Month: December 2023

11 December 2023

OK, yesterday was rough. I didn’t have any energy and it was hard just going from one room to another. It’s a good thing my house is only 900 square feet (garage included) or I wouldn’t have been able to make it. This morning I feel slightly better. It was my day to take a 2.5 mg prednisone. It’s day 7 of 10 where I take one every other day.

Today I break in a new chiropractor. My appointment is for 9 am and after I leave there I’ll head to Bliss Nails to get my toe and finger nails trimmed. Like I wrote previously, I can’t stand long nails on me.

It’s not that they are longer than I like. They are also (1) softer and (2) more brittle. They tend to flake at the ends. I’ll forego the mani/pedi this time. I think I remember reading in some of the cancer literature that it wasn’t wise to get mani/pedi because of something to do with the cuticles. I did feel my cuticles were sore after they did the mani/pedi last time.

I can only hope that I regain the strength in my hands so I can start trimming my own again. I really hate having to be dependent on others. It’s irrational but that’s the way I am.

After the nail trimming, I plan to go straight home and go to bed. I was awake at 3:30 am this morning and finally got up around 4. Technically, according to my Apple Watch, I got 5 hours and 4 minutes sleep last night. I can get by on 6 hours but 5 is pushing it.

During the last hydration infusion, Pat and I were talking and we got on the subject of Christmas trees. I was explaining I didn’t put one up any more. She asked if I had seen the Sandi Tree in West Palm Beach. It’s composed entirely of sand and is lighted. I’ve lived in South Florida for 39 years and never heard of it. Then yesterday, I was reading The Washington Post and they had an article on Christmas trees: tallest indoor, tallest living, etc. and included was the Sandi Tree.

Today I was reading the New York Times and ran into an article in the New York Times Magazine about pralines. I love those things. When I first went to New Orleans the smell of them drew me into stores to buy them. I’ve made very poor attempts and making them. I’ve bought the commercial versions but nothing equals those on the streets of the French Quarter. I found the article interesting because it said you couldn’t get a decent one unless you were at Meridian, Mississippi or south of there. I’ve never thought of pralines in association with Meridian. Mother would occasionally make them.

I clicked on the recipe and printed it out. I make make an attempt on them again when I feel better. I do think the weather may have something to do with it. High humidity affects recipes. For example, mother never made divinity in the summer when it was hot and humid. Good divinity requires low temperatures and low humidity. At least, that’s been my experience. Mother’s divinity was – well, divine.

So of course, I got the wrong time for the chiropractor. My appointment was not for 9 am but for 2 pm. I left the chiropractor’s office and headed to get my nails trimmed. It’s such a relief to get that done. Of course, in spite of the $10 price quoted in their brochure, it was $18. It was worth the price.

I never got the nap. After Bliss Nails, I picked up a prescription at CVS and headed across the street to Publix. I scored Blue Bell Dutch Chocolate ice cream. Usually when I look for it, they’re out. That alone was worth the trip to Publix.

I was back at the chiropractor at 2 pm. I like him. He made sense when he explained what he thought was wrong. In essence, he thinks I have bilateral sciatica. He performed some tests, popped a few vertebrae, put me on the rack and stretched me and then propped my hips up with wedges and let me rest. He’s assigned an exercise that I can do even lying in bed. He also wants me to take Vitamin B6 for my neuropathy. I’m scheduled for a Wednesday and Friday morning visit this week.

Stay tuned!

10 December 2023

Wow! My endocrinologist warned me that I might experience a drop of energy while weaning me off prednisone. It hit me today like a ton of bricks. I have absolutely no energy. I’m dizzy and can’t walk very well. I tried to do a morning walk this morning and barely made it around the block.

It started yesterday, which you know by now is wash day and clean house day. It did indeed take until 4:30 pm to finish everything with multiple breaks in between. I probably over did it considering I was due for an adrenal drop.

