Random 5 for September 10 – Jake, healthy, eyes, outrageous drug prices, projects

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That’s Jake’s butt in his catnip plant.

Remembering Jake — It’s been two years since Jake, our cantankerous old black cat, passed. He is still missed. I still have his pee towels.

What’s up with this? – It’s pumpkin time. I like my pumpkin in baked goods rather than coffee. I had my first pumpkin muffin this week. It was delicious except for some healthy seeds or something scattered on the top. If I’m going to be naughty, I want to be naughty. Don’t sprinkle something on it unless it nuts! And definitely not something healthy!

Aging stinks – The past few years I have been getting sties in my eyes. (If you don’t know what that is, it’s a painful, ugly pimple on the margin of the eyelid. Very gross!) I get them in the fall. Sometimes it’s one. Other times it’s a marathon. I got one this week. It looks like a bowling ball sitting on my lower lid and is quite uncomfortable. I didn’t have any for the first 65 years of my life. What has changed? (Yes, I do all the things you should do to prevent them.)

New treatments – I recently saw advertisements for new medical treatments. One was for leukemia and another for Muscular Dystrophy. One cost $475,000 (yes, that’s almost a half million dollars!). Not many people can afford these treatments and I doubt whether any health care companies will cover them. I’m not sure what the point is. Going forward do we take out mortgages when we contract a catastrophic disease? Or perhaps move to Europe where the same drugs are cheaper? (Meanwhile back at the yacht, big pharma is celebrating their new products with champagne and bonuses all around!)

Project surprises – We recently redid the flooring in a bedroom. I’ve done a lot of these projects but I am always surprised at the surprises. We found a bedroom door that didn’t close at all. The latching mechanism didn’t line up with the notch in the door frame. It must have been like that for the 14 years we’ve been here. None of our guests who stayed there, mentioned it.

So how was your week?

Our thoughts and prayers to all who are experiencing hurricanes or fires. Mother Nature is feisty this year or perhaps she always is and we are more aware.

 

 

78 thoughts on “Random 5 for September 10 – Jake, healthy, eyes, outrageous drug prices, projects”

    • The divide between the rich and the poor is getting greater. Our neighbor was able to pay for treatments to get an extra 5 years for his son with pancreatic cancer but it cost 100s of 1000s of $$. I’m pretty sure it included a trip to Europe too. Fortunately, they could afford it. As for the rest of us, dead in 2 weeks.

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      • I have a piece called, The Rich Are Different, not yet posted. There is so much to say about this. And we need to start bringing out the facts loud and clear. Everyone is entitled to great health care. It is a right -NOT a privilege- and the fact that we are still trying to getting health care available to people in the US makes me crazy. I am so sorry for your neighbor. How terrible to lose a child – especially one who could have been saved.

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  4. Love your remembrance of Jake – he looks a lot like our J.J. (who you know as “Devil Cat”).

    About drug and health care prices – we have covered this before. Come on over and retire here, Kate.

    As for sties – I got them all the time as a kid. Haven’t had one for 40 years. In this (one and only) case – I am going to say it is NOT about aging. (EVERY other malady, though, definitely is!)

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      • Before you go out and pay $500, make some chamomile tea. Then take the tea bag, lie down on the couch and put the teabag over your eye (make sure it is not too hot, of course!) Stay put for 10 minutes. Do this 3 or 4 times a day for two or three days.
        If it hasn’t helped, THEN go to the doctor and get the prescription for eye drops with the same active ingredients as in chamomile tea.
        Hope you are feeling better very soon!

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  5. I had sties as a child, Kate, and then I didn’t! Hard to know why! But I really feel badly for you. It’s interesting that you’re seasonally affected! And the factors associated with Big Pharma mega-profits disgust me, but I am not sold on all aspects of capitalism and always find myself at odds. My happy place this week is welcoming a new grandson into the world Monday night! For awhile at least, all is right in my little world. But I am so sorry for those struggling from the aftermath of the terrible storms! I can’t imagine!

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  6. Great week here, Kate. Our house is OK. We are OK. My niece and her husband were evacuated from St. Martin and are safe in Chicago. My sister in Orlando sustained only minor damage. Our neighborhood of 695 homes is OK except for the loss of trees. Not home yet but power may be back on tomorrow.

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  7. We changed the door knobs on nearly all doors after we moved in because my wife couldn’t stand looking at was chosen prior. The one we replaced on the guest bedroom (a/k/a my office), we inadvertently installed one that does not have a lock. We haven’t had any guests yet, but we’re thinking we really should replace it with one that does. Now I read your post, and I’m wondering if it even matters. Hmm. – Marty

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  8. Love the picture of Jake’s butt. There is a med I was prescribed but it is over $300. The condition it is for is not all that bothersome, in fact, I didn’t know I had it until I was told by the doctor. So, I don’t take it. I’m still alive and doing fine. Did you never have a reason to open and close that closet door? I can’t imagine having a closet with nothing in it.

