Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Virtuous
I’m feeling somewhat virtuous today. I got lots of stuff done today, instead of doing my usual nothing.
After swim class at the Y and going to coffee, I went to Michael’s and got ribbon to go on the five long-sleeved t-shirts that I want to have made into shirt-jackets. And I actually got the shirts and ribbon taken to the alteration lady. It’s a good thing I did - she won’t get them done until right before we head for Hawaii.
This afternoon, I went for my 6-month teeth cleaning. All was clear again - and that is always a good thing. John’s feeling okay after his tooth extraction yesterday.
This evening, we got our tax forms ready to go to the post-office - all signed, checks added where necessary, addressed, and certified mail cards filled out. So that’s done for this year.
Now we’re ready to sleep late in the morning.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Medical reports
John had his tooth extracted this afternoon. He seems to be doing okay so far. They’re going to just leave the space open for a while and see how he does with it. He might eventually wind up with a bridge or an implant.
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Jean got a call from her doctor this afternoon. The thyroid biopsies were benign. Yea! That’s a relief. She’s just to be checked again in a year.
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My news is that I finally got to the orthopedist today. The partial shoulder replacement is going to have to be revised. He will do a reverse shoulder arthroplasty, where they put the ball on the top part, rather than on the part that goes into the arm. It's usually done after a failed regular replacement or a really bad rotator cuff tear. Jean's friend, Kay, had rotator cuff surgery a couple of years ago, with a not-too-good result, and she had this procedure done right after Christmas. She's doing pretty well with it - still in the physical therapy stage. The doc says I should have "significantly" less pain and more range of motion with this procedure. I can only hope. It's to be scheduled about the second week in May, after we get back from Hawaii.
Monday, March 24, 2014
I know it's not Sunday, but from Sunday Stealing...
The 17 Meme
1. Do you know triplets?
I took art lessons a number of years ago with a triplet.
2. Do you prefer Titanic or The Notebook?
I assume you mean the movies. I’ve not seen either one.
3. Have you ever eaten Indian food?
Yes, and liked it. It’s been a long time, though.
4. What’s the name of your favorite restaurant?
No one favorite, but there’s Formosa, Old Saigon, Noodles & Pho, La Altena.
5. Who’s your favorite person in the world?
Outside of my family, I couldn’t begin to answer this one.
6. Would you rather live in a rural area or in the suburbs?
Suburbs. I don’t want to live in a large city, but I do like access to city amenities like museums, music, medical services, etc.
7. Can you whistle?
Yes, but not the really loud kind.
8. Do you sleep with a nightlight?
Not in the bedroom. There are nightlights throughout the house, halls and bathrooms, for safety reasons.
9. Do you eat breakfast every morning?
Definitely. It’s the most important meal of the day.
10. Do you take any pills or medication daily?
Lots, both at breakfast and evening meal - prescription and OTC/supplements.
11. How many times have you been to the hospital as a patient?
I could probably count them all, but it would take too long.
12. Have you ever seen Finding Nemo?
Yes. Loved it!
13. Where do you buy your jeans?
WalMart - where I get most of my clothes.
14. What’s the last compliment you got?
At bridge this afternoon. An opponent telling me that I had played a hand well.
15. Do you usually remember your dreams in the morning?
No, but I do usually remember that I was dreaming.
16. What flavor tea do you enjoy?
Iced and unsweetened.
17. What social media sites do you use?
SeniorLearn, Seniors and Friends, Facebook.
1. Do you know triplets?
I took art lessons a number of years ago with a triplet.
2. Do you prefer Titanic or The Notebook?
I assume you mean the movies. I’ve not seen either one.
3. Have you ever eaten Indian food?
Yes, and liked it. It’s been a long time, though.
4. What’s the name of your favorite restaurant?
No one favorite, but there’s Formosa, Old Saigon, Noodles & Pho, La Altena.
5. Who’s your favorite person in the world?
Outside of my family, I couldn’t begin to answer this one.
6. Would you rather live in a rural area or in the suburbs?
Suburbs. I don’t want to live in a large city, but I do like access to city amenities like museums, music, medical services, etc.
7. Can you whistle?
Yes, but not the really loud kind.
8. Do you sleep with a nightlight?
Not in the bedroom. There are nightlights throughout the house, halls and bathrooms, for safety reasons.
9. Do you eat breakfast every morning?
Definitely. It’s the most important meal of the day.
10. Do you take any pills or medication daily?
Lots, both at breakfast and evening meal - prescription and OTC/supplements.
11. How many times have you been to the hospital as a patient?
I could probably count them all, but it would take too long.
12. Have you ever seen Finding Nemo?
Yes. Loved it!
13. Where do you buy your jeans?
WalMart - where I get most of my clothes.
14. What’s the last compliment you got?
At bridge this afternoon. An opponent telling me that I had played a hand well.
15. Do you usually remember your dreams in the morning?
No, but I do usually remember that I was dreaming.
16. What flavor tea do you enjoy?
Iced and unsweetened.
17. What social media sites do you use?
SeniorLearn, Seniors and Friends, Facebook.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Jekyll Island, etc.
Jekyll Island is a lovely place. It’s a barrier island, separating the mainland from the Atlantic Ocean. Georgia has several Sea Islands, Jekyll, St. Simon’s, Cumberland (as to South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, etc.). Each has its own ambiance and character.
The hotel and cottages that comprise the Jekyll Island Club Hotel were built by some of the nation’s wealthiest men in the late 19th Century as a place where they could go in the winter to hunt and relax. They came by yacht and train. One claim to fame is that the Federal Reserve system was set up by five of these titans of industry in a room at the hotel.
As the world changed, the buildings fell into disrepair. The island was eventually bought by the state of Georgia and is now a Georgia State Park. There are private homes and businesses on the island. People can own the buildings, but they have 99-year leases on the land. Only 30% of the island can be developed, so the only new construction can happen on a previously used site. It’s a very laid-back place to visit and a fairly pricey place to stay.
But it is gorgeous! The azaleas were just about to bloom when we were there. There is nothing to compare with the age-old live oak trees with their swooping branches, festooned with Spanish moss. It’s definitely worth at least a day trip. (Again, sorry, this program is not letting me post pictures.)
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John bit down on something at breakfast Thursday morning and cracked a tooth? We called his home dentist (endodontist) and he has an appointment Monday morning. But we also asked the coordinator to find him a dentist to see in Brunswick, just to be on the safe side. That dentist didn't want to actually DO anything, but did say it should be okay until Monday, just to be careful with it. He says he's not hurting too much, so he'll be seeing his doc tomorrow morning.
When I skyped with Jean today, she showed me a boo-boo on her neck. She had had a thyroid punch biopsy Friday. She saw an endocrinologist who felt some nodules on her thyroid and did the biopsy. She probably won't hear anything for a day or so.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Road Scholar program
Our Road Scholar program last week on Jekyll Island was called “Advancing Bridge”. We went with the idea of learning more about playing duplicate bridge and seeing if that was something we wanted to pursue.
Most of the 20 people enrolled in the program were duplicate players, but the program was for improving your game in any setting.
The instructor, Craig Hemphill, was terrific. He’s obviously an excellent player with a great knowledge of the game. But he’s also a terrific teacher, truly interested in seeing that folks learned what he had to offer. He was very well organized, stayed on topic, answered questions, started and finished on time. In short, he was the best.
The program was set up with instruction in the mornings, followed by supervised play in the afternoons and free play in the evening. He had set up boards with hands that illustrated the lessons, so we got to practice the new things we’d hopefully learned. To our amazement, John and I were first both days he kept track of the scores.
For the bridge players out there, we had lessons on Stayman, Jacoby transfers, signaling, defense, and slam bidding. I hope John and I will be able to use the things we learned. We are going to try some of the duplicate groups in town and see how we like them.
More later.
Most of the 20 people enrolled in the program were duplicate players, but the program was for improving your game in any setting.
The instructor, Craig Hemphill, was terrific. He’s obviously an excellent player with a great knowledge of the game. But he’s also a terrific teacher, truly interested in seeing that folks learned what he had to offer. He was very well organized, stayed on topic, answered questions, started and finished on time. In short, he was the best.
The program was set up with instruction in the mornings, followed by supervised play in the afternoons and free play in the evening. He had set up boards with hands that illustrated the lessons, so we got to practice the new things we’d hopefully learned. To our amazement, John and I were first both days he kept track of the scores.
For the bridge players out there, we had lessons on Stayman, Jacoby transfers, signaling, defense, and slam bidding. I hope John and I will be able to use the things we learned. We are going to try some of the duplicate groups in town and see how we like them.
