Thinking of costs

 I have not thought about it for a while because Edward being ill was expensive and he was in the hospital a number of times and once for four weeks. But myself I only go to a doctor once a year and the optometrist I have changed to every 16 months and usually one set of blood tests per year. So in total I pay a huge amount for my medical insurance and really do not use very much but one never knows for sure and the system has to support itself. It is interesting how our medical system works really. We have OHIP in Ontario and I  have medical insurance I pay for and then I also pay income tax which includes a medical tax in Ontario based on the amount you earn so that helps to support OHIP with transfer payments coming back from the Federal government to the provinces. Then my private medical insurance gets paid out to the members who use it (including me like my $24 return for a retinal scan which was 90%). I could have bought new glasses but passed on that this time as these glasses suit me and I only use them when I am on a computer. I carry a magnifying glass so that I can read the best buy dates on the groceries hence didn't bother going from 2x to 2.25x.  It is co-operative our medical care; not sure one would really call it socialist. After all if we do not need the care then the insurance is just paid by me to make sure that if I ever did then it would be covered without putting a strain on my children. So I do like our medical system. But then I am not waiting for any surgeries or care; Edward certainly received care when he needed it but it is more specialized items that one ends up waiting for due to availability of surgical suites/surgeons/etc. The ERs are busy for sure but they were when I was younger actually even as a child. I cut my leg when I was about six years of age and had to go into the ER on a weekend which included a holiday in the summer. I can remember waiting for quite a while for the stitches; triage stopped the bleeding but no room for the stitching for a bit. To save a trip back to that busy ER my godmother who was a nurse took the stitches out. I think medicine is much smoother now in terms of necessary visits. Luckily for me I seldom go anywhere so do not appear to catch anything and I get my Flu Shot and COVID shot (2x) every year. Again there is a cost to these shots and it is covered by OHIP which comes out of my taxes. The one extra I carry is international medical insurance although I have virtually no interest in travel but it is set up just in case I need to do that. Edward loved traveling and I discovered after traveling so much that I really didn't care for it and seldom go anywhere. 

Visit to the dentist

 Generally I only go to a dentist every nine months unless I need a tooth repaired. I was last there nine months ago. When I arrived the welcome person was missing. I saw that the indoor slippers were back but could not see where to put my shoes if I took them off.  Just at that moment one of the people who works at the dentist's office came in  to the welcome area so I asked but she said not a problem to keep them on. During and after COVID I always brought a bag for my shoes so that they were sorted but I didn't have a bag. I settled for keeping them. There weren't any outdoor shoes sitting around and all the rooms were busy. As I waited for my turn (I was about five minutes early), I again contemplated how as a child I thought my grandmother was so lucky to have false teeth and hoped I would soon as well as I hate going to the dentist. But I still have 27 of the 28 (4 wisdom teeth removed) so must do the dentist thing every nine months. Checkup went well, cleaning went well. One tiny cavity on one of the capped teeth (just below the cap).  I do not mind freezing as I have neuralgia in my jaws and the process sometimes sets that off. But all in all it went well although took one hour instead of half of an hour as they were short one person. The dogs were impatient when I arrived back an hour and a bit later; wondered where I was. The trials and tribulations of being 81 I guess. I will bring my shoe bag next time. Maybe my teeth will all fall out and I can have false teeth! I actually pay more each year for my dental insurance then is actually the cost of my usage but one never knows. If I do  not have teeth then more room for people to have their teeth fixed at the dentist!

No work on the matches but maybe today. Dogs kept me very busy yesterday and it was clean the basement day. All completed.  

Reading 2 Chronicles and again a recitation of the history of the Kings of Israel/Judah. Mind seems busy and only read four chapters. 

Today cleaning the top floor and my daughter has done half of it which is great. The dogs are still asleep. Two more days and my father would be 122; he did live to be 94.5 years of age. 

Solitaire puzzles to do.  Weird phone numbers again; I do wish these people trying to scam you would get a job and stay off of my phone! I do read my text when I recognize it otherwise I seldom answer the phone. 

My working time is coming as we reach far into August. Must book my appointment with the dentist for repair and I have noted on the wall calendar to take my shoe bag. Back to the old life style.  

 

 

Dogs and how they relate

 The dogs did make friends with the dog two doors up last time but with the dogs going out singly they haven't played as they did before with races up and down the yard.  do not see the dog out in the yard that often these days but then I am not out there very often either. 

