Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Miscellaneous Musings No. 16

Hey there, readers! Remember how I've I told you more than once that my mind tends to race, hardly rests, and that I'm a numbers girl? Well, the way I deal with that on my blog is through intermittent brain dumps. I have a name for them, Miscellaneous Musings, and this one's No. 16 (because I like keeping track). You can see all the rest of these musings at this link if you're so inclined. Are you ready?

Remember that PBS documentary on Andre van Damme and the Charleston (WV) Ballet I told you about, which I participated in (2017) and later celebrated its premiere (2018)? Well, among many awards, it was just bestowed a regional (OH, KY, IN, WV) 2019 Emmy award for Arts Programming! I know someone like Jeanie may know exactly what this now means, but I believe its benefits may include greater audience reach potential within PBS programming. Either way, it's a huge honor, especially for these folks pictured below (and really good documentary).
Ohio Valley Chapter 2019 Emmy Award for Arts Programming:  "Andre Van Damme and the Story of the Charleston Ballet" - Mary Anna Ball (Producer), Debra Novak (Director), Carol DelGrasso (Editor), Michael DelGrasso (Lighting). Photo courtesy Charleston Ballet's Facebook page
I have a new granddog, and his name's Brutus. He's another Muttaineer, like his sister Audra. His lineage has some blood hound in the mix, and something short of a horse. He weighs 80 lbs at six months, while Audra weighs in at 70 lbs (full grown). At 110 myself, I don't think I'm capable of walking either one.
This sweet man pictured below was honored in our hometown back in June on the 75th anniversary of D-Day. There was a great article of his recounting being on a Naval ship in the waters on that day in history at Normandy Beach during WWII. He was my mother's friend and companion for many years in the latter part of her life. He's outlived three women at last count.
Since downsizing, I've said before it feels like we're on vacation....except the maid service hasn't shown up. I've traded gardening for house cleaning and I don't like the latter nearly as much as yardwork. My new dishwasher mocks my skills by flashing a neon "washing HO" message every time I run a cycle!
I've also stated before that the purge I did for downsizing couldn't have been accomplished without the help of my sister. I kept getting distracted with things I found as I was working.
My sister is not an early bird, and having her come to help before noon resulted in her sometimes being a little discombobulated, as in putting on two different shoes.....
....or, leaving after a session of purging, and forgetting to pack and take her prized stash home. She left a load of baskets one day, only for the storm that night to drench it all.
I think about the oldest thing I found to purge was this cake mix below. Note the "best if used by Feb 22 2013". The worst part of this one is I purged (or thought I did) when we updated our kitchen in 2017.
Mishaps happen when you move. My moving company broke or lost one, 17" beveled glass shelf on the rolling cart pictured below. I always thought Frontgate was pricey, but I had gotten this on sale. Now I understand better about pricing. That one shelf cost well over $150 for the movers. I can't say exactly how much because the local glass company quoted incorrectly at that price, but honored their quote. They said their cost was considerably more due to the beveled edge.
We had trouble with moving our Sleep Number bed with a third party, too, and I won't get into that ugly story, but suffice it to say the invoice for that move was waived. Our bed tracks our sleep, scores, and provides feedback. Being the numbers gal I am, you'd think that'd be something that interests me. Not really. Back in January, while trying to wrap my head around the move, I didn't sleep well. Mr. P.'s and my sleep tracking in one week looked like this (below):
While Mr. P.'s sleep scores resembled the constellation Cassiopeia...
...mine resembled something more like an out of body experience, as apparently I wasn't tracked at all one night. I had a lot of restless nights through the moving process.

We're mostly sound tight in our new loft, and we've gotten use to most of what we do hear differently than where we lived previously, but the summer has been full of festivals and weekend events that draw people to the riverfront park and bars. The bars close at 2 am, and we could most always hear patrons going to their nearby parked cars on weekends. So, we ordered a great little sound machine (no sponsorship, just my opinion and endorsement):
It's incredibly small (great for travel), works like a charm, charges on a phone cable, plus it's also a speaker with bluetooth capability. I bought it on Amazon Prime deal day, along with a travel case. Since then, look what score I achieved on my Sleep Number bed!
Forget all the crazy scorekeeping, I do love my Sleep Number bed with its flex base adjustments. It was just a pain to move.

