Road Trip

I woke up to the alarm on Saturday. Why? I had a 9:00 a.m. doctor’s appointment in Clinton Township. So, I powered through the morning and left at 7:45 a.m. I didn’t eat breakfast (it messes up the blood sugar test) so I spent the ride burping and hoping I didn’t throw up (my pills make me sick without at least a piece of toast).

Weather was good and traffic light, so I got there 15 minutes early. I went in, signed in and read the book I brought.

They finally called me and I went through the pre-check. Two interesting things: I am now officially 1/2-inch taller and 2 pounds lighter than I was six months ago! The weight I cannot explain (I usually gain weight over the winter, due to inactivity) but the height I think I can. The last time (the first time), they surprised me with the height thing (no doctor ever measured my height before). This time I was prepared and stood up straight.

The actual doctor’s visit went well, except when I asked about that damn stupid test she had me do last fall. I explained that I understood she didn’t call me with the results (doctor’s usually don’t call you back if the test is negative) but since it cost me almost $400.00 out of pocket, I was p*ssed.

She checked my file, and it turned out that Saint Mary Mercy never faxed the results to her!!!

Sidebar: Not the first time.

She apologized and promised to call me with the results (good or bad) when she got them. The rest of the visit went well. No changes to my meds and we agree to meet again in six months more.

I left there a little after 10:30 a.m. I debated long and hard about calling my brother Carl and stopping by for a cup of coffee. But, I hadn’t checked with him first, it’s supposed to be above freezing (in the first time for a long time) and I had a LOT of things to do in the garage, so I headed home.

Before I went home, I stopped at CVS and got all my prescriptions refilled. Since I was there (and hungry), I stopped in next door and bought a quart of chicken fried rice. I got home just before noon. I left the truck outside.

I ate half the chicken fried rice for lunch. I checked and it was still below freezing, so I decided to take a nap first before going to work (it had been a long, long ride).

I woke up about 1:30 p.m. and got dressed in my woodworking clothes. I grabbed a jacket and a cup of coffee and then headed out to the garage.

I switched out the blade in my jig saw and proceeded to cut out the rest of the wood for the next two rocking horses.

I blew the sawdust off my clothes, rearranged the garage and pulled the truck back in. I went inside. I was changing clothes when somebody knocked on the door. I looked out from the kitchen door and saw a bunch of white folks, with the men in suits.

Sidebar: I had been warned that Mormons were about, so I ignored them.

I finished changing clothes and then warmed up the rest of the chicken fried rice. I ate that and then sat in the living room, reading until twilight.

Sidebar: Most people use the words twilight and dusk interchangeably. That is NOT correct. First comes twilight, then dusk, and then dark. If you need a word to just describe the time between light and dark, you should use the old, beautiful word, gloaming.

I went around and “sprung” all the clocks forward. I watched TV until bedtime.