Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Ended up this morning getting a ride by ambulance to the hospital

All is well, well not that serious.
Nasty headache, nausea, dizziness and vomiting.
CAT scan, blood work, cardiogram and IV fluids with proper medications of promethazine and meclizine, now more for home, both are for nausea and vomiting and causing delightful sleeping to the point of near-like coma slumber, just awoke.
Although, I am scheduled for more doses now, I am still rather groggy.

That is why now I shall wish you all a very good night, and ask you to kindly count your blessings and we will too!
And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

PS This should be  one heck of a  co-pay! No worries, NOT!

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Got an email from our vice president Joe Biden today, and so...

I decided that I would let him know what's what, so I wrote back...

To democraticparty@democrats.org

Today at 4:53 PM
Dear Joe,

When I vote, which is only unfortunately during major elections, since being a registered non-partisan does not allow me or my husband to do otherwise. I feel as you do that the Republicans have nearly all their causes wrong, and so I will be voting Democratic as I have before when I believed in the reasoning or the person.

Meanwhile, I have a serious issue I have taken my insurance through Healthcare.gov and I am paying two hundred dollars more a month from my pre-existing insurance previously, that was $342 and now I am paying $561.51, I am receiving a $274 financial assistance from the healthcare.gov program for Florida Blue Options a platinum plan, since I have MS I needed to be well covered. (I will be eligible for Medicare in a little over one year. )

Today, I went to my neurologist and he ordered MRIs (four) for my brain, cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions due to me experiencing what most likely is an exacerbation of my Multiple Sclerosis. The problem is the co-pay price quote of $862.71!!!!! ( I am currently on hold with Florida Blue trying to make sense of this expense and so far the person came back on the phone stating that it was actually over $1000 co-pay, but she is calling the MRI facility to get their price for accuracy, the $862.71 is correct...!!! I do not believe this means our medical coverage is affordable even so!!!!) I do believe that is an exorbitant amount and quite a bit for us, my husband is a disabled deputy and our income is around $XXXXX a year and we do have a mortgage that we have a HARP on! I still meet the criteria for my expensive MS Copaxone co-pay through the Assistance Fund, which pays my monthly $150 co-pay for that! So why would anyone think that we would be able to or want to pay that co-pay that is more than our mortgage which includes our taxes and insurance, $XXX a month! That is a lot of out of pocket money for us. We have a paid for, nearly thirteen year old car with low mileage of only 41K original miles on it, due to us both not being able to venture out of our ten mile radius. But that is fine we do have all we need here.
Except it seems that we lack medical coverage that truly is affordable!
It is hard enough being ill and trying to live and some how managing to set aside monies for any emergencies, which seem to happen too frequently. I have one infection after another while going to an exercise facility trying to waylay more problems, but although we cleaned each piece of equipment others did not and so I was on steroids three times in Oct. and Nov. and Cipro in March.

Each occasion called for a doctor's office visit, so I have now decided I cannot go there anymore! Between that and cataract surgery it very well may be responsible for this flair; it's a vicious cycle.
Thanks for listening; just wish something could be done!
We will be paying for this, since we have no choice.

Cordially,
XXXXX XXXXXXX

So that is why this is late, also due to the two hours I was involved with waiting and talking to Florida Blue, which is Blue Cross and Blue Shield for you other state people. I 'X' d out certain  things to protect some information due to Hubby, but we all know my real name and so that was done just for the heck of it!

On that note of no sense,which it does appear my life has had many a day making not unlike today, 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 we will too!

And next time be here or be square, ya hear!

PS I know that he probably won't ever see it; I am nothing if not a realist, but it was good for me to vent to possibly someone who could change things? Who knows, really????

Monday, April 28, 2014

Saw the eye doc today and guess what...









I have some fog under righty's brand new cataract lens!
Thus the blurriness, now added into swelling of the healing, so I was not seeing/imagining things after all!
Pun meant wholeheartedly, with this exacerbation of my Multiple Sclerosis, oh what fun!

That will be validated tomorrow if this new neuro guy accepts an exam, not a MRI, but he might need both for him to be sure...oh joy, more time a wasting for action! How I hate that!

PS I will need to have the right eye lasered once the swelling goes down in a month if it doesn't rectify itself like lefty did with that fog underneath its lens! What surprised me the most was that this doc said this was a common problem with cataract surgery and has to be done quite often, while the other docs did not tell me that at all and also wanted to charge me an additional $500 to fix the problem after they charged me $2000 for the surgery itself, back in January 2010, without any insurance for my eyes then! I am just saying if it is that common a problem it should have been included, hmm? I do believe that now the cost is all inclusive.
 Meanwhile for me to see distance they have physically removed my right lens from my eyeglasses that I now have been told to wear for seeing the TV and Hubby's back seat driving, my idea/thought processes, ha, etc. i.e. for all distance wise... lefty again is having to take charge for it is my left eye that has the all encompassing view of my world unencumbered! Ta Da!
Frustrating to think that after all my eyes have been through this happens.
But as the doctor says and I concur, I can see out of righty and that is incredible, even though my right eye now is blurry and at times causes me to have double vision!

Hubby and I did tackle the going out to lunch thingy.

I used my scooter, again to go into the eye docs, last time I did the walker, and so when we went over to Chili's I used my walker since the distance was shorter and I thought that I should try...and asked to sit at a table very close to the entrance. The server was accommodating. Although, when we began to leave I could not walk with the walker and Hubby had to go get my scooter out of the car, thankfully it was there. Got home and planted myself in the recliner, Hubby even brought me my Copaxone shot, ironically it and the 300 MG. Gabapentin dose that although it had been taken with us but both were administered later than usual, who knows if that added to the cause of my MS problems... for today, but this all started last Wednesday, more than the 24 hour criteria being met for an exacerbation, just my initial misinterpretation for being my herniation, but it is on both sides and arms and hands too and that is where MS flairs take over from disc issues, I do believe... Between my infections and cold and then surgery I do have significant triggers according to what is stated for that thing...

