My earlobes are itchy after their piercing. The aftercare instructions said not to touch them, so I'm avoiding that, and I irrigate them with saline solution twice a day. I'm not supposed to use alcohol or hydrogen peroxide -- not sure why -- and I'm not supposed to turn the earrings the way we were all told to do years ago. Apparently that's not really necessary. The rule nowadays is hands-off.
I just want to scratch them in the worst way. (I take itchiness as a sign of healing, but who knows?)
The dog went berserk in the afternoon when she saw something in the garden, leapt off the couch and barreled out the back door at top speed. She nearly knocked over my table and somehow smashed a potted plant on the patio -- an Astrantia -- while rounding a corner. So then I had to dig a hole and plant the plant, because I didn't have another pot to put it in. That made me grumpy, and that was the state I was in when Dave came home from work -- grumbling and cursing about the dog.
I sometimes forget that people can hear me when I'm in the garden, and I do curse when I get snagged by roses or blackberries or when there are other mishaps. Sometimes it's just under my breath so I sound like Yosemite Sam, and sometimes it's an out-loud "For f--k's sake!" I told Dave yesterday that I probably need to be more careful about that, given that there's now a 10-year-old living upstairs.
I just read a few days ago that actress Phyllida Law died at the end of July. She's one of our neighbors! In fact, she's the one whose front garden features the bathing beauty I mentioned just a few days ago. I've never met her but when we first moved here I would occasionally see her in her front garden --- not so much in recent years. I had no idea she'd died and her house seems unchanged. I wonder what the plans are there? Since her famous daughter (one of them) lives right across the street it seems possible there will be no change at all. Emma may just keep everything as is. I hope so. Every time someone sells a house on this street the new buyer guts it and does a massive renovation that takes a year, and there's noise and scaffolding and skips and concrete mixers, and it would be nice to avoid all that. Besides, her garden with its statuary and figurines is a wonderful island of quirky individuality.
I also read an article about a right-wing provocateur who has visited Dearborn, Mich. several times to stir up trouble. Nothing special about that, except for this wonderful detail included by the reporter: the provocateur "declined to comment, chewing up a reporter’s business card." What a great way to show readers that he's basically a lunatic.
Found this in Kilburn. I thought it might be Latin but according to Google it doesn't really translate into anything -- "how much as how much" in Italian. Maybe how much is enough, or how much is too much? Or maybe it's gibberish. Who knows.
I hope Phyllida Law's house stays in the family, or at least is lived in by someone who won't tear it up. What a beautiful woman she was.
ReplyDeleteI hope so too! And yes, she was.
DeleteIt's too early for healing itchiness.
ReplyDeletePhyllida Law was a great actor, but I don't know about her daughter at all.
In spite of Count Binface, the craziness in the US is hard to believe.
Click the link, Andrew. You know her daughter!
DeleteGood luck re the itch, those glasses remind me of Elvis Costello...
ReplyDeleteYeah, they ARE kind of Elvis Costello, it's true. (I think his look was also inspired by Buddy Holly!)
DeleteI imagine the ten-year-old is familiar with most swear words, so don't worry too much.
ReplyDeleteTrue, but I don't want to reinforce their use!
DeleteI really should curse more.
ReplyDeleteIt is satisfying, I'll say that much.
DeleteI imagine your cursing will mark you as distinctly American as I can imagine Brits cursing like they do here. I used to curse when I was younger but one incident where I was actually embarrassed to be near someone because they cursed so much and so loudly set me on the straight and narrow. I still utter the occasional one but it is rare and usually unheard by anyone but me.
ReplyDeleteI understand the need to make a home your own and that often means construction. But it sucks for those nearby and I usually try to alleviate that by warning them ahead of time and making them treats or inviting them over for fancy dinner later to see the renovations.
"Can't" imagine the brits cursing not can. Geesh.
ReplyDeleteOh, British people curse all the time. Of course their curses are slightly different from ours. "Bloody" is considered cursing here, whereas in the states it's just an amusing British term!
DeleteI would hazard a guess that the ten-year-old has already heard the words you mutter.
ReplyDeleteUndoubtedly. I guess cursing is much more culturally widespread than it was when we were young.
DeleteItchy Ears And A Foul Mouth , Outstanding Post
ReplyDeleteStay Rowdy ,
Cheers
Ha!
