Random Thoughts

 Well, that's over!  YIPEE.

Here are some random things in my little world.

New Year's Eve. -

I was unaware of most things last year in the throes of chemo and the like.

But this year I was well aware of the "ball" drop.

Now we all know the beautiful Tiffany crystal ball that drops in Times Square NY each year. 

But this year I've seen a few others that made me chuckle.

In Raleigh, they drop a big ole Acorn. 

I asked Rick, is this because it is called the City of Oaks and the acorn falls from the Oak Tree? He assumed as much. 

We live about 1 hr from Mt. Olive, NC. 

You know Mt. Olive, the folks that bring you pickles and the like.

Well, they drop a Pickle. 

We saw it on the local news and thought it was cute. 

Looked like a big ole green dill pickle.

Then Rick received an email from his hometown.

They drop a Clay Works Paver. Ouch, if that falls on someone.

Seriously I don't know what they use for the paver but it looks like a brick that drops.

His small hometown made bricks and clay things, Patton Clay Works. 

They are the pavers/bricks I'm told around the Eiffel Tower for example. Their bricks are in a lot of famous locations and yet it is from a town of less than 1800 people. Kind of cool.

All of them were only seen by us on the next day.

Once again we were out like a light before midnight.

Oh, I awoke at 2am as normal and was awake for the rest of the day but at midnight - I saw nothing!  Did you?

We did go to dinner. Rick ordered a piece of Peanut Butter Pie to go and we left without getting it or remembering to ask. When we looked at the bill later we saw we were not charged for my 2nd glass of wine but we were charged for the Pie. So it all evens out in the end. 

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Because we have DishNetwork it automatically DVR's everything on the 4 stations of prime time for you to watch later if you want to. (NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox) So we don't need to watch those channels if we see something else on elsewhere- they are automatically recorded and put into a folder all their own.

Last night we wanted to view the M*A*S*H special. 

We both loved this show. We had to laugh when Klinger was in his dresses and ensembles trying desperately to get a section 8. I said to Rick, that wouldn't fly today, 1. it would offend someone and 2. the GOP would have a hissy fit that a man was dressing like a woman on tv, the kids can't see that!

But we also wanted to see the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Inductees that was on opposite M*A*S*H.

So this afternoon just before dinner time Rick watched the so-called Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame 2023 Inductees.

First of all, it was an edited-down version. When it was on HBO it was not. So I was concerned about that. I mean, these rockers' speeches generally have some profanity so would these all be bleeped out? But they are also generally funny and we enjoy them. But not if edited we thought.

Then we saw who was on. No Rock 'n Roll to be had. 

Oh, Jimmy Page played a guitar solo for an inductee who has passed. Other than that it was Rap, R&B, Pop, and some country singers. 

Rock n Roll? Not a single rock n roller in the crowd. 

We mostly FF through it and we were done in less than 10 minutes. 

Why call it the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame? 

Why not the Music Hall of Fame?  

You don't see football players in the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

Rock is primarily dead these days so there is that. But I think they need to change the name. It's not rock n roll at all.  I mean I like the Spinners but Rock n Roll? Cheryl Crow? Willie Nelson? What the heck is this? 

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And lastly, we began our year 2024 at the doctor's office because that is our new life now.  Rick saw an ENT. He has a lot of issues with choking and swallowing pills etc. His voice is nasally and unlike his previous voice.

There is a small portion of his face that is still numb and he has concern regarding the nasal sound of his voice now. 

Well, it appears that his soft palate is been affected by the stroke making it swollen. When he swallows it makes it clench up and he coughs and chokes a bit. It is still numb as well, causing him a lot of grief.

The nerve damage from the stroke continues to affect his left side, the sound of this voice, etc. But nothing was wrong otherwise, which was good news for a change. 

The doctor did state that they see this a great deal and it normally takes 1 to 1.5 years to come back if it does at all. But more often than not, it comes back. We are counting on it coming back. It seems like it's been a year already to us but it's not been but 8 months. Long enough when you are living through it Rick said. I feel the same way.

We are also going to try acupuncture now that we know a lot of what is going on with this numbness etc. on his left side. We wanted to wait until we had the facts on all of these ENT tests etc.

But until we get the melanoma results back we are just holding our breath and not moving forward with other things.

So that's the top of 2024 from this neck of the woods.

Hope you all had a fine New Year's Day!

2024

Here's to a healthy and peaceful year for all!

Accpuncture

 Over at AbbyNormal, she was discussing dry needling for some athletic pain use. I've never done dry needling but I understand it to be very similar to acupuncture from what I've read. I am not certain. But I swear by acupuncture, for sleep, pain, inflammation, etc.

Many years ago now I was seeing an acupuncturist that saved me from medications. I do not do well on drugs. Okay, let me rephrase that, I don't do well with pills. Percocets and Vicodin make me feel sick so it's not a joy to take them unless I have no other options. I also get hives from Vicodin. So I am not going to be a statistic in the opioid crisis that is for sure. Not my drug of choice.

Because of that, I needed some relief and my doctor suggested acupuncture. It does not take the pain away in 20 minutes like a Percocet however over time this stuff works wonderfully and I haven't needed it for that issue again.

