On the Downslope of July

Last Wednesday, I talked to one of the ladies that wrangles wigs and hats for people undergoing chemotherapy at one of our local cancer centers. We have two here in town.  This one is an adjunct of the hospital where I got my first medical transcription job, so I’m kind of partial to that center versus the one that’s attached to the university teaching hospital.

Anyway, I asked for the criteria they want in a chemo hat, and they said they want soft, colorful, with washing instructions attached, and in October.  They liked that I had mine in sandwich baggies.

When I got home, I thought about it and decided, what the heck.  I’ll do up some little labels with washing instructions to put in the baggie with them.  I wonder how many people will get the pun?  Anyway, I’ve identified various hat patterns by “style.”  We’ll see how it flies. I love the little interlocking heart motif.

I’ve got to take the fat(cat)boy to the vet and get his yearly immunizations.  As hot as it’s been lately, it’ll have to be right after they open in the morning.   Not today, though.  Maybe tomorrow.  Last night I went to knitting group and then shopped groceries for the month including a significant amount of canned goods and frozen food, schlepped everything from the trunk/boot of the car into the house and put them away. I think I need to rest up before I have to haul a cat carrier full of fat cat out to, into and out of a car and through the airlock doors of the vet’s office  — and back.

I had to get some toiletry items and at Walmart, those are on the other side of the store from where the groceries are.  As I was en route from the grocery section, I saw they had yarn on sale, as in 40% and 50% off.  Instead of buying ice cream and sweets, I bought yarn.  And still came out under budget.  Sometimes you win one.

Anyway, I’m going to try out my ideas for a ruffled hat and a hat with cables and seed stitch, but I have a deal with myself that I’ve got to finish the two toboggans and the pussyhat I’m working on now before I can start the new hats.  The ruffle hat is going to take two 16-inch needles of the same size, US4 (3.5 mm), I think, because I think that’s the size I’ll need for the yarn I want to use, which is DK weight.

Peter Capaldi is leaving Doctor Who, which means the Doctor will regenerate again. (“Regeneration” is the brilliant plot device whereby the actor who has played the role up to a certain point morphs into another actor who will subsequently play the role.)   The Doctor is supposed to be able to regenerate 12 times, but in the Christmas special of 2013, the 11th Doctor, Matt Smith, revealed he had already used up all his regenerations. Fortunately, at the end of that episode, he was granted another regenerative cycle by the Time Lords, and morphed into the 12 Doctor, Peter Capaldi.  Now Capaldi is leaving so he will “regenerate” into the 13th Doctor, and she will be played by Jodi Whittaker.  Yes, you got that right.  She.  There is a certain segment of Whovian geekdom who are now apoplectic and frothing at the mouth because Whittaker will get girl cooties all over Doctor Who.  They are the ones who somehow managed to avoid being strangled by the epidemic of knickers knottage which resulted from Michelle Gomez getting girl cooties all over the Master.   Of course, a certain other segment of Whovian geekdom is saying, “About damn time!”  Imagine that.  Girls will now be able to cosplay the Doctor without having to cross-dress to do it.  (Of course, some will anyway.)

So Far, So Good

Mom came and picked me up Wednesday morning and I got to the dentist with 5 whole minutes to spare.  He did me dirty, though, as his nitrous oxide machine was not working.  It’s not the pain; it’s the noise of the drill that just curls my toes.  Still I had my MP# player on so it wasn’t quite so bad.  As I noted, there was not much tooth left above the gum line, so he had to remove it piecemeal, but it went OK.  A headlock was not required.

My ice fingers were brilliant.  Three was just the right amount — a life hack to remember if you have rambunctious kids (keep a couple in the freezer at all times), or are anticipating a medical or dental procedure that require icing a body part:  Fill a snack size baggie half full of water and almost completely seal it, forcing as much air out as you can.  Then seal it completely and lay it on its side in the freezer and let it freeze.  Wrap it in a wash cloth to apply — not because it will leak, but to protect your skin. Once the ice has melted, just pop it back into the freezer to refreeze.  Another life hack to remember:  Icing a wound or injury is usually done 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off — which is about how often network TV programs break for commercial.  Apply the ice pack during a commercial break, take it off during the next commercial break, then put it back on at the next commercial break, etc.

