Sunday

 J is at the store picking up some special ingredients for the crockpot  white bean/chicken chili we're having tonight.  It already smells yummy and has just started cooking.

 It's a cool morning and the dogs thought they were getting a walk, but the crockpot has to come first this morning. Then he will take them out.  Yesterday they all had baths, and I trimmed all the fur, removed matts,etc.  Removed a tick from Fiona, even; I have no idea how she got it, since she hasn't been outside. 

Monday J had his procedure. It was so quick after all the preceding prep stuff. That was ghastly of course, but he did fine.  Doc told him a few polyps were removed, and he has some gastritis as I do, but didn't see any sign of an ulcer which is what he'd been so worried about.  So we are now both on probiotics, and protective stomach meds.

I have changed my BP med and don't notice much difference in my headache; it may be somewhat less intense, which always helps. I guess I was hoping it would disappear altogether. That has not happened.

In addition I requested a trial of the anti-anxiety med...and received it. She actually wrote in my chart that she was sorry I needed this to deal with my "toxic workplace".  On the label the dosing states " one-half to one tablet to be taken during times of extreme duress".   

J suggested I tell my manager that I have been put on anti-anxiety medication due to the doc's attitude. But I don't think I need to do that.

I have learned that my coworkerRN is going to stand up to the doc if she is  told she will be switched to the back (when she returns from her knee replacement surgery).  She told me in confidence that she is going to  flat out refuse, due to the stress level of working back there.  And if LadyDoc doesn't like it or accept this, my coworker will give her notice!!  She says she has enough to live on from her savings, and will be able to make it for the two years until she can start SS.   And her husband fully supports her decision. 

I'm so envious, and so proud of her for standing up to the doc, if it comes to that. This coworker has been the quiet, reliable, hardest worker of all, for over 10 years in this office, and for 30 years in the company. She has finally had enough. She will never have to worry about being fired because she is an awesome employee. And an RN can always find work anyway.

But she has underlying health conditions, too,  and the stress level here in the office is taking its toll on all of us, except the youngest one and that doc. We are all dealing with serious  health issues:  four of us need surgery which we've put off too long. And now, with this doc's cavalier disregard and disrespect of us, we are all in agreement that we are not going to put her--Work-- first anymore.   No more loyalty. So, too bad for her if it disrupts her planned schedule.

Another thing that disrupted the work week was that the youngest coworker  (the one who had Covid this past July and missed a month of work) was told to stay out of work for two weeks, because her husband tested positive. You can imagine how stressed we all are because of that.  (This same young one routinely socializes with her extended family, regularly posts photos on social media showing all this, with no one wearing masks, and got back a month ago from an airplane trip for 5 days in Ohio with her kids and sister, where she was taking her mom to live with her other sister for a few months. )  SO. Aggravating. 

Her husband works at the prison as a guard, so even though he takes all kinds of precautions, he basically was bound to get it too. And boy, does he have underlying conditions. He is massively obese, and has diabetes, depression, and hypertension.

Meanwhile, J got his first Covid vax Tuesday morning! We are so relieved. He is just over the moon. No long lines or any kind of wait. His second appt is already scheduled. He had no side effects, either, other than the extreme fatigue the next day.  

I had that too: my second vaccine was Thursday, and it was so easy.  All done in less than 40 minutes, at the same place;  while I had the usual very sore arm on the first day,  the fatigue came the next day.  Hit me Friday afternoon. I had a very hard time keeping my eyes open. Fell into bed by around 8:30.  Oddly couldn't sleep well.

J's air nailer tool finally died, just as he is about to do the ceiling in the sun room. He took it to be repaired, but they couldn't do it, so he had to buy another one. 

Friday morning another co-worker called in sick, so there ended up being just four of us to do 17 patients for the two doctors. I used my anti-anxiety med that morning for sure.  It was insane. Considering how many patients we saw, and how much there was to do, it went pretty well; the meds really helped me. I had no headache at all that day.

It's been pretty cool in the mornings, and in the evenings. Day time temps are only in the 60s at the most, with lots of wind and sun. Monday was quite warm while I sat in the car waiting for J during the colonoscopy, but even then, it wasn't warm enough for shorts. 

