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Oh my! I think I would rather fight with the hospital billing department than have an allergy to shell fish. I like meat and do eat it, but most of the time I eat fish. That is my normal diet. Meat is for company. Yes, I do get to go back to sleep. The biggest benefit of being the early slot is that no one ahead of you has a complication and sets the schedule back. Once my dad had an 11:30 slot. He didn't get taken to surgery until 5:30 pm. This billing department still doesn't get it. They change account numbers like the rest of us do underwear. Or most of us. They won't take a check from my bill pay at the credit union and they won't take the debit card from the credit union. I can only use another credit card. I didn't want to put this on a credit card because it then becomes credit card debt, not medical debt. Back when it was Midland Hospital we used to make regular trips out to see the babies in the nursery. They had a wonderful set up so big brothers and sisters could see their new sibling. I think the deer around the hospital were pretty safe.

That's the one! It has gone through several iterations since then. For a while it was Mid-Michigan Regional Health Center with outposts in Clare, Alma and Gladwin. Now it is MyMichigan. It is affiliated with U of M Medical but also has ties to MSU and CMU. When my parents were patients, I thought they received excellent care there. I also did when I broke my hip in December of 2016. I do take issue with their billing department. I made a payment that they sent back because they said it had the wrong account number on it. Not according to what they have posted in MyChart. They did this before during the hip experience and then would immediately turn me over to collections. I fought them for over a year.

Good morning, everyone! I think I'll take the meal, the drink, and the wine! I love crab and @0106 Tina's recipe sounds good to me. I'd resort to the canned stuff if I was camping. I could have used the drink and wine yesterday. Spectrum decided I didn't need my email account and terminated it. No notice or anything like that. It worked just fine on Saturday and wouldn't work at all on Sunday. Just having it in Outlook was bogging things down. When I moved and transferred the account from Ohio to Michigan they told me I could keep my email. Turns out that wasn't the case. It is an Ohio email and has a different footprint than Michigan. So, I spent yesterday changing my email on all my accounts and notifying people of the change. What fun! I don't find out what time my surgery is until later this afternoon. This hospital makes you wait until the afternoon before surgery. Makes it so easy to arrange rides, etc. I have a provision in my health insurance for 24 rides to medical appointments, but that has to be arranged 48 hours in advance. The hospital says they couldn't possibly figure out any sooner when surgery would be. Some might get cancelled and then, horror of all horrors, they would have to call people on the phone. We wouldn't want them to have to talk to people. I'm hoping for the second slot so we don't have to be there at 5:00 am. Today I am going to try to finish up my taxes. Yes, I'll need the drink and the wine. The first time through the Michigan tax return said I owed $1084. Really? I only received one pension payment in Michigan in 2022. Second time around it said I was getting $21 back. I'll take that, but don't understand how that was figured. They have this subtraction thing where you subtract a portion of your pension from the amount brought over from the Federal return. But, that amount is incorrect for Michigan. And, I'm not allowed to subtract enough to get to the right figure. I need to call someone. I'm hoping the rest of you have a less frustrating day than I will have.

Paul, my sincere condolences on the loss of Sasha. You did a wonderful thing by rescuing her and providing her with a loving home. I'm sure that aided in a peaceful passing.

Good morning, everyone! Knowing the Meal of the Day was in Tina's @0106 expert hands, I slept in until almost 8:00 am. I woke up at 6:10 and decided to stay in bed until 7, but that turned into 8. It felt great! I have a zoom meeting today and then will take DB of the knee surgery to the grocery store. I need to go as well, so no problem there. I'm hoping he'll use his cane instead of the walker. Wishing you all a wonderful day.

Thank you, Graham. Yes, he was a character. Feisty he was! Isn't it wonderful that Tina @0106 is willing to do this? That is one of the wonderful things about the Daily. We support each other!

Today is my dad's birthday, too. He would be 94. As your dad and uncle, my dad had a very well developed sense of humor. He managed to find humor in everything. And if it wasn't there, he created it. I am happy to let you know and eternally grateful that Tina, @0106 has offered to do the Meal of the Day this next week as I prepare for and undergo surgery. It should be an easy surgery and normally recovery is quick. Thank you, Tina!

