Thursday Thirteen #277

Thirteen places to see the fall colors. Every autumn, my old friend Kathy would mention she thought it would be fun to hit the road and check out the foliage. I admit I couldn't care less. I look at the trees and see the colors and they make me happy, but I've never been motivated to take a trip to seek them out. Kathy is suffering from cognitive decline, and in a way, I'm posting this to remind me of how she always wanted to do this, but never did.

1. Blue Ridge Parkway, VA

2. The Berkshires, MA

3. Door County, WI

4. White Mountain, NH

5. Bar Harbor, ME

6. Adirondacks, NY

7. The Catskills, NY

8. Green Mountain Byway, VT

9. Gatlinburg & the Smoky Mountains, TN

10. Poconos, PA

11. Taos, NM

12. Brooklyn Botanical Garden, NY

13. Napa Valley, CA

What about you? Do you have a "bucket list" item it would be easy to mark off, but you just haven't gotten around to it?

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.

Of dentists and urologists

Monday was a busy day. Dentist in the morning, urologist in the afternoon.  

Dental drama: My front tooth is cracked and the enamel is worn away. This is not unusual. I am an old broad and decades of use, as well as menopause (which is not good for your teeth), have taken their toll.

However this means that I now have THREE teeth in work now. It's going to be a race to the finish. How much of this work can I get done before I lose my job and this really awesome dental insurance? 

Back to the hospital: In addition to an internist, a dermatologist, a chiropractor, and a dentist, I now have a urologist! A team, actually. I met with the physician's assistant who very patiently explained my condition and my treatment options. One thing he kindly kept emphasizing is that there's a difference between "acute" and "chronic," and he believes my kidney stone is an acute condition. Once it's gone, it's gone. There's not reason to believe that this will continue to bedevil me for life. Yay!

Then he referred me to my new urologist, who will perform my laser lithotripsy. Yes, a laser will zap my big-ass stone, pulverizing it into tiny pieces. Most will be removed during the procedure, I'll pass the rest. That will be October 6. A few days later, I'll have to return to have the stent removed. Then hopefully all this will just be a bad dream.

My friend John is going to meet me at the hospital after the procedure put me safely in a cab home. We have been friends 41 years now. This is one of those moments when I'm glad I have long-standing relationships.

This is everything

The Yankees clinched first place in the AL East. This is really not news. I believe they have been in first place all season. Yankee fans are such hysterical babies. The Yankees hit a skid and there was a groundswell of cries for the manager's head on a stick. Oh, please, it's a 160-game season! Players are going to slump, players are going to go on paternity leave, players are going to have botched epidurals ... better they get all the hiccoughs out of the way in August and September, as opposed to during the playoffs (which I predict will happen to the Dodgers).

Anyway, I am over the moon over this because of Anthony Rizzo. My favorite-most ballplayer would never be enjoying this post-season run if he hadn't been traded. This man needs another World Series ring. As the song says, "It's up to you, New York, New York!"