La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
I’m feeling so much better today. My outdoor excitement was a walk over to the pharmacy to pick up my special prescription, the one I’ve been paying out of pocket for since June. Only this time, instead of shelling out €175 for the month, I only had to shell out €4.25! Apparently, a specialist at public health (I don’t know who) added it to my list of prescriptions. Yay!
Other than that, I’ve been taking it easy for a few days. I hope to find at least a bit of my mojo tomorrow, which starts with lab work at the private medical centre first thing in the morning. Maybe I’ll do a little sightseeing on my way home. It’s about 3.5 km (over 2 miles) from here. The distance isn’t bad but it’s outside the city centre and not a very picturesque walk. So I’ll take a taxi there and maybe have one drop me off halfway home.
Dudo and Moose are being mostly nice to each other lately. Usually, they exchange several friendly looking licks that turn into bites. They’re cuddling again more regularly. Dudo loves to go out in the hall with me and stands by the door (not quietly) when he’s ready for a stroll. His wish is my command.
I spoke New Year’s Eve with The Kid Brother. I then hung up and phoned his office. Then I hung up and spoke with him again. Two weeks in a row he has had no cash to go bowling. He has money in the bank but there’s some problem with a new bank card that requires him to show his state ID to activate which state ID apparently expired months ago. And it’s all “their” fault. The office staff has changed since the first several times he complained about his ID. When I phoned them this time they told me they would help him and get things in motion the next day. They said he needs to come to them when he has a problem. I agreed. I told them he had several times told the previous staff about his problems. I added that I had actually phoned this team weeks ago, but didn’t say much more than that. I didn’t remind them that he’s a 6-year-old child in the body of a 64-year-old man and that it’s their job to work with his special needs and limitations. Nor did I suggest that it might be their responsibility to check up on him regularly and make sure things are going smoothly. I don’t want them to resent me or resent The Kid Brother because of me. I remind myself that I might not be here forever for him and he needs to find his way with them. He was happy when we got off the phone the second time. He was Perry White and I was Jimmy Olsen, “And don’t call me Chief!” was repeated several times. I vented to San Geraldo. We laughed. I took a pill. We went to sleep.
When our Glasgow friends were here, they brought two toys for the cats, beautiful flowers for us, and a Virgin of Carmen candle (for our souls). The Virgin of Carmen is not only the patron saint of mariners and Los Boliches, our old neighborhood in Fuengirola; but Connor and Maureen both adopted her as their own and thought it would be funny to bring her along. The cats love their new toys. Moose tends to watch while Dudo plays. The flowers are glorious on the dining room table. And we’ve got a virgin in the house and have no idea what to do with her.
Hoy me siento mucho mejor. Mi emoción al aire libre fue caminar hasta la farmacia para recoger mi receta especial, la que he estado pagando de mi bolsillo desde junio. ¡Solo que esta vez, en lugar de desembolsar €175 por mes, solo tuve que desembolsar €4,25! Al parecer, un especialista de la salud pública (no sé quién) la agregó a mi lista de recetas. ¡Genial!
Aparte de eso, me he estado tomando las cosas con calma durante unos días. Espero encontrar al menos un poco de mi energía mañana, que comienza con análisis de laboratorio en el centro médico privado a primera hora de la mañana. Tal vez haga un poco de turismo de camino a casa. Está a unos 3,5 km (más de 2 millas) de aquí. La distancia no es mala, pero está fuera del centro de la ciudad y no es un paseo muy pintoresco. Así que tomaré un taxi allí y tal vez uno me deje a mitad de camino a casa.
Dudo y Moose se están portando bastante bien últimamente. Por lo general, intercambian varios lametones amistosos que se convierten en mordiscos. Han vuelto a acurrucarse con más regularidad. A Dudo le encanta salir al pasillo conmigo y se queda junto a la puerta (no en silencio) cuando está listo para dar un paseo. Su deseo es una orden para mí.
