Morphy Marches through 2015 - Part 3

This is my fifth 75 Books Challenge. I read about 300 books a year, so I'm not worried about meeting the challenge!

I mostly read fantasy, preferably urban, but also enjoy general and genre fiction, historical romance, classics, popular non-fiction, and will honestly try any genre at least once.

I prefer story over language and my favorite books are the ones I just want to hug after I'm done.

I don't so much review books as leave some sparse comments.

Books Read in 2015: 55

My best book of 2015 is:

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

My best books of 2014 were:

Quiet by Susan Cain
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Bloodchild by Octavia Butler

My best books of 2013 were:

Written in Red by Anne Bishop
Wonder by R. J. Palacio
Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

My best book of 2012 was:

The Fault in Our Stars by Green, John

My best books of 2011 were:

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by McKillip, Patricia
Bridge of Birds by Hughart, Barry
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Wells, Rebecca
Garden Spells by Allen, Sarah Addison
Soulless by Carriger, Gail
What I Eat by Menzel, Peter and D'Aluisio, Faith
Ready Player One by Cline, Ernest

My favorite books from the years before that were:

84, Charing Cross Road by Hanff, Helene
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Smith, Betty
Alas, Babylon by Frank, Pat
All Together Dead by Harris, Charlaine
And Then There Were None by Christie, Agatha
Crystal Singer by McCaffrey, Anne
Daughter of the Empire by Feist, Raymond & Wurts, Janny
Ender's Shadow by Card, Orson Scott
Essential Spirituality by Walsh, Roger
Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Fadiman, Anne
Flowers for Algernon by Keyes, Daniel
Heir to the Shadows by Bishop, Anne
Hungry Planet by D'Aluisio, Faith and Menzel, Peter
I am the Messenger by Zusak, Markus
I Thought It Was Just Me by Brown, Brene
Katherine by Seton, Anya
Kushiel's Chosen by Carey, Jacqueline
Little Women by Alcott, Louisa May
Magician: Apprentice by Feist, Raymond
Magician: Master by Feist, Raymond
Making a Literary Life by See, Carolyn
Marley & Me by Grogan, John
Nine Parts of Desire by Brooks, Geraldine
Pride and Prejudice by Austen, Jane
Queen of the Darkness by Bishop, Anne
Slaughterhouse Five by Vonnegut, Kurt
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by See, Lisa
Stiff by Roach, Mary
Storm Warning by Lackey, Mercedes
Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein, Robert
Sweet Liar by Deveraux, Jude
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Alexie, Sherman
The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl by Reid, Shauna
The Color Purple by Walker, Alice
The Courage to Write by Keyes, Ralph
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Haddon, Mark
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Shaffer, Mary And and Barrows, Annie
The Help by Stockett, Kathryn
The Lovely Bones by Sebold, Alice
The Stand by King, Stephen
To Light a Candle by Lackey, Mercedes and Mallory, James
Urban Shaman by Murphy, C. E.
When Food is Love by Roth, Geneen
White Oleander by Fitch, Janet
World War Z by Brooks, Max

Morphy's Mighty Monthly Reads for 2015 (Green Dragon Group Reads)

January (1001 Fantasy) - A Fistful of Sky by Nina Kinki Hoffman
SPOILERS: http://www.librarything.com/topic/185665
NO SPOILERS: http://www.librarything.com/topic/185664

February (111 Science Fiction) - The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon
SPOILERS: http://www.librarything.com/topic/187553
NO SPOILERS: http://www.librarything.com/topic/187002

March (50 Mystery) - A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
SPOILERS: http://www.librarything.com/topic/188601
NO SPOILERS: http://www.librarything.com/topic/188190

April (111 Nonfiction) - A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

May (1001 Fantasy) - Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay

June (111 Science Fiction) - Ringworld by Larry Niven

July (50 Mystery) - The Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

August (111 Nonfiction) - 1491 by Charles Mann

September (1001 Fantasy) - Deryni Rising by Katherine Kurtz

October (111 Science Fiction) - The Crysalids by John Wyndham

November (50 Mystery) - Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers

December (111 Nonfiction) - Krakatoa by Simon Winchester

Group Read Links: http://www.librarything.com/topic/184976

***

The LT Green Dragon Book Club's next meeting is at the Ridgedale Barnes & Noble on Saturday. March 14th at 2pm. We are discussing Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.

This and the next post will be updated, probably within the week.

***

Current Challenges

Completed/Total in List (as of 1/4/2015) - Added 76 books since 8/24/2014

Next book by favorite authors - 32/64 (+2) ("reset" when completed)
Next book in series by secondary authors - 13/47 (+0) ("reset" when completed)
TBR 2007 - 6/7
To Read 2009 - 3/5
2009 TBR List (different one) - 8/16 (+0) (read a book from all my best of lists each year)
2011 TBR Code List - 81/81 DONE
2012 TBR Code List - 72/81 (+0)
2013 TBR Code List - 59/81 (+0)
2014 TBR Code List - 42/81 (+2)
TBR Next - 4/4 DONE
50 Books - 34/50
Misc Books - 11/11 DONE
1001 Fantasy (Green Dragon) - 157/462 (+0)
111 Nonfiction (Green Dragon) - 38/111 (+1)
111 Science Fiction (Green Dragon) - 55/111 (+1)
50 Mystery (Green Dragon) - 29/74 (+1)
50 States - 97/150 (+1)
Around the World in 80 Sleuths - 20/80 (+1)
888 Challenge - 92/95
12 in 12 Category Challenge - 173/207 (+2)
13 in 13 Category Challenge - 34/48 (+0)
Mercedes Lackey - 90/129 (+7)
Complete RAT - 4/4 DONE
Book Crossing Top 100 - 102/117 (+0)
Top 100 Fantasy - 123/209 (+0)

*Other challenges*
One book per month from the Green Dragon lists
One Stephen King per month
American Authors
British Authors

*Possible other challenges because I'm nuts*
A to Z Titles
Catch up on years of published dates in the last 114 years

As of December 2014


visited 24 states (10.6%)
Create your own visited map of The World


visited 42 states (84%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

American Authors Challenge

January: Carson McCullers, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter DONE
February: Henry James, Daisy Miller
March: Richard Ford, Wildlife
April: Louise Erdrich, Love Medicine or The Round House
May: Sinclair Lewis, Arrowsmith
June: Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose
July: Ursula K. Le Guin, Gifts
August: Larry McMurtry, Zeke and Ned
September: Flannery O' Connor, A Good Man is Hard to Find
October: Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man
November: Barbara Kingsolver, The Bean Trees
December: E.L. Doctorow, World's Fair

British Authors Challenge

January Female: Penelope Lively, Moon Tiger DONE
January Male: Kazuo Ishiguro, An Artist of the Floating World DONE

February Female: Sarah Waters, Affinity or The Night Watch
Feburary Male: Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited

March Female: Daphne Du Maurier, Jamaica Inn
March Male: China Mieville, Un Lun Dun

April Female: Angela Carter, The Bloody Chamber
April Male: W. Somerset Maugham, Cakes and Ale or The Razor's Edge

May Female: Margaret Dabble, The Radiant Way
May Male: Martin Amis, Money

June Female: Beryl Bainbridge, The Bottle Factory Outing
June Male: Anthony Burgess, The End of the World News

July Female: Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway or To the Lighthouse
July Male: B. S. Johnson, ??? (Library doesn't carry.)

August Female: Iris Murdoch, The Bell
August Male: Graham Greene, The Quiet American

September Female: Andrea Levy, Small Island
September Male: Salman Rushdie, Haroun and the Sea of Stories

October Female: Helen Dunmore, The Siege
October Male: David Mitchell, Black Swan Green

November Female: Muriel Spark, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
November Male: William Boyd, Restless

Three Good Things
1. MrMorphy got his prosthetic eye today and it's looking and feeling good!
2. I'm number one in the state for March for Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature in QuizUp (like really, really ahead - score is four times the person in second place.)
3. I've been putting off reading A Study in Scarlet (8/10 stars) because I thought The Hound of the Baskervilles was rather meh (6/10 stars.) But it ended up being more enjoyable. I got a kick out of it.

Finished book A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Finished short story In Red with Pearls by Patricia Briggs.

Checking in on the new thread, Morphy. I think I completely missed the last one *face palm*

Nice to see you back in the swing of things, Morphy!
Glad to hear that MrMorphy is all fitted out now, but what are you doing feeling his new eye?!?

Happy New Thread, Morphy!!

Morning, Morphy! LOVE your thread topper! And hooray for those three good things! You are the Queen of Quiz, MrMorphy got his new disguise in place to keep people from guessing that he is a pirate, and you liked A Study on Scarlet!!!

I started reading The Goblin Emperor yesterday, and so far I am loving it, so you were right! Happy Wednesday to you, dear.

Happy new thread! I'm glad MrMorphy's prosthetic eye is working out well.

Happy new thread, Morphy. It will be a lucky month with all these lucky clovers.

Happy new thread, Morphy!

>7 alcottacre: No worries. It was much the same.

>8 SylviaC: Ha ha ha. For some reason it was out of place this morning and all I saw was white. It was pretty weird.

>9 scaifea: >11 _Zoe_: >12 Ameise1: >13 jolerie: Thank you for visiting. Have a nice day! :D

>10 Crazymamie: I'm pondering reading The Goblin Emperor again. *checks database* Ugh, no. I only read it five months ago. I've got to give it at least a year!

Three Good Things
1. MrMorphy got a lot of information at his meeting with Vocational Rehab including an educational program for entrepreneurs and a grant program for up to $7800. He's interested in owning his own business and his father said he'd co-sign a loan.
2. Got a nice haul from the library - 10 books!
3. MrMorphy is very happy with his new eye.



Finished book Rapture in Death by J. D. Robb. Finished book Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs by Ian Whybrow. Read book Daisy Miller by Henry James.