I just finished filling out 6 pages of questions for the new chiropractor’s appointment tomorrow and I was told there would be additional paper work when I made it in to the office. The problem is I have a hard time writing with the peripheral neuropathy in my fingers. My printing and handwriting looks like the beginning efforts of a first grader. I don’t think I’ve had this much trouble writing since I was a student under Miss Berry in the first grade in Boyle, Mississippi.

I don’t remember much about Boyle except the explosion of gasoline tanks that year and the unbelievable kindness of Miss Berry. I remember one student in class trying to make fun of me and she shut that town quickly and made sure everyone understood that sort of behavior was not acceptable. I think I developed my love of reading in that class. It was Dick and Jane if I remember correctly. I saw Spot run and everything.

Yesterday I made a big pot of beef stew. I’ll nurse that all day today and try to take it easy.

Stay tuned!

9 December 2023

I finally have had enough. I haven’t had a morning walk since probably September. I decided to do a walk even if I had to rest periodically on the walk. I made two blocks (0.4 miles) without stopping. Small victories! It was an improvement over yesterday when I went for a hydration infusion and had a hard time walking from the parking lot to the cancer center (probably 30 yards).

Of course, for every action, there’s a reaction. I had a rare bout of diarrhea this morning after the walk. I have no idea why. I still take a dose of Pedialyte and Metamucil. If it doesn’t go away, I’ll start back on the diarrhea medicine.

Yesterday’s infusion went well. Pat was my nurse. I puffed up when the long time volunteer stopped by and said I was everyone’s favorite patient. I’m sure they say that to everyone but this is the same person who told me I was the smartest one because I brought gloves, a jacket, and a watch cap. It’s either true or it’s the Tootsie Roll Miniatures that I pass out.

Today is change the bed linen day, wash day, and clean house day. I plan to take my time. I usually fold the last load of clothes sometime around 4 pm. Even before chemo, I never got everything done before 2 pm. I plan on a nap time somewhere in there so that prolongs the tasks. I got 6 1/2 hours of sleep last night so a nap is called for.

I mentioned that Chris and I do our annual holiday decoration walk about this time. I haven’t contacted her yet about doing the drive through but I don’t have to go far to see decorations. My neighbor across the street goes all out for their two young kids. I get the benefit of getting to enjoy it along with the kids.

They did the decorations in one afternoon. I used to go all out and decorate the front porch of my house with garland, lights, and huge ornaments. The ornaments were left by the previous owner of the house but I put them to good use.

If we drive this year, at least we won’t have to worry about getting caught in a downpour.

My finger nails are getting too long for me so after my chiropractor on Monday, I’ll probably stop in at Bliss Nails and get them trimmed. I have no idea why I don’t like any length to my nails but now the reason is they are brittle and break off if I don’t keep them trimmed.

I hope to build up enough stamina to lengthen my walks on a daily basis. Then I hope to start my yoga stretches again and the ultimate goal is to get back into the pool and swim laps. Since the heater now works I won’t freeze in the water of the pool. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Stay tuned!

8 December 2023

Finally, some good news. The pool heater guy came out this morning and there was absolutely nothing wrong with the heater. What happened was the gas valve that enters the heater is easily turned and I probably accidentally knocked it where it was half-way closed. All it took was for the guy to notice it as he opened up the heater and turn it to full open. The visit cost $145 but I was glad I didn’t have to replace something in the heater so I count it as a win.

I also called Pools ‘n More to see if they had my credit card on file to pay for the service when the top part of the pool filter unit would not seal. He checked and said no charge since all it needed was some lubricant. Another win!

Dare I hope? It seems that when I got up this morning that my neuropathy in my fingers and feet was just a wee bit less intense. I still have problems using my hands and walking but maybe, just maybe it’s getting better. I don’t know if it is the acupuncture or if it is the amount of time since the Taxol treatments, or the continuous use of Gabapentin, but whatever, I hope it continues to abate.

Years ago Tom and Kurt came over for martinis and they don’t believe in coming empty handed. They brought me an orchid. It has turned out to be the bloomingest orchid I’ve ever had. It sometimes blooms three times a year and on rare occasions, four.