Yes, the thought of those needles was scary at first. But this young woman was brilliant. On my first visit, she had me hold one, and see how thin it was. She went over everything that would be done, where inserted etc well before she began. She would then begin. 

After they were inserted in my legs, arms, neck, face, top of feet, etc wherever needed for that particular problem she would leave me in this dark room to just relax. It was very meditative. I always fell asleep. She would then come in and wake me. I always felt so refreshed after only 30 minutes it amazed me. (I need her now to get sleep again in my life.)

She would slowly remove all the needles and then run her hands down my legs, feet, and everywhere she put them to be sure they were out. I'd get dressed and on I'd go.  

Now one day I went to the bank right after I had this done. 

This was when Rick and I had the business in Northern VA so I had to go inside the bank for some paperwork. I entered the bank and got my greetings of Hello Mrs. H. and I sat down. The woman turned her chair to face me and she shrieked. She couldn't talk she was pointing at her neck. I asked if she was okay because she turned white as a ghost. 

She pointed to me still not talking. 

Apparently, I still had a needle in my neck and it certainly freaked her out.

Now you are to never take them out yourself because you could damage something I suppose. But I just grabbed it and slowly pulled it straight out. It was all of a second. Again, you don't feel a thing. 

Oh, but this poor woman at the bank put her head down on her desk and let out a sigh. She was freaked out. I had a bottle of water unopened in my bag and gave it to her and told her it was an acupuncture needle and I had just come from acupuncture. She calmed down a bit.

Not my best visit at the bank let me tell you.

We talked a bit about acupuncture until she was calmer and then we went on to bank business. She kept saying I could never do that. I told her I didn't feel it going in and I didn't feel it coming out. I kept apologizing for alarming her. She said she doesn't bring her children in for shots or vaccines, her husband must do it. She had to have an IV and she passed out.

So of all people for me to see when I got one stuck in my neck. I felt bad but when I got home and told Rick I admit, we chuckled a bit.

The following week I told my acupuncturist this story. 

She apologized over and over again. I told her it was okay, the woman survived. But I'll never forget the look on her face. Like I was Frankenstein with a needle coming out of my neck!

Rick's Chest

As I mentioned a few weeks ago Rick had surgery on the right side of his chest for melanoma. We are still awaiting the results to see if they got it all.  🤞

I was talking to my mom on the phone and she asked how he was doing and if he was still in a lot of pain. I told her it was healing nicely and no longer dark purple and black. He was still in pain but nothing like he was. 

I told her that it was weird because it was high and hard. 

Well, she burst out laughing. 

She said giggling, "Well that sounds like something your husband would say. I sure know him after 36 years."

It took me a minute. OMG. I realized how that sounded, so I clarified.

"Okay let me rephrase that - It is not flush to his chest and it is tough, not soft like his chest tissue. 

But his thigh was like that after he got a hematoma so we assume it's the same type of thing causing it to be that way.

However, my mom was still laughing and said, "High and Hard. Well Margaret you made this ole lady have a good laugh today."

"Gee, Mom I'm glad I could provide you with giggles."

Then she added, "Well I don't see a lot of high and hard at my age." 

Now we're both laughing. Honestly, we are nuts in my family, aren't we?

She was still giggling when I hung up. 

Here's a pic of Rick's chest. The purple on the bottom half looks like hair to me in this picture. But it's looking a lot better than it did. And to think the fool watched the whole surgery.  Eeewww.

Not Christmas and Not New Years.

 Well, that's over.

Now to the next holiday, the New Year's Day.

I hope 2024 is going to be far better than 2023. 

But that's what I said in 2022.

So there is that.

We are in that limbo when it's no longer Xmas and not yet New Year's but nobody wants to go back to work. And being a Monday this year it had to be horrible to go back to work on Tuesday. I say everyone should just have off between Dec 25 through January 1. But I don't get to be dictator, that's trumps job.

Cooking for just the two of us is silly most days. We made a ham for Christmas because he kept telling me he wanted it. After I had a piece and Rick had two here we are with this big ole ham. I did make killer potatoes au gratin.  No veggies and no salad. It was a sad and pathetic holiday meal.

Rick is going to make split pea and ham soup which I love with that big ole ham bone. 

I made him ham and eggs this morning before we ventured off to PT. 

I am certain there will be ham in about everything. Quiche, casseroles etc.

I was thinking of this casserole with broccoli, rice, and ham. But again, there will be a lot and can I get some folks to come over and eat some food? A few weeks ago I brought in a pasta dish to therapy. OH were they excited. It was leftovers so I didn't think that was a big deal. I just made it like always and there was just too much. Then I had to bring a printout of the recipe for them on the next visit. But I was glad they liked it so much and I got rid of it.

When my dad had dementia he never wanted to eat. The doctor told my mom that something (I don't recall the proper term) in his brain that controlled hunger was not functioning or telling him he was full. Which would be great for someone to lose weight but this small man did not need that. So the doctor told her to just put food in front of him and he will probably eat it. And sure enough, if she asked if he was hungry he would say no. If she put a 1/2 sandwich on a plate in front of him he would wolf it down. Wild right? 