More later.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Home again!
We got home about 4:30 this afternoon. It was about a 7-hour drive, with slow-downs south of Atlanta, Atlanta in general, and a short one just coming in to Chattanooga. But it was all interstate, and really uneventful. We just made one stop for gasoline and two rest area stops for the usual. We’ve unpacked and sorted things out. John went and got burgers from Five Guys for our first meal since breakfast at Jekyll Island.
The program and the location of the Road Scholar program were great. We think we learned a lot - and things that we’ll actually use in our bridge playing - whether rubber bridge or duplicate. This was not technically about learning to play duplicate, but learning to play better bridge in general. It was a good group of students, and the teacher was excellent. He was exceptionally knowledgeable, funny, a good teacher, and wanted to be sure that we actually learned something.
Now we’ll rest up, John will go to more basketball games, and I’ll do laundry. But it’s good to be home.
Friday, March 14, 2014
A good laugh is a wonderful thing, and some random thoughts
This evening, we watched the rerun (13 March 2014) episode of Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show. When he did the bit about Mitch McConnell’s TV commercial, I thought I would fall out of the chair. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard. A good laugh is great! You can watch it HERE.
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Who started the thing with the dark gray uniforms in basketball and football - instead of the team colors? It’s a yucky color, with no character at all. I think some uniform company made bundles of money getting the teams to have new uniforms with this non-color. I hope the fad doesn’t last long.
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We’ll be out of town for a few days, so postings might be intermittent.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
All in all...
We went to a String Theory Concert this evening. It was an unusual group of instruments for chamber music. The first selection was by a violin/piano duet by Mendelssohn. Second was by Poulenc - a clarinet/piano duet. And the third was a piano/violin/clarinet by Schoenfield. We loved the Mendelssohn, and enjoyed the other two pieces - even though they’re ones we wouldn’t want to hear frequently.
But listening to the music got me to comparing orchestral music to chamber music. Many composers wrote for both genres. I’ve gotten to where I prefer the chamber ensemble to an orchestra. John and I have talked about this, too, and wondering why.
When listening to an orchestra, we’re hearing all the instruments coalesce into one voice. There are occasional solos, of course, but generally it’s one chorus.
Chamber music, with its usually 2-5 instruments, is more like these different instruments having a conversation. The listener can hear these individual voices and how they “talk” to one another, “listen” from time to time, and then all “sing” together.
All in all, a lovely evening!
But listening to the music got me to comparing orchestral music to chamber music. Many composers wrote for both genres. I’ve gotten to where I prefer the chamber ensemble to an orchestra. John and I have talked about this, too, and wondering why.
When listening to an orchestra, we’re hearing all the instruments coalesce into one voice. There are occasional solos, of course, but generally it’s one chorus.
Chamber music, with its usually 2-5 instruments, is more like these different instruments having a conversation. The listener can hear these individual voices and how they “talk” to one another, “listen” from time to time, and then all “sing” together.
All in all, a lovely evening!
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
It was just one of those days....
Jesse and his buddy didn't get here until after midnight last night/this morning. Then we sat up and talked, plus they took showers, so we got to bed about 2 a.m. John and I were up about 8, and the guys not too long after that (when I started cooking bacon).
It seems that last night, somewhere near Benton, TN, Jesse's bike had some major problems. He tried to fix it, but finally called a friend from here with a truck who picked up them and the bikes and brought them to Chattanooga. After talking things over this morning, Bobby (Jesse’s dad) drove here from their place about an hour west of here, bringing Jesse’s old truck and a trailer. Then Jesse and his buddy could drive back to Norfolk towing the trailer with the bikes. And John would take Bobby back home.
In the event, this did happen. But Bobby got lost twice getting to our house. He did finally get here, the boys got the truck and trailer, John took Bobby home, and John got back home. Of course, with 20:20 hindsight, he then thought of several things they could’ve done differently that would’ve made things easier, but it did get done. The boys are on their way back to Norfolk and I hope will let us know when they get there.
In the midst of this, I left to go have lunch with Vicki. She took me to a birthday lunch at a local tea room - great soup and tea sandwiches, and even dessert. She gave me a lovely new flamingo, and I gave her the traditional spring package of Peeps.
Then I went for my follow-up appointment with the orthopedist. It’s been six months since my last x-ray, and he had intimated that I might need a revision of the shoulder replacement. So I’ve been sort of antsy about it. What a disappointment. Turns out all his appointments for the week had been cancelled - he was out of town - except I hadn't been called. Phooey! Since I won't be here next week, my appointment is now for two weeks hence. Drat!
Other than the bright spots of visiting with Jesse and his friend, and having lunch with Vicki, it was a pretty crappy day.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Spring on the way?
It’s been a gorgeous day today. Maybe spring will get here before too much longer - although we do have more cold weather predicted this week. I took pictures this morning of jonquils and hellebores in the yard, but this program has changed again, and I can't figure out how to get photos to upload. Oh, well....
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Jesse and a friend have been on a motorcycle trip. They were due to get here in time for supper, but…. We went out for dinner anyway. He’s has trouble with his bike, but has found someone to get him and bring him here. They might get here before midnight, but who knows. It’s okay - we’re glad to see him anytime - and we’ll see what works out tomorrow.
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Jesse and a friend have been on a motorcycle trip. They were due to get here in time for supper, but…. We went out for dinner anyway. He’s has trouble with his bike, but has found someone to get him and bring him here. They might get here before midnight, but who knows. It’s okay - we’re glad to see him anytime - and we’ll see what works out tomorrow.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Monday Miscellany
Congratulations to the Chattanooga Lady Mocs for winning their 15th Southern Conference Tournament. On to the NCAA tournament! We’ll be watching next Monday to see what their seeding will be and where they will play.
The Tennessee Lady Vols won the SEC Tournament on Sunday. Their first two games will be in Knoxville on 22 and 24 March. Margaret and John have tickets to those games and to the Women’s Final Four in Nashville.
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On a more local scale, the cards were awful today. We’re looking forward to our Road Scholar program next week on “Advancing Bridge”, and learning more about playing duplicate. We’ll see how that goes.
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Jesse and a friend are due in tomorrow sometime, on their way back from Motorcycle Week in Daytona. As always, it’ll be good to see him.
Sunday, March 09, 2014
So funny!
I don't normally post links to videos, and I don't know how to embed one, so Click Here to see one of the funniest things I've seen in ages. Amazing how they can do this!
Saturday, March 08, 2014
Basketball and followup
This has been mostly a basketball weekend. Guess that’ll be the case until early April, after the Final Four games.
Our two teams - the UTC Lady Mocs and the UT Lady Vols - both won their first games in their respective conference tournaments. Both will play tomorrow.
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A few weeks ago, I mentioned about a friend’s grandson who was scheduled to donate one of his kidneys to his sister-in-law. This is an e-mail I got from her yesterday.
The surgeries were very long, but were successful. The kidney started working automatically for [the recipient]. Our hope is that this continues and she does not reject it. [My grandson] is doing well, but a little grumpy. Since he spent yesterday cleaning out his system, I just bet he is going to be grumpy until he gets something to eat!!!!!
What a great thing to do. All our good wishes are with them for continued good results.
Thursday, March 06, 2014
Three for Thursday
1. I got my bi-weekly massage this morning. My therapist is SO good.
2. We made a long overdue trip to Costco. Carol went with us. I got some of the things we needed, plus our wonderful lunch. There was also a special seafood counter and I got
3. Dungeness crabs for our supper tonight. They were SOOOOO good. We left enough to have some crab cakes, and I made seafood broth out of the shells for the next time I make seafood chowder. Triple YUM!
Wednesday, March 05, 2014
Calendars
On the book discussion web site, SeniorLearn, there is a specific discussion on Blue Highways, by William Least Heat-Moon. I’m not reading the book, but am following the discussion and chiming in from time to time about our back-road travels.
When the subject came up about finding places to eat in tiny little towns, I contributed our criteria for meals in small towns. We look for a local eatery on the town square or within a block or so of the square. We also look for a place called “City Café” or “[name of the town] Café”. We tend to order the special of the day or whatever the waitress recommends. Then we enjoy our food and eavesdrop on the conversations between the regulars. That’s frequently even better than the food.
One of the other readers contributed a link to Least Heat-Moon’s comments about a café in Gainesboro, TN. He uses a ranking based on the number of wall calendars displayed. It reads thus:
No calendar: Same as an interstate pit stop.
One calendar: Preprocessed food assembled in New Jersey.
Two calendars: Only if fish trophies present.
Three calendars: Can’t miss on the farm-boy breakfasts.
Four calendars: Try the ho-made pie too.
Five calendars: Keep it under you hat, or they’ll franchise.
When the subject came up about finding places to eat in tiny little towns, I contributed our criteria for meals in small towns. We look for a local eatery on the town square or within a block or so of the square. We also look for a place called “City Café” or “[name of the town] Café”. We tend to order the special of the day or whatever the waitress recommends. Then we enjoy our food and eavesdrop on the conversations between the regulars. That’s frequently even better than the food.
One of the other readers contributed a link to Least Heat-Moon’s comments about a café in Gainesboro, TN. He uses a ranking based on the number of wall calendars displayed. It reads thus:
No calendar: Same as an interstate pit stop.
One calendar: Preprocessed food assembled in New Jersey.
Two calendars: Only if fish trophies present.
Three calendars: Can’t miss on the farm-boy breakfasts.
Four calendars: Try the ho-made pie too.
Five calendars: Keep it under you hat, or they’ll franchise.
And now we have a new marker to look for.
Tuesday, March 04, 2014
Let's do it again!
We had such a special evening tonight. Yesterday, Missy texted to see if we were available to get together for dinner tonight. Well, sure!
What and where should we eat? We decided on carry-out Chinese. Missy said she’d pick it up on the way over. And she said she’d call Tina and Carol & Stephen.
Well, hey! The cleaning lady came yesterday, so the house is clean. Somebody else is going to bring the food. I can surely set the table.
And it was terrific! What a great time to have good friends and good food.
When can we do it again!?!
Monday, March 03, 2014
Sunday, March 02, 2014
No more home games this season
Today marked the end of our regular season home games - I mean the home games of the women’s basketball teams that we support. The University of Tennessee Lady Vols and the University of Tennessee Chattanooga Lady Mocs.
John and Margaret went to Knoxville this afternoon to see the Lady Vols play their last regular season home game against South Carolina. The Lady Vols won 73-59.
I went to the ball game here to see the last home game of the season for the Lady Mocs. They played UNC Greensboro and won 77-56. It was great to be able to honor the five seniors who were playing their last home game.
The conference tournaments will start next weekend, and then the NCAA tournament starts on 22 March. Then women’s college basketball will be over until November.
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Note: We didn’t watch any of the Academy Awards. We don’t particularly like awards show in general, and haven’t seen any of the movies in any case. I’ll read about it in the paper tomorrow.
John and Margaret went to Knoxville this afternoon to see the Lady Vols play their last regular season home game against South Carolina. The Lady Vols won 73-59.
I went to the ball game here to see the last home game of the season for the Lady Mocs. They played UNC Greensboro and won 77-56. It was great to be able to honor the five seniors who were playing their last home game.
The conference tournaments will start next weekend, and then the NCAA tournament starts on 22 March. Then women’s college basketball will be over until November.
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Note: We didn’t watch any of the Academy Awards. We don’t particularly like awards show in general, and haven’t seen any of the movies in any case. I’ll read about it in the paper tomorrow.
Sunday Stealing
February Wrap-Up
1) Candle scents this month:
Never. I hate scented things.
2) What I read this month:
Spider Woman’s Daughter by Anne Hillerman
3) Top three songs I was drawn to:
None
4) Movies I saw:
The Monuments Men
5) Favorite tv moments of the month:
The Olympics
6) Something yummy I made:
Greek chicken
7) Restaurants where I ate:
Panera Bread, Noodles & Pho, the Boathouse
8) Five things I am loving this month:
It’s short; it takes us closer to spring; basketball (only 3)
9) A goal I had for this month:
Getting over the cold I had
10) This month I looked forward to:
Getting closer to spring
11) Something I want to remember about this month:
The Lady Mocs going undefeated.
12) A photo I took this month:
Snow out the front door (Sorry, the program isn't letting me put this photo up.)
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Busy, long, good
I spent the morning at the optometrist’s office. I had a scheduled appointment for routine testing. Unfortunately, there were several unscheduled injuries and severe problems that had to be dealt with. It wasn’t exactly how I planned to spend my morning, but I had a book to reead, and I know that I’d have emergency treatment in the same way if I needed it. Just the way it goes.
We went to see The Monuments Men at the early (cheap) showing. It’s a good movie of an even better story. Afterwards, we had one of our gourmet meals at Five Guys Burgers and Fries.
And the evening was topped off by a string of basketball games on TV. The UTC Men Mocs edged out Western Carolina by one point in overtime. The Lady Vols won over LSU in the later game.
All in all, a long, busy, good day.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Nothing much...
Nothing much going on around here. I had lousy cards at bridge Monday (although I came in third last week). I got my mani/pedi yesterday. It felt good, but I've decided I don't like the polish I chose. Oh, well - I'll change it the next time. Swimming and painting class were today. I'm not doing anything I'm pleased with in this session of classes. The teacher asked me if I was liking what we were doing. I told her that I wasn't, and we had a good laugh about it. She’s a great teacher and understands that all things don’t appeal to all people. As I told her, I always learn something - even if it's that it was something I didn't want to do again. Dealing with composition and making a piece "work" is a challenge no matter what the style or techniques.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Monday, February 24, 2014
Addena to book sale stories
I told one person as he left with a box of books, when you get those read, you can bring them back for us to sell again, and buy more. He said, “Oh, no, I never get rid of books. I have over 3,000.”
One lady talked about her new house. She didn’t downsize, she actually got a bigger house. She and her husband could use the other four bedrooms for their books.
Another man leaving with his sack of books, when told he could read about upcoming book sales in the newspaper, said he didn’t read the newspaper. Well, the notice would be on TV, too. He got rid of his TV about six years ago. The programs were awful and then they “tried to rape us by selling us things”. He could find anything he wanted to know on his computer.
Well, okay.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
At the Book Sale
Bev, in her blog Airy Persiflage, writes about her days working at the Logos Bookstore in Davis, CA.
Today, John and I worked at the Friends of the Library Book sale, the opening shift from noon to three. We usually work a shift or two during the 3-4 sales the Friends have in a year. This sale was in a store front at the mall near our house.
There were two customers today that we went home laughing about. My favorite was the lady who came in after Sunday lunch at a nearby national chain restaurant. She had a carry-out box, and asked if she could leave it in the “hold” area while she shopped. We asked if she had enjoyed her meal, since she was bringing home the leftovers. She made a face and said “No, it was awful!” I couldn’t stop myself - my immediate question was, “Well, why are you taking the leftovers?” She replied, “I hate to waste food.”
John’s favorite was the lady with the bucket-shaped purse. One of the workers complimented her on it and noted that bucket purses seemed to be very popular this year. The lady, while showing us, said, “It’s shaped like this because it has a holster built into the side. Your pistol fits perfectly. You can shoot right through the purse if you need to. I got it at Shooter’s Supply and they guarantee the bag. If you shoot through it, they’ll replace it. And I’d use it, too.” Well, that was pretty much a conversation stopper. We’re sure she had her gun with her, too - always a necessary accessory at the library book sale.
Who knows what our shift on Tuesday evening will bring?
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Sunday Stealing
Sunday Stealing Meme
What was your first job like?
Transcribing old autopsies from dictabelt cylinders - age about 15.
It’s a typical Sunday, how are you spending it?
A typical Sunday - I’d be doing laundry and knitting. This Sunday we’ll be working at the Friends of the Library book sale.
What was the happiest day of your life?
There are too many of them to pick just one.What was the best decision you ever made?
Marrying John.
Tell your go-to “pretend” game as a child (who was your alter-ego?)
I don’t remember ever doing this.
What email service do you use?
Family - isp provider; art and computer stuff - gmail; online buying - yahoo.
What fandoms would you consider yourself a part of?
Not really anything, although we do love all things NCIS.
Do you use anything on your lips? (eg. Chapstick, gloss, balm, lipstick)
Lipstick, sometimes Chapstick or Mentholatum.
How many devices do you own which can access the internet?
Three that are mine - laptop, iPad, smart phone; three that are John’s - desktop, Kindle, and Kindle Fire.
Last strong smell you can remember smelling?
Cutting up onions for split pea soup.
If you had to move your birthday to another date, which one would you choose and why?
I don’t know that I’d change it - maybe a day later to St. Patrick’s Day.
Inspiration behind your blog title?
Making use of our first initial - as usual.
If you could spend a rainy day with anyone in the world, who would you choose and why?
John and two others, so we could play bridge.
Is there a foreign culture that you love?
I enjoy learning about any culture different from ours.
Do you have a favorite soft drink?
