Darlyne: my podiatrist says that Medicare will pay for the care of the feet once every 2 months, if you are diabetic. I have to see my internist every 3 months for the A1C (diabetic test). I was not aware that Medicare would pay if you are not diabetic. You learn something new every day.
Either one does a good job; we have the RVNA (Registered Visiting Nurse ???) and she is very good. LOVE love love the lotion. 
I like it done every two months although I can go three. I have a toe that was unblessed by shoes that were too short although they were very comfortable. I end up walking on that toenail which curls under a bit. Not comfy! After 20 years of walking on it and then 18 more after retirement and no more dress shoes, no chance it will straighten itself out. Will likely have to have the nail removed eventually. It’s an office procedure and the worst thing is the needle in the toe. That hurts!
Anyhow, I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who has that done.
I did get Girl of the Limberlost on my Kindle and it didn’t cost a thing. I didn’t realize Stratton was a woman. However, I should have known as the story is female oriented, well, Laddie is the one I’m reading and even though Laddie is male, the storyteller is female. And it’s well done, too. I am surprised at the choices in the free books. And is it easy on the budget.
Why am I craving salt? Well it isn’t craving exactly but why?
And with that question, I shall go do drops and pills and get horizontal. Is everybody snug and warm, fed and sheltered. I do hope so.
Jo
I had no idea there was any Medicare coverage for foot care. It makes sense that diabetics would qualify. I was referred to a “therapeutic pedicurist” in Houston last year by my orthopedist. He said the callouses are caused by thinner skin and less padding. Seems my parts warranty was good for 86 years and now they’re wearing out from the bottom up–feet and knees so far–hope the hips can handle their job a few more years. 
Candace
I am on the cusp of being a diabetic but Medicare pays for anyone only every three months. I have friends that have it done and they are not diabetics. I control my blood sugar by staying away from sweets—most of the time. I did have pumpkin pie at thanksgiving.
Darlyne: I do removed the old polish before going to the podiatrist. Are you a diabetic? If not, I am wondering about Medicare paying for toenail cutting—-and is 90 days the time allotment?
Joy
I have had the podiatrist do my nails twice now and I think my supplement and Medicare pays for it as i haven’t received a bill yet. I go every 90 days. Thats a good idea to get the polish done by a manicurist. I wondered how I would do that. Do you remove the polish before having them trimmed again?
Forgot to say Medicare pays for this every 2 months BECAUSE I am a diabetic.
JOY (again)
Darlyne: I also have a podiatrist cut my toenails (have a slight
ingrown toenail which he tends) and trim my calluses, etc.
I pay NOTHING for this, between Medicare and my Supplement, but not all podiatrists honor Medicare.
Medicare pays for this every 2 months. Usually I go after the trim and have polish done at a nail place.
JOY
I will look for those books also. by the way, I have been having a podiatrist cut my toe nails. Medicare pays for it and it costs under $10.00. He doesn’t apply polish but does the filing of calluses etc. I remember having my husband go to one when he couldn’t see to cut his and I really didn’t like doing it. I was surprised that it only cost $5.00 at that time.
What a nice memory you triggered, Jo. Growing up in Indiana, I read all of Gene Stratton Porter’s books. Her cabin has been saved and is open for tours. Now that you’ve brought it up I need to go through the boxes of old books and see if some of them are in there. The one that sticks in my memory is “A Girl of the Limberlost”–only a couple of scenes. I hope it’s one I can get on Kindle and “re-kindle” the memory–(that was accidental, honestly). A pedicure is pure luxury. That’s on my list of something I need to find here–a good therapeutic pedicurist.
Candace
My birthday was December 24th. I really never thought I would live this long, but I am still enjoying life so hope I can stay around awhile longer.
I knew about Echo Lofthus passing away (Norma, her sister called me) but would never have known about Ole Solvedt if you wouldn’t have mentioned it, Jackie. I only met him once - at an all-class high school reunion probably 25 years ago. The family lived fairly close to us; it was ironic that both his mother and his father’s two parents both froze to death - not at the same time, of course. Those Minnesota winters can be wicked.
.
