2014-06-13 Friday

Full Moon

I missed the Friday the 13^th full moon. The official full moon time was 4:11 Universal Time (Greenwich Mean Time), Friday. For us in the U.S. EDT that was 12:11 a.m. this morning. From what I can tell, there were no weird are mystical happenings today.

Tonight the moon will still appear to be full. So if I remain awake I shall go outside and howl at the moon as if I were with wolves, who are one of my totems (“power animals”).

My Leg

The pain in my left leg has receded quite a bit today; by about 2 PM it was almost unnoticeable. My leg remains weak, but with the help of my canes I have been able to get around better than I have for a very long time.

Thus, I was able to wash to loads of clothes and one dishwasher full of kitchen stuff. Three bags of trash made it to the back of my CR-V, which after driving up to the gas station and purchasing five dollars worth of gasoline, I drove to the dumpster, heaved the garbage into it, and then drove in the opposite direction to the mail boxes.

98% of the mail was junk. The one exception was a letter from the department of the treasury informing me that they withheld another $204.15 from my Social Security check, which they credited to the Department of Education.  Since I already knew that as of June 3^rd when my Social Security was deposited to my checking account $204.15 short, I can rightly say that that letter was junk also.

Kitty Kids

I really must change my Habit of giving treats to the cats on demand. I am not concerned about the treats hurting them: the ingredients of the treats are as good or better than those in the dry cat food.

Alex and Midnight were on my desk together begging treats;
Midnight began to leap off just as I snapped this photo.

The problem is, all three Kitty kids gather around me and expect treats. We are down to our last bag of treats and I need to ration them. We won’t be able to afford more treats—or anything else—until July when my pension check is deposited.

There is an exception to that, of course. If the Department of Education refunds to me the more than $1200 that they had withheld from my Social Security check since January, then we will be in excellent shape.

Today I was able to access my account on the Department of Education website. The status of my request that the loan be discharged as of May 2003 continues to have the status under review.

Friday Funnies

If you have not visited my Nick’s Bytes Friday Funnies today, here are a few samples:

Please

2014-06-11 Wednesday

Rain has begun to come down again. It seems to be getting harder by the minute. I feel for the grounds maintenance to have been cutting grass and trimming during the lull in rain. I remember my college summers when I worked as a Greensman on Louisville’s Shawnee Golf Course. If I were cutting a green when the rain began, I would do my best to complete the job before moving to shelter. Usually, my clothes ended up soaked. When the rain stopped and the sun began to shine, it seemed that steam arose from my wet clothes as they dried.

Shawnee Golf Course: one of the greens for which I was responsible

Having my toenails from yesterday was a wonderful experience. Considering my initial Veterans Affairs medical appointment for toenail trimming was last February, were extremely long. So long that my right big toe punched a hole in my house slippers. And, the only shoes I could get into the go outside were opened-toed sandals. The podiatrist who trimmed my nails did an excellent job. Because I am diabetic, she will return on a monthly basis not only to check my toenails, but the condition of my feet. I wish I had known about these service years ago.

I wish the rest of me felt as good as my toes feel. I’m still almost constantly nauseous. The only thing that helps is a teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in a glass of water and drunk. My left leg remains painful and weak. There are a lot of shores that I have been unable to do, including washing clothes, putting dishes in the dishwasher, general cleaning, and fixing myself good meals. I have plenty of food; I just am unable to get to it.

The Kitty Kids have been quite happy since I was able to purchase their favorite wet cat food and treats on June 2^nd. Unfortunately, the food will not last until the end of the month and as of right now I have only about $15 in the bank. 

Sugar with her favorite treats

Alex with his favorite treats

Midnight would prefer to run and play than eat treats. (Not all the time, of course)

I am unable to pay my electric bill. Today I finally got to talk to someone at Louisville Gas and Electric. She told me that I cannot make any arrangements now but must wait until after June 17th (when the payment is due) and I receive a “disconnect notice.” That makes absolutely no sense to me. I would much rather make arrangements now without risking having my electricity and thus my oxygen got off.

