| leatherman's log |
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October 2009 |
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| Week One: |
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My last full update was last month
starting at Week Three |
I guess calling the last update in
September as my last full update isn't quite true as I have another update
starting below.
In a way, I'm pretty surprised that I already have such a large
update for you starting off October; but you know me - rarely do I
live a dull live because there's always something happening.
Some of this update is technically from the last day of September;
but seeing how much of it continued on into the rest of the week
(well, really just the first day ), I
thought all the stories fit into the first full month of writing my
blog from South Carolina. |
| My first visit to the
Catawba Care Clinic |
My first visit to the medical clinic
went well to finish out last month. First up there was, of course
 , more paperwork to fill out with the intake nurse. But rather
than the general questions about my life from the social worker last
week, this interview had all those lovely questions about which
illness/diseases I've had, what my parents have had, and even if my
grandparents had had any health issues. Genetically seeming to hale
from the "Joyce" side of the family (that would be through Mom and
Nana going back to my Great-GrandMother Elaine Joyce), I was able to
say that I didn't have many terrible health issues along family
lines. Quite frankly having my tonsils out (my one and only surgery)
and having Hepatitis B (back in 1982, and I was only sick for a
week) have been the biggest issues outside of the HIV problem. |
| |
I may have mentioned (years ago) about
going to the Canton Health Dept. on December 26, 1992 and being
informed by a nice middle-aged female RN that I was positive. I can
still hear her saying how surprised she was that I was taking the
news so calmly, to which I replied, "I'm not surprised. It's 1992,
I'm gay, my partner's been ill, and everyone else has it, so I
figured my test would come back positive too." Although I don't know
that lady, her name, or whether she's even still working, today I
met her counterpart today. As we talked through my medical history, parts
of my non-medical story came out of how I arrived at being in this
clinic, along with parts of the intake nurse's story of how she
arrived to be sitting across from me. For many years, she was one of
those nurses informing people just like me of the very distressing
news of being HIV positive, which was really the worst news one
could get back in those days. Her empathy truly shows through by her
dedication that has kept her working in this field for 20+ years.
One side of the coin is my story of how all of my friends died,
while her side of the coin is of her patients who have passed away.
Ah, but that's just how it is dealing with what has been and always
will be a terrible terminal disease. Even though the meds have made
finding out your positive not quite the death sentence it was back
then, there are still some of us around, medical staff and patients,
that remember and know all too well how truly devastating it was
then and can be now. |
| |
But today's visit wasn't about
dwelling in the sad past (which for me not only means the late 90s
when Randy and our friends left this world, but times just as
recently as a year and a half ago when my Jim passed away); but this
visit was about maintaining my good health and keeping me around for
as many years as possible.
 Of course, that kind of
maintenance comes with the poking and prodding that I knew I'd be in
for today. There was some poking, then some prodding, then some more
poking before I was finally released for the day. |
| |
| A quick TB test was done; but I'll
have to drop back by the Clinic on Friday to have them see that it
was reactive (that's positive thinking for ya!
). Then I opted
FOR the flu shot this year. Though I understand it was only
coincidental, out of the last 15 yrs or so, the only two times I had
the flu coincided with the two times that I received a flu shot.
Normally, my doctor asks; but I choose to not get the
vaccination. However, things are different this year, so I decided
to take the risk and take the shot. First I'm no longer with my old
friends, sequestered in my old house most days, and used to their
"old" germs. Instead, the climate is different, the places I'm going
to are new, and I've never been exposed to the germs of people
that I'm living with in my new home. Plus, I need to take
precautions now just because those people (Mom and Dennis, and even
Nana and the nieces and nephews) are all people who aren't used to
my germs either. |
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Then came the "prodding" part of the
day's exam. Take several deep breathes (don't hyperventilate!). Lie
down while I push and listen to your belly (which, of course by 11am
was starting to rumble because I was getting hungry).
Then for probably the first time in well over 25 years, and one of
the least likely things to happen to me, a woman touched my balls. 
Well, they did need to check everything.
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Several times throughout all these
procedures, the nurses inquired as to how much I hated needle stabs;
but as I frequently tell medical staff, as long as they're not
waking me up at 3am to get 10 vials of blood (or a sputum sample)
from me, then I'm fine.
Since this would be my first blood work
with a new doctor and nurses, just as I was joking about "as long as
it's not 10 vials", the smiling lab nurse pointed to the 10 vials already
lying out! I told her that was fine this first time; but I
expected to only give the normal 4 or so next time, and that
I also wanted some of the same good numbers that I've been blessed
to have these last couple of years through all the craziness that
I've gone through. She promised me that I'd have good numbers, so I
let 'em take all that blood from me.
(Although - in that pessimistic way I've talked about my tests for
these couple of years - IF my blood work comes back badly because of
all the stress, etc., I sure don't plan to blame it on her or all
these nice folks at the Catawba Care Clinic.
) |
| |
Finally all the fun at the Clinic was
over.
I'll go back in just a couple of days to show them that the flu shot
didn't kill me, and that my TB test was non-reactive. Since I'm not
quite certain how long my meds are going to hold out (I know, I
know. I should go count the damned pills),
I chose to take the Oct 22nd appointment to see the doctor instead
of waiting until Oct 29th. |
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| I don't know that the nurses would
have had any problems with my actions; but when I got home I didn't
just lie around and rest. Instead I decided that it was such a
beautiful afternoon here in the South that it was too nice to just
stay indoors. It's been over a month, so I pulled out my bicycle and
took a short ride through my new neighborhood. I knew better than to
head to the right back towards I-77 and the amusement park Carowinds
that we live near. (WOW! I guess I haven't even mentioned that . . .
so I'll get to that in a minute, first let me finish up my bike
story.
)
I didn't want to head off to the right because that direction is
quite a dip and a hill. I'm not even certain if once I'm back into
biking-shape that I'll be able to make that hill so I for sure
wasn't going to start off after not riding for a month by going that
way.
Heading the other direction instead, I rode up a
slight incline, past a side street, and then pedaled into the
dead-end of our street. One way on the side street went down a large
hill, so that direction was not where I was going. Eventually
though, I may bike the other way, past a small dip and hill in the
road, and into the new housing development that has gone up in what
used to be a lot of woods. I'm sure glad I decided to head back
home, because by the time I did return, I was wiped out! Although
remembering how to bike may be easy, actually doing it is a whole
other issue.
Luckily with the nicer, warmer weather here in the
Carolinas, I'll be able get back on my bike and continue riding it
this Fall a lot longer than I could have up in Canton. |
| Local Area Info |
| Now some info about my new local area.
Just about a half a mile from where I'm now living is an amusement park called "Carowinds". It straddles the NC/SC line
and opened in 1973. Though it was owned by Paramount for many years,
it is now owned by Cedar Fair. Believe it or not, I actually went to this amusement
park during it's opening week all those years ago. Right now, they
are doing their Halloween special like many other parks, calling
their Fall event "Scarowinds"
I've got preliminary plans (with
my friend Jack) to go to visit the park again this upcoming Spring
and I'll see how it compares to Paramount Kings Island
(outside of Cincinnati, OH) or Cedar Fair's main park (my favorite!) Cedar Point
(in Sandusky OH). |
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| Another interesting thing I've seen
around this area is the daily huge steam cloud that rising from the
nuclear plant!
Unlike the amusement park, I don't plan to go visit the plant
anytime soon
; but I'm sure that eventually I'll
have some interesting pictures of this large cloud that looms over
the horizon most days. |
| News from
back in Ohio |
| Just because I don't live
in Ohio anymore, doesn't mean I'm not chatting with all my old
friends and don't know about the new things happening up there
anymore. So I have a couple of pieces of news. First, Carolynn, like
myself, has nearly finished her unpacking and now has an official
mailbox, cable, and the internet fully turned on and accessible!
WooHoo! |
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But it's not just Carolynn
and me that are moving either. In other news, Richard, Angie and the
kids are about to move to a new home themselves. Part of me wishes I
was there to help them move
 ;
and part of me is tired of moving and really glad that I am so far
away.
Actually, you all know me pretty well by now, and I'm actually a
little sad and feel a little bad that I'm not able to return the
favor of their help, and help the Clark family move. However, I
heard that Mike P is scheduled to help, so it'll all work out in the
end if he's there.(We're
all going to have to chip in and get Mikie a GREAT Christmas gift
for all his help getting us out of and into our new homes this year.
So make sure to give him a big hug from me again!) Good luck
with the move guys!! And send me pictures when you get back online! |
U-Haul aka the Scamming
Bastards! |
| Beware of U-Haul! |
| It's been several weeks now since I
turned in the U-Haul truck that I used to move me and the boyz down
here. Unfortunately, when Mom checked her credit card statement, we
found out that the U-Haul company had done us very, very wrong. |
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When Mom first reserved the truck, she
paid for half the cost using her credit card. Then when I picked up
the truck, I paid the other half in cash. I thought it was odd that
they made me pick up the truck from a little hole-in-the-wall
location that didn't actually stock U-Haul vehicles. And I really
should have questioned things when the attendant had issues
completing the transaction online and had to call tech support twice
(once because the system locked up and he didn't want it to
accidentally bill Mom's card twice, and a second time when, after
the balance was paid with my cash, it still wanted to charge me the
$100 security fee). Now when Mom checked her card statement, it
turns out that her card WAS charged at her end in SC AND also at my
end in Ohio! That means that U-Haul got the entire fee off my card,
and the guy up in Canton got about $320 that I guess he just stuck
in his pocket.
 |
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| Now looking at the receipt that I had
from Canton, it never states that cash was paid; but just that the
balance was paid. Of course, that day I had a million things to do
(poor Angie was kind enough to run me all over town; plus my friends
loaded up my truck) and think about (it's not like that trip through
the mountains with the dogz wasn't weighting heavily on my mind;
much less my sadness and emotions from leaving my friends and the
places I had lived with Randy and Jim for over two decades).