On the brighter side...
Lunch was delish, but enormous again and so we, Hubby and I took half of each of them all home for dinner tonight, his flat-bread with chicken, and mine my shrimp tacos, both very recommendable.

Speaking of which my dinner is calling and so on that note, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you all kindly to count your blessings and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!







Sunday, April 27, 2014

Mellow day

We watched Les Miserables this afternoon, Hubby and I, compliments of our Netflix  account, the musical movie circa 2012, and this was my third form of the classic Victor Hugo story told that I have seen. The first was watched with our eldest son, just him and me, the non-musical movie, circa 1978 version, while Number One Son was home sick on bed rest with a hip swelling, probably  caused by rough housing, it was around 1982. If I recall it properly, due to it being very scary since we had been told that if it did not get better that he might have been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis at only ten years old, but whatever it was that caused it, resolved and never returned, thankfully. The movie had made quite an impression on him about honesty, ha, a bit of overkill on the topic. The second time, for us, Hubby and I, was when our younger son bought us holiday tickets to see the Broadway musical show, but here in Florida, at the Barbara B. Mann theater in Fort Myers back in the late nineteen nineties.

Netflix, yep we had cancelled Blockbuster last summer and went without until Hubby bought me this laptop in December and it came with a free month of the Netflix and it was such a good deal for only $8.99 a month after that, so we just continued, we had been foolishly paying $18.99 for Blockbuster.
Sure we have seen quite a few movies since and I am sorry that I haven't been critiquing them. I will try to rectify that over the next few months.

The idea  of watching movies on a nearly ninety degree day, which many would consider a pool or beach day is a long time resident of Florida's concept of how to  spend it, especially when you are unable to move due to body pain!

Yes, we all have our reasons for staying indoors when we know that so much is going on out in the world on a Sunday afternoon. We are aware of the Home and Garden show that was going on indoors all weekend, even for free at our own Charlotte Harbor Events and Conference Center less than five miles from our home. 
But sadly it is a no go due to me being unable to sit again, straight up, that is; for me now it is either reclining or lying on my side with the pillow there for support.

Standing is very hard to do as well and my legs are in awful shape and have been dragged with me using my walker just to go to the bathroom. I have not even been able to go into the sun-room to use our old faithful desktop computer or go down that ramp to open it or the accordion blinds in there for the last few days; thanks to Hubby they have  been opened though, just the blinds!

It is a good thing that Hubby bought this thingy, it has come in handy for me to publish my daily blogs...

Right now he is taking a break from waiting on me and picking up our dinner at Bob Evans, for me salmon and for him turkey; wow he's back now!  

So on that note allow me to wish all of you a very happy good night and kindly count all your blessings and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

PS This version of Les Mis was wonderful too!


Saturday, April 26, 2014

Partying is not in my body ... yet!

Sadly, my medication has not seemed to have worked as of today.
My pain level has been severe, causing Hubby to have become a total caretaker again for most all of the day.

The possibility of this being a Multiple Sclerosis exacerbation has made that on the list higher on reasoning's of what is going with me.
And this is due to my hands and arms being included in my numbness and pain my finger tips having those bump de-bumpy bump sensations and dropping and breaking my club soda cup this morning all over the floor when trying to take the medication; I ended up using my coffee cup over the counter, cautiously.
With my L3-4 herniation, I don't believe that would be happening or causing the upper body issues?

I awoke early again due to pain and felt at five thirty A.M. that I should start my prescribed medications of the 300 MG. Gabapentin and 20MG. Baclofen along with my normal intake of  Levorthyroxine 75 MCG. All was ingested then, and after breakfast was my second dosage of 300 MG. of Gabapentin that Hubby served to me in the recliner on a tray again after the multi-grain waffles and one turkey sausage patty, and that was at nine-thirty.

You would think after all that I would be feeling better, hmm?
This is my third day of getting back on all of it and so I do believe I will be needing additional intervention, perhaps IV steroids again?
And that is only if  I don't start showing some, at least a little bit, of improvement soon, true?

This is already getting old fast.
Oddly enough the only mail today was my Florida Blue Options (Blue Cross and Blue Shield) memory stick with a welcome letter dated February 2014 and the stick having a 127 page contract without one word of my financial responsibility of any of what it does or does not cover!
I am so happy that at nearly sixty-four years old it covers maternity and premies and all other necessary medical coverage that I would no longer need at my age, like surgical birth control etc., since I had that done a month after my third miss-carriage, and having thankfully two healthy children!

So much of what I am paying dearly for is covered, big time, thankfully, as it should be with minimal co-pays!
Not stated in or on the info sent, but online when I chose this particular policy at the Florida Blue site.

It is great since my co-pay for my cataract surgery was two hundred and that was for the whole shebang!
My in home physical therapy was zero co-pay and that was amazing.

Medications prices fluctuate by whichever pharmacy you use, but I have a ninety days' supply right now, for them all, at a little more than $100, for five prescriptions.

Well, if I felt better some of this would be  a reason to rejoice, but I am waiting impatiently for the 'feel better' to kick in.

On that note of me not too good about anything, allow me to anyway wish all of you a very hapy good night and kindly ask you to count all your blessings and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Friday, April 25, 2014

Thinking that many things we do are right...




I did what I said I was going to do in last night's blog.

Trying hard to feel better by taking the medications I was originally dosage and prescribed amounts for my lumbar herniation of Gabapentin and Baclofen, when I failed Tramadol intake due to it making me physically sick to my stomach, which is not what you want in pain already, true?

So the medications were ingested by me yesterday and also today and so far I had a wonderful night's sleep last night and took a nap that Hubby had to wake me up from to watch my only Soap Opera left that I have watched on and off for over forty years, forty two this month to be exact. You know why I know that?

