Month: March 2024

10 March 2024

Happy Daylight Savings Time!

March seems to be marching rather quickly. In the military, the command was “Quick step, March!” Yesterday was a good day for the most part. John brought over the sandwiches from Honey Baked Ham. They were delicious and I have half of that for lunch today.

I managed 0.9 miles today. On the walk I met three neighbors and had a chat with each. It gave me time to rest. My legs are still very weak and I still have foot drop but I intend to continue.

I did the walk where there the red passion flower vine is growing. It has so many buds! I hoped they would be in full bloom but they are still in the bud stage.

There was one that was in bloom.

I’ll keep checking on them. I can only imagine what these will look like when they all bloom!

In another respect, it was a bad day. John and I were talking on the couch in the living room and periodically I would get up to check on the clothes in the washer and dryer. My washer has a habit of getting unbalanced. I took a towel out of the load and tried to finish the rest of the wash. It did eventually complete the cycle but not without rearranging some clothes in the washer. Then it was the towel’s turn. It stayed unbalanced and I had to put another clean towel in with it to get it to complete the cycle.

It was on one of those trips to the utility room that I caught my foot on my swim cords and face planted into the dining room. I didn’t feel the cords on my feet because of the neuropathy. I bruised myself but otherwise I don’t think there’s any damage. I told John I was very frustrated with myself.

I managed to keep upright for the rest of the visit.

There’s been some unknown odor coming from my refrigerator and I couldn’t find the source. I cleaned it out today with a baking soda solution and when I got to the last vegetable bin, I found a small piece of cucumber wrapped in cling wrap. It was totally rotted. I didn’t even try to sniff it to determine. It was gross enough as it was. After cleaning the fridge, I put the box of baking soda inside the fridge to help combat the odors. I seem to use a lot of it – refrigerator, to brush my teeth, and in large commercial quantities in the pool to keep the pH in balance.

After the walk, cleaning the fridge, and writing the blog, I’m tired. I’m gonna have lunch and crawl into bed for a nap.

Stay tuned!

9 March 2024

I walked 0.7 miles this morning, bumped into Stacey and Bear again (at the same spot) and made it back to the house exhausted. I just don’t have the stamina to walk very far at the moment but I intend to keep trying.

It’s change linen on the bed, wash clothes and clean house day. At least some of it got done. I kinda cleaned at it instead of cleaned it. I know where the dust bunnies are and I’ll let them rest in peace for a while. When I get more energy, it’ll be bunny hunting season.

Farah called last week and told me my Vitamin B12 was within the normal range. Dr. Jellinger was concerned it might be too low. B12 is necessary for healthy red blood cells and I could become anemic if it is too low. My level was 761 pg/mL and the normal range is 180.0-914 pg/mL. I assume the “pg” means picograms.

Other than hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, my blood work looks pretty good. Tuesday I go in for another Herceptin treatment. I’ll be curious is I’m adapting to the infusion or if it’ll give me fatigue and for how many days. Add to that two physical therapy sessions and I should be tired for at least 3 days.

John is bringing over BOGO Honey Baked Ham sandwiches for lunch. For a while there, I couldn’t eat them or any pork products but I seem to have recovered those taste buds. Again, I ordered the Tavern club with potato salad. I really appreciate John driving over and fighting the Fort Lauderdale traffic.

My Suriname Cherry is in full bloom. According to the Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants, it’s considered invasive. It came to Florida prior to 1931 as an ornamental. It produces an edible fruit and birds distribute the seeds. I haven’t planted a single on in the yard but have 3 or 4 of them brought in my birds.

It belongs in the Myrtle family (Myrtaceae) but don’t think Crepe Myrtle here. Think guava, clove, allspice and eucalyptus.

Bees like the pollen and it’ll soon produce a bright red, eight-lobed berry. I probably should uproot all of them but I like the flowers and the fruits so I leave them be.

Back to washing clothes.

Stay tuned!

8 March 2024

I figured I would be sore or tired from yesterday’s physical therapy and museum tour but I felt pretty good this morning. I managed 0.6 miles on my morning walk. I’m still frustrated about the foot drop and the weakness in my legs but I know it takes time to replace those muscle and nerve cells.

