I hope you get your snow: I didn't, but got something more

Roberta

I was sitting here on my couch the other night, and could hear my neighbor Dee faintly thru the wall behind me.  She's 70 years old, has an adult daughter and a 9-10 year old granddaughter.  Her granddaughter was telling Dee about her dad taking them to Seven Springs after Christmas.

For those who don't know, Seven Springs is a very popular ski resort approximately 60 miles east of Pittsburgh.

When they were saying goodbye in the hallway, Dee said "Goodbye honey.  I hope you get your snow."  I sat here thinking "Where have I heard that before?"  I knew someone said that to me once, who?  I went back to my book, then later that night after climbing into bed--pow.  I remembered.  

A long time ago in December 1973, I was 12 years old and in seventh grade at Jefferson Morgan Jr-Sr High School.  It was the last day of school before our holiday break, and we only had a half day.  

We were sitting in our homerooms waiting for the buses to arrive, and our 7th grade History (and homeroom) teacher Mr. Wettie Mancuso asked if anyone had any plans for the holidays.  I can't remember if the other kids shared anything, but I said my Grandma was coming to spend the night at our house Christmas Eve, and I was praying really hard for a blizzard so she'd be forced to stay a day or two longer like she did a couple years before.  

(We lived in an old farmhouse on a country road--back then, snow plows were hit or miss.  It could be a couple days before you saw one.)

Mr. Mancuso said "Who hopes Doug gets a blizzard?" and several kids hands shot up, and it was enormously gratifying.  In retrospect, I think every kid just wanted snow for Christmas.

Mr. Mancuso

Mr. Mancuso asked if anyone else wanted to share, and Roberta McCarty, a girl who sat one seat up from me in the next row said "I have a tumor in my head and they want to operate the week after Christmas."

The classroom got very quiet.  Mr. Mancuso said "Aw honey, that's too bad.  Who wants to pray for Berta?"  Everyone's hand went up, and I suddenly felt embarrassed and guilty for my prayer for a blizzard to snare Grandma.

I'll never forget this.  Roberta said "It doesn't matter if you pray.  I probably won't survive."  Mr. Mancuso said "Don't say that, you're going to be here a long time.  You'll see."

(Mr. Mancuso would retire the following year, and pass on 4 years later.)

The buses began pulling into the breezeway outside our windows and the final bell rang.  As we began filing out of the classroom, kids were saying goodbye to one another and to Roberta.  When I said goodbye to her I said good luck and hoped she'd have a nice Christmas.  Roberta said "You too, I hope you get your snow."

We didn't get any snow that Christmas, but a 3 day icy drizzle instead.  The local weatherman kept joking if it turned a couple degrees colder, we'd be knee-high in the white stuff.  Torture for a kid to hear.  But Grandma stayed with us an extra day anyway, and for me that was all the Christmas I really wanted.

Roberta didn't return to school after the holiday break.  I don't know when her operation took place but she passed in February, a couple months shy of her 13th birthday.  I often wondered if anyone in our class even remembered her, until our senior year when someone drew her likeness above for a Memorial page in our senior yearbook.

But I've thought about her off and on through the years, and how sad and grownup she seemed at that tender age of 12.  And of course, her very unselfish wish for me.  Roberta, I'll never forget you.

Three Wise Men, Two Bottled Teas & An Apache in a Teepee

Can I share something that borders on mental?   The weekend after Thanksgiving 2023, my sister Shawn was giving me a ride back to Pittsburgh.  I'd been a guest at her home over the holiday.  Before exiting Waynesburg, she said "Do you want to stop at Giant Eagle and get some of your Lipton tea?"

At the time, I was hooked on Lipton's Peach Tea.  But because it's such a sweet drink, I limited myself to only drinking it over the weekends.  So I said yes, thanks.  We ran in and I picked up a six-pack of the drink.

I put it in my fridge, and during the month of December 2023 enjoyed 4 of the 6 bottles.

Then right before Christmas I developed covid, which by January 2024 became long covid.  I was so frightened, flustered, angry, worried, you name it--I made a weird promise to myself.  I wouldn't enjoy the remainder of that Lipton Peach Tea until I made a full recovery.   And there it still sits on the center shelf, behind the milk and V8 juice, those 2 bottles of Lipton Peach Tea.

It seems like every blogger I know likes to include the current weather in their posts.  As I write this late Sunday night, I awoke this morning to 4 inches of snow outside and temps in the single digits.  I wish I knew how to make this more interesting, but snow is snow.  I hope it comes back in time for Christmas.

On Friday I had a Tele-conference (on my laptop) with Dr. Yeeuogi, a UPMC neurologist who I haven't seen or spoken to since February.  He and his two white-coated colleagues wanted to review my recent CT scans with me and see how I was doing.  I told them I was able to attend a holiday luncheon earlier in the week, but it's been pretty much inflammation, burning & soreness from the neck up daily.

Dr. Yee said he understood I was making a full recovery over the summer.  I said yes I believed so, was still dealing with chronic fatigue but the inflammation had mostly abated.  But a 3 hour dental visit "reawakened" the long covid on Sept 12.  Dr. Yee said "We've seen studies where half or more post-covid patients suffer a complete relapse, weeks or even months after recovery."

He said "Given your medical history of TMJ-TMD do you think the dental visit caused that instead?"  I said I did at first, but then the familiar covid headaches began in my temples and eyes, followed by lots of stinging in the face, and the weird smell of diesel, baked beans & burnt hair throughout the day.  (That’s one of the more common symptoms, a strong combination of unique phantom smells.)

I said I also went on Reddit and looked for "post covid relapses following dental work" and there were dozens of stories from people who suffered the same thing.  Dr. Yee said "Really!"  

He asked if I wanted to try going back on Nortriptyline or Gabapentin, two antidepressants that can sometimes help people with nerve pain.  I said no thanks, I know both can take weeks to do anything and come with awful side effects (gabapentin zombies your brain and wrecks your sex drive, not that I need mine but it's nice to have around) and neither worked for me before anyway.

He went on to tell me some things I didn't really want to hear (people are living with this longer than previously thought, there are still no definitive answers, etc.) and I thanked him for checking up on me.  I wished him and his two colleagues Happy Holidays, then went and laid down.

The "Best if Used By' date on those bottles of tea is 01-09-2024.   We'll see.

PS. I wanted to thank my friends and visitors for hanging in there with me.  I know this has consumed my writing the last 2 years, but I am not good at hiding discomfort or pain.  Really, thank you.   I came so close this summer to making a full recovery, I'm sure I will again.

PPS. I was just closing this up to go to bed, and saw the awful news about Rob Reiner and his wife.  God rest their souls.

Look who I'm hugging at the Sacred Heart Holiday Lunch

Thanks to our mutual friend Mary who took Evie & myself along, we were able to attend this year's Single Seniors Holiday Lunch at the Sacred Heart Church in nearby Emsworth on Tuesday.

I feel blessed, the post covid issues I've been dealing with were a little more manageable that morning and gave me the courage to go.  I really wanted to see Mary & Evie more than anything, I missed both very much.

The lunch was really nice, and I was so glad to see some other folks from the Senior Center (I haven't been there since September).  Towards the end of the lunch, when Mary was away from our table, I won the poinsettia centerpiece, which I gifted to Evie just as Mary returned.  Mary then offered to drop me off on the Boulevard so I could hitch a ride home.  She was kidding of course!  I sure do love these characters. 

Here's a few more pictures of our wonderful time there.

Cussin' Connie & Jenny, don't you love their smiles?  This is after I told Connie how great she looked, and she said "And you're full of sh-t!"  I sure have missed her :^)

Chicken quiche, croissant, raspberry walnut salad & apricot green beans.  They served this with plenty of their famous Christmas Tea Spice Punch, which was delicious.  No joke, I drank 4 big cups of that Heavenly Brew

Dessert came courtesy of Nothing Bundt Cakes, a specialty bake shop on the North Side.  These must've weighed over 1/2 a pound each!  They were topped with thick ropes of cream cheese frosting.