DeleteI forgot about your famous neighbors. Can’t believe you never went across the street with an apple pie (I would NOT have). Still...
ReplyDeleteMy standard mutter is (and I’ll censor myself since you censored yourself) “f--k me”! It’s almost constant. I drop a clothespin, f--k me. I forget to lock the door, f--k me. Can’t find my keys, f--k me. Sometimes, when I wake up in the morning, f--k me; although most often I just say “shit.” I’d really have to clean up my act for your garden. When I’m seriously angry, it’s “mother f--ker”! That’s rare.
Oh yeah -- I say "f--k me" all the time. I don't ever use "motherf--ker," though. It makes me think of '70s blaxploitation movies, or Samuel L. Jackson.
DeleteWhen I had pierced ears, I couldn't wear earrings that had nickel in them as that made my ears itch as I discovered I have an allergy to nickel. There is a whole list of allergy safe metals that are used for pierced earrings. Hope the itching goes away, Steve!
ReplyDeleteWas going to comment the same. Hope your studs are surgical steel or something. I swear, but not as much as people probably imagine I do from reading my blog.
DeleteThese are titanium, supposedly, which should be hypoallergenic. So while a metal allergy is a good guess (and something I didn't think of) it shouldn't be at the root of this.
DeleteI hope you aren't allergic to whatever those earrings are made of. Not to be negative but it can happen.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful obituary for Phyllida Law. She sounds like a woman you'd want as a friend OR a mother. The quote “The best of life is life lived quietly where nothing happens but our calm journey through the day, where change is imperceptible and the precious life is everything," which the article said she was fond of repeating (by John McGahern) really grabbed me by the heart.
Your dahlia photo is amazing.
And I scared Maurice the other day when I got frustrated about something and yelled "Oh for F**K's sake!" Great minds, Steve. Great minds.
That IS a great quote. That struck me too. And that's what our blogs are all about, aren't they?
DeleteThat itchiness is not healing ... more then likely the earring posts are NOT hypoallergenic and you need to get them out and replaced with some ... plus ... you need to use some Neosporin on the posts! And, you need to do it quick before your ears get infected! Get yourself to a doctor or a reputable piercing shop and get those posts replaced ASAP!
ReplyDeleteAt 10, that kid knows more dirty words then you do!
Did you find out what Bailey went nuts about?
Thanks for being so worried on my behalf, Marcia! I went to a reputable piercing shop, so if I have any serious problem I can always go back to them for advice, but I really think this is just transient itchiness. There's no sign of any infection at all. The earrings are titanium so they shouldn't cause an allergic reaction.
DeleteOh, and I think Bailey just saw or heard a squirrel. They send her over the edge!
DeleteIs that a question mark in the triangle? Seems apt. And yeah, what Ms Moon said. Are the posts surgical steel or some other non allergenic metal? I'm allergic to nickel and so can't wear earrings with cheap metal findings.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't worry about the 10 year old. By that time they have heard it all and probably sue it themselves though not around adults.
Yes, that is a question mark. It's like "The Riddler" from Batman! The earrings are titanium and aren't supposed to provoke an allergic reaction.
DeletePhyllida was a gorgeous woman, wasn't she?
ReplyDeleteInside and out, from what I can tell!
DeleteI can imagine the Brits cursing and very creatively! I'll be interested to see what happens with the house. I didn't realize you had a celebrity living that close. I hate itchy anything! My scalp often itches and it drives me CRAZY.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, there's plenty of cursing going on in the British Isles! LOL! We have several celebrities on our street. It's not even a very posh area but they seem to have congregated here.
DeleteI've mostly given up on my pierced ears. I get frequent infections and very sore ears when I try to wear earrings, so I gave up. I think I'm allergic to the nickel in the metal.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize Emma Thompson lived across the street from her mum. That must have been so nice for both of them.
And the ten year old already knows how to swear. My seven year old grandson heard a lot of fucks this past week while I was driving. I try to not swear but then stupid fucks on the road do stupid fucking thinks like cut me off.
Oh, infections are no fun. But you should be able to wear earrings with no nickel in them -- silver or gold, for example. No?
DeleteI laughed at your driving adventures! LOL!
