Saturday, January 08, 2011

Delayed Is Not Denied

Okay, many folks love to go out on New Years Eve and wahoo. Bars, parties, even sitting home with a bottle of bubbly to ring in the next year, those are popular NYE activities too.

As for me, who seems to dance to the beat of a different drummer, on New Years Eve I love getting my stuff ready for filing my income tax. It just seems like the logical thing to do on the last night of the year. Tying up loose ends, getting ready for the new.

For a myriad of reasons I wasn't able to spend NYE that way this year. So yesterday afternoon I hauled out all of my reciepts, my notebooks, etc. and started work sorting my tax stuff. Call me crazy, call me goofy, but I enjoyed it. After three hours I had everything logged by category and numbers jotted on papers. Now all that's left to do is dig out the calculator and tally up my numbers. And then when all of the paperwork from the bank, the mortgage company, etc. rolls in I can ship it off to my accountant.

I learned a long time ago, back when I was young and procrastinator was my middle name, that the best course of action is to take care of things right away. And not just with taxes. It applies to all of life.


Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny



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Thursday, January 06, 2011

Books And More Books

I read a lot all year round. Doesn't matter if it's -20 and snowing in January, or 85 and sunny in July. I've been like that since my parents taught me how to read when I was three years old. I am happiest when I am surrounded by books.


HSM says if all you read is 'junk' then your brain will turn to mush. She says books are like food in that respect. Too much candy and soda pop and your skin will be pimple-land and your hips and ass will be a mile wide.


I will pretty much read anything. Okay, no science fiction and no westerns, but just about everything else. I haunt the new book shelves at my local library and will haul home all sorts of books. I go through phases on what I want to read. For the past year I have been reading a number of books by foreign authors. Why? To get a 'feel' for other countries and people.


I've also been reading a lot of Stephen King. I read for free from my local library, rarely purchasing books. Stephen King books are the exception. Those I always buy. Once I read them I pass them on to HSM. Over the past couple of years I've purchased four King books that, instead of reading, I tucked away on my book shelves. Why? I don't remember. But I ran across them a few monthes ago and I've been reading them ever since.


Under The Dome was the first one I tackled. Have you read it? It's a tad over one thousand pages. That's one of the best things about King, he's not afraid to write a long book. He fills you in on everything about his characters.


The second one was a short story book. I can't think of the title, darn it! The book was filled with dark stories and I enjoyed them.


I have two books left in my stash of his. Right now they're on the back burner because I want to read the books that the cable tv series Dexter is based on. HSM raves about the series. I've never seen it but I figured the books would be the next best thing. I hope to get started on them this weekend.


Inbetween all my reading I've been crocheting. I made an afghan for HSM. It's deep purple with a fern green trim. It's a heavy blanket so it should keep her cozy warm when she's reading.


Besides reading as much as I can whenever I can, I also crochet as much as I can. I have quite a bit of yarn designated for future projects stashed in plastic bins in my basement.

I don't know about you but I like to keep busy. I don't like wasting time. Between reading and crocheting and doing the exercises for my knee, well, my days are pretty full. Just the way I like them.


Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny

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Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Sweet Musings

The other day I was jonesing for some cookies. I wanted a good cookie, something worth sinking my teeth in to. I kept thinking about a coffee-flavored cookie that Pepperidge Farm used to make years ago.

I ended up making a batch of Toll House chocolate chip cookies but with a twist ala Julia Child.

The Toll House recipe, the pretty much standard chocolate chip cookie recipe, calls for, among other ingredients, 2 and 1/4 cups of flour. I used the 2 cups but substituted 1/4 cup of instant coffee granules for the rest of the flour. And I increased the chocolate chips fom 2 cups to 3 cups.

Oh my goodness! The cookies--long gone now!--were so good! The first bite was a little strange (the coffee flavor) but the second bite? So very good!

Next time you bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies try it this way. I'll bet you'll like them.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny

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Sunday, January 02, 2011

Let's Get It Started

Let's get it started--the new year with the first blog post.


Okay, first a 'report', hopefully the last one I'll ever have to make, as to the state of my health:

(1.) I've 'graduated' from physical therapy. All that really means is that my insurance wouldn't pay for any more during 2010. But it's okay because the pt helped me more than I ever thought it would, more even than my doctor thought it would!

According to the MRI I had taken in November, I have a meniscal tear grade four. Apparently, grade 4 is the worst. My doctor, when she found that out, wanted to ax the pt because she said the only thing that would help is surgery, and maybe a partial knee replacement (!).

The physical therapist talked her into letting me continue pt until I could get in to see the surgeon. Lo and behold! the pt worked so well that now I don't need the surgery!

(2.) Because the doctor didn't think my blood pressure was low enough while taking Lisinopril, she prescribed a 'booster' for me--Bystolic--to take along with the Lisinopril.

Bystolic, like all those drugs you see advertised on commercial tv, has a whole long list of less than desirable side effects. 'The odds of you manfesting any of them are slim to none,' she told me.

'Hello, I'm Slim To None!' I told her on my last visit. Nausea and a severe outbreak of rosacea. Because Bystolic is one of those drugs you can't just cold turkey stop taking, but rather have to wean off of, it took me almost three weeks but I am now Bystolic free. I am no longer nauseous and my complexion is great!

The doctor prescribed me another 'booster', the name of which escapes me right now. I've decided I'm not going to take it. Why? It has a whole list of possible side effects that are really unpleasant. Yes, I know, odds are slim to none I'd develop any of them.

But, according to what I've read on the internet, EVERYONE who takes it will exhibit dizziness when they stand up or lay down too quickly. EVERYONE. I don't want to be dizzy.

You know, back in April when I had the heart attacks, and right up until a few weeks ago, I was overwhelmed by all this stuff---the diagnosis, the doctor visits, the medicines, etc. Well, not any more. I've got a grip on all this mess now.

And I've decided I'm in charge of my health care. I'm not taking anything or doing anything that I don't agree with. I'm tired of being a drug guinea pig.


Wishing you a wonderful and happy 2011!


Be good and be craeful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny

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