Visiting

When my son had his tonsils removed at Child's Hospital, he was 5 years old. Child's  hospital specialized in cleft palate surgery,  which was performed when the child was about one year of age. So during the 4 days or so when my child was hospitalized, we saw a number of year-old babies who were patients, either pre-or post-surgery. 

   The routine was that the babies would be strapped in their high chairs and the nurses would wheel them with them, chatting and socializing with them, and stationing them in the doorways as they visited the rooms of other patients. 

  Parents then could stay with their children overnight, as I did for the several nights he was in the hospital. As I recall, the length of hospitalization for post  palate surgery was quite a bit longer, maybe 10-12 days or so. As a result, many parents could not  be present for much of their child's hospital stay. 

  Those babies had to be carefully observed during their recovery period, and measures were taken to keep them from crying, which could adversely affect their surgical repairs. And it is true that the babies were mostly silent; I never heard them cry, thanks to the constant attention of the nurses. 

 The protocol was that unless the parent(s)  could stay with their child for the entire duration of the hospital stay, they were not to visit at all, the reason being that the child would cry when the parent left. 

   

Running out of time for the November 30,000 Words, so ...

 I must retract  the proclamation of my successful achievements posted earlier.

1) I thought I'd engaged the services of local contractor who came with impeccable recommendations.The fee agreed on seemed reasonable in today's market. But subsequent message applied what is called a Service Activation Fee of $100. That is in addition to the regular snow removal fee of $50.  I am not familiar with that type of fee for my type of service. So matter is unresolved.

2) Based on past history, and potential future need, I would take some comfort in knowing the best path to take if I think I'm having  a cardiac emergency. If 911 Emergency Responders are mandated to take patient to closest hospital, Samaritan, and the cardiology doctors in Troy  (CCA) no longer (after Jan, 1)  treat cardiac emergencies--catheterization lab or cardiac inpatient services---at Samaritan, transferring this type of care to AMC or St. Peter's,  what happens?  I asked my new highly skilled, highly recommended, very personable young interventional cardiologist what route would be taken in transferring patient to a hospital for emergency care, and he said not to think about it. The banner announcement on CCA's post reads:  "WHEN IT'S YOUR HEART, YOU JUST CAN'T WAIT."  Knowing time is of the essence, I posed my question on the  CCA website, through 2 different channels, and received no response. I attempted to reach Samaritan with this question, and no response.

3)  I scheduled an appointment with my heating system supply company. I told them my furnace has been leaking fuel oil starting when it was 2 years old, and despite numerous and costly repairs and parts replacement, the leakage continues. I asked for a service visit with the annual cleaning and also requested that  the technician evaluate the furnace to see it it needed replacement as was previously stated, before and during the cycle of repairs. The technician arrived, diligently  listened to my recounting of the issue, went downstairs, confronted the furnace for more than 2 hours, during which time he reviewed initial complaint, called the manufacturer and other providers. He (1) said the leakage was a matter of concern, and (2) that he had found and corrected the cause, and (3) the furnace did NOT need replacing. It just turned 10 years old.  I was relieved. Today, my son checked the furnace, and it is STILL LEAKING.

There are still a few other nagging or niggling issues to contend with, but enough failures for now.

I do rejoice that my car passed inspecton, and the turkey was delectable.

Listen Up, Grandma

 You need to address this issue. You realize you are reaching the end of your designated time  on earth, and there are matters you need to address. You may have drawn up your will, settled matters of inheritance and asset distribution, and even arranged for the disposition of your mortal coil. But you should know the burden  you may still inflict on your family members if you don't take my advice.

   Such a scolding paraphrases an article I read several months ago, whether in a magazine, newspaper, or online, I don't recall. The author was citing the difficulties she had encountered while attempting to dispose of  her late mother's personal  possessions. She was advising senior citizens of the importance of downsizing what they owned and of sorting the worthwhile thngs out before the home was divested of all  their stuff. This is what happened to her, the daughter:

 She had to go through and clear the home of her mother's personal things, closets full of clothes, and files and boxes of paperwork, none of which was needed any longer.She had to take the time to go to the home and was intending to just bundle up all the clothing and either donate or dispose of it, I don't recall. But, as she was about to put a coat into the disposal bag, she absentmindedly stuck her hand into a pocket---and came across a $50 bill, evidently forgotten about by the deceased. That meant she now had to examine all the clothing in case there was more cash which the owner had failed to remove.

