Thursday, Feb. 3

Got to bed late last night, around 12:30 a.m., because we stayed up to watch out favorite college basketball team play from 10 p.m. to midnight. I thought the game was late because the opposing team had trouble getting to our state, due to a blizzard in their state, and because even the roads in the northwest part of our state were icy. Later I realized that the game had actually been played from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., and what we watched was the repeat of it.



So I was none too eager to get up this morning at 7:30 on this frigid, snow-flurry-while-the-sun-shines day. But I felt I needed to do a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast, since I missed a session yesterday morning. I wanted to have plenty of time to exercise and get ready for the day before an 11 a.m. appointment at the dentist's office.



Everything is fine with my teeth right now, and all I needed was a cleaning. But I learned that an assistant who has worked with my dentist for 30 years is having eye problems. Seems she has a hole in her retina that is quite large. Today, her doctor did some sort of steroid treatment on it, but said that the hole cannot be repaired. Now they are watching to make sure the hole doesn't turn into a tear that could cause her to lose her vision.



My dental hygienist commented that the assistant's experience should alert us all to keep our routine eye exam appointments. The assistant missed her two-year appointment, and the ophthalmologist commented that if she had seen him even six months earlier, he could have helped her better.



I was thinking to myself that here is a dental assistant who ignores her eye appointment, and I'll bet some staff in ophthalmologist's offices ignore their dentist's appointments. All medical caregivers, though, are adamant that we none-medical folks keep our appointments!



Reminds me of the story Son told me off seeing his physician, who cautioned him that he needed to lose some weight. "You're a fat bastard," the doctor commented. "I'm a fat bastard, too, but I'm supposed to tell you what to do." Some of the most obese people I know work at the hospital or in the medical offices. Not the greatest example to set.



All the way around, it's sort of a "doctor heal thyself" syndrome. Or, "don't do as I do, do as I say. "



Got back home just before lunch, and found that the mail had brought two tickets I'd ordered for this year's Go Red Luncheon, set for Feb. 18. Mother and I will go.



Hubbie and I had leftover stew for lunch, with mini-muffins I found in the freezer...they were some I'd bought at the soup/chili supper and silent auction at the college library a couple of months ago.



Neither of us did anything important after that. He'd run errands, including to the grocery store, this morning while I was at my dentist's appointment, so we had nowhere to go this afternoon.

For supper, we had Mexican casserole from the freezer. It's a dish I made a few months ago. I served coleslaw and grape tomatoes with it. Mother stayed home today, so she didn't join us for supper.

Later, we went to a local college for a chamber concert performed by a string quartet from our capital city. Tonight's program included the compositions of ever-popular Mozart and Beethoven, but it also included the lesser-known American composer, Charles Ives (1874-1959). He was the son of George Ives, who was a bandleader for the U.S. Army in the American Civil War.

We were told that Ives' main occupation was as an insurance agent, rather than as a composer. His compositions were largely ignored in his lifetime, but since then his reputation has increased. His String Quartet No. 1, performed tonight, is based on hymns..."Missionary hymn," "Beulah Land," "Nettleton," and "Stand up for Jesus," though one has to recognize those hymns to recognize them within the work. His music is different, but I still prefer the old standbys.

Mother opted to stay home tonight, and I can't blame her...it's cold out there! Hubbie and I were plenty ready for snacks of graham crackers and peanut butter, with cups of hot chocolate, following this two-hour concert.