Friday, August 26, 2022
Thursday, August 25, 2022
Thursday Thirteen #770
Scars
1. I have a scar on my left thumb that I received when I was 9. I was helping my grandfather cut down a tree. He had given me a saw to cut limbs with, and I sawed my thumb.
2. A scar on my right hand at the base of my thumb came from a filing cabinet in the County Clerk's Office. I hit my hand while I was doing research. I bled on some documents. Somewhere in the depths of the files that are supposed to be kept forever is a bit of my DNA.
3. I have a long scar on my chest that came from a surgery I had when I was 5. I was born with a huge mole on my chest. Doctors said it was pre-cancerous and needed to be removed. They cut it out and it left a huge scar. When I was in school, I used to tell my gym teachers I'd had heart surgery to get out of gym class. If they wanted to argue with me, I showed them the scar. They couldn't argue with that, and I don't know that any of them ever questioned my parents about it.
4. A scar under my chin is the result of a farming accident when I was 12. My father was pulling a trailer with the tractor; my brother and I were riding in it. I jumped out to open and opened the wooden gate for him. I had done this many times. This time, as my father drove through, he hit the gate, which splintered. A piece of the wood went into my face, cutting my chin open.
5. A scar on my stomach (right side) is from a laparoscopy for an endometrial cyst. It has grown over the years, like a big mole, except it's not. It is allegedly harmless, but it's gone from a dot to the size of a nickel.
6. My belly button is not exactly scarred, but it is now an innie when it used to be an outie. When the doctors performed laparoscopies, they went through the belly button, and it turned inward. There is a scar in its depths. And probably lint.
7. A huge smiley face from hip to hip is actually three cuts - three laparotomies where the doctors went in to remove huge grapefruit-sized cysts from my ovaries while we tried to have a child. This scar is huge and thick, having been cut open so many times, I suppose. The last time they cut it open, I received a full hysterectomy.
8. There's a scar on my left knee where I fell when I was riding a bike one summer at my grandmother's. I think I picked gravel out of that place for a while, but it's just a scar now. I expect most people 50 and over have scars on their knees. I wonder if today's generation will ever know the thrilling fear of falling off a bike onto gravel?
9. I have a scar on the bottom of my left foot that looks like a dot. I ran a toothpick into my foot one snowy January when I was 18. The thing swelled immediately, and I couldn't pull it out. My parents were both at work, and I was writhing in pain. I called the neighbors, and they came over and tried to pull it out, but couldn't, and ultimately, they took me to the ER to have it removed. It left a hole. And a scar.
10. Those are my major scars. I have lots of other small places on my skin, but I don't know how I damaged myself. I bruise and cut easily, so I could have done anything to create a little scar. Sometimes they heal up and eventually the scar goes away, but often they simply scar over.
11. A scar can be a fine line or a pitted hole on the skin, or an abnormal overgrowth of tissue. A minor wound like a cut will usually heal to leave a raised line, which will gradually fade and flatten over time. This process can take up to 2 years. The scar will not disappear completely, and there will be left a visible mark or line.
12. Fine-line scars are common following a wound or after surgery. They are not usually painful, but they may be itchy for a few months.
13. There are several types of scars. Keloid scars are an overgrowth of tissue that happens when too much collagen is produced at the site of a wound. (That would be #5, I think.) The scar keeps growing, even after the wound has healed. Keloid scars are raised above the skin and can be pink, red, the same color or darker than surrounding skin. They're often itchy or painful and can restrict movement if they're tight and near a joint. Hypertrophic scars are the result of excess collagen being produced at the site of a wound. Unlike keloid scars, hypertrophic scars do not extend beyond the boundary of the original wound. They may continue to thicken for up to 6 months before gradually improving over a few years. Pitted or sunken scars are caused by skin conditions, such as acne and chickenpox. They can have a sunken or pitted appearance. Pitted scars, also known as atrophic or "icepick" scars, can also develop as a result of an injury that causes a loss of underlying fat. Scar contractures are often caused by burns. They happen when the skin "shrinks", leading to tightness and a restriction in movement.
And of course, we all have those hidden scars, the ones deep inside of us, that touch our heart and soul. Who alive hasn't been scarred? I dare say nobody.
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Happiness Wednesday
Today I am happy that the postal delivery woman brought my package to the house instead of leaving it at the mailbox.
Sometimes they leave things at the mailbox, and I don't know they're down there (I live about 1/8 of a mile or so from the road and can't see the mailbox).