I’m not a fan of carbonated drinks. I really like plain water, coffee, sometimes iced tea or lemonade.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Strategy and Tactics
Remember, last spring, John found out that his prostate cancer has recurred. He’s been undergoing treatment. I’ll let him tell the recent developments, as he wrote in e-mails to our daughters and his sister.
Tuesday: I went to the urologist yesterday. Back in November when my last four month shot of Lupron ran out, the doctor and I agreed to go three months without the medicine and see what happened. Three months was up yesterday. My PSA had gone from 3 to 24. (should be under 9 at my age, without any history of cancer) So it is back on the Lupron. That is a pretty steep rise.
I asked if it had metastasized, and he said “probably but still in the prostate“. He said that we will continue with the Lupron until it is no longer effective alone, at which time they will continue the Lupron, but add other cancer drugs. When that is no longer effective they add another cancer drug to the mix. He had read the study that Al sent me an article about, and said that there were several small studies like that one and he was trying to keep up to date on them. He is going to hook me up with an oncologist that works with prostate cancer patients. This will give an additional set of eyes on the problem.
So it is back to hot flashes and loss of strength and stamina. I will just have to push myself more on the strength and stamina. As far as I know, there is not a damn thing I can do about the hot flashes except to try not to bitch too much.
Wednesday: I saw the medical oncologist this morning. He explained what our long term strategy would be, and what tactics we would use when needed. The plan is to stay on the Lupron until it alone does not do the job. He said that for my situation the Lupron is the best weapon in the arsenal. I asked for a time guess and he said two years plus-or-minus. He then tried to explain the other weapons that are available now and are likely to become available in that time period. There several things available today and lots more on the way. It will sooner or later require other treatment. When we get there we will look at what option to use.
Time is the question. It will get worse, as cancers do. The longer it doesn't get worse, the better off I am in two ways. First, I need no treatment other than the Lupron. Second is that things are in the pipeline that may work better than what is available today, and what is available today is pretty good. We talked about the side effects of Lupron. I need to continue to get as much exercise as my body will tolerate. I need to learn to live with hot flashes! I need to eat less, that unfortunately seems to be the only way to stop the weight gain.
All things considered, not a bad outlook. It comes with no guarantees.
We’ll keep you up to date..
Tuesday: I went to the urologist yesterday. Back in November when my last four month shot of Lupron ran out, the doctor and I agreed to go three months without the medicine and see what happened. Three months was up yesterday. My PSA had gone from 3 to 24. (should be under 9 at my age, without any history of cancer) So it is back on the Lupron. That is a pretty steep rise.
I asked if it had metastasized, and he said “probably but still in the prostate“. He said that we will continue with the Lupron until it is no longer effective alone, at which time they will continue the Lupron, but add other cancer drugs. When that is no longer effective they add another cancer drug to the mix. He had read the study that Al sent me an article about, and said that there were several small studies like that one and he was trying to keep up to date on them. He is going to hook me up with an oncologist that works with prostate cancer patients. This will give an additional set of eyes on the problem.
So it is back to hot flashes and loss of strength and stamina. I will just have to push myself more on the strength and stamina. As far as I know, there is not a damn thing I can do about the hot flashes except to try not to bitch too much.
Wednesday: I saw the medical oncologist this morning. He explained what our long term strategy would be, and what tactics we would use when needed. The plan is to stay on the Lupron until it alone does not do the job. He said that for my situation the Lupron is the best weapon in the arsenal. I asked for a time guess and he said two years plus-or-minus. He then tried to explain the other weapons that are available now and are likely to become available in that time period. There several things available today and lots more on the way. It will sooner or later require other treatment. When we get there we will look at what option to use.
Time is the question. It will get worse, as cancers do. The longer it doesn't get worse, the better off I am in two ways. First, I need no treatment other than the Lupron. Second is that things are in the pipeline that may work better than what is available today, and what is available today is pretty good. We talked about the side effects of Lupron. I need to continue to get as much exercise as my body will tolerate. I need to learn to live with hot flashes! I need to eat less, that unfortunately seems to be the only way to stop the weight gain.
All things considered, not a bad outlook. It comes with no guarantees.
We’ll keep you up to date..
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Climate change?
It’s 18 February.
The high for the day was 67 degrees.
We’ve just had some thunderstorms.
Weird!
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Friday Four
- We got out to go to the Y this morning. There were only a couple of icy patches on the sidewalk. And, of course, I slipped on one and fell. John was doing his damnedest to keep me from falling, but I still landed on my butt. Fortunately, there is substantial padding there, so there was no damage (except to my less-than-fragile ego). At least it was still dark, so nobody except John saw me crawl through the snow so I could pull up on the side of the car. Sigh…..
- I went for my annual mammogram. They didn’t take extra films or call me back, so I assume I’m okay for another year. Ladies, GET YOUR MAMMOGRAM!!!
- There was an earthquake in South Carolina this evening. Sue and Randy felt it at their house. I wonder if Alison and Joe brought them with them when they moved east.
- It’s raining, with a chance of its turning into snow - little or no accumulation. Cold again tomorrow, but due to be near 70! next week. Welcome to Tennessee.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Pay attention and read the fine print
I got some interesting mail yesterday. Remember back in October 2012, I had a partial shoulder replacement, replacing the plate and screw fixation I had had following my fall on 31 July 2012.
This letter was from Medicare to the hospital, with a copy to me. Medicare was advising the hospital that payment for my hospital stay was being denied, and would be the responsibility of the hospital. What????
I had been told by the doctor and by the hospital at my pre-admission visit that, after the surgery, I would be in the hospital from three to five days. In the event, I had the surgery one morning and was discharged about suppertime the next day - so about 36 hours in the hospital.
From the letter, it appears that Medicare had denied the claim, the hospital had asked for a review. This letter was saying that after the review, the claim was still being denied. The grounds were that I had no complicating medical conditions and could have had follow-up care at a lower-level-of-care facility or at home. Also, since I had not been notified, in writing, that Medicare might not cover the hospitalization, the hospital would be responsible for the charges. The hospital can still appeal this decision.
They’re now supposed to be doing joint replacements as outpatient surgery???? Holy cow! Remember to check the fine print. I go back to see the surgeon next month. I’ll surely be asking him about this.
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They come in threes; Shirley Temple Black, Sid Caesar, and today, Ralph Waite. He’s been playing Jethro’s father on NCIS. That will be tough for them to deal with.
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Last night’s snow was gorgeous, and John got some great pictures this morning. It’s almost all gone now, after a day of sunshine and temperatures in the mid 40s.
This letter was from Medicare to the hospital, with a copy to me. Medicare was advising the hospital that payment for my hospital stay was being denied, and would be the responsibility of the hospital. What????
I had been told by the doctor and by the hospital at my pre-admission visit that, after the surgery, I would be in the hospital from three to five days. In the event, I had the surgery one morning and was discharged about suppertime the next day - so about 36 hours in the hospital.
From the letter, it appears that Medicare had denied the claim, the hospital had asked for a review. This letter was saying that after the review, the claim was still being denied. The grounds were that I had no complicating medical conditions and could have had follow-up care at a lower-level-of-care facility or at home. Also, since I had not been notified, in writing, that Medicare might not cover the hospitalization, the hospital would be responsible for the charges. The hospital can still appeal this decision.
They’re now supposed to be doing joint replacements as outpatient surgery???? Holy cow! Remember to check the fine print. I go back to see the surgeon next month. I’ll surely be asking him about this.
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They come in threes; Shirley Temple Black, Sid Caesar, and today, Ralph Waite. He’s been playing Jethro’s father on NCIS. That will be tough for them to deal with.
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Last night’s snow was gorgeous, and John got some great pictures this morning. It’s almost all gone now, after a day of sunshine and temperatures in the mid 40s.
Follow-ups
Weather follow-up:
Boy, did we get weather today! We had decided that we believed the forecast, that we would get snow this morning (Wednesday). So we slept in. And, sure enough, when we got up there was snow - not a whole lot, but enough to keep us in. They kept telling us that it was going to start snowing again and would snow a lot more.
Well, they were right again! We got fat, chunky snowflakes - lots of them. On top of the 1+” we got this morning, we’ve gotten another 5-6” and it’s still snowing. Power outages have happened in the area (although not here, fortunately), and traffic has all but stopped.
I happened to look outside about 9:30 pm and it was almost like daylight. I went out, and the glowing soft light was amazing. The moon is supposed to be full on Friday night, and that light shining through the cloud clover and reflecting off the snow was just incredible.
We tried to take some pictures, but couldn't get the wonderful effect. Mine was taken with my iPad and corrected with Picasa. John took his with his SLR and used a flash. (these were taken about 10 pm)
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Followup: I got this e-mail from Eva Jane this morning about the kidney transplant.
Well, Mary, this is what happened. Robby and his sister-in-law went last Friday for the final blood work before the surgery. They called yesterday with the results--she has an infection. So, once again, no surgery. Of course, they will not do anything until she is infection free. This means now that it will have to be scheduled for the FOURTH time. Robby and his wife have missed so much work and for nothing so far. We are all so worried about this girl; I don't know how much longer she can hold on, and the frustration and the waiting for Robby is getting so hard for him. I will let you know about the next scheduled date. This is a NIGHTMARE!
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Yum!
One of the gals on Seniors & Friends posted a link to a blog with a recipe for Greek Chicken. I looked at the description of the dish on the blog, Southern Plate. It describes the ingredients, and they were ones that you would normally find in a kitchen. And, indeed, I did have all those things on hand.
It’s very simple. Take any chicken parts (breasts, legs, thighs), with or without skin, with or without bones. Put in a baking dish with quartered potatoes. Sprinkle with dry mixture of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Sprinkle with lemon or lime juice. Sprinkle with olive oil. Bake, covered, at 350F for 60 minutes. Uncover, increase temperature to 400F, and bake for another 30 minutes.
We had it for dinner tonight and…it was fabulous!
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Special recognition for a special young man: Eva Jane’s grandson, Robbie, underwent surgery today to donate a kidney to his sister-in-law. We hope both patients are doing well. And be sure to sign the donor card on your driver’s license.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Two new (to me) things
Two things I learned today:
Tennessee has a curling club - click here to learn more about it. In case you don’t know about curling, click here to read the Wikipedia entry on it. We first learned about curling years ago, when Kate and Wayne had a satellite dish and watched it on a Canadian station. It’s one of our favorite things to watch during the winter Olympics.
The Society for Creative Anachronism has a chapter in Chattanooga. Who knew? The Shrine of Vulpiner Reach meets regularly here.
Harriet says that nothing learned is ever wasted. I’m not sure how I’ll use this, but there it is.
Sunday, February 09, 2014
Busy Saturday
It’s been a long day - a good one.
The Lady Mocs played at the old gymnasium on the UTC campus. They were displaced by the monster truck rally being held at the arena. It’s a much smaller venue, so it sounded much louder. The gals played a great game, rolling over Appalachian State 69-41. However, an hour and a half on bleacher seats was not good for the back or the butt.
The duplicate group was playing tonight, and I had thought we’d be eating out and then going to bridge. But the game was over earlier enough that we came home. That gave us a good break - with John getting in a short nap, and my getting some pain meds.
Duplicate was interesting again - a learning experience. We had a couple of bidding glitches, but played pretty well. The scoring and some of the mechanics are still confusing - that’ll come with time, I hope. I have no clue as to how we did - guess we’ll find out in a day or so. We’re going to be taking a Road Scholar course on bridge next month, so I guess that’ll be the deciding as to whether or not we continue to pursue this.
I’m looking forward to staying home all day Sunday.
The Lady Mocs played at the old gymnasium on the UTC campus. They were displaced by the monster truck rally being held at the arena. It’s a much smaller venue, so it sounded much louder. The gals played a great game, rolling over Appalachian State 69-41. However, an hour and a half on bleacher seats was not good for the back or the butt.
The duplicate group was playing tonight, and I had thought we’d be eating out and then going to bridge. But the game was over earlier enough that we came home. That gave us a good break - with John getting in a short nap, and my getting some pain meds.
Duplicate was interesting again - a learning experience. We had a couple of bidding glitches, but played pretty well. The scoring and some of the mechanics are still confusing - that’ll come with time, I hope. I have no clue as to how we did - guess we’ll find out in a day or so. We’re going to be taking a Road Scholar course on bridge next month, so I guess that’ll be the deciding as to whether or not we continue to pursue this.
I’m looking forward to staying home all day Sunday.
Friday, February 07, 2014
Thursday, February 06, 2014
Thirteen for Thursday (stolen from Jennifer - thanks)
- We had more cold, dreary weather, but at least there was no snow or single digits.
- I had an eye appointment, refraction, and check after the YAG laser procedure in December.
- Everything looked good, except for very early glaucoma and very small amount of clouding on the residual from the cataract extraction in the right eye.
- There will be some more testing in a few weeks, but watchful waiting on the rest.
- I had an appointment for a much-needed massage.
- The Bread Basket bakery from Signal Mountain has opened a shop in Hixson. I stopped and got a loaf of sourdough bread, cheese bread, and cranberry-orange tea bread. Yum!
- Alison and Joe are in their house in Annapolis, waiting for their stuff to be delivered, scheduled for Saturday. All fingers are crossed.
- It’s good to have everybody east of the Mississippi.
- We’re going to Noodles & Pho for dinner tomorrow night with Carol & Stephen and Tina.
- Jean and I talked on Skype.
- We had PCT for supper (Previous Culinary Triumphs) for supper. Still good the second time around.
- We watched some of the first night of the Olympics.
- The Lady Vols beat Mississippi State 77-65.
Wednesday, February 05, 2014
Tuesday, February 04, 2014
It's only rain
I hope tonight's and this week's rain continues as ONLY rain, and not (as Johnnie said today) "Seasonal Nuisance Of Winter".
Monday, February 03, 2014
Sunday, February 02, 2014
It all depends on your point of view.
It all depends on your point of view.
If you were cheering for the Seahawks, it was marvelous.
If you were cheering for the Broncos, it was disastrous.
If you were cheering for Peyton, it was sad.
If you were just watching the game, it wasn’t a very good one. We finally muted the game and turned the sound on just for the commercials.
If you were watching the commercials, the car commercials were pretty good. And then there were the Clydesdales!
And now the Super Bowl hype is over for another year!
Saturday, February 01, 2014
A different day
We had a different day today. We went out to lunch with John's previous rowing partner. We hadn't seen her in almost a year, so it was good to get caught up.
We went to the new Vietnamese place nearby, “Noodle & Pho“. I'd been there the other day with my buddies, and it was good. This was, if anything, better. All six orders in the two meals were excellent. It's a great addition to the neighborhood.
We didn't eat until about 1:30, so we didn't even need dinner tonight. After our friend left, we snuck in some late naps, and then read most of the evening. At least until the men Tennessee Vols game with Alabama started. And we're pleased that Tennessee beat AL at home quite handily. Our Lady Mocs beat Davidson easily (we listened to part of this one on the radio before we went out), and the men Mocs won over Furman.
I guess the more important sporting event is Sunday.
So long, January!
I can’t say I’m sorry to see January 2014 in my rearview mirror.
It did go fast, if only because there was so much going on that individual days mostly didn’t mean much.
There was the two weeks lost with the awful cold - two weeks for each of us.
About half of the month had days cold enough to make this January the 9th coldest since they’ve kept records.
Then the furnace stopped working during the single-digit days. We managed to keep the house no colder than 55, with a couple of space heaters. The HVAC man got it at least temporarily fixed. So we’ll probably replace it in the spring.
And there was the stupid 1.5” of snow that paralyzed the city on a Tuesday afternoon and closed the schools for the rest of the week. It wasn’t as bad as Atlanta, but only in comparison because of the numbers of people and vehicles involved.
The son of a friend had surgery to remove a brain tumor. Another friend had a small stroke.
So long, January! You won’t be missed.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Funny
I’m told this is a commercial from last year’s Super Bowl, but I saw it for the first time today. I laughed and laughed. Enjoy! If you’ve already seen it, enjoy it again.
Click here.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
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Tuesday, January 28, 2014
SNOW!
We got about an inch of snow today, with more predicted through midnight, and very cold. I went to Aldi, but it was snowing when I came out, and sticking to the pavement in the parking lot. I decided I didn’t need to be trying to walk on that at WalMart, so I headed for home. John had one errand to run, but the roads were starting to get really bad by the time he got back. So we stayed in the rest of the day.
We'll be staying home tomorrow, too. But on Thursday, it's supposed to warm up. I know this doesn't sound like much - and it isn't - but folks in this area don't know how to deal with it (me included). So it's big news and causes lots of problems. They said during the evening news that if you had a wreck, just leave your car. It would take at least 5! hours for a wrecker to get there. And the police were swamped with the number of wrecks. Quite a mess.
Just about everything is closed down Wednesday. All the schools, some companies, doctors’ offices, day-care facilities. We do believe in what we call the “Biblical solution of snow removal”. As in “God put it there, God will take it away.” This area just doesn’t get enough snow to invest much money in snow removal. It would be nice if this were the last of it for this winter.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Sunday Stealing
Ask Me Meme
1:What was the last argument you had about?
