A Trip to the Dermatologist

I haven't been to the dermatologist for at least 5 years. I am supposed to go every year because I have a radiation burn on my backside which may eventually turn cancerous. How did I get a radiation burn, you ask? Well, I had a birthmark that my mother thought would be better off being removed.  So off to the doctor to have the birthmark removed. Something went wrong and I ended up with a bad burn which left a scar much worse than the birthmark was in the first place.  I suppose it could have been somewhat improved with plastic surgery but since the whole mess was caused by a doctor and it wasn't in a visible place, my mother decided to leave well enough alone. So here I am 65 years old and the burn scar is still there but so far no cancerous changes in it. 

While I was there I had a wart on my right index finger removed. I think that is the only wart I have ever had. It was annoying because I was always bumping or rubbing it against something. The good doctor gave it a couple of sprays of Freez-it and it is supposed to fall off or otherwise go away in a couple of days. I have some cream to put on it every night for 8 weeks.  

The derm doc asked if I used sun block and I answered honestly that I don't because I am out only in the early morning and late afternoon.  I've never been one to seek a tan mostly because I don't like being hot and sweaty. 

Anyway, I'm supposed to go back in 8 weeks to check the wart removal. I will go if the wart is still there or if there is any problem with it. But if not, I'll see the derm-doc next year. 

Meditation

Rats and roaches live by competition under the laws of supply and demand; it is the privilege of human beings to live under the laws of justice and mercy.” 

― Wendell Berry

Love Wendell Berry!!

Goals for Next Week

Goals for Week Ending Saturday, August 3, 2013

Hope I get more done this week than last week.  I stayed busy but didn't seem to accomplish much.  Onward to next week!

Retirement

     Schedule meeting 

Home

     Make appointment for grandfather clock repair

     Finish painting plant stand

Quilting

     Block #7

Garden

     Have flower beds cleaned out

     Buy replacement plants

     Replant succulent in new planter

Reading

     Centennial by James Mitchner (audio cd)

     The Guns at Last Light by Rick Atkinson

     A Long Shadow (Inspector Rutledge #8) by Charles Todd

     Tales from the Underground by David Wolfe 

     Cooler, Smarter by The Union of Concerned Scientists

Cooking

     4 dinners

Personal

     Have new lenses put in frames

     Haircut

Apple - Pecan Muffins

These are so good!

Granny Smith apples -2 medium-large, peeled, cored, & diced

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup whole wheat flour (You can use all whole wheat flour if you prefer.)

1  1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup milk

1 egg, lightly beaten, at room temperature

1/2 cup chopped pecan pieces

1.  Toss the diced apples with sugar in a medium bowl.  Pour the oil over the top, stir well, and set aside at room temperature for 45 minutes. 

2. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 F. 

Line muffin tins with liners or spray with Pam. 

3. Whisk the flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a second bowl until uniform. Set aside. 

4. Using a wooden spoon, stir milk and egg into the apple mixture until smooth. Then stir in the prepared flout mixture until moistened. 

5. Fill the prepared tins 3/4 full.  Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until the muffins have rounded, slightly cracked tops. 

6. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove them from the pans and cool on a wire rack for another 5 minutes before serving. 

Dear Huma

Dear Huma,

     I am so sorry my dear to see what you are going through with that wretched husband of yours.  I really cringed for you when I saw you on television yesterday proclaiming your love and belief in your husband.  Huma, he continued the behavior after he resigned and you know that.  So now you think he has stopped or will stop? Do you think that there is something you can do (such as humiliate yourself on television to an unbelieving public) that will make it all go away? Chances are that his behavior will not change for the better and may very well escalate. Do you really want to spend your life wondering when the next shoe will fall? You deserve so much better than that.

No bees, no butterflies

Whatever is killing off the bees has really hit us this year.  We love to have our flower beds and flowering bushes humming with bees and butterflies.  We have large beds of milkweed and salvia and many flowering bushes just to attract the honeybees and butterflies.  Last year our 2 acre meadow at the back of the property had hundreds of little butterflies and there were bees on all the salvia and bottlebrush bushes. But this year in late April or early May, they all just disappeared. Yesterday I saw one Monarch and two Gulf fritillaries and there are a few bumblebees on the salvia. I have no idea what happened to them but I miss their tiny humming presence. 

Goals for Next Week

Goals for Week Ending Saturday, July 27, 2013

Retirement

     Meeting with Fidelity--done. 

     Continue Medicare Reading

Home

     Make appointment for grandfather clock repair

     Buy paint for lamps--done.
     Finish painting plant stand

Quilting

     Block #6--done. 

Garden

     Have flower beds cleaned out

     Buy replacement plants

Reading

     Centennial by James Mitchner (audio cd)

     The Guns at Last Light by Rick Atkinson

     A Long Shadow (Inspector Rutledge #8) by Charles Todd

     Tales from the Underground by David Wolfe 

     Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons--Finished

     Cooler, Smarter by The Union of Concerned Scientists

Cooking

     4 dinners--done. 

     Bake German Chocolate Cake for Paul's birthday--done.

It seems like I didn't get much done this week but I know I stayed busy.  Onward, to next week!!