One of three Cardinal fledglings of Mrs. and Red. I can’t get over how exciting it is to see their family after my favorite bird couple have lived in our yard for two years.

Yesterday was what I called “Prep Day” for a medical procedure we are encouraged to do at age 50 and every 10 years afterward — if all is clear. 

My day included a liquid diet of Jell-O, broth, apple juice, ginger-ale and tons of water. Accruements included one full bottle of Mir-a-Lax powder (14 days worth) mixed with Gatorade along with Dulcolax. For dessert there was magnesium citrate taken at 2:30 a.m. this morning.

Red keeping an eye on his baby. Red has daily tasks with his fledglings in our yard. Look at how short the baby’s tail is. It will grow as he or she gets older. We have to wait for red blotches before we know for sure if it’s a boy or girl.

I talked to my friend in Santa Barbara who said, “Thank goodness they no longer make you do all that prep.”

“Really?” I guess different doctors have their own protocols. I told her my regimen for Prep Day and she said she didn’t have to do that except wake up in the middle of the night for magnesium citrate.

I mentioned to my son about my upcoming procedure and said, “I see all these ads on TV that you can do a simple blood test instead. I’m going to opt for that.”

He told me that his wife did a blood test. Her doctors told her she was fine. Until she wasn’t and was in ER in excruciating pain. They finally discovered she had cancer that was bumping up against Stage 4.

Consider that as your Public Service Announcement for when you hit 50 years old and beyond. 

So I went through craving solid food, being hungry for a day and all that annoying prep to make sure. Here’s to a good outcome, fingers crossed, and ten more years!

It seems we are going to doctors more and more as we get older. Or maybe it’s just the recent ankle and foot surgery and my husband’s knee replacement plus endless PT. I can’t wait to get through my battery of healthcare appointments and have some fun!

On Another Note:

Before I schedule my posts, I read them over and edit. Sometimes I get blocked. Two to four icons of my face pop up and I get a message that there are too many contributors.They are little markers with my face and name. There’s no way to save what I’m working on. My choice is to exit and leave with unsaved changes. Also there’s a button to copy the post. But it doesn’t work. It’s very annoying.

Has anyone else had this issue in WP? Do you have other WP issues lately?