Sunday, December 31, 2017

Happy New Year to All!


Lyrics to Auld Lang Syne below:

https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=yfp-t-s&p=lyrics+to+auld+lang+syne#id=1&vid=a56a952445263e9a60828fd5e7ea5e73&action=click

And if drinking always have a designated driver, but if not call: 1-800-AAA-HELP.

Now go out and have a wonderful time!

Love, Peace and Health to all in the New Year!

Saturday, December 30, 2017

The Bad, The Good, and the mmmmmm, mmmmm good, part two!

Gettel Dodge Chrysler, Tamiami Trail Punta Gorda, FL

Magdella called our home at 8:45 A.M. first thing this morning, even after all her colleagues consistently told us that they had nothing for us or if they did they could not meet our needs or price range, we had requested them to stop calling and emailing, but they continued...so when we received a call stating that our price point and requirements could be met and that Danny had the exact van we needed a new 2018 Dodge like our 2015 with all our current bells and whistles plus a lift that I need for my motorized wheelchair and coming in at $100.00 less a month we foolishly went down to see it... Danny was not ready for our 11 A.M. pre arranged appointment so he handed us off to Ryan, and Ryan had no clue what was going on. We did meet Magdella in person, she seemed to be only told what they had and did not verify any of it, so innocent of the deception apparently, this very close to bait and switch scam... next thing Ryan wanted the keys to our van to take pictures of our manual ramp to make sure they would be giving us the identical one??????????????????????? I said the call from your department said you had one with a lift, he goes away for a few minutes asking Danny who still has not been involved except for intros...and Ryan comes back and says that the lift would be $30,000 additional! Any online or through organizations are around/average or less than $10,000, but after checking he comes back with the same "story" $30,000!
I blatantly say that is BS and tell him that our van only has 12,000 miles on it and the only reason we came down was due to the call stating the "NEW" van would  have a lift and be $100 a month less! LIARS! Not the first time either. Ever since they took over from Palm, we had bought our previous van from Palm as well as our Chevy! Never again will we be fooled by these scammers, and I think everyone should be very careful with this dishonest bunch. (cc to Yelp too)



Leroy's Southern Kitchen & Bar Marion Ave. Punta Gorda FL. 






Ate lunch there for the first time; their lunch specials are only $8.99, and are well worth the price. I had their steak over Caesar salad with blue cheese and fries, delish and Hubby had their Reuben with fries also mighty tasty! Much of my salad and most of both fries came home, so much!
We both highly recommend trying anyone of their numerous choices.
They have different price points for more sophisticated palates as well. (cc to Yelp too)
Below are examples of Yarn Bombings at the Punta Gorda Farmer's Market... or as I prefer to call them yarn cozies! Actually at first tree cozies, until I saw the diversity of covers. ( In this day and age referring to anything as "bombing", can be frightful to some, like myself for one, no ha.)




The Happy Pickle, only at our Saturday's Farmer's Market in Punta Gorda, FL.
Pickled green tomatoes as I remember from my childhood at the hotels in the Catskills and as my Uncle Joe who also had Multiple Sclerosis used to make in his basement, until he couldn't anymore, he died decades ago.
Ahhhhh, memories, the grocery chains here do not carry them at all!

Any-who, I now know where to get my periodic fix for these apparent rare to find delicacies.

Speaking my mind once again.
Hope y'all do too!

Friday, December 29, 2017

Some things in life are great to be redundant, ya know?

And somewhat reassuring too!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Any-who, yesterday, last night I left you here with another cryptic message or mini blog, and for that I am vey sorry, well not very or really sorry, since who needs to apologize these days unless harming or insulting someone, truly, agreed?
Never solves anything in entirety anyway, but a nice lame jester, hmm?
                       Thus the knowledge of thinking before we speak or act again, oops my bad...

Although, none of that has anything to do with what I was going to say here tonight, really?
Last night I left any of you with more questions than answers I hope.
PT= my usual of massage, ultrasound, and icing my calves and feet, yup the whole shebang, boots back on too. Only due to cooler weather.( Don't get excited; just high sixties and seventies here folks!)
Number One Son= came down for a visit and from there, the sports rehab, we all went out to lunch at....= THE THAI CAFE!
From there we came home and went out on=our boat and saw a few pods of = dolphin, but they, the dolphin were too quick to snap any decent PICs of them, and I had a = body collapse on board our ship, where my body could not move off the seats and so the table was removed and the transporter was used to get me off our mini yacht and into the house with my two strong men doing all the difficult hard work heavy lifting of me, and we all voted on Bocca Lupo Coal Fired Pizza, one large pizza and a small, actually very large but their small Greek salad that my men picked up for dinner now around six P.M.! Ta DA!

Now are you and me back up to speed...?

Today was a free day, meaning nothing to do but stay in and rest.
Hubby did work in the yard and I did actually accomplish a load of towels in the laundry.

Still wobbly and spasms going on and off, what else is new?
This is one redundancy I can live without!
I much prefer my first pictorial one above; quite reassuring, ya think?

Speaking my mind, cause it is all I got.
Night all.


Thursday, December 28, 2017

Interesting day with highs and lows

PT, Number One Son, Thai Cafe, boat ride, dolphin spotting, body collapse, pizza and Greek salad...
Elaboration tomorrow.

Thanks.

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

To think about all that has been happening...and yet...

