#2968 48 hours

 

 HEADS UP: THIS IS A LONG POST.

When I wrote here a week ago, I was all excited about the fun, musical week ahead. There was some music, but there was also a wild 48 hour span that flipped everything around. Let me tell you about it.

On Tuesday afternoon I took T to a physical therapist. He couldn't seem to stand up straight, saying it hurt in his right calf when he tried to stand up. He also said his right foot was numb and that his toes tingled. Looking at him, you would think something was wrong with his back since he was all hunched over like Quasimodo, but he said his back didn't hurt. 

After an evaluation, the physical therapist advised us to go to the ER and ask the doctor to check for nerve damage. She wasn't sure what was causing it, but suspected something in the back that was pinching the nerve that goes down the leg. This is the beginning of the 48 wild hours. It was 5:30 pm.

We went directly to the emergency room in our neighborhood. It is linked to St. Marks Hospital, and it has most of the testing machines that are in the big ER in the hospital. Dr. Olesky was on duty that night, and after we told him what the physical therapist said, he ordered blood work, an ultrasound on the hip, x-rays of the calf and a CT scan of the spine. The CT scan was difficult for T because he couldn't straighten his back to lie flat. It was quite painful and he returned to the room in tears with the apologetic radiology technician. A bit later, another radiology tech came in and said he had an idea about how to get the scan without having T lie flat, so they tried it. T came back teary and apologetic for having yelled at the tech, to which the man replied, "It's okay. I've heard worse." The tech told me that he thought he was able to get an image of the spine, and that the doctor would talk to us soon.

The ultrasound technician came to the room to do the test, and I stepped out in the hallway. Dr. Olesky found me there and let me know that the CT scan showed a bulging disc in T's back, and he was waiting for the surgeon at the hospital to call him back to verify what he'd seen and to make a plan for fixing the problem.

When I got back in the room with T, I didn't say anything. T was getting restless, and he was in a lot of pain from all the poking and prodding that had been happening. We'd been in the ER for a few hours by that point, and T was ready to go home. That's when Dr. Olesky came in with the news that T had a bulging disc in his spine and would be taken to St. Marks by ambulance and that he would have surgery to remove the hernia the next day, probably in the morning. The ambulance came about 20 minutes later and T was whisked away to the hospital. I went home to feed the dogs and get some clothes and chargers for T, then I drove up to the hospital, which is about 20 minutes away from our house on the east side of the city. I got there around 10:30 pm.

T seemed a little dazed by how quickly everything was happening, but he was also in a cloud of pain-killers so he felt more calm. I got him situated, talked to the nurse about what was going to happen, and left the hospital around 11:45 pm. I slept poorly. I was freaking out a bit, but there was nothing for it. This was all happening, and I was going to cope and figure it out as best I could.

I was back at the hospital by 7am, and the surgeon, Dr. Sikora, came to see us by 7:30. He told T there was a big bulging disc in his back that was severely pinching the nerves on the right side of his leg that was causing the pain in the calf and the numbness in the feet. He said it needed to be removed immediately to stop any further nerve damage, and that he was concerned there may be permanent damage already done. The surgery was scheduled for 5:00 pm, but he would try to get him in earlier. 

T went back to sleep, and I decided I would stay at the hospital all day. A local coffee place, Grounds for Coffee, had a shop on the main floor, so I figured I'd need at least one coffee to get the day going. I met Dr. Sikora in the hall and we had a good chat while we walked to our respective elevators. He told me it was going to be a great day and T would be better soon. 

Around 2:15 T was taken to surgery. Dr. Sikora called around 4:00 to say the surgery was successful. He had removed a "massive" hernia from T's back and he was confident that T would have a good recovery and the pain would be gone from his leg. The hernia was about the size of a pink pearl eraser - around four centimeters, about an inch and a half. We do have a pic of the hernia itself, but I won't post it, because it's ugly and gave me a nightmare. 

 

T got back to his room around 5:15. He was groggy, of course, but laying fully horizontally on the bed which was something I hadn't seen in a few weeks. Dr. Sikora came in to check on T and show us the photo of the hernia - now a part of T's medical record - and to tell us that T would spend the night in the hospital and be released the next day.  T was hungry since he hadn't eaten for a at least 24 hours, so I got him some food from McDonalds and I went home around 9:30.

I was back at the hospital by 7am. Ally, Dr. Sikora's PA came around 7:15 to check on T and gave us information about going home and what happens next. T will have at-home physical therapy for a couple of weeks, then outpatient PT. Dr. Sikora came in a bit later to make sure all was well and said he'd see us in a couple of weeks in his office for a follow up. A physical therapist came in to get T up and moving. He walked down the long hallway using a walker to the PT room where he got to practice going up and down stairs. 

