Doctors. Lab and Karen

 

Well, it's that time of year again--lab work, nurse visit and yearly physical.  YUCK.  I liked the last physical I  had.  We did it over a zoom call.  There wasn't a scale in sight!!  This time,  the nurse marched me right over to it.  I told her to note on my chart that each ear ring I had on weighed 40 pounds.  

I got my flu shot but passed on the shingles shot.  At $400, I decided if I can live with the skin problems I have now, I can deal with shingles, if need be.   But, all in all, it was an OK visit.  The physical is next week, after my lab results are in.  It was very busy at the lab with a ton of old people.  I told Tony I ran into a "Karen" at the lab and of course, she was from New York.  The hospital has an automated system in front of the lab door.  You are supposed to face the machine and put your right wrist on a reader so the machine can record your photo and temperature.  Well, this lady breezed on by it like it wasn't even there.  She also breezed by the line at the lab window and went instead to the Urgent Care side of the room to check in for lab work.  She was not happy when she was turned around and told to stand in the lab line.   So, this woman finally gets up to the front of the line to check in and the lab worker told her she had to go back into the hallway and have her picture taken and her temperature done.  She did, but when she came back in, she was at the end of the line.  She was not a happy camper.  

Like I said, it was a busy place, so after I checked in, I waited for almost 20 minutes before being called, so I was sitting in the front row for this show.  OK, so "Karen" huffs her way back to the hallway and does the photo/temperature thing.  She comes back into the lab area looking for a seat--didn't happen.  The place was full and every other seat was blocked off for social distancing.   

So, I'm sitting in the front row for a few more minutes and a lab person comes out and calls for, "Jan."  I think she was going to finish the name, but "Karen" cut her off and yelled, "that's me."  Turns out her name was Jan, too.  So both of us are approaching the lab person and "Karen/Jan" keeps saying, "that's me, I've been waiting."  The lab person said in a very nice voice, "I understand ma'am, but this is my patient."  She was nodding toward me as she said it.  So "Karen/Jan" keeps going.  "But you called for Jan, can't you just take me?"  The lab worker said, "no ma'am, I can't, you are both Jan's, but I have her paperwork, not yours."  

So, "Karen/Jan" realizes that the whole lobby is kind of snickering at her so she goes to sit down.  On a positive note, she did get my chair, but she was one aggressive chick.  

Today we are headed to "downtown" Leland...a good 1/2 a square mile of space to go to an event.  My Leland Magazine editor and his wife will be there so we decided to get together and meet spouses.  I'm looking forward to it.  After that, we're going to a placed call Second Glass to wine and appetizers.  It will be a nice day out.  

Next week--the physical.  UG.

Writing and Writing and Other Stuff

 

I think I am an example of things changing in an instant.  From August, 2020 to August, 2021, I wrote for Cape Fear Voices.  After a shake up in editors and some nasty stuff, I quit and started to write for Leland Magazine.  A step up, since I get paid for my work.  

Well, there have been more changes at Cape Fear Voices.  The egotistical editor is gone and now I am writing for both papers.  I'm working on the Writer's Banquet in March and I'm helping out at Leland Middle School with the Journalism Club.  

It seems like I go from no activity to doing lots of things in a very short time.  I am enjoying myself so I guess this is a good thing. 

And so we are moving into November.  The weather has been great.  Since the Browns weren't playing yesterday, we went downtown to the boardwalk and went to a favorite restaurant for appetizers.  We went to a new restaurant and had some really good food and drinks and then came home and played music roulette with Alexa.  Today, I had a meeting with the Leland Cultural Arts Center where the Banquet will be held just to make sure everything is on track.  

I also found out that the mayor of Leland, who is not running for office again, has agreed to be on the Cape Fear Voices Board of Directors.  It will be good to have a heavy hitter on our team to help get things done.

David and Brenda have been married for 5  years this month and Tony and Marie for 10 years, also this month and spent a week in Granada to celebrate.  Time flies.  David, Brenda and the girls will be in for Thanksgiving and we will be in Charlotte a few days after Christmas. Same script as last year and always fun.  

Our Palm Pointe Social is October 30th and we're all bringing food.  This will probably be the last one for the year.  We've had a really good time getting to know our neighbors and sharing stories with people who have just moved in. 

Another year will be coming to a close.  It went quickly and happily by.

