Kelly, the marketing and communications director for KURU Shoes has given us a pair of shoes to gift to a blog reader!!! The first pair the Cowboy received didn’t fit and instead of jumping through the hoops to send the shoes back to KURU, Kelly directed me to keep the shoes and give them away!!
So, the men’s shoes are size 9.5 wide in the Chicane style. The shoes fit more like a size 9. If you would like to put your name in the hat for these shoes leave a comment mentioning the shoes on this blog. If you comment about the shoes on our Facebook post linking to this blog, you will also be entered in the drawing. We will do a random drawing of a name from those comments and announce the winner in Sunday’s blog post. We will pay shipping in the US. Good luck!!
Those of us who are heading north soon are trying to cook/eat all the food in our refrigerators and freezers. Monday evening we had dinner with Dan and Louanne–their guest, Bob from New York City was leaving on Tuesday morning and we enjoyed a fabulous goodbye dinner consuming some of the food from Dan and Louanne’s freezer/refrigerator.
Tuesday I applied more polyurethane this time on the dining bar cabinet. Countertop install in less than a week–fingers crossed! The Cowboy has been applying drywall mud in the porch room now that he has all the kitchen cabinets constructed. He has also been clearing out more treasures making room in the garage.
Wednesday we drove to Sierra Vista to pick up a prescription at Walmart–something I have always avoided doing. Those long lines in Walmart pharmacies make me cringe! I prefer to have medications delivered to my mailbox!! Here’s the ugly story about why I stood in line for 20+ minutes, was told the medication wasn’t in stock (the pharmacist had told me on Tuesday she had the med in stock) and waited another 10+ minutes while they corrected their mistake.
I have for years used Acyclovir cream for the cold sores I develop when stressed. It’s a fabulous drug and if applied when you feel the first tickle the cold sore doesn’t develop. If one does appear the cream significantly reduces the pain and the length of time the cold sore will be present.
Acyclovir cream when I first started using it back in the late 1990’s was inexpensive so to speak, $20 for a very small tube. Suddenly that very small tube was $400+!!!! I purchased the medication from Canada for a long time then started to obtain it in Mexico when we would visit the border towns. The Canadian AND the Mexican versions worked just as well as the US version. The Canadian route is no longer an option and we aren’t really thrilled with the idea of crossing the Mexican border right now with everything in such turmoil. US citizens may still walk across the border for “essential” services–medications, dentists, etc. and we may still make that crossing before heading north.
My Medicare drug plan will not cover the cream, they cover the Acyclovir pills which are really inexpensive at $9 for a 30 day supply but will not cover the cream. I spoke with my drug plan pharmacist yesterday and she told me about the Acyclovir ONITMENT–not cream–that was less expensive if you used GoodRx coupons. She kindly sent me a coupon for the ointment.
Good grief–same drug, same strength–one is a cream and one is an ointment. Let the games begin and some would wonder why many US citizens find our health care system beyond annoying! Look at these two photos and tell me the pharmaceutical companies aren’t robbing us! The first photo is for the cream, the second the ointment. The lower prices are using GoodRx coupons.
I paid the $33.26 for 15grams of the ointment at Walmart. That’s reasonable. $316 is not reasonable. I called a pharmacy in Aqua Prieta, Mexico today–their cost for a tube of the CREAM–$4!! Yes, $4!!! Yep, it’s a racket in the US, an expensive racket!
And don’t get me started on the cost of diabetic testing strips–I was behind a man in line at a local pharmacy who was hard of hearing–I helped him understand what the masked, behind plexiglass pharmacy technician was trying to tell him thus I heard his entire conversation. $148 for a box of 30 test strips if he paid out of pocket which he did. Insulin and testing supplies have been around forever, literally–can someone tell me another reason other than pharmaceutical company greed that causes these items to cost so much???
OK–off the soap box!
In less than two weeks we will be heading north–yippee!!
Restoration Cowboy Style 
Would be a happy camper if my name was drawn, and I would gladly send you the cost of shipping. I’m an Albertan from Red Deer. Hard to believe your medical care costs. Enjoy your blog immensely and your writing style. Safe journey home.
Regards
LikeLike
Good luck! We have good friends in Dogpound, Alberta. Thanks for reading along with us!
LikeLike
Daughter tried it, it’s generic, doesn’t work for her! The expense stuff works
LikeLike
I’m confused! Sent you a text.
LikeLike
Savior! You are my savior Janna! I always used acyclovir for cold sores but when I went to get a new prescription to take on the road with us I found out how much the price had increased! I’ve never heard about the OINTMENT form. Too bad the doctor’s don’t know it and the price difference! Thank you so much for this information….I’ll get a script for it now.
Safe travels north!
LikeLike
Glad I could be of service! I too had never heard of the ointment form!
LikeLike
Would love the shoes. I know I will eventually order a pair.
I have problems with fever blisters from time to time. Especially after being in the sun. I used acyclovir many years ago. For the last 15 years I’ve used otc Lysine. It’s a supplement. Whenever I feel that tingly feeling in my lips or I know beforehand that I will be in the sun, such as watching a grandson’s soccer game, I start taking it. It’s never let me down.
