Happy (and Clean) House

I have someone who comes to clean my house once a month.

It is money well spent.

We started this in 2014, after it became painfully obvious that I couldn't keep up the housework, still try to work, and deal with constant chronic pain all at the same time. We went through a few people before the young woman who cleans for me now took the job. She's been cleaning for me for about seven years.

The house always feels nice after she's been here. I clean and do chores throughout the month, of course, but it's good to have it all done at one time.

When my husband was recuperating from his hip surgery, I asked her if she could swing by and simply run the vacuum for me weekly so we could keep the dust down. Hip surgeries can become infected easily, so I wanted to keep the house as clean as possible for the first weeks of his recovery. She was happy to oblige, running by on her way to another person's house to spend 20 minutes with my vacuum. It took a load off of me to know that she would help me out.

Today was house cleaning day, and my house smells fresh and the floors sparkle.

That makes me happy!

*I am participating in the August Happiness Challenge hosted by One Gal's Musings.*

Olivia Newton-John (1948 - 2022)

Word came this afternoon that singer Olivia Newton-John passed away at the age of 73.

I have been an Olivia Newton-John fan for a long time. I listened to her songs like Please, Mister, Please, saw her in Grease, and I was probably one of the 15 people who saw the movie Xanadu. I was only 17 when I saw that last movie but even I knew it was a flop. I might like it better if I revisited it, but I don't know that I've ever seen the movie listed on a cable movie channel.

I'll have to look for it now and see if somebody shows it.

It was the song Hopelessly Devoted to You from Grease that I loved the most. She sang it with so much angst and feeling that I don't know how anyone could not stop and listen to that song when it comes on the radio (which of course is seldom these days, though we may hear it more for a while).

Grease was also the first movie I saw without my parents. My brother and I went saw it together; I was 13, he was 10. I don't know how much my brother liked the movie, but I loved it, even if I didn't get the risqué lyrics in some of the songs at the time.

Olivia was, in spite of the cigarette and leather clothes at the end of Grease, the girl next door. If Olivia could do it, anyone could do it. She was spunky, she came across as fun, and I enjoyed watching her perform.

There aren't many people in this world that I truly admire, but Olivia Newton-John was one of them.

Her struggle with breast cancer was legendary; I remember feeling saddened when I learned she had it, and happy when I realized it hadn't killed her. She never regained the fame she'd had after the song Physical, but that didn't matter.

She'll always be Sandy Dee.

Little Happies

 

I'm not especially happy today, but there are little things that have gone right.

My dad called and we had a chat.

My husband took the trash to the dump. That is always a relief!

I wrote a long letter to a friend instead of sending her a birthday card.

*I am participating in the August Happiness Challenge this month!*

Thirteen Lives

Last night we watched Thirteen Lives, a movie by Ron Howard, on Prime Video. Fortunately the buffering was not bad.

The movie was incredibly good. It starred Viggo Mortenson (aka Aragorn in Lord of the Rings), Colin Ferrell and other people whose names I did not recognize.

It was the story of the rescue of 12 boys and their young coach, who were trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand.

Even though I knew how things turned out, having read much about the 2018 event, I cried at the end.

But watching it with my husband made me happy.

*I'm participating in the August Happiness Challenge this month!*

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1.  What would you like people to know about your mother?

A. She was a beautiful woman. My grandfather used to call her "Liz" after Elizabeth Taylor.

2.  What would you like people to know about your father?

A. He's a handsome man.

My father (left) with my brother in 2007.

3.  What was your childhood bedroom like?

A. I had white furniture with a canopy bed. The canopy was purple. I also had a rocking chair.

4.  What was your favorite activity as a child?

A. Reading.

5.  What was high school like for you?

A. I was introverted and did not have a lot of friends, but I had enough. I wasn't one of the "popular" girls - not a cheerleader or anything like that. I played in band, though. I was a straight A student but also a little wild at times. I think sometimes my peers had no idea what to think about me.

6.  Write about your cousins.

A. My cousins Tamae and Rhonda lived in California (Rhonda still does). They were the city cousins, and apparently quite wild. Tamea died in 2010. She was three years older than I.

7.  What was your favorite food as a child?

A. I remember being fond of cucumbers and Three Musketeers bars. Not together, of course.

8.  What was your most memorable birthday?

A. I remember one year my mother made me a butterfly cake. We didn't make a big deal out of birthdays, though.

9.  What world events were significant to you as a child?

A. I vaguely remember the Vietnam War on TV; Uncle Butch was in the Army at that time. I remember the Patty Hearst kidnapping had an impact on me. Watergate was in the background, but I didn't understand its importance.

10. What did a typical day look like as a child?

A. If it was summer, then we went to my grandmother's where I played with my brother and my two young uncles. We rode our bicycles around and around the block, played in the Roanoke River (which we weren't supposed to do), and played on the swing set. We played board games on rainy days. My older uncle always cheated at Monopoly.

11. Write about your grandparents.

A. My maternal grandmother had a lap as big as Texas and a heart that encompassed the world. She was always there with a shoulder to cry on, and she would wrap you and fiercely sing "Daisy, Daisy" to you while she rocked you hard to calm you down. I remember watching her do that to my brother many times; as the youngest he had the most tears to shed, I think.

12. Did you move as a child?

A. Yes. My father bought a farm, and we lived on a trailer for a while, then he bought another farm, and we lived in the old house until he built the home he lives in now.

13. Who taught you to drive?

A. My father taught me to drive a stick shift when I was 13. We had driver's education in school so learned there for our actual permit.

14. Which job has been your favorite?

A. Freelance writing.

15. What was the best part of your 30s?

A. My mother died when I was in my late 30s, which obviously was not the best part, but I grew up a lot after she passed away. I also began freelancing for real in my 30s, doing that as my sole source of income. It was very freeing to be away from an office.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Big Bad John

Saturday 9: Big Bad John

August will be devoted to story songs. Here's the first!
 

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

This is one of the first songs I remember hearing when I was a child.

1) This song tells the story of a stern, enigmatic miner. None of the other miners knew much about him. When people first meet you, do you think they see you more as mysterious or straightforward?

A. I presume straightforward.
 
2) During a serious accident, many of the miners panicked. But not John. Think of your family, friends and acquaintances. Who would be the most dependable in a crisis?

A. Not me, apparently. I would say my husband, a former firefighter, or my brother, would be the most dependable people in a crisis.

3) His heroism allowed 20 miners to escape, but cost John his life. According to the lyrics, there's a marble slab on site of mine that honors him. Is there a memorial to a local hero in your town?

A. Not to my knowledge. There are memorials to the many who have died in wars, but not to a single person. The state is getting ready to put up a highway sign for Norvel Lee (1924-1992), who was an Olympic Boxer in 1948. He also won a Jim Crow case, an important landmark victory for Black rights, because he didn't move from the white-only section of a train. The case went all the way to the Virginia Supreme Court. The sign isn't up yet, though. It will be in the northern section of my county.

4) This song was written and performed by Jimmy Dean. He began composing it on a flight from New York to Nashville. How do you amuse yourself while traveling?

A. I listen to audio books.

5) Jimmy Dean hosted a long-running variety show on CBS, which is best-remembered today for introducing Jim Henson's puppets -- especially Rowlf, a dog who sang and told jokes. While Rowlf didn't make it to Sesame Street, he was a recurring character on the Muppet Show. Are you a Muppet fan?

A. Not particularly. I like the Geico commercial with Animal in it, though.

6) Jimmy found success in business with The Jimmy Dean Sausage Company. He sold the company to Sara Lee in 1984 for $80 million. Today Jimmy Dean breakfast products are still popular in grocery stores all over the country. What's your favorite breakfast?

A. Eggs, bacon, grits, and a biscuit with butter and grape jelly. I haven't had that combination in years.

7) In 1961, when this song was popular, Vogue asked if fashion sense is inborn or if could a woman could learn to be chic. What do you think? Do you think style is either something you have, or you don't?

A. I think it can be learned if a person is of a mind to learn it. It's not something that I ever concerned myself with. I have always been more concerned with comfort and I've never cared much what others thought of me.

8) Also in 1961, Ernest Hemingway took his own life. Did you read Hemingway in English class? Can you recall any other novels you read for school?

A. I was in an advanced placement English class throughout my high school years. I read some Hemingway, As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner, A Raisin the Sun, by Lorraine Hanesberry (which is actually a play, not a novel), plays by Shakespeare, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, both by J.R.R. Tolkien, works by O Henry, Shirley Jackson, Homer, and Sophocles, Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky, The Scarlett Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Moby Dick, by Herman Melville, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, etc. etc.
 