Obviously, while I was distracted like that, I was easy prey for
that jack-ass to scam for any easy $300 bucks. |
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| Needless to say, Mom was furious and
spent quite some time, first trying politely to get things
straightened out, and then moving into her patented
"ranting-n-raving" mode to get them to give us satisfaction.
Unfortunately, it seems that U-Haul could care less about their
reputation, and finally a local rep here told Mom that he simply
didn't care what their agent had done to us in Ohio!
Mom next talked to her credit card company and after the paperwork
is completed filing for a dispute, that rep says that this un-signed
un-approved charge will be removed from her card. |
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| I would like the satisfaction right
now of calling that Ohio location and asking what the guy bought
with my money; but that phone has been disconnected!
Instead I'm going to have to suffice with waiting until Mom's card
balance is corrected and then I have a nice hateful letter I'm
already drafting that'll be going to the U-Haul corporate
headquarters along with the BBB offices of Canton and of Charlotte. |
|
The Bad Luck Curse |
| Speaking of luck
earlier (when I wished it to Richard and Angie on their move), off
and on through the years, I've joked about a bad luck curse that
must be upon me. (that would be "bad luck"
and not
"good luck") Now I don't really think that there is a curse; but, I
swear, sometimes it's awfully hard not to think there is one when
they is so much evidence for one.
Recent evidence can be found, not only in the U-Haul incident;
but in my wait for that "termination notice" from Ohio.
(Well, when I factor in what happened with losing several homes,
several cars and several men along with fires and burglaries perhaps
I should believe in that curse.) |
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| When I called Ohio Human Services
several weeks ago, it took nearly 40 minutes of long distance time
until I "thought" I had the issue on the way to resolution. After
waiting for weeks and going past the dead-line to turn in that
notice so I could get a SC medical card (and the food stamp date
limit is tomorrow), I had to call back to Ohio to find out what was
going on. After talking to a "processing agent" and then going to
"forever hold", I called back and actually got MY case worker. Even
though I had called them nearly three weeks ago, no one had
processed my case and I still have not been terminated from the Ohio
welfare rolls.
I actually won't get a termination notice now until the end of Oct.
or first of Nov. as I won't be "terminated" until Oct. 31st!
Oh, they are "very sorry" for the confusion and "very upset" that I
won't be able to get any meds until November; but there is no way
for them or me to make the system move any faster.
Shh! but my case manger through the Catawba Care Clinic called me
this afternoon (to "just check in and see how things were")
and things may be okay already for me to get meds here. Let's hope
that's the right information;
otherwise I may end up spending a week or so off my meds. |
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| Since my OH medical card and food
stamps funnel through the same agency in OH, I asked my case worker
what happened then to my food stamps for September and October. Did
the just magically disappear since I wasn't in Ohio anymore to
collect them? She told me that my food stamp benefits were still
loaded onto the state debit card and that if I wanted I could come
back to Ohio to spend them.
Right,
like I'm going to drive 500 miles to get food.
Well, that's what I thought at first. However, when I talked to Mom
and Dennis about the situation, we began to realize that for some
time, about $50 in gas, and another $50 for a room for one night, we
could drive up to Ohio and get $350 worth of groceries.
It's not like we have to go clear up to Canton anyway, we just have
to cross the Ohio River and the state line to stop at any grocery
store or Walmart in Marietta. |
|
So all these recent bouts of bad luck
got me thinking about what else just might go wrong. Well, when I
called Social Security after getting here and notified them of my
address change, I never talked to an actual human; but I did make
the computer voice repeat my new address to me twice. Oh, and the
paper on which I had the phone number for SocSec, why that was their
notice to me thanking me for notifying them of my address change
just over a year ago to the house on Miami Ct. Hmmmm? How come I
don't have a nice new letter notifying me that they know of my
change of address?? Wonder
if that check is going to arrive here tomorrow afternoon
or will it end up being in the mailbox back in Canton?
Maybe I will have to drive all the way up to Canton after all. (At
least it won't be in a U-Haul truck) |
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| I gave a quick call to Angie, and in
the midst of their move, she said she'd still be able to swing over
and check the mail for me in case it doesn't show up in the mail
here tomorrow. She'll also be able to find out if John is still
there.
Luckily, my bank already knows I left town, so no one could cash my
check through there; and Wal-Mart, where John cashes his checks,
won't cash a check unless there's proper ID.
I don't think John would actually try to illegally cash my check;
but you never know. As I've always said, it's the desperate people
who do desperate things. And by now, if he hasn't found another
home, he could be quite desperate. |
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| (Which reminds me, speaking of John.
He and I had the same case worker with Ohio Welfare, so they
definitely know now that John lied to the landlord about my
intentions, that I left that house, that RTO didn't not renew the
lease with either of us, and that John should have moved elsewhere
by now.
) |
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| Wow, so much has happened in just a
few days! And I'm so sorry that I didn't have any pictures to show
you either. I guess I could have taken pictures of Mom yelling on
the phone
or maybe the nurse looking at my penis.
How about this though. For the next update, I'll make sure to get
some pix of the dogs and I'll try to snap some of the nuclear
steam cloud. Why, who knows what outcome will happen yet with
U-Haul, food stamps and my disability check. I might even have
pictures of my return visit to Ohio - just a month after leaving
Not to visit anyone; but just to buy a car load of groceries.
Won't those be exciting pictures of me with cans of veggies? |
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|
Week Two: |
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| Back to
Being A Reb |
It's finally official. I
ain't a Yankee no longer!
Now I'm just one of them there good ol' Rebels from South Carolina. |
| |
| For all the crazy stuff
that seems to go wrong in my life, I work through most of it and
make things work out in the end. As I tell many people, I really am
an optimist. I only talk and worry about the bad stuff so that I
have a plan to fix things. Plenty of good things happen to me, I
just don't have to worry when things go right though. LOL
Thankfully, every once in a while, things just work out all on their
own. |
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| So, you know, I was a
little worried that my Social Security check might not have found
it's way to SC even though the nice little computer voice had
repeated the correct address to me several times. Being the ex-Boy
Scout (and worrier) that I am, I had already made arrangements "just
in case" (Richard or Angie was going to go by my old home and try to
"rescue" my check if need be
).
However, in the middle of running errands of stopping by the clinic
and then trying to sell off some of the hundreds of CDs that I
brought with me. I stopped back by the house. Lo and behold my check
was there! Though I of course, need that money, I really needed the
check this month for identification purposes - to get a new drivers
license. |
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This is my last license from NC
issued in 1982, I was only twenty |
This is my new SC license
once again a Southerner and now 47 |
| |
I can still tell it's me after all these years;
but 25 years or so
sure does make a difference. |
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Want to see something interesting
though? For years, when I've looked at the pictures my youngest
brother and his wife have sent me of their oldest son, I've been
amazed at how much his pictures looked like my childhood pictures. I
think it still holds true comparing how I looked at 20 to his 16-yr
old looks. |
| (The good news for him then is that he'll grow up to be as handsome
as I am.
) |
| The Boyz
part 1 - Outside the House |
As I promised in the last
update, I have some pictures of the boyz for you in this update.
(though I still haven't gotten pictures of that nuclear steam cloud
yet.
) |
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| Like a game of musical
chairs, everyone rushed out to the deck and jumped up into the
chairs. Poor Joxie didn't understand the rules and seemed a trifle
miffed that his younger brothers got seats. But once again my Mom
has provided well for my boyz.
Not only are there chairs on the deck; but there's an official
"doggie bed". So in the end everyone had a place to sit outside on
our nice big covered deck. |
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Well, everybody has a seat
if you consider the dogz everybody.
There seems to be no chair available for mikie |
| |
| On a semi-related topic,
just as I'll be seeing my new doctor soon, I've made an appointment for the boyz to see a doctor too.
Since they're country dogs now, and not spoiled pampered doggies
only living inside their city home, Mom and I discussed how they
would need to get their shots, etc. to prevent worms and help if
they meet up with a crazy rabid raccoon or something else nasty
outside. So next week they'll be doing to see the vet. |
| |
| My mom was also
commenting on how "big" my dogs were. I guess they are big compared
to her tiny poodle and Chihuahua; but I've never thought of the boyz
as "big dogs". Then when I made the appointment with the vet, they
asked how much the dogs weighted. Frankly, I just didn't know. All I
know is that I can pick them up and they each seem to weight at
least as much as a 20-lb bag of dog food.
|
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| So I pulled out Mom's
scales and stepped on them myself. WOW! I weighted in at 137.4!
That's nearly my
after-Christmas-and-I-ate-a-lot-of-Christmas-cookies weight.
Then one by one, I picked up a dog and got back on the scales. Poor
Aries. Even though he was the last one to get hefted up, he was
certain as I took him into the bathroom (scales need to be on a flat
floor and not carpet)
that I was taking him in there for bath.
He was trying to escape by climbing over my shoulder; but I did
manage to get us both weighed. In the end, Joxer and Zeus actually
came out weighing the same at 31.6 lbs, while Aries was just a
little bit lighter, weighing in at exactly 29 lbs. |
Everyone wandering around,
wondering what I'm doing on "that" side of the fence |
 |
| |
Here's everyone wishing I'd quit taking
pictures
and let them back inside before it rained again. |
|
| Later on, I'll have to get
some pictures of the pack of dogs that Mom and Dennis have. (four
dogs, even un-related, do count as a pack
)
However, there is one other pet wandering the premises that I got
pictures of today. He has his own little house outside in the front
shrubs and keeps away the snakes and mice (but not the deer
) The only feline on
the property goes by the very undistinguished name of "Mr. Kitty". |
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| Mr. Kitty leaving his house
and heading off to prowl the premises |
Since moving in, I've befriended Mr.
Kitty and now can't go in or out the front door without stopping to
give him some attention and lovings. |
| Pictures
from Doing Yard Work |
| If you know anything about
me by now, then you know that the best thing about moving to a new
home (besides keeping a roof over our heads
)
is that it means I have a new yard to do yard work in.
Even
though Fall is here (though it's hard to tell yet in the Carolinas
as most trees still have green leaves), there are still odds and
ends to do around the yard here while I wait for Spring to plant
flowers and veggies. |
last month |
 |
| As you can see in the
above picture from last month, the shrubs had gotten quite shaggy
and were in serious need of a haircut. I haven't used my hedge
clippers in quite some time. I only used them at Jim's house once on
the shrub underneath his front window. Since the house on Miami
Court didn't have any shrubs, I really haven't used my clippers
since I left my old house on 14th Street (where I had shrubs all
around the corner). |
 |
| Hopefully, when Spring
comes back around, and as these shrubs fill back out, I'll be able
to keep them trimmed low enough to get the bottoms to fill back out
more. Within a year or two, they should be looking pretty good as a
privacy hedge. |
Though I haven't run into any snakes
yet, I've been trying to heed Mom's warnings about the spiders.
Goodness, spiders are crawling all over the place out here. There's
no telling from one day to the next where a new web is going to
spring up. I removed a huge web from off the deck the other
afternoon (after I accidentally ran through it. ICK! ) The following
day the spider had built this replacement web between the house and
the deck. I'm learning to walk around the property waving small
sticks in front of me to clear the way. |
 |
 |
Turning up into the driveway,
you can just barely see our house
(how comforting is that?
I can say "our" house once again. Ahhh. ) |
| Our little house in the
woods |
 |
| |
 |
The dogwood tree out in front of the house (across from the front
door. you can see it in the picture above. it's on the right side of
the driveway, to the right of that one large tree trunk) is filled
with red berries right now. It won't be long until the leaves finish
turning to a beautiful red for the Fall - before falling off!
MouseOver for a CloseUp |
On the left side of the driveway, just
past the fenced area with the trash can and just before the carport,
is this interesting plant which the Latin name of "Euonymus
Americanus". It's commonly know as a strawberry bush. Though it has
scraggily branches and produces only tiny flowers hidden under it's
leaves, when Fall arrives, it shows it's true colors. It's other
name is "Hearts-A-Bustin" as it produces large strawberry
looking pods that burst open.
MouseOver for a CloseUp |
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| News of
Moves Back in Ohio |
| Just like the
internet kept me in touch with my family when I lived 500 miles away
in Ohio, now it keeps me in touch with my friends and family that I
left when I moved to South Carolina. So here's some news about some
of those still living up North. |
| |
|
| Carolynn,
mom-in-law and part of my "real" OhioFamily had an auction at her
old home. Though things didn't do as well as she would have hoped
(still no real offers on the house and the pieces of furniture
didn't sell for near what she had happened), she's taken a big step
in her move to her new home being finalized and leaving behind her
old home.
|
|
| Richard, Angie
and the kids have now gotten moved into their new home too. |
|
| People keep
asking me, and frankly I've been curious myself about what's been
going on back at my old house. Just this past week I finally got
several "reports" from some of the little birdies, so I have some
news about John to fill you in on. It seems he'll be moving to a new
home soon now too. |
| |
| Recently both
the power and cable were turned off. Since the power was in my name,
and I had informed them that I was leaving and to disconnect it, I
wasn't at all surprised by that. Neither was I surprised that he
lost the cable. If you remember, one of the reasons that helped me
in deciding to move down here to SC to live with my Mom was that I
knew that one person making as little as I do (and I make more than
John) would not be able to continue living alone at our old house.
According to the birdies, John should be moving on to wherever he's
going by this weekend. |
|
|
| The Boyz
part 2 - Inside the House |
| While the boyz may have
taken all the seats on the deck, back inside the house, I have my computer chair which none of the dogz can take away
from me.
But they don't care. Inside they have pillows, the
couch/bed, carpeting and air conditioning for a pretty nice "dogz
life" that we all could only hope for. I sure wish someone would
provide my food, give me toys, and scratch my belly.
|
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| Joxie made sure to get a
nice cushy seat inside the house |
 |
 |
The toys aren't the reason Zeus is
there,
it's that empty bowl that he's waiting to have filled.
|
Aries is either guarding the door,
or ready for a quick escape out the doggie door |
How a Simple Trip to Buy
Groceries Can Take 16 Hours
or
I Can't Believe I Was Back in Ohio Already |
| One time, back in high
school where the senior trip was just to the Bahamas, I wrote a
research paper about the Bermuda Triangle and jokingly entitled it,
"Why My Mother Won't Let Me Go on the Senior Trip.
The title of this section is in that same vein. |
| |
| If you've been keeping up
with my stories then you know that since my welfare case wasn't
closed yet up in Ohio, that I had over $300 worth of food stamp
benefits unspent for the months of Sept and Oct. Unfortunately, none
of the local Wal-Mart's here in SC would take my Ohio Food Stamp
card, so it looked like if I wasn't going to lose those benefits
then I was going to have to go back
to
the state that I just left barely a month ago to buy groceries. |
| |
| Talking the situation over
with Celia and Dennis, our plans seemed to change from day-to-day as
we tried to work out a reasonable plan. In the worse case scenario,
I would drive up alone, buy groceries, and drive back. For a while,
it looked like maybe all three of us would take a trip up when I
would be able to visit with some friends and family in Canton/Salem
while Mom and Dennis visited his daughter and family over near the
Medina/Lodi area. Unfortunately, we couldn't work things out with a
dog-sitter, etc for that kind of a trip right now, so instead we've
now planning for a different trip up around Thanksgiving (before it
snows in the mountains or up there in Ohio)
giving us more time to visit and more room in the car for clothes
instead of groceries. |
| |
| The final solution turned out to just
driving up to Ohio, buying groceries and then driving home all in
one day. So early Saturday morning, Dennis and I headed North up
I-77. |
 |
After stopping for a quick breakfast an hour or so up the road, we
headed back to the car as the sun rose. Though it hadn't rained at
all in that area, as we started back up the highway, we were treated
to the pleasant surprise of a rainbow filling the sky. As we began
the journey up another smaller rainbow also made an appearance.
MouseOver for a CloseUp of the first rainbow,
as I wasn't able to get a clear picture of the double bows |
| |
 |
| One day, I'll get this
shot! If you're going south, just as you leave Virginia and enter
into the North Carolina, you suddenly burst out of all those
mountains and see this spectacular view of NC spreading out before
you. Of course, the view isn't so awesome going North, as you are about
to get to the twisty, curvy part of 77 when it begins the climb into
the Blue Ridge Mountains.
One day I'll remember in time, as I almost did this time, to turn
around and get the better picture from the Northbound lanes looking
South. |
 |
Well, you can't have
rainbows without rain,
and we encountered drizzle and light rain off and on as we climbed
further and further up. |
| I thought back to some odd memories on
this journey to Ohio. One memory was of how the last time I took
this road north, it was when I "fell off the wagon" and started
smoking again after I had not had one for 110 days. That trip had
been in Feb 2007 when Tara and I had come down for a visit. While
waiting forever (or so it seemed) because each side of the tunnel
was down to one lane due to construction, I asked for just a few
puffs off one of her cigarettes. Of course, a few hours after that
we entered a blizzard as we crossed into Ohio and smoked up the rest of her pack of smokes.
I was also returning just before Jim was to enter the hospital, so
needless to say that attempt to quit smoking didn't fare so well. |
 |
| Pleased with myself, I can
report however that on this trip I have done twice better all-around on my not-smoking.
It's been 257 days now since my last cigarette!Wow!
Just a hundred days left till I can celebrate my first full year
without smoking since 1984. (I quit smoking for 9 months and 7
months after my hospitalizations with pneumonia back in the end of
the 90s) |
| |
 |
| It wasn't quite peak
foliage time as we moved higher and higher; but Fall was still
beautiful in the Appalachians, as the leaves were beginning their
change. The mountain sides, while still mainly green, were dotted
with yellows, browns and an occasional red. |
 |
The higher we drove, there were fewer
green trees and many more colorful patterns of foliage, with a lot
more red (mainly dogwoods) thrown into the mix. I have visited here
often either to ski or to go white-water rafting and the mountains
truly are beautiful.