One of the things I like about walking the neighborhood is meeting neighbors along the way. Just as I rounded the corner of my block I ran into Stacey and Bear (shepherd). We caught up with each other. She’s always volunteered to do anything for me.

Next up was Cy. He’s always watering his yard but I caught him without a hose in his hand today. I hadn’t seen him in a while so it took a little time to catch up with each other.

While on the walk, I met a White Bird of Paradise face-to-face. I mean literally, it was exactly at my head height.

These used to be a lot more common in the neighborhood but they are quite messy with the old leaves. Some people confuse them with Traveler’s Palms, an equally messy plant to have in your yard, also not a palm.

Both plants can get to a pretty good size. I’ve seen Traveler’s Palms reach the height of a two story building.

A very good friend, Robert Nathans used to incorporate White Bird of Paradise in his layered paintings and sketches.

He was quite talented and I have three paintings that use this motif. As the flower gets older, the white tends to yellow somewhat as you can see from his painting above.

Every time I see a White Bird of Paradise, I think of Rob and the good times we had. We volunteered together at Stonewall Library and Archives for several years and we traveled together to New York, Key West and New Orleans. I truly miss him.

Once back from my walk, I finished my half of grapefruit and second cup of coffee (and cheated on the Friday crossword) and I started raking leaves in the side yard near the generator. It looks like it is leaf harvest time.

After getting the leaves raked, I cleaned the pool filter, checked the chemicals in the pool and did a freshwater wash down of the patio. After that, it was my continuous battle with the weeds by spraying the front walks and back brick patio.

Lunch was a PBJ sandwich and then I crawled into bed, read about 30 minutes and then conked out for an hour. I was pretty beat by the time I finished my chores but I still feel good, albeit tired. Even more exciting is there seems to be some change in the neuropathy. There’s a just perceptible relief in the sense of walking on thousands of needles. I haven’t had the severe pain in the past week that I previously experienced. I’m gonna take that as a sign that it might either go away completely or at least become tolerable. Of course, it could be that I’m just becoming accustomed to the neuropathy. I’m not going to go there. I’ll stay positive.

Stay tuned!

7 March 2024

As expected, Shannon put me through my paces today. There was even some weights that got lifted. We started early and finished early but it was a good workout. I’ll probably feel it tomorrow.

After the workout, I headed to Barb’s for lunch. She made chicken salad from a rotisserie chicken. I thought it was going to be just a sandwich but there was roasted Brussel sprouts, mango salsa, and a salad. She finished it off with cookies she made.

Barb drove us to the NSU Art Museum of Fort Lauderdale where she is a docent. It was kind of nice to have your own personal docent to explain the exhibits to you. We spent about an hour on the exhibits and then had some coffee at their cafe. If you click on the link above, you can see some of what I saw.

The museum, in the past, hasn’t been that great but it’s really caught on. Today was free Thursday and I saw more traffic in the museum than I’ve ever seen. I also found out everyone loves Barb. Louise, a security guard, grabbed us and sang the praises of Barb to me (and to Barb). Everywhere we went, people on staff stopped to say hello and talk with her. Of course, no one had to tell me how great she is. If you remember, she was the one who spent the night at my house after my second surgery. I don’t think she slept a wink that night, constantly checking on me.

Barb and I have no trouble with conversation. We just seem to click. We chatted the entire way through the museum, probably to the frowns of some of the patrons. However, I’ll admit it was mostly about the art and if people listened in, they would learn a lot from her. Even Louise mentioned that a lot of the docents hem and haw before a piece but not Barb. She’s already thinking the piece ahead and providing great info.

We managed to make it back to her car, then her place and me get in the Jeep before the deluge hit. It’s been threatening rain all day and on my drive home, it delivered.

It’s been a long day with physical therapy and walking around the museum. I probably walked more today than in months. Of course, I forgot to put out the donation for Vietnam Veterans and will need to reschedule the pick up of my donated shirts and blue jeans.

After movie night last night, physical therapy, and the museum, I’ll probably make it an early night. Tomorrow, nothing is on the calendar for once.

Stay tuned!

6 March 2024

I slept past 7 again this morning. I’m getting very lazy. I even went to bed at a decent hour (10:30) and still slept late. I wake around 5 every morning but manage to go back to sleep. I seem to dream more during that time – or at least remember those.

