How we take these things for granted!  Good health and a head clear enough to drive down the block for a quick haircut and to Freddy’s to buy a white top to wear as part of the volunteer uniform for the Master Chorus gig on Sunday afternoon.

In case you’ve ever wondered who Fred Meyer was, here he is, a much-admired merchant here in the Northwest. Known for his modesty, integrity, and work ethic.

I am sorry to report, however, that I had to settle for a white tee shirt.  All Freddy’s other white tops looked like doilies.

Then on down the street to get a winter’s worth of mud off the Subaru only to discover that my favorite carwash doesn’t exist any more.  Where it used to be is a large, impersonal, very noisy new place.  They don’t have the kinks worked out yet.  I was not impressed with the pointless flashing lights.

The only person who seemed to know what he was about was the Comcast man who was there hooking up eight huge TV sets.  The Subaru does look great, and her new decal stayed on in the process.

I know we have to be flexible and embrace change, but enough already!  Also down the street, I discovered that my old privately-owned oil-changing place recently became an Oil Can Henry’s.

I used to know how to change the oil and wash the car.  Today it was all I could do to remember how to reinstall the kayak racks on the Subaru after their long winter leaning against the wall in the garage.

I couldn’t seem to fit these logically  into my previous post, but I can’t leave them out.  I’ll just post them without comment. 

Much of April was spent in a blessedly drugged state.  Still, so much of it had the clarity of HD  — bright and clear.  And then all of a sudden the channel you are watching sneaks in that awful commercial about suffering dogs and you can’t find the remote fast enough.  I will not deny that there were those moments.

Kidney stones are serious.  A hundred years ago I would not have survived the infection alone. My treatments included lots of tests and three surgical procedures.   There is that old question about whether you’d rather give birth or have a kidney stone.  If you have that choice, choose the baby.  Babies are really cute.

Because of the love and support and good medical care that I received, I am going to be good as new.  Friends and daughters came from near and far to look after me.

First and foremost to arrive on the scene was Roxanne who was my strong support and note-taking advocate when I was not able to do this for myself.  There was a time in the past when Roxanne was taking complete care of Jack and I asked her what would happen to us when serious health issues occurred. Our relatives all live so far away.  She always said she would be there for me. She really meant it.  I could never have hoped or imagined the extent she would go to in my behalf.  There are not words to express my gratitude.

Very soon, Katherine arrived with her menagerie, my beloved grand-dogs.  Having her here almost made it worth being sick.  She researched everything, pressed me to take all the necessary steps when I would have just curled up in a ball, filled my pantry and refrigerator with good, healthful things, and took complete care of everything while she was here.

Next,  Meg arrived from Maui and took over responsibility for my care and the running of things at 1880. Her fortes include a vast knowledge of pharmacopeia.  She researched what pain alleviators and dietary additions and restrictions should be implemented.  Did you know that in Oregon you can just walk down the street and buy chocolate imbued with cannabis and ointment containing frankincense, myrrh, and CBC oil, definitely a better 3rd ingredient than gold here at 1880.  Later, I may write a separate post about healing ointments and the importance of having an open mind to alternative approaches, all the while looking to traditional medical practices as well.

Meg and I spent many happy hours binge-watching various shows — suggested by Katherine — in bed on my lap top.  Roxie clearly understood her job description in this regard:

Joannie and Elizabeth ministered from afar.  Elizabeth was posted on a remote island at the time and sent this picture of her sunrise.  Excellent medicine.

I woke up from all this to find that it is the merry month of May.  Ironically — or maybe not — my garden is producing two of the most healthful foods for preventing the formation of future kidney stones — asparagus and raspberries.

What rises to the top is a heart full of gratitude for your loving and devoted care and hard work to help get me well.  You know who you are.

If I had planned for this, I could have written the Great American Book of Political Nightmares during this hiatus from real life.  There has been a lot to think about.

Men in uniform always took my breath away (which explains a lot about my life).

That’s a dichotomy since I am essentially a pacifist. Perhaps it is because I am a War Baby. One of my first memories is of my daddy in his handsome captain’s uniform in an altar-like position in our house during WWII.

Actually, I love this cutie of him getting a little R & R on Christmas Day in, I think, 1943, somewhere in the South Pacific:

And, I admit, even now, I tend to make a little altar in my house with these items around Veteran’s Day:

In any case, I am sooooo over it.

Here’s a little info about this un-hero who pretty much ruins it for for me for those cute uniforms:

“On April 30, 2014, Flynn announced his retirement effective later that year, about a year earlier than he had been scheduled to leave his position. He was reportedly effectively forced out of the DIA after clashing with superiors over his allegedly chaotic management style and vision for the agency. In a private e-mail that was leaked online, Colin Powell said that he had heard in the DIA that Flynn got fired because he was “abusive with staff, didn’t listen, worked against policy, bad management, etc. Flynn exhibited a loose relationship with facts, leading his subordinates to refer to Flynn’s repeated dubious assertions as “Flynn facts.”  Flynn Facts?  More to come in that list, I think.

New paragraph:  I’ve been making its of daily to-to lists: ” take meds, tell Meg to do everything else.” And wish lists for when I am well:  “clean kayak, order invasive species permit, plant holly hocks.”  Hope is huge in healing.

Should I decide I need to whip out a to-do list by May 1, I can do that.

1. Improve eating habits
2. Start an exercise plan
4. Reduce personal spending
5. Do desk work

Like the White House’s tax plan that POTUS insisted be whipped out in his first 100 days, it is really a rough draft and is useless as it stands. It is meant to be impressive, but I am not impressed.

Actually, that attempt at governance scares me to death. Thank God we have Congress, which holds the power of the purse, and the Judicial, whose job it is to evaluate these edicts based on the constitution. Thank God the United States of America is not a monarchy.

It’s hard to focus on serious reading when you are enjoying the blessed benefits of pain meds.  I am not proud to report that I have abandoned my previous plan never to watch cable news again.  Seriously, my health is improving, but recent events in the news are enough to make a healthy person sick. I am better now, pressing the “off” button,  and am reading the back copies of The New Yorker that Roxanne brings over. On soon to the book Amy suggested:  Killers of the Flower Moon.