Time for My A1C Test
Plus, I participated in another Great Backyard Bird Count and take a quick look at a northeastern Oklahoma county.
Stuck in the Arm and Wallet
This Monday morning, it'll be time to see my doctor again for my quarterly A1C test and checkup. I added Ozempic to my other medication last year, and I’m anxious to see if my A1C has stabilized below 6.5.
The hemoglobin A1C test measures your average blood sugar levels over the past three months. The higher the A1C level, the more likely you are to have diabetic complications. A1C results range from below 5.7 for normal, 5.7 to 6.4 for prediabetes, and above 6.5 for diabetes. My last check was 6.5, but before that, I averaged 7.
I’ve been able to control my blood sugar levels with medication and diet. Yes, I need more exercise, and my computer professional desk job isn’t helping. Oh well, I’m getting by.
My health insurance covers the Ozempic, and my other medications are all generic, so my costs aren’t through the roof. But they really could be. Without health insurance, there would be no way I could take Ozempic. This is true for many diabetic medications, including insulin. I don’t have to take insulin, but I have acquaintances that do, and it’s quite a dent in their wallet even with insurance.
There is just no reason for the high cost of many of these medications. Politics, special interests, and outright greed keep these prices abnormally high. Legislation like the Affordable Care Act helped a little, but it wasn’t enough. Here I am adding politics to a health update, but you need to pay attention to who you vote for. There are those elected who would get rid of the ACA, Medicaid, Medicare, Soonercare, and all those programs and laws many of us rely on just to live. Remember that when you go to the polls in November.
The Great Backyard Bird Count
The Great Backyard Bird Count was this weekend. This annual four-day event engages bird watchers in counting birds to create a snapshot of where the birds are around the world.
I participated again this year, and unfortunately, it was a wash. Saturday was overcast, cold, windy, and snowing. Sunday, however, was a very nice day. Even though I could hear birdsong all around me, I couldn’t see any birds from my vantage point overlooking my backyard. Well, at least I got to enjoy a few hours sitting in the warm sunshine.
I’ve included the audio of the birdsong from my backyard. Do you think you can identify any of the birds from their song?
Update. Those cheeky devils. As I was typing this up in the late afternoon on Sunday, two mourning doves decided to roost in the tree outside my second-floor home office window. Well, the jokes on them, I’m counting them. So, the weekend wasn’t a wash after all. Ha!
In The News
A look at some of the latest headlines from around Oklahoma and beyond.
Muscogee Nation offers EBT amount identical to program Oklahoma turned down | KOSU
Oklahoma lawmakers debate tax cuts as they decide how to dole out $11 billion | KGOU
Bill would let cities remove racially discriminatory covenants from land records | Nondoc
A new bill could force Walters to put Hall of Fame educators' portraits back on the walls | KOKH
GOP members choose Sen. Greg McCortney as president pro tempore designee | NonDoc
Cherokee Nation invests $80m for cell towers, broadband in rural areas | KTUL
Oklahoma State Department of Health launches loan repayment program to combat clinician shortages | KGOU Integris data breach mostly impacted Oklahomans, company says | The Oklahoman
Tulsa LGBTQ+ center optimistic about future after outpouring of donations | Public Radio Tulsa
About Oklahoma: Delaware County
Welcome to Delaware County.
Delaware County is in the northeastern part of the state on the Missouri and Arkansas borders. The county was formed at statehood from the Delaware District of the Cherokee Nation and named after the Delaware people.
Jay, Oklahoma, in the center of the county at the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 and State Highway 20 is the county seat. Grove, Oklahoma, in the northwestern part of the county, is the largest city in the county by population.
Other notable towns include Bernice in the northwestern, Colcord and West Siloam Spring in the southeastern, and Kansas and Oaks in the southern parts of the county.
The county is home to the Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, Grand Lake State Park, the Shangri-La Resort, and one of Oklahoma's tri-state markers.
Established: 1907
County Seat: Jay, Oklahoma 74346
Nation: Cherokee, Seneca-Cayuga
Map: Google Maps
Area: 741 mi2 (1,919 km2)
Population: 40,397 (2020 Census)
Time Zone: UTC−6 (Central), DST observed
Area Code: 918, 539
Congressional District: 2
State House District: 5, 7, 86
State Senate District: 1, 4
Weather: NWS Tulsa
Tourism Region: Green Country
History: Oklahoma Historical Society
Historic Places: Exploring Oklahoma History
More Information: Wikipedia
Extras
Here are some more things I hope you'll find interesting.
Learn 25 Common Backyard Bird Calls (Central and Eastern United States) | Badgerland Birding
Welcome to the SEC | Matt Mitchell
How to finally Mend all your holey and torn Clothes | Morgan Donner
How I'm photographing the 2024 Total Solar eclipse | Jeff Geerling
The Last Beheading in Britain... and Why it Matters to You | Scotland History Tours
Feedback Welcome
If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to leave a comment on Substrack, email me at blogoklahoma@blogoklahoma.net, or connect with me at Mastodon at @blogoklahoma@social.tulsa.ok.us, Threads at @blogoklahoma@threads.net, or Bluesky at @blogoklahoma.bsky.social.
Have a great week.
– K.
According to the Merlin Bird ID app, most of the birds in my audio are house sparrows, and the loud obnoxious one (about 50 sec in) is a blue jay.