Not that anyone is asking

chic said:
I guess it doesn't matter too much what they call it if they no longer sell it.
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Well, they did sell it then. The young staff and my DGS didn't know that "baby aspirin" was low-dose aspirin. Talk about feelin' old.... They do sell it; I bought some for my dog about a month ago. But who knows for how long?
 

chic said:
I thought it was acetaminophen? Tylenol has always been a waste of my time. I does absolutely nothing for my body which is why I never buy it. Also it's harder on the liver. :unsure:
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Just always take aspirin or any NSAID on a full stomach and with food as well. It can cause stomach/intestinal bleeding if not. But it reduces pain, decreases inflammation, decreases fever, and prevents blood clots.
 
chic said:
I thought it was acetaminophen? Tylenol has always been a waste of my time. I does absolutely nothing for my body which is why I never buy it. Also it's harder on the liver. :unsure:
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Ibuprophen is easier on the stomach and liver than acetaminophen and aspirin, and acetaminophen is gentler on the kidneys than ibuprophen but harder on the liver. That's according to my liver specialist.

My Norco is 10mg hydrocodone + 350mg acetaminophen (Tylenol)....for some reason. I mean, I don't know why it has acetaminophen in it. It's a useless ingredient, as far as I'm concerned.
 
Murrmurr said:
Independent and Mom & Pop pharmacies are not allowed to dispense opioids in Sacramento. Maybe the whole state, idk.

My Rite Aid didn't play games. Once the first Rx was approved by my doc and met FDA requirements, they just filled it every 30 days, no problem. The pharmacists and staff and I were on a first-name basis. I still had to show my ID, but that's FDA required. I think they were forced to close because they didn't cow-tow to the state 100%. They followed federal regs, but the state uses even more scrutiny, both electronically and on paper, plus they demand staff-rotations and other redundant BS that probably effected their profits.

Whatever the case, CVS opened a big new pharmacy directly across the street from my Rite Aid, and Rite Aid closed within a year. CVS was my Rite Aid's wolf. The Rite Aid pharmacist would call me whenever there was a shortage, and call my doc, and keep me updated. CVS: zero courtesies.
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CVS has been changing everywhere from what I've heard. The one closest to me closed last year. They're shutting down a lot of stores nationwide. A lot of people are now getting their prescriptions from CVS through the mail. No more foot traffic.They were hopelessly overpriced but they were good in an emergency. :unsure:
 
chic said:
CVS has been changing everywhere from what I've heard. The one closest to me closed last year. They're shutting down a lot of stores nationwide. A lot of people are now getting their prescriptions from CVS through the mail. No more foot traffic.They were hopelessly overpriced but they were good in an emergency. :unsure:
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Unfortunately, you can't order opioids online. And at least in Calif, it's illegal for a pharmacy to deliver them. A real bummer since I quit driving. I don't know anyone who likes CVS.
 
For 4 days, my left leg was numb but not entirely paralyzed. I was able to walk as long as I didn't put any weight on it. I've had to just sort of drag it along while hobbling around, and I used my walker off and on.

I know it's because of sleeping in certain positions, so I tried different knee pillows and props, and sleeping on my left side and my right side, and Michelle massaged my lower back every night, focusing on one side and the other, relaxing massage and deep tissue massage, deep massage and deeper massage, until we finally settled on the deep-tissue massage on my right L4, and sleeping on my right side with a small, super-firm pillow between my knees. That's working.

So I'm getting around pretty well today. Now and then my left leg gets super tingly and weak, and my hip and ankle feel hot, but otherwise the leg is working alright....not bearing my weight 100%, but doing ok. The tingling and heat sensations definitely indicate a nerve issue, which is no doubt caused by a skeletal issue, so muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatory drugs don't help, only the opioid does. And it's only mildly effective, and only helps with the symptoms, not the actual problem.

I think only surgery will possibly correct the actual problem, and I don't want another surgery at this point. I'm sick of them.

Poor Meesh has had to do most of the housework. She doesn't mind, but I do, because she has work and school and I don't have either. I take care of the cats and the house. Those are my only jobs. "House" includes cooking and laundry and the yards, but it's just the 2 of us, so none of that's overwhelming.

