Hungry!

I hate this meme because it is too damn true for me.  

Today, Wednesday,  I had to have blood work done at LabCorp.

I had a 3pm appointment.

I ate an egg salad sandwich at 4pm on Tuesday.  I never ate anything else.

I made Rick dinner, and I just wasn't that hungry.  

I woke up starving, and I walked down the hall thinking of scrambled eggs.

Then I remembered I was told not to eat or drink coffee. 

Fasting for 12 hours was required.

I should have stuffed myself the night before. I wasn't thinking, darn it.

At 10am on Wednesday, I could eat my arm off.  So I kept looking at the clock. Dear Lord, I wanted some caffeine.  Rick made himself some waffles. I don't even care about waffles, but the smell was intoxicating when you haven't eaten in 15 hours and all you had the day before was an egg salad sandwich.   

Finally, I grabbed my purse and said, 'I'm going to see if they take walk-ins.'

I arrived to see a full waiting room.  I told the receptionist that I had a 3pm appointment, but was hoping, as a walk-in, I could get in sooner. 

She took my info and said, Okay, have a seat. Then she called me back up.

No record of my lab request.  I gave my ID etc. In the meantime, she told me to check in at the kiosk.  

The kiosk told me I couldn't check in.  So back to the counter.

She was really struggling to find me.  Aaah, it's under Peggy.  All medical insurance and all important papers are in my full legal name, Margaret. She asked for my birthdate and then asked if I was related to a Peggy H.  Why, yes, that is me.  So I had to explain that my doctor, whose name is also Margaret, prefers to call me Peggy, so I go with it. I'm called both.  Everyone seems to have a preference, and I don't care one way or the other now that I am an adult. (well, sort of) 

She found me and changed it for insurance reasons, so next time I'll have no issues.

Then I was told to take a seat.

There was 1 seat left. I sat down, and it's now 11:45a.  

I got there at 11am.  A woman came to the lobby and announced that they would be going to lunch at noon.  All appointments will be finished, and those who are walk-ins, if you were not called, please come back at 1pm.  

I just felt defeated, I don't wanna go home was what I was whining in my head. 

I want coffee, damn it!!!

Immediately after I whined to myself, I was called. Whew.

I came home and made a big ole cup of coffee. I then heated up 2 meatballs from the other day. I wolfed them down. Then I sat with my coffee, and all was good with the world. For a few minutes anyway.

Falling but I Can Get Up

Oops, I did it again!

This time I fell ON my face.

I broke my new glasses.

I was putting on my panties.  I was in the bathroom. Brushing teeth, getting dressed, etc.  I was bent over putting one foot into the leg hole, and I got dizzy again, and I fell forward into the wall, face-first.  OUCH.  

I pushed myself away from the wall, shook it off, laughed, and finished dressing.  I have a goose egg, and my glasses are a hot mess.  I was hurrying because I wanted to get this stuff outside into the garbage on garbage day. I was just throwing on a baseball cap and figured I would do my hair and makeup later when I was leaving the house.

I have a nice goose egg on my head. I don't know how, though. I hit the wall with my face, but my head at my hairline has a nice bruise too.

Yes, I am seeing a doctor about this. It's been in the works for a long time.

Waiting to get in.  I get dizzy a lot, and I have to grab something until it's over. I am also nauseated most days, and I even throw up on some days.

 

On this particular day, I didn't have a chance to grab anything as one leg was in the air and the other was planted firmly on the ground. 

It's all kind of funny to me. So much so that I took my 4th selfie and showed my mom. I said, "you think anyone will notice my glasses are broken?"

Her first comment was I looked like I lost weight then she proceeded to be concerned. She does make me laugh. I haven't lost an ounce but it made me laugh!  I needed that.

As you know, I am clumsy. Iron on my boob, falling down steps that required surgery, only I can get a torn meniscus when going down on one knee in GENTLE Yoga.

The list is long. But now that I'm old, this is a concern.  God, how I hate being old. 

Am I going to be relegated to sitting activities? Say it ain't so!

Is that why you see seniors playing bingo and painting ceramic items that someone else made? I can't do those things. Sure, I've played drinking bingo, but this is the boring bingo. Nope, not for me.

But then neither is walking and standing, it appears.

Holy shit, this is crazy.  

I am certain there is a reason.  'They' think it's a side effect of one of my medications. I am seeing that doctor next Tuesday, so I hope to find out. I've had brain scans, CT scans, MRIs, and everything else you can think of.

Nothing appears to be wrong. I just get terribly dizzy daily, and sometimes I fall, and I have morning sickness all day. What could be wrong with that? 

Rick has suggested that he put me in bubble wrap.  I don't think that it is as necessary as he thinks it is. But there are days I do wonder.

I got dizzy while in Wegman's the other day (grocery store), and I had my cart to hold on to. I moved to the side and waited it out. All was good. The nausea passed, and I was no longer dizzy, so on I went to buy food.

Can I live with this? Not really. I've taken to only wearing flat sneakers. Nothing with a heel or platform.  

My entire life has been heels of some sort or platforms because I am short.

Even sneakers have a platform.