Not knowing where to begin or what to say here.
Health?
Lifestyle?
Itineraries?
Future?
Politics?
Op Ed?
Oops same as above that.

So I suppose I can-do brief blurbs on each topic?

Health= inconsistent daily
Lifestyle= in spite of good choices above occurs.
Itineraries= plentiful and just full.
Future= cloudy certainly.
Politics= I didn't vote for him.
Op Ed= why don't I count now?

Inconsistencies in life can confuse and frustrate, and cause many emotions that run the gamut from joy to tears most often at this time of year.
So keeping busy and seeing family and friends helps or can cause the problems... thus the dilemma.
Let it go, let it go is all one can say though.
Sorry about that.
Any-who, we all know that many of my topics we all have in our lives and how we adjust to handling these things will stick with us forever so take deep breaths and wait to be calm before taking actions you may regret.
Experience from my own mistakes are why I recommend this simple logical calm minded ways to handle things without regrets like I have had. Think before you talk, duh.
Second guessing oneself is the last thing you would want to do.

Tired now... oh I don't know... more medical issues for me... must call about them and ask the doctor, my neuro, to find out more. As per PT James.

Take care.

 




Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Pea soup without dried peas!


Much of my life I have had to be an improviser, not such a bad thing when I think about it really...all due to it being someone who thinks out of the box due to usual or unusual need. 
That said, Hubby enjoys pea soup, and most people, not all because not all people in life do things the so-called conventional route of using dried split peas for a soup of this nature. Although, nature? Fresh peas would make the ultimate finest specimen of this hearty soup with ham and healthy, full of iron and other necessary components that we all seem to need in life 11 grams of protein, 4.1 grams of dietary fiber ,245 mcg. of vitamin A,potassium 305 milligrams, vitamin k 18 mcg. and when homemade you control the sodium so not as high as in commercial brands or eating out. Using Kosher salt too because it is lower in sodium. Good stuff!
Below you see my ingredients in the cup I chopped my stalk and half of celery including leaves, and a handful of baby fresh carrots also chopped, on the cutting board are garlic and onions that I started in the microwave on a paper towel for one and half minutes makes them translucent, making them easier to chop or not even bother since they will be emulsified along with everything else once sauteed in the olive oil, butter and flour after the peas about two cups worth of frozen and three sodium free chicken bouillons are added, two show here, but I added another with more water, and thyme too. Cook all items well then use your emulsifier to make smooth, do not add ham until finished emulsifying that I had chopped our leftover from a ham-steak that was our dinner for two last night for our Christmas.
  
 Oh I do spray even my pots with PAM for easier clean up, although I do have bartenders cleanser for tough spots on the stainless pots and pans, works great too!



The dark picture is of my homemade croutons, a baguette that became so hard that you could crack it on the counter top and it would nearly smash into pieces, I had continued the process by cutting them into more uniform sizes! So I took the pieces and I seasoned them with extra virgin olive oil, garlic powder, Parmesan, parsley, rosemary, and sea salt, and baked in a square metal dish on 350 degrees oven for about ten minutes. They were the perfect go-with for my soup! I saved the remainder in a Ziploc, kept in my veggie bin in the fridge, since they go great on salads too!  
That's all I got for you tonight; I do hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas's yesterday; that is those who celebrate it! We do Hanukkah and Christmas here. 
Now onto Kwanzaa!
Sadly not one of ours... oh well.
But for those who celebrate Happy Kwanzaa!

Monday, December 25, 2017

Geez! Every day something new.

MERRY CHRISTMAS Y'ALL!

No, I did not forget the Christian world was celebrating this holiday today.

God bless you everyone.

Remember your Sunday school training to love thy neighbor, that's all.
Oh and that means no matter what they might believe even if it's not what you believe.
Tolerance, forgiveness, and love and understanding is what we all were taught at one time.

Sadly, too many have forgotten their simple beginnings.

Please world be kind to one another.

Amen.
My prayer for the world.

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Last night oh what a scary night...

http://nystagmus.org/new/ is when the eye or eyes in my case jump.
To me it is like seeing one of those silent movies, that I was not around for, before my time decades actually, but I must have seen it on TV.
That's it on TV, yup!
Any-who, add into that joyous problem, NOT, my now having exacerbated my intention/cerebellar tremor:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intention_tremor, where my fingers and hands jump; without music.
And I Googled them both to see what is the treatment and now get this...1200 mg. of Gabapentin and possibly a pump for the Baclofen that I have been taking nearly 80 mg. nightly due to horrid spasms too! In my thighs legs and feet, just horrid.
Now the Gabapentin is the scary one and it is great for all that, but I had been on as much as 2100 mg., but tapered down in one week increments, since that is what you MUST do to ward off negative unwanted side effects.Most recently, these last several months to only 600 mg., three hundred in the morning and three hundred at bed time.
Now what?
Well, what I am going to do is try to get an appointment with my neuro for my Multiple Sclerosis, I just saw her about two weeks ago and things were better and we even discussed my tapering down to three hundred thus the delivery of that amount yesterday by USPS, yes their pharmacy at Humana Rx gave me the wrong tracking number!

I was doing so well that I even went shelling off our boat, you might recall I posted that here?
Then, my plantar fasciitis came back, so now two boots, yes both feet, and I hardly walk, and physical therapy for that and I am still going.
I am getting ultra sound and massages and icings.