I was supposed to take three 200 mg ibuprofen and one 325 mg acetaminophen every four hours for pain, and a hefty antibiotic every 6 hours.  Since I’m allergic to all the good stuff (opiates) that’s about all I can take anyway, and so far, that has done the trick.

Fortunately, I can eat oatmeal and soft foods, because the high-protein Boost doesn’t fill me up and popping that much ibuprofen and a dose of acetaminophen besides on nothing but liquid doesn’t work very well as liquids are rapidly absorbed by the stomach.

I noticed when I woke up this morning that the floor of my mouth under my tongue was puffy, but as far as actual pain, I have had very little so far (touch wood!).

He put a membrane over the bone graft and sewed that in to protect it.  The idea is that the bleeding into the socket will soak into the bone graft and the fibrin that helps form the blood clot will form a bridging matrix by which my own bone will grow out into the graft and incorporate it into new bone, which is the whole point of the exercise.

He wants to see me today at 11 a.m. and I need to go get ready.  More later.

Busier Than A Kicked-Over Anthill

Is how I would describe the pattern on this shirt I’m wearing.  It’s one of those fleece long-sleeved shirts I love, but it’s got this black and white “Fair Isle” style print that is so busy.  Never mind.  It’s warm, and so fuzzy-soft.

I’m up to the second right hand cross on the Hat from the Blue Lagoon, which matches the Cowl from the Blue Lagoon, which is what I’m calling them since the yarn is a mixture of flecks of dark blues and aquas and is called “Lagoon.” Hopefully I can get either it or the horseshoe buttoned cowl finished today.

I need to get up and start a load of clothes in the washing machine.  My laundry hamper runneth over.  My laundry hamper holds almost exactly enough clothes to do in one load in my washing machine.  Running the dryer will help heat up the house.  This utility room has a door between the house and garage, but then it has a second door between the utility room and the rest of the house.  I’ve been keeping the inner door closed and it’s been a kind of airlock for coming in and out of the house, not only for the sake of preventing heated air from escaping into the garage, but also for preventing the fat(cat)boy from escaping into the garage.  When I opened the inner door to get the clothes basket to empty my laundry hamper into, it was downright chilly in there.

I got my Android tablet today, but I haven’t even taken it out of the box yet.  It has been sitting in cold places for who knows how long and I thought I’d let it warm to room temperature before I start playing with it. I got a protective film for the screen and a case that has a Bluetooth keyboard in it. I’ll have to hunt where I’ve put my WiFi password so I can connect it to my WiFi without having to stand on my head to copy the password off the back of the WiFi modem. . . . Since it is Bluetooth compatible, I may look into getting some Bluetooth earphones for it.

I am not supposed to eat or drink after midnight tonight in preparation for my test tomorrow, although I can take that one pill that I have to take on an empty stomach. I think I know what test they’re going to do tomorrow, which is a barium swallow, but I’m not entirely sure of its relevance to my reflux (GERD) problem, since it is a test of the competency of your swallowing mechanism and how well it protects your windpipe.  That’s not the problem.  I know exactly what the problem is.  I had a confirmed diagnosis to that effect in 1990, and had a good, competent doctor who wanted to fix it at the same time he was having to take my gallbladder out, but the stupid health insurance company with their stupid rules wouldn’t pay for the second procedure.  Consequently, I couldn’t afford to have it done.  And because of that stupid insurance company, I’ve been on chronic medication for 25 years, with its attendant risks and side effects.  Now, when I have health care coverage and could get the problem fixed, can I get anybody to listen to me and take me seriously?  Of course not.

