QUICK UPDATE

 First off I want to thank the best commenters on all of Blogger for the wonderful and comforting comments you left on my last blog. I am overwhelmed by the kindness, encouraging and supporting  thoughts you so  graciously offered.  They really helped me over a rough spot. 

I wish I had something concrete to report but I am still in the testing phase. Next one is a bone marrow test. Not even scheduled yet. It will be 30 days--from New Years Day till the 30th of this month before treatment will start. I tried to move things along but that seems to be the schedule. In the meantime I am wiped, weak and laying around like a lump.  Thankfully my support group is taking care of all the necessities.

The tentative diagnosis so far is CML--chronic myeloid leukemia. It is supposedly quite treatable. Can't wait to get started  and will have the energy to blog again I miss you.. 

THANK YOU, THANK YOU,  THANK YOU. YOU ARE THE BEST.  

HIATUS

Well it looks like my break may be a bit longer than I expected.

On the 30th my doctor called me in the evening about some results from blood work he had done that day that he was a bit concerned about.  Seems my white cell count was quite high and he wanted me in the ER the next morning.  New Years Eve in the ER--whee.

Neither our local hospital nor town had a hematologist so the ER decided to send me to a larger hospital about 50 miles away by ambulance.  

I was tested from stem to stern with sonograms, x-rays, echocardiograms, heart monitors and constant blood gathering. I didn't get to eat or drink and was kept awake all night with poking, prodding and noise levels as the night shift celebrated New Years.  Zero sleep. Came home Monday and  know I have a ways to go yet. 

Some of my blood work had to be sent to Texas so I won't know till the 13th just what I am facing. My PC and the hematologist suspect I have leukemia but we won't know for sure or what kind till the results come in. 

What ever, I think I will be in a battle for a bit so I may just not have the strength to blog for a while.  Will do as I am told to get back on the right tract. 

While I am a little scared I am also comforted by my lovely support group of 5 friends (four women and a guy) ready to be of any help instantly and they constantly check in on me. Their support has been amazing and I feel quite blessed.

Know I will stop by your blogs if I can.  I just want you all to take care, be well and happy. I love and miss you all. Will appreciate any good thoughts and prayers you can send my way. Thank you my friends.

GOT NOTHING

Well not totally nothing.  I had a "little" something but it would hardly make a very small, if slightly amusing paragraph, so I am going to just put it off, relax and enjoy the next few days till the year ends. 

I know I am looking forward to 2023.  I am anticipating that 23 will put 22 to shame  by ending or at least putting a big dent in global diseases, wars, inflation and destructive weather. One can hope and we are due. 

I will see you next year. Please stay safe and be well. 

Comments suspended

WORDLE

I know Wordle is not new to many of you. I did recently learn that Wordle was the most Google searched term for 2022. Interesting. It was my blog buddy mentions (Kay for one) that got me interested. The fact that it could be addictive scared me a bit for I do have an addictive personality.  Still, how could a word game make me seek out a 12 step program? Beware. 

Wordle is a word game that is offered daily by the NY Times.  It is free, so far I haven't gotten any spam as a result and yep, I am addicted. 

You are given 6 tries to guess what the 5 letter word of the day is. They are  common words.

These are the simple rules.

You have to guess the Wordle in six tries or less.

A correct letter in the right place turns green.

A correct letter in the wrong place turns yellow

An incorrect letter turns gray.

Letters can be used more than once

Answers are never plurals

It helps to have a good starter word with lots of vowels. I use "tried" and "pious." After I enter those two words, I get an idea of what I am looking for. I usually get it in the 3rd or 4th  tries but I went all the way to 6 guesses once. Luckily, I have always eventually gotten the word each day. Ahh.

What amazes me is my reaction to a quick win. I should be pleased but I don't like it. I like having to ponder and guess. 

Curious, if you play are you more pleased with a quick solve or do you enjoy the challenge of  struggling a bit?

Since I won't post again till after Christmas, I just want to wish you all the very best day. May it be filled with good health, warmth, caring, hugs and smiles. Make it a good day. 

ON A ROLL

I have posted about this before but even though I know it is true, I still get surprised when in happens. Bad things come in threes but so do good things which was once again proven to me. 