I rarely argue - I can’t remember arguing about anything.
2:How long is your longest relationship?
We’ve been married for 58 years.
3:What is something not many people know about you?
I had my hair dyed red many years ago.
4:Two truths and a lie. Go.
I was the baby in my family. I was born in St. Louis. I had a sister and a brother.
5:Do you believe in fate/destiny?
No
6:Where is somewhere you’ve always wanted to live?
On the water.
7:Has there ever been a song that made you cry?
I always choke up at the Star Spangled Banner.
8:Do you jump/scare easily?
Not really.
9:Which birthday has been your favorite?
At my age, I’m always glad to see the next one.
10:Have you ever been pulled over? Arrested?
I’ve been pulled over and ticketed. Never arrested.
11:Have you ever been to a fortune teller?
No
12:What’s your favorite series of books?
In no particular order, I like Harry Potter, Kate Shugak, the series by Nevada Barr set in National Parks.
13:Who is someone that you think knows the most about you outside of family?
Probably Flo Jean or Vicki.
14:What is the weirdest thing you’ve eaten?
I’ve eaten kangaroo (not too bad) and tried whale (yuck).
15:List one of your quirks.
I always fold the clothes as soon as the dryer stops.
16:State 1 bad habit of yours.
Eating too much.
17:Has a scary movie ever given you nightmares?
No
18:When was the last time you got your hair done in a salon?
I get my hair cut every three weeks. But the last time I had something “done” was probably my last permanent, which was at least 20 years ago.
19:What was the last thing you did with your friends?
Two of my gal friends came over last Monday to eat when John and Margaret went to the basketball game.
20:What’s something that you like to do that others might see as weird?
I enjoy being in the quiet.
21:What was the last trip you took?
We took a river cruise on the Columbia River, followed by a few days in Colorado, in October. For a day trip, we went to Margaret’s on Christmas Day.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
800 wins
We made it through the night. The house only got to about 55F, so it wasn't too bad. It was not as cold today, and we borrowed another space heater. I guess we'll survive.
We got out of the house for a while. The UTC Lady Mocs beat Samford 61-50. But more exciting was that our coach, Jim Foster, got his 800th career win! We are lucky to have this Hall of Fame coach take over our team. Congratulations to him!
Friday, January 24, 2014
Baby, it's cold inside!
I got up and went to the swim class this morning. It felt good to get back in the water. But then I came home. Uh-oh!
John said the heat was not on. The overnight temperature had been about 10F. Our usual comfortable 68 was down to 63. John made several calls to the HVAC miracle man, and they figured out what part was needed. However, it wasn’t going to be available until Monday.
(Note: Never have HVAC problems on a Friday night when the temperatures have been below freezing for 3 whole days.)
I went to Lowe’s and got a quartz room heater, and that was working and helping take the chill off.
The MM came to the house about 3. He and John tinkered around with the unit, trying to get to work, at least until Monday. And, Hooray!, they got it working, and the temperature came up to a bearable 66F.
Well, the heat was short-lived. The MM going to try to get the part tomorrow, but isn't sure he can do it. It's supposed to be around 20F tonight, so not as bad, then in the upper 40s tomorrow. We'll survive, but @###$%$#$#.
We’re going to close off part of the house overnight, and just heat the kitchen, master bedroom and hall, so we’ll be okay. What a pain!
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Brrrrrr-sday
It's really cold here - not in comparison to Michigan and New York and Canada, but definitely cold for this part of the world. At least it hasn't snowed, and there's none predicted. So we know it won't last too much longer.
I'm afraid I can't say the same thing about this cold. I think I'm finally getting better. Now John is really having a tough time with his cough. The coughing has badly strained his abdominal muscles, so it's really painful for him to cough. Poor baby, he doesn't do "sick" very well. I hope that improves quickly for him.
At least the Lady Vols prevailed tonight - 89 to 69 over Florida.
I'm afraid I can't say the same thing about this cold. I think I'm finally getting better. Now John is really having a tough time with his cough. The coughing has badly strained his abdominal muscles, so it's really painful for him to cough. Poor baby, he doesn't do "sick" very well. I hope that improves quickly for him.
At least the Lady Vols prevailed tonight - 89 to 69 over Florida.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Busy Wednesday
With the temperature around 15* this morning, I wimped out and didn’t go to swimming. Sometimes it is hard during the cold weather to get out of the house, but it’s usually okay at the Y. And, like anything, the routine is important. Once that gets “broken”, it’s hard to start up again. I do need the exercise SO much, and I know the pool exercise is the only thing I’ll do consistently. I shouldn’t skip, so I’ll probably be going on Friday, even though it’s due to be even colder. I’ll be farther away from my head cold, too.
We didn’t get any snow at our house, but we surely have gotten cold. We took advantage of it, though - John defrosted our big freezer. He put everything out on the deck, and just let the freezer defrost. By the time I got home from the painting class, it was time to put the stuff back in. I threw some stuff out, and at least now I know what’s in there.
The painting class went well. It’s different experimental stuff - as is the usual class, but we’re working on a canvas this time. I’m having to get caught up, but should get that done by next week.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
This and that
John managed to take my cold to a whole new level. He’s been coughing SO hard. He went to the doctor’s office this morning to see the PA. His chest x-ray was negative. But he did have bronchitis, postnasal drip, the coughing, and a lot of wheezing. He got prescriptions for a Z-pack (antibiotics) and an inhaler, with the recommendation to take one of the OTC decongestants. He’s still doing some coughing, but not nearly as much by this evening. This is a good thing on lots of levels, not least because his abdominal muscles are extremely sore from all the coughing. We hope he’s on the way back. This has been one stinker of a cold!
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Click here to read an article about all the great things going on in the Chattanooga Library. This is in the downtown "main" library building. Our new head librarian (the one who has just been named National Librarian of the Year) came about three years ago, and has brought in a lot of youngsters to work with this transformation. I don't know how this is all being funded - maybe just with their regular funding, plus what they get from donors and the Friends of the Library book sales, etc. She is really bringing people into the building and using the facilities - including the fourth floor, which had been used only for storage. It’s exciting!
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Sunday Stealing
The Last Night Meme (For Friday night, since I'm doing this on Saturday night)
Did anyone call you last night?
Tina called last night so we could make arrangements to pick her up from the airport.
How late were you on the computer last night?
About 12:30 a.m.
What did you have to eat last night?
For supper we had leftover pork sirloin roast. It was just as good as leftovers and it was originally.
Did you watch any good TV shows or movies last night?
We watched our usual Friday programs. Washington Week, Tennessee Insider (a local PBS program similar to Washington Week), Hawaii 5-0, Blue Bloods, local news, Aerial America.
Did any news items stand out to you last night?
A couple of local murder trials - each with the defendants found guilty.
Did you go out last night?
No - I don't think I left the house yesterday.
What was the weather like last night?
Clear and cold.
What was the last thing you said last night?
"Sleep well. I love you."
What time did you go to bed last night?
About 12:30 a.m., then read for a few minutes.
Did anyone call you last night?
Tina called last night so we could make arrangements to pick her up from the airport.
How late were you on the computer last night?
About 12:30 a.m.
What did you have to eat last night?
For supper we had leftover pork sirloin roast. It was just as good as leftovers and it was originally.
Did you watch any good TV shows or movies last night?
We watched our usual Friday programs. Washington Week, Tennessee Insider (a local PBS program similar to Washington Week), Hawaii 5-0, Blue Bloods, local news, Aerial America.
Did any news items stand out to you last night?
A couple of local murder trials - each with the defendants found guilty.
Did you go out last night?
No - I don't think I left the house yesterday.
What was the weather like last night?
Clear and cold.
What was the last thing you said last night?
"Sleep well. I love you."
What time did you go to bed last night?
About 12:30 a.m., then read for a few minutes.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Chattanooga on C-Span
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Better, I think
I finally went to the doctor this morning. The cold had finally gone down into my chest, with much more coughing. He gave me prescriptions for an antibiotic and some cough syrup with codeine. He also sent me for a chest x-ray. They didn’t call me back today with any results, so I guess it didn’t show anything too bad.
After a couple of doses of the antibiotics and a couple of slugs of the cough syrup, I don’t seem to be coughing as much (mostly just when I laugh). So I guess it is getting better. Let’s hope so.
Sorry to have been such a whiner. I know this is very small in the big scheme of things. I’ll try to do better.
Thanks to all for your concern and good wishes. And now I'll change the subject.
