I did eventually get the drawstring back into Dad's sweatpants; the problem was getting it out again. I tried tweezers, a needle and of course my fingers, but I just couldn't get a hold of the blue fabric... next to the blue fabric, covered up by... blue fabric. I spent hours on this idiocy over a couple of days, feeling like the biggest stumblebum ever. My friend Gypsye offered crocheting needles, which should have worked, but honestly I had no confidence that I would be able to do that either.
Today I had a brainstorm and went to a fabric shop (House of Fabrics, 1312 Main Street) with the idea of getting a curved needle to pick the darned drawstring out and get it finally out of the dang hole. The nice lady behind the counter said, "safety pin." All I needed was a safety pin and I could feed it the drawstring all the way around and get it out again no problem. I had brought the sweatpants in the car and more or less begged her to do it for me. She did with speed and grace in a couple of minutes. She would have done it for free; I asked her for a price and she said, "Whatever you'll give me." I felt bad that it was only $2-- but I did give her an enthusiastic recommendation on Facebook, and here. And am much relieved!
Monday, September 30, 2013
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Pins, needles moving at least
The pins and needles and/or numbness sensation in my left leg is moving down nearer the foot/ankle. I think it's reasonable to guess that something in the broky foot is impinging on a nerve somewhere. I believe that the condition actually called "pinched nerve" is another one that's very painful; this is more like a hit nerve, as in what we call the funny bone. It's not in any way painful and the broky foot no longer feels in any way broky. Maybe a little bruise sensation toward the heel, but there is definitely a distinct improvement since I went back to the old boots. So yay (and go figure).
There is also progress in the situation that I can't tell you about. Well I can tell YOU; just not the entire Internet. But things should return to what passes for normal fairly soon. Further yayage!
Knife issues continue. Apparently what I was calling a utility knife is actually a chef's knife. Apparently further, I got very lucky five years ago finding a $1 knife I could actually use. I'm on my third new knife, and my third mostly useless one. So probably I'll have to shell out. This seems ridiculous since I'm only using it to chop or otherwise cut onions, avocadoes, cucumbers, carrots, celery or turnips. Not really difficult stuff, which is why I kept the old dull one so long. But there you go.
There is also progress in the situation that I can't tell you about. Well I can tell YOU; just not the entire Internet. But things should return to what passes for normal fairly soon. Further yayage!
Knife issues continue. Apparently what I was calling a utility knife is actually a chef's knife. Apparently further, I got very lucky five years ago finding a $1 knife I could actually use. I'm on my third new knife, and my third mostly useless one. So probably I'll have to shell out. This seems ridiculous since I'm only using it to chop or otherwise cut onions, avocadoes, cucumbers, carrots, celery or turnips. Not really difficult stuff, which is why I kept the old dull one so long. But there you go.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Drawstring
I'm washing a set of Dad's clothes for him, basically a set of sweats. The drawstring came out of the bottoms and is proving all but impossible to get back in. I could of course straighten out a coat hanger, tie the drawstring to it and feed it around the waistline, but I'm not sure I can do it without tearing anything. Nor am I sure I can straighten a coat hanger with my bare hands.
This is likely to take a while, so although I apologize for such a dull blog post, I'm fairly distracted by this hard, boring task.
There are, however, two slightly more interesting items to mention. I've been bumbling around for 5 years now with a utility knife that I bought for $1 at BiLo. It stopped being sharp after maybe 6 months, so bumbling is the word. I went to Dollar Tree for another $1 knife, but failed to notice that I had selected a carving knife. It isn't the worst carving knife in the world, but doesn't hack it (literally) as a utility knife. Being the master chef I am, it's right back to Dollar Tree!
The other thing is that the lentil hoecakes (or fried lentil polenta) turned out great except that all the flavor went byebye. I put in cumin, cloves, garlic, an entire onion, Tabasco AND Crystal hot sauce. Where it all went I don't know, but I wound up with pleasant-tasting hush puppies, more or less. I'll know to put in more next time!
This is likely to take a while, so although I apologize for such a dull blog post, I'm fairly distracted by this hard, boring task.
There are, however, two slightly more interesting items to mention. I've been bumbling around for 5 years now with a utility knife that I bought for $1 at BiLo. It stopped being sharp after maybe 6 months, so bumbling is the word. I went to Dollar Tree for another $1 knife, but failed to notice that I had selected a carving knife. It isn't the worst carving knife in the world, but doesn't hack it (literally) as a utility knife. Being the master chef I am, it's right back to Dollar Tree!
The other thing is that the lentil hoecakes (or fried lentil polenta) turned out great except that all the flavor went byebye. I put in cumin, cloves, garlic, an entire onion, Tabasco AND Crystal hot sauce. Where it all went I don't know, but I wound up with pleasant-tasting hush puppies, more or less. I'll know to put in more next time!
Friday, September 27, 2013
I'm inventing lentil hoecakes
Maybe I said it already; maybe I didn't. Trader Joe's had organic polenta by the tube. Being to the best of my ability a non-GMO person, I was thrilled to see this. (To receive the organic label in the US, you can't use GMOs.) But I had no idea what to do with polenta. However, being a big hushpuppy fan, I thought I'd like to try the very similar hoecakes and went looking for a recipe. Turned out that if you follow the directions on the package (slice the polenta, fry in a pan), you've pretty much got hoecakes. Tried it, liked it. But still...
The problem with using pre-prepared polenta is that it isn't exactly busting out with flavor. I tried adding salt, pepper and hot sauce, but most of that wound up sticking to the allegedly nonstick pan. So I wound up with pleasant, but boring, fried cornmeal mush. I still liked it, though.
This time, I bought yellow corn meal grits. This brand isn't labeled "also known as polenta," but some are. At the moment I'm cooking 1/2 a cup of red split lentils (well it started as 1/2 a cup) for added protein. Later I'll do a cup of yellow grits. What I was missing in fried polenta according to a convincing blog post I found is baking it in the oven before frying. So I'll try that, too. And I'll mix in a sauteed vidalia and a teaspoon of Trader Joe's crushed garlic and probably a great deal too much Tabasco sauce. I've already added cloves and cumin to the lentils because I'm a hippie.
This time, if a lot of the hoecake sticks to the pan, at least there will still be flavor inside, I hope. Anyway, we return to: How bad could it be? If all your ingredients are good, your fiascoes are likely to be minimal. Or at least interesting. This is only my second time trying to cook with my new castiron skillet. My egg this morning leads me to expect that a LOT of hoecake will be on the pan when I'm done. But hope is the thing with feathers, so let's get flying!
The problem with using pre-prepared polenta is that it isn't exactly busting out with flavor. I tried adding salt, pepper and hot sauce, but most of that wound up sticking to the allegedly nonstick pan. So I wound up with pleasant, but boring, fried cornmeal mush. I still liked it, though.
This time, I bought yellow corn meal grits. This brand isn't labeled "also known as polenta," but some are. At the moment I'm cooking 1/2 a cup of red split lentils (well it started as 1/2 a cup) for added protein. Later I'll do a cup of yellow grits. What I was missing in fried polenta according to a convincing blog post I found is baking it in the oven before frying. So I'll try that, too. And I'll mix in a sauteed vidalia and a teaspoon of Trader Joe's crushed garlic and probably a great deal too much Tabasco sauce. I've already added cloves and cumin to the lentils because I'm a hippie.
