Please think first about securing pets--and skipping fireworks

The Lexington Humane Society shared this sad but important story from the Bowling Green/Warren County Humane Society on Facebook. Please put your pets up during the upcoming holiday. And rather than fireworks, celebrate the Fourth of July by donating to a shelter. Fireworks are over in minutes, but go on all night (and other ones too) with pets assailed by large, scary sounds. And like Moose, many get out and run at the sound, sometimes to be found, often not. This family found Moose, but it was too late.

"Hi friends. As some of you know, my name is Moose. It was around this time last year that my mom and dad went to hang out with their friends one Sunday night. They knew how much I loved playing outside, so they let me and my brothers stay outside in the fenced-in yard while they were gone because we were cool big boys like that. We were having the best time running and playing with each other. My mom would probably croak if she knew how many holes we dug. I was definitely going to blame that on my brothers though. As we were outside, we started to hear these loud booms, and loud noises usually didn’t bother me because I’m a cool pup like that. I thought they would stop, but they didn’t. I kept hearing the booms and saw big flashing lights in the sky. That started to really scare me. That was different than the other loud noises I had heard before. I couldn’t seem to get away from them so I jumped over our fence and took off running. I kept running but when I looked up after the booms had stopped, I didn’t know where I was. I tried for 7 days to find my way back home as my mom and dad and so many kind people looked for me. After so many days of trying to find my way back home, I got so tired and I just couldn’t go any longer. I laid down and went to sleep. When I woke up, I had crossed the rainbow bridge. It was the prettiest place I had ever seen. There were so many other dogs there for me to play with. I can still see my mom and dad and all the people that loved me, just from a different angle now. I really wish those booms didn’t scare me. If they hadn’t, I would still be there playing with my new human brother. He would have loved me, because who didn’t? I just wanted to remind you guys that fireworks (I think that’s what Mom called them) are really cool to you guys, but very scary for us. Please keep that in mind and keep your furry, 4-legged babies inside as much as you can for the next few weeks. When the booms are gone, they can go outside and play as much as they want. If you promise to watch over your furry friends down there, I promise to watch over them from up here. Love and miss you guys.

-Moose

“Most of y’all remember my baby Moose. We had him since he was 5 days old. We bottle-fed him and he immediately became a crucial part of my family. He was the best snuggler and best brother to our other pups. He was so loyal and committed to protecting and loving his family hard, including his newborn human brother. We miss Moose terribly and it still seems so unfair. I still blame myself for thinking it was okay to leave him outside because loud noises didn’t bother him. Never in a million years would I have ever have thought we would lose him so soon. We came home one night and he was gone. We found him a week later in a field, and the only way we could identify him was by his collar which had his name tag and his microchip tag on it. I would give anything to go back and redo that night. I will never leave my dogs outside during this time of year ever again. Please trust me, and keep your sweet babies inside during these weeks and use a leash while taking them out to potty, even if they have never needed one before. I don’t want anyone to go through what we went through. We will never be able to thank you all enough for helping us look for our sweet Moose. We love you guys.”

-Maddie, Moose’s Mom

Thank you for reading this small part of Moose and Maddie's story. They're very special to us and when we asked Maddie to share this story, she said that it was hard to write and share, but if it prevented even one other pet and pet parent from going through this, it will be so worth it. Please share this post, keep your animals inside as much as you can these next few weeks, and take them out on a leash. We'll share some additional tips this afternoon to help you keep your pets safe during this time. ❤

It's been a quiet New Year's Day

I'm very sleepy as I haven't had any caffeine at all today. I should have saved some of the soda from this weekend.  I've already had a short nap and I'm still falling asleep.  But I've also been doing laundry, working on the computer, and I'm about to write a book review, which is due today.

It's 16 degrees Fahrenheit outside, very frigid. I just took the recyclables out and got my coat out of the car so it would be warm in the morning.  The taps are dripping to prevent the pipes from freezing.  It's 69.4 degrees in here and YKWIA is freezing (he's cold-natured), so he's left the work he was doing on the computer and is reading in his room under the blankets, the dog, the cat, and a Southwestern poncho.  Fortunately, I'm warm-natured, so I'm not doing so bad, but I would like to get back under the covers.

Last night was quiet, too.  I listened to some music and got up about 15 minutes before midnight.  I downloaded the official Times Square ball drop application on my phone, which seemed to be working for a change (it's frozen on me three years in a row), but when it got to a little over a minute left, the video froze, since I'm sure their servers were overwhelmed, so I didn't get to see the ball drop (we don't have TV, and YKWIA was working on something on the desktop).  So that was a little disappointing.

