As always, I have a ridiculous number of things to be thankful for.
My job – One of the many benefits to working where I do is that when you achieve a certain age and tenure, you can go on Cobra insurance and stay on it until you are eligible for Medicare. So, an expensive option, but an option that means that in one year and one month, I could possibly retire without worrying about insurance. I won’t do it, of course, because I can’t fathom spending over half my life without a job, but it is wonderful to have the option if life takes a turn.
My health – Sometimes I have visitors from the Carnival of MS bloggers portal. I want to apologize to each of you for all the “No new lesions” posts. No new lesions, and any old silent lesions are vewy vewy quiet lately. No other symptoms than my gait and balance and bladder and bowels. I did totter a few times the last time I went out to a friend’s house, but she was gracious and might have thought I was drunk. Of course, I credit the Gilenya.
My husband – The doctor says Gary is healthier than he was last year. He needs to write a self-help book titled Sleep Your Way to Health and Fitness. Of course, if he keeps listening to MSNBC, the President will send him to an early grave.
And additionally I am thankful for:
Those little razors you can use to shave calluses off your feet
Fage 2% Greek yogurt and Nutrasweet and all of the foods, really
Cats that make friends after three years
Raccoons that poop in trees and not on your patio
NPR and podcasts and blogs and free entertainment in general
Continued life
3 responses to “Thankful”
Racoons don’t poop in trees. They poop under bushes. You have to be careful around racoon poop. “Raccoons are the primary host of Baylisascaris procyonis, a roundworm that can be harmful to people. Roundworm eggs are passed in the feces of infected raccoons, and people become infected by ingesting eggs. Anyone who is exposed to environments where raccoons frequent is potentially at risk.” You should wear breathing protection when raking racoon latrines.
By the way, I love your paintings.
~Silk – I’m sure they poop everywhere, but I’m pretty sure they like to poop in elevated spots best. Here’s something from Seattle’s public health page:
“Raccoons prefer sites that are flat and raised off the ground, but they also use the base of trees, and occasionally, open areas. Common sites for raccoon latrines are roofs, decks, unsealed attics, haylofts, forks of trees, fence lines, woodpiles, fallen logs, and large rocks.”
Thanks for the reminder about roundworm, though. I’ll remind Gary. I’m not a fan of the raccoons. I’m getting him a low light camera for Christmas, so he can photograph the deer.