He was released from the hospital around 1pm, and we got home at 1:30. The dogs were super-excited to see him and took a little time to calm down. They wanted to lay by him while he was sitting on the couch, but T didn't like to have them close to his leg or back. Eventually everyone settled down. I went to the pharmacy to pick up the meds and to get a walker (I'm not sure why we didn't get one at the hospital, something about insurance.) I got home with the meds and the walker around 5:30, and that was the end of the weird 48 hours. 

Not to say that the time after 5:30 on Thursday hasn't been odd. It's low-key awful to see your 27 year old son using a walker, knowing he has a big incision in his back where the surgeon cut through tissue and muscle to get to the thing that shouldn't have been there. Overall, I'd say T is doing well. He is more upright, although not completely straight yet. He's taking full steps with the walker instead of shuffling with little steps. He's getting up and down the stairs well, and I watch him carefully when he's on the stairs. I've asked him not to go up and down without me or someone (Jordyn) around. 

So there you go. It's been a wild week! I had already planned a quiet weekend, and I haven't done much (except for that Chris Stapleton concert last night!) I've been napping and taking it easy, and I'm starting to feel more calm and relaxed. 

Surely there will be more stories about T's recovery, but that's all for now. MT is doing great on the Colorado Trail and was upset about what was happening here at home, although there wasn't anything he could do or could have done about it anyway. MT will likely be home a week from today

#2961 3 things: Sunday family version

This pic is an oldie but a goodie from back in 2020. That's Mac photobombing our family portrait, back when she was an only dog.

Tonight I wanted to take a quick minute to update y'all on the three of us.

1. MT. He has been out on the Colorado Trail for eight days now and has covered 102.4 miles with no off days. He did go off-trail on Thursday afternoon to spend the night in the town of Fairplay. He wanted a shower and to wash some clothes, and he was back on-trail the next day. Tomorrow will be a "zero day," a day of rest, zero time on trail. He is in the town of Frisco at a hotel. When I talked to him tonight, he was appreciating the comfort of a bed and air conditioning. He feels good, is pleased with his progress, and is happy to be doing the hike. Here is a pic he posted on Facebook tonight:

MT on the Colorado Trail

2. T. Right now, the youngest member of the family is the least mobile. T has a deep bruise in his right quad muscle. On Thursday he was in so much pain, his whole body was quivering and he could hardly put weight on the leg. I took him to the ER where he was diagnosed with this deep bruise. The only cure for it is to mitigate the pain with a layering of ibuprofen and acetaminophen, heat/ice, and rest. He's been doing the resting, but hasn't been as diligent about the other parts. Today when I got home from RBGA (Red Butte Garden and Arboretum), he was in tears from the pain. He was scheduled to go back to work at FedEx tomorrow, but there's no way he could do the job. We went back to the ER and the doctor extended his order for T to have until July 24 off. This evening I have been monitoring his heat/ice schedule, making sure he has his meds and plenty of hydrating liquids, and encouraged him to take a shower which cooled his body and his temper. He is more calm now, but still in pain.

3. Me. I am doing okay. I have decided to cancel my trip to CA to visit Mom and Lizzie this week because I feel that it will be better for me to stay home with T, especially as he is having such a hard time walking. I'm bummed, for sure. I was looking forward to seeing my fav women. I just didn't feel right about leaving T. 

So there you have it. MT is having his turn at living his best life. T is experiencing physical pain for maybe the first time, and I am just plugging along. Hopefully I will have a good update on T for you on Wednesday or Thursday. 

Have a great week! 

#2959 three things: allergies/migraine, odious fictional siblings, Home Goods

 1. Allergies/migraine. Since yesterday, my allergies have been in overdrive. I've been sneezing and blowing my nose and just in general feeling kind of yucky. It has been hot here, too, with temperatures in the upper 90s, so it's been uncomfortable. (The swamper is doing a good job about keeping the house cool, FYI.) This morning when I took the dogs for a walk, the temperature was already in the mid 80s and windy. My nose was runny, my eyes were itchy, and my throat was scratchy from sinus drainage. Around 10:30, I started to feel a little wobbly and nauseous and the words and numbers on my screen were not clear. My head was aching. At my lunch break, I decided to call it a day and took the afternoon off. I immediately went to bed in my cool, dark bedroom and slept for a couple of hours. I have been sleeping really well at night, thanks to Swampy, so it wasn't that I was feeling tired. I think I was having a low-grade migraine. I'm feeling a lot better now. I took a cool shower and laid around this evening. I'll be going to bed soon, too, so I'll get plenty of rest.