This time, if a lot of the hoecake sticks to the pan, at least there will still be flavor inside, I hope. Anyway, we return to: How bad could it be? If all your ingredients are good, your fiascoes are likely to be minimal. Or at least interesting. This is only my second time trying to cook with my new castiron skillet. My egg this morning leads me to expect that a LOT of hoecake will be on the pan when I'm done. But hope is the thing with feathers, so let's get flying!
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Rocket science
As I've mentioned, I bought a great pair of hiking boots, they wore down a bit, I bought the same brand and model again and the new ones didn't work out. As I haven't mentioned, I still have the old ones. So, rocket scientist that I am, it took me this long to figure out that maybe a shrewd move would be, I dunno, to go back to them. Not a lot of down side to the move either, since the newer ones are almost as worn down as the older ones now. I swear, I must be some kind of genius! (The really dumb kind, but still.)
Did it work? I dunno. I seem to be walking less flat-footedly in them. My left foot feels significantly less broky. There's still a bit of numbness in the left calf. There's also a slight pain in the right calf that I don't remember from either set of boots. Maybe I should wear the old left boot and the new right boot. Now that would be rocket science!
Dad and Margaret are still doing OK with motel life. The designers of the building were just flat insane. The handicapped parking is all at the left end of the building. Meanwhile on the inside, that's where all the efficiencies are. The one-bedrooms are completely the other end. Two-bedrooms are in between. As there are three entrances, they need handicapped spaces by all three. I don't think anyone would anticipate that all handicapped guests would want efficiencies. But there you are. Dad and Margaret frequently have to walk farther than they would like. But so far they're handling it with aplomb, and the exercise should be good for them. If they decide they can't hack it, we can always move them to an efficiency. Only drawback is that the TV is perpendicular to the sofa, so they would get cricks in their neck watching. Anyway, it's otherwise a nice facility and we really like the staff. Knocking on wood and crossing all fingers and toes that all continues to go well!
Did it work? I dunno. I seem to be walking less flat-footedly in them. My left foot feels significantly less broky. There's still a bit of numbness in the left calf. There's also a slight pain in the right calf that I don't remember from either set of boots. Maybe I should wear the old left boot and the new right boot. Now that would be rocket science!
Dad and Margaret are still doing OK with motel life. The designers of the building were just flat insane. The handicapped parking is all at the left end of the building. Meanwhile on the inside, that's where all the efficiencies are. The one-bedrooms are completely the other end. Two-bedrooms are in between. As there are three entrances, they need handicapped spaces by all three. I don't think anyone would anticipate that all handicapped guests would want efficiencies. But there you are. Dad and Margaret frequently have to walk farther than they would like. But so far they're handling it with aplomb, and the exercise should be good for them. If they decide they can't hack it, we can always move them to an efficiency. Only drawback is that the TV is perpendicular to the sofa, so they would get cricks in their neck watching. Anyway, it's otherwise a nice facility and we really like the staff. Knocking on wood and crossing all fingers and toes that all continues to go well!
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Knock on wood-- so far, so good
Dad and Margaret seem to be enjoying their motel vacation. Eating out for practically every meal, and Dad seems to be eating a lot more. This is no reflection on Margaret's cooking; just moving around enough to get out to the car and back and in and out of restaurants is more exercise than he's had in ages and seems to be improving his appetite. So I'm a little stressed, but they seem to be having fun.
Meanwhile, my latest air mattress seems to have repaired my back, or anyway banished my back pain. The odd stuff going on with my left leg still continues though. My latest idea (or an extension of the previous idea) is that the sporadic pain in my left foot which I have for years called my broky foot might really be a broky foot. I wonder what a stress fracture in the foot is like? The pain is very minimal and fairly infrequent; the same is true for the sensation in my left calf. The latter sometimes seems to be trying to turn into a cramp. Terry's suggestion that I see a physical therapist is a good one, but maybe seeing a neurologist or a podiatrist would be an even better idea. I'll try to fit it into my busy schedule, or maybe I dunno finally get some different boots. I stress again that there's barely any pain at all; it's just all a little odd.
Meanwhile, my latest air mattress seems to have repaired my back, or anyway banished my back pain. The odd stuff going on with my left leg still continues though. My latest idea (or an extension of the previous idea) is that the sporadic pain in my left foot which I have for years called my broky foot might really be a broky foot. I wonder what a stress fracture in the foot is like? The pain is very minimal and fairly infrequent; the same is true for the sensation in my left calf. The latter sometimes seems to be trying to turn into a cramp. Terry's suggestion that I see a physical therapist is a good one, but maybe seeing a neurologist or a podiatrist would be an even better idea. I'll try to fit it into my busy schedule, or maybe I dunno finally get some different boots. I stress again that there's barely any pain at all; it's just all a little odd.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Heaven for smart people
Maybe it's just me, but all I would really want out of an eternal paradise would be for everything to be explained to me. Or not everything, but just how all my relationships went kerplooey. Or rather my potential relationships. Unfortunately, once they stop being interested in you, they retroactively were never interested in you. And they're emphatically not interested in talking to you anymore. So there's no way to know.
To extend the concept, though, a Heaven for smart people where everything is explained sounds like a sound basis for a religion. I mean, explaining the unexplained has always been the basis for religion. Unfortunately, when you get down to it, most or at least a great portion of the explanations come down to "The Lord works in mysterious ways." So why not go one step further and say, "The Lord works in mysterious ways and will explain it all to you when you get to Heaven"? It makes at least as much sense as anything going. Probably wouldn't be as profitable as Scientology, but what can you do?
To extend the concept, though, a Heaven for smart people where everything is explained sounds like a sound basis for a religion. I mean, explaining the unexplained has always been the basis for religion. Unfortunately, when you get down to it, most or at least a great portion of the explanations come down to "The Lord works in mysterious ways." So why not go one step further and say, "The Lord works in mysterious ways and will explain it all to you when you get to Heaven"? It makes at least as much sense as anything going. Probably wouldn't be as profitable as Scientology, but what can you do?
Monday, September 23, 2013
Allow me to bore you stupid
"Too late," you say? Ah well. Actually, since I came up with the subject line, I went really post-graduate on boring. This morning, this laptop finally successfully downloaded all its Windows updates. Now I realize that really, seriously this is boring, but it's the first time in probably a year; the other laptop pretty much quit getting updates at all. As this may have been what killed it (not likely, but it may have been), it's not entirely a boring subject.
In fact, it's been a delightfully boring day altogether. I dropped by my bank to see why I haven't gotten my new checks. It turned out that they had been delivered to the bank with no further contact information on me. So it was really fortuitous or smart that I decided to go around and check today. Also, I'm due for a new ATM card next month, so it's good that I finally got across to them (on the second try) that my mailing address really is good, that I haven't moved, and it was the USPS that was confused but that they have it all straight now.
I mention it because I then went to get a haircut and I was so charged about getting stuff straightened out with the bank that I almost told the stylist all about it. But I decided that it's the barber who is supposed to be boring, not the customer, so I, uh, forebore. She did provide another boring anecdote, though. She asked, for the first time any stylist ever has, if I wanted her to trim my eyebrows. I did. For this solicitousness, I tipped her the change on a $10 for a $7 haircut. Then felt foolish when I got home and found my eyebrows largely flesh-colored. But they'll grow back!
