Suzy Knows

Suzy knows. For 40 years I have been solving the problems of my husband's coworkers. Last night I got a call from one of his closest work friends. She needed health insurance advice and thought that I would know more than Social Security and the union. I did. She was confused as to why she received a Medicare card a year before she turns 65. She actually got the card a few weeks ago and put it to the side. She saw it yesterday and decided to call me because "Suzy would know what it is about". She got it because she has been on disability for two years and the government has given her Medicare as her primary insurance as of March 2020. I then informed her that the union would enroll her into their managed Medicare plan, so she should expect an Aetna card in the mail. I told her to call the union next week just to make sure they know what to do. By the time I got off the phone, she totally understood her medical benefits. She was so grateful and I was glad to help. Suzy knows.

Frustrated

I am trying to do a project and nature is working against me. Nothing is working out correctly. I cannot find picture albums that I have seen every day for 30 years, They have left their usual spot and are in hiding until they want to be found again. Chemicals that I have mixed to perfection for the past few days are not mixing correctly today. It is as if this project is not destined to be. I am silently being told to abandon the project for now, until it is the correct time to try again.

Surprise Gift

I finished my pendant project and it came out perfect, but I made too much resin mix. I had nowhere to put is as it cannot be dumped down the sink. I grabbed a bangle bracelet mold and poured the extra resin into it, so when it hardens I can pop it out and get rid of it. I looked at the resin and decided to throw something into it to make a design just to test the mold out. I had pure 24K gold sheets that I have used for other projects. They are very delicate to use and fall apart easily. I took a toothpick and slowly submerged a few of them into the mold. Then I kept adding and adding until the mold was completely filled with gold and resin. This morning when I got up, I was surprised. The bracelet is magnificent. It is 24K gold encased in clear resin and looks like gold nugget. I put it on and it fits perfectly. What a great surprise!

The Perfect Piece

I am creating a new piece of jewelry for myself and it needs to be perfect. I know exactly how I want it to look and I am almost there. I just need one more component and that is the hard part. I need a tiny flower. The kind I want are abundant in the summer but here I am, in the beginning of winter, searching for the unicorn flower. I need about 1/8 inch of it and I refuse to buy a dried bouquet for $20 to get the tiny piece I need. I will go from store to store until I see what I need. I will be obsessed until the piece is done.

Roo-teen

I am back to my regular routine, or roo-teen as my sister and I like to joke. This week has flown by. I remember saying that I had ten days off to sleep a bit later. Where did those ten days fly to? I don't remember sleeping late or doing anything that I had planned. I went away for a few days and the other ones just melted into oblivion. Here I am, getting back in the car and driving to Brooklyn to see my father. That part of the routine is the best part.

More Hugs

I woke up this morning looking forward to a few more hugs. Hugs are like food. They fill you up and keep you satisfied. The best hugs are from my granddaughters. As they get older, our bond gets stronger. They feel about me the way I feel about them. That is priceless. Soon we will have our bagel breakfast together. Bagels and pretty girls are the best.

My Gifts

As I get older I am more specific about my wishes. Today Christmas and Hanukkah share the day. All I ask for is health and happiness. Nothing else really matters in the long run.

Shelby Knows

Shelby knows that we are going away this morning. He has a frown on his face and is refusing to eat. He is angry and sad. When he sees a suitcase he knows the jig is up. By now he should be confident that he will be back home in a few days.

7am Laugh

I love to start my day off with a laugh. At least I know that I had a good beginning. Most days it remains upbeat. The good laugh is always with my sister. It can be about any nonsensical thing. This morning it was about me being an eternal optimist. We decided that if I saw a plop of brown "stuff" in front of me, I would say it was chocolate pudding. Most people would say it was a lump of sh*t. In reality it would be sh*t, but I choose to believe it is chocolate pudding. Life is easier for me like that.

Early Drive

I am on my way to get my father and bring him back to Brooklyn. It is very early. His dialysis day changed due to the holiday on Wednesday and we did not want him to miss Hanukkah dinner last night. I do not think I slept a wink last night. Oh, and yes, today is my birthday.

Home Stretch

We are in the holiday home stretch. This weekend officially kicks off the holiday season. Hanukkah begins on Sunday and it is also my birthday. I go away on Tuesday for the mid week holiday celebration. I am looking very forward to that. It will be a relief to see my couch cushions again, as they have been lined with gifts for weeks.

Morning Business

It is 8am. I have already done more paperwork than most people do in a week. I wanted to tie up all loose ends before I leave the house this morning. I have opened accounts, changed passwords, filed claims and paid bills. I want to have a clear head for the holiday season. I love it when I have a blank to do list. I do not know how other people procrastinate. That would drive me crazy.

