Productive Days & a Neat Meme

Wednesday was a long and productive day.

My physician, Claudette, came by my house at 9:30 AM and was so excited about the progress I have made toward good health that she literally danced around my living room! I am now off of another prescription drug! I am walking much better, although I still need to carry a walking stick, "just in case." I almost jumped up and joined Claudette in her dance!

Wednesday also brought me Cassandra, who is replacing Tasha as my homemaker/health aide. Cassandra and I didn't get off to a happy start: she made several invalid complaints, such as that my oven doesn't work. It does, but she did not pre-heat it before she put the fish in to bake. Her complaint not only had me checking the fully functioning stove for a non-existent problem, but I ended up eating fried fish, which is not what I wanted or need to eat.

Thursday I was alone. I liked that! I also baked some corn bread to prove that there is nothing wrong with my oven. I really liked that! The corn bread is yummy!


The day ended with my completing a really neat MEME that Carol placed on Facebook. The instructions are simple:

Here are the rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. They don't have to be the greatest books you've ever read, just the ones that stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes. Copy these instructions and tag 10 (or more) friends, including me—because I'm interested in seeing what books are in your head.

Unfortunately, I didn't obey the first instruction. I found it hard to limit myself to fifteen books that have always stuck with me. I kept removing and adding books for half an hour, until I finally forced my self to accept the list as complete. Below is the list that I published:

• THE BIBLE (NRSV translation)
• MEN OF IRON by Howard Pyle
• EXODUS by Leon Uris
• THE PEACEFUL WARRIOR by Dan Millman
• SIDDHARTHA by Herrmann Hesse
• AWARENESS by Anthony de Mellow
• ARE YOU RUNNING WITH ME, JESUS? by Malcolm Boyd
• FIRE IN THE BELLY by Sam Keen
• ON THE ROAD by Jack Kerouac
• DUBLINERS by James Joyce
• MARX AND THE BIBLE by Jose Miranda
• IRON JOHN by Robert Bly
• HYMNS TO AN UNKNOWN GOD by Sam Keen
• THE GIVING TREE by Shel Silverstein
• GONZO by Hunter S Thompson

If I had been required to list 150 books, the task would have been much easier!

Chirp, Chirp

TASHA: Mr. Temple! There's a bird in here! In the kitchen!

ME: How do you know?

TASHA: I hear it chirping.

ME: Oh, Tasha, it's probably just the rabbit. [Really: the sound the scared bunny makes sounds, to me, like the chirping of a bird. Of course, I realize that my hearing ain't too good]

TASHA: NO! It's a little bird and I see it!

[Sound of furniture moving as I hobble toward the kitchen]

TASHA [standing on a chair by the kitchen table]: There it is! Get it. It scares me!

[A small bird, moving too fast for me to see what kind, swoops over my head toward the door to the back hallway and freedom. It misses the door, hits the wall, and drops down beside the wine cellar]

ME: Tasha, I think it hurt itself.

TASHA [climbing down from chair]: You're going to have to catch it because I won't. 

The above took place about 11:00 a.m. Monday. I did not catch the bird; it moved behind the wine cellar and stayed there.

Tasha had said the same thing (You're going to have to catch it because I won't) about the rabbit; but now, after numerous sightings*, she says that the the rabbit is cute and she has a broom and dust pan (see the first photo, below) ready for capture the rabbit and place him in one of the empty boxes I have strategically located around the house.

I love the outdoors. I really enjoy being surrounded by nature. However, sharing my house with a wild bird and a wild rabbit is too much indoor nature for me! They serve no purpose inside my house (except, perhaps, to give Alex exercise chasing them).

Tuesday afternoon the bird left us. When Tasha and I returned from an appointment at the VA hospital, she spotted the bird in the back hallway near the door that leads to the deck. She opened the door and the bird flew outside to freedom! Thank God! Now, if the rabbit would just hop out I'll be very happy.

