Thursday, January 31, 2013

Hind legs...


Have you ever wondered why some creatures do what they do? Why our pets, better said, our four-footed little loves, seem to understand instinctively when we are not feeling well or when we are sad? Mine too! That sixth sense thing seems inborn in them, but sadly not in all human beings; I’ll give us as mother’s it does seem most evident, but some others not emotionally involved, nope. Why then is this amazing ability given by some deity to just them, loving hairy/fury children and us female’s after delivering a child? When I had gotten home from a hospital visit back in April of 2009 having been on my first time doses of 1000 mg. of IV Steroids/Solu Medrol for an exacerbation of my MS and due to my inability to get out of bed while there, they installed a catheter too, which sadly gave me a tremendous bladder infection that was so severe I had to be put on high doses of Cipro 500MG. four times a day for gosh seven or ten days; I cannot remember right now but all I know is that I had a 102 temperature and my specimens showed such horrendous nasty stuff that both forms of fluids taken to determine such things were done twice to verify the findings! At that time we still had Casey, the cat, with our dear sweet Skipper, our loving Bichon and both knew something was up and took up the vigil of taking up either side of me on the bed while snuggling tucked in close to me, barely leaving my sides. Of course, Hubby did everything, as usual; since neither little loves felt the need to do such meager human tasks as fetch this or that; for they were the sentinels who maintained their patient’s care for warmth and loving need to be there for occasional stroking. Sadly, Casey, our beautiful long-haired orange Tabby died over two years ago from inoperable cancer and we cared for him like he for me, only wish that his outcome was the same as mine. Back to the title, lately our dear sweet Skipper has taken to standing quite often on his hind legs as if he is evolving, odd, hmm? We have always been dog and cat adoptive parents all during our over forty years of marriage and before that as children growing up, dogs were mostly what we had. Now, he’s not doing it to jump on people, he is doing it to see what we are doing, working on the kitchen counter, not always preparing food just writing a list, same on the kitchen table or just as I roll by he will stop and so will I and he stands up…As if he wants to tell me something I know it kills him that he can’t talk, but those eyes of his can say it all almost always; he speaks with them… Although, this new behavior is baffling me and his Dad, Hubby, could he be wondering why he cannot walk upright or why I do not? It was something that keeps reoccurring if it had happened only once or twice I wouldn’t have mentioned it… again I must grab the camera to show you what I mean…could he be the first sign…oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…Geez, I haven’t a clue that’s why I asked you? And yes, I will try to get a picture of that humanesque pose! On that bit of the ridiculous, but every word a truism, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask all of you to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear?! PS: US peeps do your taxes, now is good, harder for identity theft if done early; whew we did ours yesterday with everything else, online and for free as usual… we broke even, again.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Why does one want to expose themselves to public scrutiny?


Most don’t. But I have found some warm fuzzy feelings in reading about others who have had similar experiences as me. And tonight, as usual I will be sharing way too much or as we used to say 'TMI', but I digress… For the last two days I have been in numerical wars with different financial systems, got that? Not literally at war, with killing beings, oh no, not that, just trying hard to make sense of all the craziness of increased homeowner, Citizen’s Insurance, taxes and insurance as well as flood insurance via FEMA. Our homeowner’s was exonerated somewhat when a few months ago we had the house re-inspected and Hubby through my determination of insistence had the second inspector go out into the garage and see our hurricane straps from that area's rafters into our roof… You see, not only don’t we have a basement here, but that is generally rare here in Florida anyway, but we do not have an attic which we have had in our other two homes in Florida, and the first inspector insisted that we had no access to our attic, how odd, we told him we had no attic, but he refused to go into the garage where he could have seen the strappings there, metal attachments to theoretically prevent the roof from flying off in fierce winds! The new inspector listened and we were finally refunded a whopping $575 to our escrow, since our bank already paid the larger amount the month before… and for that new adjustment, instead of our monthly payments going up $112 a month they would now only be going up $74 a month, whew, how to bite the bullet, a figure of speech again, not really and not literal, okay? But wait there’s more…that was homeowner’s not including our flood insurance which of course is a separate entity and that we found was not readjusted with our homeowner’s its coverage being $11,800 more. One phone call to our insurance agent and voila and $68 a year saved… I know, BIG Deal, but every penny counts, and we should all be more diligent in watching where it all goes. Lastly is the last straw is a refinance no points, no down expenses what so ever its with the same bank, Bank of America, who we are with now and for years, nearly two percentage points lower, fixed rate, but a few months shorter payoff wise, too good to be true…NAH! HARP it is called, when your home is worth less than what you owe by a minimum of 80% and sadly ours met the criteria. This time though it is processed slower and so for three months we will have to pay the higher monthly amount, that is the $74 more not the $112 more… Our credit rating miraculously has been maintained in the excellent range in spite of all our near financial disasters over these last several years. Paying bills on time, not over spending has its rewards I suspect, no I knew that. Taxes are unshakable as we all know so I attacked these increases where I thought we might have some wiggle room and so far it looks as if it will work, within the next three months our payment will only be going up about three and half bucks a month, and so the seventy-four dollars will be nothing but a not so fond memory when all is said and done and that is with all the new increases too! Negotiations, wow what an exhilarating feeling, sure it ain’t millions but who cares, I helped us, Hubby and I to live a bit of a more manageable life, financially speaking… too bad we can’t tweak our medical insurances a bit, but they appear to be written in stone, at least mine does, United Healthcare PPO. Hubby did meet with someone offering a better deal, but when we did the pros and cons of the two policies, his won hands down, Universal Healthcare HMO. On that note of I do hope some noteworthy info got out there, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you to kindly count all your blessings and share your overages with you know who and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear?! PS Our loan officer David is wonderful, I would adopt him, but he’s already a grown man married with two children…darn! Always could use a spare, kidding!

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Down under?


I truly love all people and respect their ideas of who they are and why they believe what they do believe. But I don’t have to agree with what they believe in, do I? Today, well, really late this afternoon I was having a back and forth messaging with a Facebook friend in Australia, a woman, one of my first boyfriends, at the my age of fifteen, he was eighteen, was from there, Sydney, if I recall. He turned out to be a little off, odd, not right with this world, scary since he was in pharmaceutical school at the time. And I do believe that is his vocation today, and yep it is, I Google him with his unusual name it was an exact science. Where was I? Oh, the young woman who proclaims to be a woman of science, a nurse, recommended I try a metaphysical site to help myself with wellness. I suppose she does mean well and is still speaking to me while I write this. But I am definitely fearful of all charlatans and have been warned heartedly often by others who had the sad experience of being taken! Try this, try that, unfortunately we all know that common sense must prevail. And back to my experience with that fellow from Sydney, he met a wealthier than me gal, and he was a waiter at the Catskill hotel we were staying at and my father was a businessman who sent his wife and daughter to go there while he worked. This guy met a gal who was a brunette and chubby and he remade her into my image, blonde and svelte and married her! Yes, when I was introduced to her she told me. Apparently, her parents were much better off financially than mine. He also knew when Hubby and I were engaged and asked me out on a date and this was after he was married! Of course I did not go. Any-who, I friended a gal from New Zealand a couple of years ago who ended up calling me here in Florida, I thought that was nice at first, but she did it few times and it just got weird. Then she told me fantastical stories about herself and then I felt the need to unfriend her and so I did, and blocked her and whatever else it took to prevent her from speaking to me! Also way off, she had been hospitalized for her mental illness many times. Down under? Under where? A rock? I think as much as my boyfriend from Sydney looked like a Beatle and spoke like one too; who at fifteen could tell the difference between a British accent and an Ausie one, truly? I will always have a soft spot in my heart for all those who live down where the criminals were kept, but somehow knew a way to change it all into an area marvelous movie filming sites for Americans and all others to use! Nature, they know how to do it with style! Not to mention quite a few excellent singers and actors etc… and of course Ellen’s spouse Portia all from there! Even one of our country singing guys Keith Urban and his wife that everyone knows better as Nicole Kidman and lest us not forget, Russell Crowe, one of my all time favs Hugh Jackman...and many, many more...Olivia Newton John...! What a place! Saw Nikki, Kidman that is, when she was just dating a kid named Tom Cruise back over twenty years ago in Daytona at a bagel and yogurt shop; they were filming Days of Thunder there at the time! On that pleasant note, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear?! PS thanks to my old crush from elementary school messaging me while writing this too that he just went past my old house in Paramus and had memories of those days…he didn’t say bad or good…facetiously I gave him my other addresses to go past where I have lived since then… haven’t heard back from him since; he might have not realized how my sense of humor has graduated into a bit darker side over the many years? Or he could be doing what I asked and hasn’t had time yet to let me know? LOL!

