CHAPTER EIGHT - THE PERILS OF PAULINE
Today I'm changing my name from Millie to Pauline.



Usually I have all kinds of good stuff to write about, today's post is going to have a different slant.

For a few weeks now I've have been experiencing pain when I walk, stand or even sit.

It was time to see a doctor.

To make a long story short my diagnosis, after x-rays and some poking around was "an acute inflammatory condition related to arthritis of the spine."

We tried a cortisone shot, Aleve and cold packs - nothing helped.

Finally the doctor called in a prescription for a 6 pack of Prednisone which I assumed would be filled and delivered to my apartment.

When I called the pharmacy to confirm the order, she informed me that they could not deliver the medication to me because I needed to COME IN and present my insurance card as this was the first time I was doing business with them.

I explained my situation, I was in no condition to GET THERE, not by foot or by car!

"No, she said, "I had to come in."

I was anxious to get started with the prednisone and hopefully get some relieve.

"No, she was not going to do anything for me.

The next morning, I called again.

This time a different salesperson answered the phone.

I explained my situation and this time she said, "give me the information on your insurance card and we will deliver the medication to you.

Hallelujah!

That was about 9:00 AM.

Package did not arrive until 4:30 PM.



I started taking the medication the next morning.

Or tried to take it. See how it says, "To remove tablet, press from this side.' I pressed but nothing came out.

I couldn't open it!

So I turned the package around and opened it from behind. ;-)

This is day two since I started taking the 6 pack.

I feel some relief today. Hopefully by the time I finish the series of pills they will do the trick.

There are other perils of Pauline to tell you about but that's all Pauline wants to chew your ear off about at this time!

posted by Unknown @ 5:38 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 8 comments

 
CHAPTER SEVEN - MORE ABOUT FOOD
Before I start a new post about "FOOD" I would like to respond to two comments that I received last week.

"One Woman's Journey" said that I have given her food for thought about retirement living. She's far from ready but is finding my experiences in this retirement community interesting. As a matter of fact she said that there is a Brooksby Village in a big city near where her children live.

Even though she's not ready I think it would be a good idea when she visits her family in the "Big City" to make a visit and get acquained with the many amenities an Erickson community like Brooksby has to offer.

There is so much to know, you can't absorb it all in just a few visits. I speak from experience.

I too smiled when I read what "Shirley" said about not eating the chocolate pie.

"If any of you have read the book or seen "The Help" you will understand why she was smiling!!!



Now - ABOUT "MORE"


Image: Steve in Tub

When Steve was a little fellow one day I had the following conversation with him:

Steve: Ma, I want more.

Me: What do want more of?

Steve: I WANT MORE!"

Me: I don't understand, tell me again - what do want more of?

(at this point he was getting upset because he wasn't getting his
message across)

Then, he pointed to the refrigerator and I knew what he wanted!

I realized that he thought the word for MILK was MORE because I was always asking him if he wanted MORE!

That's it for this week!

Next week there will be more! ;-)

posted by Unknown @ 8:27 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 5 comments

 
CHAPTER SIX - THE FOOD PLAN


Thank goodness the "Food Plan" at Brooksby Village includes one meal a day. I can use it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I don't eat much for breakfast or lunch, so dinner is what works for me.

The dining rooms open at 4:00 p.m. and close at 7:00 p.m. As I've mentioned before, those are early hours for me but I have to go with the flow. It appears to me that most people are happy with these hours.

The residents plan their time accordingly.

Depending on the evening - some play canasta, mah jongg, bridge, black jack or bingo.

Some nights a movie is shown after 7:00 p.m.

If there is anyone who is reading this blog and considering a move to a retirement community, I would strongly recommend they learn how to play "some game." People are always looking for someone who "can play."

A recent change in the "meal plan" now gives the residents more options.

You have heard the expressions, "if you don't use it, you lose it." Well that's the way it was!

Now, if during the month you do not use the daily meal that you are entitled to, you can have a guest join you for a meal, anytime during that month.

MORE ABOUT FOOD

Last night before I got seated in the dining room I checked out the "display table" which shows you what is being served for dinner.

None of the items looked good to me.

I made a comment to a fellow diner about how unappealing the dishes looked and said, "they should make those plastic samples look more appealing to us."

He informed me that those dishes were "the real thing!

He went on to explain that they looked "tired" because they were sitting around for a long time.

No matter, they still did not appeal to me. Management knows that can happen sometimes so they always have some standard dishes that you can always count on.

That's what I had last night - clam chowder, a salad, broiled salmon, a baked potato and steamed carrots. You can't go wrong with a meal like that!

Chocolate pie was on the menu but I just had some sherbet and a cookie. My friends teased me about that!

Would you believe I've lost six pounds since I've been here - it must be all the walking I've been doing, and not eating those rich desserts.

posted by Unknown @ 6:03 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 12 comments

 
CHAPTER FIVE - MOVIES, GAMES and CLASSES
My intention is to make a short and sweet post today.

Let's see if I can do it!

MOVIES

Every Monday night there is a movie shown at my clubhouse. It can be a current one like "The Artist" or an old one like "Love Me or Leave Me."



If for some reason you can't make the movie on the night it is shown, that movie is shown at another clubhouse on a different day.

I love the movies, so for me it's a great opportunity to see a film that I missed or one that I want to see again. Another great thing about seeing a movie here is, "I don't have to drive anywhere to see it!"

GAMES

Tonight I have been invited to play Mah Jongg with a group at 6:30 p.m.


Image: The Chinese game Mahjong. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

For me 6:30 p.m. is early, that means I'll have to be at the dining room at 5:00 p.m in order to play "the game."

Before I came to Brooksby my dinner hour could be anywhere from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

I have heard that some people go to dinner as early as 4:00 p.m. They must wake up at 3:00 a.m. to have breakfast!

Eating early is one of the adjustments I've had to make in order to participate in evening activities. That cuts my day short because I am not a fast mover in the morning.

CLASSES

Since I've been here I have looked forward to attending Yiddish classes which are starting soon. They will be held every 2nd and 4th Friday of the month at 1:00 pm-2:30 pm.

I also signed up for a September Series of classes given by a resident who also presents classes at the Explorers Lifelong Learning Institute in Salem.


Image: Explorers

One that sounds interesting is, "Controversial Insight into the Deaths of Famous Americans."

And wouldn't you know, that class is on the same day and same time as another class I am interested in. I want to attend both these classes, so what I'll try to do is - just skip one session and attend the other one and see how that works.

I said short and sweet - have to go to dinner now!

posted by Unknown @ 6:42 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 6 comments