Well, when I left Lord and Taylor's from my job as their credit manager due to my darling first child being due in June, on the sixteenth and so I thought I would have six weeks to finish preparing for his arrival, but in those days we did not know or have that option to know for sure if we were having a boy or girl until they arrived.

It was fine since we had neutral colors for our baby layettes, yellows or mint green. I opted for yellow from crib sheets to blankets etc. He had a wonderful very happy theme to come home to of the Smiley Face, a lamp and other accoutrements were my choices for whomever our child was, happiness is what I wanted he/she to see right away!

I was hoping that I would make him/her smile from the very beginning and sure enough with yellow and orange, yes, orange in the tweedy carpet in that room and combo yellow/orange print curtains, bringing it all together, way back in 1972!

Unfortunately or fortunately, whichever most Moms would look at the early arrival of a birth of their first son, by a two full weeks, plus a couple of days. He was small, our Number One Son, at 5 lbs. 12 oz. and just 19 inches long but perfectly healthy and perfectly formed, and before leaving the hospital his weight declined to 5 lbs. 7 oz. that I do understand is normal, but he still looked so very tiny, but not a preemie by their standards then or now so I have been told.

So when I left work on April 30, 1972 expecting a nice little adjustment time of waiting and enjoying the wait and of course the preparation I was firming up my friendship with another woman who had just had her second son and had been our friend with her husband, and we had attended their wedding and they had attended ours. It was nice Mommy time learning and talking and watching Soaps together, yep she got me hooked on General Hospital, way back then. And often when I was not working during those next forty-two years I was a fan that was as avid as any!

So Hubby over these last few years that we have been retired together has known this and makes sure that at the very least on Fridays and Mondays I am able somehow able  to watch since the cliffhangers are then and so much hinges on those, it is so great that he gets that!

He woke me for that today right on time and I thanked him, in spite of the fact that I was groggy from my medication, I suspect.
And with me napping is highly unusual, but I could not keep my eyes open, really, and after that long good night's sleep.

A bit unnerving, since the local TV channel was doing an item on why adults napping are dangerous and not healthy for us.

Who knows why all of a sudden this is happening, when it did not affect me this way ever before, that is the Gabapentin and Baclofen in combo or alone.

I do have a doctor's appointment next week with my new neuro, second time seeing him, and that makes me feel that if this side affect doesn't stop I will be able to ask him about what to do.

The worst of the whole thing is that so far I have not noticed a significant relief, yep a little but not too much.

I am hoping it is just because I just started back on it all, hmm?

Sounds logical to me. I only wish I could remember if that is what happened last time, and that was four months ago...


So that is where I painfully sit and only stand for still short periods while going from point A to point B, not far in this tiny home of ours...

On this note of waiting, not so patiently to feel good, 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 we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

PS: Please forgive any typos; I appear to have a bit of an eyelid drooping issue, even with both eyes now focusing, weird, huh? But I did Google it and it can be either the MS or the cataract surgery, which says it too is not unusual and could last six months!

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Just when you think it is safe...

To stop all those nasty medications, which, by the way are not that bad after all!

Here's what has been happening... I thought that I was in the catch and release mode of medication, huh?

Yep, the trying to minimize the quantified amount of medication going into my bodily system is not as easy as one might think. And I was nearly there with the Gabapentin from this last prescribed dosing of 1200 MG.  and the 40 MG. of the Baclofen I had managed as of last night to get the Gabapentin down to only a daily dose of 150 MG. and only 5 MG. for the Baclofen!
I was thrilled that I had managed that until later that night I had a rude awakening about why my body was turning on me all over again.
It took a night of only four hours of sleep due to severe pain as if my herniation just happened all over again and as if it was not alone in its mischief of creating havoc with my spinal column including my neck region.
So after turning the TV off on Craig Ferguson in the wee hours of the night and actually taking this horrible painful body of mine out of what should have been a warm cocoon of a bed of relaxation and that was shortly after five A.M. ...I realized as if a slap went across my far head saying, "YOU IDIOT IT WAS THE MEDS/DRUGS THAT MADE YOU FEEL BETTER AND NOT NOTICE THE PAIN!"
So I proceeded to begin the cure, for the pain, all over again with a dosing of 1200 MG. of Gabapentin and 40 MG. of the Baclofen, by taking it as originally prescribed 300 MG. Gabapentin morning, 300 MG. Gabapentin at noon, and 600 MG. Gabapentin at bedtime, and the Baclofen 20 Mg. in the morning and 20 MG. Baclofen at bedtime, wow, sleep, what a concept; looking forward to it tonight!
By late morning I was almost able to walk again, but Hubby still fed me both breakfast and lunch with a tray while I sat in the recliner.

So now I do know that with a bit of research that neuropathic pain is lessened with the two medications and neither are controlled substances or even narcotics thankfully, so why was I so worried?

Because Neurontin the non-generic name of Gabapentin is for also epilepsy and in order to stop taking it, it is definitely necessary to wean yourself off of it like I have done twice now, taking three weeks each time so as not to have bad side affects, which range from all different horrors.  It’s dosing needs to be closely regulated, and there are a couple of very serious but rare side effects including a life-threatening rash and in fact, seizures.

Odd that something so powerful is not a narcotic or considered a control substance. 

And now I will most likely be on these medications indefinitely due to the fact that it is also helpful for the Multiple Sclerosis symptoms and initially that is why it was prescribed and I had been on the higher dose of 1800 MG. daily.

What is going through my head right now, "if its not broke why fix it?" 
Meaning the medications did what they were meant to do, and I did not realize that.

On that note of why not, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Hipsters and others in the know...





Surely we  have realized, by now that knowing the acronyms for techno lingo should be second nature to most of us.

LOL, TTYL, BBS, OMG, etc. and dare I say WTF? I suppose better than to use the actual words to express one's expletive emotions has gone the way of email?

