North Carolina Road Trip

Woolworth store in Greensboro

Earlier this week we decided to see some of the other local sites available near us in North Carolina. On Monday we drove to Greensboro, where I had pre-purchased tickets to the International Civil Rights Center & Museum. It was at the F.W. Woolworth's counter on February 1, 1960 that four black North Carolina Agricultural & Technical College freshman conducted a sit-in at the whites-only counter of the store. They did this to protest segregation, and refused to leave when denied service, staying until the store closed. Their non-violent protest sparked a movement across America.

The above is just one part of the museum, and we were not allowed to take any photos inside. As a photographer, it was hard to hold back from taking a picture of the actual lunch counter inside the museum. But our tour guide was excellent as he led us through the various rooms and exhibits. Though I learned a lot of information in history classes growing up, it was totally different to experience it through the museum and Darren's story-telling.

We had lunch in town and then visited several of the beautiful gardens in the area. We found the street art to be interesting as well.

scenes from Greensboro

We left Greensboro later in the afternoon and headed to Asheboro, where we spent the night. On Tuesday we drove the short distance to the North Carolina Zoo. On the zoo's website they suggested you avoid coming towards the end of the week as that is when the school kids come. Much to our surprise (and the zoo's, apparently) the place was teeming with kids. It was not the experience we were looking for as the sidewalks were nearly impassable with the crowds, not to mention getting close to the exhibits was quite difficult.

Nevertheless we persevered, and enjoyed the nearly five mile walk to see the different areas of the zoo. We would very much like to go back when our granddaughter gets a little older to share the experience with her.

North Carolina Zoo

A (not so) Total Eclipse of the Sun

83% eclipse of the sun

Yesterday a solar eclipse traveled across America. We were headed back from visiting our son and his family in Virginia, and did not think we would have an opportunity to see any of the eclipse. Charlotte was to get only a little over 83% totality at any rate. Surprisingly traffic was light on the interstates we traveled on. I guess everyone was clogging up the highways on their way to total eclipse sites, so the east coast was in the clear.

The moon eclipsed the sun around 3:11, and we were home in plenty of time to see what 83% gets you. Our next door neighbor was in her back yard with out of town guests, and they had extra glasses for us to borrow. Someone even had the protective cover for the phone lens, but I was quite unsuccessful in capturing any photos with my iPhone. It was fun to watch the moon in progress, but while the light dimmed a bit, it was still quite bright out.

In 2017 we had totality where we lived in Missouri, and that was an amazing experience and quite different from what occurred yesterday. Then it got completely dark out, the birds stopped chirping, the night insects began making noise, and the streetlights came on. I guess because we were able to take part in the one seven years ago, I was not in a rush to drive many hours to see the one this year.

On Island Time

Folly Field Beach

Last week I drove to Hilton Head Island to meet up with a good friend from St. Louis. Diane has a timeshare on the island, and invited me to join her. When I picked the week I wanted to come, I did not realize that it was going to be Easter week. Hoo boy, was the area ever crowded! Traffic was heavy on my drive down and very stop and go once I got close to Hilton Head.

While the weather could have been better, there were still plenty of activities to keep us busy. With all my skin cancer, I'm not one to sit out on the beach anyway. Though I do like to walk it in the morning and evening to catch the sunrise/sunset colors on the water.

Folly Field Beach sunrises

A weird occurrence that I have seen every time I have come to this area is the abundance of jellyfish on the beach. Since they are not really fish, it is more appropriate to call them jellies. Usually I have just seen one jelly here and one jelly there, but this time there was a large grouping of them on the beach by our condo. I guess that jellies travel in "blooms", and they can be washed up on shore together. I wondered what happened to them once they are on the beach, and then in the morning I saw seagulls eating them. Turtles also like to consume jellies. The circle of life...

Folly Field Beach jellies

It was wonderful to get away for a week and spend time with Diane as I only get to see her every couple of years or so. It was a rejuvenating time for both of us.

St. Paddy's Day Pickling

sunrise on Mountain Island Lake

Our community pickleball club held a St. Patrick's Day round robin yesterday. The day began with a beautiful sunrise, as shown above. But right after the volunteers got the two tennis courts striped with painters tape so that we could have a total of six courts for the day, it began to rain. The luck of the Irish was with us, though, as the storm quickly passed. We ended up with sunny, blue skies for the day.

Around 70 of our club members participated in the games, so with the limited number of courts each person only got to play 3 or 4 games in the scheduled time period. But some matches ended early, so I did get in an extra game at the end before it was time to go eat.

Some of the guys grilled up hamburgers and hot dogs, and there was a selection of chips, candy and cookies to go along with those. It was nice to be able to sit around the pool deck, which overlooks the lake, and catch up with friends. My pickleball companions who don't live here were a bit green with envy 💚💚💚

St. Paddy's Day social

Another ED&C

squamous cell carcinoma

Yesterday I had another Electrodesiccation and Curettage (ED&C) performed to remove the squamous cell carcinoma from my left arm. Basically the dermatologist scrapes off the top layer of cells with a curette until healthy cells are revealed. Then an electrocautery device is used to apply small amounts of electricity to the treated surface to burn away any remaining cancer cells. I believe this also helps to stop the bleeding.

