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.