Sure if you're not on the inside of all the initialization of what's what in the techno world, than my friends you may be up the proverbial creek without your paddle, CWYP, ya know?
Of course you do, because you are the ones that keep up with all that jazz and feel superior for it!

I cannot say honestly that I am so up on it all; that is all the other modes of sharing and saving things etc. Acronyms are child's play in comparison!
Why, one might ask, or not.
Well, let me tell you...
I have no idea really.

It's not from lack of communicating with others or if not actually chiming in to conversations online, looking at the ones that catch my fancy...the provocative ones do and the mundane do as well... I am if nothing else an equal opportunity snooper of what’s training on my Facebook page.

I do not tweet, although I did join Twitter, right now I wouldn't be able to tell you why I did that if I wasn't at all interested in using it.

Another thing I did do too, but ever since I have been feeling a bit paranoid is I did join Pintrest, and Geez as soon as you do that everyone starts to follow you and they inform you of this as well as the fact that you have been following others, really?
In actuality I do not recall following any of the people that they say I have been.

This Pintrest seemed like almost a logical fit for me with my background at LIM a marketing fashion, decorating and journalism and business etc. college.

And I love to look at befores and afters in interior design and exteriors as well as being a life long DIY’er, one would know that to see others concepts can be quite enjoyable.
But somehow knowing other people are watching what you are doing and possibly following your tastes is a bit unnerving. If I have the concept right they will only do it if you decide to ‘pin it’ to your likes and so since I joined formally I stopped.

Which is not entirely true, since I do believe I think I never got started, and who would  want anyone else to be standing over you figuratively looking at what you think is attractive in furnishings or architecturally ?
It is to me sort of like cameras in your home, you know what I mean?

Although, I always have professed of being an open book…and this is rather benign compared to many of my self revelations and sharing topics…So why the weird reasoning, gosh, you got me.

In conclusion and I do know you all were waiting patiently for me to conclude… I have been trying very hard to keep up, but as soon as I learn about one new method of communication or socially sharing like mindedness experiences in this safe environment, it all changes!
Some of you out there know what I mean.

What gets me though is when so many decades my senior years have been adapting so well that’s when I do feel out of the loop and lesser than… oh well!

On that note of we can only try our best, 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 we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!


Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Earth Day!




"Earth Day: The History of A Movement

Each year, Earth Day -- April 22 -- marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.
The height of hippie and flower-child culture in the United States, 1970 brought the death of Jimi Hendrix, the last Beatles album, and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water”. Protest was the order of the day, but saving the planet was not the cause. War raged in Vietnam, and students nationwide increasingly opposed it.
At the time, Americans were slurping leaded gas through massive V8 sedans. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. “Environment” was a word that appeared more often in spelling bees than on the evening news.  Although mainstream America remained oblivious to environmental concerns, the stage had been set for change by the publication of Rachel Carson's New York Times bestseller Silent Spring in 1962.  The book represented a watershed moment for the modern environmental movement, selling more than 500,000 copies in 24 countries and, up until that moment, more than any other person; Ms. Carson raised public awareness and concern for living organisms, the environment and public health.
Earth Day 1970 capitalized on the emerging consciousness, channeling the energy of the anti-war protest movement and putting environmental concerns front and center. "

Thanks to and to read more go to: http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-history-movement

For fun freebies check below at the site provided:
http://dealspl.us/product/celebrate-earth-day-with-some-great-freebies-and-deals

Many days a week is earth day, here at home with our conservation of things from recycling to using a rain barrel to composting, not driving unnecessarily and I would like to believe that most of you do too; that is realize that cutting emissions from your vehicles, not tossing things aside, but finding either reuses for them or sharing them with others etc.

It is so wonderful to have a day set aside for a reminder, but by now we all know the benefits of being cognoscente of how we should treat our home, the only one we have, earth.
A slow battle to change our ways has been initiated and for some reason our progress to date is not showing to be that significant… but we cannot stop!

Still people are weighing the reasoning for trying to change things, sadly; saying things as we won’t be here when it all changes for the worse.
But is it not true that why would we want to leave such a selfish legacy to our children’s children and all the future generations that should be able to drink water, breath air, and not fear for their lives?

We are the caretakers for them all.

Just a thought; you see being cavalier about our human race’s future seems callus to me.

On that note of much quote, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you all 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, April 21, 2014

Denial is good for the soul?




Or is that the brain, psyche, emotional well being, ability to cope, a defense mechanism to deal with what life may throw at you at any announced or non-announced given time in you personal history in this life?

Sure there are several circumstances when denying something has a deep integral affect on you as thinking, loving, feeling, caring, and human being becomes necessary. And to most who have this ingrained, hereditary or self taught by example or trained to deal with everything, self controlled type people.

Everything from death to horrific injury to horrible illnesses to love lost, to heaven knows what there could be next when life has a way of changing up and down things in our very existences, hmm?

You know I have tried, time and time again to join those special people that I can be very envious of having that ability to put their personal woes on the back burner and get on with life no matter what!
It's not that easy for me, sadly.
I love all those martyrs and as I just said I am so very jealous of how they all manage to be so very, very good all of the time no matter what!

 Sure I can go for an hour or two, maybe, but days, weeks, months, forever?

 Nope, I hurt and I walk funny, so I do try to not fall with the aid of equipment meant for that purpose...and that is my give away that I am not up to par with some, but not as bad as many.

It's just that when people cannot see what you are dealing with, and say unhelpful things like Gee you look fine or are you sure you can't do this or that? I want to slap them silly, but it would hurt my hands too much and so I say things that I recall; like what I used to say to my Mom, that I wished she felt as good as she looked, but she never did. In my head, to think to myself that is what they really meant and wished for me too.

Everyone has their own threshold of coping mechanisms with pain and emotional control abilities, but gosh I wish I had more in my repertoire to base ‘denial’ living by.