My hope in all this financial shit is that the United States Department of Education will refund me all of the money they have taken from my social security check this year once my disability is recognized. Of course, I don’t really expect that the bureaucracy will do that with lots of negotiation. I have tried several times this week to reach the D.O.E. by telephone and on the Federal Student Aid website without finding out anything. ‘[SIGH]

One final comment: I have been having extreme difficulty breathing the past couple of days. Between that and my weak leg, I have spent most of my time connected to the CPAP, sleeping.  It isn’t that my blood oxygen level is low—the pulse oximeter read 95% most of the time—it is that I have difficulty breathing through my nose so I’ve breath through my mouth. I have been doing that almost all of my life. I suppose it has to do with the allergens I have been exposed to in the many river valleys in which I have lived.

Please

We are in serious need.

2014-06-09 Monday

This journal post could almost be the same as yesterday’s post. I am still having difficulty walking on my weekly; however, I only pissed on myself once today trying to get to the bathroom. I still have not located that little handheld urinal thing. Of course, my leg hasn’t been strong enough to move around looking for it.

The Kitty Kids seem to be a bit more demanding today than they did yesterday. Well, I should say, “Midnight has been more demanding today than she was yesterday.” (I am still not 100% sure that Midnight is female. The brief moments I have to inspect her rear end too short to be conclusive).

I still need to some how from somewhere raise the money to pay the Louisville Gas and Electric bill. It is about $151.00; I have $26.00 to live on for the rest of the month. I need to contact more local churches; however, it’s hard for me when I have difficulty speaking on the telephone, difficulty staying awake, and difficulty asking someone to help me. After all, all my life I have been the one responding to requests for aid; it has only been recently that I have been the one asking for aid.

I am hoping against reality that the US Department of Education will refund some or all of the $1200 they have taken from my Social Security check thus far in 2014. Perhaps I’ll have the energy tomorrow to make more telephone calls to see if I can find out from Washington what is going on. Or perhaps it is better that I use my awake time to seek the money to pay my electric bill.

I telephoned my mother around 5 o’clock after I had awakened from my second afternoon nap. It seems that she had not realized that she had not talked to me yesterday. That’s good. When Mom does not talk to me, she creates in her mind the worst possible scenario such as I have fallen and along the floor, or even dead.

I have been awake now about an hour and a half. My leg hurts sitting up, so as soon as I publish this journal post, I shall again recline in my lift chair and elevate my legs.

Please drop by today's Nick's Bytes: Too Bad It's Monday and enjoy the humor. 

Blessings to all!

2014-06-08 Sunday

Today was another day of nausea and left leg weakness. This not being able to walk is becoming a real bother. Twice today I pissed myself trying to make it to the bathroom. Somewhere I have one of those and hand-held urinals, but I can’t stay on my feet long enough to find it.

I have had difficulty getting to the kitchen to prepare my meals. This evening I did something that, considering I don’t have enough money to pay the utility bill this month or additional food for the Kitty kids at me, was really dumb. I ordered and had delivered a pizza, which will provide three meals for me and which I do not plan to refrigerate. (Anything to stay off my feet).

Again I have been napping a lot today. I regret taking a late afternoon nap that lasted until after 8 PM because I miss my time to telephone my mother. I attempted to call her after I woke up, but it was evidently too late and she was already asleep. Not being able to talk to her saddens me; at age 91, I won’t have that many more opportunities to talk to Mom.

The Kitty Kids have been real darlings today. Even Alex allowed me to nap through their 5 PM dinnertime. Sugar is unhappy that we are again out of kitty cat treats; however, she finally ate the dry cat food I offered her in their stead. With my limited mobility, Midnight no longer follows the into the bathroom but is now is there ahead of me, awaiting my arrival.

That’s it for this Sunday. I completed tomorrow’s Nick’s Bytes blog post late this morning. So I shall now meditate, attempt to massage my leg, and go back to sleep.

2014/06/02 -- 03 Monday and Tuesday

I am writing this post about 9:30 PM on Tuesday. I’ve had some difficulties the last few days, but that’s not to say that the Kitty Kids and I haven’t had some really good things happen.

Because the first day of June fell on a Sunday, my pension check was not posted in my bank account until Monday. That may not sound like a big deal unless you realize that both the Kitty Kids and I have been virtually out of food since the middle of last week.

May was a terrible month financially: not only was it the first month I had to pay the

additional $100 in rent, but again the Department of Education had the Treasury Department withhold over $200 from my Social Security check. (More about that below).