(Although I would never want to live there as civilization - and
grocery stores - are just too far away.) |
| As we climbed high enough, we began to
leave the rain behind. However, we were so far up that we were
actually driving through the clouds that had produced the rain. As
we finally reached the highest elevation, the clouds parted and the
sun broke through. As the clouds lifted up dragging behind their
tendrils of fog (due to the heat of the sun), the woods looked as if
they were filled with hundreds of campfires with the smoke streaming
up through the branches. |
 |
| |
Sept 9th |
Just a month ago, I was
saddened to show you a picture from the south-bound side of this bridge as
I was leaving Ohio "forever" by crossing the Ohio River into West
Virginia. How wacky is it that almost exactly a month later, I've
got a picture as I crossed the bridge BACK into Ohio. |
Oct 10th
 |
| |
 |
Though this MAY look like a picture of
my finger or of the bridge wall, it was supposed to be a picture of
the Ohio River. It's just awfully hard to take good pictures when
you're riding in a car at 70mph.
However, if you MouseOver this picture, you'll see that I actually
ended up with an interesting picture. The arrow, that is pointing to
the left side of the picture, is actually pointing to the Wal-Mart
where Dennis and I went shopping. |
When I said that all I had
to do was just cross into Ohio to use the food stamps, I wasn't
kidding.
The back of the store was so close to the river that some of the
shopping we did nearly was in W. VA |
| |
|
| Armed with calculators,
pens and printed out shopping lists (all provided by my
ever-resourceful Mom), Dennis and I each grabbed a shopping buggy
and each chose a grocery aisle to start down. After making it to the
end of aisle, we compared the items checked off each other's list
and the total so far on each calculator. As we proceeded down each
row, filling up our carts, not only did we get what Mom had put on
the list; but usually we grabbed 2 or 3 or each item.
(Of course, anytime anything struck our eye, it went into the buggy
too.
)
Eventually, we pushed two nearly over-flowing heavy-as-heck carts up
to the checkout. |
| |
| We had done pretty good
keeping track, as the final total came up to $330.15.
And all-in-all, we had gotten nearly everything off of Mom's list
except for just a few items. You'd think this close to Thanksgiving,
I could have found cranberry sauce,
but I just didn't see it anywhere. Plus this Wal-Mart either didn't
have Tapioca or they keep it somewhere else besides with the pudding
and baking items.
|
| |
As Dennis and I loaded
everything into the car trunk and I wondered what I should go back
into the store to get with the last $20, I realized that I had
forgotten
one of the most important items
-
Coca-Cola!! |
| While Dennis went to the
gas station to fill up for the return trip, I quickly RUSHED back
inside the store to finish using my OH food stamp card and got
myself as much Coke as I could.
In
the end, I left Ohio with only $2.50 of unused food stamp benefits. |
| |
| You may remember
a story I told you last month about
Randy, myself, too many drinks in Charleston, West Virginia and the
curvy, curvy road of the West VA turnpike. Well, I remember to snap
a picture of the "parking area" where we finally stopped for a few
hours. |
 |
 |
| MouseOver Side Mirror CloseUp |
|
|
| |
| Though I tried to get some
good snapshots of the beautiful hillsides to use as wallpaper
instead I got these nice blurry images. LOL As I said it's just too
hard to get nice picture while you're in a car going 70 mph. |
 |
 |
| |
|
| The whole trip up and back
did have a rather odd quality about it though, as I saw so many
sights that I have rarely gotten to see except on my few trips back
home over the years - and yet I saw all these sights just a few
weeks ago!I
saw the places where I stopped to let the boyz out to potty. I saw
where I put gas in the U-Haul (oh, and I still hate those scamming
bastards). I saw the McDonald's where I used the gift certificates
that Gayle had given me. Ever since Jim passed away with all those
eerily coincidental situations as had happened with Randy's passing,
it seems my life has been filled with this weird coincidental deja-vu
sort of vibe. |
|
|
|
So just as we had left NC in the morning with an odd beautiful sky
(those double rainbows), we returned to NC with an oddly beautiful
sky. As the sun had begun to set, a lovely shade of pale pink began
to seep into the clouds above. By the time the sun dipped below the
horizon, it had lit up a huge bank of clouds, setting the entire
western sky ablaze as if on fire to hold back the dark of the
approaching night. |
 |
 |
| Even if we hadn't been
returning with a trunk full of groceries, the trip was worth it for
the beauty of nature alone. Within a short 16-hour span, I had seen
double rainbows, and viewed miles and miles of woodlands decked in
regal colors as Fall moved in with it's crisp cool air. We had
driven through tunnels bored through mountains, around curves that
hugged the side of mountains, and over creeks, valleys, and rivers,
including the mighty Ohio River as it rushed westward to the far-off
Mississippi. Even after seeing all of that, not just once as we went
to Ohio but with an encore viewing as we headed back to South
Carolina, we still were awed by the amazing sunset, and then the
lights in the night of the gleaming skyscrapers of my hometown of
Charlotte - all ending under the twinkling star light over my new
home in the country, hearing the gleeful barks of my spaniels upon
my return. |
| |
 |
 |
| Fifty-three
bags of groceries is a lot of food!! |
| In the long run, our trip
was worth it. For less than $100 in gas and eating costs, we
returned home with $353 worth of food. That means that for every
dollar spent on the trip, we got $3 in food - not a bad return on
our investment at all.
We returned with so many groceries that the kitchen cupboards are
completely full and Dennis had to expand the cabinets in the sunroom
by building new shelves to hold all the overflow of boxes adn cans.
And I can't really even complain about the time spent (6 hours each
way) in the car. I really don't know Mom's husband Dennis all that
well, so we had plenty of time to exchange stories. As Dennis is
originally from Ohio, we both had stories of our trips up and down
I-77* and around the state of Ohio. |
| |
| *Why, even back when Randy
and I first moved to Ohio, there was a section (marked on the map
with dotted lines as the "proposed route") where you actually left
77, climbed a mountain by another state route, before returning to
I-77. This trip probably would have actually taken 10 hrs. one way
if we had taken this trip 20 years ago. |
| |
| Also on this trip, and I
don't say this lightly, I got to see some of the beauty of nature. I
know I rambled on a bit poetic and sappy; but Damn! Everything was
just so beautiful!
I've had too much death in my life already and come too close to it
myself too often. Of course I've learned to "stop and smell the
roses" so to speak, and to enjoy the beauty of life around me. You
know how much I love my yard work, my flowers, and all those trips
Jim and I took to go trekking through the woods. This trip would
have only been better if it had been Jim and myself going to some
locale to hike, white-water rafting, or canoeing. I guess since that
option is no longer an option, coming home with enough to food to
feed us until after Christmas - and with brownie mix! - wasn't such
a bad option. |
|
|
Week Three: |
|---|
| The Boyz Go to the See
the Vet |
| The boyz had an
appointment with their doctor, and I guess all I can say was that
the outcome was a mixed bag. I guess that was to be expected though.
My financial situation has kept the boyz from being able to be seen
by a vet since their puppy shots, so it wasn't all good news. But it
wasn't all bad news either. I was just apprehensive going in because
the clinic's office manager seemed to making quite a deal out of the
fact that I didn't have records from a previous vet. Lordy! I guess
she's never heard of poor people. As it is, Ohio state has been
paying for my health care or I wouldn't have been able to see a
doctor myself all these years, much less my guyz getting medical
attention. I've just been very lucky (knock on wood) that they haven't
had tumors to be removed, legs to be amputated or the sudden onset
of blood diseases or we all would have been up the creek. But Mom
was adamant that my dogz get shots (which is appropriate) since we
live in such a rural area now - so the boyz went to see the doctor. |
| |
| I had scheduled all three
dogs in the same afternoon. Of course, it turned out to be a rainy
day, so in reverse of how I carried the dogs into their new home a
month ago (when we arrived on a rainy night), I picked up their
heavy asses one by one and ran them out to the car. Since I wasn't certain just how the vet
would handle this size of a "family", I asked Dennis to go along in
case the vet had them take turns and I needed someone to sit with
the ones waiting in the waiting room. However, she (the vet) saw all
three at the same time, so the exam room was pretty full with 3
cockers, Dennis, myself, the vet assistant and the vet herself. For
some reason, Aries decided to be a huge wimp! I've never seen him so
scared, or so clingy, ever before. He stayed plastered to the side
of my leg and when I sat on the floor in the exam room, he literally
crawled up my back in a state of fear - or wimpiness. |
| |
|
|
| Joxer was first on the
table, and unfortunately, without
much warning, she went right for Joxie's face (to check his teeth I
believe) and he snapped out at her. Of course, having groomed
numerous unhappy pets back in my pet store days, I don't have
anything against muzzles; but a muzzle really is a bit extreme for
Joxer; but the vet was a little on edge now and so Joxer got muzzled
for the rest of his exam. The good news was that his teeth are in excellent condition.
