Naming body parts, Y chromosome, and puzzles

I mentioned yesterday that I might give my sometimes cranky neck a name. I'm thinking Nadia, or Nadine, or maybe Niamh. She makes her presence felt now and then, usually when she's been overworked and taken for granted, so she has a personality.

I have previous, as they say in police dramas, meaning been there before. This was the Saga of Esmeralda. That's the left breast which was the cause of a battle about denying health coverage, which she eventually won. 

My house and car insurer tried getting into health insurance, back before I was old enough for Medicare and had to buy my own. I was always checking into coverage for cheaper rates, and they'd promised to bundle all three coverages. Sounded good.

Until an insurance underwriter denied coverage because my gyne, a brilliant and respected doctor, had done an extra test to verify Esmeralda's health. The results  proved that I had, in my doctor's angry words to the insurer, better than average breast health. But she insisted that just ordering the the test proved I was high risk. 

Esmeralda was not going to let this happen without a fight. So she  had me mention that I was planning on legal action, including getting the NJ insurance commissioner involved.  

Finally they apologized, offered coverage and the agent caught in the middle said I hope we didn't make you lose faith in your doctor! To which I responded that it would take more than an insurance clerk to do that, but I'd be sure to let everyone know the story. 

By this time I'd found good coverage so I said no to their offer. Shortly after that I heard they'd got out of the healthcare insurance attempt. But I think naming Esmeralda definitely stiffened my resolve to defend her.

So naming my neck will help me treat her more kindly. Fo you have a preference for a name? All suggestions will be considered, and the owner's decision will be final!

Meanwhile here's the progress of the current jigsaw puzzle, a very well designed one, with different ways to interlock the pieces

If I finish it in time, I'll return it today and borrow a puzzle for the holiday.

 The Fourth celebration will be an evening visit from handsome Son bearing pizza and Coke. I asked him yesterday, as we were planning, to let me know when to put the oven on, so as to keep the pizza warm as we went. 

Meaning of course, to text me tomorrow, as he was waiting to pick up. In true guy Y- chromosome fashion, he instantly texted "about 6 pm, but I'll keep in touch". This is going to be like the peppermint leaves. 

Maybe I can get him to bring a handful of peppermint when he comes over tomorrow..

Meanwhile, happy day everyone, missed communication notwithstanding. Intent is all. Let's take care of each other.

Bad food, yay, bad news, sigh.

Bad news first. About midnight, phone rang, waking me, too dopey to answer before it went to vmail, friend next door. Vmail wouldn't load, but he called again.

He was totally distraught. He had just found his old frail Boston terrier had accidentally been left in the car.  Even at midnight air temperature still high, and humidity, too. 

Bennie didn't survive. It's too sad, devoted owner who has been dreading the end of his old dog's life, suddenly, terrible oversight, realized dog wasn't in the house as he'd thought. 

He called me to ask what to do, couldn't think straight. Bennie clearly gone, but how to proceed. So I talked with him until he was able to deal.  Talking wildly about taxidermy, which I didn't argue, figured a couple of calls would show him this wasn't practical.

Texting this morning, and they went out. Just stopped by to say they'd taken him to be cremated.  Calls had shown the impractical side of his ideas about preserving his dog Good chat, like a condolence visit.

It's heartbreakingly easy for this to happen with a dog who's tiny and hyper, all over the place at once. And Bostons are particularly vulnerable to heatstroke.

On the good news, here's the holiday Bad Food all set.

And here's Future Food potato peelings already sprouting and now planted. 

They'll move to bigger quarters when they get started.

Temperature down to 80s today so I dashed out to shop before forecast storms arrive.

So that's all the news that fits.

As near as makes no difference

Twice a year I have what we used to call Bad Food, for the holiday. Fourth of July and Labor Day.

 Meaning not really Bad,  only not made by me from scratch. Since it's as near the Fourth as makes no nevermind, I broke out for lunch.

Partly to celebrate a successful maintenance visit for the car -- that clanging alert and subsequent screen reminders constantly,  ended up being a zero cost visit.

 None of the $$ parts in the alert list needed replacement after all, tranny fluid good for a long time, etc. It came down from an estimated $250 to $zero after they checked it. 

So here's the early holiday lunch.

 Not actually Bad, not even Cheap. But really fun. Side glass of fresh strawberry banana honey milkshake.

Then downloaded a rattling good Joanne Fluke mystery for reading on the patio. Lovely cooler cloudy day. Sleeping may have happened, too.