  

Back Home Again

 

We spent a fast weekend in Cleveland for my high school reunion.  I had a good time.  I actually got to hug 2 cool guys.  I was not cool in high school.  I was just present and pretty much invisible.   They were very nice about my high school crushes and blushed appropriately!

Tony, as always, was great.  You can take him anywhere and he just blends right in.  He talked to friends of mine and took good care of me. 

We got to see Jenna's kids but had to wear masks.  I was a bit disappointed in Ben this year.  He was very aloof, at first not allowing me to hug him and then, when we were leaving, he did allow a hug, but did not hug back.  He wore his mask the entire time we were there and didn't say much.  I am hoping it is just a matter of being 15 and bored by grandparents visiting. 

The other kids were a hoot.  Tony played dodge ball with them in the back yard and Jon joined us on the deck for some lively conversation. 

Ellie is getting more and more beautiful.  Sam is the image of Jenna and Zach took great delight in showing me how he could bend his ears over like an envelope and dislocate his shoulder blades.  I just love them so much. 

It is taking Dixie some time to get readjusted to our routine.  She woke Tony up 4 times last night to go outside.  The last time was a 4:00 a.m.  Of course she slept in this morning and just kind of glared at us if we walked by her bed and woke us up.  I told her to look on the bright side, at least she didn't have to take us to the bathroom. 

I am getting ready to start on my third article for Leland Magazine and am having a good time.  

I'm also doing some research and writing a section introduction for a book that Gerald, my friend at Cape Fear Voices is working on.   All in all, I am keeping busy and enjoying the milder weather. 

 

Back to Cleveland

 

Well, here we go again!  Back to Cleveland.  3 times in 3 months!  This time it's for my 50th high school reunion.  But, the best part of the trip for me will be seeing Jenna's kids.  I can't wait.  I'm sure they will all be taller, even though I have told them every year not to grow.  Ben is in high school.  Wow, time flies quickly by.  

After this visit, we won't be traveling for a bit.  David and Brenda are coming for Thanksgiving and we will probably go to Charlotte after Christmas.  I can't believe that Alex is 4 years old already.  After that, Donna and Bob are back in town.  We've gone full circle again. 

My writing is going well.  My first article appeared in Leland Magazine on Tuesday and I am ready to submit my second piece which will run in November.  I'm getting to meet some very nice people and have tried some "interesting" wine.

I'm loving the weather--it's getting cooler and the humidity is on the decline.  Thank goodness.  We have change of seasons down here, so it's nice to see the leaves changing to gold and red. 

We are still "covid tired."  I hate wearing a mask, but I understand the reasons that I should.  I find that I don't spend as much time in a store when I'm wearing my mask.  Maybe that's a good thing--saving money.   Stores down here seem to be divided--some have a sign on the door saying you have to wear a mask and others don't seem to care. 

Well, it's time to iron and pack up for Cleveland. 

Hopefully, I'll have a ton of pictures after this visit that I can post. 

50 Years

We spent some time in Cleveland celebrating Tony's sister and her husband's 50th  wedding anniversary.   We had lots of fun and good food, but I think we all walked away appreciating our respective spouses a little bit more.

Another brother-in-law made them a tape for their 20th wedding anniversary and I think he is going to use the pictures I took at this event as like a Part 2...The Last 30 Years.  He had pictures from their wedding in 1971, right up until year 20 of their marriage.  There were so many happy memories on that tape--for them and for all of us.  We all know that being married is hard and you have to work at it, but seeing the tape made us all realize that the person who is beside you every day is worth the work and effort. 

It is indeed good to be home.  This trip was tough on my legs and knees.  I'm still on the fence about going back to Cleveland for my 50th high school reunion on October 2, but if we get to see the kids, I will go, knees or not. 

I am doing part 2 of my 3 part series on wineries in the area for Leland Magazine.  We're going to a winery called Duplin in Rock Hill.  It's one that we haven't been to before, so I will be writing it from a new perspective.  

I had coffee with one of the editor's from Cape Fear Voices today.  He said my writing is missed and asked me to take a few months to decide if I want to write for them again.  I did truly enjoy writing for them, it was the politics that got in the way.  He even said he would double my old salary....um, I wasn't getting paid there, so ha ha ha.   We will see.  

Tony is encouraging me to look into the North Carolina Writer's Network and the editor said I should look into writing contests to get my name out there more.  Again, no decisions yet, but I'm thinking about doing both.  The NCWN has some really great events where I could learn and contribute.