These young men provided the entertainment, and we later sang Christmas carols with the guitar player

Finally, they sent us all home with their famous boxes of assorted Christmas cookies.  I'm freezing most of these until we get closer to Christmas, but enjoyed the pumpkin spice cake for dessert that night--and breakfast the next morning.  😋

I would love to know how others handle this

Half of the time I start a new blog post, I wonder "Do people think I'm self centered, always on here talking about myself?"  I've often guilted myself from posting something new.  And then other times I think, "Wait, isn't that what personal blogs are for?"   I'm not forcing anyone to read my ramblings; it'd be a lot different if I wrote up a new post and put it in an email to one person instead.  

To be honest, I don't think my "real life" friends or family even read my blog.  They know about it, but I never hear a word from them.

I suppose I'm feeling the need for this sharing of sorts, as late last night I did something I'm not too fond of doing, reading my own posts from the last 12 months.  (My gosh, I talk a lot.)  But I wanted to know about the various recoveries and setbacks I had in 2025 with this long covid condition.  I have to admit, I'm glad I shared on here as much as I did.  When you finally believe you've made a full recovery in the cranial region (like I was sure I did, this past August) you almost forget about all the hiccups and bumps in the year-plus road along the way.

Since September 12 I've been dealing with the biggest setback since the start of this whole thing, and I worry it's making me more mental than I already am.  A fellow "long hauler" (that's what people with chronic post covid symptoms call themselves) said it forces you into isolation for months, and this is very true.  I've only spoken to two people on the phone in 3 months (my friends Mary & Diana) and the only people I've seen are the workers at Kuhn's Supermarket for the 10-15 minutes I'm in there once a week.  I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have this blog to reach out to others.

I got up this morning, walked around with a sore face and aching eyes for 15 minutes until the pressure started building in my upper face and forehead, then decided I'd better hop in the shower.  I took off my t-shirt and underwear, my socks and slippers then changed my mind and put my socks and slippers back on.  I then proceeded to walk around in here naked until 10:00am until I realized it was Wash Day (I get Monday mornings in the laundry room all to myself).

I finally decided to wash my face, but not take a shower.  It's 17 degrees outside, and my furnace has been running nonstop.  The backs of my legs are scratchy with dry skin.  

For the record, this is NOT the blog I was going to post this morning.  I wrote up a thrilling one yesterday about an IKEA chair and an impromptu pulled chicken sandwich.  Maybe I'll still post it, I don't know.  I'd better go put on something and take my laundry down.   

I'm still very much hoping I can meet up with my friends Mary & Evie tomorrow for that annual Christmas luncheon, but there will be 80 people there and just talking to more than one person can become painful and overwhelming.

Have a good day everyone, thanks for listening.

Five random videos I enjoy watching over and over

Why does YouTube always recommend videos to me I've already seen?  Because I've got a habit of rewatching stuff over & over?  I only do that with certain videos, like the five below.

I can tell you how many times I've watched these, and I haven't gotten tired of them yet.  Do you have videos on YT you've enjoyed again & again?

Not to worry, all of these are short--maybe not as short as Nancy Sinatra's miniskirt in the third one, but they're short enough!

1.  Steve Lawrence & Edyie Gorme, The Ed Sullivan Show - September 17, 1967

When I was growing up in the 1960s-70s, I thought Steve Lawrence & Edyie Gorme were the hammiest pair on television.  But I began "rediscovering" Eydie's career on YouTube several years ago and fell in love with her earlier stuff.  Anyway, this is the couple at their finest. 

Number of times seen:  16

2.  Joan McCracken in the opening number of 1947's "Good News"

Love the movie, love June Allyson--but whenever Joan McCracken (below) appeared on camera, she stole the show.  Sadly, Joan died at the tender age of 43 (from a heart attack) on November 1, 1961.  One day after I was born.

Number of times seen:  19

3.  Nancy Sinatra, Goldie Hawn & Ruth Buzzi - Laugh-In Salutes the End of the Sixties

Here's what I love in no particular order:  1969, Laugh-In, Nancy Sinatra, Goldie Hawn, Ruth Buzzi's surprisingly sexy legs.

Number of times seen:  17  

4.  The Kitten Lady meets Chickpea

I have a big confession--I love cat & kitten videos, and I've been following this young tattooed woman aka "The Kitten Lady" for at least 5 years now.  She's nationally known and hugely respected, and takes in broken or orphaned kittens.  (She's also rescued puppies and the occasional goat.)