We are working on our budgeting, and so far so good. All cc's are paid off, and if we have to use one during the week for an online purchase, we are able to pay it entirely the next month. Such a relief. The bathroom is finished, and the sun room will be done this week. 

We are, were, starting to look at flooring options for the kitchen, but that turns out to be more complicated than we thought. It is a white ceramic tile, laid over a terrazzo floor. To do it right we'd need to tear up both layers, and then re-tile, or install a flooring of our choice.  

 I was wanting luxury vinyl plank flooring. But this is a massive undertaking involving a lot of labor, dust, tools, time, and we'd have to move out while this is being done. It would cost thousands. 

So we are going to get someone from Lowe's or HomeDepot  to come and give us some ideas. Because neither of us has a clue what is next, and J has already told me he cannot do any of the above. If we don't do any of this, we just live with the current floor, and keep it mainly covered with rugs. That's probably what we will end up doing, because the other options are just not affordable for us.

 A lot of the tiles are damaged, maybe 12 . Not badly, but enough that they are noticeable. Each one is replaceable, so this is another option. But that is a lot of work too. J says he could do that type of work, but he'd prefer a professional to take that on. Again, that would be a chunk of money. 

MissS will come over later today, and we'll watch the final episode of the LOTR Trilogy.  Each one we've seen is the extended version. I've never been able to see any of the  extra bits of the DVD, no behind-the -scenes stuff, or making -of,  or interviews; someday I will have the time. 

Tomorrow is February.  Next weekend we have an appt for the dogs and cat to get their shots. I am going to ask for their nails to be clipped also.  And I have an appt with my GI on Friday, so I get to leave work early.  

TYG

 

Sunday

So this was a busy and eventful week. 

My laptop has two annoying issues: one is an intermittently sticky key, the W.  I have removed it and cleaned out, sprayed it with the cleaner, with the compressed air. Replaced it, and it works fine for a while, then it will start again. So annoying. 

The other more serious issue is that about a year ago it started freezing up after an hour or so; there's plenty of battery life when it does this. It does this whether I am plugged in or not.  I've replaced the battery a couple of times. I always do the required maintenance. I always ended up restarting the laptop and it would be fine for awhile. Then it started again. 

Recently I began thinking maybe it was the browser, so last weekend I did some other house-keeping and trouble-shooting, which was time consuming...and nothing improved. I am on the verge of buying a new laptop. (If the government's proposed stimulus check of $1400 happens, I will.)

But this morning I decided to try a different browser, just in case it is a browser issue. So I'm not using my Firefox, but IE instead. So far, so good. 

And the problem then becomes, if I stick with IE, how do I transfer all my many Favorites from Firefox to IE?  With all my passwords, etc. Oh, God. What a massive job.

Other things that happened this week: the new light fixture we bought was just too big--it actually touched the wall on the side. It was installed when the workmen came Monday to install the bathroom vent/fan.   That couldn't be completed either because of something to do with the wiring not reaching behind the wall to the only outlet. He had to come back with another electrician on Wednesday, and the two of them did that, and removed the new light fixture. We just couldn't deal with the too-large new fixture;  I ordered an almost identical one (but was more expensive, oddly,  and wouldn't be here for two weeks). SIGH.

And then it did arrive, Thursday, just three days later!  So J installed it after repairing the mess the workmen made Wednesday, and repainting that area.  By the time I got home from work, he was beat, but it was all cleaned up, and functional, and absolutely beautiful. I adore the new fixture; it adds class to the little bathroom. And having a vent in there will really help. 

Monday was an interesting day: two of my assigned four patients didn't show up that morning. So I had time to look up my own lab results from the GI visit. I saw that my GI doc is going to recommend an MRI of my colon, to determine the source of my inflammation. Hmm. I have an appt with her in two weeks. She hasn't called me, so clearly this isn't urgent, which is good.

Meanwhile J was on the phone daily at various times, trying to "win the lottery"--get an appt for the Covid vaccine.  Numerous places are holding events, but it's  impossible to get in by phoning, or going online. Those appts are gone within minutes. 