9) Random question: Think about the last "white lie" you told. Was it to make your own day easier or spare someone's feelings?

A. I suspect it was the usual "I'm fine" when I am not. I think more of my "white lies" are sins of omission than actually saying something. It's to make everyone feel easier. 

_______________

I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.  

BANG!

 

The loud blast resounded around the warehouse-like grocery store moments after I walked in the store.

I froze.

"It was a balloon, it's alright," someone called. A manager raced by me, calling that he was double-checking that it was, indeed, not a gunshot. (I consider it somewhat heroic that he headed toward the sound.)

The store sells helium balloons, and one had burst. In that cavernous building, it sounded like a .22 caliber gun going off.

It was a loud echo chamber, the noise bouncing off the ceiling like a bird hitting a glass door.

It upset me more than I realized. Mostly, I was upset at my reaction. Some, like me, simply stood, but other people ducked behind vegetable crates.

I was in a section with nowhere to go, nothing to duck behind.

I was vulnerable.

So, I am happy today that I didn't get shot yesterday.

But I am terribly pissed off that this is where we are, that I came home angry, frightened, and upset because a helium balloon burst in the supermarket.

Terrified that I know now that when the gunman enters the store, I'll be among the first to go, because I froze in panic instead of running.

I try to tell myself that on some level I knew it was a balloon, that I had just walked by there, and my subconscious had noted someone using the helium tank.

But the reality is that I froze, and now I wonder if I need to practice not freezing at such sounds, practice hustling my fat ass out of the way, around a corner, falling to the ground knowing that with my bad back and my pudgy body I probably wouldn't get up again without help. I think about how embarrassing that would have been, had I overreacted . . . this time.

Because this time, it wasn't a gunshot.

I am happy about that.

Thursday Thirteen

I'm doing today's Thursday Thirteen by typing in something in Bing and seeing what the autocomplete offers. And then I'll expound upon it if I feel like it.

1. I need . . . a hero. Don't we all need a hero, someone in a cape to come swooshing in to save the day? Or somebody simply to enfold us in a hug?

2. I need . . . help. Help! I need somebody! Ok, wrong song, maybe. I suspect we all also need help with something or another. Even if it's just a better way to cook pork.

3. I need . . . you. And I do, whoever you are. Thank you for reading my blog and being part of my world, even if I never know you. I appreciate the fact that you share some time with me here.

4. I need . . . money. Doesn't everyone, except the rich dudes like Elon Musk & Bezos & Gates? My husband and I were watching a show and the announcer mentioned a painting someone bought for $110 million dollars. If that person instead had given the money away in increments of $100,000, he could have helped 1,100 individuals. A hundred thousand dollars would pay off a lot of people's bills, help a lot of retirement funds, ease 1,100 tired minds. Or the person could have given 2,200 people $50,000 and that would have helped many folks, too. But, it's his/her money, so if they want a mult-million-dollar painting, they buy a painting.

5. I need . . . a new butt book. (Ok, I have no clue what this means.) WTF?

6. I want . . . my invite code. I would like an invitation, too, only I don't go out much anymore.

7. I want . . . to eat your pancreas. (Total eww factor on this one. WTF?)

8. I want . . . to know what love is. Love is an intangible, and it means different things to different people. Some people think they say I love you when they give you things. Some people think they say I love you when they give you time. Some people think you're supposed to know you love them without them ever having to say it. It's infinite and finite all at the same time, conditional and unconditional all at the same time, timeless and time-limited all at the same time.

9.  I am . . . jazz. I'm not even going to expound on this one, I just like what it says.

10. I am . . . Sam. Sam I am? Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the Rings? 

11. I hope . . . you dance. Dancing is good for the soul. Even if you look bad doing it.

12. I hope . . . they serve beer in hell. (Well, why not?)

13. I hope . . . this works. Yeah, me too!

___________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 767th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

FedEx Delivers

My happiness today comes via FedEx and the USPS.

FedEx delivered my order of Q-tips, Zyrtec, and other items so that I can continue my non-visits to stores to obtain such items.

I still go into the grocery store and CVS, but aside from needing to go find some pants soon, I have not missed shopping.

I'd buy the pants online if I thought they'd fit without trying them on.

The USPS brought me a personal letter from a former college professor, who wrote she was "thrilled to get an actual letter in the actual mail," when I wrote to congratulate her on a book publication.

