Category Archives: Daily Life

Day to day happenings, the usual stuff, about me and life

Christmas in Michigan

I’m back !!

Well, I’ve been back since the 29th when we flew into Sacramento and we were greeted with 50+ mile/an hour winds and rain blowing sideways and coldness. We decided to spend the night in Woodland and drove the next day, talking route 16 to 20 around Clear Lake. Wish i would of gotten some pics of that, but I was already coming down with a bad cold which is still with me today.

The Michigan trip was good, but too short for the amount of energy it took to get there and back, next time we will stay longer. Russel felt good for a few days and that was really a blessing. We had a white Christmas, which for me was quite unusual, I haven’t seen one of those in too many years to count.

The snow was just starting here:

snow on clothesline Michigan back yard at the Kenslers

This is my Dad, brother and me and my nieces:

It was odd, I usually was in the pictures, not taking them, so I had to spend some time in Photoshop to help them. I am thinking of using Ofoto for prints for the family to go to and get. I may get to Costco or somewhere else up north tomorrow that will take my cf card and i can get some 5x7s.

Oh, btw….. HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

Going to Michigan …

for Christmas to visit Dad & the rest of the family. Currently it is 29 degrees there, and snow flurries. Now to many people that is warm/balmy/ok with them type of weather, but I moved away from Michigan and then Colorado because I didn’t want to handle the cold, snow bitter freezing winds.

Any way, I am sure I will be indoors for the most part, and it looks as if the flight day will be clear of any disrupting weather, that’s a good thing. This flight, takes us from Sacramento (5 hour drive from here) to St.Paul/Minneapolis to change planes for Detroit. I have never done that route when flying before.

I am hoping I can connect while there and blog, upload pictures, but don’t know if I will be able too.

I am excited to see Dad, and the whole family. I actually like most of my family, of course living on the other side of the country helps with that i am sure :).

To all who come to visit here, Happy Holidays to you all. May you be warm, dry, safe and prosperous in the new year. I will be back before NYE.

Bruce Cockburn coming to the Mateel CC

Bruce is coming to town!!

Bruce Cockburn is coming to the Mateel Community Center!!!!
22 February 2004 – at the Mateel Community Center presented by our local radio station KMUD.

( photo credits: Doug Stacey, 19 July 2003 Madison, WI. show at the Barrymore Theatre )

I also put a new front page article, part of the From the Road series, up at the the Cockburn Project.

I am surely looking forward to this new show right here in town, hope to get a short interview, some pictures, and a really fun time.

I have plans for a project i want to make for Bruce, but more on that later, as i gather all the needed materials.

This is really the best news I have had in a long time. I really have needed to wrap myself up in Bruce, just to get through the last few months.

More Health Updates

Really, I am still here!

Been to busy to think. Have spent many days and nights away from the computer, with many more to come, so I thought a quick update would be nice. ;-p

On the VA-Russel illness front, all tests are good. No GERDs, but the pain and congestion in and around his broncials persists. He hasn’t felt well now for over 5 months, not a happy camper for sure. The whole thing is stressing us to the max, just trying to keep on keepin on, ya know? Maybe more tests after the years end.

We leave for Michigan to visit Dad, and the rest of the family, on the 20th. We have e-tickets, which I have never used, so hope all goes well.
I am not a great traveler any more. Used to be, but now the thought of sitting on a plane for hours is just dreadful and will be painful.

The rare smile:

Frustration with the VA

I really don’t believe this…

but the last visit to the VA clinic could of easily been done over the phone! The main gist being, we were seeing a doctor in the ‘chest clinic’ and he ruled out anything being wrong there, and now we need to start over in the “GI clinic”.

Well, a few choice words and some whimpering helped and he sped up the process that would of taken us another 3 weeks at least if not six. He speeded it up so much that we get to go down there 2x in one week!!

We leave on Monday, spend Monday night in SF, and then the appointment on Tuesday. This time he is scheduled for an Endoscopy and, just for fun, a colonoscopy 🙂

At least this time we may actually get a real diagnosis.

I am just completely fried with all this.

To add to the stress level, my Dad just called with the news that he is footing the bill for us to fly home (Michigan) for Christmas.
Now this is a good thing on one level, but it still takes a lot to get there from here. More on that later, after this last (I hope) trip to the VA.

Harmonic Concordance

This picture on the of me :

bobbi wisby 1987 top of Lembert Dome - Harmonic Convergence

was taken at the Harmonic Convergence. This was on the top of Lembert Dome, in Toulumne Meadows – Yosemite.

I was very into astral works at that time. Since I have moved up here to Humboldt County, for some reason, I haven’t stayed as in tune.

Anyway, a friend turned me onto this, this site on the Harmonic Concordance which will be and is in effect now.

Can’t get to a mountain top, like I did before, but will get out of town and do some tuning in on the weekend.

Health Updates – Russel

Russel has completed the Prednisone therapy, the first 2 days off it he seemed better, then he had a terrible ‘pain behind the sternun’ attack. We really got worried and depressed that it was all for nothing … which I had been afraid of since the beginning, after all the Prednisone is only covering a symptom, some kind of inflammation.

Well after that one really bad attack, there has been less pain, and some days no pain at all. The last couple of days he hasn’t felt anything like pain in that area.

That symptom, in Google, brings up ‘angina and heart attack’ and GERD, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, although he rarely has acid reflex or heart burn, he decided to stop eating some acid causing foods. That lasted about 2 days :), except for his black tea. Wouldn’t it be ironic if all this was caused by drinking 1 cup of China Black Tea (Good Earth Naturals) every day!!!

Any way he isn’t coughing, and not using the inhaler either. He is back at work and except for a very bruised rib from a student crunching him, he is in better shape than he has been for quite awhile. Frustrated though now as the rib is keeping him from his adult Aikido classes and he really misses that.

I walked Monday and Tuesday this week, we are having sunny warm (very warm (90’s) for this time of year) weather. Then I went to Curves on Monday, which I haven’t been too since May! But I did walk and swim almost daily this summer so I don’t feel to guilty. I have put on a few pounds though, stress related I am sure. Eating comfort food as we waited to see just what was happening with Russel.

Russel’s Sister Visits

Carol’s here….

Russel’s sister Carol, from South Carolina, is visiting. We live in a really small one room house in town while we are building our home, so she stays at a local motel.

We walked off dinner Sunday night and I took a few shots.
This one is in front of the the Hemp Connection.

Russel and Carol in front of the Hemp Connection in Garberville

Carol and Russel on Church Street, which is rather odd as there are no churches there, but on the street corner across from the Hemp Connection is this sign:

which points to 3 churches. Only in Garberville.

More later.

On My Beat

Living in the hills of southern Humboldt