I phoned Overhead Door Company earlier today.  They can’t send a guy out until Wednesday, which is just fine as I’ll be out of pocket tomorrow likely for most of the day.  After the test tomorrow morning, I have to go get kitty litter, put gas in my car, and get the glass from Home Depot to cover the fireplace opening.  I probably need to go put my pipe wrench in the car and stop by mom’s and take her hoses off and put her little styrofoam dealies on her outside water spigots for her.

I think at some point Wednesday, me and my cordless drill and a couple of deck screws are going to be down in the middle of the floor doing some ‘splaning to my reader’s table about the height it’s supposed to stay at, a task I will gladly interrupt when the garage door opener guy comes.  I’ll need the reader’s table to behave now that I have the tablet.  Once I figure out how to use it to control the TV,  I’ll be able to search out YouTube videos to watch on the big TV instead of on my computer monitor, and I’ll be able to access other content over the internet. A lot of networks’ websites feature whole seasons of their shows that you can stream off the internet via your iPhone, tablet, or smart TV, as a side benefit of your cable TV subscription.  Now that I have a smart TV, and a tablet to work it, once I get it sorted, I’ll be able to settle down to some serious bingeing — binge watching and binge knitting.

 

 

 

Tuna, Twisted Cables and Tuesday

Well into the twisted cable neck warmer, which is wide enough to require 3 buttons.  I’m using an odd ball of the Premier Yarn Deborah Norville Serenity yarn.  I think they’ve discontinued this color, “Dark Forest” which I think is a mistake, and this is my last ball of it.  SIGH!  It was left over from the hat, cowl and scarf I made for my cousin-in-law SP in NM.  I think I will get it finished in time for the auction at mom’s sekret klub tomorrow, but if I don’t, I may keep it for myself.  Time will tell.  You can see why I got a whole big package of those little stitch markers.  I’ve put a marker at every place I have to do something different, i.e., in between each of the three twisted cables and the four in-between strips, and the two side borders — a total of 8 markers for just 26 stitches.  The markers are tactile as well as visual.  I can feel when I’m coming to one and know I need to pay attention because I’m about to need to do something different. The pattern is easy to memorize.  Twisted cables have a 4 row repeat — with three rows in between each crossing row. (The braided cables have an 8 row repeat since braided cables require a left cross alternating with a right cross.)

In the meantime, I’m multitasking:  Eating (I’m having tuna salad on crackers again this morning for brunch and it’s just nummers.), blogging, and knitting.  One of those times when two monitors comes in handy.  I have the blog up on the right-hand monitor and the knitting pattern and Winamp up on the left-hand one.

My mom’s coming over at about 1 o’clock to get the stuff for the auction, which means I’ll have to get up and go sweep the leaves off the porch here directly.  As mentioned, the wind likes to leave a nice pile of them on the front porch right in front of the door. I’ve been putting it off because I washed my hair this morning and it’s not completely dry yet.  You’d think with 54% humidity, it would dry faster, but I guess not. I packaged the neck warmers all up nicely for her with the paper band off the yarn (which has the care instructions), tucked inside a folded copy of the pattern, slipped in underneath the neatly folded and buttoned article, and all inside a 1/2-gallon plastic baggie. Very spiff and professional looking.

I posted a small stone on my River of Stones blog just now, and got two likes and picked up two followers within 20 minutes.  I may have to start writing more small stones.  Make that six likes.

When I went out to sweep the porch just now (“porch” needs a “u” in it, don’t you think?  Must do.  I keep trying to put one in. . .) the mail lady was by on her pointy rounds and thanked me again for the cowl and hat.  She didn’t want to wear it with her uniform as it would get messed up, but I told her wear it.  If it got messed up, I’d do her another.  After all, there’s nothing a knitter likes better than a good excuse to knit something . . .  although I’ve got a bit of a backlog at present:  A cowl to finish, and another cowl and hat to knit, followed by three large shawls.