   What was destined to be even more time consuming and painstaking was that when she scanned through a box of old papers prior to incinerating them, she found, nestled in the file folders,  a vintage gold wristwatch, dropped and forgotten there probably years before. 

 Thus, the author's message is that it is inconsiderate of old timers not to consider what might happen if they don't do their due diligence and tend to these matters instead of leaving such sorting out to others, who have to adjust their busy schedules for something that would be unnecessary if the correct measures had already been taken. So, sort stuff, Old woman or Old Man. Otherwise, something of value, cash, jewelry, etc. might be thrown in the trash.

 I would tell this author while her experience might have been true, her reasoning is a misapprehension.  If the forgotten cash and watch had been thrown away, even destroyed, what difference would it make  if nobody knew it existed in the first place. These were items forgotten by all; there was no expectation of recovery of loss. You can't miss something that was never in the realm of your existence. Just toss the  stuff away.

  

The Final SALVO

   In  a little over a week, I have renewed my Auto and Homeowners' Insurance, having to find  a new insurer after 20 years with Main Street America as they changed to only commercial accounts. I received  Auto policy, awaiting Homeowners. 

  I had my car inspected including the license plates.

  I arranged for snow plowing, with an insured provider.

I had the problematic furnace assessed and cleaned, am awaiting the statement.

I bought a turkey and wrestled it from freezer to fridge for thawing. Chat GPT  says 1 day for every 5 lbs.

I received notice that Albany Gastroenterology Consultants  has  formed partnership with a company called Salvo Health, which will provide insights to my doctors through Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) to  restore and develop a supporting framework through  Whole Self Science. 

   I suspected this was a scam, so I contacted Albany Gastro, and they confirmed the partnership. EGAD! A company called SALVO.* A barrage of bullets???  (Could be they were locked out of using SALVA as that name is already in use. That name would have been a good fit. But Salvo?  For your health. I say nay.

* The name may be metaphoric, but strikes me as offputting.

Passed!

 Just when you think you have one test to pass, there are 2 additional tests. Your vehicle may pass inspection, but your license plates might betray you. They have to pass too.

Indulgences

 Many years ago, during my religious era, I learned about indulgences, maybe from the nuns who regularly visited the school to deliver Religious  Education classes, or maybe combined with attending Mass faithfully, even the daily  6:30 a.m. services during Lent. 

  During those years, I would try very hard to accumulate the days and years supplied by indulgences, figuring I could store them up to get an early release from Purgatory. I was quite confident I could avoid going to Hell, not having even the opportunity to commit the deadly Mortal Sins, but fairly certain I'd already treaded the road of Venial Sin, which could be forgiven, even if I happened to die without a timely Sacrament of Confession.

I prayed during my idle moments, building  a cache of forgiveness. I didn't keep track of all the credits I had accumulated. I trusted Heaven would keep that record. I had a lot stored up by the time  I was 10-12 years old. I hope they haven't been accidentally deleted. 

The Fly

 For at least 3 weeks, there has been a fly in my house, a common housefly.

     I can't recall seeing any flies all summer, not even in September, when they can be in abundance. I chalked their absence up to there not being any animals here, either outside or inside the house, and no type of food for birds or wildlife, so no attraction here. 

  So it was out of the norm when I saw a fly in my house about 3 weeks ago, a small and slender fly, and one possessing such speed that it hardly ever alit, and then only for a very few seconds, if that. Yesterday, it seemed partial to landing on the front picture window. Maybe it is attracted to the outside and wants to get out there.  I hurried to get the (rarely used) flyswatter, but by the time I returned, the fly was gone. It landed several more times and, though the swatter was at the ready, it flew off before I could even pick the swatter up. 

  Today several hours passed without my spotting the fly, and I thought maybe the fly was gone; they can't live forever. But then, during V.P. Cheney's funeral service, the fly landed on the window, and I quickly took a swat at it. I was pretty sure I had hit it, but I  couldn't find the body. Just now, the fly buzzed by me as I write this.

 I consulted ChatGBT to see what the usual lifespan of a fly is, and found they can live more than 4-6 weeks under ideal conditions. They like to be warm. I guess they don't often  starve to death.