It's weird to wear flat shoes all the time. 

Another reminder that I am an old fart.  

While I do hate it, I don't wish to die from falling off my shoes. 

That would so be my luck, and then I couldn't tell you the funny story of how the hell that happened.

Naked

God made me chubby so I would keep my clothes on.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

I do not like to wear clothes. Could I live in a nudist colony? Hell no.

Never, even if I looked like a supermodel. 

But I do like to be unencumbered by clothing.

When I was a younger woman and I was living with Rick, he got very upset one day when he came home to find me cleaning naked because he brought a friend home with him.  

Thankfully, I had time to run down the hall to put on clothes.  Whew.

Rick was not happy with me. He asked if he had to ring the bell or knock first at his own home.  I said if I'm naked, I won't answer.  We didn't have cell phones back then, so I had to wear some clothing in case he brought someone home.

When I was 23 and married to my first husband, Rick (Rick #1), I was ironing in my panties only.  It was a Saturday and he had to work. I cleaned and then began to iron.  The ironing board began to fold as I was ironing. I moved forward to grab everything, and the iron landed on my left breast, and I heard the sizzle. You never forget the sizzle sound.

Oooooh, it hurt. 

I immediately went into the bathroom for cold water and to look through my medical creams and ointments for a burn.  By the time Rick #1 came home, it had formed a very clear picture of the iron, the point, and each steam hole.  He insisted I go to the ER.  I said Oh, sure and tell them what exactly when they asked what I did.  Tell them you were ironing. Then laughing, he said, but I think they will know from just looking at your boob.  Great. 

He was insistent I go to the ER. So I got dressed, putting on a bra was painful for my left boob. On the way to the hospital, he says to me, "I know you wish you were flat-chested, but ironing it is not the way to do it."  

And he bursts into laughter.  I even laughed.  Oh brother, I'm an idiot. I will be abused for this for a long, long time. 

Oh no, the ER doc couldn't have been an old guy.  Nope, a young, cute one.

He took one look at my boob and looked at me, and I said to him, "This is going to be an ER story, isn't it?"  

He said, "Oh of course not, we've seen worse."  I didn't believe him.

To this cute young doctor, this was a bad burn.  I had the lecture.

I got creams and Rx for this.

He told me what to expect.  He suggested I keep it covered if I must wear a bra. He told me that the rubbing of the lace or fabric on the bra would be painful, and other assorted things I really didn't want to hear. 

But that's all my ex, Rick, had to hear: it's better not to wear a bra. 

On the way home, I had to listen to the logic on no bra and that a 2nd degree burn isn't anything to take lightly.  yeah yeah yeah

I never ironed naked again.  I also don't walk around naked anymore for fear of who's going to knock on my door. And btw, it did not leave a scar. The cute young doctor who said to do all these steps and it wouldn't scar was right. 

Rick says he's being punished for what the first guy said. So no naked Tuesdays for me.  Nope, it's because a higher power decided the only way this gal will keep her clothes on is if I make her chubby.  😁 So he did.

Not Making That Bed

 Actual Conversation in our Home.

Why did you take the sheets out of the dryer and throw them on the bed?

Why not put them ON the bed, Rick? Or perhaps fold them?

I was leaving that for you.  I didn't want you to feel left out.

I would never feel left out.  I do feel like I could kill you, though. 

I think you could have done more than throw them on the bed.

Be careful, you watch enough Dateline to know it's always the spouse.

Or her lover. So you be careful, mister

Are you trying to tell me something?

I giggled and left the room - I'll be damn if I am making that bed!

Best Advice

 It's been a week since my last confession.

HA. That is from my Catholic upbringing, and I can assure you, if you didn't get that line, you are lucky because you didn't have 12 years of catechism.

Rick and I were enjoying the evening on the patio when the discussion of the best advice ever given came up.  I asked Rick what the best advice anyone had given him was.  He immediately said his father gave him 2 - 

*When hired, do more than what they're paying you for.

*Always use the best tools you can afford.  

He laughed and asked if my dad had given me any advice. He laughed like crazy after he asked this, knowing full well there would be no good advice from my father. Nope, not my dad.  I had to really think about this. 

I couldn't think of any mentor, boss, friend, acquaintance, etc. Then I remembered my mom telling me something before she died. 

I smiled and Rick said, "Think of something?"  

Yes, but I'm not sure you could call it advice.

I reminded him of me telling him that when my mom was dying, I was home alone with her. She was bedridden at the time. I was sitting on her bed with her. I was 13. I remember the smell of the room, her skin, and how I felt. 

It is so vivid. If only I could remember where my keys and phone are like I remember this day.

On this day, my mom told me all she wanted to tell me before she left this world. It was a lot, and I cried through most of it, but I remember every single thing she said.

This one thing to me is like advice.

My mom was holding my hand and told me to always respect my father, but when he tells you that you can't do something because you're a girl, don't listen to him.  I want you to believe in here (as she hit her chest) that you can do anything you want to do. So don't talk back to him, but always remember he is wrong on this topic.  You can be anything, Peggy, remember that. She said it 3x while rubbing my hand. She asked me if I understood, and I said I did. 