Maybe it has to do with my honesty issues. I believe, to a fault to always tell the truth and anything else is wrong, even that thingy people say for some that it is better for ‘them’ not to know, ya know? To me a lie is a lie and it is difficult to forgive that from anyone, but especially family or friends; is that so wrong?

But it is a code that I do think is best to follow, simple and concise that honesty is the best policy, and so that is why I have not been able to successfully be able to be in denial about my Multiple Sclerosis.
And believe me when I said that I have tried.

I have attempted walking without any aids at all, and all that got me was bumps and bruises bouncing into the walls that I tried using to help me instead. My legs go numb and painful, and hands, hips and you name the body part and it goes into spasms too. I have reduced my intake of meds for such things to nearly null in spite of all this too!

Denial a simple smallish word meaning: refutation, rejection, rebuff, contradiction, disagreement, defiance, denunciation, dissent, disclaimer, refusal, repudiation, rebuttal, veto, turning down, renunciation, disavowal, disowning, abjuration, and forswearing.

Yep, I have visited this area of my discontent many times before.
As usual, I was set off with people not complaining about their lot in life and doing things that I can only imagine, wish to do... when by all that is real and logical should be impossible for them to do too...!

And so yes again that is what has triggered this, Polyannas that make the rest of us contending too with life's bad jokes, and them coming up smelling like capable flourishing roses when by all rights it should be impossible for them to do what they are doing! G-d bless them all…

That is why I now realize that for me to continue and to fail constantly any attempt to do it with any style and grace, i.e. denial; I am now stating here tonight that I will not do it, since I cannot lie to anyone else and especially to myself! So there with a great big tongue sticking out of my rather ample mouth, okay, not so ample but enough room to be able to still do that! And ha to all of that!

On that note of sharing way too much, as usual, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

*Author’s note to all and self: I am thrilled that I can see again! Don’t get me wrong, life could be worse, we all know that! I am just reiterating that no one should have to pretend they are well when they need assistance; no shame should go with any illness or any disability or need for help; I’m just saying...

One can never give up is the lament of the world of positivity, and mine too!


Sunday, April 20, 2014

Holidays that are co-existing...

Passover: "One of the Jewish religion’s most sacred and widely observed holidays, Passover (Hebrew: Pesach) commemorates the story of the Israelites’ departure from ancient Egypt, which appears in the Hebrew Bible’s books of Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, among other texts. Jews observe the weeklong festival with a number of important rituals, including traditional Passover meals known as seders, the removal of leavened products from their home, the substitution of matzo for bread and the retelling of the exodus tale."

Thanks to: http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/passover

"Easter, which celebrates Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead, is Christianity’s most important holiday. It has been called a moveable feast because it doesn’t fall on a set date every year, as most holidays do. Instead, Christian churches in the West celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox on March 21. Therefore, Easter is observed anywhere between March 22 and April 25 every year. Orthodox Christians use the Julian calendar to calculate when Easter will occur and typically celebrate the holiday a week or two after the Western churches, which follow the Gregorian calendar."


Now for the connection of the two:
"The exact origins of this religious feast day’s name are unknown. Some sources claim the word Easter is derived from Eostre, a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility. Other accounts trace Easter to the Latin term hebdomada alba, or white week, an ancient reference to Easter week and the white clothing donned by people who were baptized during that time. Through a translation error, the term later appeared as esostarum in Old High German, which eventually became Easter in English. In Spanish, Easter is known as Pascua; in French, Paques. These words are derived from the Greek and Latin Pascha or Pasch, for Passover. Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection occurred after he went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover (or Pesach in Hebrew), the Jewish festival commemorating the ancient Israelites’ exodus from slavery in Egypt. Pascha eventually came to mean Easter."

Thanks again to: http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/history-of-easter

So now we know why we should all get along!

Love and peace are important each and everyday of the year and we should realize that we as human beings are more alike than different, even if we were VIVA LA Difference!

On that note of unity for all peoples to love and accept one another, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you all 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!

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Men, men, men...

Narcissistic Crazy Cardinal continues his... what is it that he is doing?

Many men are proud of their looks and somehow know what colors look good on them and others are NOT into preening. Hubby is the latter, but since he heard that red is a color that women like on men I have noticed he does wear his, ' red shirt'  more often with or without me along...hmm?

But if the truth be told, and it has been said by the fashion industry that red, or be it, Cardinal red, does look well on both men and women of any season, meaning: winter, spring, summer or fall, in other words their coloring.

Than could it be assumed, shame on me for assuming anything that this loony bird is just admiring what comes naturally or is it an ongoing war with another Card that he thinks he sees, of exceptionally good looks that miffs his better judgment?
Gosh, if he could only talk; wouldn't that be great?

He has been at it for a couple of months now, before the official spring was here and we all know that spring is the season for mating, and so perhaps it as simple as that... the reflection in the garden mirror is a suitor for his own love's heart, and he is semi-politely telling him off?

At first we did have a fear of him harming himself but since this is a constant daily thing, and rather amusing and he has not shown any wear or tear, literally or otherwise we have decided to leave the mirror where it is.

After all it has been there for nearly ten years and this is the first time that Hubby and I can recall anything of this 'nature' occurring so why not let things ride or in his case fly!
No, I do not feel mean at all.
For he is not hurting himself and if any of you have had domestic birds as pets/family members you too must know that they do love mirrors in their cages; it is entertaining for you and them alike.

On that note of our interesting little guy causing us to enjoy looking out of our windows more often, 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 we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Friday, April 18, 2014

Poke, poke, poke...