Hurray for home delivery! That makes me happy.

A Rainbow!

This morning, my happiness came early when we had a shower and then sun - followed by a long (though not bright) rainbow.

It is hard to have a bad morning with a rainbow outside, no matter how dim it may be.

I am also happy because my husband is out on the tractor mowing hay. He's recovered from his hip surgery and eager to get back to work on the farm. I have asked him to call me every so often to be assure me that he is ok, but he seems to be happily ensconced on his farm tractor and having no issues.

My worries are for naught, it would appear.

The Happiness Challenge

The August Happiness Challenge comes to me via The Gal, who mentioned it a few weeks ago on her blog.

The idea is to post daily about something that makes you happy, or at least content. She suggests using the same picture with the post.

For August 1, my happiness is:

I had a healthy salad for lunch.

Yahoo!

Bluebird of Happiness

Seeing A Stroke

Many years ago, perhaps around 2003, I went to interview an older woman named Emily. She was in charge of the local historic society and ran the museum.

I had worked for her about 15 years prior, spending time at the museum cataloging items. She and I had a falling out because I wanted to set up a database on the computer for the items; she wanted everything written on a yellow legal pad. I threw up my hands and quit; it was a part-time job, and I could do without the hassle. 

She didn't speak to me for years after that. I became involved in a different historic society and perhaps that helped her come around.

Anyway, since we were on speaking terms again, I went to Emily's house to interview her for the newspaper about changes in the museum (which by now was computerized, etc.) and her efforts to catalogue every school that once existed in the county.

She greeted me cordially and offered me a glass of tea. I admired her house, which was one of the older ones in town, and then proceeded to move on with the interview, asking pertinent questions about what the historical group was doing, her research, etc.

Suddenly, she began slurring her words. She looked funny to me as well, almost like she was drunk and falling over. I stopped the interview and asked her if she was ok.

She said she was diabetic and probably needed some orange juice; would I get her a glass out of the refrigerator?

This I promptly did, and then waited anxiously while she drank it.

My grandmother was diabetic and had what she called "sugar drops," but they were nothing like this. This did not seem to me to be a diabetic issue. This was scary, whatever was going on.

However, I am not a qualified health care person. When I suggested that I should take her to the doctor, who at that time was about four blocks away, she grew angry. She told me the interview was over and I should leave.

Having been tossed out of the house, there was nothing I could do but go. However, I came home and called the only people I knew who were related to her and left a message on their answering machine asking if they could check on her.

They never called me back, so the next morning I called Emily to see if she alright. I was quite anxious about her.

She told me that after I'd left, she'd driven herself to the doctor who thought she'd had a TIA.

A TIA is a transient ischemic attack, also known as a mini-stroke.

I'd never witnessed anyone having a stroke, and while I had some clue as to what to look for, having it happen in front of me was terrifying.

There are more than 200,000 TIAs in the United States annually, so this happens a lot.

The symptoms include:

• Slurred speech and difficulty in understanding others
• Vision problems
• Weakness, numbness or paralysis on one side of the body
• Loss of balance
• Dizziness
• Sudden and severe headache

She experienced the slurred speech and loss of balance. I'm not sure about the other symptoms but those I could see for myself.

I don't know why, but for some reason I woke up with this on my mind, so I thought I'd write about it. I hadn't thought about this person, who died long ago, or this interview, in many years but it was on my brain first thing this morning.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1) What one event from your lifetime would you change if you could, and why?

A. I think I have answered this before: I would not have been born. But if that is not an acceptable answer, then I would have insisted I go to Hollins out of high school, or found some way to go, since my parents didn't want me to go there. It would have changed the entire trajectory of my life as I'd probably not have married my husband. Maybe we'd have married anyway. It's hard to say. But that's one thing I would change.

2) If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be and how old would your younger self be when they got it? Do you think your younger self would listen?

A. "It will get easier." Age 13. Hopefully, she would have listened.

3) Would you be any good on Survivor?

A. Oh, I'd be out on the first day probably. I'm a princess and wouldn't be able to deal with the hardship of it. I like my comforts like mattresses and food and stuff.

4) What's a safety rule that's very important to you?

A. Don't get shot.

5) What would you like to say to people in the future?

A. We really were as stupid as the videos on the ancient Youtube indicate.

6) What's your favorite dish to bring to a summer cookout?

