Mel...
 

You don't drive, where you live in NY. So I guess you don't pay attention to
the roads much. Don't have to.

They put orange barrels out when doing road construction. And where we
live it has been a nightmare. All of our freeways have them, major roads etc.
One time I had to temp at a place, and I could not get to it... every road leading to it was filled with orange barrels! (I was really frustrated with that!)

Here are two new pictures:
#1== parked digger in front of our house
#2 == Oreo has become BRAVER and is now exploring the monster as long
as we are there with her to protect her.... LOL
#3== this one is funny too... (she really only explored for a minute or two--I had to click fast with the camera).

Mrs. D.

You must be going out of your mind with the noise. I know me. I'd go out and shoot someone.

I need to live in "PEACEFUL ACRES".

If you get my drift.

And I was a disco banging momma in the 1970's.

and now I need quiet and peace.

How boring is that??

I'm just happy to get up without my feet burning. That's a good day.

I have lots of them because of the B-12 I guess.

Oh, because I started the 1 mg (down from the one and a half), of the xanax that I told you about last week. Well, I didn't want to go BACK TO ONE AND A HALF. So I just stayed at the 1 mg at night before retiring.

boy, were you right about the body doing the spasm thing.

I was full of spasms for 5 days or so, and presently they are easing up. I had no idea. I looked up xanax withdrawal and it said "some people have no problem, some people have physical symptoms". It also said exactly what you said "do it slowly".

So I'm not jumping down the dose for at least 6 months. Then I'll go down by a quarter. I'll have seen my doctor by then. Don't see him too much because I go to Cornell. I don't much like going to doctors (I like Dr Fred, he's the bomb), but I don't like doctor visits.

Every muscle in my body is sore. And my joints. It's like I ache all over. It subsided a great deal since I first began. I should have gone down by a quarter. But now that it's 8 days or so, I'm staying at the 1 mg.

I had maybe 2 headaches since this all began. How do you differentiate between arthritis pain (from the weather), and xanax withdrawal?)

I mean, I ache, and then for a while (like when I was watching Don't Forget the Lyrices with Alan last night), I forgot everything and we were both up and singing along.

Then around 10:30 p.m. (it's always right before I am to take my xanax), my belly starts shaking, I don't feel good, I look up at the clock and I go. "Oh, time for the pill". I'm perfectly fine 15 minutes later.

Also, it said in the withdrawal symptoms that when you stop taking it, the reason you took it in the first place, well, it may come back.

This happened last night. I could not sleep. I was thinking about my son, about Alan. I knew this was part of the process, so I got up, made a cup of tea at midnight, watched some tv. And in 10 minutes or so, went back to sleep. Got up at 7:30 a.m. because the people were talking in the backyard right underneath my window. Alan can sleep through ANYTHING.

Don't know what will happen tonight.

I DO KNOW what happens after all this is over. My brain starts to make new pathways and it mentioned neurotransmitters, and my brain will heal and my memory will get better (that alone, is worth this). I've been sedating myself at night and I never fully realized what I was doing.

The article also said that most of the people on xanax also drink. Thank god, I do not do this.

So I shall take one day at a time, and hopefully, as the days (or weeks) pass by, the achiness will stop.

I read where it can take 3 weeks to 6 months for the withdrawal.

I never took it during the day. But I never should have used it as a sleeping aid. I realize this now.

I do learn.

So I'm off to Dunkin (with my new hairdo).

Their coffee is calling to me.

Take care.

Melody

I am so sorry you are going through all that noise and dust and inconvenience. Is there a way for you to get out of the house and go to a friend's or to the library ? Also can you cover the computer with some sheets and turn it off to be on the safe side? I don't know what to suggest for the cats. I am sure animals suffer just like us because of all that 'progress'...

Oh, well, it should be over at some point and then just think how thankful you will be!

Thank you for the thoughts...
 

They finished our area (one set of pipes) for now... until more next week...some manhole stuff. Then comes the repaving..which will smell bad.

The dust is a problem because they left sand everywhere. So far it is not windy. The sand is very fine stuff.... like powder. Messy...

The biggest issue is where to park our cars. We have put them behind our house on the highway on the grass (illegally--but the police promise to not ticket us).
and getting in and out there is pretty scary.... hubby doesn't mind, but I do.
At night he brings them around and park in front again. (I am afraid they will be stolen where we are forced to put them at night. (we live on a high hill...it is all hard to explain.)

The lingering anxiety is hard to describe...I didn't realize it was bothering me.
But I am having trouble sleeping. The one neighbor only lives in her house occasionally...they fixed it up and are trying to sell it...now for 4 years..but no one is willing to buy it--all the stairs, etc. So she did leave and is living where she usually lives. The others have a back entrance which we do not.
The not knowing when the water is going off, is very inconvenient, even tho we have now saved water. You have to bathe like at 2am, to be sure!

Oreo still does not like it... but at least she is not trembling like the first day.

Mrs. D.

Well, whatever you do about the anxiety, I KNOW you're not going to be as foolish as I was with the Alprazolam. lol

If I had construction going on 24/7, I'd buy those noise cancelling headphones and use them to watch tv. or listen to music. They really do work.

They cancel out all outside noise and you only hear the tv, radio, ipod, etc.

Have you ever tried those? The airplane people use them on the runways.

Even if you are not listening to anything, you an still put them on and they blot out all the noise from the outside.

Sunday...
 

Well, we were told to remove 36 inches of my garden for the removal of the
curb and connection of the new main to the our service.

So my son was wonderful and came in to help us... this picture gives some
record to this massive job. He and my husband removed tons of rock and the first step in our walk which we use to get to our cars.
That is my husband walking along in the background.

There is another area to the left as well.

So I did the plants... removing what I could remove and putting them into flats so I can put them back later. (I don't know if they will survive however) I did 3/4 of them. I also did some petunias, and pansies for another project.
And I supervised which was a biggie....LOL

A former neighbor came by with her friends and we did the tour of the yard and other things and she was horrified. I haven't seen her in ages, so that was a nice bonus.

What is really bugging me is that cars driving thru (this is a very private neighborhood) are driving fast and stirring up the dust, worst than the workers. That is just so inconsiderate! Doesn't take much to peeve me lately!

Needless to say, I am tired, and I hurt. Duh!

P.S. the crocs shoes, were great. They got all dirty...so I just hosed them off... like new! ;)

edit to try a new smilie... sort of how I feel this morning:
:Wheel:

cough cough
 

The dust is killing us....

They won't be back until next week... thank goodness.

But 2 of our cats are acting ill, and my husband and I are not great. I got some generic Zyrtec today, in hopes of being able to function tomorrow.
(the Benadryl is too strong for us).

Today a big truck came down to the end of the dead end and filled up a big tank from the fire hydrant, and then sprayed the whole street. So we are NOT ALONE. Blech