Wednesday, January 27, 2016

January 2016 ... and the year ahead

January is almost over, already.  I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year celebration.  Here, we had neither.  In my last post I mentioned that I had been battling what I thought was a strange "chest cold."  My primary care doctor was not available, so I made an appointment with someone else in his office, but that day, December 22, we decided to visit Bulloch Hall so I could take pictures for a post, and I cancelled the doctor appointment.  After the trip to Bulloch Hall and writing my post it was almost Christmas and by then I was even weaker and could not think of driving to another county, on the freeways, for a doctor's visit (my husband does not drive anymore.)  From then on I was in bed every day including Christmas.  The only decoration I saw was the embroidery on a holiday jacket that I wore in bed as I had severe chills.

On Christmas morning I did get up to make coffee and toast for my husband and me, but went back to bed.  For dinner every night my husband ate Chinese food delivered from a restaurant nearby and I ate Chinese noodle soup.  On New Year's Day I tried to watch the Pasadena Rose Parade on TV and did take a couple of pictures - one of the Armenian float and the other of the Downton Abbey float, but then had to go back to bed.  (Click on collage to enlarge.)

At first I had looked up my symptoms on the web and decided that I had acute bronchitis.  After that I did not look at the computer at all.  I would not mention my illness here as I know this is not a fun subject, but I am doing it to avoid someone making the same mistake as I did.  This last week I took my husband to his pulmonary/lung doctor for his sleep apnea check-up.  When the doctor asked me how I had been feeling, I told him I was in bed 3 weeks with bronchitis.  He asked me if this had been the diagnostic from my doctor - I answered that I had self-diagnosed with help from the web.  After listening to my symptoms he said that it sounded not like bronchitis but pneumonia.  He was not happy that I had not gone to a doctor.  He added that with complications it could have been very serious - to life threatening.  Frankly, I never thought about pneumonia, so I did not look it up.  So, if you cough almost continuously until you nearly lose your breath, with chest and abdominal pains and lungs feeling crushed, bloody mucus, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, shaking chills, extreme weakness and fever, lack of appetite and nausea - that could be pneumonia and you better see your doctor.  Apart from being extremely weak and unable to sleep because of the noise from my lungs when I breathed, I was not upset about missing out on the holidays.  There was no one at Christmas time around here I could ask for help, so being optimistic I thought I'd get better soon.  Older daughter was in Pennsylvania and younger daughter was in Paris with her family.  She sent me photos on her cell phone.  I was happy to have Paris on my cell phone in bed with me.  Here are some of her photos (oldest grandson is in front of Notre Dame de Paris on Christmas Eve.)

After Paris they flew to Kochi, South India, to visit son-in-law's relatives.  It sounded like a great trip.  Then they came back through Sri Lanka, Rome and a stop in Venice.  They said that Venice had very few tourists - Piazza San Marco was almost empty.  Take note - the week after New Year is a good time to visit Venice, Italy.

I guess I was lucky that I became better by myself.  In a way if I had known I had pneumonia I might have become sicker, thinking about the consequences.  I think good and bad thoughts affect our health.  I never wish to lose control and always refuse to listen to the blues.  I do not like self-pity as it brings a lack of compassion toward others (as one is more into their own problems.)  I could not control being sick, but I certainly could control my response and attitude to it, don't you think?  In a way I felt lucky to have time to read some books.  One was about France after WWII (but it also included what had happened during the war as well.) Conditions had been terrible there for many people that, in comparison, the pain in my lungs did not seem hard to bear.  Because of his Alzheimer my husband was a bit confused.  He stayed in the kitchen watching TV, then when I came down at night to help him with his Chinese dinner, he always asked me why I coughed so much ... but he never complained about eating Chinese food for 3 weeks!   The cats kept him company but he did not enjoy staying inside alone for so long.