Off to Church yesterday and an interesting sermon that picked up on one of the readings talking about dogs of all things. This individual is a religious scholar and brings in quite interesting comments using the readings. 

Continuing to read 2 Chronicles and the history of the people of Israel continues as a review of the past. 

More work on the matches and I have twelve left to do. Probably it will take these three cleaning days to complete that project. Today is cleaning the top floor and should be interesting. 

Solitaire puzzles to do.  

Lovely pictures of the birds at the feeder with our window camera.  

2 Chronicles and Solomon

 The recitation of the history continues and Solomon is now King and he builds the temple to the Lord God. The flow is very much of a story line keeping people interested as they listen or read but primarily this is probably being read to the people of Israel to remind them of their history. It is the grandchildren or great grandchildren of the Israelis who were carried off to Assyria or Babylon and life has not been easy for them in captivity.

Yesterday was a busy day with the dogs going in and out. They love the yard but I do not let the younger one stay out if she barks. There is a sort of normal setting here with dogs in various yards and having newcomers in is always upsetting for this sort of standard neighbourhood give and take where the dogs are concerned so I try to fit into it as fast as possible. The older dog does not bark which is handy but she is a really big dog and if seen can over excite some of the dogs. But she does her careful walks around the yard to strengthen her leg before surgery. She is doing a great job but sometimes forgets and runs a little. But I can see that the leg is strengthening even daily. She will be ready for her surgery in a couple of weeks with lots of muscle tissue well exercised to help her get back up on her feet quickly. 

Continued with the matches and there are now  sixteen left to enter into the databases. Filling in those tiny little nitches that needed just a supporting match or a match where there was some portion not covered earlier. Amazing really DNA and how it fits one into the picture of Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens is the most successful  of the Homo genus thus far. One wonders if we are starting to undergo a new phase of Homo sapiens not a distinct species but rather a change in the modern human. Have we yet reached the limits from this species as the length of life declines; not really recovering from the effects of COVID-19 on human life span. What sorts of development could we see that we could conclude is an update on Homo sapiens or an emerging species? 

Church today and online in just under two hours. The services in July were quite lovely; it was nice to see the Dean back (retired Bishop of Ontario after being our Dean). He has a special edge with sermons that I always appreciated when he was Dean. They are very didactic and well done. You find your interest never wavers from beginning to end. He preached in a way that I find very informative without being patronizing. His tone of speaking is soothing rather than jarring. He remains one of my favourite people giving sermons. It is nice to see him well in his retirement. 

The priest who helped me with setting up my husband's funeral is the main priest for the month of August. I find his sermons to be most informative as well although I still prefer strictly religious sermons without reference to the present times but rather reminding us of the history of the Church which goes so far back in the time of Homo sapiens. The Bible reveals so much to us it is writings. Now part way into 2 Chronicles one can feel the rhythm of the passage of time from ancient ancient happenings namely the formation of the earth to the time of Solomon where I am now reading the recitation of the history of his reign as King of Israel. 

Solitaire puzzles to do.  

Something I missed as a young child right through adulthood and now I am seeing it

1 Chronicles is describing in the last chapters the perfect society in King David's kingdom where individuals are placed in their skill slot sort of and create all that is needed for a beautiful life; a Utopia. I do not know a great deal about a  kibbutz but it strikes me that this is the perfect life where everyone works together and creates the world that God wanted us to have at this time. He was first trying to show us how to live in a way that benefited everyone in the world. But first and primarily we needed to love only God the Creator not all these strange gods that people created mostly because of their greedy desires. Interesting that I would see this in my old age; I never did as a child. It is the perfect life. A Utopia on earth was the idea but moving away from all those rules of the Torah to meld with modern technology and industry. Perhaps one of these days I will see an explanation of all of that written up. Myself I prefer modern technology and all that industry can produce but living within the laws that God sent to us when He sent Jesus, His only Son to be with us for that short time over two thousand years ago (the Christian faith is born from that happening). It is all a mystery and I do believe that some happenings are God's work. God the Creator is part of so many societal stories particularly in the Western Hemisphere where I live but also in the Eastern Hemisphere. We always think of the Eastern Hemisphere as the ancient world but gradually we are discovering that the Western Hemisphere also has an ancient past not yet fully opened to us through archaeological digs. The time moves on though and more and more discoveries are revealed to us. At 81 my time on earth ahead of me is short compared to the time I have already spent. Thank you God for all these memories of Your goodness giving me strength during the times that were not so very pleasant. Doing God's work is always good and the requirements so tiny - love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbour as yourself.