Good morning, everyone! I slept in this morning as I had a restless night. Sympathy for @mamaofami. As Carol said, this too shall pass. We've got a cold start - 21F - but warming to 40F later today. The rest of the week looks pretty warm with temps in the high 40s and low 50s. Lasagna roll ups sound good to me! I love lasagna, but never make it and seldom get it due to carb content. This first recipe looks really easy and really good. https://thecozycook.com/lasagna-roll-ups/ This next one adds in some spinach. https://bellyfull.net/lasagna-rolls/ Here's a vegetarian option: https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/spinach-lasagna-roll-ups/ I think it could use a little more sauce. What do you think? Finally, we have a recipe from Giada de Laurentiis at the Food Network. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/lasagna-rolls-recipe-1943979 Here's hoping this finds you all well and wishing you all a wonderful day.

Yes, it is outpatient and generally a very easy recovery. One sister had this done years ago and was back to normal the next day. Thank you, Graham. Thank you, Vanessa! Thank you! I'm sure it will go well. @mamaofami Carol, you need one of these grabby reachy thingies. https://www.amazon.com/Grabber-FitPlus-Premium-Reacher-Warranty/dp/B06XH4ZZL9/ref=asc_df_B06XH4ZZL9/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167132090312&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8946657127978019783&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1019457&hvtargid=pla-307404760226&psc=1 This was a miracle tool for me after I broke my hip.

Welcome @trivia addict We hope you'll join in more often. While we are a warm group of friends, we always find room for one more. @mamaofami Hugs to you and prayers that your surgery goes well. We can recover together. My surgery on the parathyroids is Wednesday.

Good morning, everyone! We got a trace of snow last night and could get a little more, but not much accumulation. It won't melt today as it will be too cold. I've got nothing on the agenda and plan to stay nice and warm here at home. There were several recipes for the lamb stew that I found. I was drawn to this first one by the mint. I always associate lamb and mint. When I was a kid I would eat the lamb to have the mint jelly that went with it. I didn't really like the lamb, but I loved the mint jelly. I have found since then that if the lamb is prepared well, I can enjoy it. As a kid, lamb has a pretty strong flavor. I probably would have preferred hot dogs. https://www.aheadofthyme.com/2017/05/slow-cooker-moroccan-lamb-stew/ This next one uses their special spice blend, but I would probably just use the spices from the first recipe. I thought the addition of dried apricots was interesting. https://www.themediterraneandish.com/moroccan-lamb-stew-recipe/ In this next one I am not sure what they mean by a preserved lemon. It is worth looking up as I like lemon with most things. Here you go: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preserved_lemon You definitely do not want to use just a plain lemon. You can get these at Amazon and I'm also seeing them at Kroger and Meijer supermarkets. Here's the recipe to use them in: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/slow-cooker-moroccan-lamb-stew I am thinking those lemons might add a lot to the flavor of the stew. I may have to order a jar just to try them! I hope this finds everyone well and wish you all a wonderful day.

Adorable! @RedneckBob I'm sorry about your cruise. Hugs that everything works out for you.

My big black hairy thing was not walking upright, so I don't think it is Sasquatch. Maybe an oversized squirrel? It was too small to be a full grown bear and would have had mama with it if it were a baby. No signs of mama. I'll have to keep watch after dark. This was around 4 am.

They are absolutely darling, Lorraine. I am so glad to hear your DH is ok after the fall. I've been getting emails, too. I think when they changed the color of the bubble, they also changed our settings. I went in and changed them back.

