Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows (1965)

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1. In this song, Lesley Gore sings that sunshine is wonderful. It's hard to argue with that. Is it sunny where you are today? I'm doing this Friday morning. The skies are predicted to be gray and cloudy today.

2. Tootsie Roll is the world's #1 manufacturer of lollipops, and cherry is their most popular flavor. Do you have a sweet tooth? If yes, what's your favorite sweet treat? Chocolate candy, cookies or ice cream.

3. According to myth, you'll find a leprechaun's pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. If you suddenly, unexpectedly came into $100,000, what is the first thing you would buy? I'd pay off my condo, fix it up a little, and then sell it I'd like to start over.

4. She feels brighter than a lucky penny. Abraham Lincoln was the first person to appear on a U.S. coin, when the 1909 penny was struck in honor of his 100th birthday. Thomas Jefferson is on the nickel, George Washington is on the quarter, and John F. Kennedy is on the half dollar. Without looking, do you know which President is on the dime? FDR

5. Lesley Gore was very popular in the 1960s, with 11 Top Ten hits. Most people don't know that, while she was making records, she was also attending Sarah Lawrence College and graduated with her BA in 1968. What's something most Saturday 9ers would be surprised to know about you? I don't know there is anything. I've been pretty frank on this blog.

 
6. She performed "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" in the movie Ski Party. Do you plan to ski this season? No. I'm a klutz and I live in a very flat area, so skiing is highly unlikely to happen.

7. This song was written by Marvin Hamlisch, who would go on to win three Oscars, four Grammys, three Emmys, a Tony, and a Pulitzer Prize. That's quite an impressive list! But we believe our Sat 9-ers are impressive, too. So give yourself an award this morning. (For example, Crazy Sam is now Meme Mistress of the Year.) I'm the Doyenne of Doctor's Appointments. It seems all I've done this month is go to the doctor, or the dentist, or the vet.

8. In 1965, when this song was on the charts, I Dream of Jeannie premiered. This supernatural sitcom, about an astronaut who finds a genie on a beach, competed for viewers with Bewitched, which was about an advertising executive who marries a witch. Do you prefer Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie?

 

I absolutely love Samantha on Bewitched

 
9. Random question -- Which would you rather have, tacos or pizza? Pizza. Always.

 

 

Come for the pancreas, stay for the liver

I'm so sick of being sick. 

In September, I was plagued by pain and my doctor suspected diverticulitis. I went to the ER for a CT scan and found, lo and behold, I had (in the attending physician's words) "a big, honking kidney stone." 

The scan revealed "an abnormality" on my pancreas. I was told it could be anything from a shadow on the film to something more consequential and, once I get my kidney issues straightened out, I should address.

In October, I had a lithotripsy. It was a success. Yay! I had hoped that now I would feel better. I don't. I'm not in pain, and for that I'm grateful. But I'm fatigued and I have no appetite. Now the fatigue could be depression -- I'm under a lot of stress right now and I admit it's getting to me. But the appetite thing is worrisome. It could be a symptom of pancreatitis, which would explain that troublesome abnormality detected by the CT scan.

So this week it was back to the hospital for an MRI. It took between 45 minutes and an hour (it's easy to lose track of time in the tube). But it wasn't so bad. I'm lucky that I never felt claustrophobic or overly anxious. It's just hard to be in there, wondering if the tech is looking at the indications that you have pancreatic cancer.

But I found out Thursday it's not pancreatic cancer. It's not pancreatic anything. According to the results posted in MyChart, I have fatty liver disease. But my pancreas seems fine.

I'm going away this weekend so I'll talk to my doctor about this Monday. After all, this has been hanging over my head for two months now. Letting it go for three days is not really going to make a difference.

Compassion Challenge: Day 17

We did this as a congregation in 2021 and I'm doing it myself this year. My life feels different now than it did 365 days ago, and I hope this will keep me grounded and help me live my faith.

Inspiring Compassion: The 30 Day Compassion Challenge. 30 days to explore the topic of compassion: Mindfulness, Compassion for Friends & Family, Self-Compassion, Compassion for All, Compassion for Our Planet.

Day 17 was devoted to Connie.

When we went to the vet this morning, I expected it would be an in-and-out affair. Annual shots and boom! We're done! After all, my girl cat seemed fine. She always seems fine. She's a good-natured, sweet girl.

Unfortunately it was not that easy. The vet discovered a pair sores -- one on either side of the inside of her mouth. She's 10 years old now, which makes her a senior citizen, so this requires attention. She got a shot of antibiotics and Monday, we begin a course of steroids. After the new year, there's dental work in her future.

She is a cat's cat. She loves a good snuggle with me, but she shines with the other cats. She was such a comfort to Joey, my big old boy, at the end of his life.  My cat Reynaldo had abandoned Joe, because he no longer liked to play. Connie just hung out with him.

She and Reynaldo were really best friends. They played and slept together like a pair of fur shrimp. When Roy Hobbs joined us, she took over his grooming.

The next few months are going to require a bit of work on our part. Connie and I are going to have to be patient with one another as we get her well. I admit I'm not thrilled about the cost. 

But she is a dear little furry soul. She is my responsibility. I take her wellness seriously.