Lughnasa Recovery Moon
Jon’s work continues. Three more shelves are ready for books. My plan today is to fill them up and move some smaller units to a different position. Once these are full I’ll have a much better idea how many more units I’ll need. As more books get shelved, the floor begins to open up. By Labor Day I hope to have all the books at least on shelves, but not necessarily in their final locations.
Lughnasa Recovery Moon
To sort of mix things up a bit I’ve chosen right now to back off from any sleep aids. I’ve taken doxepin for years, an older antidepressant, a tricyclic, in a dose designed to help me fall asleep. An off label use. My current doc pointed out the Beer’s List (third phasers take note) which is a sort of no-no list for geriatric patients. In my case it discourages use of doxepin. I admit this is stupid, but it had never occurred to me question my doxepin prescription or to stop its use.
So, I’m weaning myself off any sleep aids, coulda/shoulda/woulda done this a long time ago. Dr. Gidday has prescribed temazepam, which works fine, but is in the valium family and cannot be taken with any regularity.
Take this as a cautionary tale if you’ve backed into any particular drug and used it over time without reconsidering why you take it. I know the docs are supposed to ask these questions, too, but sometimes they don’t.
This means a rolling tide of insomnia right now, which seems to be getting better. I feel pretty foolish about not doing this a long time ago. But there you are. I’m doing it now.
Lughnasa Recovery Moon
Buddy Tom Crane’s work takes him across the country, making him a favorite of airlines and the Marriot Hotel Corporation. In Denver for some work he came up to Shadow Mountain for supper last night. Kate slow-cooked a pot roast* and vegetables and made a raspberry pie from our still substantial cache of Andover raspberries.
We spoke of those kind of things third phasers often do: hearing aids, grandchildren, mutual friends, recent surgery, thoughts on who delivers care when no family is around. Of course, the content is less important the context, the being together, being seen and being heard. The importance of this last is underlined by Tom’s mother who at 98 has outlived all her friends. She’s become reclusive over the past few years. Friendship is not trivial, it’s a life-sustaining need and when it begins to disappear it matters.
*You can take the couple out of the Midwest, but…