Finally Friday morning at 6 am he was on the Publix website, and got appt dates for both the first and second vaccines! OMG, he is so, so relieved. We both are. He gets his first one Tuesday. 

Meanwhile the date for my second one was emailed to me, and amazingly, the day happens to be when LadyDoc is out of the office anyway; which means that when my coworker and I both go across the street for the vaccine, there will be plenty of back up for our office visits. We have "permission" to leave, on company time  to get the vaccine of course, but we were wondering how we would manage the scheduled patients... now it's all settled. TYG.

Sis came over after work on Tuesday, and we got a chance to catch up. So much is happening that it feels like a looong time since we've seen each other.  Plus, I was monitoring  myself for symptoms after this recent  exposure. Today I'm finally out of the window , and have no symptoms. I am relieved,  of course, but I wasn't really worried since I was taking all the precautions anyway, and have had my first vaccine.

Wednesday, there was an email from my godfather's wife Fiona. So tenderly expressed, that   "the bird has flown". She also enclosed a photo of him, hand-feeding a bird. I wish I had stayed in better touch with him throughout the years. I wish he had, too. 

Wednesday after work I had my own Dr appt. This was to discuss a change in BP medication, which she of course agreed to after some discussion of other issues. I haven't been to see her in over a year, so I caught her up on my medical stuff (the GI  visits, the headache/Neuro visits, the Covid vaccine). 

We also talked a lot about the stresses of working for the company. This Company. She shared some of her issues, and some of her coping techniques, some of her personal issues. I shared some of what was going on, especially what had changed since July when LadyDoc exploded and decided we all needed cross-training. My doc was fascinated in a "watching the train wreck" kind of way, and was horrified. This time she agreed to give me some anti anxiety medication if I want it. (Finally, my own official prescription.)  I will give it a week or so and then let her know.

The new BP medication is a beta blocker. I've tried it in the past, maybe 12 years ago, and I can't remember why I stopped it. It didn't work obviously but I don't remember the details or symptoms. So I will see if the new BP medication helps with the headache too, and it might just help with anxiety. I'm to report back in a month. 

She also shared that she'd learned Vitamin D levels can seriously affect GI issues. So, if my D is low that could be contributing to why I'm having such symptoms. Hmm. She ordered labs, a bunch of labs, and I had those done Friday morning. I'll find out the results next week. 

Meanwhile, this week there were lots of texts and emails back and forth with Sis and Bro, re Dad and his pain level, and how we could help.  All fascinating, and concerning, and time consuming.   

Yesterday we returned the too-big light fixture, and the make-up mirror which I will no longer need now that we have so much more light. 

I have tomorrow off to help with J's procedure. He has a colonoscopy and endoscopy, and isn't allowed to drive. So it will be a fasting day for him today in preparation, along with drinking the god-awful mixture. He starts drinking that tonight at 11, and then the second half at 1am. His procedure isn't until about 1:30pm tomorrow, so it'll be a long time.

We finished the series Queen's Gambit, and started Bridgerton, which is awesome so far.

MissS is here, and I will go enjoy my afternoon...

TYG

Sunday

 Another  cold morning, with a fire going. We have rearranged the kitchen so the table is lengthwise in front of the fireplace. I sit with that warmth to my left, and the only window is right behind me. It's kind of cool there, but I don't like sitting with my back to the room,  so this is my only option.  J is taking the dogs for their walk.

 MissS and J and I went to one of the Springs yesterday, Blue Springs State Park , about 40 minutes away.  Then we waited another 45 minutes in a line of cars, slowly moving, to actually get in! The place was mobbed because the manatees were there, 239 of them. 

They are in the Springs where the water temp is always 72 degrees, but only if the regular air and water temps are too cold for them; then they head for the Springs until everything warms up.  So winter time is the only time to see them, there.

The sight of so many, just hanging out, large and small, mamas and babies!  OMG. It was breathtaking. I found myself just teary-eyed a few times.  So beautiful, so peaceful. People were speaking in hushed tones, which was awesome. 

