So much news this week. So tired of the endless information pouring in. It is exhausting. The first news headline I saw Monday was that in Italy, the decision was made to stop treating anyone over 60, although they look at each case carefully. I get it, I mean I understand there is a shortage. What a horror story. I'm so glad I'm not a person who has to make those decisions.
My coworkerCMA came to work Monday coughing. She stayed for 10 minutes or so, and couldn't stop. Someone took her temp, and it was high enough that she was sent downstairs to the UrgentCare clinic for evaluation. Later we were notified that she would be out all week because of this temp and cough, as a precaution. I was so frustrated --why on earth did she come in and expose everyone??
That was the day the HomeDepot people came out and looked at the dishwasher issue J was having trouble with. They basically told him it was his problem, not theirs. He was furious. So he took it up with our rep there and she was taking it to the upper levels for further consideration. Later in the week, Friday, J realized he'd been in the wrong completely; what he was angry about was a misunderstanding. He called them back and apologized all over the place. It was a technical issue which I don't completely understand, but he realized it in time and did the right thing.
Tuesday he was pondering how to do the tiling, and a neighbor offered to loan him a tile saw. He then disappeared, and we haven't seen him since.
Tuesday was the day of the potluck for CoworkerRN, my closest friend there. I bought her a good stapler: she has rheumatoid arthritis badly in her hands, and using the cheap staplers we are given as often as we do is so difficult. I splurged. And I gave her some candy. She was thrilled and so touched. We all had great contributions to the potluck, also. There was so much food that there was enough left for Wednesday's lunch too.
Wednesday morning I woke up with ... a cough. I was debating internally whether to say anything. It was nothing major. I never would have considered it as anything other than a cough--maybe allergies, maybe the beginning of a cold, although I don't know anyone who is sick--except for my coworker who went home Monday morning after coughing uncontrollably... But now with the Coronavirus, every symptom is scary. I feel fine, and here it is Sunday. Still coughing. No fever, no other symptoms.
Every morning I head into work and get screened: my temp is taken; I pray I will pass the test and be allowed in. So far, so good. Once we are inside, we are fine. No one needs to wear masks, or gowns, or gloves. We take care of our own laptops as far as cleaning goes, along with phones, computers, mouses, countertops, handles, everything. I change clothes once I am home, and everything gets washed. I drink hot tea all day. I have an all-day cough medication that helps a lot, and cough lozenges.
Wednesday J went to the stores for the last time, for groceries. Now we are being asked to stay home if we are over 65, and anyone who has an underlying chronic illness needs to stay home too. Oh, and the beaches are closed. People are working from home if they can. The streets are pretty much deserted. The shelves are empty of cleaning products and TP. I was getting so anxious about TP... hitting different stores on my way home each day. No luck anywhere.
Thursday night after weighing in (I've lost another pound--yay!), I saw a posting on Facebook from one of the local TV reporters that TP was available at a hotel supply facility; they were making their supplies available to the public. Thankfully, MissS saw that too, and hit the place early the next morning, facing a long line already. She waited in line well over an hour, but got a whole case! I'm so relieved. We'll split the case and the cost.
Friday morning we were busy as usual. We saw only patients for office visits that day, although the whole week had been a mix of in-person and Telehealth visits. We are all learning the Zoom app to do these Telehealth visits, getting more comfortable with it. It's not so bad, but it's just... different. For us and for the patients. Lots of them are technically challenged, and since we don't see what they are seeing, it's difficult to walk them through the issues they might be having.
Normally we see those patients every three months, and give them a 3-month supply of meds, doled out one month at a time from the pharmacy. For the Telehealth patients though, the doctors will see the pt and give only one month's supply. So we will be seeing them next month too, as a Telehealth patient.
And the Telehealth patients don't pay a co-pay. For now, anyway. This is an incentive, to get them comfortable with using it. So the docs are actually losing money on the patients. Right now, since the country is under a National Emergency, Medicare/Medicaid is paying the docs for the patients who are on Social Security for those visits, though not enough. But they are getting reimbursed somewhat.
Anyway on Friday, CoworkerRN left at 1pm since we were all done with pts, and I got the charts ready for the next week. I had one phone call the whole afternoon. It was a quiet afternoon. Very peaceful. I spent a lot of time reading online, catching on news regarding the virus.
I also got a text from CoworkerCMA that she had been tested for both the flu and the Coronavirus, and was negative for both. Thank you, GOD. I finally realized how much strain I'd been under since Wednesday, when this cough started. I have been so worried about the possibility that it was the beginning of something bad.
J and I have talked a lot about "what if..." and those were, and continue to be scary conversations. We try to speak normally about what options or choices are available, but each of us is trying to reassure the other. In the end, one option is to keep isolating. So sadly, no visit from MissS, no visiting Sis and BIL, no visits to Bro and SIL. He won't do any more shopping, even with a mask now.
I stopped at Publix on the way home to pick up yet another prescription for J, and got some sherbet for him too. He'd made a beef stew earlier in the week and we had that reheated for dinner, after jumping in the pool. We watched a movie and fell into bed later than we normally do.
Saturday morning I had my AlAnon meeting in my own kitchen, using the Zoom app. It's so amazing, and I feel so lucky we can do this online. Then we did our bills, and paid most online. I mailed a check to SonJ. He had an interview Thursday, and is going through the hiring process, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Then we each took naps, and spent time in the pool, which is now at 84 degrees--heaven. After that we decided to take the dogs for another walk around the neighborhood. It's been a few months since I've joined him for one of those. It tired the dogs out enough that it served its purpose. It is just about perfect weather: low 80s, no humidity, windy, sunny. It was nice to see the changes in the houses. Not too many people were outside. Most are staying inside.
For dinner we again had some reheated leftovers. And then watched an old StarTrek movie. Today will be another quiet day: TV, sewing, coloring, pool time. Neither one of us has a lot of energy. And that is ok; I have to keep reminding myself that this Virus thing takes a tremendous amount of psychic/emotional energy to deal with, and it's draining. Emotional stress can be just as exhausting as physical stress.
TYG.
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Sunday, March 22, 2020
Sunday
J is out walking the dogs, after having returned from a quick and early run to HomeDepot for something he forgot last week. This might have been his last outing, although he's been saying that for the past three days.
Everything changed this week.Whew.
Monday we--my front office staff-- started screening people at the front desk.
Tuesday, Management announced that screening had started happening at the building's front entrance and two other entrances, but all other doors would be locked. No other way to get in.
And Wednesday that began including temperature checks of everyone coming in, while the screeners are in full PPE. They stand outside in the heat. By Thursday there was a tent at least, and a fan.
And Monday night J expressed --so carefully-- how worried he was about Jennie's upcoming visit. I understood, although I dearly wanted to see her; we've been looking forward to this for so long. So I texted her and she called me right back. She and John had been discussing and debating this very thing for the past few days, watching the news and seeing the daily changes on travel restrictions and restaurant closures...and we both regretfully decided we should cancel this time . We can tentatively plan a visit for this fall when the weather is cool again. But in reality we don't know when we can do this. We just have to wait and see what happens.
