otherearths_outthere

Real Life

2023-08-09T07:07:36Z

*picks up journal, blows off dust. Chokes on massive amount of dust *
It’s just too easy to fade to black and not post. I was really enjoying the camaraderie I found here. Some of y’all were great friends. But I let you down. Real life was getting too intense, and I didn’t want to post what may have been tmi, or, or whatever. This past year, year and half has been tumultuous to say the least. My mother has gone into hospice care after falling down like ever other day. She’d been sent to the hospital several times. The latest incident she was “home” (assisted living) for literal 15 minutes and fell again. Back to the hospital and the into hospice.

My oldest son, who is a NICU nurse was an accused of molesting his nieces, and had waited 4 years for the trial to take place was finally notified that it would begin March. My husband drove to get to stand with him. Unfortunately Max got stuck in Wyoming due to a massive snowstorm. He was stuck for 5 days and realized there was no way he could make it. B’s brother flew in to stand with him the morning the trial started. Fortunately the girl’s stories conflicted with each other and with their mother’s. It was almost laughable. We figured that the girls probably were molested, and B was an easy target. With $$$. They grew up in a house with the mom as a druggie and alcoholic. People coming and going at all times. It certainly could and probably did happen. But NOT with B. The trial was supposed to last 3 days. It was over in one. My poor husband, who can always see every possible outcome, burst into tears at the, “not guilty” he absolutely made himself sick.

This brother, #2 who served 2 tours in Iraq a couple of weeks after, tried to commit suicide. He couldn’t deal with the guilt he felt. It just kept building. He was only 21 his first tour. He is in heavy duty therapy now and has rediscovered religion. We talk and text nearly everyday so we don’t get to that point again.

I’ve had a hard time health wise, but my latest experience was really something. We had a very old, rickety and slippery wood deck, that I had managed to fall through, twice. No biggy ,just bruises but Max decided to put in concrete.
Well…. A week ago I fell down 13 steps and landed with my head where my feet should have been. At the ER, we discovered my right (dominant) hand is broken in 5 places. Most of the injuries will heal on their own, but my index finger got a chunk of knuckle broken right off and will need pins to repair it. Friday is the scheduled surgery and I just found out that out-patient surgery still means that I will have to be put under 😳😵‍💫
I’m mildly terrified. Never had any surgery of any kind befor my last gripe is that Ive been asleep almost all day every day, and that doesn’t seem right. But then again, I’m taking Percocet 4 times daily.

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SNICKER

2022-12-24T05:03:05Z

*blows dust off of my account*

Keep meaning to update my. journal, but I don't want anyone to have to listen to me whine.

But this is just too good. My husband's tradition is to go out on Christmas Eve and shop for me then. Today we've had freezing rain and our little country road is officially closed, as is Mulino Hill just up from us. It has been a real challenge to keep our cabin warm.

But I digress, the reason I'm laughing is that Max has a box under the tree That he said I bought for him, but of course he bought it for himself. its a part for the car he is restoring. So on Christmas morning in front our sons and their wives, I'll have nothing to open and he will have the gift he bought himself.

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Only one of my kids…

2021-12-10T03:25:15Z

….could manage to not get arrested. Son #2 is a two tours in Iraq war veteran. As often as a soldier does, he came home with some ptsd, and amassed some serious weaponry. It makes him feel in control and safe. I’m rabidly anti-guns. But he knows to keep them locked up and ammunition stored elsewhere, also locked up.

Over the weekend he was outside tinkering with his cars. He said he saw a mouse that looked to be in ‘bad shape’ so he decided to put it ‘out of its misery’. He went to get his 22, but his wife was sleeping, so he instead got his 9mm because it has a silencer, to avoid waking her up. He shot the mouse (probably a rat) and realized he was late picking up his daughter, so he hopped in his Jeep and got her. Only to find the weapon missing when he got home. He panicked and wondered if it had somehow fell out of his Jeep in the school zone. But before he could go look, a police car drove up his driveway, lights flashing. They had his 9mm.it hadn’t fallen out of the Jeep, B’s neighbors saw the gun and picked it up and called the police. He knew he was going to prison. It is illegal to have a silencer. B showed them the mousy grave, brought the officers into his house to show them the paperwork, and how he stored them safely. When the officers left, B called us in a panic and crying. We managed to get him somewhat calm. Shortly after that call, he called us again and told us that he wasn’t going to be charged.