Monday, January 28, 2013

A diet to try with a doctor's approval...


Oprah Winfrey must be so proud that her protégés are continuing in the genre of the entertainment/education venue all of this time that she began them in, years ago, for the offshoot of her production company. Only dear Nate’s didn’t work out on network TV, but Dr. Phil continues on. I have not had the inclination to watch Dr. Oz’s show previously, but his promo today was too much for me to resist. It was a promise to lose weight without having to exercise. A manageable amount, of a mere ten pounds a month, which is not too extreme to make you believe it could work. And the guru of this ‘diet’, which is really a DETOX, is a famous doctor, whom I never heard of, Alejandro Yunger, M.D. a cardiologist, who is quite well known, but not by me, for his literary contribution of the wonder-book entitled, ‘CLEAN’. Of course my ears perked up when I heard that no drugs were involved or exercise and that you could eat healthy and still manage to lose weight…a dream too good to be true? We all know that Dr. Oz has an excellent reputation and always wants the best for people to live happier and healthier lives. His daughter, Daphne, who is on the show, ‘The Chew’, is a perfect example of what her Dad lives by and what she apparently grew up on, since she consistently promotes healthy suggestions into the recipes of the other chefs designs. To be fair, her educational background is in nutrition and she too has authored a book on the topic; I do believe… and we do watch that! Below are my notes on what I did ascertain from the short segment with this fascinating Dr. Detox guest: Detox Program by Alejandro Junger M.D. cardiologist RE: Book ‘Clean’ On this afternoon, Dr. Oz Show 3P.M. on NBC on 1-28-13 Clean foods to eat 1. Green leafy vegetables, cruciferous vegetables 2. Cold water fish 3. Chicken, no hormones 4. All berries 5. Apple cider vinegar 6. Lemon water 7. Herbal teas 8. Unsweet coconut milk 9. Coconut oil 10. Protein powder Foods to be eliminated 1. No dairy including eggs 2. No gluten products 3. No processed sugar 4. No coffee, soda or alcohol 5. No beef or pork 6. No creamed vegetables 7. No peanuts Following this diet and you can lose up to 10 lbs a month without needing to exercise. I would definitely buy or borrow the book, Clean, to verify how to proceed with the recipes using the appropriate ingredients from above and how long you can do this diet and if under a doctor’s care to bring it into him/her as I will be doing at the end of this week; before beginning! Oddly enough, I had just called my new GP just this morning to ask if perhaps with all my meds we could figure out how to help me lose some weight when half of my medications have the side effect of causing my weight gain! Good luck to you if you dare to try it, but ask your physician first and I will too. On that idea for the masses to be better than we were before, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!?

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Lazy, hazy days...OF WINTER!


Today, I must admit that this bum without a paying job for years, bummed out artistically… well, not really artsy-like, I did do a load of wash and consequently drying, bedding. Any-who, I slept in late, till after eight, and whew that is way later than I like to, half the day appears, in my mind, to be wasted by then. That is an odd statement when I did not do that many accomplishments today! I was hopeful that perhaps we could find a happening to attend for the day, but after a careful search of newspapers included this time, we did not see anything momentous for us to decide to take day’s journey. So the plan was a decent breakfast, and relaxing day, hanging around the homestead, type of day. For some reason my mind seemed to wander way too easily, that is more than usual and although, I did remember to take all my medications by mouth my Copaxone shot was forgotten about that is until late this afternoon, nearly dinner time, really! So I Googled it to see if my mistakes of late, of taking my injection at all different times was a bad thing to do and nothing was that scolding of my actions or lack there of. It only said that it was preferable to maintain taking the shot at the same time daily…oops! Gosh, you would think after nearly three years that I would have known that one, hmm? I have been taking this shot thingy religiously, which personally I hate, but know that without it my MS would exacerbate severely and it has kept it at bay, since June of 2011. So dutifully I have been continuing. I seem these days to be too easily distracted. They say this occurs when we older adults are either depressed or have too much on our plates, which right now I don’t believe I have either. Sure, I have slowed way down physically, but I would like to think that most of the time, my mind, is not totally gone yet! This thing I do nightly is a wonderful exercise for one’s brain to be utilized I would think…I think? I used to say that when I was a gym rat that I would have many friends from all my extra curricular things I enjoyed, from groups, and organizations included and write too, etc. But these days my body ain’t what it used to be and to prevent that sadness for overwhelming me I do try to do what I know I can do, such as: ideas for crafts, recipes concepts, and here too and enjoy the one computer game that I do well at, on occasion, dominoes. Body, mind and soul are what most everyone tries to maintain…and that makes most of us human beings happy and healthy. Did you know that you do not have to go to a house of worship to believe and pray? Sure you did. My Dad who would have been 106 years young today, but passed away on May 11th 1986, Mother's Day that year, at the ripe old age, too young to me now, of 79. He thanked G-d every single night for his life and he was the most grateful man I knew who was never jealous by comparing his life to anyone else’s and never ever said a bad word about anyone and so it was not any question that he died with no regrets and yes, I was with him on his passing in the hospital after suffering a brainstem thrombosis that most would have been gone in twenty-four to forty-eight hours but he hung in there for five and half weeks remarkably to his medical teams surprise and for that he was written up in a medical journal. That was my Dad… beyond the usual he too lived a quite remarkable life… written about in my homage to him a few Father’s Days ago. He was as sharp as a tack too even with his stroke, we played sports trivia while he resided in his hospital bed. The stroke was odd that it affected his stomach and thus he needed a feeding tube, gastronomy tube I believe was the correct name, he even got to go to physical therapy while there he asked me to buy him sneakers and I did. I also maintained his handsome baldy head with cutting his remaining locks via permission from the hospital, big deal apparently. At that time I used to cut all four men in my life’s hair our sons and Hubby’s and of course dear ole Dad’s. Ah memories… I hope that I don’t lose too many. I took a short test online, so who knows how accurate it was that said I did have cognitive problems that could be attributed to the Multiple Sclerosis or heaven forbid Alzheimer’s early it indicated, my Mom’s sister had it…can’t think about that! If that doesn’t make one realize that writing a diary of any form anywhere should be done, video is wonderful for your kids to have when you are long gone…maudlin, no realistic… we all will die eventually. My betimes stories from my Dad were his memories…and that is priceless. On that note of love never ending, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you to kindly count all you blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!? Good night Dad!

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Today we went out and chose unwisely.


Sometimes you hit it right with the events in one’s area and sometimes it’s a BIG MISS! Today, I will not mention where we went, since it would be considered not appropriate to be so harsh with a local function and others may have enjoyed themselves; all a matter of perspective. Every weekend I find my self checking the local venues to see what’s up and two out of three that I usually check had nothing going on today and so we went to the third that wrote on their events calendar that they did. To say what we went to see took merely a half an hour would be right on target. I was at first upset with myself once again, since when we initially pulled into their parking lot I thought, oh no, I forgot my camera once again! And Hubby was not willing to go home to get it and in the long run it proved to be just as well. I will have to start to leave that old thing, in the car in our garage! (Not Hubby, the camera, but you knew that, lol) Not all fun things can be fun for everyone. Although, it was refreshing to know, but a bit like we were gypped too, to find out when we arrived home that Charlotte Harbor had their Chili Challenge and Blues and Beer Festival today too and we missed that, it was not on our usual radar, darn. A Facebook friend posted from there with his girlfriend that they were having a great time! Now that would have been a lovely hit for us too, not a miss! So much can go on here that unless you are aware upfront you become like us, out of the loop, oh poo! Well, there is always next year… It more than likely was on the news somewhere or in the paper or I looked just now to see if anyone posted it on Facebook prior today and nope I couldn’t find it. I do know that Charlotte County has a site too, perhaps it was on there? Oh, this is silly and after the fact. I found a card that was on my refrigerator with a list of upcoming events, but all it has for there today, is ‘5th Annual Hands Across the Harbor’, at 6:45 A.M. … I wonder why no mention of the rest all at Bayshore Live Oak Park, never mind. You know that expression that I have used way too much, about beating a dead horse, oops I am doing it again! Dotty, and not proud of it. Moving on… We did have a nice drive to our beachfront park, and it was bustling to our surprise, apparently due to a bocce tournament, since many were gathered around that area with chairs and umbrellas to deflect the lovely sun. Although, the air was just marvelous in the mid- seventies with low humidity! People were even in the pool there, must be all of those northerners, none of us Florida transplants would go in now, way too cold for us. We would have gotten out to watch, even though we do not play, just for the curiosity to see. It appeared that all ages seemed to be enjoying the games, but there were no handicapped parking spots available and so we left for home. This was all after our disappointment of our initial destination. We had had lunch out the first time in quite some time. Yes, we are cutting back on that joyous outing due to the expense; but today lunch for two, would you believe was only $10.49, and I had soup and salad and Hubby had ziti both with our own waters. Update: I did hear back the other day from that nice lady Elaine with that assistance program and she told me there was one more possibility to try and she emailed the info and I will be getting on it next week, you see I did the preliminary questionnaire online and it said that I might meet their criteria, but that was Friday. On that odd note of weirdness day, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you to kindly count all your blessings and share all those overages with you know who and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear?!

