Republican Incredulity

We have 74 (F) outside with overcast skies.  showers and possibly thunderstorms are on the way.  If we get them, I hope they wring a little of the humidity out of the atmosphere because right now clothing is rather cloying.  Temps are supposed to be dropping.  Also, the smoke from fires in northern Canada is supposed to be leaving the area.  Things are still hazy this morning.

Yesterday was a decent day for getting things done.  Since the dill and cilantro seeds didn't survive being planted outside, I'm trying them inside, the way I did the oregano last year.  I went for a ride in Amsterdam that was flat.  Rides like this are easier on my knee, though this morning it is a bit cranky.  I think this is mostly due to the change in air pressure as we move from stinkin' hot temps, to somewhat cooler temps.  I do think my left knee is suffering from the crankiness of age some people call arthritis.

Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" has started playing in theaters.   There was some controversy in his casting choices in the small minds of MAGA cultists.  They didn't like Lupita Nyong'o playing Helen of Troy.  A lot of these pea brained imbeciles railed that the Greeks would never have cast a black person in that role.   In an odd way they're right, because 2000 years ago Helen would have been played by a man wearing a mask.  We all know, however, that there is no stopping stupidity when it has a loud, uneducated voice.  Telling these people that "back then" the voyage from Alexandria to Piraeus only took 3 days, and that because of the Middle East's close proximity to Northern Africa, skin color would not have been a problem is useless.  Their lack of minds have been decided.

Last year my tomato plants were barren.  This year?  They are abundant!

Of course the Orange Anus and his cronies are desperate to stop the midterm elections.  They know that when the Democrats take control of both the House and Senate there are going to be investigations, arrests and trials.  Because of their greed, they have no problem trying to throttle Democracy.  Having their lives brutally upended and being reduced to mere mortals rather than the demigods they believe themselves to be, is simply not on their bingo card.  However, their sense of reality is broken.  They will not even attempt to understand the growing frustration and anger in the common man.  This total breakdown in their thought process will lead to the demise of the Republican party.  They truth they want to ignore is that, should the Orange Anus attempt to hinder or stop the midterms, a major portion of America is going to rise up and stomp the shit out of them.  If you tell them this, they will look at you incredulously and ask "what?" 

Day Light Savings Time

 Can we all say hello to Saturday?  Right now it's dark outside, but tomorrow this time the sun will be popping his head above the horizon because Daylight Savings Time comes to an end this evening.  For morning people this is great.  For night people, not so much so.  There was actually an article in the NYT advising people what to do with their evenings now that they're going to be darker earlier.  I find that amusing since right now the sun is setting at 6:02 PM.  That means it's dark by 6:30 PM, so if your evening activities depend upon sunlight they've already been curtailed.

Lily's been favoring her back left paw.  That might be the onset of arthritis in her back hip, or possibly one her her boo boo paws.  She gets them now and then and usually they're here one day and gone the next.  I can tell you it doesn't stop her from bouncing around in the living room when she knows she's going for a walk.

Yesterday was rather odd.  It was the second day in a row in which I had plans in the morning.  Thursday it was breakfast with my brother, and yesterday I went and got vaccinated; flu and Covid.  I can't recall ever having the flu, and don't want it.  The same goes for Covid.  My brother told me he had it for the 3rd time last month.  One of these times he's going to get it and it's going to be serious.  Needless to say, both of my shoulders are sore this morning.

And I saw where Robert F. Kennedy Jr gave some sort speech yesterday as part of his campaign as an Independent candidate for president.  One of the things I find amusing is that Republicans thought he would syphon votes away from Biden.  Well, that's not happening.  In fact what we're seeing is the reverse, that it's Trump voters that are turning to Bobby Jr.  Anyway, as part of his speech he said that as president he would end the research of infectious diseases, like measles, and focus mainly on diabetes and cancer.  That's right, he said measles.  Perhaps he doesn't know that measles was one of the number causes of childhood mortality, of course we don't see a lot of it these days thanks to vaccinations.  But don't worry, it'll come roaring back if Bobby Jr gets elected. 

