Mrs HM Is In Knee-nial

Lets get right to it today. Put the horse before the cart, and deliver the knews (heh, heh) that everybody has been waiting for:

Mrs. HM is NOT a candidate for knee replacement surgery!

At least not at this time. I was initially relieved. And then disappointed. Without the imminent threat of going under the knife, it dawned on me that nothing has changed. I'm still saddled with a painful knee that limits my mobility. However...

I may have a second chance. It depends upon some follow-up care, and perhaps a miracle. I don't know why I'm secretly hoping that my knee can be sliced open and its innards reamed out and metal parts be jammed and hammered into place. Farmer H is my biggest cheerleader. I'm hoping that it's not (another) clandestine attempt at trying to kill me.

I left the orthopedists office with a shot of Kenalog in my right knee. That's a steroid used for treating inflammation in joints. My knee already feels better. Of course I'm sure that's all in my head. My Estranged BFF Google says that Kenalog takes about 5 days before the effects are felt.

Over the next few days, I will share the details of my appointment, diagnosis, and care plan. I'm sure you'll be enthralled, heh, heh. 

A Brief Intermission

Sorry that I can't share my knee story today. I usually type up my posts a day ahead of publishing, around noon. But I was at the KNEE DOCTOR this morning. I didn't have internet when I got home! And it's been just one dang thing after another! Luckily I was ahead with my not-so-secret blog and the attempt to buy another flip house. It was already in the can of SET TO PUBLISH, thanks to me splitting the long story into parts.

Right now it's 10:05 on Thursday night, and I still haven't had supper. Which will take 30 minutes to get ready. So this is all you get!

I'll have plenty of tales when time allows. Starting with the knee appointment.

Knee Day

As you read this, it will be KNEE DAY for Mrs. HM. My appointment with the orthopedic surgeon. Which doesn't necessarily mean I'll be having surgery, I hope! Though that is certainly a possibility.

Both times I got a call from their office, I was up doing something else. Like out on the back porch to pet Pepper, or in the kitchen doing dishes. I heard that call, but couldn't get back to the living room in time to answer. Because of my KNEES, you know! I think there's some irony in that scenario...

Anyhoo... they left a message. One was just the appointment reminder, to confirm. They also sent a text, so I confirmed that way. The other left a voicemail. It said to arrive 20 minutes early, and get an x-ray at their lab before the appointment.

Well. That was not quite clear. Was I supposed to check in at their office window first? And THEN go back down the hall to the lab? Or should I just stop by the lab first, and then check in? It's a clinic, where my old doctor and NP used to have offices before moving to a new facility down the street. So both the lab and office are on the 3rd floor here.

I decided to call and make sure. The gal who answered did not seem all that friendly. In fact, I would describe her as downright surly! I called at 10:48. Maybe she was getting ready for lunch. Maybe she had someone at the counter. She spoke with a clipped, impatient tone. No reason for that (that I could see over the phone). Maybe she was one of those Gen Z people who hate to talk on the phone. In which case I recommend: 

LOOK FOR ANOTHER JOB!

Anyhoo... I was not "wasting" her time. I quickly identified myself, said I had an appointment Thursday and received a call saying to get an x-ray before my appointment. Should I do it BEFORE check-in, or AFTER check-in? She said, "That's fine. Do that." Without specifying! So I had to confirm: "So I can get the x-ray first, and then come to your office?" She agreed.

Here's the thing: I didn't know if the lab would already have an order for my x-ray. That's why I was unsure which came first. I know the doctor wants to look at it while/before seeing me. But might want to know if I actually show up in person before sending the order. Which is most likely done by the office staff anyway. The ones who would check me in.

I also went online to YourChart to update my information. Which they call checking in online. Which doesn't mean you'll actually show up... 

Not that I'm getting cold feet. Or cold knees, heh, heh! I've had that since December, when my appointment was first scheduled. By a perfectly cheerful gal over the phone.

Doctored Pepper

Pepper the new puppy had his first vet visit on Monday. Farmer H tossed him in a big box on the seat of SilverRedO. I was skeptical about the travel arrangements. Pretty sure Pepper would jump on the side of the box and tip it, and might get under Farmer H's feet while driving. 

My recommendation of using the pet carrier was scoffed at. I don't know how they made it, but Farmer H said Pepper vomited in the box, and chewed on his hand the whole way there. Thank the Gummi Mary, it's only five miles and 10 minutes. Just past Mick the Mechanic's shop, by the bowling alley.

This vet bill was not as expensive as I expected. "Only" $80.

Farmer H asked about getting Pepper chipped. It's not that he's valuable, or that we expect him to be anywhere that has capability to scan a chip. But we've had several dogs disappear. It's disconcerting. Heartbreaking. If somebody would abscond with Pepper, and he got loose, he COULD end up at the city pound. They scan.

Anyhoo... the vet people said that Pepper can't be chipped until his very special operation later in the summer, when he's six months old. That's because the needle to insert the chip is too big right now for little Pepper. He goes back in three weeks for more shots.

And now I must have a fit of outrage. PEPPER WAS MIS-BREEDED! The thing these days is to get your nose out of joint when something like this happens, right? I don't get it, but that's what these younger generations do. 

