THANKFUL

 

Frankly I'm not in a celebratory mood this holiday season. 2022 has been a stressful, sucky, and expensive year for me.

However on this Thanksgiving I must remind myself of the many things for which I am thankful.

For one, the recent hurricane did no damage to me or my property; this seems miraculous since it came ashore here.

Also I am one of the few people I know that never came down with even a mild case of Covid. I attribute this to the fact I wore a mask overlong. The reason being to hide my bandaged face.

And I am indeed thankful that despite the dermatologist's prognosis I didn't end up with a disfiguring scar although my face had a pit that was deep and wide. And I refused to pay a plastic surgeon for stitches because this was sprung on me directly after surgery; I had not budgeted for this! Yes, I now have a scar on my face but it's so slight you can barely see it.

However this did not happen by magic! I never allowed my wound to dry up. I kept it constantly moist with petroleum jelly. I bandaged up before bedtime and before going out. So now I don't need any stink'n plastic surgeon!

Often this area still stings and pinches, but I'm told this is a positive thing. The nerve endings are returning.

After paying over $2000 in all at a different Dermatology Clinic the latest biopsy on my nose thankfully proved benign. However the chronic itch remains and can't be explained.  I should have just bought a tube of Cortisone cream and saved myself a whole lot of money. But I realize that chances should never be taken with the possibility of a skin cancer!

Those expensive blood tests revealed a high hemoglobin count. Since I've never been a smoker I was told this is due to an excess of vitamins.

Yes I do take lots of nutritional supplements. That's the reason my hair has grown back! If I stopped, people would be calling me cue ball and melon head behind my back. Now I'm thankful they don't have the opportunity!

Plus I take a lot of these supplements to keep my acid reflex under control. The alternative is an agony akin to torture! It's as if someone shoved a flame-thrower down my throat and duct-taped it to my body! Prescription medication has side effects as well as long term consequences, no thank you!

The cooler air has returned! (Ahhh) Hope it lasts thru spring or at least until I can afford to have my old and dead air-conditioner replaced.

And of course I'm thankful that sanity prevailed in the recent Midterm Elections, in many states anyway.

UNBELIEVABLE

 

A hurricane in November!!! October had been so cool and comfortable I thought we were safe until June. I started filling up my freezer for the holidays. The thought of having to throw all that out made me sick! I couldn't believe a hurricane was on the way and heading straight for us. But that's what you get with global warming, climate change, etc; a stink bug by any other name is still a stink bug.

Yes Nicole was only a Cat 1; but we were hit with one of these my first October in Vero Beach back in 1999. -- Power was out for a week! And this is a bad spot for outages period! Plenty have occurred when the sun was shining and the wind was like a fairy's breath from the south. I was in a constant state of anxiety.

I noticed that no one in the neighborhood was boarding up, but my main worry was a lengthy loss of electricity. The TV news was reporting mass outages up and down the coast and the thing hadn't even hit land yet.

Hurricane Nicole came ashore in Vero Beach around 3:00 AM. I slept thru the landfall. I was in disbelief when I awoke to my fan still running and bedside clock working. It felt like a miracle. Hurricane Ian had left the neighborhood a bigger mess and all we got was the outer feeder bands from that one.

I looked with sadness upon the damage this Cat 1 had wrought upon other parts of Florida and I was filled with disbelief. Hurricane Nicole had come ashore here and yet my neighborhood was barely touched. But despite this you can bet my already high insurance premiums will skyrocket again!

Immediately after I viewed the Midterm Election results which I had been dreading; it was no exaggeration that our democracy was at stake! The network TV stations had been elusively storm coverage. Of course they ran the results on a tiny strip at the bottom of the screen, but I was unable to decipher anything due to my posterior vitreous detachment.

However the AM following the storm I gave out a big sigh of relief! There was no Red Wave except perhaps a ketchup throwing fit at Mar-a -Largo.

But unbelievably we are stuck with zealot Ron DeSantis as our governor again! (EEK and YUK!) My take on this man is that he's a dangerous and delusional creep and a giant Trump turd.

Now even his lord and master the orange blob has turned on him and even gone so far as to threaten him.

This should come as no surprise. When his traitorous followers were ready to lynch his then pet Mike Pence during the insurrection Trump was all for it! The fact that anyone ever supported this vile man in the first place is what's truly unbelievable!

SOME LIKE IT COOL

 

Hot, hot, and hotter! That describes Florida most of the year.

A repairman told me my air conditioning unit was on its last legs and he doubted it would last throughout the summer. Well my A.C. lived on borrowed time for 4 years after that. I held my breath every time I turned it on and kept the temp at 80 until last summer when I raised it to a miserable 82 to keep my rising FPL bill down.

Early in October it finally gave out. Thankfully it had gotten me thru one more summer. And in October the temperatures had dipped just enough that I was comfortable without it. Plus we even had one cool spell where I needed a blanket on my bed. This felt welcome and wonderful!

