Wilson!

This post might get a bit "linky."  And by linky I mean, whoever stops by to read this blog post may find a link or two, or three, or more. If there are any links they'll look like this: bold, italicized, & underlined.  They may even be further highlighted by appearing in a special font color and background that I've chosen to draw attention to the link which will lead to another post or website when you click on it.  Get the picture?  Try it on the link below...

NaBloPoMo BlogHer prompt for October 24, 2014 is: "If babyhood is spring and young adulthood is summer, which age do you consider to be the start to the "autumn" of life?"  If you place cursor over the highlighted area and click on it, you will be linked over to my blog post, Are You There Autumn, It's Me Lil.  Easy, right?

Now, on with today's blog post:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2014
Wilson!

Wilson!
You know, Tom Hanks's buddy from the movie Cast Away.
I love that movie!

I need someone to commiserate with... someone compassionate, someone that will sit and listen to my woes, or even better, just sit in silent support and sympathy.  Someone like Wilson.  You know Wilson, right?

Wilson was just a damn good listener.

Why?  Why! Because I've been tempted to go full-on Chuck Nolan on my own ass... or mouth.  Ick.  What I mean is, I need to see a dentist; probably an oral surgeon.  But as luck would have it, out of countless dental practices in my immediate area as well as neighboring towns, it turns out that the procedure required to fix my problem is not covered on our dental group's benefits.  Also, of the four dentists named as providers on our benefits list, I would rather neither get anywhere near my mouth... here's part of the reason why.  I've gathered from several reviews that they're not quite the cream of the crop, more like bottom of the barrel actually.

So, my husband's been the lucky one since moving here.  And by lucky, I mean that he's had his dental issues taken care of before my serious dental problems flared up. I ran into my former boss about a year ago and mentioned that my husband was having problems, but that it just wasn't in the budget to take care of dental costs on a cash only basis.  Well, that nice old boss of mine said to call the office and not to worry about payment in full; he'd let us work out a payment plan - whatever we could manage.  Whew. That was such a relief.  We're still making payments on that, but at least the husband had work completed... by a great dentist.

And now it's my turn.  At least I haven't had any emergency room visits like my husband had. Needless to say, I've been in pretty severe pain this week.  However, I'm not at all comfortable with the fact that the only way for me to get relief is by taking four Advil every six hours.  They've helped, but they aren't going to repair damage.


I'm not quite at wit's end yet though, but time does get away from me and I can't quite seem to hash out adequate solution to this problem.  I have been wondering if there's a crowdfunding organization specifically for people who need assistance paying for cost of medical or dental services.  I know of websites where causes/projects/creative designs/inventions/business start-ups raise funds, like Kickstarter, but I'm not trying to make potato salad here.  I'm just hoping to find a good dentist and specialist who will give me a recommended treatment plan to extract whichever molars need greatest attention before the problem worsens, and to be able to pay for whatever services are necessary.  I don't know.  I was stunned to learn what some people do to fund vacations and wedding honeymoons.  I thought, "What gall."  I was more than happy with my $750-ish wedding/dress/reception, and $250 honeymoon.

But don't get me wrong, I can't stop wondering, "Hmm... maybe looking for crowdfunding for dental work isn't such a dumb idea.

What do you think?

*****

FUN FACT

One of my favorite YouTube channels is Mental Floss

and if you'll notice in video below (just click on image)

there is a replica of Wilson from Cast Away movie

just over Host John Green's left shoulder.

Coincidence?

It's A Fun Factapalooza!

A dentist invented cotton candy...

I LOVE COTTON CANDY!

Okay, I love candy. Period.

Are You There Autumn, It's Me Lil ~ Friday's NaBloPoMo Blog Post Today

It's Saturday. Yep, Saturday evening and I'm just now posting Friday's BlogHer NaBloPoMo post.

A warning:  This might get a bit "linky."  And by linky I mean, whoever is curious enough to visit today's blog post about yesterday just may find a link or two. If there are any links they'll look like this: bold, italicized, & underlined.  They may even be further highlighted by appearing in a special font color and background that I've chosen to draw attention to the link which will lead to another post or website when you click on it.  Get the picture?  Try it on the link in the following paragraph.

So, Friday. Hmm... title? BlogHer prompt for October 24, 2014 is: "If babyhood is spring and young adulthood is summer, which age do you consider to be the start to the "autumn" of life?"  Now, to come up with a title and jot down my thoughts on this.  Hmm...  I think I have it!