Sure innuendo is common with "the poke", and people may use it for other than what it is intended, but nothing is that clear cut...at least not on Facebook. Some believe that there is a sexual connotation involved with its use, but since it is just a simple word with admittedly much hyperbole I still cannot understand how some make it more than what it actually is... "to poke". Before Facebook it meant to: 

poke 1  (pōk)

v. poked, pok·ing, pokes
v.tr.
1. To push or jab at, as with a finger or an arm; prod.
2. To make (a hole or pathway, for example) by or as if by prodding, elbowing, or jabbing: I poked my way to the front of the crowd.
3. To push; thrust: A seal poked its head out of the water.
4. To stir (a fire) by prodding the wood or coal with a poker or stick.
5. Slang To strike; punch.
Thanks to: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/poke

After Facebook:

 https://www.facebook.com/help/219967728031249/

The official definition from Facebook themselves is:

"What is a poke? How do I poke someone?

People poke their friends or friends of friends on Facebook for a lot of reasons (ex: just saying hello, getting their attention). When you poke someone, they'll receive a notification.
To poke someone:
  1. Go to your friend's Timeline
  2. Click on their cover photo
  3. Select Poke"

Many seem to make it up as they go, all the rules for Facebook, and I have been on FB  for  several years now and I suppose there is much to learn. But I refuse to imagine things that are so ridiculous.
It would seem odd to me, being a heterosexual longtime happily married woman that so many women seem to poke me that it would be for anything other than to get me to look at their timeline postings, not for sex, at least that would be a dead end for them in my case. My profile states my personal info, and married is there too.

Although, there have also been a couple of men who have poked me as well, but I never once took their pokes for anything more than to get my attention to see something that they may have posted on their timeline.

Lately, I seem to have been noticed by two women that have too much time on their hands that they poke me all day long and I must admit it is a bit annoying.

I finally asked the one gal if she was retired too, who was relentless, why and she declined a direct answer or any definitive answer at all on that particular question.
The other one I haven't asked yet, since hers is not so constant.

But somehow I feel there is more to it with these women who are young and gainfully employed me would think?  Why would they waste so much time annoying an older woman with such silliness; for the fun of it?

Well, if that's it than I suppose I am acting like an old curmudgeon, who somehow I wanted to grow into since I sadly have the characteristics down fairly pat in so many areas.

 On that confused note of all that we FB friends hold near and dear, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and let me ask all of you to kindly count all your blessings and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Our electric bill went way down...

Now some might say that's great, and don't get me wrong, because it really is.
The problem is that we have no idea how that happened?
Since we have not signed up for any discount programs or brown out options and usage use type things that Florida Power and Light might have on their menu.

The only time those discounted programs work is when you have a family of more than two at home and work and have a lifestyle that doesn't require you to be in on the weekends when they used to suggest to do laundry and nights or early in the wee hour mornings, or you don't have a medical issue that without air-conditioning or heat affects your well being for a few hours, ya know?
Or have a financial need.

And these days we don't meet any of those criteria and for that last one we never did.

Sure when we were all out of the house for hours at a time, or had tons of laundry that needed to be done for us and our little darlings as often as can be!

We are pretty much home bodies these days, and you all know that, and why.

So we run our utilities for our needs whenever they need to be run for this or that, so that is why this much lower bill is baffling and we would both love to know how we did do it to recreate it every month!

If anything we have been eating at home more, and our whole home is electric including our oven and stove, water heater, washer and dryer and air-conditioning and heater...
Nothing has changed.
I do laundry when we need it, and that is when our hamper is full.
It is not that big, and we usually have two loads, one white and one darks, and then of course sheets weekly.

That is why I am mystified.

Ah, sweet mysteries of life...

Now with this tiny house we have had bills higher than two hundred a few times, and this place is only 1100 square feet, but mostly they have been about fifty or seventy-five dollars a month less than that, but the bill that just came was ONLY a little over ninety-seven bucks!

In our larger homes we had three to four hundred a month bills in those all electric homes, which most expect but that was nearly twenty years ago also... when things were cheaper and we did subscribe to a timer on the water heater and some brownouts trying to manage those higher bills.
Wouldn’t it be great to repeat that lower bill monthly?

One month our water and sewer was around seventy-two bucks, normally around eighty-two, but a couple of times over one hundred!
Mostly due to having to refill the pool or pond due to evaporation, but then it has to be really low to go that high got that?

Taxes go up , rarely down, but ours actually have due to the housing market, but just a little, which helps with insurances that we must always have like homeowners/hurricane and of course we have flood and even sinkhole! Not to mention boat and car of course!

It all adds up, so when something has the good sense to go down in cost, I want to know how to clone it and to continue it that sounds fair, hmm, wouldn’t you?

On that mystifying note, allow me to be the very first to wish you all a very happy good night and ask you all kindly to count your blessings and we will too!

And next time be here or be square, ya hear!



Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Time marches on and so must we...





The surest way to feel down is to go to your old high school site that posts your deceased alumnus.

No, I am not that maudlin it is just that one of my old friends online mentioned this person who just passed and I thought he might be listed there, the most recent.

Sadly, in Paramus where I did attend school from kindergarten through my sophomore year of high school and then we moved to Emerson where I graduated from two years later, so most of the people that I reunited with online in Facebook are from there. We actually lived there from when I was a year and half old till I turned sixteen that last summer before my junior year at Emerson Junior Senior High School.

Funny how I remember so distinctly that first impression I wanted to make in my new school.
My ole friend with the Mom that had glaucoma and heart condition we're still friends even then, we had met in junior high at the age of thirteen. And we used to do each others hair color and sometimes cut, but more hair color in those days.
And it was just a day or so before the new school year had started in my brand new to me school so everything was a very big deal making that first impression.
So I colored my naturally enhanced with what was called silver drops that were put into the Clairol ash blond to keep it from turning a brassy blond. But after it had been applied and wash and dried apparently I had put too many in, trying so very hard not to want to have that brassy fake blond look, hypocrisy all the way, hmm?  At its finest I might add.

No one there would ever know that I wasn't a 'natural' blond, ever; that is until I confessed years later...

Any-who, all those silver drops made my hair, look BLUE!
Now if it was today I suspect it would be considered a fashion statement but in those days the only ones with blue hair were very cute old ladies!