MissS and I walked along the river's boardwalk as they have lookouts at various points where you can observe more manatees, and other wildlife.  Just amazing. (J wasn't up for walking again, and waited for us in the center of the park, in the sun, people watching.)

Incredible. I felt so blessed,so lucky. This was a wonderful way to experience our first manatees. MissS took some great photos. 

The silver patches towards the river bank are manatees...the water is only about 7 feet deep. Crystal clear. Giant fishes leaping in and out. Herons, cormorants, vultures overhead.

Mama and baby above...and a large group below.  Just moving along slowly. Occasionally sticking their noses out, because they do breathe air. 

 

Our final glimpse was while standing on the observation deck. A very large one cruised very slowly from right to left, just below us. It was barely moving. And then very slowly, a baby smooth- rolled right out from under it!  So the two of them were right there not five feet away.  It was just ...indescribable. People were gasping, and sighing in delight, and saying "Awww... a baby!  How cute!!"

That morning was my AlAnon meeting, which I ended up leading. It was fine, if somewhat less attended than usual.

Something weird happened right before the meeting: J asked me to tell one of my AlAnon email buddies not to send "sexually suggestive" content. I haven't figured out how to talk to him about this:  My friend sent a cartoon of a cat upside down, on a scratching post, doing a spoof of a stripper's pole, and there was a caption like, "Well, I hope she knows that's a scratching pole", or something stupid like that. Frankly it wasn't terribly funny, either. (Normally he sends other stuff, which is much more unusual, or funny, or whatever; I'm on a blinded list of people he shares stuff with.) I just responded "lol" and deleted it after sharing it with J. No biggie.  

But apparently it was upsetting to him, because two days later, Saturday morning just before the meeting he mentioned this... little item. I was blindsided, and just nodded, because I was distracted by working on the two computers (doing some trouble shooting on both at the same time), and worried I wouldn't be able to finish in time for the meeting. 

I sure as heck didn't see it as " sexually suggestive", for god's sake. It just seemed ...not funny. I've got to think how to deal with this. J seemed reassured that I "understood", and so that's good. But I know this is going to open a can of worms, so I hate to do that. Ugh. Not looking forward to this.

Then after the meeting we dropped off my black blazer to a dry cleaner's. J will pick it up Wednesday. Then to Lowe's to pick out the trim for the sun room, and J begged for the two wooden sawhorses he saw there, saying how useful they would be. So we packed all of this home after dropping off some dog food to the PetCo Rescue people, just as MissS arrived to drive us all to the Springs.   Later that night we watched the final episode of "Queen's Gambit". Next week we'll start with "Bridgerton".

The previous week at work was intermittently busy, crazy. I was with LadyDoc on Monday and Wednesday as usual. Our front office person was out again all week. I finally texted her and asked if she was ever coming back! I was only half joking, because none of us know exactly why she wasn't here, as she didn't share this information.  She did come in later that day, after we all left, to help the float person get sort of organized. She apologized to me that she had left so abruptly, but offered no explanation. Guess it's none of my business, really.

Wednesday I was with a patient in the afternoon at 1:30, who seemed quite anxious to get to his next Dr's appt at 2:30. So LadyDoc and I dealt with him and he went on his way. 

The next morning my manager called me and CoworkerRN into her office, where she notified us he'd been tested positive for Covid.   His "Dr" appt was actually our Urgent Care. He'd lied to us straight to our faces when asked the screening questions,  and denied any symptoms. He sat with us for 45-50 minutes, submitted to an exam, and left;  then he went to the UC and complained of body aches, fever, and cough. And tested positive.

So thank GOD I've had the first vaccine. And so has LadyDoc. My coworker that took his vitals for me (since I was by then already preparing for my next pt, a new one), just happened to be the one who also got her first vaccine with me last week.    There is nothing for us to do, really at this point, except monitor ourselves for any symptoms for 10 days. 

I actually sat on this info for a few hours debating on whether to tell J.  I knew he'd freak out, and I knew there was no reason to.  But finally I did tell him, via text. Sure enough he freaked out. Asked a bunch of questions. I offered to sleep at a hotel, or in the spare room, and he finally relaxed. He's  reassured now, thankfully.

Later that day I picked up our new light fixture which did arrive at Lowe's earlier than expected. That was also the day J had a small fire in the microwave when a microfiber towel caught fire as he was trying to dry it. Yes. We've had a talk about this. Sigh.

That was also the day one of his hearing aids fell out of his ear and straight into his coffee cup where it sank into the honey at the bottom of his cup. He instantly fished it out, and rinsed it off, placing it on a towel to dry off. 

Unbelievably it is fine. I think his hearing aids have 9 lives.

I dragged out  unearthed an old handbag I dearly love, because the new one is just too tall and deep; I will have to sell it or something as I cannot use it. I've tried. So the old handbag is apparently SO old it is losing its sheen; it is de-laminating, as J says.  I went online searching for a replacement by the same brand, and luckily found one. I asked MissS to order it for me, since I was at work and didn't want to take the chance on losing it. It's a different color, but otherwise identical to what I already own. I've now tossed the old one (sob), and am anxiously awaiting the new one.

Meanwhile I'm also looking at Macy's for a back-up bag, and  the new perfume I fell in love with. I have a big birthday coming up, and I'm going to treat myself. (Actually J is giving the perfume to me...lol).

TYG

 

 

Sunday

This is a cold morning-it was 35 degrees at 6am, and we have the fire going . It's supposed to get "up to" the low 60s today. I like the cooler weather. 

J walked the dogs, and now he is outside doing something in the back yard.  I only have an hour to write: his family's Zoom meeting starts around 11:15.

Some big events this week. One was the unexpected arrival of another check, the third!  from the mortgage company, a refund on property taxes.  Odd. We are so blessed. We decided to go ahead and arrange for the installation of a bathroom vent/fan in my bathroom, and at the same time replace the overhead lights over the sink.  (We'd like to remove the  retro blue tub and replace it with a shower only, but we really cannot do anymore without spending serious money. ) So this will happen on January  18.

Second thing was that at work Wednesday morning we were notified that employees at my company could now get the Covid vaccine across the street at the hospital. So a coworker and I jumped in her car (she has a bad knee and can't walk that far comfortably) and rushed over. We got permission from my manager, thinking we'd be able to run in and get it and get back to work. Ha. 

The line was unbelievable.  When we finally reached  the hospital entrance an hour later, the information sheet given to each of us had a number on it; mine was #433, and it turned out there were only 500 doses given that day.  Coworkers who later went over were turned away; that's when we learned there were only a certain number of doses made up each day, and those doses went fast: first come, first served. After another hour still in line shuffling forward a few inches or a foot, then standing, then shuffling forward, and standing again, my back was killing me. But there was no way we were going to leave.

We finally got the vaccine and got back to work; it was a total of 2 and a half hours. We have to go back in 21 days for the second dose. There's a window of 2 days before and 2 days afterward, which works out just fine; the 25th is the day I'm off work due to J's procedure, so  I will head over there at the crack of dawn to stand in line again. 

 Then I can recover for a bit before taking J to his surgery center, which fortunately isn't far.  The  colonoscopy and endoscopy is on January 25th;  Sis very kindly offered to take him too, if I have an issue with my back/hips that day.

So that was exciting. I had no problems or side effects except the usual sore upper arm from the injection. My back, or rather my hips and right thigh, have been seriously sore and aching for about  4 days afterward, so while I'm not looking forward to standing in line again, it's the price I have to pay.  I'm very grateful for that shot, believe me.

 J is just so beyond relieved and thrilled that I have finally been able to get my vax. We are still on the lookout for a way for him to get his. The hospital will be giving them out very soon, so we check the website regularly. 

My company will be giving them out too but we don't know when. They are waiting to hear when the shipment is delivered. 

And third, we got the new-to-us sofa and loveseat.  J went over to the store and arranged for delivery, which happened Tuesday. Surprisingly they took the red sofa, and told J they would send him a check. The old long sofa is gone, and the good brown sofa has been moved to the sun room. It will fit much better there.

I love the above photo of me and J.  I wish it was just a bit  brighter, but maybe MissS can take a better photo of us. 

The other two photos  are of the gorgeous new-to-us sofas. One without dogs, one with. My sewing table which I use as an end table has been moved to the corner between the sofas, and the low table holding the DVDs is acting as an end table for the sofa on the right. 

J also unexpectedly needed a battery for the Honda. It barely started one morning, while he was out doing errands, and he took it right over to our mechanic. Thank god we had that extra check!   Batteries are bloody expensive. I remember the old $75 Sears  batteries...nope. This one was twice that.  (Seems like we just did replace the battery not too long ago, but I need to dig out the receipts in the  Honda file to be sure.)

I also saw my neuro this week for a discussion re meds. I am not happy with the side effect of constant ringing in my ears, and I believe this started after one of the meds she started me on. So as an experiment, she has cut my dose in half, and encouraged me to talk with my PCP about changing my BP medication to one which is also used as a headache preventive. If I do well on that one, I can eventually discontinue the med she just decreased the dose of. I'm on one other med as a preventive, but I don't have any problems with that one.

So I have made an appt with my PCP which is in 10 days. I  haven't seen her in over a year, which means I'm  a bit overdue. I was planning on seeing her during my week off, but then my neuro appt which had been that week too was rescheduled, and I took advantage of that to completely avoid my workplace that whole week.

Yesterday after my AlAnon meeting, I got an urge, a strong feeling that I should that I should text the number I had for my Sponsor, to see if she was still out there...much to my surprise and relief she responded right away. We had a good long conversation, and got caught up. I miss her so much. She gave me so much of my strength; I owe a lot to her. I'm glad we have renewed our connection. I've never chosen another Sponsor, because I feel she will always be available, no matter how far away we are.

Dad's gf Carol sent  8x10 photos to each of us sibs. The photos show us three as children in the early 70s, and next to it is the most recent good one of the three of us from a year or so ago. Above those two are recent photos of each couple: Bro and SIL, Sis and BIL, and me and J.  It is such a great collection, so cool to see the changes in us from almost 50 years ago. What a very thoughtful thing for her to do. 

Yesterday while J and I were out doing errands I found a beautiful white frame for it, and it looks great on my family photo shelf in the kitchen.  We also chose the new light/fan for the bathroom. And ordered the light fixture for over the sink. That one will be delayed a few more days until after the electrician does the fan, but J says he can install the light fixture himself. (This on top of also working on the  sun room, which still is not finished. Sigh.)

One thing that concerned me and the sibs was that Dad very casually texted  to us there was Covid "in a family member", but "not to worry".  More information came later, but it's still not clear whether Carol's sister does indeed have this, and whether Carol therefore was exposed, thereby exposing Dad. I'm hoping he will clarify.

 I'm also quite surprised that his version of the events indicate that she was allowed to visit her sister in the hospital despite the suspicion of Covid. Here, if you are suspected of having Covid, you are the only one allowed in the door of the hospital, and you are not allowed visitors.   Scary...

Sis delivered the week's supplies of veggies which she gets at her house and then brings our share over. Misfits Market is the name, and so far we have only been given one bad thing; sadly it was two eggplants which were too far gone to cook up. Otherwise we are happy with the service. Last night at Sis' suggestion I tried roasting some of the veggies, and it came out well. J had a hamburger and I had a turkey burger with it; very filling.

At work, LadyDoc was only in the office on Thursday and Friday, so I didn't have much interaction with her. Phew. My doc meanwhile was his usual cheerful happy interested self. Our front office person is alone again, but she took a second job nights, and this week was her training for that job. So we have had float people filling in. That is always stressful  because after they leave we discover numerous errors.  Time-consuming to fix, and the patients don't react well to being  told we have to change their appt because of someone's error. Sigh. 

But the main front office person should be back this week. The person they'd hired to help her quit after one week, so the search is on again. (They just don't pay people enough here...but it's the South, and they are so backward.)

My great-grandmother's gorgeous diamond ring is at the jeweler's, having a prong re-tipped. My hand looks naked, and I keep having moments of panic when I look down and don't see it. Then I remember in an instant that it is being repaired. I might have to dig out another ring...

