Almost Finished!

 Only 3 left! I am not talking about March Madness teams, but the hourly swallows I need to take tonight. Then I am done! A cracker at 8 p.m., 9 p.m., and 10 p.m. finishes that post-op task. Life will seem more normal again. I say more, because I still have some problems with regurgitation of certain foods. Not totally normal yet. But I have been adding/trying things. At lunch I had cherry 7-Up, the first carbonated beverage since before February 2nd. It went OK. 

Today I received a letter telling me my personal information was stolen from the data system of the local hospital/provider groups associated with Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital near the end of January. I can sign up for free identity theft protection.

I only scanned the multi-page letter. There is almost a full page of ways I can protect myself, such as putting a freeze on my credit records. Other things were suggested unrelated to using Community Health Systems facilities. As though I can protect myself and not worry about their failed security measures.

 I put a freeze on nearly a decade ago when my personal information was hacked and stolen. I can't remember if this was the time Community Health Systems was hacked or if it was when Anthem (my insurer at the time) notified me of theft. It is a nuisance to have to "unfreeze" it at times, such as when I bought a cell phone at Verizon who does a credit check on potential customers. But given the track record of the medical establishments/insurers I have used, it is necessary for me to do it. Their security measures do not stop breaches. They don't keep the bad guys out.

Disappointed

 I try not to set my heart on anything in the Swap Shop. If I find something to keep, then that is a little gift for the day; but usually most of the things disappear quickly, often before the official start. This morning I arrived about 9:30 a.m. 

Since there had been stacks of jigsaw puzzles (maybe 40), I thought I might at least get one of those. They were all gone. I admit I am disappointed. I ended up with a sweater, a music CD, and a beaded bracelet that is too big, but I plan to take apart and rework. 

I am listening to the CD as I type this. I am pretty sure I will be taking it back this afternoon. A lot of the music is performed by bands. Some applause included from concerts I guess. But there is a second disc; maybe I will like it better. I will listen as I wash dishes.

The sweater seems nice quality. The donor cut out the tag. I tried it on, and it fits OK. The main problem is that the fabric content and the care instructions must also have been on that tag. I suspect this is probably a man's sweater because of the brand (Oxford Shop). If it doesn't work out, I will donate it to the next Swap Shop or put it on Give 'n Take table. 

I remind myself to set my affections on things above. God has provided for my needs. 

Paging Through the Past

 

While clearing out a drawer recently, I saw these 3 little notebooks with notes from books I read in the past. I have only browsed in the brown book (the oldest) so far. I especially found meaningful Reaching for the Invisible God by Philip Yancey and Ravished By Beauty (a look at how theologians have perceived God in His creation) by Belden Lane. Good thoughts on which to meditate on a gray windy day. 

I really should do more notetaking again. I haven't done that much in the past few years. Seeing how thought-provoking re-reading the notes has been today, I will try to get back to this habit. 

Morphed

 When I went to Kroger this morning to pick up my online grocery order, the employee who came to my car was carrying a large plastic container of 12 bright rather gaudy cupcakes. I had ordered 12 two-bite mini cupcakes decorated for St. Patrick's Day. She explained that as she gathered my bags of groceries together to come to the car, she dropped the St. Patrick's Day cupcakes. The frosting smooshed all over the container. She went to grab a replacement in the bakery, but there were no St. Patrick's ones available. Apparently, full-sized cupcakes had been substituted for the minis. These weren't even close in size or color to what I ordered, but I said I would take them. I took two cupcakes over to my backdoor neighbors and warned them of blue mouth syndrome. When my husband and I each ate one at lunch, we ended up with blue mouths and tongues.

While I was at Martin's on Pi Day, I purchased a small pot of tulips. They are not open yet, but over the past two days they widen a little bit. There are 3 flowers. 

I have been sorting through drawers and cupboards to find contributions to Grace Village Swap Shop. I was feeling really motivated because I kept in mind that my husband wants us to move into an apartment in 3-4 years. Wednesday and yesterday I was too busy to get back to the sorting, but I had made some progress. I especially am spending time with a chest of drawers with miscellaneous things. I know this piece of furniture will not go with us to an apartment. Being able to clear it out some and find other spots for some things or get rid of stuff will be helpful for the future. Unfortunately, the impetus has died some, but I will finish the drawer I had started on. I have enough energy to do that.

Pi Day

 Last year I forgot that the Martin's Supermarkets have a special on pi day: an apple pie for $3.14. Though we had some snow last night and early this morning, the roads were in good shape when I headed out to shop. The two people in front of me at checkout had apple pies. The store was well-stocked. I took the Cool Whip out of the freezer last night to ensure it will be thawed out for this evening.

