We're Lost, But Making good Time....

Which way does the water go again down the toilet in the Northern Hemisphere again?

I took Mama down to the local Drug Chain to get her flu shot today...she didn't cry when they stuck her, but I saw her lips quivering when she went to the counter to ask about a prescription. Her drug card, which ever it is this week, now charges a $30.00 co-pay instead of a $10.00 co-pay, which she had "always paid". She hasn't really picked up her prescription for eye drop in a year, anyway. Janice or Jessie do it when they do her grocery shopping.

In any case, the "company" has decided that it would be in every ones best interest if you ordered your drug from and address and pay $10.00 + shipping or pay a $30.00 co-pay. After some mumbo jumbo and "that card in your wallet is no longer valid" and other lame excuses, Virginia walked away, dazed and amused by the whole encounter.

I stayed out of it until the bitter end when the soft spoken clerk began to point at the "whatchamacallit" that you have to sign for your drug, and mumble something I couldn't ever hear, or understand, and then again when she used her credit card.  Mama is deaf as a post, and I don't know if she had her hearing aids in or not. She was asked "swipe the card" 5 times and then answer all the "yes" and "no" questions at least 5 times...finally the little girl caught on and yelled, "sign your name on the line" For someone with macular degeneration, that's no easy task. She bore up well, under the circumstances...and got stuck in the arm to boot.

While standing there, another gentleman, older than I, but not 93, was trying to get some confusing business done to straighten out a mess about a prescription that had only been partially filled, the old "come back tomorrow, we'll fix it for you. It went on for a good long time also.

We finally got out respective issues dealt with, and he turned to me and said with a straight face, "You know, we're lost, but we're making good time." It took a minute for that to sink in, and I laughed. Mama asked what I was laughing at and I told her. She laughed, "Well, progress comes in funny ways, most of which I no longer understand, or much care to."

Amen....
As a Postscript, I went to lunch with Janice after our semi yearly trip to Sam's (ugh) Club.
There were two grown men having lunch, which used to be a time to laugh and converse...but NOOOO! They had them fingers flipping up and down on them "smart" phones, and ain't said a word in 1/2 hour except,"You ready to go?"

We are indeed lost, and making great time! To where I'm not sure...but I do have an idea we'll go there sitting down.