You don't know how much fun it is separating my double clicks on letters on the keyboard or on this touch screen and my phone's too!
Thus even more grammatical mistakes with now spelling too, and I used to be an excellent speller, but with my cognitive issues...oh well...not very nice Christmas Eve fair, hmm?
One more thing since in my title, I have been falling asleep late with my CPAP on for my sleep Apnea, but I awake either early morning or during the night with the sensation of numbness from my neck down, like a paralysis nearly!
And I get where my voice gets so horse, like a whisper that Hubby cannot even hear me next to him, and no I am not dreaming nor having a night mare this is what happens... and then I worry I am having a stroke like Mom, Dad and my brother, but they were older than me... and then I remember that stroke is only on one side and this is both, but then I worry my cervical stenosis has caused this paralysis, and sure enough my neck hurts so Hubby now up gets my soft cervical collar that he cannot understand where it is since my voice is so soft...and this has happened before and it was just my MS taking a turn for the worse, again... but those two other symptoms escalated the nystagmus and my intention tremor, jumping beany me, ha!
NOT SO FUNNY SCARY!
Then I try the chant, in my head, since Hubby is back to sleep, "I may have MS but it doesn't have me!"
People have it on T shirts, and other propaganda that I have not subscribed to, too many different looks to this same nasty disease!
Confusing and scary at times.
Yep, my legs were rubber yesterday, but after I took another after breakfast nap... till 2:30 P.M.!
I wanted some lunch and my morning missed shower!
Hubby transformed my walker into a transporter, yup it does that with foot rest and everything!
And he rolled me into the roll in shower, but stopped short of helping me with the extra stuff like the shower itself! 
I removed my soft collar and clothing with a locked chair, and used the braces on three locations, and sat on the bench after securing my tube suctioned onto the marble seat.
Handheld sprayer and wall hung necessary items all right there, conditioner first then liquid soap lastly shampoo on the right.
See I already know placement, since my sight might very be compromised for a long time, forever.
No cure for nystagmus.
That with the intention tremor are absolute indicators that my MS is progressing more so now...so scared.
Must stop, eyes are bad now...
Will try to maintain here as long as I can... I so need to tell ... that is Speak My Mind!
On the brighter side I did make Hubby who was reluctant take me to the boat parade to go in spite of my condition, but after leaving you all the site I never did open it, it had said they had changed the route, after all these years so we could not find them!
But we boated down the canals and saw those lovely decorations on docked boats and homes! Ta DA!

Happy Christmas Eve to ALL!

   

Friday, December 22, 2017

Two Nice Guys

Dime Time Media, LLC highlighted tonight.

A local business with their office right in the Charlotte County Cultural Center ... spelling out convenience. Or call (941) 625-DIME (3463)
This stunningly eye catching window is a sampling of what's in store for you upon entering this professional office of a unique styled marketing office that's ads add caricatures into your sales media pitches, maps and logos or both, whoa and WOW! 
Henry(right) and Andrew (left)

Sample above.

Moving on...

Today Hubby and I went to lunch at:


We ordered our usual there, two broiled lemon pepper rainbow trout fillets with three sides a piece.
My sides were their delish sweet slaw, fried apples, and a Brussels sprouts, pecans, dried cranberries,  a lettuce species, and slaw too combo salad mighty tasty! Hubby's sides were his usual aversion to vegetables, with mac and cheese, fried apples and mashed potatoes with a double amount of gravy... Dr. Oz just said mashed potatoes and gravy are not considered vegetables, ha! And apples are fruit not vegetables, correct? Of course half came home and we just finished it all for dinner, well not all; a little bit of fish and some sides are still left for one more meal, would you believe?

Any-who, from there we went over to Publix again for my prescription of Gabapentin, since Humana RX mail order again screwed up this very dangerous medication's delivery.
I had originally called when I had two weeks left  of Gabapentin.
Gabapentin is an anti-convulsive used for Epilepsy, as well as a pain med for neuropathy, neurological pain, and severe spasms, which is why I was originally given this medication that you need to wean yourself down in dosages if you want to try to use less.
And so when I saw my neurologist last month I had discussed bringing myself down from the 600 mg. I was now using that I had lowered from 2100 mg. quite some time ago.
You must do it one week at a time or chance a dangerous reaction ER worthy!
So we decided, the doctor and myself to get the 100 mg. dosage pills so I could reduce by 100 mg. in a couple of weeks, so from 600 mg. to 500 mg. to eventually 400 mg. and perhaps after a while to less?
But when I ordered my Breo, my asthma medication, I thought I should check on the order of Gabapentin that I knew my doctor's nurse had faxed over at least a week ago or more, and what I found out was as of yesterday I thought they were on their way... but they had not been sent yet!
This medication that you can go into horrid conditions all needing hospitalization they did not send yet, since they never called me to get approval of my $3.30 co-pay, apparently, and their policy appears to be that they do not send unless that amount is paid, what????!!!!!
They know me they have never not been paid!
I just received their years summary, and with my Copaxone I had almost 75K, yes seventy-five thousand dollars of medication go through Humana, and they held up delivery due to $3.30!
Of course that amount was covered by my insurances and my larger co-pays by organizations, since we do not even make that a year, but they had been paid by all those sources!
And I pay those little minutia amounts up to fifty bucks in co-pays, although one of my non-profits has offered to pay even that!
 