But the company was good.  We wished each other a happy new year's, and then I basically just went back to bed.  There were fireworks at midnight, but the little dog who is scared of them is getting deaf so she couldn't hear them inside the house, but I did let them out very briefly and she barked because she could hear them out there.  I brought them in; it was snowing, just enough to cover the ground.  And then I went to sleep, waking up to the dulcet tones of little dog barking because, well, she's older and her bladder is tiny.  I stayed in bed for awhile, got up, took all my medicine, took my blood sugar (including downloading the results to my phone), kept track of my food, weighed myself (I've gained a little back, but I'm still a stone under what I had been.)

Alright, I should go work on that book review.  This is the first of what I hope is a more prolific blogging run; it may not be every day, but I'm going to shoot for that.  I hope you're having a good year so far.  I've been really looking forward to saying goodbye to 2017 and I hope there are bright things on the horizon for you and yours.  Have a great day!

It's been a very wet Fourth so far

so I don't know if there will be fireworks tonight. I got up by 8:15 (but it was lovely to sleep in that much), and while I've been moving slowly, I have paid my bills through the first third of this month, except for two that come out automatically, and I've added that in my cheque register. I'm still coughing and snotty, but I feel better. I'm going to go over to YKWIA's in a couple of hours and we'll do something together. I haven't taken the trash out because the rain has been pouring, although I think it has eased up a little. So I think my next thing to do is work on the book review that's due tomorrow. It's a text on managing electronic resources, so hopefully, it will be a good read. I also need to check the Kentucky library job list--I think there's a job closing tomorrow with the state. I'm going to try to work on the books after spending some time with my friend.

Hope you're having a great and happy Fourth of July.

You know you're really tired

When you fall asleep before nightfall fully dressed, including bra, because you are too tired to change.

I thought I was doing better about staying up after a long workday, but I guess the summer cold sapped my stamina. I also went the whole day without caffeine, and had a raging headache. I couldn't even bear to listen to music.

That was three hours ago. I woke up, got dressed in some shorts and a tank top, and had a fruit pop to ease my throat. It's mostly left my head and has settled in my chest, but that means less nose-blowing, at least.

But I think I'm just going to rest tonight and start doing some things here tomorrow. Specifically, I need to:

1. Take out the trash.
2. Pay some bills, online and paper.
3. Work on a book review.
4. Go through and weed books. I have between 2,500 and 3,000 books, and need to reduce them by 2/3, and at 20 or so books a box, and about 50 days, that's two boxes a day to remove from the collection, if I did the math right in my head.
5. Go to YKWIA's and do something fun.
6. Watch the Idle Hour fireworks, weather permitting, as per usual, including being able to park at the old hospital to watch. :)

Have a safe and lovely holiday. Good night.

So I'm off work today

mainly because I have a noon doctor's appointment and another at 2:30 pm, so that was going to take most of the day. I also have a book review due today, so I need to work on that. I don't have much PTO, but I had enough to cover yesterday and today. I'm feeling all achy and not quite with it this morning. My blood sugar's fine; I think all this rain and my allergies are causing some issues. But the sun is starting to peek out, at least.

Last night's fireworks were fun. We got a slight amount of rain while waiting for them to start, but things cleared up pretty well before dark. My legs really went to sleep in the chair I brought, one of those foldable ones that were given as an employee gift years ago. I will say, though, it held my weight, which was very good, and rather than being nylon, this is actually canvas. I don't think they make them quite like that anymore.

Every year (or practically every year, with a couple of exceptions) since I have worked at the hospital, I have enjoyed the Idle Hour Country Club's fireworks display. My workplace has a huge front lawn that slopes down to the street (it's on 29 acres of land), and people come and put out blankets and chairs to watch them. Most people park along the lane or along Richmond Road, but those of us who are employees are allowed to park in our lot with our badges. So it's an annual ritual for me, practically.

This is the last Fourth of July that I will be a Shriners employee. The hospital is moving over by the University of Kentucky as an ambulatory care centre, and neither of my jobs are going to the new facility. The current building will be sold, and there's uncertainty over whether the tradition of fireworks watching from the lawn will continue. And of course, I won't be parking in the lot anymore. So it was a little bittersweet. I took a video of the fireworks (but watched them away from the screen). It was fun, despite the damp and the legs falling to sleep.

My trouble began when I got back to the car; my seat belt had become twisted and locked in its channel--it wouldn't budge. I pulled at it and tried to free it for a good 30 minutes, there in the dark, enough time that most everyone had gone. I couldn't get it free, and I really needed to get home and go the bathroom, for one. So I did something for the first time in my life: I drove home without a seat belt on. Apparently my car will remind you by dinging every 30 seconds insistently. I felt very exposed. I didn't realise how much safer my seat belt makes me feel, and I didn't even consider the air bags--it was as if there was nothing between me and the window. I will occasionally not buckle up in the back seat, mainly in taxis, or in the front passenger seat if I was having trouble in someone else's car, but I buckled up even as a child religiously, and have always worn the belts while driving. It was nerve-wracking. Keep in mind I'm an anxious driver anyway. So I got home, and I decided to give it one more go before going in, and I was finally able to free it. I pulled so hard I actually got the loop it goes through shifted over a plastic part it shouldn't have gone over, and had to put it back, but it's working now. I was getting out of the car when YKWIA called, and we talked for awhile before I went to bed. It all worked out in the end. But I got very frustrated for awhile.

