14 Sleep Disorders Discovery

After my departure from Decagon (the first time!), it soon became apparent I had sleep disorders. They weren't all discovered at once but here's what we found with time: 

 

I was not only a rapid cycler but my Circadian rhythms had been suppressed by long term use of antidepressants. This meant I slept 3 or 4 hours in the afternoon and then was up all night until about 4 or 5 in the morning and then slept again until around 10 or noon. This is how my sleep cycles have been for 14 years or longer and I just started living with the body's natural backup clock – the Ultradian rhythm.

But being nocturnal didn't solve everything. I was still tired all the time. Sleep studies at Gritman hospital showed I had sleep apnea pretty bad. So I became a hosehead and have been ever since. Getting oxygen to my brain improved things quite a bit but something else was still wrong.

After three years of chronic diarrhea, the doctors couldn't find anything wrong. My blood levels were all normal, etc. I started weaning off the Lithium and the symptoms started going away. I had lithium toxicity. So I was switched to Depakote and that helped. But neurotoxicity has continued and I can't feel my feet any more. It's getting worse so I'm going to a neurologist in Spokane soon. All they can do probably is assess the damage. But maybe there is something else I am not aware of.

There was nothing from the Spokane doctors except further classification that I have small-muscle neuropathy. Which is supposed to be less debilitating. I cannot tell the difference between heat and cold. My hands have started having synesthesia --essentially “false sensory readings” mainly textural weirdness. So I continue to worsen.

In 2014, after three years of observation, my physician in Pullman has admitted that all evidence points to my medications for chronic fatigue and worsening symptoms of neuropathy. The doctors for awhile seemed to think I was on the edge of diabetes. That has never proven true. I now walk with a cane when out of the house.

13 Fire at the Grange

I mentioned we don't live far from the Grange building. It's only two houses up the street. One summer Daniel and Nathan were visiting. Daniel and Tyler were about the same age. Daniel was 13 and Tyler 12. They went down town and bought some lighters at the store. They tried to light the bridge on fire. I had to look at that damage for a few years until the city changed out the planks. Then they went to the Grange and lit some pine needles on fire right up against the Grange. It was afternoon but I was asleep. Then I heard fire engines and police cars. The older boys Nathan and Derek tried to lie to cover for the younger boys. But it was soon evident that our boys had started the fire. In the end, the two boys were convicted of a felon which would be expunged if they had no more infractions by age 18. They both made it –barely.

There was $15,000 of damage to the Grange. Fortunately, our homeowner's insurance covered it because of the boys young ages. They then canceled our policy. I don't blame them.

Tyler had to do public service. When he wasn't compliant, they put him in jail for a night. He did pretty well after that. And I had to take him into “Fire Classes” in Pullman. It was for a few weeks but was like salt in my wound. I couldn't believe they could be that stupid after all the lessons on fire safety. It was a very dry summer and could have been much worse. The whole fire experience was a nightmare for me. It was the last summer we had the boys up from Logan. They were all getting raunchy and rude. The fun was gone. They were trying to prove who was the most macho and it was disgusting to me. It was a sad day. We had to fly Daniel back for the trial. I don't remember seeing much remorse in those boys.

Tyler later told me when he was about 27 that he and Daniel bought the cigarette lighters at the store so they could smoke pot. Tyler was 11 at that time. Daniel supplied the marijuana (which he probably got from Nathan). So they were both high when they started the fires. Stupid.

Daniel later added this tidbit:
"Tyler had told me he found the lighters on the bank steps. Also I had never smoked pot till I was 15 and it was in Providence with a friend behind a old shed. Later learned I am allergic to the stuff. Haven't been near it since I was 20. So the fact that Dad heard it from Tyler just seems like Tyler is trying to cover his butt about having started the fire. Just thought it was weird about the pot."

Steve again: I guess we'll never know the truth. Does it matter? Nope.

12 Studio and Storage

I then wired and insulated the studio. For electricity, I just tapped into the box outside that was right next to the studio. Technically, if everything in our home was on at the same time, we probably would have blown the main breaker. But we're duty-cycling, essentially. There was never a circumstance where that occurred. Most of my energy draw was at night when everyone else was asleep. But there have been times when I wish we had more power amperage service than 200A. I installed a ceiling fan, heater and air conditioner. This was a great place to work and during my super-fatigue sleep apnea period I slept out there when I was tired (almost a year and a half.) Those were hard times. I made a platform bed with a single-size mattress. The other shed was bought by Terrie from a Church stage production of “Fiddler on the Roof.” It was part of a “set” and she bought it for $300. Her Dad came up and assembled it and put a steel roof on top. I had salvaged the galvanized steel from Max Huffaker's chicken coop roof when they tore it down in 1989. It was good to see it finally used. It's open to the air but keeps things dry. A haven for yellow jackets. We also added a slant roof to the house to cover an outside freezer and refrigerator on a cement slab. By now we've gradually exceeded the legal limit of sheds but no one has noticed or complained --so we're okay.

11 Small House Alternatives

The house being so small, Terrie came up with the idea of leasing a portable storage unit. We had space with two lots. This was a good way around the city codes. Since we didn't own the unit, it was not prohibited and required no building permits. All of our payments were applied to ownership conversion. After a few years, no one of authority was concerned about who owned what and it's never been questioned. Two other small sheds were added. One was the studio, a 10 x 12 foot chicken coop-style metal shed we bought for $500. Again, no permit is required for this size shed. It is the maximum allowed. I then removed the garage door and filled that with a window and a wall and a regular steel door. I also installed two other windows on another wall. The doors and windows Terrie had found as salvage from someones remodeling so we paid very little for them. She has always been good at finding these kind of bargains.