It never fails to impress. It sometimes produces 4 or 5 flowers per spike. Only two flowers this time is unusual. People are always amazed at the orchids down in South Florida. The secret to their doing well is benign neglect. Let South Florida’s naturally warm and humid environment do all the work.

I have a hydration infusion this afternoon at 2:30 pm. It’ll probably take a couple of hours to do a liter of saline and 25 ml of magnesium. Today was a day I don’t take the 2.5 mg of prednisone. I can tell I’m a little more lethargic today than yesterday when I took the 2.5. I’m on day 4 of a 10 day regimen of alternating doses of prednisone. As I am weaned from prednisone, hopefully the lethargy will lessen and I’ll get back to having more energy.

Next week is busy. Monday is the new chiropractor, Wednesday is a massage, Thursday is my annual with the dermatologist, and Friday is another hydration infusion. It’s a good thing I’m retired.

Stay tuned!

7 December 2023

Happy Hanukkah! Also, it’s Remember Pearl Harbor Day. It’s also the first day this “winter” I’ve turned the heat on in the house. It was 53°F this morning outside 73°F inside. I’ve set the thermostat for 78°F to take the edge off the chill.

It’s also the first morning this week I haven’t needed to be somewhere before 9 am. I do have a dental appointment this afternoon but my morning is free. I don’t know what to do with myself. I’ll resist the urge to clean house.

Actually, I feel pretty decent this morning. My energy level is better than yesterday. I still have the neuropathy and am unsteady on my feet.

My cousin Jimmie pointed out yesterday that her Dad (my Great Uncle James) had foot drop and he had a unique way to treat it. According to Jimmie, he attached a tap to his toe and looped a shoelace around the tap and then tied the shoelace to the top of his boot to keep the toe elevated. Uncle James was always inventive.

Hunukkah is a festival celebrating the re-control of Jerusalem from the Seleucid Empire by Maccabean Jews and the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem. Not that I knew that as a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant growing up in Mississippi (even so, I had to look up Seleucid Empire today).

As far as Remember Pearl Harbor, I was seven years in the future. My Mother had not even met my Dad and much later, I remember listening to a recording of FDR’s speech to a joint session of Congress asking for a declaration of war. I still get chills when I view the video.

I miss my morning walks, particularly since the weather is so pleasant for walking. My neighbor Chris and I usually walk the neighborhood looking at the holiday decorations but this time we’ll probably drive around the neighborhood and maybe expand it to surrounding area since we are driving.

I find most of the decorations garish but there are some that are well done. Of course, my taste isn’t everyone’s. I gave up decorating for the holidays years ago. I had quite a collection of bubble lights and ornaments collected from my travels. I put out an appeal in the neighborhood for anyone interested and Nicole down the street took them all. I think her favorite ornament was ruby red slippers from the Wizard of Oz. I did like putting up a tree and smell the balsam tree sap but the cleanup was getting a bit much. I never liked artificial trees.

This was my holiday card one year. I think I made some comment alluding to Rocky peeing on the tree. I love the expression on his face – like he had been caught in the act of something.

It’s official! The holiday season has begun!

Stay tuned!

6 December 2023

And the medical appointments continue! I pulled into 3341 Johnson Street in Hollywood around 8:30 am this morning for a 9 am appointment with the acupuncturist. At check in, I was met by a trainee who started to check me in but quickly moved me to another person, who moved me to a third person. All said and done, I paid $80 and sat down but not before I questioned the $80. I had originally been quoted $50 for any secondary sessions after the initial 1 1/2 hour session. I reconfirmed that later with a phone call. When I mentioned it to the acupuncturist, she laughed it off and said it was always $80 and when I told her I wasn’t upset but wanted her to know someone on the phones was telling people $50, she said she had no control. Oh well.

