DH broke out about a week before you. He started complaining that his arm and shoulder were sore, but he didn't remember anything that would have ccaued a pulled muscle. That was Friday. Saturday he said he noticed some other sensations and then the rash appeared. He didn't sayy anything and I didnt see it until he wass in the shower Sunday morning (Mother's Day). He said he didn't want to ruin my day. I tried to get him to go in for urgent care, but he waited until Monday. Until then, we used an aloe with lidocaine (sold for sunburn) that I keep in the fridge and motrin. He got an antiviral and a prescription for Lyrica (very expensive). He was starting to have thhe deeper pai by then and it got worse Monday and Tuesday, but the drugs started kicking in Tuesday to Wednesday. We were traveling Thursday and he did fine. If you go the antiviral but are still having so much pain, I would ask your doctor about an antidepressant for pain (because it is a deep nerve pain, not because it's in your head). I had one prescribed once and it made me feel awful, so I didn't continue taking it and can't really say how it addressed pain because it has to work into your system a bit before you really know, but it seems to have helped DH a good bit. Now the question is when he can stop taking it. I hope your doctor told you that the vacccine makes the chances of having long term pain or problems from shingles about 90% less. That is the main reason the vaccine is so widely recommended. It is only about 50% effectiive at preventing shingles. So see if you can get something to help the pain (not the typical pain meds they would have given you in the ER), try taking Motrin or Aleve along with that at least until it kicks in (anti-inflamatory- NSAIDS), and then breathe, trry to be more confident that you won't have those long term issues you are worriee about and try to calmly roll with the day to day with DH. My mom and MIL both had Alzheimer's. I get it. Just don't forget that the person you love is still there and wanting to connect with you -- the pathways just don't work most of the time -- or they can't communicate when they do. But they are there and still a loving person. I always saw my mom as still there while me dad seemed to see what was gone. It was also the time when I made a practice of making sure I counted my blessings each night (or whenever) -- saying thanks for the things that were good in the day and asking for guidance with those that were difficult. It made a huge difference in how her disease impacted us and how we were able to connect with her (I was with her at the end and he was in the hospital with pneumonia and congestive heart failure). Stay positive and take care of yourself.

Looks like cut stone to me. That is why you never paint stone or brick, it looks awful. A sledge hammer will do the job, but you will probable also destroy the new surround in the process since the surround is on top of the stone. .

JM, they should be good to go in southern Connecticut. The ones being sold at your local garden centers are likely to be hardier cultivars (those with the native American tribal names). Are you looking for a bush or a TREE though? They range in terms of their ultimate height by cultivar and depending on your particular zone (they may be more shrub than tree like). The milder the zone, the more frequently you will see them tree like (Long Island, in and around NYC, the Jersey shore, etc..) The colder the zone, there may be seasonal dieback that ultimately maintains it as a shrub. So too, in many southern areas, many growers prune them vigorously on a yearly basis, in order to maintain them as shrubs.

Wow, that's really interesting. Have you consulted a fireplace specialist? Looks like you might need some upgrade work done if you want to make it look different than it does now. Finding decorative vent replacements those exact sizes and then getting them installed could be a real challenge. There are a lot of things that can actually be done with the fireplace facade itself that might be easier for you, including stone washes that lighten or change the color and even re-covering the stone with different materials for a more updated look. Some people are even using really upscale materials like marble to re-cover a fireplace area. A lot of it depends on your overall decor scheme and the look you want.