Monday, March 13, 2023

Tidbits

After a week off from playing Sudoku, I wasn’t seeing grid lines, so I played again. It was an expert-level game, so it took me 21 minutes. When I was finished, I looked up at the blank wall, and I could see grid lines.  After a few minutes, they didn’t look too strong, and sometime later, they were gone. I don't know what to make of this.

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The kids are on March Break. It didn’t look to promising for this week when they both contracted the dreaded C last week: first Danica and then Jonathan. Fortunately, Danica was testing negative by Friday, but Jonathan had to miss the year-end, hockey tournament in Kingston. Too bad, for this is an event that the boys really look forward to as they get a weekend together in a hotel. Danica is free and clear and is on an overnight shopping trip with her stepmom and stepsisters across the border in Watertown, NYS. JJ will also soon be able to resume normal life.

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I will have my follow-up  appointment with the urologist tomorrow. All has been calm for a week and a half, so I think the clotting episodes are all over. I did pass quite a few clots just over a week ago, which was a whole month after the surgery, but I trust that is the end of that. It’s an early morning out-of-town appointment. Maybe we should have a celebratory breakfast when we get back to town. 

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I plan to update the doctor on the problems we had trying to access home care. For both removals of the catheters, he was sure that home care would come to the house. They did not do this on either occasion, and on the first occasion, they seemed to lose track of me completely. This will not be to complain but just to make him aware of the situation.

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Meanwhile, I have a lot of grocery store points accumulated. This week, if I redeem $180, they will give me $36 back in points. Seems like a plan. Afterward, I will still have about $300 to redeem. I don't like points to accumulate too much, for I remember when I had $3600 in points to spend on a new Ford. I got a notice that I had to use them within a few months. I wasn't ready to purchase a new car then, so I lost the points. Needless to say, I have never been anxious, since then, to purchase a Ford product.

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It should not be too difficult to spend $180, for I spent $200 on groceries, twice in the past two weeks. Prices are crazy. I shop for only the two of us, so I don't know how the family of 6 across the street manages. When Sue and I first married, we would live on ~$100 for a month. She was shocked back then when I predicted that some day we would pay $1 for a loaf of bread. I don't think she believed me, but I am here to tell you that regular, white Wonder bread is priced at $3.99 at my store.

19 comments:

Barwitzki said...

Unfortunately, everything is getting more and more expensive - we have a lot of bakers here with us, I don't know if they will all last. A wholemeal rye bread 1 kg - 6 to 7 dollars and cake is generally bought less, because a piece is about 3 dollars ... of course everything in confectioner's quality is even more expensive, but then it is also an absolute pleasure.
I've been baking my own bread for a while now - my husband loves it... Wholemeal sourdough rye.
Hug

Boud said...

Food prices are high, but I manage to eat well on about $200 a month. It helps to cook and bake a lot, and I never eat out, like to know what I'm eating! But even ingredients are high now.

Marie Smith said...

I hadn’t shopped in over three weeks. It was unbelievable how much items had increased in that time. Frozen vegetables are the new norm at our house but they have increased in that short time.

Good luck with the doctor tomorrow, AC.

Ed said...

I'm always shocked at the price others pay for food. I guess our cooking style is just cheaper than most. We rarely buy prepared foods and use a lot of rice, beans and other cheap staples in our meals. But even those have gone up a lot too even if our overall bill is way less than others we know.

Patio Postcards said...

Trying to food budget is almost like a Sudoku problem to solve, the lines get all blurry after an hour of scanning the flyers & I do in pencil. Loblaws moaning in the inquiry about how awful it is for them to make billions in profit, we the consumers just don't understand the cost of business. I'll say no more.

Glad to read the clotting problems have stopped. Advising your specialist about the home care situation is smart, they need to be aware it's not happening as hoped. A celebration breakfast sounds a prefect way to finish off this journey.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Enjoyed these tidbit updates, AC, but too bad Jonathan and Danica were both hit with the C infection, again. Seems several others we know have been as well. Hope your follow up medical appointment goes well and agree that the home health care non-visit issue should be addressed. The price of bread is staggering, which is why home baking has become so appealing…and better tasting too😋

DJan said...

I keep being surprised that the grocery bills keeps on getting larger every single time I go. There must be an end to this somewhere. Everything is so expensive!!

Barbara Rogers said...

I don't understand having points towards groceries. We don't get points here for groceries. Our local grocery chain gives some points toward gas discounts, every $100 spent on groceries gets a nickle off of gas in the next month. It only is good a month at a time. I like that you've accumulated a nice sizeable discount. Eating plant based foods mainly has cut my groceries down. Though organic fruits and veggies do top the price scale.

NGS said...

I think it's a good idea to let your doctor know about the home healthcare problems. If it's something that another patient is counting on, that could turn into a real nightmare!

Jeanie said...

Grocery prices are bad. But at least eggs here are coming down rather nicely. And yes, definitely tell the doc about the home health care situation. He should know that.

gigi-hawaii said...

Yes, food is expensive in Hawaii, too. Fortunately, it's just the two of us, and we do eat very well for people on fixed income. Glad you are feeling better, and that Danica has recovered from Covid. I still haven't gotten it. Thank God.

Red said...

Sorry to hear that the kids got covid. Covid is still around to worry us.

Marcia said...

The points I earn at Hannafords are credited back to me periodically by subtracting them from my bill. Where do you shop that you get dollar credits to use on a Ford?

Glad you found out what was causing the grid lines.

Finally, I hope you're not buying Wonder bread. Not very healthy at all.

Tabor said...

Our grocery store is supposed to switch our points to use gasoline and they never seem to be able to do that. My bills are always in the high $200s, but I am going to start being more careful about what I buy and use and use coupons. You might want to check with your eye doc about that retina after image.

Christina said...

I hope Jonathan is testing negative by now and that Danica is (was?) enjoying her shopping trip.
Groceries are crazy expensive! We are ok on two decent full time salaries but we are supporting our two oldest living in dorms/flat.

Ilford by they way is still trading but has been bought up by another company.

RedPat said...

I use my points as soon as I hit $10. Then I don't worry about losing them.

William Kendall said...

What I've noticed is peanut butter has gotten a great deal more expensive .

Margaret said...

What a shame for Jonathan to miss out! Hope he's now clear and can do whatever he wants. Good for the them for observing the isolation protocol. I know many who wouldn't. (adults and kids) I do grocery pick up and buy whatever I fancy; luckily, I can afford it. I feel sad for those who can't. Because I'm ordering on-line I'm not tempted toward any impulse buys.

Jenn Jilks said...

I think the problem with homecare is the for-profits get the money from the government on contract, but the government doesn't follow up to see how many clients did NOT get service. There isn't the accountability. Bayshore, for example, makes billions in profit across Canada.
happy you are better, though.