What actually inspired the subject line is that I figured out that the odd sensations or non-sensations in my left leg are likely neither Lyme disease nor sciatica but are rather probably due to my inability to do up the laces tightly on my hiking boots. And the conspicuously odd but yet not conspicuously interesting aspect to this story is that I bought the identicaly brand and style of hiking boots as the previous pair that gave me no trouble at all. Only difference: old ones were made in Vietnam; new ones are made in China. Also the new ones are actually narrower. So I have no clue why they're looser. I have found that if I do the tighten up after making the knot and then reknot them, they fit adequately. This is such a pain though that I'll probably bail on them and get new ones. One of these days.
I'm thrilled to say that Dad and Margaret are satisfied enough with suite hotel living that, while the situation isn't boring, it has stabilized and is at least not what you could call interesting-in-a-bad-way. Hope things stay that way. Hey! Wake up!
In fact, it's been a delightfully boring day altogether. I dropped by my bank to see why I haven't gotten my new checks. It turned out that they had been delivered to the bank with no further contact information on me. So it was really fortuitous or smart that I decided to go around and check today. Also, I'm due for a new ATM card next month, so it's good that I finally got across to them (on the second try) that my mailing address really is good, that I haven't moved, and it was the USPS that was confused but that they have it all straight now.
I mention it because I then went to get a haircut and I was so charged about getting stuff straightened out with the bank that I almost told the stylist all about it. But I decided that it's the barber who is supposed to be boring, not the customer, so I, uh, forebore. She did provide another boring anecdote, though. She asked, for the first time any stylist ever has, if I wanted her to trim my eyebrows. I did. For this solicitousness, I tipped her the change on a $10 for a $7 haircut. Then felt foolish when I got home and found my eyebrows largely flesh-colored. But they'll grow back!
What actually inspired the subject line is that I figured out that the odd sensations or non-sensations in my left leg are likely neither Lyme disease nor sciatica but are rather probably due to my inability to do up the laces tightly on my hiking boots. And the conspicuously odd but yet not conspicuously interesting aspect to this story is that I bought the identicaly brand and style of hiking boots as the previous pair that gave me no trouble at all. Only difference: old ones were made in Vietnam; new ones are made in China. Also the new ones are actually narrower. So I have no clue why they're looser. I have found that if I do the tighten up after making the knot and then reknot them, they fit adequately. This is such a pain though that I'll probably bail on them and get new ones. One of these days.
I'm thrilled to say that Dad and Margaret are satisfied enough with suite hotel living that, while the situation isn't boring, it has stabilized and is at least not what you could call interesting-in-a-bad-way. Hope things stay that way. Hey! Wake up!
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Move-in engineered
So in the end, Margaret agreed that the suite hotel idea sounded good. Since they really had to be out of her house by Monday morning, I figured I'd go ahead and set it up, so I went by our chosen motel this morning and got them the room for the night, and a reservation for the next two weeks. Fortunately, when I took them to see it later in the afternoon, they were very well pleased. So Margaret and I went back to her house to get her clothes, some food and other necessaries. Then Dad realized he needed some medications, so I went to get those. Then we went to supper with brother William at Lizard's Thicket. THEN I filled up Margaret's car at the adjacent BP station, since that's the only outfit she trades with. Then William rode me back to Margaret's to get my car. Over dinner they had remembered more things they had forgotten, so I went and got those and went back and delivered them. Hopefully, they have enough to keep them healthy and happy at least for the night. Knock on wood.
Anyway I'm thrilled beyond words that we have so far managed to dodge assisted living. Don't know how well hotel living will agree with them either. There can be many disasters. And it's kind of a weird location. But I think it was the best option we have and I'm very hopeful that it will turn out well.
I was very impressed with the front desk personnel at TownePlace Suites. The clerk I dealt with this morning found them the most convenient room possible with the shortest walk from the parking lot and also gave me the option of a studio that would have been equally convenient. (It was nice, too, but had an inconveniently placed TV, as in permanent crick in the neck territory.) When we got to the room, Dad found it too dark, especially at the sofa where he'll probably spend most of his time. The afternoon clerk found us a floor lamp and managed to slip it next to the sofa such that it shouldn't be a hazard to navigation. So kudos!
Anyway I'm thrilled beyond words that we have so far managed to dodge assisted living. Don't know how well hotel living will agree with them either. There can be many disasters. And it's kind of a weird location. But I think it was the best option we have and I'm very hopeful that it will turn out well.
I was very impressed with the front desk personnel at TownePlace Suites. The clerk I dealt with this morning found them the most convenient room possible with the shortest walk from the parking lot and also gave me the option of a studio that would have been equally convenient. (It was nice, too, but had an inconveniently placed TV, as in permanent crick in the neck territory.) When we got to the room, Dad found it too dark, especially at the sofa where he'll probably spend most of his time. The afternoon clerk found us a floor lamp and managed to slip it next to the sofa such that it shouldn't be a hazard to navigation. So kudos!
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Maybe a little keyed up
Dad asked me to do something crazy for him. I can't tell any details without spilling more than they want anyone to know about going on, but suffice it to say that it was something futile and pointless under the circumstances. I blew up a little bit. I wish I hadn't. I wish I were calm, cool and collected at all times, but I'm just not. I did, however, do what he asked me to do regardless of how crazy it struck me, and he thanked me so I guess I didn't blow up that bad. Perhaps an advantage from his point of view of having very, very poor hearing.
I'm going to try to talk Margaret and Dad into taking a suite at an extended stay motel instead of her going off to stay with a daughter and him going off to Assisted Living. He was interested in the concept, but wasn't sure if Margaret would be. She's likely to be very busy supervising the process that I can't tell you about. However, there are several suite motels that are quite convenient. On the other hand, while there are also convenient nursing homes, all but one are snakepits, and the one exception has no openings in Assisted Living. The others are very, very far away. So I hope I can persuade her.
I'm going to try to talk Margaret and Dad into taking a suite at an extended stay motel instead of her going off to stay with a daughter and him going off to Assisted Living. He was interested in the concept, but wasn't sure if Margaret would be. She's likely to be very busy supervising the process that I can't tell you about. However, there are several suite motels that are quite convenient. On the other hand, while there are also convenient nursing homes, all but one are snakepits, and the one exception has no openings in Assisted Living. The others are very, very far away. So I hope I can persuade her.
Friday, September 20, 2013
Nursing home placement
As it turns out, waiting until Friday afternoon to discuss which nursing home you're going to try to move into by the end of the day Sunday is not a terribly shrewd move. I started phoning and wheeling and dealing, but in the end even my magic was not sufficient to bend the rules and regs. They need a PPD, which is a form that certifies that Dad does not have TB. That was no problem; I got it from the dialysis facility. Where the problems came in was that they also needed his medical history, which I suspect I could get somewhere, but what they needed most was a certification from his doctor that he can handle Assisted Living. This is a joke; the people we saw in Assisted Living in general can't handle anything at all. However, this is the rules, and there's no way around it. Neither his primary care physician's office nor that of his kidney doctor were open in the early afternoon of a Friday; the former hasn't called me back and the answering service of the latter refused to page the doctor on call for anything but an emergency.