Wednesday our neighbor John brought J a ton of leftover food from Louise's wake...J accepted it but agonized with me over whether it was safe. He actually ended up tossing it all in the garbage, just to be on the safe side. Sad. He trusts John, but who knows how many other people were there and who was/is sick or exposed... what a shame. There were at least 20 people at her house that day alone.
Wednesday also, the electrician came back; we had another outlet installed in the kitchen (since when the addition was built by whoever, whenever, no one put one on the whole west end). That was less than $100. We should have done this a few years ago, but we just didn't know.
He also fixed the outlet which had stopped working abruptly last weekend. BIL took a look at it too, and despite thorough examination and testing, neither one of them could figure it out. But our electrician finally realized that outlet ran on a different control panel and one breaker had tripped; J later apologized over and over for having missed that, therefore costing us more money. Hell, I don't know anything about this and I certainly wasn't angry or upset about that; we'd been imagining the worst case, so this was a huge relief.
On that same Wednesday after work we decided to go to Home Depot, and pick up the backsplash and supplies needed to finish that project. We'd been hearing more and more rumors that a quarantine was coming, and decided if stores shut down we would be in a huge mess. This way he has something to work on.
So we went, he wearing his mask, and chose the backsplash and the supplies and the trim and loaded it all up; then stopped at a different Publix for a few things, hopeful that maybe this one would have toilet paper. No such luck.
Thursday the FPL people sent their repair crew to fix the outdoor water supply which had been leaking since the installation of the counter top. This didn't cost us anything.
And Thursday the pool was warm enough that I could start getting in after work: 82 degrees~ perfect. Earlier I'd been sent explanatory emails stating that all Weight Watchers meetings were going "virtual", which means if I wanted to attend a meeting I would log in from the website to a specific chat room set up for my location. As far as my weight, now I weigh myself at work and log that on my app, and it's received as an official weight. This is life for the foreseeable future.
A lot of my regular shopping stores are shut. The mall is closed. The gyms are closed. (Although my gym is now offering daily exercise classes free online! Every night at 7. I'm thrilled and am doing this. ) All restaurants are closed to dine-in; they are take-out or delivery only. There are daily reminders to stay socially distant from everyone. To stay home unless it's absolutely necessary to go out. Fortunately I have a job in health care and cannot do this remotely. So I still have a job and income.
All our patients have the option to do a Telehealth visit, where we see them using the Zoom app if they have a smart phone or computer. There's a lot of explanation on what that is; a lot of our patients are older and either do not have smart phones or computers, or are unable to manage this, technically. The change has happened so rapidly, all in the past week. Every day there is new information.
Next week, tomorrow in fact, the Home Depot people are coming back to take a look at the beautiful new counter top. J has two issues: one, he cannot access the plumbing behind the dishwasher, because the dishwasher cannot be pulled out! And two (maybe this cannot be fixed but we'll see), there is a definite seam in the slab, which is very obvious. We were told it would not be visible. It's only a cosmetic issue, and I'm not a perfectionist, so it doesn't really matter to me, but J is pursuing this due to the amount of money this whole thing cost. He and I see differently on this, but if he wants to discuss this with them and they can do something, that's great.
This week on the 19th was the four year anniversary of our arrival here in FL. These years have flown by! I'm so happy to be here.
My AlAnon group also was notified earlier this week that the church was closed. So in a matter of a few days, a Zoom meeting was arranged for Saturday morning at 10, our regular time. Instructions were emailed to everyone. People could call in from home or wherever, and be listeners only, or choose to have visual also. It was so nice to see everyone! We had 21 people, and more than half chose the video as well. Some of the others admitted they were in their pj's, which is why they didn't do the video part. So we will do this as long as this is necessary. What a strange new world.
I met up with my Sponsee later that day; she is in crisis at her dysfunctional work place (which is also in healthcare). Their workplace is not doing anything as far as screening, or providing sanitizers or PPE or even simple masks. Their CEO sent out an email stating a Trump-ism: "You have all been provided with sanitizers, PPE, masks, and you are screening all the patients. You are in a safe environment. Continue until further notice. If you are sick you must be tested, and use your PL time to stay home for two weeks, and then you must provide a copy of your negative test upon your return. " This is clearly all BS. But my Sponsee doesn't feel safe confronting the CEO, and neither do her co-providers. So they are all going along with it for now, doing the best they can to protect themselves.
We walked around outside the trails at the public library in Port Orange, and then sat in the shade enjoying the wind and sun and birds. It was great to get together. I think we both felt a lot better. When I got home I changed and jumped in the pool. Heavenly! We'd given all three dogs their baths earlier, and so I spent the evening watching the news and grooming and clipping the dogs. We skipped dinner since we'd had a big lunch, and then watched a great movie.
I also heard from SonJ this week. I learned from him that he also is in crisis. (I'm very concerned, so the AlAnon meeting was especially helpful.) He has lost his job, and takes full responsibility for that. He only has $150 saved for his $425 rent. And the most sad thing is that his gf broke up with him on Valentine's Day, and then moved back to another town where she has family. He'd met her and began seeing her two years ago; shortly after meeting her she learned she was pregnant by her previous boyfriend. She decided to keep the baby and SonJ stuck with her throughout this whole thing, and he told me he "fell in love with the baby". He told me this is the worst thing he's ever gone through, and he's heart broken. We texted back and forth for a couple of hours. (Now I'm sure there's more to this story, but this is my sweet and thoughtful loving son, and he is hurting and it's not my place to judge. I don't know "the real story", I only know what he chose to share. ) I tried to be as positive and supportive as possible. The poor guy--I've very rarely heard him share his feelings like this. It's terrible to feel so helpless and so far away. We agreed we will send him $100 if he needs it, but he will investigate all local resources first, including the apartment manager. Surely he is not the only one going through this right now. The whole country is being affected.
In sharing this with Co-workerCMA, I burst into tears, and just couldn't stop. My worries and guilt as a mom just kept pouring out. Fortunately there were no patients around, and it was just us two at our desks. She was so supportive, so helpful; she said everything reassuring that I needed to hear and reminded me I was a great parent and he could manage this. There was more but the general feeling was of love and reassurance, and no this isn't your fault, drop the guilt, and he has a Higher Power too...and it's not me. That was so helpful.
This coming week who knows what will happen. Every day there is something new. We have 1 positive case in Daytona, and 4 in Port Orange. This county is the size of Rhode Island, and each day they update the number of positive cases. There are over 500 cases in FL. But not near here.
Spring is here, and it's warming up quite a lot. By the end of the week it's supposed to be in the 90s already. It's way too early!
MissS will be over here later, and that will be fun. She's having serious issues with her car, and might be trading it in very soon; our mechanic told her not to even drive on those tires. So she is debating on her next step. I think it's time for a new-to-her car. Yes, she will have a car payment, but she needs to be safe.
