Wednesday, June 7, 2023

 Wednesday, June 7, 2023

   When I checked Elsa this morning, her skin was free of that rosy glow that indicated inflammation. That poor girl! She deserves a better human.

 The scale said 146.5 this morning. I remember it being at 145 yesterday, but I didn't record it. Yesterday, I only had 12 Hersey's milk chocolate nuggets with almonds. The weight increase was from the fruit salad I had yesterday. I have a worse reaction to fruit than to poor-quality chocolate. Go figure! 

  As I turned onto Kukuna from Nehiwa to head up the hill, I ran into Janice. We have known each other since I volunteered at Kealakehe Elementary School. She has since retired from teaching. I often saw her walking with another woman. Lately, I have seen her walking alone. Her walking buddy has been on the mainland tending to her ailing sisters. They seem to be in need, one after another. It would be nice to walk with Janice. I know she would appreciate a walking buddy, and so would I, but it would have meant missing my climb this morning. My legs were doing so well I didn't want to forgo it. 

   When I posted last year's update onto the blog, I was reminded that THR can go wrong; any surgery can. A friend of Yvette's has dropsy as a result. She can't stand without a brace. Her profession requires her to stand for many hours. I'm not in bad shape. The doctor said I could easily go another five years. I'm not in pain. I wasn't in pain with my left hip. I had a limited range of motion and limped, but I wasn't in pain. I want to do the THR on my right hip now because of my age, my overall good health, the surgeon, and I have the money to pay for my health insurance. It doesn't cost me much. All I had to pay was $300 last year; that's it. I love Kaiser. I love the Kaiser doctors I have met.  

   Yesterday, I posted the following on Facebook to promote The Phonics Discovery System work.

Teachers and Parents:

Do you want a fun way to teach phonics using exploration and discovery instead of endless deadening drills? Check out The Phonics Discovery System on YouTube. It's surprisingly engaging and effective. 

When I checked it this morning, I found at least four errors in spacing, spelling, and word choice. It's not the best advertisement for my expertise.

   Walking up almost to the top of Kukuna was a breeze. I walked nearly 5,000 steps before I got home. I ran into Michael again as he was heading up the hill, and I was coming down.         

   Michael is visiting from England. He does work for some folks who live a few blocks from here. I have yet to find out what it is. I am curious. This morning, he asked me if I had had a haircut. You'd better believe it. He said I looked much younger. I have felt bedraggled. I hadn't attributed it to my hair but to my state of mind, which was not good. It was a lovely boost.

  I was supposed to have Adolescent D at 2 p.m. I called to let him know I was on. He told me he was at a friend's; could we do it later? When? 7:30 p.m. That's not a great time for me. I reminded him to tell me ahead of time. I'm generally free, but not always.

  I left to do some chores. As my friend Carol recommended, I locked Elsa in my bedroom with its tiled floor. Knowing Elsa, I figured she'd do her business right on my side of the bed just to let me know who's boss. We'll see. When she comes out, she'll go to the lanai and do her business on the carpet.

  My first stop was Kaiser to get the latest vaccine booster shot. After that, I drove to town to drop off the glass bottles at the Atlas recycling center. I had emptied out our whole trash barrel. I didn't want to drive around with that much glass in my car longer than I had to. Next time, I'll take it all down at once. I got $5 for it. I just donated it to the homeless. I assume the folks there keep it. They can't be making that much money. However, B told me he had taken down a collection of cans once and had collected $80. That's nothing to sneeze at.

  I was about to head home when I thought I would stop at Jack Be Click around the corner to speak to Bailey. Brian argues that I'm defeating my electronic systems using two different operating systems, Apple and Microsoft. Things would operate more smoothly if I used only Apple or Microsoft. Brian loves Apple products; he finds them more reliable. Scott has taken it upon himself to research which iPad would be best for me. If the computer's memory is too low, Zoom won't operate well. Instead of asking Brian, who seemed fed up with me, I stopped to ask Bailey. 

   I have called Brian repeatedly to tell him I get messages that my WIFI connection is unstable. He checks his equipment and assures me all is good on his end. He has made it plain he is sick and tired of me calling in a panic every time there is a fluctuation in the middle of a Zoom meeting. Now, Scott is on the job. He has had the same experience with my Internet connection. When my WIFI glitched, his WIFI immediately switched to Yvette's downstairs. Hers glitches, too, but not as much as mine. Scott is trying to figure out what is going on. There are dramatic fluctuations in the strength of the signal. It varies from spot to spot in the house and from minute to minute. Brian has told Scott that's how it works. If that's the case, why didn't he tell me? Scott sees Brian as low-key and quiet. I see Brian as restrained impatience.