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Good morning…the pictures are coming in of all the damage from Mondays storm. It’s heartbreaking to see the homes ruined by. Being flooded. The worst damage was in southeastern SD, one of the less monied sections of SD.
Was sorry to hear of your son’s health troubles Velda. And Judy.. I am glad your son is back in the hospital. As Karen said, he had big surgery.
I’ been following the news from London about Kate. Or should I say no news. The British tabloids are having much fun with writing and attempting to guess what her surgery was! I admit, in my mind I am guessing too!
Lyn

The big thing about Kate is how long she is supposedly staying in the hospital and how long she will be "recovering" at home. Like a lot of us are wishing that we had had all that leisure time after surgery!!! I was driving after two weeks on my right knee replacement, and grocery shopping two days after gall bladder surgery. Also grocery shopping a couple of days after c-sections when I spent week in hospital, back in the bad-old-days when they gave you a vertical incision!

There are very few surgeries that require two weeks in the hospital, and unfortunately, my son has had one! He is still in the hospital, but got the nasal drain tube out last night, and is feeling a little better, but still no liquids or food because some tests determined it is working, but emptying very slowly still. Might get some ice and jello today, but he is still getting TPN through a Picc line, and he will have to eat tiny meals every hour or so for weeks or months, so school he teaches at will have to make accommodations for him. He will not go back to work until mid-March, anyway, so there is a little time.

I have had some wheel noise in left front so am sitting in my rig in a truck repair shop behind a Pilot truck stop. Very happy they are letting me stay in my rig--big benefit when they allow this.

Morning Lyn. Hope the flooding recedes soon. We are finally getting cleaned up and power restored after the devastating ice storm north of me. Now we are headed for a warm up next weekend which with the snow melt another risk of flooding. Always something. Today we have clouds and sunshine and a balmy 46 outside will warm up to 57 this afternoon. Todays project is reorganizing my pantry. It is in alot of disarray LOL If the weather holds I might just take a drive this afternoon, we shall see.
Had some breakfast and now time for a shower. Get this day started.

SoCalGalcas wrote:I’ve been following the news from London about Kate. Or should I say no news. The British tabloids are having much fun with writing and attempting to guess what her surgery was! I admit, in my mind I am guessing too!
Lyn

Lyn, I confess that I have been wondering about that also - and also thinking what a major pain it must be to be a "Royal", and to be constantly on display, with little to no privacy at all.

And, it would seem, that it has always been a pain to be a royal, especially during that period in British history known as "The Wars of the Roses". To the extent that it makes one wonder (at least a little!) why the combatants fought so hard to become one (a Royal, that is) in the first place!

On that note, I will now confess (especially after watching a recent and very enjoyable film, "The Lost King":
https://www.amazon.com/Lost-King-Sally-Hawkins/dp/B0CBGPVVWT/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+lost+king&qid=1706203944&sr=8-1

. . .that I have now officially become a self-declared "Ricardian" .

What is a Ricardian, you might ask? Well, here is as good an explanation as any: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardian_(Richard_III)

For you book readers on here, I would like to share that I have just finished reading a really fascinating novel to that end:

"The Sunne in Splendour: A Novel of Richard III"
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003XYERRM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

LOL - Oh, yes, that Richard III.

I have also read the also enjoyable (non-fiction) "The Lost King: The Search for Richard III":
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CQY9FDG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o06?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The two above were really quite wonderful (in completely different ways), and I recommend both of them highly.

I have also almost finished reading (non-fiction): "Richard III: Loyalty Binds Me":
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HH71V6Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I am liking this one as well, but not quite so well as the first two - this one includes a LOT of quotes from still-existing historical documents from the period that are in Old English. These quotes are (mostly) difficult to decipher (at least for this American reader). I will recommend this book just the same (but not so highly as the first two), as I scratch my head wondering why the author didn't just translate these numerous quotes into modern English, and maybe leave the original quotes for the footnotes.

Any other "Ricardians" on here?

My best wishes to all of you. Sunny here right now, with more rain predicted to be on the way next week.