She's decided to focus on kids with special needs, and now that she finished 2 years of nursing and child-development classes at the college, she's been offered a job as Activities Director and Programs-and-Progress Analyst for an agency that works with schools and group homes for special-needs kids. If she accepts, she'll start next spring. She'll mostly be working from home (on-site once a week), so she said she'll probably take the job...and she'll still go to school in the evenings.

Meanwhile, I baked cookies today. 🤪
 
I've been getting around pretty well for the past few days, so we decided to go to the cabin this weekend. We wanted to go last weekend but I couldn't have done any hiking or paddle-boating or much of anything, really.

About a week ago, Melanie told me the adoption went through for Paxton and the twins. I'm sure they're gonna be ok, but it bummed me out....because I know their new dad is dumb-arse and a big dinkus. I doubt Paxton admires him, though, so he won't grow up wanting to be like him or emulate his stupid, catty ways. That's comforting.

There's been a lot of distractions in Paxton's life, and a lot of hurt and frustration, but things have been calm for quite a while now, so he's had time to regroup and refocus. And he's really smart...seriously, he's a very bright kid...and now that his life is way less chaotic, he's grounded. He's able to think without a bunch of noise and crap going on in the background. He's getting to know who he is.

Anyway, we're looking forward to this weekend. It's gonna be a nice break for both of us.

I can smell the pines already. 🌲🌲
 
We sure had a beautiful evening. The cabin has a small front deck out front, just big enough for our rocking chairs and a little table. We sat out there after dinner and had some tea and looked at the stars. Michelle looked so pretty.

We took a hike today, but not too far. Broke bread with a neighbor on the way back - an 83yr-old guy named Merle - and we gave him the big bottle of Aleve and 1/2-dozen Krispy Kremes he asked me for. I met Merle when I lived here years ago, and he was my foreman at the mill for a couple years.

He built his cabin when he was 19 and he's lived in it ever since. Him and his cabin are both showing their age. He has a big garden and always shares his harvest with the neighbors, goes fishing a few times a week and shares whatever he catches. He's got a large portrait of his wife hanging above his dinner table, in an ornate gold frame that dominates the kitchen. The portrait was taken "by a professional," Merle always points out, when she was 16, soon after they were engaged. She was a real beauty. She died about 40 years ago.

My back bothered me off and on, as much from the ride up here as anything, I'm sure. But my legs have been working ok, aside from some cramping.

We're gonna spend a little time at the lake soon as it warms up tomorrow, and then head home. Meesh has school and work on Monday.
 
Brrr! It's cold here this morning and it looks like there's a storm rolling in. So glad I ordered plenty of firewood. It's been nice and cozy inside, but we packed for fall and this feels wintry...maybe because it was pretty warm when we left home, so this feels colder than it is, know what I mean?

Anyway, it's obvious it isn't going to warm up. I'm seeing thunder clouds, so we're gonna batten down the hatches here real quick, and head home. It was a sweet trip, though.
 
Murrmurr said:
Brrr! It's cold here this morning and it looks like there's a storm rolling in. So glad I ordered plenty of firewood. It's been nice and cozy inside, but we packed for fall and this feels wintry...maybe because it was pretty warm when we left home, so this feels colder than it is, know what I mean?

Anyway, it's obvious it isn't going to warm up. I'm seeing thunder clouds, so we're gonna batten down the hatches here real quick, and head home. It was a sweet trip, though.
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Have a safe trip home @Murrmurr :)
 
Over the past few months, I've been getting a phone call from a state jail about every 3 or 4 weeks. It's Paxton's father, Cole.

The first time he called, he asked me to send him photos of his kids, Paxton and the twins. I sent him 2 photos of each of them. I had them printed first, and sent 6 actual photos...beautiful 4X6 glossies. I didn't know Calif state jails don't allow that. What he got was digital images that the jail-mail processing outfit sent to his jail-issued laptop.

But, he was happy with them. Very excited about them, actually. And he's been calling every couple-few weeks ever since. He knows I'm not in contact with Pax anymore (and he's really bummed about that), so he stopped asking about him. He just asks me how I'm doing and how's the wife, and tells me what he's up to there in the jail, which is not much, mostly trying to avoid trouble, and he tells me what's going on with his case and what he plans to do after his release.

