Month: May 2024

21 May 2024

I’m trying to wean myself off the sleeping pills (Temazepam) even though they are only 15 mg. Unlike most, they don’t give me a morning hangover. I haven’t taken them the last two nights and consequently haven’t slept as well. The result is a very slow start to the morning and low energy. What’s worse, I wasn’t able to get in a nap yesterday.

I made the ophthalmology appointment at noon and got out of there by 1:30. Cataract surgery looms but I opted to postpone for a change in prescription. He said the new prescription will help for a little while but surgery is the only answer.

Medicare will pay for most of the surgery but it will not pay for laser surgery (only with a scalpel) and it only pays for the monofocal lens (distance), not the Panoptix that’s all the rage these days. The panoptic lens, unlike the monofocal lens, corrects for nearsightedness, farsightedness and computer distance so you don’t need any glasses. Of course, there’s the added cost for laser surgery and panoptic lenses. Years ago, a friend told me the cost was approximately $1500 per eye. I’m sure the cost has increased. He said they would do one eye one week and the other the next week. Very little recovery time with laser surgery.

From the ophthalmologist, I headed to Costco and purchased a new set of glasses with all the bells and whistles (antiglare, UV A and B protection, blue light correction, and transition lenses). This will be my first ever transition lenses! I also got everything except the transition with a new pair of sunglasses. The total for both pairs were somewhere around $450. That is much better than at the Emerald Eye at the ophthalmologist which the same two pair would be around $2200.

This is my second morning of walking before my first breakfast and first coffee. I drag for the first little bit of the walk but then get into it. That’s two mornings in a row. It was cooler at 74°F but the humidity was 89%. By the time I finished 1.4 miles I was sweaty.

Even though I’ve walked this route for years, I’ve never noticed a neighbor’s ponytail palm until today. It’s huge!

It’s native to eastern Mexico but has been planted almost everywhere as an ornamental. Its characteristic is a swollen base (caudex) to store water.

I’ve never seen one this large before. I have one in my side yard but it is nowhere near the size of this giant. It belongs to the Asparagus family of plants and is not a true palm. It produces a beautiful panicle of white flowers. Mine has bloomed two or three times in the 30 years it’s been in my yard.

It’s funny how you can walk a neighborhood for 30 years and still notice something that has been there all along. It’s kinda like walking in the woods and stepping on a snake you didn’t see.

Today is my “off” day with no appointments. I plan to take it easy and get that nap in that I missed yesterday.

Stay tuned!

20 May 2024

I did a major change to my routine this morning. After getting out of bed, I put on my hiking boots (weak ankles) and did my morning walk first thing. The temperature was 76°F with 86% humidity but it felt much warmer. There wasn’t a hint of a breeze. We also have another heat warning. I made 1.3 miles this morning and 1.4 yesterday. I hope that by walking I can begin to increase my stamina.

What surprised me about changing my routine is it didn’t throw me off for the rest of the morning. Usually it does and I end up putting sugar in the coffee carafe and not my cup or I forget to take my meds, or I screw up the procedure for the insulin injection. None of that happened today but then again, the day is young.

The Broward County Property Appraiser completed a field inspection of my property last week and left a flyer that they needed additional information. I emailed the office today and someone called about 8:30 this morning. They were checking to see if I still lived at my address because they had gotten a lot of return mail. She then asked if I had a problem with mail. I said yes. One of our carriers may or may not come down our street. Most often, not.

I remember my Dad saying you could set your watch by the paper carrier for the Memphis Commercial Appeal they were so regular. Mail delivery used to be very consistent and almost always at a specified time. I’m such a creature of habit that I forget that others may not be.

Today is a noon visit to the ophthalmologist. Since I’m diabetic, he closely watches for diabetic retinopathy. Also, the cancer drugs can cause eye damage. They do the full Monty with peripheral vision testing, photographing the retina, etc. I can tell the vision in my right eye is not as good as the left eye even with glasses. I suspect I’ll have a prescription change. If I do, I’ll head directly to Costco and see what they can offer.

