(There are no posts for August.)
Posted Monday, September 20, 2004 at 02:30 UTC
July posts have been combined into one page, like all the other months. I did not post anything at all in August because I was so busy doing other stuff.
Our pancake recipe was just added today.
A visitor from Michigan inquired about one of our old pictures, and I answered her. The thread appears at (this picture is still offline, 2/17/2022)
Another visitor from Michigan (named Jennifer) provided us with yet another version of the Billboard Song. Her version is a camp favorite.
On the home page, the link to the Unity Page is gone because that page has been taken offline. GeoURL is not working either, so I removed the link to that as well.
Changeable themes are gone; less than 1% of visitors were using them.
Broken links in the Categories section of the News Archive have been fixed (added at 03:25 UTC).
I am becoming concerned about some of our section titles in the navigation. Sure, they are cute, but how, for example, will a new visitor know to look for recipes under “Ummy’s Nummies” or inspirational articles under “A Heavenly Ummamum”? In addition, there is a bug in the navigation on Mozilla, on certain pages. A layout change is in the works; makeover is perhaps a more accurate word.
Posted Monday, September 20, 2004 at 02:45 UTC
Wendi saw Dr. Miller on July 2 at 10 a.m. about her stomach, which had been frequently upset lately. It was probably due to acid, the doctor figured, so he took her off of the Ranitidine and put her on Prilosec, which eliminates nearly ALL stomach acid.
The acid was now gone, but her stomach was still frequently upset. Wendi underwent a barium enema test (colon X-ray) on August 5. The 48 hour preparation for the test was horrible.
An upper GI exam (stomach and small intestine) was conducted August 12. It took nearly three hours.
The colon X-ray showed no colon polyps or cancer. The X-rays of the stomach and small intestine showed no significant abnormality. Wendi’s abdominal symptoms did not improve with Prilosec, so the diagnosis was irritable bowel syndrome. The exact cause of this condition is unclear, and there are no specific treatments for it, but a diet high in fiber may be helpful.
On July 26, Wendi’s voice was gone, and she was coughing up green stuff. Dr. Miller (by phone) diagnosed her with an upper respiratory infection and prescribed Amoxicillin (an antibiotic), 500 mg TID (three times daily) for 10 days. This took care of the problem.
Her latest battle is with back pain. Wendi slept two hours out of 48 during August 7–9. She saw Dr. Miller on August 9. He prescribed Neurontin for neuropathic pain. Physical therapy began August 17. By September 10, she began doing some exercises to strengthen muscles which support the back and trunk. At this writing she is somewhat improved although not entirely better.
On August 16, Wendi saw Dr. Downing (eye doctor) at 10:15 a.m. Possible cataract developing in left eye. Vision tested 20/80 in both eyes. New glasses prescribed, though the actual change was not great.
All three of us worked together at the craft show at Ben Franklin on September 11. Everything went fairly well, and Wendi got through it okay.
Posted Wednesday, September 29, 2004 at 14:00 UTC
Autumn officially arrived on September 22, but the weather didn’t learn of it (in Janesville, at least) until Tuesday, September 28, when the temperature failed to rise above 63° Fahrenheit. A brisk northerly breeze made it feel considerably cooler than that. Monday’s weather had been undecided; it was 47° in the morning but rose to 76° in the afternoon, with no breeze, ample sun and a touch of humidity to boot; it felt more like summer.
At 5 a.m. Wednesday morning, the mercury fell to 35° in Janesville. It was 43° at our house at 7 a.m. and is expected to rise to 68° this afternoon. Thursday’s predicted high is 72°.
All of this temperature variation makes it difficult to dress for the weather! Last night at Woodman’s (the grocery store where I work), a tall, slender gentleman came through the checkout dressed in a sleeveless white T-shirt and grey sweat shorts. “Are you ready for a cold night?” I asked him. “It’s not that bad,” he replied. It was about 52° outside at the time. I informed the gentleman that the predicted low would be just above freezing. “Great!” he remarked. “That’s good jogging weather.”
Somehow I managed myself to contract a nasty summer cold, while the weather was still warm. It struck me like a hurricane (my apologies to those in the southern U.S.) on Monday night, September 13, and for the two days after that; then it improved. By the following Monday (September 20) it was nearly gone, but since then, it has gone into my ears and sinuses and has become an infection. I saw the doctor this Monday (September 27), and he put me on Amoxicillin, an antibiotic. Wendi has gotten sick with the same thing also; the doctor gave me a second prescription for her. So far, we seem to be improving.
I asked the doctor why I had fallen ill after being healthy and “strong as an ox” all summer. “You work at Woodman’s, don’t you?” he said, and I agreed. “That’s probably why,” he continued. “Lots of shoppers in the store, co-workers at close quarters and in the break room, and handling people’s groceries…” Obviously I have many opportunities to pick up pathogens. It’s like working in a day care center.
You have been warned! Please be careful and dress appropriately for the changing weather, and be especially careful if you work around a lot of people or go to school (my son tells me there are a lot of sick students at his school). Be sure to eat right and get plenty of sleep. A vitamin C supplement may be helpful also. And by all means if possible, stay active and enjoy the beautiful autumn season.