As Prescribed

Remember the story about the little boy hitting himself in the head with the hammer? When asked why he was hitting himself, he replied that it felt so good when he stopped.

I think, maybe, that chronic pain is like that. You become accustomed to the pain. So much so that you don't realize you are hurting until you take a pain reliever.

While I wait for my new insurance policy to kick in, I have been carefully hoarding the prescription I have for pain. Well, I was, until I actually read the bottle and discovered the refill. So, for the past week I have been taking the medication as prescribed. I am much nicer to be around, although, not very productive. I seem to have developed a great capacity to stare mindlessly at the TV and do absolutely nothing.

In my drug-free state I would have guilt feelings for doing nothing, but in this new pain-free universe, guilt does not factor in. I do manage a few tasks, such as cooking and laundry, then feel insanely proud of myself.

Last night, for instance, I pulled all the left-overs out of the fridge and prepared a meal of sorts. In doing so, I got a little carried away and cleaned out a lot of stuff, like expired pickles and such ...... then felt so accomplished. A good nap makes me feel so righteous!

My only concern is ....... what happens when I stop taking these capsules of magic?

Texting and Driving

As I sit here sipping my coffee, waiting for the wood stove to crank out some heat and listening mindlessly to the news (local), I hear again how there is a proposal to make it illegal to text and drive for those over 21.

I confess that I was unaware that it was legal to text and drive, no matter your age. In this state, the great state of Missouri, it is legal. Only for those over 21. Because we all know that upon turning 21 you are an adult and can do adult things. Suddenly you are a multi-tasking wizard. Not to mention the fact that adults in my age range are so very adept at technology.

 Why would it be a good idea to text and drive at any age? Legal or not. Make sure you have air bags and your seat belt is buckled. Have to be safety conscious, you know. Then, text while you hurtle down the interstate at 80 MPH, no make that 79 MPH. Cause, we all know the troopers won't bother to pull you over unless you exceed the speed limit by 10 MPH. Speaking of legal .....

Sleep Interrupted

The well is still not completely fixed. It was all going so well until they encountered a gasket that had to be special ordered.

In spite of that fact I was still determined to have a relatively good day. I made some delicious soup, using some of that smoked turkey from my freezer, five kinds of beans and some chorizo sausage. I called my dad and chatted with him. He continues to get stronger and was happy to talk to me.

Went to bed, watched Jon Stewart, laughed, then totally relaxed, I was drifting into sweet slumber.
You know what I mean. You can still hear the TV and the dog snoring, but it doesn't matter. I was aware of the TV going off and I was snuggling in when the ring of the phone shattered the air.

He Who would normally pretend to be deaf to the sound took pity on me and got up to see who  might be disturbing our night. I was still in that hazy state, still able to fall back to sleep as soon as he got back into bed.

But, no, he turned on the light and told me to look at the caller ID, that he thought it was my dad's number. I looked and saw that it was and my heart jumped into my throat and I had that painful surge of adrenaline. I immediately hit redial. It rang and rang and finally the answering machine picked up. I did not leave a message. I was completely awake at this point, and contemplating calling my step-sister.

But, I decided to check the caller ID myself. Glad I did. He Who, has been shown at least three times how to scroll back to see who called, once again hit the "last number called" function instead. That was the last number I called ...... my dad.

I am thankful that I did not leave a frantic message. I am thankful that Mama and Daddy are both hard of hearing. Turned out to be a would be camper wanting a price. He did not indicate that he needed a site for the night, he just inquired about the pricing and hung up.

So, you know that I am wide awake at this point and it took awhile to get back to sleep. Must have been an hour, since that is when the phone rang and woke me yet again. Same caller, announcing that he was at the office. Had to bite my tongue and simply instruct him to use the night registration. "Simply follow the instructions posted on the door."

Don't know who deserves more credit for my crummy night ...... the camper or my husband.

Water Problem Solution ....... Happenng Today

The long awaited big day is here!! The well is being pulled!!

I have to admit that the term "well pulling" still makes me nervous. The term would imply that the well will no longer be there, since they are "pulling" it. I mean, when the dentist "pulls" your tooth ...... it is no longer there.

The weather this past weekend was wonderful, downright balmy. I was up in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday to fling Martha, the annoying boy cat, out the back door. I walked out in my nightgown and the warm breeze wafted round me. I was tempted to open all the windows when I went back inside.

Martha, the boy cat, has been sleeping in at night this winter. I felt cruel making him go out when the temperature was so low. He sleeps all day, after gobbling up all the dog food he can steal before the canine contingent take him down and they roll on the floor play fighting. From there he saunters over to the office door to gain access to his cat food. Once there he gorges on his Meow Mix, then comes back into the house and my empty bed to snooze the day away. He arises in the evening to torment the dogs until bedtime, then goes back to sleep with the rest of us until he decides he wants to roam.