#1.  Don't know if I mentioned that I was having some tummy problems. Food turned to gas which makes mixing in polite society a struggle. Mostly burping but a little of the stuff sometimes escaped from another orifice. TMI (too much information) ?? I would get relief in minutes by chewing on a small piece of candied ginger. Amazing stuff.

When I was consulting the Net, ginger tea was highly touted so I gave it a try. Wow, one cup in the morning and I was good for the whole day.  I am not a doctor but if you have similar problems, give it a shot.  Though be warned that it is a blood thinner so if you are on those, you might need to make  adjustments to your meds. Check with your doctor. That was Monday. 

#2     Wednesday I was going to town to pick up a prescription when my little truck hesitated, then two lights lit up on my dash.  ABS (brakes)  lit up and the image of a battery did at the same time. I was driving past my mechanic so I pulled in. He popped my hood and said my alternator belt was shredded. He knows my little Toyota is almost 20 years old and said I would need all three belts. 

Oh joy, fat chance this was a quick fix but I did say a string of good things happened. He made a call and within 10 minutes, my three replacement belts arrived. I know people with brand new cars waiting weeks for parts.  He put his mechanic right on it and in 30 minutes, I was good to go--if a bit lighter in the wallet. 

I was so impressed. This could have happened when I was heading for another town and I could have been stranded on a remote, two lane hill country road. 

#3   I was really feeling blessed and thought if I heard about this from someone else, I'd suggest they should buy a lotto ticket while their luck was hot. So taking my own advice, on the way home I stopped in to get a scratch off ticket just for fun. 

I was delighted to learn the ticket made me $50 richer. Ok that is not a billion, a million or even a thousand but it really made my day. Fifty bucks--woo hoo. That took some of the sting out of the belt replacement. 

I would like to say the good things kept on rolling in but that was it. Still that made my week.

I am a big believer in the three good things for I had a similar day recently. Think I am on a roll.

Do you believe it is not only bad things that come in threes but good things also?

QUICK UPDATE

 I really have nothing for today but thought I owed you an update on my mystery bump from last week.  I haven't seen my PC yet as it seems he has been on vacation but I do have an appointment for Thursday.   I am not expecting anything dramatic for the lump has stayed in, there is no pain or discomfort.  Hopefully it was a one and done event. 

Thanks for all your concern and I'll let you know if anything develops. I'm sure I will have some tests run but am expecting nothing to be concerned about.

But I really have nothing so that is all for today.

Be well and stay warm.

Comments suspended. 

NAME IT OR TREAT IT

 Recently I had something strange happen.  I awoke one morning and felt something different on my body.  There was no pain but just an awareness when I touched a spot on my stomach, right below my breast bone. It was a little lump that was protruding from a gnarly incision that was the remnant from a botched gallbladder surgery from years ago. 

I wrote about the surgery in 2009. They operated in August of 76, twice in the same spot. I spent 21 days in the hospital and it was Thanksgiving before I became water tight again.  As a result, I have a really ugly scar. 

So evidently this was a weak spot that my new growth could pop through.  I visited Dr. Google and realized the symptoms suggested I probably had a hernia which I'm sure all my violent sneezing from the head cold made worse.  Of course it was the holidays so I haven't been to see a real Dr. yet. Next week--maybe. 

Anyway, I am thinking it is a hiatal hernia and I am not really worried but it would explain something.  A while back for some reason I suddenly could no longer eat my favorite candy--Peppermint Patties.  I was using  the small ones as a treat to make me clean my plate. It worked and I quit losing weight. But then for some reason they suddenly started giving me indigestion.  Hum bug. 

When I checked Dr. Google, he said two things the hiatal hernia doesn't like is chocolate and mint. Ah ha. Of course I will probably check with a real Dr.

The little bump has gone back in now and there is no sensation around the incision. Since it now seems innocent, I thought perhaps if it comes back I should decide to either name it--something cute, or treat it. 

Have any of you had a hiatal hernia or know someone who has? I know surgery is an option but at my age I am looking for less drastic measures. 

DID I HALLUCINATE ?

