Raincharm’s Weblog

Day something less than 7.

I don’t want to count. I am torn between trying to stay current and trying to keep not mad. 

Our next move will be making the planned donation to PP.  This was supposed to happen on Inauguration (side note: when I started typing ina… the phone suggested “inappropriate”) day but we were both ill. Is it ironic that we were too sick to get to a health care provider?

And my big job now is to decide between an HSA or an HRA. Prescription costs may be a big part of the equation. Trying to figure out the actual cost of these is proving to be very difficult. I thought it was an easy question. 

On a fun note, the distraction of the  baseball season is getting closer. Fan Fest is this weekend, providing an opportunity to reconnect with folks we only see at the ballpark. 

Yesterday’s moment of serenity. 

We had our hats (paid a papasan to obtain). We know we can walk.

And then the flu. Yesterday was spent at home, much of it in a prone position. And then there were the back spasms that hit about mid-day. All of this put our walking in jeopardy.

In the end we both made the dentist appointment in the early morning.
We were trying to figure out how to  get to the start of the walk. Two neighbors said they were going – so let’s go together.

Drive? No
Bus? Most likely
Uber? – this was suggested by our neighbor.

As the four of us gathered, it became clear that this was one of those events that Uber drivers use to make an entire day’s fare in one ride. So we started toward the bus. That was when Carl declared he thought he should take the Ted route (another neighbor) and stay home to nurse his remaining flu symptoms. But he would be our Uber. In the end that was probably better than the bus. The bus stops we passed were packed, and the buses were filling up before they got to many of the stops.

Carl did manage to get us to Garfield High School, a half mile away from the proposed start of the walk. So we set off on foot, following the crowd walking to the walk.

The three of us hung out with the 130,000 or so others in a generally congenial mall-walk speed 3-mile effort. One news outlet reported the entire route was filled at one point. It was nice to get out. And the signs – oh my gosh. They were funny, heart-felt, long, short and everything in-between. (sorry that no signs really showed up in this shot, and I kept the phone in my pocket to better absorb the moments.) There were lots of families, young and old. My favorite – I am marching so my grandkids won’t have to.

I honestly think walking was good for the back, although getting in and out of the car was challenging. And in the end we wandered an extra half mile to a less crowded locale for our new Uber-like driver pick-up.

Thanks to all other like-minded individuals that made their own walks, in person or in spirit. Remember – it is not just about today.

The weekend was cold but gorgeous. We managed to get two bundled walks in. These were sandwiched around various football and futbol games. 

It would have been nice to continue the pattern into a third day, but alas, I had a full day meeting. It’s tough to find a day when 9 people are free, so use of a holiday (floating for us) is attractive. We have done this for 5 or 6 years now, and it feels assumed. This morning as I read about the local MLK March, I had a thought about trying to mix it up next year. My own little rebellion. 

When I returned from work my family work began. Looking over our last year’s health costs.  The reason was two-fold. 1. Our plan year end is coming up and I needed to understand how much use it or lose it self supplied health care money was left. (Looks like I’m getting a new pair of glasses.) 2. Next year’s plan is either going to be a HSA or HRA. Something starting with “High”. Not the PPOs I have known my entire working life, and I want to be prepared to understand how the change will look for us. But we will still have coverage, better or worse. For those on ACA plans the uncertainty must be unsettling.  I know it would be for me.

And now for a moment of serenity. 

I had the privilege of hanging out with Carl while he worked for a few hours.  That rarely happens because 1) he does not work out of our house and 2) he usually does not work on weekends. But he worked Saturday and picked me up to join him and Dean at the zoo. 

It was a chilly day so time was focused on the indoor exhibits. Most time was spent in the aviary, where the birds fly free, or in the zoomasium, where the kids run free.

Dean always kept an eye on Carl.  Me? He did not really care, and when I picked him up, he was not always content.  So to a casual observer it may have appeared that I was not very involved. What kind of a mother/aunt/grandmother is she!

Finally heading to work in the passenger seat.  It’s been a few weeks. Here are the morning sights that have been here all week, but I have only been able to give them limited attention. Driving and all.

I  really enjoy seeing the tree’s skeleton with the winter light. (The last one just looks confused, or how my desk looks at times.)

And the horizons. 

Slept in a bit, but won’t claim uninterrupted wakefulness to midnight.  Our new year was welcomed by light snowfall  (or rain or hail depending on your specific locale). It remains in places not touched by the sun.

And it is sunny, so we are out on a walk.  And at this moment in time I am on a blog, and Carl is on a play. 

We both spent some time in our home gym this morning, but I would not refer to this as a resolution.  More like an opportunity. 

One of the prettier sights today. 

And one of the more frustrating. 

Enterprise apparently can’t distinguish their parking area from the sidewalk. (If you enlarge the sign above the No Parking sign, it is trying to educate folks from not parking in the new bike lane.)

Time to head back towards home.