A Parlour for a Plague

Left the block for the first time in over a week tonight. It was nice to get out for a good long walk. It's not swimming but it was nice - and it was nice to have some socially distanced time with a good friend. We took turns walking in the bike lane so we could maintain our spacing. She gets almost too much people time as she's a grocery store cashier, but she needs fresh air, so it was good for both of us.

I found that an interesting vid--but it recalled to my mind eidetic memory. Children before they are verbal, and some children while still illiterate, have pronounced eidetic memory. They can't have verbal or literate recall--they remember images, sounds, colors, smells, etc. It is the subject of a good deal of controversy in scientific circles, where researchers don't even really know how to frame tests. It is considered very rare in adults. I must have a form of it. I can recall passages of text fairly well, but I can recall where to find the text in a book in a way which used to spook my instructors and fellow students at university. I could open a book to within a few pages of where the text would be found, and knew if the passage were on the left-hand or right-hand page, at the top, the middle or the bottom of the page. I think people often didn't believe me, until we started doing research for a history seminar, or when in my English lit classes i demonstrated the ability to find a passage in a matter of seconds. I did a double major in history and English lit, so it was quite a benefit to me.

When I was just a liddly, my grandfather trained my memory. I cannot say now if it was conscious on his part, but it certainly was effective. If I asked him a question, and he didn't know the answer, he'd say "I don't know, but I'll find out." I still remember seeing and article in Life magazine which was about a U-boat. I asked him about that, and that was his answer. The next day, he sat me down and asked if I remembered asking him. He showed me the magazine, and told me to find the page I was looking at--which I did almost immediately. He then pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and informed me that U-boat comes from Unterseeboot, the German word for submarine. We did things like that all the time, especially with The Wind in the Willows, the book with which he taught me to read in the summer before my fourth birthday.

To this day, I retain a vivid memory of the morning of my fourth birthday. I went downstairs to the bathroom, where my grandfather was standing at the sink with his braces down. He smiled at me, but neither of us spoke. He had been stropping his razor, which he set down while he used the brush in his shaving mug, and then lathered his face. I now know, from having learned it much later, that it would have been between three and four o'clock in the morning, on November 2nd, 1954. My grandfather went to the depot whre he was station master and telegraher, arriving every morning at 4:00 am. My birthday is actually on the 8th, but for convenience, we celebrated our birthdays on the same day, the day of his birthday. That made me feel very special, as you might imagine. I got a brightly painted, wooden fire engine for my birthday, which I only vaguely remember. I remember that early morning incident, though, as though it had been this morning.

The smallest children have no other form of memory available to them--just the memory of their senses.

I don't know how far it goes, but many of the local Navajos' memories are simply incredible. It might be genetic, but I suspect it's more related to the lack of a written language before the arrival of Spaniards and Anglos.

That makes sense to me, too. The skalds and bards of pre-christian Europe performed a similar feat.

That is crazy or maybe I am as I have while conversations with myself and story telling ... a good part of my life would be stripped away if I did not have an inner voice.

I did not listen to the video but I wonder if these people are like ones that just say things like with little or no filters as they don’t have that inner voice to “talk” it out. That could explain a lot.

So I am watching the news last night... which I have avoided because I just cannot deal... and on the bottom there is this ticker sort of thing going by ... like where they show school closings...it says something along the lines about if experiencing domestic abuse call this numbet

I am also picturing that things like unplanted trees and bushes are being stolen as so many people are doing gardening right now.

Went to the garden store and saw a beautiful tree like one we have ... it was $600

So both my husband and 21 year old daughter had minor medical issues during this COVID. They both were able to have an evaluation over the phone and were in my daughter's case provided a prescription and my husband more advice and what to look for.

I got a bill on both - my daughter $38 for phone evaluation by her doctor - she actually spoke with her doctor after the nurse determined it would require a doctor evaluation.

My husband's says office visit with a charge of $300!

I don't mind paying the $38 it seems reasonable as we were taking time from the doctor.

But $300 ???

Wow! Lot of fascinating stuff here

I have certainly read that cultures without writing have far better memories and traditions of stories and poems to hand down traditions.

That’s a lovely story about your grandfather Set. Lovely to be taught to read via Wind in the Willows....though there must have been much to wonder at a tale from such a different culture.

Whoa! Hundreds for a doctor visit. That could happen with a private species there,but how you guys manage with a universal medical service.

For me - the costs have skyrocketed since Obamacare. I used to go to a visit and would pay no more than $25 - that would include anything they needed to do or give you. Most hospital visits/emergency room visits were covered 100%.

Now I have to pay out of pocket until I reach I think it is $3k and then I pay 10% if it is a doctor/hospital covered by my insurance; if it is not then it is $6k and 20%. Except wellness visits (once a year) cost nothing. Also, if the doctor gives you crutches, a boot or anything else you need to pay for that separately - also alot of stuff is not covered at all - things like customized brace my daughter needed and a rental of a machine after her surgery which her doctor told me was medically necessary for proper recovery - however, the insurance company did not feel it was medically necessary. So I was out thousands of dollars.

My premiums have also skyrocketed so I pay more for less.

The only positive is I do not need a doctor's referral for anything - I do need to check with the insurance company first to see what they will cover and often times need to double and triple check if a doctor is within the insurance plan - often times they list a particular doctor but it is outdated.

Obviously don't get me going on this because I detest Obama care - it has caused my take home pay to decrease each year because the premiums have gone up each year - higher than any increase in pay. So I actually make less money than I had several years ago. I would say this year though is the first year since it has been put in place that I broke even. It would be one thing if my services have increased as a result but they have not.

I did call - but no one is in the office - you need to send an email.

Not just unplanted. Stuff is getting dug up - but that's not a new thing. I had a whole row of pothos dug up when I first moved here. Buggers are valuable if a good size or unusual colouration. Also porch planters and porch furniture have been reported as stolen. Craziness.

I did have a bundle buggy stolen several years ago. I should have brought it in. I figure the porch pirates thought it would be handy for toting things around.

Reading certainly did open up an undiscovered world for me.

Reading - and music - were the anchors in my early life. Don't think I would have made it without them. I was pretty much raised up the way one brings up a pet dog. Thank goodness for public schools and AM radio.

I shared this story with Mr. Joe. He has wonderful memories of his grandfather, too, and I often see him modeling with our (just turned 4 year) grandson. That was a nice read.

That's so interesting Roger.

They've just the first list of quiet streets in Toronto - where car traffic will be temporarily closed off to all buy locals to allow people to walk in road to social distance. The street at the end of our block will be one. looking forward to it.

Thanks, Joe Blow . . .

Back yard build complete!!!!

Now for planting and ambience stuff!

Already have dining sets, beautiful bench,.....need to get aesthetic cat enrichment things. This, my friends, is a battle.

I know where to get pleasing INDOOR cat enrichment things, but the outdoor world is full of plastic and general hideousness.

Wondering about curved wooden pieces to climb and rest on....attached to sunniest wall.

Nice big piece of timber for clawing, art piece and sunning.....

Yay!!

It all sounds fabulous.

I'm with you. Boo to gaudy plastic.

Glad the back yard is complete. Good luck finding the right cat stuff. Not only are cats often fussy, but it appears that you are too. A great union of fussiness. I salute you.