Bro and SIL are here now, and I love that we are all in the same town. Just knowing they are here even if we can't get together makes me feel so much better.
TYG
Everything changed this week.Whew.
Monday we--my front office staff-- started screening people at the front desk.
Tuesday, Management announced that screening had started happening at the building's front entrance and two other entrances, but all other doors would be locked. No other way to get in.
And Wednesday that began including temperature checks of everyone coming in, while the screeners are in full PPE. They stand outside in the heat. By Thursday there was a tent at least, and a fan.
And Monday night J expressed --so carefully-- how worried he was about Jennie's upcoming visit. I understood, although I dearly wanted to see her; we've been looking forward to this for so long. So I texted her and she called me right back. She and John had been discussing and debating this very thing for the past few days, watching the news and seeing the daily changes on travel restrictions and restaurant closures...and we both regretfully decided we should cancel this time . We can tentatively plan a visit for this fall when the weather is cool again. But in reality we don't know when we can do this. We just have to wait and see what happens.
Wednesday our neighbor John brought J a ton of leftover food from Louise's wake...J accepted it but agonized with me over whether it was safe. He actually ended up tossing it all in the garbage, just to be on the safe side. Sad. He trusts John, but who knows how many other people were there and who was/is sick or exposed... what a shame. There were at least 20 people at her house that day alone.
Wednesday also, the electrician came back; we had another outlet installed in the kitchen (since when the addition was built by whoever, whenever, no one put one on the whole west end). That was less than $100. We should have done this a few years ago, but we just didn't know.
He also fixed the outlet which had stopped working abruptly last weekend. BIL took a look at it too, and despite thorough examination and testing, neither one of them could figure it out. But our electrician finally realized that outlet ran on a different control panel and one breaker had tripped; J later apologized over and over for having missed that, therefore costing us more money. Hell, I don't know anything about this and I certainly wasn't angry or upset about that; we'd been imagining the worst case, so this was a huge relief.
On that same Wednesday after work we decided to go to Home Depot, and pick up the backsplash and supplies needed to finish that project. We'd been hearing more and more rumors that a quarantine was coming, and decided if stores shut down we would be in a huge mess. This way he has something to work on.
So we went, he wearing his mask, and chose the backsplash and the supplies and the trim and loaded it all up; then stopped at a different Publix for a few things, hopeful that maybe this one would have toilet paper. No such luck.
Thursday the FPL people sent their repair crew to fix the outdoor water supply which had been leaking since the installation of the counter top. This didn't cost us anything.
And Thursday the pool was warm enough that I could start getting in after work: 82 degrees~ perfect. Earlier I'd been sent explanatory emails stating that all Weight Watchers meetings were going "virtual", which means if I wanted to attend a meeting I would log in from the website to a specific chat room set up for my location. As far as my weight, now I weigh myself at work and log that on my app, and it's received as an official weight. This is life for the foreseeable future.
A lot of my regular shopping stores are shut. The mall is closed. The gyms are closed. (Although my gym is now offering daily exercise classes free online! Every night at 7. I'm thrilled and am doing this. ) All restaurants are closed to dine-in; they are take-out or delivery only. There are daily reminders to stay socially distant from everyone. To stay home unless it's absolutely necessary to go out. Fortunately I have a job in health care and cannot do this remotely. So I still have a job and income.
All our patients have the option to do a Telehealth visit, where we see them using the Zoom app if they have a smart phone or computer. There's a lot of explanation on what that is; a lot of our patients are older and either do not have smart phones or computers, or are unable to manage this, technically. The change has happened so rapidly, all in the past week. Every day there is new information.
Next week, tomorrow in fact, the Home Depot people are coming back to take a look at the beautiful new counter top. J has two issues: one, he cannot access the plumbing behind the dishwasher, because the dishwasher cannot be pulled out! And two (maybe this cannot be fixed but we'll see), there is a definite seam in the slab, which is very obvious. We were told it would not be visible. It's only a cosmetic issue, and I'm not a perfectionist, so it doesn't really matter to me, but J is pursuing this due to the amount of money this whole thing cost. He and I see differently on this, but if he wants to discuss this with them and they can do something, that's great.
This week on the 19th was the four year anniversary of our arrival here in FL. These years have flown by! I'm so happy to be here.
My AlAnon group also was notified earlier this week that the church was closed. So in a matter of a few days, a Zoom meeting was arranged for Saturday morning at 10, our regular time. Instructions were emailed to everyone. People could call in from home or wherever, and be listeners only, or choose to have visual also. It was so nice to see everyone! We had 21 people, and more than half chose the video as well. Some of the others admitted they were in their pj's, which is why they didn't do the video part. So we will do this as long as this is necessary. What a strange new world.
I met up with my Sponsee later that day; she is in crisis at her dysfunctional work place (which is also in healthcare). Their workplace is not doing anything as far as screening, or providing sanitizers or PPE or even simple masks. Their CEO sent out an email stating a Trump-ism: "You have all been provided with sanitizers, PPE, masks, and you are screening all the patients. You are in a safe environment. Continue until further notice. If you are sick you must be tested, and use your PL time to stay home for two weeks, and then you must provide a copy of your negative test upon your return. " This is clearly all BS. But my Sponsee doesn't feel safe confronting the CEO, and neither do her co-providers. So they are all going along with it for now, doing the best they can to protect themselves.
We walked around outside the trails at the public library in Port Orange, and then sat in the shade enjoying the wind and sun and birds. It was great to get together. I think we both felt a lot better. When I got home I changed and jumped in the pool. Heavenly! We'd given all three dogs their baths earlier, and so I spent the evening watching the news and grooming and clipping the dogs. We skipped dinner since we'd had a big lunch, and then watched a great movie.
I also heard from SonJ this week. I learned from him that he also is in crisis. (I'm very concerned, so the AlAnon meeting was especially helpful.) He has lost his job, and takes full responsibility for that. He only has $150 saved for his $425 rent. And the most sad thing is that his gf broke up with him on Valentine's Day, and then moved back to another town where she has family. He'd met her and began seeing her two years ago; shortly after meeting her she learned she was pregnant by her previous boyfriend. She decided to keep the baby and SonJ stuck with her throughout this whole thing, and he told me he "fell in love with the baby". He told me this is the worst thing he's ever gone through, and he's heart broken. We texted back and forth for a couple of hours. (Now I'm sure there's more to this story, but this is my sweet and thoughtful loving son, and he is hurting and it's not my place to judge. I don't know "the real story", I only know what he chose to share. ) I tried to be as positive and supportive as possible. The poor guy--I've very rarely heard him share his feelings like this. It's terrible to feel so helpless and so far away. We agreed we will send him $100 if he needs it, but he will investigate all local resources first, including the apartment manager. Surely he is not the only one going through this right now. The whole country is being affected.
In sharing this with Co-workerCMA, I burst into tears, and just couldn't stop. My worries and guilt as a mom just kept pouring out. Fortunately there were no patients around, and it was just us two at our desks. She was so supportive, so helpful; she said everything reassuring that I needed to hear and reminded me I was a great parent and he could manage this. There was more but the general feeling was of love and reassurance, and no this isn't your fault, drop the guilt, and he has a Higher Power too...and it's not me. That was so helpful.