At this point in our lives, we value good sleep. Otherwise, someone might end up buying a t-shirt that looks like this one below, which I spotted on a guy in a park one day:
One of my kids' favorite features in Highlights Magazine was the Hidden Pictures. I still can't find the banana in the picture below. It's not Frosty's mouth, is it?
Well, it took Mr. P. four months to notice one of the areas I chose to place my hidden pitchers....ironstone pitchers, that is. It wasn't until he was showing someone in the family our loft did he happen upon them on the ledge in the master bath. I have several more in storage that I had in our laundry room at the house which I still want to pull and add to the mix.
Have you ever wondered why the makers of English muffins never bothered slicing those things before packaging?? That's the first thing I do when I buy a package - slice them all, and get most of the mess out of the way in one fell swoop.
I came across this little peach in the grocery store when they were just arriving in "peak" season. 😳
My local Panoply sister has been rehabbing with knee replacement surgery the past several weeks. I offered to take her to physical therapy one day before she was driving. While watching her do her exercises and wringing her hands in pain, I told her she reminded me of me, in the dentist's chair. Then, as she continued to wince, we were talking about how pain pills make you feel sick once you start feeling better, needing them less. All of a sudden, I felt nauseous, and asked if there was a restroom.
Next thing I knew, I was on the floor. My sister said she looked at me and said my eyes were rolling in the back of my head. I fainted.

After a couple therapists tended to me by putting cold water on me and raising my legs, a nurse sitting there, receiving shoulder therapy, said it was likely a vasovagal reaction. Weird, but I have fainted with blood being drawn once and after getting a steroid shot for poison ivy. Luckily, I haven't had any episodes like that one since. Like I said, I'm a numbers gal, definitely not medical.

Well, there won't be any more Saturdays between now and the end of the year without college football. West Virginia is in the Big 12, which only has 10 teams. Mind you, the Big 10 has 14 teams. Sounds like they need a numbers gal.

Thanks for stopping by. Have any weird, random things happening to you lately? Feel free to let your crazy fly and share them in the comments.
Rita C. at Panoply

50 comments:

  1. I am chuckling at "washing HO"!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!

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  2. Well this was a fun start to my day! I always enjoy your musings, Rita! Reading your fainting story reminded me of an experience that I had over forty years ago. My very good friend was in labor and I was in the room with her for moral support and comfort. It came on slow, but then the room started spinning. The next thing I remember the nurses were all around me with cold cloths on my face. To this day my friend says she was totally forgotten by the medical personnel as they were attending me! Have a wonderful day and the DW is a little bizarre!

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    1. Pam, that is hilarious (not hilarious) what happened to you with your friend in labor. They told my sister she was chopped liver once they had to pay attention to me that day, lol.
      I think the DW means HOT, but they sure engineered it in a strange way, didn't they?

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  3. Always fun to read these posts. Hubby and I are thinking about a Sleep Number bed so good input. But Rita, please tell me after that episode you went to see your primary to get checked out?

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  4. Rita, you should write books. I laughed and laughed. What a great start to my day. Have a wonderful day and I do agree, house cleaning is not near as enjoyable as gardening.

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    1. Well, Sandra, thank you, but I'm not sure who would read my books if I wrote them, because I'd be all over the place with my train of thought! I talk this way too, and it drives Mr. P. crazy! I can literally be tired in an evening from thinking and talking too much in a given day.

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  5. I always love these there such a cacophony of life. Don't know what I laughed at more, your hubby not seeing your ceramic pitchers (so typical isn't it) or your dishwasher. Mine plays a song when it;s done and almost always has me thinking a cell phone is going off.

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    1. Well, friend, I see much the same from you and your life when I read into your FB posts. ;)

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  6. I never thought about slicing all the english muffins and getting that mess over with ! That is a great tip.
    Hidden pictures were a highlight for my kids also.
    I enjoyed all your musings. Believe me, I can identify with your husband not seeing the pitchers. Last night we watched a movie with a bentwood rocker and I mentioned ours. My husband asked where it was! He goes in that room numerous times a day! I was floored.
    I can also identify with the fainting. My son got a fish hook in his hand while fishing and had to go to emergency room. I was tasked taking him because my husband had to get the boat out of the water. After they had me sign papers about the risks of the shots I fainted. We had gone to a previous walk in clinic only to be sent to a larger hospital and I guess I was totally stressed after seeing this awful sight for so long.
    Have a good week, Rita.