After my first breakfast I managed 0.5 miles on my neighborhood walk. I didn’t want to overdo it since I had a massage scheduled for later. I walked a part of the neighborhood that normally is on my route but I haven’t had the energy to walk it lately. You gotta keep up or the next thing you know, someone has moved out and someone has moved in.

I was looking through my closet the other day and discovered I had only one polo-type shirt that I regularly wore. I also noticed there were a lot of shirts that I hadn’t worn in forever. I decided it was a good time to go through everything and pull out stuff for veterans pick-up. By the time I finished, I probably had 20 very nice shirts that I never wore for donation. I added a few pairs of Levi’s 501 jeans (those with the buttons that I can’t do any more). I threw a shirt away since it was stained and a pair of Levi’s that I wore the crotch out. However, those Levi’s were probably very valuable with all the holes in them.

If I had left it at cleaning the closet out, it would’ve been fine. However, prior to cleaning out the closet I sat down with an LL Bean catalog and circled one or two or eight items. I ordered 5 polo shirts and 3 pairs of pants. I may be adding clothes for a while since most of my pants don’t fit. The only problem is I’ll put the weight back on and eventually need larger sizes.

I met Tom at 5 Points Massage at 1:30 this afternoon. Actually, I usually get there before he does but he beat me today. For some reason I had to pee when I went in. Then halfway through the massage, another bathroom break. At the end, I had to pee one more time. It’s funny how there are some days I urinate at what’s normal for me and then days like today, it’s like a flood every few minutes.

Tom works you over pretty good. It’s a 90 minute deep tissue massage and it’s head to toe, back to front and everything in between. One thing he does that most massage therapists don’t is stretch and flex your legs. It’s like he’s tying you in knots when he does it. He charges $120 for 90 minutes and I leave him a generous tip. It’s absolutely worth it.

When he’s working on me, I can tell there is less sensitivity in the left leg than the right due to nerve damage from Taxol. What’s really weird is when he does the foot massage with my numb feet. It feels good but really weird.

After the massage, I headed to Walgreens to get my antidepressant. The traffic was a mess. Part of it was due to the weather. A heavy dew ties up traffic in Fort Lauderdale. Part of it is they have overdeveloped the place. One week you drive by a building and the next week it’s gone with a high rise scheduled to take its place.

Instead of cooking tonight, I did Mickey D’s. There was even a long line there at 4 pm. It seems everyone in my neighborhood had the same idea.

Tonight is Chris’ choice for a movie. One of these nights we will let Tucker pick one but only after he’s had his treats.

Stay tuned!

5 March 2024

I was correct in thinking my orchid was going to be purple. You forget these things between blooms. It’s not a spectacular species of Phalaenopsis but it was the colors that attracted me. It seems to be on a yearly bloom cycle at the moment.

I meant to publish the picture below yesterday. On Sunday, Jimmie and I talked and I mentioned a photo of my grandfather, Hollie William Agnew at age 16.

I told her the story of my good friend Crag seeing it on my wall one day and asking me when I had taken that photo. He thought I had dressed in period costume and it was a photo of me.

Crag knew me when I looked like this. You can tell I have a bigger nose (that Gallic snozzola) but I think I have the same eyes and same mouth and chin. I think I was around 17 or 18 when this was taken.

I had a great time last night at Secret Garden with Tom and Kurt. Kurt treated Tom and I to the Moroccan dinner and cocktails.

I arrived a little early and sat in the lounge and had a martini.

As I mentioned before, Chef Hami is Moroccan and his Moroccan night usually sells out.

I had the Harira with Lemon Chicken Tajine. Both were excellent. Tom and Kurt had the Couscous Salad and Baked Fish and they seemed to enjoy theirs as well. The Sea Salted Caramel Cake was decadent.

There were a lot more boats at anchorage in the intercostal this time. You also never know what you might see coming up the intracoastal.

He was a very friendly kayaker and waved to us. As he got closer, he shouted “Come join me.” We took that as an invitation to join him on his larger boat anchored in the intracoastal. We were too busy eating dinner. Maybe next time. We would have invited him to dinner but he was not appropriately dressed. The Secret Garden requires “resort casual” that includes a collared shirt.

It was beautiful sitting by the water. We had a nice breeze from the ocean with very comfortable temperatures. Outside dining is usually much better for conversation than inside dining at Secret Garden. The late afternoon skyline was wonderful.