I am familiar with Emily Dickinson's "I Heard A Fly Buzz When I Died."  Today, I must have dozed off during Cheney's funeral, and not exactly waking up, I experienced  an illusionary state where I felt the warmth of the sun on my back and could hear the heavenly strains of "How Great Thou Art."  I don't really believe a fly would be a messenger though. 

Update;  POST MORTEM 

Familiar Quotation

 Now that Thanksgiving is almost here, our thoughts turn to Christmas. My granddaughter was happy to hear that her church was purchasing padding to put on the pews, so she was looking forward to how comfortable that 2-hour service was  going to be. 

 So that reminded me of Christmas services, specifically the reading from Luke 2:14:  

   "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in the  manger..."

A familiar and comforting reading, quite beautiful. BUT now in danger of ruining the entire spirit of Christmas for me, and I assume Luke. Some years ago, in order to modernize the Catholic church, the language was changed. I don't mean to no longer use  the Latin language, but to make the Bible readings sound more updated and contemporary, as in: 

           "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in baby clothes..."

My spirit of holiness flies right out the window.    BABY CLOTHES

Good Grief

 Last week I turned on the TV to see Jimmy Kimmel deliver a moving tribute on the death of a beloved childhood friend who had remained, with his family, entwined  with the Kimmel family for about half  a century, and who had died too young.  He was visibly affected by the  tribute of memories, but mostly retained his  composure in honor of his longtime friend.

  A few nights ago, I caught John Stewart's show, and saw him shedding actual tears. He who covers every event, of tragic or horriffic happenings, with his usual brand of sardonic humor, was openly crying---over the death of his dog. ...I changed channels, and not out of sympathy for him.

 But in calculating words for the November 30,000, I have not kept track  of how many I've written, probably a few thousand, which outnumber my spoken words, of only a few hundred. 

 The other night I dreamed that my car was stolen from my driveway. I had called my family and some were here; we were all calm and collected while we assessed what steps to take. When I woke up, I looked out the front window, and my car was still there. I'm undergoing the process of finding a new insurer, because my long-time insurer, Main Street America, is switching to only commercial coverage, so maybe that's why my mind was on cars. So another car theft image arose. One warm sunny day in September, a couple of years ago, B. called me, as was her new custom. She felt alone and bored in her house, as school had started and the neighboring kids were no longer playing on the street. I told her to come down, and we  could chat or she could watch the traffic go by. So she came to my house and we were talking and watching TV when she suddenly asked me to look out the window to see if her car was still there. I said look out yourself if you're worried. She said her neck was stiff and she couldn't turn her head. I said the chair swivels. So she looked out the window and her car was there, right where she had parked it a half hour or so before. Imagine that. (It's now 3:15, so Spelling Bee will be available. Good night for now.

Fie On You, AARP!

 You, AARP Bulletin of November/ December  2025, have betrayed my trust with  your cover article, "How Older Americans Embrace The Joys Of Living Alone." 

 Foremost, you use the term "solo ager" as if it were accepted terminology instead of something reminescent of a bad Star Wars sequel. Your Cover Story, by Sari Harrar, is titled "Living Solo," 6 full pages of "How older Americans are embracing independence and redefining what it means to age alone." 

Citing a study from sociology professor Elana Portacolone, author of groundbreaking research about the limited knowledge concerning the issues facing these solo agers, and even of the existence of those living alone, AARP takes it upon itself to answer the question of who today's solo agers are.

 To find this answer, AARP interviewed "dozens of solo agers and the experts now studying and assisting them."  That's right---DOZENS!  Old people and those trying to figure them out. But don't fret that this might not be an adequate sample, because the article states AARP also surveyed 503 solo agers from across the U.S. about their feelings and experiences, without explaining how the information from this survey was collected. 

 From these interviews and that survey, the AARP article reveals five, that's right, exactly FIVE, insights into the lives of this growing group.  I'll let  readers draw their  own conclusions, will lend you my copy if needed. 

  Of course, we who fall into the class of solo agers don't have to subscribe to AARP Bulletins, are not forced to read the articles, but are also free to cast aspersions on what is presented as factual and helpful, but reeks of false premises and assumptions. Solo agers, unite.

The Way Things Were---Briefly

 To be sure, there was once a  very active, if that word can apply,  group  of mothers of young children in Valley Falls--- if being active in a group means going to each others' houses with babies and young children for coffe or tea.  It's odd, looking back, a long way back, how some things come about with no specific beginning and certainly without  noticeable ending. 