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2014
Are You There Autumn, It's Me Lil

I'm not sure when "Autumn" stage of life begins. When my mom was in her mid 40s I thought she was pretty cool, hip even.  Well, maybe not hip and cool so much... more like, fun. Yes, she was fun to be around.  I just did the math.  I was 10 when my mom was 45-ish! Seems she didn't hit "Winter" until, maybe, age 80.  No kidding... really.  As for me, personally, I think I reached my Autumn when my first child reached 21.  Or maybe when I saw my second child off to college.  Perhaps it won't actually happen until my third (and last) child turns 18 or graduates from high school... next Spring!  Which ever.  I'm ready for this Autumn stage of life.  It is my favorite season after all.  Who knows.  I'll keep you posted.

There you go, and there wasn't a single link to be had beyond the sample link.  Cool, right?  Now, on to NaBloPoMo post for Saturday, October 25, 2014.  See you in a bit.

No Leaves For You! Part two: The Craft Prompt

I've never made any autumnal seasonal crafts, but...  

... do Halloween costumes count?

No Leaves For You!

Somewhere in the Southern California desert
Image by L. Carilo

Who's There?

~ Banana.
     Banana.
       Banana.
         Banana.
Knock, knock.
~ Who's there?
Orange.
~ Orange who?
Orange you glad I didn't say banana?
Remember that?  Is it still big with the kids nowadays?

I love bananas.  And, I love oranges.  I love the color yellow; the color orange, hmm...

I'm glad I found this wonderful Fall Leaves background for my blog.  I think it's perfect.  And I think many would agree the color orange in nature is truly magnificent.  So please enjoy a few of my favorite images featuring the color of Fall... orange.

Autumn morning skies... perfection.

image

A fresh fruit salad made complete with orange segments and a drizzle of honey... yum.

image by L. Carilo

A cool October afternoon sit down in the courtyard among vibrant flowering vines fills the senses... 

image by L. Carilo

Yes, I also love the color orange.

Health & Wellness ~ The This Is Fifty With Lil Method

Health.

Wellness.

The This Is Fifty With Lil Method: *crickets*

I'm gonna have to revisit this on a future post. Most likely when I'm finally free of severe pain caused by dental issues which are also hampering my ability to eat.  For instance, today's menu: mashed potatoes, apple sauce, more mashed potatoes, followed by slow torture trying eat a small piece of chicken, then more mashed potatoes.

So, I'll just excuse myself to continue my course of treatment - 4 Advil every 6 hours with a bottle of water - until I can see a professional.

I'll keep you posted.

Sorting Things Out

Today's post was going to be about me finally giving The Place a good thorough organizing and cleaning.  Okay, by that I meant giving the tiny kitchen a quick once over.  I was so certain this would happen that I noted "cleaning the house sunday20" on my original draft.  Boy was THAT wrong.  For starters, today's date is October 19!  Also, all I've done today is torture myself by trying to eat with this horrible tooth (or better, lack of tooth) pain where a filling and enamel bits have broken off.  It especially hurts when I tilt my head... IN ANY DIRECTION!

So my Life Reimagined progress will be placed on hold for now.  That said, I'm going to take a bunch of Advil and hope this pain doesn't kill me.

But first, in the spirit of keeping it real, a photo of me today...

Don't let the smile fool you, I'm in excruciating pain. 

*****

Fun should begin at 50, right? Well, I'm fifty, but I don't think I'm doing it right.  I don't think I was ready for age 50, but what I am willing to explore is the possibility of reinventing myself.  And what do you know, AARP has this really nifty website, Life Reimagined, designed to assist and guide you through obstacles that might be keeping you from confidently approaching what should be a purposeful, fulfilling chapter in your life at age 50 and beyond.  And that is exactly what you'll find me doing and sharing on my blog each Sunday.   So, come back. comment, visit my YouTube channel THIS IS FIFTY WITH LIL.  Let's talk and compare notes.

Please click here for more information.

I signed up for Life Reimagined beginning of October and find it is already helping me see the possibilities that lay ahead.  This makes me happy.  If you know of anyone in the AARP stage of life who is feeling a bit stuck, please consider sharing this website with them.*


*This is not a paid endorsement.

For more information go to:

• www.aarp.org
• lifereimagined.aarp.org