Vacation Begins In 48 Hours

I'm very thankful for the new truck we got in May, this 2025 F-350.

Diesel, 4 doors, 12 cup holders, 4 wheel drive, A/C. Our previous truck only had 1 of those things, being diesel,

It wasn't set up for towing like they bragged, we had to put a lot of money and work into it to get it set up for that. So far, we've hauled Amble to Yakima and back and took the sxs out to Tahuya once and I'm happy to say it hauls pretty dang nice. Now we'll be hauling the sxs to Pioche, 1,000 miles, and we're confident it will go well.

Amble came home 3 days ago and I've ridden her but it was only a pony ride, she will not move forward for me. First I tried with the cheap Cashel saddle and it was a no-go, then bareback and that was much easier to stay up there. I definitely need a 3 step mounting block.

I've posted a bunch of photos of her with a cheap Wintec saddle that might fit OK but its not going to be the one I ride her in forever. I'm really sad the $900 saddle I really like doesn't fit.

 

Vacation Prepping

We'll be leaving home to go to Pioche in about 10 days and I couldn't be more excited.

I've been gathering necessary supplies and stacking them in the living room, I have 5 old kitty litter plastic containers that I'll use to transport our stuff, those containers and uniform size and shape, have sturdy handles and are waterproof.  I've got items ready to put into the containers but am waiting to see just how much stuff I'll have all together before I start stuffing. I already have one with food in it and I'll have at least one more.  I need to freeze a gallon jug of water to use in the cooler to keep things cold. So much to plan for! 

Lan has already begun working on some plumbing things; a distribution panel from hot water to different areas of the house. This consists of red and blue PEX pipe with valves and fittings mounted on a 2x4 piece of plywood; each one will be able to be shut off individually from the rest in case we need to shut off water just to the bathroom or kitchen.  There will be hot water to utility room, kitchen sink, bathroom sink and cold to same areas plus the back yard.

Thats one of the things Lan will be working on, I need to find SOMETHING I can work on while down there. If we had insulation rolls I'd be cutting it and stapling it into the walls but thats not going to happen yet. I do have cross stitch but I'm not going to use that 'work' and work.

In horse news: 

Amble comes home next Saturday. I'm going to have her harness there and ask Wil or Teresa to help fit it to her properly. I'm also going to borrow a saddle from Terry and see if it fits her. God, I'll need a saddle  more than anything.

I suppose I should start my Christmas Wish List, on it I'll need a nice buggy whip.

This coming Friday, the day before Amble comes home, we are having a yard sale, what I always advertise as the BIG ASS BARN SALE. We have a bunch of stuff already inside the garage, need to get it set up better.  Theres stuff all around the walls not for sale and we either need to move it all or cover it.  I have a ton of crap inside the house that I'll take out Thursday night and set out. I need tables and they need to be clean.  There are 2 picnic tables here, a round patio table and a tiny cafe table. I should sell both those last ones, or take the cafe table and its 2 chairs down to Pioche since we only have a couple camping chairs there now.

 

Read My Previous Post First

This morning, I woke up with a VERY SORE throat. It feels like there is something stuck in it, and I can't get it out and it hurts like hell when I try. The previous times I've gotten anything out it was bloody gobs of ick. I feel like the anesthesiologist used a throat tube much too big for my throat and she just crammed it into me anyway. The previous 2 times I was under it hurt but not nearly this much.

I've already called in sick to work and will do it again tomorrow.

We had planned on having a BIG ASS YARD SALE this weekend but neither of us is ready nor feel like it. Maybe next weekend but probably next year. I'd rather just donate all this stuff.

Because I'm not feeling well my defenses are down and I feel emotional. I kinda want to go to bed and lay there and cry for a while but that would just make my throat hurt more.

 

ARCP #2 Is Done

 Yesterday I had my second ERCP procedure, they removed the stent that was in the bile duct into the stomach area.  It was placed there July 2, 2025.

This is a picture of MY insides.

I had some discomfort immediately after the procedure and when Tylenol didn't help much, they gave me fentanyl. I was high and very, very sleepy. As far as I know, it's the first time I'd ever been given that drug and its WAY better than morphine but I would never let myself get hooked on it. I'd sleep through my whole life. I was so sleepy that after I got home I had a 3 hour nap.

As for other side affects, there haven't been any, yet. I do expect that I'll have some tomorrow morning and I'll need to call into work to get the day off and I suspect the next day won't be much better.

