title

The title is freely borrowed from a cover of Amazing Spider-Man #75 from 1969 showing a distraught web-slinger walking away with bowed head from a what appears to be a pile of laundry. The villain had discovered the fountain of youth works backwards. (A few years later said villain named Silvermane make a miraculous recovery by way of a rubber band effect--went from aging to nothing back to his advanced years and went back to making Spidey miserable again (albeit not on the Green Goblin level).

More on the title in a bit.

Having spent too much time on last blog with the wayward nephew who I'm taking a break from (I did try calling last night but the answering machine was on and I rarely leave messages) we move on to the 16th at about 7:30 am and the continuing failure of beauty sleep interrupted. Darn was sure THIS would be the day it would kick in. While still charming I have little good years left to be dazzling. Now the day before I had been convinced my doctor appointment was about 12:30 pm for Thursday but couldn't find my reminder note.

No problem. Call Fairborn Medical Clinic and reconfirm. I still have the phone books from last year before I killed the land line with no remorse and no regret. Cell phone forever. In a display of petulance AT&T having lost me for phone service cheats and buys Cingular Wireless so I'm back on their books and I know they did it to spite me. Ignore and hang up on their telemarketers will I?? I still hold my head up proudly. They had to BUY me -they did not WIN me back.

Kathycf gives up--he's off again. The Countess smiles--he's crazy but aluring. Mr. Bloom should have such manic diversions. Grace86 thinks she'ld better start reading She and Allan. Andave Ya remembers Baptists are crazy so she's been told and king of the mood swingers. Kiz Paws holds Pepper and says there is no boogie man there is no boogie man. Pepper wags her tail. She'll protect her.

Oh yes--the point. Medical center not listed in both Fairborn books I have. I sigh drive down and discover it's 8:45 on the 16th. I must have been asleep when they scheduled it that early. I'm never pretty or coherent that early. But we are managable. They are in the Dayton book as Fairborn charges far too much to be listed. I'm given a refrigerator magnet for future use.

So lo and behold I meet my new doctor--whose name I can't spell. Dr. M anyhoo who is full of personality. My affection for former Dr. H. is in tatters within minutes. Dr. H. was a very busy man and I rarely ask health questions but this guy wants to know more about me then the long suffering wife ever has. Dr. H. never went past five minutes with me and this guy is delaying my first Mountain Dew for the day by an uncomfortable margin.

Out of respect for Virgil I remember the blood pressure reading. 168/100. It is what it is. Not for long. When he rechecks his advisor's findings it went up. While conveying my demeanor with a never say die carefree Cary Grant style of humor I'm usually wishing this stuff would be over with so I can get back to shortening the life expectancy with what I call my life style. It's a sad day when McDonalds is no longer appealing.

Apparently a blood test I had about a year ago had a kidney reference to it that Dr. H. never thought about. When I was 11 I spent about 3 weeks sweating out a kidney infection in a Rochester NY hospital. Did not know I was dying back then and was never told until decades later. Maybe I would have been nicer to my parents about it in the teen years. At least they never made me feel guilty about the medical bills I will affirm that to their credit. Anyhoo I'm a 42 headed towards 60 and trouble. We'll work on that after the blood pressure and cancer gets attention. Bottom line very comfortable with him--appointment back in November and I have about a month free medicine to tide me over.

At about 9:30 am I'm in downtown Dayton looking for the Hospice of Dayton on the wrong side of the road and overshoot it by a mile. We stop for directions to help put that horrible calumny to rest that men won't ask. If one man a day will stop and ask directions this terrible plague may be conquered in our lifetime and the global warming will slow down from the uconsumed fuel. I can do my part.

At 9:50 I'm sitting in a surprisingly comfortable chair watching Mary Ann sleep. The Hospice was a very lovely facility. Almost looked like a 4-star hotel. Was very quiet. The color schemes were earth tones and the atmosphere relaxed. The workers tended to be in the upper 30s and beyond. I saw no young people. Mary Ann is in a private room of course with pictures of her grand-son Keegan around her. Finally see a picture of her son and his wife. He had been going to seminary and working his way thru when he and and his wife discovered the job paid better then work for the Lord and he stayed in Texas doing well for himself but I suspect turning back from the plow will have and has had repercussions. He had made a week's stay of it and was a bit of a primna donna while here. Keegan is Mary Ann's only blood grand-child and his picture of course was the current most beautiful baby in the world. I still think Mary Ann should have left him the Stargate magazines as a memory of something that Grandma liked when he eventually might ask what was she like?!

Mary Ann awoke, surprised and pleased to see me. The last time had been at the trailer with one phone call in between. Aaron and Gayle from work have been her guardian angels and been closer then family to her and she's been well looked after. Aaron picked up her son, wife and grand-son and made all arrangements but then was treated like a servant one night when the son resented his presence while he was visiting his mother--a simple request for privacy would no means have flustered Aaron. I suppose grief and an upsoming loss makes attitudes strange.

I water Mary Ann's plants for her. Open the drapes to lovely bird house feeder view and we watch finches eating better then I do and we talk like we still have years spent and years to go. Mary Ann has one thing in common with Brandy--she actually listens and remembers things I say. I'm touched by some of the conversations. I remind Mary Ann only once of the Lord Christ's great willingness to welcome her to heaven when the time comes but she puts it off and I claim the preaching is over. SHe believes I pray more then I do for her. I am terrible at constant pryaer for others and hope that at least thinking on them is a form--God only knowing for sure but again humbled at her imagined idea of my spirituality. The running sores are so much more apparent to me.

Good news while doing horrible at Miami Valley Hospital--a week back we were sure we would have lost her--she's thriving at the Hospice and amy get to go home Monday. She really did look well. I was blessed that it was a ood day for her. Per Gayle the 17th not so well. But I have a treasured memory to save in the dark times that light still shines forht and in lifethere is always hope.

I drop by AAA and report on the status of Mary Ann. I had stayed over an hour (Gayle had said 10-15 minutes tops would be best I could have hoped for) and it was about 11:30 when I head for home, Ruth and hopefully a paid for lunch since it was her pay day and I'm broke til next week.

Totally unaware my life would change again in 30 minutes.

That's in reference to the death without warning in the title and we'll finish up the next entry.