An Outing!

 

When I told Jim I needed to go to UPS to return an Amazon purchase, he said, “An outing!”  So this is what consists of an outing when one is retired.  While we were out, we made three stops and felt very efficient.

First stop, CVS for one of my prescriptions.  There will be more there later this week but at that point Jim will have some too.  Jim is so good to me.  Standing in line is hard for me so he goes in and has learned that doing so at 2 pm is a great time.  And it didn’t take long at all and he was back at the car, prescription in hand.

Second stop, Stults Farm Market for our CSA basket.  This week it was a cabbage, zucchini, apples, and a pepper.  There was also corn one could add to the haul.  We don’t eat cabbage and we used the last of last week’s zucchini last night when we had “squashy eggs.”  But we will enjoy the corn again tonight and I could make apple crisp one of these days.  I’ll grate the zucchini and freeze it for a time when I feel like making muffins.  I had been giving extra produce to the family downstairs but they moved out and we don’t have new neighbors yet.  And even if we did, I would hesitate to make my first encounter one of giving away food we can’t use.  

Third stop, UPS where there appeared to be a line and a woman at the head of it with issues.  One person ahead of us gave up and left. I was hoping my request would be easy as I showed the QR code on my phone.  And it was!  I have a receipt and my purchase is on its way to Amazon where I asked for store credit and will try a different size.  I was quite pleased with myself with handling the method of returning purchases through the Amazon site and the UPS.  

So…we are home again.  It’s almost time for happy hour and fixing supper.  Do we want to watch the Mets and Phillies again tonight?  We have cheered for both teams when they play others.  But our hearts seem to be with the Mets and they have not made us happy lately.  

So this is life in retirement.  In the past, we’d have to squeeze in all those errands after work or on the weekend and now it is what we consider “An Outing.” 

—————9:45 pm  While we go about such ordinary travels, there was another school shooting in Colorado and an assassination of a political activist, Charlie Kirk of Turning Points, in Utah.  Our world is full of violence and sadness.  

Watching TV Sports

Watching sports on TV is a very huge part of our lives so maybe I should blog about it.

The Mets—they can be so good and they can be so bad.  Even their best players, Lindor, Alonso, Soto, seem to have slumps.  And their pitching has not been what anyone can count on—even the reputed Senga.  But two rookies just brought up from the Minors have starred so maybe things will be looking up—McLean and Tong.  And we do like our SNY sportscasters—Keith Hernandez, Gary Cohen, Ron Darling, and Steve Gelbs. They are like old familiar friends coming to us almost nightly.  

ND football—It was a hard loss to Miami on Sunday.  A rookie quarterback CJ Carr shows promise but he was not always protected well by his linemen.  The Irish got way behind and then to their credit chipped away to come back but not enough.

We watched a bit of WNBA last night and of course, there is always golf on the weekends.  When I complain about seeing the same commercials over and over, I have to remember it is because we have that TV on so much. So now, will I watch the Mets without Jim here his afternoon?  I am less motivated to do so.  However, he is the one to give up on them when they get behind or start to lose a big lead.  And he is really emotionally invested in ND sports.  I tell him his reputation as a scholar does not depend on ND winning in football or basketball, but I think he is not convinced.  He used to feel the same way about NCSU’s Wolfpack.  To Jim’s credit, he knows a lot about sports.  So many times, he will make a comment and then the announcers will say the same thing—as if they heard what he said sitting on our living room sofa.

The Mets and Tigers were tied when I put on the TV. The Mets immediately went behind 3-1 and I wondered if I should turn it off.  I kept it on and it only got worse.  It was a 6-2 loss but the Mets had won the first two of the series.  

The Hip Saga Continues

 On Wednesday I visited Dr. Skeehan again, this time for a gel injection.  Once again, he was very kind and solicitous about trying to make me comfortable and tolerating the pain.  It was not bad at all.  I told him I was tough and had three babies without much medication and he replied, “Say no more!” Sadly, these gel injections are not covered by insurance for hips, just for knees, so Jim had to go to the front desk with our credit card before anyone could proceed.  

The strange thing is that even though there is gel inserted into the joint, there may be no relief for two weeks!  When we got home, I wondered how this could be true so of course, I googled “Why is there a delay in relief with gel injections for hips?” And yes, this is what happens.  Apparently, it needs to work with one’s own body’s mechanisms.  So I will have to be patient and wait for better mobility and less discomfort.  The best results could be at two months and one can have another injection after six months. 

What gave me some peace of mind is that one cannot even consider hip replacement surgery for three months due to the danger of infection, I guess.  So I don’t have to wonder if I should be thinking of that step.  I just have to be a patient patient!  

Today I asked Jim if we could drive down to the entrance to the canal near Eno Terra and I could walk just a bit there.  We did—and I managed at least to get across the parking lot and see the water.  It was lovely but that was far enough for today.  It’s a beautiful Labor Day and we have spent a lot of it watching the Mets win and now watching the Phillies.