I've felt off a bit all weekend. It was my time of the month, for one. I got no sleep or maybe just a bit, which was interrupted by the power outage, Saturday night. It put a real kink into yesterday. I'm going to try ot make up a little today for my lack of activity then, but I simply won't have the same amount of time, with the two appointments, and the one with my GP will no doubt take awhile. I'm just getting lab results, but afternoon appointments tend to drag, and this is the first day after a holiday, so they'll be busy.

Okay, I should go take a shower and get some things done before I go. I did fill out all my paperwork, which took awhile, and I've called to make sure this new office doesn't require me to register down on the first floor like the sleep centre does. Have a good day!

Random thoughts

When trying to make microwaved baked potatoes, one does not simply put the potatoes in the microwave and walk away without setting the time and hitting the start button.

Three men were putting a car on a U-Haul trailer in front of my apartment last evening, and one actually pulled out (and read) the instructions. I was amazed. I bet he'll ask for directions, too. If anyone is dating him, he's a keeper.

No matter how hard one is hit with the urge to twirl upon entering the building one works at in the morning, one does not do it, because one is an adult. Exceptions may be made for days when one is wearing a skirt with sequins on it while walking in bright sunlight, but today was not that day. What can I say, I got rest (hence no blogging last night) and was in a happy mood.

When trying a recipe for the second time that didn't turn out right the first time, one should check and double-check the ingredients and amounts and directions. I am trying the bread again. This time I put a whole tablespoon in the yeast bin (I have a bread machine that has a separate yeast compartment which releases it at the right time in the process). We will see how it turns out.

Despite having a driving phobia, one's best friend has an incredibly calming effect on one, so that even if one forgot to take one's medicine, the drive across town to the pharmacy and back was pleasant and almost relaxing, even in rush-hour traffic. When one dropped off one's best friend, everything went downhill from there. Fortunately rush hour is now over and one is home.

When leaving the pharmacy, one does not turn sharply to exit into the parking lot, or one makes a horrible scraping noise on the kerb. However, there does not seem to be any damage, so one was lucky.

When one is driving someone with back problems who has expressly told one that his back popped earlier and he has been in quite a bit of pain, one should not turn suddenly or move quickly while driving (or run up on kerbs). One should instead pretend one has plants, animals, or children in the car, and drive gently.

A great big thank you to my bank branch at the Alexandria Road Kroger, which stays open on weekdays later than the others, so I was able to put $1.50 into my account rather than $2.00 to cover a bill I will be paying tomorrow, and as a result I had a whole $4 for gas. :)

It was nice getting free stuff via the Apple settlement from Amazon today--I got a blue cloth elephant-print purse, a phone case (what can I say, I like them, even though no one understands my need to match them to my outfits), and the second series of 'Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries'. One more DVD to get at some point, and then I'll have them all, yay!

I was so happy to see a co-worker who had been hurt return to work today. She started at the hospital the week I was born, and so next year, she will celebrate her 50th anniversary with the company before the hospital closes and becomes an ambulatory care centre instead, moving over by the University of Kentucky hospital.

I moved an appointment I had for tomorrow to Tuesday so I could have more time to get ready, and be on time, for a meeting of the library committee tomorrow. I already had a noon appointment Tuesday, so now I have one (same general area) at 2:30 as well, so I took the day off. That means I have a four-day weekend, although one will mostly be spent at appointments. :( I don't think I'll go to the downtown festival for the Fourth this year, as I haven't really had as much fun in recent years. However, I still plan on going to the Idle Hour fireworks as per usual (employees can park at the hospital using our badges to get in, and we're right across the street from the fireworks display). People normally park along the road and spread blankets or take chairs and sit on our front lawn. It'll be the last year the hospital will be open for it, and who knows whether the new owners will allow that sort of thing. We also allow sledding in the winter, and again, I think things may change. The neighbourhood tends to treat our grounds (there are slightly over 29 acres, mostly rolling grass and trees) as a local park, walking, biking, taking the dogs out to play, etc. There's even a bunch of little kids (very little) who practice soccer out in the back forty some afternoons. If the property is developed, or if the new owners don't want that kind of thing, the neighbours will be very disappointed, I think.

Okay, I'm going to make boiled eggs and the eggplant pasta later, but the bread machine is going right now. I think I'm going to lie down for just a bit, as I have a headache. I should write later.