Stating Facts

 There is the possibility we might have rain today.  The sky is overcast and the temps are supposed to climb all the way up to 80 (F).  Yesterday, our thermometers hit the upper 80s (F) and you would have thought we were in a screaming heat wave the way people were reacting.  Crimany!  You'd think they were going to start melting the second they hit the parking lot.  My Central Air did kick on a bit, but only for a few minutes.  

I did have an elderly woman with serious arthritis as a customer yesterday.  She was going to live with her son and was having new carpeting put into her bedroom.   She was paying for her room and he was paying for the rest of the house.  This is going to be a bit of a complicated installation since they both want their carpet installed on the same day.  I felt bad for her.  She was fine once she was sitting in the chair, but I had to lift her up into a standing position after she'd chosen her carpet.  That was a first for me, getting up close and personal with a stranger.

And, if any of you are wondering what I do when the days are slow and boring, besides wandering the store and getting thousands of steps in, I work on the next book.  I take notes.  Sometimes they're random points that I feel are going to need to fill in gaps, and sometimes it's who sections of chapters.  This is what I did yesterday.

I guess most of you have heard that a small, submersible (read minisub) has disappeared while taking wealthy tourists down to see the Titanic.  One of the was billionaire Hadish HamishHis stepson sent out his "Thoughts and Prayers," which surprised me, since I only thought Republicans did that when there was a school shooting.

And for those keeping score.  I was banned from Twitter for making a comment that went against their rules.  And what was it that I said that was so terrible.  Well, it was in regard to Marjorie Taylor Green.  A few day ago, after she spit one of her standard lies, I typed:  "Some day someone's going to punch her in the mouth."  That comment broke Twitter's rules and, of course, I chose not to retract it because in my mind I was merely stating a fact.  She has Tweeted far worse things than that, but than she's on Elon's friend list.

The Raising of the Hands

Okay, so this is the second time publishing this today.  Blogger evidently chose to publish an unwritten previous draft.

So, it's Wednesday.  Yesterday was rather uneventful.  I did go to PetSmart to pick up an algae scrapping kit.  While there, I checked out the glass aquarium tops and the dimmable LED lighting.

I also call the Vet about Biggie's prescription.  I'd like the to either increase the dosage, or prescribe a stronger med.  The Carprofen isn't doing what it died three months ago.  They did bloodwork on him back in August to see if he could tolerate a stronger med... he weighs in at 114, no problem.  I'm just curious as to what the cost is going to be.  They charge $48.70 for a month supply of the Carprofen, Chew charges 12.60 (less my 5% discount).

I did get something nifty in the mail yesterday.  Lost and Found in Space 2.  I was a big fan of the series when I was a kid, not so much so of the Netflix series, which seemed to ignore everything about the original, except for that fact that the Robinson family were the stars.  And yes, it is signed by the two authors.

Joe Biden gave his first State of the Union Speech last evening.  I didn't watch.  I rarely watch speeches.  However, just about every media outlet noted that Boebert put her white trash roots on display.  She and Marjorie Taylor Dumbass chanted something or other.  I remember this kind of shit happening in high school, which pretty spot on when it comes to noting the mental maturity.  Biden spoke of the Ukraine, and... surprisingly, both Republicans and Democrats stood in a rare moment of solidarity.  Now, if only we could get them to stop siding with Putin.  Dana Milbank provides a very good analysis on this Republican need to see Biden fail.  This hatred for Democrats is so deeply ingrained they would support a ruthless dictator.  They are truly treasonous.

And, finally, Wendy Rogers, representative from Arizona, was censured by the Republicans of Arizona yesterday.  This stupid neo-Nazi supporter went to the same rally in Florida as Marjorie Taylor White Trash and Paul Gosar, (another brain dead Republican from Arizona) and then Tweeted glowing statements.  She bristled with rage when the vote to censure was almost unanimous.  Personally, while opposed to striking women, I do believe she deserves at least one good knuckle sandwich.  Can I see a count of hands from those who agree with me?