After a couple of doses of the antibiotics and a couple of slugs of the cough syrup, I don’t seem to be coughing as much (mostly just when I laugh). So I guess it is getting better. Let’s hope so.
Sorry to have been such a whiner. I know this is very small in the big scheme of things. I’ll try to do better.
Thanks to all for your concern and good wishes. And now I'll change the subject.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Dr. Dementia?
We got this in an e-mail the other day. I'd seen part of it, but not the numbers part. It really is amazing.
Here's another trick of Doctor Dementia to test your skills....
I've seen this with the letters out of order, but this is the first time I've seen it with numbers. Good example of a Brain Study: If you can read this OUT LOUD, you have a strong mind. And better than that: Alzheimer's is a long long, way down the road before it ever gets anywhere near you.
7H15 M3554G3
53RV35 7O PR0V3
H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N
D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5!
1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5!
1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG
17 WA5 H4RD BU7
N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3
Y0UR M1ND 1S
R34D1NG 17
4U70M471C4LLY
W17H 0U7 3V3N
7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17,
B3 PROUD! 0NLY
C3R741N P30PL3 C4N
R3AD 7H15.
---------------------
If you can read this, you have a strange mind, too. Can you read this? Only 55 people out of 100 can.
I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what
I was rdanieg . The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan
mnid , aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy ,
it dseno't mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a word are,
the olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit and last ltteer
be in the rghit pclae . The rset can be a taotl mses
and you can still raed it whotuit a pboerlm . This is
bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by
istlef , but the word as a wlohe . Azanmig, huh? Yaeh,
and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt !
Here's another trick of Doctor Dementia to test your skills....
I've seen this with the letters out of order, but this is the first time I've seen it with numbers. Good example of a Brain Study: If you can read this OUT LOUD, you have a strong mind. And better than that: Alzheimer's is a long long, way down the road before it ever gets anywhere near you.
7H15 M3554G3
53RV35 7O PR0V3
H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N
D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5!
1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5!
1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG
17 WA5 H4RD BU7
N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3
Y0UR M1ND 1S
R34D1NG 17
4U70M471C4LLY
W17H 0U7 3V3N
7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17,
B3 PROUD! 0NLY
C3R741N P30PL3 C4N
R3AD 7H15.
---------------------
If you can read this, you have a strange mind, too. Can you read this? Only 55 people out of 100 can.
I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what
I was rdanieg . The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan
mnid , aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy ,
it dseno't mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a word are,
the olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit and last ltteer
be in the rghit pclae . The rset can be a taotl mses
and you can still raed it whotuit a pboerlm . This is
bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by
istlef , but the word as a wlohe . Azanmig, huh? Yaeh,
and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt !
Sunday, January 12, 2014
We'll see...
If I don't have a better night and morning, I'll be heading to see the PA at our doctor's office. This is getting old.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Still sick
I'm still here, and still sick. Doing better, I guess, but not great. We got lots of rain and thunder overnight. I was up nearly every hour on the hour during the night, but managed to go back to sleep. I got a little snooze in during the Lady Mocs’ game on the radio (they beat Western Carolina 77-57.) The weather cleared off nicely this afternoon.
John seems to be doing better. He had to get out of the house, so he went to the drug store to replenish our supplies of tissues, cough syrup, cough drops, Mentholatum, etc. Sue’s had this stuff, too. I hope she’s better than we are.
I made some great chicken/barley/mushroom soup last night - wonderful medicine. And we finished it off tonight.
I can only hope tomorrow will be better.
Thursday, January 09, 2014
The cold (but not the weather)
I guess it’s a cold.
I don’t feel bad enough for
It to be the flu.
I’d hate to feel worse.
Nothing like chicken soup and
Tea and heating pad.
Wednesday, January 08, 2014
I hope not
Oh, dear. I'm got a raspy throat and some cough and my ears are feeling a bit stopped up. I'm officially worried. I hope this is all gone when I wake up in the morning.
Tuesday, January 07, 2014
Incredible ice
Bet you thought I was going to talk about the "polar vortex". But no....
I read this morning about the Harbin (China) Ice Festival. It's like a world's fair out of ice and snow, and just spectacular. This is the 30th year for this event, which I've heard about for the first time today. Guess I'm just slow. Oh, well. Here are a couple of pictures to whet your appetite. And click here to see more pictures.
Monday, January 06, 2014
Reminders
C-Span was in Chattanooga last month, filming here for a feature to be broadcast the weekend of 18-19 January 2014. It’ll be on all the C-Span networks - at various times during the weekend. And, of course, all the segments will be available on their web site.
Click here for an article about one of the local authors who will be interviewed during the segments.
I’ll be posting reminders about the programming as the time gets closer.
---------------------------------------------
The doctor’s office called this morning with the results of my echocardiogram. She said there is definitely some calcification on one of the valves in my heart, but it’s minimal. At this point, she’s just going to watch things and keep a check on it. Nothing to worry about so far.
Sunday, January 05, 2014
Miscellany
The UTC Lady Mocs were back at home for the first time since the end of November. Tonight, they opened Southern Conference play by beating Georgia Southern 69-60. This will be our life for the next two months.
---------------------------------------------------------------
This variation showed up on FB today:
Lord, give me Coffee to change the things I can change, and Wine to accept the things I can't.
Philosophy to live by.
---------------------------------------------------------------
It's all about the weather this weekend. They're backing off on the amount of snow predicted, but still talking about ice, a "flash freeze", and bitterly cold temperatures. Brrrrrrrrrr
Friday, January 03, 2014
The Weather
The weather is the big news around here. It’s certainly nothing compared to the awful weather that’s happening in the Middle West and New England areas of the country. But the high of 32F that we had today is certainly cold for this area. And the prediction of snow, black ice, and single digit temperatures (above zero) is way out of the ordinary around here. So we’ll just have to deal with that, hibernating, and knowing that it won’t last long.
John’s cousin has just moved to this area from up-state New York. I know he’s enjoying not having to shovel snow any more. But I’m sure he’s getting really big laughs out of the huge to-do going on on the local news broadcasts about the predicted cold weather and 1-3” of snow. He’ll eventually get over it and complain just like the rest of us.
----------------------------------------------
Followup: Remember my writing about the police chief in a neighboring county who resigned after the discovery his storage-unit love nest? Today he asked the city commission to rescind his retirement and give his job back. What chutzpah! The city manager politely declined.
Thursday, January 02, 2014
Wednesday, January 01, 2014
The Generic Meme
The Generic Meme (from Sunday Stealing)
1. What did you want to be when you were little?
I don’t remember anything specific.
2. Would you prefer to have a large group of friends, or a small group of friends? Why?
I think a small group of very good friends and a larger group of more casual friends. It’s just seems “friendlier” to me.
3. What is your fashion “style”? Or what type of clothes do you wear on a daily basis?
Oh, that IS funny! My “style” is sloppy, and I prefer to wear “soft clothes”.
4. If you could live anywhere where would you live?
I would live on water somewhere.
5. What is your biggest hope for the next year?
For all those I love to make it through the year without major difficulties.
6. When you pass by reflective surfaces do you check yourself out?
Nope.
7. Favorite genre of movie as well as TV show?
I used to love the movie musicals, but we don’t see enough movies nowadays for me to have a favorite genre. On TV, we tend to watch police procedurals.
8. Top favorite books? (limit of 5)
Monte Walsh (Jack Schafer), Harry Potter series, John Grisham stories. That’s all that come to mind right now.
9. Have you ever taken a cooking class?
No
10. What three words would you use to describe yourself?
Wife, mom, friend.
11. Favorite animal?
I like most of them, but I don’t want to have one permanently in my house.
12. What is your dream job?
Retired
13. If you could go back in history to any moment that you did not live, what would it be and why?
Some time when I would have the power to prevent a war or stop people from hating one another.
14. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Why?
See #13.
15. What is your favorite movie?
To Kill a Mockingbird.
16. What is your best childhood memory?
I don’t have a lot of childhood memories, and can’t think of anything I’d call my “favorite”.
17. What is your favorite part about blogging?
Communication.
18. What is your favorite quote?
Many lines from Jimmy Buffett songs.
19. What song do you feel like describes your life the best? Why?
I don’t know any current songs, and usually listen to orchestral or chamber music.
20. Would you describe yourself as shy or outgoing?
Somewhere in between.
1. What did you want to be when you were little?
I don’t remember anything specific.
2. Would you prefer to have a large group of friends, or a small group of friends? Why?
I think a small group of very good friends and a larger group of more casual friends. It’s just seems “friendlier” to me.