Due to expensive doctor bills: I'm awaiting the results of another biopsy for skin cancer plus I've got a root canal scheduled for later this month. One of my 3 cracked teeth crowned during the pandemic has gone bad. And now my property taxes are due! So it will be spring (knock-on-wood) before I can afford to have the unit replaced.

However we're into the cooler months, right? -- Wrong! Summer returned yesterday Nov. 1. It was 86 degrees in my house. My tolerance for heat ends at 84! -- I hope it's not going to be one of those kinds of winters!

Every fan in my house is on as I walk around in my birthday suit keeping a tall glass of ice water nearby at all times. 

Trying to sleep in this heat is even worse, although I slept with 2 fans running; one on the ceiling the other beside my bed. I have a satin top pillow for my hair but last night my face stuck to it from sweat.

After midnight I grabbed my pillows and moved to the foot of the bed to get the effect of the fans more directly. But they were just blowing hot air around.

What is really depressing is waking up to a hot morning knowing it's only going to get worse as the day rolls on.

The temps are supposed to drop a bit later in the week. It can't happen fast enough!

THE ALMOST TWO THOUSAND DOLLAR ITCH

 

My scar now healing is blending in well, contrary to the dermatologist prognosis no plastic surgeon necessary. I was beginning to feel confident again.

Then, while washing my face or applying sunscreen I felt a teensy bump on the right side of my nose inches from my skin cancer scar. With it came a chronic itch that lingered for months, one that often woke me from sleep.

Since I was unhappy with the previous dermatologist a friend recommended hers. "It's a family run business, highly qualified and as nice a group of professionals as you'd find anywhere," she said.

On my way into town I drove there to schedule an appointment. The receptionist curtly informed me they weren't taking any new patients until February. --This was back in July!

Another friend recommended her dermatology clinic. Ironically it was located in the building next to the dermatologist I didn't like. I was given a September appointment.   

I waited over an hour in crowded waiting room which was humid and stuffy with only a fan due to a malfunctioning air conditioner. However the exam room was almost freezing.

Despite my age, I do not qualify for Medicare or Social Security, nor do I have health insurance! It cost me $180 just to walk thru the door!

From there I was sent to a lab for blood tests. The doctor ordered 13 in all costing me $1400. -- I nearly fainted from the shock! I only needed one prior to my previous surgery.

A cream was also prescribed. It must have contained crushed diamond chips! Even with my Publix discount the price was $ll8 for a small tube. The pharmacist told me it wouldn't be ready until evening. I refuse to drive in the dark due to my vision so I told them I'd pick it up in the morning. This turned out in my favor.

At home, among my junk mail I found an OPTUM Plus Pharmacy Discount Card. Thank goodness I didn't throw it out! This brought the cost down to $40 which felt too good to be true. There had to be a catch! I kept expecting this company to contact me stating: "We own you now, bitch!"

I read up on the cream. It was for cancerous & pre-cancerous skin. I followed the instructions to the letter waiting for it to do its magic. However this expensive cream turned out to be absolutely useless!

I'm on the hook for at least one, probably more follow-up appointments. My fingers are crossed there will be no more surgeries or I'm going to need a bank loan!

A neighbor told me, "We have health insurance but it's expensive, we pay thru the nose for it!"

I told her, "I don't have it and I pay thru the nose too!"

So either way it's costly! -- HEALTH CARE IN THE U.S. SUCKS!!!

POWERLESS

 

Exactly two weeks to the day before Hurricane Ian struck Florida's other coast we experienced an awful storm here. I remember that evening well. It was filled loud booming thunder, constant scary lightning, and strong winds whipping branches around. We were overdue for a power outage I told myself. This is a particularly bad spot for that. And worse, all our outages are lengthy ones.

Around 2:00 AM I awoke in silent darkness. The room was hot and stuffy. My air conditioner & fan were off and no neighbor lights were shining in.

That latest outage lasted from around 2:00 AM to 2:30 PM. Past experience has taught me that when FPL gives you a time power will be restored to add another 6 hours and when it arrives to add another 6 to that!

For breakfast I made tap water tea which I let steep while I washed and made the bed. The tea was room temp but the morning was hot so I didn't mind. Then I grabbed a couple oat & nut bars from my hurricane pantry.

If I wanted a hot meal I would have had to build a fire in my back yard. No internet, TV, or even phone since all I have is a landline. Instantly I was back in the Stone Age! Nor could I leave my house since my garage door is electric. -- There is a manual way to do it, however it won't stay open.

I was worried sick about the food in my fridge & garage freezer. Thankfully both were only half full since this is hurricane season; however food is so costly now any loss is expensive.

During the day between naps I caught up on my mending and scrubbed the kitchen floor.

When power was finally restored at 2:30 PM I prepared a big celebratory meal! My food had held up well with the exception of ice cream which was soupy.

Two weeks later I viewed the devastation and death wrought upon the other coast by Hurricane Ian. Suddenly everything came into perspective. Seeing the tremendous amount of destruction made me sick, sad, and scared. I felt terrible! So many people lost everything and are now homeless. Next hurricane or the one after could do that here! I had been fortunate -- this time!

