Post a bad thing that happened in your life today

[sb photos]

1 hour ago, Betty LaRue said:

Your fall makes me think of one of mine, years ago.

A fall I always remember well, even though it was around 25 years ago, happened on a UK Somerset ‘beach’. The ‘beach’ was rock, seaweed and slippery mud, a great combination. I was wearing good walking boots, an almost new waterproof and had a back pack on containing my large format camera gear, with a Benbo tripod attached. I slipped, and crunched against the rocks. Somehow  I ripped the sleeve cuff of my waterproof, but my camera gear wasn’t damaged, but I was. I had horrible pains from my ribs. I recognised the pain as long ago I had fractured ribs, and it felt similar. I made it back to the car, just unlocking the car door was painful. Back at the campsite on the Somerset Levels I dismantled my tent, that was more agonising pain, and just threw everything into the car and headed for home. It took some time to get back to normal.

[Betty LaRue]

1 hour ago, sb photos said:

A fall I always remember well, even though it was around 25 years ago, happened on a UK Somerset ‘beach’. The ‘beach’ was rock, seaweed and slippery mud, a great combination. I was wearing good walking boots, an almost new waterproof and had a back pack on containing my large format camera gear, with a Benbo tripod attached. I slipped, and crunched against the rocks. Somehow  I ripped the sleeve cuff of my waterproof, but my camera gear wasn’t damaged, but I was. I had horrible pains from my ribs. I recognised the pain as long ago I had fractured ribs, and it felt similar. I made it back to the car, just unlocking the car door was painful. Back at the campsite on the Somerset Levels I dismantled my tent, that was more agonising pain, and just threw everything into the car and headed for home. It took some time to get back to normal.

I hear injured or broken ribs are extremely painful. So far, I’ve lucked out of that injury. My Guardian Angel is overworked, I do know.

A funny thing. Every year or every other year for some years, my husband and I went snow skiing in the Rockies, usually with family. My mother just knew her daughter, (me) would be maimed or killed on the slopes. Her anxiety was through the roof. One year we came home just fine. A week later, we had a warm spell and went Crappie fishing from the bank. I walked down a grassy slope on the way to the water. There were a lot of twigs and small dead branches on the ground. They rolled on the slope under my feet and I fell. My upper inner arm was jabbed by a bigger dead branch, stabbing into my arm then sliding down several inches. It was painful, bloody and took a long time to heal.

Fishing must be dangerous, not skiing.

[John Mitchell]

Quelle horreur! J'espère que tu vas bientôt récupérer, Gen.

Edited April 5, 2022 by John Mitchell

[gvallee]

1 hour ago, John Mitchell said:

Quelle horreur! J'espère que tu vas bientôt récupérer, Gen.

 

Merci John, no big deal really. Bruises have turned a nice shade of blue and yellow but don't hurt that much any more. 

[John Mitchell]

38 minutes ago, gvallee said:

 

Merci John, no big deal really. Bruises have turned a nice shade of blue and yellow but don't hurt that much any more. 

 

That's good to hear. Blue and yellow are trending right now (for good reason).

[Rebecca Ore]

My lovely dentists are repairing the bridge they put in about 11 years ago.  Plus prescribing antibiotics for the infection and doing a root canal last week.  Another appointment Thursday and one more after that.  $150 -- free clinic has a new woman dentist who is supposedly better (actually good) than the guy who was there before, but these two have worked on my teeth before and are closer to my house.   And I lost my bank cash card so am using a credit card and borrowing from my British friend and running up a breakfast tab at my Nicaraguan friend's hotel.

 

Maude never came back, but an almost grown gray tabby kitten with two good eyes is trying to work her or his way into the house.  Belle, the first cat, thinks one cat is gracious plenty, and I realize now how stressful she'd found the other cat.   She's lost weight since Maude disappeared and can keep her butt clean.  And she either cuddles before bedtime or decides to spend most of the night in my back bedroom.   When Maude was here, Belle would go under my bed covers.   Maude found jumping on the covers over Belle just too much fun.   Belle's skin infection cleared up before Maude disappeared, but her weight didn't start going down right away.

 

My British friend imagines Maude as having cajoled her way into another household and doesn't want to think about the people who poison cats here.   Maude was a very high energy cat.  If she's got new people, I hope that they appreciate her.