 Most of us have published posts about memory problems that accompany aging.  The good thing about blogging is that your realize that you are seldom alone. As our filing systems become overloaded with new information, it is common for some of the old info to get misfiled.  That is my excuse anyway.

But I had a new symptom recently hit.  In my last post I mentioned how delighted I was with the light snow we had gotten over night. Being a Florida girl, these sights thrill me. Being kind of south, we rarely get more than two inches.   I can't imagine what the poor folks who live around the great lakes are getting. That is beyond brutal. 

Anyway a few nights ago, I looked out just before bed and was thrilled to see just about the same amount of snow we had the other day coming down.   I went to bed smiling and couldn't wait to see what  was on the ground in the morning.

Shockingly though, in the morning the ground was totally bare. There wasn't a trace of snow anywhere. What happened??  Did I dream it?? Or horrors, did I hallucinate it??  I mean a slight memory slip up is one thing but imagining a ground covered in snow was another. 

I checked the news and the Internet but found nothing. This was shaking me up but salvation was just a phone call away.  My neighbor called after breakfast and wanted to know if I had enjoyed the snow.  It seems her husband had also noticed it before bedtime but I guess it was just too warm to stick even a little bit overnight. 

Phew, I hadn't gone round the bend---yet.

Ever had a scare about your memory only to find out all is well??

Of course that I almost forgot to write this post shows I am not completely well:)

THAT WASN'T FUN

I really don't have much for today.  I have spent the past week enjoying??? a head cold.  Now there are nasty colds and OK colds. I feel lucky mine was kind of inbetween. 

At first I thought I was dealing with allergies as I was sneezing up a storm along with nasal congestion and no fever.   I have always kind of prided myself on my sneezes.  I manage quite lady like ones. Just a little quiet "zisst."  People are usually amazed that it was even a sneeze. Also I normally sneeze one and done. 

This time I would sneeze 7 to 10 times in a row and it sounded a lot like a seal barking. Good thing I don't have any really close neighbors. It wasn't painful or terribly unpleasant, just really loud and forceful. Fortunately my bladder didn't fail me with all the violent sneezing. 

Where I got this ailment I have no idea. I have been following Covid procedures fairly well so I am thinking it might have been delivered with my grocery pickup.  I did get my flu shot so maybe that had a tempering effect on something that could have been worse. 

Anyway, I am hugely better now and hope to have a real post next week. Hopefully my badge of honor for enduring the cold--a cold sore--will be gone by then too.  

Oddly my sister in Florida had a very similar bout at the same time. So maybe it is a "thing." Hope you are spared anything similar. 

We did get snow yesterday which was a nice diversion. It was mostly gone by noon but still pretty to wake up to and it made me smile.

Stay safe and well. 

CALLIE CAN TELL TIME

I know a lot of us are tired of this springing forward and falling back with our time. Since I no longer work for a living, it doesn't affect me much. Annoying but doable. Callie is not amused.

Fortunately I have a fenced yard so her potty times are just an opening of the door and my wishing her to "have a nice pee." Sure glad I don't have to delay her morning relief.  However her meals are regimented. 

I feed her shortly after I first wake up largely because she insists. That is usually around 5:30.  If I sleep in, her soft whining wakes me.  Her second meal is 10:30 and I eat lunch  around 11:00. At that time she will wait till I am finished and will hoover the floor for any errant crumbs. 

Maybe I live a bit of a rigid schedule but it works for me. I feed Callie at the same times each day and she lets me know when those times have come. I can be working on the computer and she is on the bed. Then at 10;30 I feel her eyes boring into the back of my skull. She is coiled like a spring ready for action.  If I make any move, she flies off the bed and dances into the kitchen, certain food is coming.  

She is good with this as am I.  Until the time changes. She does OK in Spring for it just moves her meals up an hour which she finds great. But in the Fall, she waits and waits and waits anxiously for that hour to pass.  I'm not certain but I think she directs some silent doggy obscenities my way. 

You would think I could just say--"Dog, you will get fed when I get to it."  But I don't. Instead I  have learned to adjust her meal time by 20 minutes each day for three days. It seems easier on her. 

This is not a big deal and we eventually work it all out. But--I wonder about families with infants or toddlers. This can't be fun for them. 