The bad news was no surprise, that his eyes are in terrible
condition. The vet sorta lectured me about how terrible it was that
I hadn't had something done about his eyes sooner; but once again I
really didn't feel like abasing myself because of my poverty, so I
just listened. One eye stills has very limited vision; but Joxer's
other eye is useless and quite possibly even infected. Unfortunately, the solution the vet has
suggested is to have his left eye removed so that it doesn't become
too painful for him. Thankfully, he tested negative for any worms,
he got his rabies shots, his toe nails clipped, and is now the proud
owner of a blue tag (that'll just go in my files as the boyz don't
wear collars. Matter of fact, besides the truck trip moving down
here, this was only the second time the boyz have even had collars
on) |
 |
| Next up, Zeus got on the
table. Zeusie learned from Joxie's mistake and played it smart by
kissing the vet some at first, and
avoided getting muzzled. Examining Zeus, the vet had more good news
than bad. Just like Joxer, Zeus has excellent teeth! Of course
however, anyone that had met my dogs, knows that Zeus has one bad
eye too. At least this time, the vet didn't talk about removing it!
Unfortunately there's not much else she can do though, so it's kinda
a waiting game until that extreme measure will also be needed. She
believes the lumps on Zeus' right side to just be fatty tumors,
rather than a cancerous problem. However, she did take a sample from
a bump on Zeus' left front leg and thankfully that result really was
non-cancerous. However, although his eyes weren't such a problem,
Zeus has a problem with his ears. Of course, inner ear infections
are often a problem with cockers. I have tried for years to keep
them clean and dried; but it's been a losing battle as I never had
enough funds to get his ears better medicated. Concluding his exam, Zeus
also tested negative for any worms, got his rabies shots, toe nails
clipped, and his own blue tag. |
 |
| I saved my poor problem
child for last. Of course, Aries doesn't mean to be a problem child;
but the bad breeding of Ginger (his mother who was more than likely
a field spaniel) to his daddy George (one of Apples' grand children)
not only gave him seizures but an odd temperament. Out of the three
boyz, Aries is the only one that I suggested the vet really use a
muzzle on. I doubt as scared as he was that Aries would have done
more than snap (like he'll do occasionally to the clippers when I'm
grooming him); but I don't trust him enough. Added to the vet's
initial reaction with Joxer, and I figured Aries better get a muzzle
so I didn't get sued or thrown out if he did snap at her. Once
again I got a little lecture from the vet. This time about how I
should have never let a multiple seizure go on for 7 minutes (the
longest incident Aries ever had) as a 9 minute or more seizure
usually does result in death. No duh! I guess she couldn't imagine
someone so poor that all they could do, alone with no car and no
money, was to sit cradling his poor dog in the throes of seizure,
crying and begging God not to take his dog as God had already taken
his partner. In the long run, Aries fared better in his exam. Not
only does he too (or is that "three" by now
) have excellent teeth but
his eyes have no problems and he has no tumors. Ending his exam, he
too tested negative for any worms, got his rabies shots, his toe
nails clipped, and now has a blue tag too. |
| |
| Finding a few fleas on the
boyz (I had to skip their last dose of FrontLine so I could pay the
vet some money), the vet gave me a new tablet that is supposed to
clear the fleas within an hour and then keep them off for another
month. Along with all their shots too, the vet also gave me some
prescriptions to fill for Zeus and Aries. She doesn't think this
medicine will totally resolve their long-standing ear problems; but
does believe that these meds can help in the long run. Joxer didn't
need any meds; but she reminded me to keep that eye-removal
operation in mind as it should be done sooner rather than later. |
| |
| Though the boyz had gotten
poked by little sticks in their butts to test for worms, I got a
bigger shafting back up front at the office managers desk.
Mom and Dennis had spoken with the vet before I even came down and
had made arrangements. While I had believed that the bill would be
around $300 and could be paid over a 3 month period (once again, my
nearly always prepared Mom had already planned this expense into the
budget she created for me before I arrived
), after I paid out
$100 in cash, the total balance on the bill is still $335!! And that
doesn't include my costs yet of filling those prescriptions for the
two red and white spaniels. Ouch!
The curse strikes again! |
| |
| Thankfully, Wal-Mart can fill some vet
prescriptions and it only cost me $20 to get the meds for Aries and
Zeus. But that's why I haven't been able to give the dogz any health
care through the years. Coming in at around $450 total that takes
2/3 of one of my monthly checks (and would have taken a whole
monthly check if these exams had been done in the past three years
while my check had been reduced!). I think I would have preferred
the little stick up my butt instead
as I didn't learn anymore about my dogz health than I did before;
but at least they've had their shots now.
|
| |
I won't see my new doctor until the
end of next week, but since he's just an Infectious Disease doc,
at least I won't have to worry about getting a stick up my butt like
the boyz did. |
Like
GrandMother, Like GrandSon . . .
only without the lunch! |
| My family knows this part
of our history; but I probably haven't shared it with too many of
the rest of you. My GrandMother (aka Nana) and my GrandDaddy (my
Mom's parents) were very lucky to have traveled to quite a few
places. Just ask her and Nana will be happy to explain that they
went to every state (all 50) in the US not once, but twice; and to
over a dozen foreign countries. |
| |
| Nana took pictures,
collected postcards and memorabilia, and keep records of all the
expenses on these trips. After they returned back home, Nana
organized all her collectibles and itineraries into neat notebooks
documenting the travels she and her husband made. Is this starting
to sound vaguely familiar to you, the readers of my blog?
By the time my GrandDaddy had passed away, Nana had complied a
bookcase shelf full of these notebooks. |
| |
| I'm sure that it was my
memories of those notebooks that helped inspired me to start this
blog - but it was also my memories that definitely makes me try to
leave out the more mundane details. LOL If you ever got the chance
to flip through Nana's books and look at the pictures, they really
are fairly interesting. How could they not be interesting? There are
pictures from the 50 states and all those foreign countries (oh
gosh! don't let her know that I can't remember how many she traveled
to. LOL) Unfortunately, I think Nana should have told more stories
as I have in my blog. While I sometimes tell a story to get to
another story, and frequently use emoticons to spice up a long
paragraph, parts of Nana's books are filled with too many trivial
details of what they ate each day or how much they spent on gas. I
mean, when have I ever written about what Jim and I ate on our trips
or how much we paid at a hotel? When you leave out those kinds of
details, you have so much more room to talk about the great sights
you saw and the experiences that you had. |
| |
| While I tried
not to tell too much about the trivial stuff on my trip up to Ohio (I never mentioned that
Dennis and I shared breakfast at an IHOP that morning where we both
ate a scrambled eggs, a serving of hash browns and shared the three
pancakes before seeing those rainbows); I did have to tell some
of the nitty-gritty details (like for less than $100 we brought home over $350
worth of groceries). Obviously my latest stories stirred up some
memories in one of my brothers too, and made him think about how
much my blogs are like Nana's trip journals because I got this email
from him: |
Congrats, you are an upgraded Grandmother.
I am proud of you for keeping up with the times and taking
us to the next level. As kids, we used to have to travel to
Grandmothers house to see her books of the daily life on her
vast travels to places I could only dream of seeing.
With that came the long visits and lunch of course. (deviled
ham sandwich dipped and fried in egg, tea with lemon
flavoring, potato chips) Lunch was always eaten off paper
plates, served on a round wicker plate holder. Crumbs were
eaten off the table by way of moistened finger and smacking
was a given.
You provide us with the same books via the web. There is no
travel, visiting, or lunch, just the insight on the daily
routine of one, Michael Charles Bivens. Your pictures will
never fade, your typing mistakes can easily be fixed, and
your delivery is world wide. You my brother are a modern day
Nana without the lunch.
Thanks for the updates. |
|
| |
| Though I disagree with his
assessment that my blog is an insight on my daily routines (because
that would be just too boring), my brother's only criticism was that
my blog doesn't provide lunch. I decided to see
what I could do about that.
Though it's nearly 2010, they still haven't invented those Star Trek
transporters yet so I can't beam a meal over to you. Somehow sending
you a picture of food, even if you could print it out and lick the
page, still didn't seem like the right answer. |
| But I think I've come up
with a temporary solution (at least for my readers here in America)
- COUPONS!
|
| |
Since Randy's family (his dad, his mom
and now his brother) has always owned one of these stores, and I
worked at one for a while, how about a nice Blizzard from Dairy
Queen?
Mmmmm!
Visit this website,
join
their club and get a BOGO coupon
for a Blizzard of your choice! |
 |
 |
Or how about a treat from my home
state?
Headquartered just up the road a ways,
try a delicious hot
Krispy Kreme doughnut
from a location near you. |
| If neither of those are to your tastes
(or not in your area), you might want to visit "The Frugal Mom" and
try out something on her
list of birthday freebies. Everybody's got
a birthday,
just get signed up early, stop by one of these locations, and think
about mIkIe and his many stories while enjoying a bday treat. |
 |
| |
If none of those works out
for you, then all I can do is fall back to this picture of
grilled deviled ham sandwich, chips and lemon iced tea |
 |
Though I don't think it
would do you any good to print this picture out and lick it,
I wouldn't suggest licking your screen either. |
| Still Time
for Planting |
| While up in Yankee
territory, my friends have already had to brush flurries off their
cars, and have been complaining about the cold temperatures and
rain, it hasn't been too terrible down here at all. Oh sure, we've
had some chilly days (I even got to pull out a sweater and wear it
one day) and a bunch of rainy days too (just making up for the
summer drought); but then the sun returned along with days in the
middle 70s. I tell you, Fall in the Carolinas is nothing like Fall
in the North. I really like this weather
and I think I'll stay down here.
|
|
|
|
The weather has been so nice down here, that there's still time for
planting. Oh, not things like flowers or vegetables; but shrubs,
bushes and trees. Mom, Dennis and I had only been talking a little
bit about what sort of plants I'd like to plant out along the boyz
yard, so I was very surprised when they came home with a present for
me the other day. While they had been out shopping, they came across
a tree - a $12 tree. Well that's a bargain that's hard to pass up; plus it
was a really beautiful type of tree - a redbud. |
MouseOver Special X 2!!
|
MouseOver the bottom half of this picture to see just how red the
dirt is here in the Carolinas. It' actually more clay than dirt,
which is why so many homes in the area have always been built from
bricks rather than wood.
