THINGS ARE LOOKING ROSIER

 

Another eye-catching business on Gravois (pronounced GRAH-voiz in local dialect) Avenue on the south side of the city. Things are looking up since I got a call late yesterday from my pain management doctor, who is the big cheese at Washington University. Everyone in the U.S. knows that health care authorization and billing are absurd and aggravating. Tiny differences in wording and coding got in the way of my nerve root ablation, so I'll get a caudal steroid injection on Monday. My lumbar spine is essentially made of recycled balsa wood but this will keep me going for a while.                    

COMFORT, AND NOT

 

Ah, comfort food from my young days, although I don't remember gyros and chicken wings being popular in my neighborhood in Queens. However, NY style pizza or a thick burger and fries bring back warm feelings. What isn't comfortable is that the hospital contacted me yesterday and canceled my lumbar nerve root ablation that was scheduled for today. They didn't get Medicare payment authorization in time and I'm really upset they didn't get this done earlier. We leave for Europe a week from today and I'm not sure I can make it without the procedure. Waiting for their response.                      

ODE ON A CONCRETE URN

 

Seen at the other end of Tower Grove Park from yesterday's picture. Keats would not have liked my poor joke, but it's what popped into my head. My head should be clearer in a couple of days after I get my lumbar spine blasted on Thursday.                    

VOICES OF SPRING

 

Explosions of tulips in Tower Grove Park. Although it is a city park, there is a private foundation that supports and helps maintain it. Today's background music: https://youtu.be/c3Ywo8Tsyys?si=ckDPPi_brJnDHdff                

NEW NEIGHBORS

 

There is a crook in the downspout of our house that sometimes attracts nesting birds. It's a bit precarious but squirrels can't get to it. Some years no one shows up. We have had robins a couple of times. This year we have not seen the usual cardinals and robins but there are lots of doves. A pair has  set up housekeeping in this spot and we are waiting to see some little peepy heads.                   

SANTA HAS HIS SLEIGH

 

But here, in suburban St. Louis, the Easter Bunny tools around in a Ford Mustang convertible. I wonder how many eggs fit in the small trunk.                                     

SUPER POWERS

Sometimes I feel near despair for my country, allowing this incoherent, childish egotist to run things. I have hope that our November congressional elections will bring a strong tidal change but fear that the process and results may be suppressed. As it happens, we will visit Hungary late this month. It will be interesting to see how things feel there.

It should be a pretty Easter weekend in St. Louis but I'm not very mobile. Thursday's nerve root ablation can't come soon enough.