Duckless in East Lansing

Oh, we heard them today, but did we see them? I think not. Birds, yes, picking away at the corn. But no Donna or Emily. My throat still ails me and I do believe I will call my doctor, per the advice of the urgent care's p.a. I have Hyphen today after a week's respite. I have no clue what to talk about. Maybe my new found love for zucchini bread. That sounds good. I thought my friend in AA might have a fit about the magic zucchini bread, but she did not, so now I know it is up to me to be careful, to not make that an every night treat. And so far that is working. I have my mandolin lesson tonight and think I may order in a pizza after the lesson and a salad for Tuesday and lunch for Gastric. Supposed to be raining all day today. We have baseball tickets for a Lugnuts' game tomorrow and while it is supposed to cool down the rain should cease and desist at game time. It $1 night; hot dogs and ball park fare. Hopefully the rain will be out of here by then. Alright, time for an insight. There is a public service announcement that has caught my attention. It is even on a bill board near my home. I found it disturbing insofar as the subject matter was having an emergency plan for a household. The tag line is "Winging it is not a emergency plan". Did we have these kind of PSAs' before 9/11? Is this the New Normal? Just wondering out loud.

Sorer throat

Canker sores again, this time in and on my throat. Hurts a great deal to swallow and I can only use my Magic Mouth Wash three times a day. Sipping on a Coke and sucking on the ice helps. I need to call my primary care doctor tomorrow for a follow up. I am headed to the farmers market in a bit for corn and tomatoes primarily. Both for Gastric and my house. I could probably have a short nap before leaving but I think not. I did not sleep too well last night and the sore throat is responsible. I do have Popsicles. Those taste and feel,good. I just may whine the rest of the weekend. No great insights yet. More to come. Yeah, right.

Sore throat

Yes, Indeedy. Went to urgent care this morning with a sore throat only to find out I have canker sores on the uvula and the back of my throat. Magic Mouth Wash (not to be confused with magic zucchini bread), fluids and a visit to my primary care doctor this week. All I know it is hurts like heck and I am just going to lay low today and tomorrow. I'll go out later and get the mouth wash prescription filled and get some toothbrushes to change on a bi weekly basis. Almost time for a light lunch and a nap. That's how it will roll today. Later, gator. Love and kisses...Pookie.

Friday in the park with Brody's Mom

Today we are celebrating Brody's Mom's birthday, although the actual date was last Sunday. We both have today off so we are going to dine at a favored restaurant out in Williamston, the Red Cedar Grill. Wonderful,place, great food and ambience. After a leisurely lunch we shall venture into Lansing and go to the Roma Bakery, a fabulous Italian deli and bakery where we shall get a vast array of Italian deli stuff for my lunches the rest of the weekend. I make a killer sub sandwich and am looking forward to that served on fresh bakery sub rolls with farm fresh produce. Tonight the Great Lakes Folks Festival begins and we will close our day out with klezmer music and other folk genres. I got my practicing in and I think I can get a quick nap in before taking off at 11:30. And no time for zucchini bread today. I will need all my faculties to maintain for the long haul. Maybe no zucchini bread all weekend. Discipline. Saturday I think shall be a lazy day. Sunday will be a farmers market run and hopefully they vendor where I got my sweet corn last week will still have some of that marvelous white small kerneled corn that I love so much. That could be Sunday dinner. Life is full of possibilities. Hyphen is back on Monday. I have made it through the week without crises. Thanks, in part, to a parting of the ways with Patricia. Well, off to the couch for that promised nap.

It's a secret

I came into possession of some excellent zucchini bread. What makes this so excellent is it has been liberally laced with some herbacious oil(catch my drift?) and I have been shit faced the last two nights. Not tonight, mind you, as I am going to dinner with Gastric and friends. But back to the zucchini bread. Who knew? It has lovely walnuts in it and puts a smile on my face where it belongs. Now I must practice moderation. A once a week treat and not nightly. And just a wee bit goes a long way. The only problem is as I am relaxing into a stupor I keep hearing the bell go off to the condo or the phone ring, neither of which actually happened. So I am still somewhat vigilante. And after two nights of not sleeping Saturday and Sunday, the last two nights have been positively blissful. Today I feel nothing but love for the universe. Going to spend the day with a librarian over at the Vet College exploring research and letting the librarian network with her new academic assignment of liaison to the Vet College. Then off tomorrow. Brody's Mom and I are going to lunch, hit an Italian deli and then take a break. Later the same day we we go to the Great Lakes Folk Festival and hang out. Busy, busy, busy. Saturday I need to finish a book assignment to take back to my nutritionist for Wednesday next week. Now, proceeding to the mail room to open up for the early birds, of which are included, I hope, the fair ducks of the Red Cedar River. Tomorrow I must take advantage of the few last Fridays I will be able to take off this summer. Classes start in a few weeks and already the students are starting to trickle in and and the town is lousy with U-Hauls. That is the plan du jour and tonight Mexican dinner with friends, a nice night for sleeping and I will enjoy the promise of the busy day on Friday. Later, my friends, later.

What I can't tell you

I had a helluva good night last night. But for reasons of my own, I can't tell you about it. Sorry, don't try to twist my arm! I was so relaxed last night and then I woke up bright and refreshed today, eager to see the ducks and enjoy life. I got up with enough time this morning to practice the mandolin for forty minutes and try some new songs out. What can I say, Gastric put me in a good mood. We talked and talked and then Brody's Mom came over and we finalized plans for Friday to celebrate her birthday and do some running around. Also this weekend is the Great Lakes Folk Festival and we plan on going Friday night. I will be busy. But with fun good stuff. It's a beautiful but foggy morning in East Lansing Town. I hope the ducks can see that we are ready for them this morning. Emily seems to be duckling-less now. Major bummer for all of us. Damn hawks. But as Moose has opined from her perch in California, Hawks gotta eat too; but just not the babies. That is so sad to think and anthropomorphize about them. Maybe the three duck muses will appear: Clio, Calliope, and Terpsichore. We can forget about the other six. These are the fun three. History, Epic Poetry and Dance. And man-o-man can these ducks dance. And eat corn, yee haw. So the bottom line is I am in a good mood, looking for the ducks in me, and hoping for a good report from my blood draw today. I am beginning to feel like the proverbial pin cushion I have had so many draws lately. I hope my potassium levels have leveled off. I did do a bit of binge eating last night. Had two ears of sweet corn around 10:00 p.m. Well, I could have had some worse snacks. Good sweet corn, the white kernels that pop off the ear. Yummo. So, that is the morning report from my desk in Cloud Cuckoo Land. Off to a better start than yesterday.

Greetings Duck Nation

One duck appeared late this morning. No ducklings, alas. Circle of life I suppose. Thanks to a buddy who alerted me to her presence. I think I have everybody trained to alert me to parking lot duck activity. She ate well and then headed to the river. I think this bodes well for the day if not, in fact, for ducklings. I suspect if she had ducklings this late in the season they were not in it for the long haul. Dup Lady woke me, as I was drifting off ever so slightly at my desk cube, and we fed the duck. Bookworm and Fagotte have been good enough to also alert me to the presence of the ducks. Oh, well, got to get them on a better feeding schedule. The students are starting to trickle back so they won't be lacking for food but I hope they continue to come around as I have ten pounds of cracked corn for them. It's a long semester.