Where In The World?

This afternoon I was doing a puzzle where all of the answers were names of countries. There was a list of county names, and the goal was to fit them together on a crossword puzzle grid. Reading down the list most of the countries were familiar, but down near the bottom of the list I saw Tuvalu, which I had never heard of.

A quick internet search told me that Tuvalu is an island country in the Pacific Ocean, about midway between Hawaii and Australia. I started wondering how many other countries I didn't know.

According to the United Nations there are 195 recognized countries in the world. (Two of them are non-members-Vatican City and the State of Palestine.) To find out the country names I scrolled down the list on the World Countries List and found 11 that were new to me.

• Comoros, Djibouti, Mayotte, and Reunion Island are in the Eastern Africa region.
• Guadaloupe is in the Lesser Antiles/Caribbean region
• Kiribati and the Northern Mariana Islands are in the Micronesia/Oceania region
• Pitcairn Island and Wallis and Futuna Islands are in the Polynesia/Oceania region
• Tokelau is in the Oceania/Australia region
• And the Faroe Islands, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark in Northern Europe
  

Five years ago: The Wearing Of The Green

What A Week!

Every time I've turned around this week there's another notable date on the calendar!

March 11-National COVID-19 Day (The day that the World Health Organization declared COVID a global pandemic. Not exactly a celebratory event, but this meme showed up in my Facebook memories today and still makes me laugh.)

March 14-Pi Day (A celebration of π, the mathematical symbol used to represent a the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter)

Also March 14-314 Day (The original area code for St. Louis is 314, so on this day the city's uniqueness is celebrated)

March 15-Ides of March (The day Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BCE)

March 17-St. Patrick's Day (A celebration of the patron saint of Ireland. The area hosts two parades-one yesterday and another tomorrow.)

Five years ago: The New (Temporary) Normal

An Untypical Friday

My schedule on Friday is usually pretty predictable. I have a meeting at 9:30, then I run errands on the way home. After lunch I get some type of exercise, then mid-afternoon have a snack and do a crossword puzzle before starting on dinner. After dinner I watch TV/read/surf the web until bedtime.

Today didn't flow anything like that, and it was a great day.

Things started changing on Wednesday. Hubby Tony reminded me that this Friday it was his turn to drive donated sandwiches down to two organizations in the city who feed the homeless. The man who usually volunteers with him was going to be out of town. Tony checked around but was unable to find an alternate volunteer.

Tony and I had decided to eat dinner at a Fish Fry at an alternate church this week. He had come up with the suggestion of St. Alphonsus Liguori "Rock" Catholic Church, a historic Black Catholic church in St. Louis. This one was unique because it took place during the lunch hour and afternoon.

Our original plan was to stop by for an early dinner, but when I realized that it wouldn't be too much of a detour from the sandwich donation stops I told Tony I would go with him and we could have a lunch date.

Everything went according to plan. There was even time to walk through some lovely city neighborhoods after delivering the sandwich but before heading to the church. We arrived at 11:15, and I was surprised to see that the parking lot was already full.

The menu had three types of fish, and could be ordered as a meal (with spaghetti, cole slaw, a piece of bread, and a small slice of cake) or a sandwich. We both passed on the cod, which shows up everywhere, and ordered catfish and jack salmon meals.

The church had a nice delivery system. Ordering was done via a paper menu, which had a two-part ticket attached to it. After paying for the food the cashier tore the ticket in half and handed it to us, saying they would call the number when the food was ready.

The kitchen was also doing a substantial number of carry out orders, so it was a little bit of a wait for our food, but it was worth it. Each meal had two large pieces of fish, so Tony and I shared. Both of them were lightly breaded, freshly fried, and piping hot. The side dishes were fresh and tasty. 

On the way home we passed by a veteran's hospital a large group lined both sides of the street, protesting the Trump Administration’s planned cuts to veterans services. When Tony politely honked his horn the nearby protesters cheered.

The Cat, The Mice, And Heaven

One day a cat dies of natural causes and goes to Heaven, where he meets the Lord.

The Lord says to the cat, "You lived a good life, and if there is any way I can make your stay in Heaven more comfortable please let me know."

The cat thinks for a moment and says, "Lord, all my life I have lived with a poor family and had to sleep on a hard wooden floor."

The Lord stops the cat and says, "Say no more," and a wonderful, fluffy pillow appears. A few days later, six mice are killed in a tragic farming accident. All of them go to heaven. Again, the Lord is there to greet them with the same offer.

The mice answer, "All our lives we have been chased. We have had to run from cats, dogs, and even women with brooms. Running, running, running; we're tired of running. Do you think we could have roller skates so that we don't have to run anymore?"

The Lord says, "Say no more" and fits each mouse with beautiful new roller skates.

About a week later, the Lord stops by to see the cat and finds him snoozing on the pillow.

The Lord gently wakes the cat and asks him, "How are things since you got here?"

The cat stretches and yawns, then replies, "It is wonderful here. Better than I could have ever expected. And those 'Meals On Wheels' you've been sending by are the best!"

Five years ago today: Wash Those Hands!

Reclaiming Some Shut-eye

Did you know that the Monday after the return of Daylight Saving Time in most parts of the United States is National Napping Day, meant to make up for the hour of sleep that we lost due to the time change?

I participated in the unofficial holiday, but only partly because of the time change. On Saturday night I was dead tired and in bed long before normal. The last thing I did was set my bedside clock to the time it would be changing to.

I woke up Sunday morning refreshed, and hopeful that my health was back to normal, but as the day unfolded I found myself taking several short naps, and last night I had trouble falling asleep. 

Today I was determined to get my sleep schedule back on track. However, mid-afternoon I had trouble keeping my eyes open, so I set my phone timer for 15 minutes and crawled into bed, which was enough to keep me going. The extra sunlight after dinner also helped.