  When my first child was born, there lived in the village, mothers of other young children: Nancy, Lorraine, Sandy, Sharon, Sally and I came to meet at each others' homes. I don't remember if they met before I joined with them, but I think the coffee klatches began after I was in association with them. Some  of us, including myself, and probably Sandy, may have been working part-time, but most likely they were not working during their early motherhood years. Most of us brought our kids  to those meetings, the older kids playing on the floor or outside if the weather permitted, while an infant slept in a baby carriage on the porch.

  It's uncertain how the meetings came to be, but they were an accepted and ordinary practice in the village, a happening that seemed a normal and permanent part of life. I don't think any of us even thought about how or when the last such meeting would be;  it was just a natural and self-evolving part of our lives. I suppose we talked about our kids. I remember some, if not most, were looking forward to the time their kids would be starting school. I was not of that mindset, really not wanting to turn my children's' lives over to others. But besides preferring either coffee or tea, I don't think there were ever any disagreements, certainly not about politics or government. And as per the culture of the times, the kids, though present, were not the center of discussions. The trend then seemed to be to downplay them, not to glorify them, as in present times. 

So I don't know what we could have talked about, or how it came to be decided to hold the get-togethers, or who determined whose house was next, or what time would be good. I only know, that while we had to have known these meetings would not last forever, they were such ongoing if insignificant life happenings, that their ending was  like  a cloud of smoke, drifting away with nobody being aware. 

  The point, if I have one, in addition to my adding to the 30,000 November words, is that our very lives are subject not only to surprise devastations, but in addition, to those  changes wrought by the inevitable passage of time. 

Moral of story: Nothing lasts.

Rant #3 Time Line

 As indicated, knowing that time affects outcome, I'll post here an example of a single case. (30,000 words are in the making) 

November 4, 2023, around 8 a.m.  I have been on the computer as usual, with no problems or issues. My cardiac history is unremarkable. I take one prescription,  HCTZ, for borderline hypertension, which seems to be controlled. I had a routine,which means brief, scheduled visit with cardiologist Dr. P. a few weeks ago, with no issues. I had recently gone to NYC with my daughter to see Neil Diamond's "Beautiful Noise" and had walked around the city a little, to restaurant and parking garage.And I had participated in Mechanicville's October Breast Cancer Walk, as usual. All seemed normal.  I realize that at my age I can't be surprised at any health issue arising, but that doesn't mean I can't be shocked by such.

   Back to the computer. As I sat there, my upper back started to hurt. It's kind of chilly in the room where the computer is because the windows are at my back. The pain persisted so I went back to bed  to warm up, but I soon got up and went back to the kitchen area. The pain was so intense that I knew something was really wrong and that I needed to get help. I sensed that  I was having a heart attack. There are cautions and warnings about how to recognize a heart attack. But I had no shortness of breath, no nausea, no dizziness or faintness, no arm pain, no jaw pain,  not even chest pain. The image of a large rectangular shoebox came to mind, as if it had been inserted in my chest area and had been pumped full of pain. There was no room for anything else. So I knew.

I looked at the clock.The time was about 8:30 a.m. I thought I'd wait until 9 before I called my daughter to tell her I  needed to go to the E.R. It was Saturday and their day off. But then I was afraid they would leave to go somewhere, so I called, probably shortly before  9 a.m.

  M. called 911 before she got to my house. I don't know how long it took, but Pittstown Volunteer Emergency Company, about 12 or 13 miles away,  arrived at my house and then drove me to Samaritan Hospital. I remember the attendant's shirt read J. Lebarron and I asked him what the J. stood for. He said Jay. He was very calm, comforting, and sent in all the testing results to the hospital, electronically. 

So a certain amount of time has elapsed since the onset of "The Event":  My delay in calling, the call to the Rescue Squad, their travel time to my house, then travel  time to the hospital. 

PVEC has only Basic Life Suport services, but they did a thorough job of alerting the E.R. of my condition, and I  bypassed the hospital emergency room entrance and was brought directly to the floor, where a doctor  soon appeared. She did a short evaluation and I was brought to a room where Dr. Benton appeared, as described in my previous rant. And then, I was hurried to the Cath Lab,where, evidently, Dr. M. had placed his orders. 

