KarenK

There are way too many idiotic things happening for us as mere mortals to understand. Like covering the credit card keypads with plastic. You're just going to touch the same plastic as the previous customer.

Kay, the happiest time in my childhood was the 3 summers we spent in Colter Bay, Wy. My folks worked for the Grand Teton Lodge Co. At age 11, I was bored and started hanging out at the riding stables. I loved horses, but had never been around them. One day, one of the wranglers threw me on top of a horse bareback and handed me the reins to 5 others and told me to take them to drink at the night corral(a couple of miles down the forest road). I was scared, but didn't let on that I'd never ridden before. I made it there and dismounted. The horse immediately stepped on my foot. I was wearing flip flops, but the mud around the trough saved my foot. I figured out by climbing on the fence that I could get back on the horse. When I got back, they gave me a shovel and I was "hired". All the free rides a kid could ask for. I was ecstatic and the next day my mom took me to Jackson for a pair of boots. I worked my way up to trail guide and was able to do it for 3 summers until my folks didn't work there anymore. I could saddle and bridle a horse and was taught everything about horses by an old bronc rider named Bud. I loved that old guy. I lost access to horses after that and only ride a few times in Az. My daughter had horses on her Kentucky farm, but couldn't ride after she got cancer. The last time I rode was in 2014 at the home of a friend of hers. I could ride today if there was a fence nearby to climb on. Horses seem to have gotten taller since I was a kid😄 YEA MARTY! WE APPRECIATE YOU!

Just watched a documentary called "Unbranded" about 4 college buddies who decided to train 16 wild horses and ride from the Mexican border to the Canadian border through Az, Ut, Id, Wy, and Mt. It took them 158 days. Some of the terrain was very rugged and scary to take horses over, but the country was beautiful. I have traversed much of it, but only a very tiny part of it on horseback in Wy. I would love to do that if I were 40 yrs. younger. In a way it was a bit sad watching it knowing it is too late for me, but fate did not deal me that hand.

No plans here. Just watch a few more Netflix movies as my freebie runs out in 2 days. No drastic physical changes for me except my hair which most of us are probably experiencing. I'm beginning to look like someone put a bowl on my head and cut around the edge. Quite stunning! I usually look a little better than this.

I never thought I'd like a Kindle, but use it for so many things now. It's more convenient than my desk computer. I'm not a big technology person. I no longer have a cell phone as I have no one to call and texting was beyond my dexterity. I always said if I got to the point where I needed an electric potato peeler, I'd quit cooking. But don't you dare try and take away my microwave, television, or blu-ray player😄

If you have a library in your town or area, get a library card and you can check ebooks out for free. You may have a wait for newer things, but there's always something available. I used to collect books by certain authors. Don't know why really as I wasn't going to re-read them and certainly don't have a "library" in this old house.

Marg, I would make a good proofreader if that occupation still exists. I'm sure it's been replaced by a computer program as I find so many typographical errors and words used out of context in every book I read. I also tend to tear apart movies with the little mistakes which is something Ron and I would do. Was watching a crazy alien movie tonight. The hero was hurt and had a bandage on his head. He whipped off the bandage and there was no cut, but two scenes later a big gash appeared on his forehead. How do they miss this stuff?

Thanks Marg, I'll give him a try. I checked his website for the titles. In addition to the series, there's a couple of other books that look good. I know you've mentioned Longmire before. I've not watched the show, but have written down all the books to read. Haven't got the last CJ Box yet. I'm in a long list of "holds". I'm so spoiled with this Kindle now, I'll probably never check out an actual book again. lol I've always been an immaculate housekeeper, but energy and circumstances dictate differently now. A spotless house is the least of my worries.

I think Albuterol is what the doctor gave me a few years ago that I couldn't use because it choked me and made me feel worse. Price wise it was the lesser of two evils at about $40, more than I can afford even if it worked. The very expensive Anoro is an inhaler but it's powder instead of mist. I've used 2 doses of the sampler which I thought was helping but discovered it is giving me a nasty mucus cough which I didn't have before. I just may not be able to use inhalers and continue living with the shortness of breath. A lot of meds don't work for me as intended. That's okay as I know when to slow down. It's just hell getting old.

