Sweltering heat no more!
The air conditioning was fixed, but it will not be needed for long: A full day of rain caused by Ophelia, the storm that blew right onto the North Carolinas, brought cooler temperatures. And September 23 was the first day of Fall!
Welcome fall! The autumnal equinox—the September equinox or the fall equinox—arrived on Saturday, September 23. Not only do temperatures drop, but plant life slows down and so do we. The fall equinox and the first day of autumn arrives on Saturday, September 23, 2023, at 02:50 A.M.EDT in the Northern Hemisphere. The equinox occurs at the same moment worldwide. I had always associated September 21 with the first day of fall, but apparently that happens rarely. A September 21 equinox has not happened for several millennia! In the 21st century, it will happen twice—in 2092 and 2096. So, that will not happen in my lifetime!
Meniscal tear update
Last Monday, after eight weeks of physical therapy with a great guy, my non-surgeon took 25cc of yellow fluid out of my knee and injected some pain reliever. The next day I was on Cloud Nine: no pain in my knee at any time. I was delighted that I could walk Lani at night, half a mile, and I walked her again on Tuesday night. Wednesday morning was the first time that I had to put on a jacket and a scarf. From now on I hope to be able to walk her again in the evenings. In the mornings Mike needs me and I can’t just leave him in bed for too long. We are early risers, I get up at 6 a.m. and Mike at 7.
Dinners
Last week we had some delicious dinners from several restaurants: Turkish Tzatziki Chicken and a Vietnamese spicy lemongrass dish with tofu. Both so delicious that I have ordered them twice in two weeks. Tofu, in Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese dinners is a delicious, healthy alternative to chicken, and we try to limit eating a lot of red meat.
Flu shots and Covid tests
We both got our flu shots at the pharmacy last week. The Pharmacist came out to the car to give Mike his shot, so Mike wouldn’t have to come in. The new Covid shots will be available in October, and we are on the list. Then, we also heard that 4 new do-it-at-home Covid tests are available free of charge. We have a box full of free Covid tests in the closet, but I heard for the first time that they have an expiration date, that expiration dates have been extended, and that there is a list of extended test expiration dates you can check. So that is another project: check all the tests we already have and see when their expiration dates really expire! They say that it is now clear that every year, together with our flu shot, we should also expect to get a Covid shot. If you get them at the same time, do them at different arms, is what my doctor advised.
I also heard that it is better to get your annual flu shots always in the same arm. Why? Because they then go to the same lymph nodes each time and you will build up better immunity that way. And so we strive to go into fall and winter healthy, and always happy and thankful for the blessings we receive daily.
And that’s a wrap!
Until next time,
Ronny