This coming week who knows what will happen. Every day there is something new. We have 1 positive case in Daytona, and 4 in Port Orange. This county is the size of Rhode Island, and each day they update the number of positive cases. There are over 500 cases in FL. But not near here.
Spring is here, and it's warming up quite a lot. By the end of the week it's supposed to be in the 90s already. It's way too early!
MissS will be over here later, and that will be fun. She's having serious issues with her car, and might be trading it in very soon; our mechanic told her not to even drive on those tires. So she is debating on her next step. I think it's time for a new-to-her car. Yes, she will have a car payment, but she needs to be safe.
Bro and SIL are here now, and I love that we are all in the same town. Just knowing they are here even if we can't get together makes me feel so much better.
TYG
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Sunday
Sunday morning once again. What a week! Also the time change happened, where we lose an hour of sleep. That's how I think of it, losing an hour of sleep, not gaining an hour of daylight. Because it's dark here by 8 anyway.
And that gorgeous full moon, and Friday the 13th. Between the two days was a very difficult work week.
CoworkerCMA was out sick Monday and half of Tuesday. She was much better by Wednesday, her usual self. But CoworkerRN and I were utterly exhausted dealing with that many patients on our own. I think there were 10 on Monday, and 14 on Tuesday. We don't schedule that many if we are short-staffed, but in cases of illness we of course didn't know ahead of time. We kept up and managed to get out by 4:30 both days, but we were flat out dead-tired by Tuesday.
J picked me up and I could barely talk. I had gone to the gym after work Monday, (which oddly was practically deserted) and I'm glad I went that day. There was no way I had the energy to do it Tuesday. We fell into bed fairly early.
Monday also J did all our grocery shopping and took the dogs for a walk as usual. On the way back from that walk he found (and decided to drag home) a big old shelving unit someone had put out on the curb. In the process of pulling it up onto our driveway it tipped over and in trying to catch it he fell onto his right butt-hip area.
By the time he picked me up he could barely walk, and got into and out of the car with much difficulty. When I looked at the area I could only see --and feel-- huge swelling on the right cheek. But by Tuesday the bruising had started. I took pictures every day,and the progression of colors has been amazing.
He called his doc to be seen, but they wanted him to go for an x-ray, and he chose not to do that. He told me he didn't feel bad enough. I didn't argue with him, partly because CoworkerRN reassured me that even if he had broken a bone, there was no treatment other than rest, and maybe using crutches if he had to be up and about. I knew J would never do that.
He did put ice on it when he remembered. But the pain was still pretty bad. Maybe out of sympathy I developed a bad headache for a few days. So I treated myself to actual coffee at work, which I normally don't do. But the caffeine did seem to help along with my rescue meds.
Meanwhile J did the painting of the interior cabinets, and having that done makes a big difference also. J also worked on taking photos of the house, both interior and exterior. These have to be sent to our new insurance company for documentation in case of any future claims. Our mortgage payment has gone up of course by $90. Ouch.
Also with the corona-virus fears, my friend Jennie (who was coming at the end of March for a few days after disembarking from a cruise in Ft Lauderdale) was notified that her cruise had been cancelled... so after letting me know that, she asked if we were still open to a visit. I said of course! We adjusted the days of her visit a bit, but now I'm wondering if this visit will even happen. Seems there is a good chance that a travel ban will take place in the U.S.
And a concert that J and I have tickets for was planned for March 28. That's now been postponed. Theoretically the tickets are still good for whatever date they reschedule for. I hope the date they choose works with my schedule at work; this date was going to be perfect because it was on a Saturday, and therefore we could stay overnight and not worry about driving home that far in the dark. So I had to cancel the hotel reservations of course.
A lot of my friends are posting on social media that the places they would normally be going to are closed, or their hours are cut, or in the case of my teacher friends, they aren't able to go to their classrooms. This whole thing is so scary.
My AlAnon group even; the district service office has encouraged no hand-holding at the end of the meeting, no hugging, and of course the idea that we all sit 3 feet away from each other. We all had to discuss this at yesterday's meeting. In the end, everyone made their own decision: some held hands, some did not, some did linking of elbows, but no one sits or stands 3 feet from each other. Some of us hugged and some did not. We all had to discuss what to do if there is a quarantine. Where would a meeting be held? Would a meeting be held? And it's just all going to get worse before it gets better.
We all have experienced the "shortage" --actual lack-- of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, wipes. We are all shaking our heads and laughing, trying to see the humor. That helps so much.
I ordered online groceries and supplies from Target for the first time on Friday, and then J went to pick them up.That went pretty well--it was all ready for pick up within an hour. We got our work bonus, finally, which is a huge relief. I put most of it into savings right away. We don't dare buy a plane ticket yet for J because we don't know what will happen by July.
J did also on Friday take his hearing aids to the shop for repair. He'd been told it would be $300 for repair. Each. We were dreading this hit to the budget, but when the bonus came we had to do it. Instead, the technician simply cleaned each one, adjusting them. I have no idea honestly what they did, only what J said they did...and then she handed them back to him, saying "Ok, try this." And he did. Everything is fine. And none of that cost a penny. Such a relief. He can now hear almost perfectly with both ears again. I was getting so tired of repeating myself, and trying to remember to speak up all the time. And most of all trying to remain patient. He hates that he can't hear. TYG.
Friday afternoon I was also able to get into the pool, first time this year. It hit 80 degrees, finally. It was late afternoon, so 2/3 of the pool was in the shade. It felt a lot cooler in the shade, so I stayed in the sunny end, the shallow end. It was heavenly to feel it again. Dangling weightless is such a wonderful feeling.
And Friday night J, after dinner, suddenly said, "Yeah, let's go to the Urgent Care and get this checked out." Every day the bruise had been getting larger and more colorful but the swelling had been going down. So we did. We were home by 8:30. No x-ray was needed, but the doc officially said "No broken bones, keep it iced, and maybe the next time get someone to help you if you're going to drag furniture home...." It was funny. We laughed.
Last night Sis and BIL came for dinner, and at the last minute MissS joined us. We had a wonderful time, catching up. It's probably been a month since we all got together.
Well, J has made me wonderful looking chicken salad for lunch. I'm going to finish here.
TYG
And that gorgeous full moon, and Friday the 13th. Between the two days was a very difficult work week.
CoworkerCMA was out sick Monday and half of Tuesday. She was much better by Wednesday, her usual self. But CoworkerRN and I were utterly exhausted dealing with that many patients on our own. I think there were 10 on Monday, and 14 on Tuesday. We don't schedule that many if we are short-staffed, but in cases of illness we of course didn't know ahead of time. We kept up and managed to get out by 4:30 both days, but we were flat out dead-tired by Tuesday.
J picked me up and I could barely talk. I had gone to the gym after work Monday, (which oddly was practically deserted) and I'm glad I went that day. There was no way I had the energy to do it Tuesday. We fell into bed fairly early.
