Katie and I spent Christmas in San Diego, a month in Vacaville, and back to San Diego for a week of annual medical/vision/dental appointments and everything is A-okay. We're now in Hot Springs LTVA, and it sure is nice to be back!
I spent some time overlooking one of the beaches in San Diego between appointments. They are re-doing this one, and had planted a huge palm tree in the sand. I wonder how deep they had to dig the hole to anchor it, and keep it from falling in future windstorms and sand erosion.
The beach was blocked off but we had a nice view from the parking lot above.
It will sure make for some beautiful sunset photos for many years to come.
I haven't posted for a while because I've had some issues. I was having a lot of problems with my laptop and it finally died. Luckily I have Carbonite and a Seagate back-up drive. I ended up buying a new computer and have spent a week re-installing programs and documents, photos, etc.
After my last appointment on Friday I took off, driving through the mountains on I-8 headed for Hot Springs. I've never driven in such wind! It was so bad I was being blown all over the road and it took all my concentration and strength and constant gripping of the wheel with both hands to stay in my lane. My fingers were numb and I was having to shake them to stop the numbness. It was a gruelling drive.
A word of advice: If this happens to you, get off the road and wait it out. I'll never drive through a windstorm like that again. My main concern was keeping The Palms in our lane and somehow I felt I was committed and just kept going. I didn't think about what was happening to my hands. I finally made it, and found a nice little site and settled in. Saturday morning I woke up and started cleaning, arranging, re-arranging... pretty much the whole day was spent getting organized. I was just a happy little camper!
I woke up on Sunday with such pain in both my thumbs and my left wrist that they were useless. It's now Friday and so far there's no improvement, maybe my right thumb is a little better.
I did call my doctor. I'm on a new med for my bones - I'm at the right place according to my bone density scan to start taking a medicine to keep my bones strong and I thought maybe my thumb and wrist issues were a side effect of this new pill. The doctor said the medicine had nothing to do with the pain I'm having.
The only thing I can think of is that I strained the tendons with the constant, hard gripping of the steering while driving through the mountains, and have acute tendinitis. I have some pain meds from my surgery last year that I never used, so I'm taking those now, and they are helping. I've fashioned a lovely sling from one of the neck scarves I bought in Vacaville and sometimes I'll rest my left hand in it. In the meantime, I'm pretty much left with four fingers on my right hand that I can use with no pain, but no thumbs and no left hand. Hopefully they will heal soon. I have been keeping up with your posts, but I can't type without it hurting, so I won't be posting for at least a few days, maybe longer, and that's why. :(
If you have any healing prayers, please send them up for me. It's kind of funny that I completed a week of tests and exams and have excellent health, my teeth are great, my eyes are just fine, and I'm pretty much useless because of a drive through the windy mountains. I think God punked me. :)
In the meantime, Katie and I are happily settled in a nice little site with birds and bunnies out the window to watch. We're quite a ways from from the trash dumpster, so every day or so we take a good walk to take out the trash. We've had nice sunny days, cold cloudy days and some rain and wind so far, so the weather has been interesting.
We are right on a side road, off the main road going through the campground, so I have a nice view of all the people coming and going to the spa and the garbage dump.
I like bushes around The Palms, and have put out some seed for the critters.
I need to rethink they way I'm storing some of my clothes. I noticed an ad in the The Costco Connection, a little monthly magazine mailed out by Costco with some articles, some ads, etc. One of the ads this month is for Ziploc Space Bags. I want to put some of my out-of-season clothing into vacuum bags and store them under my couch. I've searched, but can't find them on-line. According to this ad, they are "New" at Costco. Do any of you have them? If so, would you leave a comment and let me know - are they stand-alone bags or do you need a device to suck out the air. And if they don't need a device, do they work well?
And...A BIG WELCOME to our latest follower, New Age Nomad - Adventure's of a Nomadic,Van-Dwelling, Minimalist, Living Rent Free, Off The Grid. Sounds good, right??? I've got to go through the posts and see what he's up to, he started this blog in September 2012, so it should be pretty easy to start at the beginning. So far I've learned he has a beautiful dog, Candy, and takes gorgeous photos of Yuma sunsets - just gorgeous! Thanks for following along with us, welcome aboard, New Age Nomad! :)
From Me and My Dog, have a great weekend, everyone! :)
Hi, sure hope you feel better soon. We drove once (and once only) in wind like that when we had our Class C. Ken said he would never do that again. I know what you mean by white knuckle, because his were literally white from hanging on.
