There's a picture of Harvey's yard that I took on my way home from town today. Terrible shot, of course. I was driving. It was raining. Etc. But if you look carefully, you can see one of his signs. It says, "We Love Jesus Christ." That's his tree there on the right where he sits at a table underneath it and reads his Bible or talks to his friends.
So yeah, I was on my way home from my doctor's appointment and the Ativan I took early this morning had finally really kicked in and so had the exhaustion from not sleeping very well last night and from the experience itself.
I was so tired, all I could think about doing was crawling on the bed and going to sleep but I didn't do that. Didn't do much of anything else, either, truthfully.
The appointment was fine. I do just love Dr. Z. He comes in and next thing I know we're discussing the New Yorker magazine and then we're on to books and how much it has always distressed him to realize he will never in this lifetime read all the books but that he wants to die with a huge pile of them that he's been planning to read, and also his kids and how yes, they have four now and have reached a sort of mass capacity.
He is so careful not to overwhelm me with health stuff or say anything that's going to stress me out even more. He said my bloodwork looked fine. Phew. I told him about my soreness after doing anything physical and he asked me if I was ready to start down the orthopedic road and I said, "No. Not yet." He recommended that I start taking Undenatured Type II Collagen. I will. I talked some about my weight. How I know I would feel better if I had lost some and he said, "I'm not concerned about what it says on the scale but with how it affects you, if it does." He is very aware of the issue of any sort of fat-shaming. He just doesn't do it. At all. I told him my story about being a little girl and looking at my thighs and thinking that they were so fat and he said, "And isn't that so sad?" and I agreed that it was. I went through some of my history of trying to be thin and how finally, at this point in my life I have just become sort of exhausted with worrying about it but I know without a doubt that I would feel better and so would my joints, if I lost weight. To be honest, I'd be happier too, I think.
We left all of that up in the air as I think he realizes that I have the knowledge and experience to deal with this if I want and there's no need to tell me that bread and butter are extremely calorie dense, and we talked about the fall garden (his is already planted) and I recommended rattlesnake beans to him because he said his green beans this year had not done much. And then we fist-bumped and hugged and I'm sure there was more but that was the gist of it.
Oh! We did talk a little about my kidney stone incident I had back in May and I said to him, "Do you know what they call you at the free-standing ER? Or at least one of the nurses?"
And he said, "Baby Zorn?"
And I said, "Yes."
He laughed and said, "And now they call my sister little bitty Baby Zorn." She's a doctor too. An orthopedist, actually.
So that was that and then I sort of melted into the rain and drove to Japanica! where I met up with Jessie who had also had a doctor's appointment this morning. We both had delicious Bento bowls, her's salmon, mine tofu, and we agreed that it was most appropriate to eat there on Owen's birthday as that had been his favorite restaurant when he was so little. My tiny boy loving sushi and miso soup!
Vergil helped Jessie dye her hair the other day. I love it!
Funny- I just realized I'm wearing that very same Virgin of Guadalupe charm on a necklace as we speak. It looks the same but oh, how different the rest of us look now. Although not Mr. Moon, so much. He pretty much looks the same.
I like to think we are.
Big Love...Ms. Moon
Good for you; another of those annual appointments under your belt. Nothing new or different save what you are in change of.
ReplyDeleteJessie's hair is lovely. Blond hair does this so well, though I saw red and blue on black hair recently and loved it.
Thanks for the picture of Harvey's yard. It is as you described.
Happy, happy birthday, Owen. I hope you love reading about yourself when you are older.
It's so fun, what people are doing with their hair these days. I see women my age with their gray hair made all pink or purple and I think, "Hmmmm..."
DeleteBut I don't think that's me.
Happy birthday to Owen. I can get pretty sappy about my grands too. They are miracles, aren't they?
ReplyDeletePurely true miracles.
DeleteI was not here celebrating Owen's birth yet, however, I am here now! He was a beautiful baby and he has grown into a handsome, happy young man! I shall hope the "happy" stays with him forever!
ReplyDeleteHe will if he takes after Grandpa Glen ... Glen is always smiling!
Oh, Glen has his moments when he does not feel like smiling but for the most part, he is a pretty happy guy. That was one of the first things I noticed about him. He smiled all the time!