Now that is no big deal to most. But if you knew my father, it is a huge deal.

You see, to him, I had the lovely choices of being a nun, a secretary, a nurse, or a teacher. Then I was to get married and have babies and not work outside the home. Cater to a man.  He actually told me once that I would find great fulfillment in taking care of a man. HA, fulfillment.

Oh, that is so not Peg.

Rick asked if I thought that was really advice?  

Yep, I do.  As a teen, when Dad would say my head was in the clouds or that this wasn't for girls. I would prove him wrong. I never disrespected him, but if I could find a workaround, I would show him I could do this. I had to walk a fine line. So yes, I do think that advice has served me well. I won't let anyone tell me what I can and can't do. I am not fighting authority per se, but as soon as you tell me it's not for a woman, I'll show you you're wrong. Until I was 41, I was always respectful of my father.  I never said anything I wanted to say.  I kept it inside. If you did try to talk to him about this stuff, he would shut down, so I just let it go. 

At 41, my father told me I was a disappointment. We (Rick and I) were celebrating a big success I had with my career. Rick was so proud of me. My personal cheerleader.  My father belittled him and said, "so now she wears the  pants in the family?"  

Rick just laughed.  Then my father said, "if she's making that kind of money, then you are the henpecked-something or another  - I don't recall his bullshit. I do recall the word henpecked though.

Rick said, "George I don't care how the money gets in the house, just so it gets in the house. I am damn proud of her; she's worked her butt off for this, and you, too, should be proud of her. I'm her cheerleader and you should be too."

He huffed.

Later, when my stepmom and Rick were on the patio, my father said to me that I wasn't really a woman because I didn't have children, and I put my career ahead of children and my marriage.  I lost it on him!  I started by telling him I didn't wish to be disrespectful, but he was being disrespectful to me. Then off I went.  Never was this discussed again.

But the whole time he was telling me this garbage, I kept hearing my mom in my head telling me, Don't listen to him, you can be whatever you want to be, Peggy.  I may have lost one cheerleader, but I got another one, thank goodness.

What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?

You Asked For It -

This lovely gadget is what Rick has been using for his foot pain and drop foot.

The round thing in the top middle is the button that turns it on and off. 

It allows you to set the frequency and will change the vibrations. It is digital. It can knead, provide tens stimulation, or use a pounding type vibration.  All feel like electrical shocks. He began on #4 and now uses #9 so he is definitely getting used to it.

Week 2 has begun, and as I reported, this has alleviated his severe foot pain. It's made him so much easier to be around when he's not in pain. Aren't we all?

Can we say acetaminophen?

Baseball and Drugs

Well, that didn't hurt; in fact, it felt great. We won! 

I say that as though I were playing shortstop. (which if I played that would be my preference)

Rick went to bed.  He was so exhausted, he did a lot yesterday.

I, on the other hand, couldn't even sit still. Or as my father used to tell me, "Sit still, have you got ants in your pants?"  Actually, dad I do.  I said that once as a retort, and he said the ole, "Oh, you never mind" 

Whatever that is to mean.

The game started at 8pm.  As I do, I was recording it.  

I missed the first few innings while Rick was awake.  He really wanted to watch something else, and I didn't feel like moving my fat butt into another room.  He kept saying he was tired and wanted to go to bed early. And he did, so I could pace.

He went to bed, and I watched from the beginning, and I caught up since I could FF  through the commercials. Normally, he will say, "Let's watch the game,"  But when it's Boston, he gets annoyed with me, so he'd rather not watch with me. 

One time, he told me it was like trying to sit on my hands while I talked. 

If I can't use my hands, he thinks I can't speak.  (I can, but it makes me laugh because I am so focused on not using my hands)  

When Boston and New York play one another, I can't sit still. It's that simple.

My tummy is jumping up and down as I am physically.

I drive Rick crazy in a multitude of ways, but it drives him nuts when I rock in my chair and when I have to pace around the room during a game.  

So off to bed he went, and on went the game. 

I paced like a 1950s expectant father.

If I sat, I found myself rocking or my legs kicking since they don't touch the floor.  I can't sit still when the Yankees play the Red Sux, err Sox.  

Look, if there are 162 games in a season and the NYY play the Red Sox 10 times. I am fine with losing all 152 games except those 10. Ridiculous right?  I just hate Boston, so we had to beat them, and we did, in a glorious way.

Now on to Toronto.  Well, I do think this will be a helluva lot tougher to win.

Both of these teams have identical records of wins and losses. 

Back in '93, I went to Toronto to watch the final game of the World Series. 

It was heaven.  My seats were so high up that it felt like I was in the clouds.

But I was rooting for Toronto, and they won.  I will always root for an American League Team over the National League unless it's Boston. There's a theme there, isn't there?

Okay, in other news.

If you recall, Rick has to take a blood thinner to prevent more strokes. 

It was over $800 a month if I got a 90-day supply.  Yikes. I asked the doctor for another choice of blood thinners.  He hooked me up with the WakeMed (hospital) pharmacy. He told us that WakeMed has a contract with the makers of Xarelto, and we would only have to pay $15.34 for 90 days.  