I normally buy my glasses from the office of the ophthalmologist at a premium price but the last pair they sold me I’ve taken in for repair 4 times. They fix them each time but it’s getting ridiculous. Everyone tells me Costco is great.

Add to that I’ll need cataract surgery before too long and you can see why they have me come in every 6 months. Fortunately, Medicare pays for everything but the refraction part of the exam.

Just thinking about the day gets me tired. I will definitely need a nap.

Stay tuned!

19 May 2024

Yesterday was a mini-disaster trying to hang a 65 inch, 45 pound tv on a wall for John. First, we couldn’t locate a single stud in the wall even with the help of a stud finder. John had some super anchor screws and after we put those in and got the wall mount affixed, it was time to try to hang the tv. The top row of anchors came out of the wall. The good news is we didn’t drop the tv. The only good thing that came out of it was John provided lunch from The Lunch Room and a miniature bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes. I was completely wiped out by the time we gave up. John’s researching other options today.

I had a visitor the last three days. He really was very considerate except for leaving little calling cards on the kitchen floor. It was a black spiny tailed iguana that somehow got into the house.

The photo is not him but you can see what they look like. Mine was a very small one, about 10 inches long. It took me a couple of days to usher him out the door. The only reason I knew he was in the house was I kept hearing rustling of the vertical blinds.

I guess we can say it’s officially summer in South Florida. We have another heat warning in effect, and the temperature on my morning walk was 82°F but felt 95° F with 68% humidity. Another reason you can tell it is summer is we are predicted rain for six of the next 10 days. We get most of our rain in the summer. Our rainy season begins May 15th so we are a little late.

Another summer indicator is the Queen Crepe is starting to bloom.

By the way, there are two acceptable spellings for the common name: Crape Myrtle and Crepe Myrtle. In the South, the preferred is Crepe Myrtle. I guess it’s kinda like the fish crappie, which is not pronounced CRAP ee.

The flowers and leaves of the Queen Crepe are much larger than the regular crepe myrtle we are familiar with (Lagerstroemia indica). The Queen Crepe also gets to tree size while the regular crepe tends to be more shrubby in growth form.

Even though this is a dicotyledonous plant, the flowers typically have six petals (typical of monocotyledonous plants like corn). There are numerous stamens and a single, superior ovary. The fruit is a wood capsule.

Riverland Road is lined with large, tree sized Queen Crepes and when they are in bloom, they are quite attractive. When they shed their capsules, it can be painful to walk over them, particular for dogs on a leash.

Since I was helping John yesterday, my wash, dry and fold didn’t get finished until 4:30 pm. I was so tired, I went to bed for a while. This lack of stamina thing is getting old.

After unloading the dishwasher and loading some dirty breakfast dishes, and making my bed, I don’t plan on doing anything else today. Veg out time!

Stay tuned!

18 May 2024

We have heat warnings out for old people like me. Even so, I managed my morning walk, starting at 8:30 am and the temp was 85°F but it felt more like 185. While on the walk, I managed to talk with Martime who had broken her ankle after finishing vacuuming her car. She turned and tripped on a paving stone. She’s in a boot for at least 3 weeks.

As I continued on down the block, I saw Gerry and Sonia with their yard sale. They are selling their house and moving to Nevada in an RV. They plan to make that their home for the next 4 or 5 years. I’m excited for them. Sonia gave me a big hug.

I made it home after 1.5 miles. I really felt good about that and pleased I made it that far without my ankle causing too much trouble. I really do feel much better these days, just no stamina.

Yesterday, I was about to put a pork loin in my damaged oven when I got a text from Holley asking if I wanted to go with her and Jim for Thai food or if I wanted them to bring me some. I put the pork loin back in the fridge and they picked me up a few minutes later for Thai Spice happy hour. Appetizers were 1/2 off and cocktails were two for one. Holley insisted on paying for it. They are getting ready for a cruise and wanted to see me before they left. What great friends!

