Travels with Fred

22 December 2024

It’s been a beautiful day in the neighborhood boys and girls and I’ve been stuck inside with a worsening cold. My sore throat is rawer and my cough is worse. I’ll bring out the heavy ammo tonight and take some NyQuil. That will at least put me to sleep.

Even though I felt lower than a frog’s knee, I knew I needed to get some things ready for Wade’s visit. It’s funny what you notice but I saw his room needed a good dusting. The dust was really thick on the bookcase and DVD case.

That meant I needed to remove everything from the bookcase and DVD case, dust the DVD’s, books, shelves, and other junk that accumulates on shelves. I did it in two stages with rests in between. Tomorrow, I vacuum, mop, clean the bathroom, and then pick Wade up late afternoon at Fort Lauderdale International.

Wade and I have set Christmas dinner for around 5:30 at my place. We intend to do a standing rib roast with Yorkshire pudding. Melinda will bring cookies, a squash casserole, and roasted potatoes. Joel and Keith will bring dessert and Barb will bring either a soup or salad depending on the weather and a green veggie. Tom and Kurt will bring wine. It should be a good time out on the patio.

The only problem is my cold. Hopefully, I’m no longer contagious and won’t make everyone sick.

On the day after, we are heading over to Nancy and Michel’s for munchies and Christmas cheer along with Joel and Keith. It’s great to make the rounds (if I can make it with this cold) and see great friends during Christmas/Hanukkah.

I’m not sure what else Wade has planned other than a BLT at Rosies. Several times. In his defense, the BLT there is the best.

So, the coming week means too much food, too much drink, too much laughter, too much friendship. Naw – not possible.

Stay tuned!

21 December 2024

The cold virus marches on. I’m not sure if I’m still infectious or not but chose not to take a chance and turned down a lunch offer for today with Barb, Joel and Keith. I didn’t want to give them what I’ve got. So far today, it’s been cough and runny nose. Last night it was cough and sore throat. I seem to be running through a checklist of symptoms.

Today was wash day and I finished that up around 2 pm. In between time I was figuring out where to store some of the things AJ wanted me to have for taking down the Christmas tree.

I ordered 4 roll-under-the-bed bins from Amazon to store the decorations of the tree.

Apparently, you layer the decorations in these bins with bubble wrap between layers. That leads me to bubble wrap.

This wouldn’t fit under the bed. I strung it up in the utility room so it can spin off the bubble wrap. I have no idea how much he will need but I suspect I’ll have a lot left over.

Two of the bins came yesterday at one time. The second set of bins arrived much later. The UPS guy must have missed the second box on his first delivery. I thought everything was so computerized it would be hard for any miss deliveries. Oh well, at least it arrived.

You know I’ve been listening to 50’s and 60’s music lately. Last night I shifted to gospel/religious. One religious song I was not familiar with until a few years ago was “You Raise Me Up” by Selah. The lyrics were written by Brian Kennedy and the song composed by Rolf Løvland. It has one of the most haunting melodies I’ve heard in a while with beautiful lyrics. The song doesn’t have to be religious, it could be about any individual.

Other than songs like “This Old Man” and “Itsy Bisty Spider” the first real songs I learned were in Sunday school or church. Although I am no longer religious, the music still has a strong pull on me. A good hymn will move me as much as Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.”

I keep going back to the time Tom, Kurt and I went to Lips for Easter Brunch (bottomless mimosas) and the drag queens sang hymns. Kurt looked over at Tom and me with a look of awe. Tom and I knew all the words to the hymns.

The most moving gospel/religious song I ever heard was “The Holy City” by a guest soprano at a Methodist Church service in Morton. Our Church had burned and we met Sunday day service at the local Baptist Church and the Sunday night service at the Presbyterian Church. It was at the Baptist Church that I first heard the song. The soprano’s voice sent chills down my spine and it was all I could do to stay in my seat during her performance. Music really does have the ability to move the soul.

It reminds me of Handel’s “Messiah” where you are supposed to stand for the Hallelujah chorus based on the idea King George II was so moved he stood at the London premier in 1743 (when the king stands, everyone does) although there is no evidence he even attended.

Something akin to that occurred with the first opera I saw at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco many years ago. It was the Act II duet of Rigoletto, my favorite opera.

These were not the two singers in the opera I saw but their voices are similar to the performance I heard in San Francisco. Mine was the 2006 version performed by Gavanelli and Swenson whose voices in the Act II duet were the most harmonious I had ever heard. I was sitting next to two old ladies who I established a rapport with and who were season ticket holders. I could tell they were as moved as I by the performance.

Maybe you remember the old television show “Name That Tune?” I was an avid watcher. As the years have accumulated, I’m pretty good at naming that tune these days when I listen to the radio. It’s a sure bet that if I don’t know the tune, my brother Archie does.

Stay tuned!

20 December 2024

It seems I’ve embraced Artificial Intelligence. Probably a good thing since I’m questioning my intelligence more and more lately. Apple put out updates to their operating system today for the iPad, the iPhone and the iMac. All were AI updates. The only thing I can see different is that Siri doesn’t seem to know as much as she did in the past. One step forward….

It’s been a meh type of day. I felt pretty good this morning and managed a mile walk but then my feet/neuropathy was killing me. I had to pick up a prescription at Publix and a few grocery items. Jim dropped off a Christmas present (a good wine) caramels, squash/zucchini, blueberries, faux gift boxes, and a Yellowstone journal for me to take notes. They are headed to Orlando to see Marilyn.

The honey seemed to work last night. My only problem this morning was congestion. After reading a little and trying to nap, I got to coughing this afternoon again so I’ll dose again with the honey tonight. I’d forgotten how much I like the taste of honey.

One of my most interesting experiences in life was when our Scoutmaster, Mr. Polk, and our Assistant Scoutmaster, John D. Stokes, took me and John’s son Butch out to rob a bee tree. Mr. Polk knew what to do and he guided all of us through the process.

We wore long sleeves (taped to our wrists) and long pants (taped to our legs) and we had mosquito netting around our hats and tucked that into our shirt. Butch and I were warned to not show any fear around the bees – right. Mr. Polk owned a smoker so he started by smoking the bees which makes them start eating their honey and lethargic. Then Sergeant Stokes cut the tree down with a chain saw.

Mr. Polk had a bee hive ready to go and found the queen and inserted her into the hive and the bees followed. He continued to every so often smoke the tree for any remaining bees and the hive to settle them down. Absolutely no one got stung! It was my first taste of raw honey from the waxy comb. It was delicious.

Mr. Polk also had a centrifuge that he used to separate the honey from the combs and we watched how he did that. Then came the filtering. I think I remember ending up with a pretty big jar of honey and the majority of the requirements for a bee keeping merit badge.

What I also learned is not all honey tastes great. Some of the pollen bees harvest gives a bad taste to the honey. This tree was a “good” one. Later I learned you can sell your honey based on the major pollen source. One of the most expensive is Tupelo honey from Tupelo trees.

That bee tree had to be one of my greatest learning experiences. I’m glad I was old enough to understand what was going on and was smart enough to pay attention. I’ve never been too afraid of bees since. Hornets are another matter.

One experience I was too young to understand was at Scout Camp at Camp Kickapoo. I was a second class scout and Mr. Polk and Sgt. Stokes wanted me to earn a merit badge. The one they selected for me was surveying. The camp had a professional surveyor to teach the program for the week. I learned about angles, rods, how to hold the range rod, how to set a plumb bob, why you used a metal measuring tape, and much more. The only problem was you needed a basis in trigonometry in order to work out your surveys. I pretended I knew trig (not until two years later did I take the course) and I apparently did enough to pass and earn the badge. That was one example of what not to do to earn a merit badge.

Tonight and tomorrow are down in the 50’s. A little cool weather is nice but I’ve gotten to where I don’t like real cold weather (like the 50’s). If I’m up north and in the cold, it’s different because I can dress for that. However down here, if it is 50 in the morning, it’s likely to be 75 in the afternoon. You are constantly putting on and shedding clothes.

My weekend is free and Wade arrives on Monday. Stay tuned!

19 December 2024

My favorite epitaph is from a tombstone in Key West.