I’m dragging today for some reason. I didn’t do my morning walk because I was afraid it would tire me too much for physical therapy today. I’m sure Shannon will try to put me through my paces but I’ll warn her that I’m low energy today. She’ll understand and then work me anyway.

Stay tuned!

4 April 2024

Yesterday, I was walking by the kitchen door and happened to see something moving out of the corner of my eye. It was a legless lizard on the patio (sometimes called glass lizards because their tails can break off).

It belongs to the genus Ophisaurus and there are four species in Florida. I haven’t seen one in a while. When I used to do my own lawn mowing, I would occasionally see one and unfortunately, sometimes run over one when I didn’t see it soon enough. They seem to burrow in the ground and I suspect the mower’s vibrations cause them to stick their heads out of their burrows (and sometime become decapitated).

A little later, I found him in a puddle on the pool deck after a tremendous downpour (I won’t have to add water to the pool for a while). I wondered if he drowned. This morning, he was gone and he either did not drown or some thing had him for breakfast.

I managed 0.9 miles on my walk this morning. I’m getting frustrated that I can’t seem to build stamina on my walks. I was completely knackered by the time I got back to the house. I realize that the Taxol destroyed muscle and nerve cells and that their regeneration will take a while but I don’t seem to have progressed since the last Taxol treatment in October. My hair is back and my taste buds are back (albeit a little different) so I know I’m recovering from some of the Taxol effects.

I have three questions for my GP this afternoon. First, is he willing to prescribe an antidepressant. Secondly, should I cut back on my blood pressure medicine – is that causing my arms to go to sleep. Thirdly, should I get a Covid booster. CDC is recommending getting another 2 months after your last inoculation. I had my last Covid-19 shot in August. I had Covid in January. Since I’m in a high risk category (diabetes, depressed immune system) I might go ahead and get it with his OK.

I think Holy Cross is screwing up the billing to Medicare and AARP Supplemental Insurance. They’ve billed me twice in two days. I went ahead and paid and then it dawned on me it was still insurance pending for the AARP policy. They normally don’t bill me unless AARP doesn’t cover the rest of the bill. I’ve also noticed that one procedure will be paid and the exact same procedure is listed as being done on the same date and is not paid. Someone is screwing up.

Dr. Dunhill prescribed 30 mg of Cymbalta. Said it was a very reasonable and understandable request. We’ll start at 30 mg but may move to 60 and as much as 90. It’ll take 2-3 weeks before I feel any different.

I can cut the blood pressure medicine out as long as I stay consistently below 140 systolic. He suggested I wait until April for the Covid booster since I have some immunity from my bout of Covid in January. He said immunity from Covid lasts approximately 3 months.

Stay tuned!

3 March 2024

I managed 1.45 miles along Riverland Road this morning. Trust me, that five hundredths of a mile is significant. Chris came up behind me about half way through the walk and I told her that on her return walk, if she saw a body by the side of the road, she’d know who it is.

While on the walk, you pass a couple of finger canals. Some of the boats tied up are impressive.

The big one on the right is called Hope Floats. To the right of that boat is a sprawling house that I suspect houses the crew to the boat when not at sea. You can often see deck hands crawling all over the boats cleaning them. The boats that line the canals are either as large or larger than Hope Floats.

Over the years, I’ve watched crews and boats come and go. The best crew was years ago. They were always out there on my morning walk cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. There was someone obviously in charge. Lately, the crews haven’t been as industrious and they kind of clean “at it.” Shades of “Below Deck.”

Of course, these boats are minuscule compared to those docked along the intercostal in Fort Lauderdale. Those are mega yachts. Supposedly Steve Jobs had one docked along the intercostal. If I remember correctly, it was sleek and all black. I estimate it was around 200 feet long.

It’s an overcast day with rain predicted for this afternoon. I plan to take it easy the rest of the day and read a little, nap a little, and eat a little.

Monday I have a 2:15 pm appointment with my GP. I’m meeting with him to talk about an antidepressant. I also want to know if he thinks I have circulation problems. My hands and arms still go numb when I walk in the mornings.

Later that evening, Tom, Kurt and I have reservations at Secret Garden for Moroccan night with Chef Hami.

Stay tuned!

