Breaker, Breaker

A couple of months ago Hubby Tony and I got a letter from our condominium association that told us the insurance company who holds the master policy for the development was leaving the condominium market. The association was working with a broker to come up with other options.

We attended a meeting where the broker explained the situation and outlined the options. They weren't pretty. The rates would go up substantially, and on op of that most of the units had electrical breaker panels that were recalled earlier in the year. In order to get insurance, the new insurance company was going to require condo owners to replace the boxes.

Each unit has two panels-one in the unit and the other in the basement. We had replaced the in-unit panel  shortly after we moved in, but the instructions were to have the second one done before the end of the year. We contracted with the same company that did the original work, and the job was done today.

I had a commitment in the morning, and cooking at the church in the afternoon, but let the electricians in and walked them down to the basement before leaving. Tony was around to answer any questions.  I stopped by the house in between commitments. Although the power had been shut off Tony had pulled up the blind in the office to let in as much light as possible, and he was busy sorting papers. 

I got a text from him mid-afternoon that the job was done. Next week the inspector will come and sign off on the job and our unit will be legal. And safe.

Public Domain Vectors

Christmas Cookie Rules

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1. If you eat a Christmas cookie fresh out of the oven, it has no calories because everyone knows that the first cookie is the test cookie and thus calorie free.
2. If you drink a diet soda after eating your second cookie, it also has no calories because the diet soda cancels out the cookie calories.
3. If a friend comes over while you're making your Christmas cookies and needs to sample, you must sample with your friend. Because your friend's first cookie is calorie free, (rule #1) yours is also. It would be rude to let your friend sample alone and, being the friend that you are, that makes your cookie calorie free also.
4. Any cookie calories consumed while walking around will fall to your feet and eventually fall off as you move. This is due to gravity and the density of the caloric mass.
5. Any calories consumed during the frosting of the Christmas cookies will be used up because it takes many calories to lick excess frosting from a knife without cutting your tongue.
6. Cookies colored red or green have very few calories. Red ones have three and green ones have five - one calorie for each letter. Make more red ones!
7. Cookies eaten while watching "Miracle on 34th Street" have no calories because they are part of the entertainment package.
8. As always, cookie pieces contain no calories because the process of breaking causes calorie leakage.
9. Any cookies consumed from someone else's plate have no calories since the calories rightfully belong to the other person and will cling to their plate. We all know how calories like to CLING.
10. Any cookies consumed while feeling stressed have no calories because cookies used for medicinal purposes NEVER have calories. It is a rule!

~~Author unknown~~

Five years ago today: Have You Seen It?

For Liz

On Wednesday I wrote about buying Mighty Mississippi commemorative stamps for Hubby Tony. Liz at Finding Life Hard asked if I could post a photo of my purchase. I would be delighted to.

Whenever possible I choose commemorative stamps instead of generic ones. According to the USPS website, the pane arrangement on the front of this sheet of ten stamps shows the north/south and west/east location of each state.

 

The stamp details:

• Minnesota shows the headwaters at Lake Itasca
  
• Wisconsin offers an autumn view of the Great River Road 
• Iowa shows a steamboat near the city of Bettendorf 
• Illinois displays a sailboat passing limestone bluffs 
• Missouri illustrates the St. Louis skyline and Gateway Arch at sundown 
• Kentucky presents the city of Wickliffe just downriver from where the Ohio River joins 
• Arkansas offers a levee next to a forest and farmland 
• Tennessee shows a towboat pushing a row of barges upstream toward Memphis 
• Louisiana offers the New Orleans skyline and Crescent City Connection bridge
• Mississippi shows a delta bayou and cypress trees with Spanish moss

And after all that information, on the back of the sheet there’s a map of the river and its major tributaries.

Feeling My Age

Next month I have a milestone birthday, which happens to coincide with becoming eligible for Medicare (federal health insurance for people 65 or older).

I find the whole Medicare topic very confusing. Back in the fall I went to a seminar and learned all about its ins and outs. For example, the Initial Enrollment Period lasts for seven months-three months before your 65th birthday, the month of your birthday, and three months after.So in theory I could have waited until next April before applying, but Hubby Tony's been working on his medical Open Enrollment process for next year and said it would make things easier if I was in the Medicare system. Today I filled out my official application.

When Tony went through the process two years ago he had to apply by telephone. It took hours, because it was hard to get through, and then there was another long wait time to actually talk to someone. I had the option of applying online. The whole process took about 15 minutes. At the end I got a confirmation number, and directions for how to check the status of my application.

 Back in September when I had my annual physical the doctor recommended that since I was over 60 years old I get the RSV vaccine. I had good intentions for taking care of it, but the task never made it to the top of my list. 

