Icy

It misted during the night, so the street out in front is a glaze with ice ruts.  We all thought this street would be clear all winter, considering the fact that the manager's parents live across the way--not so!  Just a little dab of salt would have helped tremendously.  It did get up 30 today.

At 12:45, who know who walked in my door.  

"Oh--I just remembered, you watch your program this time of day, don't you?"

"Yeah--it comes on at one."

"Well, I just had to get out of the house!"

Now usually I say, "that's okay," and I turn the TV off (because she has done this several times before).  Well, today, I was not in the mood, so I just muted the TV, as she took off her coat, lit up her cigarette and proceeded to tell me all about HER life.

At one, I clicked on my channel and un-muted the TV.  She got up and left.  and..........

I have felt guilty all the rest of the day.  It was so impolite of me and it was not at all nice!
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At two, I slipped and slide up to Pearl's to see if I could fix the mess on her computer.  She DID call the bank, and wrote down what all they told her to do, but, "I still can't get into my bank accounts."

I followed her instructions she had written down and that, of course, got me no where.  The bank was closed today, so tomorrow, I am going back and I AM GOING to be the one who calls the customer service and talks to the tech.

Merle wasn't home so Pearl and I had a chance for a long, heart-to-heart.  I have been wanting too, but afraid I would make her mad, but decided..today was a good time when he wasn't there.

"How's your new arthritis medicine doing?"  I asked.

"It started out helping, but now, it's not any better than the other one I was taking."

"How many pills do you take now?"

"Only three.  Twice a day. Celebrex, Tramadol and Advil."

"Gosh!  You are healthy as a horse!  No blood pressure medicine.  No cholesterol medicine.  Wow!"

"I'm not at all healthy!  I can hardly walk.  I will be in a wheel chair come spring!"

"Oh.  Are you looking forward to that?"

"Looking forward....what do you mean.  Why would I look forward to something like that?"

"Well, you keep saying that, like you are anticipating it and you aren't doing anything to keep from ending up there, so I just wondered.  Apparently you've made up your mind."

"What do you expect me to do?"

"Physical therapy."

"That probably would hurt."

"At first...it might, but in the long run--maybe six weeks, you wouldn't hurt as much.  The more you use those muscles and joints, the less they are going to hurt.  All you do is sit in your chair all day.  You've heard the old phrase, 'Use it or lose it'?  The less you use your joints, the more apt they are to freeze up and then you won't be able to use them at all."

"I don't just sit in this chair all day!  I get up and cook and do laundry and walk around the house."

"Do you go up and down stairs?"

"Look around.  You see any stairs?"

"I'm just telling you Pearl, because I am worried about you.  You aren't that old and yet...you've given up.  You think Merle is going to like having to take care of you?  He's not really that type of man, I don't think.  What if he were to die.  Are you going to a nursing home because you can't walk?"

"I know.  You've told me I should do therapy, but..........."

"Just ask Doc John.  He will get you a referral to a really good place.  You could go up to the hospital, I hear they have a good physical therapy office.  It's only half a mile away.  Now is the perfect time.  Go the rest of the winter and when spring comes, you will be able to get outside and exercise."

"Oh...I hate to exercise!"

"I'm not talking about going to a gym.  I'm talking about walking.  Walking is the best exercise---especially for people our age.  Start out walking twenty steps and then turn and go back home.  The next day, you walk twenty-two steps and turn around.  Every day, you add another step or two and pretty soon, you can walk down to the lake.  That's how I got my strength back after my surgery.  Remember?  I walked up here--fifty steps.  The next day you saw me go passed, fifty-five steps and then turn and come back to visit you."

"Yeah and in a month, you would walk so far that I kept looking out the window to see what was taking you so long to come back."

"I know you can't walk outside right now...it is way too slippery, but...physical therapy and then this spring....who knows."

"Yeah...I guess, but I need to lose weight first."

"You aren't going to lose weight sitting in this house all winter!"

"I might...a little."

"Physical therapy would also help you lose weight."

"Oh...I don't know."
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There are people that don't want to help themselves and there is not a dang thing you can do to help them.

I'm done.  

When the wheel chair arrives she can then say, "See, I told you so.  I was right."