Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Happy Halloween!



















Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Spring or Fall and Halloween

It’s odd to see azaleas and iris in bloom in late October! It’s even more odd that most of the trees are still very green. We just planted some clover seeds in our patio garden and little clover are starting to pop up with the help of a sunny south exposure. So when we walked through the neighborhood this morning we were looking for signs and colors of the fall season. There was a lot more squirrel activity to be sure. They were all scurrying and rustling about everywhere, stuffing their faces. 


The Halloween decorations are about to be celebrated even more tomorrow, and there are a lot of spider webs and skeletons. The skeleton tea party seemed like fun. The headless person in front of one house and another getting hunted down by rats were impressive. But sometimes the simple decor is the best - a few mums, pumpkins, scarecrows and gourds. Every once in a while a show of color became dramatic with leaves blowing in front of the bright sun shine. We stopped for breakfast at Ted’s Bulletin and then ventured back home. Having had some sort of virus these past several days makes being outside all that more appealing. I don’t think it matters what season it is. 




























Monday, October 29, 2018

The Diovan Valsartan Debacle and Express Scripts

I have been taking medicine for high blood pressure for as long as I can remember. And what I recall the  most is that it took months to get me on a regimen that had the least amount of side effects. One pill landed me in the hospital for a cardiac cath I was so short of breath. So it was of great concern when the generic form of diovan - valsartan - made the news a few months ago. Apparently there was a carcinogenic issue with some manufacturing plants that necessitated taking it off the market. Luckily, my prescription was not from one of them, but it was recommended that an alternative drug be named. All I know for the past three months it has been exceedingly difficult to have my prescription filled. I received notices from Express Scripts that the generic valsartan would not be available. So I asked my doctor to write a prescription for diovan, the official drug. Then I was notified that the diovan would cost $600+ for a three month supply! I have spent so much time sending messages and making phone calls to get this straightened out it is so aggravating to even think about! Luckily I had a three month supply so I had time to fool around with this. After talking to a pharmacist, he said the supply of valsartan is unpredictable right now due to the recall, but it was never discontinued. But since my new drug order was for diovan only with no substitute I had to ask my doctor - again - to write another script for valsartan. Then we had to cancel the diovan order to make way for the generic order, but the last conversation was about being charged the generic price for the original due to medical necessity. In the end I finally received the first batch of the new valsartan prescription last week. I didn’t believe it until I saw it. Who could honestly afford to pay $600+ every three months for medicine? There’s something very wrong. And being health professionals doesn’t make one bit of difference. 

















Sunday, October 28, 2018

Driver License Renewal Notice - Real ID Credential

Last week I received a notice that my drivers license will expire soon. When we first moved here from the Midwest twelve years ago I remember it was a royal pain to get a DC license. But everything here is a royal pain. We had to go to Georgetown, find parking, and sit there for quite some time. I do vaguely remember getting to renew it on line the last time. My husband, on the other hand, needs to get medical authorization for vision and health before he can renew his. But he’s been able to do it all by mail. So I tried to renew this time on line. That requires taking a five question motor safety quiz. I got that far when it said I couldn’t renew on line because I don’t have a “real ID” and I already used up my one opportunity. So we will need to make a trip to a motor vehicle service station. The closest one is in southwest. But you also need to bring something with your birthdate on it - like an unexpired passport - a social security card, and two items that prove you live in DC. Since everything is digital these days, I had to make a copy of a bank statement and a property tax bill with my name on it. I understand the need for all the documentation but it’s really aggravating nonetheless. I wanted to go this week to get it over with but came down with this ugly sore throat and flu like condition that is lasting much too long. It’s taken all the life out of me and I don’t feel like doing a thing. Getting a drivers license just isn’t on the top of the list - even if I was feeling good. 














Saturday, October 27, 2018

Clover Seeds and Winter Pansies

When we moved to DC twelve years ago we had a professional landscaper plan and implement our little patio garden. Things have changed over the years. This little patio garden has been ripped up at least two times for building related issues. Over the last few weeks more work was done to the building foundation that required digging up the garden - again - two feet wide all along the wall. So we lost our trellis with purple sage, two other bushes, a climatis vine, and the grass lawn. So we needed to figure out what we should do this time. Rather than plant grass along the wall, it seemed like clover seeds might be a nice alternative and we wouldn’t mind as much if it gets ripped up the next time. The grass never filled in anyway, and I read that at one time clover lawns were all the rage! So we asked the groundskeeper if he could get some mulch and fill in the space, rearrange the stones so they wouldn’t wobble, sprinkle the clover seeds, and plant a few winter pansies on the side where we lost all of our annual plants. If nothing else the area now looks neater, and will be even better when the clover starts to grow, fill in, and the green overtakes the brown mulch. Hopefully there will be a few sunny days and warmer temps ahead for the garden to get readjusted. At least we don’t have to look at a trench anymore. 

























Friday, October 26, 2018

Amazon Merch Black Lab Pullover Hoodie and Redbubble Eskie Sticker

I’ve been painting portraits since I got my first iPad in 2010. I used to use pastels and watercolors as well as charcoals and pen and ink very early on. So the iPad reignited my interest in painting. Creating artwork digitally offers a variety of options. So I opened an Etsy shop in 2012 and have done a lot of custom pet portraits. Then I thought I could use these images on other websites. So I uploaded them to Fine Art America/Pixels, and opened shops on Zazzle, Redbubble, and Amazon Merch. And I have my own website called LITDigitalArt and Such that combines all of these things. I enjoy painting a custom piece, but it is exciting to learn when someone purchases an image that is available on line. I get email notifications when something sells, except on Amazon I need to check my stats to see if anything is bought. So yesterday I checked and noticed that a black lab pullover hoodie was selected. A couple of hours later Redbubble sent me an email that an American Eskie sticker was sold. It’s certainly not the commission I get that’s attractive - it’s the idea that someone noticed and liked something I painted enough to purchase it. There are millions of images out there. So thank you for noticing my artwork. I really appreciate it! 














Thursday, October 25, 2018

Sore Throat or Nexium for Heartburn?

We got our flu shots a couple of weeks ago. For the last several days I was feeling not quite myself. Then a couple of days ago I got a sore throat that would not quit. Two nights ago I couldn’t sleep it was so bad. I kept thinking about strep throat and nightmares about the emergency room. When my husband checked my throat it wasn’t red or weird. But with every swallow it hurt. And in between the swallows it felt inflamed and on fire. So we thought maybe I was having heartburn or acid reflux, and got some Nexium. It seemed I had a lot of the signs and symptoms for it. But I was also chilled and hot, and I felt congested - but no temperature. Yesterday I took a nap in the afternoon from exhaustion. But my throat still burned. So out came the DayQuil. Then out came the NyQuil. I slept on a wedge last night and didn’t move a muscle for most of the night. I still don’t have an appetite and just feel exhausted. But for the first time in several days that horrible sore throat is finally gone. So it’s more DayQuil today and more sleep this afternoon. We still don’t know what this is - a cold, virus, flu, heartburn - all of them? All I know is I can’t wait until it’s over and happy I don’t need to be anywhere. I’d much rather be taking a morning walk or getting my drivers license renewed. But that will just have to wait.