Woo-hoo for good things! MrMorphy's looking great, and I'm glad to hear the vocational rehab meeting was useful.

I'm still waiting for The goblin emperor to come out in paperback. Of course, it's not as though I'm short of books to read in the meantime ...

>14 Morphidae: Yay for MrMorphy! It looks wonderful and I'm so glad after everything that he is on the mend.

Those are three excellent things, Morphy!! And MrMorphy looks great with that new eye!

>15 Sakerfalcon: It came out in paperback on Tuesday. Er, at least in the US it did.

>16 rosylibrarian: >17 Crazymamie: Of course, he came down with a cold yesterday and is coughing his head off. Life is just messy!

>18 Morphidae: As long as he's not coughing his eye out...

>14 Morphidae: Good for Mr.Morphy - I do hope that everything comes out well for him.
Congratulations on your latest thread, dear lady. xx

Mr. Morphy's new eye is looking great! Looking forward to seeing it in person. And btw, isn't Owl Moon fantastic! & I'll have to look at what you have to say about The Speed of Dark I read it a few years ago and loved it. It kind of freaked me out a bit because I had an student with autism who spoke exactly like the voice she used. I read a part of it to my Future Problem Solving group because I was planning on using it for a future scenario, but an official scenario came the next day.

Hah, I just checked out the thread and I had the same reaction to the end as you did. Moon has a child with offspring. The ending read as wish fulfillment to me, the perfect, unimpaired child. But he seemed to have more personality before the treatment! Maybe it was because we spend more time with him before the treatment, but actually, an astronaut who spends so much time alone seems a perfect job for someone with autism. High functioning of course. They'd have to have ways of dealing with anxiety, or they'd have to be so confident in space that it didn't make them anxious, but I can totally see some of the kids with autism I've known adjusting to that life.

Mr. Morphy looks fantastic!!

>19 jjmcgaffey: Heh, no. But now I've joined him. Looks like we both got bronchitis. Blech.

>20 PaulCranswick: I do, too. Thanks for visiting!

>21 cammykitty: I've never given a children's book 10/10 stars. So, yeah, Owl Moon is fabulous. Re: Speed of Dark - I didn't get the impression he was alone. It felt more like he was on a large spaceship or station.

>23 scaifea: Well, he does that with or without the eye! :D

Hi Morphy! Finally catching up here. That's great news about Mr. Morphy's new eye and the new business possibilities.

I haven"t tried Jane Yolen yet, but Briar Rose is on next month's TBR list. I'm looking forward to it.

Cheers for Mr. Morphy and his new eye!

Ditto - it looks like it worked out great, Morphy.

>24 Morphidae: bronchitis is nasty stuff. I finally learned to just cough it all out the first day and then rest and recover.

The new eye looks great. MrMorphy made a great pirate though.

Hope you are both getting lots of rest.

Will you be adding your bookkeeping skills to MrMorphy's new business?

{{{{Morphy}}}}

Happy new thread, Morphy!

Glad to see MrMorphy's is happy with his prosthetic eye. It looks great!

>24 Morphidae: I am in good company then, Morphy as I have bronchitis too! Cough your way to a great weekend. xx

Hi Morphy, sorry to hear that you have Bronchitis and it seems as though a few of our LT friends are also suffering the same thing. Mr Morphy's eye looks good and glad that he is progressing well and I wish him luck if he sets up a business. Hope your weekend picks up my dear and I send love and hugs to the both of you.

Mr'Morphy looks great with his new eye. I'm so sorry to hear about your bronchitis. Get well soon.

Well, it looks like things are going pretty well here, thank goodness! I like the Katherine Kurtz Camber series. I have them sitting in a little tucked away corner, waiting for a re-read.

(((hugs))) for both of you. I hope some rest and relaxation will help make the stupid respiratory crap go away, away!

We are both sick as dogs. Had Walgreens deliver my prescriptions yesterday and just finished ordering groceries to be delivered tomorrow. Sometimes I don't even have the brain power to read so I watch Disney flicks. I'll post again when I have a brain.

Oh dang, Morphy. Get better soon!

Rest and recuperate...and we'll be here when you feel like coming around again.

Great that MrMorphy is happy with his new eye. Sorry about your bronchitis. :( I hope you get better soon. We'd be sad to not have you at our book club next week!

>38 The_Hibernator: Normally I'd say it's not a problem. But it's day 4 for me and day 5 for him and it's not getting any better, in fact it seems to be getting worse. So who knows. If we're not feeling better by Wednesday, we'll go to urgent care, no matter how exhausted we are.

Feel better soon, Morphy and MrMorphy!

I hope it doesn't come to urgent care Morphy! But if you have to, do it! I know how hard it is to go to the doctor when you're feeling terrible. I was going through that problem the last couple of weeks. Hopefully we'll see you on Saturday. If not, there's always next month, don't worry!

Have you finished the book yet?

***healing mojo**** flying to you! I hope a trip to Urgent Care, if it comes to that, will bring some good powerful whammie meds which will send this stupid bug on its way out of your lives.

>39 Morphidae: That's not good. I don't suppose you'd consider going in sooner?

Healiing hugs to you and MrMorphy. Bronchitis is nasty.

Sending healing wishes to you and MrMorphy to get the bronchitis out of your systems. That sort of thing is so nasty when it lingers on and on.

>18 Morphidae: Ooh, then I'll have to pay a visit to Forbidden Planet this week! They get the US imports and usually have them on street date. Sadly, I'm not sure Goblin emperor has been even published in a UK edition ; it's amazing (and saddening) how much fantasy is only published on one side of the Atlantic.

We'd love to go sooner and decided to today but we have a couple of roadblocks. MrMorphy is too sick to deal with my wheelchair. Our doctor isn't available until Wednesday. Then the uncertain timing of Urgent Care plus MetroMobility would be a nightmare. So we'll take MetroMobility to see our doctor Wednesday afternoon. If MrMorphy feels up to by then, we can cancel MetroMobility up to an hour ahead of time.

I can't remember the last time I was this sick. MrMorphy and I both want to die and are "arguing" about who gets to go first.

>45 Morphidae: You are bringing back terrible memories for me. I am so very sorry that you are both dealing with this. Keep up with your fluids to keep the stuff in your lungs as liquid as possible. NO idea why you wouldn't want to spend unknown and uncontrolled amounts of time waiting around when you already want to die. :-). Wish I could change the circumstances so that you could be seen today.

* using my magic wand, I get all of the nastiness out of your lungs and MrMorphy's lungs *
* follow up with healing hugs for you both *

Sorry to discover that you are both sick! Here is hoping you both get well soon!

Get well soon, both of you.

Sorry to hear that both you and Mr. M are suffering, hope you recover soon!

Morphy, I hope your doctors visits tomorrow bring relief to both of you.

Best of luck to both of you--heal soon!!! Thinking of you.

Just got back from the doc.

We have a particularly nasty virus that is going around. It's taking people three to four weeks to completely recover from. She gave me a prescription for Robitussin, one to MrMorphy for Prednisone, and one to both of us for some type of "pearls" that will also help with the cough. (Heh, just looked it up - Tessalon Perles.)

It's going to be a couple more days I think before I'm up to posting. I'm exhausted after the doctor trip.

>52 Morphidae: Was thinking about you today, I was afraid the trip to the doctor's would wear you all out. So glad it hadn't turned into pneumonia. Not happy to hear it is so a long-lived virus. Get lots of rest.

{{{Morphy}}} - you don't mind the gloves and face mask I'm wearing, do you?

Glad to hear the doc recognized what you have and it has an endpoint - even if all they can offer is palliative care, it's good to know what's going on. Conserve your energies, relax, and concentrate on getting better. See you when you can!

Hope you feel better soon :)

Hot tea, lemon, honey, and sympathy for you both!

Thinking of you and the Mister, Morphy. Get well!!

Get-well wishes to you and MrM! Hope the meds help and you both are recovered from all your health woes soon!

Missed the jump to the new thread. Hoping the drugs help with your nasty bug.

Oh pooh, you are both sick. Heal well, Morphies.

I hope you're having a restful weekend and that you both feel better soon! There have been colds and sickish yuck going around the house here... I was miserable a week ago and am hoping to escape a second round.

I hope you and MrM are starting to feel better. Wrap up, cuddle with Maia, and relax with a warm drink and good book or movie.

Missed you at the book club today Morphy! Hope you feel better soon!

We're slooooowly getting better. There have been actual smiles and even a chuckle or two in the Morphy household. It's Day 10 for MrMorphy and Day 9 for me. This is ridunkulous.

Glad to hear the light at the end of the tunnel has been seen!

Hi Morphy, wishing you and Mr Morphy a Very Happy Sunday my dear.

Thinking of you two, as always. Get better!

Hurrah for chuckles in the Morphy household.

Trust they ease you toward a lovely Sunday.

Morphy I'm sorry to hear you and Mr. Morphy are sick. I hope you feel better soon. My Freddy is just recovering from trachitis followed by a really bad sinusitus. Next week he gets his dental with a sinus irrigation. I hope it helps. We have been to the vets every week for a month.

Tell Mr. Morphy cool eye!

Hang in there. Here is my 3 good things about you.

1. You are a natural encourager. Thank you for that!
2. You are a doggy Mama and that is the BEST kind of people in my book.
3. You recommend the coolest books and my mom was able to read some good ones the last couple of years of her life. She loved The Other series and was waiting for the third one. I had Anne Bishop sign it to my Mom.

>64 Morphidae: Chuckles - awesome. That is a loong way from fighting over which of you gets to die first :-). ridunkulous, indeed.

{{{Morphy}}}
{{{MrMorphy}}}

Hi, Morphy ~ Just stopping by to see how you and the mister are doing and to wish you a Happy Friday. ♥♥♥

I stopped by to keep the "home fires burning in your thread" and I'm hoping health is returning to you both!