More Power to Them

 Well, it's Monday, the beginning of a new, three day work week for me.  I'm scheduled for a little over 20 hours this week.  I can deal with that.

Yesterday was very slow at work, which helped me get my steps in: well over 15,000.  I was pleased.  Today I plan on getting a long walk in on the treadmill before heading in.  No goal has been set.  I'm not one for setting goals, not because I'm worried I won't achieve them, rather there are times when life just gets in the way and something with a higher precedence happens.

And how are things going with my back?  Well, I've begun to put the heating pads away, not all of them mind you, just the two that seemed like they were going to provide a lot of help and didn't.  One, I just might throw away.

The puppy nsaids I give to Biggie for his arthritis work well.  He is really bouncy again, something which might make a lot of people uncomfortable because of his size.  Well, they'll just have to get over it, won't they?

As for Omicron... As always with every new strain, there are always questions.  I'm boosted, so hopefully my ass is going to be protected.  They're suspecting it's going to be more contagious, the symptoms may not be anymore severe, however the more people who get sick with it, the greater the strain on our health care system.  That's the problem.  Stupid anti-vaxers don't understand that.  Right now, America is losing about 1200 anti-vaxers per day.  You would think they'd learn... but they won't.  Hey, more power to them.

I just took a look out the window in the computer / cycling room and the air is gray with snow flurries.  No accumulation is expected.  That's fine.

Eternally Banned

 Okay, so I went to see my doctor yesterday.  I got yelled at for taking too many Over the Counter meds.  "They'll burn out your liver!"  Now I have to follow the numbers.  An MRI is being scheduled to assess the arthritis.  Because the pain goes down the front of my legs, he suspects the damage as reached the L2 and L3 vertebrae.  We talked about possible surgery and he seemed rather pleased when I opted out of that treatment.  I'd be satisfied with pain management, where every 3 - 4 months I get a shot.  I've read too many bad things about the surgery.

I also got my yearly flu shot and the first of 2 shingles shots, so both of my shoulders are a bit sore this morning.

Took this shot of Biggie yesterday.  He does this when he's trying to guilt me into giving him a dog biscuit.  It never works.  Instead, I moisturize his nose with balm... and then he gets a little biscuit.

I saw where Loser #45 is attempting to get his Twitter account reactivated.  If, by chance, this happens, make sure everyone you know signs up.  I do believe a constant barrage of people calling him a Loser would definitely result in some Lava Level rage, enough to get him banned eternally.

Here I Go

Well, here we go.  Friday, October 1 has arrived and I have a doctor's appointment this morning.  This is actually a preliminary visit in order to set up a second appointment with an orthopedic specialist.  I actually have pictures of my MRI from 6 years ago to take along.  Always be prepared.

My next part-time schedule was posted and they have me working 29.5 hours, four days.  Once October 11 rolls around and everything is 'official,' I'm going to take Monday, Wednesday and Friday out of my availability.  I want to insure that part-time truly is part-time.  Supposedly they're going to replace my fulltime position, however we will be heading into winter hours after Black Friday, so that will probably not happen until sometime in late February or early March.

For those interested in my writing process, I made this short video.  That's right, you'll get to hear me speaking in my 1950's documentary voice.

I saw where Justice Samuel Alito spit out some sort of tripe about those claiming the Court has become horrifically biased towards the Right.  What surprised me most was this belief he has that the Supreme Court is above judgement.  You can almost hear him saying we are stupid, they are not.  I thought his use of the word 'nefarious' was sadly poetic, as he attempted to justify what they do behind closed doors.  Doesn't it seem like some of the justices are going overboard in an attempt to cover up their bias?  Amy Coney Phony claims their not political hacks.  Thomas rails that Americans will destroy the institution.  Now Alito is saying that 'what happens in the dark, stays in the dark,' but that they're not being nefarious.  Doesn't it seem as thought they've become very defensive about their shift to the Right?  Unfortunately, just like pad prophets interpreting the scriptures, they will interpret the Constitution in a way that tickles their jolly button the best.