*Speaking of the rabbit, he was last sighted this morning (Wednesday) being chased by Alex from the library into the kitchen. The bunny ran beneath the microwave stand. Alex hung around, pawing at the thing for a thirty seconds. Then the furball gave up, clawed me, and demanded dinner and desert.

As for me, I am enjoying the warm weather to no end:

[Tasha, who snapped this photo, says that I "look sexy." HA!]

Off to Another MD

Today (Thursday) I’m off to another MD for another set of tests and possibly another diagnosis. It means driving into “downtown” Louisville: I know the location, but I don’t know the building or what the parking situation is. The last time I did this, Tasha ended up pushing my heavy wheelchair (and heavier me) 3 blocks to the office and 3 blocks back. She also had to make that trip without me to obtain another bottle of oxygen when the one I had began to run out. This time I have a map from my house to the medical office that shows me everything except the nearest parking facility:

Does it sound as if I’m not excited about this trip? I’m not. I’d rather spend my limited oxygen resources on something fun, such as a visit to one of Louisville’s museums or a music concert—anything other than a new physician and more testing!

On the positive side, the edema in my legs seems less and less with each new day. I’m surprised how quickly the swelling is going down. I may even be comfortable wearing shoes today!

Alex, who just awakened from a nap on my desk, says “meow” to everyone. I thought earlier this evening that he and I were going to write a new post for his blog. Instead, he curled up on the desk and napped. Silly cat!

On Driving, Riding, Prostate, & More

I drove to the VA hospital yesterday and had no problem moving my right leg from the accelerator to the brake! I did have a problem finding a parking space; I drove around the parking lot for almost twenty minutes before deciding my only alternative was to park in a handicapped spot marked Side Lift Vans Only. But, hell! There were three of those spots sitting empty in the parking lot and I was running close to my appointment time. I feel not guilt at all for parking there.

Then I got to ride in my new wheelchair! It was wonderful having Tasha push me through the endless corridors of the hospital rather than my shuffling along with my cane, enduring the pain in the legs and back, and stopping every few steps to regain my breath! 

The “procedure” went well.  Yeah, having the doc finger my prostate was prickly, but I’ve been much more uncomfortable many, many times in my life.  More importantly, the doc was intelligent and talkative and didn’t treat me as if I were an imbecile, as the nurse practitioner who is my case manager at VA does. He and I decided that I don’t require a “sample” of my prostate for further analysis! That’s grand news!

Speaking of grand news, as I watched President Obama on TV last night, I was struck by his optimistic tone as well as his honest evaluation of the nation’s economic status and plan to recover.

To end this mishmash of a blog post, I want to share a video I encountered the other day of one of my favorite songs: Don’t Laugh at Me (Peter, Paul & Mary). Enjoy it, please!

Valentines, Birthdays, Love, and More

Sooooooooo… I am now sixty-three years old. Actually, I was sixty-three when I fell asleep this morning—at least according to the story (legend?) of my birth. I suppose that my birthday party—i.e., Tasha buying and serving me a birthday cake—was held at noon yesterday

I am most thankful to Tasha! Through recent years, I have truly disliked being alone on my birthday. Should I pretend that yesterday was my birthday ‘cause no one is coming to visit today? No! My birth is intrinsically linked to Saint Valentine’s Day!

There are others who also celebrate their birthdays today. Perhaps you may remember that Tasha's son, Gregory, who suffers from Sickle Cell Anemia, was born one year ago today.

Happy Birthday, little Gregory! May God bless and watch over you.

Happy Birthday, Everyone who celebrates their birth this day!

There are many folks who do not like Saint Valentine’s Day. Some, including me, are appalled by the commercialism attached to it. Others are sad and resentful because they feel unloved and feel left out of the festivities. Many simply reject the concept of romantic love.