Gwen, my health insurance was set up a few years ago by an exchange that services telephone company retirees. There were many plans to choose from. I purposely chose a more expensive medical plan to avoid any deductibles in case I got really sick some day. It's a United Healthcare/AARP Medicare Advantage plan. I chose a Humana Wal-Mart prescription plan. It fit my needs as I take few meds and pay between $3 & $10 per script(no deductible). I did switch to a less costly plan this year when the premium became 5 times the original cost. The coverage is the same for the few meds I take. All are Tier 1. The problem arises when you get into the higher tier meds. I'm assuming Albuterol is a Tier 2(couldn't find it on the website for some reason), and Anoro is definitely a Tier 3. Wal Mart left it's message saying the total for the 2 was $481. I told them to restock them. The kicker is that the doctor didn't even send in the Tramadol script which is why I went to see him in the first place. I have a call into his office regarding the whole fiasco. Made it to the dentist today. I now have an aluminum alloy crown over the broken tooth. It was either that or pull it and add a tooth to the denture. It's okay. Robert says I look like a boxer now😁 Will get the cavity filled next week.

Thanks for the info, Marty. I'll check it out.

Doctor told me if it was too expensive there was an alternative one that you use twice a day instead of once, so may try it if it's not expensive. I'm stubborn and won't pay more than $10 for a script unless I'm dying.

I think it's man-made and hesitate to think of the purpose. Officials are constantly speculating about the "peak" period for certain areas. I don't think the virus reads the news and will do what it wants. I think it's here to stay, much as the yearly flu with no boundaries. Scary thought!

Tried the new sample inhaler(Anoro) that the doctor gave me. It seemed to work okay and didn't make me worse. You can bet money it costs more than I can afford. I checked Humana's drug pricing and it is $483 per month. Throw that one out the door. That's how it was with the sleeping pill(Belsomra $384), and the Aspergillus med($300). If it works well with few side effects, let's price it so high that the normal person can't afford it. Kind of defeats what I thought the idea of insurance was for.

It was different for sure. Still lots of traffic, but empty parking lots were strange. As you say, reminds you of Christmas Day. Long line at a Starbucks drive thru. Have never had one. Way too much for a cup of coffee for me. Few people at the doctor's office, but a long wait anyhow. Did an ekg because of shortness of breath, but said it was most likely the copd, which doesn't take a genius to figure out. Got meds taken care of plus 2 inhalers. Last inhaler I tried made breathing worse. Another appt in 2 weeks. Vets office back to normal. Stopped for Marley's med. People taking pets inside or they will come outside to you if you prefer. And the beat goes on.....

Wish I had something exciting to tell you, Gwen. I only watch tv, make jewelry, fix meals, and keep the house straightened best I can. The sad thing is that this is my life for the foreseeable future, virus or not. I went from living(which I didn't have much interest in) to existing when I trashed all my money. I look back and understand why I did it at the time. It was my escape from reality, but it went full circle and has now crushed me. Now that there's a light at the end of my own personal tunnel, I can't take advantage of it. My only "splurge" is the beads I order for jewelry which are inexpensive and will most likely end up in Goodwill when I'm gone, but it gives me something to do. I'm no longer strong enough, nor can breathe well enough to walk Marley. She weighs almost 90 lbs. and outruns me. So that's out. I do have a big back yard for the dogs to get exercise. Going to the doctor will be the first time I've left my house since long before this virus started. From what Robert describes, I almost feel like I'm heading for another planet. In a way, I'm glad Ron is not here to experience this isolation(he never did well confined to the house) and had he caught the virus, it would have surely killed him. My daughter might have fared better living isolated in the country. Guess it's all moot now. Keep your chin up, girl.

Now, this seems a little crazy. I thought doctors were only doing video chats, or not seeing patients unless it is a real necessity. My doctor always renews my expired scripts when the pharmacy requests. Now, all of a sudden, I have to have an office visit which is tomorrow. Not exactly someplace I want to go. My dentist appt. Is Thurs. My broken tooth and missing filling are considered emergencies, so no problem getting in. I also have Sears repair coming out Thurs. to replace the thermal switch. It has shut off the water heater at least 7 times in the last month. Enough is enough! Not exactly the breaks in the monotony I was hoping for.

