Pauline's Country Tales And Other Thangs

1:15:38 AM EDT
Feeling Cranky
Someone wanted to see the small birdhouses I have started collecting by buying them at my favorite thrift store. I have four different ones on this window ledge, four in a front tree, one on a stake in a flower bed, and one on a post in a bed. Now for my whine--- I would like to know if anyone here has ever had sciatic nerve pain. If you have what did you do for it and how long did it last? I never wanted my journal to be a health journal but here I am begging for info. I can drive, ride in the truck, sit at the computer and sleep but walking is pure pain. From what I have researched bed rest is good but it is so hard for me to stay in bed except when I am sleepy. The lyrica didn't do anything so I had to wean myself off that. I'm not much on taking strong medicines either. I've used Tylenol Extra Strength, ice pack, heating pad, Bio-Freeze,  Lini Mist, and over the counter pain patches. They all help to some degree for a while. I'm not begging for sympathy just any info. you might have on this subject. Thank you, Paula

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1:59:53 AM EDT
Feeling Confused
That is John and I. We put on our best shoes and went in to San Antonio today. He had an appointment with the dermatologist department the HMO has been sending him to. They are more confused then we are. On Thursday a lady called to say his procedure had been canceled and she would have someone call us on Monday in case we had any questions. Well yes we did have questions. If he needed it in the first place why were they canceling it? Postponing we could understand. Later that afternoon we had a message reminding him of his appointment today. Now we are throughly confused. Do we go or not? I know it sounds stupid but we couldn't remember the name of the place to call and didn't have a phone number as they never leave one. We know how to get there and that it is a teaching facility. We stayed near the phone all morning and past lunch waiting for that call today. No call came so we went. When we explained to the receptionist. She said well that is a little confusing. She said have a seat and I'll find out. She came right back and ask for a $15.00 co-pay which he has never paid there before. We don't know why, but we didn't ask. You know tight wads that we are. One day they did say they would have to reimburse him a co-pay. We didn't understand that either as he had never paid one. We didn't question it, tight wads that we are, but they never reimbursed him or mentioned it again. They called us right in to meet with a young guy whom I'm sure was a student. His jacket was so stiff and white it could have stood alone. Very manerly, reading a chart, asking questions etc. John ask him do you know what proud flesh is? The poor young guy was stimmied. I'm not sure he said. That is an old fashioned way of saying something about skin I said. He looked relieved I had bailed him out. Heck I don't even know what that means. Then a lady doctor came in and they both ask questions and hemed and hawed but never told us why the procedure was canceled. Then the head honcho came in and there was hand shaking all around and checking his old scars and more uhing and awing. Then the lady came in who did the surgery behind his ear. More hand shaking and eyeing his skin. They finally decided on taking a place off his arm and have it biopsied. They are nice but they are confused. John is the one who changed insurance companies to save money so don't fuss at me. I'm still paying dearly but I go to the doctor I want. Oh well they have to practise on someone I guess. We drove on to the other side of town to have a snack at Wendy's and visit our favorite thrift store because it was discount day. I found two small bird houses like I collect and I've already hung them in my front tree. They make such pretty and different ones. They aren't really large enough for a bird to make a nest in.  More of a decoration and sometime a wasp will take up residence in one. Now we'll wait two weeks to see what they say when they call with the results. May depend if they are needing someone to practise on. I know the devil just gets in me sometime and I say things I shouldn't.

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8:45:39 PM EDT
Feeling Mellow
This picture was taken in front of the plumbing shop. I jumped out to snap it while John was inside buying a part. It must be owned or managed by a woman as there are all kinds of bird feeders and houses for sale. All kinds of plants in front for decoration. Have you ever seen a man decorate a plumbing shop? I haven't. This morning early when John went for his walk he saw a small red fox in a yard. He use to see a fox quite often and then it disappeared. The neighbor to this house where the fox was has a lot of cats. John thinks it was  waiting for a kitten to come walking by and zoom an easy breakfast. Even though our town is of a good size and has most anything we need we do see wild life from time to time. Once a deer, a roadrunner (chaparell bird), a skunk, a dead armadillo, javelinos, and recently a squirrel. The squirrel was probably scoping out John's pecan tree to see about what year it thinks the pecans will be plentiful. We only have one statue in our town and bet you can't guess what it is? A bronze cowboy of course. During football season some high schoolers climbed up to dress the cowboy in a football jersey. Kids will be kids and if they never do anything worse then that we're in luck. This is a town where people speak even if they don't know you but I can't help but wonder how much longer it will be that way. Grafitti is starting to appear, drug arrests are being made. Even a grandmother was arrested for the second time for dealing drugs from her home in a neighboring town. They are tearing up jack (have you heard that expression) in our neighborhood by the pond and dry creek bed which probably brings in those few wild animals. I think they are going to build a second strip mall and on the other side it seems as if it will be another housing development. I know progress is good and people have to have a place to live but it is sad that the future generation won't get to know what its like to live the way we do now or the way we have in the past with peace, clean air, space, and friendly people.

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10:19:15 PM EDT
Feeling Adventurous
When cabin fever hits me any old country road will do. I really wanted to go to Bigfoot cemetary but John wanted to go a different direction. Bigfoot cemetary is in Bigfoot, Texas named after Bigfoot Wallace an indian fighter. I must remember to reverse my directions of want. That might work. I know gasoline is high so it is foolish to just be out driving around but I don't drink. smoke, or play bingo so what is a gal suppose to do for fun? We went his direction and it was nice. The trees and grass are very green for July. The roads were narrow but good roads this time. We got off on a road he had never been on. We saw some places with lots of junk and some beautiful homes. John remarked as we passed one old rundown house that they can't mow their grass. I said are you saying that because the grass is too high or because none of those twenty lawnmowers work. I think both he said. On down that road a pack of dogs took after the truck. At that point I checked my gas gauge. It was evident they didn't want us on their territory. They took a short cut across a small field and came out nipping at my tires. Then we saw a sign for the Tomlinson cemetary. We had heard of it but not been there so I made a u-turn on to a narrow road. When we finally got to it, it had a fence around it and seemed to be locked. We could have climbed over where a tree had fallen and crushed the fence but John didn't want to. Men are no fun. I've just got to find me a partner in crime. So on home before dark it was to the TV and remote control. 