Two weeks ago I made an appointment for the shot, but when I got to the pharmacy I found out the doctor's office hadn't sent the necessary prescription. I contacted the doctor's office and they did what they needed to do. Once again it took me a while for the task to make it to the top of my list, but after dinner tonight I showed up at my local Walgreens for a vaccine appointment.

There were no other people waiting, and the whole process went quickly. I was wearing a long sleeved shirt, so the pharmacist suggested that instead of rolling up my sleeve I bare my shoulder from the top. He did the injection slowly, then put a bandage on the site and briefly discussed the common side effects (fatigue, fever, headache, and muscle or joint pain) before suggesting I stick around the store for 10 minutes to make sure there were no major issues.

Five years ago today: Another Advent Of Gratutude

Making The Best Of The Nice Day

Hubby Tony is one week removed from ankle surgery. The accident was on November 5 and (except for medical visits) since that time he's stayed at home and kept his leg propped up on a pile of pillows. He has his next doctor visit in a week and a half, so until then it will be more of the same.

Yesterday was heavy winter coat weather. Today the forecast called for a high close to 60 degrees. Before I left the house to go to the church and cook lunch I moved one of the kitchen chairs out to the deck so Tony could maneuver outside and sit if he wanted t.

I wore my lightweight winter coat, but by the time I was finished no coat was necessary. When I got home I saw the deck door was open. Tony was sitting on the chair and using his knee walker as a leg prop. The sun hadn't made it to that side of the building yet, and it was still a little chilly, but Tony was wearing a light jacket and seemed to be enjoying the outdoor sounds. 

We chatted for a few minutes and then I left for my walking errand-going to the post office to get postage for a volunteer mailing job Tony was doing. Tony headed to the bedroom to take a nap. I left the house with a long sleeved t-shirt and a scarf around my neck. Halfway to the post office I removed the scarf and marveled at how nice it was.

At the post office I picked out Mighty Mississippi commemorative stamps. The sheet of ten stamps had a photo of each of the states that abut the banks. I took the long way back home, and ran into a lot of other people who were out walking. There were also quite a few people doing yard work.

When I arrived back home I noticed that the deck was now in the sun. Tony and Jackson the Cat were laying together on the bed, but Tony got up and went back outside. I brought out another chair and sat with him.  Three of the building neighbors were outside. We said hello to them all, had a more extended conversation with the person who lives directly underneath us, and then just chatted. 

At this time of year it doesn't take long to go from pleasant to not so outside, and that was the case today. As soon as the sun went behind the trees across the street the temperature dropped and it was time to go inside. 

Five years ago today: Mother Of The Wedding Dressing

What Is Your Response?

I'm signed up with a couple of survey companies. One of them is Esearch. Every few weeks I get an email with an invitation to complete one of their projects. Today's message said that the data gathered from the survey would benefit a 'National TV Game Show'.

There were several pages of questions, each requiring a short written answer. The topics were things like "Name Something Children Wear, But Adults Don’t" or "Name A Gift You Would Not Like To Get From A Secret Santa". I was making my way down the list when I came to a question that mentioned Steve Harvey, and all of a sudden the light bulb in my head went on. Steve Harvey is the host of Family Feud, I wondered if I would be one of the '100 people asked for a responses to a question' for the show.

Openclipart

I'll eventually get $1 deposited into my PayPal account for my efforts, but knowing that I may have helped shape one tiny moment of a TV show was even more satisfying than the payment. 

Five years ago today: Cat On Rag

I'll Never Know What Happened

This afternoon I left the house to run a couple of errands. The first stop was the grocery store, which is the anchor tenant in a small strip mall. The other stores are to the right and across the parking. The lot was very busy, and I had to drive almost to the end of a row before I found a space in the row next to the strip mall shops.

The car next to mine had the passenger door wide open, but the vehicle was unoccupied. I looked around and didn't see anyone who might have come from the car. There are a couple of fast food places in the strip; maybe the driver and passenger rushed in and the passenger forgot to close their door?

I was in too much of a hurry to think about the issue any more. I walked across the parking lot to the post office and dropped off some envelopes, then came back and did my grocery shopping. I was probably gone about 20 minutes. When I returned to my vehicle the next-door car passenger door was still open.

This time I decided to take action. I looked up the municipality's non-emergency public safety number, called, and explained the situation. The dispatcher asked for my name and the number I was calling from, then said they would contact an officer.

I left and went to Sam's Club. Counting driving, parking, shopping, and checkout time I was there for a little under a half hour. On the way home I was nosy enough to swing back by the grocery store lot. The car was still there, but this time the passenger door was closed.