During the holidays the weather here had been warmer than usual - up to 78 degrees F on Christmas Day (25.5 C.)  Even though I could not get out, just looking at the sunshine pouring into my room made me happy.  That made me think of John Denver's song - do you remember?  "Sunshine on my shoulders, make me happy ... Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry ... Sunshine on the water looks so lovely ... Sunshine almost always makes me high."

Last year in January I had written in my post that the Cobb County Water Commission was going to cut many trees along the road including on our property.  See my post here.  They did start the process the second week of January.  I heard their heavy machinery chopping our trees down - it did hurt when another huge pine tree came down and shook the house.  I went out to take some last quick photos of the hemlock we had planted after Christmas so long ago, and the Oregon Ivy near it, that was already blooming.  I told the tree how sorry I was.

I cut some foliage from the hemlock tree and placed it into a vase.  Below is the vase shown in our back yard and inside the house.

The next day, our beloved hemlock was gone - it was about 40 years old.  I took some pictures of what was left.

We walked toward our neighbors' home - her beautiful magnolia was gone, too.  It was so sad looking at all these trees and branches on the ground.  It looked like a tree graveyard.

I tried to find remnants of our cedar tree, but I think it was under pine tree foliage and debris.

Then walking along the road, I did see the remains of our cedar, laying on a ridge.

After the cutting equipment was finished, the heavy machine that mulches trunks and branches came along and pulverized everything.  We watched as the machine came across our driveway - the work was noisy, quick and efficient.

The area looks quite bare now.

Unfortunately, they also cut our cable on Monday 18 January.  For almost a week we had no television or computer access.  We were surprised by the snow last Saturday since we had not watched the weather forecast for many days.  We did get the cable repaired just in time to watch Downton Abbey last Sunday January 24th.  (Actually I forgot to watch the show at 9:00 pm then remembered and watched the rerun that night from midnight to 1:00 am!)  Today is the first day I am back on the computer - have not looked at most blogs since mid-December... The pictures below are on the side and back of the house.  When the sun came up the snow melted rapidly.

My little grey Korat, Mitsuko, was pleased when my iPad worked again as she likes to watch bird videos on youtube.

Cody, our orange cat and Mitsuko were sleeping in an old box (it is warmer.)  I placed a new box next to them so one cat could move and be more comfortable.  But they both moved into the new box and left the old one alone.  They both have nice beds but for some reason they prefer boxes or bags ...

Taking pictures of cats is a special art (that I do not possess.)  There were lovely sun rays coming into the kitchen, but every time I tried to take a picture, the cats would move.  I took more than a dozen and only one is acceptable.

So January is almost over, and now we have to look at the year ahead - many exciting events are sure to come up ...




33 comments:

Jeanie said...

Welcome back. I'm so sorry you had to deal with pneumonia -- any time, really, but especially during the holidays. As you might expect, they watch me like a hawk when I start to get a little too cough-and-wheezy and have had to deal with that disease more than once. I'm so grateful you serendipitously ended up at the doc and got an accurate diagnosis. I know I should never self-diagnose but it can be very tempting and bronchitis seemed likely. Just glad you have turned the corner.

The loss of your trees is sad indeed, if not completely unexpected. But I loved your portraits of the cats and I think you did a far better job capturing them than you seemed to imply that you thought you did! You're right, though -- they do move and that digital delay is just enough to completely throw the photo off. Nice work here!

donna baker said...

Glad you are on the mend. My husband nearly died this past fall from double pneumonia. It is very serious in older adults with compromised immune systems. He is still coughing. Take care and hopefully 2016 will be a good one. Poor trees.

Geo. said...

I am so glad you got a proper diagnosis! I once had pneumonia and know how debilitating and confusing it can be. I too was able to be up and around, but sometimes woke all panicky and unable to catch my breath. With proper antibiotics you will hopefully improve quickly. The ailment can be very deceptive. Your photos of fallen trees are quite dramatic and, although I live on a prairie, reflect the radical changes in land-use underway around our home. We adapt. eh? Your cat portraits are superb.

Do take care of yourself --you are important!-- and accept my wishes for a positive, rewarding, healthful and --most of all-- happy new year.