10 The Remodeling

When I bought the house at 100 East Bluff Street in Palouse, Washington, my intent was to tear out many walls and open it up. I wanted it more studio-like. I wanted it to be more like my “parrot” self and chose pastel colors for the palette. The parrot totem is whimsical, brilliant, and colorful. So I wanted to reflect that in the décor. And I had one piece of furniture, my chaise, and it was modern.

From my library studies, I knew I could remove up to 8 feet of non-load-bearing wall without structural danger. You can tell load bearing walls by looking in the crawl space or basement. If there is no wall underneath the one above, you're usually okay. I also knew, because of the 4-sided pyramid-shaped roof, the roof load was primarily on the outer walls. So I began demolition around June of 1990. This is a railroad house brought in on the railway around 1900. It's very strong and built of pine lapboard on all walls.

Nathan and Daniel were still young and they came up and helped. I documented everything with before-and-after photographs. The house has always been changing as our needs change. It's been nice to have that freedom to “take down” and “put up” as required. Of course, being who I am, I never got a license to make these changes and no inspections. The home always has had a homemade crafted look since I am no carpenter. But I've always felt competent with electricity and Terrie has taken care of our plumbing and auto needs (repairs and new installation.) I've kept the computers running.

Palouse has been a good place to live. Especially this location. We are close to the Grange. And the footbridge is close across the Palouse River. And there is a nature trail close by. There's a library branch downtown and a store and a gas station. And a couple of mechanic shops. And a high school.

09 Small is Relative

Many people have asked Terrie and I how we could raise so many kids in such a small space. My answer is one of relativity. It tell them how much this little area is worth in downtown Tokyo, Japan. And that there in Japan, we could never own it but only rent it at about $8,000 per month. This puts thing in perspective. We are rich. And having all of us crammed together forced us to learn to be polite. This house by comparison to my Grandfathers generation is a castle. It has running water and central heat and a toilet in the house. We have machines to do our laundry, heat our water, and clean our dishes. We are very fortunate.

So even though I was penniless in 1988 (or so I thought), God made provisions for my protection many years before. I do not feel I ever really owned the land. It belonged to God as the Native American people believe. No man owns the earth. So I wasn't horribly hung up on it being the “land of my inheritance.” But my family members saw it as a “sell out” I'm sure. I did what was needed and never returned to see it again. The land was only a stepping stone and provided a way to return to health and make a home where I could live the remainder of my days. I bought the Palouse house in the spring of 1990 --after wintering at Granny's house in Viola. (Grandpa Dick had passed away the summer previous.)

08 Timber Money = car + house

A Utah state employee, supervising Nathan and Daniel's case who was responsible for collecting the money, told me if I would contest the judgment, it would be reversed. I never did that. I never wanted to see Ruth Ann again. She was boiling with toxicity --an obsessed person to truly be feared.

Meanwhile back in 1989, the price of timber had gone up and I was approached by some fellows to harvest trees off my land. I had forgotten about this asset. Grandma Teare had told me they needed to be harvested when she gave the land to me at around age 17. So I decided that was a good idea. I got two “tree” checks. The first for about $5,000 and the second for about $12,000, That is a guess. I then bought a $2,500 car and then a house in Palouse.

I knew I couldn't qualify for bank home financing. But this house in Palouse ($25,000 in 1990) I could “cash out” the owners with one $7,000 check. The city would carry me on the government loan balance at $185 per month without anything more than proof of employment. That worked. To me it was a “steal.” The house was two bedrooms. 800 square feet on the main floor (small) and 300 square feet of attic that could be converted into living space. I saw the potential immediately even though the place was dumpy. I immediately could see how the house could be opened up and made nice on the inside. It had been renovated in the 1970 or 80s on a special loan for the elderly at a low 4% interest rate. The city was the holder of these mortgages. They were anxious to get out from under it. So everything went pretty smooth. The renovations included new double pane windows, new steel doors, new furnace, and other energy saving improvements like insulation.

07 A chapter closes

My mom had called Max Huffaker to come out and check on me in spring of 1989 at the cabin. It wasn't long before Joe Harris and Max came looking for me --but I wasn't there. They wanted to hire me to work at Decagon. They had just lost one of there key guys. I worked for them until August of 2010 –23 years.

It was then April of 1989. Not too long after that, Ruth Ann sued for divorce. It was official in August of that year. It was the most difficult piece of paper for me to sign. I had a lot of guilt about abandoning my sons, Nathan and Daniel to live with a witch. I had asked my former family to come up and live in Pullman but Ruth Ann was set on staying in Utah. And the money I was making wasn't much but above minimum wage. I was paid on an hourly basis of $10 per hour. I sold all my electronic stuff to Decagon for $5,000. That allowed me to pay child support for almost 10 months or so. I wasn't under any court order but I sent $400 per month. The divorce decree was for $400 per month but was increased to $600 per month when Ruth Ann sued again in 1997. I didn't go to court but just let her win. The fight wasn't in me. The extra was about $10,000 in billback which I paid in monthly amounts after paying off the child support. I made her wait but she got it all. She tried every trick to get that money accelerated including complaining to my Stake President and Branch Presidents on several occasions. She wanted a church court to settle by forcing me to pay or taking away my membership or temple recommend. She was THE biggest mistake of my life. The Church leaders refused to do any of her bidding although they questioned me several times since they had been contacted by her bishops.