Anne

I was lucky enough during my 2018 trip to the UK to visit Richard III's burial location (old and new) in Leicester. If you ever go to England, it is a very interesting stop. They have a museum dedicated to him and have built a small room over his original burial spot in the parking lot: http://humongousukadventure.blogspot.com/2018/06/61-richard-iii-museum-in-leicester.html

JudyJB wrote:I was lucky enough during my 2018 trip to the UK to visit Richard III's burial location (old and new) in Leicester. If you ever go to England, it is a very interesting stop. They have a museum dedicated to him and have built a small room over his original burial spot in the parking lot: http://humongousukadventure.blogspot.com/2018/06/61-richard-iii-museum-in-leicester.html

OH!! JUDY!! Be still my heart!!!

Reading over your Blog post - and fabulous photos - actually gave me cold chills! WELL DONE!!

The true story of how Philippa Langley discovered his grave - under the parking lot (called "car park" in England) of an office building in Leicester - more than five-hundred years after his death at the Battle of Bosworth - is truly fascinating reading.

Ms. Langley visited this parking lot, and had "a feeling" that she was standing on his grave - it took years more of research, fund-raising, and permit-getting to finally have this parking lot excavated, where her intuition was finally proven correct: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CQY9FDG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o06?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The chances of me ever travelling again to Leicester - although I would LOVE to go - are probably slim to none - emphasis on none. Although I once was on a train that travelled through Leicester (without stopping!).

At that time I only had a very nebulous awareness of Richard III (if that!). It was only decades later that I became aware of the centuries-long controversy regarding his reign (which, as you know, still persists to this day).

Did you also visit his final resting place, where he was re-interred?



Thanks for posting this, Judy. Very interesting! So glad you had the experience of visiting his museum.

Anne

I have read many books by Phillipa Gregory that deal mostly with the Plantagenets. All very interesting, and I agree, life in the royal household seemed very disfuntional when compared to our present day lives. The English were very to join the household though. I remember the day Sandi corrected me on my pronunciation of Plantagenet.!!! I enjoy history more today than I ever did in school!
Lyn

Did you hear about the cat that got disqualified from a cat show for swatting the judge? He got tired of being handled, apparently. Video here https://www.cnn.com/videos/entertainment/2024/01/24/cat-slaps-judge-moos-cprog-orig-bdk.cnn

My son is slowly recovering. Yesterday had a TEE-trans esopahgeal echocardiogram/ultrasound to look for infection on the heart valves which might be source of his lung masses they saw on CT. Thankfully they saw no vegetation, the term for bacteria setting up housekeeping on heart valves. Today he will have MRI to check lungs and look for fluid pockets in his hands and lower legs as they remain quite swollen and pink now vs red during worst of it, last weekend. The blood cultures remain negative and his breathing sounded better last night, less wheezing. His kidney numbers are improved, so they are healing slowly. He had a degree of rhabdyomylosis ( muscle break down from infection and kidney failure ) and resolving that will require kidneys being thoroughly flushed - he is drinking a lot of water! He is dealing with 2 issues with eating: he can't use his right hand at all yet and is right handed and his left only closes part way , plus , due in part to his OCD and His psych meds, he has foods he just can't eat plus he knows what foods set off his IBS. His psych meds make him strongly carb attracted, a known fact in studies. I help him eat when I'm there, but kitchen keeps bringing stuff he just can't eat, so I supplement where I can. I think today before I leave here I'll make him his favorite toasted pastrami and Swiss cheese sandwich and triple wrap to keep warm on trip over (it's only 6 miles away). Last night, again they brought food he just can't eat and in the 4 days they have him on a regular diet, they have served ugly looking butternut squash 3 times and the big, stringy green beans 3 times, each in same meal! So his nurse last night ordered a late tray for him and specified a cheese burger. When it arrived it looked ok, was warm, but the lettice was completely wilted and the meat was about 1/4 in thick. The cheese had melted onto the plate, so I scraped it up and put it back on the burger which was on a little whole wheat bun. He ate every bite, but that was all he got, nothing else on the tray except little packets of mayo, mustard, and ketchup, well, except silverware. I take him cups of jello or yogurt each day which he enjoys. When he called this morning, he was in pain because the bed malfunctioned again and they could not get him into a position to try to eat, so, likely another meal missed. The nursing staff have been very good, and can't help equipment malfunctions. But it's frustrating for Chris. He badly wants to start sitting up in a chair but PT is waiting for a cardiac chair which allows them to slowly progress his going upright. Our Dr has been pretty good about updating me as have the nurses. When cardiology failed to call me as requested after the TEE, the RN looked up the report and read it to me.
I'm hanging in there. Going over to be with him from 4-9 pm. I tried going earlier a coupe days ago and like to never find a parking place, ending up 2 blocks away in the garage and having to hike back in dark and rain to get car out before they moved keys to main hospital as it was valet only parking! So, picked up car and moved closer and decided, unless hospital called me to come early, I'd stick to 4 when spaces open up. I'm tired, but getting a bit more sleep, as he did not call m scared last night as he had each night since admission. I'm eating my usual and drinking my water, though I need to pay more attention to that. During Monday through Friday parking is a nightmare until 4 pm so that's when I'll head that way.
Onward and upward.
Update, bed fixed and he ate most of breakfast as best he could with left hand!
Velda