DJan said...

Two feelings crop up right away from reading this: one, I am glad that you recovered as well as you did from pneumonia; and two, that you again have internet access. The sad loss of the trees made me feel quite distressed, as I do whenever any beautiful place succumbs to "progress." Thinking of you and hoping that you will be feeling tiptop very soon. :-)

Sally Wessely said...

Oh my goodness. Pneumonia is scary business. I guess in some ways, it is a good thing you didn't know what you were battling, but I hope that you never have to have this battle again. Thankfully, you recovered well. In many ways, you did the best thing you could do. You rested, you ate Chinese soup (I love it when I have respiratory problems), you stayed inside away from others, and you kept yourself warm. My sister and some of my children have a history of pneumonia, so I am very aware of its symptoms. It is a scary business.

It is heartbreaking to read of your trees. Truly, it breaks my heart. Take care. I hope you are totally on the mend soon.

Linda P said...

I'm so sorry that you've had such a rough time with your health recently. Staying put when you were feeling so ill thinking you would improve I can understand, especially when it was not so easy to get to visit a doctor. I'm glad that you're now a little better and have been able to write up this post. I know how distressing it is to have trees cut down as last year many of the mature trees that lined the roads in our neighbourhood were felled. The council did it in order to instal new lamp posts. They're not an improvement on the old lights. I could hear the noise of the saws for days as the men came and went and it was upsetting. The trees have not been replaced. By the way, the photos of Cody and Mitsuko, especially the close-up one, are charming. Take care and keep in touch.

Nadezda said...

Oh, dear Vagabonde, pneumonia is very serious illness and you have to take care, although you're thinking you're well. Eat more honey+aloe, it's good remedy for lungs.
Paris is beautiful with night lights and Venice is amazingly empty. I liked the photo of your red cat, pretty!

Z said...

I'm sorry you've been so ill and had to cope with it alone. It's sad that your husband isn't well enough to realise you needed the doctor. It's also really sad about all the trees, the landscape must look quite different. I hope the rest of the winter is kind to you.

Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe said...

You have been through a very difficult time but the good thing is that you are feeling better. I had that cough a few years ago which I also diagnosed as bronchitis but it turned out to be pneumonia. It takes a long time for the cough to go away completely, but it sounds like you are on the road to recovery. In today's times we rely too much on the Internet for answers when we should be spending our time going to the experts for our own diagnosis. I have been guilty of that too often.

Your cat pictures are lovely and fun to look at.

I am so sorry about your trees. That had to be heartbreaking to see. As with all life, new seedlings will grow somewhere else.

ELFI said...

à espérer que les mauvaises choses sont définitivement passées..
je compatis.. car je connais la pneumonie...
et les chats sont merveilleux... en carton et sur la tablette... bonne année!!!

Things and Thoughts said...

Desolee d'apprendre que vous avez ete sous les effets d'une maladie aussi mauvaise que la pneumonie. C'est soulageant que vous sentiez deja mieux mais il faut etre vigilant! Comment ces chats sont mignons!
Je vous souhaite une annee pleine de belles choses!
Olympia

JudyMac said...

Painful for me to read of the ordeal you went through before learning that you had pneumonia. Hard for me to believe that you didn't visit your local emergency room, where the doctors could have made a diagnosis very quickly, and put you back on the road to better health during the holidays. Pneumonia is very dangerous business. Your blog posts are always fun and very interesting, so I will take time to read again and enjoy the details about your family and the felines. In the meantime, do take care of yourself and follow the doctor's orders. :-)

Frances said...

Goodness, Vagabonde, what a time of it you have had.

May you never, ever, again have a Christmas/New Year's time like this past one.

I'm certainly glad that going with your husband to his doctor did lead to a proper diagnosis. On a light note, I must also say how beautiful your embroidered jacket is.

It's difficult to think that doing away with all those beautiful trees actually was/is for the greater good.