$300+ is a lot of money taken from our limited income, which usually has not covered more than 3 weeks at the best of times. We would have been out of food sooner had not to dear friends assisted, one by donation via my PayPal account and the other via a Walmart gift card.

Sunday night I was restless and unable to sleep, anticipating my pension being available on Monday morning. About 4 AM I gave up completely and began checking my online account to see when the pension had been credited. That marvelous event was confirmed at about 5:15 AM. I was dressed, caring my portable oxygen condenser, and out the door by 5:30 AM. That’s when the first crisis struck.

Because I only had enough gasoline in the car to drive the half-mile or so to the service station, I had not been in the car for some time. Thus I did not know that I had left my keys in the ignition and the ignition set in the position to roll up my automatic windows. The battery was dead as it could be.

I almost panicked before I remembered that a couple of months ago I had invested in my renewing my American Automobile Association membership. After searching through lots of unopened mail, I found the AAA card and telephoned for someone to jump-start my battery. It took about 2 ½ hours for the service man to arrive, during which I nodding off at my desk.

After I was able to start the car I drove to the gas station, but in $40 worth of gas (about ¾ of a tank), drove around another half hour to fully charge the battery, and then went where I wanted to go for staying in the morning: the grocery.

 

Upon my return I was greeted by three very animated and excited Kitty Kids, who are aware that when I carried bags in the apartment there is usually something special for them. The first something special was their favorite wet cat food gravies. Following breakfast, they continued to surround me begging real Kitty cat treats. That continued until I was too exhausted to stay awake.

My adventures unfortunately had their negative affect on my body; not only was I exhausted all day, but I was plagued with a headache, and earache, and my bum leg so painful and weak that I could not easily move around.

I did sleep long last night and took several naps today, including one during which I had a very realistic and exciting dream. My week leg continues to be weak and my ear continued to ache, as did my head periodically.

 

The damnable part of today was that when I checked my online bank account, I discovered that again my Social Security check was $202 short. I was overcome by a sadness—almost a severe 
depression. Thoughts of another month like last month brought me to tears.

Now to the Department of Education: the best way I can explain the mess I am in is by quoting from the cover letter I mailed with my third or fourth request to have my seminary student loan discharged since I am, and have been, totally and permanently disabled since 2003.

This is at least the third time I have filed for discharge of my student loan since 2006. The only response I have ever received has been a telephone call stating that I must provide the reason the Social Security Administration determined me to be disabled. Following which, I contacted the Social Security Administration and was informed that the “reasons” are confidential and even Social Security employees cannot access them. I replied to the Sallie Mae representative with a letter from the Social Security Administration so stating.  I am 68-years-old, living alone, and have difficulty understanding bureaucratic workings and communication, even though I worked as a bureaucrat for the Commonwealth of Kentucky for twelve years, ending in 1983 when I entered seminary. It was only in the past few weeks that I learned my funds were being withheld by the Department of Education and again began this disability application process.

 

I have received one 3 ½ page letter regarding my application which was so complex that I needed to make three telephone calls to find someone to explain it to me. What I finally learned was that (1) my application has been received, (2) is being processed, (3) I will be notified of the results within the next 120 days. I thought the letter and the woman explaining it said that during the application process no further withholding from my Social Security check would occur. Unfortunately, as I learned today, that is not true.

The Kitty Kids and I are happy to have food. I am happy to again be able to purchase the nonprescription medications that I require. We have faith that we shall survive the month of June at least as we did the month of May.

2014-06-01 Sunday

Last night I again tried to take a photo of Midnight's posterior. And, again I failed:

The kitten is so active that I may never get the photo I need! 

On the other had, Alex has been inactive all of today. I thought that he might be ill, but he really does not act ill and his nose is quite cold. He has let me know when meal time arrives. And in this photo he is asking for more dinner about three hours after dinner time:
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I have completed tomorrow's Too Bad It's Monday post for Nick's Bytes. Well, it is almost done. Before I add the final touches, I must nap a bit: I have a headache, an earache, a neck ache, shoulder and arm aches. Sooooo, as soon as I post this, I shall do an 11:00 p.m. nap.