Sooooooo, we're stuck. Common sense would say to put it off until Tuesday, but apparently he really has to be out of the house Sunday night. So most likely I'll put him up in a hotel for one night, bring him his meals and deal with his paperwork as quickly as I can. Hopefully, we can get all this handled with as little dislocation as possible. Knock on wood.
Sooooooo, we're stuck. Common sense would say to put it off until Tuesday, but apparently he really has to be out of the house Sunday night. So most likely I'll put him up in a hotel for one night, bring him his meals and deal with his paperwork as quickly as I can. Hopefully, we can get all this handled with as little dislocation as possible. Knock on wood.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Crisis resolution
Heck, this will be even briefer than yesterday's! I still can't say what exactly the family crisis is, but Dad has to go back into assisted living briefly. Neither he nor Margaret has had any kind of health setback nor are they having any relationship problems. In other words, although I'm not allowed to provide details, take my word that there's nothing major to worry about. Just logistics, really, which are largely being handled by somebody else. Fortunately, this should only last for a matter of weeks.
Dad's pretty cheerful. Moreover, his recent health problem (the chronic burping one) is clearing up. So in general, things are improving. So still again, yay!
Dad's pretty cheerful. Moreover, his recent health problem (the chronic burping one) is clearing up. So in general, things are improving. So still again, yay!
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Secret crisis
Well! This will be brief! We're having a bit of a family crisis, but since I'm forbidden to tell anyone about it, all I can do is ask for your best wishes and leave it at that. OK, I'm not forbidden to tell anyone; I'm just forbidden to broadcast. Granted, this is just broadcast to about 3 people and a dozen or so referralbots in Eastern Europe, but still.
Being a Town Crier by nature and inclination, this is very hard on me. (I should stress here that this is not a humongo-major crisis, or of course I wouldn't be this flippant about it.) Also hard on me is operating on fairly limited information. However, I've done everything I can to help and am prepared to do more. The best I can do is the best I can do, I keep telling myself.
Being a Town Crier by nature and inclination, this is very hard on me. (I should stress here that this is not a humongo-major crisis, or of course I wouldn't be this flippant about it.) Also hard on me is operating on fairly limited information. However, I've done everything I can to help and am prepared to do more. The best I can do is the best I can do, I keep telling myself.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Blogging is hard
Not, obviously, the way I do it, but blogging well is very, very hard. Even to the extent that I make an effort to maintain some kind of continuity from post to post (which is fairly limited because I get tired of typing "as I've mentioned before") it's probably futile, because I have no idea who is reading this or how often. Really, each blog entry should be its own self-contained essay, and if stuff gets repeated from blog entry to blog entry (as it's going to be, this being my very unadventurous life we're talking about), that's just going to be tough.
There IS a job called journalism, and one assumes that the "journal" in there isn't included just to prove that somebody knows French. As such, I'm wondering if applying the rules of journalism to bloggery might not be wise. The prime rule (besides "Don't be surprised if you get bought out by the Koch brothers) is always to start with who, what, when, where and... how, I think. Pretty sure that "why" doesn't make the cut, but I'd be ever so happy to be corrected. It certainly doesn't make it in any journalism I've seen lately. Though I always thought it was called the 5 Ws. Regardless, it might help if I try to make my journal a little more journalistic. One of those rules of life is that those ideas pouring out of your head are probably not going to seem as clear to anyone else. Then again, I get a big kick out of stream of consciousness. So it's something to think about-- along with whether "which" makes the cut as a W.
There IS a job called journalism, and one assumes that the "journal" in there isn't included just to prove that somebody knows French. As such, I'm wondering if applying the rules of journalism to bloggery might not be wise. The prime rule (besides "Don't be surprised if you get bought out by the Koch brothers) is always to start with who, what, when, where and... how, I think. Pretty sure that "why" doesn't make the cut, but I'd be ever so happy to be corrected. It certainly doesn't make it in any journalism I've seen lately. Though I always thought it was called the 5 Ws. Regardless, it might help if I try to make my journal a little more journalistic. One of those rules of life is that those ideas pouring out of your head are probably not going to seem as clear to anyone else. Then again, I get a big kick out of stream of consciousness. So it's something to think about-- along with whether "which" makes the cut as a W.
Monday, September 16, 2013
A controversial statement
I think people should have butts. And that they should jut out. I appreciate that you're probably still in shock from these controversial statements, so let me explain. I think, I might be wrong but I think, that the various back problems I get when sleeping on what the TV ads used to call a too-firm mattress were due to having my butt pushed forward, where it isn't supposed to go. The comfort I did derive from firm mattresses was due to the back support I received otherwise.
On the air mattress, the main difference seems to be that my butt gets to go where it wants to, which is to say back. After three nights sleeping on it, most of my back pain is gone. There's still a very slight degree of what I'm still calling sciatica, but even more rarely and the sensation is even less distinct. Such back pain as I have is when I'm up and about and seems to be relieved by lying down, and anyway is very minor.
So perhaps it's just me. Air mattresses always seem to fix my back problems (until the cat destroys them) and it seems like the reason for this is that they let my butt be a butt. If I'm totally wrong, I can live with it-- so long as my back doesn't hurt.
On the air mattress, the main difference seems to be that my butt gets to go where it wants to, which is to say back. After three nights sleeping on it, most of my back pain is gone. There's still a very slight degree of what I'm still calling sciatica, but even more rarely and the sensation is even less distinct. Such back pain as I have is when I'm up and about and seems to be relieved by lying down, and anyway is very minor.
So perhaps it's just me. Air mattresses always seem to fix my back problems (until the cat destroys them) and it seems like the reason for this is that they let my butt be a butt. If I'm totally wrong, I can live with it-- so long as my back doesn't hurt.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Bull or Bulls Island
As promised, I'm a little goofy, so I don't know how long or coherent this will be. Got up before the alarm, thus before 6, and got myself gathered up and out the door in plenty of time. Evelyn, who was going to come along, texted me just in time to say that she couldn't make it, so Paul and I turned Charlestonwards. The. brake. light. came. on. This is no big worry (I mean, the brakes worked) but it means that the cruise control won't work. At 6:30 in the morning, I don't really have the brain-foot coordination for maintaining speed. But I muddled through.
When we made Mount Pleasant, there seemed to be enough time for Paul to get Starbucks, so we stopped. This also allowed me to top off the brake fluid, which dispelled the brake light, so yay. But then it seemed like we were going to be late. Also, on past trips, we found that road signs for the way to the ferry were sometimes missing. So Paul used the iPhone for navigation. It came up trumps but so did the road signs. So yay and a half!
The boat ride was pleasant, the beach was lovely, the sea was warm and welcoming. Scenic Boneyard Beach was farther than we (or anyway I) had thought, but it was reachable and I got some good pictures. Paul went in swimming and loved it extremely. I really dug the driftwood, but taking any isn't permitted, so I just enjoyed it (and photographed it) in situ. Shelling wasn't too great, but I got a few. The trip was too short, but isn't it always? We had a lot of fun and enjoyed the island immensely.
We were planning to enjoy Charleston as well, but after lunch at Red's on Shem Creek (Mount Pleasant) I found I was exhausted, so we turned around and went home. I didn't even get to take flowers to my mom's grave in North Charleston. But it was a good time and I'm sure we'll do it again soon.
