Doh! (Slapping the forehead a la Homer Simpson)

I'm really missing my camera. That being said, the fortunate thing is that I have a huge bank of pictures available to publish along with the pics that interest me on the internet. Yesterday morning, I got up early and filled out all the paperwork to have it - the camera - repaired. I found the receipt which Eric printed out for me last Sunday. Located the original Fuji FinePix box and taped the address label onto the front. (Did you know that if you print a barcode out on an address label, the Post Office claims that they will deliver your package one day sooner?) Found the bubble paper that I had lovingly stored in my hall closet instead of popping it as I would have been more inclined to do had I acted on my impulse. And, after a lengthy search for the actual camera, packed the whole she-bang up. Weighed it. Stuck a bunch of stamps on. And laid it out in the entryway to be taken to the Post Office. My intention was to drop the package off during the same trip (by car because of the rain) in which I was to go to the market. But silly me, being distracted as usual, I forgot. When I got home, I was quite upset with myself, but I looked at the clock. 4:30. One half hour until the last scheduled pick-up. The Tarzana Post Office is an interesting place. Tarzana, a suburb of Los Angeles, actually was named for Tarzan. Burroughs lived here when he wrote the series. They have a whole display of Tarzan memorabilia in the lobby to view while waiting in line. And I enjoy walking there since it's maybe 1/4 mile from my front door. 4:30pm. One half hour until the last pick-up. One half hour until I was due in Richard's Monday night chat. I could make it. I quickly changed into my walking shoes and, ignoring the dog's pleas for an early dinner, grabbed the box and headed out the door. A quick right once outside of my complex, and a left at the corner. Through the pedestrian-only underpass at the 101 freeway (it stinks in there) and, upon emerging at the other side, I am at my destination. And confused. Where normally there would be a lot of traffic and tons of cars parked in the lot, there were only a few people coming and going. I thought to myself "It must be the rain" and hurried along. But realized, when I burst through the front door, that "Doh! I am not always the brightest gal in town." It was Martin Luther King's birthday and the Post Office was closed. The rain has begun. It's supposed to rain pretty heavily for the next week or so, and so I have set up the dog-drying station just inside of my front door. (Sorry. No camera, no pictures.) 100% of the dogs surveyed disapprove of the sky dropping water on their backs. Both dogs do enjoy their walks though, and in a last-ditch attempt to lose measurable weight before I am forced to have my knee surgically fixed, I'm walking them rather extensively on a daily basis. Thank goodness that the rain and walking are not mutually exclusive. Both dogs could appear on a fashion runway. Both dogs own raincoats. Cosmos shows off his 'designer' duds. Yes, it says "It's Raining Cats and Dogs." Sunny, in his preferred more rugged look. Cosmos: "Who is this sky that drops water on me?" Sunny: "Walk! Walk! Walk! Walk..." Do you like Pina Colada? Getting caught in the rain?

The Sky is Falling!

The sky was foreboding. Rain was in the immediate forecast. I walked the dogs and fortunately made it home before it began.

I don't know if you can tell from this picture, but in my condominium complex, even the trees seem to sense when the weather is about to change. They huddle in on themselves.

I sat down to make Eric's bolero tie for tomorrow's Bar Mitzvah. And when I looked out my window, realized by the fact that my rosebush was standing on it's side that the rain had begun.
Cosmos, ever suspicious of the sky's activities, had to be let out to inspect the situation.
"Where is the sky who dares drop water on my back?" he thinks. "This is unacceptable."
And once he had formulated the thought, realized that if he came inside, he could proceed immediately to the dog-drying station.
Where he would receive a nice terrycloth massage.
Sunny, jealous of the attention that Cosmos was getting, thought about going outside to get wet too, but then thought better of it. I gave him a brief massage so that he wouldn't feel left out. Since his hair is so much thicker than Cozie's, he emits quite an odor when wet and I don't want him in the elements unless he really needs to be.
Cosmos, always a fan of the TV newscast and especially the weather report, proceeded directly to the studio where - to his pleasure and delight - they were broadcasting almost continual weather reports. Except, of course, for the Brittany news, but even from that remote location, it was raining so he was happy.
"Hmmmm," he thought. "It looks like the sky has just begun it's unacceptable activities. They are saying that there is more water coming in from up north."
"Who cares about Bakersfiend and Fresno? The sky is misbehaving right here outside of my front door!"
"The sky is going to blow air at me too? This is truly unacceptable."
"And by the way, where is Fritz when I need him? Who is this substitute weather person? Fritz would have tamed that naughty sky."
"Mom may need a spiritual advisor to tell her of her future, but all I have to do is consult my 'magic window' to know what the sky is going to do. Now I need to go and tell it off."
And while Cosmos was outside once again, barking at the sky that was certainly throwing water at him, I stood back and admired the bolero tie that Eric will be wearing at tomorrow's event.
Hmmmmm. I do good work if I have to say so myself.

It's Raining, It's Pouring...

The last day of November and apparently that little feeling about the clouds in the sky yesterday
has come to fruition. It's raining outside!

I was delighted. My condominium complex takes on a whole new air when everything is wet and
shiny and clean. The greenery glistens with droplets of water; the noise from the nearby
freeway is dimmed. The air is fresh and the ground almost looks like a reflective pond.
Not slippery at all, though, and the rain today was not heavy enough to cause a torrent of water that
runs riverlike down the courtyard(s) to the parking area. Perfect!

I left home for my doctor's appointment around 11 am, all smug that I had actually had the foresight to

change my windshield
wipers one day before it started to rain. I bet if I had waited until today, they
would have cost twice as much.

As I pulled out of my parking space, a fleeting thought crossed my mind. What if they charged
me for the new windshield wipers yesterday but had not installed them?

But that worry was for naught. As you can see, I could see. Lots and lots of freeway traffic.

"Take two Advil and call me in the morning." That's what - in essence - Dr. Sisto told me today when I

visited him. That is, after he picked himself off of the floor when he realized who I was. I haven't seen

him in a few years and I look a little bit different. We go way back, by the way. He picked up my case when Dr.

Blazina - his mentor and partner - died some 20 years ago.

In a nutshell, I may or may not have substantively damaged my knee during one of the falls last week.

It's definitely not broken and that's great news. The thought that I might have fractured it has actually

crossed my mind. There's a lot of swelling, especially under the knee cap. The question was whether I would get

an MRI right away or give it another week or two to try and heal. "Your knees are so ultra sensitive." was

his comment. "With all the surgeries that you've had and based on the x-rays, I don't even know how you're

standing, let alone walking without assistance. You're not my average patient." I hope not.

I made the call. As much as I love MRIs (and I do, I really do! They stick you in that tube and nobody

bothers you for 45 minutes...), I'd like to talk to my Podiatrist first. If there is something really wrong

with the knee - and it's still possible that I tore something, I wonder if it might be in the realm of

possibility for both men to coordinate surgeries and do them under the same anesthesia. After all, it's all on

the same leg.

Meanwhile, alternate ice and heat (just what I've been doing all along), take drugs, and carry on.
And so I came home and did. Sat down at my beading "office..."

And made startling progress on the seashell necklace. I bet I can have it done by the end of the
weekend.