 

It's the beginning of the hot times before the rains begin. 

 

I've been told that the local free hospital will do knee replacements, kinda not real thrilled by that prospect, but it's a possibility if it does come to that.

 

[CAROL SAUNDERS]

8 hours ago, Rebecca Ore said:

My lovely dentists are repairing the bridge they put in about 11 years ago.  Plus prescribing antibiotics for the infection and doing a root canal last week.  Another appointment Thursday and one more after that.  $150 -- free clinic has a new woman dentist who is supposedly better (actually good) than the guy who was there before, but these two have worked on my teeth before and are closer to my house.   And I lost my bank cash card so am using a credit card and borrowing from my British friend and running up a breakfast tab at my Nicaraguan friend's hotel.

 

Maude never came back, but an almost grown gray tabby kitten with two good eyes is trying to work her or his way into the house.  Belle, the first cat, thinks one cat is gracious plenty, and I realize now how stressful she'd found the other cat.   She's lost weight since Maude disappeared and can keep her butt clean.  And she either cuddles before bedtime or decides to spend most of the night in my back bedroom.   When Maude was here, Belle would go under my bed covers.   Maude found jumping on the covers over Belle just too much fun.   Belle's skin infection cleared up before Maude disappeared, but her weight didn't start going down right away.

 

My British friend imagines Maude as having cajoled her way into another household and doesn't want to think about the people who poison cats here.   Maude was a very high energy cat.  If she's got new people, I hope that they appreciate her.

 

It's the beginning of the hot times before the rains begin. 

 

I've been told that the local free hospital will do knee replacements, kinda not real thrilled by that prospect, but it's a possibility if it does come to that.

 

Good luck with your upcoming appointments, the cost does seem very reasonable and it's heartening to know your bridge has lasted 11 years !  My last dental appointment was very expensive but I have 100% trust in my dentist.  However, I'm still not looking forward to my check up on Monday,  I find it very stressful, always have done.... I hope your cat is somewhere good and you find your bank card !

 

Carol

[Ed Rooney]

All this talk about serious heath concerns makes me feel like an idiot steeped in trivia with my problems. (But I probably am just that.)

 

Anyway, I gave myself another haircut this morning.

 

The back of my head showing in the bathroom mirror with a hand mirror in one hand and my Braun bread trimmer in the other, I went to work. First I cut a big hunk of hair down to the scalp from high up. It looked too far up to balance things out on the rest of my head. Hmm. 

 

With this new 'trim' I am starting to look as if I've been to a creative Hollywood hairstylist. Perhaps I should consider a spicy tattoo on my forehead and Kardashian lips? Or is it back to the Bruce Willis cut?

 

Edo, the guy in the watch cap. 

[spacecadet]

3 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

All this talk about serious heath concerns makes me feel like an idiot steeped in trivia with my problems. (But I probably am just that.)

 

Anyway, I gave myself another haircut this morning.

 

The back of my head showing in the bathroom mirror with a hand mirror in one hand and my Braun bread trimmer in the other, I went to work. First I cut a big hunk of hair down to the scalp from high up. It looked too far up to balance things out on the rest of my head. Hmm. 

 

With this new 'trim' I am starting to look as if I've been to a creative Hollywood hairstylist. Perhaps I should consider a spicy tattoo on my forehead and Kardashian lips? Or is it back to the Bruce Willis cut?

 

Edo, the guy in the watch cap. 

Have you got the beginnings of a Mohican, Ed?

[Ed Rooney]

 

Sort of, at least on one side of my head. But the tribe might not want me on the reservation.

[Allan Bell]

6 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

Braun bread trimmer in the other,

 

Don't use your bread trimmer on your hair unless you want hairs in your bread.

Allan

 

[Rebecca Ore]

14 hours ago, CAROL SAUNDERS said:

I hope your cat is somewhere good and you find your bank card !

 

First one, yes.  I cancelled the bank card that was lost since I didn't notice it missing right away and am now waiting for the new card. 

[Betty LaRue]

On 05/04/2022 at 17:55, Rebecca Ore said:

 

I've been told that the local free hospital will do knee replacements, kinda not real thrilled by that prospect, but it's a possibility if it does come to that.