 

Bigge at the Vet

 Well, Biggie went to the Vet yesterday.  He was so well behaved.   They kept calling him handsome, which no doubt helped.  He's lost 3 pounds, and is down to 114 lbs. and has full mobility in his back legs.  The Vet did give him meds, a mild pain reliever that needs to be used only when necessary.  They also did bloodwork just in case his dosage needs to be increased.  I gave him 2 when we got home because and he slept the rest of the afternoon, except for dinner. 

And I'm back to work today for just one day, and then for one of my Sunday / Monday weekends.  I'm only working 32 hours this week, since I've an eye appointment scheduled for the 2nd.  One of the odd things about going part-time is going to be my reduction in hours.  Part-time hours handily cover all of my living expenses, 

I'm back on my oatmeal breakfast again.  The cholesterol doesn't bother me, but evidently eggs are not one of the best foods around for those of us who have arthritis, at least not the egg yolk.  I guess I could always start eating egg white omelets.

Sitting here, looking at all of the warnings flashing all over the internet telling people to NOT INGEST worming meds to fight Covid, I couldn't help but wonder if people are dumber then I think... or you think... or we think.  So, I did a little search and found this wonderful article in the BBC!  The more inept people are, the smarter they think they are... now tell me, isn't that a very succinct definition of the Republican party?  That's also a perfect description of their leader, Loser #45, who was blustery as hell but set new heights on the Ineptitude Scale.  I suspect this is also a very accurate definition of Conservatives.  They're all mouth.  Any action they do manage to achieve only benefits themselves, and no one else.  Personally, I have no problem with them divesting themselves of parasites on their way to a cozy Covid health crisis.  If they survive, I guess this means they can graze any pasture they want until their next deworming.

 

The booboo paw

 Lily has a booboo paw.  She was fine when I left her out this morning, however when I opened the storm door to let her back in she was sitting there with her left paw raised.  She probably stepped on a pebble.  From time to time, all of my dogs have had booboo paws.  The paw will be favored for a few hours, until something exciting happens, like a FedEx truck or a UPS truck stops out front and they need to run, then the booboo disappears.

I read the reports on the tests I had earlier in the week: I'm ducky dandy.  Well, that's not entirely correct, the CAT scan of my lungs pointed out the arthritis in my spine, though noted there was 'no abnormal deformity.'  Wow, now ain't that a relief.

And the temps today are supposed to crack a high in the mid-90's (F).  Central Air is on, so are the ceiling fans.  Also the drapes in the front bedroom are pulled tight.  I get south eastern exposure, full sun, which turns the windows into very large heat pumps.

And for those of you who think my Pixel phone is now a useless piece of technology, think again.  The only thing I can't do with it is make phone calls.  Thanks to Wi-Fi, it's still connected to the Internet.  Instead of becoming junk, it has become a mini-tablet, so to speak.  Here's a pic I took a few minutes ago of one of my budding dahlias, the ones that survived the freezing winter.

And here's a bit of a funny, ha-ha moment from Vlad the Puty Boy regarding the insurrection of January 6.  He's saying we have a double standard, that the arrest and punishment of those rioters is no different then his... well, military build up on the border of the Ukraine, and, I suppose, the poisoning of those who oppose him, and the arrest of opposition leaders.  Of course, you know he's got a soft spot in his heart for his old blow bro,  Loser #45.  He's really whiny, isn't he?  Perhaps he's got a booboo paw of his own.

Core issues

Well, it's Wednesday and I get to go back to work... meh.  For 3 whole days.  How will I endure?
I've been getting some twinges in my lower back, so yesterday I began putting together a 'core enhancer' for those days when I'm not on the bike.  With my arthritis, inflammation in my lumbar region can be frequent.  Most don't realize stronger core muscles help eliminate this problem.  I learned that in Physical Therapy.  Personally, I'd rather do a couple exercises than chow down on Advil several times a day.
I went to see Maleficent last evening.  The film is doing okay at the box office, but not as great as they thought.  This is because it's 2 films in one.  A very family friendly G rated prologue and epilogue bookcase a core film about racism.  That's right, there are humans who hate faeries, and pixies, and wood nymphs, and want to kill them.  Humans really, truly hate the Fey, a tall, winged species whom humans have exiled.

Ed Skrein is one of the Fey

Because of this there is a war which is not too kiddie friendly.  I enjoyed the quietly evil Ingrith (played by Michelle Pfeiffer).  The hour and 10 or 15 minutes center section, the heart of the film, isn't bad but the producers definitely felt they needed to suck in the under 10 crowd.  They should have just had the cast say "shit" a couple of times and aimed for a strong PG 13 rating.  I think the box office would have been stronger.

Also, I did spend yesterday smelling like a squatch and will do so again today.  I will let you know what I think of the Dr. Squatch in a couple of days.

And, of course, there was more damning closed door testimony yesterday.  Tomorrow the House will hold some sort of vote and all will be revealed.  The Idiot Jerk in the White House will have a shit festival on Twitter.  Good.  Like the core of a bad apple, his machinations will be revealed.  As the revelations ricochet through the media, I have no doubt people will begin to understand the issues with the Ukraine are not an isolated incident.  With this moron everything is a deal.  Everything is Quid Pro Quo.  If his chats with his blow bro Vlad are ever released people will realize that he really is a scumbag from hell.  Is it any wonder there are serious rumors being whispered by conservatives that in 2020 they might lose... everything.

Meet Gloria

Thursday!  Day off!  Rain... again.
My lower back is bothering me, so I'm going to start doing my 'core' routine again.  Arthritis, you know?  The disc jelly has gushed out and my lumbar vertebrae and they are slowly fusing together, which is actually more of a nuisance than anything else.  Core exercises keep things flexible, unfortunately I've been lax.  It's time to pull out the purple yoga mat, and the red, green, and yellow bands.
And the Idiot Jerk has been busy: his Executive Order on documents related to the 2020 census question on citizenship are now off limits to Congress; he said he'd listen to foreign 'dirt' in an election (like the Russkies?); the Budget gap worsened by $739 billion... and he said nothing.
What this does is define him more sharply as the most racist, crooked, and financially stupid president in America's history.  This is why he is a dream come true to Republicans.  They've always been selfish as hell and dumb as bricks.
And now I'd like you to meet Gloria.  Back when I was almost finished with The Body on the Lawn, I decided I needed readers.  Friends are good for giving feedback but they aren't always as objective as  you need them to be, so I started looking for a voice that could say "nope."  I was a supervisor back then, and one day sitting in staff meeting I said something to Pat, a fellow supervisor, about my predicament.  She said "my Mom might want to do that."  A couple days later she told me Gloria had said she'd read and critique the manuscript.  This was gamble, you see Gloria is an Italian, Catholic, great-grandmother.  I had no idea how she was going to react to a book in which the main characters were 2 gay men in a long term relationship.  She loved it.

She told me that in The Body in the Tower her two most favorite characters were... Bobby Tussel and Jules Laurent, one an ex-Baltimore cop, and the other a member of the Paris police.  I wonder what she'll think of Sunny Rigalito, a character in the next book who cold-cocks her husband when he tells her she'd look prettier as a blond.