I just got back from the fireworks

They were a lot of fun. I'd been working on the game notes for two-and-a-half hours when I took a break, grabbed some Taco Bell (I went in, although I was getting take out, and got behind a very large family). Then I headed over to the hospital with my blanket, my dinner, and my badge (to get to park in our parking lot rather than along the road). I was seated by a family with a young girl who was terrified of bugs, including lightning bugs, despite my reassurances that they would not harm her, and that lightning bugs are friendly bugs like ladybugs. She was spastically looking for them all around. She asked me what the Fourth of July was about, and I told her. She thought Abraham Lincoln was our first president, and I gently dissuaded her of this. (I'd say she was maybe in first grade, or about to be.) Her grandmother got a call before the fireworks began, and I gather they had to go pick someone up, but she waited until about halfway through the show to make them all pick up their stuff and leave, and they'd really been into it. If they'd waited about 10 minutes, it would have been over, but instead she just kind of yanked them out of there. I felt sorry for them. There was also a toddler who kept running up to me. :) For all that I'm not really much for kids, there is a certain tendency among toddlers to about three years old to just run up to me and hug me. On the other side of me were a bunch of teenage boys, at least one whom let go of some fireworks (they're not allowed, but I did see a lot of sparklers, but this was full on firecrackers or something similar). Fortunately, they settled down during the show, although someone nearby was smoking a cigar, which was a problem for me. But I didn't let it bother me. There at the end I was having trouble with those brown scarab-like beetles you see so much of at night around here, crawling on me and my hair. I'd thought I'd gotten it off me. But after the show (and it was a nice display), I went out the back, carefully, as people were not using good sense in how they were walking, and then went to the Chinoe Kroger for a few things, including game snacks. I went through the store, to the bathroom, back out to the car, got home unloaded everything, and wouldn't you know the scarab flew off my hair as soon as I turned on the bedroom light and played around it for awhile. I'm not sure where it is, now.

Okay, I still have a lot to do on the game notes. I started them early enough, but we actually went right into the game last week without chatter and pretty much I've had to go ahead and put almost all of what's recorded in. It should ease up a bit now that I've reached the point where we defeated the warlocks in the department store, but I've got at least 3 1/2 hours of recording left, so maybe two hours left of transcribing. :( So I'd better go back to that. Happy Fourth of July, though! I hope those of you out there who celebrate had a really good time, and a safe one!

I feel like I wasted most of my day off

I spent much of it in bed. When I wasn't in bed, I was blogging or on Facebook, or some other Internet site. I didn't take a shower, didn't take any of my medication, which is unlike me. I did finally take a nice, relaxing bath just now, and got into clean comfy clothes. I did finally hear back from my friend regarding our project; we're going to do it Wednesday between my appointments.

I would like to say that I didn't feel like getting involved in anything I might have to interrupt while I was waiting for that call, but that's not it. Part of it is the 'when I'm alone I sleep' thing. But mostly, I just didn't feel like doing much of anything today. I find it relaxing to play on social media and blog. All the while I beat myself up for not accomplishing anything, but I think my body just said, wait, it's your day off, get some rest.

I have tomorrow free from my normal responsibilities as well. I may go to the festival for a bit, time it around an hour before the parade, so that I'm not spending all day there. That leaves the morning for doing some of the things I felt I should have done today--cleaning house, going over my bills, doing game notes, enjoying watching something [I would like to watch Galaxy Quest, as it's fun, and it's streaming on Netflix]. Then, after the parade ends (around 4 pm), I can either come home and do some more stuff, maybe get in the pool if we're rain/thunderstorm free (it never worked out today with the weather the way it was). Then I'll head over to the fireworks that evening. I'll check up on my friends, at some point, and call my mom and see how she is doing. So it should be a pretty full day, unlike today. Maybe I just needed a day to do nothing. I didn't even putz, really, just slept, ate a little, and played on the computer. I don't relax as well as I used to. I used to read, or listen to music, or watch something. Somewhere along the way I got used to relaxing with other people involved, and lost the ability to keep myself occupied. So tomorrow I'm going to work on that.

This had me in stitches

But seriously, make sure your pets are secure. They get scared and go under fences, get out, whatever, and we always see a spike of lost pets on the local Facebook pages for reuniting lost pets with their owners, and I think it's the number one day for pet loss.

Dogs Raise Firework Threat Level To ‘Gray' (the accompanying graphic is great!)

There's also this, from The Onion: Nation’s Dogs Vow To Keep Their Shit Together During 4th Of July Fireworks

I spent awhile last night with a small black and white dog pressed against my under my legs for comfort while the fireworks went off.

