cheerfulmonk.com

September 25, 2024

My last driver’s license was set to expire this week. The rule has been we have to renew in person and take an eye exam if we’re over 75. I had scheduled to renew it early, in late July, so it wouldn’t be hanging over my head. But I had to cancel that appointment when I fell and broke my hip July 21. Then the question was would I be able to drive before the license expired? Would they renew it if I was temporarily incapable of driving? Finally on August 8 I decided to make an appointment to get it renewed as late as possible. If worse came to worse I could always cancel again.

But instead of making an appointment for me to come in, their site renewed my license for a year! I checked their website and they still talk about having to come in for the vision test every year, so who knows what’s going on. We’ll have to see what happens when Andy renews his in January.

At any rate, I am grateful. I only drive the few blocks to the grocery store, and I won’t even do that until I’m sure it’s safe, but the MVD spared me some possible red tape. Again, I’m grateful!

September 24, 2024

September 23, 2024

I checked my email while I was gone those weeks, but I wasn’t diligent about tossing things in the trash after I read them. So Thursday evening I finally faced up to sorting through the 400 or so left in my inbox. I was getting close to finishing when somehow everything in my inbox got highlighted when I was trying to delete a few more, and everything went into trash. So I then had to look through the 1400+ items there and look for the ones wanted to save. Sigh.

That has never happened before, and it may never happen again, but just in case I’m going to start emptying my trash a lot more often!

September 22, 2024

gocomics.com/boundandgagged

She knows how to live the good life.

September 21, 2024

As long as there is love, there will be grief. The grief of time passing, of life moving on half-finished, of empty spaces that were once bursting with the laughter and energy of people we loved.

As long as there is love there will be grief because grief is love’s natural continuation. It shows up in the aisles of stores we once frequented, in the half-finished bottle of wine we pour out, in the whiff of cologne we get two years after they’ve been gone.

Grief is a giant neon sign, protruding through everything, pointing everywhere, broadcasting loudly, “Love was here.” In the finer print, quietly, “Love still is.”
—Heidi Priebe

September 20, 2024

The visible progress you’re hoping for usually comes slower than you’d like. Even with consistent effort it can take a long time before progress feels significant. It might be a year of writing and editing before the book really starts to come together. You may need two years of recovery from a major injury before you notice just how far you’ve come. It may take two years of yoga before you realize how flexible you have become.

Take a deep breath, stop worrying about immediate results, and settle into a nice routine.
—James Clear

That’s what I’m doing now. Figuring out the nice routine I want to settle into. So far it’s going well…there’s no hurry.

September 19, 2024

I had my annual physical with my general practitioner today, and she wanted us to talk about anything and everything I chose. She had all the time in the world and we talked not just about medical issues, but also about options when Andy and I need more help in the future. She suggested I come back in six months rather than a year because so much has been going on she wanted to check in and see how things are going. How great is that?

I actually started the conversation by giving her a printout of an Economist article, Do women make better doctors than men? Research suggests yes. She said she had read other articles about that, and that the gap seems to be getting more narrow. We agreed that was a good thing, it’s not women vs men, it’s about doctors listening to, and caring about, their patients. That’s why Andy and I feel lucky to have her.

I asked her about Covid boosters, and she said they haven’t gotten them in yet, so don’t wait to get them at their walk-in clinic. Go to Smiths or Nambe Drugs and get one. So we did. We went straight to Nambe Drugs after the session with her was over. At first they said we would have to make an appointment, then they said the gal doing it had a cancellation so we got the shots right away. How great is that? A big item off the list of things we wanted to do.

September 18, 2024

I’m glad I don’t have a kitten climbing over me when I try to sleep. I snuggle with Lamb Chop instead.

September 17, 2024

This is my favorite kind of weather. It was a great day for relaxed puttering around the house, clearing out a few more things. My physical therapist was supposed to be here at 10:30, and I wasn’t concerned when she didn’t come on time. About 10:50 I was starting to text her to see if she had forgotten, when she phoned. She had been enjoying the day too, contentedly getting caught up on some paperwork when she realized she should check her calendar. Oops! She wanted to know if it was too late to come over. No problem. She was pleased to see me walking and gave me some exercises to do.

The rest of the day was relaxed like that. Just what the doctor would have ordered.

September 16, 2024