Both the officers wanted to know how to get a silencer.

I think it helped that B is soldier. And that he lives in a very remote part of Florida.

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Movies 🎥, 🍺 beer

2021-11-30T04:35:07Z

So Max is out of town for this week, and my youngest son and DIL are all worried about me. I was looking forward to a nice, quiet day loafing with the dogs and reading. Nope, they kept me company after church, and I had dinner with them. It was fine, kinda cute even. But son and granddaughter came over and spent the afternoon. We walked the dogs and then I barely escaped watching Clifford The Big Red dog ancient cartoons. 😂

Now I’m finally chilling in my jammies, a really yummy beer in hand and watching one of my all-time favorite movies, Big Eden.

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Happy 🦃🥂🥧 🎉

2021-11-26T00:14:38Z

Happy Thanksgiving one and all❣️

With no one able to come for Thanksgiving, and my youngest son and his wife traveling to see her parents, Max and I thought just turkey and a couple of pies would be fine for us.
Sigh
DIL feels terrible to leave the old folks alone, so convinces us to on SUNDAY to have Thanksgiving on TUESDAY.
She bought a turkey, but I had to cook it. I made the side items. I thought she was making a pot roast and potatoes. They show up an hour late, and nothing in hand. This is really very unlike her to not help. I was aggravated to say the least, and having to do everything TWO DAYS EARLY.
Not to mention that I had a 3 hr appointment Monday. I get very twitchy with my house being a mess so I cleaned all afternoon after my appointment, made the stuffing and other sides that night.

It was fine, and now Max and I can loaf about in bed with the doggos and watch old movies and read our favorite stories.

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Now What?

2021-11-18T00:35:10Z

I must be letting my mothers situation be getting to me more than I thought it would. There is a reason I’m slightly removed from the situation, several actually, but she was ensconced in her assisted living apartment last Wednesday and she has been in the hospital more than she has been ‘home’

I feel for her, as do my brothers, but we are frustrated. She doesn’t want to do her exercises, she won’t use her walker and she forgets her ‘life alert’ pendant.

So my response is? I’ve spent the last week or so struggling to just get out of bed. I’m lying there in the morning for hours telling myself to get up. When I finally lurch myself out and up, I’m kicking myself for the things I’m not doing. I have health needs of my own that are not being met. I really don’t want to end up like her and many other elders. I feel I have the tools available to me. Yet I’m not using them. Auggggghhhhh.

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Ugh update

2021-11-14T02:44:53Z

So everyone is having health problems. My mother fell in her shower about 2 months ago and had a long stay in the hospital. She didn’t break anything, but was severely bruised and apparently had a bladder infection. She was released from the hospital to a rehab hospital, where she tried again and again to NOT do her pt. She was finally released to a small apartment in an assisted living facility. She spent two days there until she became dizzy and disoriented. Back to the hospital where an angioplasty was discussed. In the end, it was decided not to do the angioplasty, so she’s back at the assisted living care facility.

Until the next time something happens.

Worse news is that my DIL who lives on our property with my youngest son and their 2 yr old daughter has been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. She already has KCD.

she is just 26.

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Coronavirus shutdowns

2020-03-13T02:20:29Z

Max and I went grocery shopping this morning and our store had plenty of everything, including TP. No one seemed to be panicking or hoarding, so I’m glad we missed the insanity that other areas dealing with. We are still coughing from being sick in February, but are generally ok. Later in the day, Max’s church sent out texts and emails that meetings are suspended “for the foreseeable future”
and my youngest son has had his college graduation ceremonies canceled. That really sucks. He was homeschooled through high school, so he didn’t ‘do the walk’ at that time , grumble, grumble. His next older brother had kindergarten graduation, 4th grade, 5th grade, 7th, and finally high school. It was getting to be ridiculous.
Another “fear” that I have is will I be able to get my puppies when they are old enough. I put a down payment on 2 Pomeranians right after they were born. They are in Washington state, right outside of Seattle, so.. . ya know.
I’m a little desperate for my babies, I’ve been without a dog for too long.

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Coronavirus in Podunk?

