Temperature soars to the thirties! Walkies!

Today was warm enough to finally get out and walk, sunshine, so much better than the recent subzero that it felt wonderful.

Strictly on the sidewalk though, too hazardous to trudge through deep snow and ice and who knows what branches and other storm debris underneath. But breathing lovely cool air and walking was fine.

For some people it was a working day replacing windows.  

Sorry for the owners too, all their windows out in this weather. But you book the work and whenever they show up, they show up. 

This is how my next door neighbor, hoping to get his windows replaced on a nice October day, ended up getting the crew in a November gale.

Postscript to the patient portal saga: Handsome Son, former software person, took a look at the site, saw the holdup, and said even if that's the wrong entry, let's click on it and see if it triggers the message function. Which it did, and we sent a message saying look we can send a message. 

Later the IT team, using the screenshot I'd sent, emailed saying try clicking on any value and see if it triggers the message function..Handsome Son concluded they were in the middle of an update, but they weren't admitting anything. And I thanked them and omitted to say it was already solved. Let them earn their paycheck.

Happy day everyone, and,speaking of owls which we weren't but can now

I'm a three, arm waving, doing better.

New issues for old, and oh well

So I called the doctor's office to postpone, and the first lady I spoke to spent ages checking before offering me an appointment in June. I said I already had a physical scheduled for May, so maybe not. Whereupon she wisely said I'll leave a message for the nurse and maybe she can do better.

Nurse Christine called back in minutes, and I'm now scheduled for late February, a Tuesday, so I may miss knitting and Textiles and Tea, but oh well. 

I'd tried for two days with three devices to message Christine over the patient portal, which kept hanging up and not letting me far enough in to message.  Christine said hm, I'm getting other messages, let me inform IT and see if it's an issue with your account.

They emailed promptly with instructions on how to use the portal. So I replied with a terse explanation of how long I'd been doing that just fine,  and a screenshot of the hangup point, with notes on the workarounds I'd tried. So we'll see. 

I understand explaining from scratch might be their routine first response, and they didn't have details on what was happening. But I think asking me to describe would be a better first step.  Maybe we'll get there soon.

Meanwhile Handsome Son is coming over, and I got cake out of the freezer saved for the purpose. He usually comes over after lunch, and last time said he skips dessert assuming there will be cake here. No pressure there!

Excellent lunch today, shrimp cavatappi, pasta cooked in the sauce, shrimp added in last two minutes. Enough for a second meal tomorrow.

Dessert was peach chunks in syrup.

And there are plenty more shrimp. I'm thinking shrimp salad and I'll make mayo. With the rest of the green beans. 

I texted my driving crew yesterday to let them know I didn't need a ride to knitting today and got them up to date on the cotton. 

M, who gave me the cotton, tells me she's found yet another fiber skill for us to learn. Shepherd's knitting and various other names, done with a flat hook.

 

I checked this out and it turns out to be slip stitch crochet with a fat hook if you can't get the genuine flat hook, in various patterns. Hm. Even when I don't get to the group I'm still active in the group.

Speaking of activism, words matter. When our government fails in its job, when the Republicans have a clean sweep, President,  Senate and House, let's not say Congress didn't do this or that. Correctly its Republicans who didn't do this or that and repeatedly blocked Democratic initiatives. That's not Congress, that's Republicans.

Similarly, in coverage of the Epstein abuses, don't accept the word women, they were children. And don't accept the expression underage women. They're children. And don't accept the expression sex with a minor. It's rape. Words matter.

Off my soapbox now, to organize a spot of tea and cake.

Happy day everyone, have your equivalent of tea and cake.