So I had to ask for an approval authorization number to get some pills from our local Publix RX, and that is why I was still upset, the quantity was one 100 mg. three times a day, and enough for ten days, but the wrong dose! Fortunately, they still had a prescription from my last doctor of 300 mg. twice a day for a thirty day supply for the grand total of the two prescriptions of $3.30 plus $1.10, $4.40 more than my ninety day supply from Humana Rx mail order for the $3.30.
Damn, but needed.

I have had this issue before with docs not getting the mg. or dosage correct, you think they would keep track better.
I print out all my meds every time for them to put into their records.


Oh well... this is my life and me speaking my mind just out loud!
Two nights till Christmas.

Oh, we had a small Christmas miracle, well some might not think so... our Hoover brand rechargeable battery vacuum with attached duster and also a stick attachment, was not holding a charge for about a week, and with tile floors and a dog it was a great easy way to keep clean so we thought that we might need to toss it and Hubby did try fixing it to no avail and he fixes everything!
So we figured we would have to bite the bullet and buy another or use the heavy electric one.
And voila it started to hold a charge yesterday, and worked for clean up immediately yay!
Silly, I know but I presumed it was just a little dead, like in the Princess Bride, ha!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Princess_Bride_(film)
Circa 1987, a favorite with us and our sons!

Thursday, December 21, 2017

I had another PT appointment this afternoon.

Disappointment at this time for I thought I had something more interesting to write about for tonight, but who knows I may get more info by tomorrow.

Meanwhile, back to my days journey...
Hung out a good part of the day at home, since my PT appointment was scheduled for one forty-five P.M..
But after physical therapy we stopped by the Cultural Center to see what they had in the way of decorations and if anything was going on... I guess we missed it, since there was not much going on there except if you count some wicked games of chess played by more senior than us folks.

So we moved on to check out our larger Habitat for Humanity store that we had yet to go into, and  not unlike the Cultural Center end of year furniture donations made for very crowded maneuvering for me. Hubby stayed in the van, but opened the door for me.

We always check out thrift shops for trying to find something... anything that might just jump out at us asking to come home, ya never know, ya know?

Nothing did today.

While waiting for me Hubby had found our coupons for eating out at Burger King, two small fries and two whopper jrs for three ninety-nine, big fancy dinner total tax included $4.27, free brought along beverages of water and club soda, parking at the beach complex to stare at the harbor... priceless!

Then home.

Ah another day, another not too spendy!

Words are free and so are my thoughts... just Speaking My Mind, Ta DA!

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Prepare to be disappointed.

Yup, no pictures tonight.
Although, my somewhat cryptic comments of my previous night, that is prior to the pictorial last night, shall I continue?
I will take your silence as a yes!

Any-who, I mentioned that I had gone to Fantastic Sams a bargain discount chain hair salon that has been around for many, many years.
And so I have gone for those many years on and off according to who was cutting my hair the way I want it or had their own fashion concept that suited me, got that?

If they screwed up I would not complain I would just ask for another stylist or try a different place.
I had gone to an individually owned place for several years, since they were very good to the non-profit I volunteered for by giving away free haircuts at fund raisers as well as styling my models hair for the fund raising fashion shows we had done. We had clothes from Beall's, the regular store, not outlet one and makeup from one of those places that also does wedding parties, all donated time and specialties. I had stopped going to the hair salon shortly before they closed, after decades in business. I was told by the owner that she had wanted to retire.

Anyway, over the years I have gone back to Fantastic Sams.
And pretty much was happy with whomever cut my hair and they would blow dry it, since I would wash my hair daily and for them to lean me back in their sink was dangerous for my neck with cervical stenosis, and can cause a stroke too if you are susceptible to that, which I had been told that I was.
So the woman that was supposed to do my hair via my phone call appointment was suddenly gone for the day, my appointment was made for three thirty so I would be in time for my PT just around the corner in the same mall.
At times this gal, meaning me, can be easily accepting of change believe it or not and so they said Chuck, the only guy in the shop could cut my hair. Chuck who looked a little more like St. Nick more than a hair stylist; he donning a white beard and hair in mostly transition to white, and looking around our age...older than, what??? He stated he was actually one year my junior.

Chuck, while speaking with him while he was cutting my unruly hair that had gone from straight as a rail decided to become frizzy and or curly more often than not in my entire life, so that is why I felt a haircut was in order! For no other reason than management necessary! I had requested a nearly impossible feat, a wedge blunt cut look as I spoke about the evolution of my hairstyles for the last fifty plus years, and mistake colors of blue and avocado before they were popular, and my Vidal Sassoon slanted bob cut that a friend/neighbor did for me before I started in high school. She had been a beauty school student while finishing public high school as well, after graduation from high school, in the state teachers college she studied to become a teacher. At the time she graduated from college teaching jobs were scarce so the beauty school certification supported her until she was able to get into the public school system to teach; she taught for decades after I was told. 