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  9. I need vibes and prayers and hugs for Perry. His breathing is way too rapid. He had $1000 (I am breathless writing this) of tests today, and we await some of the results.He might need a cardiologist and echocardiogram. I am kind of freaking out because he’s so young and so lovable.

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  10. So much that I agree with here. Who does that to cake?

    As for the price of medicines – frankly that is obscene. We think we have it bad here, but it is nothing.

    And I’m not sure we ever get over the death of our beasts, even the ones who leave their mark in other ways!

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  11. It’s so odd how when you get older time simultaneously speeds up and slows down. Sigh. Jake was such a darling.
    Pumpkin muffins, yes . (OMG out closest Starbuck’s closed for a week after the storm. No drive through, Just dark. The yogurt place next door, open. The 2 dueling sandwich shops, open. The bakery across the parking lot, open. Perhaps the owner/staff suffered the flood. It will be interesting to find out. Probably open today as it’s across from the school and school in this area is back open.)
    Hope Irma just runs out of stream quickly.

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  12. You are right Kate. Sty’s are very painful. I used to get them as a child but not anymore. Hope it gets better quickly. We are hunkered down waiting on Irma. In the Florida Panhandle we will probably only get tropical winds and rain. We haven’t even been mentioned on the weather channel so when they say all of Florida they evidently don’t include the Panhandle! 😬😬

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  13. So that what the occasional ‘little bumps’ on the corner of my eyelids are! And there are things you can do to lessen their recurrence? Who knew?! I’m off to research this now!

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  14. I know you still miss Jake. Love the picture.

    I miss Carmela, still weep whenever I see a tube wiggling down the street, and she wasn’t even mine. Jake…he’s looking down saying, I’m okay Ma, there’s more catnip up here than you can imagine…:)

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  18. Sorry Jake is no longer with you, anniversaries like this are sad.
    Something needs to be done in this country to change drug prices. It is sad that drug reps get cars and expense accounts and huge salaries. They need to eliminate all the middleman stuff and drugs would be affordable.

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    • You are so right. The last 4 meds I was prescribed didn’t get filled because they were all over $400/month. They weren’t covered or approved by my plan. One had a version available for $40 but the rest went unfilled. None of those were for life threatening conditions. My heart goes out to anyone with a serious condition who can’t afford what they really need. Hard decisions.

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  20. The saying in this part of the country is if you get a sty in your eye you’ve been peeing in the road. No idea WHERE that came from. Have you tried the OTC tube of medicine for them STYE?

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  21. It is BEAUTIFUL today in central Virginia. I feel a little uneasy enjoying it while those south of us are being devastated by Irma. Lots of prayers for them.

    Styes, no fun. Pumpkin everything (even coffee, for me), totally fun! Starbucks’ pumpkin coffee is usually too pricey for me, but I love it. I’d like to find a good homemade recipe for it and stick it on my blog, but no luck yet. The recipes I’ve tried so far either taste like spiced coffee (no pumpkin) or squash soup . . . neither is quite right.

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    • Hi, Priscilla and Kate – Here is a homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe that I like. Hope it helps!
      1 cup milk
      1 tablespoon pumpkin spice syrup
      1 teaspoon vanilla syrup
      2 shots espresso or 1 cup coffee
      Whipped cream, to garnish
      Pumpkin spice (equal parts cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and ground clove), to garnish
      In a microwave safe jar with a lid, add milk, pumpkin spice syrup, and vanilla syrup. Seal the jar and shake until the milk is frothy and has doubled in volume. Remove the lid and microwave for 1 to 2 minutes or until the milk is steamed.
      Pour the hot milk into either espresso or coffee and top with whipped cream and a pinch of pumpkin spice seasoning.
      Enjoy!

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  22. Pumpkin flavoured coffee is just wrong. Pumpkin pie, on the other hand, is a glorious treat. Yum! Now I know what I’m going to be craving all day!

    So it was a stye I had on my eyelid a few weeks ago?!! Ugh. It was VERY uncomfortable. I was intrigued by your comment about doing the right things to prevent them from reoccurring. Reoccurring?! Now that hadn’t crossed my mind so I promptly did a little google research. Thanks for the heads-up.

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    • I haven’t had one in years but when they first came out I had to try it. To me it tasted like warm milk. Not enough pumpkin or coffee flavor or maybe I just don’t like it. As for pumpkin muffins and bread, yes!

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