*wrinkled forehead* Was hoping for a little more Morphy here...hope you're both starting to feel normal...well, normal for YOU...you know...

Stopping by with hopes that you are both feeling better!

>73 laytonwoman3rd: giggle.

Morphy I hope you and MrMorphy are getting lots and lots of rest with increasing chuckles.

{{{{Morphy}}}}
{{{{MrMorphy}}}}

Hope you're better, Morphy!

Hi Morphy, I wish you a lovely weekend and hope that you feel better.

Hi Morphy, hope things are improving for you and Mr. M. I dropped by to thank you for your TIOLI challenge this month. I've entered 4 books for your challenge to read the third book in a series and it's great to see those series moving along.

Sorry you've both been so miserably ill. I hope you've been keeping hydrated, sleeping a lot, and ordering loads of chicken soup to be delivered. Sending virus-destroying whammies in your direction.

Okay, trying this again...

>26 laytonwoman3rd: >27 jnwelch: >29 lkernagh: It really is awesome. Various people have said they couldn't even tell it was fake. Sometimes even I forget.

>28 MDGentleReader: But of course! With me not doing the bookkeeping for the nonprofit anymore, I need to keep up my skills somehow.

>30 PaulCranswick: >31 johnsimpson: >32 Ameise1: >34 maggie1944: >36 scaifea: >37 laytonwoman3rd: >38 The_Hibernator: >40 SylviaC: >46 MDGentleReader: >47 lkernagh: >48 Ameise1: >49 DeltaQueen50: >50 cbl_tn: >51 Berly: >54 jjmcgaffey: >55 Kassilem: >56 maggie1944: >57 scaifea: >58 Storeetllr: >59 MickyFine: >60 tiffin: >61 bell7: >62 SylviaC:
Thanks. We are finally on the home stretch. We both have a lingering cough and some fatigue but I'd say we're 80% better. Our doctor pegged it when she said it would take three to four weeks to get over. This was a NASTY one.

>33 mckait: Perhaps you can join us then in September!

>41 The_Hibernator: >63 The_Hibernator: Um, er, *cough*. I haven't started it yet...

I really missed being there. I was totally bummed. I don't like missing the group.

>42 maggie1944: We were able to see our primary doctor which is always nicer than urgent care.

>44 Sakerfalcon: Were you able to get The Goblin Emperor?

>53 MDGentleReader: The receptionist at the clinic heard us coughing and made us wear face masks!

>65 maggie1944: >66 johnsimpson: >67 scaifea: >68 PaulCranswick: >70 MDGentleReader: >71 Storeetllr: >72 maggie1944: >73 laytonwoman3rd: >74 lkernagh: >75 MDGentleReader: >76 The_Hibernator: >77 Ameise1:
Thanks, everyone, for the patience and continued good wishes. I should be back to my "normal" self now.

>69 luvamystery65: I adore all the three things. They are such an encouragement and warm my heart. I'll add yours to my Evernote list.

>78 DeltaQueen50: Good for you. Personally, I don't think I've managed a book for my own challenge!

>79 ronincats: I know I kept hydrated. Not so sure about MrMorphy. I got tired of nagging him to stop talking when he had laryngitis so stopped telling him anything about self care. He wouldn't listen. Men!

Saturday:

Three Good Things
1. Figured out how to get 2/3 off the price of my Entertainment Weekly subscription.
2. Feeling 75% better after a nasty virus that I've had for over two weeks.
3. Got caught up with my main email box and about half done with my SparkPeople email box.

Finished book Up From the Grave by Jeaniene Frost. Finished graphic novel Mercy Thompson: Homecoming by Patricia Briggs. Finished short story Unappreciated Gifts by Patricia Briggs.

Sunday:

Three Good Things
1. Sitting down for dinner and a DVD with MrMorphy.
2. Clean sheets.
3. A lazy Sunday.

Finished book The Right Word by Jennifer Bryant. Finished book The Giant Jam Sandwich by John Vernon Lord. Finished book Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper. Read book Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger.

Watched TV DVD The Last Ship: Welcome to Gitmo.

Yay! Morphy's back! I am so glad you are feeling better. Between Richard, Linda, and you, I've been feeling the absence of good friends.

The Morphys are on the mend!! And I echo your three good things for Sunday-- I needed and appreciate all three! Well, and you, too, or rather four. ; )

>83 Berly: And I appreciate you five. LOL!

***

Has anyone seen The Last Ship? Michael Bay is an executive producer, so, of course, it leaves you breathless.

I'm so happy you're feeling better! Spring is bringing a healthy Morphy family!

>81 Morphidae: So glad to see that you feel well enough to visit with us again, I've missed you. Very, very happy about 2. on Saturday - I look forward to 100% better. And on Sunday - clean sheets can be a lovely thing.

{{{Morphy}}}

Hi, Morphy! Good to see you posting again that to know that you're on the mend, finally!

Hi Morphy, I hope you and Mr Morphy feel much better. Sending you some spring and I wish you a wonderful weekend.

{{{Morphy}}}

I'm glad to see you're both feeling mostly better Morphy!

I'm here but haven't been posting much yet. Still recovering but almost there. I went to two appointments on Thursday and for the first time in months volunteered at the church reception desk for four hours on Friday. Unfortunately, I overdid and had to reschedule lunch with a friend from today to tomorrow. I promise I'll be back to my old self soon.

Well, why not be back to your young self instead of your old self? :)

>92 drneutron: The Doc speaketh sooth, Ms. Morphy. New self hurrah!

Glad to hear the recovery is coming along, even if not complete!

Happy Sunday, lady! I hope you're feeling better today...

And an early Monday morning wish for health and happiness!! And some hugs too. What the heck. ;)

Hi Ms Morphy - good to see you back and on the recovery path. I've asked my son to look out for The Last Ship for me.

Glad you are feeling better, Morphy!

I hope you and MrMorphy are continuing to recover, and regaining energy.

Happy new week, Morphy! I hope it is a good one for you both.

>80 Morphidae: I bought The goblin emperor last Tuesday and am hoping to get to read it soon.

*deep breath*

New month. New quarter. It was in the 70s (!!!) today. Bye bye snow! Bye bye ill health! Bye bye icky mood! Shoo!

In addition to the virus, I was having intestinal issues that caused multiple bathroom trips a day. I saw the doctor last week after three weeks of it and she had me stop one of my "preventative" medications. Problem solved. Yay!

Maia's not doing so good though. The last couple of days she's been coughing a lot so we brought her to the vet. She has fluid in her lungs and so has been placed on Lasix. In the last ten months her heart has also increased in size. So once her lungs are better, she'll be put on heart medication.

They want to do some tests to figure out exactly what's wrong - I think an echocardiogram and a sonar something. We got an estimate of something like $1,300 but we simple can't afford it. So it's going to be a bit of guess work to see which medicine will help her.

But we've been with this vet for twenty years and they'll do their absolute best for her. They've been great about letting us make monthly payments - we already owe them over $1,000. But part of the test ($800-ish) is done by an outside vet and they have no control over that.

I hate this but it's a matter of mortgage, food and utilities versus a "pet." I HATE it.

*******

>82 maggie1944: Sent you a PM.

>85 SylviaC: I'm all for that!

>86 MDGentleReader: >87 scaifea: >88 Ameise1: >89 MDGentleReader: >90 lunacat: >94 ronincats: >95 scaifea: >98 Crazymamie: >99 SylviaC: Still have a slight cough now and then. I'd say I'm 90 - 95% there. Otherwise feeling fine.

>92 drneutron: >93 richardderus: Oh, how I wish!

>96 Berly: Thank you! And we're now having some rain to wash all the bad away and make everything clean and shiny.

>97 avatiakh: Very intense action! I'm out of breath by the end of each episode.

>100 Sakerfalcon: I'm thinking about rereading it even though it's been only five months.

***

Wacky Wednesday

Yay to you feeling better!! But I'm sorry to hear about Maia and I know how frustrating it can be when the costs of helping your loved pet is too high. Thinking of you and hoping there's an easy - and inexpensive - solution.

>102 scaifea: Experimenting with medications makes me nervous. But what else can we do at this point?

Three Good Things
1. Maia's coughing is better after starting Lasix.
2. Amber (scaifea from LT) and I had a nice PM chat.
3. First thunderstorm of the year.

Finished book Thirty-Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill. Started reading A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.

Keeping my fingers crossed that the vet figures out something that will help Maia. I'm glad she's stopped coughing at least. And also that your own health has improved.

Benny also has some slight cough. In anticipation of a dental surgery the vet asked me to have the heart specialist do a test on him. Evidently, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels have hereditary issues with hearts. The test did show him with the beginning of heart valve deteriorations. I am to watch for excess coughing, and "exercise aversion". No medications indicated at this time. Prognosis is hard to guess but they suggested he may do fine for a number of years, or maybe not. Not much help for an expensive test, although I guess the vets have a better idea on how and which anesthesia to use for the dental surgery. It does make me sad to think he could die before Greta Garbo even gets to "old age" since he is the youngster in the household.

We had a bit of a thunder shaker, too, here. Springtime is a great time for odd and unexpected weather.

I hope the feeling better keeps getting more so, and more so!

I MADE THE GOOD THINGS LIST!!!

(Sorry for the shouting, but this is exciting!)

>104 Sakerfalcon: No coughing for me so far today. And just one coughing spell for Maia. So it's getting better!

>105 maggie1944: Prognosis is the same for Maia. She could go today, she could be fine for years.

>106 scaifea: You did! You did! I thought it was kind of silly and almost didn't list it. But it really was a nice part of my day.

***

Today is a to do list type of day. Nothing big and important. More putzy stuff. For example, the first three things are:

* Clean CPAP
* Create list of phone calls to make
* Fill in and send handicapped parking form

Stuff like that. I'm still way behind on LT. Ish. I'm working on my procrastination though. I'm doing an hour of "tasks" then I get a break for reading (between 15 to 30 minutes) and playing QuizUp (10 minutes.) Then I do the next hour of "tasks," etc.

My topic of the month for QuizUp is Greek Mythology. I pick a topic for each month to get first place in the state (Minnesota) for month. January was Disney Music, February was Name That Food, and March was Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature.

Wait, what? Now I'm silly?! This thread is a roller coaster of emotions for me, sister.

Also, yay Greek Mythology!

Sorry to hear about your little dog. I am sending good vibes for her. It's so hard to watch your darling pets suffer, but it looks like you are doing everything you can.

Sorry to hear that Maia is having medical issues. Hopefully she stays well for many years to come.

Temperature in the 70s! You're living the good life! It has warmed up to above freezing here some days—today is the warmest so far. So the snow is melting gradually, and we have a massive pond on our front lawn.

>108 scaifea: No, no, no. Me adding it to the list was silly. I need a good online Greek Mythology family tree and Who's Who to brush off my knowledge. That would cover 75% of the questions.

>109 rosylibrarian: She's not really suffering. She's perky and alert. Especially now that the cough is almost gone.

>110 SylviaC: Actually we had a recording breaking 84 degrees! (29C) Last record was 82.

***

Three Good Things
1. Victor Borge Phonetic Punctuation video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bpIbdZhrzA
2. MIL called. Sunday dinner will be Shrimp Alfredo with Mushrooms, salad and a dessert. The backyard area is clear of snow so I won't have to use the front stairs.
3. Cracking open windows after a long winter.

Read book Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Read book A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.

Watched videos Edgar Borge: Phonetic Punctuation, Hands Off, Dance of the Comedians

I am glad that both you and Maia are feeling better, Morphy!

>111 Morphidae: The crazy family tree business is one of the many things I love about Greek Mythology!
And I'm right with you on the cracking open of the windows - it felt so good to get the house aired out in the last couple of days!

>101 Morphidae: - I am sorry to read about Maia. That is such a hard decision but you are right that $1,300 is a lot of money when you are managing your costs. I have my fingers crossed that the vet can do something for Maia.

{{{Morphy}}}

Sending the Morphy household Happy Easter weekend wishes.

>112 ronincats: Me, too! MrMorphy is struggling more with the lingering cough than I am, but he's a smoker. It's his own fault!

>113 scaifea: I think I own Hamilton's Mythology. I'll have to go find it. It will be good for the basics anyway.

>114 lkernagh: Maybe if MrMorphy was working we could think about it. But we're living on savings.

***

ARGH! Brain worm from hellllllll....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGF4ibgcHQE

"The stars at night, are big and bright..."

*whines*

It won't go away!

Hi Morphy, just stopping by to send Easter wishes to you and Mr Morphy, love and hugs.

Hi Morphy. I wish you Happy Easter.

Happy Easter to your and Mr. Morphy!

Hello magic Morphy! Hope you are having a lovely Easter and that your pooch is better! {{{}}}

Dear Morphy, I am not keeping up this year as I would like to but I have made it at least to wish you and Mr. Morphy a wonderful Easter weekend.

>116 johnsimpson: >117 Ameise1: >118 jolerie: >119 PrueGallagher: >120 PaulCranswick: I hope everyone's weekend was delightful as you wished mine to be.

Maia is indeed better. The medicine has completely eradicated the cough. Unfortunately, I have relapsed and have the virus again. Therefore, I am coughing like crazy and have the malaise. I am so tired and frustrated with this. I'm going on the fifth week of this creeping crud.

Knock on wood, MrMorphy is still doing well.

Get well soon, Morphy. My work colleague is ill again. It's really the most terrible virus.

>121 Morphidae: I'm glad Maia is better. Now it's your turn!

Dang it! Hope the crud leaves you alone soon. Glad Mr M and Maia are doing better. : )

Yay for Maia feeling better, but a big old DINGDANG to you getting sick again. Feel better now, lady!

Hope you're feeling better today, Morphy. You've been down too long ~ it's time for that dingdang crud to go away for good! I'm glad Maia is better with the meds and glad your vet is so good and willing to work with you. A good vet is a godsend!

Will it brighten your day if I tell you I started Daughter of the Blood yesterday afternoon, planning to read the first few paragraphs just to see if I was going to like it, and ended up within 50 pages of the end by the time I turned off the light last night (this morning)?????!!!!! Sheesh! Four books already going, and I stopped all of them to read one I just borrowed from the library. I have no will power whatsoever sometimes.

Hi Morphy, I wish you a wonderful weekend.

Hi, Morphy. I hope all three of you are feeling a little bit better. It is so frustrating to be less than your most capable self. Springtime offers some fine weather - is it happening at your house? How's Maia doing?

Looking forward to your good self being back at the thread posting....... may it be soon!

Another day another drama. I had a tooth pulled yesterday and am in a lot of pain. I'm almost over the relapse though. Hope to be posting soon. I WILL get back on my feet. I will, dangit.

Yes, you WILL! Sending positive energies, Morphy.

>129 Morphidae: Oh, youch! I've been there, sister. Sending lots of hugs.

>129 Morphidae: Of course you will! But tooth-pulling is the pits. Sorry about that.

Hi Morphy, I am also going to be reading Daughter of the Blood soon. Next month over at the Category Challenge we are having a thread dedicated to the Women of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, whether it be authors or characters. I am hosting it and I thought I would read some of the books that I first heard about from friends on LT. So, I am planning on Daughter of the Blood which I heard about from you, The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold who Roni introduced me to and The Terrorists of Irustan by Louise Marley who was recommended to me by Mary (Storeetllr). I am looking forward to all three reads.

Hi, Morphy! Hope you're feeling better, and starting to enjoy the spring. It's beautiful here today.

Morphy? Hellloooo? How's that phantom tooth?

Not good. I'm going back to the dentist today at 2pm. I think I either have dry socket or an infection. I'm in a lot of pain.

Oh, I hope not the dreaded dry socket. My dentist always made that sound like the worst thing that could ever happen, and yet I've never known of an actual case of it occurring...

I hope that it's not dry socket either, Morphy. Our daughter had it and the pain was excruciating for her. On the other hand, they were able to alleviate that really quickly - which was good, as we were on vacation.

Hope it all goes okay, Morphy.

oh, my, time to pull out all the magic potions and incantations. I can visualize a fast recovery from whatever is causing the dental pain. I hope the dentist will cooperate with my vision and give you just the right treatment and medication!

Oh drat! I hope your dentist has a quick and easy remedy. Hugs!

(The hugs are from me, not your dentist.)

It seems it was just a particularly hard extraction and it will be a long healing process. I got some stronger pain meds and I'm f.l.o.a.t.i.n.g...

Oh, yay for the floaty meds! I had a nasty night of the worst pain I've ever felt after a root canal re-do, and the dentist called me in an Rx for some magic floaty pills and they really helped. And they're just fun, too...

Enjoy the f.l.o.a.t.i.n.g. May the rest you get heal the extraction and that last little bit of the creeping crud.

I haven't been around much, but I think of you often and do this {{{{Morphy}}}}.

Yay! I believe strongly that really really good pain meds are very helpful in speeding recovery! I'm glad your dentist saw my vision, and was cooperative!

Oh yikes, hope the stronger meds do the trick and you're back to 100% soon!

Hope you feel better soon Morphy!

Get well soon, Morphy.

Hi Morphy--hope the pain meds do the trick and that you get over the crud and the tooth ASAP!! Sending healing mojo and hugs. : )

if you are still feeling poorly...

Thinking of you, Morphy!

Missing you, Morphy, and sending wishes for good health to all your household.

I agree. Sending some positivity mojo!

Hope things are going all right, Morphy.

Taking a new med for anxiety. Very sedated. Will need to talk to the doc about reducing the dosage. Hope to be posting next week.

Lots of love to you, Morphy!

Thinking of you. hugs xx

Best wishes Morphy. Hope the meds get sorted out.

I hope you get the med issue figured out. Hate to be doped up, but hate the anxiety as well!

My psychiatrist is playing around with my meds right now, but I think it's going pretty well for me. Will we see you at the next book club meeting?

Hope you are doing better Morphy! Enjoy your Saturday!

I am hoping you and your doctor will come up with just the right mix. Sometimes it takes a while. I'm almost OK with the mix I'm taking these days, but I still have a small complaint or two to share when next I see my Rheumatologist. She is so good at listening! I enjoy working with her.

I'm looking forward to the day when you feel good about posting here again, and we can continue to have those good times.

*hugs*

Missing your big hearted presence Morphy. Hope you get those meds sorted out. xx

Morphy, I miss your sunshine posts and exuberance. Hope all is well with you and Mr Morphy.

Yeah, we miss ya, Morphy. Hope you can come around soon.

Hope all is better or will be better soon :) Thinking of you.

Indeed. Missing you, sister. As my mom would say, Get your hunkus-hind back here, young lady!

Morphy sorry to see you're out. I just wanted to let you know that I am sending you good vibes and to Maia too. I almost lost my Freddy last week. He had emergency laparotomy, but he is well and they didn't have to open up his intestines. Whew!

Hugs!

I don't know where to start. Neither I nor MrMorphy are leaving the house much. We are both very depressed. He's so depressed he's barely looking for work. Just spends his days playing solitaire and perusing Facebook. I'm tired of being the leader and the pusher and the fixer. I'm worn out. I finally got him to agree to see the doctor about his depression. I've gained over half the weight I lost back and am feeling disgusted with myself. We are down to the last of our savings. We'll have to starting getting food from the food shelf soon. I'm so depressed I can hardly find it in myself to care.

He had one lead on a job but then they turned him down because he has only one eye and would be slower than the others. It crushed him.