I hope that you don't have to have BOTH ears amputated Steve but if you do I will send you a Hull City bobble hat. The geometry of the flower at the top is fantastic.
ReplyDeleteI would even WEAR a Hull City bobble hat under those conditions!
DeleteI read about Phyllida Law and thought of you. What a life and career and one whose work I've always appreciated. I hope they keep the house too -- maybe one of Emma's kids would move in. I loved the Bathing Beauty when I saw it -- such a fun, whimsical thing to do. Good luck with the ears. And Bailey. I wonder what kicked her into gear?
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling the house won't be changed, at least in the short-term. We shall see. Her other daughter also lives around here somewhere.
DeleteI think Bailey just spied a squirrel from the house and she was OFF!
The flower photo is completely satisfying for me. (beautiful, too)
ReplyDeleteThank you! That's one of my favorite dahlias. I wish I could remember its name!
DeleteI suspect at 10, kids today are familiar with the f-bomb. Chances of you being the first to introduce it are slim. You never know. Proceeding with caution is best.
ReplyDeleteBailey is one rambunctious pup. She's protecting her garden. A few casualties are not ideal but to be expected. One of my dogs chewed mahogany trim and made a hole in an oriental rug the size of a baseball. Puppy stage and lots of repairs seem to co-exist.
Itchy ears often signal healing. The other possibility is allergic reaction. For me, 100% gold, silver or platinum work best.
I think anyone who owns a dog knows that a certain amount of damage is inevitable. We've ceded lots of our flower beds to her. She's trampled everything!
DeleteI had not heard about Phyllida Law. That is sad news. She was still acting well into her late 80's. She's in at least two episodes of Midsommer Murders and one in Foyle's War, both shows I tend to watch over and over again. And, along with her long career, she managed to raise two brilliant actresses whose fame has surpassed hers. And, I loved seeing her front garden when I walked past several years ago. It kind of gave me a sense of a personality full of humor, fantasy and eccentricity.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous bloom in your top photo!
I really hope the front garden remains. We do not need another characterless paved parking zone in front of another characterless house full of stainless steel and granite countertops.
DeleteYour frosty photos are crazy good! Your photos just send me in to raptures!
ReplyDeleteI went to see Ram Dass one time- all of us cross legged on the floor. A couple of young women got up and began pulling his ears and kissing his cheek and behaving - abnormally- He was calm and smiling throughout, continued to talk normally, he then said "that was my guru- he sent them" Just checking to see if Ram Dass had learned anything about reaction and annoyances...
Bailey comes to mind.
Ha! That must have been a surreal experience! Yes, Bailey is always testing our responses.
DeleteThat flower is fantastic.
ReplyDeleteThanks! A dahlia of some variety I can't remember.
DeleteA beautiful flower - amazing colour.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Thank you! As I said to Celie above, it's a dahlia of some type.
DeleteSo after the poor dog ran out of the house and tipped over and broke a plant pot, and made you cranky all day ,what did she see?
ReplyDeleteWho knows?! She's always chasing something or other in the trees -- birds, squirrels, you name it!
DeleteLet's hope the itching doesn't last long. 🙂
ReplyDeleteQuanta para quantum - the words are Latin, But I don't know the meaning.
Quantum physics, hmm . . .
Para means for, and the other words mean how much. 🤔
I must go someplace and figure this out. 😛
I tried Google translate from Latin to English and it didn't make any sense. Who knows?!
DeleteForget that advice and turn the earrings. I had no idea who Phyllida Law was so looked her up and now I know why. I have never yet watched Midsomer Murders. She's probably been in lots of other things that I also don't know about.
ReplyDeleteShe's one of those familiar faces we see on TV now and then. I couldn't name anything she's been in but I've definitely seen her.
DeleteI see now others have mentioned a possible nickel allergy which I had forgotten about, my younger daughter has the same. If you know that your earrings are not surgical steel, then get them replaced before infection sets in.
ReplyDeleteThey are titanium, which shouldn't include any nickel.
DeleteThe flower is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThe words are not Italian, I would know.
Phyllida Law was a wonderful actress. Hopefully, the house and garden won‘t go to someone who starts a noisy, lenghty renovation.
When I entered the phrase, Google identified it as Italian, but I agree -- it seems more Latin to me. Or a combination of the two. Fingers crossed on Phyllida's house!
Delete