........The big news here is that I am trying to recover from a bout with bronchitis. Yesterday I woke with a sore throat and a frequent cough that brought up phlegm (...and why isn't cough pronounced "co" as in " though; or brought pronounced "broff" as in brought?) Sorry for the interruption but I simply had to get it out of my system.
.The other day we went up to the VA Hospital because they called and said they had a wheel chair for me. I had asked my primary doctor to order one for me after I explained why I needed one. I can't use a walker for more than about 25 yards (Cuzzin Ruth can change yards into something British) because after 25 yards my legs and arms cramp up and I have to stop for a few minutes. It's tough to go to the mall with the walker as you can figure out. I had asked for a "companion" chair which is very light and fairly easy for RH+ to push me or fold up the chair and put it in the trunk of the car.
.....Getting a wheel chair was a tough and emotional call for me as I had seen my dad in a chair, and it seemed that I was just following in his footsteps--a situation I hoped would never happen to me. But it did--and I hate it. I also hate the walker, but I do. Having to use these aids to get around is not what I figured my "senior" years to be. The worst thing about it is that you lose your dignity. Yes,....you do. Dignity, gone. Well, I have to deal with it if I want to get out of the house. I always say "house" because it's seems silly to say you want to get out of the "condo". I will be having a surprise birthday party in a few weeks, and I don't look forward to the guests seeing me push a walker or sitting in a wheel chair. I don't want to look 90. I prefer 89.
.....One activity which I am going to miss is performing. One of the goals in my life was to sing in an operetta--Gilbert & Sullivan primarily. I did; I sang in three of their operettas in the main role. I also wanted sing in a B'Way musical such as "Fiddler on the Roof"--and I did--as Tevye. And I did sing in several others in the main roles. Of course these performances were conducted in our theatre which is state of the art and has 602 seats. I also aspired to write a mucical--which I did in 2013.
Er...Cuzzin Norman, I don't know how to tell you this without causing you grief and aggravation, but yards ARE British. We can and do go metric now and then over here, and that's all because of our complicated relationship with Europe. A yard is 36 inches, and a metre is 39 inches, that is, a yard and 3 inches. 25 yards works out at just over 23 metres. Hope that helps!
ReplyDeleteAND I have told you before, and repeat now, that people in mobility scooters and the like don't look ridiculous or undignified: they just look as if they need a bit of technical help with walking.
English spelling: uurrgghh - where does one start? It's a phenomenal mess. I've argued the case for and against spelling reform in my head for decades, and still can't make up my mind about whether it's a good or a bad idea. One part of me thinks that it's a good idea now that English is the lingua franca of the whole world, but another part of me is unwilling to relinquish our great heritage just to accommodate the b*****k-brains. As for the letter combination "ough," there are 7 ways of pronouncing it in REP, and in fact there are 8 if you include the short "oo" that is used in the north of England. ("Rough" is pronounced "rooff" not "ruff" where I live, in Sheffield.) Go figure, as you say in your side of the pond! Much love, Cuzzin Ruth
Well, as a former track & field coach of course I know what a meter is. I used to watch my team run 100 meters, 400 meters, and 1600 meter races--in place of 100yds, 440yds, and the mile. Same as in the Olympics--meters, not yds. I may be approaching 90, but my sense of humor, though (thuff?) twisted, is still active.
ReplyDeleteAre you certain you know what a meter is, Cuzzin Norman? In my vocabulary it's a device for measuring how much electricity one uses. Teams run METRES round here!!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, here in Britain, both metric and imperial measures are used pretty randomly, so we constantly have to hold conversion tables in our heads. AND use them. Well, it's all good mental exercise, isn't it, and that's supposed to be a prophylactic against Alz - er, what's that disease called where you forget what you were going to....
Incidentally, you will find the word "thoff" to mean "though" somewhere in Sheridan. Love, Cuzzin Ruth