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5:23:40 PM EDT
Feeling Silly
Now I know how to tell a real Croc from a false croc. My daughter sent me a pair of the real thing and they are lined with warm material. You bet they have the little round emblem on the back to prove they are authenic. You know we country folks don't know much about such things so our educated daughters have to inform us. This got me to thinking about shoes. I had an elderly friend who always told me you can tell a man by his shoes so I started watching shoes. A cowboy wears boots, a lineman wears shoes with cleats to climb poles, a man who lifts heavy equipment has steel in the toe of his shoes etc. I once saw a man whose shoes were so shiny I could see my face in them. I still don't know what his occupation is. One of John's sisters amazed me because she had a round coffee table and she had many pairs of shoes stacked in pyramid fashion under this table. I always wondered what would happen if she chose a bottom pair. Would she sit and straighten them all back up before she went out or would she leave them until she came home. John always has a pile of shoes by the front door so being the pretend shrink that I am I think I know the answer. They come from a very large poor family. They probably were lucky to have one pair of shoes so now they want to show off that they have risen about that. When I first graduated from high school and went to work for an insurance company I bought shoes to match everything but I didn't keep them in the living room. I even had an alvacado green pair. I haven't figured out what that says about me. When John's sister was here from Alaska she ask him if he remembered their mother making her polish his shoes before he went on a date. That comes from him having to quit work to help take care of the large family so the girls had to wait on him. When I first came out here he tried to get me into polishing his shoes. Yep I think you can tell a man by his shoes, but I ain't polishing them to make him look good. He's on his own.

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6:02:45 PM EDT
Feeling Silly
It was hotter then hot at the ranch this afternoon. We went out so John could talk to Juan. This is the man who is cleaning the large ranch of metal, iron etc. and hauling it to salvage. I call his place "The Village". When a kid gets married they just add a trailer house. Two of them are so close they are almost kissing. Hope they aren't mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Mother-in-law could smell how terrible daughter-in-law's food smells. John feels he must go collect his 40% of the money on Friday because that is party night. No not for us, for Juan's family. It was sooo hot sitting in the truck waiting I had to play a game with myself to keep my mind off the heat. So I started counting things in the village. There were four trailer houses, ten vehicles which six seemed to run and four with junk piled on them in various states of needing repair. I counted four iron bed frames leaning against sheds. One of them was kinda cute. I wondered if Juan wanted to sell it. I slapped my hand and said down girl. Counted about eight sheds of different sizes and shapes and ages. Hummm wonder what could be found in those? A treasure, perhaps? Pens, so many animal pens I lost count but they all seemed to be empty but one had a goat in it. Maybe gonna be a barbeque later on? The rest of the animals were no where to be seen. I have sat and watched two ducks try to swim in a mud puddle before. I know they have several dogs and cats but they were in hiding from the heat. I love these people they work hard, Maria is a home health care worker and Juan bales hay for people and hauls junk. They just aren't much on neatness. They are just some of the characters in our county. I'm sure there are people who consider me a character too.

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11:38:03 PM EDT
Feeling Surprised
We went to the free dinner but not before listening to the seminar speaker. It wasn't about health insurance or vitimins and minerals but about magnetic therapy. The man was selling matresses with magnets in them and they are suppose to be good for everything but someone with a pacemaker and one other thing which I don't remember. He was a good fast speaker and no high pressure. The meal was a very large chicken fried steak, baked potato, salad and iced tea. Now we know.

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9:20:58 PM EDT
Feeling Pensive

Again I'm invited to a free dinner. No obligation.. Learn what physicians have known for years about helping our bodies. Topics of discussion---aches&pain, lack of energy, back and hip pain etc.

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5:06:06 AM EDT
Feeling Annoyed

I read an interesting question and answer article in AARP magazine over the week-end. A lady wrote in to say her husband's sister is always late to the holiday family dinners. The article perked my interest as we have a family member in John's family who is always late no matter what time the dinner is planned for. He may call two or three times to report on the state of his busy life and say what time he will be there. His favorite saying is "he is up to his knees in alligators". The writer's answer to the lady was to go ahead with her dinner at the specified time as the other guest were ready and waiting and had made a point to be on time. When latecomer arrived, to offer he/she a plate but not comment on their tardiness or ask why they were late. The writer says a person who makes a habit of being late thinks of the host/hostess as being on stage. In other words the spotlight is on them for hosting, cooking etc. so they try to shift the stage to themselves by being late. That person knows everyone will be talking about them wondering why they are late and what happened. Makes sense to me. As for me if I can't be early I won't go.

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3:54:45 PM EDT
Feeling Validated
Yes there really is a hardware disease. It isn't a joke. I had never heard of it before I met John. Cows have a tendency to take a lot of food in their mouth and sometime swallow without chewing. Therefore missing something in the food that shouldn't be there. It is easy in the country for that to happen. If you are really interested in it go to keyword and type in hardware disease. Also browney44 had a good comment in my entry. Once I found a large heavy piece of iron in a 50# bag of dog food. It looked to have come off  a piece of machinery so I took it back to the feed store and suggested they get it back to the company. They may be needing that part. lol Anyway I know you nice people won't throw your nails, screws and metal objects on the ground when you are visiting a farm or ranch.

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