Edna

Some of us who attended KJHS/LHS in the 60's and 70's may have Edna Van Duzee as their music teacher.

Edna

Though she was long retired from school teacher, she was very active in music and politics well into her 90's in The Village of Round Lake.  Edna passed in 2017.

Now I told you that to show you this.  I was strolling around the Clifton Park, NY Salvation Army store last week. Yes, that's how busy I am.  But I normally stop by once a month looking for the odd baseball caps, t-shirts, and hoodies.  This time, though, I was drawn toward three boxes near the eight track cassettes part of the shop.

Flipping through the stax  of wax there were classical:

And classical:

And classical:

There were many other classical albums in the boxes.   No matter the condition of the album on the outside, the LP within was pristine.  Even if the were Mitch Miller and 100 Strings (kids, ask your grandparents) were in most of the other albums, I couldn't resist these two baby boomer memories:

That's right, K-tel Records brings you the BEST of pop music of the early 1970s, plus a number of bands you have never heard of and never will. That's OK because all the songs are less than two minutes to make sure you can get part of a couple of bars of the Intruders!  Get it now!

BUT WAIT !   THERE'S MORE!

Yes, the heart of pop music for early 1966, and then a TV show, then two post divorce TV  shows, then Sonny went to Congress and skied in to a tree.  Cher lives on in as little clothing as possible.  When I pulled out the album, there seemed to be evidence of more use than some of the classical records (smudges, scratches, that little fast/ slow  showing the LP has been in the sun too long.  But someone must have liked it.

The most important part of this not the music selections, but here was part of one of teachers lives. Also there's recorded organ music from almost a century past.  One of the greatest feats about Edna was her preservation of the magnificent Ferris Tracker organ in the Round Lake Auditorium.  It's still there, and there are programs to bring the Ferris Tracker back to life again.

Edna would have liked that.

Tools of the trade

"Symptoms of MS," said Isaac Newton (never, but go with it) "which cause an actual harm to the human being suffering within, but the being in distress can fight back in an equal and opposite manner."

Let the battle begin!

But there are no guns, no cannons, tanks, bombs, or nukes.   Yet the losses pile up for the one enduring the fury of the onslaught.  We must change tactics, giving way where we must but still holding ground where we can.

For instance,  this.....

The wall brace.  This recently installed item is a suction grabber handle to help prevent falls and possible injury, which is nice. However you must fall around or near for the sucker to do its job, unless you shower and and keep one hand on the sucker at all times, switching from hand to hand to get clean.  I truly propose that these be sold by the gross to MS folks so that the rest of the bathroom can be as safe.  Warning: This handle only sticks to ceramic and pre-fited showers/bath fixtures.  If you fall down in the hallway between the bath and another room, that's on you.  Or take out a loan, have your house completely done over in ceramic tiles and/or whatever they use to make the new bathtubs with and get as much as you can. Stick those holder uppers about one foot apart all over your home You've got MS, you're gonna fall over sometime. Why not be prepared?

Here's the next, the big person's bib. I thought this would be a little further down the lifetime, maybe close to nursing home time.  We went shopping and found this lovely two way version.

Guest Bib (hard to find a shirt for this)

Just us at home version (note the crumbs)

At first I rebelled as any regular guy around 60 years of age would, remove my napkin from my shirt top where it had been tucked in on the assumption that food I couldn't keep from going down my gullet would end up on this 6 inch paper towel, and stormed off deeply wounded.  I would also have a  huff prepared to leave in.  But at home, its the bib.  Could I get like a Star Trek or Star Wars one?  Or a Trump one so that everything not in my mouth falls on him.  It's a small rebellion, I know.  I'm just doing my part.  I do recommend that you use this Mega only at home and trips using a drive thru for consumables.  I would not want to ruin my driver's front or back seat with taco sauce or the exploding  burger from a triple MacDonald's sized BigMac.

There's much research on what MS can do to your teeth.  Check out: https://www.everydayhealth.com/multiple-sclerosis/living-with/how-ms-affect-oral-health/
and see how the insidious MonSter can reek havoc with your mouth and teeth.  But there's a good amount of ways to counter what its doing such as brushing, flossing, and get a good oral rinse twice a day.  I also recommend having diet or low sugar tactics with you all the time, which in Disney World is a must unless you want to try and find a water cooler and waste time the you could see President Trump at the House of Presidents ( and Casino).

Here's a fun thing.  Try your patience using a water pick...

The thing looks like its from a 1960's sci fi show.  Water Pick the 23rd reigning over its part of the bathroom sink, daring you to grab it, and squirt your mouth clean, assuming it gets close enough to your opened mouth before ejaculating.  Then clean up.  Return the mighty Pick to its holder, where it will remain gloating.  Change your shirt.  And you're off!