Anticipation - in Positive Mode

I’m getting caught up, little by little. Today I went to the dentist to have a loose crown cemented back on. This is the second time for this procedure. I hope it stays this time. Otherwise there will be another and much more expensive procedure to do. Next: my annual mammogram appointment.

My right eye is not so happy this week. I get more irritation in it and have been using regular eye drops in it almost every day. At first I thought I was doing too much close work and when it was irritated, I put my computer away for several hours. Then I thought it might be the fact that the heat is on in the house and the air is dryer. But when I woke this morning and the eye was “scratchy” when I woke up, I realized it probably was not close work, nor dry air in the house, more likely the Fuchs syndrome. I will ask Dr. Lass about it when I see him next week. I am hoping this is only temporary.

This week I made another favorite, parsnip soup. Again, this is pretty easy. Peel two parsnips. I buy the bigger parsnips as they tend to be sweeter. Slice the parsnips into quarter inch slices and put in about 2 cups of water to boil. While they are cooking, saute onion and thinly sliced carrots in olive oil and when the carrots are softened some but not quite tender, put the mixture into a blender. When parsnips are soft, add parsnips and their water to the blender. (I usually put the parsnips in the blender first, reserving the liquid to add, as needed, so I can adjust the thickness of the soup. However, the soup will usually take most of the liquid) Add salt and pepper to taste. It makes a thick, filling soup and a tasty way to add another vegetable to your diet.

Amy says all medical bills are fiction until you can ferret out their meaning. I would say not all of them, but I have been calling on two of them for several weeks and finally got clarification on one. I don’t mind paying for procedures that I have had, but I like to know what I’m paying for, and medical bills are often hard to decipher. I did have good luck calling Medicare for an explanation and, to my surprise, talked to a knowledgeable and willing-to-be-patient person, who eventually answered all of my questions to my satisfaction. I would say this is one of my better interactions with Medicare. They have improved their customer service quality since last we spoke.

The temperature got down into the 30s last night. It was very windy and pretty cool out yesterday, and I did not walk. Today I will walk. There are several lovely trees retaining their orange leaves that I look forward to seeing.

The raised flower beds have been cleared; all the dead stalks and fallen twigs carted away. Nothing blooming now except my rose bush and the white mums. I cut some roses and mums and brought them inside for a vase on my table. The roses smell so sweet, I can’t resist taking in a good whiff of them every tIme I go by. While the garden is settling in for a long winter nap, it rests in expectation, pregnant with tulips in the spring.

Be seeing you...