14 September 2020
Finally! Even though it rained this morning, by the time I was finished breakfast, it had stopped. I walked my normal route, did my yoga stretches and was able to swim my basic set of laps in the pool. That’s the first time in a couple of weeks. The exercise makes a big difference in my attitude.
I also had a 1:30 pm appointment with my endocrinologist. The news from the blood test was a mixed bag. I had forgotten to take my cholesterol medication, apparently for longer than I thought. I had emptied one of my Crestor bottles and forgot to replace it with my supply of weekly pills. It showed up on the blood test. My cholesterol went from 139 mg/dL in June to 287 mg/dL in September. My endocrinologist almost passed out when he saw the numbers until I explained.
For some reason my calcium level is high and his concern is my parathyroids may be producing too much. He’s ordered another series of blood tests to make a determination if it is calcium in the ionic form which is more dangerous than than calcium in the associated salt form. If it is the ionic form, I may have to have one of my four parathyroids removed. At least it is out-patient surgery.
My glucose level stayed the same. I think this guy wants me to live to be 100.
He’s always fun to talk to. He’s pretty anti-Trump and he’s always willing to rant to a kindred spirit.
If I haven’t previously said so, I think this past August in Florida is the hottest I can remember. I’ll wait until the official data come out but I suspect I’ll be borne out in my supposition.
Of course, that reminds me of a conversation I had with my brother Archie about when we lived in my maternal grandparents house at the intersection of U.S. Highway 80 and Agnew Street in Morton, Mississippi. It was 1953 and Archie constantly reminds me of how hot that summer was. Apparently it set all kinds of records in Mississippi for heat.
We lived in the western apartment in that duplex. It had a large living room, a bedroom off of that, a small bedroom between the living room and kitchen and a small bath between the small bedroom and kitchen. I remember Mother always crying at night. I didn’t understand until later but it was the last year of the Korean conflict and Dad was in Korea.
We had two oscillating fans. Mother had one and the other was usually in the living room until Archie and I went to bed in the small bedroom. We’d bring it in at night and have it blow on us. I really don’t remember but one bed in that small bedroom so I assume Archie and I slept together the whole time. I do remember one time “our” fan didn’t work and we had to tough it out until it was repaired.
Coming up from U.S. Highway 80 were a set of concrete steps between the two apartments. I have a photo that shows there were only 7 steps but asa a five year old kid, it seemed like 17. The top of that porch also seemed very, very high to me.
That was also the year Ruby took me to the state fair in Jackson in October. The state fair was famous in Mississippi for having a mile long midway. Rides, booths and hoochie coochie shows lined the midway. Ruby always made sure we steered well away from the hoochie coochie shows but of course, that was where my curiosity lay. That fair was where I had my first Ferris wheel ride.
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At one time, we must have lived behind the house I just described. I have pictures of my Mother near the screened-in porch of that house. I think it was called the Dubose house at one time. Either that or the one across the street from it was the Dubose house.
When Dad came home from Korea, we eventually moved to the Mississippi Delta. We spent some time in Ruleville, Mississippi and I went to the first and second grade in Boyle, Mississippi. Third grades was in Cleveland. Holley bought Mother and Dad a house in Cleveland and it was a brand new build. We were there when Holley died in 1956 and we moved back to Morton.
While we were living in Boyle, there was a gigantic explosion that shattered windows. I think it was a gasoline storage facility. We also lived across a bayou and the house was right next to a cotton field. We had great neighbors on both sides. On one side was a retired school teacher who always had cookies at the ready and on the other was a family with kids about mine and Archie’s age. For some reason I think their name was Saxon.
I distinctly remember getting into a BB gun fight with the kids across the bayou. The only time I got hit was when Archie was reloading and cocking the BB gun and it discharged and hit me right between the eyes. I carried a small dent there for years.
In Cleveland, I had one close friend behind the house. Archie had a girl friend named Hattie Franks. She was pretty much a tomboy and probably could whip Archie and me combined.
As far as the pandemic goes, Florida had the least number of new cases since June – but that was still 2, 243 new cases. Broward county had 161 new cases and 1 new death. Saturday was opening game day for college football and there were obvious gatherings outside of the stadiums with students partying without masks and social distancing. It’ll be interesting to see what the number of cases looks like 14 days from Saturday the 12th.
Renovation is on hold until September 23rd and although my arm reminds me periodically I’ve had surgery, it’s better than it has been since the surgery.
Stay tuned and stay safe!
What a great post. When your dad was in Korea and you lived across Agnew Street from me, I remember my father commenting about the rifle that he kept above the door in his bedroom. He said that he would shoot someone breaking into your house faster than he would someone coming into our house, since there wasn’t a man living in your house at the time. That house had an Osage orange tree and we used to love playing with the horse apples that fell off of it. I also have fond memories of the state fair every October. It was really a treat when I got to go. I was surprised to see the picture of Joe Lee. I think it was Archie, Jo, and Jean who tried to burn him at the stake. Were you and I really involved? As for cholesterol, mine also approaches 300 when I go off a statin–another sign we are related.
I remember the Osage orange. I also remember when I heard it by its other common name. I thought people were saying bodoc and I suspect they were. It was only when I was working on my masters that I realized it was bois d’arc or bow wood because first Americans used it to make bows. Remember the milky sap from the “oranges?” There was also a Chinaberry tree near it and we made pea shooters by putting a red hot coat hanger through the pith of the stem. As far as Joe Lee and the burning-at-the-stake, I’d like to think I was there. I remember we did that to someone – tying them to the persimmon and piling up leaves and debris and trying to light it on fire. Archie seems to think I was there but if not, I was in spirit.