NorcalGma2

NorcalGma2, 10 hours ago to Cats

It's a surprise photo of Byron sent by one of the grandkids just to make me smile.
It worked.
#Cats

NorcalGma2, 10 hours ago to random

Pretty sunsets have been scarce.
This evening is an exception.
Summer, my faithful sunset spying companion was in her usual spot on the deck, ready to listen, as well as imparting dog wisdom, as appropriate.
I feel like I can use all the Summer advice I can get, so I pay serious attention.
I told her about trying for days to get Providence to correct their billing error, which, if not corrected, will cost us $500. I don't understand why they won't help me with something easy for them to take care of, even if just to make me go away.
Summer questions if the level of stress is really worth it when I am still adjusting to quitting the thyroid medicine they had me take in error besides.
She says she thought Providence was in business to help the patients. I said I used to think that, too. Clearly, that isn't their end goal these days.
It's time to write a letter to the complaint department and move on.
Summer gave me a high five. She agrees.

NorcalGma2, 15 hours ago to random

While I was cutting up apples for pie, the neighborhood quail happened by my kitchen window.
#BackyardBirds

Two California Valley quail in the grass.
Two California Valley quail in the grass.

NorcalGma2, 20 hours ago to random

Since I mentioned Matt Beard already today, why not toot one of his paintings?
This scene is most likely pretty close to home.
I am pretty sure this must be a special place for someone, and they probably own this painting instead of me.
It is tiny only 12 x 12.
I love my small pieces because they brighten up small nooks and crannies in our house.
He named this 2017 scene High Tide: Empty Lot.
#MattBeard

NorcalGma2, 21 hours ago to random

We were supposed to host my favorite artist Matt Beard and his wife for tea in the garden this morning but had to postpone because of the drizzle.
It will be more enjoyable and less damp to visit outside on a sunny day.
Everything is soaked, but the raindrops don't make the roses less lovely. These two blossoms are on the same bush.
Today must be, bake a pie for my daughter day, because she is awesome and I love her.
We might as well send love to all of our Mastodon friends too because we can.
Good morning, Mastodon.
#Rose

A gold and pink rosebud covered with drizzle drops.

NorcalGma2, 1 day ago to random

Thank you for all of the kind words as I share the joys and challenges of our lives here in the middle of nowhere.
I do feel like I need to say that because my social media experience is limited to Mastodon, I am not savvy when it comes to the rules large and small which determine what is allowable here or might cause someone to feel offended.
I can say that I treat what I toot as if I were sharing with real-life friends. I never say anything intentionally to hurt, marginalize, or demean anyone.
There is too much meanness in the world already. I will not purposely add to it.
So thank you for grace and understanding as I navigate this place, that is, for me, a new frontier.
The photo is Dr. Summer who is giving her bear a thorough check-up. She says the bear is fit as a fiddle, just like grandma.

NorcalGma2, 1 day ago to random

I am sitting here telling Summer the newest chapter in my health care saga.
My daughter felt strongly that I should get a second opinion on my thyroid diagnosis. So yesterday, I did the fasting blood tests again and gathered up my imaging results and sought out a more informed opinion from a doctor who knows me and my medical history.
This morning, that appointment happened.
It turns out that the doctor who decided that my thyroid was atrophied and put me on medication was wrong.
I am in excellent health for my age. My thyroid is small but just small normal. Because I took medicine she prescribed, I am grossly over medicated.
I was actually fine all along.
Summer offered a third opinion. She thinks I should file an official complaint.
I think Summer is right.
The silver lining is that I lost 18 pounds while I was going through this strange health odyssey.
#Summer

NorcalGma2, 2 days ago to Dogs

One more Summer is sooo cute photo drop for today.
She is patiently waiting for it to be her turn for dinner.
The bear still looks pretty good for being one of her first toys.
#Summer #Dogs

Golden Labrador retriever resting her head on her brown toy bear. She is looking at the camera.
Golden Labrador retriever resting her head on her brown toy bear. She is looking at the camera.

NorcalGma2, 2 days ago to random

Summer is a helpful gardening buddy. As soon as I get out my trowel and gloves, off she races, to find some pots.
Today, we were planting vegetables in the big half barrels and don't need pots, but you have to appreciate her enthusiasm.
#Summer

Golden Labrador retriever having fetched three pots is trying to decide the next step. The pots are on their side around her on the grass.
Golden Labrador retriever is happy with the brown resin pot she fetched. It is on its side in front of her.

NorcalGma2, 3 days ago to random

Our first dahlia blossoms for this year.
Lots more to come.
#Dahlia

NorcalGma2, 3 days ago to Dogs

As the world turns, spins, and does flip flops around us, we keep living our quiet lives, mostly just trying to survive and be happy.
Summer is surely an asset on the happy side.
We played a quick game on the stairs before breakfast.
Good morning, Mastodon.
#Summer #Dogs

Golden Labrador retriever playing with her orange ball on tan carpeted stairs.
Golden Labrador retriever playing with her orange ball on tan carpeted stairs.