I'm also happy that it's a pretty day and my husband can work in the hayfield. We really need to get that hay up.
Additionally, I'm happy my blood pressure is starting to come down a little. Not a lot, but it's down enough to make me think my medication is finally kicking in.
Also, I've had some email correspondence with a friend that I've missed and not been in touch with much, and I'm very happy about that.
I hope the day is bringing you something to be happy about, too!
*I am participating in the August Happiness Challenge hosted by One Gal's Musings.*
Monday, August 22, 2022
Happiness Monday
Sunday, August 21, 2022
Sunday Stealing
12. I am completely defenseless when it comes: to my husband's kisses.
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, August 20, 2022
Saturday 9: Jack and Diane
Friday, August 19, 2022
Happiness Friday
- I picked up my higher dose of my blood pressure medication at the grocery store/pharmacy.
- The clerk didn't freak out when I irreverently told her I shouldn't need a damn digital coupon to get the advertised sale price on grapes, and instead sold me the grapes for the sale price. I try not to curse in public and that one slipped out. (And really, why should I need to go to the website to download coupons? They're just bilking people. If they can afford to sell the grapes for $0.99 a pound, then sell them for that.)
- I didn't run over the older person who appeared out of nowhere behind my car as I began to back up to leave the store. (Literally, there were no cars to my right at all, and I'd looked, and my backup camera didn't go beep beep, so where did she come from?)
Thursday, August 18, 2022
Thursday Thirteen
Wednesday, August 17, 2022
Happiness Challenge
Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Happiness Challenge
This doesn't necessarily make me happy, but it needs to be done -
I worked on the bookkeeping for the farm and my husband's septic installation business today. I'd gotten behind, mostly because I dislike doing it, but I'm catching it up this week.
So good for me for being responsible!
Also, my friend brought me chocolate covered rice cakes for absolutely no reason at all! That does make me happy, because I am loved, and because, well, chocolate!
(My husband gave me a big smooch this afternoon, too!)
*I am participating in the August Happiness Challenge hosted by One Gal's Musings.*
Monday, August 15, 2022
Happiness Challenge
I am happy today that I talked on the phone with a friend and had a good laugh.
I am also happy because I received a letter.
Additionally, I had a take-out sandwich and didn't have to fix my own sandwich for a change.
Plus, I had a haircut today!
All good happy things. Yay!
Sunday, August 14, 2022
Sunday Stealing
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, August 13, 2022
Saturday 9: W.O.L.D.
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
2) He describes himself as "45 going on 15." This morning, do you feel older or younger than your years?
3) He estimates that he's traveled thousands of miles, from town to city, as disc jockey at various stations. Have you ever relocated for a job?
4) This song is written as though he's reached out to an ex. Is there someone from your past who is on your mind this morning?
6) This week's featured artist, Harry Chapin, was an Oscar nominee. Before he became a musician, he wrote and directed a documentary about boxing called Legendary Champions. When you sit down to watch a movie, would you prefer action, comedy, drama, fantasy, horror, mystery, romance, thriller or documentary?
7) Today Harry Chapin is fondly remembered for his philanthropy. He filled his calendar with benefit concerts that supported local food banks all around the country. How would you like to be remembered?
8) In 1973, when this song was popular, one of the top-selling toys was a Curious George book packaged with a plush Curious George. Can you recall a favorite book from your childhood?
Friday, August 12, 2022
Happiness Challenge
Today I am happy because of things that happened yesterday.
I saw the chiropractor and she put my back straight.
A trip to Kroger yielded a pork roast for the weekend, and my husband's Diet Dr. Pepper was on sale.
A friend agreed to help me alter a pair of pants I bought that doesn't fit.
*I am participating in the August Happiness Challenge hosted by One Gal's Musings.*
Thursday, August 11, 2022
Thursday Thirteen
Wednesday, August 10, 2022
Happiness Challenge
The happiness update:
I had a healthy lunch! Yay for salad!
I've had two long chats with people I care about (so far, it's only 2 p.m.!).
I was able to play the guitar a little bit last night. It wasn't great but at least the swelling in my left hand has gone down enough that I felt like I could give it a try.
*I am participating in the August Happiness Challenge hosted by One Gal's Musings.*
Tuesday, August 09, 2022
Happy (and Clean) House
Monday, August 08, 2022
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!*
Sunday, August 07, 2022
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!*