Monday also J did all our grocery shopping and took the dogs for a walk as usual. On the way back from that walk he found (and decided to drag home) a big old shelving unit someone had put out on the curb. In the process of pulling it up onto our driveway it tipped over and in trying to catch it he fell onto his right butt-hip area.
By the time he picked me up he could barely walk, and got into and out of the car with much difficulty. When I looked at the area I could only see --and feel-- huge swelling on the right cheek. But by Tuesday the bruising had started. I took pictures every day,and the progression of colors has been amazing.
He called his doc to be seen, but they wanted him to go for an x-ray, and he chose not to do that. He told me he didn't feel bad enough. I didn't argue with him, partly because CoworkerRN reassured me that even if he had broken a bone, there was no treatment other than rest, and maybe using crutches if he had to be up and about. I knew J would never do that.
He did put ice on it when he remembered. But the pain was still pretty bad. Maybe out of sympathy I developed a bad headache for a few days. So I treated myself to actual coffee at work, which I normally don't do. But the caffeine did seem to help along with my rescue meds.
Meanwhile J did the painting of the interior cabinets, and having that done makes a big difference also. J also worked on taking photos of the house, both interior and exterior. These have to be sent to our new insurance company for documentation in case of any future claims. Our mortgage payment has gone up of course by $90. Ouch.
Also with the corona-virus fears, my friend Jennie (who was coming at the end of March for a few days after disembarking from a cruise in Ft Lauderdale) was notified that her cruise had been cancelled... so after letting me know that, she asked if we were still open to a visit. I said of course! We adjusted the days of her visit a bit, but now I'm wondering if this visit will even happen. Seems there is a good chance that a travel ban will take place in the U.S.
And a concert that J and I have tickets for was planned for March 28. That's now been postponed. Theoretically the tickets are still good for whatever date they reschedule for. I hope the date they choose works with my schedule at work; this date was going to be perfect because it was on a Saturday, and therefore we could stay overnight and not worry about driving home that far in the dark. So I had to cancel the hotel reservations of course.
A lot of my friends are posting on social media that the places they would normally be going to are closed, or their hours are cut, or in the case of my teacher friends, they aren't able to go to their classrooms. This whole thing is so scary.
My AlAnon group even; the district service office has encouraged no hand-holding at the end of the meeting, no hugging, and of course the idea that we all sit 3 feet away from each other. We all had to discuss this at yesterday's meeting. In the end, everyone made their own decision: some held hands, some did not, some did linking of elbows, but no one sits or stands 3 feet from each other. Some of us hugged and some did not. We all had to discuss what to do if there is a quarantine. Where would a meeting be held? Would a meeting be held? And it's just all going to get worse before it gets better.
We all have experienced the "shortage" --actual lack-- of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, wipes. We are all shaking our heads and laughing, trying to see the humor. That helps so much.
I ordered online groceries and supplies from Target for the first time on Friday, and then J went to pick them up.That went pretty well--it was all ready for pick up within an hour. We got our work bonus, finally, which is a huge relief. I put most of it into savings right away. We don't dare buy a plane ticket yet for J because we don't know what will happen by July.
J did also on Friday take his hearing aids to the shop for repair. He'd been told it would be $300 for repair. Each. We were dreading this hit to the budget, but when the bonus came we had to do it. Instead, the technician simply cleaned each one, adjusting them. I have no idea honestly what they did, only what J said they did...and then she handed them back to him, saying "Ok, try this." And he did. Everything is fine. And none of that cost a penny. Such a relief. He can now hear almost perfectly with both ears again. I was getting so tired of repeating myself, and trying to remember to speak up all the time. And most of all trying to remain patient. He hates that he can't hear. TYG.
Friday afternoon I was also able to get into the pool, first time this year. It hit 80 degrees, finally. It was late afternoon, so 2/3 of the pool was in the shade. It felt a lot cooler in the shade, so I stayed in the sunny end, the shallow end. It was heavenly to feel it again. Dangling weightless is such a wonderful feeling.
And Friday night J, after dinner, suddenly said, "Yeah, let's go to the Urgent Care and get this checked out." Every day the bruise had been getting larger and more colorful but the swelling had been going down. So we did. We were home by 8:30. No x-ray was needed, but the doc officially said "No broken bones, keep it iced, and maybe the next time get someone to help you if you're going to drag furniture home...." It was funny. We laughed.
Last night Sis and BIL came for dinner, and at the last minute MissS joined us. We had a wonderful time, catching up. It's probably been a month since we all got together.
Well, J has made me wonderful looking chicken salad for lunch. I'm going to finish here.
TYG
Sunday, March 8, 2020
Sunday
J is not flying this morning, as there is too much to do. He is now walking the dogs, and then will work on the pool. It's been sadly neglected and needs those chemicals and cleaning. There was maybe one day this week when I could possibly have gotten in, but since Wednesday life has gone full-speed-ahead with no breathing time at all, and certainly no time to get in the pool.
Maybe next week.
Tuesday he had a doctor appt with his new PCP. Even though he texted me 90 minutes after his appt saying he was still waiting to be seen (!), and that he was going to be late so could I get a ride home with someone, even though he waited so long, by the time he got home he was still very happy with this doc. The doc was concerned and didn't rush, followed up on issues from the last visit 4 months ago, discussed his health, did another exam, scolded him for not having done the labs yet, but congratulated him on the 12 pound weight loss instead of asking why he hadn't lost the full 20 he was supposed to. He also doubled his anti-anxiety meds, fortunately. I'm not sure I'd wait 90 minutes, but if J is comfortable with the doc and his staff and the care, then I'm okay with it.
That night we continued emptying cupboards and cleaning everything out, stacking it all on one side of the kitchen. On Monday --was it Monday?--J had decided to remove the contents of the top cupboards where the food is, and painted the insides white. In the heat and humidity, it took a few days to dry. Anyway there wasn't time to do the cupboard next to it with our dishes, but that will be next. These are our only glass-fronted cupboards, so the color of the interior of the cupboards does make a visible difference.
So the kitchen is all chaotic. Our kitchen table is pushed over to the side, laptops in different places, the printer got moved to my desk in the other room.
Wednesday morning J took me to work and then the installers came to do their thing. They were done and gone by noon. Leaving quite a mess, and the news that we couldn't use the water in the kitchen for 24 hours, because of the new sink, and it needed to set for that long to dry.
In the process of shutting off the water to the house, valves were broken, and J had to replace those, and make other repairs. There was a flood in the kitchen because of the broken valves. J mopped the floor using all the towels. Water was spraying everywhere, I was told. He was on his back under the sink messing with the hoses and pipes, a lot. With his bad arthritis in his wrists, and trying to manage behind the new sink...I can't even imagine how uncomfortable it all was.
