The Dynamic Duo

Yesterday was one of those days; not necessarily bad, but with lots of stuff going on and very tightly scheduled. Since the kids are gone, and I don’t have their stuff going on, I don’t have these kind of days as often as I used to. I do enjoy having some unstructured time , but there’s something about having about schedules, appointments and small blocks of time inbetween that spurs me to get a lot accomplished.
It started early in the morning, about 5:15 A.M. to be exact. Now early morning is not my time of choice for being out of my bed, but it is a very enjoyable time of day, once I get there, esp in the summertimes. The neighbors are usually not up and about and there is enough coolness and few enough mosquitos to make outdoor chores much more enjoyable that they are later on. Now I knew I had to be out of the house by 6:45 so that I could make it to the hospital in Elko for my mammogram appt by 7:30, so I decided to put all of my vegetable plants into the ground. Makes perfect sense, right? I find nothing makes me want to do something I have been putting off like having something else that I really should be doing, and planting vegetables on this particular morning neatly fit the bill. I was showered and dressed when I remembered that I needed to locate the place and date of my last mammogram, so I tore through stuff in my “medical bag” until I found an old billing. In the car, and on my way at 7:00 A.M.
As it turned out, Radiology was just past the reception desk through the main hospital doors, so I was soon ensconced in a luxurious private room ensconced in a paper gown . I once got a “forward” that described how women should prepare themselves for the mammogram experience. “Lie down, on your side, on the cold, cement garage floor. Have someone drive a car tire over your breast.” Its maybe not that extreme, but not that far away! I also remember Erma Bombeck, the humorist, holding forth on mammograms. “Why do they call it a “mammogram”? Sounds like they should be mailing your breast somewhere.” Hmm… kind of like a telegram or something….................
So, anyway, I had a few hours til my next appt, a bone density scan, so I made a few phone calls. In Idaho, I used my cell phone to make all my long distance phone calls, but here, I have really bad cell phone reception where I live. In Elko, however, the reception is crystal clear, so I try to make needed cell phone calls when I am in the “big city”. I handled some Idaho insurance issues, and set up some appts for UltraDad who had been feeling lousy (all worn out). With time to spare, I went shopping! At Kings, I was delighted to find a certain toy for Murphy that UltraDad and I had been searching everywhere for. It it kind of a soft, donut shaped frisbee, and he had entirely worn out the one we had. I bought two. Then, as has been the case lately in nearly every place that sells plants, several pots of flowers jumped into my cart and I had to buy them.
After my bone density scan, I was to meet UltraDad for lunch, as he had a Dr. appt about noon-thirty. I was in a part of town a little more unfamiliar to me and…...... I made a few wrong turns and….....okay I got lost. But not for long. A few passes by “Bill’s Bike Shop” soon put me to rights. That is an old family joke. Bob used to tell people that I always got lost trying to take him to the orthodontist in Idaho Falls, but he would know we were almost there when we passed Bill’s Bike Shop for the third time. In my defense, there were a lot of detours and road constructions going on that summer!
After dining on the restaurant special, a delicious Indian taco, I raced to the grocery store to pick up a rotisserie chicken for dinner, and was just in time to be 10 minutes late for work. The day was brutally hot, so it was a relief to step into my air-conditioned store. I think the clerks felt the same way. We tried out the new guys, and I think he will work out. Matt is black, so fulfills our minority requirement for the job, but I think he was the best candidate in any case. He has “been down a while”, so is more settled and not as into the inmate games. He is also smart and personable. The day was a slow one, as far as the store was concerned, so that gave Joe a chance to show Matt around. The day was made more interesting by a power outage. The backup generator did not immediately kick on like it was supposed to, and then for awhile there was power everywhere except for the culinary and the canteen, but it was fixed before I left for the night.
After work, I ravaged the chicken a bit, told UltraDad where it was, and got ready for yet another appointment. This was an organizational Weight Watchers meeting. This means we where meeting so we could see if we had enough people to start meeting for real. We didn’t, quite, but I got several names of people who weren’t there, and I really think this thing will be a “go”, and that soon, I will have my very own Weightwatcher group right here. Everyone was enthusiastic and friendly, and I think it will also be a good way for me to get to know some people who are not prison officers or inmates, though many of them are very nice.
Back home, I spent over an hour on the phone with Ida, the former prison storekeeper. She is very chatty, and I become so when I talk to her. I find I really miss it when I haven’t talked to her for a week or so. After that, I pulled out the restaurant “to-go” box and consumed the remainder of my Indian taco, played a few games of Mah Jongg and went to bed.
Today I don’t have anything I have to do until tonight. I probably won’t get nearly as much done…...........already I am sitting here writing a post when I should be mowing the lawn, planting those flowers, planting vegetable seeds, paying bills, cleaning up the kitchen, planning meals…..........I guess that’s why I’m posting. Such is life.

UltraMom