2020-03-07T02:12:36Z

No, of course not, but Max and I have been very sick since Son #4’s birthday all the way to son #3’s birthday and beyond. (that translates to over 2 weeks). Outside of pneumonia, I have never been sick so long. So not fun. We saw an article in our paper that described the virus, and I said casually to Max, “we have all the symptoms!” Save one or two. But I haven’t been out of the cabin in at least a month and Max only goes to church with people who don’t get out of Molalla, let alone Oregon.
Well. Whatever. Max seems to be much, much better over the last couple of days and I think I turned the corner yesterday.

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otherearths_outthere @ 2020-01-07T13:23:00

2020-01-07T21:49:33Z

Set some goals for the coming year

My goals are pretty much the same as they have been for several years ::SIGH::
Even with medication my mental health can be precarious, so when things fall out of the norm, I can get really messed up, and it takes a long time sometimes to get steady again.
So my goals again are:

Show love and kindness to the people who I actually like.

Up my level of fitness

Draw daily

Participate more fully in fandom

There are other things, but these are the important ones

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Snowflake Challenge day-2

2020-01-04T03:14:14Z

talk about your fannish history

Stargate Atlantis is the fandom that ate my brain and consumed my soul. I love the writers. So many fabulous stories that I’ve read over and over. Like so many, I came to fandom very late, after the show had ended and though I don’t write, I do artwork.

I wish I had known about fandom and fanfic when the original Stars Wars seemed to have a resurgence in the ‘90s when my older boys were teenagers. They shared a love of the movies and the many books that came out in the ‘90s. I was in a huge fandom and didn’t know it!

I was also a big fan of ALL the Star Treks with DS9 probably my favorite.

When I was very young, I was devoted to the tv show Bonanza and I would draw the ranch house and the characters, I guess that was my first experience in ‘fandom’

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Introduction

2020-01-02T05:49:08Z

The mundane: I’m an old broad who married way too young, but had a blast raising 5 incredible sons. I always tell people that their teenage years were the best, and they really were. The boys are all grown and out of the house now and I miss them like crazy. I found out only a few years ago that I’m ace. I had no idea that was a thing until tumblr, where people talk about EVERYTHING. It was quite an epiphany, but so much of my past life started to make sense.

I have some mental health issues that have gotten worse since I’ve moved back to my home state, but I have finally gotten acknowledgement from the people who I really needed it from. I have an excellent NP who has worked wonders with me.

It was a really tough year, I was in a terrible car accident that left me with broken ribs, broken leg, and nerve damage to my right hand ( yes, the one that I draw with) lost my beloved Rufio, a 15 year old Pomeranian on his birthday. I was completely devastated. My husband wanted to wait before getting another dog, but I cannot be without a furry companion. Little Grrr was a teacup fox Pomeranian. I adored him, but I lost him when he was barely 10 months old to a seizure disorder. Again, completely devastated.

Fandom is everything to me. I joined Livejournal 10 years ago and never looked back. You are my friends, and my family. I don’t write, but I do artwork for SGA. SGA is the fandom I hang out in mostly, but I lurk in a few other fandoms.

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Chaotic Dumb Ass

2019-11-29T03:04:10Z

I hope everyone is having a great day wether you are celebrating. Thanksgiving or not. Thanksgiving has not been a huge day of celebration since I was a kid, when my grandma would put on a huge spread including 2 turkeys and 2 hams.

As a military wife, Thanksgiving was often the best time to move from one duty station to another. And with none of the kids living close, it’s kinda 😑

So it is nbd to postpone it.
BECAUSE
Otherearths is a Chaotic Dumbass of the highest rank. I leveled up a couple of days ago when I ran out of one of my prescriptions and didn’t bother to get it refilled right away. Out of all of the meds I take, I thought that it was one that didn’t do much for me. I maY have been mistaken. The first two I days I felt like I was getting a cold and I was so depressed, I felt like crying. Which is something that happens occasionally anyway. But on the 3rd or 4th day, I hurt all over, achy and my skin actually hurt. I had a mega-meltdown while Max was away and smashed a plate on the floor because it had a duck on it. 🙄
I finally put 2 and 2 together and by next morning, Max and I had visited the pharmacy and I have enough meds to get me thru the weekend. I had run out too early because over the course of several months I had been forgetting to take them every day, and had enough to get me through almost 3 weeks.
The question is why weren’t these meds with the others when we picked them up at the first of the month. The pharmacist is looking into that.