I hate to be an “I told you so.” but Dr. Velez was wrong. My low energy and lethargy is not mental. I am sick. It started with a tickling in my throat yesterday which progressed to coughing. I started taking some Zican and even so, I feel worse today. As a matter of fact, I felt so bad I took a Covid 19 test. Fortunately, it was negative.

It’s been a while since I’ve had a common cold. So long ago I’ve forgotten how miserable it makes you feel. Oh well, this too shall pass – if it doesn’t kill me first.

I stayed pretty close to the bed yesterday, read a little and tried to nap, unsuccessfully. I’ll do the same routine today. I did make a vegetable soup based on the recipe that Barb told me about. It turned out really well with onions, carrots, celery, chicken stock, cannellini beans, fresh thyme, rubbed sage, rosemary, salt and pepper. I’ll probably finish it up today.

When I ordered from Publix this morning, I added some OJ. That with my morning grapefruit should give me plenty of vitamin C. Interestingly, when I sent my temperature reading off to the national database of Kinsa, it suggested I try a teaspoon of honey before going to bed to counteract the coughing. I’ll try that tonight also.

The last two nights I haven’t felt like doing much so I sat in front of the computer and played solitaire (mindless) and listened to some of my playlists. Lately, I’ve been into 50’s and 60’s music. I’m really amazed how one song can bring back so many memories. I remember first hearing Patsy Cline on the jukebox at the Gulf Cafe in Morton, Mississippi back in the 60’s.

The older I get the more I go back in time to the real “old” oldies. For most of them, I can put a time and place for them that was either the first time I heard them or that had some significance for me.

While running errands or going to doctors’ appointments (they run together these day) I heard a song I learned in Boy Scout Camp. I didn’t realize it was a popular hit after WWII. I still think of my hiking and camping and canoeing days when I hear this.

Publix is about to deliver my groceries so I need to go. Stay tuned!

18 December 2024

The monsoon season is about five months early this year. Technically we are in the dry season in South Florida but you couldn’t tell it by today’s rain. It’s been pretty steady and pretty heavy. My pool level looks as though it’s risen about 2 inches.

I can usually find an excuse to not do my morning walk but this was handed to me on a silver platter. I know I need to exercise but I haven’t (1) had time because of morning appointments and (2) I didn’t feel well. At lest the run to the car from the cancer center yesterday got my blood circulating.

I was already going to take the day off since my surgeon’s appointment was canceled. I was going to visit a friend in rehab from surgery today but I don’t like getting out in the rain, or the dark, or the snow, etc.

When I think about it, I didn’t really want to learn to drive. I was way past the learner’s permit age and still hadn’t made a move towards getting a license. Finally, one day, my cousin Jo asked if I wanted her to teach me to drive. I finally said yes and she made more sense of what to do than either of my parents.

I don’t mind driving on long trips these days but I do mind driving in heavy traffic around Fort Lauderdale. Lord knows I pull some boners when I drive but South Florida drivers have taken rude and crazy to an art form. You have to have infinite patience and drive very defensively. Maybe one of these days I’ll get a driverless car and let it do all the work. Shades of George Jetson!

I would say it’s a perfect day to crawl into bed with a book, but everyday is a perfect day for that since I’ve retired. Can you ever read too much? I do know that eventually my right eye gets too tired to read anymore so I just turn over and nap and let it come back into accommodation and then read some more.

Books, to me, are the ultimate escapism. I know some people think movies or tv shows are but they take the imagination out of it. With a book, your imagination fills in the gaps and lets your mind soar.

I’ve reached the ultimate in lazy and only read from my iPad these days. Books have become sooo heavy! I do a lot of page turning with my arthritic thumbs and that’s a problem but otherwise, it’s preferable to holding up a book and physically turning the pages as opposed to a thumb swipe.

I used to read just about anything. For years I was into science fiction, then the War of Northern Aggression, then anything non-fiction, particularly biographies. I’m still pretty eclectic with my reading choices but I relish the ability to read something other than scientific papers and textbooks since my retirement. I never could understand anyone who said they didn’t like to read.

My brother Archie wasn’t a big reader for years but as he gets older, he probably reads as much as I – well maybe not – but his nose is constantly in a book. He buys them on the cheap at library book sales. I buy them on the cheap for my iPad at BookBub ever since Jimmie turned me on to it.