With my Christmas Kindle lying on the shelf, I took myself to the Amazon Free Kindle books site and found from Gene Stratton Porter, whom I had read but eons ago. So I ordered Laddie, A True Blue Tale;A Girl of the limberlost; Her Father’s Daughter. Stories by Andrew Lang, a colorful potpourri of fairy stores: The Grey Fairy Book, the Brown Fairy Book, Lilac, Green and Pink - . And somebody’s Book of Dragons. No charge for any one these - my kind of price!
Laddie is very good, Laddie is a young man who much younger sister looks to him w/awe. He is her savior from teasing by an older brother who, however, saves her from a teacher’s wrath and then the questioning at home where the teacher also lives. Anyone read this one?
And that is all that’s exciting around here.
Oh, one more thing: the RVNA (visiting nurse) who comes to do blood pressure readings and also cuts toenails was here today. Had both done and then, heavenly feeling, she rubbed lotion into our feet…there were two of us. Talk about something to write home about!
And that is it. Gonna go have a cup (a soup cup) of my potato soup (this time with clams instead of white fish pieces. It is sooooooooooo good.
Stay warm, fed and sheltered.
Jo
We had a good five and a half hour drive home with one pit stop. We had surprisingly good crab cakes at the Maryland house. I hadn’t expected that at a food court type place. Anyway it is good to be home. I saw the movie, Up In the Air this afternoon and could have skipped it. It was all about George Cloony and he is good looking but imho thats about it.
I’m sorry I missed your birthday, Darlyne. I was 79 last Sept 11 and I agree, how DID we get there so fast!!!!!!!! I wish I knew. I hope you had a good birthday and thank you to Jenny for driving you.
I read Madeline Albright’s autobiograph some time ago and it was fascinating. It did mention her pins but not all that much as I recall. (Some senior moments make remembering things like this difficult.)
It has turned a tad cooler than it has been. I think I’m ready for spring already.
Take care all,
Jo
I got this book for Christmas. It tells the story of the pins that she wore. I find it fascinating. I wish I had known it during the time she was in the public eye so much. The pins are beautiful and it just tell something about them and the circumstances when she wore them. A nice coffee table book and dnot one you have to sit and read.
It has rained and rained and rained here. Of course we had only had two rainy days during the last 15 months. It is just that there is no place for the water to go. I love a rainy day though.
Georgianna
One of my taped book finds at Half Price Books some months ago was Anne of Green Gables. I feel sure it was among many in the old glass-front bookcase/desk in the living room that I read as a child. Some bits and pieces are coming back to me. I have it in the car and am enjoying the writing 150 years old.
Candace
I am packed and ready for a road trip to Virginia to visit with Julie. Jenny offered to take me for my birthday which is nice. I will be 79 Friday but sure don’t feel that old. How do we get there so fast?
I am taking along the book, What is What by Dave Eggers. This is a novel based on the life of Valentino Achar Deng. I have just started it and it looks interesting. It is my library book group pick. We will leave in the morning and be back Saturday.
I would have enjoyed this trial a lot - man was accused of activity which caused the death of another man. HOWEVER, the courts are in Ft Collins, about a 20 minute drive north of Loveland. Jenna volunteered to drive me but she was only available yesterday. And with my hearing, I was excused. Like Jenny, I wished I had been called years ago.
I ran out of paper about half-way thru the manual printing. I now have paper and ink so I shall continue the process. I do need to pick up a 3-hole punch.
Those unusual charges will really get you. I had a surprise credit in my account. turns out it’s my IRA disbursement. Amount changed and nobody told me it would; I was assured earlier this month that there was NO change. #1 son and I are working the problem.
I really like that movie, Jacky. The River Kwai was excellent in the war movie genre. I don’t think I enjoy sad books even though they are upbeat.
Not much here; missed our second bunco night (darn) but will be able to go to the next one…whenever it may be.
I’m leaving in a bit to finish off some shopping and pick up a prescription. That gets old in a hurry, doesn’t it.
Stay warm - or cool as the case may be - and dry and well fed, all y’all. (That expression is pure Southern, folks. Learned that when I lived there for a while.)