I need caffeine

So, I slept till 10:45 am today after getting to sleep about 12:30 am. But still, a good amount of sleep. I got up, ate the last two breakfast sandwiches I had, and called my friends to see if I needed to come over at some point today for a project that we need to do together. I investigated it a little, and we could either order something online and it will take it up to a month to get here, or I could take him to another city in the state and get it within a couple of hours, and I'm off a day next week and could do it in between my two doctors' appointments, I think. It was all gloomy outside, and I hadn't heard back from them, so I went back to bed until A called me at about 1:45. I told him the options, and he'll get them to my other friend, who also asleep, as he'd had insomnia last night. So I decided I wasn't getting much of anything done, so I'd go in search of caffeine and also check the pool out.

The Coke machine in the laundry room was out of Diet anything, and since I had locked the apartment already and was unshowered and in just an old shirt and shorts, but otherwise presentable, I drove up to the Circle K nearby and got a couple of Diet Sunkist drinks and some ice. It should jump start me somewhat.

The pool was deserted. It's cloudy, and not as warm and muggy as I thought it was. The sun keeps trying to peek out, but fails for more than a few minutes, so I haven't decided on the pool. It's only 76 degrees and there are scattered showers popping up all over the radar map around us. In fact, all of the weather applications on my phone report rain for Lexington at the moment, so it may be raining nearby. Maybe later this afternoon.

With the Fourth on a Saturday, it's a little interesting. I'm off work. City offices, trash pickup, etc., are off. I've seen the mail run (I guess they'll be off tomorrow) and FedEx come by. [Yay, this moment, the sun totally broke through the clouds, although I don't know how long that will last!] I'm assuming the banks are on holiday today and tomorrow, as at least two people I know got paid early. [And now I hear thunder. :(]

A said he looked at the weather and while tomorrow may be cloudy, the chance of rain is highest after midnight, so the festivals, cookouts, and fireworks may just go off as planned. I usually go to the Festival downtown, and watch the parade (we're the only ones they allow, with our badges as proof). I'm not sure if I'll do that this year, as it depends on the weather, what my other activities are, and the like. But I definitely want to go watch the Idle Hour fireworks, and I can park at the hospital I work at and then just spread a blanket on the front lawn to watch.

Okay, I've had a couple of glasses of soda. I think it's beginning to kick in. The sun is still shining, and I can hear cicadas. A butterfly just went by the window. It might turn out to be a nice day after all.

Listening to:

Kansas, Leftoverture, 'Carry on, My Wayward Son', 'The Wall'

I spent some time with a friend tonight watching a children's programme from Britain produced by Russell T. Davies, who used to be the person behind 'Doctor Who'. This is called 'Wizards vs. Aliens', and while it's a little, well, hokey, it's actually quite a bit fun. We also watched some YouTube videos together. I still need to watch the last episode of 'Grace and Frankie' as well.

Now I'm home, and I've been on the computer putting off a book review and looking over my notes for class on Wednesday, so I'll probably wind up doing those tomorrow. My co-teacher should be back from her trip to the Greek islands on Wednesday. :)

So I'm listening to some music, updating applications on my phone, and that sort of stuff. I think I'll go to bed pretty soon, though; tomorrow is one of my early days and I want to be to work by 7:30 am so I can get my allergy shots tomorrow. With the testing and stuff, I forgot to call the office about the leaking air conditioner. I'll do that tomorrow, and see if they've prepared my new lease to sign as well. Plus, I need to drop off a library book I couldn't renew tomorrow so it won't be late. :) Okay, I guess I'll say good night. Hope you had a good weekend and enjoy (for those folks in the US) a short week. I've got a three-day workweek this week. Yay! And yes, my neighbours are already shooting off fireworks, which I just don't get. It's not even July, after all.

I had a very nice Fourth of July

I:
• Slept in.
• Visited with three friends.
• Watched 12 Years a Slave with one of them, which was a very good movie, although somewhat difficult to watch, but underscored the fragility of freedom for the day.
• Did a small grocery run.
• Listened to music.
• Had a brief nap.
• Watched the fireworks at Idle Hour, which were awesome, especially with the running commentary by my co-worker's grandchildren. At one point someone briefly lost a child in the crowd and the police and firefighters came, and her grandson was sure we'd all be arrested.

What I didn't do was go to the parade/downtown festival, which is a shame, but with my knee the way it is, it makes no sense to walk on it all over creation. Let's face it, pain isn't fun. I was really looking forward to it, too, and the weather was lovely today--cooler without a hint of rain.

I checked in on TvTag (formerly GetGlue) after the movie and someone said 'it was very true to the novel'. It wasn't based on a work of fiction, but rather on a 19th-century memoir/slave narrative of a free man who went through the harrowing experience of being kidnapped and sold into slavery. My friend didn't know it was a true story either, and I think my telling him made it somewhat harder for him to watch. I must say the acting was very good. I particularly think Chiwetel Ejiofor did an excellent job as Solomon Northrup. Personally, I am surprised he did not win the Oscar for his performance, but then I haven't seen Dallas Buyers Club, so I haven't seen Matthew McConaughey's performance. Michael Fassbender was very good as Epps, and Lupita Nyong'o was very good as Patsey. But I thought Ejiofor really was the best. I am glad the film won the Academy Award for Best Picture, at least. I would like to read the book, Twelve Years a Slave, which I have on my Kindle but haven't gotten to yet.