Dixie is not enjoying the thunderstorms we have been having of late.  Even her doggie marijuana isn't helping.  

As it draws closer to 4:00, it's time to sit on the lanai with Tony, have a glass of wine and listen to music.   It's a part of the day we both look forward to.  Dixie too!

Here are some event photos:

Tony and "the bride," Donna

Tony with sisters, Rose and Donna

The happy couple--50 years!

 

A New Opportunity

It's finally September!  We will still get some hot days, but not like July and August where it was hard to breathe when you were outside.  

Tony took me to Oliver's in Southport for my birthday.  It's one of my favorite places.  The restaurant sits right on the Cape Fear river.  We watched boats go by and plenty of birds looking for food.  It was a perfect evening. 

I have stopped writing for Cape Fear Voices.  I'm not sure how long I have stopped, but in the meantime, I started writing for Leland Magazine.  Unlike Cape Fear Voices, this is a paid job.  My first assignment is to write a 3 part series on wineries in the Brunswick County area. 

I will be going to Silver Coast Winery on Tuesday to meet with the owner to get some information and pictures for the article.  

Leland Magazine has a totally different feel from Cape Fear Voices.  I have done all of my correspondence with the Leland Magazine editor via email or text messages.  It feels kind of impersonal.  Maybe the longer I write for them, the better I will feel. 

David and Alex are coming to visit on Thursday.  Brenda is visiting her sister with Birdie, so I will get to have Alex all to myself (Oh, OK, I will share with Tony!)  I can't wait to see them.   We bought a small wading pool for Alex and are going to put up our canopy in our backyard so I can sit with her.  

We will be in Cleveland next week for Donna and Bob's 50th wedding anniversary dinner.  That will be nice.  I will be taking  pictures and helping Donna get ready for the event.  

Not much else is going on, but I feel like we're doing a lot.  Maybe because I'm getting older, some activity seems like major effort.

Am I the only one who feels that way?

Cleveland and Birthday's

It's always fun to go back to Cleveland.  We drive by the old house, see friends and have quality time with family.  Unfortunately, it was heavy on my heart that we couldn't see Jenna and Jon's kids this time.    As they get older they have more "stuff" to do, so with Ben's band camp, Ellie's summer school and activities in general we had to put off our visit with them to another time.   I hope it is sooner rather than later. 

I got to see Joyce, my golfing buddie and friend.  We went to a nice restaurant for lunch and Tony joined us later for drinks after having lunch with Dave from Parker Hannifin.    We all had fun. 

I didn't get to see my friend, Debbie.  Cleveland was full of rain and since she had to drive us, she was a bit hesitant to go out.  We'll get together next time.

One of the highlights again this year was Neighbor Lunch.  We had the first one last year and everyone enjoyed it.  Peggy and Alex Szabo hosted this year in their beautiful home in North Royalton.  I'm sure this will become a yearly event. 

We also did the August Birthday's dinner; as Bob, Donna and I were all born in August.  That was a lot of fun, but it was really, really hot.  As always, Donna and I found time to do some shopping and have our nails done.  Might as well massage the Cleveland economy too!

I finally got to see my sister, Fritz, bowl.  Our father bowled and played golf, so it's almost fitting that she bowls and I attempt to play golf.  She has been playing for years but I never got to watch her.  I enjoyed our time together and I can see why she goes to tournaments.   

We were able to see our nieces and nephews and spent some quality time with them.   Lucky for us, most of them enjoy wine as much as we do.  

The ride back was uneventful and then, David and Tony Jr., came down to take Tony to a concert and play some golf.  We went to dinner for my birthday at a nice Italian restaurant and ate way too much.   The guys played golf before the concert and the "3 Men and a Bond" trophy will be going back home with Tony Jr. 

All in all, it was a good trip and good to be home. 

This year's Neighbor lunch...from left:  Ralph Quarando, Gordon Hathaway, Peggy Szabo, Me, Dee Judy, Gail Doane O'Dell, Lynn Viancour.  My sister, Fritz is in front of me.  Earl was not in the picture, but attended. 

Last year's Neighbor lunch...from left:  Lynn, Earl Melvin, Fritz, Peggy Szabo, Ralph Quarando, I am in front of Fritz, Gail Doane O'Dell is in front of Peggy

I got a "sister" pillow from Fritz for my birthday