Of Dolls, Clofoutis, and Social Security, and a Sad Farewell

   I had several things planned for the holidays, but I just never found the time to do them. I saw some toys at a Burlington store that I thought might interest those who like to do dioramas or 1/6 scale houses. 

 They might interest them, until they see how the scale really measures up.

  Not sure if they would still have these at Burlington, but if they really interest you, you might be able to find them online. They're by Arcady.

   Remember way back in 2022 when I did a post on some Friends Forever Club dolls I found at Dollar Tree? 

The two at the top.

Well they still have them, and they finally got the clothes too...

...and even wig sets! 

  They also have some little anime' looking dolls too.

  I have become the queen of finding marked down produce, so Ken can eat healthy. I happened across some severely marked down cherries a few weeks ago, and thought it would be the perfect time to try making clafoutis. I had some when we were in Paris, and it has haunted me ever since, (along with the pastries we had. I have been spoiled for anything else now!) 

  It turned out quite good, but I'm no French chef.  

  Recently I've been sitting around here, trying not to freeze, because our house is really cold. Not quite as cold as it is outside, but freezing none the less. And it has been VERY cold outside. I had to cancel both of Ken's therapy days and a doctor appointment, because it is so intensely cold that I didn't think it was safe for him, with his diabetes and poor circulation. So he has been doing some exercises at home, (and trying to get out of them!), and a little walking to keep from stiffening up. 

  I also had a doctor appointment last week, since I have been having swoony spells. I went to have blood work done They gave me a 'lay down chair' this time, because I told the that the last couple of times I have had weird reactions to having my blood drawn. (The last time I got a bit weak and sick, and the time before that I went to the car and cried all the way to the library. I just went crazy emotional and couldn't explain why. I did well this time though. ) And my blood work came back like Mary Poppins: practically perfect in every way. The only thing that was even slightly off was that my cholesterol was up by 1 point. How that happens when I haven't had meat or animal fat in 37 years, I don't know. I don't even drink near the amount of milk that I used to, or eat as much cheese. And with the price of free range eggs so high, I almost never eat them. I do eat some stuff with eggs in, but mostly lately I have been eating mostly things without. Anyway, the doc also ordered a CT scan of my head, an ultrasound of my carotid artery, and some kind of test on my heart. She did give me ear drops too though. She said my left ear had fluid, and my right ear was red inside. So I have been having Fuzz squirt the drops in my ear. My swoony spells were fading by the time I got to the doctor anyway, so I'm guessing it was an ear thing. I still have to have the tests done, as long as they will be paid for. That's because we STILL haven't got any income coming in. We are still waiting on Social Security Disability to kick in, even though the guy who examined Ken in December said it was a no brainer. I have been told that he didn't qualify for SSD, and instead will get Social Security Disability Insurance. That sounded worrying, until I was old that all that meant was that he qualified for a different kind of SSD. Apparently it's the kind they put you on if they assume you will be able to work again in the future. I don't know about that. The wonderful thing about SSDI is that they require a 5 month waiting period since you applied, before they will pay you. Fortunately, that's coming up in about a week, because we are running out of money.  Unfortunately, unlike the other kind of SS, they don't give you back pay from the time you applied, because they think you should have had five month's worth of money just laying around. I'm serious. They think that 5 months without money is 'reasonable'. Sure it is. 

  If you're wondering why people who haven't had income since July were shopping at a Burlington, (or anywhere else), well, we had a large gift card, due to Ken wanting to keep the horribly fitting suit he bought there, for Emma's wedding,  instead of the fairly decent fitting suit we got elsewhere. As with most things, he procrastinated until he was too late to return the suit for a refund, (and he had lost his receipt anyway), so we had to take a gift card. So we had Christmas shopping money to spend at Burlington. I also spent a lot of it buying marked down pajama bottoms and warm shirts for Ken. He's lost so much weight since his strokes, and is now cold, so he has needed a whole new wardrobe of pants he can actually keep up when he walks in therapy, and long sleeved shirts to keep him warm. He owned a couple of button up long sleeved shirts, but everything else was short sleeves.

  We had some sad news right before Christmas. Our cat Mow, who had been living with Ivy in Indiana for the last few years, was an old man, and had to leave us. I drove all the way to Indiana to be with Ivy on the day. She is heart broken. We got Mow when she was 10 years old. He was the best boy. I always said he was practically a dog. He was well behaved, didn't destroy things or climb on the counters, and  came when he was called. We will all miss him very much.

 

  So that's what I've been up to lately. I don't have much chance to do posts, but I'll try.