Friday, January 25, 2013

Who likes Facebook anymore?


The days have moved on and on and what I am noticing is that not so many are posting on Facebook as previously. Could it be just me? I mean that has noticed? [Since I scaled way down, a while ago due to being told to keep it clean and A-political, don’t talk about this or that, thus my link to my blog was posted evermore, where I don’t refrain from any of that or not...] Is it because now that we think that we know each other a bit more we are not pulling any punches with our comments on the postings? Or could it be that some find a few of them just tedious, like, dare I say mine…but non-controversial with family or friends just outing my own self not them these days so much anyway as before, yep, I did do it before, but now I don’t talk to anyone due to talking about them all before made them no longer talk to me…Uh oh…oh well, such is life? We have been warned not to post too much personal stuff and many are not anymore, but some continue to. My eldest thinks that Facebook is a waste of time; did I say that out loud? Too late…And he asked me not to post anything about him from the get go, including pictures and that is the son that loves me and talks to me and so I respect his wishes, and please this is just between us, okay, oops, guess this might be what he meant! Slow on the uptake, I suppose… Sometimes, I feel like the mother of the Smother Brothers, To read more about the Smothers Brothers, copy and paste this site: http://smothersbrothers.com/smobro_bios/sb_bio_.html but they would fight over who their Mom liked best of the two of them and mine don’t. I just know which one likes me best, since I am his only Mom, bud dump bum. But to be fair I am also the only other one’s too! I just noticed that my Facebook page had another post for me to look at, you know the ones they are if you agree repost on your site or if you want my sales to go through the roof repost and the like, well, I have been doing my own little survey and as I have seen many times before many may like the concept by hitting the like button, but few are willing to share it with others… fear of controversy or taking a stand or leaning too much in one direction or showing that they have guts or just lazy or unsure if they will have ramifications… Boy, do I know that ‘ramifications’ one. Forwards, a little old fashioned concept called emails; you must remember them, hmm? You think something is funny, cute or politically correct and so you forward to your pals and boy, there is always one who thinks that you have lost your mind or you’re way off center of the middle or some such ridiculous other thing that makes them block all your next emails and tell the rest of the family/friends that you are nuts! Yep, those innocent, harmless little thingies called 'forwards'. Just like some of those shared postings on Facebook, volatile! I have come to the conclusion that writing this baloney of trite verbiage for myself nightly and no one but me, myself and I is the best entertainment that I have found online i.e. for me that is, you find yours and I have already found mine, see, I’m easy. Back to last night’s ‘Leap of Faith’, well to be fair, I do understand, although I know many read it, no one committed to continue it and yes, I do understand, but fear of WHAT? You could post anonymously. Breath, okay so you don’t want to play the game and I have not joined in any of yours either on FACEBOOK! Is that why? Kidding, I am fine with all of your decisions and I will eventually accept your decisions to not interact with me…your loss…sadly…LOL! Maybe it wasn’t my best work and you thought I made some typos, but nah it was me creating a new language before your very eyes…and now no one will ever know where I thought I was going with it. Although, I just might add to it myself, na, na, na, na ,na after I edit it some more, and we all know what I write needs it quite a bit and often and daily and oh so what! Alright already, allow me with that sad format way of begging for friends, noted…to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you to kindly to count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear?!

Thursday, January 24, 2013

My Giant Leap of Faith...


[I am about to try to post a story, started by me, to begin as a tale to be added to by all of you, and that is exactly what I want from you your expertise of your own vivid imaginations with all your creativity that you can muster up to expel, shall we begin? Here goes nothing, or I really do hope, something really big and great with all of yours help! My leap of faith in all of you, please don’t let me down…Notice the comments area below on this page that is where you can add in your next prose to this allegory unfinished…. The first lines are prophetic to my own needs from you.] Help me, help me, oh pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeee help me! My days are numbered. My life is not one that you would want… I am being held against my will…are you there? Oh please be there. No one knows what is going on; to the outside world all looks ‘normal’ with my lithe body of a ballet dancer and flaxen hair and eyes that I have been told that are the color of the sea on a calm day, a bluish green. I am nearing thirty years on this plane being not that far from when all my future hopes shall be lost forever more. But believe me when I say that I am here not due to my own desires, but to take care of his… I am a slave to his wants and his needs… Do this, do that is all I ever hear. I have scars that are deep, within my soul, thankfully none visible from my outer shell, but torturing me way down inside, I think you may understand, at least I would like to think so. And to think that less than a year ago how much simpler my life had been… I was a success in my life doing what I loved to do. It was not that exciting or wealth making, but I loved doing it just the same. What it did do for me was make me feel useful, be it capable and it all clarified my thinking to be my best, since I was helping others to be their best too. All in all I was someone that had others respect and caring concern to succeed; I was an elementary school teacher, of the fifth grade, ten and eleven year olds, where I could make a real difference. A wonderful responsibility that I undertook with enthusiasm and wide-eyed optimism, fresh out of college seven and a half years ago with a desire to change the world for the better, one child at a time. Little did I know what was coming my way in a vivid horrid change to my existence beyond my own and any others’ thinking within two months after of my anniversary of the sixth year of my teachings? To my memory, which is rather cloudy now on how this all began, but if I recall it was on a weekend that I was riding my bike to do some errands in the village. Oh, I forgot to mention where I was at the time, since now I have no idea where I am at this time… anyway… Where I was, it is called the Village of Camera alongside the sea of Glamora, quite picturesque, thus its name, albeit both letters ‘a’, at their ends is held long in their pronunciation, a lovely area not far, about twenty miles southeast from one of our largest cities in the uniony, called Tempera in the land of Calamari, which is on another waterway called the Sea of Noreturn. Any-who, but as I was saying, my life was rather mundane in the sense that all was common place. I would do my job weekly, molding young minds to know what was true and right with our world and to care for one another, etc. what all of us teachers were trained to do at the University of Tempera. When I had been nearly halfway through my weekend chores, stopping and dropping off my dry cleaning, getting my coffee at the “Daily Grinder’, where they also have wonderful baguettes to eat there or to take along after or when you have finished devouring their delish egg with cheese and ham on a muffin, the best; and I recommend it highly if you ever visit there. Newspapers are also quite abundant there too from all over our world, and yes, even from the ancient cities too of Lotus and Hayworth; gosh, they have worse politics than even Tempera! But as we all know, such is life. The more things we think change; they actually do stay the same. Oh, who am I? Allow me to introduce myself, I am, Yu Andme, a family name, let me assure you, not one of my choosing. If I had my druthers I would have chosen something more literary like Colera Espinosa or Oracle Clancy; I don’t suppose you recall their fame, as characters which is in the most famous of all time books of Carry Ousted’s, ‘The Family of the Tenth Power’? Ah, such is the memories of my times more of my likings of all is well and fine. Back to my last memories of my days as a ‘normal Cameraian’…I was riding my bike when all went black…and by the time I awoke I was here, which is nowhere. Am I dead or alive? Please tell me which. What is this hellon that I am existing in, just barely? [Now, remember, I am counting on all or any of you.]

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

I would like to think that...