So in my mind and my dear ole pal's it was a disaster!
I had paid for the dye with my own money from work, at Dad's Eclipse on Saturdays and between buying my great first day dress and all my funds were low...
And so I asked Mom for a loan to send dear ole to walk down to the drugstore for another dose of Clairol ash blonde to try to repair the damage, and Mom hesitated, but came through!

Dear ole went and came back and even though it said that you should wait at least a month, we both threw caution to the proverbial wind and chemically exposed me to a science project repair job!

And thank heavens it worked!
It was the best color ever.
I was told near graduation after making friends with other gals, that they thought it was so pretty.
A beige blond, and no one knew but me and dear ole knew the difference.
I wore my blue dress with my sophisticated hair-do, and many thought I was new teacher I was also told years later... funny, don't think that was the look I was going for... oh well, such is life, hmm?

Over those two years I was there, at Emerson Junior Senior High, I made friends who were partially responsibly for me getting to know Hubby better, but that story is for another time and day.

It was fun being nominated, just nominated for campus queen, and dear ole was too at our old high school, odd how that worked out that neither of us got it. We told ourselves that the BIG breasted gals who won that was the real reason, and now that sounds sexist to me and mean spirited.
Although, gosh, these days I would surpass that criteria, and so much more of me too!
But, ha, that's NOT good!

On that silly note of whatever floats your boat, 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 we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!


Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Living in Florida has its advantages...




The biggest one of course is the weather and the disadvantage too can also be the weather...but not so often! Plus both my parents had passed away and that is why I finally agreed to leave dear old NJ.

Now that Hubby and I are truly seasoned Florida dwellers for nearly twenty-eight years as of August 19. 2014, and yep, no one is ever a native Floridian, i.e. unless you have to be born here.

The weather had been at the forefront of our reasoning of our move here, back in 1986; a true paradise within the United States of America.

And sure after living here for nearly eighteen of those years we had gotten a direct hit from a hurricane, but it took those eighteen years for it to find us and for us to have moved from the east coast of the state to the west, and that was only nine years after the fact...

When we arrived we landed in Ormond Beach a direct neighbor to Daytona, which most know from the 500 NASCAR races, Spring Break etc. Our sons even graduated from high school in Daytona, circa 1986 to 1995.

Hubby had gone to the police academy in Daytona and had gotten the job here with the Charlotte County's Sheriff's Office in 1994 to start January 1.1995, thus the move. Fortunately, number one son was nearly twenty three, had graduated college and was working but still living at home, and our younger son was in Tampa at college at USF and had an off campus apartment, which number one eventually shared.

Our accommodations were too small for any adult children anyway.
We had traded our Bayliner for an Airstream for Hubby to live in at a mobile park, while our home was on the market, little did we know that we would eventually lose a fortune on the sale that took nearly two years to happen with us receiving a fraction of what we had put into it due to the addition becoming flooded, and that alone was more than 40K out of pocket our take was a little more than half of that when all was said and done from our nearly thirty-five hundred square foot home on the east coast, four bedrooms, and three baths and two car garage with carport, fireplace in the den, six hundred feet from the ocean...The addition we put on was 24'X28' with that third bathroom including shower with a door leading outside for our surfer boys, it was a game room with a fifteen foot bar and pool table was in there with stereo and speakers as well as card table. That's where our younger son's band used to practice, Sound Seduction.

And so we even bought a fifth wheel to live in temporarily and that was an additional year, almost two that we did that.
I was also gun shy, since we had helped with Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and the devastation was palatable, I wanted to be able to be mobile to take all our belongings with us if threatened ever again...
So we divided our furnishing amongst our sons and number one even got a storage unit for all the other stuff, including a piano and pool table too!

He became engaged and bought a home and most of the stuff did get placed there, although after they broke their engagement, he rented that home out that was north of Tampa and bought another closer to work, where he lives now.

It wasn't until our younger son joined the Navy and decided that he would give us his dog and cat when we already had a tiny dog and a cat and a cockatiel that we knew we had to buy another home.
So we looked and looked and even with that horrid memory of Hurricane Andrew, we chose to live on the water and found a home in our skimpy price range, with believe it or not no down payment at all!
That meant using our monies for improvements which we did.

And we moved into our new 1958 home on December 31. 1998!
It was our third home owned in Florida, we had had two on the east coast, at the same time that we had our restaurant as well. The first one that we spent over 30K to put a pool and spa in with a very deep nine foot depth, due to it having a diving board and our sons loving to dive that was back in the fall of 1986. That home was our three bedrooms /two baths, one car garage home, hardwood floors and slate den with fireplace, ten houses away from the one we bought after, across from the ocean. After we rented it out for a couple of years we sold it with only one open house for nearly 20K more than it cost and put that into our larger home, which we bought due to so much company coming to visit!

That’s why I love this tiny landing place of ours, and even though we did many improvements prior to being hit by Hurricane Charley on August 13. 2004, a Friday. Stucco over block and new windows, and turning the carport into a garage and the laundry into indoors and wood floors and a pantry from the old carport window etc...After the hurricane we got to do a lot more, sure the beautiful gazebo Hubby built was gone with the wind and our sheds except the ones on our side yard made of stucco and our wood floors were water logged and our roof was made into minced meat.
But it gave us the opportunity to rebuild our electric and plumbing and enclosed our screen porch which is where I am now writing this!

So even so... weather is a problem, we have shutters and next time we will evacuate, if it is coming near... last time it wasn't supposed to... but we are again well insured and so getting out of Dodge is not that sentimental, because when it really comes down to it, all that's important is living creatures, family, friends and pets... the rest is just stuff!
But of course it does give us an excuse to redecorate, and what woman doesn't like to do that on occasion, hmm?


On those vast notes of our story of living here in Florida, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Monday, April 14, 2014

Now this is embarrassing!

Whatever was going on last night has passed, thankfully!