MouseOver the top half of this picture
to see the leaves of the
Redbud tree. |
| |
After the tree blooms in
it's "redbuds", the leaves appear starting off red,
changing to a dark green by the end of Summer, and then to a pale
yellow in the Fall before falling off. |
|
|
(of course, these are
someone else's photos that I "borrowed" to show
what I hope to see with my redbud tree throughout the next year) |
| Joxer and Zeus are either checking out
what I'm doing, or trying to figure out how to get under the fence
to come pee on my new tree.
|
 |
 |
Hopefully, my tree might look like this
in another 5 years or so.
I can't wait. |
| Most of the spiders around
here are some ugly fat brown things, and just a ton of
granddaddy-longlegs; however I did come across one interesting
spider that was worth taking pictures of. I had been waiting to
finish mulching the front shrubs hoping that this spider would move
along; but she's been there since I moved in and has had a "filling"
summer. Before I disturbed her, I took some pictures of this large
writing spider. |
 |
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|
|
MouseOver CloseUp |
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|
|
Week Four: |
|---|
|
|
| While the weather was so
nice again (upper 70s and sunny),
I took advantage to do yet even more yard work and planting. To give
the boyz backyard a little more privacy next year, I
transplanted several Rose of Sharon plants (I can't call them bushes
yet as they are just sticks with leaves at this point.
)
I had considered putting them inside the fence; but I was afraid
that the boyz would just pee them to death before they got a chance
to grow any before Fall settles in.
Mom and I have also discussed extending the fence some next Spring
and enlarging the area for the boyz. These new plants will still
look fine if the yard is expanded; and this way they'll have more
time to grow before the dogz get anywhere near them. |
 |
 |
| MouseOver to see the Boyz |
Next Spring I'll have a row of
flowering bushes.
|
|
 |
Isn't Aries such a cutie, standing
there posing for the camera? MouseOver and you'll see that he was
actually checking behind him to see if he had been caught.
|
| The stump that Aires was by used to be
a tree not too long before I moved down. It was hit by lightning and
had to be taken down before it feel down. You can see the internal
damage the lightning did in the pile of wood logs left over. |
 |
| The "front woods" and
house that I've been showing you pictures of so far take up about
half the property. The other half of the property is all "woods"
extending down a hillside towards a creek - or so I thought. While
out working in the yard, I decided while I had on my work boots,
it'd be time to go exploring through the "back woods" and
go play in the "crick".
When I got to the far end of the property inside of finding a creek
I could play in, all I found was a big gully. As you can see in
these pictures, there had been a creek here at one time because this
is quite a deep and wide gully; but it hasn't been a creek in quite a while - because
there are trees growing where water should be flowing. |
|
|
| |
| From the "creek", looking
back up the hill through the woods at the house |
 |
| MouseOver for a better
view of my side of the house and the boyz' deck |
| |
| Obviously, I had no reason
to worry about disturbing the writing spider that was hanging around
in the front shrubs. From where she ran away from me to hide in the
azalea bush, she's already got a new web spun. Though a few
fall-brown leaves have gotten stuck in her new web, I don't think
she minds, as all that has done was give her a bit more camouflage. |
See the heavy white zig-zag line?
The spider is sitting right behind it! |
MouseOver CloseUp |
| Before I finish up with
this week's "Outdoor Report",
I should mention another type of little creature that I keep seeing
all around the property. While I was living down in Florida, going
to college, I saw these all over everywhere; but with the heat,
humidity, and being so close to the beach, they didn't seem as out
of place as they do here. What I keep seeing are little chameleons
darting all around. |
 |
This shy lizard quickly ran away
Or he realized that was just the fake tree on the deck |
| The Curse
Strikes Again |
| Finally, it looks like OH
is terminating me. (WooHoo!) But I don't know this because I finally
got that termination notice from OH (I'm still waiting and waiting
on that
), I know because I got a letter from Social
Security stating that OH has quit paying the Medicare premium for
me. Without that termination notice from OH, I still can't get a
SC medical card or SC food stamps; but at least there's a sign that
my case in OH is finally closing out and that means that things are
heading in the right direction. |
| |
| But as my brother pointed
out, this is a "Michael Bivens" story, so that's not the end of
things. Want to hear the part where the curse bites me in the ass?
Since OH isn't paying the premium anymore, now SS will be deducting
the $98 right out of all of my upcoming checks starting with the one
that'll arrive Nov 3rd. |
| |
So now moving to SC is
making me another $100 poorer!!!
(and damn! I'm already well below the fed and states poverty levels
thank you. I didn't need to get any poorer.) |
| |
| The bright light I hope
I'm seeing at the end of the tunnel isn't the headlight of an
approaching train,
but that SC should pick up making
that payment when my application finally goes through and I'll get a
reimbursement check for the premium payment that were withheld. But
since I have no termination notice still and have no idea how SC
will handle this, I'm not holding my breath, and not looking for any
reimbursement until somewhere down the tracks. |
| |
| I just keep telling myself
to keep fighting and I'll make it work out. Life just keeps putting
these roadblocks in front of me and I keep jumping over them. Oops!
Am I mixing up metaphors too badly? Lights in tunnels, training
running me over, down the tracks. Do roadblocks fit in with that? Or
should I have said that life keeps putting cows on the tracks and I
keep pushing them out of my way. I'm just glad that I'm
feeling ok. If I was still feeling as bad as I did after having PCP,
I would have just given up on all this bureaucracy a long time ago. |
| |
| Ah well, I have calls and
emails in to the SC dpt of health, and my new case manager (I'll put
her through her paces and see just how "helpful" a case manager is.), so maybe someone somewhere will have an convenient solution to
all this lying around for me. Until then I'll just keep up the good
fight, and keep hammering back at "the curse". |
| Rebuffing
the Curse |
| Mom and I have some progress against
the curse
though. After several more calls to U-Haul, their brand-new two-day
old Akron Ohio district manager has claimed that she will "fix" our
problem. After explaining the problem, she gave us a return call the
very next day (without having to be prompted)
and said that she had contacted that small location where I picked
up the truck. The attendant admitted to receiving my cash, so the
district manager has said that the charge will be removed against
Mom's credit card.
After waiting a few more days, the charge was finally removed from
Mom's account. |
| |
| WooHoo!
I'm very glad that situation has finally been fixed. I felt so badly
that I had been so stupid and Mom took the hit against her credit
card after trying so hard to help me with transportation back to the
Carolinas. But don't think that I approve of U-Haul anymore now that
they have fixed their mistake.Obviously,
someone was still trying to scam us. It's been nearly two months
now, and you can't tell me that they haven't noticed a $900 payment
against a $600 rental by now. I'm quite sure that someone
noticed that extra $300 a long time ago. Personally, I wouldn't
doubt that the attendant back in Canton wasn't scrounging up $300 in
cash to throw back into his till real fast. |
| Seeing
Stars and Thinking of the Past |
| The Orionid meteor shower is an annual
meteor shower which lasts approximately one week in late-October, so
I ventured outside to see what I could see the other night. The
Orionids are so-named because the point they appear to come from
lies in the constellation Orion. This meteor shower is caused
because the Earth will be moving through a stream of dirt and dust
left by Halley's Comet. The comet last came through our inner part
of the solar system in 1986 and won't be back around until mid-2061. |
 |
| Tuesday late night, so I
guess it was really more like very early Wednesday morning (1:30am),
I went outside. Spreading out a blanket on the walkway between the
porch and the deck, I laid back with my head on a pillow (and the
boyz all jumping around me in the dark)
and let my eyes get accustomed to the dark. We're still close enough
to Charlotte here to still get a lot of ambient light, so it wasn't
dark enough for me to see the Milky Way; but it was dark enough out
here in the country to see quite a lot of stars. |
| |
| After waiting about 15
minutes, I thought I might have seen a streak go by; but wasn't
certain. However just a few minutes later, I really did see a
"shooting star", followed by another, and another and finally one
more a few minutes later. After waiting another 10 minutes or so
without seeing anymore, I decided to call it a night since I had
accomplished the goal of seeing part of the meteor shower. |
| |
| Though it was a "coolish"
(low 60s) night, it had been a pleasant night to see an
astronomical event; but it really was time for me to call it a night
as I began to remember other nights that I had stayed out watching
the skies. Believe it or not, Randy and I had even been up on the
deck with Jim and Chris watching when Halley's Comet passed overhead
way back in 1986. Through all these intervening years, Jim and I
used the telescope several times a year and looked at the moon,
over-flying space shuttles, lunar eclipses and several other meteor
showers. It always seems like these kinds of events mainly happen in
the late Fall or early Spring when it's cold in Ohio. Most times,
Jim and I have had to bundle up with thermal underwear, gloves,
hats, scarves, and coat, to go up to the pool deck with Jim's
telescope to watch these unusual happening in the night skies. |
| |
It just started to seem
too odd as I called it a night, watching the skies without shivering
and without Jim by my side. |
Meeting the
New Doctor
or Another Morning at the Clinic |
Today I finally got to
meet my new doctor - and so far, I like him.