When I get to the shawls, I’m going to have to take the cordless drill to my reader’s table.  I adjust it to the correct height, but then it slowly but surely succumbs to gravity.  I tried glue, and I tried mummifying it in clear packing tape.  No soap.  I can see now, I’m going to have to get the cordless drill out and put a couple of deck screws into that sucker. (Yes, I am a toolbelt diva.)  That will need to happen before I can settle down to multitasking in front of the TV — binge watching and knitting, with a lap robe and a kitty on the ottoman beside my feet.  (Fortunately, it’s a largish ottoman, because fat(cat)boy . . .)  Not to mention a carafe of hot tea.  Oh, and speaking of toolbelt divas, I bet I get a piece of glass cut to fit the opening of that durn fireplace.  The damper is firmly closed, but there is still this draft, which is caused, I think, by the metal damper getting cold, transferring that cold to the air next to it, which then, being cold, sinks down and rolls out the fireplace opening — rather like having the fireplace slowly exhaling cold air on you.  Having a ceiling fan in there to mix the air would help, but that’s not likely to happen any time soon since it would probably entail somebody getting up into the attic to wire it and putting in a wall switch.

I can see that the only way I am going to be able to access YouTube on the big TV is to get an android tablet.  I can get to YouTube through the Suddenlink TIVO setup, but I have no way to search for stuff.  I have a feeling the only way I’ll be able to search out those BBC history shows I love is to access YouTube directly through the TV’s WiFi setup, and to do that, I need either a smart phone or a tablet which has a keyboard feature. I’ve already got one picked out.  With cover.  And film screen protector.

How Many Geeks Does It Take . . .

. . .To set up a flat screen TV?  Three apparently.  (A short, dark overweight one; A Val Kilmer wannabe, and a diminutive Asian-American one.  It was pretty classic.)  Two to do the carrying in and the installation of the legs to the bottom of the TV, and the setting it up on the sideboard, and (the Asian-American) one to fiddle with his smart phone for upwards of 20 minutes trying to get the TV to set itself up, connect to my WiFi, and then talk to TiVo.  Seems it was being a bit recalcitrant and kittenish and didn’t want to talk to TiVo.  When the second geek drew his smart phone and lept (figuratively speaking) into the affray, the poor TV capitulated, connected itself meekly to my WiFi feed, downloaded updates (insert obligatory technology joke here) and began conversing amicably with TiVo, whose screen it displayed with stunning color and clarity.   We are very high-tech now, and I can download the app and control the TV from my smart phone or tablet, — if I had either, which I don’t.  Therefore, the (sniff) low-tech Suddenlink remote was duly programmed.

The honor of the Geek Squad having been duly upheld, the Three Geek Circus folded itself into tenths like an Arab*, uploaded themselves to their Geek Squad van and hied them to their next install, leaving me the lion’s share of the day to enjoy my new acquisition! The legs hold the edge of the TV just high enough off the sideboard for my TIVO box (dark grey on the right) to slip right underneath it, as well as my DVD player (silver on the left), with a space in between that is just wide enough for my digital clock.  There is great joy at the Wolery right now.  Mom has watched part of a Rangers baseball game, and I have been enjoying stuff I’ve recorded off TiVo.

The screen is BIG — 60 inches wide — I love it.  It’s like my private in-home theater.  The screen resolution is beautiful.  I have especially enjoyed watching the gorgeous scenery in the nature documentaries.  It has a special jack where I can plug in my cordless headphones, which I like as I can have crisp sound while keeping the volume turned way down — I guess I’m just so used to wearing headphones from 27 years worth of being a medical transcriptionist, but I do believe the sound quality is better through headphones.  Also, I can mute the TV, but still hear through the headphones so I can watch TV whenever without disturbing my duplex neighbor.

Shortly after I moved in, I had to get a cordless phone with five handsets because I need handsets in four rooms, but have to have the base unit sitting close to the TV because that’s where the cable is, thus a fifth.  The cable connects into a splitter that splits it into two:  One to connect to Tivo and one to connect to the phone modem which isolates the VOIP signal out of my cable feed for my phone service.  I have to put the base unit of the cordless phone next to the modem unless I want to string phone cord across the floor — which defeats the whole purpose of having a cordless phone in the first place  . . . Oh, and did I mention the fat(cat) has a tendency to chew cords?