Since it has to be done nationwide, I just hope our Congress can get it together and eliminate one change or the other. I really don't care which one.  

Are you OK with the changes or do you direct silent obscenities towards the powers that be. 

FRUIT FLY DNA

After my last post documenting my war on fruit flies, a nagging thought kept rambling around in  the back of my mind. Then it came to light.

I remembered long ago hearing a bizarre fact that I had buried. So with the power of the Google, I went down the Internet rabbit hole.

I remembered something vague about humans and fruit flies sharing DNA. As I scurried down the rabbit hole, I was a bit astounded. Did you know we share 61% of the same DNA as a fruit fly?  Yikes. I had just spent a week murdering distant cousins. 

Because of this large amount of shared DNA, NASA will actually be breeding fruit flies on the International Space Station to help scientists gauge the effects of space travel on humans?

They will have their own habitat which I found comforting. I would hate to be trapped with free roaming fruit flies in space. They will begin their journey as eggs, hatch en route and arrive at the space station in larval form.  They will orbit the earth for 90 days. Scientists hope to discover what changes will occur in the little astronauts so they can predict how humans will survive space travel.  

Besides being baby astronauts, nearly 75% of genes that cause disease in humans are found in fruit flies, making them good models for the study of human disease.   

OK, I can't un-kill all those I wiped out two weeks ago. But will I now practice catch and release?? Doubt it for they are so light weight that you can't even swat them. The breeze from your hand or rolled up newspaper blows them out of danger before the blow can strike. 

I will however continue to keep from breeding my own little astronauts with hyper cleanliness.

Ever find out something you loathe actually has a useful purpose?

NO SUCH THING

 There is an old saying that,"There is no such thing as one cockroach."  Well I found that applies to fruit flies also. There is no such thing as one.

A couple of years ago I had a battle with gnats or so I thought but I now think they might have been fruit flies.  At that time I did discover a really neat trap that involves apple cider vinegar and dish soap. 

It worked marvelously then for my dozen or so flies. Thought all was fine, then recently I noticed the flies returning. This time I was pretty sure they were fruit flies  as I had seriously added fruit to my daily meals.

My meal each night was pretty much the same.  Half a banana, half an apple, a few cantaloupe balls, a few cashews, half a granola bar and a glass of Ensure.  It was my light meal since I eat my meat and potatoes at noon.

 

I learned the flies come into our houses from the grocery store. Bananas in the fruit bowl and cantaloupe on the counter ripening, etc were their nesting places. Banana peels and cantaloupe husks in the garbage their meal.

I was surprised when I learned they came with the fruit but was glad at least the stores don't charge extra for them:)

This time they took over. I was infested. Just eating a meal was a challenge for the varmints would fight me for the food on my plate. Pretty sure I didn't accidentally eat any though I checked and evidently they will not harm you and surely they aren't fattening. They are so tiny.

 

I put my handy traps out and while they killed a lot of them, they didn't stop the infestation. One female can produce 150 babies. Yikes. 

 Then I decided I had to starve them.  I planned to hide any food  from the pests. All fruit went into the fridge. I used ziplock bags to secure every bit of garbage before putting it in the garbage can. 

Seems like a lot of work but there is only me so it just became my new normal. It took about a week of starving them but it has worked. I have been completely fly free for a solid week and am loving it.

I hope you never have this problem but if you do, know there is a solution. Starve them. It was a tough battle but I won. 

UNEXPECTED GIFTS

I wasn't looking for a gift but I got a whole day of them anyway.  It started when I saw my wheelbarrow tire was flat.  Aww, phooey. So I took it into town to see if I could get it repaired or at least replaced.  I went to the service station that kind of specializes in patching flat tires.

A  young fellow came out to get the tire out of the back of my pickup. While he was working on it we started talking.  He was asking about my ancient little truck. I told him it was a 2003 with 190,000 miles on it.  He asked if I wanted to sell it and I immediately said I was happy with it. It hasn't given me a bit of trouble in all these years.  He then shocked me saying he could get $9000 for it.  Yikes. Blue Book Value is only $2500.  That kind of gave me lift though knowing what I value  still has value.

