GoodRx actually works. Sometimes.

 Blessings Darlings!

I'm going to take a moment to talk about GoodRx.  You might have seen it's ads on TV, about how it can help you get the prescription meds that you need for affordable prices.

Well, we had to try it out the other day.  Here's what happened.

The Chubby Hubby, being old, has an assortment of stuff about his body that isn't optimal.   One of them is the dreaded "I have to get up and pee once or twice overnight".  It's not something that *I* see as a critical thing, but it's his body and sometimes he has trouble getting back to sleep after getting up to pee.  Anyway -

So he sees a urologist.  No prostate issues, just the 'overactive bladder' stuff.  Fine.  Tries one drug, doesn't work.  Tries another drug, doesn't work.  Now they want him to try another drug, maybe two drugs together.  Welp, while the original drugs were cheap, especially with our AARP medicare drug coverage - these are NOT AT ALL affordable, even with the drug coverage.  Like, $300+ and $400+ per month.  

Cue freak out.  And a call to the urologist about other options due to the prices.  The nurse there says to try a different pharmacy (I'll talk about Walgreens some other post) and use GoodRx there.  He does.  The price for Expensive Drug #1 drops to under $17.  OTOH, the price for Expensive Drug #2 stays over $400.

He's getting Drug #1 and trying it out.  Expensive Drug #2 is not on our menu.

So, somewhat mixed results, but those of you who don't have drug coverage, or whose drug coverage leaves some drugs unaffordable, might get some help thru' it.  It's worth looking at.

Frondly, Fern

A little warmth in the cold of winter.

 Blessings, Darlings!

Today is almost totally cloudy, with a cold wind altho' the actual temperature is in the mid 50's, and it's still a waxing moon (now more than 1/4 full.)  The Super Bowl is tomorrow (not that we care) and Valentine's Day is in two days (alas, not that THAT matters, either.)

I picked up and started using a mat for heating seeds.  Not that I'm using it on any seeds - it's under my ginger and turmeric plants.  Those plants die back to their tubers in this house over the winter, then don't start up again until damn near summer.  This means I get TINY crops of them.

Unacceptably tiny crops.

Thus, investment in the mat and electricity.  We'll see if this improves the situation.  The Chubby Hubby says he's jealous of the plants, that he'd like another source of heat, especially with the newly instituted thermostat drop at night.  

This last week has been very warm here, which reduced our use of propane by itself, so we can't see if our lifestyle changes (tiny lifestyle changes) have reduced our usage.  The next 3 days, tho', will be colder so might give us some information.

I got an e-mail from our propane provider.  They feel we should contact them for a refill when the tank is down to 40% full.  Um, we were down to 30% full last week.  The price of propane is sky high.  I'm hoping the price will drop before we actually are forced to order any.  Of course that might not be possible. 

Oh, I DID start some seeds, but since I started Swiss Chard, and that is VERY hardy, I didn't need to heat the seed bed at all.  They are awfully leggy, since I don't have any grow lights.  But if I get a cold frame put up outside, they might do okay soon.  If.

Frondly, Fern

Sunday evening tech down

 Blessings, Darlings!

It's a bright, sunny, but cold day here in my corner of the Appalachians.  Waxing moon.  My cousin Barbara's 80th birthday (Happy birthday!)  Temperature might get up above freezing today.  Or might not.
I've got the dishwasher running, and the second load of laundry in that washer.  Due to the cold weather, the laundry will go into the dryer.  Soon I'll be heading out to work for the day.

While this winter hasn't seemed to be particularly cold - we're certainly going thru' propane at an advanced rate.  I might need to buy more to get thru' the winter, a concept that is intimidating given how high the price all fossil fuels are this year.  Not that I expect them to get much lower in future years, mind you.  But most years I can fill the tank for $900 or so and get thru' a year, while last fall I paid over $1400 and worry that I'll run out.

Chubby Hubby and I had a talk about the propane issue, and he spent the evening trying to get the theoretically programmable thermostat programmed.  He had no success.  So now we're just going to manually change it, morning and evening.  We had been leaving it at 66 degrees all the time.  Now, from about 8 pm to 5:30 am, it will be set to 62 degrees.  Maybe that will help.  And maybe the guys will take shorter showers.  I've been doing that for a while now.

Frondly, Fernm

Plumbing

 Blessings Darlings!

Yup, we have plumbing issues.  Spent lots of time figuring it out, two trips to the hardware store, etc.  When it became clear that fixing it would involve removing the kitchen sink ... and that the Chubby Hubby is really not at all good for fixing this stuff (I at least always know where the master water shutoff valve is, and use it before doing work) ... we're calling a plumber on Monday.

The sink and faucet work, but the sprayer is kaput.  I'll have to fill a plastic container with water to rinse dishes in, to reduce the amount of water I'd end up using to rinse them without the sprayer.  Not horrible, but wasteful and inefficient.  And ... we can afford to have it fixed right at this time.  Which will certainly be a better job than we would have done.

But THAT was my day today.

Frondly, Fern

Sun moves into Virgo, Fern spends day sleeping.

 Blessings Darlings!

I'm under the weather today.  Slept most of the day.  Had weird environmental and political dreams.

In totally mundane stuff, the sprayer on our kitchen sink isn't working.  The Chubby Hubby has twice tried to fix it and failed.  Today I ordered a replacement for pickup, which is supposed to be in stock at one of the two close by big box hardware stores.  They've acknowledged the order, but apparently not pulled it from the shelf and brought it to the desk yet.

I'm hoping that we'll get some blessed rain tonight.  It's been dry lately - not unusual, we're usually dry in August, but still ... dry.

Here's hoping that tomorrow I'll be more useful!

Frondly, Fern

Crab Rangoon Day.

 Blessings Darlings!

It was a grand night for stargazing last night.  Alas, I saw no meteors, but the temperature dropped down low for perfect sleeping weather.

Woke up refreshed today, AND before my husband came by to wake me up.  Laundry done and on clothes line.  Crab Rangoon mix made, and tested.  Will make more for dinner.  Had full shopping list ready for the Spawn when he went to the Big City to shop.  Cleaned out the fridge.  Did more of the eternal chore of dishwashing/putting away.  Did some reading ... and, yeah, some book buying.  Bad Fern, Bad!

Washed the kitchen floor.  Made more crab rangoons, and dinner.

Just busy lately.

Frondly, Fern

Busy busy busy

Blessings, Darlings!

Busy day today.  Defrosted the big freezer.  Organized shopping for the week.  Made salmon piccata.  Plan to make crab Rangoon tomorrow. Got propane delivery.  Lawn care done. Loudly done. Still going thru' the papers on my desk - maybe will be done by end of month?  Maybe by the next dark moon?

Spawn took his piece of salmon out of the pan before I added lemon and capers, and put pesto on his instead.  He approved of this taste.  So now he will eat one type of cooked fin fish happily.  Rah.

I stepped on the scale yesterday and today (multiple data points).  I've not gained weight during the pandemic/staying home.  OTOH, I've not lost any, either.  

Last night Katrina Messinger challenged us to go to bed 1 hour after dark.  That would have been, um, 10 minutes ago.  I'm running a little late.  I'm going to run off and do tonight's offerings and go to bed.

Frondly, Fern