 

I understand about not being thrilled to go under the knife. It’s not for the faint-hearted. Only you can decide whether the life you have now with your disability has become untenable. I fought it for a long time with two different sets of physical therapy that helped at first, but not the second time. I knew I would eventually end up in a wheelchair.

Yesterday I mopped my kitchen and bathroom, then drove across town, a 30 minute drive, to a good Mexican restaurant to meet for lunch with my daughter. Then I stopped at a department store on the way home and shopped, trying on clothes for 2 hours.

I must say I was totally spent and had to rely on my cane toward the end of the day, but no way could I have done this before surgery. And I have several new spring tops to show for it, a boost for my recuperating morale. You understand…women and shopping! Besides, the new tops look great on my now straight body. 

Good luck whatever you decide.

[Rebecca Ore]

7 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

Only you can decide whether the life you have now with your disability has become untenable.

 

The first knee healed after a year or two.  This one isn't impossible.   Luis and I made the trip to the dentist (three blocks on foot) and then had a late lunch at RutPao, which is one of the four interesting restaurants in my neighborhood.  I paid for it since until the bank card shows up, I can't hand him cash for helping with errands, so I put it on my credit card. 

 

The dentist had forgotten that next week will be Semana Santa (four days of Easter) so I'll be going back for the last work week after next.  

 

The question with the free hospital is surgeries can be luck of the draw.   The doctors are generally just out of medical school/internships or hard-core "trained in Cuba" guys who are very good but not fond of Yankees. 

 

Managua told my post office that some mail for me is in Nicaragua and should be in Jinotega tomorrow.  The PO staff here is great.   Hope it's the card.  The bank with the ATM where I must have dropped or forgotten the earlier card did find it, so we'll get that cut up since I'd already asked for the replacement card.

 

My Nicaraguan hotel owner friend is going to Sweden to get questions with her pension cleared up and to get a new Swedish passport (she's a dual national).  She's been talking about going to Mexico again.  I'm going to see if she's willing to take a ferry trip from Granada to San Carlos, with a stop in Ometepe instead.   From Granada to San Carlos is something like ten hours, so stopping in Altagracia is a good idea, but the boat doesn't run every day.

[wiskerke]

24 minutes ago, Rebecca Ore said:

 The doctors are generally just out of medical school/internships or hard-core "trained in Cuba" guys who are very good but not fond of Yankees.

 

Tell them you had to flee the country. 😂

Never been to Cuba, but have heard some great stories about their health services in the past.

 

wim

[Betty LaRue]

1 hour ago, Rebecca Ore said:

 

The first knee healed after a year or two.  This one isn't impossible.   Luis and I made the trip to the dentist (three blocks on foot) and then had a late lunch at RutPao, which is one of the four interesting restaurants in my neighborhood.  I paid for it since until the bank card shows up, I can't hand him cash for helping with errands, so I put it on my credit card. 

 

The dentist had forgotten that next week will be Semana Santa (four days of Easter) so I'll be going back for the last work week after next.  

 

The question with the free hospital is surgeries can be luck of the draw.   The doctors are generally just out of medical school/internships or hard-core "trained in Cuba" guys who are very good but not fond of Yankees. 

 

Managua told my post office that some mail for me is in Nicaragua and should be in Jinotega tomorrow.  The PO staff here is great.   Hope it's the card.  The bank with the ATM where I must have dropped or forgotten the earlier card did find it, so we'll get that cut up since I'd already asked for the replacement card.

 

My Nicaraguan hotel owner friend is going to Sweden to get questions with her pension cleared up and to get a new Swedish passport (she's a dual national).  She's been talking about going to Mexico again.  I'm going to see if she's willing to take a ferry trip from Granada to San Carlos, with a stop in Ometepe instead.   From Granada to San Carlos is something like ten hours, so stopping in Altagracia is a good idea, but the boat doesn't run every day.

If you fly to the states, are you still covered by Medicare? I did not have to pay for a thing, even the rehab hospital. I realize that would be difficult, with airfare. Plus you’d need to get an appointment ahead of time, an MRI and arrange for immediate surgery so you wouldn’t be out hotel cost long. I imagine the extras would still be costly. Just a thought.