The ONLY person who called to check up on me was my farrier. MY FARRIER. What a great guy.

In other horse news, I haven't heard much from the trainers but every time we go see Amble she is doing well. 

Bad news is that Kitsap County has some hair brained idea that ALL horse facilities and farms need to be eradicated from the county and everyone will need farm plans, no equipment can be seen from the roads, all infrastructure (barns, sheds) have to be 50 feet from the property lines and all paddocks have to be 200 feet away from property lines; our property is only 160 feet wide by 1400 feet long. There is a meeting at the courthouse Monday night that we're going to go to, along with a LOT of other horse people from the area. This is bullshit on the counties part and we're damn mad about it.

Another Vacation Just Around The Corner

 We'll be heading to Pioche again in just a few weeks, leaving here as early as September 18th and not having to be back before October 4th. Between then and now I'll be working full time and I'm sure OT as well, and I'll be forced to work other docks. I greatly dislike working the other docks, I don't know those jobs as well. The 'Triangle" of Southworth, Fauntleroy and Vashon Island are all confusing on the best days and when you throw someone like me in the mix there is a good chance of fucking shit up. Stupidvisor Phil made sure to fuck with Tim and I by making me go to Fauntleroy yesterday and Tim is at Southworth today. There is NO reason to do that besides their POWER. Irene told me it's because those docks had a lot of over time this summer, so I told her so have we, shit Tim and I had over 24 hours in the last 2 weeks, 15 by me. 

I simply do not want the stress of working other docks. Night before last I didn't sleep well, was awake every hour fretting if I had missed the alarm and was late catching the fucking boat; Thats not healthy. Then when I did get to Fauntleroy it wasn't warm at all, the predicted 80* was a FUCKING LIE and I froze my ass off because I'd taken just my vest, not a coat. 

So I need this vacation.

Between now and then, I'll have a lot going on. Tomorrow I'm working the Bremerton morning sellers shift 4:15-2:15 and after that I have to start getting ready for my medical procedure Friday morning. Getting ready will consist of a shower in medicated soap tomorrow night and no eating after 11pm. I can have water to drink up until 4am or so. I'll have another medicated shower in the morning, then have to arrive at the hospital by 8am.

What is an ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography)?

• This exam involves the use of a slim, flexible lighted instrument called an endoscope is passed through the mouth and through the stomach into the duodenum (the part of the small intestine that is closest to the stomach) to examine the opening of the bile duct (the tube that carries bile from the liver and gallbladder into the small intestine). A thin tube (catheter) is passed through the endoscope and inserted into the tubes (ducts) that lead to the pancreas and gallbladder. A special dye is injected into these ducts, and x-rays are taken. This helps the doctor see stones, tumors, and any areas that have become narrowed.
• The exam is performed under sedation to minimize gagging and discomfort during the procedure.

 

This is my second ERCP, to remove the stent they installed 2 months ago. I was asleep for that and will be asleep again. I'm sure I'll feel just fine afterward. 

I'm sure the stupidvisors will find work at the other docks for us to do in the next week and I'll do it but only to bring in a paycheck. I will not go above and beyond for anyone. 

Next weekend Lan and I will have to go pick up Amble from the trainers in Granger and I am looking forward to that. Mostly I'm looking forward to having her here so I can ride her.  When we do go to pick her up I hope to get a couple whings done, 1 is another lesson for me and another is to get her harness fitted to her. Shit, I don't even know if it will work with the cart I have for her.

Then 1 week after that is VACATION. I barely have enough time to make plans!! We aren't going to have loads of cash for doing all the work we'd like to do so we'll do a little work and spend a lot of time on the sxs. We haven't done that a lot lately and that's important to us, its WHY we bought a house in Pioche.  I want to some day take it to the Arizona Strip 

and ride all over Utah and much, much more of Nevada.

Labor Day Weekend

 I have two appointments at 11am today, one with a new dentist office and one phone call with the anesthesia office. I hope I can wing it for the phone call.

I have no plans other for the weekend, not even working, yet. This last 2 weeks I've gotten 15 hours of OT with OT the week before as well and that's straight back from surgery and extended medical leave. My check will be nice but it's exhausting working so much.