Well, it appears to me that is Rick's new brain. I mean a stroke is a head/brain injury as was my dad's Parkingson's dementia. Who's to say it's not similar? Rick always says he isn't hungry until I make him something then he will eat it. One day last week he said he was not hungry so I just made myself a 1/2 PB&J for lunch. Then he says, gee that looks good and he wants one. 

This is a far different man from before the stroke when the man could put down the food! He could eat a steak the size of something on the Flintstones, a brontosaurus-sized steak. Today he wants to share a small strip steak with me. It's weird and something I need to get used to.

My neighbor the hairdresser left us some goodies she makes each year for Xmas. I wish I could eat them. Rick gets upset that she always brings things I can't eat. I don't care. I told him it's not her issue, she probably doesn't remember and even if she did she should not have to make things I can eat. She had a tin of these pretzels that were peanut butter and chocolate. Rick said they were awesome. The other thing she made in this tin was a Chex Mix. I believe it's called Puppy Chow. A mix of chocolate, peanut butter, chex cereal, and powdered sugar. I like those and chex I can eat, but she put pretzels in hers so they are out for me. Oh well, I do not need them.

And speaking of eating. I have not been feeling well at all. I don't say anything to Rick because he's got enough on his plate but he's noticed. Lots of GI issues and then the swelling began. My face, my joints and I'm just feeling sick and extremely tired. I feel like I've been glutened. But I am so good at my diet and no one has been here to cook for me so I know all the food and I know I clean the butcher block if Rick's bread is on it before I use it, etc. So how can I have been glutened? Last night was the worst. I was so sick. I was nauseated and my tummy was a hot mess. Rick looked at me and said, "Have you been glutened?  You look so swollen and sick?"  I said, "You know I was thinking the same thing but how?"

Then as we were watching a movie he paused it and said, "Did you check your new medication?" 

OMG that's probably it!!

I went online and sure enough, it had gluten in it. I had to track down the manufacturer and then look up the ingredients. Sounds easy but took over an hour to track down. Needless to say, I stopped it today. My doctor is not in so I went back to my old meds for the same thing because I know that is better than not taking anything and I know they do not make me sick. 

Yes, the pharmacy knows that they should let me know but they don't give a rat's ass. Peanut allergy is just as lethal just faster. So then they care. 

An autoimmune disease they don't give a shit.

This will take me two weeks to get well now that I found the source. 

Rick keeps apologizing as if it's his fault. He knows how sick I've been the last 2 weeks and each day it was worse. But I just didn't believe it was gluten because damn it I am eating clean. But even in your medication, it can be in there as a filler. 

Wheat, barley, and rye will kill me. Or die from vomiting and diarrhea. 

Oh well, I will survive but it's so not good for me. Do you know having celiac gives you a very larger percentage of getting cancer? Yeah, it's a bear but it's not worth cheating. Had I known that my meds were making me sick I'd have had a piece of cake or pizza I told Rick as long as I was sick. But you know what? I still wouldn't have. In 2 weeks I should be able to see my knuckles again and not be so damn sick.  It's like the flu only with joint pain and GI issues to boot. This makes me so freakin' angry. 

Christmas evening we wanted to watch a light, frivolous type of movie where we could just not put much brain power into it. We took a walk after dinner in our Santa hats but it was 67 degrees and the hats were a bit too warm. TV was horrible and we were alone on this Xmas so it was quiet here. The movie we chose was perfect. 

It's called The Bank of Dave. (Netflix)

I read in Vanity Fair it is a true-ish story. The broad outlines of the story are true. The movie took some liberties with Def Leppard because the real Dave LOVES Def Leppard. This takes place in a small town north of London. The location is true to the real Dave. Nonetheless, it is a cute movie. 

It's amazing how we speak English but there are words and phrases they use that I have no friggin' idea of what the hell they were talking about. 

But I do like British humor or as they would write, humour. It's a cute movie and because it's true (or tru-ish as they say at the beginning) it was even more delightful.

The Vanity Fair article showed the real Dave and he looks so much like the man who played him in the movie. I love that the little man won! Could this happen in the US?  Doubtful.  

And lastly, I wanted to share my disgust with Bezos. Doesn't he have enough money for God's sake?  Now he is making us watch ads with all our prime videos starting next week unless we wish to pay another $2.99 mo. Now c'mon didn't he just raise the price of Amazon Prime a few months ago?  We have to rethink all of this. I have to streamline my streaming services. As more merge, it may be better for us, then again who knows. 

Merry Christmas

 

A few housekeeping tidbits from the Cookie Post.

To clear up a couple of comments and emails -

When we got to Seattle it was all great until around the 2 year mark, the owner of the company that wined and dined us was taken out in handcuffs. He had embezzled amongst other interesting things.

 
Thankfully I was asked to come back to the company that downsized me and they moved us to the mid-Atlantic region (MD) Rick got in touch with a company he had worked with in Seattle and he knew they were looking for a recruiter so he called them and immediately got the job for the eastern seaboard for this company. He could work from home and just travel as needed within his territory.

Two years later I was recruited to the competition of the company I worked for. We had just moved to VA since I worked from home it didn't really matter if I was in MD or not. But this company wanted me to work in Manhattan. Then when the cost of the move came up etc I suggested I just work from home as I did now and just traveled to NYC by train. They loved that idea. You see I had the complete state of NY so if I was in NYC they would have to fly me to Albany or Rochester anyway. They saw my point as I made a spreadsheet of expenses. I knew that would win my case and it did. Whew, cuz there was no way Rick would have moved to Manhattan.