I guess I never paid much attention to Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, or Oprah. I put them in the same bucket as Jerry Springer and closed the lid. Now there were some crazy people! Just read some sad news. Former Az governor Jane Hill and her husband Terry both died today within hours of each other, supposedly natural causes. I knew a few of the governors and legislators over the years through my mother who was secretary to a few. Never met Jane Hull, but her husband was my gynecologist for a few years. He seemed like a nice man. I guess it's nice to think that neither will be left behind alone. Gin, I'm so sorry everything is hitting at once and Kay, your poor BIL. I know how worried you must be for your sister. Although we are all here together for one another, we are still so alone.

Yeah, I think anything that takes effort and concentration counts, Gwen. Chinese sounds good. Haven't had any in a while. My dentist is normally closed on Fri. I'm not in bad pain, just discomfort. The missing filling tooth is chewing up the bottom of my tongue and don't want to break any more off the broken one. Top and bottom on opposite sides and both are the anchor teeth for my dentures, wouldn't you know. It's harder than usual to eat, but that's not saying much. Arizona has 528 zip codes and mine is # 4 for the number of virus cases, so I've only been as far as the mailbox in forever, it seems. That's mostly why I've been glued to the house and not bothered with my teeth, plus he might not even be open at his age. Of course we all know that statistics don't mean jack.

Heck, my big accomplishment each day is managing a few hours of sleep and fixing dinner for us. I think I'll call and see if the dentist is open on Monday. Might as well see if I can get these 2 teeth fixed.

For someone fairly intelligent, I don't have too much common sense about money. I proved that when I used to gamble. We had refinanced for a lower rate and borrowed extra to consolidate debts to the tune of $200,000. We were okay with the payments when there were two of us. When he died, I was struggling and still trying to supplement both my kids incomes. I sold the cabin, paid off some debts, was giving the kids even more money, and wasted the rest. That's all on me. It took me a year to refinance again for lower payments. In reality, all they did was turn a 30 yr. mortgage into a 40 yr. one. My payments are still almost half of my SS. I will be dead long before it's paid off. I only hope as executor that Robert can sell it and get a little money after paying off my remaining debts. If not, he and David will be up a creek. If you pay no taxes and don't normally file a return, Turbo Tax will prepare your return, but won't file it electronically so I had to mail it in, so that may be the holdup. But, there's nothing to process and they have all my info from my SS deposit. Their phone lines are shut down for now, so can't even ask what the problem is.

House is mortgaged. Has been paid off a couple of times over the years, but right before Ron was diagnosed with cancer, we borrowed a large amount against it. Bad idea, but who knew. I mentioned the oxygen flow to you a few days ago, but you must have missed it. I'm glad you caught it and hopefully this will help you.

Was wondering if anybody had gotten their stimulus check yet. I tried the website that's been set up to check the status, but it tells me they don't have enough info on me to determine status. Not sure what they want. They have my SSN and banking info and should have the unnecessary return I sent in. Will check it again for a few days and try to figure out what else to do. Do you see the heart doctor or pulmonologist soon? I would sure hate for you to pass out while they drag their feet.

Surprisingly, they came out fine, just cake like instead of chewy. I cooked them an extra ten minutes. I had actually used 1 1/4 cups of water instead of 1/4 cup, so go figure. I've not done the injection stress test, only the treadmill which I thought was stupid. How many times in my life am I going to have to run uphill? Ron had the injection and hated it. He also had to go a couple of times a year to have his pacemaker adjusted. It's done in the office, but remotely by a special tech. It was always scary to me that someone could literally control whether your heart beat or not. He always felt very tired and like crap after either procedure, but was fine the next day. I certainly understand your reluctance.

Gwen, here is your second laugh for the night. I decided to make a box of brownies, which I've probably done at least a hundred times. Color me blind or stupid, but even after reading the directions more than once, I put in waaay too much water. Thought it sure was soupy while stirring it, but oh well. Put them in the oven and looked at the box. Whoops! Guess it will be Brownie Surprise! Too bad the dogs can't eat chocolate.