He sees the sign and

it was getting time to be replaced, don't you think?
Now I'm legal! :)

The hearts filthy lesson

A couple of weeks ago my son went to the doctor's office for his physical so that he could again go to work this summer at the Boy Scout camp as a trek guide. This time, however, although he was cleared for work, the doctor recommended that my son see a cardiologist for his heart. They had run an EKG on him and found his heart to be beating irregularly. When my son told me this, I thought, how could he be sick? He just turned nineteen! He's been healthy all his life! He runs up mountains!

In fact, I probably would have forgotten all about it had it not been for a message on my answering machine reminding us to make the appointment because the referral had been approved. So I did.

Today, we went to see the heart doctor.

The plan was for my son and I to meet up at the hospital and go to the appointment together. I left a meeting at work and drove around looking for the hospital. Meanwhile, my son drove in from home and he got lost too. Don't laugh, there are two hospitals in town that are on parallel streets just a few blocks apart. I knew it was just a stone's throw from the freeway but I couldn't remember whether it was on Lomas or Central? When I asked at work where the hospital was located, my fellow worker told me Lomas. And for some reason, on my note, I had written Lomas. I turned off on Lomas and it wasn't where it was supposed to be. Don't you hate when that happens? Anyway, I called the doctor's office and they told me it was off of Central. Figures! I had told my son, Lomas.

I called him and found out that he was way off course. So I got him turned around and as I parked my car several blocks from the hospital in the nearest parking place I could find, I guided him to the right place. Thank the lord for cell phones! Yes, he had it on hands free while we talked. As I stood on the street side and told him to make a left at the light, right, etc. a parking space opened up right there in front of me. I was getting really antsy by now, worrying that someone would come along and take it before he could get there. And we were already late! You don't ever want to be late for a doctor's appointment even though you usually have to wait forever to be seen, right? Anyway, he finally showed up and got the space. Yay! We hurried in to the hospital and asked where the office was located. Seventh floor. Funny, looking at the elevator, a number popped up on the top of the door, s1, only it looked like 51. Just as I was thinking that, the man standing next to me asked,"Are there really 51 floors?" Everybody chuckled. We don't have any buildings with 51 floors in the whole town!

When we got to the receptionist she asked the name and said, "you're late!" Okay, we were ten minutes late. She said she would check to see if the doctor would still see my son or if we'd have to reschedule. He said he would see us after his regular patients and it could take up to an hour to be seen. She gave us a clipboard and told us to fill out the new patient paperwork. We had barely gotten started when they called us. Yay!

First, they ran a blood pressure check on my son and it was about 119 over 70 or something like it. The doctor listened to my son's heart and asked why we were there? We told him that we had been told he had an irregular heartbeat and that they recommended we get it checked. He asked what my son thought. Trevor said that he often noticed it felt like it would skip a beat and he was worried because of what the other doctor had suggested. "Yes", this doctor said, "it was irregular, but not abnormal". He called it Sinus Arrythmia. The doctor said that young people in excellent health often had irregular heartbeats. He said it happens when the heart rate slows down and it actually performs a double beat to catch up. Unfortunately, with the computers generating the reports solely on numbers, there are often misdiagnoses. I was so relieved that I couldn't really tell you word for word what he said, just that everything was fine! The doctor was very nice though and explained that if you felt like your heart was pounding through the roof after very little or no exercise or you had trouble catching your breath, there might be cause for concern. Trevor, however, was in excellent shape and the doctor was actually delighted to hear that he had hiked about a thousand or so miles in the Pecos Mountains over the past few years. (I've logged a few hundred, myself. ;) ) He did warn him off cigarettes though, saying that they are so very bad for one's health.

I wonder about health care. Sometimes, when you have insurance, you just pay the deductible and do whatever the doctors recommend, all in the name of preventative health care.

My Mom is 82 and refuses to go to the doctor on the belief that they'll find things wrong with her and put her on all kinds of pills. My Mother-in-law, 85, on the other hand, goes to all kinds of doctors all the time. She has high blood pressure and diabetes and survived breast cancer.

What is the right thing to do? For my son, I'll take him to the doctor. For me, I don't know. I've yet to see a doctor about my knee and when I had my finger x-rayed and nothing was broken, I never made the appointment for the MRI that they recommended. I still can't fully bend either my finger or my knee, but I'm not going to do surgery either. I guess I'm just like my Mother.

The hearts filthy lesson - song: Hearts Filthy Lesson, artist: David Bowie, album: Outside

At her Side

Just for fun, I decided to compare some photos of Annie and Yalla! The first photo was taken this week. Yalla! is ten months old and she still has her winter coat while the other photo was in September when Yalla was about three months old.

Besides the obvious fact that Yalla! is very much taller now, I am fascinated with both their ears. They look so cute and little with the winter fur and so long in the summer picture. One thing's for sure, Yalla! has got some wild coloring with the bison look in the first photo and that mask effect in the second photo.

At her Side - song: God Knows I'm Good, artist: David Bowie, album: Space Oddity

Sunday Stills (Hands 4/11/10)

Today's Sunday Stills challenge is Hands.

And they turn

I spent the afternoon with the horses today. I groomed them and then chased them. They all really enjoyed running.
Notice I finally got all the clay beads out of Annie's mane? Now if I could only wash it. Maybe tomorrow...



Then I rode Nadia bareback and ponied Yalla! She was reluctant at first, stopping and balking, so I had to bring along the long whip. A tap on her backside every time she'd stop and she decided to come along properly soon enough. We went around quite a few times and when I got off, my legs were white with horse hair.

