Sunday, April 24, 2016

a few things happened


There was the flood, which I went and checked on at Riverside Park for the last time Thursday about noon when the river was at 47.81 feet, creeping up to the sidewalk along Elm St., and then lost interest. The SW side of town did flood and I gather some people did get water in their homes this time. I don't know how many or if those troop carriers carried anyone anywhere. The Buckee's and the Nan-Ya plastic pipe plant and the Los Cukos Mexican restaurant on the river bank got water on their grounds but not in any of the buildings. It did not ever spill over into Elm which runs parallel. It crested at some time at some height and is now receding.


Besides that and obsessing over the yard all week, I went to get a bone density scan. Now that I have Medicare, I can do things like that. Not that it matters since I'm not planning to take the medication but it is good to stay on top of things. It's probably been 10 years since I last had one and yes, they say I have osteoporosis, then and still. I don't take the meds because they don't work and have heinous side effects. What those drugs do is prevent your body from breaking down old weak bone which prevents it from building up new strong bone. I'd rather have strong porous bones than weak dense ones and I do yoga for strength and flexibility. I got the results and again declined the medication. I asked for a copy of the report which said I was at high risk of a fracture but the summary further down gave a 12.5% chance of having an osteoporotic fracture in the next 10 years with a 3.1% chance of it being a hip. I'll take those odds especially since almost two years ago I fell hard on the concrete on my hip and wrist with no fractures.


And it was Earth Day on Friday. This is the first year I've missed posting on Earth Day. The theme this year (I hadn't realized it had themes) was trees. We need more trees. They are the breath of the planet. They are sentient, just like all life on Earth. I may do a belated post.


And I finally pulled out all the tomatoes and squash and beans I had planted one week before that frost in March. They stopped growing and never recovered. Five weeks in the ground after the frost, the root ball had not grown one iota. In fact the zucchini was smaller than when I planted it. I left in the peppers and the Japanese eggplant because they seemed to be recovering but now I think not. I replanted the tomatoes and the squash and beans.


And, of course, Prince died. When asked how it felt to be the greatest guitar player in the world, Eric Clapton supposedly replied, I don't know, you'll have to ask Prince.  Below:  Prince plays the blues


And a squirrel knocked the tea cup off the hanger...again and broke the saucer...again. I haven't fixed it yet since I need to find a new saucer.


And I hauled everything over to the shop and set up to photograph the magnolia leaves.  



And finally, tired of waiting on this job (yes still waiting again after having just gotten started, it's been a week and a half now), I got out my model making stuff and am making another stab at the little leaflet for the pink flower, you know, the one that turned into the alien geode. I'm making it a little different this time, flat and more stylized. I also started getting the bark waxes set up for casting.

    



















10 comments:

  1. The flood turned out to be less than expected .... a good thing. I am with you on the osteo meds. When the cardiologist decided to try a beta blocker for my irregular heart rhythm, I told him not to put me on a newer drug, that I did not care to be a guinea pig for big pharmaceuticals. He agreed with me and gave me a very cheap tried and true generic.

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  2. I'm glad to hear that the flooding hasn't reached your property and you're still able to work. Take care.

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  3. Well, no one can say you didn't have a busy week! I'm with you on trees, obviously. And I'm with you on not taking medication if you can avoid it -- but no more falling on your hip, please. :)

    The squirrels here have been vicious to our garden this year. They've completely demolished some of Dave's new plants. Little blighters -- to use a British expression.

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  4. I'm with you on the osteoporosis and the meds. When I broke my arm they tried to push them again. I made the osteo doc admit the exact fall I took would have broken a teenager's arm. I'm 73; I have a trainer for balance and have eschewed long nightgowns.
    The little flowers are looking good.

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  5. Been hunting morel mushrooms all day. I thought of falling and not being able to get up while climbing all morning by myself.

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  6. My mother was on those meds for years. She still broke her ribs, falling out of bed, and that's what led to her death.

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  7. I am glad you dodged the flooding. That can set you way back in terms of living a normal life. NOt sure about the meds as I have osteoporosis, but I will research more before I go off of it.

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  8. Those bark pieces are fabulous. I'm a fan of a lot of weird things, and bark is one of them. (And, yes: pecan bark is good, too, or peppermint bark.)

    I see the water's going down here and there, although there still are some issues around Houston. It didn't occur to me until this very minute that we also could say, "The river rises, the river falls..." It's the way of the world.

    Hope you have a fabulous, productive week.

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  9. I'm right with you when it comes to taking meds "to help my bones". I rather do the exercise and stretching. I'm not littering my body with too much nonsense if I don't have have to.


    This was a fantastic summary post. By the way, I had no idea that this year's Earth Day theme was trees. Weird, since I ended up writing a poem about deforestation. I guess not so weird, since our Green Lady speaks... if we listen.

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  10. When I had my hip surgery I had to have a bone density test to make sure my bones could handle it. Fortunately I was just fine. Whew! I did notice that a lot of my calcium comes from non-food sources (I take a supplement). Interesting that they can tell. I don't know why I'm surprised :)

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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.