All this is important since what happened to my hair after is why I wonder how Chuck was listening to me, did he ignored my original design style request? Or did he think I was willing to experiment since my willingness over the years for change has been documented?
Alright, or did he chose to do something that Hubby and I saw while watching PBS earlier over the weekend prior to my haircut visit? The woman asking for their donations between programming looked as if she had an earmuff over one ear, her left, I believe it was. Hubby and I both thought it was a very odd hair style...oops did CHUCK DO HER HAIR TOO?
Not exactly, but close.
I had PT right after, and as usual they take their chairs out of the way for my wheel chair to come forward into the space.
The head rest inevitably is forgotten and so many a hairdresser has dueled with it, and nearly broke it a few times, still even Chuck didn't, but nearly did, and my chair was full of hair.
He never even looked or tried to dust it off... and until in PT did we notice it... Hubby right away did not like my hair and for him that is a rarity!
The weird thing was Chuck was about to send me out with a soaking wet head, and no it was not cold out it was nice and warm, but I had PT and it just looked odd.
So I asked Chuck to blow dry it and he said then it will be thirty dollars!
For my fourteen dollar haircut?
I said they always blow dried it before, but this would be a styled dry he said...I said then forget it and wanted to leave but then he said I will do it, huh?

And so he did, sort of... it still had wet spots.
I asked at the register about the bigger charge, and they admitted that is what they do charge for styling, and I said well that's not in my price range, and that I will have to go somewhere else, and the cashier said we will take care of you.
They know me.
And I asked why I had not been charged before, they said since it was only dried not styled.
Okay, then that is what I will do.
I did leave a bigger tip due to their two dollar senior haircut up-charge, it used to be twelve bucks, and I left a four dollar instead of a three dollar tip. I said although I wasn't happy, in my head, it is the holidays.
Hubby, the next day wanted to go in and let them know that I was not happy, but this time I let it go and asked him not to do anything either.
I just won't ask for Chuck again.
Problem solved...

Today I had an incident that is still not resolved, about a wrong diagnosis on a Medicare Summary prevented them from allowing a procedure. I was not charged anything, but you know me when they have something wrong...
I WILL LET THEM KNOW!
And today I have calls in for just that reason.

Upward and onward, fighting my own personal battles daily!Just Speaking My Mind.
Ta DA!

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Uplifting kind of day...

Waiting for my pics to transfer here, but it was a nice way to spend the day after an early PT at nine thirty this morning.
Oh, how is that, one might ask?
Going over to Fishville AKA Fisherman's Village in Punta Gorda Florida.
Not far from home.
Just over the bridge.

Barb with Bella the owl.

Funny sign in our restaurant.

Leslie Jazzmaster Dacosta Jr. www.lesliedacostajr.com

Lady I cannot remember sorry and Luna the little owl.

Gowns?

A huggie bear, yep those arms open and close, beware of the bear! Mister watch out!

Bruce Neumann and Tiki D www.bruceandtikid.com 



Tom and Blossom the possum. All wildlife presented on behalf of Peace River Wildlife Center 3400 Ponce Deleon Parkway, Ponce Deleon Park, Punta Gorda Florida 33950 941-637-3830 www.PeaceRiverWildlifeCenter.com

Enough said! Another brilliant sign in same restaurant.

Look closely the dolphins line the sides of the entrance...

A rare white gator in crocs, ha! 

ENJOY THE SEASON!

Monday, December 18, 2017

Fantastic Sams, Beall's Outlet, Fawcett Sports Rehab, Dairy Queen

Fantastic= not so much
Beall's= found something and lost something
Rehab= well done!
Dairy Queen burgers and fries= too much gave back to Hubby nearly half.
Tired now, just got home...
TTYT, O.K.?

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Streaming movies, TV series etc.

We have been watching movies in the same room, a rarity these days and we chose a few Steven Spielberg movies of the 70's and 80's, so we watched ET, one of my favorites, Always, Gremlins and Batteries Not Included then moved on to Jaws, Jaws 2, Jaws 3D, and lastly Jaws the Revenge! Scary, found myself hiding like I did as a young mom during the gory chomping scenes!

Too bad they did not have Close Encounters of the Third Kind available I loved that one too, wish all the Indiana Jones were available on Netflix that we loved, but so far they are not either.
We avoided too serious content ones that most we had seen though before when they originally came out.

Our goal was to enjoy our ride without too much involved in too deep thought, pure entertainment was our goal, although all of those were done so well and that made mindless entertainment take a nice concise slick turn.

We also watched, if I recall, Men in Black; fun stuff!

All ones that brought back memories that we used to watch with our sons, some from when we had just moved here to Florida in 1986; every Saturday night we would go out to the movies and dinner, and they each could invite a friend!
Those were the days...ahhhhhhhh
Memories!

Moving on...

I personally have been watching many series.
The latest now is American Crime with Tim Hutton, used to love his Dad, Jim Hutton as Ellery Queen, sadly his father passed away at only forty-five years old from a heart attack. He took over the series for a while I seem to recall or not. He was/is the spitting image of his Dad, not unlike Tom Hanks and his look alike son Colin.

Although, in this series with Tim Hutton, American Crime, he plays the father of the victim of the crime, not the detective.
I miss him sleuthing like his Dad, someone should remake Ellery Queen, great series.
Are you listening out there?
You could even offer him the role?
I would.

Any-who, Hubby took a turn for the worse again last night, being a day past his two week bout with the flu he regained his 101 plus temp last night with heavy congestion.
He is reinfecting himself, and I keep telling him to watch using his cup and the thermometer must be 
cleaned with rubbing alcohol and the cup with HOT soapy water!
I am using more Lysol spray, and trying hard not to get too close, so far my symptoms have been extremely mild in comparison. Oh Hubby's temp was normal today again a perfect 98.6, but with the Tylenol.

On this note of hope to a happy good night for all, and to also ask you to kindly share all your blessings and we will too!