So Rick and I both worked from home and traveled within our territories when not at our home offices.
Then we both got downsized again at ages 50 and 51 and there we were again, with no jobs but now bigger items in our life as in 2 homes, several cars, etc. that we had to sell and fast!

After 18 months of not getting offered anything we cashed in our 401K and started a business again until we retired. 

So there ya have it. 

I learned that in my next life, I will NEVER work with a spouse or for that matter ever have my own business again. Let someone else do all the fretting. As for my spouse, that is the most difficult thing there is. You can't go home to your loved one to vent about the asshole at work when he's the asshole at work. So there is that. 😊

TGIF

 Happy Friday.

If you watch the news it's as if everyone is surprised about the chaos at the airports. We both find that funny. It happens every year, they should just tell us if it doesn't happen because that my friends would be news.

If you only fly a short distance I recommend flying on Xmas morning. No one is at the airport except the people who are made to work. You get in and out on time. I did it once. Got to my hometown by 10a and I immediately went to my parent's home and the festivities hadn't even begun. So it was perfect for me.

Rick's surgery on Thursday went longer than I suspected. They told me 30 minutes. At 1 hour and 15 minutes, I went to the desk to ask why this was taking so long. She said she would go check. She came back and said, "he's on his way out" and he was right behind her. 

It was bigger than suspected as well. 7x2.5 and 1 inch deep. Yuk.

Rick who watches gross things on TV like The Pimple Popper got to watch and was thrilled. I've walked in on him watching that show and them cutting out a lipoma or melanoma as he had done on Thursday.  But to watch it on yourself is a different ball game to me. NEVER would I wish to watch. He's a sicko.

He was awake obviously as they worked on his chest.They just numbed the area.  There was a big light above him with a mirror or something. He stuck his nose into the poor drs way if you ask me, asking why aren't you cutting here or why are you doing it that way? I'd have numbed his mouth shut but the doctor and her assistant were good sports thank goodness. 

Because he is on blood thinners he was a bleeder. They had to cauterize things as they went along. He has some pain today which is normal and currently has a bag of frozen corn in the area to keep the swelling down and to cool it off. He says it burns. But Rick has a low threshold for pain the poor guy. 

But like most men, if he has a cold it's the worse cold in mankind. So imagine what the last 7 months have been for my poor Big Guy. He was told this would be minor discomfort and he is whining about the pain. I have to be empathetic but some days I just want to say, "Shut up, they told you it'd hurt and what to do about the pain. So go be quiet and take a pill"  Aren't I nice? But c'mon men. I wonder if there has ever been a study to prove men have a lower tolerance for pain than females.  If so I'd like to see that chart.

I did not bake a lick this year. My niece arrived to no Christmas cookies to her dismay. Her husband's team won the NAIA championship against the same team they lost to last year so it was revenge and it was sweet.

It wasn't too cold either, 55 degrees. So the Floridians survived. After the game, my niece and her daughter came home with me.  We had a warm dinner of beef stew, rolls, and salad. After sitting outside that was what the doctor ordered it was said. We had dessert later while watching TV.  Her husband went to celebrate with the team and then they were all flying home. She stayed an extra day to see Rick and I. 

My niece's daughter, Averie looks exactly like her mom did when she was the same age. I showed her a picture of her mom and asked, "Hey Averie, who is this?"  She giggled and said so happily like only a 5 yr old can, "It's me Aunt Peggy"  I said, "Nope, it's your mommy when she was 5"

She stared at it for a good long minute and handed it back to me and said, 
"You're trying to fool me, she giggles and goes on, I know that's me!"

She's so damn cute I so wish she could have stayed here for a few days. It was a fast 24 hrs. And once again, a lot of driving for me.  I've put more my miles on my car this year than in the last 2 yrs. The driving has gotten to me of late.

So here it is Friday and I have nowhere to go. Or Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Glorious!

Story You Asked Me For

Sorry been busy. My niece being here and all.

Rick's melanoma surgery is tomorrow. 

So since you all asked in comments about the story of our cookie company I will repost those since I am crazy busy right now.

The posts were written in 3 parts.

Part 1

Part 2

Final Chapter

You asked for this.  

Hopefully, you make it through.

Oh, and if you comment come back and it here, not on the 2011 post if you can. Thx

Movie Reviews

 My life has become small since Rick's stroke. We don't go out much at all.

Because of that, we watch a lot more TV than ever in my lifetime.

We watched 2 movies this weekend. We each got to pick one. 

Rick's pick was okay but then again it was his choice. 

It was called The Family Plan. It was cute. I can't say I loved it, but it was

entertaining it's own way. I could leave the room and get caught up you know? But I can see this becoming an Apple hit.

My movie was A Good Person.

I adore Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman can do no wrong.

Nothing explodes, no guns, no comic book characters. Real life.

Written and Directed by Zack Braff (yes, the one from Scrubs)

Rick said at the end of this one, "OMG you win. This could get an Academy Award for Florence Pugh."

I too felt that way. The pain she could show in her eyes. Boy, this was a moving movie you get all the feels in this one.