I'll never know what happened.

Five years ago today: Packages On Porch

Thanksgiving Friday

One of the worst things to come out of Hubby Tony's broken ankle accident was that we had to cancel our  trip to California to see the kids and grandkids. Then I put plans for Thanksgiving on hold because we didn't know exactly when his surgery would happen. In the end we had a very low-key Day After Surgery day. The main dish was a 'Bob's Barbecue' brand smoked turkey breast from a local grocery store. It was accompanied by boxed stuffing, twice-baked sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, homemade cranberry sauce, and apple pie gifted to us by the Realtors we worked with when we sold the house/bought the condo.

Tony spent the day on the couch with his leg elevated except when Son Donald came over for dinner. After we ate we played a game of Rummikub. Even though the meal was easy to put together I was exhausted and fell asleep on the couch before it was time to go to bed.

Today was also low key. I try to stay away from stores on Black Friday, but in the morning I did a produce run and found out that grocery stores are a great place to shop the day after Thanksgiving. Mid afternoon I decided to go out for a walk, but wanted some type of purpose. I decided it would be interesting to head to the mall that's a fifteen minute stroll away.

Back when I worked at a mall Customer Service desk Black Friday morning was beyond crazy, but things died down a bit as the day went on. Without a car I wouldn't have to navigate the parking garage, and without a plan to buy anything I could do some great people watching.

I figured traffic turning into the mall would be heavy, but the gridlock I encountered surprised me. Then I noticed that there was some type of disturbance on the main road about a quarter of a mile away. I saw a patrol car with its lights on and a large group of people parading across the intersection. There were so many people the cars headed north couldn't go anywhere, and neither could the cars trying to exit the mall. When I reached the mall entrance there was a man waiting for the light to change. I asked him if he knew what the commotion was. He said he believed it was a pro-Palestine demonstration.

After the excitement outside, the inside of the mall was anticlimactic. I made one loop, then headed back home. As I exited the mall there was no sign of the earlier excitement.

Five years ago: Some liked it. Some left it.

Let The Healing Begin

Today was Hubby Tony Ankle Surgery Day. (Whoo Hoo!)

Openclipart

The surgeon Tony chose is associated with Barnes-Jewish Hospital (colloquially called "Big Barnes") , a teaching hospital affiliated with the Washington University School of Medicine. The huge campus is almost a half mile long and wide, and before Tony's ankle incident I never had any reason to go into any of the buildings. After two visits to the surgeon's office I knew how to navigate there, but today the directions were completely different.

Tony was the first procedure of the surgeon's day, and we were to be there two hours beforehand, so it was still dark when we left the house. However, the early hour meant there was no rush hour traffic to contend with. Both the parking process and navigating over the sky bridge to the building were easy. Despite the early hour everyone we interacted with was pleasant and polite.

The check in procedure went smoothly, and then an associate walked us back to the pre-op section. While waiting to go to the operating room Tony had a series of professionals stop by. There were a couple of nurses, several anesthesiologists (some full-fledged professionals, some in training), the surgeon and one of the fellows who would be assisting. 

When it was time they wheeled Tony off and directed me to the waiting area. I had a pager to provide  updates, and the surgeon called me at the end to let me know things went well. During my three-hour wait I killed time in the waiting room, walked around, and visited the cafeteria. I was excited to receive word when it was time to meet up with Tony in the post-op area. 

The post-op nurse gave me a set of instructions, as did the pharmacy tech who showed up with prescriptions. When it was time for Tony to leave I went to get the car. As soon as I pulled up to the entrance I saw Tony in a wheelchair by the front door, accompanied by a porter. The porter helped Tony into the car and we were free to go!

G.L.A.D.

I was recently introduced to the G.L.A.D. Technique, a method of highlighting the positive things that happen to me each each day. G.L.A.D. is an acronym for Gratitude, Learning, Accomplishment and Delighted. Each night before I go to bed I come up with at least one example in each category.

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• G stands for Gratitude, which is something I am thankful for today. The thing can be physical (food/water/a roof over my head) or spiritual (good health/positive relationships with other people/ meaningful activities).
  

• L stands for Learned. This could be a new fact I learned, or something I learned about myself or another person.

• A stands for Accomplishment. This can be an item I can cross off my to-do list (big or little), or an act of self-care (getting enough sleep/eating healthy meals/exercising).

• D is for Delight. Things that made me smile or brought me joy, like something I observed in nature/great food/something funny that made me laugh out loud.

Some experiences could go into one or more of the categories, but each day each slot must be filled with something.

Five years ago today: A Tale Of Two Pies