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

Saturday, December 16, 2017

Poor planing ahead on my part...


because this should have been an easier project, but it became less so... by starting late for a slow cooker for dinner. So this is what I did fifteen minutes prior to the picture of the time on this first clock is when I put everything into the crock pot, notice the "original" one
 the Rival, yes it is thirty years old and we had had two in the restaurant back then for soups and chilis. 


In went the brisket into the olive oil, but first the pan was sprayed with PAM and then the 2.67 lbs. piece of meat was first browned in my large skillet with a coating of flour embedded with garlic powder, sea salt, cracked black pepper, thyme, and a packet of no sodium beef bouillon. Then I went to relax and watch some Netflix in bed with my iced packs smartly covered in wash clothes and attached with the top Velcro fastener off of my boots, Hubby's brilliant idea!

 And instead of me doing the ridiculous fireman boots slip on/into every-time I have to get up I have these nifty orthotics for my particular ailment installed, manually, ha into a pair of my comfortable slip on shoes, and Ta DA!
 I had Hubby helped me pour out the crock pot into the pressure cooker!  Yes, before the suds,sillies!
At a rather late time, although, in reality for us early bird eaters forty-five more minutes is not bad at all! And so it was fork tender by five minutes to five, yay!
                                          
Meat already removed below, veggies and lovely gravy still in the pot, two red potatoes, two gold potatoes, several baby carrots, a couple of hand fulls of cherry tomatoes, apricot preserves smeared on meat, half an onion, two garlic cloves, two bay leaves and a partridge in a pear tree, just kidding!

                                          Below is  a little more than half left of the brisket after we took what we wanted, more than enough for two people of that 2.67 lbs.!
                                      Aaaaaaaaah dinner can't live with it, cannot live without it... although some                                           do... please help them! Not just at this time of the year, but all year long!:

                                        https://www.thespruce.com/charities-that-fight-hunger-1666012

On this note of a demonstration of sharing your blessings and we will too, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night!

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


Friday, December 15, 2017

How is it...

that a magazine like Southern Living, cannot deliver your completely paid for one year last August subscription, supposedly due to it being undeliverable?
WHAT?
Our This Old House, Coastal Living, and Better Homes and Gardens all get here to our mailbox in timely fashions!
WHAT?
Last time this happened, also with them, we thought after speaking with the post office and them denying telling the magazine that our magazine was undeliverable, so now what?
Who do you believe?
And we are the ones still not getting our magazine again, until I have to practically have to beg them for it and we will be getting this month's and next, thank you very much, finally. But if I hadn't called...

What they tried to tell me, the one who called them last time this happened is that they received a new address to finally send them to? NOT TRUE!
WHAT?
I said you spoke with me and we have been living here in this particular home nearly twenty years and it is the same address!
She said back to me our current and our only address when I asked her to and I said yes, that is right our only one... so?

I realized we hadn't received our December Southern Living issue when our January one of Better Homes and Gardens came today!
And that is initially why I called.

And when I heard an instant replay of their last month's excuse I got upset.
I repeated their illogical reasoning due to us receiving all mail as well as our magazines.
I asked them directly why and from whom they were told this ridiculous information that our address was undeliverable?
The supervisor said, " the post office".
Frustrating.
Aggravating.

So I threw out another possibility to Hubby about the next block over where their house number is the same as ours as well as the first letter of their street address and they go up north a lot and lock up their home, and we have had their mail and their ours, but it always has gotten straightened out eventually...hmm but maybe?
When they go away they stop their mail, but then they would have it held not sent back...nope!

Oh well.

Perhaps someone in their company, the magazine company that is, is keeping the magazines for themselves or selling them, some go for as much as fifteen dollars a piece without a subscription... a black market magazine gang?

Who knows...could be?

Moving on...

We left our mini manse at eleven A.M. this morning and took to our errands completion first at Walgreens for vitamins and orthotics were had there, then an early lunch at Olympia's. A cup of cabbage soup and a small Greek salad for me with my iced water with lemon on the side, Hubby ordered a BLT with the same beverage as mine minus the lemon.

Finished lunch on time for my PT, this time with Amy from Michigan, another newbie, she did ultra sound on my feet as well as massage ending the whole session with an icing, that is cold, not sweet, ha!
Then odds and ends at Winn Dixie's again to make latkes for dinner and kugel, also a brisket and salmon for future meals.

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

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

Thursday, December 14, 2017

Third day of Hanukkah and eleven more days till Christmas....

Tra, la, a, la, la, la, la, la, la ,la la,la!
Now spin that dreidel!

Are you done yet?

With your shopping of course.

Good luck to all and do not forget to enjoy it all!


Moving on...

Today I had my eval of my feet at the Fawcett Sports Rehab, that over a twenty year period has become my home away from home at times.
Actually, I have lost tract how many times I have been there, more than twenty, but this is the first time for my feet.
They are both swollen and sore, but oddly enough lefty hurts more than righty, that is slightly more swollen.
James was my PT, physical therapist this time, a newbie of being there for only a year and a half, and the first time that I have seen him.
I have been scheduled for a whole month, three times a week, forty-five minute sessions, so far.

From there we went over to Winn Dixie where Hubby loves their chicken pot pies and chose one for his lunch, and we also picked their roasted turkey that I served with homemade gravy mashed potatoes and peas for dinner. 
We also had forgotten to pick my stevia and Hubby's sugar while at Publix so we got that too from Winn Dixie.
They are in the same Promenades Mall as my sports rehab.