Being born on the day that, according to legend, Bishop Valentinus (Saint Valentine the Presbyter in the Eastern Orthodox Church, whose Feast Day is celebrated on July 6^th) was executed outside the Flaminian Gate in 269, 270, or 273 C.E. for marrying Christian couples and otherwise aiding Christians who were at the time being persecuted by the Roman Emperor Claudius, I personally connect Valentine’s Day with love. Not just romantic eros, but every form of love.

When we are young, we believe that there is only one form of love. As we grow older, we are taught that the English word love refers to many things that other peoples differentiate with special words, such as the in the language of the ancient Greeks: eros, philia, xenia, storge, agape. When we mature, we understand that, in reality, there is only one form of love, for all love comes from the same Source.

Alex, the VA, and Me

Blogging isn’t easy with a furball using the keyboard as a pillow and a paw rest!

I must be really getting old when I start thinking of a trip to a medical clinic as an adventure! Therefore, I shall attempt to tell you are bout yesterday’s trip to the Veterans’ Administration Hospital is as unswervingly as I can:

• I have been attempting to obtain this appointment to be assessed for a wheelchair for several months.
• I received the appointment for 8:45 AM yesterday in a letter from the VA about a week ago.
• As you may remember, I have pulled a muscle in my right thigh and am unable to lift my right leg more than a couple of inches from the floor making it impossible dangerous for me to drive.
• I needed transportation to the appointment: neither of my sons was available; my pastor and friend, Doug, was attending a clergy meeting; the company for whom Tasha works said she that she wasn’t permitted to transport me anywhere; the VA transportation unit is booked up through next November (!?); the only reasonably priced medical transportation service I located was not available at the time of my appointment.
• By Wednesday afternoon, I had given up and telephoned the number of the physical therapy clinic provided by VA and, after listening to one robot voice transfer me to another robot voice to another robot voice left a message requesting whatever human was around to telephone me so I could reschedule the appointment.
• Shortly thereafter, Tasha’s employer telephoned me and said that their policy had changed: Tasha could drive me if I was willing to pay her mileage because the VA, who is paying for Tasha’s services, refuses to pay mileage.
• Of course I agreed and again telephoned the VA physical therapy clinic and, after listening to one robot voice transfer me to another robot voice to another robot voice left a message stating that I would be able to keep the appointment at 8:45 Thursday morning.
• Jump forward to Thursday morning: Tasha was supposed to arrive at 8:00 AM to transport me to the clinic; when she hadn’t arrived by 8:15, I was concerned because I know how slow I move about.
• At 8:30 Tasha’s company telephone and said—as if I hadn’t already figured it out—that Tasha was “running late.”
• Concerned because of the notice on the VA appointment letter stated that I must be on time for the appointment, I again telephoned VA and, after listening to one robot voice transfer me to another robot voice to another robot voice left a message that I was running late.
• Tasha arrived just as I hung up from the call and, as I was getting my portable oxygen tank on, a real human being telephoned from the VA and told me that if I couldn’t make my scheduled time the appointment would have to be rescheduled.
• Since the appointment was at 8:45 AM and the time at the moment was 8:40 AM, I had the appointment rescheduled to the next available date, February 27^th.
• Just as I was getting out of my coat and portable oxygen tank, my telephone rang; it was the VA physical therapy clinic and I was told that, if I could make it there at 10:00 AM, they could still see me today.
• I said, “I’ll be there!”

Enough of these bullets! I’ll tell the rest of the story without them.

Getting me to Tasha’s car wasn’t easy because there is still snow and especially ice from the top of my front steps all the way to the street. Had I not remembered the hiking stick I bought when I was stationed in Germany, I would not have made it:

(I really must remember to photograph all of my sticks and share them with you as I promised a long time ago!)

 

Tasha dropped me off at the main entrance of the VA Hospital and then drove off to find a parking space. By the time I walked into the hospital, I was exhausted and sat down at a table in the snack room where I could see the front door. It took Tasha half an hour to find a parking space; because it was almost 10:00 AM, I had begun walking toward the elevators when Tasha arrived. I asked her to get me one of the loaner wheelchairs. She returned without one and told me that the room had used to have the wheelchairs was now filled with file cabinets and the woman in the room said that she had no idea where the wheelchairs are now stored.