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  7. Rita, this started my day off with a laugh. I too have a dishwasher that flashes HO what does it mean? Hold on? As I'm working on it? The banana is tipped upwards towards the sky & is the bottom of the little girls coat on the right. My mind works like yours. I'm a #s gal too. Work with them all day! Loved this post! Have a great day! Clara

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    1. Lol, Clara, I believe it means HOT, but some engineer must've had fun that day, right?? Happy to have your company in that you're a numbers gal! It was my undergrad major, and it's the gift that keeps on giving.....I lose sleep over other people's numbers (as in family businesses, taxes, etc..!!) I hope you have a great day too! Thanks for the visit.

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  9. Sympathy pains for your sis! How sweet! I can relate....recently I watched my husband pinch his hand in a clasp he was closing to tighten down a strap and my hand throbbed as I watched the blood blister form on his. Love your 'musings'....and the humor you see all around you. The funniest thing that happened to me recently was I had just left home and got a business call on my cell and meanwhile my husband (who I had just left) called me twice. So when I called him back I was telling him about my call and then I said 'what did you want?'......he said 'Elvis died 42 yrs ago today'. He was so serious that I held my laugh back. The Senior years have arrived. :-)

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    1. Lol, Elvis' death was a pretty big deal. And now you can tell him that this year was particularly unique. Elvis lived to be 42, and this year marked 42 yrs dead!

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  10. So many laughs while reading your musings this morning! I literally laughed out loud at your dishwasher's message "washing HO". 😂 The Grumpa t-shirt is awesome and I may have to get my husband one. Lol! That peach! Oh my! On a serious note, I am always happy to see our veterans honored and especially those still living from WWII. That is precious. I have a great tendency for vasovagal reactions. Always when they draw my blood, even if I'm lying down. Also when I see my own blood.😳 The last one I had was 4 years ago and because of my age, we decided to call the EMT's and go to the hospital. There was nothing I could think of to cause this one. No blood drawing and no blood. Go figure! After 4 days in the hospital and every single test you can think of, my diagnosis was a vasovagal reaction. 😒 Lastly the hidden items in the Highlight Magazine was always my fave as a child. I found the banana 🍌 right away. It is the waist band on the sweater worn by the child on the right.
    Keep these coming as they are a great start to my day!
    Jeri

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    1. Oh my, Jeri, 4 days in hospital?? That would've been my luck. I had some family saying I should go (at least to my PCP), but I felt ok, just kept checking my BP for the next few days.
      Now I see the banana!
      Thanks for the visit and comment. It leaves me with a feeling of a little more normalcy with that vasovagal thing. ;)

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    2. I understand that Vasovagal episodes are more common than you'd think. Anyway I'm glad I gave you the feeling of normalcy in sharing my experience. Lol! At least with all the test I had, I got a huge relief in knowing that for my age I am extremely healthy. The doctors and nurses were impressed. Have a great day!

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  11. I'm glad that I'm not the only one whose mind races everywhere! That is the cutest dog, but he's HUGE! He would need his own bedroom. I have Vasovagal syncope too! I have fainted giving blood, sometimes just standing up too quickly and 2 years ago January was at the doc in a box for bronchitis and fainted when they "poked my brain" with the ten foot q-tip to check for the flu. Earned me an ambulance ride with a cute fireman to the emergency room. ( eye roll) Not so fun and a little embarrassing. Your dishwasher's message is hilarious. Congrats on the Emmy! What an honor. Have a great week...

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    1. Wow, glad to see I'm not alone with this mind racing and vasovagal thing....there are a couple others who've commented same! It was so funny when that nurse saw me - he waited until the entire episode concluded before he commented. I thought nurses were supposed to respond in crisis?! They called an ambulance but I begged them to cancel it (they did). And I learned they don't use ammonia sticks to arouse anymore! Oh, and I KNOW I would've been down for the count if they poked my brain too!

