Month: March 2024

20 March 2024

Although my Apple Watch logged me in for 6 hours and 48 minutes of sleep, it didn’t feel like that. It seemed I was up and down every hour with visits to the bathroom to pee. Somewhere around 4 am I took two Advil PM’s in addition to the sleeping pill at bed time. I think that allowed me to conk out for a while. I finally got out of bed sometime around 9 am and felt like I had a hangover.

Shannon must have really put me through it yesterday because I didn’t walk this morning. Either that or the lack of sleep. I had my second breakfast on the patio with the temperature at 67°F. This week and next will probably be our last cool spell. Summer temps are on the way.

I did have a great time last night for dinner. I met Robert and his son Michael at Flanigan’s. At first, I couldn’t find them but was directed to the right area a second time. I missed them first because of the glare of the sun. It was great catching up with Robert and Michael.

Michael asked that if his age and time past allowed him to call me Fred. I had forgotten I taught him biology sometime around 1990. Robert and I reminisced by trying to remember names and events of the past and we finally stumbled on the answers to our stories. He treated me to dinner. Apparently Lynn, his wife, told him that under no circumstances I was to pay for meal last night.

I taught with Robert of South Campus for 30 years. He and Lynn have been close friends during that time and after our retirements. I know I always have a place to stay if I’m ever in their neighborhood. We traded memories for about 2 1/2 hours over Flanigan’s famous prime ribs. Thank you Lynn!

After fretful sleep last night, I took a two hour nap. I run the risk of not sleeping well again tonight after such a long nap. Then I have physical therapy again with Shannon tomorrow at 11:50 am.

It looks like a bumper crop of mangoes this year. My neighbor’s tree hangs half of its branches over my yard. My side of the tree is blooming.

Mangoes are members of the Anacardiaceae which is sometimes referred to as the cashew family. It also includes the plant known as poison sumac and poison ivy. The sap and fruit can cause some people to break out in a rash. Fortunately, it doesn’t bother me.

There’s not much to a mango bloom. There’s the female pistil, five stamens and five petals and five sepals – typically. There are some hermaphroditic flowers (male and female flowers) and some entirely male. Even when hermaphroditic, usually only two of the stamens contain pollen.

Bees love the flowers and too many are pollinated. There’s a significant amount of fruit drop from the panicle. Even so, I should be sitting pretty with mangoes at the end of May and beginning of June.

I used to know the variety of this tree but I do know it’s the best tasting mango I’ve ever had. What I don’t eat off the tree, I’ll dice and freeze for later to make mango sorbet or mango chutney. There’s nothing like a cold mango sliced on a hot summer afternoon. I’ll keep three or four in the fridge to peel, slice and eat as the summer progresses.

Stay tuned!

18 March 2024

Another day in paradise! The mornings are still cool and it makes the walks pleasant. I did 0.7 miles today on a different route along Riverland Road. You’ve got to be careful on Riverland even if you are on sidewalks. Rocky and I were almost mowed down several years ago by a kid reaching down inside the car while steering and not realizing he was heading straight towards us. His girlfriend screamed and he recovered at the last moment. We wouldn’t have stood a chance.

The NextDoor App had a litany of complaints about speeders along Riverland Road (35 mph) and they reported an accident along Riverland right where I walk by. Someone once warned me about wearing ear buds while walking and I took that advice. Cars are quiet enough as it is and, at least, if you don’t wear ear buds, you might be able to hear one coming up behind you.

I had a 1 pm appointment with the Genius Bar at the Apple Store to see what’s going on with my iPad. It will not recognize my home WiFi and the Bluetooth doesn’t work. When I met the guy, he solved the WiFi problem – it had to do with the virus protection network (VPN). He wasn’t able to solve the Bluetooth and so he’s sending it off to be looked into. I’ll be without it for a week. It’s under warranty but if it is something my fault – like water damage – there’ll be a $49 fee. I did notice that if it wasn’t under warranty, it would be $500.

While I was at the store, I went ahead and purchased a new MacBook Pro. My old one (2017) was no longer updated by Apple and the keyboard had always given me trouble. I’ve been thinking about a new one for quite some time but waited until I knew I would be in the Apple Store. The purchase went very quickly even though my credit card was denied. I had to check the phone for a text and approve the purchase so he could run it through again. When that happens you know it’s an expensive purchase.