TAKE IT!

I got a call from the pharmacy last week. They stated that they lost their contract with Johnson and Johnson (Xarelto makers), and it was now $834 for a 30-day supply if I got 90 days.  Got that? Sneaky little shits. 

Did I wish to fill this? Oh dear Lord.  I said not at this time.  I knew we had a 1.5-week supply.  I had to do some homework. But she beat me to it.

The pharmacy person who called to alert me of this suggested I speak to someone from WakeMed Financial Assistance program.  Oh my.  I'm in that spot in my life.  Okay, I tell her. She gives me the number to call.

This very nice woman, whom I will call E, was so very good at customer service.  She was kind, helpful, and patient with all of my questions.

She told me there were 2 programs. One is a savings program, if we can qualify, and one is a free option if we qualify.  I told her, guess which one I'd like to try for?  She laughed and said, "Okay, let's shoot for that first."

I had a ton of homework.  I had to make copies of our income, our benefits, our coverage with Medicare and our supplemental insurance, our Rx benefits, notes from the doctor, etc I had documents all over the floor. I scanned, I downloaded, I emailed. Then I prayed. 

I sent them to WakeMed and then Johnson and Johnson.  

Yesterday, we were approved for the free program.  The only good thing about being poor, I guess.  Now Rick is back on his blood thinner and just in time.

Johnson and Johnson also called me to explain the program.  While I did receive all that info from E at WakeMed, I pretended this was all new, and I listened.  The least I could do is give my undivided attention if I am receiving this for free, right?  

J & J said this would last until the end of December 2025. I said, "Oh no."  

She said to hold on, and she laughed. We will extend this to December 2026 since you filled out the paperwork with only 2 months to go.  Whew.  I told her that was great news. She laughed and said, I know doing all that again so soon would be a royal pain. We won't make you do it again until the end of 2026.  She told us she would contact us, along with WakeMed, to begin the process for next year.  

So we got very lucky again.  I am so damn thankful.

Rick takes a lot of medications. Most are at a tolerable price, but it adds up.

$2,400 for one Rx for 3 months is just crazy. (with insurance, mind you)

One more update you didn't ask for.

Rick has drop foot since the stroke. Along with the inability to lift that left foot forward so he can walk correctly, he has a great deal of pain in his feet.

He read about this thing that could help him. He sent it to me to read. I did. I didn't think it would work, but I've got to give him hope.

It was a money-back guarantee, so what the hell.

Rick received this flat mat that had a knob on the top.  He plugged it in to start with a full charge.  He read all the directions, as did I.

The first night, he put his feet on this pad and did as he was told in the directions. It's a lot like a TENS unit.  It seems to send shocks to his nerve endings to apparently wake them up in his foot/leg.  After his foot he decided to do it on his left hand, which is also always in a lot of pain.

He is to do this 2x a day.  The first morning after he did this 2x he awoke to no pain when walking. He was delighted but wondered if it would last all day.  It's been one week now.  He has no pain in his feet. Can he walk correctly?  Nope.  But maybe in time. As for his hand, it hurts less.  Less is better than nothing he proclaimed.

We were told it will take months. So if this is after only 1 week, we both have hope.  I told Rick he may never walk like he did before, but to be without pain is so wonderful. He agrees.  Every step he takes has been painful, and he just lives with it and also doesn't wish to walk if he doesn't have to.  I get it, but it also makes our world so small. (I know it's not about me!)

Hopefully, he will continue to be without pain, and even better if he can walk a bit better as well. 

Here's to a great and sunny weekend, everybody.

HELP

Is Canada accepting immigrants?

They Lied To Me

It's not nice to lie to an old gal. Especially one who bleeds pinstripes. 

A newer friend here said to me, and I quote, "You don't look like a woman who would enjoy sports."  (I bit my tongue)

I wasn't sure if that was an insult or a compliment.

How would you take it?  It didn't sound like a compliment to me.

I asked, "Oh, how so?"  

She said, "Oh, you know."  

"No, I really don't. Please explain."  I kept smiling so she'd tell me the truth.

She nervously laughed and said, "Don't worry, it's a compliment."

I let it go, but I'm not sure.  Your thoughts?

Anyhoo, the guide on my television showed that the MLB Network was broadcasting my baseball game this evening. The last 3 games of the season begin tonight. Then I see they changed their minds, and I am indeed blacked out for the rest of the season.  I wish there were some way to see this live for free.  So Tony, you watch it for me. You live in that city.

I don't wish for your team to win, but you can watch it for me. 

I'm a horrible person. LOL  

I can't even get it on MASN anymore; they lost their deal with DISH.
I will continue to check in via my phone as I watch Dateline's coverage of murder and mayhem.

In other news....

Back in the Day, when The Chew was a daytime cooking show, I would record it. After work, while making dinner, Rick and I would pour a cocktail & he would sit at the kitchen island as I cooked or vice versa. Watching The Chew, sipping, laughing and making dinner.

We both really liked this show.  

I wrote a blog post about this show.

