Once in a Lifetime

This morning's PT session went well, I think. She had me do several different things standing on a balance board, a very small ramp, and a long piece of slightly squishy foam, and seemed pleased with how well I kept my balance while doing them. I told her how I was doing on the exercises she sent me home with, and based on my description of how it hurt, she said I can stop doing the one where I walk on my heels without the front of either foot touching the ground.

I did a lot of my ongoing PT exercises this afternoon, despite feeling as though I'd been to PT, that should be enough. I did decide that I'd done enough balance PT for one day, though.

I returned calls from two different people at my eye doctor's office. I have an appointment with a cornea specialist in December, and said that yes the appointment she found with my regular eye doctor, in Arlington, was OK, despite being early in the morning.

The early voting locations in Boston include the main library this weekend, so after we voted I renewed my library card, and checked out a book from my library "for later" list (which is separate from my hold list). The library website says renewing a card requires proof of a Massachusetts address, but the library clerk asked me for the PIN, then renewed the card without asking for any sort of ID. adrian_turtle points out that my "I voted" sticker was evidence that I live here.

The (English/Spanish bilingual)[1] ballot takes up three large cards, because there are nine ballot questions. As I voted, I was quietly saying things like "sure," "why not?" and "absolutely no" on the ballot questions, and "he has an opponent?" for a couple of the elected offices. I was carefully not saying any of the candidate's names, nor which question was "absolutely not," to avoid any risk of influencing someone inappropriately.

[1] When I checked in, the election worker asked if English/Spanish bilingual was OK, and I said yes. I don't know whether the ballots in other languages are bilingual, or if it's one language per ballot.

The Medicare Advantage plan I have this year isn't being offered next, so I need a drug plan (part D), Medigap, and maybe also dental insurance.

I have chosen and signed up for a drug plan, which was relatively easy because there are only two options with Kesimpta in their formularies.

I have a bunch of notes about Medigap plans. The next step is going to require calling an insurance company and asking discount applies; the Medicare.gov site lists the price of the plan I'm looking at with a 15%, 10%, or 5% discount. I'm in Massachusetts, so this is supplement 1A, and Medigap plans are "community rated," meaning the price doesn't depend on how healthy someone is. (The less expensive "basic" supplement doesn't cover as much.)

There's unrelated financial stuff that will also require me to talk to someone, but I have a bunch of hopefully useful notes there as well.

We bought several kinds of apple at the farmers market a couple of weeks ago, and have been trying them when we remember.

The cultivar we liked best is Ludacrisp. It's crisp, though not ridiculously so, and tasty and juicy. It will never be my favorite, but I'll probably buy it again, if there's nothing more tempting at the market. A middle-sized apple with red and gold peel. The vendor's sign said it was part Gala, and a website about the apple says that one parent was an apple called Sweet sixteen and the other is unknown.

Cordera wasn't bad, juicy and crisp, but bland. cattitude said it might be worth trying again some other year, in case this isn't a good year for this kind of apple.

Goldee was soft but not mushy, and too sweet for Cattitude. Adrian and I both thought it was OK, but I'd rather have Gala, and she'd rather have Golden delicious. I think it has Gala or Golden delicious in its ancestry, but a lot of kinds of apple have golden delicious as a parent or grandparent). I doubt we'll buy this again.

Snapdragon: no. My reaction was that it was either underripe, based on texture, or just not a good apple. Cattitude said "too much Empire or Red delicious in its ancestry."

We will probably buy apples of varieties we know we like, the next time we go to the farmers market, but I like trying new apples, and sometimes I really like an apple I've never had before. I think all four of these varieties are relatively new, rather than heirloom apples I'm not familiar with.