It was really weird at first. I kept expecting him to ask me to put money on his commissary account or whatever. He never has. The only thing he's ever asked me for was photos of his kids. And I sent more than he asked for; 2 of each. That was basically a test...I wanted to see how greedy he'd get, and if it would make him figure I'm soft and a good target for other solicitations.

He passed the test...so far. And it's been months, and several phone calls now. So I was scratching my head over what this guy wants from me, for reals, you know?

Then I got a call from a friend of his. Joey, is the guy's name. He called a few weeks ago. He's going to help Cole get a place and a job when he gets out. He said he's going to help him apply for an apprenticeship or training with a few worker's unions. Cal-Fire is one of them, and I think he said another is in road and bridge construction. This guy Joey's got a bunch of furniture and stuff in storage for Cole, and he's got Cole's van, and he keeps the registration and insurance current.

Anyway, I asked Joey why Cole is calling me. I've known Cole since he was 13 or 14...since about 2001. He hung around with my parents' next-door neighbor's kids while I was living with my parents, taking care of them. So, I talked to him fairly often for a few years. And then, over 15 years later, I foster-parented his son, Paxton. But I don't remember ever seeing him or talking to him in that 15-or-so-year gap, and I haven't seen Pax since June, so it just seemed odd he started calling me on a regular basis.

So, Joey said, Dude, he's got nobody...me and you, and that's it. His mother's dead, his father's mentally ill, and his brother won't take his calls. And you're like his hero, man. He talks about you all the time - what a great dad you were to Paxton, and how Paxton is such a great kid because of you. He kind of hero-worships you, dude.

And then he said, he doesn't want anything from you. He just needs someone to talk to when he gets his phone time. He calls me, too, but he always calls you first.

So, ok. I guess these calls will keep coming. When he called last night, he said he's being transferred from the state jail to a state prison. He can't take the laptop with him, but the prison will let him have actual photos, like to hang over his bunk or whatever. So, I ordered the same ones, and I'll send them when I get the inmate address. He said he might get an early release. He has a year to serve, but his attorney said that, after he's processed and evaluated, he'll go to transitional housing for 3 months, and then let go with 5 to 8 years probation. And he'll move in with Joey.

He's pretty jazzed about it all...anxious to learn a skill and go to work, he said. Plus he said prison food is way better and Calif prisons have a lot more rehab services, like GED classes, psych counseling, job training, etc.
 
It sounds as though Cole has had a lot of time to think, and wants to turn himself around. I hope he does well for himself, once out of prison. He is fortunate to have yours and Joey's friendship and support.
 
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It is good that Cole is not asking you for money and he is making plans for his release. I hope he makes a go of it and rebuilds his life.

You are a caring person but, I think you should decide on how much you want to be involved with Cole when he is released. Sometimes, there comes a time when you have to look after yourself first. You have been through a lot in recent times, you deserve a break!

Do you think Cole might be thinking ahead and wanting contact with the children? He may see you as a ally who could support him in that?
 
Trish said:
It is good that Cole is not asking you for money and he is making plans for his release. I hope he makes a go of it and rebuilds his life.

You are a caring person but, I think you should decide on how much you want to be involved with Cole when he is released. Sometimes, there comes a time when you have to look after yourself first. You have been through a lot in recent times, you deserve a break!

Do you think Cole might be thinking ahead and wanting contact with the children? He may see you as a ally who could support him in that?
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I don't mind being someone Cole can talk to while he's behind bars, but I have no intentions of being involved after his release. And Joey assured me that won't happen.

Cole was diagnosed with some form of schizophrenia. I suspect it's drug-induced - probably permanent damage from his old fentanyl habit. One of the things that got him happy about transferring to state prison is that he'll get better treatment for it. Calif state prison psych docs either are or work directly under someone with an actual PhD in psychiatry.

Treatment or not, schizophrenics are unpredictable, and I believe they're always prone to violence. Plus, after his release, there won't be anyone to dispense his medication on schedule like there is in prison.

He knows he can't get custody of his kids, but he wants visitation rights. He said he's got a lawyer who's looking into that, but I got the feeling that isn't true. I can usually tell when someone's blowing smoke up my arse. Even if it is true, I doubt a court will ever grant him any type of contact with his kids.