I spent approximately 5 minutes being stuck with needles and 40 minutes laying there on the examination table. At least the table was heated. When she asked if I saw any improvement in the neuropathy from the first visit I said no and she said it sometimes takes a while. She is certainly persistent. She reminded me of the two other appointments in January and she previously called to reminded me of this visit and left me a message to return her message or she would continue to call me.

I drove back home to get ready for a 12:15 appointment with my GP. As I pulled into the drive way, I noticed a warning light that my tire pressure was low on all four tires (the low temperature this morning). I pulled out the air pump and plugged it into the cigarette lighter and started pumping up the four tires. I could barely get the cap of the stem of the tire and then barely get the nozzle attached to the stem. I have absolutely no strength in my hands. Turning the key to lock the front door is an exercise is frustration.

Add to that getting down to ground and getting back up four times and you can image how tired I was. I still have no stamina.

When I arrived at the GP, he examined my flexibility and I explained the pain in the hips, thighs and calves and that I was experience foot drop in the left foot. He agreed I needed an MRI to rule anything out. Depending on the results of the MRI, I’ll either be referred for physical therapy or a pain specialist. The MRI is scheduled for January 12th – first available. Is everyone sick in Broward county? It’ll take about the same amount of time to schedule physical therapy if that is recommended. Fortunately, there’s a Holy Cross Physical Therapy facility 2 miles from the house.

When I went to schedule the MRI, I was told I needed a blood workup and the GP had to put that request in. A phone call to the GP resulted in being told no, I didn’t need that. The MRI I will be getting is without contrast. If it was with contrast, I would need the blood work up. Strange. Nothing seems to be going according to plan today. Holy Cross sent me an estimate of the cost of the MRI – $4K+. The good news is that Medicare will pay for it at a much reduced rate.

My GP wasn’t too happy with the idea of a chiropractor. He confessed with minor issues they may help but with serious issues they could do no good. I didn’t tell him I had switched to the one recommended by Judith and have an appointment on Monday.

Last night, Farah, Dr. Jellinger’s aide called and told me my blood work from Tuesday looked good and that Dr. Jellinger wanted me to shift to taking 2.5 mg of prednisone every other day for 10 days. On the 12th day, I’m to repeat the blood work for cortisol. She also warned that I might experience a drop in energy when coming off the prednisone.

Tomorrow at 1:15 pm I go in and pay to have a dental hygienist torture me.

Last night I was watching a new episode of Midsummer Murders when I heard what I thought was the smoke detector warning me of a low battery. I pulled out the step stool, removed the cover and replaced the battery. Have you noticed everything requires a new and strange looking battery these days?

This was the battery required for the smoke detector. You can buy a pack of two on Amazon for $13.65. News flash! It wasn’t the smoke detector. Instead, it was the battery powered alarm in the north window of the guest room. The alarm connects to the main alarm via blue tooth.

If you look closely at the bottom of the unit on the left, you have to press that in to lift the cover to get to the batteries. I have 10 of these and each requires two batteries. Whoever installed them for me put some in this position and some with the unit 180°. It makes getting to them and to the batteries very difficult. Of course, it has a different battery. Anyway, all the batteries were replaced at the same time so I need to replace all the batteries or go through two weeks of the alarms failing individually.

You can buy 20 of them on Amazon for $17.99, so they are cheaper. I’ve changed these out once before. At least the batteries last for several years in the alarms. I had enough from the last change out to do all but 2 of the 10 units. I’ve ordered 20 more.

As tired as I was yesterday, I still took time to make a tart that Jacque Pepin’s mother used to make every day in their restaurant. I’ve made it several times before and it always turns out great. I had 6 Granny Smith apples I needed to use before they went bad. The most work is peeling the apples, getting rid of the core and slicing them. I only managed to cut my fingers once. The pastry is a breeze. Here’s the result before I took out a slice.

I did get a nap in this afternoon so it wasn’t a total loss of a day with appointments.

Stay tuned!

5 December 2023

I can’t believe I forgot a blood draw for the endocrinologist. Farah, his assistant, called and asked if I had been in. The answer was no and the result was I had to fast from midnight on and go in early this morning. I don’t mind the blood draw but I do mind the disruption of my routine. I get hangry when I don’t get my breakfast and coffee.