2 March 2024

I just got up from a late afternoon nap. I was exhausted and needed to lie down for a while. It’s been a busy day.

I managed 1.1 miles today. I wanted to improve on the 1.2 of yesterday but I knew it was time to head home a little short of that goal. I walked the third of three finger isles in the neighborhood.

I normally go back a different way by way of Flamingo Park but wasn’t up to it.

For those of you who don’t know, the Jungle Queen is a fake paddle wheeler that travels from the intercostal canal near Fort Lauderdale Beach down the south fork of the New River to this “exotic jungle island” where you dine on barbecue and watch a show before returning. My house is two blocks from the quite landlocked exotic island.

Once back home from my walk, I started to clean house and wash clothes. I must have really overdone it this morning on the walk because I was low energy all morning.

John showed up around 12:15 pm with BOGO from Honey Baked Ham. I went with the Tavern Club again since I enjoyed it so much last time. He also purchased some chicken salad with cranberries and that will be my dinner.

I finally got the clothes done and folded and put away and was barely keeping my eyes open. I told John I had to go lie down for a while. I promptly went out like a lamp. I didn’t get but around 30 minutes but I needed it.

Tomorrow I plan on nothing! No trimming Heliconia, no washing clothes or house – just my morning walk and relaxing.

Tanis called last evening to check on me and I got to talk with Archie. It’s always good hearing from them and I appreciate their looking out for my well being. Either that or they don’t know they are not in the will. Seriously, it was good to talk with them.

I understand from John they are recommending a booster to the Covid vaccination from last fall for anyone over the age of 65. I’ll double check but if that is the case then it’s back to Walgreens for another vaccination. Looks like Covid and flu will be annual injections.

Stay tuned!

1 March 2024

Goodbye to February! Does March come in like a lion or a lamb? More on that later. I rolled out of bed at 4:30 am this morning wide awake. I slept well but just couldn’t seem to sleep past that time.

I had a wonderful time last night. Holley and Jim picked me up in their new Tesla around 4:30 yesterday.

Holley took this picture before we headed to the Pillars Hotel and happy hour at the Secret Garden. Just as we pulled up, we saw Tom and Kurt entering. We quickly grabbed the banquette (primo seating for happy hour since the bar tender can see us from the bar) and quickly ordered our first round of drinks. Two espresso martinis (Holley and me) two vodka martinis (Tom and Kurt) and a whiskey sour (Jim). There was some discussion as to whether drinks were on the happy hour menu (they were) and whether happy hour started at 5 pm or 6 pm. Regardless, we got happy hour prices. Mixed drinks and wine were $8 and appetizers were around $12.

Three folks ordered the crab cake and Jim ordered the tuna. I ordered a shrimp cocktail and lamb chops. So, for me, March came in like a lamb. I apparently was hungry because I added dessert on top of that – an apple/peach cobbler.

After another round of drinks or wine, we laughed and giggled to the point that Yelena, our favorite to wait on us when dining, knew we were in the building. We got to catch up with her for a minute or two before she had to start service.

All of us had been so busy that we hadn’t seen each other in a while and it was great to catch up, laugh, and make plans together. Tom, Kurt and I are going to Morocco night on Monday at the Secret Garden. Chef Hami is from Morocco and I expect the meal will really be good. It’s a prix fixe that allows you to choose one appetizer, one entree and one dessert from two choices each.

Just before Holley and Jim picked me up, Chris brought over six apple cinnamon cup cakes with sour cream frosting. I didn’t have time to sample so I had one with breakfast this morning. Delish!

I managed 1.2 miles this morning and still felt OK. My right foot was giving me a little foot drop problems towards the end but I made it home. I got a second wind after my half grapefruit and second cup of coffee and I proceeded to clean the pool filter, do a freshwater washdown of the patio and then start trying to clear out the dead foliage from the heliconia. After fighting the heliconia for a while, I tired and called it quits. See, I’m getting smarter!

I had made a grocery order from Whole Foods and about the time I finished up my chores, the delivery arrived. After putting everything away, I then showered, ate some lunch and took a nap.

I’ve had more energy and stamina today than I’ve had in quite a while. Hopefully that is a trend. Dare I also hope that the neuropathy is a little better? It seems to be. Maybe the compression socks are helping.

Stay tuned!