2. Awful fictional siblings. I just finished two books in which the older sibling was completely shitty to the younger sibling. In The Truth About the Devlins, John tried to frame is younger brother TJ with murder to cover his own ass. In The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits, Zoe said horrible things to Cassie that caused Cassie to run away from society and feel miserable for 20 years. John and Zoe were both awful characters, and I didn't feel any real redemption from either of them at the end of the books, although Zoe was closer to being forgivable. What I took away from these stories is that I am so thankful I have a good relationship with my sister!

3. Home Goods. During my lunch break from work on Tuesday, I decided to go check out a store in Bountiful called Home Goods. I've never been there before, and I hoped that I could find some flower pots for the deck. The store is amazingly huge and probably has just about anything you could possibly want for your home, except maybe appliances. I just walked through a very small section of the store, and I found plenty of stuff that interested me. 

I ended up buying these two cute ceramic pots, made in Spain, and a small plant stand. The catmint in the back is sitting up on the stand. The pots were buy one get one half price, so I got both for a total of $30. Aren't they cute?! I put the coreopsis in one pot, but I haven't planted it there yet. In the photo you can also see the pretty lavender plant I just got from Lowes.  I'll be going back to Home Goods for sure!

Enjoy the rest of the week. Stay hydrated. Be kind.

#2929 three things: a new rental property, a change of routine, and my Word

 Happy New Year! Let's see how I do at sticking to my twice weekly posting this month. :)

1. A new rental property. MT and I bought a duplex in Pocatello, Idaho. Even though we lived in Pocatello for many years, this is the first home we have purchased there. I haven't seen the property, but I've seen MT's photos and videos and the place is a real fixer upper. MT has his work cut out for him to make these spaces livable. I know he can do it though. He is really good at having a vision and making it happen. He will go to Pocatello tomorrow, and though he will come home every now and again, mostly he will be in Poky working on the house. His goal is to have both units rehabbed and rented by the end of March. It is a very aggressive time frame. Kelly, his brother, will be working with him. Kelly is an excellent carpenter, too. When they have worked together before, MT lays out the plan and gets the supplies while Kelly keeps the work moving along. Here's hoping everything works out.

2. A change of routine. Since MT will be gone, my routine will change, too. I have changed my work hours to 8:30 - 5:30. There are a couple of reasons. First, T works on a twilight shift at FedEx; his hours are usually 6:30 pm - 11:30 pm. Pushing my work start time back to 8:30 gives me a little extra sleep time. I plan to get up around 5:30, get myself ready, take care of the dogs, including having play time, have a bite of breakfast, then get on the road by 8:00. On the two days I work from home, I might sleep in until 6:00 since I won't have a 30 minute commute. 

Today was my first day on the new schedule. I admit, it felt kind of decadent this morning. After I got ready, I took Mac and Harley for a walk, played frisbee with Stella, and had time for toast and a coffee while I read my book for about 15 minutes. I do love a slow start to the day! I wasn't rushing around , and I felt calm and happy. The commute was smooth. The office gets pretty quiet after 4:30, and that was nice, too. I got home around 6pm, changed into my relaxing clothes, made dinner (tacos), and now here I am. Day 1 is good. We'll see how it goes.

3. My Word for the year. For the past...whew, I don't even know how many years now...I've been choosing a Word to be my touchstone, my guide, my compass for the year. Some years I have struggled to find a Word, but not this year. I only had two words on my list of potentials, and the word I chose is the first word I thought about. My Word this year is ACTIVE, supported by Body, Mind, and Spirit. 

Over the past several years, I have become much less physically active, and I can feel it. The lack of movement affects my mood, my health, and yeah, the way my clothes fit. I am keen not to be diabetic, and my blood tests show that I am in the pre-diabetic zone. :(  I am meeting with my doctor at the end of June to do another blood test and see if I have decreased my A1c number. I really don't want to have diabetes or take medicine. So, ACTIVE is the word.

In January, my goal is to get at least 5,000 steps per day and/or close the exercise circle on my Apple watch. Closing the circle means getting at least 30 minutes of heart rate raising exercise. Yesterday I went on a 30 minute walk in the neighborhood. This morning, I walked the dogs, then I took at walk at work, and I finished off my 30 minutes of exercise by dancing in my room for a couple of songs. No, it's not a lot of sweatiness, but I am moving. 

