Bfth's Boring Blog

 (Note:  This is probably going to be really boring and TMI for most...you've been warned.) Dear New Dr.,  We've moved to the Poconos and it's time for me to get a doctor in the area.  Insurance says you are in network and a (somewhat) reasonable distance from the house, so I'm selecting you. I haven't had many physicians in my life.  From birth till about age 10, I went to pediatrician, Dr. U, who then retired.  I went to see him a lot and even though I am nearing 60, I can still remember his office (in his home); it's antiseptic smell. A teal sofa and the portrait of a clown (Emmett Kelly?) in his waiting room. There were two examining rooms and Nurse Barbara (who scared the crap out of me).  My mother said that as I baby I would start to scream the minute we rounded the corner to get to his office.  I recall him as a good physician.  I was prescribed tetracycline quite a bit.  The one time he was on vacation, is when I got a terrible ...

  I always thought T.S. Eliot was referring to the fact that taxes were due in April.  Yes, I was way off.  Although April is cruel for the 15th looms large.  (And instills, if not fear, anxiety, in my heart.) This year April seems to be particularly "cruel."  We've had spurts of warm weather only to be crushed by cold.  But that alone is not what makes this period of time difficult for me.  April is a reminder that my parents are no longer with me. For me it actually starts in March.  "March Madness" was one of my dad's favorite times of the year.  Once retired, he barely budge from his chair, watching game after game.  Basketball was probably his favorite sport.  He played it in high school.  I think he was disappointed that his son was not interested.  He supported the Bucknell (men’s) basketball team.  (He didn't go to Bucknell, my mother did, but to the uninformed you would have thought he did.  He was s...

 ...or at least it's trying to.  We've had a couple of warmish days (coupled with a couple of cold ones.)  I've actually had the windows open a bit on more than one occasion.  (I really can't wait until I can open them and leave them open.)  We're moving in the right direction and that gives me some hope. New life is slowly popping up around here.  Things are slowing going from brown to green.  A few flowers have actually opened a little.  The crocus was first and the daffodils are following suit.  (How I LOVE daffodils...if they were to take over the yard I'd be happy.)  The tulips are still trying.  (I've got my fingers crossed.) The birds are singing again.  I finally saw a robin here.  I've seen other kinds of birds that I can't identify. (I should really get an app.)  Hearing them when I wake up, it's sweet.  It's relaxing.  I even find the crow of the rooster (or maybe that should be roosters) char...

 A story was relayed to me some years ago by a woman who lived in Newark, NJ and went to a political event (maybe it was rally?), where a young man, who did not live in Newark, was speaking.  He was running for mayor and according to this woman, was somewhat heckled or talked over.  She, being the woman that she was, told them to settle down and let the man speak.  She wasn't for or against this man, she just wanted to hear what he had to say.   The other day, that man, who did become mayor of Newark, and who has since become a Senator for the state, spoke on the senate floor for an amazing 25 hours and 5 minutes.  There were no bathroom breaks (which amazes me), he never sat down (he would not have been allowed) and there were no real pause in his speech (fellow senators were allowed to ask questions [although they seemed more like comments] which could take several minutes, which gave the senator a bit of a break, as did a brief break for t...

 Sometimes thoughts just pop into my head and then ramble around for a while.  They are not necessarily tied to one another and wouldn't make for a cohesive post, but then again who said anything I ever wrote was cohesive? I woke with anxiety this morning.  No surprise there, anxiety resides within me all too often, even as I try to push it away.  Yesterday was wonderfully warm and partially sunny.  My husband and I took advantage of the warmth to take down the broken and battered portable greenhouse.  (This is what it looked like back in 2022...before we moved in.) I believe it had stood for at least 3 years and weathered the winter.  This winter with the wind, ice and snow it collapsed.  It broke my heart, but...now perhaps the landscaper can come up with suggestions as to what should go in the space.  (Or maybe you do.)  In addition to dismantling, I enjoyed the warm weather by sitting outside and reading (one of my favorite ...

  Commuting from the Poconos to my NJ home (and then onto the office in Newark) has proved to be more complicated that I imagined.  Last week's trek was one for the books ( https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2025/03/a-three-hour-tour.html ).  It was not an experience I'd like to repeat. With a section of route 80 out of commission the drive has been "challenging" to say the least (Although I am hopeful:   https://newjersey.news12.com/gov-murphy-provides-timeline-on-possible-reopening-of-i-80-in-morris-county   Please don't be toying with me Governor Murphy!)  Not wishing to repeat last Wednesday's horror, when my husband and I had to return to NJ over the weekend, I made sure to leave relatively early on Saturday morning (before 9).  On Sunday we dropped our son off at college (spring break went by quicker that I could imagine) and GSP routed us a strange way, but we got back to our home in just over 2 hours.  All things considered it ...