A great week overall. A good start to 2021. (You'll notice I'm not going to mention the chaos which happened Wednesday in DC. I'm just not going there.  I just can't. )

In any case, TYG.

 

Sunday

 Happy 2021!  It's feeling ...not really different.  Except in some subconscious way--it does feel like a fresh start. 

We both got our stimulus checks, so that was nice.  And in yesterday's mail we got the final check from the previous mortgage company, refunding the insurance they had prepaid for the coming year. All of this is going into savings. 

We do need desperately to replace some pool equipment so that will happen;  and  while we don't "need" this, we are looking for a more comfortable sofa set.  The red Ethan Allen sofa didn't hold up well, sadly. My big old brown sofa is holding up, so we'll keep it in the sun room, and dump the older long one which we have in there now.

Our new bedroom curtains arrived, and look so gorgeous it's hard to believe they are a Walmart product. Very well made, and quality material. I love them. They really add class,  style, and relaxed charm to the bedroom.

The week off was absolutely wonderful. Monday I met with my Sponsee after handing off the books to the new Treasurer.  It felt ceremonial, that handing over.  Sheer relief, too. No more agonizing over why the amounts are off, when I have all the receipts right in front of me!  No more managing of electronic funds. Phew...

The walk on the beach with Sponsee was excellent; but she shared with me that they are pretty sure they are moving back to Chicago. I'm so sad about this. I think we are a great fit as far as friendships go--it's so easy to exchange ideas. We think the same way, and we instinctively understand each other.  I know we will always be in touch, of course, but it's not the  same as being able to walk or have lunch together. It will be different. 

She is happy here, but her husband is very unhappy here. He misses Chicago a lot. They had lived there most of their lives, and only moved here 5 years ago to take care of his mom. Now that she has passed, there is really no family link to keep them here. She hasn't told anyone yet, so it's all still "secret". There is the possibility of keeping their house here and becoming snowbirds, since they are both retiring this year.  Selfishly, I hope this happens. She is a big part of my life.

Tuesday I also did a walk on the beach with Sis.  It was much warmer that day, and we had a chance to catch up. Afterwards, MissS and I visited a few furniture stores looking for a sofa for her.  I actually found one too.   

(After much discussion, if it's still there tomorrow, J will arrange for it to be delivered to us.  It's such a beautiful set, I'm afraid to count on it, at such an excellent price. ) 

After this she came home with me and I think this was the day we watched the new Mulan  on Disney, which she installed on our Firestick/TV/whatever it was. That was cool: I've gotten to watch a few old classic Disney movies I haven't seen in hundreds of years.  The only one I can't find is Thomasina.  I vividly remember seeing this in the theater when I was small, and the huge impact it had on me.

The rest of the week is kind of a blur. Wednesday I think was the day I took down all the Christmas stuff.  J and I did both the inside and outside removal of every single thing. Packing it all away, I realized somehow we had one more box than before. Where to store it all??  At some point I remembered: we now have a storage unit!  So we loaded up the SUV with all the boxes. That all took most of the day. We were exhausted. (And no, I don't think we have too much Christmas stuff...)

Thursday morning, J had an appt with his new GI down in New Smyrna Beach. It was a nice 25-minute drive, along the coast. I waited in the car since these days they don't allow anyone except the patient into the visit. About 90 minutes later he came out with orders for an endoscopy and a colonoscopy.  This will be done in late January, and the doc doesn't anticipate any problems.

We headed back home, making stops at the vet for Fiona's cat food, and Walmart and Aldi's for groceries (it was pay day).  We picked up a new brand of a frozen thin crust pizza to try  (discovering later it was not great).   After lunch, we drove over to the storage unit and packed away all the Christmas stuff.

Back at home I decided to work in the yard. Two hours later I had to stop. My back!! Arghh. We have this armadillo...he has been very active, very busy digging holes in the yard. Poor little Sophie keeps stepping in the holes he makes and I'm afraid she might hurt herself.   He has also been turning over all the bricks which I've carefully laid, edging all the little gardens and along the sides.  So I was trying to rake, prune, fill in the holes, re-center the little cement birdbath (which the armadillo likes to knock over), fertilize the orange tree, remove the dead stuff.  You know, routine garden work.

