Holly, that sucks about all the incorrect billing you're dealing with!  We seem to go through that with about every other medical bill - it takes hours of time to straighten everything out, and we don't get paid for that time!

Our roads and trails here are a mess. It's been in the 40s the past few days, causing rivers of snowmelt during the afternoons, and refreezing at night into an ice rink.  Very mixed surfaces, everything from dry dirt to mud, slush, and packed snow.   I ran my half marathon for February today, in screw shoes around the neighborhood.  A trail run would have been prettier but slower, so I opted for the roads to get it done.

We just got home from Costa Rica on Monday, and I'm heading out again on Friday to visit my parents in PA for a week or so.  My dad had a fall a few weeks ago, and cracked his pelvis, so he's been moved to the nursing care wing of the retirement place to recover, and my mom is in their apartment alone. She goes to visit him every day, but it's hard on both of them.

Holly, I bet your hub has an Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) that would offer either legal or credit watch type services to help with that mess. And I'd think the payday loan company would need to produce the original loan paperwork showing who took out the loan. From 2018? 5 years ago and this is just rearing its ugly head now? Wow. Good luck with that.

KSA, I get those lumps on my fingers/knuckles. One close to the cuticle has caused a ridge, or actually a dip, running the length of my nail probably from scar tissue from me messing with it. My dermatologist says those lumps are common with arthritis, and sometimes can indicate rheumatoid arthritis or some other autoimmune disease. She had me do an RH factor blood test last spring, but it was inconclusive (Rh factor on high end of normal, but other indicators negative). But she also said don't mess with them as a joint infection would be very, very bad. So, I live with them as they come and go.

Deez, that was too close of a call. What's up with walk signs being on green lights?? That just seems odd.

Carolyn, that's too bad about your dad. Keeping them together as much as possible is important. My mom is dealing with memory issues, and sometimes we wonder how long she'll be able to stay in their current place (independent living). But my dad doesn't want her to go anywhere without him, and neither of them wants to leave. So it's a tough situation, really. Hope your folks can be reunited soon.

Hope RCG is just taking a Lent break; I think she did that last year. Where's Jlynne??

I've been reading the daily for the most part, but it seems there's no time to collect thoughts for a post. So, I don't post much. But, our temps have been mild enough that I actually walked 10.9 miles last week! That's the most since August. Been doing my PT/strength workouts 3x/week for the most part, and riding the bike between 16 and 22 miles a day (usually in the 18 mile range). Temps have been nice if not a little warm for this time of year (no real melting, like Wildchild, but slick roads and drips leading to ice from roofs), so I've been able to walk with my spikes on my Merrills. Busy taking care of my parents, mostly mom, with my sister down with Covid and a sinus infection, but she's getting better so I should have some days off here. We're working to get an additional caregiver and hopefully have someone there to take care of her lymphedema maintenance work so we can actually visit our parents instead of feeling like we're working for them!

Leslie; looking for a replacement for my Stinsons, I did a big search and ended up getting Asics Trabuco max2. Only 5mm drop, though. They are on sale right now for $100-110. I think my 2nd or third run in them was down the grand canyon and back up, and had zero problems.

Wednesday's workout was one of the most enjoyable I've had in memory.   No," the" most enjoyable in recent memory, not "one of".

After a good strength workout, still using the 10-2 count on every exercise, I had not quite enough time for the full workout.  I had to eliminate one set of 3 x 50 freestyle with flip turns, and 6 of the 25-yard underwater dolphin kick repeats.   But it was a Hard effort and I wasn't going all out on any one thing but maintained a good 95% effort on everything that was supposed to be a hard effort..   My 100 yard freestyle repeats at the beginning, which are not "warmup" effort but they're the effort I like to do for a warmup, were all 1:25, plus 20 seconds rest.   Probably 12 months ago when I joined the YMCA, 1:25 would have been my hard workout pace - nothing like putting 4 of them together on that little rest.  The 100 yard flutter kick repeats were also hard efforts, also on 1:45.  Using the swim fins, my repeats were 1:19, 1:20, 1:20, and 1:19.  Then the last pre-set was 4 x 100 yard backstroke, also on 1:45, with times of 1:32, 1:34, 1:34, and 1:34.   The two main sets were the 50-yard freestyle repeats, all in 35 seconds (finally), and two 100-yard IM repeats in 1:24 each.   If there was any 100% effort in the pack it was the last 100-yard IM.   But I was aiming for 1:27's, and 1:24's are a lot faster than 1:27's (for me anyway).  The whole workout was very gratifying, knowing that the work I've been putting in continues to result in improving times.   A total of 2100 yards, but it felt short.  Thursday is a planned rest day.  I'm going to enjoy it.

Have a great Thursday, Masters!