Well, the fireworks are still going off outside in my neighbourhood. There's a dog upstairs that has quieted down. I hope my friends' dogs are doing okay. Two don't really mind the sounds, but one just gets terrified and will stay under one's desk at his feet. But they used to have neighbours who set them off next door and they moved some time ago, so maybe it won't be so bad.

By the way, remember the show 'Vicious' I was writing about? I did get to see the first episode (that's all that's aired on PBS as of yet). It is very funny. It comes on the same time as 'Salem', which has two more episodes, but fortunately you can watch on the PBS website as well.

Okay, I think I'm going to start winding down for the night. It's almost midnight. I might play a little on the Atari before bed. :)

Got the results of the MRI today

And it wasn't good. My medial meniscus is, to use the surgeon's term, 'shredded'. It will not get better with time or physical therapy according to him. Plus, I do have some arthritis. He said that if I were older he'd recommend a knee replacement, and that may be down the road anyway. But he definitely wants to do an arthroscopic partial meniscectomy. So we've gone ahead and scheduled that, with the proviso that I can find someone to drive me there and home. The surgeon's going out of the country for a bit, so it'll be near the end of the month. The idea, barring complications, is that I should be able to have the surgery on Friday, recover over the weekend, and drive by Monday or Tuesday, so long as I'm not on any narcotics, and most people take those for only about 72 hours, according to the nurse educator there. I'm usually very sparing with those anyway, and normally don't go through the full prescription, so here's hoping I'll be fine and driving and not miss work. I shouldn't have to have a walker or such, and hopefully the three steps that were so much trouble after my ankle surgery won't be an issue, as I can be weight-bearing as soon as I can tolerate it. Here is a video that demonstrates what they basically do:



I'm going to double check with our agent, but I think I basically shot myself in the foot (figuratively) with AFLAC, because when I went down on the floor to do the cleaning in May, I did twist some and immediately had pain, so that was what did it, but I thought maybe I'd just sprained my knee a little, and was able to walk, so I didn't seek medical attention via the emergency room or even my regular physician when the week began until it was obvious it wasn't getting any better. I think there's a time limit, something like 72 hours, to do so. I injured myself on May 17th and didn't go to the doctor until June 10th and the specialist till June 24th. So even though I have an injury that would normally be covered, has resulted in an MRI and will need surgery, I don't think I meet the requirements due to the time limit. Drat. But I'll double check to be sure. And my hospital coverage doesn't kick in because this will be done in an ambulatory surgical centre. Oh, well. It would have been nice. This is exactly why I pay premiums each pay period.

Okay, even though I just got home a little while ago and finally ate dinner, I'm going to go on to bed. A friend has an appointment tomorrow and I have to get him there by 7 am. He is not a morning person, so I'm going to go over around 6 am (meaning I should get up by 5 am) and hopefully help him get going. The nice thing is then I'll go into work, put in a full day, and I'm off both Friday, the Fourth of July, and Monday, so it'll be a four-day weekend. That's all the vacation I can manage, especially with the surgery coming up, but it's something. Unfortunately, the knee issue is going to keep me from going downtown to the Fourth of July festival during the day Friday, but I'll head over to the hospital where I work to watch the fireworks from the country club across the street that evening. We can park in our parking lot with our badges, rather than out on the street, and the front lawn is a great place to catch the fireworks. The weather is supposed to be great, with no chance of rain and cooler than the heat we've been having.

Today

I did some laundry at a friend's house and we visited for about 10 hours or so, watching some streaming videos, especially more episodes of 'Better Off Ted' and 'H2O: Just Add Water' (just when the theme had finally left my brain). :) I had a good time, and it looks like tomorrow I'll have some time for the house and other stuff I need to do.

It is still raining, although fireworks are going on outside, so maybe we have a lull. Of course, it was raining last night when I went to the professional fireworks, which were quite splendid, despite the downpour. The rain was not light, maybe moderate, and I got a bit wet with the driver side door rolled down (and the car smells a little 'swampy' as a result today), but all in all it was fun.

So, that's two quiet days in a row, one with 'me time' and one with my friends. I still haven't gone to the Y. That's on the agenda for tomorrow. I have discovered the Reeboks work pretty well over the course of the day without pinching my feet.

Okay, I think I'm going to take it easy and listen to some music. The one thing I don't have to do before Sunday is the notes for the game; I finished those last week, yay! So here's to some fun before bed. If I don't write anymore tonight, have a great night, and a great weekend.