Redundancy in life's ills is ridiculous; bad enough I have that flaw in my writing, hmm?


Sure I did the right thing to conquer the problem and perhaps that is why it resolved.


I am one of those people that no matter what the issue I never put it on the back burner to possibly get larger and out of control; no, I nip it in the bud to reconfigure making more manageable or fix it entirely. Did that when in business and of course in the home so why not with my own medical issues.


Trying hard not to use medication unnecessarily, but when you know you have been diagnosed and what that diagnosis is and your symptoms are following that same criteria it is okay to go back to what the medical pro had told you I do believe. It's like anything in life that we are taught, and calling about those lessons when the need arises.


It's just so darn frustrating that my body takes so long to heal these days... I do understand it has to do with many factors, not the least age, chronic long term illness, and more than likely being out of condition. Sadly, that is sabotaged no matter how much I try to change that... I go back to the gym and end up sick every-time!


But...


Today, I used my walker all the way into the eye doc's office from his parking lot!

And into Walgreen's as well.


The only time I did not use it, instead trusty Blue Belle picked the slack, was to go into Wally World for Hubby to pick up weed and feed and for me to find some cosmetics; eye doc gave me the go ahead for eye makeup again! Actually, it was Jill, his tech.


He also has me diminishing my steroid drops use, from three to two times a day, yeah!


Total heal time for me; the doc said, is anywhere from eight to twelve weeks…see it is my funky slow-mo healing powers that are not so great these days, oh well.. Yep, that’s what I want is to be all WELL!


You see, my sight is still odd to me and I was concerned, but both the doctor and Jill waylaid those fears/concerns.
 
I’m still blurry most of the morning and part of the afternoon, 
but by evening/night-time I am clear!
Impatience is my middle name, I suppose.


Moving on...

For someone like me with iffy tummy issues the best thing to most would be not to eat out, right?
 
Make it at home so you know what goes into it, true?


Well, I seem to throw caution to the wind daily or at least lately, weekly, and this time so far so good.

It’s crazy, and why we never tried this restaurant before is beyond me, truly!


But Morales Cuban Restaurant, just south of Harbor Blvd. in Port Charlotte, FL, and not more than two blocks from our home, see that is what I meant… so close, ridiculous?
 
Authentic Cuban cuisine; and we had been invited to a fund raiser there when I was so sick a few weeks ago and we had wanted to go until my ills changed it all.

So it was nice to see it for ourselves and compare on an item that Hubby and I feel that we are somewhat connoisseurs. Hubby’s experience with Cuban sandwiches are from Tampa and mine too as well for me, Miami and Orlando; since we were only kids when travel to Cuba was no longer a way to actually taste their cuisine, amongst other political reasons..."The Bay of Pigs", 1962, rings a bell, hmm?

And Morales' Cuban sandwich was perfection on a bun/roll and fortunately they have two sizes to chose from and we both ordered their mini, which by anyone's standards was plenty, just right! 

With a side of papas fritas, French fries that we shared, they brought us water so that we had for our beverages. Great for me refreshing my years of taking Spanish and having been to Spain, since the menu is in both English and Spanish, Castilian, the one taught to me in school, the noble one. 

You can eat in or take out and they have entertainment and dancing etc. at night and have the ability to cater parties; quite a magical place and so close.For more info call 941-627-9355.  

On that higher note, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you all to kindly count your blessings and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Feeling rotten again...

Hate to admit that.
When I thought I came so far.
Cold sweat and Hubby just felt my far-head and said that I am warm.
Odd how quickly things can change...

Not happy!
Will cut this short to go lie down.
Sorry folks!

Can't seem to beat this thing, whatever it is.
Any ideas?

WTYAL ( write to you all later)

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Mundane may seem tame, but to me...





...To me it is better than an ice cream Sunday on Saturday!

Sure we complain when life is so quiet but isn't it true that many of us complain when it does the exact opposite?

Today, I went grocery shopping with Hubby for the first time in ages, and we worked the list together and then I was able, due to my trusty scooter, Blue Belle, to gather up additional items while he was already at the check-out line!

A non-burden type of feeling, able and competent to be an equal in every-way.

When not scooter capable I would be a dependent; due to of course the inability to maneuver myself without many crashes all because of being perceptually impaired with one legally blind eye and the other fine tuned/lens for reading, not going the distance.
Life became a wee bit better with each renewed ability realized!

Mundane to many, but to me it was better than seeing that shiny new car for the very first time.

We all know that we can never buy health, but when it resolves with intervention by knowledgeable professionals... WOW what a feeling!

And I hope that I never ever forget where I came from and where I have arrived.

The other item to many that may be trite or somewhat ordinary is hearing from their loving child or children, but not for me ever!

Each phone call received from number one son is a joy to behold!

Life is too short and precious to not realize that joy.

Moving on…

This week in the news the news reinforced those feelings with too many deaths happening…

From those high schoolers, drivers and chaperones on that tour bus that ten died, to the Fort Hood tragedies of three deaths and so many more injured, to our own local Meteorologist Jim Reif shocking too soon demise, due to an accident so horrific on a bicycle TBI…with all those slashed children in Pennsylvania…
We all must remember that when we awake and our loved ones are alive and well and happy that is a celebration…!

And no, I will never deny my age for without that number how would any of us know that we are getting older and each and everyday that is what we all should strive for, to get as old as we can!
For if we don’t…
Then there is only death.

So let us all get as old as we can and be very, very, very proud of that fact daily!

Thank whomever you believe in, whether a holy entity or just yourself… be thankful for each and everyday…
Because, why?
One never knows, does one?

And I will like to say thank you to all of you for reading this drivel, and in spite of that fact you all come back to be assaulted verbally nightly and it is more than appreciated more than you all know, I’m just saying…

On that note of hope this age thingy hasn’t gotten your goat, 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, really, and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear?

PS I am currently 63 years young and if I am lucky by July I will be 64!

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...