For those of you who are computer literate, I opted for the M3Pro chip with 12 Core CPU, 18 Core GPU, 18 GB Unified Memory, and 1 TB SSD. SSD stands for Solid State Drive which a lot of computers have these days as opposed to Hard Disk Drives (HDD). SSD’s are faster than HDD’s. GPU is Graphics Processing Unit and CPU is Central Processing Unit. Core refers to how many tasks it can handle at one time.

As usual, the Apple Store was packed and I forgot to wear my mask. I’m sure I was probably exposed to Covid. Keep your fingers crossed.

Actually, I still feel pretty good today. I don’t know if it is the anti-depressant working or I’m recovering faster from the Herceptin treatments. I still have balance issues due to the neuropathy and I have to be careful walking. Oh yeah, I also forgot my cane today. It was lucky I didn’t face plant.

In between buying the computer and getting to the Genius Bar, I had to go to the bathroom. They sent me to the food court. You’d think that mall would have more bathrooms than at the food court. I guess I could have gone to Macy’s and hunted for one there but I made it down to the food court and back in time for the appointment.

Tomorrow afternoon is physical therapy with Shannon.

Stay tuned!

17 March 2024

Erin go bragh!

Yesterday, around 5 pm I ordered groceries from Whole Foods and was given what I thought a 7-9 pm time frame for delivery. I need my eyes checked. The delivery time was 7-9 am this morning. I was up and about when the delivery was made but they texted me one item was not available and asked if I approve the substitution. That was at 5:55 am and I didn’t see it. They substituted corned beef for St. Patrick’s Day with stir fry beef. I’m not sure how Irish stir fried beef is.

I probably had the spices to make the corned beef rub and it would have worked if they had substituted something like a brisket. Maybe I’ll put the spices on the stir fry beef.

Also, when did they start shopping at Whole Foods? None of the stores are open at 5:55 am. I’ve always suspected the deliveries came from a Whole Foods warehouse.

After ordering the groceries yesterday, I also ordered a replacement shredder. There’s no way to get the metal credit card out of the old one (and no way someone can get the info off the old one which has been discontinued). Anyway, the new one was an Amazon special and with some Amazon credit, it was around $29. Again, I misread the time. I knew it would be delivered on the 17th but the time was 6-8 am. It arrived around 6:30.

I’m not feeling as well today as yesterday but I did manage a 0.99 mile walk. I could have walked across the street to my neighbor and made it an even 1.0 miles but my legs were tired.

While on the walk, I saw an attractive orchid. I believe it’s the genus Vanda.

You don’t see many of this genus in the neighborhood for some reason. I see a lot of Phalenopsis like mine but not Vanda.

I had my second breakfast on the patio after spraying down with insect repellent. The mosquitoes are vicious. Everyone, including me, either plants pineapples or bromeliads which are breeding grounds for mosquitoes so it’s our own fault.

After putting the groceries away and tossing the old shredder and assembling the new one, it’s been a busy day. I like the old shredder best. It could take 10 pages at a time with staples. It also had wheels to roll the shredder around. The new one accepts 8 pages (with staples) at a time and has no wheels. Oh well, it probably won’t be too long before I try to shred another metal credit card.

After the walk, I have less ambition. I’ll probably curl up with a book and then take a nap.

Stay tuned!

16 March 2024

Yesterday I was pretty fatigued. Today I feel great. Usually the fatigue lasts 3 or 4 days after the Herceptin treatment but I seem to be OK the day after it hits. I hope that holds!

Summer seems to have arrived in South Florida. It’s 87 °F and humid. Early morning is still pretty decent and I walked around 8 am when the temperature was around 70°F. I managed 0.8 miles today and felt pretty good after the walk which is unusual. Usually, I’m dragging.

While on the walk I noticed 4 houses getting their roofs replaced by 4 different companies. Two of the houses were across the street from each other and you wonder if the neighbors ever talk. I suspect they could have gotten a deal if they had gone with the same company.