Then having to try to clean up some what so I "wouldn't freak out at the mess", and tools and stuff scattered everywhere. It was hot outside, and after the gym I was hot and sweaty; he picked me up afterwards and we walked in, and yes I was and am utterly thrilled with the counter top. Oh, it is stunning!! Every single thing else is a mess. Was a mess. By now it's all cleaned up of course but that day it was hard to see.
Then my sister walked in for a brief visit (because she wasn't feeling well), and I was distracted by that and my wish that she hadn't seen it until it was perfect. But I had to remember she has lived with remodeling and lived with the process too , so it was ok.
We ended up ordering a pizza from Domino's and a salad for me, and splurged on having it delivered. Sis did not stay for dinner, but went right back home and did her own self-care.
J was tired to the bone, but we had to wash the towels and dry them all before the damp and mold set in. In the middle of the wash cycle, water began pouring out from under the kitchen sink. Argh!! The new plumbing. Flooding all over again.
Grabbing the towels that were damp and mopping it all again. Panicking on my end when I was mopping up and found pieces of wet wood coming away from the kick-plate under the sink. Yes, that too had rotted. Oh, joy--another repair job.
And after an hour or so I checked the dryer wondering why it was still running. Discovered there was no heat to the dryer. Towels were spinning round and round, damp and cool. Poor J got to deal with that too.
There was no solution to the dryer dilemma at that time of night--it was about 8:30 by then. Instead he found some heavy duty twine and strung it up along the back room. We hung everything on those lines. Everything was dry by the next night.
Thursday J continued work on cleaning up, and the dryer issue (thankfully his best friend Mal, in Oregon, is an electrician repair person on washers and dryers... so he did research on our brand and gave J detailed information, walking him through what to do). He also had to call a plumber for some help with one particular repair, so that was money we didn't plan on spending, but in talking with friends, there's always something in remodeling that was unplanned...fortunately we had the money in savings.
By the time he picked me up and we headed for WW, I was stressed to the max. I had woken up at 3:15 that morning, and could not get back to sleep. I was so tired, but could not sleep. At WW I learned I'd finally broken the cycle and lost a half pound. Yay. I was almost too tired to care.
Friday I was feeling better as far as sleep goes, and so was he. We put almost everything back in the cupboards, and cleaned off the beautiful counter top. It's so worth it, to have this finally done.
Oh, yes, there is one more issue: the dishwasher wasn't left connected to the underside of the countertop. That's something I think the installer is supposed to do...but they didn't. So that's something else J has to do: find some screws and fasten the dishwasher in place.
And Monday morning, J had stopped in to see our sweet neighbor Louise. To discover she had slipped into that final coma before passing. She knew he was there, but couldn't respond. And early Thursday morning she died. Of course her family has been there constantly, 24/7.
Her son John stopped by last night to bring us dinner, as he has been doing 1-2 times a week, and when I expressed my sorrow over his mom's passing, he got all teary-eyed, and bent his head, and took my hand, holding it to his cheek. He could hardly speak, but said softly, she's gone to a better place... and then he shook his head, and said he couldn't talk. He followed J into the kitchen, and they were talking about the casserole he'd brought. He is an excellent cook.
Friday I didn't go to the gym, but I made it Monday and Wednesday. Friday my back was hurting, and I just wanted to come home and try to get the house in order.
Same with Saturday. I went to the AlAnon meeting, catching up with some dear friends, and J didn't stay; instead he went to the pool place for the supplies we needed, and to the HobbyShop he goes to for his airplane parts to dispute a charge on our credit card, and then came to sit in on the last part of the meeting. Then to Goodwill to see if there was a touch lamp to replace my broken one. No such luck. Then home to collect the circuit breaker and J's hearing aids.
Mal had walked J through all repairs and when nothing worked he determined that the circuit breaker itself needed replacing. So J removed the panel, and in that process learned that the breaker just hadn't been re-set firmly enough. It took over an hour to figure this all out of course, but the dryer is working fine. TYG.
And he will take his hearing aids to the shop on Monday for repair. Along with calling FPL for them to come repair the outdoor water connection to the house, which is leaking.
What a week this has been. Still no word on when our bonus will be issued. I know better than to count on it but a co-worker has reminded me there's been one every year for the past 10 years that she's been there, and this year we are doing even better. So surely there will be a bonus.
With it we need to get J's plane ticket, and get his hearing aids fixed, and then we'll bank the rest.
This afternoon Sis and MissS will come over for coloring and HGTV. I'm so looking forward to relaxing.
TYG.
Maybe next week.
Tuesday he had a doctor appt with his new PCP. Even though he texted me 90 minutes after his appt saying he was still waiting to be seen (!), and that he was going to be late so could I get a ride home with someone, even though he waited so long, by the time he got home he was still very happy with this doc. The doc was concerned and didn't rush, followed up on issues from the last visit 4 months ago, discussed his health, did another exam, scolded him for not having done the labs yet, but congratulated him on the 12 pound weight loss instead of asking why he hadn't lost the full 20 he was supposed to. He also doubled his anti-anxiety meds, fortunately. I'm not sure I'd wait 90 minutes, but if J is comfortable with the doc and his staff and the care, then I'm okay with it.
That night we continued emptying cupboards and cleaning everything out, stacking it all on one side of the kitchen. On Monday --was it Monday?--J had decided to remove the contents of the top cupboards where the food is, and painted the insides white. In the heat and humidity, it took a few days to dry. Anyway there wasn't time to do the cupboard next to it with our dishes, but that will be next. These are our only glass-fronted cupboards, so the color of the interior of the cupboards does make a visible difference.
So the kitchen is all chaotic. Our kitchen table is pushed over to the side, laptops in different places, the printer got moved to my desk in the other room.
Wednesday morning J took me to work and then the installers came to do their thing. They were done and gone by noon. Leaving quite a mess, and the news that we couldn't use the water in the kitchen for 24 hours, because of the new sink, and it needed to set for that long to dry.
In the process of shutting off the water to the house, valves were broken, and J had to replace those, and make other repairs. There was a flood in the kitchen because of the broken valves. J mopped the floor using all the towels. Water was spraying everywhere, I was told. He was on his back under the sink messing with the hoses and pipes, a lot. With his bad arthritis in his wrists, and trying to manage behind the new sink...I can't even imagine how uncomfortable it all was.
Then having to try to clean up some what so I "wouldn't freak out at the mess", and tools and stuff scattered everywhere. It was hot outside, and after the gym I was hot and sweaty; he picked me up afterwards and we walked in, and yes I was and am utterly thrilled with the counter top. Oh, it is stunning!! Every single thing else is a mess. Was a mess. By now it's all cleaned up of course but that day it was hard to see.
Then my sister walked in for a brief visit (because she wasn't feeling well), and I was distracted by that and my wish that she hadn't seen it until it was perfect. But I had to remember she has lived with remodeling and lived with the process too , so it was ok.
We ended up ordering a pizza from Domino's and a salad for me, and splurged on having it delivered. Sis did not stay for dinner, but went right back home and did her own self-care.