I absolutely love yard and garden work in the late fall and winter weather, and even into the spring here. The wind, the  sun, the temperature--usually it's just heaven. Weeding is a breeze--everything just pulls right up. (That must be our soil, which is mostly sand.)  Working in the yard in the summer?  Hell on earth. So hot, so humid. I just can't do that for long but I make up for it at this time of year. It's wonderful, and so satisfying.  

If I had more money...I would love to rip up the terrible stuff that goes for "grass" here, and re-do our front and back yard with all clover. I'd plant more flowers along the edges. I'd love to plant a big flowering tree in front.  I loved the dogwoods up in CT, and the crepe myrtle here, the Japanese maple, the flowering cherry, the lilacs,  the wisteria. I know I can't have all of those, but there are some beautiful flowering shrubs here in Florida.

Okay, back to Reality. 

On New Year's Eve, Colin Cloud (the Scottish mentalist I love who does shows with magician Shin Lim) did a free show.  J and I tuned in to his Zoom at 5pm, and settled in for a fabulous show.  He is so good, so quick-witted. Very cool stuff--so unusual.  We were just  open-mouthed--how does he do that?!   MissS tuned in also, and sent me a screen shot of what she saw:  him on screen, and the little camera shot of J and me  on the screen--she could see us watching him!  Pretty cool.

Then we had our frozen pizza, and watched some Star Trek after the news. We were in bed by 9:30.  I did not sleep well because of all the fireworks in our neighborhood. Fortunately the dogs weren't bothered this time.  And J is pretty deaf without his hearing aids, so he slept right through it all.

On January 1, we breathed a sigh of relief. (Let's see, that was Friday. I'm losing track.) I know I transferred stuff from my 2020 wall calendar to my  new 2021 calendar. We have been walking the dogs together  in the morning. It's been so nice. 

J also worked this week on finishing the painting of the ceiling in the sun room. The next steps are installing the trim, and then finishing painting the  walls up to the new trim line. Then re-hanging the curtains. Then finally, removing all traces of the paint drips and drops which have fallen in places where they shouldn't have. Ahem. 

We watched movies, and caught up on The Queen's Gambit. J napped. I read a whole book and started another. I did more coloring. I've cleaned in depth in certain areas, organized other areas.

Saturday. I had my AlAnon meeting, barely signing in just before it started. J went to a flying club meeting. He hasn't shipped the plane to his son yet, but now that the extra money is here, that will happen.  

I received an emailed notice that the dogs are due for their rabies shots, but now we have to actually schedule them online ahead of time, due to Covid. So that's now scheduled--all three dogs and Fiona too. That will be a fun day. Not looking forward to that.

Things I wanted to do during this 11 days off: go to St Augustine for a night-time visit to see the Christmas lights. Visit the NSB dog park which has miles of boardwalk along the coast.  Review old photos and paintings with my sister and decide what to do with them. Add my name to the Nissan's title.  Actually finish the sun room.  Go to the beach at sunrise.  Meet with my sibs at sunset for drinks at an outdoor restaurant.  None of those things happened, but there is still plenty of time.  A new year.

Tomorrow is the first day of the Covid19 vaccinations being offered to those older than 65. There are only a thousand doses available each, for Monday and Tuesday.  It's being offered first come, first serve, for God's sake.  How absolutely insane is that?? J will not be attending, needless to say. He will wait until appts are available. What a madhouse this is going to be.

Tomorrow I return to work.  Gotta be honest, I'm not looking forward to it.  But my official Retirement date is June 30, 2022. That is just 18 months. I can make it. I will not be mentioning this to anyone yet, needless to say.

I signed up for Medicare Part A, and will  figure out the rest, Part B and Social Security, in the early part of May 2022. I also created my "mySS account" online.  Wow. That felt official. 

J is about to start his Family Zoom meeting so I will leave the room. He speaks so loudly, not realizing one doesn't need to yell at the screen. Remember the old movies where people yelled into the new-fangled phones? That's J, with Zoom meetings. It would be funny if  everyone else didn't yell also. Sigh.

TYG for this wonderful, wonderful week.