Despite moderate rain

and me getting a bit wet sitting in the car with the window down, the fireworks went off without a hitch, and were quite spectacular. They always put on a good show at Idle Hour. I actually saw a bit of four different professional displays, and perhaps a fifth, or it was an amateur display with really good fireworks. I tried to take a video of ours, but it was mostly through the windshield, which was wet, and didn't do it justice.

I am off tomorrow, and I'm going over to a friend's in the morning. I'm not sure what is planned quite yet. I'm going to take the small amount of laundry that isn't hand-washable over with me. Hopefully it will be fun.

My need to celebrate the Fourth properly finally satisfied, I think I'm going to wind down and head to bed. The plan tomorrow is to get up early enough to do a few things around the house before I go over there. Good night!

Having a decent day despite steady rain

I woke up right on schedule at about 7:50, went back to sleep, made it till 9, took my Lantus and went to bed till about 10:30. Then I got up, got ready, went over to Subway for lunch, got a six inch tuna sub and a drink, and then, figuring the festival was probably a bust, and not wanting to stand under an umbrella from booth to booth, I went over to Gabriel Brothers for awhile. I got two six-piece towel sets, two tops, a pair of khaki capris, and a purse for just over $50. Now I'm home and looking at a large pile of hand-wash laundry that should really be taken care of today. The rain has picked up, hitting the windows (which is good for my window boxes full of herbs). I just got off the phone with our security chief, who has kept in communication with the folks at Idle Hour Country Club and golf course, and the fireworks planned for tonight will go on regardless of rain intensity so long as there is no lightning activity in the area, starting at about 9:30 pm. So, I'm planning on going if the weather holds.

Things I need to do around the house:

1. Wash that laundry
2. Wash dishes
3. Clean out the refrigerator
4. Put away things on the dining table
5. Give the bathroom a once-over
6. Take out the trash
7. Take out recyclables
8. Charge the laptop

I also am trying out a pair of Reeboks I had around the house to see if they would work for going to the Y. So far, so good, but it's not late enough in the day to be definite. I'm not putting my inserts in, so they're a little roomier than my New Balances, and they're an overall athletic shoe, while the others are designed for walking, and they come up on the top of the foot a little differently, which is good, because that swells, too. I probably will not go to the Y after all today, but hope to tomorrow evening during open swim, where I can also work out on the equipment if these shoes do okay. If they don't, then I guess I'll be taking my swollen feet to John's Run-Walk Shop and looking for shoes that fit. I just want to make sure I don't do anything to my feet, between my history of foot issues and the diabetes concerns.

I think I'll take a little time to relax, start the laptop charging, and then start working on the house. I hope you are having a good day. I wish I could send some of our rain to the Southwest where the fires are such an issue right now.

So the quiet night at home didn't quite work out, but I had a good time

I laid down for a nap, was half asleep, when a friend called asking me to bring some food over (they don't have a car, and don't drive). It was only after I called in the order and really woke up that I realised that they could have just had the Chinese restaurant they wanted it from delivered. A never thought about it, and YKWIA did, but was amused that I didn't think to just tell A that. At least I can blame it on being sleepy and tell myself they wanted the pleasure of my company. But I did get a small kung pao tofu that was really good (I'd already had some corn before they called), and YKWIA and I watched several episodes of 'Better Off Ted' and had a great time together. We also checked on a friend who'd had some surgery last week and is thankfully feeling better. It looks like we'll be playing the game Sunday. Now I'm (back) home, texting with Brandon and winding down for the night. Rain or shine, tomorrow I'm going to try to sleep in and not set an alarm. Some people over here in my neighbourhood are setting off early fireworks (I guess they're not sure they'll be able to tomorrow), but it's not too noisy.

I saw some revised hours for the High Street YMCA on Facebook a few minutes ago. Now they're open 7 am-6 pm, and are letting the runners from the Bluegrass 10K (which takes place near them, downtown) use their showers after the race. That's nice.

I hope you have a very safe and happy Independence Day (at least for those of you in the States). Good night.

So glad the weekend's here

I'm up briefly. I fell asleep by about 9 pm, mainly because the week has been long and tiring, although I have gotten plenty of rest, really. The afternoon was odd, as I went by the pharmacy, got one friend's medicine, delivered it, came home, another friend called asking if I could bring over food, so I did (Texas Roadhouse salmon!), but the other friend wasn't home yet, so of course when I got over there with the food he called and said he was getting off in a half an hour, pretty late at work, and of course, it would take a long time to get home on the bus, so I went ahead and ate with my other friend, got the other afterwards, and then he ate while we spent some time in their library at the computer talking. Meanwhile another friend texted me as he didn't hear from me last night (I fell asleep so early). So much running about was to be had, but friendships are doing better. Yay!

I'm getting a farmer's tan on my arms, especially where I'm driving this summer. I really must learn to put on sunscreen even when I'm not 'out' in the sun. I'm quite pink, even on the back of my neck (since I no longer have hair to cover it), and that's all from just driving about.

