Man, it rained hard today, and it was really starting to bring me down. I tried to get a morning walk in, but my umbrella was flipping inside out, so I made a quick loop and headed back to my apartment.
In the afternoon I had a doctor’s appointment, and the rain was non-stop. I was hoping that getting out of my cramped space would cheer me up- even if it was just to the doctor’s. My right arm has been hurting lately, and I got all freaked out due to the fact that my blood pressure has been elevated. I thought maybe they were connected, but also, by the way, looking at dead relatives’ death records doesn’t help any.
CAUSE OF DEATH FOR HAZEL CONNOLLY (First Cousin 3x removed):
Coronary Occlusion caused by Arteriosclerotic heart disease. Contributing factors: high cholesterol, blood pressure, smoking diabetes obesity, family history. Yikes!
According to one of the letters my Great Grandma Katie wrote, Hazel’s father owned a saloon in SF, South of Market, and when they were little girls they used to, “swipe the candy from the glass case when no one was looking” and also, “swipe gum and had various hiding places in the woodwork where we hid the gum” and that “we were not thinking of germs”.
Hazel only lived to be 45 years old. I wonder if she, perhaps, continued to “swipe the candy” into adulthood and continued to “not think of germs”.
And then there was my Great Great Grandpa Jeremiah:
CAUSE OF DEATH:
Cardio-renal disease? I don’t even know what that is, but I don’t want it!
So, there I sat in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, wondering what exactly runs in my family? But when I did some arms raises for my doctor and she checked my pulse and other things, turns out- I got some form of carpal tunnel syndrome from probably typing too much on the freaking computer in non-ergonomic settings. I asked her if I could get a doctor’s note recommending that I quit my job, but she said that wasn’t necessary. Bummer. Turns out, I just need some physical therapy, a sit/stand workstation, and a massage. Hey, she said it, not me.
It continued to pour rain throughout the rest of the day, and I realized I hadn’t taken any daily pictures yet, and then this happened….
Tuesday, February 4, 2025:
Theresa Donahoe 