So, I very slowly hobbled  and wheezed to the elevator and off the elevator and hobbled even more slowly down the hallway to clinic 240A and down another hallway to where I told a woman behind a window my name and the last four digits of my social security account number and she told me to go back down the same hallway to the small waiting room and wait. So I did.

I waited for 45 bloody minutes before someone came for me! So much for my not being late!

Now here’s the wonderful part! I have been approved for a wheelchair that is my size and strong enough that my bulk won’t break the thing. It has a special reinforced back so that if I plop down in it I won’t break it. And the arm rests can be retracted so that I can get close to my desk to blog and to my table to eat. And it has special handles on the wheel brakes so that I won’t have to bend down to lock and unlock the wheels. And I got to select the color of the chair and the color and fabric of the seat and back! The chair will be delivered to me in about three to four weeks.

Wow! It was sure worth all I went through to get to the clinic yesterday!

 

 

Tasha's Kids

Yesterday Tasha, my VA supplied homemaker, had a commitment prior to coming to my home.

Since she had her children with her for the appointment, she asked me if they could also come with her to my house. Of course, I agreed! I love kids! Izeal, Aireon, and Gregory are a pleasure to have around.

Even Alex was glad to see the children. At least for a little while. Then Alex remembered why he hides from my grandchildren when they enter the front door and made a quick retreat out the back door. He spent the remainder of the time the kids were here on the deck napping.

While they were here, we took some photos of them that Tasha has OK’d my sharing with you.

Below is Gregory, the baby born this year on my birthday, February 14^th. As you may remember, I have asked for prayers for Gregory, who was born with sickle cell anemia.

Next we have Izeal and Aireon, who seem to get along much better than my sister and I did when we were their age:

Of course, they also love their new baby brother:


We couldn't end the photo session without a family portrait:


Alex headed for the back door after realizing he’d have no nap as long as the kids were in the house

Of course, Alex being Alex, as soon as I opened the door to the deck and told him the kids were gone, he came back in and had an afternoon snack.

Saturday Mishmash

The countdown continues. This is the 988^th post on Nick’s Bytes. I promised a big celebration when I do my 1,000^th post and that still is the plan.

I thought it would really be neat if some of the other stuff came together at the same time. For example, my 100,000^th visitor to Nick’s Bytes. That isn’t going to happen: at the moment the blog has had 92, 917 visits. There is no way that that will reach 100,000 in 12 days. So, I suppose there will have to be another celebration when that takes place.

I have no new information on the condition of Tasha’s hospitalized 4-month-old son, Gregory. I shall post any updates as soon I as receive them.

A post that Deb wrote the other day I’m reminded of the theology that the followers of The Way, as the earliest Christians described themselves, are called to live in the Kingdom that is and is to come. We are to live on this earth as if the future Kingdom of God already exists. And since that Kingdom is within/among (depending on how one translates the Greek) us, there really could be no animosity among people, no exploitation or oppression.

The possibilities of that have always astounded me!

I heard today that Churchill Downs Inc. has announced that the remains of Eight Belles, the runner-up in Kentucky Derby 134, will be interred at the Kentucky Derby Museum on the grounds of Louisville's Churchill Downs. As you may remember, the filly was euthanized after suffering a catastrophic leg injury after crossing the finish line.

I believe that her resting place is very appropriate. I hope to visit the museum, which is but a few minutes drive from my house, on day this summer.

Alex is considering switching his blog from WordPress to Blogger because neither he nor I can figure out how do get graphics posted on WordPress. What do you think?

Speaking of Alex, below are the newest—taken today—Alex-photos. Of course, the furball isn’t doing anything new: this cat is a creature of habit.