We try hard to be green; that is in the sense of water conservation with having two rain barrels, a compost container, a veggie garden, recycling, not driving unnecessarily therefore not wasting gas and by using canvas reusable sacks for the grocery shopping things like that. Some are lined specifically for keeping items cold or warm with their insulation, and others are thin but capable of carrying our groceries that are not needing refrigeration, freezing or heating. And when you go to the stores here in Florida you are somewhat spoiled with people paid to pack your purchases up into them. Sadly, at first, being from New Jersey, where we not only had to pack our own groceries, but oddly enough were not allowed to pump our own gas, the reverse of here… any-who it is a given that those who are paid to do something should know how to do it, that is logical reasoning, correct? Well, not to be mean, because we have both tried for years to explain to the ones who didn’t seem to have the hang of which bags were for what and yet they would still get it wrong and we would go home, only less than two miles away and think… it is what it is. Thankfully, our food would not spoil in that mini distance trip. Sure it was great to have that perk of someone else filling up your satchel for you with a smile, no less, and no tipping is allowed. Silly me when we first arrived in the state in 1986 I tried and it is not allowed I was told exuberantly! But frustrating to have them not use the correct ones for hot or cold or room temperature products and so we grinned and bared it, until today. Today, when Hubby who went to pick up our missed and on sale items, I had stayed home, but on his return I did/do help to unpack them and put them away. He kept saying that one man no matter what he said to him kept putting things in the wrong bags, like he put paper goods in with our gallon of milk in our large insulated zippered bag and cold items in a thin un-insulated canvas one, as well as our steamed shrimp. And on and on as we unpacked together it seemed ridiculous that we bothered with any different ones for their purposes and additional expense too…! So today, I decided to ask anonymously if there were any training into bags different uses and if it was part of the baggers course. I did not ask to speak to management only a customer service rep and a young fellow named, Greg, and he said yes. And I said that we have been customers for many years and it seems that either the baggers forget what they were taught or might need a refresher course; trying hard not to be difficult. Then I went on to explain what had been happening and of course as all good customer service reps are expected to do, he apologized, but of course I wanted more, and waited the usual awkward silence beats and he was quite forthcoming without my need to interject anymore. He said from what I said that they indeed might all need a refresher course and he would take care of it personally! Who knows what will come of my call, but at least now they are aware of the problem and perhaps someone, very likely this Greg will do something positive about it… one can only hope… that’s me trying to change the world one incident of my annoyance at a time… On that note of a not too sour one, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear?!

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Creepy, morally wrong and just down right horrid!


Imagine you lived in a place where ‘neighbors’ all had binoculars to stare into your back yard. And you could see them using them; what would you do? Now pretend that they are people you have known for some time and you did not have any idea why they would be so invasive in creating a fear of your privacy being completely compromised; what would you do? After polite confrontation, perhaps they would deny that it happened and then… You would probably make a fortress of your home that would be my next answer. With that said, could their over indulgence in nosiness make you feel safer or paranoiac? Safe in the respect that they were checking to make sure that you were okay. Or just too prying with too much interest in your life and perhaps they have not that much going on in theirs? All this is just speculation and supposition and only possibilities when you live in close quarters in a tight neighborhood, with closely situated homes, with people from all countries and all curiosity levels, of course, hmm? Suppose that you too have binoculars to use and you too form an opinion that you should counter their attack with your own nosiness; does that seem like a just retaliation? Tit for tat, we used to call that in life’s getting even movement; nonviolent, but rational behavior of some adults, hmm? If I were to say that these fictional people now switched it up to photography of you in your no longer private home’s yard, what would you do with that? Add in a telescoping lens to see inside your home as well, now what? Do you too buy the same equipment to deal with their inappropriate display of taking away all that you hold near and dear? And when is this a police issue? Or would you believe that enough is enough and take out your automatic weapon and shoot them to get back some peace of mind in your odd mind? OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooo... You have just been in the twilight zone of presumption; a short drive into your psyche of what ifs… My point is that without any weapons it can be a very calm discussion of why and if nothing works with no other alternatives you either live with the issue/problem or you talk to the perpetrators and ask them nicely to stop or you make your own home more private with fencing and or plantings…or a last resort is to hope that they move or if nothing helps, you do…and that is what civilized people do! In other words, always be kind and rewind if you need the time to change your mind to one of refined. Some nights I just want to start another fictional story, perhaps a book and write that here and ask each of you to add to it and continue on and on, indefinitely, with all our imaginations just taking off…how swell would that be? But with me not receiving any feedback of late I could probably start something, but I have no idea if you would be there to continue what I started…, hmm? The concept would be unique in the respect that we all have vivid imaginations, most artsy people do and we could really share it all with the world, since this is read in ten countries in ten languages weekly! Oh well, something to think about, hmm? On that idea of my imagination; I hear Dr. King and John Lennon both saying what they were known for, a dream with all our imaginings in tact…not so different. Tonight’s experiment was a short feeler to see if anyone besides me wants to create a new writing concept online in a blog and so with that out there for all to think about, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and to ask you kindly to count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who, and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear?!

Monday, January 21, 2013

King! (Revisited) Again.


Two years ago I wrote this paying homage to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a king amongst men and women... And I thought perhaps you would all like to read it again or for your first time... Monday, January 17, 2011 King! In a world where our surnames are determined by our heritage or in the case of us old fashioned women by our spouse’s family names; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a man whose family had no idea that he would grow into his with such a worldwide dynamic of what the name stood for and that he would become a ‘King’ among men in the sense of his leadership, and bring to our family of men and women a legacy that any of us folks could be proud of from whence we came. And so today we honor that man of our history who brought about a unification of all races to know that we as a unit of beings will be better at working and accepting one another and freedom should ring true for all. A blessed person loved by all except for the one lunatic who cut him down way too soon in his prime of life. Thankfully our children and grandchildren have been taught to continue Martin Luther King Jr.’s bequest of liberty for everyone no matter what the color of their skin. I do believe that we have made quite a bit of progress on this forefront but have a ways to go, you see, we still hate too much here in this country and until that stops completely his words will not be fulfilled! And so I beg of all Americans and all people of the world to listen closely to what this man’s words were, you can copy and paste this site: http://www.mlkonline.net/quotes.html for he knew what we all should do and felt we had the capacity to accomplish it all…and now more than ever we need to try harder! Thank you Mr. King we all have much to thank you for! His actual birthday was Saturday the fifteenth when he would have been eighty two years old. I hope that you enjoyed that as much as I did writing it two years ago around this time. On that note of understanding about what a true hero was allow me to be the first to wish you all a very happy good night and ask you kindly to count all your blessings and to share those overages with you know who and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear? And I do believe we all should have a dream! PS Congrats to our president on this his second inauguration today on this year’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s celebratory, Remembrance Day! PSS Some additional sites to copy and paste for the kid’s to see and hear you too, enjoy: http://www.todaysthv.com/news/govt_politics/244165/125/Verbatim-of-President-Obamas-Inaugural-Speech http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Idea story boards, reminders... and the like.


In advertising and writing, on occasion, one might write an outline or post items on a story board to try to make some ideas gel. Albeit, mostly done B.C., meaning prior to, ‘BEFORE COMPUTERS’. I can remember when I did a short stint in promotion that is how the commercial concepts were begun and even for the one music video I had the pleasure to work on. The commercials I was asked to help cast, Old Milwaukee beer, was my most notable, a national one, filmed on the beach in Daytona using a ‘60’s battered Volkswagen bus. I and the cinematographer spent the evening perusing local bars trying to find that unique realism in the clientele’s faces that the California film company asked for. In the end we found quite a few, and it had been my job to question the prospects as he filmed. We rushed to get the clips to their hotel and we got there just in time. I also recall they did want some professionals, which I chose from our models list of pictures, it’s been too long, so I cannot recall the correct name for those cards that had their poses of them on them... Any-who, they requested a couple and on such short notice all I could come up with was, a short interesting faced African American man and a beauty statuesque woman, also an African American. I was hopeful that they would use them both, since their experience was quite vast and oddly enough I thought they made a very nice couple. They contacted them by phone and they were both available and they thanked me, saying it was a wonderful look, just what they had thought of and those two became the stars of the shoot. (In those days shoot meant, filming! This was over twenty-years ago.) On others like local commercials for the tourist bureau I was the make-up gal to the models. Nice memories of that and the music video filmed on what appeared to be an island with dunes, in Daytona, that had been scouted by the cinematographer for this certain Columbian singer, who I don’t know to this day whatever happened after. All I remember was that our boat was used to get to the destination with the people and equipment… so long ago. I did that clap board thingy and was basically a gofer on that one, but still it was fun, Hubby was the boat captain. Later on, much later on I started writing my novellas, and although I did not use story boards or outlines since all those stories appeared to magically come out of me…10,000 words a day! It was as if I were possessed. Sadly, I never did get them published, although, I did have an offer from an obscure publishing house in the mid-west called, Gardenia. I stupidly investigated them after I was invited, all expenses paid to go up there and meet with the owner of the publishing house at that time, she loved my writing and stories and did want to publish them. I contacted one of those professionals who told me not to do it and said they were not on the up and up and so I basically, stupidly did not do it. Why stupidly? Because they were on the up and up and this person just did not realize that, she was untrusting that I was that good and found a publisher that fast. I told her what the other person said, which was probably what black balled me from the field… since I did try other major publishing houses. And so I gave up. That was nearly sixteen years ago and my discs are on floppies and my floppy part of this computer does not work for the last few years and even that publisher was helping to edit them as was one of my local friends who is too ill now. She had moved and came back very, very ill. Professional editors want dollars on the pages too expensive for my pocketbook then and now. Plus they are all rather dated with current events from that period. It would be a major mess to revamp the whole five books even if I could gain access. I know, I appear to be talking myself out of it…bad me. I did write a few by-lines for the local newspaper over the years since then and wrote radio commercials for our business up north before… and this blog keeps me feeling, gosh like I can do something besides contemplating my navel… On that note of some hope or not much, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you to kindly count all your blessings and share all those overages with you know who and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear?!