They saw it, and we were invited to NYC to see the show. We were told we would get to sit at the front table to taste all the cooking going on that day, chat with the hosts, etc.

Well, we didn't get to do that. We sat in the audience. We were not thrilled...until we saw the guests.  

It was ALL vegan stuff. It was tofu everything. Fake cheese and the like. 

We both dislike tofu immensely, so sitting at the Chew Table would have been horrific for us.  We had fun in NYC for the day, though.

Now, before you tell me how terrific tofu can be because you can make it be anything, you are wrong. 😄 It's tofu, and you mix it with seasonings that you put on good stuff to make it taste better. It doesn't. It's got the consistency of a mushroom (which I don't eat cuz of that consistency), so no, I don't eat tofu unless it is really, really hidden. And if you have to hide the taste, what is that saying?

Now, from time to time, our favorite 3 from the show, Carla Hall, Michael Symon, and Clinton Kelly have done some shows together at Clinton's apartment on Instagram. (They have fabulous chemistry and honestly the other 2 sucked anyway.) But other than that, nothing with the 3 of them.

I miss them.  BUT now they have decided to do it themselves. 

They stated that it's been said over and over again that ABC wanted to do something with them again, but as Clinton said, "their thumbs were up their asses."  So they took it upon themselves.  They are now on YouTube, Instagram, podcasts, etc.  I need the visual, so a podcast wouldn't work for me, so I chose the YouTube video. They are all the same, it just depends on how you wish to get the content. For me, a cooking show is visual.  

Rick and I boycott the news now. So now on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday when their shows air, we put them on our TV via YouTube. We watch it in place of the dreaded news. It was delightful to see them laughing and being themselves again, and making yummy food.  

They are like having my friends in my kitchen. The only difference between this and the ABC show is the swearing.  And I don't mind that, as you well know. 

And....

My happy pills are making things less dark, but I'm not there yet. I've got work to do, she says, and I'm working on it.  

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Back to the Frontier

I have shared that I have been watching a lot of TV.

I saw a show called Back to the Frontier.

Rick and I both watched it.

Rick would have loved to do this.

Oh, not me.

I wouldn't have been as much of a baby as the women were when they had to remove their jewelry and makeup.  But using the outhouse wouldn't be my favorite.

Or eating my pets.  No, I'd become a vegetarian. 

I found it very fascinating.  How one man was such a prick and wouldn't help the other families. How the one family had two boys, they treated them like princes, and they were brats. They whined that they couldn't sleep without their white noise machines. They never helped the fathers. The fathers would say, well they are only 10 and 12. Please!  

Another family with 2 boys who were the epitome of good little men who helped both parents and were terrific got a lot out of this, but oooh, their mother had a difficult time. At the beginning, I wanted to smack her. Get a grip, what did you think this would be like when you signed up to go back to the 1800s?  She cried a lot but she came around when she made butter and a pie and found she could actually do things.

Anyone else watch this?  Would you do this?

Rick would jump at it, as I said.  I would run in the other direction.  I'd visit him on weekends and be sure to take Imodium so I wouldn't have to use the restroom....tee hee.

I hope they do this again. I'd watch another set of families do this. Months without any technology and distractions, I think, did them all good. Especially those girls. It was so interesting to watch them grow in confidence.  

Summers Back - Told You

Fake fall has left me.

Back to the 90s. Doesn't help the mood.  

So air conditioning is back on, as are the shorts.

This morning, Rick saw that there was a 2-hour season premiere of Dateline on Friday.

He said, "I've got good news for you today."

I thought perhaps we won the lottery or he was healed.

Nope.

He said, "Friday is a 2 hr Dateline. So I'll make the popcorn so you can be in murder and mayhem heaven."

I admit it made me chuckle.

I didn't have the heart to tell him the Yankees were on TV Friday.  I'll record both just in case. :-)

There are only 6 games left in my baseball life. 

4 I don't get to watch. The last game is blacked out.  I hate that they think Baltimore should be blacked out. I know, I know, I whine about this every year since moving here.  But honestly, wouldn't they black out Atlanta for me, living in the south and not Baltimore? It makes me so mad. The owner of the NHL team here, the Hurricanes, is looking to have an MLB team here. I hope it's an American League team so I can see some baseball here besides the Durham Bulls.  And I would hope they would have a dome. Because 100 degrees is not what I want to sit in to watch games.  I don't think the boys want to play in that either. Isn't that why Tampa and Houston have roofs?  Okay, enough baseball.  ⚾

We were watching PBS last night. You know, before Mango Mussolini removes it.

They were traveling through Canada.  I have only been to Ottawa, Quebec, and Ontario.  I so wanted to go to Calgary and Alberta.  I knew someone from Calgary, and she would wax poetic about it. Alberta was because of Banff. God, it looks absolutely like God's country.  Except for Quebec, I found the people of Canada beautiful. I hate to make a blanket statement, but it was my experience.

I'm sure there are kind people in Quebec.  I just wasn't there long enough to find them. 

Here is my American view of what I visited.  Ottawa - I went as a kid. I was 22.  I found it boring. Today I think I would love it. The architecture alone. I stayed for a day and decided to leave with my friends. On to Ontario.

