An Abundance Of in Everyday Ramblings

The columbines in the garden plot in beautiful morning light.

The heat has finally broken. It will get warm this afternoon but nothing like what we have been experiencing. It has been odd to have these hot gorgeous days, so early in spring but had made me especially grateful for the new leaves.

It has helped me get out and about a bit easier. Yesterday, to get my teeth cleaned for the first time in 6 months. I had been longing for it because of the staining mouth wash from the surgery in January. I’d had to cancel a cleaning appointment that came up during the time I was in Salem.

This time I got a substitute hygienist. She did a good job and was gentle and very very weird. She babbled on to me in an overfriendly way about sciatica (it is something she struggles with and had seen it in my file even though I don’t remember mentioning it before, but I must have) and little-known places to find fossils on the Oregon Coast. It turns out she has a Maine Coon cat, (why was that absolutely no surprise) and collects sand dollars.

I had stopped by the pharmacy on the way to pick up the gabapentin my adorable GP had prescribed the day before even though my leg and back are much better. My GP also said, that out of an abundance of caution, he would like imaging of my hip and back, because if you were my mother or grandmother I would like to know. It was a respectful but arresting thing to say to someone who still feels like she is 35 inside.

The appointment had been in the works for a time, a medicine review. He also wanted bloodwork to check my liver function but the assistant, who said his name was Mike, and had the name Mike in script tattooed on his arm (who gets their own name tattooed on their arm? I was dying to ask) took one look at my arm and the bruising from the lab work I had done last weekend and said I think you need a phlebotomist for this.

As I am having the heart procedure on Tuesday and will need an IV for that I am letting the arm heal and will get the liver test function test later. Apparently there is a concern about the sciatica, which it presenting a bit unusually, and the fact that I have previously had cancer… so all the tests.

Speaking of heart procedures…Mrs. Sherlock had an over-the-top rapid heartbeat at 4 AM a few days back and for some reason thought it made sense to drive herself to Emergency. As she says, it was only two blocks and the streets were empty, (we all were suitably horrified, as I said, I am not the only stubborn woman at this rodeo) and ended up having a cardioversion. I didn’t even know what that was. It is a procedure, like resetting an electronic device by turning it off and then on again, only they do it with the heart.

She is okay. One of my other students has had it done twice. They may need to do an ablation but for now she is okay. She says after it was over, she felt better than she had in weeks. Still, (out an abundance of caution), we bailed on our walk today.

Here is my plan, suitably chastened, after our procedures, we are both going to feel better and will go off into the future continuing to have adventures and sharing them.

The main city inspector looked at Fred yesterday. Now the plumbing inspector has to come and then the framing inspector. Then, maybe, fingers crossed then, they can put the sink and tub and cabinets back. It is sad over there. I miss it so much.

A couple of days ago I was over getting a defrosted ice pack from my disconnected refrigerator, and it was hot out and I was wearing sandals. Later in bed I realized I had picked up fiberglass particles on my feet. Dust from the insulation that is pulled and rolled up everywhere. It took me half the next day to get that stuff cleaned off my feet. And even though they have the work area segregated with plastic walls I have been in an out many times getting things. It is dust, clingy dust.

I am going to see what I can do about getting the living area carpet power washed before I go back in there. I am thinking about Carlo and his paws. In the meantime, hello shoes and socks.

Just in case you might be thinking I am not suitably outraged by all this, I assure you, I am. The beta blockers are doing their thing. Taking the edge off. The other day I was so overwhelmed and frazzled I blew a 400-day steak on 750 Words. It’s fine. I had ice cream for lunch yesterday. It’s fine.

The things that matter are being addressed. It’s spring. The columbines are glorious to behold.

Even though some of the things are hard, challenging, it truly is… all good.

Last updated May 21, 2023