ED&Cs are used instead of Mohs surgery when the basal or squamous cells are smaller, newer growths. The procedure has a 96% success rate. It only took my doctor about fifteen minutes, and because no stitches are needed I don't have to go back until my next regular checkup, which is in four months. The downside of having no stitches, though, is that it will not heal as quickly. 

While I do not have to keep a bandage on it, obviously I don't want to get the vaseline and/or any drainage on my clothes or sheets. However, I am allergic to every bandage out there, and they make me itch and break out in red dots. The paper tape does the same thing, so I can't even cover it with gauze and use tape. I am compromising by keeping a bandage off while I am in the house and wearing a short-sleeved top. Hopefully this one will heal quicker than the ones on my neck did so I can forgo the bandages. 

Making Whoopie (Pies)

The other day I was invited to dinner at a friend's house and was asked to bring dessert. As there would only be a few of us, I searched for single-serving recipes. I came across several whoopie pies recipes, and was intrigued by them. I don't think I have ever eaten a whoopie pie, much less made them. What are they, you might ask. Believed to have originated in America on the east coast, several states claim to be the birthplace of whoopie pies. They might be considered a cake, cookie, pie or sandwich. They are baked in a round shape, and two are then combined together with a smear of filling.

Most of the pies are chocolate, but I found a recipe that called for strawberries which sounded good, so that's what I made. The batter for the pies was very easy to make, but I will say the filling was quite a bit of work. The end result was very good, and my friends and neighbors enjoyed them. But if I were to make whoopie pies again, I think I would just use a container of whipped frosting, adding the strawberries into that. It would be a lot simpler, and I think the consistency and flavor would be good. Whoopie!

whoopie pies

Taking a Shot

Covid-19 booster

It's hard to believe that we are entering the fifth year of Covid-19! Certainly when the reports of a new virus first started coming out the end of 2019, I never expected we would still be having to deal with it in 2024. 

My husband and I have had all six of the Pfizer shots, which included the two original injections as well as four booster shots. Since it has been more than six months since my last booster as well as the fact that a new booster was released last fall, I received my 7th shot yesterday.

The injection itself was not bad at all, and the only weird thing that happened is that when I got home (about 30 minutes after the injection) I started to feel a little dizzy. That has not happened with any shot I have ever received. I just laid down for a bit, and that went away. My arm is a little sore at the injection site, but other than that it has been smooth sailing.

Getting this additional shot made me wonder how many Americans have taken advantage of this latest booster? According to the CDC, about 12% of adults in the U.S. have gotten the new vaccine. That is a remarkably small number. So how many Americans have had seven shots like me? I can't find an answer to that, but it is obviously less than 12%.

Covid is still a big deal, even though most people act like it has gone away. CDC statistics indicate that 16,000 Americans are hospitalized each week with the virus, and 1,200 die each week. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that as of 4 February 2024, there have been nearly 775,000,000 cases reported in the world, with 103,000,000 of those being from the United States. Worldwide there have been over 7,000,000 deaths, with 1,200,000 of those occurring in the United States. I'm suspicious of the WHO's U.S. numbers because so many places are not reporting their data anymore in this country. Plus the U.S. statistics are less than what I reported in my July 20, 2023 post. 

Regardless, losing 1,200 Americans each week to Covid is not an insignificant thing. And we know those numbers are higher due to the lack of adequate reporting since early 2023. I don't want to become a statistic, so I'll take the shots.

Village Life

We just returned from a week in The Villages. This 55+ community has its own zip code as it is home to over 145,000 people. Located outside of Orlando, Florida, The Villages has more than 71,000 homes, and that number grows daily with no signs of slowing down. They have their own fire and police departments, post offices, hospitals, and parks and recreation department. You can pretty much find any service you need within the community.

We have heard a lot about The Villages, and some friends of ours from St. Louis purchased a home there several years ago. I actually met them through pickleball, so this seemed like an opportunity to see them and play on some of the 100 pickleball courts located there.

We were the first guests at a newly listed AirBNB. The owners just purchased the property a month ago, though they live only 10 minutes away. The rental came with a golf cart, which was important as we flew in and didn't want to rent a car. You don't even need a car as golf cart paths connect you to stores, restaurants, recreation centers and the various town centers. As a bonus, our home had a swimming pool, hot tub, fire pit and small game room, so we had a lot to entertain ourselves with if we didn't feel like going out.

There are over 1,000 clubs, so if you are bored that is totally on you. It's like summer camp on steroids. Many people buy in there due to all the golf courses, which are free or very low cost to play on. We are not golfers, but we saw tons of people on the pickleball courts, tennis courts and softball fields. We did not see a lot of walkers, and one thing that surprised me was the lack of sidewalks. You have to walk on the golf cart paths, which also carry bicyclists. That seems a little dangerous, and maybe that is why not too many people were walking.