Doctor Charles seemed to be about the same age as my last doctor,
Dr. Fiorentino, and just as pleasant. We chatted about the meds I've
been through and my general history with HIV. That's quite a bit
when you consider all of the consequences I've had from being
positive - the pneumonias, being in the hospital, all the meds (and
how I won't take anything with the mind-altering Sustiva in it),
the barfing ,
and losing both Randy and Jim. Just as in the intake interviews I
went through, there's a lot to talk about having had this disease
affect my life for nearly 20 years. The good thing is at this point
of my relationship with this doctor, we're just meeting and I'm
doing pretty good, so we got off onto a good foot. |
| |
There was a minor
troubling issue though - my lab results. (hopefully, this isn't
another case of "the curse"
acting up) I'm going to have to fuss
at the nurse the next time. Her promise of good results didn't pan
out.
Though it's not a big blip, my viral load is no longer undetectable
but barely inched up to a low 120. More troubling to me, though the
doctor wasn't as bothered because it was above the "magical" trouble
line of 200, my t-cells dropped by a large amount to only 209.
Looking back at today's appointment, I'm really kind of saddened by
both those numbers. Though realistically neither one is a drastic
change or (in my case) a horrible change, neither change is a good
change as both numbers moved the wrong way. |
My counts from 1998-2009 |
| |
|
| I haven't had a blip in my
viral load for some time. Matter of fact, looking at my numbers I
see that this ends the streak (that I've been in the
undetectable range) for nearly a year and a half - going back to
when Jim passed away! I was tested about a week after Jim died and
two weeks before I held his memorial, and I've been undetectable
every test from then to now. It was only about five years ago in May
2004 that I finally reached undetectable for the first time after
being HIV positive for seventeen long years. Since then, it just
seemed that I was unable to keep that damned virus totally at bay.
Every few months, I'd get blips in that count, until May 2008, and
I've held steady at undetectable - until now. |
The Blips
from 2004-2009 |
CD4 cells rising and falling
from 2008-present |
I can can't say that I'm all
that happy with my t-cell count either. The last time it was
this close to 200 (except for the one low count from that same test
when Jim passed away and I went undetectable) was clear back in June 2006. So that's basically a three and a half
year trend (of t-cells around 255) that's gone now. I quit taking
Bactrim, an antibiotic which help prevents PCP pneumonia, because I
had held so well above 200 for so long. I don't know that I'll have
to start taking that med again; and the doctor didn't even bring it
up; but it's a reason I'll be very interested in the results of my
next blood work.
(That VL spike and dip in T-cells at the first of
this graph happened while Jim was sick, hospitalized, and through
his death before things evened back out.) |
| Looking at the large,
first graph, it's easy to tell when my "bad years" were by the way
the red and green lines so frequently crossed one another as my
viral load went up and my t-cells went down. As I've pointed out at
other times, it's also easy to tell when I committed to Jim, had
better meds and stayed on regimen because the lines diverged and
stayed apart like they should be doing. But looking closer at the
smaller, shorter time-span charts, it's a little troublesome
to see that red and green line coming closer together again. There
is one mitigating note to this news - the lines are closer to
crossing at the bottom of the chart. Though I'd rather not be
running low on T-cells as we enter the flu season (thank goodness, I
did get that shot!) and H1N1 is floating about, at least I'm not
having to contend with a skyrocketing HIV viral load with this
broken down immune system. |
| |
Since my next appointment
for blood work isn't until near the end of January, I'm going to
make it on my calendar to "fuss" at the nurse and ask for a refund
- or better results this next time!
|
|
| While I was down in Rock
Hill and at the Clinic, I checked in with my case manager to see if
she had found out any answers to my issues. It seemed I had been the
topic of discussion this morning, and there were some answers for me
to use to fight back at "the curse". WooHoo!
A conference among most of the case workers helped my case manager
come up with a new stack of forms for me to fill out. But I won't mind doing
these forms at all, since one will get that $98 Medicare premium
covered and my check back up to it's normal $700.
The
other forms will get me a medical card and also should help pay the
med co-pays. |
| |
Along with all those forms
that will eventually get things worked out for me, my case worker
got me set up to start getting meds again. Just in time too, as I
must have left at least a bottle and a half of one of meds back in
the refrigerator at the house back in Canton. That med is the one I
really dislike (Norvir) and Ms. Case Manager just rolled her eyes at
me when I suggested that I could just do without that one for a
while. I have plenty of
everything but that one med and it will run out next Friday.
Luckily, next Friday, UPS is now scheduled to be delivering my first
shipment of meds thanks to the Catawba Care Clinic, the great state
of South Carolina and the government of the US of A. |
| |
| So far I'm liking having a
Case Manager and I have to get her an "A" for this first month.
First, she gets my all hooked up with the Clinic and I got checked
out, a flu shot, labs taken, and the new doctor that I saw today.
Then she gets me the forms (and guidance) to get nearly $100 bucks
back into my check, the approval for my meds go through, and the
meds are even scheduled for delivery. |
| |
Now if I can ever get that
damned termination notice out of Ohio, I'll be able to finish up
with getting an SC medical card and back onto food stamps. Then I'll
have to hit up Ms Case Manager to see about getting me some glasses
and having my dentures checked up.
I'm also going to have to have one more thing checked out too, and I
bet I'm going to get a scope shoved down my throat to see what's up
- but that's another story for in the future when I get all my ducks
in a row FOR the medical help.
|
Some Justice Gets
Served
or Another Slam Against the Curse |
| One other issue has been simmering in
the background this week Recently, I was alerted by one of my Canton
friends that John was being taken to court with an eviction notice.
Unfortunately, it seems that the rental agency also listed me in
their complaint. I send a very nice email to the Canton Clerk of
Court (along with CCing it to RTO, the rental/leasing company)
explaining the whole story of how John had caused us to lose
our lease and that I had had to find a new home in only two weeks
time. I also explained that I had left by the date on my signed
statement (actually a few days earlier); that I had only lived in
that house 3 days past the year lease; and that I had been a
resident of SC since Sept 9th. Obviously I was gone from the
premises and any actions John had taken (i.e. not leaving the house)
were his own responsibility. Eventually, I got a reply from the
clerk; but had to respond once more when they "suggested" that I
still should appear in court. I explained that RTO knew when I left,
and should have known that John was the only occupant that had NOT
left the premises, so I should have never been included in their
charge. Plus I explained again how I had no car, was on disability,
and couldn't walk through the mountains to get to court, much less
get there by this Friday. That's why I sent the email. Doh! |
| |
| Since today was the court hearing, I
checked the case docket this morning and found that my email was
entered into the court records. That means that I am on record as
being my own attorney. (WooHoo! Leatherman the Lawyer)
I also read that Magistrate Jeremy J. Foltz issued writ of
restitution against John.
So though John may or may not pay up, some justice was served and
John is legally responsible for having NOT left the premises after
all that trouble and aggravation he caused. |
|
| Though, I really can't claim anymore
that it was all that much "trouble and aggravation". Well. I guess
it really was at that time; but the unintended consequence of
John's stupid, hateful, evil actions was that I finally moved back
home after all these years. The boyz and I are ever so happy in our
new home - even if I'm still having issues with getting all those
social services lined up.
|
| |
| I have a big ol' yard to work in, much
better weather, and the boyz love
their deck. I've always gotten along well with my Mom, so it's good
being back spending time her. Dennis and I get along well and have a
lot of Ohio stories in common. And the weather is so much better
here! What did I already say that?!
Well after all the blizzards I've been through in Ohio, I'll
probably be talking about the nice Carolina weather for a looong
time. Just wait till next Summer rolls around. Heck! Just wait until
my bday in March! Hopefully, instead of pictures of snow piled up on the ground
after a blizzard, I'll be posting pictures of that redbud tree
blooming |
 |
| MouseOver CloseUp of
Leatherman and the Boyz |
|
|
Week Five: |
|---|
|
|
| Fall Comes
to South Carolina |
| Even moving South didn't guarantee that I could outrun Mother Nature. So finally Fall is coming to the South; but I'm not crying, that's for sure. Around here, Fall means the nights dip into the low 50's and the highs are in the mid 60's on a rainy day and the low 70's on a sunny day. That's a far cry from an Ohio Fall day starting down in the 20's and lucky to get into the 50's with the sun. |
 |
MouseOver the Trees in the
Back Yard to see their beautiful color
MouseOver by the back corner of the House to See Who is in the Back
Yard |
 |
 |
| Mom Blowing the Deck |
Mom Gives us the Long-Awaited
GBS |
|
|
|
| For many years, I lived in city homes
that had no trees at all, except for a dogwood tree here or there.