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  12. Love your entertaining musings.

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    1. Happy to get a happy reaction from you Fonda! Have a great week!

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  13. Your dishwashers refers to you as a HO?? OH, NO!! Better make HIM stack if full from now on!
    Havent hooked up our bed sleep tracker - too tired to do it...lol
    Cute spot for your pitchers...husbands are delirious at times.
    The Banana was bottom of her jacket (fur?) .
    You are not supposed to "slice" Eng Muffins
    Cute post!!

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    1. I did not know that about English muffins! Jenna says you're supposed to "fork" them. Ha! You know what I say to that! ;)

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  14. Rita you crack me up!!! Thank you for this! Made my morning. I was laughing with all your ramblings. Love the Washer Ho toooooo funny! That peach lol. Loved all of this. Happy Tuesday my friend. Thanks for the laugh this morning.
    xoxo
    Kris

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  15. Oh Rita, so many chuckles to wake up to with my coffee, good start! I've had days with some of your same musings. My dryer plays a little tune when it finishes the drying cycle and I always think I'm hearing things! I can relate to the mess the muffins make, good idea to slice all and be through with the mess. Scary about the fainting! Funny the dishwasher engineers didn't think about the cycle alerts, too funny! Husbands never cease to amaze me! I'm sure it did take a little while to get use to the city noise and I love the sound machine. Our son and his wife used a similar when their son was born and they all loved it! Have a great week dear Rita.........

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  16. You are so funny Rita, I have a giant granddog too, a Greater Swiss Mountain dog and he is a sweetheart! That must have been scary to faint, glad you're ok! I HATE housework, HH used to clean the house for me, so now I have a service that comes every other week and it's heaven! By the way, an avid English muffin lover will tell you you're not supposed to slice English Muffins, it ruins their texture...you are supposed to use a fork and gently separate them by sticking the fork in the slit and proceeding all around the muffin until it can be pulled apart...this creates all the lovely nooks and craters for butter, cheese, or jam to get into...Somehow I have a feeling you won't have the patience for that!! 😘
    Jenna

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  17. Rita, you will hav me laughing all day just thinking about these musings. You should be a professional writer! What does Ho even mean? And if you are missing gardening, I know where you could find plenty of work, but you would probably be fainting from heat exhauston! Oh, and I think the banana is the hem of the little girl's dress. Or is that stretching it?
    My weird thing story ~ last fall when in Paris, I bought a small carved wood frame. When I got home and unpacked my bags, I noticed the it wasn't among my other purchases. I looked everywhere. Not to be found. I wrote the hotel and asked if it had been left in the room. Nope! Fast forward to six months later. I opened a zipper side pocket in my needlepoint bag, and guess what was there? It was delicate so I wrapped it in a sheet of bubble and put it in my needlepoint bag thinking it would be safe. Yes, I make myself lists of where I store things, but guess I need to apply that to packing for a trip too.
    Have a great week.....

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    1. Oh, Sarah, I can so relate to the safely hidden treasure! I have driven myself crazy so many times over things I know I had but couldn't find! I did that with a piece of coal miner's scrip (legal tender) - found it (after 4 yrs!) when I was packing/purging! Glad you found yours too.
      HO means HOT, I believe, but strange way of saying so, right?

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  18. I've had that vasovagel thing before and it's seriously scary when it happens to you. But glad that was it versus something really significant. The banana is in the girl's trim on her skirt on the right. And you Panoply sisters have more fun than anyone. I adore a post like this with all sorts of unrelated fun (except for the fall!) (Oh, and they slice them so I don't have to, because that's always an accident waiting to happen~!)

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  19. That was an enjoyable read! Love the HO display on your dishwasher! 😆
    My husband had a vasovagal event while getting ready for a procedure on his leg so I kinda know what it’s like. Glad you’re okay!

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  20. Oh shoot, I wanted to be the one to tell you I found the banana, on the little girls trim of her coat I loved these pages of Highlights, when I was a youngster. Anyway, I always enjoy your posts, and want to say Thank you for that. bonnie in WI

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    1. Bonnie, thanks so much for popping in and leaving your comment. That banana looks so obvious now that several readers mentioned it. Just goes to show how we often overlook the obvious in daily life!