Top of the mornin' to you all! We are starting the day with rain, but that will end shortly. Then the temps start dropping. Tomorrow will be cold and then we start warming up again. After Saturday we'll stay in the high 40s and low 50s for the rest of the month. I'll take that! Last night I woke up because a light had come on. I got up to investigate, thinking I may have left a light on, but noticed it was the front porch light which is on a motion detector. I looked out the living room windows and saw a big, black, hairy thing slinking away. It wasn't in view long enough to figure out what it was. I felt good it wasn't a person casing the place. Other than that, I slept quite good last night. I've been waking up because of knee and ankle aches, but decided that was probably coming from my back, so I used a lidocaine patch on my back last night. Worked like a charm. Nothing much on the agenda today except a scan of my neck and, hopefully, my shy parathyroid glands. They generally hide behind my thyroid. After that, Farkle Friday! Today's meal is a good one. I love halibut, but it sure is expensive. When Sue and I did Alaska in September 2021 we had halibut fish and chips at Icy Strait Point. I only found one recipe that was exactly according to title, but the variations are close enough. This first recipe looks easy enough and the seasonings are simple, but good. https://www.flyers-on-line.com/recipes/butter-roasted-halibut-with-asparagus-and-olives-5500 This next one is missing the olives, but if you want them, they can be added. It is a one pan meal so minimal cleanup required. That is my kind of dinner! https://juliasalbum.com/baked-halibut-and-asparagus/ This next recipe doesn't have the olives, but the tomato lime butter sounds good to me! https://www.pccmarkets.com/recipe/one-pan-roasted-asparagus-and-halibut-with-tomato-lime-butter/ The last recipe has an olive/caper topping that is made with orange and lime juice. That sounds interesting to me. https://lakegenevacountrymeats.com/recipes/halibut-with-asparagus-and-olive-caper-sauce I would have a hard time choosing one of these as they all sound good to me. Wishing you all a wonderful day.

Oh, Terri, I sure hope you catch a break soon. That thundercloud over your head needs to move on.

OMG, 30% !!!!! I would just pack my tent and head for the nearest bridge. I told the assessor for that amount of money they should be plowing my driveway and mowing my lawn. The recent real estate boom did not help things. I always fight the insurance companies. I once spent over a year fighting with one to get a bill paid for a kidney stone. In that one they said it was medically necessary to see the doctor but not at his place of employment. So, they paid the doctor bill but not the hospital bill. No need for more dental work calls for a celebration!

@Heartgrove Sam is lovely and I had the same thought about the rear wheelchair for dogs. A dog in my dad's neighborhood used to walk by everyday and seemed quite happy to be able to get out and move. Today is a day for the record books. The County Assessor did reduce the assessed value a bit (not much), but it is more in line with the neighborhood. The problem is still that the taxable value was raised to equal the assessed value and it had been protected for the last 16 years. That is what is causing the huge increase. Sounds like a law that meant well but has disastrous consequences. Aetna was totally confused by what they had done and agreed the revocation was a mistake. The third party they contracted with thought it was a second request for a CT and turned it down because they had already approved one and a second one wasn't needed. I learned a few years back not to call Aetna directly on these things. I call my retirement system because they control it all. Aetna is a third party administrator. So, feeling pretty good about those victories, I tackled my taxes today. I was waiting on some papers that were delayed and had finally come in. I knew I was going to owe on federal taxes, but it isn't as much as I thought it could be. At first Michigan taxes said I owed them $1000, but redoing some of the entries took care of that. They are giving me back $21. Ohio is sending me $121. I'm happy. It was a productive day!

Good morning, everyone! No blue skies this morning, but it is warmer today. Rain is coming late afternoon and overnight. Yesterday I spent part of the day with the county assessor's office. Our taxable valuation has been increased by 22.5% for this coming year. They told me in order to have it adjusted I had to bring evidence of neighborhood comparable homes that were assessed at a lower rate. That information is not available to me, but they have it. I'm not allowed to access those databases. So, kind of catch 22 there. This increase is due to a 1993 law that caps increases to the rate of inflation or 5%, whichever is lower. Until the property changes hands. New owners get zapped when they bring it up to current value. Ok, on to the next battle. Aetna had approved my CT scan for the adrenal tumor. That is done with and without contrast so they can measure the rate at which the dye is washed out. That helps with a diagnosis of whether the tumor is malignant or benign. So, the day I had the CT, it was approved and then three days later they withdrew the approval because of the use of the contrast dye. They said one image was enough. We can look at the tumor but not determine if it is malignant or benign. They have a new system for prior approvals using an out fit that calls you out of the blue with a computer and wants personal information from you to tell you their determinations. I refuse to do that. How do I know it is legit? There are too many phone scams out there to play that game. I explained that to Aetna and told them they might want to re-evaluate that "service". So, fighting that withdrawal of the authorization is on the agenda for today. Grrrr. Slow cooker whole chicken is a great alternative to rotisserie chicken. Rotisserie chicken is great, but it is filled with all kinds of stuff that they inject into the chicken. Your slow cooker chicken isn't. Just put it on in the morning and you have it for dinner. This first one uses brown sugar to make it look like the skin is nicely browned. I would probably put the chicken in the oven under the broiler for a few minutes instead of using sugar. https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/slow-cooker-whole-chicken/ With this one you put the vegetables in the bottom of the slow cooker. This helps keep the chicken up and out of any juices that collect. You don't want poached chicken. You can use the vegetables you like and also potatoes. https://www.themagicalslowcooker.com/slow-cooker-whole-chicken/ This next one uses potatoes along with veggies. They use the carrots because they hold up better than broccoli would. I'd use brussels sprouts. I like the seasoning mixture on this one. https://kristineskitchenblog.com/crockpot-whole-chicken/ I think there is something here for all. Feel free to adjust seasonings and veggies to suit your tastes! Wishing you all a wonderful day!