After the blood draw, I headed to my local post office to send off the holiday cards. I could put all but one in the mail slot. One was destined for Germany and I needed an international stamp. There was quite a line even though the post office only opened at 9 am and I was there at 9:15.

It’s amazing what you learn when you stand in line. I heard for the first time that our branch was closing and everything was being sent to another branch. People who had received package notices on their door would come to our branch and the package wasn’t there. It had to be delivered from the new branch. I never did find out where the new branch is.

There was also some drama. One woman was openly weeping in front of the postal clerk. He handled it really well and by the time they finished, she had quit crying and was smiling. I can only image what the postal clerks are faced with on a daily basis. I later saw her in the parking lot and she started crying again.

I’ve decided I’m not going to do that drive to Pembroke Pines for the chiropractor. He seems to be helping my back but I made that drive for 30 years and I just don’t want to do it anymore. Judith gave me the name of her chiropractor and he’s 2.6 miles away. That’s compared to 11.2 miles in heavy traffic for Dr. Masterson. I called Dr. Masterson’s office in Pembroke Pines and canceled Friday’s appointment and let them know I had found someone closer but that I appreciated what Dr. Masterson had done for me.

I usually do groceries on Sunday but I put it off until today. I ordered online (my feet were killing me from standing in line at the post office) and I was surprised how quickly Instacart got them delivered from Publix. I finally figured out how to do the BOGO (Buy One, Get One) online. Apparently, enough people complained and Publix revamped the screen to make it clearer.

I ‘m just OK today. I was better yesterday and nothing is really wrong today, I just don’t have the energy I did yesterday. I did get 7 hours of sleep last night and I started to take a nap but couldn’t doze off. I can tell the effects of Taxol are wearing off. My beard is growing back more coarsely, my nose has quit running, and no more nose bleeds. Now if I could only get rid of this peripheral neuropathy. Acupuncture tomorrow!

Winter returns to South Florida tonight (58°F) and tomorrow night (55°F). Break out the long johns! Fortunately, it’s not cold enough to put out the falling iguanas warnings.

Stay tuned!

4 December 2023

To make a 7 am appointment with the jeep dealership and have time for some coffee and cereal before I left the house, I got out of bed at 4:30 am. I pulled into Hollywood Chrysler/Jeep a little before 7 and the gate was locked. I pulled out my iPad and started to read when I noticed a car that pulled in behind me backed out and went to another entrance and got into the lot. I carefully backed out (SR 441 is quite busy in the morning) and pulled into the second entrance and lined up behind two other vehicles.

At 7 am, I guy comes to the window and asks why I’m in and when I tell him a recall, he directs me to the right place. I pull into an empty breezeway and a second guy asks why I’m in. He says he’ll be right with me (he’s blowing leaves out of the double breezeway). A young lady walks up and talks to him and he yells over at me I have a burned out headlight on the passenger side. She apparently saw it on the way into the breezeway. She ended up being my rep.

Apparently, my 7 am appointment was just to find out what I needed. They have to order the part for the recall and it’ll be at least three days. If I had known that (I did tell the person who set the appointment it was for a recall) I would have scheduled the appointment at a more humane hour.

Anyhoo, two years ago, I was doing a mid-drive stretch when I put my hand behind the headrest and pulled. That popped the headrest “air bag” out. I’ve lived with it ever since. However, during my last jeep recall, I asked about getting it replaced since it was still under warranty. The jeep representative said he ordered it and would call when it came in. I never received the call. Today I found out why – they had my phone number incorrect by one digit.

I asked again about the headrest and she checked and said it was still covered under warranty and would cost me nothing but that Chrysler/Jeep could only order 1 headrest replacement every 21 days. She put the order in and will call me when both parts come in. She also said unless I do a lot of night driving to wait on the change of the light.

She then told me in order to change the headlight, they had to pull the bumper. I checked YouTube when I got home and one video I looked at said that’s what the dealership told him but he proceeded to show how to change the bulb without pulling the bumper. I gave up on the video after he had significant trouble trying to change it out. The guy on the video said the dealership would charge around $300 to change the bulb. Considering what the YouTuber had to go through, the $300 is worth it for the dealership to do it.

After leaving the dealership, I came home and took a two hour nap. I needed it.

I’ve been trying to pay Amy Sear for her 1 1/2 hour acupuncture visit. I was to call the main office and offer my credit card. When I did, their computer system was down and they couldn’t take the card. They said to call back later. I did the next day and got the same response. Today, I got an email to sign in to MyChart. It was to pre-sign in for the Wednesday acupuncture visit and, lo and behold, I could pay for the first visit online. Not sure that’s any way to run a business but at least I got her paid.

Generally speaking, I feel pretty good. Not great but pretty good. The biggest problem is the peripheral neuropathy seems to be increasing in my hands and fingers. I had a real problem buttoning the top button on my jeans this morning. I also have a problem typing. My feet still feel as though I’ve just walked across a bed of hot coals. I’m hoping the acupuncture will eventually help.

I’m not sure whether my clumsiness walking is due to the neuropathy or if it is my back problem. Either way, I still stagger all over the place, bump into walls walking down the hallway, or misstep when turning around in the kitchen. The manipulation the chiropractor did last Monday seems to be holding but I have to sleep on my side. For the first few days it had to be the right side and for the last few days, it has to be on my left side. Otherwise, I get that numbing feeling in my butt, thighs and calves which then becomes painful.

The pool guy showed up around 1:15 pm. The top third that almost took my head off was simple to fix. The screw nor the nut was stripped. The only thing it needed was some lube on the o-ring that fits to the top. I can’t believe it was that easy. Fortunately, the guy didn’t treat me like an idiot.

He told me to check my warranty on the pool heater. He thought there was a 3 year warranty. I checked and of course, it was a 2 year warranty that ended in May of this year. Designed obsolescence!

I left early for my chiropractic appointment so I could have a short visit with Judith and Chris and return their insulated container they left me filled with home made chicken soup. Judith had just gotten back from grocery shopping and Chris had been hauling wheel barrows of sand from point A to point B. It was good to see them.

I decided to go Griffin to University and made the mistake of taking the Turnpike prior to University. It was stop and go traffic. I may change chiropractors simply to find someone closer. It’s miserable making that journey to Pembroke Pines. I did it for over 20 years on my way to the college and I still don’t miss the drive. Judith recommended her chiropractor who is on Davie Blvd. near me.

The chiropractor office was full of people. Even so he got me in within 5 minutes of my appointed time. He put the TENS pads on my back and when that stopped, he did his manipulation of my spine. I’m scheduled for another appointment at 10 am on Friday. Friday will be a busy day with an infusion at 2:30 pm.

To continue the newspaper thread, another paper I learned to check on while I worked periodicals was The Delta Democrat Times, published in Greenville, Mississippi. According to the paper’s web site, Hodding Carter, Jr. started the Delta Star in 1936 and it was later merged with the Daily Democrat Times to form the still published paper of today. In 1946, Hodding Carter, Jr. won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on Japanese Nissei soldiers serving in the European theater. The paper was later run by Hodding Carter III and today is run by the three generation Emmerich family which owns and runs Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.

The reason I mention The Delta Democrat Times is that it is considered the most liberal newspaper in the state and in the South. I remember the paper getting bomb threats and there was always hate mail going to the offices. The name Hodding Carter was dirt in Mississippi. It was the lone voice of liberalism libertarianism in the state. We did not put that paper out for the general pubic in the library reading room. It would have been shredded.

Hodding Carter III eventually went on to become Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs under Jimmy Carter.

Stay tuned!