I felt pretty good while cleaning the house, changing linen and washing clothes. I managed to get through everything but folding the last batch of clothes by noon. It was then that Chris called. We had discussed going to an open house just 4 houses down from her. I walked to her house and then we walked over to the open house.

We’ve been following what’s going on with the renovation. The owner apparently didn’t do anything to the house for around 40 years. Whoever bought it (foreign investors) gutted the house down to the studs. Everything is new inside. To be honest, the house is a little quirky. There’s a second story that sits overlooking the neighbor’s yards and the tail end of a canal that has ocean access. That story detracts from the overall structure of the house.

When we went over, we were welcomed by Cedric. He gave us the grand tour. It has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms and a pool. Four of the bedrooms are on the ground floor (one an enclosed garage) and the other is upstairs. All the appliances and finishes were high end with the exception of the manufactured flooring which looked like wood. It sits on a 1 and 1/2 size lot. I noticed the sea wall to the canal needs replacing and that will be very expensive. The asking price is $1.2 million. I asked him about comparables in the neighborhood and he said they were around $600k so I’m sure there’s wiggle room on the asking price.

Cedric indicated that foreign investors are buying up property in the area and turning it to high end homes. I guess that’s good news for me with my home. I paid $94k for it in 1995. Some suggest it would go for $450k now but I think $350k is more like it since I only have 2 bedrooms and 1 bath.

We have at least one more “cool” spell this year. That starts Wednesday. After that I may turn the pool heater on. I am not physically able to swim laps yet but at least I could get in the pool and do some water aerobics.

Nothing blooming caught my eye this morning on the walk but it won’t be long before I’ll be subjecting you to more plants.

Stay tuned!

15 March 2024

Beware! Particularly if you name is Caesar.

It’s been an eventful day. It started with me getting out of bed around 8 am. I never sleep that late! I could tell I had a little fatigue from the treatment today and it caught up with me around noon. That’s not so bad considering I’ve had 3 very good days since the infusion.

I did make my morning walk (0.6 miles) and on the walk found a neighbor’s shaving brush tree in bloom.

This is native to Southern Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Hispaniola, and Cuba but is grown as an ornamental here. I was first introduced to this tree at Fairchild Tropical Garden in Miami. It’s quite stunning when it blooms. It’s almost leafless. The leaves you see in the photo are from a Tabebuia tree. I think you can see where it gets its common name.

I knew I needed to get to the pool supply store today. I was out of multi-purpose tabs that provide the chemicals to the pool and it was past time for a new filter. The filter cost $150 (I used to pay $80) and the multi-purpose tabs cost $330 for 50. They have jumped in price by about 100%.

Fifty multipurpose tabs weighs over 50 lbs. The kid at the pool place put them in the back of the Jeep but I was faced with how to carry the container from the Jeep to the back yard. I used the dolly. The only problem is I haven’t used it since I last bought the tabs and the air pressure in the tires was low. I decided to try it without inflating the tires – which is a process. It worked! I was able to get the container back and stored with semi-flat tires.

Then it was time to put the new filter in place, clean the trap, and skim leaves from the pool. By the time I finished I was really tired and more than a little wobbly. Thankfully, Holley and Jim called me to go to lunch. Otherwise it was left over pizza.

It’s Jim’s birthday today (he’s much older than me – 8 months). They decided to go to Shooters for his birthday lunch and Holley insisted on paying for all of us.

The last time I was at Shooters was when my cousin Jimmie and Stephen came down and we did the water taxi along the intercostal and we got off a Shooters for some lunch.

If I remember correctly, we sat at dockside like we did today. It was a beautiful day with plenty of sun and mild temperatures. The views are fun and you can see the drawbridge as it operates for boat traffic. It was very busy today letting boats through.

I had the shrimp po’ boy and it was mostly shrimp. You couldn’t fold the bread to make the sandwich. It more like an open face sandwich and I just ate the shrimp and ignored the lettuce and tomatoes. Holley got mussels and they brought out a huge bowl. She ate half and took half home. I took about half the shrimp home. Jim had a salad with Ahi tuna.

