No, I Will Not Go Quietly Into Feeble Elderhood in Everyday Ramblings

I took this Sunday morning on my walk with Mrs. Sherlock and Frieda. Mrs. Sherlock went away for just a few days last week to the beach with her bike buddies and apparently Frieda moped the whole time she was gone. I told her next time I will come over and walk her. And run her, which we love to do. She is barky when she runs so it would need to be a place that isn’t annoying to others.

Anyway, we made the trek up into the wealthier environs so I could get some more shots of those amazing, espaliered trees with the dark blue background. I did get better shots, still not as good as I would like but better. The trees are not baring fruit. I got up quite close.

What is interesting about the above shot is that we walk by this place fairly frequently and yet we never looked down at a particular angle to see these gates. There have been workmen near there for over a year as they built this concrete monstrosity of a house on the hill below this place. It was quite the find. There is a little bench with a great view right below them. Now we know.

We walked by my favorite house that was built as a folly to look like a castle in the late 1800’s. If you remember this is the place that had the 6-foot chocolate rabbit in the yard one Easter back when I was still working. The owner was out on top of the garage, which as it is on a hill is close to street level. They have been there for over 40 years and raised their kids there. What an amazing place to grow up in.

I knew it had been a wreck when he bought it, and they have owned it longer than anyone. The family of the guy that built it only lived there for a couple of years. The current owner said this week they were getting foam sprayed into the space between the outer decorative walls and the inner walls. I can’t even imagine what that would cost but they will have a much more comfortable winter.

One of my favorite stories in the new Monty Don book is about how they decided to insulate the internal ceiling of their 700-year-old farmhouse at Long Meadow and they used extra wool from the nearby sheep farms as a sustainable material and everything went well until…they discovered that moth larvae were having a feast in their rafters. Oops.

While I have been waiting for the next installment of Foundation tomorrow (I bought the Kindle version of the first three books to see for myself the divergences with the book and the television production) I watch the coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show on Brit Box.

These show gardens are a whole new world for me and fascinating. Next fall I think I might put some crocosmia and salvia in the plot for the color. My zinnias are in fine form, but I think I like Helenium flowers better. It is all about the color. The zinnias are doing a good job of pest control though, being so munchable.

I did get my flu shot and the first Shingles shot. It was even worse than I was originally told. They charged me $191.00 for the shot. I called the insurance company and asked for an exception the day before and they faxed a form to my doctor, who needs to take time out of his crazy busy, (oh yeah, Pandemic) schedule to fill it out and fax it back and then the insurance company may or may not approve a discount. It is maddening!

I noticed on a very popular podcast this morning the insurers who offer (and profit from) these Advantage plans to supplement Medicare are putting up these deceptive ads to trick older people into thinking these plans give them more choice and options than Medicare for All. At least that means they are scared.

The other annoying thing about this prescription plan that is denying me coverage for the Shingles shot is that they train their customer service people to call you Miss. Thank you Miss Noko, can I be of additional assistance? Oh my god, have I transitioned over the bridge into the land of the feeble elderly? I understand it is meant to be (kind of, sort of, in an icky way) respectful, but please. Miss Noko?

No. Just no.

I bet they can’t do a Pull-Up either.

But, I am at least, working on it.

Last updated October 01, 2021