[Rebecca Ore]

5 hours ago, wiskerke said:

 

Tell them you had to flee the country. 😂

Never been to Cuba, but have heard some great stories about their health services in the past.

 

wim

I've had the lecture about greedy Yankee surgeons and their barbaric extraction of children's tonsils.   They do train a number of the doctors here. 

 

 

[Rebecca Ore]

4 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

If you fly to the states, are you still covered by Medicare? I did not have to pay for a thing, even the rehab hospital. I realize that would be difficult, with airfare. Plus you’d need to get an appointment ahead of time, an MRI and arrange for immediate surgery so you wouldn’t be out hotel cost long. I imagine the extras would still be costly. Just a thought.

 

Nicaragua now has MRI machines.  I have family in the US, but I never re-upped my Medicare and didn't sign on for Part whatever pays meds.    I've had ultrasound and x-rays here already, so not a hairline fracture but some fluid on the knee.   The infection in the jaw was a more immediate problem (my nurse friend told me where that could spread to).

 

Friend of mine with the Frente  will be looking into things, and a friend's friend's mother-in-law had good results from a hip replacement at the local hospital. 

 

Taxis are cheap here.   I can walk with half crutches pretty much anywhere I need to go.  Once I get my bank card, I can send Luis to pay various local bills.  This is an extremely comfortable town to live in -- at 3,000 meters, so cools off at night even in the hotter months, shared cabs for around sixty cents in town.  Has everything I need pretty close by, and my helper is amazing at finding things (now he's found a vet that has pills for fleas and ticks for around $7 each for three months worth of protection). 

[Stan Pritchard]

I failed QC today, soft and lacking definition. An image of a Great spotted woodpecker.

I can't remember the last time I failed QC, it was many, many years ago.

I really must try harder.☺️

UPDATE: After a little research I found that I last failed QC on 14th. December 2015. That's over six years ago, so perhaps I was due for a failure. 

Edited April 13, 2022 by Stan Pritchard
More information.

[NYCat]

Those birds are tricky. It seems they are always moving in some way, even just the feathers.

 

Paulette

[sb photos]

26 minutes ago, NYCat said:

Those birds are tricky. It seems they are always moving in some way, even just the feathers.

 

Paulette

I’ve noticed that too, and especially if there is a breeze. Cats whiskers can also go out of focus very easily. Both need higher than expected shutter speeds.

[Allan Bell]

16 minutes ago, sb photos said:

I’ve noticed that too, and especially if there is a breeze. Cats whiskers can also go out of focus very easily. Both need higher than expected shutter speeds.

 

I found that shutter speed can be a problem too. I used to use 250th for general use and altered speed if I thought it was necessary. Recently I have been deleting quite a few photos that I had taken for Alamy at that speed so I have upped it to 360th. Getting more usable images now.

 

Allan

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by Allan Bell

[spacecadet]

19 minutes ago, Allan Bell said:

 

I found that shutter speed can be a problem too. I used to use 250th for general use and altered speed if I thought it was necessary. Recently I have been deleting quite a few photos that I had taken for Alamy at that speed so I have upped it to 360th. Getting more usable images now.

 

Allan

 

Anyone else remember Bill Werbeniuk, the snooker player? He claimed that lager improved a hand tremor and improved his game, but when he tried to extend that claim to the Inland Revenue as a business expense they were having none of it.

Worth a try? The lager part, not the tax deduction part.

Edited April 11, 2022 by spacecadet

[CAROL SAUNDERS]

I've shot birds at under 250th on a good day handheld, but so much to consider when shooting birds.  The other day I was attempting to shoot swans and the sun came out🙃hard enough trying to get correct exposure without the sun!

 

Maybe I'll try larger next time I'm shooting birds, I don't rememberBill Werbeniuk, maybe a little before my time but I do love watching snooker - looking forward to this weekend😁

 

Carol

[Ed Rooney]

6 hours ago, Stan Pritchard said:

I failed QC today, soft and lacking definition. An image of a Great spotted woodpecker.

I can't remember the last time I failed QC, it was many, many years ago.

I really must try harder.☺️

 

It happens, Stan. Don't beat yourself up over it.