We had a shift bid for the Fall season (September 21-December 21) and I have chosen a 30-hour PT selling shift instead of being on-call this time around. I can sleep in every day, still feed all my animals and get home in time to feed them again. There is potential for a few more hours and I could potentially work another shift on my days off. If this doesn't work out financially for me, then its only 3 months and I can go back to oncall but I'll be expected to do graveyards a lot. If thats all I would have to do it wouldn't be so bad but mixing them up with 4am and 2pm starts is fucked up. I've offered to do the graveyard if they extend it to five 8's but 'we can't do that'. Well fuck you then, no one will do it.

Next Friday I have the procedure to remove the stent from my bile duct and there's probably no issues to be expected. Unless my stomach decides to over react to the non regulated bile or something?? That will be done on Friday September 6th. The following week we will need to go pick up Ambleside from her 3 months of training. I'll probably get a lesson with Wil at that time. I will FOR SURE ask them to help me fit the biothane harness to Amble so I wont be guessing.  I should ask what size shafts Amble will need so I make sure the ones on the cart are alright. I did tell Wil that they should sell me one of their marathon carts since they have so many. 

 Clay Maier is the trainer and I heard the other day that hes really sick and the lessons have been totally cancelled. He got sick in Boise and was admitted to the hospital where he had a stroke. I do hope that he's going to recover and continue as he had been before.

We drove 190 miles to see Amble and pay for her final month of training, the final $1,100. I've now got $6,600 paid into her for training, not counting the cash I paid Nina since she didn't do shit for/to/with her anyway. It was already 93* in Granger so I didn't take any lessons, we just gave her some loving.

Then we were on our way up north 200 miles to Leavenworth and beyond, to Index. There, we left the road and drove up to a gold mine and explored that. I don't recall the name of the mine but like all Washington mines, it had water in it, everything was slimy and it was chilly inside. We did see lots of Iron Pyrite so it had shiny stuff.

After we explored that mine we tried to find another trail to a second mine. We knew where the mine was but it was high up on the side of the mountain, only a mile as the crow flies but probably 2-3 with the downs and ups and switchbacks. It was already 6pm, it was only about 73* here but I was getting eaten alive by bugs so we decided to return another day.

That lead to another 100 miles to drive home. We had left at 8:45am and got home at 10pm. A long, nice day spent with Lan. 

My pay check showed up Friday and I was glad to see it was the full amount.  I have another procedure in 10 days to get the stent removed from the Gall Bladder issue and I'm hoping I wont have to miss any work due to that. 

Lessons?

Amble and I were supposed to have driving lessons with a guy flying in from the Netherlands Friday evening and Saturday morning, but they got changed to Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. I had to change work, had to use PTO, which I'm stingy with, and got a call that the guy has been sick and isn't coming yet. As of right now, we don't know when he might come over. As for work, I picked up two shifts, today and tomorrow 2-midnight and I'll end up having 8 hrs OT for the week. Last week I got 7 hours OT and I'm going to need to take it all as pay since I am so strapped for cash. 

I *might* get paid Friday and IF I do, I have all the money already going to bills and probably not enough cash to save towards our vacation in a month. Good news though, I *think* I might only owe another $155.

HORSE NEWS:

I have a $900 saddle I need to sell so I can get another one that fits Amble. This whole set cost me $1,250 and it's rare that anyone wants to pay good cash money for an XW saddle, rarer that someone will be selling one that is WIDER and God forbid, matches the accessories I've got. 

While in the tack room today I saw Joeys saddle, don't know if I can EVER sell it; there were a lot of miles with us riding together in the mountains. His is a cheap western Cordura that I paid $400 for in 2000. Once stolen, after I got it back I wrote my name on the cantle in thick sharpie so no one else will ever want it.  Wifi has a nice Bates dressage saddle and even though its got an adjustable gullet it will never be wide enough for Amble but I could probably sell it for $800 with all its accessories.  Theres also the Pessoa I rode Joey in but it needs cleaning up and I'm sure even clean I wouldn't get more than $200 for it now.

It's A Hot One

It's been hot today but it has been for a few days.

Summer, the weather I love, is here and I'm inside the house enjoying the A/C.

Don't tell anyone. 

Black Orchid Ambleside

This was the trucks maiden voyage with the camper and I'm happy to say it did OK.

We got a late start and arrived at the area we like to boondock well after dark, so it was a bit difficult to find a spot. We did check out Kaner Flats but it wasn't on the river side of the road, and they wanted $10 to camp and I almost paid $40 because it was dark & didn't notice till the next day that I had put two 20's into the payment envelope. It's a good thing we didn't stay at that campground.