Tired now, TTYT all.

Happy good night to all and to all share those blessings and we will too!

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



Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Renewed feelings of goodness and decency in people.

GREAT JOB ALABAMA!
Letting the world know that some times when repeated multiple accusations of sexual misbehavior means that they must have some legs of truth! And when so many people who do not know each have similar or same incidents allegedly perpetrated by Roy Moore in the end most Alabamians felt they were true and voted accordingly for Doug Jones a man with excellent ideas and a modicum of  honesty and decency that is needed in public service of all jobs. Moore, for once be a true gentleman and concede the election sir, you did lose.
Good judgement.

Moving on...

We are lumps today, as we had nothing much going on.
But in a way we both needed that rest.
Hubby actually felt better today!
And I am the one waiting for the other shoe to drop.
You see, I have not had severe flu symptoms, Hubby had.
I suppose it is because I had my flu shot in the beginning of September and his was nearer to the middle of November.
Mine had more time to work, and no the shot does not give you the flu people!
We have a flu shot yearly and this is the first time that we have gotten it; the news says that this particular strain is only ten percent covered by our shots this year, better than nothing! Every year the strains can be different.
But getting the shot is better than not getting it believe me!
And we get the heavy duty senior ones, at Walgreens where if you get one they give one: https://www.walgreens.com/pharmacy/immunization/shot_at_life.jsp.
That is why the last several years we have been going there.

Gus, our rescue Havanese mix hairy son, knows something is up he has been more jumping on our laps and kissing and loving us as if he is taking care of us. Personally, I love the positive behavior, but Hubby is so sore so it is not as pleasant for him, and I am mostly numb, so... I enjoy this more than angry biting!
So I encourage this behavior that occurs while we sit in our recliners.

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

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

PS Hubby lit the menorah tonight, since I write while lying in bed and remove my two boots that I joke are like fire boots, but are not as easy to put on and take off.
This week I am going in for evaluation for appropriate PT, physical therapy, for my plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendinitis is its other name.


Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Words of wisdom

Our children are listening and learning from our commander and chief.
And what are they learning?
If you do not admit that you did something wrong, you didn't.

Okay, Geez I never tried that even when I was a kid.
Guess I wasn't smart enough to give it a go?
Yup, I even confessed to things I did not do...whoa I was dumb!
Oh that was only on one occasion and I thought I was protecting a friend, but then we both admitted we did smoke, so I did do it. I am an honesty wimp.
I was seventeen though, not in my seventies!
For other bad stuff as a child I usually got caught and reprimanded...verbally.
Probably should have lost privileges.
Wait a minute...

Sorry, did you miss me?
Just took a lighting the menorah break.
You see, sundown comes in the middle of my writing this.

Any-who, when I was a child many a friends' parents were into corporal punishment in the forms of spanking and one large family I recall having a fear of the other side of the hairbrush and or wooden spoon if they misbehaved and they rarely did!
My parents were of the modern theory of trying to reason with me, even when I could be quite unreasonable!
Some times it would work, but other times it would not.
Dad did smack me once as a sixteen year old who used the words at him of, "shut up" that to him was like cursing!
I didn't do that again.
Some times ... nah never, violence begets violence, he quickly apologized and never ever did that again along with me finally getting the fact that being fresh to parents is not right or good.

So Mr. Orange Frothy Haired Guy, remember what you say may very well come back to haunt you, Baron is watching your denials and if those denials turn out to be proven to be lies well sir na, na, na, na, na...children will lose respect for a parent that cannot be trusted!
Although, your adult children mostly support you no matter what, except Ivanka at times...hmm.
A lot to think about. ( For you.) Oh and all those grand kids too!
That is all I am saying.

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

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

PS Hubby had his last cataract post surgeries check up and all is well!
That is except his flu bug, darn!
He is on his tenth day.
Hope it will end before or by the fourteenth day, as some info states, one to two weeks in its entirety.

Monday, December 11, 2017

No excuses, just plain talk about my latest...

...doctor's office visit, the nephrologist.

I had an appointment scheduled from August when my GFR showed that I was in stage three of chronic kidney disease and this most recent blood test showed that I wasn't.
And so I tried to cancel the appointment, but I was told to come in and speak with the doctor.
PS the doctor concurred with my assessment from my online access of my blood work.

Even so, he explained to me that I was doing something right with my diet, and so he suggested I comeback in a year after I have my blood test two weeks prior to that office visit to make sure all is still well or better.
I agreed.

And he also was interested in my swollen ankles issue with being in the motorized wheel chair often, and asked if I would want to try water pills, 20 mg. of lasix, taken only twice a week with a potassium pill, and an option of taking them three times a week? (Easier than ice packs down there, and those packs tend to slide off, and for me are hard to do for myself so I have to bother Hubby too often.)

He threw in that it can even help get rid of perhaps ten or more pounds.
Hot Dang, I'm no fool, so I said an absolute yes!
So me who tries hard to diminish her arsenal of meds, just added two more...oh well!
Potassium is not really a drug, and a water pill; is a pseudo diet drug?
Since I do not have high blood pressure or heart disease or other medical issues that would normally be criteria for water pills, just those swollen ankles too often.