When we made Mount Pleasant, there seemed to be enough time for Paul to get Starbucks, so we stopped. This also allowed me to top off the brake fluid, which dispelled the brake light, so yay. But then it seemed like we were going to be late. Also, on past trips, we found that road signs for the way to the ferry were sometimes missing. So Paul used the iPhone for navigation. It came up trumps but so did the road signs. So yay and a half!
The boat ride was pleasant, the beach was lovely, the sea was warm and welcoming. Scenic Boneyard Beach was farther than we (or anyway I) had thought, but it was reachable and I got some good pictures. Paul went in swimming and loved it extremely. I really dug the driftwood, but taking any isn't permitted, so I just enjoyed it (and photographed it) in situ. Shelling wasn't too great, but I got a few. The trip was too short, but isn't it always? We had a lot of fun and enjoyed the island immensely.
We were planning to enjoy Charleston as well, but after lunch at Red's on Shem Creek (Mount Pleasant) I found I was exhausted, so we turned around and went home. I didn't even get to take flowers to my mom's grave in North Charleston. But it was a good time and I'm sure we'll do it again soon.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Night one
After one night on the inflatable mattress, I don't feel noticeably different. I still had a bit of what I'm calling sciatica in my left lower leg, although I could sleep on my side a lot easier. (Or at least lie; obviously if I were asleep I wouldn't know about it.) But the fact that I want to go straight back to lie down some more indicates that this was probably a good move. I know that anybody would conclude from my lack of material achievements that I'm a committed layabout, but I'm really not. Usually I spend fairly little time in bed apart from sleeping.
Tomorrow at dawn, two friends and I are going to Bulls Island (the spelling makes me crazy but apparently it's a convention to leave the apostrophe out in place names) for a beach drop, which is to say that instead of having to walk an hour to the most scenic part of the island and walk an hour back, we're going straight there. So I'm pretty charged up, but you can expect tomorrow's blog entry to be even briefer, less coherent and more dominated by "I wanna go back to bed!" than this one. Apologies in advance.
Tomorrow at dawn, two friends and I are going to Bulls Island (the spelling makes me crazy but apparently it's a convention to leave the apostrophe out in place names) for a beach drop, which is to say that instead of having to walk an hour to the most scenic part of the island and walk an hour back, we're going straight there. So I'm pretty charged up, but you can expect tomorrow's blog entry to be even briefer, less coherent and more dominated by "I wanna go back to bed!" than this one. Apologies in advance.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Differently sane
In a moment of differently sane thinking, I went out and got an air mattress and a hand pump. I finally decided not to bother to get rid of the much too firm memory foam mattress (I guess I could have put in hyphens to make the foregoing word salad clearer, but I kind of liked how "firm memory" read) and am using it instead as the equivalent of a box spring. I got out the yardstick, thinking that I'd feel much too high off the ground on two mattresses and found that the memory foam and bed frame only took me two feet off the ground. So at the moment, I feel like I'm in a Colonial-era bed and breakfast when I'm up on top of both mattresses, but really it's not that high.
The memory foam mattress isn't really uncomfortable, but that's only if I stay on my back all the time. Sometimes you want to lie on your side. When I do that, large areas of my body go to sleep-- oh, wait. I mean I'm plagued with pins and needles sensations over large areas. Also, my left leg has had a chronic numbness that I take to be sciatica which almost exclusively happens when I'm in bed.
So yeah, it's crazy to have an inflatable bed when you live with a cat. Still, I have two foam mattress pads on top of it and the memory foam mattress underneath, so there are comparatively few places she can attack with claws. And if she kills it, I can get another for $40 and a good workout for my arms and shoulders pumping it up. Or I can just go back to the memory foam. So not all that crazy; we'll just see if my pins and needles and possible sciatica go away. It might turn out to be a pretty bright move.
The memory foam mattress isn't really uncomfortable, but that's only if I stay on my back all the time. Sometimes you want to lie on your side. When I do that, large areas of my body go to sleep-- oh, wait. I mean I'm plagued with pins and needles sensations over large areas. Also, my left leg has had a chronic numbness that I take to be sciatica which almost exclusively happens when I'm in bed.
So yeah, it's crazy to have an inflatable bed when you live with a cat. Still, I have two foam mattress pads on top of it and the memory foam mattress underneath, so there are comparatively few places she can attack with claws. And if she kills it, I can get another for $40 and a good workout for my arms and shoulders pumping it up. Or I can just go back to the memory foam. So not all that crazy; we'll just see if my pins and needles and possible sciatica go away. It might turn out to be a pretty bright move.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Maybe too focused on cooking
First, I must say I prefer "focussed," but apparently I'm alone in this preference. "Focused" should rhyme with "accused," which is just wrong. But there you go.
I cook in large batches so I don't have to do it too often and so I can plan my cooking around dialysis days. At the moment I'm running out of my supper batch (lately my lunch batches are always either split pea or black lentil vegetable noodle stew), meaning I'm cooking tomorrow. And since I have dairy-free cheese that might go bad, tomorrow's supper will be pizza-free pizza. And one day away, I'm so excited I can barely contain myself. This may be because as I've blogged already, I think I've finally hit on a pizza-free pizza recipe that is actually good, rather than tolerable. But still-- there is an argument that maybe I ought to have more going on in my life than just food. Maybe I'll work on it!
I cook in large batches so I don't have to do it too often and so I can plan my cooking around dialysis days. At the moment I'm running out of my supper batch (lately my lunch batches are always either split pea or black lentil vegetable noodle stew), meaning I'm cooking tomorrow. And since I have dairy-free cheese that might go bad, tomorrow's supper will be pizza-free pizza. And one day away, I'm so excited I can barely contain myself. This may be because as I've blogged already, I think I've finally hit on a pizza-free pizza recipe that is actually good, rather than tolerable. But still-- there is an argument that maybe I ought to have more going on in my life than just food. Maybe I'll work on it!
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Almost totally unlike oatmeal cookies
I wrote this yesterday (all but this paragraph), when I was more taken with these cookies than I ultimately turned out to be. The aftertaste as I mention is sometimes unpleasant; unfortunately, when it isn't, the during-taste is unpleasant instead. So I don't know if I would recommend these, but my kitchen is overrun with ants at the moment and I'm not in the mood to write something better. If anyone develops a burning curiosity to the point that they want the actual recipe written out, just holler and I'll do so in a trice.
Got an urge for oatmeal cookies, but I found when I tried gluten-free oats that for some reason they give me hot flashes. I have no idea why this should be the case but I found it unpleasant. Sure I'm the right age for that, but I'm pretty sure I'm the wrong gender! Anyway, as I think I noted the other day, rooting around the Internet I found suggestions that quinoa flakes make a good substitute for oatmeal and that buckwheat flour makes a good substitute for wheat flour. So then it was just a matter of finding a recipe with no butter in it and honey instead of sugar. I settled on this one: http://www.food.com/recipe/oatmeal-cookies-318937 But I made some changes beyond converting from Celsius to Fahrenheit.
I substituted quinoa flakes for oatmeal as I said, but I took out half a cup and replaced it with that quantity of coconut. As I say I also substituted buckwheat flour for in this case spelt and almond milk for milk, but heeding suggestions in the comments section, I also added 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds, a snack-size box (1 oz) of raisins and a tsp each of Ceylon cinnamon and vanilla. The oil I used was also sunflower.
