[Research] Oh no -- here comes the sun

[occb]

Too true Nak. And we have this one almost all to ourselves. We also get to plant what we want.

We went strolling through the back alley yesterday to see what kinds of plants were growing out there, and there's an awful lot of johnny jump-ups free for the taking which will find a good home under the spruce tree. Plus a few Lilacs that have escaped gardens and a monkshood too. Free plants. WOOT!

 

[Nakamova]

Any chance for birdfeeders too? I don't have any greenspace, but I was loving all the birds I got to check out a lakeside spot I visited over the past weekend. Hummingbirds, redwing blackbirds, cedar waxwings, even an osprey...

 

[Inaara]

what's a johnny jump up?

 

[Nakamova]

A johnny jump up is a bit like a wild pansy.

 

[occb]

Well, there's a mountain ash and the spruce in the back yard, so we could probably put a bird feeder in thee. We already have a lot of robins, chickadees, finches and magpies here, and the mountain ash is a stopping ground for waxwings during the migration period (for the last three years it has been), but I would love to add a hummingbird feeder, because I know they pass through here in the spring and fall.

They had some pretty ones at the garden centre down the street, so maybe I'll head over there this weekend.

 

[Inaara]

Thanks Nak.

We have a ton of birds here. I like it in the morning - I have my coffee and sit on the balcony and watch all the birds. As wide open as the center courtyard is, I didn't expect to see as many birds so it's pretty cool.

 

[epileric]

Thanks Nak.

We have a ton of birds here. I like it in the morning - I have my coffee and sit on the balcony and watch all the birds. As wide open as the center courtyard is, I didn't expect to see as many birds so it's pretty cool.

That's great! When I had stepchildren I found this birdhouse but the back wall was clear plastic & it had suction cups so you could stick it to a window. It then had this piece of rubber that stuck on the inside of the window that you lifted if you wanted to see the inside of the nest.

I thought it would have been a great educational toy but the kids had no interest.

 

[Inaara]

*sigh* Kids...

I always liked birds, though. I remember as a kid I used to like to watch them, too - especially the brightly colored ones like the cardinals and bluejays and such. When I lived on the shore, I was close to an area where rare birds could be seen fairly frequently and I loved that. In WA, saw bald eagles for the first time (but never once saw a cardinal and precious few blue jays due to the location). Back in TX, saw roadrunners for the first time and also mockingbirds (lots and lots of mockingbirds!). Here there are a lot of cardinals and bluejays again (I like the bright colors, I can't help it!) and robins and the occasional hummingbird.

Yesterday was funny though: some idiot threw a plastic water bottle on the grass overnight and a red squirrle found it and was playing with it - had it by the neck and was holding it like he was drinking from it while running across the yard. It was pretty hilarious.

 

[occb]

I have interwebs at home again! Yay!

Aw Eric, that would have been so fun to watch. If our windows were higher off the ground I would look for a bird house just like that.

Squirrels are the cutest! We used to feed them peanutbutter and seeds in the winter in these tiny pots. They got so possessive about the food that one ran off with the entire pot one day. We didn't find it again until the spring thaw.

We witnessed baby magpies being thrown out of the nest last week, which was really exciting. The neighbour to the north was excited with us, keeping track of where the little ones were in her yard, and then ours. When they travelled to the south neighbour's yard, she complained to her landlord about all the racket the birds were making (I guess the robins and magpies have been fighting for weeks in the tree by her bedroom), and then four of the five baby magpies showed up dead in our back alley the next day It could just have been coincidence, but I suspect not.

 

[Inaara]

*slaps south neighbor*

some people's children...

 

[occb]

I spoke with the south neighbour yesterday, and she implied it may have been her south neighbours who did something to the birds. Her south neighbours are hard partying street brawlers who just keep the neighbours on all sides (even across the street) up at all hours, and they just put in an above-ground pool, and tried burning some very green wood this morning (ick!). We did find two of the birds just outside their property, so maybe she's right. We already didn't like them much before this news. They have now earned the ceremonious nickname of "the Pouches" (pool + douches). Say it -- you'll enjoy how it sounds.

South neighbour's kids are growing on me. L'il munchkin waves at me ALL the time. Yesterday he told me all about mum's financial difficulties and how she couldn't afford cowboy boots for him for Stampede (honestly -- $60 for boots he'll wear once... not financially difficult, just sound fiscal policy, I says). Then they announced their planned trip to Value Village and showed me their spoils when they got back. Lots of plaid. As the little girl in the lobby of my office said yesterday -- "Yippee-kai-yo-kai-yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!"

North neighbour greets me every morning with "You not work today?" to which I reply, "I do! I leave at 8:30" "8:30," she says, "drink coffee!" I love north neighbour. Now I need to find out her name. And what's growing in the huge veggie patch she's got.