OK, time to end this, crawl into bed and start a new book.

Stay tuned!

17 December 2024

I had some good news today. I thought they forgot to do a Signatera test in October but they did. The test checks for circulating cancer cells in the blood. It came back negative. That’s four in a row. They sent another sample off today.

The first thing they did today was draw blood. Everything is pretty much back to normal. My iron/ferritin levels are all good and only one or two minor things were above normal. The results were so good that Dr. Velez thinks my dip in energy and the lethargy are due to holiday blues.

It’s true, I normally get down during the holidays but I don’t feel it this year. I still think I’m cycling from the chemotherapy, but what do I know. I’ve got another appointment with him in March.

Strangely, my appointment with the surgeon didn’t appear on MyChart so I stopped by this morning and they were surprised to see me. In any case, that’s also been rescheduled in March.

So, I’m on a three month schedule with my endocrinologist, my cardiologist, my surgeon, and oncologist. By comparison my ophthalmologist, who is every 6 months, is a break.

I had to run for the Jeep after the appointment. The rain was coming down. I haven’t run in years and I could just seem me face planting on the slippery grass and walks. I managed to make it just as it quit raining.

I stopped on the way home to mail out my Holiday cards. I’m late this year and hopefully people don’t mind too much. People may get them after Christmas/Hanukkah.

Rain picked up when I got home and it’s been raining off and on all afternoon. We need it. The yards are dry and my sprinkler pump isn’t working still. I need to call about that tomorrow and see what can be done.

As someone who was raised in Mississippi, Christmas to me is rainy, cold weather. It would just be on the verge of snowing and yet not snow. I think I’ve only had one white Christmas in Mississippi during my lifetime. Of course, I get some hints. Chris and I have a habit of walking the neighborhood to see the lightships in peoples’ yards and we seem to pick a night we get caught in a downpour. We’ll try for dryer weather this year but we have a few more days with rain predicted.

Stay tuned!

16 December 2024

Another lethargic day. The weather reflects that. Overcast, windy, blustery rain.

Today I had my final visit with my cardiologist, Dr. Tepper. He’s retiring and as we talked, he mentioned the computerization got too much for him. It took time away from his patients. He certainly had a big smile on his face today.

He related a statement his Mother used to make to him. “You can’t learn anything with your mouth open.” I related another one I heard earlier in life. “It’s better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you a fool than to open it and let them know it.” Good advice for both doctor and patient!

Dr. Tepper recommended a new cardiologist, Dr. Siev, and I’ve already made a March appointment with him. I’ll try him out to see if I like him. Otherwise, I might shift to Holy Cross.

I got back home and promptly crawled into bed, read a bit, and then fell asleep. I really didn’t need the nap because I slept 8 hours last night but I seem to nap anyway. I didn’t even eat lunch.

Barbara came by yesterday to see the Christmas tree. She gave it the seal of approval and I gave her my new calendar. She wanted to go to Flanigans but I just wasn’t up for it. I had turned down John Bell yesterday for lunch and then Barbara for dinner. I didn’t have much of an appetite anyway.

Our cold spell that was to be in the 40’s has now been upgraded to the 50’s. We’ve got two more days of rain to deal with. Maybe I will not need to add water to the pool.

I tried to call a couple of sprinkler companies today and got put on hold each time. I hung up. I’m still looking and it still looks as though I will need to replace the motor of the pump. The joys of home ownership.

Stay tuned!

15 December 2024

Beware the Ides of December. To paraphrase one of my Ole Miss history professors, the era of good feelings is over. The last two days have been very low energy with lethargy and the need to stay in bed.

I didn’t make it to the Secret Garden for the boat parade last night. Apparently, Tom, Kurt, Jim and Holley had a good time and their choices of food looked delicious. I, on the other hand, was in bed by 7 pm and asleep by 9:30.

The pool filter has been put off for two days and I really needed to get it done so I did it today. I also hosed off the pool deck and the patio. That almost finished me.

I did not clean the pool because the wind has been so high (15 mph with gusts to 25) that it would not do any good. I’ll wait until the wind dies down.