He fixed my tire, put it in the back of my truck and I asked what I owed him. He looked quizzical for a moment then just smiled and said. "Nothing, this is on me." I was very pleased and am pretty sure I unintentionally played the "old lady card" again.

I was smiling as I drove to pick up my Lotto ticket on the way home.  Now it was a really windy day and my worst hair cut ever was doing its best to dance off my head.  Oddly when I got to the store and checked the door glass for the damages, I had to laugh. This was the best my hair had looked in months. Wind is evidently a great hairdresser.  So Mom Nature took pity on me and styled my hair for me. Now if I could only repeat the effect she got.

Then as I placed my order for my ticket, the young girl behind the counter gave me a nice compliment. Trust me, 83 year old women don't get many.  She said she really liked my hair and wanted to know  who did it.  I smiled as I told her that Mom Nature did. Then she surprised me further.  

"I have been meaning to tell you each time you come in," she said. I love that shade of lipstick you wear. Sure wish I could wear that color." It is coral.

Golly---free flat fixed, and compliments from a 20 year old girl. Pretty good day. 

But there was one more gift waiting.  I was having propane delivered that afternoon. It is a big truck and I have to open both of my 12 foot gates so he can get in. We had a nice chat and when he got ready to drive out, I said as I usually do, "I'll get the gate."

He then said, "No problem, I will get them," and he did. Doesn't sound like a big deal but it was really inconvenient for him to do it and I really appreciated it for as I mentioned, they are heavy. Could have been that "old lady card" again. Hey when we are young, we flirt --when we are old we use what works. 

Three lovely people in one day--yep things do come in threes--even good things. 

Ever lean on your age for a little special treatment?

THE REST OF THE STORY

Two weeks ago I wrote about a couple I had been watching during the slow times at the Miami Marlins home games and how the man got his just deserts. Some of you wanted to know what happened after that game so here it is. 

We  finished our season rather sadly losing 93 games out of 162.  Now 81 of those games were played at home so that was when I did my people watching. Now the man in question had totally ignored his wife/girlfriend for 78 of those games while he talked the entire game to his various friends while she stared expressionlessly out at the game. Then for game 78 he made a mistake and let his friend sit next to his wife. Those two laughed and talked the whole game--ignoring the husband.  It really made my day but the second to the last game made my season.

That game, I didn't see it happen but somehow, he brought two of his regular friends and they sat on either side of the wife with hubby to the far left of the group. 

From then on, she was Mrs. Popularity and he was hubby, who?  Both of his friends monopolized her the whole game. They laughed and gestured having their own party and ignored hubby. Boy did he steam.  He stared down at his phone, left, came back and continued steaming. It was like he was the soul person on a remote island. She was having a blast as were his 2 friends. 

Again I missed how they left the stadium for the end of the game is all about the players. 

The final game however, he had no friends with him  and he talked the whole game to his wife.  Maybe he finally realized she was interesting afterall.

So we  had a crummy season as wins and losses go but I really loved how it ended with that couple. Hope the change lasts through the winter for her.

So my season is over and I hope those of you still in the hunt for the world series have a happy ending.  

I will keep my eye on the Yankees as they have one of my favorite former Marlin players on their team--Giancarlo Stanton. Also keeping an eye on the Mariners as they have one of my favorite former Marlins coaches--Perry Hill.  Will also monitor Cleveland for I have a soft spot for them. My Mother and I followed them on radio the summer of 48 when they won the world series. Wishing all of you good luck in the postseason. My season is over. 

THE AFTERMATH

 I know several of you have family or friends in Florida and know the past several days had to be hard on you. I hope you have heard from your loved ones and they are fine.

I was able to contact my family and was hugely relieved that all were Ok.  My nephew probably had the worst of it as he lives in Bonita Springs, very close to landfall.  He said his house suffered no damage though his neighbors weren't so lucky. The bad part is that he will probably be without power for a while as the outages in Florida are staggering. 

My sister said she was terrified by the howling winds.  I remember those days when I lived there.  First you were tormented for days wondering where it was going to make landfall. Then the storm itself has to be experienced to understand how violent they are.  The sound is terrifying.  You just hope you prepared enough and would be spared major damage.