To awaken me, he insinuates himself between the shade and the window and starts tapping the shade against the window, knowing this will annoy me awake. That fat cat is smart. One cold night at 2:30, I scooped him up and tossed him in the office. He came back an hour later and got under the shade and scaled the window to the top and mewled loudly. See what I mean?

But this was supposed to be a post about my first thought of the morning. The weather has changed. It is cold today. So, I wondered upon wakening ..... is it as cold as a well diggers a$$??

Should I go ask?

Affordable Health Care .... Promises, Promises

I read an article last week about the benefits of affordable care for those over the age of 60. Did you know that you are entitled to an annual "well" exam free, with no cost to you at all. No co-pay. Also preventative care is offered "at NO COST" for screenings such as mammograms and colonoscopies and pneumonia shots, as well as flu shots.

I feel enlightened, since I had to pay for my annual exam last year. Not just the co-pay, but the balance of the cost of the office visit, since I had not yet met my deductible. Seems they did not honor that part of the "contract". For years we had no insurance. Not able to afford $1200 a month, since our health history factored in.

Last year we signed up for the mandatory insurance. I say mandatory, since there would be a fine for not doing so. The plan we chose was not all that good. A very high deductible to meet and, like I said, the co-pay, pus the balance of the office visit until the deductible was met. The premiums were low, but we still had to pay out of pocket for our prescriptions. So, really, this "affordable" health care cost us more that not having insurance at all.

Like I said the premiums were low, only $27 a month. But that $27 provided nothing, other than the assurance that should hospitalization be required for a major illness, it would not bankrupt us. I have been waiting patiently for a new year to start so that all the referrals to specialists and tests would apply to my annual deductible .......... then we got our new policy and the premiums had jumped to $328 a month. No, the coverage did not change at all, it was still pretty crummy with a high deductible to meet before it paid for anything.

So, we dropped the policy, went back to the "market place" and found another plan through another carrier for $44 a month. Not any better than the other policy, but "affordable". Now I have to wait until March 1st. Almost here and I am nothing, if not patient.

So, imagine out surprise to find out that we have been charged $352 on our income tax for the amount that was paid for our affordable health care. Add insult to injury. I am so confused.

Totino's Pizza Rolls

Back to the Super Bowl ........ He Who only occasionally watches sports on TV and knows the plot line of the Young and Restless, decided to watch the Super Bowl yesterday. He enjoys the commercials, after all.

He had seen a spoof on Saturday Night Live about Totino's Pizza Rolls. I am not a big fan of those. They taste like cardboard with pizza flavoring to me. I am a flavor snob. I like for my food to taste good.

I bought a smoked turkey on sale last week and decided that turkey sandwiches would do fine along with some salads. That way he could fix his own food at will all day long. We needed bread if we were to have sandwiches and I made a list with a few items we needed and sent him to the grocery. On the list I included the ingredients to make a chocolate lava cake in the crock pot. I am nothing if not a good cook and wife .... since I don't even like chocolate.

You would have thought that all the food I prepared would have been enough. There are only two of us and the turkey weighed 15 lbs. So, I was sitting there pondering things I ponder and playing spider solitaire while the football game dragged on and on, when He Who barely knows his way around a kitchen other than to create peanut butter atrocities, hands me a small plate with Totino's Pizza rolls.

That was not on my list. I don't know why, but I ate some. They tasted just the same as I remembered with their tiny little cubes of fake pepperoni and sausage and the chewy cardboard outer covering. It was one of those mindless things one does. It was there, so I ate it. As I write this, I still have indigestion.

I saw in the freezer that he has more of these pizza rolls left, since he bought the giant "family sized" bag. He always does that, he buys like he is still buying for our family of 20, instead just 2.

Now, before you point out that I cooked a 15 lb. turkey ...... let me remind you that 15 lbs. is small for a turkey and I have other plans for that bird. Not to mention the fact that it was already smoked and only a buck a pound. I also gave some to our friends, with some cake for their Super Bowl eating pleasure. He Who loves Totino's Pizza Rolls commented that we sure weren't going to eat all that turkey as he left to deliver the goods.

Oh, little does he know that he will be eating lots of fowl in the weeks to come, in some forms recognizable and in some not.

The Mind Wanders

Super Bowl is on and I have grown tired of pretending to watch. Too many time outs. I find them annoying. Most of the game I had a book on my ear bud, but I finished it and now here I sit, my mind wondering aimlessly.

I keep going back to that dried cat urine being used for yellow pigment in paint. I wonder who came up with that idea. Dog poop. There must be something dog poop could be useful for. I have plenty and it would be way easier to harvest than cat pee. Can't smell any worse that cat urine.

 Really, have you ever been house hunting and entered a home in which the carpet has been saturated with cat urine? You can yank that carpet out, but the smell will linger forever. Maybe the color lingers too and that makes it perfect for paint pigment ...... who knows?

So while there is only a minute left on the clock, I am trying to imagine what one could create out of dog poop. I am a frustrated inventor.