Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Hen and Chicks



I drove on Monday!  No problems at all. Parking lot, side streets, main streets, freeway - no problem. It was so great, I got my freedom back. No more annoying others for rides, no more not asking for rides because I don't want to be annoying. Hurrah!
It had been suggested that I go to a licensed facility to be tested before driving, but when I called a recommended number - not the state licensing bureau, but a medical facility - I was told the testing took FOUR HOURS, three of which included cognition tests, sanity tests, coordination testing, a physical, etc.  Then another hour (!) behind the wheel.  Plus, it cost $400 – which was not covered by my insurance!  I didn’t go.  That kind of testing must be for someone who has had her license taken away, possibly after a stay in an asylum.  Or prison.  My license is secure in my wallet, was never even threatened by removal, and a long way from ordinary renewal.
So Ellen had a doctor’s appointment way up in the northern suburbs and I rode along so we could pull into a dying mall with lots of open spaces where nobody was parking.  We had taken my car.  I got behind the wheel and discovered my knee in no fashion interfered with my movement from gas pedal to brake.  Ellen yelled “Stop!” at one point as a test and I slammed on the brakes instantly.  See?  No problem.  So I drove us home.  We stopped at a favorite clothing store and I found out my new dress size (I’m down three sizes!), and I bought a new blouse.  It’s a store for plus sized women, and they have had a problem all summer getting their smallest size, which is what I’m wearing now, and sometimes those were too big.  So not many choices – but I was so pleased to find I take their smallest size, I wasn’t annoyed.
My tower of flowers is having problems.  The “vining geraniums” aren’t vining and the two smaller pots at the top have both had their petunias fade and die.  I filled the pots with Miracle Gro soil left over from last year, and maybe that wasn’t a good idea.  I replaced one small-pot plant with another petunia, but the top pot, which gets the heat of the sun badly, I bought a hen-and-chicks plant for.  Almost a cactus, it can take the heat.  It's a really pretty specimen of a succulent – here’s a picture of it.  Note the hen has only one chick.


The writing is still coming along slowly, but I can feel the juices stirring, and I think things will open up dramatically pretty soon.  I sure hope so, it’s so frustrating to sit and stare at what little I've written and be unable to add to it.

3 comments:

Linda O. Johnston said...

Glad to hear you're feeling well enough to drive--and doing a good job of it! And congrats on the new dress size. I'll bet your writing will perk up soon.

Betty Hechtman said...

Congrats on getting back your freedom. I'm sure your fingers will be flying over the keyboard in no time. Have you tried handwriting? I find when I'm stuck, it helps. Apparently, you use a different part of your brain to handwrite. I find the words just seem to tumble out of my fingers when I use a pen and a legal pad.

Monica Ferris said...

What a good idea, Betty! Because you're right, you use a different part of your brain in handwriting - that's why some college professors recommend it to their students rather than using a laptop. Thanks, I'll try it.