ReplyDeleteSpace bags are available just about anywhere. Walmart carries them so does Amazon..here is a link on Amazon but just key in space bags in the Amazon search. They are really great, I love them..http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=space+bags
You didn't say what med you were taking, but several years ago I took Boniva for about 10 months, ignoring all the aches and pains I developed. My bones hurt - the entire skeletal system; my teeth hurt; I developed a frozen shoulder and had to have rotator cuff surgery, and many other symptoms. Now I have suffered much bone loss in my jaw, and when I think of how I was told this med would be good for my bones I just can't stand it. If you have persistent pain for much longer I'd stop the med if I were you. The doctors who prescribe this stuff know very little about it or the possible side effects, and they are too young usually to empathize with you. Just my experience.
ReplyDeletewelcome back... I've missed you. Sorry you are hurting, that is no fun. Getting older is definitely not for sissies!
ReplyDeleteI don't think palm trees have much in the way of roots. When you see them, you wonder how they manage to stay upright with so little going into the soil. I sure hope your pain improves quickly. It is always a concern with new medication. If it doesn't improve pretty quickly, I would check back with the doc after looking at the possible side effects on the medication.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry you have all this pain. You can google your medication and see the side effects for yourself. Great to have you back, have missed your posts.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you and Katie are relatively okay - great except for the hand issues. I now that hanging on for dear life in the wind would make your hands hurt but I'm not sure it would do that kind of damage. Definitely check on that medication.
ReplyDeleteI have the space bags, you need a vacuum cleaner to suck the air out. I really do like mine. They store just about flat. Be careful to not overfill.There also some bags at Walmart that does not require a vacuum, just fill, throw your body on top to squeeze air out and zip. these work well too.
ReplyDeleteGlad you are, once again, a Happy Camper. Even with the hand pain which I feel sure will subside. Also glad to know that Katie has bunny neighbors to keep her occupied!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear from you!! Sorry you aren't feeling up to snuff & hope/praying for a speedy recovery. I know the wind can be fearsome & trying when driving...
ReplyDeleteWelcome back! Sorry you are having this pain in you hands. You might soak them a couple times a day ite would ease it a bit.
ReplyDeleteHave used Space Bags and find they work great. The large size holds 2kings sized crochet quilts.
I used these bags when I had to travel with my job and had to rent my house out. Everything I owned was stored in my daughter's attic.
About 6 months, ago I opened one bag that had several tablecloths, napkins and extra sheets, all was in fine shape just needed a run through the wash to freshen up.
I bought them at wAL-MART and you do not need a vacuum to seal. You can open and close as many times as you like.
It's good to hear from you. The Palms looks so at home parked there in the desert.
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better soon!
I'll bet you are thrilled to be back where you are again. It looks like a neat place. Take care of yourself & your hands. Maybe you aggravated your wrists to irritate the nerves, which will effect your hands. It's no fun fighting those kind of winds for sure!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear of your pain. Soak in warm water and epson salts may help. My husband and I had to stop taking Alendronate Sodium (a generic of Fosamax) as it caused hip pain for us. Doctors deny this but we know the pain stopped. Missed your posts, hope you get better soon. Barbara in Florida
ReplyDeleteHey Barbara, Great to see you back in Blogland. I once pulled off the road into a Walmart at 1 o'clock in the afternoon due to high winds. It's no fun driving in that for sure. There were 26 rigs in the parking lot that afternoon !
ReplyDeleteI'm still hoping to take a scoot out to Holtville to see Peter and Bea. Great Folks they are. If you see a white van with "Island Tours" on it that would be them.
Hope your hand gets better real soon.