J was tired to the bone, but we had to wash the towels and dry them all before the damp and mold set in. In the middle of the wash cycle, water began pouring out from under the kitchen sink. Argh!! The new plumbing. Flooding all over again.
Grabbing the towels that were damp and mopping it all again. Panicking on my end when I was mopping up and found pieces of wet wood coming away from the kick-plate under the sink. Yes, that too had rotted. Oh, joy--another repair job.
And after an hour or so I checked the dryer wondering why it was still running. Discovered there was no heat to the dryer. Towels were spinning round and round, damp and cool. Poor J got to deal with that too.
There was no solution to the dryer dilemma at that time of night--it was about 8:30 by then. Instead he found some heavy duty twine and strung it up along the back room. We hung everything on those lines. Everything was dry by the next night.
Thursday J continued work on cleaning up, and the dryer issue (thankfully his best friend Mal, in Oregon, is an electrician repair person on washers and dryers... so he did research on our brand and gave J detailed information, walking him through what to do). He also had to call a plumber for some help with one particular repair, so that was money we didn't plan on spending, but in talking with friends, there's always something in remodeling that was unplanned...fortunately we had the money in savings.
By the time he picked me up and we headed for WW, I was stressed to the max. I had woken up at 3:15 that morning, and could not get back to sleep. I was so tired, but could not sleep. At WW I learned I'd finally broken the cycle and lost a half pound. Yay. I was almost too tired to care.
Friday I was feeling better as far as sleep goes, and so was he. We put almost everything back in the cupboards, and cleaned off the beautiful counter top. It's so worth it, to have this finally done.
Oh, yes, there is one more issue: the dishwasher wasn't left connected to the underside of the countertop. That's something I think the installer is supposed to do...but they didn't. So that's something else J has to do: find some screws and fasten the dishwasher in place.
And Monday morning, J had stopped in to see our sweet neighbor Louise. To discover she had slipped into that final coma before passing. She knew he was there, but couldn't respond. And early Thursday morning she died. Of course her family has been there constantly, 24/7.
Her son John stopped by last night to bring us dinner, as he has been doing 1-2 times a week, and when I expressed my sorrow over his mom's passing, he got all teary-eyed, and bent his head, and took my hand, holding it to his cheek. He could hardly speak, but said softly, she's gone to a better place... and then he shook his head, and said he couldn't talk. He followed J into the kitchen, and they were talking about the casserole he'd brought. He is an excellent cook.
Friday I didn't go to the gym, but I made it Monday and Wednesday. Friday my back was hurting, and I just wanted to come home and try to get the house in order.
Same with Saturday. I went to the AlAnon meeting, catching up with some dear friends, and J didn't stay; instead he went to the pool place for the supplies we needed, and to the HobbyShop he goes to for his airplane parts to dispute a charge on our credit card, and then came to sit in on the last part of the meeting. Then to Goodwill to see if there was a touch lamp to replace my broken one. No such luck. Then home to collect the circuit breaker and J's hearing aids.
Mal had walked J through all repairs and when nothing worked he determined that the circuit breaker itself needed replacing. So J removed the panel, and in that process learned that the breaker just hadn't been re-set firmly enough. It took over an hour to figure this all out of course, but the dryer is working fine. TYG.
And he will take his hearing aids to the shop on Monday for repair. Along with calling FPL for them to come repair the outdoor water connection to the house, which is leaking.
What a week this has been. Still no word on when our bonus will be issued. I know better than to count on it but a co-worker has reminded me there's been one every year for the past 10 years that she's been there, and this year we are doing even better. So surely there will be a bonus.
With it we need to get J's plane ticket, and get his hearing aids fixed, and then we'll bank the rest.
This afternoon Sis and MissS will come over for coloring and HGTV. I'm so looking forward to relaxing.
TYG.
Sunday, March 1, 2020
Sunday
Another Sunday morning. I'm enjoying this routine: J takes the dogs for their outing, and I stay home to write in peace. This morning he is not flying. Yesterday he went to the library for the whole morning to take a class on 3D printing. I went to the AlAnon meeting, and got a chance to talk with several people afterwards, catching up. That was nice. My Sponsee and I wore practically the same things, same colors and all. It was funny. We are planning another get together in two weeks.
Afterwards I headed to Walmart for some items, non-grocery; these are items I like browsing for. When J is with me I feel I cannot leisurely browse, knowing he is patiently following me, watching as I wander. It makes me nervous! So I had fun. As I left the store and got into the car, I noticed a text from J asking me to pick him up which was much earlier than I expected him, so I raced over there and we then went home for lunch.
We discussed the preparations for the countertop installation which happens Wednesday!!! I'm so excited. We have to empty all the drawers and cabinets below it, so we are doing that today. Then we discussed the backsplash options.
We ended up going to Home Depot and Lowe's to see their offerings, and have narrowed it down to two, finally. The cost of the tiles alone will be approximately $320. J will do it although he is nervous about the work, but we are also going to look into having this done professionally.
After looking at the backsplashes, on the way out we happened to see some gorgeous 8x10 rugs... on special... and yes, we came home with one. It is lightly patterned with shades of blue and white and grey. It fits over the old dark Oriental rug Margie gave us in the living room, and really brightens up that area. We love it.
This is so totally us: we head into a store for one thing, and come out having purchased something completely different. We've talked about a light-colored rug for several months, and looked online, done the research, but just regretfully put it off for the future...and here we are having stumbled on something perfect. Fortunately we had the cash, since I just got paid Friday.
Monday J made a new screen for the window on the other side of the workroom door entrance, the one we use all the time. Finally we have matching screens. It only took 3 years...lol. He also made chicken soup with brown rice and vegetables from the leftover roast chicken we had last Saturday night. And Sis came for dinner that night, so we could get caught up before she left for Vermont. We had a great salad and some biscuits with it.
Tuesday J had the car, so it got washed, and he did the shopping. I'd also noticed how badly the lamp post was looking, and asked if he could fix that sometime before my friend Jennie gets here at the end of March. So he jumped right on that: sanded it down, painted it, and re-painted it. It looks amazing. What a difference these simple cosmetic changes make. (Why didn't we do this 4 years ago, when we first moved here??! But come to think of it, I don't think it looked that bad then. Time and hurricanes and the humidity did a number on it. Anyway, it looks almost brand new.)
Wednesday he pulled out the stove, cleaned back there and repainted. This is all in preparation for the backsplash. Which he was utterly shocked to learn that I wanted to cover the entire area between the countertop and the area just below the cupboards. And then all along the length of the kitchen; about 16 feet. So a total of roughly 48 sq feet. Not bad to me, but apparently he'd been thinking I wanted this just around the sink.
Thursday he woke up with the vertigo whirlies...so all work had to halt. He took some meclizine which we have on hand for these episodes, and stayed quiet most of the day. That was the day which started the cold spell here, and so after his walk with the dogs, he stayed inside. ( My laptop was convinced "meclizine" was spelled incorrectly, but when I right-clicked for the correct spelling, it offered me "mescaline"...)