Now I'm surrounded on all sides and it's quite beautiful as the
trees are changing to some many different hues of colors. |
 |
| The Appointment that
Wasn't |
| Though I can't complain
about my Case Manager from the Catawba Care Clinic, I've got a
complaint about an agent from the local Health Department. If you
remember, I told you Ms Case Manager had a stack of docs for me to
fill out and sign, that would in the long run fix a lot of issues.
One of those docs had just needed my info and she was able to call
in to the Health Dpt. and "refer" my case to them. So two short days
later, I got an appointment letter in the mailbox, with an
appointment scheduled for me down in Rock Hill the first part of the
very next week. |
| |
| I learned a long time ago,
that if you want assistance, you have to put in these "personal
appearances" when requested (demanded); but it all pays off. I mean
really, what do I have to do that's so important that I can't make
these appointments to ensure I get the help I need? I didn't really
want to sit outside the food stamp office in the wee hours of the
dawn; but you do what you gotta do. So I was up early again, and
made the drive down to yet another agency. |
| |
| Unfortunately, Google Maps
led me astray,
and I realized that this health department office was in the same
complex with the other county offices, and I was semi-lost and not
going to arrive on time. Thankfully, I have a cell phone again, so I
gave the agent a quick call to explain why I was running late, and
to get directions. |
| |
| Much to my surprise, and
slowly growing anger, I found out that the agent wasn't even in her
office; nor was her office mate who had also been listed on the form
for this appointment. I first realized something wasn't quite right
with the situation after I dialed her cell number and her initial
reaction was to demand to know how I got her number. (Well, off the
appointment notice that she sent me, duh!)
Though she apologized a few times for any "inconvenience" she might
have caused me, I could quickly tell that she no intentions of
meeting me at her office and really had no need for a long interview
with me. While I had assumed this appointment was connected to one
of the forms that my Case Manager and I had filled out the other
day, this really was the most trivial interview that anyone could
have asked for. Once someone is diagnosed HIV positive, the health
department contacts them to be able to notify the CDC of that
status, to encourage that person to get onto meds, and to notify
that person's partners, just as they do with all other STDs. So over
the phone, I gave this agent the 5-minute version of my life. |
| HIV+ 1992, AIDS diagnosis 1993, OIs
(opportunistic infections) of PCP, thrush, wasting syndrome,
on meds for over a decade, current t-cells 209 viral load
120 -though it has been UD (undetectable) for nearly 2 yrs,
recently moved (9/09) to the state, understands and follows
safe sex guidelines, currently not having sex as all his
long-terms partners and friends are dead |
|
| |
| Then I got to to spend the
second half of my 20-mile journey fuming about the agent's
rudeness in not even being in her office for this appointment. I
just know that her other office-mates should be thankful that I
never made it to the office, because they would have been surprised
to see the fit I would have been throwing.
I'm on disability (that's code for "poor"), don't own a vehicle, and
live in the upper portion of the county literally just yards from
the state line, and recently moved from Ohio into SC, so I was
inconvenienced quite a bit. Not only did I have to change my regular
medication time; but I also had to arrange transportation,
directions and gas money. What was a trivial inconvenience to that
agent (or no inconvenience at all as she obviously wasn't even there
to attend this appointment which she had scheduled) cost me time and
money which no one was going to be returning to me - unless, as I
wrote in a snide letter that I mailed off to this agent, unless she
would like to make up the costs by reimbursing me for my mileage. |
| |
| I'll let you know if anything ever
comes from the letter I sent off.
|
| Physical and Mental |
| In my last update, I was
bemoaning the latest counts from my last blood work. Many of you and
others wrote back to me about the situation, and I'll admit defeat
in the overwhelming positive deluge of mail. Obviously, now that I'm
in a safe, stable home (even if all the social service stuff isn't
worked out) I don't have to be on my guard so much worrying about
things like water, the roof and heat for the winter, things are just
catching up to me and my body is just taking a short breather. And
my t-cells have slacked off too. (lazy bastards! ROFL) |
| |
| So all-in-all, the drop in
t-cells and tiny spike in viral load wasn't all that bad. It's not
like I haven't been expecting this to happen since clear back to
when Jim went into the hospital and my stress level sailed off the
charts. The thing I didn't expect though was that it would take this
long to hit, and be this mild of a problem. So with Fall here, and
Winter just around the corner, I'm just going to sit back, rest more
often, read more books, and enjoy finally being settled into a happy
home. |
| |
| I am having a few health related
issues right now because of the lower t-cells. For one thing, I have
pimples! Not many really, but any acne at 47 is pretty
disgusting.
I've
also been having a lot of joint pain lately, especially in my one
shoulder that suffers with bursitis. All-in-all though these are
health problems I can easily deal with - mainly just by doing
nothing but not over exerting myself. (I can handle that!) |
|
| I think my subconscious
brain is trying really hard to get a handle on everything too. After
I first moved down to SC, I was surprised by having a couple of
weeks of some really serious nightmares. I mean, I've always had a
lot of dreams and nightmares; but these were just nightmares, no
dreams, every night and intense. It remembered me of the nights when
the "evil" Sustiva (an HIV medication that I used to take) was
affecting my brain. |
| |
| However, now that I've finally settled in, during this last month,
I've still been dreaming a lot (I usually do dream a lot but this is
WAY more than usual) and they are pretty vivid (so these are more
like the Chantix (the anti-smoking drug) dreams); but in these
dreams there's something that quite frankly, I haven't allowed to be
in my dreams. In these both Randy and Jim are making appearances!
And these are GOOD dreams. |
| |
| Up till now in my life,
I've refused to dream about my guys because they're gone and I
didn't really want to be waking up crying and even more depressed
because of what my stupid brain was doing while I slept. As I
mentioned I've always dreamed a lot and I usually remember quite a
bit of them. During my 20's, I used to keep pen and paper by my bed
so I could write down the details of my dreams. I quit after a
while, because, quite frankly, I just didn't find any awe-inspiring
revelations in my dreams.
These recent dreams are really good and I've actually been waking up
happy because of them. |
| No More Vet for the
Pets |
| I'm not certain if it's
the curse at work; but unfortunately
we have had a falling-out with
the vet. You may remember from the first of the month, that I took
the boys in for exams. Before we even moved down, Mom and
Dennis had talked to the vet and worked out a preliminary bill along
with payments being spread over several months. Even though the vet
had done a few extra things for the boyz, we felt the final bill was
close to $100 too much. Unfortunately, the printout of that
preliminary bill that was given to Mom has gotten misplaced.
Although they didn't have that "proof", Mom and Dennis had been
trying to get a conference with the vet so that they could
re-negotiate my bill back to more like what the vet had originally
proposed. |
| |
| Of course, right after the
exam, when I was at the front counter to make my first payment, the
business manager had no clue about the vet's original proposal, nor
that I would be paying over time. However, she gave me that larger
bill and grudgingly took a payment from me. Back home, Dennis tried
for several days to reach the vet to discuss my bill. The vet never
returned his calls; but he did talk with the business manager twice
about the issue. |
| |
| Mom and Dennis were still
trying to have a face-to-face with their vet because in the last
month one of their Chihuahuas has had two seizures. In a way, their
dog Rudy is a lot like my Aries - a little high-strung, with
occasional seizures which in turn also effect the personality making
both dogs seem more aggressive. Unfortunately when the vet had
finally arranged an appointment with them, they were unable to get
back from a bridge game in time to meet up with the vet. Instead of
trying to arrange another meeting, or even calling back on the
phone, the vet sent a rather abrupt email. |
I enjoy you and your
husband as people and your son seems very nice. I am hurt that
despite my cutting my prices to help you out and working out a
payment over time (which I only do for a few clients), you continue
to complain repeatedly and say not very nice things about me.
I hope that you will pay your bill with the current arrangements
with Karen. Regardless, although it saddens me, I think it would be
best if you took your veterinary business elsewhere. Please let us
know where we can send your records. |
|
| |
| Of course, we had not been
"complaining repeatedly". Unfortunately, we made an enemy out of the
vet's office manager by trying to speak directly to the vet. You
probably know where this is leading. Since the manager obviously had
numerous chances to tell the vet just how "evil" we were, the vet
ended up with a deluded picture of what kind of customers we are.
Though she's been the vet to Mom's dogs for nearly 12 years and has
taken quite a bit of money in services, it's hard to get decent
customer service when employees are bad-mouthing you. Needless to
say, if you come down this way, don't do business with Palmetto
Pets. Though the vet is nice, the office manger is not, and they'll
drop you like a hot potato if you "offend" them. |
| Half of an Old
Tradition |
| Normally, this time of year, I'd have
pictures for you from the annual Hallo-weenie roast over at Joyce
and Clifford's house. But of course, this past year has been about
losing traditions that I shared with Joyce and her family for so
many years, so this is just another one that has gone by the
wayside. Halloween was a lot quieter without costumes, without roasting hot dogs over a
roaring bonfire, and
without platefuls of s'mores. |
| |
| But that's not all bad! It just
means that the upcoming year will be all about starting NEW
traditions! And my Mom did her part to help me change from the "way
things were in Ohio" to the "way things are in South Carolina".
Several times this past week, with the cooler Fall weather hanging
in the air, Mom whipped up some s'mores in the toaster oven!
I'll have to start a woodpile, and next year have my own bonfire
(since I can do that now, living outside any city limits),
and roast up some marshmellows! |
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