cut the med, cut the hair, cut the grass

Wednesday was my twice yearly follow-up with the electrophysiologist, my afib doctor. The protocol for the medication he has me on is a check in every six months. It's been four years since I had the ablation for flutter and he put me on meds for the afib. The low dose of the sotolol he started with wasn't having much effect so he bumped it up to the higher dose. Now, after 4 years of twice a year visits and ekgs showing a good sinus rhythm each visit he is reducing my med to the lower dose. Says I'll have more energy. More energy?! Seriously, the last thing I need is more energy. That's what my primary care doc said when he put me on thyroid medication those decades ago which at the time I didn't so much as walk from place to place as charged ahead from place to place. And my blood pressure was good so I was glad to have about a half hour waiting before being called in as I could feel it rising as I got into the horrible Houston traffic. I'm glad his office is a couple of exits inside the beltway instead of right smack in the middle of the city.

The other thing I did this week was get my hair cut. When it gets to the point of being put up in a bun or ponytail basically as soon as I get up then what's the point of keeping it long. 

Pulled back in a bun the gray is more apparent.

Besides, it's summer now with the attendant humidity so I went Thursday afternoon. I want something different this time, I told her. I don't know what I want exactly but I want it short, maybe just two inches, I told her. Off my neck, out of my face. Two inches is a bad idea, she says. We looked at pictures of styled cuts. I don't do styling, I don't use product, I'm a wash and let air dry kind of gal. I wasn't looking for a 'look' so basically I told her to just cut it. She started and the first cut was over one ear. My eyes got large, maybe even winced a bit. Should I turn you around til I'm finished she asked. A weak little 'no' from me. Second cut above my other ear, another little wince and maybe a whimper. Are you going to cry she asked. Another weak little 'no' from me. The die was cast and she cut and cut and cut. There was a small animal on the floor when she was done.

I'm reminded of the adage 'be careful what you wish for'. My hair has never been this short. Ever. It's a pixie cut she says. I like the way it feels. I like the way it looks in the back. 

Not too sure about how it looks from the front because of the way my hair curls above my temples. Oh well, I'll get used to it and it will grow out. I did think it would be curlier though.

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The riding lawn mower es muerto and the mosquitoes are horrendous out there, big black ones and teeny little ones, hiding in the tall grass waiting for me to wander in the yard. Seriously, they swarm you and run you in the house so today, Friday, I fetched the little electric mower from over at the shop and did the front yard. Took me almost two hours what with all the stopping to toss away the hidden fallen branches and clearing out the shredded grass and leaves clogging it up and the break I took to cool off and drink some water. Tomorrow I'll do the big backyard as far as the heavy duty extension cord will reach.

I have to get up soon to start dinner when what I really want to do is lay down and take a nap. A simple meal...baked cod fillets, buttered new potatoes with dill, and the handful of green beans I picked this morning,

and now that the first Fredericksburg peaches are in maybe a sliced peach too.

And just because they are so glorious, here's another picture of the zinnias.