Overall we had a very nice time, and met some great people on the pickleball courts. We played at four of the different recreation centers. We also visited two of the town centers and enjoyed listening to live music, which happens every night at all the town centers. It was nice that we could get to the grocery store and multiple restaurants in less than 10 minutes in the golf cart.

While I would not personally want to live there full-time because it is so huge and lacks the sense of community that we have here, I definitely would consider going back especially if another couple joined us.

The Villages

Squeamish over Squamous

squamous cell carcinoma

My biopsy report came back Wednesday, and as expected the spot on my arm was positive for cancer. This time it is another squamous cell. Of my 19 skin cancer diagnoses, 4 have been squamous cell and the rest have been basal cell.

Dr. Seminara offered me two choices for taking care of this spot. The first is to do an ED&C like she did to the two basal cells on my neck in April of last year. That was no fun since the cells are just scraped off and no stitches are given. They took quite a while to heal, and as I am allergic to the adhesive in bandages that made dealing with open wounds problematic. The second choice is to do a deep burn on the spot with liquid nitrogen followed by a topical skin cancer cream. The success rate is in the 96th percentile with the first option and in the 84th percentile with the second. 

On one other occasion I was prescribed a topical cancer cream to use on my forehead. Let alone making my forehead swell so much I could barely see, it burned a lot and made me sicker than a dog. I thought I had the flu until my husband pointed out that I was sick on each day I used the cream, but started feeling better on the off days of usage. Based on that experience, I am opting to go with the ED&C again. I am waiting on the dermatology scheduling department to call me and set the appointment.

In the meantime, I'm just going to enjoy watching the sun from the shade of my back porch.

Mountain Island Lake

The Dark Side of the Sun

sun damage

When I was growing up we played outside all the time. After all, there was no air conditioning in the house, so at least being outdoors with friends made us forget the heat. There was also no sunblock available, at least at my house. Through the years my skin has had a lot of exposure to the sun, and I have been paying for it since I got my first skin cancer diagnosis in 1992. 

Last week I went in for my six month checkup. One of the spots the doctor had frozen at my last visit has disappeared, which was great news. I pointed out some trouble spots to her, and she froze four on my right hand and one on my left temple. The temple one will bear watching. But she took a biopsy of a spot on my left arm above my elbow. 

I should have gotten the results by now, but I guess the lab is backed up. I'd like to think no news is good news, but she has been spot on (pardon the pun) when it comes to calling what she thinks is a skin cancer. But I can still hope she is wrong, I guess.

Though I am diligent now with applying sunscreen and wearing a big hat, I can't undo the damage that was done in the past. I just have to accept these continuing skin cancers as a part of my life. And hope that this one isn't number 19 for me.

Sending Out an SOS

Apple watch SOS screen

A couple years ago my Fitbit watch conked out and I replaced it with an Apple watch. I love the seamless integration of the applications, and the fact that I can sync it with my other Apple devices. It was an added plus that the Workout segment of the watch actually has a selection for playing pickleball! I use that feature many times each week.

But a weird thing happened the other night with the watch. I was laying in bed reading when all of a sudden a heard a woman say, "911 emergency. Do you need police, fire or ambulance?" What the heck? It took a minute for me to process that the voice was coming through my watch. I had to quickly tell her that my watch had made the call, and I was not in need of any emergency services. 

As I was holding my iPad in two hands at the time, obviously I did not press the SOS button. You are supposed to press the side button and hold it for five seconds in order to make the call. So how did this happen? I am not sure, but I don't want it to happen again. The 911 call centers have their hands full dealing with real emergencies. I went into my Apple watch settings and disabled the SOS feature. Hopefully I won't need it in the future.

Another Year Over

our signature cranberry cosmo

The holiday season blew by and we are rolling into the middle of January already. We had a great Christmas with the kids and their families gathering here. Our daughter was again able to work remotely, so she was here for a few weeks. It's nice to have the extra time one on one with her.

Our son, daughter-in-law and their daughter were able to spend five days with us before heading on to see family on the other side. As our granddaughter is mobile now, we had baby-proofing to do before they arrived. I was very concerned about the Christmas tree, but she really only batted a couple of low-lying ornaments. As I had made sure all the low ones were non-breakable with cloth hangers, that was no big deal. I just didn't want her to pull the tree down on top of herself. I also didn't want to be the grandma that constantly said NO. 

We took them to the Stowe Botanical Garden to see the lights. My only choice with their schedule was December 23rd, which happened to be the last night of the light show. We lucked out in that it was in the low 50s, so we did not get cold. The lights were better than last year, and everyone enjoyed it.

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

The day after Christmas we sent the big kids off to a movie. That gave grandma and grandpa some nice alone time with their only grandchild. She was very happy with us, and it was fun to take her for a walk in our neighborhood to show her off.

New Year's Eve our community had a party here. We didn't attend last year due to Covid, but we decided to go this year. They had a huge tent since we don't have a building large enough to house a big party, complete with a red carpet for us to walk down. Our picture is washed out due to the lighting, unfortunately. There was a second tent for the food, and there was also an eight piece band. It was a really nice way to ring in the new year. We are looking forward to seeing what 2024 will bring us.