Monday, April 17, 2023

 Monday, April 17, 2023

  

   Elsa and I had an eight am appointment with the vet. She needed her shots updated. I asked to have her ears checked but not to treat her skin condition. I was dealing with it. While I could go inside and be with Elsa, I chose not to and waited in my car as I had during Covid. The vet called. These young vets, fresh out of school, want to fix everything. The vet's voice vibrated with alarm and excitement. Elsa had a terrible ear infection, and it was directly related to her skin condition. No one had ever told me that before. They were treated separately. Previously, the vet gave her a shot of something good for a month. I couldn't get her ears wet.  

  Had I tried hypoallergenic food? Yes. Had the medications the doctor prescribed worked? No. Did I bathe her regularly? Yes, I lied. I try to do it once a week. Those last words reflect my good intentions, not what I actually do. When I checked the calendar, it had been a month between her previous two baths. I'm supposed to do it at least every other day when her skin is bad, using this antiseptic soap I get through the vet. I also learned the foam they recommended is a cleanser rather than a medicine. Keeping her clean is the key.

 Because my right hip bothered me on this morning's walk, I messaged the orthopedic surgeon who performed my hip replacement last June. I love this woman. She talked to me, assuming I was a reasonably intelligent human who would understand her medical explanation for my problem. It made a huge difference. I don't trust people who feel I should accept everything they say because they are experts. By midday, I had a phone call from her appointment nurse. 

    Dr. Salassa had an appointment available for noon the following Monday. I need to get a new X-ray of my right hip. June, here I come. Who is June? The X-ray technician at my local Kaiser clinic. We've become bosom buddies.

   I was exhausted early today. I haven't felt 100% for a while. I didn't know what the problem was. I wake up feeling good. Then I need an hour or two nap around ten am. When I got up, I finally got the courage to call the church to see how much it cost to put an ad in the bulletin. I figured I would be doing the church a favor even if I didn't get any business from it. I was surprised to learn that there might not be any more room. Usually, both sides of the last page are devoted to ads. The back page is full, but the other side is primarily pictures of church events. I've always interpreted that to mean they were short on ads. The person on the phone said they would ask Fr. Lio if there was room for another ad. She asked me what it was about and my name. It occurred to me later that she didn't ask for my number. Did she know who I was and figure she didn't need to ask, or did she forget?

 Paulette texted to tell me she would be home after eleven if I wanted to come up and get Kangen water. Elsa went nuts when I picked up the blue bottles for the water. She was so excited. Elsa loves visiting Auntie P. She throws a cat toy mouse to her the whole time.

  As I started up the long driveway, Elsa was almost groaning. Knowing how obsessed she was with Auntie P, I had no compunction about letting her out at the bottom of the long driveway. Elsa took off. I honked the horn to attract Paulette's attention; she was in the driveway doing some tree trimming. Elsa came back to me. I couldn't move because I didn't know where she was. Paulette called her. It took several tries before Elsa charged up the driveway to Paulette and that toy mouse, and it was safe for me to drive the rest of the way.

 Paulette, Elsa, and I retired to their outdoor lanai. Paulette and I talked story. We also talked about grief. We're both widows who miss our husbands. Are we better off for our happy marriages? I hear some women talk about how happy they are to be alone. I miss being loved and loving.

  I came home to continue working on the updates. I fall behind so easily. All I have to do is miss a day.

 I had Adolescent D at two pm. We continued working on his need to do nothing. He said to me, "Did my mom talk to you? I got out of school early today; now. I have to go early." Huh? He was inarticulate. I wonder how much poor verbal expression skills are behind his problems. As it came out, his sister was in a play, and he had to leave early to attend it. It was hard getting information out of him. His mom was already at school. His dad was home and driving them there for the performance. It would have been good if his mom had arranged an earlier session. I had the time.

 Darby heard Elsa bark as we passed her house on our before-dinner walk. She quickly threw on shoes, grabbed a mask, and rushed out to catch up with me on the last lap of my walk. I realized I was down; I had been down since Monday when the dentist did a number on my head with his pessimistic talk. I had consciously pushed those aside; no point in thinking about it. But my body had not let go. Talking to Darby lifted me a bit. Hopefully, I will be up to full steam again tomorrow.

    I heard a talk on one of my Sunday NPR shows about having three brains, the one in my head, the one in my heart, and the one in my gut. How's that for twisting words. We have three decision-making centers. They are often in conflict, but we have only one brain. Those other centers are the nerve ganglion in the heart and the one in the gut, but they are not brains. The brain is the organ in the head.

  I tried to watch an episode of Mrs. Maisel last night. Amazon had a technical problem. I finished watching Madama with Toni Colette. Wow! The movie is great, except it's a downer. No, it's not violent, but it does not show off the best of humanity. That's all I want to see at this point. I found another movie on Amazon, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. It looks delightful. I will finish watching it tomorrow night. It's a movie Mike and I would have loved to watch together. We had similar tastes. While he had more tolerance than I did, neither of us could stand violent or scary movies.