So glad to see you back on but very sorry about your storm experience and the resulting hand pain. Hate to say it but I believe the pain may be the result of ur new meds. I was put on Zometa which is an iv bone medicine. The first dose gave me much bone pain all over my body but especially my legs....felt like I had a bad case of flu. You have to do what is best for you but when you're able, please check out the side effects. The doctors will tell you it isn't that but it hasn't been out there long enough for them to know the long term effects. We are basicaly guinea pigs right now. Walking is one of the best things you can do for your bones and you do that. Already sent up a prayer when I started reading your column today and will continue to do so. When ur able please let us know how ur doing. I've used the bags too, they are great...the ones I use you need a vacuum to extract the air. Glad you're back to the life you love and hoping you will be back to using your hands very soon. If you stop the meds and the pain goes away you will know for sure. You may be like me and just be one of the few who's body cannot tolerate it. Prayers for you and Katie.
ReplyDeleteI did the same thing to my hands and thumbs driving in bad winds. Never did that again either. If you have icy hot or other rub use it and rub it in good. It will take a few days.
ReplyDeleteThose bags are in Walmart that's where I bought mine last year to pack things for extra room. I put them on the bottom of heavier things and they stayed. You can just sit on them slowly and they will flatten out. I know it sounds silly but it works quite well.
I'm so sorry about your hands. It could be you're having a reaction to the medicine triggered by the drive. I've never been a believer in the meds for osteoporosis. I'm amazed that they advertise prescription drugs on TV, and then note the laundry list of side effects up to and including dying! I do take Centrum Silver once. Of course this is coming from someone lying on her back after bone surgery so take it with a grain of salt.
ReplyDeleteMust be the week for new computers and the dreaded task of transferring files. You're the third person on the blogs I've read, including myself. I, too, have Carbonite but I only wanted to bring certain files over to the new computer. It's peace of mind to know my pictures and music are backed up. The old computer is still working-very slowly, but working so it may become my in-house back up! I need to get Carbonite switched over to the new one. It sure has opened up my word because I can lay on the couch and catch up on what everyone is doing. I sure have missed my blogs!
I hope the next time you post, your hands are better. Keep us posted. Pats to Katie.
I put my out-of-season or other spare clothing in the Eagle Creek packing envelopes. These are great. You can fold neatly, using their guide form; keep wrinkle free; stack them up in any orientation, even shelved like books; and they provide easy access to the pieces of clothing - or whatever you have stored in there.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rei.com/product/796369/eagle-creek-pack-it-folder-18
I get them on sale at Sierra Trading Post for a lot less than the MSRP.
I also have about a dozen of the plastic "air bags", which are good for linens or heavy jackets, but much prefer the packing envelopes for my clothing. You can keep one with "transitional weather" clothing in it fairly handy, should you encounter weather that you had not expected.
I use those bags. Got some at Target, some at Wal-Mart. Don't have to use a vacum to "suck them up", but that does make them smaller. They really work great on things that hold a lot of air like pillows, comforters, etc. I have a large puffy down comforter that sucks up to the size of a pillow. It's amazing, saves a lot of room.
ReplyDeleteGlad you are on the road again, but sorry about the injury. When I was reading about you driving in the windstorm I was wondering why you didn't just stop, pull into a Wallmart and spend the night until it passed. I guess you were so excited to be on your way that you couldn't do that. Hope you are feeling better very very soon!!
ReplyDeleteOh Barbara, I feel so bad for you. Those windstorms can be so fierce and it is quite a fight to keep the rig on the road. I sure hope your wrists and thumbs heal up soon. Hard to do much of anything when you can't use your hands.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're feeling a bit better today. I'm sure anyone in the area of the tank emptying spot would be glad to open it for you.
ReplyDeleteWe used to be able to buy the XL & XXL Ziploc bags at Wal-Mart but they dropped them. Most recently found them at Target. While it seems quite a few here have had good luck with the SpaceSavr bags from Wal-Mart, my experience has been disastrous. Out of six bags purchased, only two failed to leak within 24 hours of initial loading; only one made it a year. Only one of the Ziploc bags have leaked in five years. I wish I was able to be more supportive of SpaceSavr bags but must consider them a waste of time and money.
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly what I do. I only have out clothes for that season and the rest go into the Space Saver bags and then into the bins under my bed. I also do this with extra linens. It is one of the best things ever invented :)
ReplyDelete