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Cobblestones, free draining and ramping...


Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce Sullivan Street Craft Fair- Sullivan Street continues tomorrow as well as the Home Town Expo at the Charlotte Harbor Event Center “Charlotte County Home Town Expo Jan 19, 2013 (Sat) 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Jan 20, 2013 (Sun) 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Hibiscus Hall ABC The Port Charlotte HOME TOWN EXPO is “Going to the Dogs” January 19th & 20th at Charlotte Harbor Event Center Come see the nation’s top K9 Athletes perform at Charlotte County’s Home Town Expo. K9s In Flight is a Frisbee dog show that has been amazing audiences around the world for the past 15 years. The K9s In Flight show times are: 11AM, 1PM and 3PM both Saturday and Sunday. Admission to the Expo is FREE. While the dogs may be the stars of the show, they certainly are not the only reason to attend. Expo Marketing has been producing Florida Home Shows for more than 20 years. The brand new Home Town Expo builds on the home show concept adding something for every member of the family Joining the Home & Garden Show in Punta Gorda is a Sports & Recreation Show and a Local Lifestyles event. The very latest in sports, fitness and all kinds of fun will be in the Sports & Recreation show. Talk with local experts about how to improve at your favorite sport, or how to develop a great personal fitness plan. In the Local Lifestyles show you will find a mix of anything that makes you smile. Restaurants, Fashion, Entertainment, Travel and Pet Care will all be part of Local Lifestyles. The Home Town Expo runs from 10:00AM to 4:00PM both Saturday and Sunday. Admission to the show and parking is Free. One person who attends the Charlotte County Home Town Expo and registers for our drawing will win an Apple iPad mini.” All that info thanks to their web site. The Sullivan Street Craft Fair also an event that happens regularly, but this year it appeared to be brimming with either more streets included or more vendors, either way it is an experience that should not be missed! Sadly, once again I did not remember my camera. But anyone in the area should go over and see it all with their own eyes anyway. The long and short of it all is that with our wonderful not too hot or too cold weather both venues are several hours worth of free entertainment! Oh my title referred to the terrain of the cobblestones that are beautiful to look at all along Sullivan Street, but harsh on ones chariot’s vibrations while seated within and even with ones coachman’s hands creating tremblings from the rocky road sensations beneath the wheeled carriage’s carriage, got that? The free draining is submitting to the runoff drains alongside the cobbles that were smooth and wide enough to utilize when not cluttered with folks or vendors. And last mentioned of my title was the, ‘ramping’, which now according to the semi-ramp connoisseur, Hubby, was manageable and not too slanted into the event's center and thus my titles meanings defined. On that report of some note I hope that you have so much going on where you live too to enjoy, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you to kindly count all your blessings and share all those overages with you know who and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ay hear?!

Friday, January 18, 2013

Enemies...?


Can we ever be our own enemy? First let’s define the word, ‘enemy’. An enemy is an opponent, adversary, foe, or rival. Logically to be one’s own enemy would be considered counter-productive, since in the long run one who has too many enemies must feel that they are the only one who they can count on in the end, hmm? Sabotage is not a good thing. What is the true meaning of sabotage: to damage, disrupt, interfere with, harm, incapacitate, or impair. Then why would a person with this knowledge of its ramifications of its affects do it? Can one do these things without malice of forethought? What is the meaning of malice: hatred, spite, malevolence, meanness, nastiness, cruelty, wickedness, and mischievousness. And while I am at it, what is the meaning of forethought: consideration, foresight, prudence, planning, anticipation, or precaution. Now that I think I have found out what I am talking about by explaining it to myself what each of my concepts means individually… let us know what the true meaning of individuality is: independently, alone, on your own, by yourself, separately, in isolation, in person, personally, one by one, on a case by case basis, on its own merits. Okay, concept is such a vague term, perhaps we should clarify that too, concept: idea, notion, thought, perception, impression, conception, theory, model, hypothesis, view, or belief. Where was I? Oh that’s right could one sabotage oneself and become ones own enemy with malice of forethought with only using an individual concept of being not trusting of anyone else? Ta DA! I would think so! What would you do? How does one regain trust of others and themselves? Hard to answer, and if anyone can tell me, please do. I have not heard back from the woman who was going to help me with the co-pay on the surgeries. Hubby’s not happy pushing me in the wheelchair, since I am too difficult to push up the ramps at Fishville being so fat and him with a bad back and I talk too much to others when we go out, which makes him feel like an inanimate object and I feel wonderful to be out and about meeting people so I do talk quite a bit. (This just in: the event center ramps are not too bad to push me up.) The fat I tried hard to do something about, but I cannot seem to have anyone want to help me, even a doctor said there is nothing that can be done with all the medications that I am on… but with too many surgeries that I need I cannot even do simple exercises without causing more problems than not with my hands and shoulders. Getting overheated causes exacerbation of the MS… and as far as my incessant talking goes…I do have a problem, but even when home, Hubby barely talks and so I look forward to going out, which now I do believe may be curtailed due to what I just mentioned. And so I am very, very sad. And yes, I have no friends that wish to visit here. I have scared people away and no one seems to want to come over here just to sit and talk. It is times like these that I wonder if there is anyway to rewind my life and all my mistakes that got me to this point. Guess not. That is called a reality check. A late update for that free clinic that I was told they would call back in November to see if I would be able to help out in their new facility they never did. I do believe it may be because I did not respond to my invitation in October to their ribbon cutting of their new facility and the incident with their physician, the one I called a modern day Marcus Welby M.D.(he also volunteers at the free clinic) and the bill at the health department that was way higher then ever before $130 of his! Any-who, those people are much wealthier than I too and kept sending requests to me to buy bricks for their new building starting at $150 to $500 and as we all know that was not in my ability to pay and so I did not belong with those people anyway. I suppose they are from the old school where just the wealthy should volunteer not the regular people who just want to give time and would give money, but don’t have that much to spare so they just thought they could help by being there... oh well… I am in no condition now anyway, see some things happen for a reason. Like not having any grandchildren that I so wanted, now with these ouch arms, how would I hug them? See, for the best. I couldn’t run after them or play even board games with them…reaching and moving arms, hands… yep pain, for the best. My old fallen away friend from the Arthritis Foundation who had all that Rheumatoid Arthritis used to tell me once her bones twisted or were replaced the pain was initially gone, she had nearly thirty joint replacements, having it for over fifty years and a few times for each of her major joints like hips and knees, that bionic woman, my amazing bossy little friend. I could no longer help her, see for the best. Other people I knew were also amazing through organizations and relatives too...many are too far away and some are just alienated … what a mess! If only rewinding was possible… if only…but it is not. On that pity itty non-party of this gal… and shut-in at times with cabin fever! But Hubby just said yes to go to events at the center so YEAH! I’ll be there, and I hope to see you too! But please forgive my incessant talking, you see it is the only part that doesn't hurt and still works sort of... On that wacko night’s dissertation, allow me to be the first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you kindly to count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear?!

Thursday, January 17, 2013

The Fix Is In...


The only possibility for this being as it is, has gotta be due to severe jealously from the rest of those citizens’ groups in the north and the west, yeah that’s what it is, it’s gotta be the only explanation. You would expect it from Chicago or Vegas, they have that rep and maybe even LA or NYC, but not those guys in the far up west in that Silicon Valley four-eyes nerds or even way up in Gates land, nah, or Mormon country, no, they wouldn’t… Any-who, this is more of a job for those places that try to get you to come visit here and there and everywhere, those tourist bureaus or that holier than thou, Chamber of Commerce’s. Or could it be or is it just possible it’s all those meteorologists that think they have all that power to actually control the sun and the shine, and the hot and the cold and the wet and the dry, must I go on…? You all get my drift…true? This is bigger than all of us, but… our ‘GREAT WEATHER’ is about to hit a bump in the road…with cooler and cooler temps, more similar to what the pros call our "norms"… fifties at night and seventies during the day, degrees folks cooler degrees. I am honest and that is the only reason I felt all of you should know. What are we if not ‘ONLY TRUTHFUL’ with the world stage, hmm? We could lie and say that it is warm, but that is perception to you cold clients, yes, we are warmer than you, a given, as always… I do have to allow for more facts to spill into view, it’s only fair. Sure we have been basking in the beach weather for weeks and weeks in this our country’s winter, but alas it has happened many times before, since that is our history or I give you our MO, here in this the SUNSHINE STATE! Too bad if you don’t like hearing it, but it is OUR TRUTH! One of many, and yes, we have water and beaches and pools and parasailing and fishing and surfing and waterskiing and you name the water sport, we got it, but that’s NOT BRAGGING it’s just very true. And no water sports too like golf and tennis… We also have entertainment, besides the best amusement parks in the world, we have live theater and museums and antique shops and outdoor farmer’s markets etc. etc. etc… It’s NOT BRAGGING if it’s true and it all is! And so a bit of a wobble in the degrees numeric thingy does not lessen all we do have and so why I thought that there would be any conspiracy is beyond myself way of thinking… And so with that utter ridiculousness, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you to kindly to count all your blessings and share all those overages with you know who and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear?! Where? One might ask, why FLORIDA of course!