I've done my part, and hope that tomorrow my schedule is completely reset.

Five years ago today: Time Change Woes

Full Service

Tomorrow night is Hubby Tony's turn to host his friends for poker. This afternoon I tagged along while he purchased the food and snacks.

The first stop was a warehouse club, where Tony grabbed a chicken pot pie from the prepared food section and bags of salad from the refrigerated area. The temperature outside was warm enough that we stopped by the house to drop off the perishable things before heading out again, this time to a local chain grocery store. I pushed the cart and Tony took charge. Ten minutes later the cart held a selection of drinks, sweet and savory snack foods, dinner rolls, and dessert.

One of us is normally at the grocery store every few days, which means there are just a couple of items and we use the self-serve checkout. Today's larger purchase required the use of a cashier. Tony took charge of putting everything on the conveyor belt, then handed off the bags to the bagger.

The cashier had scanned a third of the items when he stopped, explaining that the computer had flagged one of them as expired. It wouldn't let him sell the item, so he had to find and remove it. The item turned out to be the dinner rolls, which should have been pulled from the shelf three days ago. There was no indication of mold, but also no way to know how stale the rolls would have been.

I wonder what would have happened if Tony had scanned his own purchases?

Five years ago: The Blog Post Can Wait

Taking Life One Day At A Time

I am thrilled to report that even though I still have less pep in my step then normal I have been fever-free for 48 hours!

I ended up making a second trip to an urgent care (this time one connected to hospital system of my primary care physician, which was closed over the weekend). There I got a breathing treatment and a prescription for an inhaler. The next day, either the bronchodilators were working or I had finally enough antibiotics in my system to feel substantially better. 

My fever-free milestone means that I can go out in public and not worry about sharing my pneumonia germs with the public. However, I'm not quite ready for prime time yet. I am constantly coughing/blowing my nose, which is annoying for both me and other people. 

Because of my symptoms I'm taking life one day at a time. I've cancelled a volunteer commitment for tomorrow night, and need to decide what to do about a girl's night out on Saturday. The rest of my commitments will fall into line...or not.

When Dessert Doesn't Sound Good I Know I'm Sick!

You may be aware that Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, is tomorrow. The day before Ash Wednesday is known as Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, or Shrove Tuesday (in any culture, a a day noted for its emphasis on excess).

I love celebrating Mardi Gras, but this year not much is going to happen. Even after four days of antibiotics for a diagnosed bacterial pneumonia, little has changed. Google tells me that for healthy people the symptoms usually improve within 48 hours of starting treatment, but I guess I was too optimistic.

I did not get out the large bag of beads, and did not dress the table with the traditional purple, green, and gold. Dinner will be leftovers of the lovely red beans and rice that Hubby Tony cooked on Sunday. He will include cornbread and dessert with his meal. I will not.

Five years ago today: A Very Red Sign Of Spring

Indisposed

Earlier in the week I reported that my health was problematic during my recent vacation. I went to the gym for a Pilates class on Wednesday, but my cough started ramping up and I cancelled the Aqua Zumba class on Thursday. Yesterday I Zoomed into my standing meeting so I wouldn't distract other people. The weather was lovely, so Hubby Tony and I went to a nearby park (so I could social distance myself) and walked. At the end of the 45 minutes I was beat, which usually doesn't happen. For the rest of the day I drank warm water, herbal tea, and tea with honey and lemon. I gargled with saltwater, and steamed my sinuses. Nothing offered more than temporary relief. Last night was almost constant coughing.

When I woke up today I thought maybe things were better, but after breakfast I was researching urgent care centers. There, I was surprised to find out I had a fever, but was COVID- and influenza-free. However, I had a bacterial infection.

I came home with prescriptions for two types of antibiotics and a cough suppressant, and directions to stay home for at least 48 hours or until my fever goes away. Today the living room couch and bed have been my best friends, and probably will be tomorrow too.

If you don't see me for a while at least you'll know why.

Five years ago today: Comments Made In 1957

Insurance Issues

Shortly after the beginning of the year an official-looking envelope from my health insurance company showed up in the mailbox. When I opened it there was a letter that said that as far as Medicare was concerned I may have had a gap in prescription drug coverage for several months in 2024.

I knew that wasn't correct. Hubby Tony has good retiree insurance (which includes drug coverage). Each time I picked up a prescription all I had to pay was a small co-pay.

The letter said “If you did have prescription drug coverage you may be able to avoid the penalty by returning the enclosed form”. I filled out the form and took it to the post office the next day. Before I put the envelope in the slot I took a date and time stamped photo so I had proof.

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A month later I received a second letter that was identical to the first except for the deadline, which had been pushed back two weeks. As I had already mailed the information, I called the number listed on the form for guidance. I was told by an associate that there was no need to send it again.

This week I was quite upset to receive a third letter. It said that Medicare had determined that because they hadn't heard from me they were imposing a Part D (prescription) late enrollment penalty.

WTF!

I don't know if the insurance company or Medicare dropped the ball, but either way the outcome was unacceptable.

After spending some time yelling and screaming, I got busy proving them wrong. I filled out the Part D Late Enrollment Penalty (LEP) Reconsideration Request Form. Tony went to the health insurance website and downloaded a copy of the IRS document 1095-B which showed I was covered for the entire year. I also downloaded the details of my 2024 prescription claims and included that spreadsheet.

The documentation was to be sent to a third-party compliance company. I doubt that the person who opened the mail there would care about my predicament, but I also wrote a cover letter that included the details about the first two communications.

This morning I walked up to the post office, where I paid for a Priority envelope so I would have proof that it was delivered. Now I get to wait and see if they try to give me the runaround.

Five years ago today: If You Can't Find It New, Make It From Old