Visiting Mom

After work today I will visit my mother. Every three months we go to the cemetery to say hello. We go as close to the 20th of the month as we can because she died on the 20th. We will tell her about the family, but she already knows everything. We will look at her name etched in stone and think that is is surreal to see it. We will place rocks on her gravestone and clean any weeds or leaves that we see. I am bringing my own clean rocks as my mother still deserves only the best. It is always cathartic. She is with us every day, but the cemetery gives us a structured place to grieve. We will then go to dinner and be happy, just as she would want us to be.

Nice People

Everywhere I go I meet nice people. Yesterday I had a medical procedure. From the greeter on, each and every person was wonderful. The office was well run. I was taken early and the doctor had the best bedside manner. As I left, I thanked each staff member for being so kind. They said that no one ever tells them how good of a job they do. A few weeks ago I was talking to my father's case worker. I told her that the aides are great and that her help was wonderful. She said that no one ever tells her that and that no one ever likes the aides. Then she said something that I keep replaying in my mind. She said that everyone I meet is kind to me because I bring that positive energy along with me. I am the reason they are so nice. Whether it is true or not, I liked hearing that.

Glad I Met You

Last night was pretty awful. I had to prep for a test this afternoon and the time to do the prep is ten times longer than the actual procedure. I needed to call in the reinforcements for encouragement. I spent the night watching television and texting. My husband hid downstairs as my discomfort made his stomach hurt, so he removed himself from the cheering squad. The star of the night was my grandson. I facetimed with him for one hour. He had no idea that I was feeling bad. To him it was just a visit with Grandma. We talked about everything. We went over school, friends, holidays and home decor. He read me a book and went over his parent teacher conference results. When it was time for him to go to sleep, he looked in to the camera and said, "Grandma, I am so glad I met you". What a nice way to end the evening.

Best Theater

I went to the movies last night. It was at the best theater. First, I was welcomed by friendly people. Next, dinner was offered. It was a very tasty meal in a well decorated room. After the meal, I was escorted into the main screening room and was assigned to a perfect seat. It was comfortable and my vision was right in the center of the screen. I was offered a light blanket as theaters get a bit chilly. Since the movie was a long one, almost 3 1/2 hours, there was a short intermission. The lights went on and dessert was offered. The intermission was 1/2 hour. I then went back to my assigned seat and saw the remaining 1 1/2 hours of the film. When the film ended, I stood up and stretched. When it was time to go home, my car was waiting at the door. It was a wonderful experiences, just like the stars have. This is a private theater, by invitation only and you cannot get a Groupon for it. Thanks, Larry and Barbara for a fun night!

Less is More

Sometimes it is better to know less until you know it all. Bits and pieces of put together information can be dangerous. We can conjure up fantasies and tales and none of them are reality. Sometimes it makes us feel better and sometimes it scares us more then we need to be. The best way to do things is to wait until the final verdict is in and then take it from there.

Chameleon Capsules

My medication has changed again. Not the type I take, but how it looks. There is no standard and I have heard people complain about this for years. It is especially serious with the elderly who get used to one look of a pill only to have it changed and confuse them. I wonder how many senior citizens have died from "medication confusion". I will give an example of what happened to me. Years ago I started taking a medication. It was a white pill with a red stripe around it. Years later, I got my prescription in the mail and it was half orange and half beige. After years of getting used to that look it changed to all white. It stayed all white for about a year and when I opened a new bottle this morning, lo and behold, it was white with a red stripe around it. A blast from the past. How confusing is that? Same medication, three versions. It is scary and unsafe. Why doesn't the FDA regulate this? I guess the government is too busy chasing rabbits to make sure it's citizens are being medicated properly.

Crafts

It is holiday season and this year I ran out of ideas for gifts for my co-workers. Out of nowhere, an idea popped into my mind. I would make a flower garden from terracotta flower pots and fill it with paper flowers and origami butterflies. Each one would have a poem on a mini placard. The poem said to "Weed your garden of anything that does not bring you pleasure". The garden is a metaphor for life. Your life should only be filled with positive, beautiful things. In some cases, the unpleasant things cannot be removed but have a purpose. In other cases, they are unnecessary and just clog up your garden with ugliness. Those are the things you need to weed out. Life is like a garden, ever growing, ever changing. Weeds have no place in it.

12/12/12

Today is my granddaughter's 7th birthday. The time has flown by so quickly. I remember every moment of her birth. I remember the call saying she was on her way and the call the next morning that she was born. I was sitting at this computer writing my blog when my son called to tell me that he had a daughter. He said she was the most beautiful baby he had ever seen. She is even more beautiful today. She has grown into a kind, caring, sweet and smart girl. When I am with her, every second is special. I will see her again next week and am looking so forward to it.

The Rules

Before you sign on to a promotion or join a club, know the rules. Even better than knowing them, understand them. For the past year, my boss has been telling me about her computer ink club that sends an ink every few weeks for $2.99. I told her that it doesn't make sense that Hewlett Packard sells ink for $2.99 when it usually sells for $20. She said that it was a special offer. I didn't say another word. Yesterday she asked me to call HP to see why they charged her credit card $40 for the ink. When I called, I was told that the promotion wasn't really for the ink. It was for the "printing service". For $2.99 a month, she can print 50 copies. That month she printed 392 copies. I asked how they knew this and they said that they link to her computer to see her usage. If they are linked to see how much she prints, can they see what she prints? It seems that she has been charged more than $2.99 many times and never noticed it. She didn't know the rules.

Perception Revisited

Years ago I wrote a blog on perception. It started off with the sentence, "Perception unchallenged becomes reality". For the past few months we are living in an unchallenged country. If one side is not allowed to give their opinion, is a situation a fact? If I was having a debate with a friend and I was told that black is white and I was not allowed to show that white is white, then black becomes the new white. A one sided debate can prove any point. I saw that when I visited Salem, Massachusetts. Is a girl a witch? Some people reading today's blog will disagree. So be it. That does not mean they are right. It means that is their perception.

Rainy Day

I woke up this morning to rain. It is also Monday. A rainy day and Monday. I know there is a song about that and today the song holds true. It is not that rainy days and Mondays get me down, it is that rainy days and Mondays make me want to stay at home cuddled up watching television. I was only away for the weekend, but it seemed like I was on vacation. It is hard to go back to work mode. I have no choice, so I am up and dressed and starting my day.

Going Home

The days have flown by. I am up and getting ready to leave for the ride home. I hugged the girls a million times last night and promised to return in two weeks. I miss them already.

Great Evening

Last night we went to dinner with my son, daughter in law and  granddaughters. After dinner we spent time alone with the girls, playing games and talking. They are two little ladies and very interesting for being so young. They can carry on a conversation like an adult. Today is the birthday party. I can't wait.

On the Road

I am up and dressed and ready to get on the road. Thankfully it is a beautiful day for a drive. I can't wait to see my girls!

Levels of Problems

Yesterday there was a slight problem at work and my boss put the blame on everyone else but herself. The reality was that something fell through the cracks, but nothing earth shattering happened. I made an appointment for her at noon. She usually comes in at 1:30. The appointment was cancelled a few days ago. She was not informed. She came in and realized that she had no patient until 2pm and flew off the handle. I let her vent and said that I felt bad that this happened but I was laughing inside. First of all, she was complaining about coming in "early", to someone who shows up to her office at 7:30am to start the work day. To me early is 4am. Next, we have an interactive schedule and if she had taken one moment to look online she would have seen that the appointment no longer existed. Her bad. She was carrying on to someone who is too old to care. I have important problems in my life and complaining about being in her own office 2 hours early is ridiculous. Once she got her anger out, she calmed down for the day. It is a good thing that I have an easy going temperament.

RSVP

I am in charge of the party list for my boss' holiday celebration. She hosts it in her home and it is a lovely party.She has good food and drinks, but the guest list is the same people she works with. That type of party needs to be held at work. As lovely as the home party sentiment is, it is also uncomfortable. Other than work, no one in my office has anything in common. I have been to three out of 16 parties and can remember each one of them as being awkward. The years I have missed were the ones that coincided with my granddaughter's birthday. Some parties sound good on paper and should remain there. So far 27 awkward people plan on milling around her house, waiting for the appropriate time to leave.

Decision

I hate to have to make a decision about whether or not to drive to work in the snow. I hate to be late, but I love to be safe. This morning my son texted me that it is dangerous and not to go to work until the roads warm up. I think I will heed his warning and leave a bit later. I would rather be safe than sorry.

Peasant Remedies

I am up and dressed and ready to go to work this morning. I feel better than I have for the past four days. Normally when I get a terrible cold it lasts for at least two weeks. I take antihistamine, decongestant, guaifenesin, and sometimes antibiotics. There are usually at least two doctor visits thrown into the mix. When I got sick this week, I decided to go old school. I would treat my ailment the way they did in the 1800's in Russia. I lived on a diet of porridge for breakfast and soup for my one other meal. During the day I sipped hot water. I did not use a tea bag, it was just boiling hot water. Each day I felt a bit better. Today is day four and I am feeling pretty good. Maybe all of the medicines we take so flippantly are not the best thing for us.

Levels of Sick

There are many levels of feeling sick. I got a bad cold on Thursday and it got worse on Friday. Saturday was a washout as I never left the couch. Today is even worse. I have reached a level of sick that has never been visited before. I made my bed without the fancy throw pillows. This is insanity. My throw pillows are placed neatly on my bed every day through thick or thin, in good times or bad. In sickness or in health? I guess it did not pass that litmus test. If I do not make my bed tomorrow morning, it is time to call the ambulance.