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12-05-18 to 10-26-19 Grrr

2019-10-29T02:25:06Z

Grrr had to be put down on Saturday night. He had a very sudden increase in seizures. Just two on Thursday, but by Saturday afternoon they were coming in frequency and longer in duration. We had made an appointment to see our vet on Monday morning, but by Saturday night the cycle became viscous. Fortunately Max’s church friend who is basically a wellness vet came to help. I feel there is a huge, raggedy hole in my heart. He didn’t even get a year on this earth. Everyone agreed he was just the sweetest personality. So, so sweet. The vet from the clinic said so every time he saw Grrr.

I don’t know what to do without him.

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ARRrrrrgggghhh

2019-09-29T23:26:36Z

I cannot believe missed the Zoom chat. ☹️ Hmpf.

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I’m going to Squee!

2019-09-22T11:10:38Z

Max thought that I should really go, so he bought the plane ticket, which was about $500, while I paid for the hotel. Yay!😁😁😁. After so many years of trying to get to Squee, I’m finally going 💙💙💙

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a spot of trouble

2019-09-08T19:14:09Z

So Max, Grrr and I were vacation to see two of our boys, the math major in Utah and Pathogist son in Colorado Springs. We were then going to go to Yellowstone, which we hadn't been to since our honeymoon..Unfortunately after leaving Colorado Springs we got rammed by a a truck and rolled off the road. Remarkably Grrr wasn't hurt, but Max and I suffered some big damage. Max got out of the hospital after, uh, a week? I'm waiting to be released now after 10? days. Brain still fuzzy after concussion, broken ribs, broken arm, lots of bruises and such. I guees were going to spend a few days with pathogist son in Colorado until we can figure out ho to get home

Damed Dr Son taking picture of me in Er?

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proud mama

2019-08-18T18:43:01Z

Middle Son, Son #3, Major Son, Dr Son, Pathologist Son (whew)
is now Air Airborne Air Assault medic too.

Good grief. I never new he had all this drive and ambition.

Now he can jump out of the helicopters his brother flies. 😜

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Oh the irony

2019-08-14T03:15:04Z

My cell phone is being bratty. I can get mail, I can go anywhere on the internet, but I can’t make a phone call, or more importantly text.
The irony is back when cells were becoming accessible, I would loudly proclaim that I would be the last person on the planet to get a cellphone.
Yeah.
When the iPhone commercials debuted , I wanted one so bad, but I realized my hypocrisy. My youngest son said, “just think of it as a computer that you can make phone calls on.’’

Well!
I soon after became the first member of my family to own the newest, latest, greatest tech. 😳

And seriously, I rarely use it as a phone. I have less than 20 contacts on it.

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It’s all about The Doggo

2019-08-05T01:36:02Z

After the visit to the new neurologist and another chat with our local vet, it’s been decided to keep Grrr on the prednisone and wait until he is a least a year old before we possibly subject him to an MRI. He’s a happy puppy and he can run. He is only terribly unstable when he walks or stands, but he manages and is not in pain. So if the pupper is happy, we’re great.

I n other news, the weather has been so hot its giving me a powerful headache.
I’m not so inclined to cook or clean.

My carpet is so dirty, it may as well be a public beach.

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Good Guy is still Aggravating

2019-07-17T01:33:02Z

Max is a great husband. He’s so much forward thinking than most people of his generation and upbringing. He treats me well and with so much affection. We like many of the same things. We have a shared sense of humor, although mine is a bit more sarcastic and biting.

He doesn’t manslpain at me, but he does something equally irritating. He never believes me. All the damn time I will tell him something and he’ll just argue about it. The worst fight we ever had was about a mirror that fell and broke on my son’s bathroom. He insisted that we hadn’t told him. , but my kid and I both did. I even emailed him about it so he would know and Not get mad. It was just the whole damn weekend. He’s never admitted he might be wrong.

Today was just as ridiculous. He was gripping about a ‘bush’ he didn’t plant. I told him it was a poplar tree cut down last year that went nuts sprouting me branches. He did not remember how we both found it weird and wild that this crazy trees were starting to grow branches right after we cut them down. So I kept telling him it was one of the poplar trees and he kept insisting it was not. Until. He finally pulled some of the branches out of the way and found that they were all growing out of a stump.

😑😑😑

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Overreacting?

2019-07-09T04:11:35Z

I pretty much wrote off my remaining brothers after the death of my father and older brother. Their behavior when my dad died was especially appalling, and after no-shows for Christmas and thanksgiving, I had enough. So actually thatwas 3 Christmases ago, which makes 2 years of no contact. Anyway, out of the blue “M” texts me yesterday to ask if he can come over. Um. No. He asked me what’s been happening

aannnnnddd. These are the texts

So.
Rufio died in January on his 15th birthday. Huge shock. Randy wanted to wait about a year to get another. Yeah. Right. So about 3 months later, we drive up to the joint airbase to pick up Grrr, a teacup fox Pom. After his final booster shot, he becomes paralyzed in his back legs. The doggo neurologist wants to put him down.

Uh NO. In fact, Hell to the fuck no. So after about 6 weeks of prednisone he is 95% improved, but you know steroids and after dosing down, he was staggering again and falling. We increased his dosage, he does just ok. And when we dosage down again and he’s falling and staggering AGAIN after just 2 days.

That, of course was my text. Do I get any sympathy? A simple,”that’s too bad “ or “oh gee” any acknowledgement at all!
No!! this is the response I get:

Well, I’ve been going to the gym 3+ days a week now since early January, so I have been getting very fit. Except the last 2 weeks have been really hard because of grass allergies that are kicking my butt.

So I’m sorry if I am overreacting. Tell me what you think. Should I delete his contact info?

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Time for minor meltdown

2019-07-04T02:22:07Z

Max had a dr.s appointment today so that he could get his prescription heart meds renewed. His doctor canceled on him. Again. He is scheduled for an appointment next Tuesday. His meds run out on Friday. 😑
I finally got brave enough to schedule an appointment for myself to get my meds adjusted. The medical group I go to no longer accepts TriCare. 😑
And Grrr has had his meds cut back and he hasn’t eaten in 2 days, won’t play, all he wants to do is sleep. 😑

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, UNIVERSE ?!!??

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Enough Excitement Already

2019-07-01T03:41:21Z

thankewverymuch.

Firstly, there was someone working in the shop when Max wasn't home. I get a little twitchy about people out here when I'm alone, but the guy was vaguely familiar and actually had the key code to open the shop door, so a quick text to Max and I'm ok again. Just locked my front door behind me.

Then, after Max came home, when I went out to move the sprinkler, I noticed an elderly man sitting on a bench that we have underneath a tree. Just sitting there chilling, NBD, except we have a lot of neighbors who don't appreciate boundaries. So I approached a little hesitantly and asked, "may I help you?" to which he answered,

"are you an Epperson ?"

"yeee-ah"

"are you Jennifer?"

"Yee-sss"

"Is Max around ? I'm Joe Blah blah blah and I wanted to talk to him."

Well, finally! Ive heard the name before, so I led him back to the house, and Max was delighted to see him

Finally, I was walking Grrr after dinner and heard a ruckus in the garage, when I went to investigate I found a goat, stuck somehow in the corner. We couldn't get him out, even after tempting him with carrots an apples. I hope he finds his way out tonight.

And now for a double gin and some chocolate

http://www.mediafire.com/file/25e5u5qab4jo5u5/IMG_3309.mov/file

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Quick Update

2019-06-19T17:08:26Z

The good news: the house next door is 98% finished. Only took us 40 years. Only thing left to do is lay the carpet. Then we can get it refinanced and lay hands on some extra, much needed cash.
Also, Grrr has a n appointment to see a new neurologist in July and as of right now, he’s more or less stable. Tomorrow I fly out to Chicago for the Con. Which will be great, but why, oh why is David not going to be there? How can you have an important anniversary and NOT have David.( Sigh. I guess I’ll have to settle for you lot that are coming. Actually that’s what I’m looking forward to the most.)

The bad news is that we had to increase his dosage of prednisone and I’m having killer allergies.

The Ridiculous news is that my oldest son had another couple of pulmonary embolism last night just as his family was getting ready for bed. My dil said she heard him stagger in the hall and collapse. So they were in the hospital overnight, but he can go home and start on blood thinners. This is the second time this has happened. The first time was seven?? years ago. He was only 33.

Ah life.

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