Hablé en Nochevieja con El Hermanito. Luego colgué y llamé a su oficina. Luego colgué y hablé con él nuevamente. Dos semanas seguidas no ha tenido efectivo para ir a jugar a los bolos. Tiene dinero en el banco, pero hay un problema con una nueva tarjeta bancaria que requiere que muestre su identificación estatal para activarla, la cual aparentemente expiró hace meses. Y todo es culpa de ellos. El personal de la oficina ha cambiado desde las primeras veces que se quejó de su identificación. Cuando los llamé esta vez, me dijeron que lo ayudarían y pondrían las cosas en marcha al día siguiente. Dijeron que necesita acudir a ellos cuando tiene un problema. Acepté. Les dije que varias veces le había contado sus problemas al personal anterior. Añadí que había llamado a este equipo hacía semanas, pero no dije mucho más que eso. No les recordé que es un niño de 6 años en el cuerpo de un hombre de 64 y que es su trabajo trabajar con sus necesidades especiales y limitaciones. Tampoco sugerí que podría ser su responsabilidad controlarlo regularmente y asegurarse de que todo vaya bien. No quiero que se resientan conmigo o que se resientan con El Hermanito por mi culpa. Me recuerdo a mí mismo que tal vez no esté aquí para él para siempre y que necesita encontrar su camino con ellos. Estaba feliz cuando colgamos el teléfono la segunda vez. Él era Perry White y yo era Jimmy Olsen. —¡Y no me llames Jefe!— Le dije a San Geraldo. Nos reímos. Tomé una pastilla. Nos fuimos a dormir.
Cuando nuestros amigos de Glasgow vinieron, trajeron dos juguetes para los gatos, hermosas flores para nosotros y una vela de la Virgen del Carmen para nuestras almas. La Virgen del Carmen no solo es la santa patrona de los marineros; y Los Boliches, nuestro antiguo barrio en Fuengirola; pero Connor y Maureen la adoptaron como propia y pensaron que sería divertido traerla con ellos. A los gatos les encantan sus nuevos juguetes. Moose suele mirar mientras Dudo juega. Las flores son gloriosas en la mesa del comedor. Y tenemos una virgen en la casa y no tenemos idea de qué hacer con ella.
Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
Haz clic en las miniaturas para ampliar.
Those cats are born entertainers, aren’t they? Jx
PS It must have been a long time since you and SG met a virgin.
Jon:
I have been thinking and thinking and can’t recall the last time.
What a lovely and welcome surprise to find your expensive Rx now covered! I hope your brother’s ID woes get straightened out soon. It must be very frustrating for both him and you when he’s not getting the assistance he needs.
Debra:
Thanks. Yes, we both get frustrated and I try to not let him know. Sometimes, though, the manager has been so awful that I’ve just had to agree with him. Thankfully, that manager is gone. I’ll stop by when I’m in NY and introduce myself to this latest round.
Happy New Year! Just worship the virgin and the cats the same and all will be happy.
David:
I’ll just worship the cats.
Here’s what to do with a virgin- worship or ignore her. Your choice. Or, you know, you can give her a little smile when you walk by her sometimes.
How incredibly frustrating for you and Kid Brother. It does not sound like anyone is advocating for the people who live there. I mean- come on! I’m sorry that’s the case.
You have reminded me that I should get Maurice a cat toy one of these days. I asked one of my kids recently if they thought I should get her a climbing tree. They pointed out that Maurice has every tree in the yard to climb.
Oh yeah.
And Dudo can really sleep like that?
Good luck with the labs.
And oh yes. That was me, Ms. Moon. I am just as forgetful in 2025 it would seem as I was in 2024.
Ms. Moonsigh:
I knew this was you just by what you wrote! Truth is, cat toys are usually a waste of money. They pay as much attention (sometimes more) to a balled up paper or a piece of cardboard! I wish I could sleep in positions like Dudo (and then be as agile when I wake up). I’m ignoring the virgin.
I’m so mad at the office staff not coming through for KB. He can’t possibly keep up with them. They should be catering to him, ffs.
So hard to deal with this long distance, too. I get your reluctance to annoy them in case they’re even less cooperative with him. Arghghhh.
I’m glad you’re feeling better yourself though, and what a treat to find a price went down!
Boud:
I’ve had years of frustration with the staff. They pay them nothing I’m sure and I doubt the benefits are great. Sometimes they luck out with amazing people. Mostly they don’t. The good and qualified ones always move on to something better. The bad ones hold out as long as they can. We haven’t had good ones for several years. And the three most recent managers haven’t had a clue what the residents need or are capable of. I had one I sat down and educated on disabilities. She couldn’t understand why my brother wouldn’t answer her questions. She left a month later.
That was Boud going arghghhh.
I wouldn’t feel at all bad for talking to the “office” to check on on the Kid Brother. That’s THEIR job, and I iamgine it’s frustrating when you get the runaround.
Dudo seems to sleep like Tuxedo, all askew and akimbo!
Bob:
Dudo has some of the best poses. The office staff can drive us both nuts.
Glad to hear you’re feeling better, Scoot! It must be very hard to advocate for Chuck long distance, but you’ll soon be in NYC for another visit which will perk everyone up.
Happy New Year to you, SG, Dudo & Moose… and may 2025 bring you love, laughter and lots of good surprises!
