Return of the Sciatica....and NO BOUNDARIES

She had a bout of it a month ago but it went away. This time it came back with a vengeance. It's her right leg so I started chaffuering several days ago.

Yesterday morning it was so bad we went to urgent care where they gave her flexeril and said there really isn't much they can do. By the end of the day she couldn't walk.

After this morning's (cat) visits we spent the afternoon seeing more doctors. As rush-hour began, we hustled her from the out-patient imaging -- which was just closing -- over to the main hospital radiology for x-rays. So far her insurance has covered. Tomorrow she'll see a master Shiatsu practitioner for $75.00.

I've thought the Honda FIT - both the 2008 & the 2015 - the most uncomfortable of cars I've been in. But her brother's best friend bought one so he did too and when he offered to buy Michelle a new car she just naturally got one like his.

Maybe the hardness of the seats, the stiffness of the ride --  16-inch wheels (sooOOoo fashionable!) with short sidewalls --  has nothing to do with it. Most likely it's just the LONG hours of driving from house to house, month after month, year after year (this is her 10th year). At least she didn't have to become a Walmart greeter.

So this was part of why we married. At age 67 if she were single she'd get around $450.00 from Social Security. As my spouse, when I die she'll "inherit" mine...currently a smidge over $1,000.00.

The other day, once again thinking it was time, I asked if she'd retire or at least cut back if she had the income. Her ambivalence inclined me to wait a bit. But now, perhaps this is just the motivation we both need.

7 cat visits today. The last is to nine cats, one of which needs insulin twice a day. The Actress fosters cats for the city and usually cares for them herself. But some unexpected theater rehearsals brought her pleading to Michelle for help. Since rehearsals are in the evening, The Actress administers the morning dose, but the evening one is at 7:15 pm. Michelle is often at other client's all evening and only rarely will have a break of maybe an hour before 7:00 p.m. rolls around. After cleaning the twelve litter pans, changing the water, distributing the food, and cleaning up several piles of barf, two hours have gone by and there's been no play time.

Michelle usually gets home sometime after 9 p.m....just in time to feed her own three cats and eat a bite of supper before bed. This isn't the worst. It is unusual, but there's one with 15+ cats. Usually there are only two, maybe three. But her conscientiousness requires a thorough cleanup and some quality play, so each visit takes a minimum of 40 minutes. I've encouraged her to charge more for special situations like this nine-cat one (her rate is $22.00/visit), but she feels as if she's "helping" ...and as she'd demonstrated many times over our 27 years together, she has a mind of her own.

And guess who's cleaning "the mids" (short for the middens), changing the water, putting out the food for the ferals and doing all he can to help?

Some people have no boundaries.

Schmoozing The Outlaws

When one of Michelle's clients recently died, she adopted her cats, Jesse James and Belle Starr, collectively known as The Outlaws. Both are orange tabbies; Belle, somewhat in the style of those times, is a bit fluffy while Jesse is sleek, trim and quick on the lap. They're litter mates; 19 years old.

Belle in the foreground

Jesse's taken a liking to me.

The leopard is of a kind of paper mache. I found it in a dumpster outside a private zoo somewhere in the wilds of Utah. I gave it as an anniversary gift some years ago.

Aunt Ree Ree

Around the ages of 3 and 4 I got to spend several weeks at Aunt Ree Ree's house in Atlanta, Georgia while my mother traveled to be with my Dad.

In addition to her record player, her foyer had several display cases filled with exotic treasures from her travels. She had things from Hawaii, including a starfish that now hangs above the archway of the hall at Ms. Cook's. The back of her couch sported a colorful serape, a memento of a time in Mexico.

There was a large mimosa in the front yard and its fragrance added to the magic of the summer evenings when she'd light candles and float them on her fish pond.

I'd been told she was a masseuse, but it wasn't until I was in my 30s, after her death, that I learned she'd been a fan-dancer. These photos are among the treasures in my display case that resides in Ms. Cook's living room.

I still remember her pink-painted bathtub embellished with crudely drawn flowers. Wonderfully exotic!

This Is Not My Beautiful Pavement - Ojito Wilderness

The undercarriage of the Honda FIT is smooth; to facilitate air flow and mileage. But it also provides a modicum of protection from the foliage and, I like to think, lessens the damage to the plants.

2008 Honda FIT

The road had a pretty good hump in the middle that the Russian Thistle and other invasives had made full use of.

It's relatively quiet -- though there IS a shooting place across the valley -- but there's not a lot of flyover and it's a pretty area.

Last Night on Anderson SE

It's been musical houses for the last ten days or so and I'm more than ready to be back outside. The convenience of being able to get to appointments has been nice, but the racket of the refrigerator and the on-demand water heater, the yappie dog across the street, etc., etc., have had me eager to be gone for a while. Still, it's been nice to be able to spend time in the evenings with Ms. Cook.

And this afternoon Herr Christensen of Rolling Steel Tent came by. We had an enjoyable visit and dinner at The Frontier. He heads south on the morrow and I head north. I'll camp in and around the Ojito Wilderness until Phoebe is ready, then off to Utah to meet up with she of the Capri (truck camper).

Interview with Patricia Kopatchinskaja

Once again, My Dear Friend

Ligeti Cadenza

Blaue Blume 

But, to dispel any confusion, she is Swiss.

Stuck in Albuq

By the Book, the folks who keep Phoebe in top condition, is closed weekends so when I didn't hear from them Friday it meant sometime next week.

As it happens, Double-El came down with a cold and I've been helping by chauffeuring her to her cat-sits, cleaning the mids (short for middens) and entertaining those that were inclined while she doled out the mush, administered meds and attended to the "professional" duties.

I'm paid up where I'm staying through Tuesday night, but am totally FED up with being in town. It's been 9 years since I left Albuquerque and as far as I can tell it hasn't gained an iota of cultural dimension; if anything there're fewer interesting things to do and see.

Come Wednesday if Phoebe's still in the infirmary I'll move into the 2008 Honda FIT (2016 attempt). It's kinda low-slung but has snow tires so is slightly better equipped to handle "off-road" than the 2016. I found a beautiful spot in the Ojito Wilderness on my way down (to Albuq) and am eager to go back. But hopefully Phoebe'll be ready to ride and we won't have to play the switcheroo.