A few odds and ends.

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I called my last nag today. It was an interesting conversation. Many things were discussed and we caught up a bit on our various travails and joys, works in progress, and foods. She, as I may have mentioned, is a foodie of the organic nature. Her newest food fear, sugar. She is avoiding it like the plague. Fruits, like bing cherries, are her treats. This because her blood sugar was last tested at 100. Above that and she will lose her low premium for health insurance. She may be sadly surprised though, as bing cherries are just as sugary as, well, sugar. Or, close enough. Further, from my own findings, adding beans and whole grains does more to control that than anything else out there, and allows me even occasional excesses of pure sugar! I will discuss this when she visits. I will, as well, be prepped to let her sample some of my new foods. She did hugely surprise me though. She is eating *gulp* beef! She suggests that hamburger, some other cut, and t-bone steaks (T-BONE STEAKS!?!) were what she gets, and 50 pounds for $200 (that is not too bad a price if the distribution is decent among the types of meat, either, if I cannot tolerate grass fed beef well myself). Then again, I think I knocked her socks off with my new dietary groupings, more that I have controlled diabetes with it.

Anyway, I got some information from her so that I may purchase tickets for her visit this fall. It may be the last time I see her for a few years, save should I return to visit my mother and her in that time. I believe a couple of trips to some state and federal parks would be good. It will be a shorter than anticipated visit, so it is a good thing I called. She had last indicated a full week would be possible but has, she is a woman, changed her mind in spite of not even believing she had ever suggested, let alone stated, something different than what she is now suggesting. No problem and some things are not worth the hassle of debating, if they can be fun. Yeah, I know, but this has been part of my planning for some time. I did have to consider whether it would be possible or not, but it is, sort of.

The other thing of interest is to let you all know how much one, but even more two, pets help in even my crashed and burned world. Even if I cannot feed myself, they are getting fed and offered treats. My bathroom might need some serious work, but their litter boxes are kept rather clean. And even when I do not feel like playing, interacting, or even being awake, they have their ways and means. I suspect, in large part, these little critters are keeping me from too deep of a slide. Some of that must be this new land, some of it is my little friends. In spite of being in a rather difficult spot, I am thinking and functioning to some reasonable level... for a cripple. Plus, I still have memory.

I may not be sure how to break out of this ice prison I am in, but I am feeling lucky enough to give something a go again. A shower, a bit of a beard trim, on with proper street clothes, and I think I will head into town. Caffeine is high on the list, though I may only be able to get a small amount. At several stores it is on sale for 5 for $14, whereas what is open is charging $5 per. The trick, locally, is to check the ads. They really crush outsiders with food and such costs. The stores change who has what on sale, the rest is often outrageously expensive in comparison... actually in comparison to anywhere. Milk can run a $1 or more per gallon more at all but one or two stores, the soda thing, lots of stuff is that way. It's a shell game. Here you have to search the ads, make a list, and keep to the list. A serious problem for someone who has great difficulty making sense of ads, let alone visiting two or three stores when shopping.

I, again, have this feeling that I might be on the verge of making it to more function. Only time will tell. The last two attempts have been failures. However, those episodes have been recent enough that they may indicate a trend, like false springs invariably lead to spring versus indian summers which lead to hopelessness. It is coming, when is the question. It all comes down to jumping on that train every time it comes around with all I have and hoping I will eventually get going. I know, like the hobo, that I cannot reasonably walk from Chicago to L.A. before winter sets in. I will have to ride something. Even if I do not know what the train is or how it works, or even how to actually get on for sure, I know enough that I must try. *jump*