As I lived in the country, the aftermath with no power had several punches. No air conditioning, refrigerator failure and because I was on a well system, there was no water. So days consisted of searching for food and water.  I know those survivors are going through similar now.  The govt was a great help providing MRE's (meals ready to eat which actually aren't half bad) and drinking water. The longest I ever had to do without power was 8 days. I really hope those folks in Lee county are luckier.  The death count is hard to fathom. It just keeps growing daily. 

From experience I know that soon this will all be back page news except for those still suffering long after media coverage leaves.  If you are like me, I wanted to help.  I personally use the Red Cross for they have helped me twice in the past but some also like to use the Salvation Army.  Or if you wish, prayers will help both them and you. 

Stay safe everyone, these are really trying times. 

JUST DESERTS

 Hum, here all this time I thought it was "just desserts" but according to Webster, "deserts" actually refers to what someone deserves. I have been schooled.  

My regular readers know I love baseball and some even know I spend time people  watching the stands during games.  Those of you who have games with good attendance would find such a side sport almost impossible.  But my team is the Miami Marlins and we have often laughable attendance.  Thus the individuals stand out in the empty seats. Also there is a lot of downtime in baseball and I have yet learned how to knit.

I wrote about a couple in 2019 that brought drama to the game. They had been to every home game in the same seats and seemed a sweet couple but I saw them break up right before my eyes. The whole story is here. By the way, they never came back. 

This year however I had a different couple to watch.  The man was a nice looking fellow in his mid 60's who always secured the same 3 seats behind home place.  He would sit in the middle, his wife?(guessing here) who was a nice looking hispanic woman sat to his right. Then for half a year, the man to his left was a Seminole Indian about his same age. 

They always arrived in the 3rd inning, never for the start of the game no matter if it were a day or night game. The man and his Indian friend spent the whole game talking. I mean constant. They never saw a play on the field. The wife stared out at the field and clapped when appropriate but was never acknowledged by either man.  I felt badly for her.  I didn't find this interesting as much as aggravating and sad but I kept watching off and on.  

Last month the Seminole  quit showing up and the man has since brought a variety of different men to the game.  The friends may have changed but the intent didn't.  He continued to talk non-stop to the new friend and ignore both the game and the wife.  If no one showed up for a while, he would talk to her but then would ignore her as soon as his friend would arrive . These are not cheap seats so I figure the man must have a few bucks. 

Today we lost the game--not really something new for the Marlins--but I am smiling big time and delighted. The worm turned and just deserts were served steaming hot.

Today he showed up with a different man and they chatted--ignoring the game per usual. Then the wife showed up a little later and took a seat beside the new friend. I was astounded at what happened next but I loved every minute of it. The friend turned his back to the man and talked solely to the wife. They laughed a lot and had very animated conversations for the final 6 innings.

The man glowered as he was being ignored. He studied his phone and I could almost see the steam coming out his ears. He left and came back several times only to be ignored again by the pair.  When the game ended, the camera left the stands so I don't know the end of the story but I loved what I saw today. 

 I just had to tell someone that "just deserts" was served today in Miami. Thank you for listening.

You ever get fascinated watching strangers interact?

GOT A FUNERAL TO OBSERVE

Monday will bring an end to the very sad time many have been going through lately with the loss of Queen Elizabeth.  I want to see this through so I will be watching the service. 

Can't say I am a fan of a monarchy type of government. While not a fan, I have followed the royal family and all their news worthy actions for years. It is impossible to think the royals are not interesting for they definitely are.  But the Queen has always held a special spot in my heart. I just admired her so much. 

I was surprised years ago to learn she did her part in the war effort.   She could have easily and rightfully have chosen safety and comfort but she didn't.  Her staunchness during WWII with her driving trucks when she could have easily fled to Canada to be safe while England was being bombed, is legendary.  

I followed her when she was young, in love and married Philip. No there was no TV in our house in 1947 but there were newsreels in the theater to document such occasions. My family has a strong English heritage so my mother kept us informed via the news. 

Lately, even though I am only 13 years younger than she, she portrayed a motherly image to me. She appeared to be a woman you could  trust that would have your back.  Her flawless skin, white hair and sparkling eyes made you want to share time with her. She just oozed kindness, fairness and courage.  I also loved her quick wit and understated British humor. 