I want to find something like a social worker/life coach to help us get out of this. If there even is such a person. A social worker to help us find programs and a life coach for steps and skills type stuff. But from what I know, social workers are pretty useless and there is no way we can pay anything for a life coach. Any suggestions on what to look for?

We might try for disability for him. The main problem is that he's being lying about his depression. It's more severe than he's let on so we don't have a record of treatment. And the eye alone isn't enough.

*sigh*

And now you know why I haven't been posting. Could I be more of a Debbie Downer?

>168 Morphidae: Don't beat yourself for being down Morphy. Life has thrown you more than your fair share of obstacles. I am sending you my best. I don't know about the social worker life coach thing but I'll think about it and ask around.

I encourage you to continue to write down your three things even if you don't post them here. Hang onto any positive thread no matter how thin.

You are a beautiful butterfly Morphy. Don't let yourself ever forget that.

*Hugs* to Morphy. I wish I had some sort of concrete solutions to offer, but for now let me just say that you're an inspiration to others. I've been thinking about you lately as I'm coming to the end of the 101 in 1001 challenge that you inspired me to start more than two years ago (well, the time end, not the actual accomplishment end!). I've already started putting together my next list, because I've found it very satisfying to set out concrete goals and see (some of) them accomplished over time. So thank you for that!

One of the items on my list was "volunteer somewhere in New York". I always did a lot of volunteering before I moved here, but the atmosphere of my PhD program, combined with the new city and various other major life changes, made it too easy to set that aside. As I reviewed my list to see what could still be accomplished in the few months remaining in the challenge, that one really stood out as something that would be both doable and satisfying. So I did it, and now I'm signed up for seven more volunteer activities for the remainder of the month. And you're indirectly responsible for that.

When I went last night to read books to children at a transitional residence for women moving off the streets, you were indirectly responsible for that. So even when you're exhausted and feel like you can't do anymore, know that what you've already done is still making a difference to other people.

Whew, you've got a heavy load. I am sure that even just putting one foot in front of the other, and continuing to move down your path is a challenge. One thing I hope you will consider: as you describe for us the challenges which are in front of you right now, please don't feel you need to judge yourself harshly for just describing what is happening. You are not "Debbie Downer"; you are telling us what is in your life right now.

I second the idea that you might try to continue your effort to find three good things each day, and post them here for us to see. It might be a good thing to do.

You know we love you, and will do what we can to support you. hugs to you!

Hugs

I wish there was something practical that I could do to help, Morphy. I can only say that I care, and wish the very best for you and MrMorphy.

Wow, I wish there was something I could do to help. I can pray, though.

Morphy, I'm so sorry to hear that both you and Mr
Morphy are having such a difficult time at the moment. Sending hugs.

Sending hugs and a lot of positive vibes.

Oh, Morphy. Thinking of you and sending all kinds of good vibes your way.

Keeping you and Mr. M. in my thoughts, Morphy. I wish it were worth more, but maybe in combination with all the other good wishes and vibes it can help a little. People care.

Hi Morphy; just a quick wave.

Sorry I haven't been by lately. The problem with you people with such fast moving threads is that it's very scary trying to catch up - so I put it off; but of course then your threads get longer and multiply and look even scarier!

I haven't been on LT much, so I'm gradually catching up with everyone. I see you've been having some woes. Wishing you the best with getting through them safe & sound.

Keeping you and Mr Morphy in my thoughts and prayers and wishing I could do more.

I'm around but having computer woes. Right now my laptop is about as useful as a paperweight. Something is sucking up all my memory. I'm using Process Explorer to help and I've narrowed it down to a svchost but I don't know which dll in it is the culprit. I'm learning computer tech stuff via Google.

I'm sort of at a loss at this point. I thought PE would tell me how much memory each dll was using. I'm going to need to do more research.

Meanwhile, I really dislike posting from my iPad. One-finger typing drives me nuts. But I am reading and your support and caring are more help than I can put into words.

You lost me at "svchost," but I'm sending technical computery good vibes your way. And more hugs, too.

Exactly the same thing >182 scaifea: said: More hugs than you know what to do with....

Hi Morphy, I haven't been around much the last couple of weeks, but you are in my thoughts and I am crossing everything in the hopes that things improve immensely.

Thinking of you and Mr. Morphy and sending love and prayers!

If you're seeing lots of svchosts and dlls running that don't seem to make sense, try this checker - http://kb.eset.com/esetkb/index?page=content&id=SOLN3587 There's a new kind of virus out that exists only in the Registry - no files - and most AV can't even see it. The only visible symptom is this flood of svchosts and dlls running (with plausible names), and the total slowdown of the computer. I haven't seen a lot of infections, but the few I've seen have been a PAIN to figure out. The Eset remover is a quick and easy fix, though, if that's the problem. And if that's _not_ the problem, the remover will tell you so.

>186 jjmcgaffey: I was really excited and ran the tool but that's not it. It's somewhere in here:



It's not the best image. But the svchost goes over 1m k and that's when eveything comes to a screeching halt. All the dll's listed seem legitimate. I can send it in email.

Yeah, do. I'd like to take a look at it.

Hugs to you Morphy!

{{{{Morphy}}}}

I haven't been around much myself.

Have been concerned about why you weren't here.

May your computer woes be taken care of quickly. I have faith in jjmcgaffey's abilities to help.

When you are able, please keep us posted. Telling your truth is NOT be a "Debbie Downer". It is being your real, authentic self, which you do so very well.

Tearing up about all you are dealing with. You are often in my thoughts and prayers.

Mostly I've got these: {{{{Morphy}}}}

Thinking of you.

Yup! More of these (((((Morphy))))) for you!

Hi Morphy, sending good wishes to you both my dear.

Thinking of you. Yes, and sending more {{{{{{Morphy}}}}}}}

Hello magical Morphy. Sending you {{{{{}}}}} from Down Under to raise you up.

Hi Morphy--I have been largely off-LT for the past few weeks. So sorry that the world seems so heavy right now. You and Mr Morphy are such lovely spirits and you deserve some good news. Sending bright light and lots of love to keep you going!

Thinking of you, Morphy.

Still around. Still computer-less. I'm going to really dig into it on Monday. Lately, I just haven't felt like spending the hours of research and fiddling I know I'm going to have to do. Thanks everyone for continuing to pop in.

Sending you a lot of positive energy.

Oh wow. I think I might actually have a computer again. Keep your fingers crossed!

>200 Morphidae: *crossing fingers toes and all*

Me, too!

Yay for computer access!

*snarfles*

You have a computer again!!

Yay for Morphy!!! I haven't been posting much on LT recently but glad to see you are back. I was thinking yesterday that I miss your weekly Wednesday(?) joke, I'd just read a good one.

>204 Morphidae: Every once in a while when my boss's wife calls him, and I answer his line, she asks me what I'm reading....and usually by the time we're done talking, she doesn't have time to talk to him! She should have learned by now...

YAY!!!

Double YAY!

Huzzah!

>200 Morphidae: Yay! What was it - a virus, a misconfiguration, other malware, or you did something that fixed it without identifying the problem?

>204 Morphidae: LOL. I've never actually been kind enough to warn the other person thus...

Hooray! Looking forward to seeing you back here again!

She's baaaaaaack!

>200 Morphidae: Well done!

I couldn't have helped you, anyway. When my technology goes down, I limp along on a tablet or phone or whatever else I can make do with until my husband gets so fed up that we magically acquire a new piece of technology. Which I then fall in love with, until it inevitably starts going downhill as it ages, and so the cycle begins again.

>207 laytonwoman3rd: Maybe she has learned; and she just called to ask you what you're reading?

I was mistaken. I'm still having computer problems. I'm actively working on it though. I've spent several hours today arguing with it and after the next reboot (after deleting and reinstalling MS Essentials and Carbonite), if it's still being a bear, I'll wrestle with it more tomorrow.

Good luck!

Sending all the fix the computer mojo I'm familiar with; however, I am a newbie in this field. The mojos will do the bulk of the positive supporting!

Hi Mophy--wishing you a helpful, compliant computer!!

Well, I still haven't been able to fix my computer but I can't keep going on without it so I'll have to work with it as is until I can come up with something else to try or we can afford to buy me a new laptop.

Maia's heart murmur is getting worse. I was frantic because I thought the estimate I had for the tests was $1,200 but that was for something else. The test we need will be $450 and the vet will cover $100 of it. WeCan, a community non-profit, just got a grant to help people with pet medical expenses and I'm hoping to get something from that.

MrMorphy is still out of work but he is FINALLY on anti-depressants and they seem to be helping some. Also, it ends up you can reapply for unemployment benefits after a certain amount of time. It's very little, less than half of what he got before, but at least it's something. He's also working with Vocational Rehab to find a different career path.

I gained a lot of weight back but I decided to weigh myself every day. It has helped and in the last week or so, I have started to lose weight again (about 5 pounds.) I've been diagnosed with essential tremors and so have been dealing with that the last couple of months. While it's genetic (both my father and brother have it), we're hoping the severity of mine (problems with handwriting or any fine hand movements, feeling off balance when walking/standing, issues lifting my legs to get socks/shoes on, etc.) is due to the various meds I'm on. I need to make an appointment with my psychiatrist for a med check soon. I also have an appointment with neurologist in two months (!!!). You gotta love waiting for specialists!

Six people from a local church came over on Sunday to clean our house. So that was pretty cool.

I've been reading like crazy as you can probably imagine but I am horribly behind in recording them must less mini-reviewing them. I don't think I'm going to worry about the latter until I get caught up. I'm currently reading the last book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor. I'm quite enjoying it and would give the trilogy 8 out of 10 stars.

I've decided to be less ambitious in my reading. I've been doing a lot of re-reading lately and have realized how much WORK I've been putting into reading the last couple of years. I've tackled lots of new authors and old classics. So, I'm going to kick back and in-between each "challenge" or "challenging" book, I'm going to re-read something or read something new by a favorite author. And vice versa of course. I can get into a rut of reading all re-reads, too.