The result is pretty neat. Probably too healthy by half, but what can you do? Without an egg, wheat or even oatmeal I had no conception how all this would stay together but somehow it did. The aftertaste is very slightly unpleasant, suggesting that quinoa flakes might be a little too strongly flavored for use in cookies. But I really think that just throwing in a teaspoon of cocoa would probably fix that right up. Hey, it might be a winner.
Got an urge for oatmeal cookies, but I found when I tried gluten-free oats that for some reason they give me hot flashes. I have no idea why this should be the case but I found it unpleasant. Sure I'm the right age for that, but I'm pretty sure I'm the wrong gender! Anyway, as I think I noted the other day, rooting around the Internet I found suggestions that quinoa flakes make a good substitute for oatmeal and that buckwheat flour makes a good substitute for wheat flour. So then it was just a matter of finding a recipe with no butter in it and honey instead of sugar. I settled on this one: http://www.food.com/recipe/oatmeal-cookies-318937 But I made some changes beyond converting from Celsius to Fahrenheit.
I substituted quinoa flakes for oatmeal as I said, but I took out half a cup and replaced it with that quantity of coconut. As I say I also substituted buckwheat flour for in this case spelt and almond milk for milk, but heeding suggestions in the comments section, I also added 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds, a snack-size box (1 oz) of raisins and a tsp each of Ceylon cinnamon and vanilla. The oil I used was also sunflower.
The result is pretty neat. Probably too healthy by half, but what can you do? Without an egg, wheat or even oatmeal I had no conception how all this would stay together but somehow it did. The aftertaste is very slightly unpleasant, suggesting that quinoa flakes might be a little too strongly flavored for use in cookies. But I really think that just throwing in a teaspoon of cocoa would probably fix that right up. Hey, it might be a winner.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Dammit Benny!
At the moment and for the last 16 hours or so worth of moments, I've got a Benny Goodman number stuck in my head. Or a Lionel Hampton number originally played with Benny Goodman. Or some damned thing. I can't track it down. I can't remember the title. I can't find it on any of my records. I'm sure it's very famous, but nothing I see on Wikipedia rings any bells. I was hoping it was "Stompin' at the Savoy" realizing that the song I had thought was it was actually "Moonglow," but no. (That is, I was right about "Moonglow," but "Stompin' at the Savoy" isn't the one I'm thinking about either.)
I even downloaded a song recognition app which claims to be able to name a song from humming. And maybe SoundHound can... if you're a better hummer. Then again, considering the songs it suggested, maybe you also have to be humming a number from this millennium.
Anyway, if I have any hardcore Benny Goodman fans in my readership, call me now call me now call me now! I swear that I can hum it so you'll recognize it, and I need to know what it is!
The song in question turned out to be "Lester's Dream" by Benny Goodman, though I have it on a Charlie Christian record so it's called "Charlie's Dream" there. It's on YouTube; you should look it up. The personnel listing is particularly amazing.
I even downloaded a song recognition app which claims to be able to name a song from humming. And maybe SoundHound can... if you're a better hummer. Then again, considering the songs it suggested, maybe you also have to be humming a number from this millennium.
Anyway, if I have any hardcore Benny Goodman fans in my readership, call me now call me now call me now! I swear that I can hum it so you'll recognize it, and I need to know what it is!
The song in question turned out to be "Lester's Dream" by Benny Goodman, though I have it on a Charlie Christian record so it's called "Charlie's Dream" there. It's on YouTube; you should look it up. The personnel listing is particularly amazing.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Snafu, but no harm done
Dad had an appointment with the cardiologist this afternoon. (Side note: his paperwork gave his insurance as Bcbs State Health Plan. Because of the lower case, instead of reading it as Blue Cross Blue Shield, I thought it said Bob's State Health Plan. Well I thought it was funny.) They sent us to wait in area B and he was called back immediately. I settled down to wait. With the modern smart phone, this was not particularly onerous.
After an hour or something, I started to get a little concerned, but I know that with doctor's appointments, the patient is frequently called back only to wait for ages to see the actual doctor. Anyway, eventually I heard my dad's voice. He was in the waiting area by the elevator. He had been there for forty minutes. Nobody had thought to tell me he had come out; nobody had thought that there was no reason I would move from where I had last seen him. Apparently no one but me found it unusual for someone to come out of a doctor's office in a different place than they had gone in. Anyway, no harm was done except for wasted time and boredom. What's important is that the appointment was routine; Dad had no problems. So an annoying experience, but nothing worse. I'm so glad the receptionist asked him something so I heard his voice and we didn't have to wait longer!
After an hour or something, I started to get a little concerned, but I know that with doctor's appointments, the patient is frequently called back only to wait for ages to see the actual doctor. Anyway, eventually I heard my dad's voice. He was in the waiting area by the elevator. He had been there for forty minutes. Nobody had thought to tell me he had come out; nobody had thought that there was no reason I would move from where I had last seen him. Apparently no one but me found it unusual for someone to come out of a doctor's office in a different place than they had gone in. Anyway, no harm was done except for wasted time and boredom. What's important is that the appointment was routine; Dad had no problems. So an annoying experience, but nothing worse. I'm so glad the receptionist asked him something so I heard his voice and we didn't have to wait longer!
Sunday, September 8, 2013
My phone is my photo editor
Mind you, my phone also has photo editing software, but that isn't what I'm talking about. The phone likes to decorate itself. When you go to the photo menu, it takes one of your pictures, blows it up, and only displays the leftmost portion of it. Sometimes this is fairly useless; sometimes it's really awesome. Yesterday it was really awesome. It carved up my already awesome shot of I-77 from Old State Road, which I had already photo-edited to almost black and white (silver filter I think) to even greater awesomeness. I was thinking of going out and shooting it again and then went heeeeeeeey!
Oh, I have to explain. The phone has two photo editing tools. One just crops and rotates and autocorrects I think. This one is frustrating because if you use it (and save the results), your original picture goes away. The other is an app called Creative Studio, I think. And I just realized that when you use it and save, your resulting picture gets saved in a different place (Saved Photos)... but that means that the original picture is still there. Well, I hope that this still works with one from Saved Photos, since that's where the silvertone picture is. If not, heck, I'll just go shoot it again. I love that place! Point is, my phone is teaching me how to see better. This was an unanticipated result.
Oh, I have to explain. The phone has two photo editing tools. One just crops and rotates and autocorrects I think. This one is frustrating because if you use it (and save the results), your original picture goes away. The other is an app called Creative Studio, I think. And I just realized that when you use it and save, your resulting picture gets saved in a different place (Saved Photos)... but that means that the original picture is still there. Well, I hope that this still works with one from Saved Photos, since that's where the silvertone picture is. If not, heck, I'll just go shoot it again. I love that place! Point is, my phone is teaching me how to see better. This was an unanticipated result.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Tie me down
Dad's arm looks horrible, but it's just dried blood under the skin. He had previously had his dialysis access in his left (off) arm, but when that failed they put the new one in his right (main) arm. He's supposed to keep it still for the entire 3-4 hours of dialysis. You try that some time. The problem is that eventually he falls asleep, and obviously can't control whether or not he moves his arm. In your sleep, you're probably more likely to move your dominant arm if you move one.