3 December 2023

I received a comment from Jim about the number of newspapers I read. It started with my Dad lying with me on the living room floor reading the comics section together. I’ve been addicted ever since. Growing up in Morton, Mississippi, we had the local Progress Herald. I used to write the Boy Scout column for that paper. Then there was the Scott County Times published in the neighboring town of Forest. There were two Jackson newspapers: The Clarion Ledger, a morning paper and the State Times, an afternoon paper. My family seemed to always have a subscription to all four or we somehow got our hands on them.

When Dad was moved to the Delta for his highway department job, the preferred paper was The Commercial Appeal. Dad always said you could set your watch by the paper carrier. The Commercial Appeal was a far superior newspaper to the two Jackson papers as far as I was concerned. It was significantly different politically than the Jackson newspapers. North Mississippi seemed to me to be more liberal than the central part of the state. Perhaps part of the reason was the Tennessee Valley Authority and their hydroelectric system which kept electricity costs down in that area of the state. People would get outraged when southern legislators tried to get rid of the TVA.

While working the periodicals desk at Ole Miss, I got exposed to more than the newspapers of my childhood. I think the University subscribed to a couple of hundred newspapers from all around the world and we put out about forty of those for display and reading. It was often my job to put the newest edition on paper sticks. You had to find the center page of sections and slip those sections of sticks down the length of the center page.

Often there was one loose sheet of paper and that had to be stapled onto the rest of the paper. You then filed the old paper in the stacks and at the end of the year, a year’s worth of a title was send to the bindery to be bound and shelved.

I would regularly put out Le Figaro (France), Le Monde (France), Corrier della Sera (Italy), El Correo (Spain), and from England, The London Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and the London Financial Times.

As far as U.S. papers, I would put out The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angles Times, Chicago Tribune, St. Louis Post Dispatch, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Atlanta Constitution (now The Atlanta-Journal Constitution), and The Times-Picayune, among others.

Of course, when putting them out, I couldn’t help but read a few. I was taking French at Ole Miss so I often read Le Monde. Later, after graduation and several moves here and there across the country, I got exposed to more and more. I still love reading an actual paper but when I moved to Florida, the delivery system was hit or miss. That’s when I finally caved and went online with my reading.

Sadly, a lot of these papers are no longer. The Times-Picayune recently went online and ceased the print edition. I understand The Washington Post is in financial trouble.

My biggest gripe with newspapers these days is editors not catching mistakes. Not only are there grammatical errors but sometimes an article just ends in mid sentence. Apparently, they ran out of space. My biggest peeve is a scientific one in they often screw up the genus and species in the articles by either not italicizing the genus and species or using it incorrectly.

One favorite part of reading the papers was “Letters to the Editor.” Three good friends, Jim, Maureen, and Chris are good at sending in letters to the Miami Herald and the Sun-Sentinel. I don’t read that section any more because a lot of it is tripe but Jim, Maureen and Chris often copy me with their letters and their articles are always well written, well reasoned and, I’m sure, raise a few hackles by pointing out the flaws in other peoples reasoning.

There is a lot of variation as to the time span for the golden age of newspapers but my lifespan certainly includes a major portion of whichever variation you choose. Newspapers, probably more than books, shaped my views of the world, kept me current on local, state, national and world events. When I was teaching, I was always taken aback by the lack of knowledge of current events of students (other than pop culture).

Hopefully, good journalism will survive. I have great hopes. For example, I still read the Clarion Ledger (Jackson, MS) online and it’s good for local coverage and some state coverage. Even better, there is an alternative news source available online called Mississippi Today. It’s kind of the anti-establishment news of the state. It holds elected officials’ feet to the fire and has exposed malfesance and corruption. As long as there is some publication willing to publish the truth and counter arguments, we’ll probably be OK. To quote The Washington Post, “Democracy dies in darkness.”

Stay tuned!

2 December 2023

I seem to be consistently getting six hours of sleep at night. I was a little worried last night. I watched the movie Kinky Boots while sitting for a prolonged period on the couch and could tell my tail was not liking it. If you haven’t seen either the movie or the musical, it’s a great movie based on a true story.