Dr. Maroney, Interventional Cardiologist,  entered the Catheter Lab at;

 11:49 AM Case Start (His notes)

12:26 PM His final entry before he left. 

 I never saw him, before or since, except "through  a haze darkly" in the Cath Lab, where the conscious sedation that was administered made his dimmed figure seem a mile away. He had spoken to my daughter; I was just the helpless blob.  

The point is  that since time is of the essence in complete heart blockages, any delay in treatment is dangerous to heart and life. In my case, the time from recognition to treatment was about 3 hours, but it was  probably about a little over an hour between  arrival at the E.R. and treatment.

It may be unwise to  pre-judge the decision made by Capital Cardiology Associates to no longer  perform inpatient services, including emergency catheterizations, at Samaritan, because I don't know all the conditions.  But they say they will continue to perform scheduled catheterizations. And, for instance,  it does not seem feasible or professional for a doctor from CCA  to perform such a scheduled procedure  without anticipating that the patient may need to be admitted. Then would the patient need to be transported to Albany?  

  This post is a reminder that just because higher management issues a statement about policy changes (transitions) that are for the benefit of their patients, it might not necesssarily hold true in real time.

  

Rant #2

 CCA has more than 35 Board Certified Cardiologists, as they advertise. The Burdett Avenue office in Troy has at least 8 Interventional Cardiologists affiliated with the Troy office, which is practically just across the street from Samaritan Hospital.  

A great many heart attacks occur suddenly and severely, and require emergency treatment and/ or intervention. It would seem that interventional cardiologists, with their specialized training, must have to respond to  many emergency situations. Of course, I don't know anything about the protocol, whether there is an interventional cardiologist always available for emergencies for patients whose optimal treatment would be in the Cath Lab.

 (Correction, I do know that interventional cardiologists are not always  available, not in any of the 3  Capital Cardiology hospitals. Dr. Benton was at Samaritan Hospital  when he recognized the  urgent need for a patient (known to me) to be sent to the Catheterization Lab at Samaritan. He ordered that the patient receive such a procedure, remarking that it was the best possible treatment the hospital could offer. Soon after, he returned to say that optimum treatment could not be provided  because there was no interventional cardiologist available. It was Saturday. We said we would go to another hospital, but he said no, he had made 8 calls and no one was available at any of the 3 hospitals, and offered the  treatment of an injection of some kind. The accompanying daughter spoke up, "You mean she's getting the second-best treatment?" Dr. B. left the room, then returned, with good news he said. He was able to contact a doctor who had just finished a procedure at Albany Med., was in his car, and he'd agreed to come to Samaritan's Cath Lab. Another  life to save, even if he would be late for lunch.  Dr. M.  verified the patient's condition and issued his procedural orders, all from his phone so when he arrived, everything was in order for an emergency procedure. Success!) 

 So it seems that interventional cardiologists can act quickly, and successfully perform procedures at a moment's notice. And I think several more cardiologists in the practice have completed their certification in intervention; they are the elite among doctors, as they are very well compensated. And after all, there is no heavy lifting in that job, only minimal physical contact;  the doctor does his work through the computer.

Capital Cardiology claims that the Troy office will remain open, and will serve outpatients at Samaritan, but red flags arise. If a doctor encounters a patient in his Troy office that needs medical care, maybe even suffering from symptoms of heart attack or heart failure, does it make sense that he would have that potentially critically ill patient transported to Albany when he could literally just cross the street to the state of the art Catheterization lab at Samaritan? 

 My suspicion that Cardiology  Associates is not being forthcoming about their future TRANSITIONS  is supported by the gossip I've heard from what seems fairly reliable sources-that for some reason, they are going to pull out of their relationship with Samaritan Hospital. I don't know if there are any other  interventional cardiologists who perform procedures in their Cath Lab. Probably not very many. My gossip source also says Samaritan is considering a Schenectady Cardiology group, but something about it is problematic. 

  This may seem like a lot of words spewed out about policy, but anybody who has a heart, especially an older model, should know what their options are, and that those options are subject to change, in sometimes mysterious ways. 

Enroute to 30,000 words,  but who's counting

Next:  Rant 4 Time Sensitive

 

30,000-- Minus "This is the part that doesn't make sense."