Tomorrow, the plan is to get up, get my rent from the bank and some money for the farmer's market, go to said farmer's market (really, this time; it will at least be less muggy and cooler), and maybe go to our pool at the complex for a little while (assuming I can get sunscreen on my back). Tomorrow afternoon there's a big grocery run with a friend and game notes to do. Sunday is the game.

I'm looking forward to the short week next week. I plan to go to our downtown Fourth of July festival as usual on Thursday, and then go to the fireworks at the Idle Hour Golf Course. I'm lucky that because I work right across the street, I can go see it from the front lawn and park with my badge in the hospital parking lot. Yay! I hopefully will be able to take Friday off as well, as it will be dreadfully slow at work that day otherwise. A four-day weekend sounds lovely. Too bad my friend A couldn't swing it; we could have gone somewhere, maybe. I also want to see the movie 'Despicable Me 2'. I loved the first one, and I'm looking forward to seeing the sequel. That's coming out next weekend. I think I still have a free admission ticket for Cinemark that was given to us as an employee gift last year (well, we had two, but I used one last year for Hunger Games. Speaking of that, in one weekend in November, Catching Fire, the 50th Anniversary 'Doctor Who' programme, and the return of 'Sherlock' all happen, although I'm not sure if that's just on the other side of the pond or here as well. :) That'll be a busy weekend if the dates are the same for here!

Okay, I think I'll go on back to sleep so I can get up early and get some things done. Have a good night!

Sorry I haven't posted

Tuesday night I fell asleep rather early. Today I went to the downtown Fourth of July festival and met up with Brandon and his family for the parade. Then they took me over to the house of some other friends and I watched a couple of things, including 'The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency', which was very good, and an episode of Kim Possible, which was fun. I wish all our archenemeses in the game could be like Dr Drakken. Although thank goodness we don't have Señor Senior Senior's spinning tops of doom.

Then I helped with a couple of things on the computer and Brandon and family picked me up and we went to the fireworks over where I work. It was a nice 30-minute display at the Idle Hour Country Club, which is across from the hospital where I work. The hospital has this huge front lawn where people congregate and watch the fireworks.

I did tell someone that fireworks were not allowed on the hospital property, or for that matter anywhere in Lexington, with the ban on personal fireworks still in force. She was like, 'Oh, I didn't realise those were fireworks.' Let's see, one-foot long sparkler thingies putting out lots of sparks onto dry grass, and this seemed like a good idea?

The crowd was pretty good overall. A dog got away from his owners at one point and they were chasing them down. Someone brought their pot-bellied pig, and was carrying it as it snorted away. A lot of people came down to watch, more I think than last time I was there. There were even cars parked on the median of Richmond Road. We could park in our hospital parking lot thanks to my badge. :)

Thanks to Brandon and Angenette for all the ferrying they did today, and to their family for letting them borrow a car for the holiday. I wasn't looking forward to trying to catch a bus in all that mayhem, and the bus route didn't even run by their house since they were on a Sunday schedule. And I think the kids really liked the parade and the fireworks.

After I got home I took a shower and cleaned off all the sweat (it was a record high of 99 degrees today), sunblock, and maybe a couple of bugs (I flicked one of those big brown beetles off my shoulder when I got into the apartment building, before going into my apartment). Fortunately I don't seem burned. I bought a floppy mesh hat at Gabriel Brothers yesterday that I wore and put lots of sunscreen on myself, including spraying the back of my neck. After my shower I sat down to compose this, but wound up talking to a friend for about an hour and a half or more on the phone. So I'm just now posting.

Funny, despite the ban, quite a few people were lighting fireworks this evening, but it quieted down by the time the ordinance states. So they'll at least abide by the times even if shooting the fireworks during the ban means a $100 fine for a first offence plus more measures if it causes a fire with property or personal injury. Go figure.

I hope all my American readers had a good and safe Fourth of July. And, please remember, fireworks are not toys:

Fireworks Deck Explosion Injures 9 In N.H., 2 Toddlers Severely Injured

Well, it should be a little quieter this year

and my friends won't have to tranquilise their dog. :)

Officials ban use of common, consumer fireworks in Lexington

The public displays that have permits from the city will go on. Even with the little rain we got last night, it is simply too dry. I'm fine with it, I understand. I have some sparklers but had decided I wouldn't be using them because of how utterly brittle things are out there. I do plan (since LexTran has kindly expanded the holiday hours till the 11:20 pullout) to go over to the hospital I work at and watch the fireworks at Idle Hour Country Club that they put on every year. People come and sit on the hospital's front lawn (we have something like 23 acres around the building) and it's always a nice show. Then I can go home and actually get to sleep without hearing lots of late fireworks, since Thursday is a workday. :)