Vitamin D Testing

The other day I got a bill for over $200 in the mail for a test to measure my Vitamin D levels. Medicare says the test is medically unnecessary and that I have to pay for it!

Wait a minute! My doctors at the local clinic have always told me my Vitamin D levels were just fine and I take a daily supplement, so I am wondering just why the test was ordered in the first place. I get it that the government has to save money, but not that I should have to foot the bill for unnecessary testing. Surely every doctor in the world got a notice that the test was no longer covered?

Apparently Medicare is weeding out unnecessary testing, and I am fine with that - but it might have been nice if I had been given the information that this test is no longer covered.

I live on a severely restricted budget and paying this bill will be difficult. I am writing my doctor to ask that I no longer have to have this testing done, and hopefully I will remember to remind her not to do it again as I have been tested for various other conditions twice a year. Four hundred dollars is more than my mortgage payment!

I urge others who are on Medicare to talk to their physician about the cost of the tests they order. It is apparent that doctors do not know what costs are incurred and order tests without thought about the impact on the life of the patient.

Just saying - in the meantime, it is a pretty day so take a walk on the sunny side and collect some natural Vitamin D!

Love, Terry

A Day at the Wharf

Yesterday I joined Ann Foley, Andy Nunez and other local writers for a day at Long Wharf in Cambridge where the Richardson Museum hosted their annual schooner rendevous.

What a beautiful day it was! There was a hint of chill in the air, but it was beautiful in the sun and many came to get a closer look at the tall ships that gathered on the Choptank River to demonstrate our living history.

I always love being able to go out with my books and say howdy to the many friends I have made in the community over the years. It really warms my heart to catch up on news and collect hugs. (I like to gather as many as I can!)

Cambridge is a town with great spirit, and it hosts many gatherings over the course of the year. In addition to the hospitality of the warm-hearted locals, we are seeing an increase in growth in the arts with several galleries open to show off the accomplishments of the art community.

The Cambridge downtown is gradually coming back from the economic decline that it suffered from the early 90s when I first came to the community. That year, almost every store on Race Street closed and it was a sad thing to go downtown - especially during the holiday season. There was even a movement for non-proft groups to decorate the empty windows on Race Street.

But times have changed and despite the slump our country is experiencing Cambridge is coming back! Many of the downtown storefronts are filling up and people are out and about. Much of it is due to the work and dedication of Jim Duffy, who has been thee coordinator for the Main Street project in Cambridge. It is heartwarming to see, so if you are feeling down, take a walk downtown and check out the change. It is definitely a walk on the sunny side! Love, Terry

The End of the World?

Everyone seems to be searching for a place of calm while the world fights the same wars over and over again. It seems as if we all believe in some sort of God, Creator of heaven and earth, or overseer, but it seems like something is getting lost in the translation.

According to the ancient Maya calendar the world will end in the year 2012. Boy! That sure makes it difficult to believe in happily ever after when the ghosts of the French Revolution stalk the shadows of Wall Street bankers. What’s up with that?

I believe poor folks have a point. It is pretty clear that not even one millionaire got there without the sweat and toil of lots and lots of little people who live on the verge of poverty. Again, we can look to history for a parallel – but where is Robin Hood when we need him?

I realize I am spitting into the wind, but what if everyone took a minute to think positive about the proposed world’s end and pondered the great WHAT IF?

What if people started being nice to one another? What if every guy on the street picked up one piece of garbage? What if every mom took a day off to love her child, instead of telling that youngster that he or she is bad, and then skip the yelling because a little milk was spilled. What if everyone turned down the heat a couple of degrees? What if people sat on their porches and passed the time of day? What if everyone with a vacant lot allowed people with no land to plant a garden and grow some of the food they need? What if every employer in the world gave his employees one dollar more each week?

There are so many opportunities for people to do good, one wonders why there is so much strife in the world.

Could it be? Is it possible? What if the end of the world could be the end of the world as we know it? What if the end of the world was the beginning of peace on earth and enough for every child to be fed? I believe it could happen….

Do you?

If not, take a walk on the sunny side and you might see the possibilities! Love, Terry

Who's Watching the Store?

Earlier this week out lovsl TV station ran a story about the United States Postal Service saying that it has reached a $15 billion debt ceiling and that if it cannot come up with a $5 billion payment soon, the United States Postal Service will close its doors this winter.

What?

I am sorry, but who is watching the store? We have an appointed Postmaster General who supposedly watches over the business and has a great deal of freedom in supervising that operation. Or am I wrong? I did a little research.

Supposedly the Postmaster General is appointed by the president to make sure the postal service operates in an appropriate fashion. This person is an employee of the nation with a $263,575 annual paycheck enhanced by another $135,041 in benefits as of the year 2009. No doubt there has been a COLA or two since then, but my question is ‘what do the taxpayers get for all their money? More debt?

Is that right? Think about it.

When I was a little girl trying to sell boxed greeting cards to my neighbors many of the older prospects said that the price of stamps was going up from two to three cents and they couldn’t afford to buy the cards. The price of stamps has gone up every couple of years since then, and while service at the local Post Office (which underwent costly and extensive renovations this past year!) has always been good, one wonders how so much debt has piled up.

Who’s watching the store? And why haven’t the bills been paid all along?

Seeing the state of the nation, which is also deeply in debt, one wonders where accountability has strayed. One wonders how administrators can allow a business to continue to borrow with such ridiculous limits. Who is watching the store?

There are millions of poor folks out here who can’t make house and car payments, who have no insurance or pension plans because there has never been any extra money to save for the future, let alone survive the present. It would seem to me that the government could take a page from the poor individual’s guidebook: cut back, do without, pay your bills.