 I just saw that title elsewhere, but it applies in so many ways. When it comes to health care, for instance. Any time you receive a notification from an organization that carries the word "transition," you can be pretty sure that sonething not to your benefit is in the works. And medical organizations are no exception, though the stated premise for the transition is always to better serve the client or the customer or the patient. (Take warning.)

  I was sent a notification from Capital Cardiology Associates, from whom I've received care for over 20 years, though minimal to be sure, for borderline and controlled high blood pressure, until sudden escalation in the year 2023. 

    The message read that CCA , always re-evaluating how they can continue to bring the gold standard of cardiac care to their patients, and in order to fulfill that ongoing commitment, are making changes to how and where to provide certain inpatient services. Thus, the TRANSITION begins. Starting on Jan. 1, 2026,  routine inpatient cardiology services will be provided at Albany Medical Center Hospital and St. Peter's, no longer at Samaritan Hospital in Troy. Thus, they say, they can provide more consistent, comprehensive services with the full strength of team and resources. 

The Troy office at Burdett will remain open, they say, to continue to provide patient care and services. I would say that it seems their staff of more than 35 certified cardiologists is not keen on the idea of traveling to Troy. If so, then Samaritan would be a second rate choice of doctors. 

The Board  says the reason for the change is to consolidate care at AMC and  SPH, which  allows the delivery of more  coordinated care. 

(Whoever set the practice in that location in the first place should have recognized that it was not a good idea for cardiac patients to have to make a left turn to enter the parking lot, while driving uphill and stopping for downhill traffic from the RPI Fieldhouse, but that's beside the point in my diatribe here.) 

 Of course, all upper management, Board of Director decisions are made from the viewpoint of finances. We all have to accept that decision. What we shouldn't have to accept is being insulted as to the reason for that decision. 

  Here is the insult to our collective intelligence and,  even more than insulting, a disregard for the health of patients needing critical care:                                                                                                   "We will no longer provide routine inpatient cardiology services OR EMERGENCY CATHETERIZATIONS at Samaritan Hospital,but will continue to perform outpatient cardiac catheterization at Samaritan Hospital."

  I would propose that of the large staff of cardiologists present at the 2 Albany hospitals,  a qualified cardiologist might consider a presence at Samaritan in the fully functioning Catheterization Lab there when an emergency room evaluation results in the diagnosis of a severely blocked coronary artery, for which the preferred treatment is coronary catheterization and stent insertion. In such cases, time is of the essence, with a time window of 50-90 minutes before the heart is severely damaged or death ensues.

Capital Cardiology has about a dozen of the elite Interventional Cardiologists who perform heart catheterizations and stenting, as well as other cardiac surgeries. Their "large presence" could include those who are willing to travel 10 minutes to Troy to work their magic. And save a life.

  Scenario: A person is at home when he or she feels as if  they might be having a heart attack. Ideally, they don't wait too long before calling 911 Emergency Services. In more rural areas, depending on which district that person resides in, and the distance from the designated Responder, it may take 20 minutes or longer from the time of the call until the ambulance arrives at the afflicted person's home. 

I was informed by a spokesperson from the local Rescue Squad that they are  obligated to transport all cardiac cases to the nearest hospital, so off to Samaritan Hospital, maybe a 15 minute trip, and evaluated there for their condition. If it is deemed that the proper treatment is a trip to the Cath Lab for potentially life saving treatment, and while Samaritan has a state of the art Cath Lab, the patient's Capital Cardiology medical practice will no longer  perform emergency catheterizations there, only scheduled procedures. 

   I have no information as to what  arrangements, if any, are made to transport the patient to one of the Albany hospitals for treatment at their Cath Labs. I called the telephone number included in the email from Capital Cardiology --"Who can I  contact with questions about this change? Call us at 518-292-6000 and our staff will be happy to help."  I called this number on November 5, 2025. The person who answered had no idea what I was talking about, as to answering questions about the change, and said I could call the front desk. 

      TIME IS RUNNING OUT.

