“I was thinking of you today,” my friend, Peg, said. And what prompted her to think of me? The death of Ricardo Montalban. And the tie-in? He died at 88. And I’m headed for my 86th birthday. Well, it’s nice to have your friends think of you from time to time but maybe not because they are thinking that you, too, may soon be just a memory.

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Sometimes I have trouble remembering names. Like a few minutes ago. When I wanted to remember Ricardo Montalban’s name, because we had spoken of him just yesterday. The closest I could come to it was Leonardo diCaprio (you see, I had a general idea). Of course, I just googled “died at 88″ and there Ricardo was, first on the list! Very handy, that google.

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This morning I did a “no-no.” I know perfectly well that when traveling one should not sit long in the same position, should get up and move around, especially when you’re older,  because of the danger of blood clots in the legs. This morning I was so engrossed in the pictures of my grandkids on Facebook that I must have sat motionless, legs tightly crossed, for possibly 45 minutes. When I got up, there was this pain in my right calf. I went “oh-oh” and immediately diagnosed DVT (deep vein thrombosis) with threat of PE (pulmonary embolism) and (who knows?) death at 85. First I attached my cell phone to me, in case I had to call 911. Then I unlocked the back door so the medics wouldn’t have to break it down. Then I took a whole aspirin, as an anti- coagulation factor. I got in touch with God and told him I knew he could fix me if he wanted to but “anytime you’re ready.” Then I googled “calf pain” and stuff like that but didn’t find anything that needed to be done immediately. And I waited. It is half a day later and I’m still waiting. The leg looks perfectly OK and feels almost right. Wouldn’t it be funny if I upped and died and someone read my snippets next week? Am I just being a drama queen?

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We’re having a “winter weather advisory.” The snow is winding down and an Alberta Clipper is coming. It should be down to zero tonight with perhaps a high of 10 degrees tomorrow. Old folks don’t like cold. Especially little skinny old people.  We have no blubber for insulation.  We don’t like slippery driveways either.   Next day:  Woke up to -6 degrees! I wonder how long I’ll be house-bound and all bundled-up inside the house. The schools are on a 90-minute delay for no other reason than that it’s cold. I think of the passengers on the US Airways airbus that landed in the Hudson River yesterday afternoon and pray that they are all warm and grateful now. My blood turns cold just thinking of that cold river and that cold air, on that cold day.  Too much drama for one day.

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Magic Jack is a Magic Scam! Did you actually believe that could get unlimited calling to the US and Canada for $19.95 per YEAR? Really? This is what I read today when for the first time I looked up Magic Jack on google. When my tenant went on vacation he left his Magic Jack attached to my computer and told me I could use it to make all the phone calls I wished.  Opportunity beckoned and yesterday I called Wendy in New Mexico and had a nice long talk with her. Whenever I call someone on my cell phone I have visions of dollar bills floating out the window as I speak. Not so with Magic Jack. Once you have it, apparently it only costs 19.95 per year. I found the voice quality on Magic Jack not as good as my cell phone, but, hey, it was so good to have a long talk, as in the old days of land lines, without thinking about money.  Today I plan to call Katy in Indiana!

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Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once. —  William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar