A Summary

 

So much going through my head

Willamette Temple

Health

Friendships

Pain

          I have a friend who has always wanted

to see the “Mormon” temple.  I had invited her

 to the open house.  We went day number one.

No lines.  No waiting.

She enjoyed some of the tour, but not all of it.

Of course she had questions.

 

We went out for lunch;  she had a rice bowl with

a southwestern flavor.  I had chips and guac.

We enjoyed one another’s company.

It had been a long day for each of us.

 

I don’t know when I started getting sick. 

I either threw it up, or it went directly

through me without digesting.

I was to the point of eating only a few

ounces of food at a time.

Within a week I had lost 14 pounds.

What was making me sick?  Did I have a virus?

  I don’t think I was contagious as

neither Jaime nor Richard ever got sick.

 

Richard decided to try his hand at the flea market. 

Jaime went with him on Friday. 

He said there were only three vendors. 

I went to a different location on Saturday.

There we befriended a couple and arranged

for someone to pick them up and take them

to church on Sunday.

I went to church mostly out of obligation

 to them.  I left before the first meeting

had ended.  Jaime took me home.

 

I was up all night on Sunday.  Up and down. 

In bed and on the toilet. I woke up at 8:15

We went to the home of our new friends and

took them to Springfield so that they could

see the temple.  They are

forever grateful.

Eating food off and on.  Sometimes it takes.

Mostly I’m still feeling like I have traded

my cough in for something worse.

Where is my happy medium?

An AWFUL Tasting Cure

             Buckley’s cough syrup’s slogan is "It tastes awful. And it works." Both accounts are true.  I remember a time when it had been offered in the states but do not recognize that anywhere in the states had it.  I had to order it online.  Canada is not that far from where I live.

I don’t remember the taste being so awful when it had been available in the states.  It is by far the worse tasting thing I have ever put in my mouth.  The very idea of having it in my mouth is enough to make me vomit.  Apparently they offer a cough drop.  There is no way I would suck on anything that taste like their cough syrups.  I have had three spoonfuls thus far.  I think I am cured.  I think my cough my finally be gone. 

It was an expensive purchase but well worth it – even with the foul taste.  I don’t even know what to compare it to.  Every other nasty thing I’ve tasted in my life somehow tastes so much better.  Even the water from the Lithia Fountain in Ashland has got a better taste to it.

They could rename it 2020 and still not capture

the true awfulness of how it tastes (year felt)

I Blame Gemini

           I know there are some people who enjoy having one’s Google history transfer to each device that they use. They find it convenient.  I find it annoying.  I don’t want what I search on my computer to be on my phone or vice-versa.  I use my phone to occasionally look up different search options to help me with answers to puzzles.  I don’t need that on my computer.  And I don’t need Gemini to make suggestions based on my history.

          The first time I downloaded it, I didn’t know what I was in for and have tried to ignore every update that is given.  If I don’t choose a time the phone does it for me.  I DIDN’T WANT IT!  Grrrr

          So there was one time it seemed to transfer numbers from previous contact lists I had made.  Okay.  That will save me from having to add them later.  But why the rush?  Why not just give it to me to begin with instead of a year and a half delay?  Then there’s the reminder that I have duplicate phone numbers.  Well, of course I have duplicate phone numbers!  Does the system want me to merge them.  I said yes.  But transfer is not necessarily a smooth one.

          Two weeks ago my sister called.  The ID indicated that it was “probably aunt Shelly” what?  I hadn’t saved her number under a phrased.  Perhaps Jaime had.  I hadn’t thought much about it until there was a group text made to several members of the ward.  It’s contents are Kim, Gary, Father, Ang . . . . Father?  Who’s father?  I looked it up and found Richard’s number attached.  What the heck is going on?

          I started to scroll through my contacts and found all kinds of names that Jaime had made reference to.  How did all her contacts transfer over to my phone?!?!?  I showed her and she said I could delete them.  One at a time?  I have better things to do than go through my contact list or phone messaging or anything just to clean it out.  What?

          I handed Jaime my phone and she had it cleaned out within a few minutes saying she hoped that wouldn’t mess up her own phone.  I think it did.  But not to the same degree.  I told her it was alright if she had deleted everything and I could just start over.  Thus far I have not had to. 

          At least I had actual names and not the nicknames she once used for everybody.  Brother 1, Brother 2, Brother 3, Kidnapper, Coffee Table . . . now I will get occasional reminders – though I hadn’t understood the first one to be related to the invasion phone switch but had received said message shortly after all her phone numbers made their way into my phone.  I don’t even know what event appeared but it was to take place in August.  Oh, thank you for the heads up.

          Today’s pop-up was reminding me of the wedding on October 20.  I will have to ask Jai if she has a wedding scheduled to attend that day.  Not loving the AI!  I need to return to Consumer Cellular.  They never messed with my phone!

That is what I see

 During the night my eyes deceive me.  

The toilet paper and trash can become an owl.  

Healing and Itching

 It's not so ugly anymore.

  Gradually the scabs will turn into scars.

Tastebuds

 

          I was not fond of mayonnaise when I was in my youth.  I thought Miracle Whip was the bomb.  Today I cannot stand Miracle Whip and I think mayonnaise makes the BLT or tuna fish sandwhich.

 

          My parents (or Santa Claus) would bring us Life Saver books with ten rolls of lifesavers.  I would always trade my Butter Rum lifesavers for my brother’s wintergreen.  I LOVED wintergreen.  It is no longer my favorite.  There are probably sixty flavors I would put above Wintergreen. 

 

          I also loved Spearmint.  I remember Wrigleys had a Spearmint, a Double Mint and a Juicy Fruit.  I think the Juicy Fruit was my favorite of the three.  But as I recall the Juicy Fruit flavor did not last for very long.  And the Double Mint was my least favorite. Today I like Peppermint better than Spearmint.  I don't know if Wrigley's ever offered a peppermint.  They did offer Big Red as I got older.  A very strong cinnamon I think I had only twice.

 

I now like Double Mint but have not had sugared gum for a couple of decades as I find the flavor lasts longer in the sugarless gums.  For the most part I have to stop chewing before the flavor is gone. I like Orbit Sweet Mint.  I absolutely hate any flavor of Trident.  That would be worse than putting Miracle Whip in my mouth.

          So there you go. Some things you find tasty in your youth do not carry over to your adulthood. Fun, huh?

Omigosh

 

          I was calling the VA to inquire the amount on the latest bill.  I had used the 888 number instead of 866 – and the remaining digits were the same.  The first was for a life alert – which I could probably use – but that is not the number I meant to call.

          So the first answering machine tells me that I may qualify for life alert absolutely free.  I then get a robot named Jessica who tells me the benefits and asks questions but answers (though in a human voice) didn’t always match the response (can you imagine)

          I finally get an actual human who is walking me through the routine and asking questions and providing expression and the more we talked the more I figured this “free” was going to cost me even more than my time.  All I wanted to do was understand the VA statement was so high.  I finally guessed my error and hung up on the life alert call.

          888 and 866 was the only difference – which I still didn’t figure out until just before I started this post.  I think I should return to bed and attempt to restart my day.