So this is the view we woke up to.

Our morning lesson with Amble turned into an afternoon lesson so we had 6 hours to use. Lan decided we should go check out Boulder Cave (it's only $5) and after the Ranger said it's reservation only, he said there was an opening so took our money and let us go in. There were only 2 other families there the whole time. It's a short cave, maybe 100 yards long and pitch-black inside. Its got bats but we didn't see a single one, since we forgot to take flashlights and my phone light sucks. But we still enjoyed the trek.

This little guy was on the hand rail of a walkway and we're sure he was trying to not get eaten by the Garter Snake that was hanging out below him. We left them both alone.

And, at 3pm, we got to see Amble. 

I got to drive my own horse!!!!!

I have a long way to go with driving but I hope I don't do her, or me, any harm. I definitely need to begin to use weights, my arms and hands were sore after I was done. And my feet were tired after being on the back of the cart for most of the hour from leaning to the outside of every turn.

 

Days Away on A Mini Vacation

 I have a lesson on learning to drive Amble tomorrow morning and I'd like to do it as early as possible, as its supposed to get up to 91* over there. We have decided to go camping tonight so we won't be driving for 3.5 hours at 0'dark:30 in the morning to get there.

I've checked out a bunch of the camping areas around Yakima and a few of them are on the Canyon Road between Ellensburg and Yakima, I don't know if I'd want to camp at any of them. The day use is OK; camping is only $5-$15 but the people are sketchy. They'd probably end up partying all night & we'd get no sleep.  There is the Sunnyside RV Park and it's still reasonable at $37 per night with electric and a pool but we'll be there too late to swim and leave too early to swim.  I did leave a reservation request with them so if the guy calls back, I'll ask about late arrivals, since we wouldn't get there before 10pm.

I'm excited yet nervous to drive Amble and to ride her. I'm not nearly as good a rider as I used to be and I've never driven besides one single time. This is why I need to go over, to learn to drive.

Paid Family Medical Leave

 I don't know where you're from but here in Washington we've been forced to pay into a long-term care insurance for the last 6 years. They didn't ask us to vote on it, we don't even get a choice, it's been forced on us since the beginning. Now I am able to take advantage of it.

I didn't know about how this worked until after I got sick with the gall bladder issues but coworkers told me that I could get money. So, after I got onto FMLA I started trying to figure out the Pain Family Medical Leave, PFML. It was a pain in the ass, the website is through the unemployment office, and it was hard to figure out, especially while I was sick and in pain, stressing about making payments to bills let alone all the medical bills. It took me 3 weeks to get it all figured out but FINALLY I got the first payment, which was 2 weeks at once since I'd taken so long to do it. 

I was able to pay bills plus since I'd received a week on a regular paycheck, I had enough to buy 3 tons of hay for the horses too. I get a payment each week which is great but trying to figure out this new budget has been very difficult. Then last week I accidently made an extra truck payment which wasn't needed and then I had zero money for medical bills. So I stressed myself out even more over that. 

I should be getting another payment tonight at midnight and with that I'll pay the internet and Pioche house payment. I suppose I should pay that fucking electric bill too and that fucker is $300. UGH. I have to pay $30 for a pair of used riding breeches since the ones I have are size 7, from when I was fit. I'm going to be going over to see Amble on Thursday night, taking a lesson on her Friday morning.

Pacific Ocean

We went for a drive yesterday to Ocean City on the Washington Pacific ocean coast. It was about 65*, overcast with no wind, so a perfect day. We left home at 9:40am and drove thru Shelton to get there. Stopped in Hoquiam for burgers and a little drive in and they were GOOD, along with the garlic fries. MMMMM.

Got to the beach at about 1 and took a long walk north, into the area where cars aren't allowed to drive on the beach. They have the dunes closed off so the birds can have safety for their nests and no fires allowed. We had Clare with us and she was really good, on and off leach but when 2 other dogs approached us she was on guard. Good girl.  We noticed a LOT of dead crabs on the beach, not killed by birds, just dead & upside down. No big fish were seen.

We walked a couple miles before we turned back and once to the car we drove down the beach about 4 miles to Ocean Shores and took a turn through town. They're having a Harley thing so there were lots of bikers already in town and a lot more driving toward the beach as we were driving home.

It was a perfect day.