VIGILANT & CAREFUL

 

At least I thought I was, but yet I was easily tricked and hacked! A number of my friends have been as well. A close one recently retired, a successful business woman far more tech savvy had her identity stolen. She's the last person I ever thought this would happen to, she was just too smart!

A different retired friend refuses to be on social media at all! And now insists I should not be either, that I'm just putting myself out there for dangerous things to happen.

Plus she claims never should I pay for a restaurant meal with my credit card as is my habit. It's too easy for someone to take a photo of the number with their phone. This actually happened to her and her husband.

Well I'm not going to let this experience stop me from living my life! As an independent author I need to be on social media. Also thanks to the pandemic and runaway inflation Facebook's largely my social life these days. Seldom can I afford go out and enjoy the things I did only five years ago.

I recall my Aunt Kiki, a beauty and former model. She was an extreme extrovert, outgoing with confidence to spare. However she was terrified to fly in an airplane. As a young bride she witnessed the gruesome aftermath of a plane crash on her street. The sight of severed and burned human limbs, heads and organs scattered across the pavement left her traumatized.

Back in the 1970's when I was jetting all over the world she feared for me. But I have glorious memories of all those wonderful countries I visited and the fabulous experiences I enjoyed.

I vividly recall my first flight at age seven. Ironically my mother and I flew to Detroit to visit HER!  This was also my mother's first as well. I remember her saying right in front of me that our plane was probably going to crash! I was petrified!

Our flight was late night which made it even scarier! I expected to be dead before morning!  -- My mother also told me in the 1970's that I would probably die in a plane crash!

Yet I remember waking up in my seat the next morning to the sight of the most breathtaking cloud formations I'd ever seen before or since. A sight so ethereal and beautiful I felt as if I was soaring thru heaven, all my fears vanished!

By age thirty, I'd flown more times than I can count. Yes, there were some close calls along with negative experiences, but never regrets.

HACKED & HIJACKED

 

Suspicious activity was going on and I ignored it for too long. I had an anti-virus after all so I felt safe. But the kicker came when my monthly credit card statement arrived in my email. The amount looked correct. I wasn't immediately concerned. But when I attempted to log in I was informed I needed to change my password. However instead of just the last 4 digits of my SS & card no. they wanted all!

I believed that I was dealing with my C.C. co. so like a fool I gave it! Then I was informed they had no record of me as a client. I've had this card for over 20 yrs and use it to pay bills. To say the least now I was alarmed!

I called the 800 no. on the back of the card repeatedly and kept getting some woman on a recorded line trying to sell me a medical alert bracelet asking "Can you hear me?" -- I've been warned this is a scam and hung up each time.

Fortunately I was able to contact my C.C. co. thru another site. We went to the email and suddenly my computer mouse took on a life of its own! I found myself struggling for control of it. Later I learned this was not my imagination! Thankfully my card was cancelled and a new one issued.

My tech man made an emergency trip over here. He went thru everything and we changed passwords. He told me he didn't think I was hacked. "It's impossible to hack a landline," he said. But this is untrue.

I wrote on Facebook I suspected that I was hacked. Immediately all sorts of strangers were posting on my timeline offering aide and advice. I would like to believe all of them were pure of heart with only good intentions, but I know better. I looked at their profiles and it wouldn't surprise me if they all had prison records. Every single one I blocked. Even if they'd had the faces of angels I would never have trusted them.

Then I Googled: How to tell if you've been hacked. As I'm reading I'm checking off all the boxes in my head. I WAS HACKED!!!

Now I was part of a club. Two dear friends of mine were also hacked, one recently. They pointed me in the right direction to a tech service here in Vero that specializes in dealing with hackers. The service came and picked up my computer. And thru my friend Sue I got a better qualified tech man. We sat down and changed my passwords again.

Also I went thru my Facebook followers list. To my horror I discovered that every sketchy person whose friendship request I'd rejected was there along with obvious romantic scammers I'd also rejected. In the future I must remember not just to delete, but block when these appear.

Plus I found numerous strangers of questionable character, many from third world countries who had attached themselves to me like warts.

Out of nowhere a new follower appeared at the top of the page. I went to his profile. He was a young guy under the heading: Professional Hacker, no friends were listed. Why would anyone advertise themselves this way? It's tantamount to someone walking thru a public parking lot holding a sign saying: Professional Car Thief! Needless to say, I blocked him immediately.

Other millennials were among my followers as well, this was a red flag! I'm over 70 and not someone a person of that age would find particularly interesting, except for maybe what they could take from me, such as my credit card and SS numbers.

I went thru my followers list with an axe, (figuratively speaking) probably offing a number of innocent people in the process but the collateral damage was necessary.

Suddenly I was abruptly blocked from blocking and these people all needed to disappear! Fortunately I found a way. It was more time consuming but needed to be done. Anyway this whole ordeal had proved costly in both time and money.

If I ran the world all hackers would die (literally) slowly and painfully as possible. These people are human scum!