The friend I visited in the hospital passed away this week. She was quite a person. I’ve included the obituary below to show how loved and honored she was by her students, her friends, and the county.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/mary-dinnen-obituary?id=55129435

I’m going over to John’s today to help him hang is 65 inch tv on the wall. Pray for me. I’m getting too old to do these things. He’s providing lunch.

Stay tuned!

17 May 2024

Today, I scheduled Sears Repair to come take a look at my oven. The interior glass cracked and I want to replace it. I called and received an appointment time (1-5 pm today). I was getting ready for my morning walk when I received a text that led me to a web page that told me the repairman would be at my house between 9:15-10:15. Still plenty of time for my walk (I was up early). On my way back to the house, I received a voicemail that said he would be at my house in 20 minutes and it was already 8:13.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad they showed up early but what’s with changing the arrival time three times?

There was a service charge of $119 which would be deducted from the cost of replacement. If I opted for their service plan (all appliances) for $62/month, it would have halved the cost. As it is, the cost is $434.68. As you might guess, I didn’t opt for the service plan.

Of course, I was in a hurry to get back to the house for the repairman but stopped long enough at my favorite yard to take a photo.

These people have the most interesting flowers in their yard. You can tell from the common names where this is native. The flowers start out as white, turn pink later, and then red at the end of the day. The purpose is to attract different pollinators. I managed 1.2 miles on my walk.

Once the oven was diagnosed and I paid in full, he told me the glass would be shipped directly to me in 2 to 3 weeks. It’s safe to use the oven, just not energy efficient.

After my grapefruit and second cup of coffee, I steeled myself to rake leaves. It’s an abundant harvest since I was here last week to rake.

Who knew raking would take so much out of you. Once I got them to this stage. above, I took a break. After filling the yard waste bin, I took another break. Then it was clean the pool filter, patio, and remove iguana calling cards from the pool deck. Then it was adjust the chemicals. I was tired.

However, I needed to pick up a prescription at Walgreens and needed some groceries so I stopped on the way back home at Winn-Dixie, my sources for Tootsie Roll Minis and regular Fig Newtons. Somehow, I walked out of there with a bill of $153. Could it be the Blue Bell ice cream?

Tomorrow is wash day and clean house day. It should be easier than today.

Stay tuned!

15 May 2024

The ides of May! So far, nothing to beware.

I like the new time (11:00 am) for my Herceptin infusions. Traffic wasn’t bad and I got to the waiting room a little early. Pretty soon, the waiting room completely filled and they had to bring in additional chairs. I would say 30-40 people were in the room at one time. That meant they were backed up. I was taken back around 11:15 and had Pat as my usual nurse. I think, at most, I have 3 more infusions and then it’ll just be Tamoxifen for the rest of my life. I can’t wait to finish those every three week treatments.

I mentioned to Pat the cost of that little bag of Herceptin. Just the bag of Herceptin itself cost $17K. She said what I was getting was a generic. Herceptin has been on the market for years and when it first came out, it was $20K.

Since they were backed up, it took a little longer to do the blood analysis (nothing terribly wrong – just anemic) and she had to get a release from Dr. Velez. I think that was due to the screw up from the last infusion where they had changed the appointments person. In any case, I was out of there by 1:30 and made it home by 2. Yes, I did take a nap.

Later that afternoon I had to cut up a frond from the Royal Palm. I forget how huge those things are until another one falls. It pretty much fills the yard waste bin. I still don’t have great stamina but I managed that task without too much trouble. My crop of leaves needs tending. I’ll probably do it late one afternoon when it is a little cooler. Our forecast is for the low to mid 90’s everyday.