It is sad no longer having that person on the horizon to give us all direction of what a person should be. She was total grace and set the bar high. 

So Monday I'll say goodbye along with the rest of the world.  Just one of the many to miss her. 

MAYBE??

 

Well I didn't take my computer to the hospital as I stated in my last post.  I couldn't do it Monday as it was Labor Day so I thought, why not give it another try on my own? Maybe this time I could free up enough memory.

So I started looking for programs that I no longer use. One was Office 10 which held my attempt at a novel that I hadn't added to in years. Nope, I was not going to finish it so I deleted it. Thought that would be painful but it really wasn't.

Then thinking of books, I went to my Kindle library where I discovered every book I had ever ordered or borrowed from the library for over 12 years was still there. I had deleted them off my Kindle but not out of the Kindle library. I had over 1000 titles sitting there.

So I started deleting what I knew I had already read or probably wouldn't ever read. I was able to delete almost 600 titles. That wasn't fun but effective.  You think hanging on to the over 400 books makes me a bit of a hoarder?  That's OK, I've been called worse.  

Also I discovered that the email I had gotten from Amazon about no longer servicing my Kindle applied to my first one. My second  one, which is about 9 years old, still has some life left in it. As you can tell, I tend to milk my devices.

Anyway, I think the moves I made have bought me some more time on my ancient computer. I still delete my history, cache and cookies weekly.  I gave this last attempt 7 days to see if I had solved the lack of memory and crashing problem. Seems I have---maybe. Now if I could only do that with my brain. There is so much useless stuff I am storing in my head that I would love to delete. 

I have still been able to visit you this past week but will be glad to be posting again. Thanks for bearing with me. It is good to be back. 

Do you put your devices on life support or are you quick to ditch the old and start over with new and shiny?  I get attached to familiar and comfortable. Might be why I drive a 19 year old vehicle. 

I GIVE UP

It seems my efforts about a month ago to fix my computer were only a temporary patch.  The ancient one is acting up again and I think I will let a pro handle it this time.

I will be taking her to the computer hospital Tuesday.  I do hope he can fix her quickly for I am a bit of an addict.  Also I have no desire to try setting up a new computer. 

Hope to be back in the saddle soon.  Have a fun and safe Labor Day. 

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DELIVERY

To set the stage, I need to say here that for the past few months, my cat Minnie, has not come into my bedroom.  She was always welcome to sleep on my bed in the daytime but never at night. She is the bed buddy from Hell.  The head butting,  draping herself across my face making breathing difficult and for some reason,  suddenly using her outside voice, made me banish her from the bedroom at night.  Callie wasn't allowed in at night either so Minnie understood and all was well. 

  

Then age left its mark on her.  She is about 19 years old.  Since she came here a full grown cat, her age can be a year or two off. She use to bound up on the bed for daytime naps like an athlete, but those days are gone.  For a while I became her vehicle to reach the bed for napping, then she just quit asking to be lifted.  

She could access the coffee table on her own and from there could reach the couch which became her place to nap. She just quit attempting to enter the bedroom-- period.

The other day I was in the bedroom typing away on my computer when I heard the sound no pet owner wants to hear.  The unmistakable heaving sounds a pet makes right before vomiting. If they are on a piece of furniture it is reason for frantic efforts to get the pet to a cleanable surface. Since I have no carpets, all my floor surfaces are cleanable. Couches and beds not so much. 

Around the corner came Minnie with her sides heaving as she came into the bedroom.  Then with one final heave, she left a rather slimy hairball on the cleanable floor. After she made her deposit, she turned around and left the room. 

I had to laugh as I asked her,  "Are you making deliveries now?"  I'm never happy about cleanup but I was impressed she found me to make her deposit in an obvious and cleanable area.  So much better than stepping in a hidden slimy spot in another part of the house. Not fun, I have been there and it can be slippery and a little dangerous.

Will she do this from now on?  Who knows but I was grateful for the delivery.

We know pets make our lives better, but making it easier was new for me. I'll take it.

Ever have a pet unexpectedly go out of their way to make your life easier?