  

Quebec.  It was beautiful and European to me, but I found they didn't care for my French or the fact that I tried my best to use my high school French. They were more than rude. From the front desk to the wait staff. I remember the front desk as we walked into our beautiful hotel. The woman at the desk never smiled. I said, "Bonjour, in my perky way with a smile."  

She actually appeared to snear at me.  She never spoke to me. Handed me a key. We thought that odd, but figured it was just her way. We were wrong.

Everyone was like that. You know how you get a kick me sign on your back as a kid?  We felt like that after being there for 3 days.  We had had enough. My ex-husband said, If they don't want us here, perhaps we should just leave so we did. 

I thought maybe when I apologized for my high school French by saying, 'je suis désolé,' I was saying something wrong and possibly offensive, so I would stop saying it and say, I'm sorry in English. I smiled and nodded a lot. It was so uncomfortable for a people pleaser. 

On to Ontario. (a theme here)

Ontario.

We have been to many places in Ontario. Hamilton, Mississauga, Toronto.

And plenty of fishing trips with Rick as well.  I don't know where the hell I was but salmon were biting. 

We absolutely love Toronto, and we know our way around, and we feel comfortable there. We speak the language, and they don't get mad if we goof up the French.  

**This is where Rick used sign language with me to make a beggar stop asking for money.  God, that was a classic that I know I've shared with you.

**This was where Howie Mandel picked on me all night long from the stage.

But then bought us some drinks later.

**This is where a man told me if I just smiled, he'd give me this album for free in a record store. I'm not dumb, I smiled. I think it was my shirt more than my smile, but I wanted that album. Dumb men. 

**This is where a man from Australia told me he had a kangaroo farm and sold the meat to McDonald's. I was so appalled. I asked so many questions and he had answers for them all.  Apparently, when I went to the bathroom, he told Rick he was pulling my leg and said, "My goodness, she is gullible."  Rick said, "Oh, don't I know! It's fun, isn't it?"

** This is where I ruptured my first disc in my spine in 1979 at the CNE. I was at the concert at the stadium for Burton Cummings. Damn him. :-)

**This is where I took the subway (any subway) for the 1st time, and I was high.  For my whole life up to this point, the lake (Lake Erie) was my directional point of reference. If I were facing the lake, it was north.  So I was so confused because when we got off, I kept saying we were going the wrong way, the lake is over here.

I was in such a panic because I felt we were lost.  But you see, Ontario is on the other side of Lake Erie.  The damn Stoner.  So while I was being hysterical, Rick grabbed my shoulders and said, "Margaret, get a grip, the subway goes in a circle, we can get off in the right corner again."  

"Oh, yeah"  

I laugh at this now because I was truly convinced we were lost in Ontario.  Worse things there could be. However, I was in a different state of mind, shall we say.

So that was our evening. Reminiscing our way through Canada and oohing and aahing at the places we'd like to go.  A VIA rail trip would be fun, wouldn't it?

Any Canadian thoughts?  I hope I have not offended anyone.

Fake Fall

We've had a fake fall. It was fabulous while it was here.

We are now into late summer.

Hopefully, fall will come back.

I received so many good suggestions when I told you I was staring at the tube looking for light-hearted and laughter.

Well, I decided to rewatch an oldie but goodie, Grace and Frankie.

How I just love this show. Any woman of this age should watch it. Although my husband thinks it's great too.

I also want Jane Fonda's wardrobe in this. Especially her cashmere sweaters.

I watched season 5 last night.  I don't recall most of it.

It's as if I'm watching it all over again.

I notice so much I missed last time. What is wrong with me?

I want to be friends with these nutjobs.

Even bitchy Brianna. :-)

BTW, I've been up since 6a yesterday. I couldn't sleep last night to save my life.

Finally, at 5am, I crawled into bed and stared at the clock for an hour.

I got up at 6.  Unloaded the dishwasher and made some coffee. It was apparent I was not sleeping.  I tried at around 11a.m.  Nope, no slumber for me. Tonight I am taking a muscle relaxer I was given after my back surgery. They didn't help my back, but they knocked me out. To think, I did this in my late teens and early 20s to accomplish things like studying, partying, you name it.  I recall taking a 45-minute nap.  I set my alarm and put it across the room so I'd have to get my butt out of bed.

I got in at a God awful hour and I had to be at the ticket counter at 5:30am. How I worked all day in heels and looked presentable can only be because I was young.  I am a walking zombie today.  Just too damn old for this shit now.

I need my beauty rest. Or my ugly rest. 

In other happenings - 

Rick made a meal in the crockpot for dinner last night.

It was beef short ribs.

As he was taking them out to put on a plate for dinner, he said, "Ah, all bone and no meat"  (he meant the meat fell off the bone as he lifted it out of the crockpot)

I knew full well what he meant, but I said, "Oh, that's what she said."

Well, let me tell you, he laughed so hard and said, "That doesn't even make sense, Margaret."

"No, but I got you to laugh."

I'm trying, kids, I'm trying.

I don't have televised baseball for a few days.  

Last night, he asked if my boys were playing tonight.

