Lab Results

I often mention the great telephone screening machine we have that stops spammers, house flippers, and other undesirables cold in their tracks when they try to contact us. Yes, we still have a landline phone and have no plans to get rid of it. 

While it is very useful since it does not ring unless people identify themselves, that benefit can also be a disadvantage. How so, you may ask? Exactly that...I have no idea who has called if they did not identify themselves unless I check the Caller ID...something I do not do often. I figure if they did not identify themselves in order to leave a message then they are not worth my precious time.

Case in point this past Friday, January 27th when I had several calls from my doctor's office. On Friday they close at noon and these calls were before and afterward. In my last post, I mentioned that I had blood work (labs) done on Wednesday and was worried since I once again had unintentionally lost weight. My mind started racing and I just knew my lab work must have been atrocious to hear from the doctor's office.

I called them only to get a recording that they were closed. Just in case I unplugged the answering machine (it came with FIVE cordless phones) and plugged in my old princess phone which if you are as old as I am...know that it has NO caller ID. I had to take my chances and answer it like in the old days when you had no idea who was on the other end.

Sure enough, it rang and it was my doctor's male nurse. I was bracing for the worst and hoping that I was NOT a DIABETIC in need of insulin injections as soon as possible. I have to admit that I have not exactly been following a "healthy diet" I can remember the last time I had a pizza...but not a salad...😇

He informed me that my labs showed my levels of Vitamin D were below normal and he was sending a prescription to my pharmacy to correct this. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders! I asked him about my A1C levels and to my surprise just like in my Sept 2022 labs it was 5.5% well within the normal range of 4.0 to 6.0%. 

It has been COLD in Del Rio, at least yesterday the sun was out. Today it has been cloudy and miserable. I am not complaining as I know that come March it will once again be hot and I will be wishing for cooler weather.

It is here that I would wish you a Good Night and Terlingua Dreams but it is barely noon. I have been awake since 1:50 a.m. Maybe I should worry more about my chronic insomnia than my A1C levels.

Aunty Acid

Labs / Higher P.O. Box fees / Ollie's 15% off bonanza

I went to the doctor last week after my December 2022 appointment was canceled due to him going on vacation. He sent me to get labs but I forgot that the clinic closes at noon on Fridays. Monday and Tuesday were too darn cold and windy so I settled for Wednesday. The last time I went I had lost four pounds without trying and this time as well...I just hope I have not graduated from Pre-diabetic to full-blown Diabetic. Most of the people I know that are unfortunate enough to have this prevalent disease in the Hispanic community started out with weight loss.

After my labs, I made a beeline for the Post Office. I have so many problems with them and it was either two or three years ago or last year (remember I have CRS) they lost my check and I had to pay twice even though they did finally reimburse me. We have a small P.O. Box and once again the price increased from $166.00 last year to $198.00 for twelve months of service. Nothing I can do about it as we need our mail.

Have been receiving emails from Ollie's to not forget to use the 15 percent coupon they sent me...once again I never received it...our mail service is just terrible! Lucky for me but mainly for them they emailed me a copy of it and I was able to use it on all the things I purchased today.

I did not buy that many things but I did find some good bargains...like beef jerky for $10.99 for a 12 oz. package. You won't find it at that price at HEB or Walmart.

A battery-powered wine opener...

I had seen this Shimmy Scrub in a commercial on Pinterest but NOT for $2.99...

I have this 12-ounce insulated stainless steel cup but in a different color that I use to sip my tea and/or my soups. It was an impulse buy as I am partial to this color. :-D

   

Last but not least some heavy-duty Wrangler women's socks for $3.99...

In a prior post, I mentioned that I had found a great deal on top-loading pet crates at this store. However, they only had them in blue but I bought them anyway. Today I thought I had lucked out but unfortunately, though I love the color, they were not top-loading crates which is a must if you have ever had a cat and tried to shove them through the front entrance.

The prices I quote are the regular price you need to knock off 15 percent to see what great buys I found on Wednesday.

Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid

Wild weather in Texas

We have had strong winds and almost 35 mph gusts yesterday and 50 mph today. It is cold!!!!!!!!! There was snow in the Panhandle and other areas in the northern part of the state. This area was hoping for rain but at least the southern tip of Val Verde County got very little.

I was watching the national news when I saw that Pasadena, Deer Park, and Pearland, Texas were hammered by a tornado. Immediately texted my best friend who lives in that area. There was a lot of damage but thankfully only down fences, trees, and light poles, her house was not affected. They are however without power and are heading to her boyfriend's daughter's house to spend the night.

I hope no other readers were affected by the bad weather.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid

January 2023 trip to Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila - México

This past Thursday, January 5th I made a trip to México, for the same reason as I did back in September 2022...to take another batch of cats to the veterinarian to be fixed. If you would like to read about it, you can do so on my other blog Walter's World by clicking on my header picture or this link https://mylittlewalter.blogspot.com/

After dropping them off  I went about running my errands. Before I go any further these were the exchange rates on this day so you can compare prices.

                                                              Compra (buy) Pesos

                                                           Venta (sell) US Dollars

                                     

It had been six months since I last got a haircut so headed to Gutierrez (a grocery store) to one of their no-frill salons. Understandably the price had gone up, I paid $100.00 pesos with a tip of 20.00 pesos for a total of $120.00 Mexican pesos or $6.06 USD.

Much like on prior occasions, I went to Citibanamex to get change for the Mexican Currency I had. By that, I mean that when you exchange dollars for pesos in larger amounts they give you larger currency bills, and sometimes you need smaller denominations as well as coins to tip the sackers, people who clean your windows at the stop light, and for the toll booths. I tend to buy pesos when the exchange ratio is higher since I use it up at the vet, the doctor, grocery shopping, the beauty shop, international toll booths, etc., etc. since I live along the border. If you are a tourist on a one-day shopping trip you are better off paying in US dollars.

On a prior trip, I kidded if there was a run at this bank because the lines are always long. I figured since it was a new year most people did not have any money left after the holiday season. However, when I was in line I heard that this is the month when young people go cash their scholarship money to pay for school. Likewise, senior citizens who are in a state (Coahuila) program that gives them a monthly subsidy were also in line to withdraw that help as they do not trust credit cards. After being in line for 35 minutes and not moving more than a couple of inches I gave up...this gal does not do lines!

I decided to go check out the fabric store next door called Parisina. It has been there for a couple of years but I had never gone inside. They had a large selection of fabrics, plastics, pillows, and household items.

I did not purchase anything but went next door to Bodegas Aurrera (owned by Walmart) where once again they had a shortage of shopping cars. I bought a couple of items because my car was parked far away and I did not want to hurt my back carrying a lot of groceries. A tip if you go shopping in México you need to take your own reusable bags as of two years ago plastic bags are no longer provided at any store.

I purchased one onion...

A couple of bottles of hot sauce...

Two cans of Chipotles at $9.50 each /.48 US cents.

There was no shortage of pasta. Some were on sale for $5.00 pesos /.25 US cents.

The following day was going to be Día de Los Reyes or the Three Wisemen. Tradition in México is to have a Rosca de Reyes that has several baby Jesus baked into it and whoever gets it has to buy tamales on February 2nd...also known as El Día de la Candelaria.

This was the smallest Rosca I saw. It sold for $160.00 pesos or $8.08 USD and this included a 2 Liter container of milk that I was not aware of until I enlarged the picture.

Remember when there was a shortage of Valentino hot sauce? Not today so bought some to go with my buttered popcorn at $11.00 pesos the equivalent of .56 USD cents.

While you can not bring back eggs, I was curious what they were selling for...a carton of 30 eggs at $84.00 pesos...or $4.24 USD. A carton of 18 eggs $2.70 USD, and a dozen eggs $1.84 USD.

Another item I purchased was a jar of Decaffeinated Coffee for $64.50 or $3.26 USD.

I have a lot of pictures but have run out of space in my Google Photos account. I have been emailing them to myself and that takes a while. If I have time I will do a Part II and show my purchases at Gutierrez or not...

Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid