Yardwork

I was very, very tired today, partly because of the physical work I did yesterday, and partly because I was up late watching TV.  I watched the Texas Tech vs. Florida NCAA world series baseball game. Tech won. Then, I watched Perry Mason. I heard the alarm clock go off,  but did not hear the secondary alarm from the smartphone.

I spent time reading today, and unusual for me, nodded off for a couple of naps.I enjoying a phone call from a dear friend from college.  I ran some errands, and went out to eat for dinner.  The Texas Tech team was scheduled to play in the College World Series this evening, but due to a weather delay, the game has been postponed until 6/20/18 NCAA World Series.

I obtained an estimate on fixing my carpet, and replacing the padding.  I contacted my Congressional representative and both Senators regarding my distress about the  separating of immigrant children from their parents at the border. I called the handyman I usually use about some tasks I need done around the house. He did not respond today, but that is not unusual, he sometimes takes a day or two to return a call to me.   I hope we can set up services for this week.

My lawn service mowed front, back and alley today.

I was able to take out a lot of trash, and do some trimming in my yard that the lawn service does not do. The trash I took out included things that I had stored for some time, but had no reason or value to keep.

It has been a good day.

Gouda Cheese - Revisited

Haiku is a very bright cat.  I have been feeding her Gouda cheese at the dining table.  So, today, after I offered her liver, dry food and tuna and she was not interested, she jumped to the dining table and nosed around the papers on the table.  So, I produced a piece of Gouda cheese, and she licked it a little bit. And, several times during the course of the day, she has asked for Gouda cheese, by repeating the same behaviors, and licked a little bit.  This is okay with me.  My concern is that when I return to work, I will be unable to satisfy her desire to snack. 

A Day Off

Friday was the last day for me to work for 9 days.  I spent Saturday and Sunday pretty much as I would any weekend.  Except I slept in Saturday, and was lazy Sunday after waking up early to no electricity.  But, I did my typical weekend stuff.

I had thought to get up early today and walk and then start on chores and errands.  Well, I slept in.  That is okay.  I stayed up late to watch the rain delayed Texas Tech vs.Florida Gators baseball game in the NCAA College World Series.  Texas Tech won!  And, I decided not to walk.

I have a limited ability to do physical activities these days, and I decided to focus my day on the housecleaning that I wanted to do.

I made some phone calls, to the vet, and to get appointments for estimates on some carpet repair.  The regular reader will remember that last August, I had a leak that was eventually identified as coming from the air conditioner. We had to pull out the carpet pad and in spite of my good intentions, I never had that repaired.  It is time to do so. So I called to get some estimates. 

I also sent an email to try to connect with a potential speaker for our NASW luncheon CEU series. 

I read, I did some computer work, and I did what I really had planned to do:  Vacuum.

This turned into some serious, heavy house work:  I moved furniture.  I got out my Super Sliders (I was impressed.  The last time I saw them was 5 or more years ago, but they were right where I left them.) I moved the sofa, scrubbed some stains in the carpet on my hands and knees, and let it dry.  I also moved some other furniture, cleared some end tables, and let everything to dry.

I was concerned about hurting my back, but I was very careful with how I lifted, pushed, pulled and in general moved. I took a hot shower and rested for a few hours, and then went to the Catholic Charities Board of Directors meeting.  I was not in pain or even feeling much twinging.

I moved everything back when I got home from the meeting. Again, I was careful about my movements.  And after I put everything back,  I had some slight back pain.  I used some Biofreeze spray and decided to get out a back support for the lumbar support.  This one has a heat pad, and vibrator, and I decided to take advantage of those features, also.  They seem to be very comforting.

We shall see tomorrow how I am doing.  One of my neighbors, someone much older than me, is very physically active, doing all kinds of physical chores around her house. Then, she says she has to take 2-3 days to recuperate.  I hope that does not apply to me.

College Baseball World Series

For the 3rd time in the last 5 years, the Texas Tech Red Raiders Baseball team has made it to the NCAA Baseball College World Series.  This is exciting, and it is really great to watch the game on ESPN.  It is especially great to hear the crowd doing the "Raider" "Power" chant.  That is so exciting.  

The game was supposed to start at 6 PM, but the previous game between University of Texas and Arkansas had a long rain delay.  So the Tech game did not start as scheduled, and was only in the top of the second inning at a little after 9 PM when I left the concert in the park.

I am on vacation this coming week, but even if I was not, I would be staying up late to watch the game.  Go Tech!

Gouda Cheese

Haiku has become increasingly picky about eating, and turns her nose up at her favorites, sometimes, including certain treats and smashed liver.  I have identified another treat she likes, and occasionally, she will eat human tuna.

Recently, I tried giving her a little bit of milk.  Sometimes, she is interested, sometimes, not. I also remembered that Haiku likes smoked Gouda cheese. I tried it the same day, and she was definitely interested.  There have been a couple of times I have offered it, and she liked it. And, there have been a couple of days that she had access to dry food, liver and tuna, and wanted something different, and Gouda hits the spot!  Tonight is one of those nights.  I cut off a small chunk, and she has licked on it 3 times tonight.  A little each time, but she only just eats a little each time almost whatever she eats. And, she will not eat small chunks or crumbles of cheese. I have to hold it for her, so she can lick on it.  Well, that is okay, if she will eat. 

I just worry about Haiku because she does not eat well, and I believe she is still losings weight.

Summer Reading Program

I am an avid reader.  I go in spurts, but recently, well since my vacation in March when I read 5 books, I have stepped up my reading.  I sometimes buy books, especially for the Barnes and Noble Mystery Book Club, as the monthly selection may not be available, but I try to use the library as much as possible.

This summer, as they have in the past, the Lubbock City Library has an adult summer reading program.  Each book you read, whether it is a library book or not, provides an entry into the drawing.  I have only finished 5 books so far.  

One of the book club members, who is a very prolific reader, won 3 prizes that last time the library did this!  Maybe I will win a prize.  We shall see. 

Power Outage

I do not know what time, but as I was reading last night, the power went out.  So, I went to bed.  It was not too warm in the house, as the air temperature went down because of the rain storm. 

I woke up unbidden and unaided about 6:15 AM.  The power was still out.  There was still a charge on my phone, so I contacted Lubbock Power and Light.  They have an automated system which verified my area was under a power outage, and estimated it would be repaired by 6:45 AM.  They have a call back service, which I opted for.  The power came on about 8:15, and the call back came about 5 minutes later, including instructions if my power was still out.

When I awoke, the sun was just barely coming up.  It was light enough that I could find my reading light, put new batteries in it, and read. 

I missed the Sunday morning news show, but did not even turn on the TV until almost noon.

 I just like to read.

Perry Mason

I discovered Perry Mason on MeTV.  It currently comes on at 1030 PM CDT, and lasts an hour.  This is a good TV show to watch as I am chilling down, getting ready to go so sleep.  I think that is for several reasons:  the suspense is not too enthralling, you know it always turns out okay, and it is in black and white.  Obviously, they are airing the older shows, because Perry Mason was filmed in color near the end of its run.

The writing of the show is variable.  Sometimes the scripts are well put together. Sometimes they include topics that would have been timely for the year in which they were produced.  Sometimes the scripts are down right silly.  And, there are a few shows that might have Perry Mason appear in brief, but another star is the leading attorney for the show.  The premise being the Perry Mason is either recovering from a medical problem, or he is out of the country.

The other thing is the show is in black and white.  We know if we change our computer, tablet, smartphone displays to grayscale, they are less interesting and stimulating.  So, in my mind, watching black and white TV is similar.  And, usually shortly after the show, I can go to sleep.

Job Titles

Where I work we have a Chief Experience Officer and a Chief People Officer.  To me, those are strange language for a job title.  I am comfortable with Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Financial Officer, but these other titles are just a little different. 

Can you add to the list of unusual job titles. 

Aspirin

I have been through the gamut of pain killers, especially in the past few years with my back problems.   When I was young, over the counter, all we had was aspirin.  Later on, acetaminophen and ibuprofen came on the scene.   And later, naproxen.  I have been prescribed Vioxx, and Celebrex, for inflammation. 

Acetaminophen never did anything for me.  I liked ibuprofen for a while.  When I found naproxen, I decided that was the best over the counter medication for me.  But, in the last few years, I have gone back to using Aspirin.  I am on a low dose regimen as prescribed by my cardiologist.  So, rather than combine medications, I just take a larger dose of Aspirin for pain.  I can feel it start to work in about 20 minutes.  It is amazing to me that an older, basic medication can be so effective!  

Sunday Storm: Watering and Little Rain

So, last Sunday, I watered the lawn.  It was so dry, the water absorbed quickly.  Later in the day, we had a light rain. It was so light that there were places in the yard under the trees that did not get wet!  That was not enough rain to be helpful.

Last night, it rained, and it was a good soaking rain.  Not a deluge, but a good solid rain. We needed it.  I like to watch a nice rain like that.  

Purchasing Eye Glasses

There have been times in the past that purchasing eye glasses was a real stressor.  This time, it was so easy!  This is as it should be.  I have two vision insurances, and got the card out for the second insurance, but forgot to take it with me.  Apparently, the eye care professionals could access my coverage on line, so it was not that big a deal that I left the card at home.  This is one more example of my recent ditzy behavior. 

I purchased the eye glasses.  They said it would be up to two weeks before the glasses were ready.  I was not too concerned.  That was on Saturday.

Thursday evening, I received a text that my glasses were ready.  I received the text between two meetings I had that evening.  I had a few minutes between the meetings, but was not sure how long it would take to get my glasses.  So, I waited till after work the next day.  I was in and out of the store in less than 10 minutes; maybe even less than 5 minutes.  It was all so easy!

Eye Appointment - Leaving the Glasses Prescription Behind

Check out for my eye appointment was interesting.  The associate (?clerk, secretary, administrative assistant?) who checked me out was having a bad day.  The computers had been down more than they were working, and when she tried to sign on and was successful, she was overjoyed.  She was a little embarrassed about that until I told her I worked for a different branch of the same entity, we had the same problems with our computers, and the same reactions when they were working. 

The clerk was fascinated by what I told her about my work place.  Because it is a secure facility, if a patient is out of line, I step out and security steps in.  If a family member gets on the phone and is abusive or aggressive, I report it and say I will not accept calls from that person.  She was amazed, because they have to give good customer service, under almost all circumstances, even when a customer is not totally appropriate (been there, done that.  The customer is not always right, but if you can make the customer happy, do so.) 

She handed me several papers, including  a receipt and I do not know what else, except the slip in sunglasses.  I left, and after I got home I searched and searched for the glasses prescription, and could not find it.  I decided I would call the next day and ask for another.  Then, I remembered to turn on my phone, and checking my messages, I had one from her:  I had left the glasses prescription behind, and although she tried to catch me, she did not, and would mail the prescription to me.

What an addlepate I am!

Eye Appointment - Is This A Good Day to Dilate You r Eyes

Well, I arrived at my eye appointment a few minutes early.  When I had called and asked for the appointment, they asked about my insurance.  I had my "major medical" card with me, but I did not have the card for my supplementary vision insurance, which I purchased about a year ago, and never used before.  When I signed in, they informed me they were able to access my supplementary insurance information, and would be using that as my primary for the appointment. I was a little concerned that that kind of information is available about me online, but well, what isn't these days.  But, that saved me a little bit of money for my co-pay, even though I had the insurance card with me at the appointment. 

I wore my old glasses into the appointment, but had enough forethought to bring my broken pair of glasses with me.  That was good, because they wanted to do my screening exam with that pair of glasses, and we were able to do so.

As the exam progressed, I was informed that they were going to dilate my pupils.  Well, when I started seeing an ophthalmologist as a child, he always, always, dilated our pupils.  Over the years, I have usually used optometrists, and sometimes they dilate my eyes, and sometimes, they don't.  I hate having my eyes dilated, but generally feel more confident in the optometrist, if they do dilate my eyes.

So, when we arrived at that point in my exam, the optometrist asked me if this was a good day to dilate my pupils.  I hesitated and said, "yes."  Later in the process, I told her that she should not ask that question, because it was never a good day to dilate my pupils.  She said she understood, and rephrased the question.  I answered something like, "yes, I am not scheduled to read anything in public in the next few hours under bright lights."  I do not think she took offense. I hope she did not. 

The one thing I noticed about this exam that I had not always noticed (because it was not present) in my prior exams, was that when tests were good, I was told the results.  I was, of course, told the results when tests were bad in the past.  But when things were okay or good, the optometrist would usually say "uh hum," and that was that.  I should have told the optometrist how much I appreciate that.

The one thing I did tell her, when she talked about my cataracts, was that was the same thing she told me last time, so I am guessing they did not enlarge too much.  She checked the record and agreed with me.  That was nice. 

The clinic provided slip in sunglasses so even though I said I had sunglasses in the vehicle, I was instructed to wear the slip ins out to the car.  The gentleman checking out next to me at the same time, who said he had sunglasses in the car, was told the same thing.  That, too impressed me.  

I drove home very carefully.  I had hoped to run some errands after the appointment, but did not remember they would dilate my eyes.  I decided not to drive any more than I needed to, so went straight home.  It was about 3 hours later before my vision started to normalize.  It was very frustrating. But, the doctor did tell my that I had good eye health, so dilating the pupils of my eyes had some reassurance benefit.

The Eye Appointment and the Addlepated Lady

Last week, I had an eye doctor appointment. I had made it about 2 weeks prior, wishing for something closer to the time of my request, as I had fallen asleep reading, as I often do, and broke my current pair of eye glasses.  I had several old pair around the house, and my current prescription sun glasses.  My current prescription was adequate, but I was starting to have trouble when I was tired, or when the lighting was poor. The old pair of transitions lenses were also adequate to get my through the time until I could buy an updated pair of glasses. 