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Project complete!


Decorative projects are just as important as useful ones for your soul to know some order, as in the case of physical enhancements, (Get your minds out of the gutter or not!) decorative wise, beauty is center for eye appeal, that is not to say order is not beautiful, because we all love symmetry in anything and that pertains to order. Below or out front is the completed project called by the nick name, ‘let it slide!’ Kidding, it was not a secret, or hush, hush…Oddly enough all the other kitchen cabinets were purchased with rolling drawers back in 2004 when we had gutted and replaced our kitchen due to the hurricane by the name of Charley. Why we waited so long is beyond me, really. Accessibility is easier for me to most all of the items now, except the two top shelves. Hubby felt putting pull outs there would not be helpful to me anyway so why do it and so he did not. If you noticed the bottom right cubby too has no slide-out either due to the Lazy Susan being in that one. PS I do have many more spices which have their own drawer alongside of the stove; the ones on the Lazy Susan in the adjacent pantry are the ones too tall for the drawer.
In this pantry we keep a few can goods and including a couple purchased in case of a hurricane like Campbell’s comfort chicken noodle, and a Chef Boyardee canned lasagna and some other not too good for you ordinarily not kept there or anywhere due to too high sodium products. But we have three types of oil Canola and Extra Virgin Olive Oil and of course spray Pam (you see, that our Misto, filled with olive oil, kept on our counter with our cruet of red wine vinegar does not work coverage-wise in the pan as well as we had hoped), four types of vinegars: apple cider, red wine, balsamic and sherry. Assorted pastas and sauces as well as baking needs and canned fish: everything from tuna, sardines, minced clams for soups and pasta, on occasion smoked oysters and canned salmon too. Diced and stewed tomatoes and dried beans and peas for more soup concoctions the no sodium bullions, beef and chicken, fits in with my shorty spices, so that’s where they are, other canned items are fruits of pineapples and such, fresh appear on my counter in a bowl appropriated for that. Assorted crackers and cereals as well as two appliances to not grace my counter space, my mini slow cooker and my larger of my two food processors, I also have a mini. The wine and additional beverages, such as my low sodium V8 or my additional club soda that has won my desire to quench me over water these days/week/months (usually with lemon from our tree or lime, sadly from a bottle, our Key lime tree is bare), usually grace the top tier of the left side. As you can see I can turn a topic on a dime which to many is quite sublime, but to me it is better than my whine… and yours too I am more than sure…HA! On that note which I do hope is not a half note, allow me to be the first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you to share all your overages with you know who and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear?! An update: a woman from the last night organization I had mentioned called back today and said she had one more idea but it did not sound too good to ask the doctor’s office, with helping me with my co-pays for surgery… oh well, I waited this long I suppose I can wait a while longer or two and half years when I will be on Medicare if it’s still there.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

More insurance problems...


Yesterday, my orthopedic hand surgeon was ready to do my hand surgery for my right hand basilar joint arthritis as he had done for my left one, eleven and a half years ago, but on this right side I also have an ulnar nerve impingement that needed to also be repaired as well. Actually, both problems have been with me for all these years… The reason, which I have mentioned before that I didn’t have my right taken care of is because the total process takes about four months before you have full use again and I am right handed. Oddly enough at the time I was putting together a golf tournament for the Arthritis Foundation and my elbow problem was called, golfer’s elbow, but I don’t golf, only used to go to miniature golf and once as a moony-eyed preteen and I caddied for an older guy of fourteen, a crush, at a hotel that I was staying at with my parents in the Catskills. Any-who, the concept of me having golfer’s elbow was silly to me, but that electrode test proved it; it affects your ring finger and pinky from your elbow down. I was given a shot and brace and I went to occupational therapy I think. When my left hand had been through a few braces and definite occupational therapy at a function for AF I sat next to a doctor who told me looking at my brace that my problem that had been with me for a year and half at that time could be fixed in surgery in about a half an hour! WOW! And so I found my doc who specialized in orthopedic hand surgery and he just so happened to also be Johns Hopkins trained, Dr’ Stephen Helgemo. http://www.floridahandcenter.com/about He scheduled me but said that my right was just as bad as my left and once the procedure was explained to me I said that I would wait on my right and at the same time he said he could take care of right ulnar nerve issue at the same time… that was way back in August of 2001. You see at the time the surgery wasn’t that long,a half an hour, but the recuperative time was. First you got a piano brace for ten days after the surgery while the incisions healed and then the stitches were removed, and after that you were put into a cast for another six weeks and once the cast came off you were given occupational therapy for another six weeks! They have been doing this surgery for fifty years the same way…since it works, although, yesterday the doctor said that the cast is now only for three weeks and the OT is for only a month! Five weeks less which means a lot when your stronger appendage will be out of commission, but now they use this thingamajig called a cold system that goes under your brace and cast to help with the pain and hooks up to some type of machine that you need to be on for 24/7, for a month and insurance would not pay the $85 fee, as well as receiving heavy duty pain meds. For all this eventual, ability to be able to use my scooter button without crossing over to use my left hand, causing me many more spasms… the price with my crappy insurance turns out to be nearly four thousand dollars out of pocket including for doctor, surgery, equipment, anesthesiologist, OT etc. with my two thousand dollar deductible and my now 30%mine/70% theirs, split for everything else! We walked out of the doctor’s office with anger over my idiotic insurance situation. Apparently, when the New Year arrived they not only raised our premiums from $376 month to $432 a month they also took our 20% ours/80% theirs with their generous to them increase! And so today I Googled once again other co-pay surgery relief organizations, most were for life and death situations as I was very happy to see, but for me and my itsy bitsy frivolous problem, to me, not really folks. They were few and far between, although, I have one that took all my information and said they would get back to me within three business days: http://www.copays.org/ We still have a few other possibilities, but they all have to do with non-interest paying off of the total amount and we are still paying off Hubby’s oral surgery and his million dollar smile, but actual cost was much less, but worth every penny. On that note of being in insurance limbo on taking care of one of my many surgical issues I still have to have, and each I would be responsible for that 30%, let’s not forget that (note to self), allow me to be the first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask all of you to count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear?! PS tonight I was late due to technical difficulties with our server, not for any other reason.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Rough day...


Sadly, my day has been one with little purpose or resolve and so for that reason and that reason alone I will have to call tonight’s blog a washout due to thoughts way too scattered. Thanks for your cooperation and understanding, hope fully I will make up for it tomorrow… Good night.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Purpose...