Prayers, Please—and More

Those of you who have been reading Nick’s Bytes for a bit know Tasha, my Veterans Administration provided three days-a-week housekeeper. If you’ve been keeping up with things in the Alex and Nick household (yeah, the cat’s name comes first because the furball rules the house), then you know that Tasha was away for a few months after the birth of her son, Gregory, on February 14^th—which just happens to be my birthday.

Tasha is back with me since Vaughn injured his leg playing basketball. It’s grand to have her back.

Now on to my request for prayers or whatever is your personal form of asking blessings from the universe. Gregory was born with sickle cell anemia. At the moment 4-month-old Gregory is in Louisville’s Kosair Children’s Hospital. He is extremely ill; no firm diagnosis has been established.

Thank you and bless you.

Song of Blessing (Joe Wise)

Alex's New Toys

Alex has had lots of toys, mostly balls that he can push and chase about. There are at least three dozen small balls than can hold a pinch of catnip in our house. I believe that the majority all of them are now under furniture. Alex seems to play with toys using the principle if I can’t see it, I ain’t lookin’ for it. That is why there are three dozen of those small balls about; each time the fur ball loses one, I have purchased another for him.

There is also a larger, plastic ball somewhere around here. It can stay lost. When it rolls, it flashes a red light, bells chime, and the damned thing chirps! I believe that the large, plastic, chirping ball is one of the reasons I have purchased so many of the small, non-chirping balls for Alex. Every time he finds that damned chirper, his rolling it around drives me nuts!

Last week I went to the pet food store to obtain a resupply of Alex’s favorite kitty food. I noticed that they had a whole bunch of new toys and decided to buy a couple for Alex (since his all of his ball toys are no longer in sight):

Birdie Toy

Mousie Toy

With Tasha’s (yes, she’s back as my housekeeper) help, we videoed Alex with his new toys—and his oldest toy (me):

Thursday Stuff

Dental Update

Unfortunately our insurance agents may not be as knowledgeable about our PPO as they could be ~ Humana Representative, March 27^th, 2008

The above isn’t an exact quote, but it is the gist of what I was told by the human I finally reached at Humana this afternoon. Unfortunately, as a former insurance agent, I already knew that! During the months I worked for Liberty National Life Insurance Company as an agent selling life and health insurance, I received no training and very little information on the policies I was selling—other than how to “entice” (my word) people to purchase them.

I may also add that none of the several books that Humana has sent me since I enrolled with them through the Social Security Administration says that I have no dental coverage. Rather, the book that lists the in network providers has a long list of available dentists and dental specialists. So… if there is no coverage, why in the hellacious ways of the U.S. health insurance industry are they listed?

After my conversation with the Humana rep, I decided to attempt to obtain my need met via another channel. I undertook the long process of calling, pushing buttons, and being placed on hold that it takes to reach my Veterans Administration primary care nurse practitioner. Of course, when I did get through, I wasn’t permitted to speak with her directly; I was able to speak with her nurse. The result was that a referral will be made to the VA dental clinic and I will be informed of the appointment not later than (NLT as we used to write in the army, which is also my initials) the beginning of next week

Introducing Vaughn

As I have previously written, Vaughn has replaced Tasha as my VA homemaker since Tasha gave birth to her son. Yesterday Vaughn gave me permission to share with you his photograph (below) as well as his “celebrity look-alikes that we obtained yesterday. As with my look-alikes, we had problems recognizing the similarity between him and them.

Becoming Serious About the Oppression in Tibet

I wonder why the nations of this crazy world do not say to China “Either back off from Tibet or our athletes will not attend the Beijing Olympics?”

A Buddhist Prayer for Peace

May all beings everywhere plagued

with sufferings of body and mind

quickly be freed from their illnesses.

May those frightened cease to be afraid,

and may those bound be free.

May the powerless find power,

and may people think of befriending one another.

May those who find themselves in trackless,

fearful wilderness—

the children, the aged, the unprotected—

be guarded by beneficent celestials,

and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.