What did finish me was trimming shrubs round the sprinkler pump to check if the pump needed priming. It did not. What I think I need is a new sprinkler pump. Good thing I’m rich as Daddy Warbucks – not.

I still have a lot of holiday cards to finish but I just haven’t been up to it. Everyone may get theirs late this year. Maybe I should call them New Year’s cards.

The Christmas tree has not collapsed. I can only say I’m glad I’m not holding up that many ornaments and tinsel. I had a moment of slight panic this morning when I was putting away some dishes in the pie safe and I turned too quickly and almost fell back into the tree. AJ would love to come out for another redecoration at his prices.

We are due some rain over the next few days and we are predicted next week to have some lows in the 40’s. Good thing I have long Johns.

Stay tuned!

14 December 2024

Nancy and Michel Ubered over to my place. I think they knew how potent the eggnog was (6 cups of Jack Daniels). I had one cup and Nancy opted for my martini and I had on hand some Sam Adams for Michel. Of course, when they left I forgot to give them some nog to take away.

I did three appetizers. There was some brie-like cheese – get this – washed in Prosecco that I warmed in the oven; stuffed mushrooms with ham, diced mushrooms, Panko bread crumbs and butter; and lastly, some roast beef, Provolone cheese with Dijon mustard wrapped in puff pastry. Even I was pleased with the appetizers. I’m glad I made the eggnog. Several people have expressed interest in coming by for some. The appetizers were on the internet as ones that would go well with eggnog. Who knew?

We had a great time together. We caught up with each others’ lives and they oohed and ahhed over the Christmas tree. The pièce de résistance was some Balsam spray to make it smell like a real tree. I even played Christmas carols from my iPhone in the background.

I overdid it in the kitchen because my energy level was low today. It’s the first time I’ve had people over to the house (other than Thanksgiving where Wade did most of the work) that I felt good enough to host people. It felt good to do that again. As a result of the effort, I’ve been a slug today. I did manage to strip the bed, remake it and do two washes. Now comes the dreaded task of folding clothes.

We’ve managed to invent no-iron clothes. How about we focus on the task of self-folding clothes?

Tonight is the boat parade on the intracoastal waterway. It’s very windy some boats will have a challenge keeping in line.

Stay tuned! We may have some boats crashing into us at Secret Garden!

13 December 2024

Friday the 13th! Yikes

I didn’t post yesterday because it was a hectic day, I got home late (for me) and was too tired to write anything. Some days are just like that.

It started with me taking my Jeep in to Joey Acardi Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram dealership. The first thing the rep did was plug into the computer system to see what was what. He didn’t find anything except the AC filter which I knew about. He said the serpentine belt needed replacement (better safe than sorry) and to bring the Jeep back after the first of the year to see about the creaks I get while driving. I’ll probably just take it to Jiffy Lube.

Joel, Keith and John picked me up and we went to breakfast at Mom’s. I was waiting for a call from the dealership but nothing happened. Joel and Keith took me home and I napped a little waiting for a call. Didn’t happen. Keith needed to walk the dogs and he wanted to take me down there so I could get my Jeep back.

As I walked in, the representative said he had been trying to reach me for quite some time. When I opened my phone, the telephone calls and text messages appeared for the first time. iPhones do that sometime. He wanted permission to do the headlight change. He said it was considerably more than he anticipated.

In January of this year, the headlight on the right side was replaced for $323. Yesterday’s cost was $724, and that was just the part. So, instead of a total bill of $999, the bill came to $1321. I don’t think you can walk out of a dealership service for less than a $1000 these days. Of course, I’ve received a phone call and a text from Joey Acardi wanting to buy my Jeep and sell me a new one. No.

From the Jeep place, I headed to Judith and Chris’ house. Judith wanted me to talk to Chris about chemotherapy. He’s been prescribed 18 sessions. I tried to let him know a little to expect. Hopefully, it won’t affect him as badly as it did me. I left when I realized I was late to take my meds. I then proceeded to crash.

You saw the Christmas tree in daylight day before yesterday. Here’s the tree at night.

Tonight, Nancy and Michel are coming over to take a look at it, drink some eggnog, and have a good time.

Stay tuned!