It’s that stupid time of year in Texas.

It occurred to me a few minutes ago that if I didn’t have a cane I’d probably fall down a lot. My current experience with diabetic neuropathy is manifesting itself as a condition I refer to as “jello feet,” whereby my feet and ankles feel like jello whenever I stand up too fast or the room is dark. I also briefly lose my balance and feel like I’m tipping over. This usually subsides in less than 10 seconds, which is definitely a good thing because I’m usually home alone and I’d prefer NOT to spend it lying on the floor.

I try to distract myself by playing with our thermostat. It’s that stupid time of year in Texas when the outside temperature is 82° during the day and 52° at night, which means I’m switching back and forth between heat and air-conditioning until I’m ready to blow my brains out. Sam leaves all the adjustment hoo-hah up to yours truly because I don’t think he can read the teeny numbers on the digital display. I guess it finally pays to be an old lady with progressive trifocals.

And now for a couple of Howdygram movie reviews! Sam and I watched a pair of classics this week. The first was Golden Boy (1939) with William Holden, Barbara Stanwyck, Adolphe Menjou and Lee J. Cobb. I think my biggest issue with this film was the casting, since Lee J. Cobb was only seven years older than William Holden but played the part of his Italian immigrant FATHER.

Seriously, all those agents and casting directors couldn’t dig up somebody else for a part like this? Holden at age 21 was adorable but Cobb’s characterization of dad was just plain annoying. He was grubby, cried (sobbed, actually) too much, didn’t own a razor, a comb or a clean shirt and spoke with an exaggerated accent that might have sounded better on a Broadway stage. On the plus side, however, Barbara Stanwyck and Adolphe Menjou were simply swell. (I love Adolphe Menjou.)

Next we watched Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) with Fredric March and Miriam Hopkins. The special effects were amazing for 1931 but overall the film threw in a little too much silent-era melodrama, i.e., chest-thumping, hysteria, wild gestures and close-ups so extreme you could look up somebody’s nose. The performances were excellent, though, especially Fredric March as Jekyll/Hyde with all that bizarre gorilla makeup and Miriam Hopkins as Ivy, the cute little music hall tart that Hyde terrorizes and eventually kills. (No, it’s not a comedy.) The film also featured a lot of top-notch scenery, eerie photography and foggy streets.

I’d better start thinking about dinner so I can shoot insulin, consume food and watch tonight’s episode of “Hardcore Pawn.” It’s a full life.