Day 7

7:33 AM, sitting at Nina's, waiting for my tea to steep, killing time
so that I don't eat my bar until 8:00. This marks a week without
coffee. Day 7 of Medifast. To food and eating what I imagine methadone
is to heroin and addiction. The sun is out--a rare occurrence of late.
I don't have much more focus. Tea done.

Just sunk in--this place is deserted.

--
David
www.schons.net

Mom falls

11:34 PM last night, phone rings. Nurse from Country Manor, Diane,
says that my mom fell in her bathroom and pulled the cord, that my
mom's blood pressure was 240 over something, and she wanted to send my
mom to the emergency room. Okay. Diane was using a cellphone, and sh
said that my mother probably wouldn't be able to hear me. She
couldn't. Kept saying "I can't hear you." Writing down the number for
the St. Cloud Hospital ER.

I got called because my sister barb didn't answer her phone. I
called--busy. Eventually we had several conversations, both called the
ER. Consultations with Dorothea. Many. Lying awake. Contemplating
driving to St. Cloud. But that was before I knew about the
weather--late-season blizzard to the north and west.

Waited an hour to give the ambulance to get there. Mom alert and
oriented. Several hours of tests. Then waited for Barb to call with an
update. About four, she did, saying the mom was sent home on a "care
cab," with meds for dizziness and a bruised knee.

Now what? (From the Honda in Y parking lot.)

--
David
www.schons.net

Kim's Choe Mien

On with a sweater and out to the porch to listen to the rain. Home
from work. Awaiting Dorothea who's picking up from Kim's Chow Mien.
This is a first.

There was a big storm a few days ago. It was Monday, because I drove
Madeline to her violin lesson. Piano lesson--excuse me. She hasn't
played violin for five years.

There was a honkin' cold front came through. Temp dropped from 80° F
to 50° F. Moderately heavy rain by the time we got to Lake Calhoun.
Just enough rain and night so that I did not like driving. It was as
low moving system, such that when we got back over here, it wasn't
raining, hardly at all. After bedtime, though, cut loose--thunder,
lightening, hail. But it wasn't threatening like a summer. Maybe
because it was cold, or that the lightening and thunder were far away.
But no; I think the lightening was pretty close.

We're supposed to get an inch of snow tomorrow.

Day Two of Medifast. I have done my five meals today, and will make a
hamburger patty and salad for dinner. So far, the night before I have
made a shake with Liam's Bullet blender, picked out four other
packets--soups, oatmeal, pudding--and pack all in a lunchbox. Shakes
and pudding seem like they'd be best at home. Want to take bars for
quick breakfast.

--
David
www.schons.net

Passover Seder

I am in the tub. I brought Wing in with me, leaving it on the
footstool next to the tub. The PDA was still on vibrate where I had
set it last night during the Passover Seder at Amy's house.

I was interrupted from reading The Everything Guide to Buddhism by the
Wing buzzing. Text from Madeline asking if I want to take her driving

--
David
www.schons.net

Spring rain

Salvation in a box. Seventeen pounds of Medifast is on its from
Louisville via UPS.

Yesterday day morning, I noted the last little piles of snow were gone
from the north-facing shadows of front yards across the street.

Plans are now made for Washington, D. C. trip. Alan called. Airline
tickets bought. Hotel reserved. Who is to watch the children? remains.

--
David
www.schons.net

Endocrinologist

Monday I left work early to pick up Madeline at 3:00 from staying
after school for help with math. First day of spring. When we got
home, we took Stella for a walk. We were jacketless. Stopped at the
music store and bought her a new mouthpiece for her clarinet. Then
over to Garden of Eva to give them ten dollars to put Liam's name up
on their sign for his birthday.

Tuesday was enormously windy. I walked to Buffet King, perhaps to
splurge before visiting the endocrinologist for the first time this
morning. The wind blows so hard that the car is buffeted as I sit in
it in the parking lot before going in.

--
David
www.schons.net

Escape to The Coffee News Cafe

At the Coffee News Café. Had to get out of the house; dirty dishes on
the kitchen counter (and unloaded clean dishes in the dishwasher)
almost drove me out of the house yesterday morning, and did today.
Yesterday Liam complied with my request for help. I didn't want to go
through that again. Reminds me of college roommate days, sadly. I was
an offender then.

Last night was a house concert at Al's house. Nikki and the Roommates.
Two women and a guy. Electric bass/backing vocals, guitar/lead vocals,
guitar/dobro/backing vocals. The lead singer has a great blues voice,
actually plays the guitar--not just strumming--and is interesting to
look at. Dorothea and I stayed for the second set; usually, we leave
after the first.

Last week, I went in for my yearly mole check and to urgent care for
ringing in my ears. Crickets in the distance are getting closer.
Saturday morning Urgent Care doc saw some irritation in one and some
fluid buildup in the other ear--nothing conclusive. Recommended
Sudafed for four days, then ENT. Dispelled my notion of wax buildup.

Also made an appointment for the endocrinologist. (Am I getting old?.)
This for a clinic and a doc recommended by Sean. Dorothea as well
knows the doc. But he's not taking new patients. Sean emailed in my
behalf, and the guy responds about his father, colon cancer, etc.
Yikes.

Dorothea went to our neighbor Peggy's funeral Thursday. D. Noted that
most of the comment on Peggy's life at the small gathering concerned
the last twenty years of her life, from sixty-two to eighty-two. By
that calculus, I haven't done anything because I am not sixty-two yet.

--
David
www.schons.net

Edgar B. Speers

Sitting in the shade of the Nels J with the morning sun at about two
'o'clock over the breakwater light houses. Just finished watching the
Edgar B. Speer enter the port--to pick up coal. Coal, coal, coal. "low
sulfur western coal," but nonetheless. Got my fix of standing under
the aerial lift bridge and having the descending deck stop inches from
my upturned face. New is the understanding of the gussets of the sort
that failed on the I-35 bridge. At first the ice was flowing toward
the lake in the channel; the approach of the thousand foot laker
reversed the flow. A crewman on the bridge exchanged "I love yous"
with a woman on the side. My fingers are now too cold to continue.

While we were having breakfast, some young women labeled waste
containers as "Commingled Recycling" and "Food Waste." now, late
morning as I sit in the breakfast room, reading, drinking tea, looking
at the lake, the women cleaning--sweeping, mopping--asking: "Is this
garbage?"

I just got the call--the tribe is back, and it is time to move on.

--
David
www.schons.net

Lunch ladies

Amazing Grace in the basement in Duluth, lingering over the ice cubes
from my Italian soda--ice made from Lake Superior water, I am sure.
The spacey, beautiful young woman who made my sandwich and suggested
the Cullen Skink soup. This after the woman in line ahead of me
recommended recommended the tomato bisque soup, saying that she liked
it so much that she calls to make sure they have some left before she
comes over. The spacey sandwichmaker in the tie-die then erased from
the board the "trout" bisque. "Out?" I asked. "No," she responded,
"it's the same as the Cullen skink. People didn't know what Cullen
Skink was until we put these fliers explaining that it is trout
bisque, so we don't have to call it trout bisque anymore." liam had a
turkey sandwich.

Sometime I will tell you about the St. Paul School District
lunchladies in the heated pool on the hotel roof last night.

--
David
www.schons.net