Demand accountability.

And walk on the sunny side. Love, Terry

Who Are the Angels?

Well, we had an interesting few days in the summer of 2011!

One good thing. Everybody called everybody. They touched bass, they made peace.
It was awesome!

I was pretty much alone while the shaking and rocking went on, if you don’t count the adolescent black cat named Shadow. He’s pretty cool, but when he saw that rain blowing uphill, he let me know that he wasn’t going out in that kaka.

As luck would have it, I happened to be in the middle of some fine copper ombre yarn that had gotten tangled because I couldn’t find the end… sometimes it happens. One thing, I found I didn’t mind something immediate to occupy my hands and the left part of my brain so that I could cope with the flying bricks and a category one hurricane fussing around the door. I untangled that huge knot for hours on end… and now I can make Lisa a shawl.

Which brings me to the point of this post. Being alone in a storm is a good way to take stock of one’s life and the angels who have claimed a dance along the way. Lisa is one of my angels. She has a good and helpful heart and has done me many a good turn.

So, she will get a scarf done in a difficult stitch. It is a good thing to make a shawl for a sister, no matter how long it takes.

Who were the others? Angels – oh, there are always a few more. There was Fred Smith who opened my ears to the miracle of true storytelling. There was Dorothy Morford who believed I could work with my head (even though she warned against starvation in my old age….) She paid me well.

Arline Chase was another angel. She honored my work as a writer. OH… and Jackie Vickers – she kept me employed for as long as I could stay listening to the old folks spin their tales. Who else? Well, Lyle Cameron – village idiot and champion racer… he’ll give you a life saver and remind you to have a good day.

There are so many angels in my life – the gals from the Main Street Gallery and Wednesday Morning Artists… The musicians who let me join the jam….

I could go on and on for there are surely more, but I thought you might want to join the conversation. Tell me about your angels and keep on the sunny side! Love, Terry

Wha... Happened?

Yesterday the Eastern Shore joined the eastern seaboard as we experienced a rare earthquake centered in Virginia. I knew what it was as I had been shaken awake by a similar shake in the Adirondacks. The piano was playing itself and I woke to the jangle of strings.

My piano remained silent yesterday, but it brought back memories of an odd time that culminated in my move to the Eastern Shore. You pretty much know an earthquake once you have lived through one. Of course, the west coast has events like this all the time, but we tend to think the Atlantic seaboard is more or less safe from earthquake, which made this recent occurrance a real shock even though damage was fairly minor.

An odd point is that we are on the cusp of the arrival of a heavy storm coming up from the Caribbean at this point in time. Let's hope that Irene moves out to sea and leaves us alone - or more likely - just waters our gardens.

It may be coincidence, but I wrote the following poem recently. Maybe it was a message... you never know. At any rate, I hope you enjoy and that you keep on the sunny side. Love, Terry

Earthshake and Rain

There was an earthshake the other day
And that brought on a grief reaction
That reflected our puzzlement and anger
That the planet should do us that way.
We all know perfectly well that
When buildings fall, it is not the fault
Of the sand on which we build ….
Or the men who draw the plans.
Consider this:
The fault is the fault!
A fissure deep in the ground
That moves and turns so
Things go out of plumb and
Building blocks fall like rain.
And then the rain falls three states away
Flooding the flatlands,
Washing away houses and frogs,
Carrying new topsoil to cover
The croplands and meadows
Where the grasses grew for time out of mind
And we try to say that a flood is wrong
When all of this is normal
All day long.

What Shade Democracy?

I will admit I have found the view of my world rather unsettling lately. I can’t seem to figure out why there is so much prejudice when it comes to our population and even our decision-making.

A couple of years ago the nation was congratulating itself on electing a president who represented a non-white race. There was a huge infusion of pride and hope for our country. We had cracked the race barrier at last!

Then President Obama went to work on the colossal mess he inherited from past presidents and Congress. He was a man with a plan, and realization of that plan put him squarely in the cross hairs of bigots and nay-sayers who knew without doubt this was an evil man. I do not doubt that prejudice is a heavy hitter in what is going on right now. I hear it every day on the street – and I wonder what sort of public opinion I would hear if our nation’s leader did not also represent another race.

Who, I ask, has the education, courage and stamina to stand up to the problems our president faced from day one? I know for sure I wouldn’t want the job, but if I did have to do it, I would like to hope I would have time to see the plan come to fruition and have the support of the men and women who helped elect him.

I understand that prejudice has a huge role in this drama in which we are enmeshed. And it is a drama that goes back as far as mankind. If someone is different, has a different skin tone, a strange religion or an exotic dietary law, they have to be bad. It is automatic, and cause for discord, disharmony and war.

The real problem is we don’t learn. We didn’t learn from the Holocaust, when millions died simply because they had a different belief system. We didn’t learn from the near-genocide of the American Indians who welcomed European visitors with open hearts and were massacred and pushed aside for their trouble. We don’t learn.

Over time, we have excoriated the Jews, the Irish, the Chinese, and recently Hispanics – pushing them into ghettos and forcing them to work for sub-standard wages – just because we can.

The truth is we are all of us immigrants. I proudly claim a Native American ancestry, and yet when looking back, I see that even they struck out from another continent, walked (it is a theory anyway!) across the Bering Straits and took over a world that may or may not have been empty. Today it is all right (maybe even stylish) to be Native American, but go south a ways and our cousins in Mexico and points south are not all right at all.

If I remember my high school history correctly, we are a country that supposedly endorses that familiar legend on the Statue of Liberty welcoming the poor, the tired, and huddled masses. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

I hope you think about it… and stay on the sunny side!

Terry