Your cats are beautiful. Cats in boxes are very, very funny. I am so glad that pneumonia has not reduced your own lovely sense of humor and writing skills. xo

David said...

Vagabonde, Welcome back...to blog world and improved health! You sure didn't have a great holiday... Yikes! As I've gotten older, my standard operating procedure is if things (or I) don't feel right, I go to the doctor. Plus I've had 2 vaccinations for pneumonia and my flu shot. Living with a loved one who is declining with Alzheimer's has to be quite depressing, especially on top of all the other issues you had going.

My better half would lose her mind if she lost TV and Internet connections for a week or so! We get so conditioned to these modern 'conveniences'.

You have a couple of pretty cats and its nice that they like each other... Our cat, J.D., has at least 12 places he likes to sleep and that doesn't count our laps! The nice part is that he permits us to live with him and serve his every need and whim...

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Pixel Peeper said...

I'm glad you are on the road to recovery...pneumonia is nothing to mess around with! Hopefully, the rest of the new year will be much kinder to you!

Love that John Denver song - and your cat pics. What is it about cats and boxes? My son calls them "cat traps." Heh. Whenever I packed a suitcase for a trip, my cats would jump into it and sit in between the stacks of packed clothing.

rhymeswithplague said...

I am sorry to hear about your bout with pneumonia but glad that you have now recovered. A good alternative to Chinese chicken soup is Mexican chicken soup (sopa de pollo) which comes with avocado and limes. I prefer mine from Las Palmas as La Parilla puts too much cilantro in theirs.

Denise Covey said...

Vagabonde, what a January you have had. So sorry you had pneumonia. When I was reading your symptoms, I thought...uh oh, pneumonia by the sounds of it. That is very serious. I'm glad you took good care of yourself all the same.
Thanks for sharing such wonderful photos. You must write/illustrate the best blog posts ever. I love coming by and immersing myself in your doings.

I wish you a happy, healthy February!

Denise :-)

Pondside said...

First of all, I am so very glad that you finally saw a doctor - even if it was not really for you. The result was what was needed - a diagnosis. I felt a terrible déjà vu when I read this post. As the caregiver for someone with Alzheimer's you are at such risk yourself. We nearly lost my father in November - it was pneumonia. No one knew how hard it was to care for our mother. It nearly killed him - and he was doing it with such love, compassion and care. Please, please take care.

Perpetua said...

Vagabonde, I'm going to join the chorus of people begging you to take care of yourself while you recover from what sound like a bad bout of pneumonia. It's a very debilitating illness (I had it twice as a young girl) and I'm so glad you finally got a proper diagnosis. The internet is a wonderful way to find things out, but it can't replace the expertise of a real-life doctor.
I'm so sorry you lost your trees as I know how much they meant to you. Trees we see every day become old friends and we miss them dreadfully when they're gone.

dritanje said...

Thank you for warning us all to take symptoms seriously - and so glad you are now feeling better.

It is such a shame to see trees being cut down, especially if they are your own trees. But your photographs of the cat watching the bird videos had me laughing so much, so, after the bad news, there is something to make us feel good again.
Thank you so much vagabonde, and keep well.

bayou said...

Dear Vagabonde, first I was so pleased to see that you had posted but then I am only so terribly sad for all what happened to you. I don't know what it is but it seems to me that this blogging world becomes rather sad. On the other hand, I am delighted to read that you have survived! Imagine what could have happened. I very much hope that you will learn from this and think of a rescue plan in case you had again a trouble. It must be so extremly consuming to look after your husband all the time.
I could cry when seeing all these majestic trees being cut - how utterly sorry I feel for you. But then I think, would you have been able to shoot such a great picture of the ginger cat with its blue eyes in the sunshine? I can only hope and wish for you that 2016 will be more kind to you and your husband. Please, as soon as possible, replant a tree in memory of those old ones which were chopped. Sending boatloads of good wishes et je vous embrasse très fort de loin, Anke

Glenda Beall said...