Jo
My group in our church is in charge of funerals, we had only one in 09, but—one yesterday and another tomorrow. Yesterday’s was a dear, quiet 82 year old, Echo Loftus, tomorrow’s is a 58 year young man who was our mayor for many years and the American Legion commander for a long time too. He had a severe alcoholic father, mother froze outside their farm home when Ole was little, he had a very rough childhood. Our pastor, wife, and another kind couple took Ole and his brother into their homes when Dad died, the boys were then teens, and they really both have been wonderful citizens, but Ole had diabetes, and when his wife left him and his little boy, he probably didn’t eat right, ect and hasn’t been well for a couple of years.
I just started a book called The Help, which even the first two chapters enticed me. The “help” are a couple of black women in Mississippi who are maids. This is the first book by Kathryn Stockett who was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, and she made the New York Times Bestseller list.
One praise for the book reads: Its a story the made me weep as I rejoiced for each of humanity’s small but steady triumphs over hate and fear. I will never forget this wonderful book.
New York Times critic reads: A button-pushing, soon to be wildly popular novel…Book groups armed with hankies will talk and talk…An ultimately winning novel.
I’ve only read 5 chapters, but so far, I’d agree.
And I ordered To End All Wars from Netflix. My husband just watched The River Quie —again. Jacky
i was also called for jury duty here and called them and said i should be excused since i am 97 years old and very hard of hearing. They gave me no problems. i wished they would have called me years earlier, since i never had the experience beeing on a jury. the weather here is very nice here, almost like spring, but probably will not last. jenny c.
I guess I had better start checking. I don’t even save the receipts and I know this is irresponsible. I also opt out of jury duty because of age. I would do it if it were easier to get to but it isn’t. You can get there one way but have to leave another and it gets confusing–for me anyway. My husband was called for jury duty two years after he died. This was in Delaware.
I agree, Jo, about the online manuals–I didn’t print out the whole thing–my printer ran out of “ink” and it was nowhere near the end. I just went through to find the part I wanted to ask about and made a note of it.
I have taken advantage of not being required to serve on juries any longer. I served on civil, criminal and municipal juries over the years and don’t feel guilty about using the op-out option after 70.
I just checked my credit card bill against my receipts for the past month. I had an unusual number of charges and wanted to get rid of the old receipts. Lo and behold, I found an incorrect charge for gas. My receipt was for $30.21 and it was on the bill as $34.14. The gallons and price on the receipt were correct at $30.21. I called Chase and they didn’t have an explanation but since I had all the details on the receipt they are posting a credit for $3.93. I always check the bills for any unrecognized charge but haven’t always checked every amount against the receipt since I recognize the vendors but I will from now on.
Candace
I think you will enjoy jury duty Jo, Have you served before? I have a number of times and liked except getting there when I lived in the Chicago area, the Cook county court house was in a bad neighborhood. The jurors had an escort from the parking lot to the court house but you still had to drive through a bad area to get there.
Our book group pick for today was Little Bee by Kline. This was about an Angolan girl who escaped the taking over of her little village by people who wanted the land for oil. She escaped to the beach where an American couple tried to save her and basically did, She stowed away on a ship and got to England where she was put in detention for two years. When she got out she looked up the couple who had saved her on the beach. The man had dropped his drivers license and she had that for the address, There are many twists to the story about the English couple and their little boy and the wifes boyfriend,
Our librarian loved this book but I didn’t and most of the others didn’t either, I wouldn’t have finished it if it hadn’t been a book group pick.
I found that out - I got to page 84 with my printer, which does a dandy job, but the operator screwed up and quit!!!!!!!! I have a 3 hole punch and even though it’ll be a pain, I’ll punch the holes. I need more paper and a notebook to put it in and then I’ll be all set. That comes tomorrow.
BTW, I wrote about my car problem I think. I tried to go someplace Monday and the car wouldn’t start - wasn’t the battery. So somebody came and towed it off and the mechanic couldn’t find ANYTHING wrong - he ran a bunch of diagnostics, etc. So I have my car back. And they are charging me only for the towing. Nice folks. Not so hot on returning phone calls but nice.
And so I’m off to bed. I have jury duty next Tuesday and have to practice getting out of bed a whole lot earlier than I have been.
Take care all
Jo
I went to the Amazon Kindle website, and they have the Kindle Manual via PDF. If you want to print it out, let me warn you, it’s 145 pages. I printed it anyway, and am going to have Office Max 3 hole punch it for me to put in a 3 ring binder.