Heaven on Earth

Don't ask me how Social Security works, I have absolutely no idea how they calculate things, however I do know that they very rarely make mistakes.  I say this because for the 2nd year in a row they've dropped a chunk of change into my checking account.  You see, I am retired even though I'm not old enough to retire.  Three years ago I noticed a weakness in my right leg which continued to worsen until I started falling down... a lot, like 6 times in one day.  Diagnosis?  Severe arthritis in my lower 5 vertebrae - no pain, just no strength.  Thinking I might end up being disabled for the rest of my life I retired.  They were going to perform laminectomies on those 5 vertebrae... until I started to walk again... on my own... without surgery.  I healed myself... at least that's what I think, rerouted the nerves and taught myself how to walk again.  I've been told I walk with a slight limp, and that I don't lift my feet as high as everybody else, but I'm doing up to 50 minutes or more of cardio every other day (except today which is a rest day).  Anyway, Social Security looks at my monthly wages and using their very obtuse calculations decides that I deserve a one time pay out, once a year.
On the Idiot scene, or at least in regard to haters given a position by the Idiot in the White House, there's the Jeff Sessions hate-athon he had with the Alliance Defending Freedom group recently.  Was anybody out there surprised he'd jolly up to such hatred?  I wasn't.  This guy is a part of that all white, Crazy Christian club that aims to have an all white, Crazy Christian America - if you're not one of them then you're against them.  You see, for them, that would be Heaven on Earth:  America the White and Crazy Christian.  And you had better believe that they are nuts!  Was it yesterday that a number of them gathered in the White House and laid their hands on the Idiot in prayer?  They have no idea he's a Christianist.  They believe he's going to help them legislate their hatred into reality, and he will do what they want because they praise him and douse him with accolades.  It's his ego, you see, every time they lay their hands on him, he believes he becomes even more supreme.  What did Forrest say?  "Stupid is as stupid does?"
Well, I'm going to run off and pay my taxes (not fun) and hit the supermarket.  I'm thinking I make bake bread this afternoon.  You know what they say, "it's all in the loaf."

They do say that don't they?  Or is that just Heaven on Earth?

Ginger

With the diagnosis of arthritis in my neck, several people have come forward with both remedies and comments, some kind, some not so kind.  At work I was challenged by a man 20 years younger who said "well, I've been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, what do you think of that?"  And though I wanted to say "oh, it sucks to be you," I didn't.  I kept my mouth shut.  Now, isn't that amazing.
What I've been getting is "eat this," and "drink that," and "do this," and "do that."  One of my Navy friends told me his 86 year old father was diagnosed with arthritis at about my age.  His treatment was to take 6 alfalfa tablets 3 times a day.  I bought a bottle and discovered that alfalfa has a lot going for it.  It has a lot of 'anti' qualities, however it's also a really good diuretic.  The last thing I really want to do is to spend most of my work day standing at the urinal.
I have a prescription for naproxen, however at the dosage I would need to take I would end up with high blood pressure, and that's just one of the minor issues.
Surprisingly, one of the best anti-inflammatories out there is ginger.  I like ginger.  There was a movie out a while back named "Ginger Snaps" which had more to do with werewolves than it did the baking of cookies.

And then, of course, there is the other popular ginger, the one a lot of you think of when I say "Ginger," and while this ginger might be good for me, it's definitely not an anti-inflammatory. 

No, I'm talking about the root plant.  You know, the spicy thing?  Ginger.  I can take it by eating it or drinking it.  I actually looked up a recipe for Ginger Beer, which is non-alcoholic and is a lot like ginger ale, but with real ginger.  So, I think I'll give ginger a shot and see if it snaps back or not.

Pain in the Neck

Well, yesterday was Veteran's Day so, being a Veteran, I took the day off to... try to put reality into focus... and failed.  There are bright spots out there.  This I found interesting.  Another bright spot is that because those millions of white, rural, racist voters elected Trump the GOP can no longer say they are all encompassing.  Of course we've always known they've been white racists.
And even though I could have gotten 10% off all of my purchases at the store yesterday, I did not go shopping.  And it's not because I got a write-up for that cash bag I left in my apron, which is what the end result was, but more because I don't like going to my work place on my days off.  If I want to buy something, I'll buy when I'm there, not make a special trip.  The discount isn't worth it.
I also had a doctor's appointment yesterday, with my specialist.  My neck.  When even I turn my head to the left or right there's cracking and popping, and sometimes pain.  It's not like I didn't know what he was going to tell me, I just needed it to be official, if you know what I mean.  Arthritis.  He gave me a list of exercises to do so I can strengthen the muscles.  If that doesn't work there will be Physical Therapy ahead.