When I got home, I crawled into bed and rested. I then decided to fight the battle with the iPad not recognizing the WiFi at home. I worked last night with an Apple rep and it still didn’t work. I tried again today and we ended up making me an appointment for Monday at 1 pm for the Genius Bar at the Apple Store in the Galleria. It hasn’t worked correctly since the internet outage.

I also got a new Amazon credit card. I activated it and went to shred the old card in my shredder. Too late I realized it was a metal card. I now need a new shredder. March seems to be a very expensive month.

Stay tuned! There are 15 more days to spend more money!

14 March 2024

It’s been a busy day. Apologies for the late post but my internet has been out all day today and most of the day yesterday. I’ve been using data like crazy on the cell phone and iPad (thank goodness it is unlimited). They restored the internet sometime around 4 pm. Then I find my iPad will not log on to the internet so I need to call Apple to see what is up about that. The phone connects to the internet, just not the iPad.

My polo shirts and chino pants came in from L.L. Bean yesterday so today I started to wash them. Then John texted about lunch. We headed to Flanigans and we both got burgers. It was supposed to be a special for $6.99 but that was if you ordered their drink. To be fair, it was a huge Coke but with tax and tip, it was $16 a piece after all said and done. So much for specials.

John was nice enough to go to Walgreens with me to pick up the latest batch of insulin and Gabapentin. Then we stopped at Winn Dixie so I could restock my Tootsie Roll Migies.

After getting back to the house, we sat and talked and solved the world’s problems. I hung up the new clothes from the dryer, folded the old clothes, and whipped up some guacamole for avocado toast tonight.

One good thing is I had energy for most of the day. I flagged a little when it came time to fold clothes but after getting that done and sitting back down with John, I seemed to recover.

Hopefully, I’ll not have any fatigue tomorrow. Perhaps I’m getting used to the Herceptin treatments.

Tomorrow I need to head to the pool store to get a new filter and some chemicals. At least I won’t have to clean the filter tomorrow.

Stay tuned!

13 March 2024

I had a lazy morning. I was cautious and didn’t walk this morning because of the Herceptin treatment yesterday. The last one I had did a number on me the following day. Today I feel pretty good. After breakfast number 1 (fruit and yogurt and coffee) and breakfast number 2 (half a grapefruit and coffee) I showered and headed to Walgreens to pick up my prescription for Temazepam. I’ve done enough business with this Walgreens that the person doesn’t even ask my name. She just goes and gets the prescription.

From there I headed to Smith’s Picture Framing and Art Gallery. I’ve been going to them for 40 years and they’ve framed most of my “art” over the years. They’re expensive but they do an excellent job. I spent an inordinate amount of money on some framing projects today. No regrets. When I moved here in 1985 they were on East Broward Blvd. Now they are on Federal Highway near the Parker Playhouse.

I never knew too much about the framing process but I’ve learned some over the years. My hardest decision is what mats and frames to choose. Over the years, people have taught me stuff. For example, one professional told me you generally don’t mat a poster since they kind of come pre-matted with their own colorful borders. If you double mat, it’s best to go with a light and dark mat, sometimes complimentary and sometimes for a contrast. I always look at the colors in the work and see if I can bring that out in a mat. Out of all of it, choosing a frame is the hardest for me. Fortunately, Smith’s is very good at providing advice. The owner worked with me for at least an hour and a half with five pieces.

This afternoon, I took up the area rug in the living room. I continue to trip over it and it’s tempting fate. If I ever get my balance back, I’ll put it back down but right now it’s stored under the guest bed.

The only rug out now is the one at the side of the bathtub. I’ll keep that one since it provides some grip when getting out of the tub.

In a previous post I showed you a photo of a Suriname Cherry bloom. Today while checking for downed palm fronds, I found one in fruit.

I also found my Phalenopsis had opened its second bloom.

That’s a pretty deep purple!

Just received a call from Holy Cross Physical Therapy. Shannon is ill and can’t make tomorrow. They rescheduled me on the 28th of March. That’s probably fortuitous since I may be feeling the effects of the Herceptin infusion tomorrow. I’m glad I got all my running around done today.

Tonight is movie night with Chris and Tucker.

Stay tuned!

