Tuesday odds & ends

• Today was my annual Pap/checkup in the city with Dr. Ob-Gyn. The province decided a few years ago that most women only need Paps done every 3 years (= they will only pay for one every 3 years, under most circumstances) -- but since I had an abnormal Pap in the past (albeit almost 20 years ago...!), I can still get one done annually. And if that didn't qualify me, I think the fact that I am 57-frickin-years-old and still getting fairly regular visits from Aunt Flo would qualify me for a visit, don't you??  ;)  
• It is exactly 20 years since I first became Dr. Ob-Gyn's patient, albeit for very different reasons (i.e., my pregnancy with Katie). He saw me through that pregnancy -- and its awful aftermath -- did some infertility testing for me, got me a referral to an RE, and has done my Pap every year since then. As he looked through my folder today, he remarked, "That's 20 years!"  Yep. He still has the same nurse & same office manager too. I am going to miss them all. Because... 
• ...he told me he is retiring next year. :(  He said I should still be able to get in one more visit before he goes. I hope so. I am going to miss him, and his staff.  I imagine my family dr will do my Paps for me in the future. 
• Once again, he told me he didn't think my (very) delayed menopause was anything to worry about. He said I'm definitely on the far end of the spectrum (!) -- but still on the spectrum -- and he didn't notice anything during the exam or in what I told him about my periods to give him concern. 
• The place was packed with pregnant women/couples, but to be honest, I barely gave it a thought this time -- even though it WAS 20 years. Progress!!   
• Afterwards, I went SHOPPING!!  ;)  
• One of dh's cousins from Italy is visiting for a couple of weeks, along with her newlywed husband. (Everyone wants to spend their honeymoon with a couple dozen relatives in Canada, right??)  There was a big family get-together to welcome them last Saturday. This Saturday, the cousins are planning to spend the day at a lakeside park/beach/campground with kids, boats & barbecues. Reasons why I am not entirely enthusiastic about this prospective outing: 
• I love dh's family, and these gatherings can be fun... once in a while. ;)  But we just saw them all last week. I don't understand or speak Italian (and with the cousins from Italy here, there will be lots of Italian spoken, especially if the aunts & uncles come too...) -- and, of course, since a lot of the conversation I CAN hear & understand is focused on the kids...! -- I often find myself tuning out & getting a little bored.  
• It's going to be the Saturday on a long weekend (Canada Day) just after school's ended, so the park is bound to be packed... so we will need to be there early to snag picnic tables, parking spots, etc.. The park opens at 8 a.m., and it's more than an hour's drive from here... so BIL is picking us up around 6:30 a.m. (!!!).  (I said, "Can't we let the cousins go stake out a spot & just show up later??"  They all live a lot closer to the park than we do...!) 
• Today is day 44 & I've had PMS symptoms over the past few days -- meaning it's entirely possible Aunt Flo might show up, with her impeccable sense of timing...!  :p 
• And finally:  Saturday's forecast: 35C (that's 95F) with a projected humidex of 46C (almost 115F). :p  'Nuff said. :p  
• Dh went to visit FIL yesterday, but he slept almost the entire time dh was there... as he did when dh last visited. StepMIL says he is eating better lately, though, which is good to hear.   
• My own father asked me (again) when I talked to them this weekend if I knew when or whether we were coming home this summer. I told him I just didn't know. :(