Of course, I will have to watch what I eat and learn to like fruits and veg. It would be good to cut back on sweets and fried foods. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

#2901 the summer cold monster strikes

the summer cold monster attacks

 

Friends, I have had a rough week. It seems I cannot escape the summer cold monster. It will pick on other people, knocking them down for a day or so. I have had to contend with it for several days. My colds are kind of predictable in their story arc, so that's a sort of  gift, I guess, because at least I know where I am in the progression.

Monday afternoon, MT and I went on a hike - more of an easy nature walk for him, but a straight hike for me - and it was fine. The weather was good, and I felt great before, during and after. We picked up some food to bring home. I took a short nap, and went out to the deck to finally plant the flowers and to re-pot some starts I'd been rooting out for awhile. I watered the trees and felt pretty good about everything.

When I came inside to get ready for bed, I noticed my throat felt a little tight and kinda scratchy. I also had some slight pain in my lower back (summer cold signs one and two.) I decided the back pain was from bending over to pot the plants and the throat tightness was from being outside in the cooler evening air. I rubbed some Vicks on my neck and went to bed.

On Tuesday morning I felt a little rough. I took some DayQuil and went to work. I sneezed and blew my nose throughout the day, and said, "Yep, I'm catching a cold." I felt a tell-tale cold sore growing on my lip (signs three and four). That night I made dinner and went to bed by 8:30, loaded up with Nyquil

Sign five of the summer cold happened Tuesday night/Wednesday morning: leaky face. You know when fluids escape out of your nose and eyes and mouth (drool) and you have no control over any of it? Gross. Sometime in the night I'd taken another single capsule of NyQuil, so I was pretty out of it in the morning. Wednesday is a work-from-home day, so I texted my boss and told her I wasn't feeling well and I needed to sleep a bit longer before I logged on for work. I got up around 10:30, took a shower, and logged on at noon. It wasn't a good experience. I was having a hard time focusing, and I know I made at least one mistake (fixable, but still), and my eyelids weighed forty-two pounds each. I called it a day after a couple of hours and went to bed, sleeping from 2:00 - 6:00. I'm pretty sure we had some food that MT brought in. I think I talked to my sister, and I was back in bed by 8:30 or so. 

Thursday is a vague memory. I didn't go to work. I'm pretty sure I texted my boss sometime in the morning. I slept until 2:00 (14:00) - so that's what, 17 hours or so?  I showered - I just felt so gross - and drank some water, and maybe had some toast. I think I slept some more. I think there was food and more sleep. I don't remember. It's all a blur. I might have taken T to work.

Friday I did get up around 5:30. I knew I couldn't make it to the office, so I asked my boss if I could work from home, and she kindly agreed. I did manage to do quite a bit of work, and I think it was quality work, too. I took a nap when I logged off, then got up for some dinner, talked to my mom, then went back to bed.

Yesterday was Saturday. I was supposed to have a haircut, but I rescheduled the appointment, and cancelled all weekend plans. I slept until 2:00 (14:00) again. I ordered pizza, ate, then slept again. I woke up a couple hours later to sit on the couch for awhile. I actually stayed up quite awhile that time, so I knew that the monster was shrinking.

This morning I got up around 8:30. I'd called for a substitute docent at Red Butte - there was no way I'd make it three and a half hours up there today. I showered, got a chai latte from Dutch Bros and some donuts (been craving Krispy Kreme), and now I'm here at my desk. There is a very high possibility that I will nap within the next 10 minutes, but I have high hopes that I will be a medium-functioning human come Monday morning. 

With all of this sleeping, I haven't been awake or had the energy to write, draw, or even read very much. Thankfully, right now I can breathe through my nose with ease, I haven't been coughing as much my body feels fine. My head is still slightly fuzzy, though. 

Take care of yourselves!

#2899 three things: Dixon update, a rough year, and the walk

First thing...each of these topics could be an entire post in itself. I will attempt to keep them brief and related to each other. 

1. Dixon update. This is the first month since September that I have not traveled to Dixon. That certainly doesn't mean that nothing is happening. Most of the month has been spent waiting on the county to approve the well permit. The permit was issued last week, so we are ready to proceed. The driller needs a tree to be trimmed, but the tree is actually dead and covered with trumpet vines, so it is coming down tomorrow, then the driller will determine a day to begin the drilling process. I'm told it will take about a week. After that comes the pump installation, hook-ups to the existing waterlines, and potability testing. All of that will be done by the pump company. After all that is done and water is running in the house, I would expect the house to be listed on the MLS and hopefully it will be sold fairly quickly. Crossing my fingers. 