I’m curious Anne on what basis you think I’m not a Ricardian.
Sandi

Yes, Anne, I did go to the church where he was buried. It is right next door to the parking lot. Apparently, he was buried in the original Grey Friars Priory church, which later was torn down. At some point, they built Leicester Cathedral next to the old priory and a space was between them which eventually became the parking lot where Richard III was buried. When I was there, it was a courtyard of sorts, with a small building preserving the grave.

It was interesting to walk around that area, as there are some really old medieval buildings that were around when he was buried, including a very old guildhall, which unfortunately was closed when I was there. (It was a chilly day, I remember, and I had done a lot of walking to get there.) Anyway, I spent several hours wandering around that area, and sorry you were not there!! Somewhere I have a guidebook from there, and I will try to dig it out this summer from my Ohio son's house.

monik7 wrote:I’m curious Anne on what basis you think I’m not a Ricardian.
Sandi

I am so very sorry to have made this comment, Sandi. I apologize and have removed the reference.

Anne

The rain finally passed here this afternoon. My power went off twice last night and I was afraid I was going to have another 3 hours of dark but it came back on. I got 4 inches of rain in two days and we are suppose to get more tomorrow.

I went to the Meetup tonight at the Mexican Restaurant. The food was ok but I have had better and the service was very slow. There was a Mexican Restaurant in Abbeville that had Mango Margaritas that I liked. I tried one tonight but it wasn't near as good. One lady had some kind of tacos and they were a wet mess. Eating out has gotten to be a "crap shoot."

I went to a Walmart in Lafayette and they had at least half of the self checkout lanes roped off and lines of people waiting to get to a self check out. They are getting ridiculous.

Velda, hope your son is doing better and all this doesn't get you down.

Martha

I went out with both my neighboring couples to dinner tonight. We went to a Mexican restaurant that was awesome. Pretty authentic, not Tex Mex and good prices. I'll go back. Sorry you're still having bad luck, Martha.

I got laundry done today and lots of little things. I'm going to try to get to bed early (for me). Night all.

I have finished the last fingerless gloves...yea and hopefully they will fit as with the other two so glad that is done.... now I need to concentrate on the shrug and get it done before I start another crochet project three at a time is one to many .... will that stop me??? probably not I saw a pattern for a infinity scarf that I wan to try hopefully when I really decide to I can find it again...
chilly tonight in the living room perhaps because I didn't put a sweatshirt on
It was shower day for mom It takes awhile with the shower and then setting her hair... finally put away stuff that sister sent for Christmas it was a bunch of candy so just been raiding it finally put it up and got rid of the box and brought back out the dolls that were displaced for the nativity set...
unless we got a bunch of snow think that tomorrow we will go for lunch drove by the place and at that time there wasn't much snow which is a pain when pushing a walker...
hopefully Judy and Velda's son improve soon and return home....
Sharon what is the update on your granddaughter?
Barbie is your rib feeling better or did you take it to the doctor?
you all have a great day
sheila