A. A supermarket-fixed chicken, a bag of potato chips, and a bottle of soda.

7) How much time have you spent outdoors this week?

A. Maybe 30 minutes.

8) Where do you set your thermostat?

A. I don't set it anywhere. It is affixed to the wall.

9) How did you learn to swim?

A. I'm pretty sure my father threw me in a pool and said, "Swim," and I did, but maybe I am imagining that.

10) How do you avoid overheating?

A. I don't go outside when it's 90 degrees.

11) What are you going to do this weekend?

A. I'm trying to take care of my swollen hand.

12) What’s your favorite way to spend time?

A. Reading, writing, playing guitar (sniff, sniff, I haven't been able to do that for weeks now), and playing video games.

13) What’s the most useless thing you own that you would never get rid of?

A. My college diplomas.

14) Have you started planning your next vacation?

A. We are not planning a vacation.

15) Are you very active, or do you prefer to just relax in your free time or is it one and the same to you?

A. I am not active. I'm what you would call "sedentary" far too much of the time.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: I Would Be In Love

Saturday 9: I Would Be in Love (Anyway) 1970

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Frank Sinatra sings, "If I knew then what I know now." If you were giving advice to a recent high school grad, based on that phrase, what would you say?

A. I would tell the person not to worry about what is going to happen tomorrow, because it is always the things one doesn't worry about that ultimately trip you up. I'd also tell him/her to get more education, whatever their interest, even if that's a certificate in plumbing.

2) This song is about a man looking back on his marriage, which has ended. While he is sad, he is not sorry he loved her. Do you believe that it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?

A. It's better to have loved and lost, I think. I know there is heartache involved with that, but a life without having loved sounds pretty empty to me.

3) Sinatra married four times. He met his first wife, Nancy, when he was 19. He saw a pretty girl sitting on her front porch, giving herself a pedicure, and he rushed home for his ukulele so he could serenade her. Have you ever sung to anyone? Has anyone ever sung to you? 

A. I sing to my husband frequently; I'm not sure he realizes I am telling him something when I do that, though. He cannot sing but if I ask, he will sing "Soft Kitty" to me at night before we go to sleep.

4) According to Barbara, his final wife, they met when they were neighbors in Rancho Mirage, California. Sinatra had his own tennis court, needed a fourth for doubles with his houseguests, and invited the lady next door to play. Tell us about your neighbors.

A. One of my neighbors is in her 80s. She was the athletic director at Hollins College, my alma mater, and led championship teams. She was a huge supporter of Title IX and an advocate for women's sports. She has a long list of sports titles from the many things she has done. She also owns a farm and has cattle. She is one of the most interesting people I know.

Here is a video of her talking about her work with Title IX.

5) When not performing before an audience or cameras, Sinatra often wore hats and caps because his hair was thin, and his toupee annoyed him. Is there anything you wear for "dress up" that you're happy to ditch when you go casual?

A. Makeup. I used to wear makeup every day, but then we had Covid. Since I didn't leave the house for months, I stopped wearing makeup. Now I don't wear makeup just to go to the store or something, although I think I look a little better with makeup. However, after the long break from it, makeup bothered me and made my eyes itch and I've yet to find something that doesn't. Unless I really need to have on that mascara and eye shadow, it's au natural for me these days.

6) Frank had a sweet tooth and to the end of his life, he enjoyed chocolate-covered apricots, ordered from Lepore's in his hometown of Hoboken, NJ. If you could have any sweet treat right now, what would you request?

A. Chocolate covered cherries. And white cake with white icing. Just because.

 
7) This song was written specifically for Sinatra by Bob Gaudio, best known as a member of The Four Seasons. That 1960s quartet is now legendary. In addition to 25 Top Ten Hits, they are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and inspired the Broadway play and movie musical, Jersey Boys. Do you have a favorite Four Seasons song?

A. December, 1963 (Oh What a Night).

8) In 1970, the year this record was released, The Mary Tyler Moore Show premiered. Were you a fan?

A. I'm afraid it did not run on a channel we could receive, so I didn't see it unless I was visiting my grandparents or someone else. We could only get one channel for a long time when I was growing up.

9) Random question: Have you ever named your car or truck?

A. I call it "car" and it seems to respond well to that.

_______________

I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.  

Husband Update

Husband has been released from his doctor after a post-op checkup earlier this week.