Here's Annie in her "show" trot.

And they turn - song: Amsterdam, artist: David Bowie

Not nothing new

I took my camera out this morning to get some shots of the horses eating. The sun was wrong and they're not that good but here they are. First, here are Scout and Yalla! Yalla! is buddies with everybody. She follows Nadia around all the time and likes to hang out with Scout over the fence.

I'm really glad that Yalla! inherited the short little triangular head from her daddy and like Nadia. Annie's head is longer.Look at that bushy forelock Yalla! has already! She's going to be my mane and tail horse!

Notice the tufts of hair under Nadia's belly? Whenever she walks, loose hairs fly off. I'll be glad when they are fully shedded out.See how long Yalla!'s tail is already.Yalla! has turned a dull brown but she still has lots of thick baby/winter fur. I wonder what she'll look like this summer.

Not nothing new - song: Mass Production, artist: Iggy Pop, album: The Idiot

Friday Foto

What I didn't post for Sunday Stills - Easter...

I'll make you a deal

I just love bargains! Don't you?

Some time ago, I signed up with Sonic Drive-In (a hamburger place) to be texted on their special specials. It amazes me, this world we live in and the miracle of technology that we use on a daily basis.

Well, this morning, my cell phone went off as I was driving to work. It was a call from Sonic. I got a text telling me that the Breakfast CroiSONIC sandwich was just 50 cents between 8 and 9 AM. As I was on time for work, maybe even early, I thought it would be a great idea. Since I was saving so much, I went ahead and bought a caramel Java Chiller coffee too. I'm sure that is exactly why they run these kinds of specials because they know people will spend more money once they're there. It's getting them there that counts.

Anyway, I kind of expected a little egg biscuit like their dollar menu chicken sandwich. No! This was the full sized sandwich: egg, bacon, and cheese, all on a croissant bun. And the Java Chiller! I took a sip and it was awesome, all ice-creamy and caramel coffee flavored! Not a bad breakfast for 3.25! Mmmm, I decided to save the frozen coffee for the office as I snacked on the sandwich.

When I got to work, I grabbed my purse from the car and carried in my Sonic bag with my half eaten sandwich, a bottle of water, and the Java Chiller. As I rounded the corner towards my desk, the bottom fell out of the styrofoam cup and it all dumped right onto the carpet, a frothy, creamy, white coffee mess! Oh no!! I don't know if I was more upset that I wasn't going to get to drink my heavenly coffee delight or that I had an incredible mess to clean up. I immediately knelt down to try to stop the damage and that was a mistake! My knee just doesn't bend that way yet. Ouch!! So I stood up and hustled to the Ladies' room and grabbed a fistfull of paper towels. I realized that that wasn't going to pick it all up so I went hunting in the little kitchen area for a towel that I could sop up and wring out. I found a brand new sponge and some carpet cleaner and I started cleaning up. I did manage to clean all of it up, hopefully, because it's going to smell sour if I didn't, with all that ice-creamy coffee on the carpet.

What really bugs me is the styrofoam containers they use. The landfills are filling up with them. I often buy fountain drinks in the styro cups and it's great for keeping cold drinks cold. I'm not so sure about hot drinks though. I've read that the styrenes leach into hot drinks. But anyway, when the cups break, and they do, it is certainly a mess! I've punched holes in cups just putting them in or out of the car cup holder. And then it's like the hole in the dike. Sugary liquid pours out all over everything, as I try to plug the hole up with a finger pressed against it, until I can stop the car and dump out the liquidy contents.

Don't you just love a bargain, but hate those styrofoam cups?

I'll make you a deal - song: The Candidate, artist: David Bowie, album: Diamond Dogs outtake

Sunday (4/4/10 Easter)

Today's Sunday Still's challenge was Easter.

What are they looking at?

A colorful pinwheel! And, with the wind we were having, it was spinning and spinning!

Doesn't Yalla! make a crazy little bunny?

Happy Easter from all of us!

Some cat was layin' down

I recently had a photo session with Terra, on my bed. She is so full of catitude, especially when I pull out the camera.
Kind of like, "That's really embarrassing, you know!"
"I'm not liking this one bit."
"What's that, over there?""If I pretend I'm sleeping, will you go away?"

"Ah well, I can't stay mad forever...
especially when you dangle strings over my head."

Some cat was layin' down - song: Starman, artist: David Bowie, album: TRAFOZSATSFM

Jesus and Pontius Pilate

Since today is Good Friday, I wanted to share these videos.

"My God, why have you forgotten me?"

"Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit."

Friday Foto

Friday - song: Friday on my Mind, artist: David Bowie covering the EasyBeats, album: Pinups

Not expecting morning sun

Yesterday was the last day of March.

It sure went out like a lamb after coming in like a lion! We've been having 70-80 degree temperatures the last couple of days.

I was amazed at yesterday morning's moonset. Isn't it gorgeous?

Recently, I wrote about my new barn residents.

Well, yesterday was a sad day. I found one of the crows dead in the barn. I don't know how he died but I will certainly miss him as I'm sure my horses will too.
He was laying right under his roost. Did he take a deadly fall perhaps? The horses were out of the barn all day and no one will tell me what happened.I didn't know what else to do with him so I laid him to rest out by a little yucca plant. All in the circle of life, I'm sure he will be gone by morning.

Not expecting Morning Sun - song: Get Real, artist: David Bowie, album: Outside extra