Anyway, the TV is here and set up and watchable and all is happy campery chez nous in the TV department.

In the meantime, we’ve had some very concerning news from one of my cousins, EGG.  About seven years ago, her husband had a tussle with some kind of lymphoma — not sure what kind — and was apparently in remission until just recently.  After a bit of putzing about by their doctors, one finally ordered the right test, a CT scan, and found a 3.8 cm mass in the pelvic region.  For the nonmetric crowd, 3.8 cm is larger than a grape.  They are, as you might suspect, very concerned, especially in view of his history.  A core biopsy was ordered and performed, and we are awaiting results. This cousin is my dad’s younger brother’s girl.  As her father is deceased, she had asked my dad to give her away at her wedding.

In the amazing and gratifying events column is this. Several authors, including Neil Gaiman, somehow got wind of it and boosted their signal, and they got so many books, they had enough to share with other places.  So, Yay!

In the Wheel of the Year category, we’ve had a little cold snap (temps down into the 60’s/40’s F (15+/7+ C — We’re at the same latitude as Casablanca, Morocco, here.  It’s cold when you compare it to our usual temps!) and I’ve made my first pot of (Moroccan Mint, oddly enough) tea.  We’re supposed to be back up in the 80’s F (26+ C) by next week.  There’s been talk we’re in for a tough, cold winter, though.  I’m prepared.  I have gas heat now.

Today’s earworm is brought to you by the inimitable Elton John.  Buh-buh-buh-Bennie and the Jetssssssssss.

I started singing the chorus, and the fat(cat)boy went and hid.  It took me a minute to realize he thought I was hissing at him.  Poor little guy.  He was up on the footrest of my recliner a while ago, snuggled between my knees.  Like I said, we’ve had a little cold snap.

 

*Literary allusion. See last verse.

Hurry Wednesday!

One of the places I had to go Friday was the Department of Motor Vehicles to get the address changed on my driver’s license.  The DMV used to be way up at the north end of town, but they moved.  Now they’re way norther of where they were.  They’re practically next door to the airport– way the heck out past the loop in the inutterable boonies.   In retrospect, I should have hired a native guide and packed a lunch. . . .  What was I thinking going to a governmental agency without knitting?

I also had to make a stop at a local office supply place to get some bulldog clips (not to be confused with binder clips, which is a horse of a completely different color . . .).  The idea is to get two bulldog clips and screw one side of each to the inside of my under-sink cabinet door.  This gives me a way to hang my rubber gloves by the cuff so they hang open and air out inside.  (Binder clips won’t work, as there’s obviously no way to screw one side to the cabinet door.)  You have to predrill, then screw the screw in with a screwdriver which you pass through both holes on the clip.  It’s tricky, but perfect once you get them up.

Then I ended up at mom’s and we went to Best Buy and found a really good buy on a Vizio 60-inch flat screen.  For an extra $100, they deliver it and hook it up to your cable and internet and everything — yes, please! So I had the old TV picked up on Thursday.  The earliest the new one could have been delivered was Tuesday, but I’ve got stuff to do at the VA on Tuesday including a podiatry appointment I’ve waited two months for, and will be out of pocket most of the day.  The next earliest time is Wednesday, and I will be at home all day that day, trying to contain my excitement . . .

In the meantime, I’ve written a hat pattern that matches JT’s Cabled Man Cowl which was easier than I thought it would be, and turned out rather well, if I say so myself.  I’m calling it “JT’s Cabled Cap.” I’m still proofing the pattern, but I’ll put it up on my knitting blog when I’ve got the stitch count correct on the decrease. 

