April 5, 2013
Dear Everyone:
It’s been a very “Jeannie”-centric week.
Taking “Jeannie” to the grocery store to stock up on “easy to prepare”
meals that can be opened with one hand.
Ditto single-cup coffee packages.
Her current “favorite gift” is the single-cup
coffee-maker that
“Frankie” had sent her as a birthday present late last year.
It sits on the dining room floor
because none of the electrical outlets in the kitchen are working these
days.
The fact that it can make single cups of coffee is a good thing.
Otherwise, there would be fresh and used coffee grounds all over
the place. Just try making
coffee using only one hand, and your non-dominant hand at that (right if
you’re right-handed; left if you’re left-handed).
And see how much coffee you manage to get into the correct orifice of the machine.
Now try doing it on the floor.
Taking “Jeannie” an Easter Basket, complete with chocolate eggs and
bunnies. This was fortunate
when a former neighbor child dropped by to say “hello” and went away
with a chocolate bunny that was 75% ears (the best part, since everyone
starts with the ears, of course.)
Finding and buying a new sling to replace the one they gave her at the
hospital. This sling had got
in the way of too much food.
And it cannot be machine-washed or tumble-dried.
This is because it will either fall apart in the washer or melt
all over the inside of the drier.
Either way, it would be bad.
The new sling has many good features:
Adjustable strap. Not
one, but two, of the all-important thumb loop (who knew?) first
introduced to us by the orthopedic specialist the previous week.
And best of all (this really made me laugh), an inside pocket
just for your cell phone. I
got two slings: One to wear
and one to hand-wash and line-dry when the first one gets in the way of
too much food.
I also picked up a plastic bag filled with some kind of gel “balls”
called “peas” (reminiscent of the traditional bag of frozen peas.)
You can put it in the freezer for an ice pack.
Or you can “nuke” it in the microwave for gentle heat.
It is imminently “squish-able”, which means you can mush it
around into just the right place, like around your elbow.
As soon as she tried it, hot out of the microwave, “Jeannie” decreed it
to be her “second favorite gift”, for now.
Taking “Jeannie” to the doctor to get authorization to continue
refilling her prescription for a pre-broken-elbow condition.
Then taking her to the pharmacy at the Big Warehouse Discount
“Members-Only” Store, where the doctor’s office had transmitted said
prescription.
This pharmacy is usually the best place to get prescriptions filled.
I used to use the one near where I live, until my
health
insurance made a “sweetheart deal” with another national chain.
The prices are generally very good.
This is because it’s what’s known as a “loss leader”.
The store loses money on the prescriptions, but they get you in
the door and you may buy something else.
In fact, they ensure that you will do some “impulse shopping” by not
“filling” the prescription until you show up to fetch it.
Then they tell you that “it just came in” and it will be ready
“in about twenty minutes”.
Translation: “We got it over
an hour ago; but we won’t touch it until you get here.
Then we’ll make you wait at least a half-hour in the hopes that
you’ll impulsively buy a new set of snow tires, just because it looks
like such a great price!
Never mind that you don’t need snow tires.”
This morning, I took “Jeannie” to the Annual
Quilt Sale at the local
Hospice Thrift Shop. She’s
been looking forward to it for weeks.
Quite the Event among the Thrift Shop Elite.
She’s giving me the next two days off, so I can decompress.
In the meantime, she’s threatening to draft various friends and
neighbors to drive her around, just in case she needs to go anywhere.
Next Monday, we’ll go back to the
orthopedic specialist for a follow-up.
And start all over again…
Love, as always,
Pete
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