And Then the Rain in Everyday Ramblings

With spring so much vibrant color returns to the world. The crabapples are gorgeous this year. The iris, though; either it was the snow, the colder temperatures, or a blight, are not doing so well. There are some blooming, but we saw a lot that were not thriving as we were walking on Saturday morning and visiting familiar front gardens.

Everything else seems to be in stasis. Certainly, at the community garden. Nobody failed with the late snow, but the seeds are taking their time to germinate. The cauliflower plants seem the only ones unfazed.

We had a beautiful Easter morning. Everything was bright and fresh and clear. Nice. People went to church. Not me, but I watched on Livestream after a modest walk. The lilacs are just beginning to blossom on our side of town. And my favorite tulip poplar is starting to leaf out.

My cardiologist gave me a stern lecture a few weeks back about the angina. He told me to take the nitroglycerin I carry around with me when I start having symptoms. So yesterday I did for the first time. Even though I get cardio exercise in every day and take the appropriate meds I am apparently a bit in denial about the whole heart disease thing.

What I need to do is put together a little bag with the stuff I will need if I need to call the paramedics. I keep a recent printout of an EKG on my refrigerator with my med list. It is crazy, but I am more afraid to call emergency services than I am afraid of having a heart attack. “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

I am afraid of being mentally impaired after a heart attack. I have an acquaintance that was very much not the same after hers.

The fancy silk scrunchies to pull my hair back came last week and they really do not pull or tear my hair like the more traditional ones do. Still, I am being very careful about manipulating my hair at all. The silk pillowcase will be here this week. And I have figured out how to keep the satin sleep cap on all night.

“It is possible that the messenger RNA SARS-CoV-2 Moderna and Pfizer vaccines can trigger a T cell-mediated immune response with the downstream effects of alopecia. Hair loss following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is an increasingly reported phenomenon in the United States and globally.”

That sure would explain why I have only noticed a dramatic increase in hair loss in the last year. Granted, I am not complaining, I am happy for the vaccines and the opportunity not to get infected and if I do, not to get very sick. I had hives with the first two shots. Skin is a global thing. I am glad to know.

Mrs. Sherlock had a younger couple, Dave, and a young strong tenant of theirs over for Easter and they did a lot of work on her downed tree. She was joking this morning about the surprise benefits of being older. About learning to gracefully accept help. They wouldn’t even let her get up on a ladder. Folks after my own heart.

It is supposed to rain all week. It is a more typical spring weather pattern for us.

I curled up with the cats yesterday and watched the first in the series, “Fantastical Beasts and How to Find Them” It was an interesting spin on the Harry Potter story and a period piece. I will probably watch the next in the series.

But in the meantime, I need to get ready to teach. Did you know that we have 15 primary muscles in our thighs? We give them such a hard time. This week I am going to do what I can to celebrate their strength and functionality, and the gift of mobility they provide. Oh yeah.

Last updated April 18, 2022