And Florence, in every movie she is in, she is such a chameleon. 

After the movie, we just kept talking about it. How we'd feel if this happened to us. Could we ever let it go? 

I so highly recommend you watch this movie when you can. It's on Prime. 

If you do watch it (Abby) please tell me your thoughts. 

I watched it on Saturday and I can't stop thinking about it.

Weather and Gingerbread Houses.

I wish I could go to sleep and wake up about January 3rd.

But, I can't. The weather is about to be dreadful again here to boot.

Sunday is to be cold for us, with high winds (30-40mph) and rain.

On Monday the winds will die down but it will still be windy with some rain.

My niece's hubby's football championship game is Monday. I hope it's at least not raining during the game for them. Sitting in the stands getting rained on isn't fun. But I know she will not think about not being in the stands for him. 

They are coming from Florida so to them it will be bitter cold. (high 50s)

I put two Mexican blankets in a box, socks that have batteries that I charged so she will have warm feet, and some food like goldfish, etc for her daughter at the game (5yrs old)  I am bringing it up to their hotel, and dropping it off because they don't get in until Saturday night. I am not driving in that wind and rain on Sunday for 45 - 1 hr north. Nope. 

So as I did last year, I will leave a box at the front desk so they will receive it upon check-in. 

Last year I gave her gloves, scarves, hats and hand warmers, etc. 

She told me she bought all that this year so she was all set. But she's pregnant and not much fits over her bump. Her winter coat she wears only when visiting our family up north doesn't close now. So I put in a big ole fleece-lined hooded sweatshirt that no longer fits me. She can wear that under the coat that doesn't close. 

It no longer fits me because 1. It was always a bit tight in my chest and 

2. as my husband was losing weight from his stroke I was eating my feelings.😉so while everyone tells me it looks fine it is not comfortable to me

A woman at rehab was discussing a gingerbread house she was building and asked if I had ever used one of these kits she was lamenting about. Nope, I never had.

I didn't tell her I only made one and you could walk inside it. 

I just said that I have never made one. 

Not ever making one is not entirely true. (but never again)

My husband made one for Santa to enter and it was located at the Mall where we lived. Santa sat outside the house and the kids came there to sit on his lap, for pictures and all that stuff they do. 

The frame was a shed in its raw form that was set in the mall by the mall maintenance workers. We then attached the cookies via royal frosting.

Rick made royal frosting by the big ole bucket full.

Whole chocolate chip cookies for the roof, half chocolate cookies for the trim. Then gingerbread squares for the "bricks"

The roof was made of large chocolate chip cookies as you can see below. 

These were made at our cookie company. We did not use leftover cookies so each day we accumulated the leftovers for this. We also made a lot of extras for this house. I said "we" but it was all Rick. I did not do the baking at the cookie company, Rick did. 

The gingerbread pieces (squares/bricks) were made with extra ginger so it had a wonderful aroma in the mall but too much ginger to eat. But ooh the smell was fabulous as you walked through the mall. He made them on enormous cookie sheets and then cut them to size.

The frosting or the white between the bricks and ginger pieces are all royal frosting as is the roof and cookies. Some of the trim was candy and that was fun to decide which pieces went where.  My sister and I helped decorate it along with the husband of the manager of the mall (they were our friends and that's how we got asked) If you click on the photo to make it larger, then you will see the details. I couldn't make them larger here or they would go off the page.

Inside were all the things the mall needed for Santa. The chair etc. 

It was cute in person. You could tell it was homemade and that is what people seemed to like. Rick got interviewed on the local TV news. That was a hoot.

That was the last time Rick or I worked on a gingerbread house in our lifetime. 

How 'bout you?

Personal Space

I used to watch The Drew Barrymore Show regularly but she's gotten on my nerves of late so I stopped. She has a way that she fawns all over people. Getting too close and into their personal space. She rubs their arm while interviewing them, holding their hands, and sometimes the folks she is doing this to also appear to be as uncomfortable as I feel watching it. 

I'd say something to her if this were happening, but that's me. I'd back up and just say sweetly that that's a little too close for me. I wouldn't be rude. I am certain some must feel uncomfortable with her being in their face and sitting almost on top of them. It always reminds me of the Seinfeld episode with the close talker.

I read this morning that she is taking a lot of flak over her "in your personal space" with her Oprah Winfrey interview. I didn't see it so who knows but I have seen how she gets. She also is a bit too happy for me.

I know, I know that sounds awful, doesn't it? But really does that soap make you that friggin' giddy?  I get it, you love it, but c'mon come down to earth. You don't need to caress it and hug it, kiss it, and fawn all over it.

She is just a bit too out there for me sometimes. And honestly, does she LOVE everyone as she says in her over-the-top squeal? She's popular or her show is, so I guess that's what people like. 

I am not her target audience apparently.

Speaking of happy. 

I saw this man sing with Kelly Clarkson yesterday.

I had never heard of him but boy I liked his voice.

He was discovered on YouTube which is where Kelly said she began listening to him. He did get a record deal from youtube so that's cool.

This is a day off from doctor appointments and therapies so I am going to leave you with some meme's so I can get to work. I need a laundry fairy and a housekeeper, you know, the ones that work for free. 😉

only at our house below?

Boy does this hit a nerve. Losing our jobs at 50 and 51 after both successful careers no one thought we were viable anymore and it was so depressing. 

Tornados

 I was in the office and I was clearing off my desk. Rick was watching a testosterone movie. You know, no dialog, but a lot of grunts, explosions, gunfire, punching sounds, etc. 

He opened the office door and asked, "Didn't you get the warning?"

"Warning for what?"

"A tornado" None on my phone. Hmm...

I closed down the computer and left the office. We went to a local TV station. (he was streaming) we saw that the football game was interrupted because of this weather. I bet a lot of people were upset about that.

We saw the track and having never had to worry about tornados before we weren't sure what to do. We always thought to go in the basement but here in the south, there are no basements. Late yesterday we heard there would be winds with the rain coming so we made sure everything was secure on the patio etc. Glad we did that.

The wind and rain were crazy. The tornado went through my town but we were spared. We didn't even lose electricity.  But everyone around us sure did. From what we saw on the news we are so fortunate. The town is a mess. No power, traffic lights are down, and houses with trees through them or gone.

We both feel for these poor people. I can't fathom running to the store or going to dinner and coming home to no house. That's tough.

As Rick said, we got lucky and it's about damn time.

Life outside of the covers.

I am feeling better but not great yet. I'm still not doing a lot. I take naps. I feel good and get up and do things and then I need to lay down. I find that funny. I cleaned up the kitchen, emptied the dishwasher, and washed dishes. Cleaned everything in the kitchen including the sink and I was spent. Needed to lay down. Pathetic but it shows me I'm still sick. I am done with the antibiotics and I may need to call the doctor because it feels like it's only halfway gone. We shall see. I have a busy week, or I should say, Rick does. 

No, I don't have covid, to the comments and emails suggesting I might. 

Besides the fact that I always wear a mask, they tested me to be sure. 

Rick can't get sick so I have to be careful. I worry about this infection and giving it to him. I took off my mask at the hair salon so this may be how I got it.

She butchered my hair so badly it's like the late 80s when they shaved the sides. 

So I got a very, very, very bad haircut and sinus infection. Yippee. It's the only place I can think of where I didn't have a mask on. Oh well. Right now Covid would be better than what this woman did to my hair.

I will have to suck it up and go to a salon that charges $85, which is all of them.

I got what I paid for.  But with this mess on my head, I won't have to get a trim for at least 4 months. I cried and I wear a baseball cap when I can. Thankfully I'm ill and not going anywhere so no one has to see me. But the next 3 months are another story. I started taking biotin as well. It can't hurt to speed up hair growth. 

My niece Alexandrea's husband is a college football coach. His team won their division on Saturday the 9th, so they will be in the NAIA Championship played near me in Durham. (they were here last year for the same championship game)

I can't wait to see her and her little one. Avery is 5 now.  Alex is pregnant right now. I don't know that I will get to see her husband but I hope to see them all. 

We are trying to figure out when and where etc. When I spoke to her the only part of the schedule she knew was the game time on Monday. I don't think the trek to Durham and all the craziness is something Rick can handle right now. He can make the trek but he won't be up for the long day and the walking etc. So we shall see. But if they won the game on Saturday that meant that on Dec 18th they would be playing in the championship game. Odd to me that they are playing on a Monday. But what do I know? I just know that Alex and her family will be in town over the weekend and I can't wait. If you recall this is the niece that Rick knew was pregnant before she did. 😉

Rick has this habit of selling things on Facebook marketplace but he's a lousy negotiator. The 30 x 40 frame was for only d$25. The guy wrote I'll give you $15 in cash. Rick said no, $25. Then he said $20. Rick said no, others are interested if you don't want to pay $25 then that is fine. He agreed to $25 and he came to the house. Rick did this out in the garage and came in and handed me $20. I said, "I thought it was for $25"   He said there was a small nick on the corner. "Oh Rick,  you should have said, Yes, I'm aware that is why it's only $25. Do you still want it? And wait for him to say yes or no.  If he didn't want it I told you I'd try painting it and I'd use it."  

He said, "Maybe you should do the selling since you are better at negotiating"  Gee, ya think?

Our bathroom with a new company is set to begin on January 8th. I'll believe it when I see it. That is another very long story.

He gave us a price and I got him down 3K. Rick asked how do you do this and not have them walk away?  I said I made a living as a contract negotiator remember?

You just lay out what you want and why and shut up. The first one who talks loses.

Rick can't take the silence. Me? I like to watch them squirm. 

Now if I just could do that to find someone who can friggin' cut hair well. You know the left side and right side match. Too bad I'm not any good at that.

Wednesday

Well, it's official. I am sick. 

I've been trying to plow through. Rick had a lot of appointments and I just don't have time to be sick.

Rick also had 5 days' worth of doxycycline left from something I can not remember. But it was recent so they weren't old pills. I began to take them.

I took them for 5 days and they did help but only a little bit.

I woke up at 2am in a pool of sweat Wednesday. I felt my hair on my neck and it was as if I just showered. I got up and took some Tylenol. I didn't think I had a fever. But what else would make me wake up in a sweat like that? So then I couldn't go back to sleep. Figures.

First thing Wednesday morning I called my doctor's office. She always says come here first. It's cheaper than urgent care. Just tell the staff and they'll fit you in. They open at 8a so I called at 8:05a and I was told they couldn't get me in Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. They close early she tells me on Friday. Gee, thanks. Next time the doctor mentions this I will tell her this because I am damn curious what she would say.

I dreaded going to urgent care but I showered and made sure Rick had his pills, coffee, and breakfast and then I hit the road. 

The wait was only 20 minutes. Not bad for so-called Urgent Care.

I was told I had a severe sinus infection. I chuckled and said, so I feel this badly and it's just a sinus infection? She went off on me explaining it wasn't 'just'. Ok, whatever, give me drugs and send me home. I got a lecture on my inflamed sinus. I just want the drugs lady!

I got out of there and headed to the pharmacy, got my drugs, and came home. Rick was fine and he had made himself lunch and was sitting at the kitchen island chowing down on his lunch when I walked in. He asked a million questions and I told him I would be fine I just needed to close my eyes.

I crawled onto the sofa, wrapped up in a blanket, and slept for 1.5 hours.

I have to drive up to the hospital Thursday to pick up Rick's rx.

If you recall it's $800 a month but if I get it at the hospital pharmacy it's only $15.50 for 90 days. Worth the drive, it's just that I feel like crap and don't wish to be dressed for public consumption. I just want to nap and stay under the covers and have some of Rick's homemade chicken soup that's in the freezer. 

Rick drove me crazy wanting to drive. He finally got permission to drive and after that day of driving and his scary PTSD, he has not asked to drive again. I fear I may be driving Miss Daisy for a while longer. I think when I'm feeling a bit better I will suggest we go for a ride around the neighborhood again. This would be the time I'd rather he drive himself to PT and OT so I could stay home but it is what it is right now.

I hate the show Survivor and Rick is watching it right now. My TV in my bedroom has died and only shows TV in black and white. It hurts my eyes to read so there is that. How did we watch things like this? I tried watching an HGTV show I like but it's hard to see the difference between before and after with no color. So I'm in my office typing but the computer is hurting my eyes.

So I bid you adieu until I feel a bit better.

Movie Season

While everyone is decorating a tree and wrapping presents this holiday season. We are spending our quiet evenings watching a movie here and there. We just watched one on Prime that we both enjoyed much more than we thought we would.  

It's starring Tommy Lee Jones and Jamie Fox.  It's called The Burial. 

We found it very rewarding.  

The Jamie Fox character made us laugh. 

Very Johnny Cochran but with a heart. 

After the horrible May-December movie we watched, this was a breath of fresh air.  The May-December movie is winning awards and accolades at film festivals and I just don't understand why.

But do we need another story about this family? Rick really wanted to watch it I did not. But he won. I just feel that we've had enough of Mary Kay Letourneau.  Leave her poor kids alone as well as Vili Faulaau. I feel sorry for the damage she's done to them all.

With insomnia, I will watch the craziest of movies. The Feast of Seven Fishes was one of them. I figured if I did finally fall asleep I just didn't care. That's how good it was.

I leave the movies I know Rick will enjoy so we can watch them together. 

Joe Pantoliano is in this movie. He will always be Joey Pants to me. Was that his nickname from a movie? Or a nickname as Ralphie from The Sopranos? I don't know why I think of him as Joey Pants. 

The movie is about this loud Italian-American Family's tradition on Christmas Eve. It's a tradition on Christmas Eve for Italian Americans to have this Feast of Seven Fishes. Thankfully my father's side didn't do this. My mom's side did. I HATE fish. So it was not a fun feast for me. I ate the other things when we went there. Thankfully we spent more time with my dad's family. Lucky for me. 

This movie was funny in the sense that I understood it all. I do not think many would enjoy it in the same way. I saw parts of my family. The part when I was in school I was so embarrassed by. The part that made me wish I had blonde hair and was a wasp, desperately. So I think this most definitely was a niche movie. Not a great movie but something to watch in the wee hours of the morning. I understood the men, the food, the alcohol, and the old woman screaming puttana to all the young girls her grandson brought home. Otherwise, this is not a movie I'd recommend. Just amusing to me at 2:00am when I'm begging for sleep.

Reading keeps me up even more as TV will generally lull me to sleep. This insomnia shit is crazy. I don't like the "hangover" one gets from sleeping pills. So I stopped that and before you tell me to try melatonin, I have at every dosage. Nothing. Oh well, I do see a lot of streaming movies this way.

Do you have any good movies that aren't violent that you can recommend for a poor gal who can't sleep?

Monday Monday

In my last post, I mentioned prayer.

I want to clarify one thing. I am not against prayer. When people have said they are praying for Rick's health or mine, I sincerely appreciate that. 

I understand and like that. It's when my doctor whom I prefer to be a woman or man of science that it bothers me big time. 

Or as one commenter said, "RED FLAG when it's a doctor" 

In medicine, science first. His or Her religion should be 2nd to me.

I have friends of faith and I have some very close friends and family who are atheists. I do not care what you believe or don't believe. But I do think that is personal and should not be discussed at the hair salon. 

It's between you and your God or no God. 

My friends know I am a recovered Catholic. 