He can do anything he feels like doing.

So yay.

At the moment, he's taken over some of my duties while I try to get the swelling out of my hand and get it back to working properly.

When he was off sick, we had no rain. Now he could work, but it is raining, and a farmer doesn't cut hay in the rain, generally speaking.

Maybe next week he can start back to work on the farm.

I am very pleased he did so well with this hip replacement surgery. They have come a long way in techniques so that the healing process is not as bad as it once was.

Thursday Thirteen

I am easily aggravated lately. Let's see if there have been 13 aggravations of late.

1. A poetry journal that I've been publishing in for the last several years sent me an email telling me they couldn't afford the postage to mail me my "contributor's copy" so would I please send them $10. That's not paying me a contributor's copy. That is me paying them. I won't submit to this publication again; I don't care how good its reputation is or used to be.

2. My hand is a constant aggravation because I can't get the swelling to go down and I'm not sure what is wrong with it.

3. I can't play my guitar because of my hand.

4. My county Board of Supervisors has apparently never met a rezoning proposal it doesn't like. Wayward, unplanned growth doesn't make for a healthy community. It makes a mess.

5. The local daily newspaper gets worse every week. I suspect we're on our last year of subscribing. I will miss it, but I'm not paying more for less.

6. The local weekly newspaper isn't even worth looking at. What a waste of trees. How depressing. And sad. I mourn the loss of the Fourth Estate.

7. We bought Sam's Club Member's Mark brand batteries a while back. They do not last long. We went back to Energizers, although I actually think Duracell is the best battery. I couldn't find any of those.

8. My local CVS seems to be having stocking issues; I'm having a hard time finding things in there now. They were the best place to look during much of the pandemic but not so much now.

9. Covid cases are up. We're in a high transmission area. Are people taking precautions? No. Does this aggravate me? Yes. I do have to go to the grocery store sometimes. I never understood why wearing a mask was such a big deal. Personally, I have had fewer colds and been much less ill since I started wearing a mask. Since I like not being sick, I will continue to wear one.

10. I have a new mole on my side and the darn thing itches constantly. It's so small I can barely see it, but its itch is as big as my entire side. Which is pretty big since I'm overweight.

11. The doctor's scale said I weighed as much as I weighed when I was in there two months ago, but my scales tell me I have lost 5 pounds since the end of June. I think I will believe my scales.

12. Friday night Melissa Etheridge will be performing within driving distance of me, but I won't be going to see her yet again. I can't believe she's been this close twice now and I haven't been to see her either time. Apparently, my desire for personal comfort and health outweighs my desire to see one of my favorite musicians. But damn. Blast you, Covid!

13. I'm actually aggravated that I am being aggravated by so many things at the moment. And such silly things, too. Life things, everyday things. I need a chill pill, I think.

___________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 766th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Hand Up Date

I love my primary care doctor.

However, I couldn't get in to see her. I had to settle for her nurse practitioner. This was the first time I saw her.

She didn't know what to do about my hand and resorted to Dr. Google ::insert eye roll here:: and I finally asked her to go ask my doctor what to do. I'd already googled the thing multiple times and come up with varying answers; that was why I went back to the doctor.

So, without looking at my hand, my doctor told the NP to order an x-ray and possibly physical therapy. Maybe I need to use my hand instead of babying it, although babying it last weekend helped more than the non-babying I'd been doing. Remember, I was dealing with a husband recovering from surgery. I couldn't very well not use my hand.

I wasn't happy with this advice. For one thing, the x-ray place they are using now is not local, it's 35 minutes away. For another, I felt like it was the wrong advice. I can try moving my hand more and exercising it, but I've been doing that anyway. Every morning I wake up and move my hand in all the formations of the chords on my guitar. Once or twice a week I've tried to play the guitar. I have typed every day. I haven't been holding it still.

I put my husband's compression socks on him for nearly 10 days after I was told to put a splint on my finger. You can't put compression socks on somebody with a splint on your finger, I can tell you that right now.

I came home from the doctor, at a sandwich, and then wrapped a small ACE around my hand, leaving my fingers free. It's fairly loose and I can move my wrist up and down, wiggle my fingers, and flex my hand against the bandage. If the x-ray place calls to make an appointment, I am going to give it 10 more days before I go for the x-ray. I don't want more x-rays if I don't need them.

My doctor has in the past year had an entire staff turnover. I doubt this is unique to her, but I am uncomfortable with new people when it comes to health care. Prior to Covid, most of her staff had been with her for over a decade and I knew them well. I don't blame people for leaving medicine or moving on to better paying jobs (I don't really know where her staff all went), but that doesn't mean it doesn't have consequences, especially for someone like me who doesn't like change. It's one thing to go somewhere and always see someone new; I can get used to that if I expect it. But to have seen the same people for a decade and then have them gone, well, that makes me anxious.

Wish me luck as I try to take care of my hand for another week.

It Really Exists!

 

The Oscar Mayer Weiner mobile was in my community Saturday!

It's Not Getting Better

In the first part of the month, I hurt my hand. I ignored it for a while, but then it swelled.

So I took myself off to urgent care, where they x-rayed it and put a splint on it.

Now it is three weeks later and I'm still having swelling in my hand and pain in my middle and index finger. Typing will make it swell. I can't play my guitar at all.

My primary care doctor can't see me until Wednesday. I wasn't sure about making the appointment; my hand was very swollen yesterday but not so much today. I still can't make a fist so there is some swelling and as things go it worsens as the day passes.

I have computer work I've put off while dealing with this, but mostly I've ignored the problem because I was taking care of my husband as he recovered from hip replacement surgery. But he's out and about now.

Nothing to do but put the splint back on (I take it off to type), I guess.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. What's something you've recently accomplished solo?

A. I go to the little girl's room solo. Does that count? 

2.  What's one product you use that never ever fails?

A. Dawn dishwashing liquid.

3. Have you found your place in the world? Where is it?

A. I reckon I have. If I ain't where I'm supposed to be, I've no idea where it is I might out'n be.

4.  Worst movie you ever saw?

A. It was something by Adam Sandler. I can't remember the name of it.

5. What's the last fun thing you did?

A. We went to the farmer's market Saturday morning.

6. What's your favorite Italian dish?

A. Spaghetti, although I'm not sure that's actually Italian.

7. Have you ever been to France? Any desire to visit there, and if so, what would site or city would you most want to see?

A. I have been to Paris, France. I wouldn't mind going back now that I am older. One of the things that thrilled me the most was a painting in the Louvre. I don't remember anything about it except it was painted so that the lighting was transformative to me. Some part of me wants to go back and see if I can find that painting again (although it may not even be on display now, since I was last there about 40 years ago).

8. Have you ever been to Disney, any of the parks at all? Are you a Disney superfan or something less than that? They're open right now so tell us, would you go if you had the time/money/a free trip?

A. I have been to Disney in Orlando. I'm not a super fan. I'm not sure I'm even a medium fan. I would go if it were free, sure, and I could go in the winter.

9. Your favorite place to go when you want to be quiet as a church mouse? Would those who know you well describe you as more church mouse or perhaps more like mighty mouse?

A. I am more of a church mouse, and my favorite place to go is my home.

10. Do you bake your own bread? Last time you had hot out-of-the-oven homemade bread? What's your favorite kind of bread?

A. I do not bake my own bread. I am not sure when I last had homemade bread. I don't necessarily have a favorite bread.

11. What's something you might say is 'the greatest thing since sliced bread'?

A. My cellphone.

12.  Share with us five little things you're grateful for today. Small blessings. One catch-they all must start with the letter T.

A. The husband, the air conditioner, the finger splint on my dislocated finger, the hot dogs I had for lunch, and the time to write this. (Yes, I cheated by using "the." Sue me.)

13. Tell us where you were and something about what life was like when you were 20- 21.

A. I married when I was 20. Bread cost about $0.99 a loaf, gasoline was around $1.25 a gallon, and our rent was $225 a month. The top song on the radio was When Doves Cry by Prince, followed by songs like Jump by Van Halen. My husband's starting salary at the fire department was $13,000, and I was making about $8,000 as a legal secretary. I was also going to night school at the local community college.

14. What's on the menu at your house this week?

A. Chicken is almost always on the menu, along with squash of some kind, green beans, peas, and maybe mashed potatoes. We generally eat a sandwich for lunch.

15.Something you recently purchased where a coupon was involved? Do you regularly shop with coupons?

A. I do not regularly shop with coupons, but I receive them on my card for CVS, so when I last purchased acetaminophen at CVS, there was a 40% off coupon for me to use.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.