  To be continued in Rant #2 Cardio

 

    

30,000 Words in November

 I almost signed up for this challenge, of writing and submitting 30,000 words in the month of November. That would be about 1,000 words a day, a mere fraction of the words, now mostly unspoken, that flow through my mind in the course of a day. That these words would be unlistened to or unread is irrelevant. Here are some examples of what I might have written if I'd accepted the challenge:

  I had a vivid dream last night but because I hadn't documented it in writing, I'm doomed to having snippits of it insert themselves at random into my mind. Here goes: Marilyn is to come to my house and pick me up to take me somewhere, most likely to a doctor's appointment. Someone else is here with me, I can't recall who, a doppelganger maybe. It seems M. is late as when she enters, she is in a hurry (Big surprise.) I'm not ready, have not showered, so am afraid I may offend the doctor, say I won't bother to go, but I am overruled. We leave, but first must stop at the fairground and as we go by one of the main buildings, we can see that it is a fully stocked store, with all imaginable items on colorful display, awaiting buyers. I remark to M. that I had seen this before, in a dream I'd had. The rest of this present  dream is now lost, presumably never to resurface.

  Yesterday, at my final session of Cardiac Rehabilitation, the daily trivia question appeared on the board on the wall, as usual. I usually pose this question to my sons, one on email and the other in person. As I drove out of the parking lot, I realized I couldn't recall the question, had absolutely no memory of it. No big deal, benign question and probably delivered to patronizing recipients anyway. 

  This morning, as I was waking up, going through the process of what words would flood my mind that day, yesterday's trivia question sprung, unbidden, into my mind. I recalled the question, uncharacteristically trivial even in the spectrum of trivia:  "How many CHUGGAS  are there before CHOO CHOO?"  I had thought only 2 chuggas, but I must have been thinking of the title, because as Chris pointed out, by reciting, there are considerably more. 

(I don't have word count, or if I do, I don't know how to access  it, but this must be several hundred words and I could continue,  but I'll spare you, O Blog.

Ask and you shall receive---

 It's always the tires. And the TPMS light, which likes to stay lit, so I can't be sure if the tires are under-inflated or the light is just wonky. If a grandson is in the area, I ask their help in determining which is to blame. I used to check for myself, but can no longer trust finger dexterity to remove the valves, to say nothing of assuming the position. While the boys are at Stewart's, I may ask them to fill the gas tank as well. That is sweet of them, but can give rise to a complication. G. did both chores last week. This week, when  I went to gas up my car, I at first thought I'd lost my strength. I had to struggle to get the gas cap off, having to use 2 hands to unloosen it, until I remembered G. had fueled up and of course put the cap on. I should have known, because earlier this year, after B. had fueled my car, I was at Stewart's,  totally unable to remove the cap,was low on gas, and, spotting some construction workers crossing the lot, asked if they could help me. One very friendly guy, said sure and while holding his cup of coffee, reached down to remove the cap. He then put his coffee cup on the ground in order to give the cap a good twist, exclaiming, "That was really on there!"  Some people just don't know their own strength. 

  Well, it's now 3:10 AM by the clock on the computer, so Spelling Bee is on.

(Not Very) Much Ado About (Almost) Nothing

 I was out of bread yesterday, Halloween, so I went to sNs to get a loaf. I didn't need other groceries, but I picked up a few yogurts and a bag of candy, for the holiday if anyone showed up. On checkout, I thought the price of almost $13 seemed high, for just 4 items, but chalked it up to those inflationary increases. I don't usually check prices on my grocery receipts, as everything is computerized anyway, but I happened to look at this receipt and saw I'd been charged for 2 bags of candy, at $3.99 each, when I'd only bought one bag. 

  I figured I should have noticed it at the time and reported it, because how could I prove that I hadn't left the store with the 2 bags of candy. I didn't feel like returning that evening, so I almost gave up on going back to the store to claim I hadn't received a paltry $3.99 item. 

But I had nothing else to do today, so decided to try my luck; maybe they'd believe me and tell me to pick up another bag of the candy. I needed some other stuff anyway. So I go to the Courtesy Desk and no one is there, as is usual. But I saw a man with a SNs shirt taking inventory, so I asked him if anyone would be at the desk. Soon a woman appeared behind the counter. I told her I had been double charged for an item and presented my receipt. She spoke not a word, but opened the register, counted out 4 dollar bills, and handed them  to me, along with my receipt. I said thank you and left.   (She didn't say "I came all the way out of the break room for this!"  But maybe she felt that way. 

   As I said, no big deal. 

Here I am at the computer, expecting to open Spelling Bee, which comes on at 3:a.m. While my clock reads 3:05 AM., the computer reads 2:05 AM. I suppose Daylight Savings has come to an end. So I wrote the above account to pass some time.