It's good to be back no matter how challenging my computer or tremble-typing may be!

Well, lordy lordy, it is good to see you back, too!!!

It is funny but it seems as a lot of us have decided recently to stop putting pressure on ourselves to participate or finish or whatever with the challenges. I'm thinking we need a new thread "I'm reading what I damn well want to read, so there!"

I'm enjoying reading To Dance With The White Dog which I think you might enjoy, too. Joe suggested it.

Oh, Morphy, it's wonderful to have you back! Your in my thoughts every day, lady.

It IS good to have you among us again. I wish I could send my husband to you to monkey with your computer...he's very determined, and he might sort it out.

So good to hear from you Morphy!

Hi Morphy--Welcome back! I applaud your decision to make reading FUN instead of another chore. Enjoy! Good luck nailing down all your doctor visits and I am glad Mr. M is on some meds that are helping. Good luck. : )

Great to have you back, Morphy. I like your reading plan, too - I often slide in "fun" reads or re-reads among the more challenging stuff.

Hi, Morphy! {{{{Morphy}}}}

The local community nonprofit is donating $200 toward Maia's echocardiogram. That along with the $100 the vet is donating means it will cost us only $150. Yay!

I'm also giving up on my computer. Since we won't have that medical bill we can get me a cheap laptop then pay $10 a month for Office 365 for all the Office programs. Any suggestions? I've been using HPs but they don't seem to last more than 3 years and I've heard horrible stories about Dell customer service. We'll be purchasing through MicroCenter (http://www.microcenter.com/) at the Minnesota location. We need to stay under $350 and preferably under $300. I REALLY want to stick with Windows 7. I don't want to have to learn Win 8 and then in July Win 10.

I'll try to answer threads tomorrow.

I really like my Acer - it's 5 years old and just beginning to hit its limits (and if I get it a new hard drive, I think it will keep going for a while). At the time, Acer was very new to making computers, and was very much pushing the "we try harder" thing - not sure that's still true, but they are an underdog still.

I believe, from my experiences and those of my clients, that most computer companies work on a sine wave system. They make something really good, then coast on it and let their quality decline until customers are ranting about lemons - then they say "Oops!" and start improving again, until they're considered the best, at which point they start coasting.... The problem is figuring out where, on that sine wave, the computer you're thinking about buying was built. I like buying from newish companies - my current computers are an Acer and an Asus (a few months younger).

I know people who love Gateway, and people who are certain that all they make are lemons. Ditto HP, Toshiba, Lenovo... Right now I think Lenovo is pretty good, and Toshiba may be. I still like Acers, Asus seems to have started on the downgrade.

Re: Office - if you don't need the latest greatest, you can get Office 2013 for the same price as just over a year's 365. Or at least, if you can scrape up the up-front cost, get the annual - save $20 over one year. Personally I use (free, open-source) LibreOffice for about 90% of my work, and Office XP (2003?) for those few things LibreOffice can't handle - but I'm not doing much that has to be shared with others (there are functions the open-source programs can't quite match - sometimes they can better them, but can't match exactly what MS Office does).

You can get OpenOffice for free from OpenSource. It works fine (most of the time). I use Lenovo.

Hi Morphy, I wish you a wonderful weekend.

>220 maggie1944: I *really* didn't need another book bullet at this time. Stinker.

>221 scaifea: You, too. I can't wait until I can get caught up on your threads and find out what you and Charlie are up to.

>222 laytonwoman3rd: Eh, I gave up. Got a new one and will work on getting it set up. Will probably take a couple weeks until I'm happy with it.

>223 DeltaQueen50: Thanks! I look forward to when things are (abby-)normal again.

>224 Berly: >225 jnwelch: I realized it was one of my stressors. Too many books I "must" read, too little time, and too little enjoyment. Over the last couple months, I've mostly done re-reads and it's been so much fun. I'd forgotten about the fun part for a few years.

>226 ronincats: Heya, girlfriend!

>228 jjmcgaffey: >229 LoisB: Ended up with an HP again. I wanted 4GB, 300+ GB hard drive, Windows 7, not refurbished, less than $350, and not Dell. HP was our only choice with those options. We spent a little extra for an open box that had a faster processor and hard drive. So I'm pretty happy. Tonight I'm going to start backing up files from my old computer to an external hard drive. Tomorrow, I'll fire up the new one and get started.

I've looked over Libre as MrMorphy uses it and I prefer MS Office. I've used Office since it came out and I'm comfortable with it. I'd love to get the full year, but at this time we can't afford to.

>230 Ameise1: We're going to MrMorphy's parents for my birthday (18th) and our anniversary (23rd) tomorrow night. They'll have ribs, mushrooms, and glazed chocolate bundt cake with chocolate chips in it because those are my favorites!

Happy birthday, girl friend. You would like that book.

Oh, Morhphy I am so sorry for all you are going through and have gone through. My heart goes out to you. I've been out of touch and haven't had energy to check the threads as often.

Happy Birthday to Mr. Morphy. And, Happy Anniversary to both of you.

I'm sure you will enjoy the chocolate cake...yum.

It's great to see you back online! I hope you have a lovely birthday/anniversary supper—it sounds yummy.

Sounds like a very fine celebration coming up. Happy Birthday to you, and Happy Anniversary to both of you!

(I hate breaking in a new computer---good luck with it.)

I have been pretty much off-line for the past month and just now checking in to see how things are in Morphyland. Sorry to read you have been having computer woes but it is lovely to see you back posting!

Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary!

>232 maggie1944: My birthday is on Thursday and it's my 50th. It's really bothering me. I've even cried a bit about it. Being in your 30s and 40s means your still "young." Not that the 50s means that you are "old" but you aren't "young" either. It's true middle age and I can't seem to integrate the belief that in my head I feel like I'm in my 20s but my age and body say 50.

>233 Whisper1: It will be our 25th! And, yes, I enjoyed the cake. Not only that, but they sent the leftover cake home with us. Yay!

>234 SylviaC: Thanks. It's great to be back! And the dinner was VERY yummy.

>235 laytonwoman3rd: It's taking considerably longer than I thought to get my new laptop up and going but I'm trying to do this right. I'm optimizing it for performance and security BEFORE I move files from the old laptop. Research for that took a day. Doing it took two or three days (a few hours each day.) Today I'm going to start slowly and judiciously moving my files. Plus my keyboard is quite a bit different - touch pad is farther left and the keyboard slightly smaller but I have a number pad now. Yay! Really though, the biggest issue is that the delete button has moved. It used to be the farthest key to the right. But now I keep paging down instead. LOL!

>236 lkernagh: I haven't exactly been offline the last month, but pretty close, so I can sympathize!

***

The in-laws gave me cash for my birthday and my mom is sending money so we can do our traditional birthday treat of going to dinner at Benihana's. We are going with our friends Philip and Ray. We've been going with them for a few years now. It's a lot more fun when there's more than just the two of us. We go in June for my birthday and in November for MrMorphy's and Ray's birthday.

Between the help we got from the vet, the community non-profit, and the in-laws, Maia's echocardiogram is paid for. Another yay!

I am sorry you are, or were, feeling the blues about being 50. It is a big milestone, no denying that! But one can also see it as good that you've lived an entire 1/2 century. Not everyone gets that gift.

Now I know sometimes when I give an alternative point of view one could feel the first feeling is being denied. Nope. I know 50 does feel weird and maybe sad. And it can also feel great!

Or not. Your feelings, eh?

I'm still on the hunt for a place to live where I can get a little more "help" and maybe "support" for being in my 70s and staring "old age" right in the face. I still hope I can find a way to move into Aljoya, but in the meantime, I feel I want to let go of the burden of owning a house, needing to do yard work, and maintenance. So, lo and behold, I've stumbled across a 55+ condo building smack in the middle of Bellevue, which is smack in the middle of my Instacart catchment. Thursday I'm going to go look at the 4 units which are currently for sale - ranging from $100,000 to $175,000. Keep your fingers crossed for me that I find the right place.

I can sell my place, buy the condo, and bank the surplus. I might still be able to move into Aljoya when that phone call comes.

I have a second little reading group - here in Hollyhills. We are four little ole ladies and our next book is The Buddha in the Attic recommended by a friend of one of our members. And then, maybe we'll read Plainsong.
I think I'm going to like meeting with people of my tribe, age-wise, as well as the once a month get together with the young people.

Continue to take care of yourself! And I hope your laptop and you get comfortable with each other soon.

>237 Morphidae: I cried over 40. I can't really remember my reaction to 50. (It was SO long ago.) 60 upset me. But I recently made the decision to stop coloring my hair, and do you know, it made me feel BETTER about myself? This aging thing is complicated. Apparently you don't just get used to it. Nothing to do but go with the flow.

>237 Morphidae: My mom's previous laptop switched the left Ctrl and Fn keys. That drove me NUTS, though she got used to it (well, I wasn't using it as often, and I was using my own computer that had Ctrl on the outside). Her newest computer has them in the right order - whew. This is why I tell my clients to go to a store, and actually try looking at the screen and typing on the keyboard of the computer(s) they're considering to see if it works for them (OK, you can't always do that, but when you can it's a good idea).

I love having a number pad, and have long since gotten used to having a slightly skewed keyboard (off to the right, to make room for the number pad). I actually use it for numbers (including ISBNs), though I don't have true ten-key touch skills - still have to think about it, and sometimes look.