In any case, I read a while in bed after the movie and promptly went to sleep. Only as I was about to get up did I start to feel some lower back and leg pain. Once I got moving it got better.

In reading the New York Times this morning, there was a great video interview with Sandra Day O’Connor. It’s a short interview but reveals a great deal about her inner thoughts on major decisions of the Supreme Court.

Another article in the Times that I thought exceptionally interesting was a run down on Larry McMurtry’s works. I had forgotten how many great books he had written. One of my favorites is still The Last Picture Show.

I find it interesting that even though I scan the New York Times, the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Miami Herald, and the Sun-Sentinel every morning, there are only a handful of articles during the week that I like to read (or view) in depth. Of course, the New York Times and the Washington Post has the best written articles and the most gravitas.

When I used to be a student worker at the periodicals section of the Ole Miss library back in the 60’s, the go-to source for undergrads and grads was the New York Times. That was the first thing in the morning, if you got the opening shift, that you did – put out the newspapers because someone would immediately want the newest NYT.

I really liked working in the periodicals section. I actually liked shelving the loose issues of the magazines and papers because I could scan the table of contents of each as I shelved and see if there were any articles I wanted to return to read when off work. I actually tried to concentrate on periodicals when I went to graduate school for my Masters of Library and Information Science at Florida State University.

That’s also why I got involved with Stonewall Library and Archives in the 90’s. I wanted to make some sense of their periodicals which were an unorganized mess. All their periodicals were stored in boxes in a storage facility. We later wrote a grant that was funded by the state of Florida (Democratic governor) and a national charity to put in compact shelving for the periodicals.

I feel pretty good today. I even felt pretty good yesterday and Pat, the nurse who provided my infusion, said she could tell it in my voice. On the way in to get the infusion, I met Dr. Velez in the hallway and I told him Amy Spear (acupuncturist) said to say hello. He asked how I was doing and when I responded, he said it was all smooth sailing from here on out, that I was through the rough stuff.

Actually, even though I feel well, I’ve come to think that the trouble with my walking is not the peripheral neuropathy (solely) but may have more to do with a pinched nerve in the lower back. My buttocks and thighs and calves seem to ache and I’m weak in the legs. That’s why the chiropractor wanted an MRI. I’ll find out if my GP will approve it on December 6th.

Staggering all over the house, I managed to get the house semi-clean, linen changed, and a load of wash on. Funny how wash day seems to fall on Saturdays. As I’ve mentioned before, my Grandmother Searcy used to wash on Saturdays. Doing anything household on Sundays was taboo.

When it rains, it pours. I’ve mentioned the pool heater will not ignite and I have a service all in to AC/DC Pools. At first, she forgot I called them. Then when she scheduled it for this Monday, it looked like I was going to get it working. However, when I went to clean the pool filter, the top of the filter unit would not come off.

The black structure at the top is called a locking knob. In trying to remove the upper third (filter head) I kept turning the locking knob but it would not release the filter head.

I checked out YouTube for videos on what to do, and yes, they had some videos on what to do. I went back out and tried again and even tried to pry it off (YouTube) to no avail. I then decided I’d just run the system for a while. I failed to realize that the locking knob didn’t engage and the filter head was not really secure. The filter head blew off with a great deal of pressure. Fortunately for me, it went off to the right. If it had come straight up in the air, it would probably have knocked me out.

The only thing to do was call Pools ‘n More and have them send someone out to repair the filter system. They will show up on Monday. The problem is the pool heater people cannot work on the pool heater unless the filter system is operable. I had to cancel the pool heater people until Pools ‘n More can repair the filter system.

Not only that, but I have the jeep recall on Monday and a chiropractor appointment later in the afternoon. Fortunately, I don’t have to be on the premises for Pools ‘n More. He asked if they needed to call me before starting any repairs and I said no because if the pool filter system doesn’t work, the pool is out of business. It has to be repaired, no matter what.

I’m just glad this week is over. It’s been rough. I can hope Dr. Velez is right and I’ve turned a corner. Stay tuned!