Does one ever do anything not on purpose? Sure we are all guilty of making mistakes, by accident, and so no guilt should be involved, sounds convoluted to me too, not just to you? HA! But this ‘purpose’, as a reason, point, idea, principle, rationale, function, use, intention, intent, aim, object, objective, goal, target, end drive, determination……..whew, have to catch my breath, okay, now I can go on…resolution, resolve, persistence, perseverance, single-mindedness, tenacity is my real reason to go on by doing something, anything to fulfill that purpose, TA DA! As we all know that I have way too much time on my hands. So it’s fine that I try not to waste time with those appendages by them being idle. Although, most know that the devil has, on occasion, made a stop in my brain with my devious ways of thinking … but I used to be so nice! I even won an award for volunteer of the year, but that was twelve years ago… with a national organization. Life has taken a turn downward for me, and at first I was not that anxious about it since I had my buds around who would be available for keeping me distracted, but somehow when you diminish in abilities and become a burden not a help to others as you once were, some don’t know how to react and so they jump ship and go on without you! Or that is how I saw it. So many of my friendly-friends that needed me to help them and I would, have magically disappeared since I cannot be there for them in that capacity any longer. At least, in many cases, it does seem that way to me, which has caused me to, on certain days, weeks, or months use my option to vent my feelings about all that… and one of these so-called friends even accused me of having a chip on my shoulder, well some days I do, as they do too! Thank heaven for Hubby and number one son, because at times if it weren’t for them I would consider Skipper to be my only true friend. Over these last few years, I have been cautious with allowing people to get too close to me; not that they have sincerely tried. You see, once they know the true issues that I have to deal with they run away anyway, or so it does seem. And to think for over forty years on and off I worked as a volunteer with all ages and all ills. And no, I did not do it for any rewards in my future, I did it because I could and I wanted too! Moving on… Enough of that cry baby baloney… that’s not why you are here, is it? Why are you here? Don’t say anything, since I can’t hear you anyway, let me just bask in the warmth of that idea that you are. I love the fact that I seem to be getting back my many more followings and the more than ten countries a week reading this drivel that does give a gal a moment to pause and reflect with a thought of Geez, maybe I am not that boring after all, hmm? I sure hope not. How about that weather, oh I meant here in the US of A, we appear to be having an upside down thingy going on in the north and western parts of the country with cold where it should be hot and vice versa… but here in paradise AKA Florida, we are just a wee bit warmer than we have been in HISTORY! Yes, I did check it is January, not March, when these high eighties might be showing their Fahrenheit numbers to cause the rest of the country to be green with envy! No, even these balmy degrees are NOT our norm either and we have been breaking all records too. But our usual would be around mid-seventies with lows at night in the fifties, when we have been sixties at night and eighties during the day! So a ten numeric differential, and that is what makes us BEAUTIFUL! Being a ten has its rewards… more tourists, more traffic, more crowded restaurants, more crowded beaches, oh no! I just heard a cold front is coming through like tomorrow, so never mind…HA! On that last bit of lunacy note…scary, love to end on a high note…, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and kindly count all your blessings and share all of your overages with you know who and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear?!

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Lunch and a show...

Exciting times around here today that is when we make the effort to leave the compound and venture out into the real extraordinary world that we call paradise… Besides all the beaches for shelling and the waters for boating, fishing and swimming we have a bit of culture too… As in our annual Art Show at Fisherman’s Village in River City AKA Punta Gorda. After spending forty-five minutes driving in circles to find a handicapped space we had arrived, in more ways than one…the place was mobbed! And again I have provided a pictorial; of the experience there as for you to feel that you were too… Below is our favorite restaurant, you can eat in or outside, being it was in the eighties we chose indoors in air-conditioning. When we have Skipper with us we will eat outside, with the harbor view.
Below are what we saw, many were different ideas in three dimensions, others were different concepts of older concepts.
This young man and his brother have interesting mediums to create their pleasing to the eye unique art wall-hangings. They use sand from Siesta Key, with shells and cement produce amazingly beautiful pieces to decorate any home. A process that was begun by their parents, and their grandmother was the sand plaques painter, a family business in the truest sense of that meaning. Their site is: www.islandsandsculptures.com, to peruse or order from their lovely inventory.
Last but not least I saved the best for last that is in my weird way of thinking… now PETA don’t get angry with me, but in my opinion this family puts our outrageous over abundance of infamous pets let loose in the Everglades to a very practical use, using their pelts/skins for good! On that note of hopefully some interesting note, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear?!

Friday, January 11, 2013

I told you so...


So many times in life we all say things in sequence that should ring true to all others who dare to listen. For example: a few years ago I was telling everyone that they should get a yearly flu shot… as I had finally talked Hubby into getting it using wifely blackmail, like I love you and it would kill me to watch you get so sick and die, and things like: if you’re dead who will take care of me? The guilt route, he being a Catholic and me being a Jew, it was not unlike how we were raised by our loving parents. These are the jokes folks… bud, dump, bum. Well, making a short story shorter he finally gave in, due to him knowing how much we actually needed each other to be our best, which at our ages is to do whatever you gotta do whenever ya gotta do it and grin and bear it! TA DA! So it’s been a few years now that we do the drill early on in the fall, for us this year it was October, and whew to that! As you all know the news nightly has been just dreadful with the violent outbreaks of flu throughout the whole country, including horrid deaths of young and old. Sure the flu shot is not an absolute… why just the other night, while I myself was recuperating from my normal daily ills, not the flu related, a man was interviewed on the news from the hospital ER stating that he was just diagnosed with the flu when he had gotten a flu shot and pneumonia shot too, but they forgot to say how long ago he got them, there is a two week window before it kicks in, as we all have been informed. My recommendations to all of you is go get one if you haven’t already, the worst of the flu season is coming up, next month, and as you all know, so far, it has been just absolutely awful! If anyone was wondering what kept me from all of you last night I will fill you in as succinctly as I can…my shoulder blades were in absolute awful pain which caused it nearly impossible to lift my hands without creating screaming ouches from the arms area causing me unable to move here with my walker, which until we have some magic wand find installers to transform our home into a handicap wheelchair accessible one I cannot get around as well as I would like to and when I over-do at any time my body yells back (we found out that the wheelchair has found a home in the car to be used while out in wide open spaces and to prevent what I seem to have occurring more often these days)… and so when I finally was able to think a bit clearly I thought perhaps it was my cervical stenosis was doing this and so I had to have Hubby put my cervical collar on and I asked him to get moist heat, interpretation wet wash cloth in a Ziploc sandwich bag, 30 seconds in the microwave then covered with a hand towel and applied between you shoulder blades. And Ta DA, both worked within hours of reapplying 20 minutes on and off. Hubby fed me in the recliner with a lap tray, as he often does when this happens, what a guy. Consequently, I went to bed early. It still could be the Multiple Sclerosis causing this too, as neuro doc seems to think, but either way our systematic way to handle it appears to work. PS the Dragon speech thing made more mistakes than me and so I gave up on it a while back, and that means that any and all current mistakes can only be blamed on moi. Well, I seem to be getting that wave of a warning from my shoulders again and so allow me to be the first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear?! PS Skipper went in for his long overdue beauty treatment Here are his before and after.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Facebook


My question to all of you is why did you join this social media iconic network called, ‘Facebook’? To me it was to connect with new and different people from the entire world in all walks of life and to reconnect with not seen in a long time, family and friends, school chums etc. initially. Many I do know feel it is a very beneficial business tool, marketing themselves tool, selling their wares tool etc. and in that same vein a get me a job tool… I bet though that even in some cases, I am pretty sure, it has become a very helpful ‘getting to know you’ tool for finding a new romantic interest? Whatever the reasoning to try it out, it appears that many who have been posting pictures of family, friends and new arrivals, announcements of joy and sorrow have all found that it is still meeting their own personal niche of needs sufficed. And many of us enjoy seeing these strangers’ extended families, although we have no idea who they are. It is inclusion that seems to make us all one GREAT BIG FAMILY here in Facebook-land. Sadly, though, as with young teens and older college kids you should never ever post anything that you wouldn’t want your parents to see, really! We know how well that warning has been working… bud dump bum. And not to mention the bullying aspects of its way to soon in your face communication of intimidation it has been known to create with meanies utilizing it for bad, at times brutal behavior. Again if you wouldn’t say or do it in person don’t do on there. Better yet, JUST DON’T DO IT ANYWHERE! The only part that has caused me to squirm a bit in my viewing seat is when religious zealots feel that everyone feels as they do and frequently post extremely ‘religious’ posts about only their faith and feeling that all should believe as they do. Sadly, due to my own feelings of uncomforting fear of them not realizing that many people have many faiths and that when one is promoted above all others it is not appropriate and not understanding to respect others’ beliefs rights too. Does that make sense? I don’t try to sell mine I just state what I was raised as. And many feel in their promoting that we should all believe in what they do, you see that’s where I draw the line and I unfriend them for that. Now don’t all of you start doing that to get rid of me, ya hear? That was a joke, and I hope that you do get my point. I am not saying that they shouldn’t believe in what they believe in it’s just that they shouldn't tell others that they should? Is that clear? Oh well… Moving on… Heat, heat, heat we have heat, heat, heat and more coming, YES! We broke our record high today with a reading of 88 degrees and also all other records ever for this date in history, January 9th even for Florida. It appears that we will be having over a week more of the hots; get your minds out of the gutter, weather, that is in the eighties. On that note to wrap your brain around, our paradise with balmy weather, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you to kindly count all your blessings and share all those overages with you know who and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear?!

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

FINALLY!