That ship sailed the night he robbed those liquor stores. And I told him exactly that. But I also told him I'll give him every picture of the kids that I have. I already downloaded them on a data stick for him. He cried when I told him that.

I think Cole is a decent guy who effed-up his brain with drugs. If he can accept that, and he keeps getting treatment, he can rebuild his life.

So, yeah, after his release, my only involvement will be to see he gets that data stick and wish him well. We're done after that.
 
Murrmurr said:
I don't mind being someone Cole can talk to while he's behind bars, but I have no intentions of being involved after his release. And Joey assured me that won't happen.

Cole was diagnosed with some form of schizophrenia. I suspect it's drug-induced - probably permanent damage from his old fentanyl habit. One of the things that got him happy about transferring to state prison is that he'll get better treatment for it. Calif state prison psych docs either are or work directly under someone with an actual PhD in psychiatry.

Treatment or not, schizophrenics are unpredictable, and I believe they're always prone to violence. Plus, after his release, there won't be anyone to dispense his medication on schedule like there is in prison.

He knows he can't get custody of his kids, but he wants visitation rights. He said he's got a lawyer who's looking into that, but I got the feeling that isn't true. I can usually tell when someone's blowing smoke up my arse. Even if it is true, I doubt a court will ever grant him any type of contact with his kids.

That ship sailed the night he robbed those liquor stores. And I told him exactly that. But I also told him I'll give him every picture of the kids that I have. I already downloaded them on a data stick for him. He cried when I told him that.

I think Cole is a decent guy who effed-up his brain with drugs. If he can accept that, and he keeps getting treatment, he can rebuild his life.

So, yeah, after his release, my only involvement will be to see he gets that data stick and wish him well. We're done after that.
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I think that's a very smart decision. :)
 
I have a neighbor I'll call Mike Williams. He's married to a woman from Cuba and she drinks yerba maté, but most Americans don't, so after she found out that I do, they've been coming over once or twice a week so she and I can drink it together. (drinking yerba is a social thing, so you don't usually drink it alone)

Anyway, they were over this morning and Mike was talking about them going to Florida next summer....

Mike: I can't wait to take you there, honey-bunny. How many Cubans can say they've lounged around on Miami Beach?
Mike's Wife: A lot, I think. They come through there to immigrate.
Mike: Oh, yeah. Good point. Ah, but how many can say they've been made love to on the beach by Mike Williams?
Mike's Wife: Well, I don't know - you tell me.

:p
 
I've had reason to worry about my memory lately, so Meesh decided we should play a card game called Memory. You can get various box versions of this game, but we just use a regular deck of cards. (And, I wanna point out that all the box games are for little kids.) The game is, you lay out all the cards face down, turn over 2 at a time, then try to remember where they are when you turn up one that matches one you saw before.

Anyway, Meesh figured this game would help sharpen my memory...exercise it, basically. But it's just highlighting how bad my memory is getting. It's depressing. And it's hard to say if it's age-related or it's residual effects from the head injuries I got back when I was 36 (...or 38; I can never remember, but I'm pretty sure I was 36).

It's really depressing, and I don't want to play anymore. :(
 
Murrmurr said:
I've had reason to worry about my memory lately, so Meesh decided we should play a card game called Memory. You can get various box versions of this game, but we just use a regular deck of cards. (And, I wanna point out that all the box games are for little kids.) The game is, you lay out all the cards face down, turn over 2 at a time, then try to remember where they are when you turn up one that matches one you saw before.

Anyway, Meesh figured this game would help sharpen my memory...exercise it, basically. But it's just highlighting how bad my memory is getting. It's depressing. And it's hard to say if it's age-related or it's residual effects from the head injuries I got back when I was 36 (...or 38; I can never remember, but I'm pretty sure I was 36).

It's really depressing, and I don't want to play anymore. :(
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I haven’t found an exercise to improve my gradual decline.

I can still do math in my head and other brain teasers but it doesn’t do anything to improve my attention span or eliminate some of the ditzy things I do.

I try to accept it and look for little tricks and tools to help keep me and the people around me safe.

🤗
 

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