12 March 2024

Last nigh I was casting around for something for supper and headed to the freezer. I found a resealable container that I hoped was beef stew. I had to run water over the bottom of the container to get it to come out and I then put it in a large skillet with a lid on low heat. I started a crossword puzzle while it heated.

After a while, it started smelling pretty good and took a look at it and it appeared at first to be beef stew (carrots, onions, potatoes) but without the beef. As I dished up a bowl, I realized it did have meat in it but it was ground beef not stew meat. I swear I don’t remember making this. I usually mark freezer bags to know what is in there but I didn’t mark the resealable. I called it mystery meat after those days of the school cafeteria. I ate the bowlful and then threw the rest out. I need to start marking those resealable containers.

My day started at 5 am. I have a morning routine that really throws me off if I don’t follow. By getting up that early, it would allow me to leave the house at 8:30 for a 9:15 check in time for the infusion.

Fortunately, the traffic on I-95 was lighter than expected and I got there at 8:55. They called me back at 9:25 and Pat started the procedure. Everyone kept asking where I had been. They lose track of people when they shift regimens like I did from weekly to every 3 weeks. It was nice to be missed, though.

Pat texted Danielle, Dr. Velez’ nurse as to whether I was to go to his office or if he would stop by the infusion center (11:30 appointment). She said he would stop by. Actually, I was finished by 11:30 so Pat said to stay put in the chair.

It was a little after noon that he came around to me. He was running a little behind. I told him I was doing much better and the neuropathy was marginally better with the Gabapentin. He re-prescribed the Temazepam. He was pleased it was helping me get a good night’s sleep. He cautioned the pharmacy limit his 3 refill request – not sure why.

I made it home a little after 1 pm, had the other half of my Jersey Mike’s sandwich and then took a very long nap.

I have another container of mystery meat in the freezer but I plan to throw that out tonight. Dinner is up in the air so it may be delivery from some place.

Tomorrow and Thursday will be interesting. The last time I had a Herceptin infusion, I was fatigued the next two days. I’ve already told Shannon at PT that I may not be in on Thursday and she understands. Hopefully, I’ll be up for movie night with Chris tomorrow.

Stay tuned!

11 March 2024

I feel really, really good today! Better than a long, long time. It’s possible the neuropathy is actually getting better. I walked 0.5 miles this morning (I didn’t want to wear myself out for PT) and I felt my leg strength was better and I didn’t have as much drop foot. Not only that, but it was cool this morning (64°F).

I really needed to shave this morning. I get lazy about that and I was looking more than a little scraggly. After cleaning up, I hopped into the Jeep and drove to Bliss Nail Lounge and had my fingernails and toenails trimmed. The fingers weren’t too bad but those toenails were getting out of control. For both, they charged $18.

I then stopped in next door to Bliss to Publix and bought a floral arrangement. It’s mostly mums but they are my birth flower. I like to keep fresh flowers on the table – mostly for me to enjoy.

The The Old Farmers Almanac provides a list for the 12 months of birth flowers and all but one has two. Chrysanthemums are the sole birth flower for November. If you are curious about your birth stone, the American Gem Society provides a list. November is Topaz.

I’m always surprised these arrangements last as long as they do. The last time I purchased something like this arrangement, it lasted two weeks.

After paying for the flowers, I walked over to Jersey Mike’s for a sub. They have different terminology for their subs. I got the regular which was a 6 inch. I think my is called the Super Sub. They piled it high with shredded lettuce. I managed to eat half for lunch and will save the rest for tomorrow when I’m getting the Herceptin infusion. It was quite good.

Shannon wore me out. On the step machine she switched me from level 3 to level 4 and I wasn’t able to complete the five minute routine. I thought she increased the weight on the leg press but she hadn’t. My quads were screaming at me by the time she finished with me. Shannon also told me not to worry if I didn’t feel like coming on Thursday because of my infusion.

I was so tired, I came back and went to bed and slept for two hours. I’ll probably regret that tonight when I try to get some sleep. I’ll also be antsy because of the Herceptin infusion tomorrow. Check in time is 9:15 am and a 9:30 treatment time. I also have an 11:15 am check in for Dr. Velez and an 11:30 appointment. Usually, he comes by during the infusion but he didn’t last time. I’ll have to wait and see.

Stay tuned!