Healing And Feeling Well

 I saw the Doc 3 days ago and she said I'm good to go and can return to work and I'll have no restrictions. My return date will be Sunday August 3, so I do have a little time before I have to go back. This gives me time to go a little yard work and this morning I cleaned out about 1/5 the chicken coop. That shits heavy and the shovel is heavy, and the manure cart has a flat so I couldn't fill it all the way. 

I can't eat anything like strawberries and beans (I have though) but I can begin to test other foods to see if my body will tolerate them. Last night I ate half a chicken thigh, no skin, some mashed taters and gravy and a bit of corn. I did get back pain, so I know I over did the fats, but dinner was yummy. Today I'll have another piece of chicken with lunch, probably with some sort of chicken soup. Chicken legs & thighs are considered a red meat so have a higher fat content. I'm sticking to a constant weight and am NOT going to let myself get fat again. I know now how to look for fats and I know I can get by with a proper portion size, I don't have to eat the whole thing in one setting.

One thing that HAS been bothering me is that my eyes feel like I've touched the lids with stinging nettles; I haven't but that's how they feel. I've taken Dayquil yesterday and today and that helps so it's just allergies. I dislike taking any drugs now, I read that they're all related to dementia so I'm just trying to stop that BS from happening to me. Lan doesn't need me to end up like his mom.

Joey has been losing weight and I'm sure it's because Amble isn't here. It took him about 5 days to get over her being gone in the first place. He's 29 years old; I don't want him to be skin & bones going into winter. Wifi is fat and limping but getting around well enough. Amble will be at Teresas in training till mid September and after that I'll have to start riding her myself to keep her going. I'll have to join the saddle club again so I can go over there to ride in their big arena. 

Smoking A Roast

We rarely get to see my son & his girlfriend, they only live about 25 miles away but we hardly go there and they hardly come here. Today we're smoking a huge pork roast and they're coming over to help devour it.

BUT, 

the regulator on the smoker has gone out and wont keep the heat up. 

So Lan is off to find one.

The roast weighs 7# and its been in it for almost 2 hours. Its going to take at least till 4pm to fully cook it so time is of the essence. 

I've got potato salad in the fridge, I'll open a can of baked beans and probably make a pasta salad as well. R2 & Sarah will bring Kings Hawaiian Rolls or something like them to make sammys with.

I'm already hungry.

 

More Bullshit

 I've been waiting for 3 weeks to get paid from PFML (paid family medical leave) for my stomach issues and finally figured out the card was already here but I didn't know it. Now I have the card all set up and THERE'S NO FUCKING MONEY ON IT. Those assholes owe me 2 weeks pay already and not a goddamn dime. My regular paycheck showed up in my account today and its only half what it should be, so I can pay about half my bills. FUCK.

The power company wants 3 times the 'budget' amount, I have to make a house payment and I have to pay the horse trainer. No matter what the horse trainer is getting paid first. The fucking bank can repo the truck for all I fucking care at this point.

I've been in too much pain, received too many doctor & hospital bills, had to deal with stupid websites that are utterly ridiculous to navigate, dealing with the PFML that doesn't return phone calls, doesn't answer if I call and doesn't answer emails. Almost zero communication with them.

I just can't do this shit right now but now that I'm physically feeling better its been long enough that I HAVE to deal with this shit. 

An Interesting Week

 I ended up in the hospital for 3 days.

Last Friday was June 27 and on Tuesday, July 2, I was back in ER and admitted into  

St. Anthony's hospital in Gig Harbor. 

I had been puking and losing an alarming amount of weight so called Lan from work to come get me. I was scared but it was the right decision. I was jaundiced and weak. They gave me IVs and pain meds and it was more than 24 hours before I was given any food.

They gave me an ERCP, which stands for Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio-Pancreatography, is a procedure that combines endoscopy and X-ray imaging to examine the bile and pancreatic ducts. It can be used both for diagnosis and treatment of issues in these ducts, such as blockages from gallstones, tumors, or strictures.  They installed a stent into the bile duct which will remain there for 2 months, then I get that removed via the same procedure. 

I'm on the phone hoping top schedule another ERCP to remove that stent.

Friday September 5th is the appointment. Glad to have that set up.

Glad I didn't die.

Post Op 10 Days

 My gall bladder was removed 10 days ago and I've had good days & bad days but yesterday was exceptionally bad. I'd been feeling a little off for 2 days then suddenly yesterday at about 11:00, while walking through Costco, I had a ripping feeling inside, it felt like my belly was expelling the alien from the movie.