DeleteDr Z sounds like he understand you quite well....glad all went pretty well! Big sigh of relief, right? I have my physical appt upcoming in 2 wks and am already beginning my anxiety! Jessie's hair is perfect........and Owen on his true birthday........ I remember the day well! He is stellar....as are all your grands!
ReplyDeleteSusan M
Ugh, Susan. I'm so glad mine is over and I seriously feel for you, having to wait another two weeks for yours to be over.
DeleteThat first grandbaby- well. Although it's like your own kids. You just don't know that you can love more than one with all the power you felt for the first one. But turns out, you sure can.
My heart.
ReplyDeleteYou were here!!!!
DeleteToday I had to make an emergency dental appointment. Due to my unnatural fear of dentists, I stopped twice to cry on my 15-minute drive. Once in the chair I started shaking and the tears began. Through the whole thing (which lasted all of 30 minutes) I acted a fool. When it was over I sat in my car and cried for ten minutes….then could barely keep my eyes open to drive home. The high adrenaline drained me, I guess. I’m 67 years old and am quite embarrassed by my fear and anxiety, but I can’t see that changing anytime soon. The sweet boy who made me a Gigi (great grandma) told me wants to be a doctor so he can make sure I don’t get hurt. Out of the mouth of babes!!
ReplyDeleteOh, Catrina! That was a horrible experience. First off, I so wish you didn't react this way to dental appointments but you legit do and so do many people. So please try not to be embarrassed by your very real and very true reaction.
DeleteAnd bless your little great-grand.
Please wish Owen many happy returns of the day from me.
ReplyDeleteI will! Thank you!
DeleteDr Z should be cloned. Or at least teach other doctors how to treat their patients. You have a gem there.
ReplyDeleteI think you are ageing extremely well. Don't be so hard on yourself.
I swear, there are so many parts of aging that I thought were merely temporary aberrations but which have turned out to be permanent and that is one of the things that drives me crazy.
DeleteDr. Z. should indeed at least teach a class to med students on bedside manner.
What a welcome to a great boy! Lovely pictures. And it sounds as if your doctor gets you very well.
ReplyDeleteHe IS a great boy! And there were so many of us there to welcome him. I'll never forget Hank sitting in that waiting room for so many hours, patient the Queen's sentry.
DeleteDr. Z. does understand me, I think. I do not feel judged by him ever.
Look at that tiny baby already with so much character in his face.
ReplyDeleteLOVE Jessie's hair.
I love fresh new babies' faces. They hold the world in them.
DeleteJessie's hair is awesome, isn't it?
Lovely photos and memories.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite memories are composed of the days my own children were born and the days my grandchildren were born. I am so lucky to have all of them, the memories and the love.
DeleteI thought all the wonderful old doctors had gone but Dr. Zorn sounds young-ish. It's so good to see that they are still making them like that!
ReplyDeleteOh, Dr. Zorn is about twelve years old. Okay, not really. I mean, he does have four children. But I think he's about the same age as some of my own kids.
DeleteJessie's hair looks fantastic! It is indeed appropriate that you went to Japanica! for lunch. It's still my ambition to get there one of these days.
ReplyDeleteIt smells pretty funky in there now, like a bar that's never quite cleaned properly, but we still love it. And the food is good.
DeleteI'm so glad the doctor's visit went well. He sounds like a good, kind man.
ReplyDeleteJessie's hair looks fabulous and those photos of baby Owen are so sweet.
Baby Zorn is indeed a good, kind man.
DeleteI think Vergil did a great job on Jessie's hair.
Dr Z is the kind of doctor that all doctors should aspire to be. Belated birthday greetings to Owen. He shares his birthday with my daughter Frances who squeezed her way into this world on September 26th 1988 and has been the apple of my eye ever since.
ReplyDeleteI always wonder what it would be like to have a daddy who felt that way about me.
DeleteHurray that your doctor visit went well and you are done with that for awhile! Isn't it amazing how quickly Owen went from that cute baby to his handsome self?!
ReplyDeleteEllen- it seems impossible.
DeleteHappy birthday Owen! Indeed we are getting old together, I’ve been reading your blog since before you became Mer Mer, glad the visit is over and if you do need an orthopedist little bitty baby Zorn sounds like she’d be an excellent one.
ReplyDeleteXoxo
Barbara
That's exactly what I was thinking- that I bet Dr. Z. could recommend a good orthopedist!
Delete