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  21. I always chuckle at your musings Rita...your sister’s shoes..."washing HO"...too funny. We started using a white noise app to sleep by on my iPhone about 6 years ago as it helped the dogs not bark in the middle of the night over outside noises like late night boaters, etc. Now WE can’t sleep without it.

    P.S. I cleaned the pantry out about a month ago and found boxed cake mix from 2012. ;)

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    1. Happy Birthday to our cakes, yours being 7 and mine 6, lol!!

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  22. Your dishwasher! I'd be telling it everyday to stop calling me that, LOL.
    My goodness, you're a tiny one :) Better stay away from the dogs...
    Sounds like your sister and I have the same sleep schedule; I read recently that it's actually a "thing." That some people just have different circadian cycles (or something like that--whatever it was, I felt very validated after reading about it).
    Loved hearing about the WWII vet; he just looks like the nicest man. My father-in-law is a vet and he officiates at funerals for vets on a regular basis. He always has the darndest stories to tell. No one in his area plays the trumpet, so they have a fake one that plays taps. They just have to randomly move their fingers. Something invariably goes wrong...

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    1. Love the story of your FIL and fake trumpeting. I bet they're super cute when they do that!

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  23. LOL...hilarious! I love these. I'm not sure which one I laughed at the most...Frosty's mouth or the peach! lol I also faint easily around blood, needles, cuts, bruises, etc. And don't EVER let me hear someone throwing up...they will have a companion! :-) Love and hugs!

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    1. Lol, Frosty's mouth. I was being serious on that one!

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  24. Thanks for sharing all the funnies and stories, heaven knows we need more laughs about now. I immediately found the banana, and then had to google "washing HO" which means it's having to heat up during the cycle because the water isn't Hot enough. why not add the T and avoid the angst? oh gosh, the dogs... it's like living with and extra person. I remember the time my daughter's Bull Dog drug me down the street at midnight in my pajamas. Scary and embarrasing. Love the T-shirt! so fun reading all your musings. I'm not a numbers person, but I can still lose sleep over stupid stuff. xo

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    1. Your bulldog story is exactly why I'll never be alone with either of that daughter's dogs!

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  25. Rita, what a crazy thing for your dishwasher...HO. It give me my laugh for the day. You have done a great job on purging, now get that maid to show up. Sweet doggies. The peach is quite unique. Sorry about the faint spell...scary stuff. Have a lovely weekend.

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    1. I may eventually break and get the housekeeper, at least on occasion!

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  26. Rita,
    WoW!
    Haven't moved in 19 years and Ican only image what can happen to one's electronics!
    Take care of You!
    Scary that you fainted. . .luckily, you weren't hurt!
    Looking forward to Autumn's arrival.
    Pat

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  27. It's always fun to read your musings, Rita, and many gave me a chuckle! I can imagine that your sleep pattern was disturbed during your move, but glad you're sleeping better now. What a scare with the fainting spell. It's a good thing that you had expert help right there. I'm about your weight and those big dogs would do me in!

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    1. Kitty, we littles would be kibbles to the big dogs!

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  28. Rita, you tiny little thing! No, you could not handle those two dogs. :) I am so glad you are settling in to your new place. Must admit, no gardening took my surprise!! Hubs and I need to downsize as well. It's hard for me to decide what to do. Loved reading about all of your musings!!
    hugs,
    Jann

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    1. Jann, yep, gardening is now in my past, but I do still help my daughter with hers (she's just beginning). The dogs are hers, and yes, they could walk me, I'm afraid!
      You'll know when the time comes for downsizing. We toyed with the idea for several years. You have plenty else to focus on right now!

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  29. Well I'm glad someone told us where the banana was in the picture, I couldn't find it either. I love those Find It pictures.
    I need a better bed at my age for sleeping better guess I should look into one.
    I am still purging junk items no nice items like you gave away. Nice to read your update.I'm back to blogging now that I took the summer off, after retirement

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  30. It's been 6 years since I retired and I still feel like I'm on vacation. We don't make too many daily plans because we just want to play.

    I remember when you did your purging of your vintage items. I began purging in January 2016 and finished in June 2018. But, I have started purging again. We have space now, but I'm thinking we still have too much stuff.

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