Today I go with my Momma to her kidney specialist. This will be her 3rd attempt to see the doctor. The first TWO appointments were cancelled. I could understand once, but was surprised when it happened again. Dharma couldn’t believe it either!
But what’s that got to do with the cost of insurance?
Directly before her appointment to see the doctor, she’s scheduled for bloodwork. Not only is that charged to her Medicare and to her gap insurance, but she still has to pay some out-of-pocket. Then she gets a call from the doctor’s office cancelling her appointment. Then she’s rescheduled.
Before appointment #2, there’s another trip to Schneck Medical for bloodwork that’s again billed to Medicare and her gap insurance. She again pays some out-of-pocket. Then she gets a call from the doctor’s office cancelling her appointment. Then she’s rescheduled.
This is a perfect example of why insurance premiums are crazy expensive.
By now my Momma’s had enough. Not only is it a wasted cost for Medicare and her additional insurance provider — but she’s tired of paying money and getting stuck for nothing.
We’re going today without bloodwork #3 done. Mom’s plan is to tell them they can use the results from one of the previous tests because she’s not going to keep repeating the process. I don’t blame her!
Now you know: In July 2002, Keiko, the orca from Free Willy, was released into the wild after 23 years in captivity. He soon appeared at a Norwegian fjord, hoping for human contact. He even let children ride on his back. ❤️
Where poop goes when you flush isn’t something you think about. It just goes where it goes, right?
When moving back here and going from city sewer back to septic systems, I’m exposed to things that remind me how different waste removal is for rural properties.
Rural sewage removal systems are visibly different in the following ways:
Visible access risers
Fast-growing and green grass stripes
Huge mounds of dirt
The smell of poop (sometimes visible) in the ditch
ONE: Here at the barndo, there’s a series of access risers.
Dharma inspects them frequently…
The barndo’s seller explained they spent a lot for the system to avoid the mound — but I don’t know what the system is called. I know from experience it has a pump with an alarm that blares when the power goes out. I also know they attempted landscaping around all but one riser. I’ll be tackling that job soon. 😵💫
TWO: Green grass stripes.
The Villa, (the small house I had built in 1986 and lived in for about 25-years), has a conventional septic system with a series of lateral lines that carry waste out through the drain field via gravity. The grass grows fast along those lateral lines making glorious bright green stripes in the yard.
THREE: Big mounds of dirt.
The house I grew up in has a mound system. Their entire backyard is basically unusable and I’m happy I’m not the one mowing it.
FOUR: The smell of poop.
Taking a walk down this country road there’s one area where the smell of poop is pretty darned overwhelming during hot summer days. The home responsible for the stench utilizes a straight pipe that disperses poop and waste directly to the ditch. (UGH — it’s nasty and something should be done about it.)
Rural sewage systems can have environmental impacts if not properly managed.
I’ll take the smell of poop and put it in the “con” column for country living. I’ll consider it a win that I’m not mowing a mound of dirt or strips of tall, thick grass. And since I don’t mind those access risers here, I’ll put a big fat checkmark in the pro rural living column with the notation “POOP.”
Now you know: In Iceland, males are able to revoke their ex’s rights to their surname.
Pretty sure I could begin every post in the month of April and May with “today I did yardwork.” Except for today… it rained last night so now it’s too wet. I’m thrilled about that because I need a break.
My landscaping crew needed a break also.
Pear trees to boxwood shrubs to thorny bushes…
In the early 2000’s, there were 3 pear trees planted at the Villa. Large when purchased, they arrived on a semi trailer. I can’t remember the name of them (they weren’t Bradford or Cleveland) — and I don’t recall them stinking. And at the time, there wasn’t talk about how invasive Callery pear trees are or that they disrupt nature. They were beautiful in the spring and again in the fall.
They lasted about 10-years until one spring season of storms wiped out all 3. Of course, I’m done with those.
Next came boxwood shrubs…
The Seymour house had boxwood shrubs on every single side. Trimming them — and cleaning up the debris afterward — was AWFUL. Some were already allowed to grow too large and cutting them back too much would leave sticks instead of green. I’ll NEVER have those suckers again either.
And now I’m plagued by thorny bushes that rip flesh from my arms and legs.
Mowing next to a wooded area is hazardous. Getting close to the edge of a tree line means thorny vines will reach out to grab body parts. Cutting them back doesn’t help because they grow like wild fire. They’re just a part of rural living I have to deal with.
Unlike pear trees and boxwood shrubs that you can get rid of — those those thorny vines are there to stay.
Now you know: Researchers have found almost 10% of U.S. adults ages 65 and older have dementia, while another 22% have mild cognitive impairment.
I’m not a morning person. Dharma is not a morning doggie.
Nevertheless, we went outside and pulled weeds — along with Merida — for the biggest part of the day yesterday.
The previous barndo owners were decades younger and it shows.
I mentioned yesterday that one of the flowerbeds here is large. Today, I measured it. It’s 48 feet long and 6 feet wide. And there’s about 3 times that much waiting to be landscaped in addition to that space.
There’s NO WAY I can keep up with all that… especially in addition to all the mowing and weed eating around here. We girls just don’t have that much energy anymore.
Hakuna Matata!
Hakuna matata has a connotation of not worrying about things outside of a person’s control. It’s fitting in this instance, even though I’m not Swahili, because concrete edgers will be delivered tomorrow. Of course, it’s supposed to rain (again!), but I’ll get those edgers placed whenever.
The weather — along with about everything else in life — is out of my control. 🙂
Now you know: The first African American woman to win an Oscar, Hattie McDaniel in 1939, wasn’t even able to attend the premiere of the movie she preformed in because it was held at a whites-only theater.
Whenever you have time to kill, you might want to head over to check out Google Trends. Interesting to know what was trending for different periods of time — and it’s even searchable by location.
There’s also a section on dreams.
Data has been compiled by Google from those searching for the topics of their dreams for the past 25-years. I found it odd that some form of “your teeth are falling out” tops the list of searched terms almost every single year. Spiders, snakes, flying… those make sense to me.
Even dreams about a red-winged blackbird haunting a house seems reasonable. (Happy I didn’t dream about it since that would mean someone or something evil is lurking.)
Why do dogs…
Google says the most asked questions about dogs start with the word “why.” Topping that list is licking — hands, feet, legs. Next is all about eating poop, drooling and nibbling. (There’s a page on cats too but I didn’t care enough to click it.)
And finally, just want to share that I’m happy Mr. Pesky only has 2 eyes.
Today it’s back to New Albany with Mr. Pesky. Eye surgery yesterday on his 2nd eye and final check-up today. Pretty happy he only has 2 eyes… I have work to do. 🙂
Now you know: The infamous serial killer, Ted Bundy, once rescued a child from drowning.