 Supposedly the special price is for today only. The expiration sticker shows a later date, but I suspect the label will be covered over. I think the regular price is $6.99 but $5.99 with Advantage card. I don't think the $3.14 price requires the loyalty card. Anybody can walk in and buy the dessert for its "pi" price.

Still Winter

 

We had several inches of snow through the night and until mid-morning today. I have read that several places in the United States are weeks ahead of normal re leafing trees and bushes and spring flowers, but that is not the case for Northern Indiana. We have chances for snow a few times next week. 

It is interesting to notice how easily one's mood changes depending on the little things that happen to us in a day. Yesterday I hung my bathrobe on the hook in the closet only to see it fall to the floor. The plastic hook broke off the base. I have been using it for over 11 years. I am disappointed I have to figure out a replacement.

 Then before I headed out to pick up my groceries and stop at Martin's for orange juice (the only store in our area that sells low-acid OJ), I got an email announcing a flash sale for DiGiorno pizza at Martin's. $3.99 for the pizza Thursday only. I might not be quite ready to eat it for a few weeks, but it is in the freezer waiting to be baked. It made me smile to get such a good deal. 

Today at lunch I saw a titmouse at the birdfeeder. It has been such a long time since that bird came to our house. At the same time a robin sat on the patio wet cement. 

But we didn't get our Fort Wayne Journal Gazette newspaper today which added a shadow to the day.

My belly button incision is tender to touch but not really painful. This is week 5. I have felt down this week thinking that I have 3 more weeks until I can stop the hourly swallows. I just need to take it day by day and buck up. I am going to try eating at the Sunday buffet at Grace Village this week. We will see how that goes. I had half a croissant sandwich at lunch today with no trouble as long as I ate slowly. Slow and plenty of lubrication seem to be key. 

Grace Village is having a Swap Shop March 26th. Looking for contributions makes me want to sort through drawers. But I need to finish the income taxes filing first. Hopefully they will be done tomorrow. I am using Free File with an IRS partner. 

Wild Turkey, Peeps Bird's Nest, Winter Not Done

 This morning as I drove home from the grocery store where I picked up my online order, I turned south onto 250 East and had to stop for a creature crossing the road. To my surprise, it was a wild turkey taking its time to strut across the road. 

Yesterday at Winona Literary Club, one of the hostesses had at each seat a bird's nest with a Peeps marshmallow chick. I brought it home to my husband as I am not too sure pretzel sticks fit into my diet right now.

We had fruit cups and angel food cake so this was something extra she wanted to do. I did not eat the pineapple and orange pieces in the fruit cup; my avoidance list says to wait to eat acidic items, especially pineapple. I did eat the grapes and melon and the cake.

We may get some light snow overnight, but mostly it will turn to rain for tomorrow. Yesterday felt like spring. My daffodil shoots are growing, and I even see some crocus leaves; but I doubt there will be any crocus flowers as I think the flowers were eaten last year fairly early. 

It has been a month since my LINX device was implanted. I ate half a cinnamon raisin bagel yesterday, and I had an open-face sandwich (one slice of bread toasted) with turkey coldcuts and Swiss cheese. 

I am not looking forward to Daylight Savings Time in a little over a week; I would be happy to be on Standard Time all year round. I am not a morning person. Having some light outside helps me get out of bed, but it will be dark until past 8 a.m. after March 11th. 

I have been reading quite a few books on Hoopla. The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette had an article about Sharon Tubbs and the book she wrote about her grandfather. I was surprised to find it on Hoopla because it came out in 2023. Since February was Black History month, They Got Daddy was featured in the Fort Wayne newspaper as Mrs. Tubbs is a local resident. It was interesting to read about the blacks who migrated from Alabama in the 1950s and 1960s to this Indiana town. Many of her aunts and uncles settled close to each other.

 The main part of the story though takes place in Alabama where her grandfather was injured in an auto accident and disabled. The driver that hit his car was a sheriff from a nearby town while on duty transporting a person to a mental facility. The law people who came to the accident cited the sheriff. Even so, nothing was done to offer restitution to her grandfather who lost use of one of his arms and could no longer support his family doing well digging.

 Eventually, a lawyer was retained, and a civil suit filed. It dragged on for several years. The day before her grandfather was to testify in court, he was abducted from his home, driven far away, and beaten with a rubber hose. Something miraculous happened to scare away the white men beating him, or he felt he would have died in the woods. However, justice for a poor black man in Alabama was hard to obtain. Sharon's grandfather decided to drop the suit because he feared for the well-being of his family. He was a preacher and presented his decision as God-guided. 

Mrs. Tubbs has worked as a journalist. The book is interesting mainly because she not only hunts down documentation, but interviews relatives and local people who remembered the case. In the process, she relates to black people in Alabama and realizes where some of her own anxieties living in a white-dominant world came from.