I told him they were coming after he went to bed.

He said, "My God, you're on a roll tonight, I meant the Yankees."

"I did too," and I winked.

He just shook his head.

So another week of nothing happening that is exciting.

I don't see the doctor for a few more weeks.

I want ME back again. 

Is it possible?

I think so.

In the meantime, I will continue my ball-busting ways because it feels like home.

😏

Paranoia

Ah, the best laid plans.

Remember those hinges I was to do on Tuesday?

Well, one door was 1/2 done.

Tuesday was so glorious.  I got up at 5:15am.  I went to the back door in the kitchen and opened it. OMG, it was cool.  It was drizzling.  It was a perfect day for me.  I made some coffee.  I sat under the gazebo and just stared off into space. It was a light drizzle, like every damn day I had in Seattle. 😀

I sat there until 8:30a a.m. when Rick showed up.  

He said he couldn't find me.  We downsized to a small ranch-style home. Where could I go?  He thought I must be at my desk.  Nope.  He looked in every bed and bath.  Then he said he looked out the back door and saw the car was still there, so where could I be?  

All he had to do was turn his head to the right when looking at the car, and he'd have seen me. The goofball. 

We sat out there for a good while, and then I said I must get started on the hinges. He went to his workshop, and I heard the lathe start up. 

I went into the house, with a big sigh, I might add. It was so nice, I just didn't want to be inside. I mean, it was under 95 degrees, and it was fall-like.

We don't normally have this kind of weather until late October, so I wanted to sit and enjoy, but I had to get my butt moving.

I started with the skinny linen closet door.  

I had removed the bottom hinge and replaced it with the new hinge.  

As I got to the 2nd one, Rick came into the house and said, "I have to go to Cary."

Why?

A guy is going to buy my Festool Sander.

Why isn't he coming here?

Says he wants to meet at the stop and grab in Cary. He prefers not to go to people's homes. 

Hmm....

Rick, I'm not comfortable with this. I'm going with you.

Why? What could all of 5'1" of you do?

Dial 911.  I knew what to do when you were driving into oncoming traffic and you had a stroke.  Don't underestimate me, buddy.

He laughs and agrees.

He shakes his head and heads to the car, knowing I'm not changing my mind, no matter how stupid he thinks I'm being.

We drive the 35 minutes to Cary. We sit.  He emails and texts the guy.  Radio silence.  We sit some more. I so want to say something, but I know he will not take it well, so I play the conversation in my head to make myself feel better.  This way, no arguing.  But I honestly hate hate hate him meeting strangers to sell his shit.  He is not the big man he was. He thinks so.  But one swing and this guy is down.  His ego won't let him hear this, so I keep it to myself.  It just scares me when people sell their belongings online. 

Old Rick could certainly handle himself, and being a big guy has always been in his favor. But now he's different.  In his mind's eye, he is still the strapping 6'2" gym rat.  I wish I had that ability.  Because then I am really only 110lbs, you know, like in high school. :-)

We waited an hour, and I finally said, "Do you honestly think he is going to show up, Rick?"  Silence.

Finally, he says, "Let's go."

We drive home. As soon as we pulled into the driveway, the guy texted.  Can we do this after 4pm he asks.  NO.

Rick said he was not driving back to Cary. If he wants it he can come to our home.  Believe it or not, the guy showed up and gave Rick the $450 and apologized for the miscommunication.

By this time, it is after noon.  I got the linen door finished.

Then Rick tells me another guy is coming.  OMG.

So I did hinges where I could see the guy pulling in.

Yes, I am a paranoid shit. Go ahead, laugh at me, Rick sure does.  

Every day on the local news here, there are horrific stories about this.  

So I take a picture of his license plate from my window as he gets out of the car.  The guy was creepy-looking. But he bought the sprayer Rick was selling, and he left. I kept the kitchen door open to hear them in the garage.

I walked out to the garage to speak to Rick after he left.  

He said, "Yes, I know. He was a scary-looking dude

He never smiled until he picked up the sprayer and spoke. Then he wasn't so scary."  

I told Rick I got his license plate.  He told me I was one paranoid woman.

So be it.  I've watched too many Datelines, I guess.

I got half the door hinges done.  Best laid plans, right?  I will finish this weekend if it kills me.

When driving back from Cary, we saw all the workers on the main drag to our home digging and laying whatever needs to be laid for fiber optics.

We received a note on our door that this construction would be taking place.

I look forward to being able to have fiber optics again.  I loved FIOS.

That afternoon, Rick saw that our internet was down.

It was off and on all day and night. I couldn't watch the baseball game on Prime due to this.  

It's been sporadic internet ever since this construction started.  

Coincidence?  New fiber optics is going in, and our Spectrum internet is down.  It's been up and down, mostly down, since Tuesday when construction began.  It has to be connected somehow.  Or I'm paranoid again. LOL

I think it's a big gain for fiber optics. I know that we will probably jump to fiber optics over spectrum when we can.  And if the construction has nothing to do with it, it's just another push to fiber optics, don't you think?

My baseball game is on Apple TV tonight.  I hope I have internet by then.  