I could barely get out of the store, it just kept getting worse 

and I told Lan I needed to go to ER RIGHT NOW.

I sat outside while he got the truck and the ER was right next door so we were there in minutes. 

Then everything slowed down. This is a brand new hospital, they're using it but its not even completely finished being built. We had to sit and wait for an hour and the pain had mostly subsided before they finally took me back but 'Didn't have a room available' so I was put in a bed in the hallway, bed #61, and left there. A new guy/student came to do an ECG but he fumbled so much. They had put a privacy screen around me but if I was able to see people all around me then they were able to see me. Stupid kid didn't even bother to lower my shirt when he was finished. This was at 1:20pm

Meanwhile there had been a large car crash on the HWY so there were EMTs, firemen, cops and tons of injured people all over the place.

Doctor Ashley chose right then to finally see me and he didn't listen very well and didn't follow through with any of the things he said about me. He told them I'd need a CT scan and that happened at 1:44pm, then back to the hallway. He also said I should be in a room being monitored, 'ANY ROOM, CLEAR ONE OUT' is what he said. Then he said I'd be given morphine for the pain. I was never put in a room and never received any pain meds.

Doc Ashley returned at about 3:15pm, told me my labs had come back and I might have passed a stone, there is fluid in the area the gall bladder used to be in and my liver has issues so no more Tylenol. He prescribed an antibiotic and said I could go home unless I wanted to stay there. LOL. Hell NO.

We got out of the hospital at 3:45pm.

We came home and I had discomfort from bloating and gas but was so much better than earlier. I took an Oxycodone at 7:30 & at 9:30 realized its Tylenol so SHIT. 

Its the next day, Saturday, 6/28/2025 and I woke up feeling better. I'm only going to eat foods with super low or no fat, as I have been, and be sure to walk for 5-10 minutes every hour. I've got peppermint tea and ginger tea that should help with bloating. The prescription hasn't been filled yet and I've been waiting for them to call. 

I have a doctor appointment with Dr. Pai on Monday morning and I will ask for AT LEAST another week off work. I did say I was going to milk it but geesh, not by being sick the whole time.

5 days post op

 I'm now 5 days post op and feeling better than I had been before the surgery. 

They had me arrive at 10am and said I'd be going back to surgery at noon but the OR was ready at 11:30. The anesthesiologist was just chatting when I went out & then I woke up. 

I think I was home at about 6pm.

Thursday Lan had the day off and I was all drugged up and slept most of it. I did have to have a talk that its HIS JOB to feed me and its NOT OK to leave at 11am and be gone till 4pm. 

Friday I was drugged up and sleeping when he left to take the new truck in for needed work. The appointment was in Issaquah at 1pm. Lan left at 9:30 to catch the 9:55 ferry to West Seattle. Brandan came over for a bit, but I was still sleeping and he left. Lan didn't get home till 6pm.  I had had to fix my own meals and take complete care of myself. I was mad. I was on drugs but still in massive amounts of pain.

Saturday I told Lan he WILL STAY HOME with me all day and he did. Still on drugs but instead of an opioid, I took Tylenol , still pain but not as bad. I took opioid for bed.

Sunday we had free passes to the Summer Comic-Con at the Puyallup Fairgrounds so we borrowed the wheel chair and went there. I wasn't on any drugs, didn't want to be sleepy all day. We saw a lot of costumes, there were about 1/4 of the celebrities there that had booths for signing autographs and getting photos but mostly it was a place for hundreds of vendors to sell their junk. We had vendor passes and found that lady and returned them to her. She said she pays about $2000 for the booth for the duration and will make about $6000-8000.  She sells Pokeman toys.  Its all ridiculous to me what people will spend their money on.  LOTS of costumes including fat assed girls with their asses literally hanging out, cellulite and all. UGH. 

Still Sunday, we left the fair grounds and drove east, to Enumclaw. Lans family was going to have their annual 'Carole birthday party' at Freds place and that was fun.  I sat my butt down & tried not to get up again but I did have to push Severin and Aiden into the pool. There was a BBQ and pot luck and once again, Lans cousin Kendall showed up with no food to share and an extra teenager to feed. Shes notorious for that and I'll never invite her again unless I specifically tell her what to bring. We left the party after the food, a couple hours after arriving. I was tired but really just wanted to go home. 