Any-who, oddly enough my temperature was still 96.2 taken by his nurse, and my blood pressure was just right!
That low temp. is fascinating since some information states that it is still within the normal realm, and others state it could my thyroid, which I am already on medicine for and comes up perfectly fine with the dosage I am on in my blood work.
Scary items on the topic can be over the top and since I do not feel that bad except for my cough, stuffed nose and a bit achy, but that I am always anyway!
Sepsis was one cause, see scary.
I ruled it out, since the only symptom that was on the list that I have is the low temp.
Too many others to mention here.

It is definitely nice to have an inquisitive mind, but at times it gets the imagination going in the wrong direction, that's all I am going to say.
Lately I have been hooked on those tests online for knowing historical figures, TV stars of the past, etc., fun.
As well as all the streaming on NETFLIX, too many have been viewed to give you critiques at this point, but many are up for the Golden Globes.

Moving on...

Hubby had to drive me to the doctors office, which ordinarily would not be a problem and a get out of the house to beyond onto elsewhere's...but he still feels so horrible, and looks so sad/mad about being in this temporary state.
He has not gotten a high fever back, but his congestion is pitifully yucky sounding, and so he believes that Benedryl has been more beneficial than the Coricidin, so he switched back to it, sorry. I was concerned it affected his blood pressure, but the pharmacist said no.
Me too with my Clariton, both are allergy medications, although we both are also taking cough medications too, his Robitussin DM and mine is the the kid/adult Delsym, orange flavored, recommended by the pharmacist.

After that and in spite of Hubby's awful condition we needed to get too many things inside Publix and so we went in together and completed the task.

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

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

Sunday, December 10, 2017

Good evening...

I guess I need a bit of an explanation why I fell asleep so long during the day yesterday.
Well, that night before we had nasty thunderstorms, and Gus our rescue Havanese mix is terribly afraid of them and carries on something awful.

Hubby stayed up with him during the last storm and since his flu is worse than mine, so far, I took a turn at calming Gus all night long.
And we, Gus and I, were up until four forty-three in the morning, so when I fell asleep I awoke the first time around seven thirty.
Feeling not too good myself I decided to take the Coricidin HPB, although I do not have high blood pressure, but the pharmacist nixed the Robitussin DM for me due to my asthma.
Also, my temperature is not as high as Hubby's has been, he had a few days of 102!
That is why I hadn't taken  the Coricidin, it has Tylenol in it, 325 mg., and it is great for lowering temperatures, but I didn't even have 100.

But when I did take it after breakfast I was achy, stuffed up and coughing and sneezing, and that is what Coricidin is for too.

Apparently, I turned my pill container up side down again, so I took, my before breakfast medicine at the right time, but I took my after and bedtime together by mistake, but at the time I did not realize it and neither did Hubby!
Sure I was sleep deprived and that is my excuse! My only one, otherwise I have no idea.

Hubby encouraged me to take a nap after breakfast, and so I even got into bed again after my usual morning shower.

When I did not awake for lunch I think he felt that I needed the rest and let me sleep.
But by seven thirty P.M. he finally woke me!

I was very cold to his touch, but I suppose with him running his fever still although lower like mine, he didn't think anything was wrong I was just very, very tired.
Hours later I said I could have been dead!
So very cold.
He said yeah, or some such thing.
I said I want to be cremated, remember that!

Even after I was awake a while my temperature was only 96.2, and I had taken my thyroid medication! ( With a hypothyroid condition you do tend to run low when not controlled.)
Although, I checked and hypothermia starts at 95 degrees and below from there.

So I did have a late dinner, while writing the blurb I left for you all, supper was a little bit of chili and tomato soup, and took my after lunch medication after dinner, and no more Coricidin.

And yep, last night I had a hard time getting to sleep this time due to whatever the days sleep was, nearly getting my day and night mixed up.
I did fall asleep late, around three A.M. and awoke just after six A.M., but tonight I should be back on track, I think? No naps today!

On that who really cares monologue, remember at times I am also here for your entertainment escapism from your truly more exciting than mine at times lives...
Why was I never asked to write for Seinfeld, I think that I am pretty good at writing about nothing!
As their show was based on, and successful forever, still!

On those overtired notes of delusions of grandeur, 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!



Saturday, December 9, 2017

Friday, December 8, 2017

Identical twins



Did you know that these two identical cuties do not come in rights or lefts? Nor iridescence or metallic?
And so now you know that I do have plantar fasciitis in both feet, still, again, still... for my next treatment PT, physical therapy for the umpteenth time make that twentieth plus, now in the process of setting that up. First for this ailment though... Serves me right for trying to walk more often!


I do know that I have to keep trying to walk to prevent clots and aid in weight loss. But I do seem jinxed!
High protein  diets do aid in weight loss, but create havoc with the kidneys!
Actually, my recent kidney blood work shows that my kidneys have improved, since not being on one, i.e. high protein diet.
A GFR of below sixty and mine was 53 and 55 that determined stage three chronic kidney disease, and this last test showed it was all the way up to 61, yay! I tried cancelling my nephrology appointment, when I saw it online from the lab, and I did call to cancel, but the doctor's nurse told me to come in anyway to speak with the doctor.
Okay.
Made oatmeal raisin cookies with stevia too today!
The last of them below:

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

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


Speaking My Mind: STOP HOLDING UP THE TEMPORARY TRUCE!!!

Speaking My Mind: STOP HOLDING UP THE TEMPORARY TRUCE!!! :   As a Jewish-American woman, I truly believe, that Hamas has to be stopped, but ...