Today is the echocardiogram at Holy Cross. It should take about 30-45 minutes once I’m taken back. I need to be there at 12:30 for a 1 pm appointment. The last three have been normal. I assume I’ll undergo those every three months for a while since Herceptin has adverse effects on the heart.

My cousin Charles finished his last radiology (10). He got to ring the bell which is traditional at cancer centers. Fortunately, he had minimal side effects compared to some. Like me, he’ll probably be constantly monitored for cancer the rest of his life. I know his family is relieved.

Just when you think you’ve spent enough money (car repair) for the month, I discovered the inside glass of the oven has shattered. Years ago, I probably would have made the repair myself but I have no intention of doing so. I’ll look around for a repair service and have them do it. The internet suggests the repair could be anywhere from $100-$500.

Tonight is movie night with Chris and Tucker. I have no idea whose turn it is to choose the movie but whatever is chosen, it’ll be fun.

After today, I plan to reinitiate my morning walks, hopefully start my yoga again and start swimming laps. I need to build up my strength. All my appointments next week are in the afternoon: eye exam, massage, physical therapy, so I should have plenty of time to do those before I have to leave for the appointment.

Stay tuned!

14 May 2024

Lunch with John yesterday at Casa Frida was better than we expected. The food was always good but the last time the service was terrible. There was only one waiter yesterday but he was efficient and attentive. We’ll go back.

After lunch, John wanted to go to Costco. I agreed to help him because he wanted to purchase a 65 inch tv. I told him it was iffy that I could help him carry it up the stairs to his apartment but we could test it out at Costco. While there I renewed my membership and replaced my broken Costco card. I figure I could get my over-the-counter meds, particularly the vitamins, cheaper at Costco and the same for my next pair of glasses. It’ll also get me out of the house. I’ve become something of a recluse when not on a trip.

John selected a tv and we managed to load it into the Jeep. On the way back, he got the brilliant idea to unpack it on the ground level and move only the tv – not the stand and the box. Even so, it was still 45 lbs and his stairway is very steep. I managed OK and didn’t slip or fall but that’s not something I need to do every day. I did manage to scrape my paper thin skin and bleed all over everything.

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For you veterans out there, while researching something else, I found that if you are a veteran of a war (WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf) you can receive Aid and Assistance for assisted living, home health care and more. Since the VA doesn’t have enough assisted living facilities on their own, approved assisted living facilities and local home health care can be provided. There are conditions, of course. You basically have to be living on social security and not be able to complete certain daily/weekly functions. It can apply to the veteran, to his or her spouse, to the both of them. Here’s the financial possibilities.

Benefit Table
Status	Monthly Benefit
Surviving Spouse	$1,478 Monthly / $17,743 Annually
Single Veteran	$2,300 Monthly / $27,609 Annually
Married Veteran	$2,727 Monthly / $32,729 Annually
Two Vets Married	$3,649 Monthly / $43,791 Annually
Tax Free

As a veteran, I know I have access to medical care through the VA (albeit only after everyone else is treated) but it’s nice to know if the Florida Retirement System goes bankrupt I’ll have a backup.

Today is a Herceptin infusion. I have to be there at 10:45 for an 11 am appointment. I must say that I like the new time frame better. I don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to have coffee and breakfast, bath, shave and get on the road by 8:30 for a 9:15 am appointment. I used to allow 45 minutes because of rush hour traffic on I-95. With the new 10:45 time, I don’t have to rush.

I always pack a lunch. Today is pimento cheese sandwich, ginger ale, peanut butter cookie and apple slices. Of course, I have Tootsie Roll Mini’s for the front desk and nurses.

I should get through around 1 or 2 pm. That’ll be just in time for my nap time.

Stay tuned!

13 May 2024

I got out of bed this morning feeling better than I have since I’ve been back from the trip. I can only describe the past few days as a malaise. I felt good enough to begin a walk this morning.