He asked them to tie the arm down, but they said that they can't restrain patients. I guess they could come check on him and make sure that he's awake, but they would have to do so pretty frequently. He still has the catheter on his chest as well and they're still using it. Apparently, they run the blood out through his arm and in through the catheter. He says the catheter doesn't work well but it works. I was hoping they could just use only the catheter, but I guess it isn't an option. I'm expecting another trip to the Access Center for further adjustments soon. But hopefully they can make this work.
As much as I've whined about the weather, I should probably note that it's absolutely superlative today. Yes!
He asked them to tie the arm down, but they said that they can't restrain patients. I guess they could come check on him and make sure that he's awake, but they would have to do so pretty frequently. He still has the catheter on his chest as well and they're still using it. Apparently, they run the blood out through his arm and in through the catheter. He says the catheter doesn't work well but it works. I was hoping they could just use only the catheter, but I guess it isn't an option. I'm expecting another trip to the Access Center for further adjustments soon. But hopefully they can make this work.
As much as I've whined about the weather, I should probably note that it's absolutely superlative today. Yes!
Friday, September 6, 2013
Substitute
A frustrating thing about gluten free living is that you have to learn how to substitute for everything. And a lot of the obvious substitutes turn out not to be so obvious. Most celiacs can eat gluten-free oats. For some reason, not necessarily gluten-related, they give me hot flashes, though, so I avoid them. But I'm still a fan of oatmeal cookies.
It occurred to me that buckwheat ought to be an excellent substitute. But NO! Everybody offering recipes for oatmeal-like buckwheat cookies puts in the oatmeal, too. More oatmeal than buckwheat in fact. Apparently, buckwheat, or rather buckwheat flour, is a good substitute for wheat flour. (Hence the name, I guess.) A good substitute for oatmeal is quinoa flakes. Why not just quinoa? I have not idea. But it sounds like fun. I'll probably try it very soon.
I went walking at Sesquicentennial State Park not far from here today. The trail around the lake there has really been cleaned up. I guess you could even say it has been paved, and all the old bridges have been replaced. Maybe a little sterile for ideal hiking, but it seems like a brilliant place to jog. And I had 4G coverage for a change, so yippie!
It occurred to me that buckwheat ought to be an excellent substitute. But NO! Everybody offering recipes for oatmeal-like buckwheat cookies puts in the oatmeal, too. More oatmeal than buckwheat in fact. Apparently, buckwheat, or rather buckwheat flour, is a good substitute for wheat flour. (Hence the name, I guess.) A good substitute for oatmeal is quinoa flakes. Why not just quinoa? I have not idea. But it sounds like fun. I'll probably try it very soon.
I went walking at Sesquicentennial State Park not far from here today. The trail around the lake there has really been cleaned up. I guess you could even say it has been paved, and all the old bridges have been replaced. Maybe a little sterile for ideal hiking, but it seems like a brilliant place to jog. And I had 4G coverage for a change, so yippie!
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Interest checking
A zillion years ago, my bank, which is not one of the ones taken over by a bank from North Carolina (it was taken over by a bank from Georgia instead), automatically changed my account from interest-bearing to non-interest-bearing when I went under the minimum balance. This made me very happy at the time. However, later when I went back above the minimum balance and stayed above it for years, it never occurred to me (since I am dumber than a brick) that it wouldn't revert automatically to bearing interest again. I was surprised, when I finally got around to looking at my statements, that there was no interest accruing. You can tell I'm really an economist, can't you?
It chafed my hide very, very slightly. After paying my bills last month, I was down to my very last check, and I gave serious thought to using it to clear out my balance and move my money to the credit union where Dad has his accounts. But I went by my bank first. I asked if there was any problem to going back to interest checking. My personal banker (really, that's what's on her card) had to be walked through the process by somebody over the phone (possibly her personal banker), but the upshot was yes. Minimum balance is markedly higher these days, though, but I think I can make it. Then I asked about checks, and they turn out to be free with snooty interest-bearing checking. I had no idea I was so smart. So my hide is ever so slightly less chafed. And if I have any trouble maintaining the minimum balance, I can always use one of my free checks to zero out the balance then. Take that, Georgia!
It chafed my hide very, very slightly. After paying my bills last month, I was down to my very last check, and I gave serious thought to using it to clear out my balance and move my money to the credit union where Dad has his accounts. But I went by my bank first. I asked if there was any problem to going back to interest checking. My personal banker (really, that's what's on her card) had to be walked through the process by somebody over the phone (possibly her personal banker), but the upshot was yes. Minimum balance is markedly higher these days, though, but I think I can make it. Then I asked about checks, and they turn out to be free with snooty interest-bearing checking. I had no idea I was so smart. So my hide is ever so slightly less chafed. And if I have any trouble maintaining the minimum balance, I can always use one of my free checks to zero out the balance then. Take that, Georgia!
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Flaxmeal
A pal gave me a bag of flaxmeal some months ago. I really like it, but can't quite decide how best to use it. I'm pretty sure that desserty stuff isn't the answer. There's a certain sourness that is a little too hard to overcome.
However, I really dig the texture. If I were to play up the sourness (add vinegar, say), I wonder if I could use this to make injera, Ethiopian flatbread. I haven't tried to make Ethiopian food in eons, mainly because I always failed making injera the authentic way with teff flour. It might be worth a try. Google suggests that I'm not the first person to have this idea, so it might be fun and have easy recipes available, too!
Brain is a little limpy at the moment. I sleep all night, but I tend to wake up still unrested. I blame Benny Goodwin, whose music I've been listening to the last few overnights. Ah well, Benny was a good choice, but maybe I'll try something duller. Or maybe turn the volume down.
However, I really dig the texture. If I were to play up the sourness (add vinegar, say), I wonder if I could use this to make injera, Ethiopian flatbread. I haven't tried to make Ethiopian food in eons, mainly because I always failed making injera the authentic way with teff flour. It might be worth a try. Google suggests that I'm not the first person to have this idea, so it might be fun and have easy recipes available, too!
Brain is a little limpy at the moment. I sleep all night, but I tend to wake up still unrested. I blame Benny Goodwin, whose music I've been listening to the last few overnights. Ah well, Benny was a good choice, but maybe I'll try something duller. Or maybe turn the volume down.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Benji, son of Cujo
Yesterday evening, I went out to Old State Road to hike the unpaved section out to I-77, trying to get a better sunset shot of the juxtaposition of beltway and dirt road. When I got there, though, there was a little Benji-looking dog (except yellower), looking moreover lost, bedraggled and possibly hurt. I tried to coax him or her into the car, since this place was as far as I know quite a few miles from any dwelling, but my coaxing skills fell short. And whenever I got close, I got growled and snapped at. I decided to take my hike and try again later.
My wireless provider, which we will call in the interest of avoiding lawsuits DontB-Mobile, did not have enough signal for me to send the little fella's picture to Facebook until I actually got to 77. Presumably, that's where the tower is. Friends shared the picture and also provided advice, but unfortunately I had neither a leash nor any food, so we were left with my very limited dog whispering skills.
When I got back to the car, the little fella had stretched out next to it, which struck me as a good sign. However, s/he hadn't gotten any more amenable to being approached. The mosquitoes were completely out of hand, as much of a nuisance to the dog as to me, I'm sure. S/he came right up to the open car door and sacked out there, refusing to take that last step and to receive any help with it. I texted my friend Gypsye, whose knowledge of canine ways far outstrips my own, and she suggested I call her and put her on speaker phone and see if a female voice would help.