LikeLike
I tried Lysine years ago and it was of no help to me. I get the dang sores in the strangest of places–this time while in Arkansas it was across the bridge of my nose right where my glasses rest!! UGH!
LikeLike
I know what a rip off big pharma is, Premarin is 7.60 a tablet in the US and 1.60 a tablet in Mexico. We went to Las Palomas in Feb to stock up on our meds. By the way, when you head back keep in mind that Wheatland Wy. has the best city park. It is Lewis Park and is one of the best we have stayed at if not the best. It has 6 RV sites with 50 amp. and water to fill your tank, along with a dump station out on the road as you leave the park. This is free for 3 days, but there is a donation box. The Rv sites are nothing fancy but the great big green space in the middle of the park is awsome and the paved walking trails are nice. We leave for Montana tomorrow, and are headed to Harrison Mt. for the summer. Safe Travels.
LikeLike
We stayed in Wheatland on the way down this past fall but stayed in a commercial park up on a hill–windy, windy! I stopped using my hormone patches due to cost! And why?? Hormones have been around forever–why is the cost so high!
LikeLike
Love to try the kuru shoes! Stay safe! Vicky
LikeLike
Hey Ms. Vicky!
LikeLike
Have researched the Kuru shoes since you mentioned them and am impressed. I like the same style and planned to order that size for hubby, just haven’t done it yet for either of us. Would love to win this drawing! Hugs to you and Mike.
Terry R
LikeLike
Hugs to you guys too! Good luck!
LikeLike
I use otc Abreva cream, $17-$18 for a 2g tube at Walmart. I use it in combination with the Acyclovir pills. Works pretty good, however I’ve never used anything else to compare it to.
LikeLike
I’ve heard of the Abreva cream but never tried it. I’ve always been able to walk into Mexico and get the cream for little or nothing and it works for me. This time I had to jump through so many hoops as I didn’t really feel comfortable going into Mexico. Had to call my doctor, wait for a nurse call back, explain the difference in cost between the ointment & cream and then wait in that awful line at Walmart. Geez–just to get something that might help!
LikeLike
There’s a difference in how the tube mixture is made, “cream” allows the sore to receive air, and “ointment” blocks the air, I believe. Neosporin is made in cream and ointment, and once the dr. said “cream” was the one to use on an ankle sore. It does NOT make sense for there to be such a big difference in cost.
I’ve heard that a maker of a new method of diabetic testing was ecstatic to have a large company buy the rights to his method. But disappointed when the company then sat on the rights and never made his product, because they also made the usual testing strips and wanted to keep down the cheaper, easier products by purchasing the rights to them and doing nothing.
LikeLike
As I said, big pharmaceutical is ripping us off. My brother in law is diabetic–the cost of his insulin is astronomical and it shouldn’t be–insulin has been around forever!
LikeLike
Have been about ordering a pair of kuru shoes
LikeLike
Good luck!
LikeLike
It is interesting how prescription cost in our country vary so greatly and cost so darn much. The nasal spray I use is prescriprion only. When we moved here, I lost my wonderful allergist from back east. But my PA here was able to write the script and sent to our town CVS. She wrote for a 90 day supply to cover our travel months. However, I can only get one month at a time with my “insurance.” My cost with this “insurance” is $5. Not bad at all. I asked if I could just purchase the other two months without insurance. Sure! For the cost of $236 a bottle!!! Well, that’s not going to happen. I have no idea what this “insurance” is since we don’t have any prescription coverage. But I most definitely am not asking. I’ll go with whatever it is for $5. Since CVS’s are all over, I just get my refill at the store where ever we are. Of course, it has been a problem for over a year!! Haha! Enjoy your last couple weeks. Will Michael install the new cabinets or wait til you return?
LikeLike
It’s all a racket as far as I’m concerned! The lower cabinets are installed and the uppers will go up some time this weekend. Countertops on Monday, we hope!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wahoo!!! Can’t wait for photos!!!
LikeLike
Please enter my name for the shoes. I read your blog everyday but don’t usually comment on any of the blogs I read. Couldn’t pass this offer up tho! Good info on the meds, my husband suffers from the fever blisters and takes L-Lysine OTC everyday,has for over 40 years. Will have to check out the ointment as I use GoodRX for other meds. Love the area were you live, we haven’t been there for some time and really need to head that way again from our South Texas home.
LikeLike
Good luck with the shoe giveaway! I’ve never had success with the Lysine so this stuff–the Acyclovir works for me. Of course you have to have your physician call the prescription to the store with the best GoodRx coupon. And be sure to request the ointment, not the cream!
LikeLike
Would love to get a free pair of KURU’s for my husband. That is the size he wears and the chicane’s look really comfortable. How kind of you to make this offer.
Oh, those cold sores bring back painful memories. For some reason, I very seldom get them anymore. Perhaps it is an age thing!
Travel safe.
LikeLike
The KURU shoe people are amazing! When I was younger the sun brought on the cold sores–now it’s stress–maybe because I learned to wear sunscreen??
LikeLike