Tundra Bunny:
For what it’s worth, I’ll stop off and introduce myself to this latest round of staff. I used to actually bring gifts from Spain. There was an incredible team there for a year or two. Happy new year to you, too!
Oh, those kitties, I just love them so! That stretch!
Glad your prescription price surprised you in a good way, and I feel for you with the frustration of dealing with the folks who run Chuck’s place. I know what you mean about having to be diplomatic, for fear of having them decide to withdraw support, out of misplaced resentment. So hard.
Happy new year, though, Mitch!
Judy C:
Each time I get frustrated I again remind myself to do what I can and then let it go. He will survive without me if he has to. Happy new year to you and Elliot!
The cat boys together, sleeping are so cute!!!! Boy Moose is so much bigger than Dudo.
Happy New Year to you two boys too!!!
Mistress Borghese:
Moose IS a lot bigger than Dudo but it’s really exaggerated in these photos. We do need to have Dudo checked out. He eats so much and is still so skinny. We’re trying to choose a vet that comes to the house.
I am catching up on all my blog reading and I have gone through your most recent posts. The holiday photos look amazing. It must have been on the cold side as both you and SG were quite bundled up. I also enjoyed the video of the cats in your most recent posts. Since I have never had a cat (I am allergic) it is fun to watch them from afar and not sneeze and have itchy eyes!
Michael:
And how your eyes would itch with these two! Lots of shedding and dander. I’m grateful I don’t have that problem. It was on the cold side but has been much colder. When I left the house at 9 this morning it was only 36˚F, and that was already higher than when I woke up. It’s now up to 58 and still climbing. Back down to close to 32 tonight. Brrr!
I sent a Christmas card to Kid Brother. It’s frustrating to deal with the staff, isn’t it? He needs more attention and follow through than he’s getting. As he grows older, maybe he needs an assisted living facility? A more structured environment might ease your concern for him. I’m glad your prescription is covered now and thrilled that you feel better.
Love,
Janie
janiejunebug:
This situation was a god-send more than 30 years ago. Some day, if he can’t care for himself, he’ll go to a different kind of living situation. Right now, he would hate it. So we just have to continue to make it work. He is at least, in general, watched out for.
Dudo likes to watch? What a pervert (LOL.)
It must be hard trying to help out the brother from so far away, especially if/when the staff is uncooperative. I agree they should be more pro-active in his care and well being.
Sassybear:
I just hope for another turn-around of staff and an improvement. It is hard from a distance, but I think I’d get too involved if I lived nearby and that’s not good either.
Your photos and video made my day – especially the stretches.
Kelly:
I was so pleased to catch the two stretches!
Sounds like Spain also has universal health coverage like Canada and one can add on extra health insurance to cover certain costs. I take a drug that I have to pay full price for because not that many people are taking it. Should be covered eventually.
I could watch those cats for hours………typically so curious, eh?
Jim:
Yes, we had to have no deductible private insurance for our first year in Spain. We changed that but kept the insurance since then. It was especially nice in Málaga where the private hospital looked like a hotel (although processes could be screwy). Here, public health is out of the university hospital, which is amazing, so we now seem to be in really good hands and the private hospital is exceptional. I’m so relieved to have my latest meds covered. Sadly, it had already been 5 months of waiting in Málaga while it took a few weeks here!
I love the expression on Dudo’s face at the end of the video. “What the heck IS this thing?!”
It is frustrating that the staff at your brother’s place can’t be more proactive in solving problems, but you’re right — best to stay friendly with them! Maybe they’ll prove to be better than the last group once they get settled in.
Steve:
Maybe a new, good manager will arrive this month! And, yes, I love that look on Dudo’s face.
I’m not exactly sure what this place is where your brother is staying.
Kirk:
He lives in an independent residence in Brooklyn run by an organization there. He shares the apartment with one other guy (his pal; they’ve been flatmates for more than 30 years and are a perfect fit). His social security and any income above a certain amount go directly to the organization for his care. They’re supposed to check in on him often (if not daily). They manaage his health care, etc. They also are supposed to organize social events (like holiday dinners and trips to Trader Joe or a ball game), but they haven’t done that in a few years as far as I know. I pay his monthly cable bill because that’s considered a luxury and he no longer works enough hours to cover that expense. It has given him an independent life I never thought he would have. I just wish the staff were more consistent and qualified. Some have been incredible. Many have not.
Good news indeed about the Rx! I am currently struggling with one of mine that could be not covered this year – would be 1000/month out of pocket!
Urspo:
US drug company prices! Mine would have been a lot more than €175 euros a month there, but not $1000. That sucks!