Right now I'm just going to sit back and watch Trump's approval ratings slowly decline.  Remember when he stupidly said "this will be our Brexit?" totally clueless about what the consequences of that vote would be?  Well, prices are going up in the UK because the Pound keeps deflating.  Get ready, it's going to happen here.  How do I know?  Because I'm a pain in the neck!

When Health Insurance gets it right

The first time The Arlington Group put through the claim for my back surgery it was denied, yesterday I received the results of their appeal.  Surprise, surprise, this time the claim was approved.  However, I'm getting a second opinion because of A) the initial denial, and B) things have so drastically improved since my initial visit to Dr. Kutz.  How drastically have things improved?  On my first visit I had no strength in my right leg and it was nearly impossible to lift my foot more than an inch off of the floor.  This morning I carried the walker I'd been using during the first month out to the car.  That's right, I carried it down three steps and across the lawn.  What makes this so totally ironic is that in the appeal, Dr. Kutz emphasized that I could not walk without the aid of a walker.

That's not true anymore.  What's even more important is that even though I'm not 100% back to where I was before I started falling down, I'd say that I'm at least 80% there.  Do I have arthritis in my lumbar region?  Most definitely.  Is it so bad I need to have 4 of my lumbar vertebrae fused together?  I suspect probably not.  Will I be back to work in a month?  I'd say most assuredly so.  

Now I know everybody complains about health insurance, how expensive it is and how it covers so little, but this time?  I think they got it right.  The fact that my Orthopedic Specialist  needed to enhance information on the appeal to my initial claim is not so good.  Is his diagnosis wrong?  I don't think so.  I do believe that when it came to treating my arthritis The Arlington Group tried to sell me a Gold Plated Cadillac when a simple Ford Focus would have done the trick.

Showering

When I bought my house 20 years ago the bathroom upstairs was a tiny room, 5 feet by 6 feet.  There was a tub / shower combo, a toilet, a small sink, and nothing else.  Ten years ago I remodeled, taking out a back bedroom in the process.  The end result being a 10 foot by 12 foot bathroom and a walk-in closet.  One of the things I did during the re-do was to install a corner shower with a seat.  How fortuitous.  Why?  I figured I'd need something to sit on as I got older.  If you had told me back then I'd be using it today I would have laughed.  I'd have said, "I'm not going to be old enough in 10 years."  Of course, back then I had no inkling I'd be dealing with lumbar arthritis.

Anyway, the seat has become quite the handy accessory.  I don't have to worry about falling when I'm sitting.  I can scrub myself from head to foot without toppling over.  The seat also makes the shower extremely easy to clean.  I suspect it will also come in quite handy after my surgery.  Back when I had the shower installed people looked at me with more then a little surprise.  The idea that you might have to sit down to shower had never occurred to them, most likely because no one wants to think about themselves getting older.  We all are.  

Feeling Fine

A day doesn't go by that someone doesn't ask me how I'm feeling.  Sure, I'm a shut-in right now, but that will change in 27 days when I have my surgery.  Well, it might be a couple of days past that since there is the recovery phase of the operation.  So, it might be 31 days before I actually get a chance to step out my front door with worrying that I might fall down.  Maybe people think I might be depressed about my situation... I'm not.  In fact, given the fact that I'm slightly incapacitated, house training for Siegfried is going quite well.

This morning my brother took me to my local Giant for groceries and he, too, asked how I was feeling.

And I told him, "I'm feeling fine."  There is no numbness in my right leg and no pain what so ever.  It's just that some signals going from my brain to my right quad aren't making it there, like it doesn't do stairs at all.  Still, when laying on my back I can move the leg around and even bring my knee up towards my chin.  See, some of them are getting through, just not the ones that say 'step up,' or 'only have you knee bend so far.'  

And it's not like they're going to be playing around with my disks, there is nothing wrong with my disks, they're fine.  All my surgeon is going to do is take the pressure off of my L4 and L5 nerve roots.  I guess because I have limited mobility I must not be feeling good.  That's not true at all.  I'm feeling fine.