Thursday I did my gym work-out, after having done this also on Tuesday. I went to WW that night, and frustratingly weighed in having gained yet another pound. I am so distressed over this. The leader suggested again that my body must have adjusted to the foods I am eating, (which admittedly are the same ones over and over again for the ease of planning meals), and that I need to change it up, to in effect jump-start my body's metabolism. Arggh. I'm so scared to do this. But I'm even more scared of seeing another weight gain.
Coincidentally, on the free-pile at work last week was a vegetarian cook book. Hmm. I have a couple, but this one looks simple. J immediately offered to do whatever it takes to help, including eating more vegetarian meals, which means he would shop and prepare and plan and cook these. So we will be trying this. Also I will give up wine during the week. Sigh. Maybe that will be a good enough change.
Work was fine during the week. No major issues, but one sad thing upon learning that one of our favorite patients died from an unusual gallbladder and stomach cancer. He was only 4 years younger than me. A real sweetheart.
I did get some sad news too from my sister-in-law back in Spokane. Her grandson is only 16, and was just diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, which is inoperable. He's been given less than a year to live. My heart breaks for her and her family. What a horrible ordeal to face.
Interspersed with all the sad news, the weird day to day issues, I make a point of noticing the wildlife, the gardens, the bird feeders, the skies, the birds. The incredible blue sky of a Florida winter afternoon. The birdsong first thing in the morning. The storks, the ibis, the Muscovy ducks in our little neighborhood who come begging for food. I haven't seen any armadillo for several months.
I have to focus on those things, to balance out the nasty news regarding politics, and the coronavirus rumors and fearmongering. This election process is out of my hands and is going to drag on for months more. J is full of gloom and doom , predicting another win for 45 because the Democrats can't get their party rallied behind someone with a strong message and someone who is inclusive of all, and dismissive of none. Frankly I don't care who the nominee is. I will vote for whichever Democrat is chosen, or whichever Independent. We just have to stop the bloodletting, the damage happening every single day. Why don't more people understand how important their vote is??
Well. Focus. Chores to do before MissS arrives for the afternoon. Haven't seen her for two weeks, and I miss her!
TYG
Afterwards I headed to Walmart for some items, non-grocery; these are items I like browsing for. When J is with me I feel I cannot leisurely browse, knowing he is patiently following me, watching as I wander. It makes me nervous! So I had fun. As I left the store and got into the car, I noticed a text from J asking me to pick him up which was much earlier than I expected him, so I raced over there and we then went home for lunch.
We discussed the preparations for the countertop installation which happens Wednesday!!! I'm so excited. We have to empty all the drawers and cabinets below it, so we are doing that today. Then we discussed the backsplash options.
We ended up going to Home Depot and Lowe's to see their offerings, and have narrowed it down to two, finally. The cost of the tiles alone will be approximately $320. J will do it although he is nervous about the work, but we are also going to look into having this done professionally.
After looking at the backsplashes, on the way out we happened to see some gorgeous 8x10 rugs... on special... and yes, we came home with one. It is lightly patterned with shades of blue and white and grey. It fits over the old dark Oriental rug Margie gave us in the living room, and really brightens up that area. We love it.
This is so totally us: we head into a store for one thing, and come out having purchased something completely different. We've talked about a light-colored rug for several months, and looked online, done the research, but just regretfully put it off for the future...and here we are having stumbled on something perfect. Fortunately we had the cash, since I just got paid Friday.
Monday J made a new screen for the window on the other side of the workroom door entrance, the one we use all the time. Finally we have matching screens. It only took 3 years...lol. He also made chicken soup with brown rice and vegetables from the leftover roast chicken we had last Saturday night. And Sis came for dinner that night, so we could get caught up before she left for Vermont. We had a great salad and some biscuits with it.
Tuesday J had the car, so it got washed, and he did the shopping. I'd also noticed how badly the lamp post was looking, and asked if he could fix that sometime before my friend Jennie gets here at the end of March. So he jumped right on that: sanded it down, painted it, and re-painted it. It looks amazing. What a difference these simple cosmetic changes make. (Why didn't we do this 4 years ago, when we first moved here??! But come to think of it, I don't think it looked that bad then. Time and hurricanes and the humidity did a number on it. Anyway, it looks almost brand new.)
Wednesday he pulled out the stove, cleaned back there and repainted. This is all in preparation for the backsplash. Which he was utterly shocked to learn that I wanted to cover the entire area between the countertop and the area just below the cupboards. And then all along the length of the kitchen; about 16 feet. So a total of roughly 48 sq feet. Not bad to me, but apparently he'd been thinking I wanted this just around the sink.
Thursday he woke up with the vertigo whirlies...so all work had to halt. He took some meclizine which we have on hand for these episodes, and stayed quiet most of the day. That was the day which started the cold spell here, and so after his walk with the dogs, he stayed inside. ( My laptop was convinced "meclizine" was spelled incorrectly, but when I right-clicked for the correct spelling, it offered me "mescaline"...)
Thursday I did my gym work-out, after having done this also on Tuesday. I went to WW that night, and frustratingly weighed in having gained yet another pound. I am so distressed over this. The leader suggested again that my body must have adjusted to the foods I am eating, (which admittedly are the same ones over and over again for the ease of planning meals), and that I need to change it up, to in effect jump-start my body's metabolism. Arggh. I'm so scared to do this. But I'm even more scared of seeing another weight gain.
Coincidentally, on the free-pile at work last week was a vegetarian cook book. Hmm. I have a couple, but this one looks simple. J immediately offered to do whatever it takes to help, including eating more vegetarian meals, which means he would shop and prepare and plan and cook these. So we will be trying this. Also I will give up wine during the week. Sigh. Maybe that will be a good enough change.
Work was fine during the week. No major issues, but one sad thing upon learning that one of our favorite patients died from an unusual gallbladder and stomach cancer. He was only 4 years younger than me. A real sweetheart.
I did get some sad news too from my sister-in-law back in Spokane. Her grandson is only 16, and was just diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, which is inoperable. He's been given less than a year to live. My heart breaks for her and her family. What a horrible ordeal to face.
Interspersed with all the sad news, the weird day to day issues, I make a point of noticing the wildlife, the gardens, the bird feeders, the skies, the birds. The incredible blue sky of a Florida winter afternoon. The birdsong first thing in the morning. The storks, the ibis, the Muscovy ducks in our little neighborhood who come begging for food. I haven't seen any armadillo for several months.
I have to focus on those things, to balance out the nasty news regarding politics, and the coronavirus rumors and fearmongering. This election process is out of my hands and is going to drag on for months more. J is full of gloom and doom , predicting another win for 45 because the Democrats can't get their party rallied behind someone with a strong message and someone who is inclusive of all, and dismissive of none. Frankly I don't care who the nominee is. I will vote for whichever Democrat is chosen, or whichever Independent. We just have to stop the bloodletting, the damage happening every single day. Why don't more people understand how important their vote is??
Well. Focus. Chores to do before MissS arrives for the afternoon. Haven't seen her for two weeks, and I miss her!
TYG
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