And, on the way to the awesome little corner store one-and-a-half blocks away, which has a bizarre miscillaneous stuff wall (clip-on hair and drillbits, etc.) I was stopped by an older chinese woman who held up a massive bok choy in my face and told me the Russian granny in the yard there just gave it to her and it's organic! I congratulated both on the spectacular specimen of cabbage and then bought a single roll of TP.

My new neighbourhood rawks.

 

[Nakamova]

Nice neighbors in the 'hood! I'm not a super-extrovert, so I love it when other folks pick up the slack. I call one of my neighbors "The Talkie Lady" because she tends to go on and on and on. Not always a bad thing, although sometimes I have to cross the street when I see her coming...

 

[occb]

Oooo, I like Talkie Ladies, but only in regulated doses too.

 

[occb]

So, since I have this diary that's not a diary anymore, but may become a diary again soon, I figure I can vent and update and ponder to my heart's content here, and if anyone cares to read, contribute or amuse, I'll be pleased.

So partner's sleep has been divine for the last month or so. Except for a couple of nights where he sweated so much the bed became like a swimming pool, he was actually getting rest.

Now his rest isn't so good anymore. I noticed last week that he was beginning to jerk more in his sleep, wake up more often with a bad mood or confusion. He also is starting to get the nightmares again, of fighting and violence, but they're still not the war dreams (yay!).

The other night he had rhytmic jerking that traveled from shoulder to feet when trying to get to sleep. That would be the day where he was sick and threw up his lamotrigine. Of course he forgot to tell me that, and I started to fret that the bad jerking that happened earlier in the year was back. Hopefully it won't develop to that.

He kind of worried that maybe he was having psychogenic seizures, because we had just talked about all the jerking earlier that day, and then he was jerking in bed. Then we put two and two together, with the missing med dose, and the fact that we had spoken about the jerking because I was beginning to notice he was jerking more in his sleep than he has been in quite a while, he stopped fretting. So did I.

Anyway, we're keeping an eye on it, and we've discussed keeping a diary again, because he's getting more curious about what could be making them better or worse. I had dropped the diary originally, because he was beginning to feel like an experiment or a special project and it caused some friction between us. So, if he's willing, I'm willing.

Anyway... I was thinking maybe his worse spells come in waves. Like maybe every six months, or the changing of the seasons or lengths of the days have soemthing to do with it.

We definitely know daylight is a culprit. Yesterday we visited my parents and sat in their yard. When dark clouds blocked out the sun he was all focused and chatty, but as soon as they passed and the sun came out -- space-outs and mild confusion returned. Stoopid sun. I think we need to find somewhere where we can live our lives at night.

So...um, yeah. [/verbal diarrhea]

EDIT: Oh yeah, almost forgot about he dropping things and falling over which is happening more, plus jaw pain and foergetting and half shiveries and all that jazz. Yeesh! Anyhoo, the other night he meant to creep up behind me while I was doing dishes and give me a hug. Well, he pretty much tackled me by accident. After we both stopped laughing I asked if he tripped and he didn't. It was one of those falling over spells he gets. He is now referred to as tacklemonkey.

Even the cat calls him that. True story!

 

[occb]

We're on day four of no more Effexor. Partner's been having serotonin crashes in the day, which was to be expected. He's been taking a B-complex in the mornings so he has energy, and it's supposed to help somewhat with the crashes. I'm coaxing him into taking magnesium at night to help with the restlessness he's feeling.

One thing I have noticed is that he no longer gets the funky smells and a runny nose first thing in the morning. Not since the weekend, anyway, and that had pretty much become standard operating procedure for the last 8 months. That's a good sign.

He's been having funky dreams/wakings though. He's been dreaming about conversations we've had and wakes up mid-conversation and gets intensely confused that he's somewhere else and I'm not there. These dreams are changing now. This morning he woke up to a conversation with someone else about needing to blow up a helipad. I hope that doesn't mean the nightmares are coming back. They've been gone since the introduction fo the lamotrigine, and, frankly, they can stay gone as far as we're concerned.

Mind you, funky dreams can be part of the withdrawal from Effexor, so, hopefully, that will disappear with time *fingers crossed*

 

[Nakamova]

Funky dreams/nightmares are a Lamictal side effect. in my case it went away after a few months.

 

[occb]

In his case, starting the lamotrigine last year got rid of the bad dreams. Maybe he's getting funky dreams now because without Effexor the lamotrigine is absorbed better in the body? Who knows!

It's just good that the funky smells are gone, but he did have a bad epigastric rising sensation the other night with salivation, although it was only one, instead of the several in a row he used to get.