Watch This Space

Now that the house is pretty much sorted, the birthday party was a good time had by all, and things have settled down, I decided to address the problem of what to do with that honking great TV and armoire. I’d tried selling it on craigslist, and in the Thrifty Nickel and got no takers.  Mom suggested calling our local chapter of the American Council for the Blind, who had come and gotten dad’s recliner when she replaced it with a lift chair.  This morning I called the ACB, and they said the earliest they could come out was Tuesday, but I have two appointments at the VA and knitting group on that day.  The next opportunity was the 11th (groan).  I told her that I really, really wanted rid of these items, and she asked her boss if a special pickup could be arranged for either Thursday or Friday.  My schedule was such that I could plan to be home all day both days.  They said they’d call about 30 minutes ahead of time if they could come out.

Knowing, as I do, how the world works, I immediately launched into a cooking project, knowing that they’d call when I was right in the middle of it.  I had a pair of baking potatoes stashed in the fridge which were whispering “Bake me!” so I got them out, cleaned them, put foil down on the cookie sheet and greased them up with olive oil.  I had the oven heating nicely and got ready to bung them in.  The cookie sheet was too wide to fit in the oven.  I put it in the long way and attempted to close the oven door.  The cookie sheet was too long to fit in the oven.  In a panic, I got out the step stool and got down one of my glass baking dishes, lined it with the way too big sheet of foil I’d put on the cookie sheet, and in the oven they went.  (I shall have to get a shorter cookie sheet toot de sweet else I won’t be able to bake biscuits — Perish forbid!)

Then I got out my pasta pot and started a load of miniature elbow macaroni, which was once the height of fashion, with the intention of making some pasta salad with tuna.  I opened the cans of tuna and set them to draining.  Then I got the pasta cooked, the onion cut up, and put those together with the peas and chopped olives in the dish, and practically on cue, the phone rang.  It was the ACB guys.  They were 20 minutes out and would be at my house shortly.

Immediately, I backed my car out of the garage and parked it in the middle strip between the garages.  Then I started moving furniture to clear a path to the garage and began unhooking various electronic equipment. Then I corralled the fat(cat)boy.  I’d just got everything ready when they showed up.  They hauled the TV and then the armoire out to their truck in short order and I went back to my pasta salad, which lacked only the tuna and the mayo to be a done deal, and had a bowl for lunch.  (I’m enjoying a “loaded” baked potato as I type.)

Tomorrow, bright and early, I have some errands to run, then about lunchtime, I’m heading to my mom’s and we’re going TV shopping at Best Buy.  Watch this space:

Things and Stuff, Redux

I’ve been knitting, and writing knitting patterns, and pottering, and catching up on my TV watching.  I did manage to wash two loads of clothes as I was binge-watching NCIS. . . .  I’ve got a pair of headphones and a really long cable I can plug into my TV, which conveniently has a headphone jack right on the front, so I can watch TV late at night and hear the sound when there’s a fan running, or the washer or dryer are running, without having to set the TV volume on stun.

As we are heading into the heat of summer, I am shifting toward nights, when I can watch TV without the hot air pouring off its huge cathode ray tube causing the AC to run like a hamster in a wheel all day, resulting in an electricity bill that’s higher than giraffe’s ears.  Also the clothes dryer puts out a lot of heat, and the dead of night, when it’s coolest, is my time of choice to run the dryer as well.  Also if I need to work (and I need to if I want to pay my car insurance), during the night is when it’s quietest.  Thumper, the 4-year-old boy who lives upstairs, is asleep and I can hear myself think.

Tuesday, I started this pattern in some Red Heart Unforgettable Petunia yarn and it’s coming along nicely.  I’ve been knitting while watching TV and I keep paying more attention to the TV than I do to the knitting, messing up, and then having to rip out a bunch.  However, so far, so good.  I’ve decided it will have tassels at the corners, which are, as you can see, all ready to go.  It’s a pretty combination of colors, I think.  I like the colors available in the Unforgettable yarn.

I got that little bowl at Pier One and it’s just the right size for computer knitting.  I usually work out my knitting patterns while sitting at the computer.  I’ll have a Word document open so I can write down what I’m doing, but edit and change easily if I need to.  (That’s Tazo’s Irish Breakfast Tea in the glass, BTW, although it could easily be Harvey’s Bristol Cream.  I have a bottle stashed away . . . .)

