Whatever you do, if you visit a fast food joint, do NOT order a Number 2. Seriously. Just think about it.
Finally, a Little Character…
Nothing earth-shattering (Kaboom!), but of passing interest to me…
Like Marat, I like to use a nice long soak for other things besides just “bathing”–notably reading and sometimes writing. Unfortunately, I don’t have a nice lil “bath desk” like he apparently did (according to the artist, at least), so reading eBooks–unless I wanted to do so on my Palm, which is on its last legs and so could be sacrificed to an accidental dunking–or writing a blogpost Is Not a Good Idea. Fortunately,though, no one’s assassinated me during a nice long soak… yet.
But I may have cause for a bit of paranoia in that department (is it paranoia if someone really is out to get you?). Let me back up a bit…
When Lovely Daughter moved back in for a short while in order to save money and retire a few debts (a Very Good Thing!), she brought with her a cat that has proven to be the most boring cat I’ve ever known. Most cats I’ve known or “had” (the jury’s out on who was the “haver” in those relationships) have been real… characters. Our current chosen (again, who really did the choosing, I sometimes wonder, as he wandered up one day and decided he belonged here) feline “roommate” is a very interesting character who sometimes wanders around carrying on conversations with his invisible friends and who plays ball with himself, when he doesn’t manage to finagle me into playing fetch with him. Yes, he really does return his balls to me and watch expectantly for me to toss them for him again.
But Lovely Daughter’s cat? Just “Food, now!” and “Pet me!” Boring.
Recently, though, he’s taken to pushing open the bathroom door while I’m doing a soak/read, if the door’s not been latched well enough. Then? He perches on the rim of the tub and stares (glares?) at me in a threatening manner. *heh* Even more recently, he’s begun stepping onto my chest and pushing himself in my face with a big “Pet me, or else!” demand.
I have begun wondering if Marat’s fate awaits me if I were to refuse.
Then again, I’ve started contemplating some sort of retaliation for the harassment. Perhaps a quick sweeping motion dumping him into a full bath…
Well, at least he’s finally showing some sort of character.
Thankful for Small Blessings
*heh*
Cable internet down. Our backup dialup connection died for lack of support a year ago. What to do?
Called cable “service” to report the outage. Was put on the list for a repair call… one week and a day from now. *WTF?!?* Escalated the call to a supervisor, voiced my observation that a week and a day was completely unacceptable. Put on hold. “The techs are rolling now.”
Still…
Sitting outside the county public library sucking at the thin pipe it offers, I’m grateful for small blessings. My Wonder Woman really needed to check on some grad work status, and I have my internet addiction to feed, so even a thin pipe on a shaky wireless connection is a blessing.
No Yardwork Today
103.0°F–2 hours after posting that, 104.4°F–at the local high school weather station. “Heat index” of 111 (110, 2 hours later, so less humidity? Yep).
Working inside today.
Unsolicited, Unpaid Endorsement
As regular readers may recall, back in March I injured my right knee’s ACL. It’s been a decent recovery so far, but I’ve continued to use a cane, in addition to two elastic bandages and one knee brace, to support myself when walking.
And it is support, not merely for stability and balance which is why I’ve been using the cane on my right side: to take weight off the knee when walking, in order to abate the pain, and use fewer pain meds.
But today, I bought a pair of these:
and for the first time in months I could walk without a cane, without pain. Yes, walk. Without pain. Full weight on the leg. Immediately. I simply set the cane aside and walked to give it a try (well, “set the cane aside”=”held the cane just in case” but there was an immediate difference). And yes, I had tried doing w/o the cane’s support earlier, and it was like stabbing my knee with an ice pick.
Of course, I’m still wearing the elastic supports and knee brace for stability (balance is fine, TYVM), but walking. Without pain.
Wonderful.
I like these Skechers Shape Ups. Lots! Time will tell if the claims made by the manufacturer pan out for me, but the simple fact that I can walk, without the cane supporting a large part of my weight, without pain is a BIG DEAL to me.
Good Stuff, Maynard.
Free At Last!
“Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”*
(*twc central mortgage is paid off)
More Locusts
Well, posting is going to be sparse again for the next couple of weeks. Booked to the gills, so don’t think I’ve simply stopped blogging.
More: totally waxed, right now, so this is all there is to this post. Check out my blogroll for some good reads.
In the Heat of the Night
OK, so it’s not really night here, but at 6:10p.m., it’s hot. At the local high school, which supplies NOAA readings:
Current: 97°F
Hi: 101°F
Heat Index: 111°F
Humidity: 48%
Little wonder our AC has been struggling a tad this afternoon.
No, I did not do any yard work today. I’m not that stupid. Yet. 🙂
Week Eaten By Locusts
Locusts die by thousands… *heh*
This hasn’t been an exactly toxic week, but it’s been… interesting. The proverbial one-armed paper hanger is a slacker. Heck, I’ve not even had time to find Mass Media Podpeople Hivemind “news” to mock. Did make time to wind down a bit with the season opener of Burn Notice last night (a little disappointing, but then maybe my week colored my viewpoint).
Off to the “races” again today. 7:30. Getting a slow start today.
Say “Hi” to life for me. I don’t have time for it right now. 🙂
“…doubt’s anodyne and care’s surcease… “
The snippet that is this post’s title? A Bartholomew Gill character speaking of fishing in Death On a Cold, Wild River. While I don’t find fishing to be “doubt’s anodyne and care’s surcease,” I do find some comfort in the volunteers of Spring to combat the barbaric nature of contemporary “civilization”. Notably,
Oh, I very much appreciate the delicious mint and wild garlic and even the “possum grapes” that thrust themselves to prominence in Spring, but the dandelion, one of God’s most beautiful flowers, delicious and nutritious, useful in all its parts*, is my favorite.
So, while wearing two knee braces on the same knee *heh* this a.m. (after dealing with some folks’ computer issues), I took a bucket out to sit on while “weeding” and gathered some mint and wild garlic and–for now–just appreciated my lovely crop of dandelions.
Our local cable service tech was out at our Good Neighbors’ place, and we exchanged uses for the dandelion. He told me of grandkids coming over and asking for “yard food”–he and his wife also harvest “volunteer crops” from their yard, and that gave me a foreshadowing of feeds for future grandkids of our own.
A nice lil interlude in the day.
* Continue reading ““…doubt’s anodyne and care’s surcease… “”