I am supposed, according to the optometrist, have my eyes checked yearly, but of course, I have not done so.  I did establish a relationship with an ophthalmology clinic because I was told I have cataracts, and although at the time of the diagnosis, they were not effecting my vision, the relationship sounded appropriate. 

So I noted the appointment date in time on my reminders at home, at work, and on my phone.   And two days before the appointment, I received a text reminder from the clinic.  

And, I showed up the next day.  Of course, the clerks were confused regarding my presence, and after some checking, they were able to determine I arrived 24 hours early!

So, they dispatched me on my way, wanting to know if I needed an appointment reminder card, and making sure I understood I should return the next day.  t 

Cats Sitting in Bed

Lately, Haiku and Taki have taken to sitting on the bed with me.  Not just when I am sleeping, but when I am sitting on the side of the bed taking medications in the evening.  Or when I am getting dressed in the morning and undressed at night.

The peculiar thing about when I am getting dressed in the morning, it does not matter which cat is sitting with me, she sits on my clothing, and does not want to  move so I can complete dressing.  I take this as a message that my cats want me to stay home.

Due to some health issues, and having so much annual leave it will roll to sick leave at the end of August, I have been taking more time off in the last few months. And the cats appear to enjoy my presence at home.  And, I enjoy their presence.  

Maybe they will be around to enjoy my retirement with me.  I hope.  

A Beautiful Storm

The certainty of a rain/thunderstorm last night was small, but a line of storms formed to the west of Lubbock, and blew through above, through and below us. The night air cooled down enough that when I arrived home from the Westwinds Concert, shortly after 9 PM, I shut off the air conditioner and opened the bedroom windows. I should have opened up more windows to set cross currents, but I am so forgetful these days, I was afraid I would forget to close them.  

Late in the night, maybe about 11PM or later, I heard the thunder, and saw the flash of lightning.  The rains came, off and on for 2 or 3 hours. There was some hail in the area, but if my house was hit, it was pea sized or smaller.  

It was a beautiful storm, and my coworkers today commented upon the same!

Dam Failures

This week in the news, there was the story about a potential dam failure in North Carolina  Lake Tahoma dam failure   potential dam failure.

On May 31, my brother sent me a notice about "this day in history" which included https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-johnstown-flood-2     the reminder about the infamous Johnstown, Pennsylvania flood in 1889. It reminded he and I about the book we shared In The Shadow of the Dam. This is the story about a dam failure in Western Massachusetts..

Recently, Al Roker, of NBC news wrote a book about The Johnstown Flood, The Ruthless Tide,which is on my reading list.  

Dam  failures have significance in my life. We lived on the banks of the Millers River in Millers Falls, Massachusetts.  When I was a child, there were two dams of significance in Millers Falls:  one above the Millers Falls Paper Company The Millers Falls Paper Company images.  It was used for hydroelectric power, but by the time I could recall, hydroelectric power was only used if the community electric power was unavailable due to storm or other catastrophe. I was in high school when this dam failed.  I remember my father basically living at the paper company, and my mother sending food to his crew while they dealt with this situation.

The other dam was under the bridge at Route 63. It helped to divert water to the power  canal for the The Millers Falls Power Tool Company.  The company has disbanded, and the power canal has been filed in for safety reasons.  The history is confusing to me, but you can research the links.

Any way, dam failures are not uncommon, and there may be a need to re-assess the science of dams.  Not that any engineer is  at fault. But maybe dam engineering and construction can be reassessed. 

Lack of Apology to President Trump

President Trump was distressed by the phone call to apologize that ABC made to Valerie Jarrett who was racially profiled by Roseanne Barr.  He wondered why he received no apology from ABC when negative things were said about him.

Can he not make the distinction?  Actually, he is smart enough to do so, but he is so egocentric he would not admit he could do so.  If the news media make factual negative statements about the President, whoever the president is, they are doing their job. If the media is supporting a staff member (star or not) who makes opinionated, biased statements not supported by facts or reality, the media needs to take responsibility for supporting bias and prejudice and decry that support. 

Sorry Mr. Trump you lose this time around. 

Racist Tweet

So, Roseann Barr, a TV star and comedienne, had resurrected her TV show, about a blue collar family and their trials and tribulations.  On 5/29/2018, however, she made a racist tweet, which resulted in her being fired by ABC, owned by the Disney corporation Roseann Barr tweet and response.

I say yeah! to Disney.  Where that tweet came from who knows.  Ms. Barr claimed to be Ambien Tweeting but as the Ambien manufacturers so aptly noted, racism is not noted to be a side effect of Ambien.

Sometimes, comediennes  cross boundaries in political correctness and societal norms.  This was one of those times. Sometimes, an apology with an acknowledgement of wrong doing is acceptable,   This time, it was not.  

I applaud ABC and Disney.