I noticed on the walk my left heel was giving me trouble. My left leg is weaker than the right and I wonder if I’m compensating too much for that leg. Either that or I’m getting a bone spur. I did managed a half a mile after I decided to head back home because of the heel.

I sat on the patio for my “second” breakfast of grapefruit, coffee and crossword puzzle. I noticed my pygmy date palm was in bloom.

This is the only palm that was in my yard when I bought the house. I now have nine different species in the yard and there used to be more. The pygmy date palm is native to southeastern Asia and is planted here as an ornamental. As you a see, it has tiny yellow flowers. Supposedly, the fruit is edible but mine never sets fruit. That’s because I have a male tree.

If you follow my blog, you know I have a habit of eating a half a grapefruit after my walks. I’m on a statin drug (Prilosec/Omeprazole) and generally you should not eat citrus when on statins. However, Prilosec is not affected by citrus. Anyway, my cholesterol levels are good with my dosage and the grapefruit really doesn’t seem to cause a problem.

When you order from Whole Foods, Publix, Aldi, or any other grocer, you are at the mercy of the shopper and how well they know to pick things, particularly fruit. I usually have good luck with them picking my fruit but when I got the grapefruit unpacked, I had a sinking feeling. It felt the rind was too thick.

Here’s what I found when I cut one in half and sectioned it.

I can safely say that’s the thickest rind I’ve ever seen on a grapefruit. I haven’t tasted it yet but it could be the best tasting of all but the sections are so small, it would matter. All of the ones the shopper sent me are like this one.

Pretty soon it will be too hot to sit out on the patio so I’m trying to take advantage of that while I can. We’re supposed to hit 97°F on Wednesday and Thursday with rain. That may break a record for May. We’ve already set two May temperature records and we are not even half way through the month. Hurricane season is looking ominous. Good thing they serviced my generator while I was on my trip.

Lunch today with John.

Stay tuned!

12 May 2024

May seems to be zipping along. This weekend is the Fort Lauderdale Air & Sea show. Thankfully, I didn’t need anywhere near the beach. They have to bus people in to the show. I don’t need to go see it anyway because the Air Force Thunderbirds fly over my house to get to the beach. I get an up close and personal view of the jets.

Barbara came over a little after 9 this morning and I had coffee waiting, goat cheese and ciabatta bread, strawberries and cream, and my tamale pie. She brought mini lemon/poppy seed muffins to finish off the breakfast. Alas, she left the rest of the muffins with me to finish. They were too tempting to her.

We caught up with each other. It’s funny how lives sometimes sync. I just finished a visit with first cousins and second cousins. She’s about to leave for a visit with first cousins and second cousins.

Barb listened to my worries about the family health issues. We discussed options and conditions. I felt better after talking with her.

After she left, I headed to Broward Health (Broward General Hospital) to check on my friend Mary. There are three important facilities on the third floor: ICU, CCU, and RCU. After much confusion and much walking I finally found her in RCU. She looks well considering what she’s been through. They are at the point of deciding whether or not to move her to a regular room. That can only be good news, however, the care in RCU is really top notch. I walked in and there were two grand nieces standing guard. I knew one but not the other. That’s a close knit family.

Wade called from San Francisco. He was concerned about my family health issues and we talked about what might happen to us. We both live alone. I feel I have such good friends in that they constantly check in with me – to make sure I’m alive. Joel calls me almost daily, I have movie nights with Chris on Wednesday, Jim and Holley take me to happy hours. I’m beginning to have people over to the house for the first time since the cancer diagnosis.

I really don’t want to go to an assisted living facility. I’d rather stay at home and hire home health care, if possible. Remember, I’m an introvert and wouldn’t fit in with an assisted living facility.

Tomorrow, I’m having lunch with John. I think we will go to Frida’s. Yes, it’s a Frida Kahlo themed restaurant. The first two times we ate there were great. The last time we ate there, not so good. I’ve noticed when the owner leaves, the service goes downhill.

Stay tuned!