Puppy was very, very interested; just not interested enough to jump in the car. (In the film version, though, this trick is totally going to work!) Just then, a pickup drove up, so we got off the phone. The couple in it were not eager to help in getting the dog in the car, but when I told them I had water but no way to give it to the pup, they did give me a water bowl. They also said that there were a lot of people living off Old State Road and many of them let their dogs run wild. So I thanked them and they drove off.
I gave my new friend the rest of my water, and continued trying to coax him or her in, but it just wasn't working. I didn't know how long I could leave the car idling safely with the air conditioning running, so in the end, I gave up. I hope the little fellow did indeed live nearby and found the way home. This happened before in the same place a couple of years ago (and I blogged about it); since then, I've found out about Chasing Tails Pet Patrol. I have alerted them to when and where I saw the dog and sent along the (very, very, very cute) picture. I haven't heard further; hopefully it all turns out well.
My wireless provider, which we will call in the interest of avoiding lawsuits DontB-Mobile, did not have enough signal for me to send the little fella's picture to Facebook until I actually got to 77. Presumably, that's where the tower is. Friends shared the picture and also provided advice, but unfortunately I had neither a leash nor any food, so we were left with my very limited dog whispering skills.
When I got back to the car, the little fella had stretched out next to it, which struck me as a good sign. However, s/he hadn't gotten any more amenable to being approached. The mosquitoes were completely out of hand, as much of a nuisance to the dog as to me, I'm sure. S/he came right up to the open car door and sacked out there, refusing to take that last step and to receive any help with it. I texted my friend Gypsye, whose knowledge of canine ways far outstrips my own, and she suggested I call her and put her on speaker phone and see if a female voice would help.
Puppy was very, very interested; just not interested enough to jump in the car. (In the film version, though, this trick is totally going to work!) Just then, a pickup drove up, so we got off the phone. The couple in it were not eager to help in getting the dog in the car, but when I told them I had water but no way to give it to the pup, they did give me a water bowl. They also said that there were a lot of people living off Old State Road and many of them let their dogs run wild. So I thanked them and they drove off.
I gave my new friend the rest of my water, and continued trying to coax him or her in, but it just wasn't working. I didn't know how long I could leave the car idling safely with the air conditioning running, so in the end, I gave up. I hope the little fellow did indeed live nearby and found the way home. This happened before in the same place a couple of years ago (and I blogged about it); since then, I've found out about Chasing Tails Pet Patrol. I have alerted them to when and where I saw the dog and sent along the (very, very, very cute) picture. I haven't heard further; hopefully it all turns out well.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Stabilizing
Dad is not doing colossally better, but he's doing better. Unfortunately, his feet still aren't shrinking back to normal, so dialysis is still pretty rough on him. He tends to have low blood pressure at the end of every session, making him weak and very very soft-spoken.
However, he still gets around well by himself. He hasn't needed a wheelchair except for the once, some weeks ago. His burping has yet to go away, darn it, but he is eating all his meals now. I haven't asked, but I'm pretty sure he's also sleeping better.
Moreover, although the dialysis facility's social worker never called me back, it's clear that she called somebody. Representatives from the facility's recommended home health care provider came around to talk to Dad and Margaret. Margaret said that she thought it sounded like a good idea. So although I don't know specifically what help they're contemplating providing, it strikes me as a particularly bright sign. I feel stirrings of hope for the first time in forever.
However, he still gets around well by himself. He hasn't needed a wheelchair except for the once, some weeks ago. His burping has yet to go away, darn it, but he is eating all his meals now. I haven't asked, but I'm pretty sure he's also sleeping better.
Moreover, although the dialysis facility's social worker never called me back, it's clear that she called somebody. Representatives from the facility's recommended home health care provider came around to talk to Dad and Margaret. Margaret said that she thought it sounded like a good idea. So although I don't know specifically what help they're contemplating providing, it strikes me as a particularly bright sign. I feel stirrings of hope for the first time in forever.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Full day
On the one hand, it was a very full day. On the other hand, it probably doesn't read back too exciting(ly). On the other other hand, I may just feel that way because I'm fairly tired because it was a very full day.
This morning, I got a bug in my ear to go back to Congaree National Park and get out on the actual trails (where, but for earbuds, I would have had actual bugs in my ear). This move was slightly premature. The trails were very, very muddy and the mosquitoes were significantly more numerous than on the boardwalk. Still, people had been out ahead of me so the spider webs had been knocked down and there were footprints to mark the muddy parts, by and large. And it's always good to be out on the trail. But I'm not sure I can recommend hiking there for another week or so yet to anyone other than fanatics.
Just before I got out of TMobile's signal area (which is to say the beltway, more or less), Paul texted asking if I wanted to hit thrift stores and Trader Joe's. I said sure, when I get back from the swamp. So after I got home and had lunch, we hit the road. On Sundays, Goodwill is about your only thrift store option. Paul found a lot; I found a 50 cent shirt and a $4.25 pairs of trousers. Also a couple of bouzouki tapes for a dollar. We listened to them a lot in the car and they're very cool.
Trader Joe's was a washout for me. I did find frozen vegetable pakoras with no gluten ingredients listed, but there was no "Gluten free" label, so I was a bit wary. Ditto the beef tamales. But I may go back and get both the next time I go back. Paul on the other hand, got a week or more worth of groceries, so I'm glad the trip was far from a waste.
We usually go out for Indian buffet of a Sunday evening, so we did again. Panjabi Dhaba had more interesting goat curry than usual on the buffet; it was quite good. Everything else was, too; I even saved room for a masala dosa. (They tend to bring them out late) and watermelon.
On the whole, a very good day!
This morning, I got a bug in my ear to go back to Congaree National Park and get out on the actual trails (where, but for earbuds, I would have had actual bugs in my ear). This move was slightly premature. The trails were very, very muddy and the mosquitoes were significantly more numerous than on the boardwalk. Still, people had been out ahead of me so the spider webs had been knocked down and there were footprints to mark the muddy parts, by and large. And it's always good to be out on the trail. But I'm not sure I can recommend hiking there for another week or so yet to anyone other than fanatics.
Just before I got out of TMobile's signal area (which is to say the beltway, more or less), Paul texted asking if I wanted to hit thrift stores and Trader Joe's. I said sure, when I get back from the swamp. So after I got home and had lunch, we hit the road. On Sundays, Goodwill is about your only thrift store option. Paul found a lot; I found a 50 cent shirt and a $4.25 pairs of trousers. Also a couple of bouzouki tapes for a dollar. We listened to them a lot in the car and they're very cool.
Trader Joe's was a washout for me. I did find frozen vegetable pakoras with no gluten ingredients listed, but there was no "Gluten free" label, so I was a bit wary. Ditto the beef tamales. But I may go back and get both the next time I go back. Paul on the other hand, got a week or more worth of groceries, so I'm glad the trip was far from a waste.
We usually go out for Indian buffet of a Sunday evening, so we did again. Panjabi Dhaba had more interesting goat curry than usual on the buffet; it was quite good. Everything else was, too; I even saved room for a masala dosa. (They tend to bring them out late) and watermelon.
On the whole, a very good day!
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