Productive Day

 May 26, 2016

When we were at dominoes and there was a downpour, I looked forward to weeding my garden on Wednesday.  I got up early and wanted to get started before Claude came to hang pictures and fix the leak in my master bathroom  toilet tank.  It has been a problem for the longest time; Claude and Peter adjusted something, but it never lasted.  I got outdoors and the ground was dry as a bone, we didn't have any rain at all.  I started cleaning up under the tree, because I wanted Claude to spread the soil that was in my trunk.  My car picked up a terrible odor from the mushroom compost that was also in my trunk. 

Claude came about 10:45 and we hung pictures.  In the half bath he hung the stitchery from Vietnam, and the lavender wreath. In my bedroom he hung the print of my hemerocolus and the papyrus with my name; and the blue woman print in the master bath.  He hung Don's corn print in my computer room.

We went to Menard's for a replacement part for the toilet tank and an outlet switch with a breaker for my bathroom, as Jay recommended.  After installing the part, we still heard a leak.  Claude determined that the part that seals off the water at the bottom  of the tank was brittle and not sealing properly.  He hoped that Menard's would have a replacement, otherwise he'd have to go to a plumbing supply and finish the job tomorrow.  We were lucky that Menard's had the part.  Installation was successful, and we didn't hear any more leaks.  The association will be pleased with lower water bills.

We had ham sandwiches sometime in the interval.

Next, Claude worked on the switch.  That turned out to be the most difficult,  especially going up and down the stairs countless times to turn the current off and on.  I could have been more help by holding the flashlight when he was working with the power off.  He had multiple tries to get it working,  because there were other wires that connected other outlets.  Success finally achieved with the wires properly connected.  Claude left at about 4:45 p.m. I felt bad that we couldn't have supper together, but I had the Vagabond Board meeting at 6:30.

My last Board meeting as secretary.  I was happy to be on the Board, and glad that my term was over.  There was always a demand to attend  and the job having to prepare the minutes.  When I accept a job, it seems like no big deal, not realizing the responsibilities.  I hope I can learn to say "NO".

Sanfilippo Mansion

May 18, 2916

The Vagabonds took a trip today to Barrington, IL, for a tour of the Sanfilippo mansion and its collection of music players, organs, stained glass, Tiffany, railroad cars, and even a carousel.  Peter was at the Watertown Plank P&R at 8:30 a.m.; I got picked up at the College Ave. P&R at 9:00.  We had a full bus for the trip arranged by Helen Hankwitz.

We got to Barrington at about 10:30 a.m. and shopped the mall, which was a converted dairy.  We met at 11:30 a.m. for lunch at Chesse's.  Peter and I had pork with mashed potatoes and perfectly cooked vegetables.  There was also some nice crusty warm bread on the table along with salad.  We had a little time to walk to the Main Street before the bus left at 1:00 p.m. for the mansion.

We were greeted by our guide who took us through very many musical players, collected through the years Jasper Sanfilippo, who made fortune in the nut industry.  They are second only to Planters' in the distribution of nuts, with factories in a number of cities in the US, and now in China.  The architecture of the building was simply beautiful, showing off all of these instruments.  Our guide demonstrated many of them, talking about their unique features.  There was a lot of standing while he talked, which would have been a problem with anyone with walking and standing problems.  Some people sat on the stairs, there was also seating in some of the rooms we went into.  The theatre organ is played digitally and I'm glad I took out my hearing aids.  Phantom of the Opera filled the theatre with its volume.  We had to take the bus to another building that housed the carousel and the site for their fund raising functions. 

The artistry of this mansion was magnificent.  Nothing was left out that didn't enhance the entire experience

 

Sore Arms

 May 11, 2016

Ever since late August my arms really hurt.  It started with my left arm.  It was painful closing the car door, fastening my seat belt, reaching, putting on my bra.  At first I thought it was caused by carrying luggage on our trip.  Then my right arm started hurting.  I feared the worst: shoulder replacement.  I told Doctor Switala about it when I had my wellness check and she recommended seeing Dr. Mark Wichman, orthopedist.  I didn't want to see anyone because if I had any shoulder surgery I'd be in some kind of sling and have limited movement, rehab and whatever else it entailed.  With Thanksgiving, Christmas and our trip to Florida coming up I didn't want to involve any surgery.

Finally, I bit the bullet and on February 11, I saw Dr. Wichman.  I had XRays taken and nothing indicated that I needed surgery.  He was super!  He gave me a cortizone shot in each arm and recommended therapy.  I had a few appointments with a therapist at the Aurora on Loomis Road, where I did some stretching exercises, also an ultrasound treatment.  I felt great after just a few sessions and we agreed that I didn't need to come in any more.

Not too long after, my right shoulder started giving me trouble, but the pain was in my muscle.  I felt a lot of pain when I combed my hair, reached for the garage door opener, dressing/undressing, and similar tasks that involved raising my right arm.

In the news were articles about the benefits of statins to reduce cholesterol, and one comment that struck me was the muscle pain caused by statins.  I never associated the two.  I Googled it, and sure enough, statins cause muscle pain, even after taking it over a period of years.

I have decided to stop taking the statin as of Tuesday, May 10.  I will see what happens.