I'm looking at my 50th in a couple years, and I'm looking forward to it - for one simple reason. The local Senior Community Center has fantastic classes and events, and you can't take part until you're at least 50! I've been _waiting_ to get into the Mastick classes since I moved to Alameda more than 15 years ago... Beyond that, for me, "age is just a number". I'm who I am and while I'm rather less flexible and heavier than I was 20 or 30 years ago, I can work on both of those and keep myself reasonably fit (and if I'm not, it's not just my age at fault, it's my choices). And my head - my thoughts and emotions - haven't changed as much (or I haven't noticed them changing), so there the passing years don't matter at all. I've had grey hair (just a few strands at first) since I was 16 - now I'm grey in front and dark brown in back - so the way people look at me won't change much either (not that anyone on the street can tell your age from looking at you! Guess, but not tell).

So - can you think of anything you'll be gaining when you hit 50? You won't be losing much, if anything - OK, officially middle age, but given how inaccurate most of those generalizations are (from "obese" weightlifters to utterly inaccurate travel times on those signs over the highways) I don't pay much attention to "official" distinctions. So see if you can come up with gains and losses when you're truly 50, and see if the balance is really as bad as you're seeing it.

Glad to hear your financial situation is less dire than you were thinking, too - and you can have your regular celebration! It would be a pity to miss a tradition like that. Have fun.

My birthday is on Thursday and it's my 50th. It's really bothering me. I've even cried a bit about it. Being in your 30s and 40s means your still "young." Not that the 50s means that you are "old" but you aren't "young" either. It's true middle age and I can't seem to integrate the belief that in my head I feel like I'm in my 20s but my age and body say 50.

I turn 50 in August and I feel much the same way you do as mentioned above. I haven't cried yet because honestly I lost my mom last year and almost lost Freddy twice this year. Turning 50 doesn't rate lower than that but I am super pissed that I'm not young anymore AND I do not qualify for any discounts yet! The no discount seriously bothers me.

I'm sorry that you're feeling sad about your birthday, Morphy. I'm turning 40 in August and I keep thinking that I'll probably start feeling sad or panicked about that at some point, but it hasn't happened yet. Mostly, I think, because it just doesn't seem real. I'm *way* too immature to be, in actual fact, 40! Ha!

>242 scaifea: That is exactly how I felt at 40 Amber! In fact I celebrated with four cakes! I still feel to immature too be 50 but it's doesn't seem as charming as it did 10 years ago. ;)

I've got nearly a year to go before I hit 50. So far, no angst, but we'll see how I feel next spring. I think the age in my head is 27. When I was younger than that, I always imagined that I would feel grown up at 27. It turned out to be a pretty good year, so I kept it. (My gallstones try to tell me otherwise, but I don't listen.)

On my old desktop keyboard, the Delete key was right at the front by the number pad, but on the one I have now, it is up at the top with the function keys. I use Delete a lot, so I ended up setting one of my mouse buttons to delete. Much easier to adapt to than groping around under the edge of my desk, trying to find it. I wish there was a Delete key on the iPad keyboard.

Happy Birthday Eve!

>243 luvamystery65: Ha! It's good to know I'm not alone, Roberta! And I'm jealous of those four cakes!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MORPHY!!!
I know you're feeling a bit rotten about it, but I hope that it somehow turns out to be an amazing day for you!

Happy birthday, Morphy!

I think it is appropriate to mourn the end of a decade, you will never be in your 40s again. I hope that the fifties turn out to be fabulous for you - you are due some fabulous. Like SylviaC, I am not far behind you in reaching 50. I've been doing a lot of pre-grieving, I think once day actually arrives, I'll be mostly done.

I am so very glad that you were born and that I've been privileged enough to benefit from your humor, honesty and courage.

I am very glad that you have new computer, when you are mostly homebound, it is important to be able to reach out. And, I've missed you.

{{{{Morphy}}}}

Happy Birthday Morphy!

Happy Birthday, Morphy. I sympathize with you as turning 50 was a hard one for me as well. I think there is something about that half-century mark. I loved being in my forties and leaving them behind hit me hard. Luckily it soon passed and my fifties turned into a wonderful decade.

Happy Birthday, Morphy.

Happy birthday Morphy, 21 again.

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday, Morphy! Whatever the number, it's always the day that we celebrate your coming into the world and therefore into our lives.

I wish you a very Happy Birthday, Morphy - may it be as full of fabulous as you are! I always like turning a year older because it means that I made it all the way through the last one.

Happy Birthday, Morphy!

Happy belated birthday, Morphy!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday for yesterday Morphy. I'm sorry to hear that it's upsetting you.

Belated happy birthday wishes, Morphy! Glad you enjoyed your birthday dinner (ribs and chocolate cake would definitely do it for me) and received cash presents from the 'rents, which is about the best, so you can go out to celebrate at Benihana's. Fifty can be hard, and I'm sorry you're having a rough time of it. I hope it gets better, and, really, looking back, the fifties were some of my best and happiest years.

Congrats on your new laptop!

>238 maggie1944: Is the housemate situation still working out for you? Will you be able to take the dogs with you to the condos?

>239 laytonwoman3rd: By my birthday, I was fine with it. I guess I just needed to grieve the "loss" of my "young age." Now, it's like, "Ugh, whatever."

>240 jjmcgaffey: I think the whole emotional thing started when I got the invitation from AARP. Now, there are some good things about AARP. They are a fount of information and discounts. However, I looked at the envelope and thought, "AARP? WTH?"

>241 luvamystery65: Just wait. You'll get your letter from AARP with its discounts in a couple of months.

>242 scaifea: >243 luvamystery65: Ha! I agree. I still watch Disney movies (and know the lyrics of most of the songs,) squee over cute baby animals, and splash through puddles. How can I possibly be 50?!?

>244 SylviaC: I wish there was a Delete key on the iPad keyboard.

Oh, don't I wish, too! Quite aggravating.

>245 scaifea: >247 luvamystery65: >248 DeltaQueen50: >249 Ameise1: >250 johnsimpson: >251 rosylibrarian: >252 ronincats: >253 Crazymamie: >254 lkernagh: >255 norabelle414: >256 drneutron: >257 SandDune: >258 Storeetllr:
Thanks for all the birthday wishes! It was a quiet day spent at home. I got lots of unexpected birthday cards in the mail, we ordered take out for dinner, and I read most of the day.

>246 MDGentleReader: I think you'll be mostly done, too. I was. Instead of grief, it's more like disgust. Not terribly, just "Ugh."

your humor, honesty and courage

Thank you. That was special and made me feel good.

***

Feeling both sad and aggravated. We needed to take the truck in to get the parking brake fixed. Ends up the place we've gone to for twenty years has been sold - new owner, new management. Bye-bye 10% discount for cash. Bye-bye walking distance. And bye-bye trustworthiness. We were quoted $200 to $250 for the repair and it was almost twice that. We didn't get a call about the increase in price either.

Happy Belated Birthday, Morphy.

Sorry to hear about the truck expense. I hope you enjoy the rest of your birthday weekend.

Hi! (waving)

ah, roommate has gotten a nearly full time job teaching bilingual people English and it is not near here so she moved in with friends closer to the job. Yeah! Full time work is a good thing.

nope, cannot take both dogs, just Greta Garbo. I'll have to find a home for Benny but he'll be happier in a family with more than one person, I think. Maybe some kids.

I am having a rotten weekend. Left knee has decided to become swollen, red, hot, and painful. I finally got some Ibuprofen and it feels better but this is after about 12 hours of hardly being able to move. No fun! Sleeping, not even reading.

Belated birthday greetings, Morphy! I had a negative reaction to the AARP thing at 50. Furious! I even contacted them to get off their mailing list.

Sorry I haven't been around much. Limited LT time and unreliable internet connection.

>259 Morphidae: Hah! I got my first AARP mailing at...19, I think? About the time I went to college. I've continued to get them at random times, in various houses, since. I'm thoroughly desensitized to AARP...

Happy Birthday Morphy!! 50 is just a number. Let other things determine how you feel about life and yourself. : ) Hope it is a great year for you and yours--you could use some great!!

>263 jjmcgaffey: And I thought 23 was bad?!

Hi Morphy, I wish you a fabulous weekend.

I've been having severe lower back pain for a couple weeks now. No painkiller has touched it. I've been barely making it to the bathroom and bedroom. Last night I collapsed a foot from the bed. It took us an hour and a half to get me on to the bed.

This morning we got me the few steps to where MrMorphy had the wheelchair setup and then the few steps into the bathroom. But then after I almost collapsed again trying to take the few steps to the wheelchair. The wheelchair had to be moved through the doorway and I'm now sitting here in the middle of the kitchen.

In awhile, MrMorphy will call 911 to have an ambulance to take me to the hospital. I'm scared shitless, ashamed, and in terrible pain.

Oh Morphy, I'm sorry to hear you've been going through such pain. Sending prayers your way.

How awful, Morphy! I am so sorry about your severe pain, but please, please don't feel ashamed. I spent a whole night on a bathroom floor a few years back, not able to move or get up due to back pain. It took pain killers the next morning to get me to the point where I was mobile enough to get some help.

I'll be praying and sending good thoughts, along with hugs and healing vibes.

Oh, Morphy! I'm so sorry! Sending thoughts your way.

Oh, Morphy, I'm so sorry you are experiencing this. I hope it is something which will be easily and rapidly resolved and you can go back to being your happy self. I will hold you in my heart, and be thinking of you today!

Morphy, I'm so sorry to hear you're in pain. I hope you are able to get the help you need and relief from the pain and fear. You have nothing to be ashamed of; you've been strong for so long through so many trials in the past couple of years. I just pray that you will be on the mend very soon.

Very gentle hugs to you Morphy. I hope this passes quickly.

Oh, Morphy, I'm so sorry. I hope they can help you quickly and get rid of the pain.

Morphy I hope you find out what is causing your pain and that it heals quickly.

Hugs to you, Morphy.

I'm so sorry to hear about the pain! But you have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.

Ditto what others have said - I hope the pain is quickly dealt with, but I don't see anything at all to be ashamed about.

Scared I understand, but why should you be ashamed? Something is wrong, wrong, wrong, and it's not your fault. I hope you are under excellent care this minute, and feeling better already.