Monday, today, once again not on drugs. I weigh 175# this morning. I haven't pooped in 6 days and the pain meds have me backed up but hoping I get lucky. LOL. I'm scared to try because that WILL hurt. SHIT, had to go, ran upstairs, almost didn't make it. 

Three More Days

 I've got 3 more days until my Gall Bladder remover surgery and I'm ready for it, mentally and physically.  I will work tomorrow, then I'm off Tuesday and I'll be getting the house ready for me to not be doing much of anything for a while. I'm going to straighten all around my recliner, since I'll be spending a lot of time in it. I've got easy to fix foods ready, like soups and some low fat cereals and yogurt. Veggies, fruits and breads.

My work supervisor told me today that there are several people mad that I have this time off and 1 girl even already got reservations for a vacation. Well, Missy, I'm higher in seniority than you so no matter what, I'd still get it off. Ross is ahead of me in seniority but his wife Cathy isn't. They want to celebrate their 30th anniversary but Cathy hasn't even requested the time off yet. Well, duh!

Today we returned to a 2 boat schedule at work so instead of boats every 2.5 hours, its 1.15 and Im like, they're cutting into my lazy time. lol

One Week Till Surgery

 I've got one week until my gall bladder removal surgery.

The hospital/doctors office keeps sending me texts and emails telling me different things and getting more and more info from me.  For the last week I've been pretty good without pain and being extremely careful eating. Small meals, zero to no fat content, healthy foods. I've lost ten pounds and about 2 inches off my belly.

My last attack was last Wednesday, at work. Bloating and sore back, pain in gall bladder area. Next week I'll have a lot of pain but it will go away as I heal and I'm hoping to do that without any complications or issues. I'll still eat carefully.

Saddle Training

I spent way too much time contacting local horse trainers and waiting for them to reply, and only 1 did out of about a dozen. Last year 1 replied & she costs $1,600 per month, which is utterly ridiculous so that's when I contacted Teresa in Eastern Washington and agreed to have her train Amble to drive. Teresa is a pro, a true pro and so is her husband and I am totally happy with their training of my girl.

This year the cost of $1,100 is the same and they have agreed to take on Amble again but to teach her to ride. 

OR~ carry my fat ass around. LOL

On our Nevada trip in April-May I purchased this tack set for her, it was $350 for headset, reins, breast collar and cinch. And danged if it doesn't match the $900 saddle I had bought her in April and it was just luck that it was a match at all. 

I had to spend another $59 on a bit for her and I've NO CLUE if it will even work for her but Teresa and Will can tell me if its OK or not.

Here's Will driving her and she goes pretty danged well.

They're going to put a month of reminder in driving, then 2 months of riding.

They will also fit MY harness to her so it will always be fit just right.  

I need to take lessons myself in driving because I barely know how to do it.

 

Truck Is Official

We needed to get the new truck licensed and had already decided to do it in Nevada, since we don't want to pay ANY taxes to Washington state if we don't have to.  Lan left home at 6pm Wednesday and headed south, reaching Ely, Nevada at 9am Thursday & went to an insurance guy there and got insurance for the truck.

Then he drove to Pioche, arriving at noon, where he went to the post office and made arrangements for a PO Box for us. After that he went to the county building and after they inspected the truck, saw that we own a house there and have a permanent address and paid them an additional $2,200, our truck now has plates.

At 5pm Thursday Lan left Pioche heading north and got got to Jackpot, Nevada where he got a room for the night at Cactus Jacks Casino. He left in the morning and arrived home at about 10pm Friday night.

In 52 hours he drove over 2,022 miles.

AND he brought home BBQ from 'Get Sauced' in Pioche!

 

Amble Gets A Bath

 Amble hasn't been bathed since last summer and today shes getting one. Its supposed to be 81* so she'll be nice and warm the rest of the day. Tomorrow I'll touch up and brush out her feather and see if I can get some good photos.

OK, got photos. This is right after I started spraying her tail.

Here it is after she was washed.

And 5 minutes later after she'd rolled.

Dirty side

Clean side

And after she had rolled.

I washed her tail with Cowboy Magic Rosewater Shampoo, rinsed, sprayed Vinegar on it and let it sit for a while, rinsed, used Main & Tail conditioner and a final rinse. Then applied Cowboy Magic leave in conditioner to her main, tail and feather. A while after she had rolled, I brushed most of that dirt back off but tomorrow she should look pretty good.

Wifi!!

Joey!!