Vagabonde, I am so, so glad you are back on your blog. I was worried about you and now I see I had reason to do so. I know it is hard to care for yourself when you have the responsibility of your husband. I am only about three hours north of you so if you feel sick again and have no one to call on, please call me. I have family in Roswell and visit there often.
Your cats are beautiful and so sweet cuddled up together. Like you, it breaks my heart when a tree is cut down, especially when it is old and I have come to love it.

Mae Travels said...

Your ordeal sounds very terrible, and you sound very brave. Wasn't there talk of your moving to be near to your daughter so that you would have someone to support your efforts and make sure you were cared for? I hope this plan has a good resolution.

best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Shammickite said...

I sincerely hope that February will be more welcome than January! I'm very glad that you have recovered from the pneumonia, it is a very serious illness, so do take care of yourself especially through any more cold weather. We enjoy your blogs so much, we want you to be well! Lovely pictures of Paris and Venice, memories of my travels there. And India and Sri Lanka.... I would love to visit one day.

Magic Love Crow said...

My friend, I am so sorry, you were so sick! Please take care of you! Your family had a beautiful vacation! Seeing all those trees gone, made me sad. 40 years gone in a few hours! But, sometimes, it has to happen! We have had to cut several older trees down where we live! I love your cats! Give them hugs from me! They are so cute! Love them in the box! The one picture in the sun is gorgeous! The one watching your computer is priceless! Big Hugs!

claude said...

Hello Vagabonde.
Dis moi une pneumonie c'est assez grave quand ce n'est pas moins soigné. J'espère que tu vas mieux.
C'est triste pour tous ces arbres abattus ; je suis surprise de lire qu'ils ont coupé sur votre propriété, ici ça ne se fait pas. Marrant le chat qui regarde les oiseaux sur une tablette. Les chats aimes se fourrés n'importe où et bien évidemment dans un carton. Nous en avons eu un qui aimait bien venir se coucher dans le bidet de la salle de binas une fois qu'on s'en était servi, sans doute parce qu'il était chaud. Il se mettait aussi dans une coupe à fruits sur la table du séjour.
Prenez soin de vous deux.
Bises

joared said...

Glad you're back. By now I guess you've gotten the message that pneumonia is serious and you should not have ignored seeing a doctor with your symptoms. I assume your Doctor recommended you have a pneumonia shot that is effective for several years. I certainly agree our attitude has bearing on how we cope with illness. Glad that you could make the most of your situation through the holidays and hope this new year is good to you.

BeachGypsy said...

Hello, I stopped in to see if you had posted anything new and so enjoyed the nice long newsy post and all the pictures.....but so sorry to hear you've been so sick! Are you feeling any better by now? I, also, am so sad to see those big strong beautiful trees chopped down. So sad. Well, hope things are improving for you health wise and you are healthy and back to yourself real soon my new friend!

Down by the sea said...

Your illness sounds scary, you will lucky it didn't turn into pneumonia. I have known 50 year olds ending up in hospital being very ill with that. it must have been so sad seeing so many trees being cut down. I love the way your cat is enjoying the ipad! Take care and look after yourself. Sarah x

Shammickite said...

The last picture looks like it is from Downton Abbey!

Tamara said...

I hope you're feeling better now, it sounds like it was a miserable christmas. I love seeing those cats curled up together in the box, and the photo of the sprinkling of snow is just beautiful. May February bring you good health and happy times.

Pat said...

Dear Vagabonde I have no right to lecture you because I am an independent cuss but if I had shewn the symptoms you did I would have given in and called the doc - or more likely gone to see him.
Never ignore a constant cough and listen to your body.
You can't afford to take chances with your other responsibilities.
Please take your health seriously and look after yourself.
Sorry to go on but you know it makes sense.

I love the bird photographs. Who knew the Americans would fall so in love with Downton.

Vicki Lane said...

What a horrible holiday you had -- illness and then the loss of the tree. Your photo of the sunlight pouring in is gorgeous as is the portrait of the orange cat. I hope with all my heart that your situation improves.

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