Here's the issue:

It's at the top of the bill. I agree that Pepper is a canine. I can believe that Pepper weighed 9.8 pounds. I CANNOT fathom why they called our dear sweet Pepper a GERMAN SHEPHERD MIX!

Our little guy is quite obviously a HEELER MIX! Or Australian Cattle Dog mix, if they want to sound all scientific-y (even though it's an American breed, nothing to do with Australia).

I hope Farmer H will ask them to change it when Pepper goes back to the vet. Just for accuracy. As accurate as you can be, guessing a mixed breed's heritage. I don't expect Pepper to grow as large as a German Shepherd, nor have the same temperament. It's quite possible that Farmer H gave the wrong information when he called to make the appointment, or that he was misunderstood with bad phone reception.

Anyhoo... Pepper is fine after his first shots and pills.

Old Mother Hubbard Must Be The New Manager

On Saturday, I went to Save A Lot with a specific purpose. As opposed to just using their lottery machine and browsing. My goal was to get the mini Drumstick ice cream treats. Farmer H likes the regular size, at over 300 calories apiece. I just like a small sweet, and the minis are 100 calories. They still have the ice cream, nuts, and a crunchy cone, but are tiny.

Anyhoo... I was happy to see that the store was not busy. I got my scratchers. Looked for their store-brand steak sauce, which I add to chili and soup, and like with chicken. They didn't have any! In fact, there was not even a space or label for it on the shelf. All they had was brand-name A-1 Sauce. Which I like just fine. It's thicker, with a similar taste. But it comes in a glass bottle rather than plastic. 

Anyhoo... I went over to the far end of the store, to the freezer cases, for my ice cream treat, which is not carried by 10Box. I don't know about Country Mart. That's too far to drive ice cream home anyway.

I was in shock when I came across the back aisle and saw the freezer:

It wasn't just the ice cream/dessert section. The meat section was also bare.

When I showed Farmer H the pictures, he said, "Huh. Their cooler broke, and they had to throw away all that food!"

Yes. I could imagine that happening. I sure didn't want ice cream that had melted and re-frozen. But dang it! I really was looking forward to my mini Drumsticks. 

Now it's Monday afternoon. I'm giving it another try. Surely they wouldn't want to lose out on all that business. I'd imagine they have a cooler guy to call for emergencies.

A Sinking Feeling

The very AUDACITY! I'm supposed to believe my lyin' husband over my truthful eyes!

For the past couple days, my kitchen sink has been draining slowly. I couldn't imagine why. At first I thought it was because I still had the faucet running water in the sink, after I'd pulled the plug, rinsing off the last of the silverware. But no. I was also slow without the faucet running. So took the plug/strainer all the way out, and found something unpleasant.

Pieces of food stuck down in my drain, too big to run down the pipe. I knew exactly what it was! Pieces of flat noodle and mushrooms, from the Hamburger Helper Stroganoff that Farmer H had been eating for supper the past three days.

I wondered why the containers I'd stored them in, the round plastic Chinese takeout containers that I fed him in, were so clean when I went to wash them. He'd had biscuits with the meals. I just figured he must have used the biscuits to wipe out the remaining particles and sauce in the container. Looks like he DIDN'T!

Of course I had to holler at Farmer H.

"Hey! When you bring your plate in here tonight, DO NOT rinse it in the sink! You clogged it with your other leftovers, and I had to pick out the pieces with the end of a paring knife!"

"I don't know how. I wiped out them bowls. Into the wastebasket. With my paper towel. Before I rinsed them."

"THAT didn't happen! I sure didn't eat that stuff, or run my food down the sink. It didn't jump over from the wastebasket! Funny how all those pieces ended up clogging my sink!"

When Farmer H brought back his plate (baked chicken, stuffing, and baby carrots with ranch dip), he didn't even make a pretense of wiping it out with a paper towel. He set it on the counter, a blob of dip still on the plate. But THEN he used his paper towel to clean up the pieces of previous food that I had left in the sink. As evidence. But mainly to shame him.

"I still don't know how them got there. I wiped out my bowl."

Denial is strong in that one.

The Pony Finds A Bargain

Neither of us had much to shop for on Errand Day, but The Pony found a bargain! 

"I can't decide what to have for supper. I usually just grab an apple with peanut butter for breakfast, and then eat one meal. I don't know if to have a frozen dinner from the freezer, or make something. I think I'll go back and look at the steaks."

That was a good decision. The Pony found a Kansas City Strip Steak on special, because it was the day after the Sell By date.

"Look Mom. I'm pretty sure it's okay. It's only one day, and it looks fine. It doesn't smell."

That's an 8 oz steak for $4.32. Which is half price from the original amount. It normally sells for $17.99 a pound!

The steak still smelled fine when The Pony unwrapped it at home. Just a bit of discoloration from where the tag was. But the whole thing would turn that color anyway past the date. Sometimes before, from my experience. I'm pretty sure the stores put some kind of coloring in the meat! Aha! I just looked it up, and they use carbon monoxide. Which is apparently banned in Europe.

Anyhoo... The Pony said that steak looked like a FOOT! Heh, heh! I can see it.

The Pony's one meal was substantial:

That's homemade garlic toast, and some tortellini, not homemade. Along with some wine, and that Kansas City Strip. With the ambience of laptop keyboard lights!

Looks good enough to eat! And it certainly was a bargain.