In this video (which I've watched time & again for 5 years) she rescues Chickpea, a kitten that proves even too cute for her.  I'm happy to report Chickpea lived happily ever after.

Number of times seen:  Unknown, probably around 15

5.  The DeLorean Time Machine in Back to the Future

Loved the movie, loved that pimped out ride.  And that's all this is, the car hitting 88 mph.  One awesome minute of it.

Number of times seen:  21

If there's someone up there listening... how about another 3 day pass?

Last week (Tuesday, Nov 18 to be specific) I awoke feeling well.  I was surprised when I climbed out of bed, looked into the bathroom mirror and my eyes didn't have those post-covid black sockets under them.  

I kept my fingers crossed, I was scheduled to get CT scans later that day and it would make things so much better if I could ride the two buses to UPMC without being in too much discomfort.

I continued feeling good that day, even when my neurologist showed me two 'clouds' still in the frontal lobe region from my long covid.

Who cares about clouds, maybe this relapse on September 12 was finally settling down for good.

The next day the good times continued.  I called my barber and asked if she had any openings, it had been several weeks since my last haircut.  She did, and I got a great cut.  The third day, I was still doing great.  I knew I had to take advantage of this, so I showered and dressed first thing, and went downtown to renew my expired driver's license.  This had been weeks overdue.

I awoke Friday morning with some mild burning in my temples, and a very sore neck.  Maybe I slept on it funny and it will fade...  but as the day wore on, the pressure in my head increased, as did the pain in the lower right jawline and mouth.  That damn long covid was fighting it's way back.

By Friday night, the last 3 days seemed like a dream.  At least I made good use of them.

This isn't the first time I got one of those passes.  When all of this began in January 2024 (I am coming up on my 2 year anniversary with this) I was housebound and miserable for 4 months.  Then in May 2024 I got a 3-4 day reprieve, and was able to visit the senior center a couple times and attend a lunch with friends at Red Lobster.  I was happy as a clam, pun intended.

It didn't last, the summer of 2024 was the worst.  I didn't leave my place again for 3 months.  But I got another "weekly pass" in the Fall, and then again in early December.  I was able to attend the Holiday luncheon for Senior Singles at the church next door.   

I got a couple more "3 day passes" in February and April, and by May 2025 things had improved enough that I was venturing out again.  I was still fighting extreme fatigue, go out for 2-3 hours, come home and sleep for 3-4, but the head and facial pain was 90% gone.  Aside from getting plantar fasciitis in August, I really believed the "covid head" stuff was nearly gone for good.

Then of course, on September 12 everything came back.  I haven't been to the senior center since.  

Anyway, it would've been nice to get a 3 day pass this week so I could spend Thanksgiving with loved ones, but I didn't luck out.  I'm hoping I get a pass next week so I can attend this years Senior Singles Holiday Lunch with my gals Mary and Evie.  I really miss them.

Finally, here's one thing with a happy ending:  a few days ago, I was making a cup of coffee and it tasted like burnt plastic.  I tried another k-cup, same result.  I ran a cup of white vinegar thru my Keurig and activated the deep cleanse.  No change.

My K-Supreme was a month or so past its warranty, so I'd have to purchase another one.  This was my third K-Supreme in 5 years!  

But feeling face-sore and cranky, I called Customer Service anyway.  I got a very polite Indian woman named Sky.  I told her what happened, she said "Okay sir, here is what we're going to do.  First I want you to try a different brand k-cup..."   I told her no, I did that already.  She said "Perfect.  Okay, now we're going to operate your machine in clean mode.  Do you have any white vinegar?"

I said "Sky, I did all that this morning.  I'm not wasting anymore time or k-cups on this faulty machine.  And I know it's a month past the warranty, so I'm not expecting you to replace it.  I just wanted someone to know how disappointed I am.  I've been a loyal customer of Keurig for years, but this is ridiculous."

Sky said she was very sorry for the inconvenience, I said thanks for listening.  Fifteen minutes later, she called back and asked for the serial number on my Keurig.  After giving it to her, Sky said they were sending me a new machine, no charge.  I was very surprised, thanked her and asked if I needed to send the bad one back.  She said no, just discard it.

It arrived a couple days ago and boy, my coffee tastes great again.  I hope this one can stick around for awhile.