I’m also using the same Unforgettable yarn in a different color (Tidal) to do the Diagonal Dance scarf.  It tends to be a little on the fuzzy side, though, and I always end up with some fuzz in my mouth for some reason.  I finally got around to putting all my bathmats back down (and folding and putting away my wooden drying rack).  Never mind the cold floors under bare feet, but particularly the half bath was too echo-y.

Haven’t gotten around to my vacation photos yet, but I’m finally getting around to putting up some photos I took April 6th of the prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) town in the vacant lot behind the VA clinic, and some wild flowers in the area.

This is not out on the outskirts of town.  (In fact, it’s about 3 minutes from where my mom lives.) There are built-up areas on all four sides of this large vacant lot.   And where you find prairie dogs, you often find these guys:

They are so well camouflaged that I didn’t even realize there was one out there until I got home and was processing the photos.  Athene cunicularia hypugaea — big name for a bird that’s smaller than the prairie dogs whose abandoned burrows it uses for its nesting sites — a great adaptation for a bird that makes its home on the treeless expanses of the Great Plains.  The burrowing owl is the “underground owl” from which this blog gets its name.   The “dogs” have a right little colony going.  I counted at least 10 burrows.

At 6 days into April, the grass was beginning to green up, and there were wild flowers blooming:

Huisache Daisy (Amblyolepis setigera)

Prairie Fleabane (Erigeron modestus)

Spiny Aster (Machaeranthera pinnatifida)

The wild flowers of the Great Plains are, like most of it’s wildlife, small and unobtrusive.  The blooms of the Prairie Fleabane are about the side of a nickel.  The Huisache Daisies are about the size of a 50-cent piece, and Spiny Asters are about the size of a quarter.

At the Top of the Week

My hand and arm are doing better, but I’m still having pain with certain movements.  I managed to get groceries last week, but I need to do wash and change my bed, and take out garbage.  It takes two hands to carry the plastic clothes basket, two hands to make the bed, and it takes two hands to wrestle the plastic bag out of my flip top stainless steel trash can, and maybe Tuesday.

When I bought groceries, I bought a six-pack of eggs.  When I was frying up a pair of them for breakfast, I happened to glance at the egg carton and noticed a grammar error.  Much like the northern US, we have bilingual products here, too, although usually the other language besides English is Spanish.  (Occasionally we do get English/French, depending on the product, and sometimes all three.) Anyway, the labeling on the egg carton proclaimed that I had Huevos Grande.  (Grade A Large Eggs)  Of course, it should be “Huevos Grandes.”  Alguien no estaba prestado atención.

Today is leap day, not one of my favorite red lettuce days since it only happens during a Presidential election year.  This whole election business gives me the pip.  I have studiously avoided watching TV for health reasons.  All the campaign ads jack up my blood pressure, and Donald Trump rubs my dander the wrong way, bigtime.  If I had my way, he’d win the Republican nomination, run against Hillary Clinton, and she’d beat the socks off him.  Just think.  Then we could have such fun working out what to call Bill (that could be said in front of the children, that is . . .) Would he be the First Gentleman? (There would, no doubt, be some rather brisk debate as to whether he qualifies as a gentleman at all, never mind a First one.)  But, as a former President himself, he would also be the first spouse of a President to have also been President (there’s a precedent for you).

At some point today, I have to go to the bank and pay my rent.  I also have to meet my BFF at Sears so she can get a cellphone. I also have to go over to my mom’s and find out what the deal is with the TV in her bedroom.  All she gets is snow.  There’s no telling.  The cable box she’s got back there is 2 years older than dirt.  It may have finally gone kaput.  Such is life.

 

Gleanings

A quirky little ditty courtesy of Soulemama.  I want to be her when I grow up. . .

And this which Explains A Lot about Star Trek, the phenomenal creation of one amazing man. . .