cabbage 

Jan 19 2024 I Shovel Snow at Clay St Apartment

Back stairs and basement door at our 418 Clay St apartment house, Watertown.

We have had quite a lot of snow here in Northern NY. 18 to 24 inches fell in Watertown. I spent a couple hours this afternoon clearing a big portion of the driveway at our Clay St apartment as well as cleared it from the back stairs. I started at 1:00 and was finished by 3:00. It was pleasant work, outdoor temperature was about 10 degrees. As I write this it is 11:00PM and temperature here in Chaumont is 1 degree.

Back stairs and basement door at our 418 Clay St apartment house, Watertown.

Back stairs and basement door at our 418 Clay St apartment house, Watertown.

Back stairs and basement door at our 418 Clay St apartment house, Watertown.

I also changed the low beam bulb in our 2019 Kia Sorento today. Bulb cost $19.00 at Wal-Mart. 

Chatted with brother Mark in Florida. He gave some wild news. 

Wind Storm Damage: Clay Street Door Replaced

Tuesday January 9, 2024, big wind storm tore door off our Clay St, Watertown apartment house.

It also caused wide spread power outages. My tenants on Clay St were fortunate that their power never went out. 

My brother Alan helped me replace old wooden door that was torn off at our
Clay St apartment house during wind storm January 9, 2024

Door was torn apart leaving the hinged side intact.

The rest of the door lying on porch floor.  

New steel door purchased from Home Depot in place. Waiting for better
weather to do the trim.

Receipt for steel door from Home Depot 

I bought a steel door from Home Depot for $364.00 plus $29.12 tax. 

May 24, 2023: Farm Market Guitar Gig Cancelled & Garden Plants

 (This post, just now published, recounts a day from back in May of 2023)

Portable billboard at Watertown Farm & Craft Market . My gig was cancelled because of rain.

Wednesday May 24th was the season opening day of the Watertown Farm & Crafts Market. I was to be the live music act that plays at every market from 11:00 - 1:00. However it was cancelled because of rain. Rather heavy, miserable rain. The market wasn't cancelled, just the lunch time entertainment. Oh well. 

I had to meet up with one of our tenants to fill out some form verifying some of her information for some sort of assistance she was applying for. So I took care of that.

Rhodes Greenhouses in Henderson, NY where I bought garden plants

By the afternoon the rain quit and weather cleared. So I went to Rhodes Greenhouse in Henderson and bought some tomato plants and impatien flower plants. Arriving home from that excursion we decided to have a salad and grilled Hofmann hotdogs for dinner. I made made a Columbia 1905 Salad. This dish was originally created in 1905 at the famous Columbia Restaurant in Miami, Florida. 

Grilling Hofmann hot dogs and enjoying Goose Island IPA beer.

Finally that evening we watched the finale of CBS reality tv show Survivor. 

That's how that day went.

New Years Eve & New Years Day 2024 Kia Sorento Rear Brakes

Grilling jerked chicken wings and enjoying Red Stripe beer in Chaumont, NY on New Years Eve.

New Years Eve saw mild temperatures and no snow in Chaumont, NY. The ground was bare. In early afternoon I grilled some Jamaican jerked chicken wings. The Better Half made some deviled eggs. We boiled a pot of salt potatoes. Served it up with some Red Stripe beer, a brew from Jamaica. 

We declined an invite a small New Years Eve party at B & M's house in Rutland. However, having eaten early in the afternoon  we felt differently by 6:00pm. So we decided to go drop in on them. They were surprised & happy we showed. We left after a couple hours getting back home about 9:30.  I stayed up to ring in the new year by watching the NY City Times Square ball dropping countdown. The BH hit the hay a half hour earlier. 

We drove the BH's car (2019 Kia Sorento) and on the way the brakes started making a scraping, gritty sound. 

New Years Day I replaced rear brake pads on our 2019 Kia Sorento.

New Years Day I inspected the rear brakes. The pads were wrrn down and needed replacing. Rotors were worn some, but not to where they need replacing. 

Called Auto Zone. They were open. Set of rear brake pads were $28.00 and tax. 

January 2nd 2024 finished rear brake pads on our 2019 Kia Sorento.

Before I got them installed H & D called. We went to their house and grilled hot hot dogs, drank beer & wine. Played Phase Ten, a card game. Good fun. Got home around 10:00pm. Had some egg nog with vanilla whiskey and coconut rum. 

January 2nd I was mildly hung over and finished the rear brake job on the Sorento.

Sidewalk is Finished, a Cool, Sunny Day, Mowed the Lawn

Tuesday, April 25th, concrete poured for new sidewalk. 

It was beautiful day here in Chaumont, NY. It was cool, about 50 degrees, a light breeze and sunny. Today the guys that did our sidewalk finished up, cleaned up, and went on their way. We are quite pleased with the outcome. The actual pouring of the concrete happened a couple days ago on Tuesday the 25th. I also mowed lawn for the first time this season. 

Tuesday, April 25th, concrete poured for new sidewalk. 

New Sidewalk at Chaumont House: Photos

TCR Construction, a Father & son duo set to work on replacing our sidewalk. 

Here are some photos of a new sidewalk being done at our house in Chaumont, NY.  The work is being done by TCR: Taylor Construction & Remodel. I found them from one of their business cards o a bulletin bard at a local grocery store. I had contacted 3 or 4 other builder/contractors to no avail. They either don't call back or are already booked up. I had one guy that was supposed to do it last summer but he got too busy. TCR called me back right away after leaving them a voicemail. A week after I hired them the guy from last summer called and said he was ready to do it. Too late. I and my brothers could have done the job, but I have more projects to do than I can keep up with. 

The sidewalk when we bought our house 30 years ago was made in 1926. We hoped it would make 100 years, but it was too bad to wait any longer.

New sidewalk construction at our house in Chaumont, NY.

New sidewalk construction at our house in Chaumont, NY.

New sidewalk construction at our house in Chaumont, NY.

New sidewalk construction at our house in Chaumont, NY.

New sidewalk construction at our house in Chaumont, NY.

New sidewalk construction at our house in Chaumont, NY.

New sidewalk construction at our house in Chaumont, NY.

A Long Drive: Carthage Hospital, Lloyd's of Lowville, Apple Store

 

           Bread & pastries from Mill House Market and a coffee mug from Lloyd's of Lowville. 

We put the Better Half through an endurance test Thursday, March 23.  We started the day by leaving the house at 8:45AM to take her to Carthage Hospital for a cat scan. She has been concerned about shortness of breath ever since the blood clots in her lungs as well as lingering effects of Covid. From there we drove 25miles to Lowville just to have breakfast at Lloyd's Lowville, a classic old diner dating back to 1939. 

This was the longest excursion we have taken since the BH broke her femur back in December. after breakfast she was somewhat uncomfortable but thought we should try to go to the Apple Store t Pyramid Mall, Syracuse.  I wanted to have them put a new battery in my iPhone 6s. So we did the. Took them about an hour and charged me $69.00, so that was pretty good. Put new life into my old phone.

Then we took a leisurely drive back home on US Rt 11. In Pulaski we stopped at Mill House Market where we bought some bread and a couple pastries. We got home about 3:30. That was a long day of sitting I the car. The Better Half was rather lame and sore afterwards . That evening both of her legs were achy as well as her butt from sitting so long.