It's been one helluva goofy week.

One A Day

 I need to accomplish one big thing a day I had decided.

Then I did said big thing and decided small things work too. 😀

I chose to do something where I did not need to wear my back brace.

I decided to clean our car out.  OMG. For only two people, it was awful.

Mulch was everywhere. We cleaned it up so many times, yet it was still there.

It stuck to the rug, and vacuuming only teased it.  

I went over one area so many times.  I swore I heard it say, Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah.  So there I was picking it up with my fingers.

In the backseat were 6, count 'em, 6 baseball hats of Rick's.  

2 bathing suits of Rick's. Rick's swim goggles, Rick's beach towel, and a pair of shorts and jeans, which he told he was taking to goodwill.

The odd items - a box of rubber gloves, two halo kits (I love these, but we only need one per car), two umbrellas, and a snow brush. One box of Kleenex, 110 receipts, and Rick's inhalers.

That is only a few things.

Other than the halo, nothing was mine.  NOTHING.

Because we only have one car now, we must share.  I get in and complain about his shit all the time. He laughs.  I seeth.

So I spent a good portion of my day cleaning the car.  Removing the back seat covers and washing them. (I used those fun good smelling beads that everyone says are bad for you in your laundry) The smell in the car is fabulous.  Not only is it clean, it smells clean.

I took out the floor mats, I armour all'd everything.  I do need some fabric cleaner for a few spots on the fabric.  Otherwise, it is complete.  Well, until Rick uses the car.  Why can't he blow his nose and put the Kleenex in the bag in the car?  I put a small garbage bag and attached it to the passenger seat so he could just put it in there easily. No, not gonna work. He throws it on the floor, in the small console, anywhere but in the garbage bag.

The car will remain nice until Wednesday.  Rick goes to the gym on Wednesday.  Who knows what will end up all over the car?  At least the pool is closed until spring now, so he won't need the swim trunks.  

Last night I was hurtin' a bit, but overall just fine. Today's job is finishing my doors. You see, when we moved in the crazy lady who lived here painted her door knobs silver.  I removed them all and replaced them with black and now I need to put on the hinges.  Years later, and the hinges are still sitting in the garage waiting for me.  So Tuesday it will be.  He's in the garage, so he won't be underfoot. 

If you recall, I did this once before.  

In our last home of 21 years, we were the first residents.  

I liked moving into a blank slate.  

This home has had two.

They liked what I call bad colors. Like diaper poo yellow/brown. That room was painted first; it was so damn icky.  When we toured the house, Rick said, "Oh, this reminds me of my kid's diaper." The realtor not only agreed but said to Rick, I thought the same thing!

She loved the fluorescent colors of turquoise and lime green.  

And dark gray.  

I am not a fan of dark gray.  I did not understand that trend.

I'm trying like hell to move my body and not think about shit.  

Not working yet.

But it will damn it. It will. 

The weather is perfect right now, so if I don't do hinges, it will be something outside. Drinks at noon on the patio?  Nope, not drinking right now. I know who am I?  It's wine weather!  I need to get my head straight first. But if you wish to offer me drugs to forget my problems, I'll take 'em. 🤣

For those who don't know my grandmother would have yelled Puttana too.  

OMG, that made me laugh out loud.  It basically means Whore. 

hey better than RFK Jr.

Boring Week

Good ole Rick asked me last evening why his favorite storyteller hasn't been on her blog.

I told him nothing was going on in my life.

What?  C'mon did you ever tell them about Pit Hole City. That cracks me up.

Yep

Your family alone is a funny story - pick one.  

Nah

How about the time I told the folks on the island we were just married when we weren't, and everyone bought us drinks.  Oh, you were in rare form that day, Margaret.

Why? Because I made you buy them all drinks for lying to them?

No, but when they got on the ferry with us you about flipped out.  

I didn't want to continue this charade. But you were a hoot.

Nope.

Okay then, I'm sure I've done something stupid recently.

Oh yeah.

Well then.

But it's not funny, you were pissing me off.

Oh

Did you ever tell them how I make up stories and you always believe me and then you repeat them and look like a damn fool?

Yes, I have, and it frustrates me that you think that is so damn funny.

Oh c'mon you do too.

Okay, but the funnies don't always have to be at my expense.

Oh, but they do Margaret. You're a funny woman and yet so gullible,

Hmm....

So here it is Friday, and nothing new and exciting happened to me.

I strapped on my back brace and power-washed the walkway to my front door/porch and the steps.  It took it all out of me.  How damn pathetic. My spine will be the death of me.  I was hurting when I finished and when I got to the end, I collapsed on the grass for a minute.  I got up and put things away.

I had planned on power washing my driveway, but I couldn't do it.

Not all in the same day, I realized. 

Instead, I came in and took two Tylenol and began scratching all the fire ants that bit me while I collapsed in the grass.

I HATE fire ants. I totally forgot about the fire ants. As I mentioned, I had never seen fire ants until moving here. 

I never lived anywhere where this was an issue.

No sitting on the grass here. They are so gross. The bites that is. 

So no story here - just a bite-infested boring week. 

Hope yours was more fun.