I left that mindset/cult at age 15 but had to hang in there until I could move out of my father's home.  My friends know I want to believe in the story, it's a nice story. But I don't know for certain it's real and I don't know for certain it's not. So what does that make me? Religion has failed me. I do not like religion. Look at how many wars there are due to religion. 

Like your sexual preference, I don't care what they are, it's your own and private. Unless of course, you are a friend who you both are comfortable discussing it all.

I do not tell everyone I meet I'm straight. 

Does that make sense?

Ok, enough of that!

Now let me tell you about the nicest people I've met since moving here in our hillbilly county. 

We were sitting in the lobby at rehab on Monday. Rick had a doctor's appointment first, and then we headed to rehab. We were very early but it made no sense to go home because by the time we'd get home we'd have to turn around.

I was sitting across from a woman in a sling that I recognized. 

She smiled at me so I thought I could ask as I pointed to her sling, "rotator cuff?"

Yep she says, and off she goes.

Her husband loved Rick's T-shirt and that got them talking and they are both woodworkers. They shared stories on wood. He can wax poetic on wood for hours. It makes me laugh. Then it was time for Rick to go back to his OT with The Beast.

She was called into the back for her PT therapy a minute later and her husband and 13-year-old granddaughter stayed in the lobby with me. 

This man had such a warm face. He said to me, "You have a slight accent, where are you from?" I told him we moved here from No.VA, but I've lived in a few places.

And off he went. (and I don't have an accent 😊)

He is from here. (I could tell by his accent.) But unlike most I've met down in the county where we live, he was warm, kind, and talkative to a Yankee. He told me about his career from age 18 to retirement at IBM. He worked all over the cold states he told us. I laughed and said, "NY?"  Oh yes, he said all over the state, PA, VT, and MN. He told me fun stories. He shared being invited to a Mininite's home for dinner. Driving through PA Amish country and learning about how they live. He loves meeting people from different cultures and those different from him. (I can't tell you how I've missed his kind!) I want to clone him, we need more like him in this county.

He asked me all kinds of questions about my travels, where I've lived etc. He said,"My goodness you've lived in a few places no wonder I can't place the accent."  I told him when I lived in Cleveland I began after a year to find myself saying words like them. Like Bob was Bawb. He laughed. I said everywhere I lived I tend to pick up the accent except for PA. He asked if I said,' Yuns and/or Yous.' I said NEVER. I was born and raised there but I rebelled against those words. He found that funny. 

This man was so lovely. He asked about Rick's stroke and gasped when I told him he was driving when it happened and how thankful we were he didn't kill anyone. He asked if we had a dog, I told him we did but she passed after we moved here. At one point he said, "My Lord girl, NC hasn't been good to you"  I said, "Not yet, but they did save my husband's life so I think that's a big one don't you think?"  

When his wife came out from her therapy with  her arm back in her sling she asked how long it took me to recover from my rotator cuff surgery. I told her I also had a torn labrum at the same time so it was a bit different than you but I made her laugh with the stories of Rick trying to get me dressed and do my hair etc. I didn't want to share how long it took me because it was longer than what she would have to go through. So I tried distracting her. It worked.

They stood up to leave and I wished them a Very Merry Christmas. 

I knew they celebrated Christmas because they mentioned they were going to get a tree this weekend and how she loves Christmas. I told her I was a Scrooge and she laughed and said, "Doubtful. You are a delight"  

Oh, she doesn't know me. 

They asked if they could hug me and I stood up and we hugged and said goodbye. I wished her well in her therapy.

That made for a nice day that we both needed for a change.

A Cold Dreary Friday

 My head is pounding and my eyes hurt as do my teeth. What the hell is this?

Have any of you watched the 6 episode show on Netflix, A Nearly Normal Family. It was based on a book I never read. This thriller takes place in Lund, Sweden as in the book. But it is in American English, not subtitles, but some things do remind you this was not in America. I won't give those things away.  For only 6 episodes, I think it's worth watching. Rick watched all 6 in one night. I, not feeling great last evening, fell asleep. But when I awoke I was then up all night until probably some time tonight. I then watched the ones I missed. If you like thrillers you'll like this.

This hairdresser I am going to again @#$ up my hair. She is so inconsistent. I now know that I can't continue with her. The price is great but I am getting what I  paid for. I hate the thought of paying $85 but it looks like I must. The good thing is that I won't need a cut until February now!!

As she is cutting my hair she begins to share how she went to a new doctor since she moved. But she didn't have a connection with her. While she hates the idea of the drive to her old doctor she is going to suck it up and go back to him. Then she says with pride that after her last visit, he touched her forearm and said, "Would you like to pray with me?"  

She went on about how she thought that was wonderful. Oh boy. 

I said NOTHING. My tongue was bleeding. If a doctor said that to me that would be the last time I'd see that doctor. I prefer a man of science thank you. Keep your damn religion to yourself. She asked me, "Wouldn't that make you feel better just hearing that?"  I said, "No."  I think she felt me tense up and dropped it. I didn't want my hair to be worse.

But this meme made me think of that conversation.

In the meantime, I need to lie down. Rick has all he needs and I just need to close my eyes with a warm compress. 

Here are some memes I've enjoyed.

Have a good weekend everybody.

 Okay, this is not a meme but I did see this from AP and loved it. Spot on!