Queries, Observations, and Bullfrogs

  

Yes, I know – an odd title – so I’ll start with the ‘Bullfrog’ part first.

My mornings, like most, have a specific pattern.  I get up early (usually before 6am), get dressed, go to the kitchen to feed the Demanding Demon Duo.  Then I just sort hang around the kitchen in order to make sure Daryl doesn’t inhale his food and then push his brother away and eat his food also. 

Yesterday morning, I got up, dressed for yoga, fed the DDD, and while waiting on them to finish their breakfast I put away dishes washed the night before.  My usual actions include putting away the dish drainer also – holding lightly to the sink counter, I swing down to a squat, open the cabinet, hang up the dish drainer and swing myself back up.  Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.  YESTERDAY, as I went down to a squat, I lost my grip on the counter, lost my balance and slammed into the chopping block. 

Then I tumbled sideways onto the floor.  And THEN, I clasped the back of my head, curled into a ball on the floor and cried for several minutes. 

When I sat up, I glanced at my hands, which were

yep, covered in blood.  Glanced at the floor – yep, big puddle of blood.  Okay.  I KNOW head wounds bleed a lot.  Doesn’t mean your brains are leaking out.  However when it was MY blood, I was more than a bit worried.  Not just an owie. 

First thought was to stick my head under the faucet and wash it off.  My second thought was maybe I needed to get a little help.  What time is it?  7am.  My sister should be awake.  So I called and in a surprisingly wobbly voice said – “could you come help me?”  She’d be right there.  A few minutes later she walked in and found me sitting at the table holding a bloody dish towel to my head. 

Okaaaay well probably I should go to the emergency room for a couple of stitches.  This was the bullfrog first thing in the morning (eat a bullfrog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen for the rest of the day).   

Observations

1  Going to the emergency room is a PAIN IN THE PATOOTIE.
2  The Wharton hospital ER was not busy – one other patient.
3  The Wharton hospital ER was cold as in freezing cold (you’d think they’d keep it warm because, you know - - - EMERGENCY ROOM). 
4  We were there for FOUR hours and one cat scan before the ER doc did anything.
5  For scalp lacerations they do not use sutures.  They use STAPLES.  As in a hand-held stapler.  AND, they do not deaden the area to be stapled.  (Just takes a second, the doc said).  Cha-ching, Cha-ching – hmmm, needs one more – Cha-ching.

OWIE!!

Then they gave me 2 tylenol and sent me home.

I certainly hope your morning started off a little better.

I went to Albuquerque this past Christmas to see my daughter, two granddaughters and son-in-law.  As always, it was a wonderful visit and I had a very nice time. 

Just a little side note here: 

Albuquerque is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in 1706 as La Villa de Alburquerque by Nuevo México governor Francisco Cuervo y Valdés. Named in honor of the Viceroy of New Spain, the 10th Duke of Alburquerque, the city was an outpost on El Camino Real linking Mexico City to the northernmost territories of New Spain.  Located in the Albuquerque Basin, the city is flanked by the Sandia Mountains to the east and the West Mesa to the west, with the Rio Grande and Bosque flowing north-to-south. Like Denver, Albuquerque is a “mile high” city – actually it’s a little higher than Denver by some 30 feet. 

The weather there tends to be very cold during the winter months (of which December is one).  However, this winter, December in my part of TX was considerably colder (low temps in the TEENS – as in 16 degrees F) and in ABQ the weather was fairly mild.  Of course, I missed the severe cold because I was in ABQ.  When I left Wharton everything was green and growing.  Trees still had leaves.  When I got home, everything was brown and dead.  I’m still not sure on a few things just how dead they are – you know – dead but will come back from the root or dead dead pull up and throw away.  Time will tell.  A N Y W A Y (sidelined off the subject of xmas in ABQ)

One of the things I got in my xmas stocking this year was this

Wool Dryer Balls.  Never had or heard of them before BUT according to the internet 

1 reduces drying time
2 reusable

3 eco-friendly
4 lasts up to 500 washes
5 a healthy, chemical free alternative to dryer sheets and PVC dryer balls.
6 naturally softens clothes
7 reduces static cling and wrinkles
8 and, BONUS POINTS!! my dryer doesn’t have a buzzer to announce when it’s finished.  BUT, now when the ‘Tha-thud, Tha-thud’ stops, I know the dryer is finished!  

I love them. 

Query

How do you know when they’re “used up”, when the 500 dryer times are done?  Do they just collapse into a bit of fuzz? Does a little flag pop up and day “done, time for new balls”?  I’m sure inquiring minds want to know.  If I figure it out, I’ll share the info.

In the meantime .......

Have a good day all!

26 Jan 2023