3. What is your fashion “style”? Or what type of clothes do you wear on a daily basis?
Oh, that IS funny! My “style” is sloppy, and I prefer to wear “soft clothes”.
4. If you could live anywhere where would you live?
I would live on water somewhere.
5. What is your biggest hope for the next year?
For all those I love to make it through the year without major difficulties.
6. When you pass by reflective surfaces do you check yourself out?
Nope.
7. Favorite genre of movie as well as TV show?
I used to love the movie musicals, but we don’t see enough movies nowadays for me to have a favorite genre. On TV, we tend to watch police procedurals.
8. Top favorite books? (limit of 5)
Monte Walsh (Jack Schafer), Harry Potter series, John Grisham stories. That’s all that come to mind right now.
9. Have you ever taken a cooking class?
No
10. What three words would you use to describe yourself?
Wife, mom, friend.
11. Favorite animal?
I like most of them, but I don’t want to have one permanently in my house.
12. What is your dream job?
Retired
13. If you could go back in history to any moment that you did not live, what would it be and why?
Some time when I would have the power to prevent a war or stop people from hating one another.
14. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Why?
See #13.
15. What is your favorite movie?
To Kill a Mockingbird.
16. What is your best childhood memory?
I don’t have a lot of childhood memories, and can’t think of anything I’d call my “favorite”.
17. What is your favorite part about blogging?
Communication.
18. What is your favorite quote?
Many lines from Jimmy Buffett songs.
19. What song do you feel like describes your life the best? Why?
I don’t know any current songs, and usually listen to orchestral or chamber music.
20. Would you describe yourself as shy or outgoing?
Somewhere in between.
2014
And so another year starts - at least on the western calendar. At least the winter solstice has passed and the days are lengthening again.
2013 has been tough in some ways with deaths of friends and family and medical issues. But there have been good things, too. Good times with family and friends, and good travels.
We can only hope this will be the beginning of a wonderful year.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Questions for a New Year's Eve Reflection
Stolen from Sunday Stealing
1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?
Travel and spending time with family and friends.
2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?
Dealing with the deaths of Ken and Allan.
3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?
Continued joy in experiencing our family and friends.
4. What was an unexpected obstacle?
The recurrence of John’s prostate cancer.
5. Pick three words to describe 2013.
Health, hope, Congressional ineffectiveness (sorry, I couldn’t get that in one word)
6. What were the best books you read this year?
My reading is still so “iffy”, but I did enjoy reading Orphan Train and John Grisham‘s Sycamore Row.
7. With whom were your most valuable relationships?
Family and friends - as always
8. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?
Loss of height and stamina, the weight gain that goes along with it.
9. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?
Just dealing with life at 77.
10. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?
I don’t know that I have a “spiritual” side.
11. In what way(s) did you grow physically?
Sideways
12. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?
I think Allan and I reconnected before his death.
13. What was the most enjoyable part of your work?
Being retired - it’s been the most enjoyable part of work for a long time.
14. What was the most challenging part of your work?
Doing any work at all.
15. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?
Probably computer games, although they do keep my mind working.
16. What was the best way you used your time this past year?
I could have done a lot better.
17. What was biggest thing you learned this past year?
Sometimes things really do just slow down.
18. Create a phrase or statement that describes 2013 for you. It always comes down to family and friends.
1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?
Travel and spending time with family and friends.
2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?
Dealing with the deaths of Ken and Allan.
3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?
Continued joy in experiencing our family and friends.
4. What was an unexpected obstacle?
The recurrence of John’s prostate cancer.
5. Pick three words to describe 2013.
Health, hope, Congressional ineffectiveness (sorry, I couldn’t get that in one word)
6. What were the best books you read this year?
My reading is still so “iffy”, but I did enjoy reading Orphan Train and John Grisham‘s Sycamore Row.
7. With whom were your most valuable relationships?
Family and friends - as always
8. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?
Loss of height and stamina, the weight gain that goes along with it.
9. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?
Just dealing with life at 77.
10. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?
I don’t know that I have a “spiritual” side.
11. In what way(s) did you grow physically?
Sideways
12. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?
I think Allan and I reconnected before his death.
13. What was the most enjoyable part of your work?
Being retired - it’s been the most enjoyable part of work for a long time.
14. What was the most challenging part of your work?
Doing any work at all.
15. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?
Probably computer games, although they do keep my mind working.
16. What was the best way you used your time this past year?
I could have done a lot better.
17. What was biggest thing you learned this past year?
Sometimes things really do just slow down.
18. Create a phrase or statement that describes 2013 for you. It always comes down to family and friends.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Chapter 2.
Yesterday at my physical, the doc told me that she had heard a slight heart murmur. She'd never mentioned that before, and said that probably it was just a slight calcification of one of the valves that was age related, that it was intermittent, etc. OK - just something to check.
But then I got a call this morning from the Heart Institute letting me know that I had an appointment next Tuesday for an echocardiogram. Guess she decided we needed to followup with that, just to be on the safe side. That works for me, too. Sighhhhhhhhhhh
I guess we’ll be checking back about this.
---------------------------------------------------
Somehow the manicure and pedicure later were anticlimactic.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Physical exam
I had my physical exam today - mostly good stuff.
All the lab work was good. My at-the-upper-limit-of-normal cholesterol was down 20 points after having taken red yeast rice for the last year.
On the other hand, I’ve now lost two inches of height - down to 5’5” now - and gained some weight. As I told John, I just got squashed down somewhat - shorter and rounder.
I also have a slight heart murmur - not mentioned before. She said it’s probably just some calcification of a heart valve that has increased enough to hear as the valve aged (just the valve, not me, of course). She didn’t seem concerned about it, so I guess I won’t be, either.
And now that’s out of the way for another year, and I’ll just continue to muddle along.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Christmas Day
It was a lovely day - beautiful sunshine, good food with family and friends. That's what Christmas should be about.
---------------------------------------------------------
John carving the turkey.
Dinner is ready.
Tina washing dishes.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Merry Christmas!
Sometime between 6 pm last night and 9 am this morning, my American Express card was hacked - to the tune of almost $14,000. AmEx was on the ball and had already caught it and notified us. And we had NOT shopped at Target. Merry Christmas to us.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
And a Merry Christmas to everyone.
Monday, December 23, 2013
Perseverance, patience, persistence
We kept playing, and finally got a few good cards at bridge today. It does make playing the game a lot more fun.
When we got home, we had a phone message from the American Cruise Line. The September 2014 Mississippi River trip we had tried to book a few weeks ago was full. I asked if they’d call us if there was a cancellation. The agent I talked to wasn’t particularly encouraging, but said he’d keep our names in the computer. Lo and behold! There had been a couple of cancellations. We even had a choice of two different cabins and price levels. And we are now booked on the river cruise of our choice in 2014.
So persistence paid off - short term and long term. Plus we’re finally getting some sunshine.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Unexciting
I don’t have much to write about at this time of year. We don’t really “celebrate” Christmas any more, so we’re sort of out of the general conversation right now. Also, we haven’t been doing much outside. We don’t shop and don’t like crowds, so we stay home.
Sorry to be so unexciting.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Stick to String
Today started out with a fasting blood draw for next week's physical exam. This was one of the best sticks I've ever had. I really didn't know she'd stuck me until I realized she was filling the tubes.
And the day ended with the sublime chamber music of Beethoven and Brahms at the String Theory concert at the Hunter Museum, followed by enchiladas and carnitas at our favorite Mexican restaurant.
It all made for a pretty good day.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Miscellaneous
CSpan is filming here in Chattanooga this week. We're going to be the featured city on Book TV (CSpan 2) and American History TV (CSpan 3) the weekend of 18-19 January 2014. I'll try to remind folks when the time gets closer. And, of course, these filmed city tours are available on their web site after airing.
----------------------------------------------------------
Remember a week or so ago when I wrote a piece about the police chief who had a love nest with his sweetie (not his wife) in a storage unit?
OK, in the Sunday edition of the Chattanooga Times Free Press, on the Letters to the Editor page, there is a column of “Rants”. These are short (25 words or less), unsigned letters. As expected, some are better than others. However, last Sunday, there was one that got a big belly laugh from us.
Nothing screams romance like a rental storage unit in Cleveland, Tenn.
Sunshine!
No bridge today - something was going on at the Civic Center where we play. I guess we’ll have to find out if they’re going to play next week or not. I have to admit we took nice naps instead of playing cards.
John “cooked” tonight - we had a great carry-out meal of hot & sour soup and orange peel beef from our favorite local Chinese restaurant.
And there was sunshine all day!
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