Being a consumer can be hard some times, but I don’t have to tell any of you that for you are consumers too! Trying to return items, get the ones advertised at the advertised price, etc., you all know the drill. Well, the same is true for medical needs. And I feel that after careful tedious persevering banging my head against the wall with stubborn resolve have finally gotten my medications all sorted out into a manageable, financially doable availabilities to meet my current needs, for now. I felt the need to apologize to the Shared Solution lady, Carla, who told me to call The Assistance Fund and when I called yesterday they no longer had any funding left for Multiple Sclerosis co-pay help and so they told me I must have the wrong number and gave me another number to call Medication Assist and they too had nothing available. So I contacted the other ones I listed here last night and crossed out the two that said they had nothing to offer. Well, just because I didn’t want Carla to tell anyone else to call The Assistance Fund and not get anywhere I thought I should let her know what happened and so today I called her. She was quite insistent that they do have funds for exactly my needs, a person with insurance but with high co-pays and she said let me get them on my other line for you, and she did. Apparently, new funding came in late last night/evening and I had no idea, when they told me they had no funding I really thought that was it, but it wasn’t! And I was interviewed on the phone and met their criteria and so now I will be receiving my Copaxone without any interruption and without ANY CO-PAY for an entire year! I spent quite a bit of the day contacting the other doctors too for all my other prescriptions and whew, I do believe it is all going to somehow work out… at least I hope so. Who knew being ill was a fulltime job? Manage care, now I get it… You get insurance and then you have to manage your care! Any-who, I miss the good ole days when insurance really did cover everything and we had no work to do on our own behalf, and I can recall that our two sons with Blue Cross and Blue Shield while working and living in good ole NJ, out of pocket cost only $2 for the one and $6 for the other, for the phone and TV use, births/ deliveries were included in the hospitals with fulltime nurses on staff, way back when…1972 and 1976, those were the true carefree days…what happened to that? Gosh, memories are more vivid when you have comparisons, has anyone else realized that? Now I know why my parents knew what truly was what. On that note of finding some wisdom somewhere, anywhere, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear?!

Monday, January 7, 2013

Organizational skills...


Yesterday, I was discussing organizing a pantry and this afternoon I was talking to organizations to help with my fiercely expensive co-pay for my Copaxone. You see, it’s like this the total is $850 including the $500 deductible which leaves the $350 for the three month’s supply. With all my other laundry lists of meds it seems to be frustrating to think that it is not including my $432 a month insurance premium, which is extra? Today I got all self pitying and said to Hubby that it would be cheaper for me to die, since even though it’s not accepted as part of my religion, as a Jew, although, I act more agnostic and I am sure that makes it okay with them, I want to be cremated. And that would only be one charge of perhaps the premium and the deductible and the co-pay for a month? And that does appear to be more cost effective as I see it, but it’s only an idea and a last resort to keep expenses down. KIDDING! I know not very funny, but unfortunately true… money wise. Stupid me I had to have insurance, trying to be a big shot or a normal big girl, well I got half that right! Bud dump bum... Don’t worry, after I saw the new gastro doc and was told they got it all set up for my Nexium and it was very difficult for them to do. I beg to differ I had to give them my info so they could take the first three months out of my account. He, the doc said it was not easy, and I said that they told me it would be fine. He is a go as I need to now. Anyway, we came home to have lunch and then I called the number the Shared Solutions lady told me to call today to check on my Copaxone being taken care of with a co-pay assistance program and it was the wrong organization number, but they said it happens often and gave me the other number and they, when called said they do not help people with high co-pays only the uninsured, Methinks I was better off being without…huh? They were kind enough to tell me of other organizations to contact for high co-pays assistance, which are below for any of you who may see the need and I also heard from NORD, National Organization for Rare Disorders, they were the first to help fund my Copaxone two and half years ago. I had emailed them, since they only have a D.C. and CT number not any 800 numbers, although I forget that my ancient cell phone has four thousand or more roll over minutes and it is good all over the US of A! Managed RX Phone: 800-799-8765 www.managedrxplans.com Patient Assistance Foundation Phone: 866-552-6729 www.cancercarecopay.org The Health Well Foundation Phone: 1-800-675-8416 www.healthwellfoundation.org NORD www.rarediseases.org/programs/medication National Organization for Rare Disorders 55 Kenosia Avenue Danbury, CT 06810 CT Phone: (203) 744-0100 Toll Free: (800) 999-6673 (voicemail only) CT Fax: (203) 798-2291 TDD: (203) 797-9590 NORD Washington Office 1779 Massachusetts Avenue Suite 500 Washington, DC 20036 DC Phone: (202) 588-5700 DC Fax: (202) 588-5701 NORD's Patient Assistance Programs: These below organizations are all thanks to a woman that responded immediately to me after sending my email. Christine Savino Information Specialist Medical Meeting Coordinator Networking Coordinator http://www.rarediseases.org/patients-and-families/patient-assistance http://www.rarediseases.org/rare-disease-information/resources-tools/resources-tools Drugs Assistance Organizations Free/Discounted Prescription Medication http://www.makoa.org/freemedicine.htm Medicare Pharmaceutical Drug Assistance program www.Medicare.gov 1-800-MEDICARE or 800-633-42273 MedSaverCard http://www.medsavercard.com/ 1-888-299-5383 National Drug Card (NDC) http://www.nationaldrugcard.com/ndc788 Toll Free 1-888-229-9042 Needy Meds Website: http://www.needymeds.com/, Phone #: 215-625-9609 Partnership for Prescription Assistance https://www.pparx.org, 1-888-4ppa-now (1-888-477-2669) Patient Services, Inc. (PSI) https://www.patientservicesinc.org/, 1-800-366-7741, uneedpsi@uneedpsi.org RX Assist - Patient Assistance Program Center http://www.rxassist.org, Email: info@rxassist.org RxHelp4U http://www.rxhelp4u.com/, 866-960-9497, Email: info@rxhelp4u.com RxFreeCard 2020 Fieldstone Parkway, Suite 900-245, Franklin, TN 37069, Phone: 800-213-7632, Email: sue@rxfreecard.com, http://www.rxfreecard.com/ State Drug Card http://statedrugcard.com/ I hope this helps someone, since I will back on the horn/phone again tomorrow with still trying to get my Copaxone co-pay settled. Meanwhile, Hubby for the heck of it looked it up under his Medicare, i.e. my Copaxone and Universal insurance just for the heck of it, since all his meds are covered for himself and the most his co-pay has been is $6… well Copaxone under his wonderful insurance MY COPAXONE WOULD BE $1325 co-pay a month! He looked in his book to check… that is ridiculous! Guess if I don’t get this Multiple Sclerosis medication that has warded off my exacerbations since June of 2011, I guess I will have to wean myself into nothingness…cold turkey and let the MRI’s lesions fall where they may…oh poo, sorry, there I go again… But seriously folks I hope that someone will have some luck and with ease of process… each time I try it’s like giving birth with heavy labor. And that’s what my spasms lately have been like, labor pains, even with all my anti-spasmodics, Baclofen and Gabapentin, crazy, perhaps I should reconsider my first cost effective option…KIDDING AGAIN! Any-who, we just got a phone call from number one son, and it was nice. On that happy gleeful note allow me to be the first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask all of you to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear?!

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Our day in PICS

Stop one was due to needing ink for our printer.
Stop two was two fold looking for to make our pantry put to better use with organization and for weed- b-gone below. No luck on the organizers and so we moved on in our search.
This is one of the three places we did get access to proper parking.
Stop three in our search…
Eureka my lazy Susan was found and at 20% discount, as always there
Stop four, famished and another two choices for ten bucks.
Dinning, in pleasant comfort.
Our journey takes us here as many journeys do, but alas none to be found here either for our organizational wants; only other necessities, hair products to maintain my natural blondness, and Chlorox 2 generic, four dollars cheaper, so we thought we would give it a try and baking soda too both laundry items.
Last stop and with determination, Hubby feels he can build the proper insert to make the customized pull outs… but of course! He did it for my crafts drawer in the laundry room! TA DA! He purchased runners, he already has plywood, and my suggestion was hardware clothe fronts to see in.
Used to be a window to a carport, and when we enclosed the carport to make a garage it was my idea to make it usable space…
This is our now pantry neatened up with my good marble lazy Susan being used; since this picture was taken I removed it and replaced it with our new appropriate pantry one. This is one day in our lives in search for, and when this latest project is redone to our specs, hopefully its function and neatness will be even better than it is now and we will show you the end result! On that note of my noteworthy desire, so far about $30, and should not be anymore, since Hubby has the rest of it all…allow me to be the first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you to kindly count all your blessings and share all those overages with you know who and we will too! And next time please be here or be square, ya hear?!

Speaking My Mind: Which way will the war go?

Speaking My Mind: Which way will the war go? :   My eyesight is going again... in case you missed it... Netanyahu snaps back against growing...