I'm thinking about finding a local stable with cheap full care that's not too expensive so I can have Amble over there for just one month so I can do some intense training as far as I can and maybe, just maybe, ride her. 

In other news: 

Lan might be leaving tonight to drive down to Pioche with the truck to get it registered there. We've already paid the tax to do it there and DO NOT want to pay the Washington taxes, which would end up being about $10,000. Fucking Washington doesn't need to get one more penny of my money than they're already stealing. 

This Is A Bummer

 Yesterday I didn't feel well, woke up at 2am with my tummy hurting and I couldn't get comfortable for anything. In the morning I called in to cancel todays work shift, at about 2PM Lan and I decided I need to go to the ER.

A gurney never looked so good.

I was hurting pretty bad and of course the doctors were busy with other patients. My nurse, Sophia, was awesome. She couldn't give me any meds until the doctor saw me and it seemed to take foreverrrrrr. In real life it was foreverrrrrr. 

They finally gave me morphine for the pain and that helped a lot.

I was rolled on my bed to the CT Scan room, just a few turns away from the ER.  They inflated the bed I was on and it pillowed me and they just shoved me onto the other bed, easy peasy.

It was sorta like this but puffier.

They put me back on the gurney and took me back to my room where I was left with Lan for who knows how long. 

The doc came in to say I have 2 gall stones

Those little fuckers HURT.

There are 2 different kinds, ones made when the gall bladder isn't working properly and one made from too much cholesterol, or, at least I think thats what they say.

They did an Ultrasound and found two. 

My life will change, for the better. I'll be reading labels when I shop and won't be eating all the fally foods I previously chowed down on.

Today I had tomato soup, 5 saltine crackers and gatoraid for lunch. I used lowfat milk for the soup.

Rear Wall Rebuild

This was the houses back wall when it was listed for sale.

The previous owners were going to flip it and we're saving the old pink insulation to use again. We hauled all of it to the dump.

You can see all the old wires hanging and dangling, everything original to how we bought it.

On previous trips we had rebuilt the worst walls, the front and left side walls in the lower photo.

This wall was an exterior wall before and was difficult to tackle and repair correctly, or, as best we could.

The vertical boards are the same as using plywood now. He had to remove all the 2x2s and broken boards, a lot of nails and wiring.

Lan built this wall in a few hours, since he knows how to do it now.

That table is made of particle board and saw horses, we've had to move it a few times already and man its been handy. At least once a day I'll go through the house and put away all the tools so we have room for others as we need them.

In the photo below is the entire 20' wide wall, its about 9.5 feet tall.

The closet door on the right will be framed for a window and that closet will be gone. 

The door in the middle will ramain and will eventually go into a new bathroom & utility room, with another door out the back to a deck area.

This is the doorway, where you can see the original exterior siding. We *MIGHT* try to save the siding by using linseed oil on it. This wall though is going to be turned into a proper interior wall and IF we can save this siding, it could possibly be used on other exterior walls IF we go that route. I had wanted metal siding but Lan is not interested in that, he wants Hardi board but I think that would look ugly. This siding has a LOT of nails in it but those holes could be filled and with linseed oil it could be beautiful again.

This is the closet that's to be removed. We store all the tools and equipment in it and when we leave its covered by the sheet of particle board that's our table, so it looks like a wall. 

It already had the shelving and it handy for all our needs. I try to put all the similar items together so they're easier to find but Lan just throws things in there sometimes. 

Don't get me wrong, he's always been this way but this project has been frustrating to him in ways he's never experienced before. 

Here he is beginning with some wiring. There had been a useless light switch there before so he removed it and put in a 4 plug outlet. Then he built a small shelf beside it that holds all 4 chargers and the batteries for the tools. The trash can fits below & is easy to throw stuff into, with the shop vac beside it.

It the 2 weeks we were just there, it was only warm enough to use the fan once. Without any insulation its gets very warm very fast, and same with the cold.

The yellow ladder was gifted to us from Jon. We need to take another, taller, one as well so we can reach that high roof.

Our neighbor Tom has lived here most of his life, he worked in the mines when he was much younger. A few years ago he was able to go to one of them and he found the time books, found his name in some of them and he said he found the name of the guy who lived in our house at the time. He can't remember that guys name now, but I'd REALLY like to know who he was. I'd love to know the history of our home.

Thats it for now on the back wall. I hope you've enjoyed our rebuilding as much as we have.