Sorry to hear about all the pain you have been suffering through. I hope they are able to deal with it.

I've been admitted, am on total bed rest, and will be here at least three to five days (though could be as much as seven to ten days with the possibility of needing to go to a rehab place.). They have me on steroids, nerve medications, and "oh my god I feel so gooooooood" IV pain meds. I also have a catheter. Boo hiss. However, once out of ER, I've had delightful nurses.

I feel ashamed because if I didn't weigh as much as I did, I wouldn't be in this position. I'm in a lift room because I can't even turn on my side without assistance.

Today I'll be having a CAT scan, PT eval and treatment, neurosurgeon, and if I luck out, a service pet visit. No not MrMorphy. That's a different visit...

Oh! it sounds as if you are receiving some good care, and I hope they will be able to help you back to a much more normal life. A visit from a service animal sounds like it might be very nice. Do tell when you can...

I hope they take good care of you, control the pain, and find a solution. Lots of love to you.

{{{{Morphy}}}}.

As often happens, >283 SylviaC: said exactly what I wanted to say only she worded it better ;-).

Dear Morphy, hope that the rest and care does you good. Sorry that in my own absence from the group I missed your 50th milestone. It is just a number - a pretty big number - but only a number nonetheless. I am a year behind you and have all the same pangs about that particular age myself. xx

Seding all kinds of good thoughts your way today, sister! I wish I were closer and could come and visit. You know, we're thinking of training Mario to be a service dog, too.

>281 Morphidae: No, I get it , Morphy. My point is that when your back goes, even a hundred pound nymph can get pinned to the floor by pain and not be able to get up without extreme measures. :-)

(Did I ever tell you that one of my lovely co-workers told me that if I had only lost weight, I wouldn't have gotten breast cancer?)

Feel better soon! Can your own sweet dog make a visit?

So sorry to hear of your back problems Morphy. Here's hoping that they sort it out soon.

Hi Morphy, I'm glad to hear that you get good care and the best medication so you don't have to suffer. Sending you lots of healing vibes. xx

I get to try and stand today. Wish me luck. If I can't stand, I will need to go to rehab. I really, really, really, REALLY don't want to go to rehab.

Cue R.E.M Stand video. Not ideal lyrics, but somewhat appropriate and, I trust, familiar.

Go, Morphy.

{{{Morphy}}}}

Well, looks like not today. You'd think they check the weight limit of the walker before today, hmm? Will be tomorrow or Monday.

Well, here's wishing you the very best of good luck in your efforts.

Oh, Morphy my dearest. What a long haul 2015 has been for you so far. May this Good and Happy *WHAMMY* give you both the boost you both need and deserve. Uffda! Happy Belated 50th!

Thinking of you, lady.

Sorry to hear of your troubles, Morphy. Sending you lots of healing and happiness wishes.

Sending lots of positive thoughts, Morphy.

Well, that was an unpleasant night. On the scale of 1 to 10, I've been hovering between 7 and 8 all night. And that's with 2 Norco running through me. Part of it is that my bed locked in position (again), and for once, the maintenance person was unable to fix it. A new bed should be here at 8:00am.

The other part, I think, is that my body is just pissed at being in bed for almost five days straight. I've been up once a day, for a couple of days, for one hour and that's it. Therefore, it's cramping all up in response.

There should be lots of action today, since the weekend and holiday are over. The newest is that I'll probably be getting a cortisone shot in my knee (anyone have this?) and it's looking likely that I'll have to go to rehab.

The only place that has an open bed and can take someone of my size doesn't have very good ratings. The people here at the hospital tell me that a lot of it is in the patient's hands. (Be nice to them, they'll be nice to you.) Anyone have any other advice? MrMorphy is going to try to get a tour today ahead of time.

I know folks who've had good results with cortisone shots in multiple places in the body.

You've demonstrated the be considerate of folks behavior regularly - I think you've got it down :-). I had a boyfriend who was difficult under the affects of anesthetic and it took forever for his normal sweet, helpful behavior to soften the medical staff up after that. Usually more time than he was in the hospital.

I hope everything goes as smoothly as possible for you and that you are home soon.

{{{{Morphy}}}}

I had a cortisone shot in my knee about 2 years ago. Initially, I thought the pain from the shot was worse than the pain it was suppose to fix. But, I will say that it worked and I haven't had any more problems. So, give it time and try not to get depressed!

The cortisone shots I've had in my wrist have been painful for a few seconds, and provided weeks of relief.

I think you do have the "be nice to them" piece in your personality, naturally. You are a very kind, and considerate, person. I think the challenge may be in finding the right balance between "being nice" and "be assertive about your needs". I see that as a challenge for me, too, especially when I need big help in moving my household, once again. I am hoping this will be the last move for a good long while. Good luck to us both!!

I missed about a week of LT and didn't see that you were in the hospital. I hope you will feel better soon.

My husband gets cortisone shots in his knees and loves them since he's had pretty intensive surgery on both of them. (He's 28.)

Thinking of you, Morphy.
One of the folks I live with/rent from just got a cortisone shot in his knee. I believe it works pretty well for him. My mom has had cortisone in other areas of her body with mixed results (sometimes it was great, other times it didn't seem to kick in all over the area it was supposed to cover).

Just getting caught up here... {hugs}

{{{{Morphy}}}}

I hope rehab is going well and that there is a plan to put the pain in your rearview mirror.

Morphy, I am delurking to wish you the very best outcome. If you have to spend time in rehab, I hope it results in long-term benefits for you. Laying in bed must be very difficult. I hope you have some fantastic books to read! Hugs to you and Mr Morphy!

Delurking to wish you a speedy recovery, Morphy.

Looks like I will be going to rehab tomorrow. MrMorphy checked out the place and he said it seemed just fine - relieving my fears. Also, the liaison will be here shortly so I can grill her.

On Monday, I was able to stand and shuffle a little in place. Yesterday, I walked 28 feet then 26 feet. Significant progress!

I'm hoping with that level of improvement and the higher quantity of PT, I'll be able to get out of rehab within a week. Either way I can't stay more than 20 days. That's when Medicare stops paying 100%.

MrMorphy is pretty miserable at home and Maia, poor thing, misses her mama and is subdued. By tomorrow, I will have been bed bound in the hospital for eleven days. It's bleeding ridiculous.

Oh, no cortisone shot. They took a CT of my knee and there might be a small crack. They can't really tell because the arthritis is so bad. If it's a crack, cortisone is NOT a good idea so they are skipping it. Meanwhile, I'm on painkillers and nerve medication up the wazoo (Norco, Naproxen, Lyrica) plus Prilosec so they don't kill my stomach. At least I'm off the steroids!

Good luck, Morphy! I hope you can be homeward bound very soon. Your progress sounds very encouraging! How is your back doing?

Perhaps Maia can visit you in rehab. The center my Dad was in when he broke his hip was very friendly toward pet visits.

With your go-get-'em attitude, you'll definitely be out of there in a week! And we're all rooting for you, too, of course.
And I second to idea of Maia coming for a visit, even if it isn't totally above board. When my brother was in the hospital after having his leg amputated and feeling very down, we sneaked his dog, Bogey, in for a visit...

Glad you've been able to be on your feet a bit, Morphy. May the rehab work its magic for you.

I hope your rehab people are cheerful, and encouraging, and like doing the work they do. Rehab can work magic, but it is hard, and it is difficult to put your heart into it if the people working with you are luke warm, or worse.

I've got all the crossables crossed!

Good wishes to you, Morphy! I hope you can soon go home to MrM and Maia, feeling all new and improved!

Most hospitals now have plans in place for your pet to visit. Seeing your pet has many health benefits. I hope Maia comes to see you soon.

Great progress you are making. Sending you my best thoughts.

Good luck! As you said, you're making good progress already.

You're doing great so far Morphy, and I hope that like other have suggested, you'll find a way to see Maia. Sending positive thoughts your way.

Maia will be staying home. LOL.

We tried a hospital visit once and she went nuts exploring the room and had NO interest in visiting with me. She's quiet at home but it takes at least 30 minutes for her to quiet down when we take her out, like to MrMorphy's parents.

I'm sorry I'm not answering posts - just giving updates. I'm on my iPad which makes it difficult to type much less to keep scrolling up to look at responses.

Please know that I look here several times a day and can't tell you how much I appreciate the support, especially now that I'm in rehab. While the nurses and aides are nice enough, they are in and out of the room so fast that I've hardly had anyone to talk to.

It's nice to be able to get up and go to the bathroom though without having to be using that damn lift!

I keep fighting the urge to post a link to that Winehouse song here...

We're lucky to have two dogs who don't get excitable very easily, even when on trips. We took Mario on a 30 minute (both ways) drive this weekend and she did an excellent job; just sat on my lap and calmly gazed out the window, then eventually just fell asleep.

I'm sorry that you don't have much company there - you have books, though, right? Mr. Morphy knows well enough to keep you supplied with those, I hope!

Best hopes for the Rehab place to give you the support you need to get into shape to get home!!!

Maia spending all her time "exploring" reminded me of Benny's visit to some possible new parents. He went for a visit yesterday and the Mom in the house said he spent the whole time sniffing in all the nooks and crannies of their house.

Benny's possible new home has a Mom, a Dad, and two brothers. Lots of male energy which will make his heart sing. I am so happy to have found a family which I think will love and take good care of my boy. Also, the older brother is Autistic and mostly blind, and I think Benny will provide him some love and attention which can be helpful. Crossing my fingers.

I'm glad you're settling into rehab. It sounds like you are getting more mobile already. Hopefully you can soon go home.

>320 maggie1944: I hope that home works out for Benny. It sounds like he would be appreciated there. It must be very stressful to find a new home for a beloved pet.

I'm having problems loading the page so I need to start a new thread even though I can't really post all my usual thread toppers!