Once again, I lost my entire post and will have to rewrite it. My shaky hands hit the wrong key, and the automatic save function didn’t work. Hassles like this are prevalent these days, especially in the morning when I’m in pain. I limp and wince in an effort to take the dogs out and then collapse in my chair with an ice bag on my left thigh. I had a doctor’s appointment scheduled for yesterday, but they called wondering if I had gotten the MRI results. Oddly, they supposedly set it up so they should know, especially after my insistent follow-up. Finally, they took action and got the appointment a few weeks out, so the insurance company can do its usual stall. This little dance only adds to the pain and suffering. The MRI will only pinpoint the pinched nerve but not yet solve the problem. That will be up to physical therapy, stretching techniques, and hopefully not surgery. 

In the meantime, my leg loosens up as the morning hours pass and I’m then able to take the dogs to the park and go through my gym routine. I also have chair yoga today. My wife is substitute teaching again, but at least got relaxing, long day at the beach yesterday before dealing with elementary school kids. Between moments of screaming leg pain, I have at least been able to get a few constructive things accomplished like securing our entryway artwork, adjusting the timers on our fountains, getting new glasses, having the oil changed in the car, calling the refrigerator repair company, and trying to get replacement landscape bulbs. Each has presented its own set of hassles. 

To summarize my frustrations, I’m in the process of filing an insurance claim for my glasses that involves more paperwork than reward. The refrigerator repair company claims they have called and left messages, but we can find no records. Since we didn’t respond, they sent the replacement parts back. This has been going on for months, so we’re forced to use the back-up refrigerator in the garage – hardly convenient. The lighting company has been slow to respond, and our house continues to be bathed in darkness. These are all small things, but they add up. Next week, I have to deal with Xfinity on a new phone. Life certainly doesn’t get any easier in retirement.