Chat Back for September 17

Responding to comments left since the last time I did Chat Back.

It's been a long time since I've done this, so today I got to go back and read all the encouraging comments and notes of comfort. They are one of my many blessings. Thank you.

There were several comments from readers who have recently lost their husbands. If you'd like to connect, here's my e-mail.

Grieving is an intense process that takes a long time. Sharing helps.

Kristieinbc asked . . .

I have lived in a rural area with dial-up so know how truly awful it is. Have you ever thought about getting a satellite server?

Many times. I would be more tempted if I knew someone in this area who was happy with their satellite server.

For right now, I'm not changing anything because I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to live here. And Frontier keeps hinting that better things are coming, they're just not here yet.

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Judy in SW Michigan asked . . .

Are you hoping what I'm hoping? A MILD winter? Wouldn't that be nice!

Yes.

Our weather has been totally weird this year. First, a cold, late spring. Then a very hot, unpleasant brief summer with an abundance of storms and mosquitoes. Now an early fall with some frost already in mid-September - but not enough to stop the allergies.

A mild winter would be nice.

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Sister Carrie wrote . . .

I am VERY impressed with all you are doing.

Thank you for reminding me that I am getting things done and making progress what seem to be endless lists of things that need to be done. Still on the A list: Buy firewood that will fit the woodburner and find someone who will deal with that willow tree.

Michigan willow wood is totally worthless. It's soft and brittle. No good to burn or build with. Noone wants it and it appears that tree services consider it beneath their dignity. In their defense, there have been several serious wind storms in the past few months and the tree people are probably still super busy with more serious tree problems.

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Dorothy wrote . . .

I remember a friend of mine who lost her husband suddenly. They were in the middle of a remodel of their house and I think finishing that up is what kept her sane.

Yes, the list of things that HAVE to be done is what is keeping me functional - a little grieving, a little busy work each day.

Then there's the dogs. They keep me up, out, and about. Being old, they have three meals a day plus multiple walks, and we haven't got through a week yet without at least one trip to the vet.

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Update on vet appointments. . .

After a week with no antibiotic, Glory's urinary tract infection was back on Wednesday.

Vet says the infection is likely being created by the underlying kidney failure and, at this point, it’s clear she needs to be on antibiotics full time for the rest of her life.

We tried a cheaper, human antibiotic similar to the expensive Baytril, but not as good in animals. It made her sick, so she's back on Baytril and feeling great for a fifteen year old dog. Another urinalysis in a week. I'm hoping we can go down to one Baytril a day once the infection is gone again.

The good news is her bloodwork shows her kidney failure is stable, not getting worse, and is at a level she can live with normally if she doesn’t have too much protein in her diet.

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How do you destroy a harddrive?

Bob asked me to take out and destroy his hard drives before donating his old PCs to Goodwill.

The taking out part was easy and the CPUs are donated, leaving me with a sack full of old harddrives. (Bob didn't like to throw things away and he had multiple hard drives in each.)

I figured taking a hammer to them outside on the cement would do the deed. A harddrive is much stronger than I imagined. I could barely make a dent in one.

Any suggestions? Actual things you have done that worked?