Good morning, everyone! It is a cold start again today, but the temps are warming to the 40s and we have blue skies and sunshine again today. That can really cheer a person up. And, yes, the blue bubbles are much brighter today. I think they look great! Most of today's recipes have very subtle differences. I tend to favor the ones that don't add sugar to the mix. Although, the whole dish seems on the sweet side and definitely not low calorie! This first one does sweeten everything up with a small amount of brown sugar. https://pinchofyum.com/coconut-curry-salmon This next one is Coconut Curry with Garlic Butter. I love Garlic Butter. I'd put it on my oatmeal. https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/coconut-curry-salmon/ In this next one I would leave out the carrots and substitute the scallions for the cilantro. I don't hate cilantro, but I think I would like the scallions more. https://www.saltandlavender.com/salmon-coconut-curry/ I think I'd like the bell peppers in this one. Another draw to this dish is the lime. Mmmm https://www.aheadofthyme.com/coconut-curry-salmon/ @Crazy For Cats Jake, you can always substitute chicken for the salmon. Wishing everyone a wonderful day!

I'm glad you found out today and not when you were on your ride. If it isn't one thing......

Wonderful news, Karen! I'd love to be on a cruise for my birthday. Enjoy!

Or get off before them and walk around town before your activity. That was the advice given to us by the CD in Geiranger.

Good morning, everyone! It is a cold start to what promises to be a beautiful day with a bright blue sunshiny sky. Instead of the gym I am going for a walk this morning. I'll wait till it warms up a bit. Otherwise, nothing on the agenda. I think I have everything I need to do my taxes. Oh, joy! @bennybear @StLouisCruisers DB and @Mr. Boston's mom A paleo diet is an eating plan based on foods humans might have eaten during the Paleolithic Era. The Paleolithic Era dates from around 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago. A modern paleo diet includes fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds. These are foods that in the past people could get by hunting and gathering. It doesn't include foods that became more common when small-scale farming began about 10,000 years ago. These foods include grains, legumes and dairy products. You can read more about Paleo diets here: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/paleo-diet/art-20111182 In this recipe the breadcrumbs are replaced by almond flour and ketchup is homemade. It is sweetened with dates rather than sugar. Regular ketchup is filled to the brim with sugar and that makes it a no no on the paleo diet. https://www.paleorunningmomma.com/whole30-paleo-meatloaf-whole30-ketchup/ This one omits the almond flour for a low carb version. Unprocessed potatoes are allowed on a paleo diet, but not on the keto diet. https://www.wickedspatula.com/italian-meatloaf/ This one includes mushrooms in the meatloaf. https://paleoleap.com/paleo-meat-loaf/ This last one puts the vegetables in the meatloaf. https://www.paleonewbie.com/not-your-ordinary-meatloaf/ Many of these recommend getting a "paleo" ketchup or bbq sauce. That means without the sugar added. I tried some of these and they were just plain awful. I would use plain old tomato sauce first. Wishing you all a wonderful day!

I would guess so. But, I'll wait to hear from the surgeon's office. Thank you! You and me both! Sorry, I can't help with the expensive dinner question. I was told that they would not be offering pop ups anymore. Thanks, Graham. Me, too! Thank you!