2014-05-28 Wednesday

Midnight, our 11-month-old Kitty Kid, has developed a rather unique habit. She follows me into the bathroom, which is a frequent trip that I take that make, and, when I am sitting on the commode she leaps onto a stool that sits before the washbasin. Then she begins chattering nonstop. She leans toward me from the edge of the stool and initially placed her front paws on my thigh, still chattering.

I have learned that when the kitten does this, she wants me to scratch her head, ruffle her ears and stroke the sides of her face and her neck. As I do this Midnight continues to talk to me.

In the last two days our kitten Kitty Kid has added a new action to her routine. Now she not only places her front paws on my thigh, but all four paws are there and she balances on my thigh, turning around so that my hand is stroking her exactly where she wants to be stroked. And, of course, Midnight continues to chatter. I have no idea what she is saying, but her manner and tone indicate to me that she is a very happy kitten.

If I remember correctly, often when I wrote this Journal of the past, I would include a comment on my health. I can happily say that although I am not the man I was 30 years ago, I am doing better that I have been in quite a while.

As you may know, for about a year I have been taking and recording in the Veterans Affairs website, MyHealtheVet, my vital signs. I usually do this three times a day: when I awakened and before breakfast; about mid-afternoon; and before I begin my preparations for sleep. I share the data and graphs that the website maintains and creates with the relevant VA physicians and my nurse practitioner at MD2U.

I am unsure how much of this data is useful—I limit my sharing to the 2 weeks immediately preceding the day of my appointment—but the health professionals all review the data closely, making comments and asking questions about it.

Now, the reason I have told you all of that is to tell you this: over the last month most of my vital signs have been excellent. I still experience pain, but for the most part, my prescription strength ibuprofen reduces the pain enough that it is tolerable. When it doesn’t, as has been the case with the earache in my right ear over the past six weeks or so, I seek help.

Recently I have been following a routine based upon suggestions I have received from Facebook friends. First I irrigate my ear with warm water, then with hydrogen peroxide, then place an over-the-counter earwax softner in my ear and plug it with a small piece of cotton. I go through this procedure three times each day. I cannot say I have noticed much earwax coming out of my ear, but the pain has been reduced about 40%.

That’s it for now, folks. I'll be back tomorrow evening.

Please

Update and Stuff

I’ve not posted on this Journal in a very long time. I began thinking about it today and decided to publish an update.

I have been up and down today: up for 5 to 10 minutes doing things that must be done, then down for 20 to 120 minutes with my leg raised. The blog post that I created this morning turned on the folksong channel in my brain. I have been playing CDs most of the day, whether I have been up or down. Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Cisco Houston, Tommy Paxton, Phil Ochs, the Kingston Trio, Peter Paul and Mary, etc.—I have listened to them all today.  Here are the CDs I played today that are still available:

I was then inspired by all of the folksongs to pull out my guitar and strum and sing. However, when I tried to carry the case from the corner where it stands to my chair, I found my left leg was too weak. So, fearing that I would fall, I left the guitar where it stands. Perhaps soon my leg will heal enough that I don’t have to have those down for 20 to 120 minutes periods and I can bring my guitar case where I can open it without fearing that I may fall.

The kittens have become a true joy in my life. The antics of the little furballs are enjoyable and, at times, amazing. For example, this little one is on Alex’s table and eating from Alex’s feeding bowl:

What really surprised me was watching Alex leap upon his table and not bop the kitten on the head:

The kittens are everywhere: on my desk, under my desk, on my lift chair, under my lift chair, on top of me, under my feet, etc. This little furball has gotten in the habit of climbing on what’s left of my desk chair when I’m not sitting on it. There really is not much left of the chair; I have had two chairs fall apart on me in the last couple of weeks. I’ve located a desk chair strong enough to hold my 350 pounds. I hope to purchase it as soon as I find the money to do so.

As for the adult the kitty kids, Alex and Sugar seem to become buddies again. Little Girl is still nursing her kittens and locating the kittens when they get into something they shouldn’t—which is often.

I suppose that this Journal is no longer a daily journal. Perhaps I can update it at least on a weekly basis.

If you are able and willing, would you consider clicking the PayPal symbol below and donating just a dollar to us? A few weeks ago I was playing around with statistics on the visitors to Nick’s Bytes. I was amazed to find that if my visitors had donated just one dollar per month I would now have no debts and my retirement income would be sufficient for the kitty kids and me.