I have accumulated a tall stack of kitty food plastic cups that ought to be good for something. The top cup is now butting against the underside of the cabinet. I hate to toss them into the recycle because they are so cute. Help.

In the morning Max scratches the rug and other items to get my attention. I have finally found a way to discourage him. I hate to interrupt myself in the middle of my exercise routine but it’s the only way. I get up and follow him around the house until he gets into a space with a door, usually the den. I then close the door on him and let him cool his paws until I am done. He scratches less now but is not yet totally trained.

My internist, Dr. M, whom I like personally, has ignored my suggestion that my increasing loss of energy over the last two years is due to my thyroid because, he said, my blood work showed no need to increase the dose of Synthroid I am taking. So I went to an endocrinologist and he increased the dose. I am due for another blood check and I think it will show that I need an even higher dose. Much as I like Dr. M, I am disappointed in his handling of this situation and am about to switch to a woman recommended by my gtf, Nadine, who speaks quite highly of her and tells me she is always available in an emergency. My appointment, however, is in April. I was due for an annual with Dr. M in early March. I called his office to “postpone” it and the appointment clerk said there was no record that I was to come in. “What does the file show?” I asked. She said it showed I had been there to see the nurse practitioner in January. That was accurate. I went to my medical appointments file and sure enough there was official paperwork confirming an annual on March 15 and they had no record. “It’s a sign from God,” I told Ed, meaning that the Almighty deemed it appropriate that I change internists and was making it easy for me. I know I don’t actually believe in an almighty entity but this explanation suits me right now. So I thanked the clerk and said I couldn’t make another appointment just yet because I am devious and it wasn’t any of her business anyway.

Meanwhile, I am somewhat sharper since the increase in medication, have a bit more motivation to deal with things but still lack my full level of energy that I was accustomed to. We’ll see what the new test shows.

Ed is continuing to improve from his bout with pneumonia and has taken all the antibiotics and, of course, he was out painting a re-cemented area on the seawall yesterday and came in exhausted. There’s no helping those determined to rush things.

I still haven’t heard from Kathy, my “friend” who appears to have dropped me since her life has taken a new turn. She is about to open a boutique in a classy commercial area of downtown Fort Myers, bankrolled by her boyfriend. I know she is busy, but to ignore my E mail is, at best, bad manners and, at worst, an appalling way to end a friendship. So I am taking the hint and will not anticipate any further contact. Nadine’s take on it is that Kathy is a saleswoman and has trained herself to be ingratiating to everyone she meets but that there is little substance to her. I am mildly bemused with myself for not having seen through her.

On a more serious note, I continue to watch the unrest unfolding in the Middle East and think the area is on the verge of major upheavals in all those countries with oppressive regimes, which is most of them. What is ironic is that no efforts on the part of the West has come anywhere near what people can get done when it is their idea.

xx, Teal