I’ve Got the Blahs

I've started four articles in the last week and haven't finished any of them. I think I'm in the doldrums of the sea of life, adrift in the horse latitudes so to speak. So I'll start again now and just ramble, and try to think positively. Like the old song, "You've gotta ack-cent-u-ate the positive, E-lim-inate the negative, latch on to the affirmative, don't mess with Mr. Inbetween."

 The economy is part of the trouble, the country's, the world's, and my own is giving me the blues, because there isn't much I can do about it. Just gotta roll with the punches, I guess.

I was filling my two weekly pill boxes this morning and discovered I have only 4 of my heart pills left so I made a trip to the nearby Indian clinic where they honor my Medicare supplement insurance. The doctor there gives me my prescriptions, but I get the medicine in 90-day supplies in the mail. It's cheaper that way and I don't have to drive 40 miles to the closest drug store and back.

They did my monthly blood-clot test with a neat little device that does a finger poke and gives the test numbers right away. No more blood drawing. My numbers are off. My blood pressure was off - too high, and I lost 5 more pounds when I thought I had gained weight. Still, 138 lbs. isn't a bad weight for me who used to be 5 ft. 8 ½ in. tall but now shrunken to about 5 ft. 5 in. I was overweight for a long time so it seems strange to be bony again. They called in the new male nurse who is a doctor's asst. and he did the tests over, and they turned out better. I liked him. He has a calm and easy way about him.

My pickup truck doesn't sound right - it shudders, especially when I apply the brakes. I hope a wheel doesn't fall off. I wonder if it's the brakes, but I don't think so. I can't pay for vehicle repairs right now. It needs an oil change too. I guess I'll have to park it as much as possible for most of the rest of the month. But today I had to drive to Jacumba after I left the clinic to empty our week's collection of garbage in the dumpster at another house our landlady owns.

After I unloaded the garbage, I stopped at the library to return three books and pick up five more. Reading is also keeping me from writing for Gather these days. I love to escape into a good book. I've been reading several crime/murder mysteries by Phillip Margolin. I picked up another today in large print as well as a love story, a western or two, and a spy story I haven't read yet.

Spring is definitely here. My daughter Jane is between jobs and taking advantage of a few 'free' days to get her garden areas cleaned and dug up ready to plant next month. She has organic seeds left from last year to start in the containers she will cut from plastic milk jugs. I will help her in the garden, and also try to keep down weeds and brush near the house to reduce wildfire danger. I plan to raise tomatoes and bell peppers and maybe some egg plants and lettuce in containers. I can buy topsoil instead of depending on the poor soil that exists here. That way I keep my plants safe from gophers and rabbits, too.

The weather has been fair and actually too hot. I think it was over 80 degrees for several days and too warm at night. I'm going to have to try to put one of the small air conditioners from my trailer into my bedroom window. I've always been able to do that alone, but maybe not any more. Everything seems too heavy lately - the bags of cat and dog food, the kitty litter, pails of water to scrub the floor after all the dog and cat traffic.

I've rambled long enough. I made a banana cream pie today and I think I will go cut myself a second piece and have a glass of milk as I listen to the 11 o'clock news. I'm trying not to lose any more weight, you know. Maybe I can write a real article tomorrow.

Sweet dreams all you nice people. It is wonderful to have you all as friends.