NorcalGma2, 4 days ago to random

I have been thinking about my mother today.
She has been gone for many years, but the Wailaki heritage she passed on to me, my kids, and grandkids is with us still.
I tell my grandsons that any benefit they receive because of their tribal affiliation their great grandmother earned.
She was a different sort of mom and not like the moms of my friends. I believe that being raised in an Indian boarding school didn't teach her mom skills. She knew a lot about cooking, cleaning, sewing, and, of course, religion because that was what they taught.
At 17, she was released from school to be a servant for a wealthy family. At nineteen, she was released from service and married my dad. This photo was taken around that time.
I wish she had different life experiences, but it looks like, in this moment, she was happy.

NorcalGma2, 4 days ago to random

Byron and Jasper are staying out of the cold wind on this blustery day.
They look pretty cozy to me.
#Caturday

NorcalGma2, 4 days ago to Bloomscrolling

We used to have a rose in a giant pot in this spot. When the pink rose outgrew the pot, we planted it in the ground.
The next year up came this rose sprout where the pot had been.
Because my husband can't stand to see a plant perish, he watered it and put this partial old tomato cage around the spot.
I told him it most likely wouldn't look like the rose that was there before and might not even bloom. But he didn't care and kept watering it.
Today, he got his bloom.
His perseverance paid off.
#Rose #BloomScrolling

Rose bush with many buds next to a golden lab. There is a plastic rack around the bush to protect it.

NorcalGma2, 4 days ago to random

Yesterday was a rough day for me.
Most setbacks make me slow down and figure out what's next, but yesterday, I kind of just stopped.
I receive my primary medical care from my preferred provider, United Indian Health, for almost everything. Unfortunately, most of our local health care providers are owned by Providence. So, if I don't have a Providence based provider, I struggle to book appointments with any of their specialists or testing facilities.
When Providence said they would drop me as a patient, if I didn't make an appointment to meet my 4th new provider in 4 years, I felt like I had to do it.
She scheduled me for lots of tests. Because the code they used was a wellness code Medicare and my insurance didn't pay. Now I have a fortune in medical bills.
I tried for hours to get the office to fix the code, but they have no interest in being helpful.
I am determined to go in person next week to fix this and will give up on Providence as a provider.

NorcalGma2, 6 days ago to random

These days watches aren't for everyone. Between phones and fitness bracelets, watches seem redundant.
My watch stopped working about a month ago, and even though I was sure it was the battery, there was nowhere here to get it repaired.
I hadn't really thought about why I wear it, now that I'm retired, until it was broken.
I am pretty sure that this gift from my son makes me feel a connection to his memory. I missed wearing it.
So I shipped it off to Detroit and was excited to see it returned shiny and like new so I could wear it again.
When I look at my wrist, I know it is time for a smile and a happy memory. It feels right to have it back.
There must be a little bit of magic in my Shinola.

NorcalGma2, 6 days ago to Dogs

We are all feeling perky today. I finally got some sleep as my hand swelling is almost gone.
Today is physical therapy for my husband, and his stitches come out tomorrow. We are on a good trajectory toward a healthy summer.
Summer woke us up with happy dog energy and hasn't slowed down since.
It feels good to feel better.
We agree.
Good morning, Mastodon.
#Summer #Dogs

Golden Labrador retriever and her pal sharing the brown recliner. Summer is gently trying to encourage him to move his hand. He is talking to her.

NorcalGma2, 7 days ago to random

I haven't tooted Matt Beard art in a while. I haven't been good at keeping in touch with him lately, either. I'm definitely going to work on that.
Today, I picked one of his studio commissions from 2014. This was around the time I started noticing his work and was buying prints.
I think it's the saturated colors that drew me in at the beginning before I realized I love everything he paints.
This one is called Finding California.
Enjoy.
#MattBeard

NorcalGma2, 8 days ago to random

I think I hurt Summer's feelings today.
This afternoon, the hand that got the steroid shot this morning was swelling. I decided to lay down with it elevated on a pillow, and I closed the door to be alone. I was afraid Summer would jump up on the bed and hurt me by accident.
I should know better because she never, ever hurts my husband, who is often in a fragile state.
After a few minutes, I heard a couple of big sighs just outside the door and then heard her slide down he door to lay there.
So tonight, when we watched the sun disappear behind the fog, I apologized and let her nuzzle my other hand.
She says we're good and she will be ever so careful.
#Sunset

NorcalGma2, 8 days ago to random

Even though I didn't feel like it, because of my sore thumb, I had promised my childhood best friend I would meet her at the Botanical Gardens for a walk. Her birthday is this week.
It was the perfect day for a short walk and a bench to sit and catch up.
When we were kids, I was the instigator, and she was the rule follower. I'm not sure those roles have stuck with us into old age.
I didn't want to pass up an opportunity to let her know I care, so I'm glad I went.
The tree in the photo is a dogwood dedicated to the memory of my son, at the garden, and it was in full bloom.
#HumboldtBotanicalGardens

A garden path with blooming trees and shrubs.
A rose bud in gold with red accent.

NorcalGma2, 8 days ago to random

I finally got an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon to fix my painful right thumb. I have been trying to get someone to fix it for the past seven months.
I'm excited but nervous to get an owwie shot. Actually, anything would be better than how it is now.
The office has its own little stand of redwood trees.

Purple rhododendron.

NorcalGma2, 8 days ago to Dogs

Summer says, take a minute for yourself, maybe even sniff the roses today.
Good morning, Mastodon friends.
#Summer #Dogs