2. A rough year. Since my uncle passed away in July last year, I have taken on a lot of the responsibility for my aunt and the property. Sometimes I have felt overwhelmed. I am so thankful for all the help and support from MT, Lizzie, Mama, Rick, and David. I'm also thankful to my doctor for prescribing anti-anxiety medication. I often wonder how I would have managed without it. I'm sure there would have been a lot more tears and more physical ramifications. It wasn't just the monthly trips to Dixon and the worries about Mary, Lee, Bettie, and the property. I had a heavy load at work as well, plus my commitment to volunteering at Red Butte Garden. Of course something had to give, and volunteering got the short shrift last year, but I still had over 100 hours there, which was about half the hours from the previous year. 

Looking back through my journal, I often noted how tired I felt, and how I didn't feel well physically, mentally, or emotionally. I didn't sleep well or long. I ate poorly, relying on take-out often because I was too worn out to prepare a meal at home, or sometimes even get to the grocery store.  Another thing is that my body decided it was time to menopause. As a result of all that, I gained nearly 20 pounds in these 10 months. I fucking hate it. I feel every one of those pounds on my body. The good news is that I finally feel like I'm in a good spot to take better care of myself with healthier food choices and exercise.

3. The Walk. On Pinterest I saw a cute, helpful pin about taking care of yourself. I'm terribly surprised I didn't pin it because usually I do, and now of course I can't find it. Anyway, the first thing on the list was to walk 30 minutes a day. You would think this would be so easy. When I'm on vacation, I think nothing of pulling on some shoes and going for a walk. Why is it that here at home I think I must put on some exercise clothes and have just the right shoes? After overthinking this for a few days, I decided to just go for a walk. Today it happened. It's not that simple though, is it? Not for me.

It was lunchtime and I figured I'd take about 15 or 20 minutes to walk. I decided not to take the dogs because I just wanted to be quick. I headed up the street and crossed the road to walk on a little path between houses. I got to the end of the path, and I'd only been walking for about five minutes, so I turned right and walked through a nice neighborhood.  Pretty soon I felt a bit disoriented. I wasn't lost, but I wasn't exactly sure where I was in relation to my house. I finally came to a place I recognized, a school, and I turned up the street knowing I'd get to the street light and I'd know exactly where I was and how long it would take to get home. Turns out I grossly miscalculated the distance between the school and the stoplight. I'd been walking for about 20 minutes, and I was still a good 10-15 minutes from home, all up a slight-but-steady hill. Oh, and did I mention the pollen count was high and it was humid (for here?) I was a gasping, snotty, watery-eyed mess of a woman those last 10 minutes.

In the end, I was out for nearly 40 minutes and I walked nearly two miles. It was a bit more than I wanted to do right off the bat, but there you have it.  Now I just need to limit my visits to Crumbl and take-out places, and get to bed at a reasonable time. I got this, right?

#2889 relaxing weekend

Why do weekends pass so quickly?! How can it be Sunday night already? <<SIGH>> 

On Thursday, I was attacked by a migraine headache. It started out as a wee, low-key pain in my head and very quickly morphed into a vise-grip, eye-watering, nausea-inducing, dizzying hellscape. I was at the office when it came on. There has been some remodeling and painting happening, and I find that the smell of paint is a trigger for me. (Not watercolor paint, though, thankfully!) I came home from work and climbed into bed, pulling the sheets up around my head to block out as much light as I could. I laid (layed, lie??) there for awhile practicing deep breathing, trying to relax myself. Eventually I fell asleep, and when I woke up, the headache and nausea were gone, but I was still a little dizzy and didn't feel totally like myself. That feeling lingered into Friday. That day, I worked at the office until noon, then came home to finish up the day. MT was meeting with our CPA to prepare the 2023 taxes, and I stay home so I can answer questions that might come along that I need to get on my home computer for. After work, I napped some more.

Saturday I felt pretty good. I really wanted to clean the house. It was in bad shape and needed a little care. I only got the main floor done, then I took a nap. When I got up, it was dark and rainy. It was soggy and gray all weekend, and I didn't venture far from home yesterday or today. It felt good to be home. 

The trips to Dixon will be winding down after next month, I think. We will have three more days of estate sale action, then whatever is left will be donated or trashed.  The plan is to stay a total of five days, run the sales for shorter time spans, and use the extra time to load up dumpsters. The whole endeavor has been bittersweet. The most interesting thing about the process has been the reaction of people who come into the house. I can't overstate how much STUFF was in the house. Almost every single person who has come in has said something about needing to pare down their own possessions so their family doesn't have to do what we are doing. I kinda like to think of the house as an inspiration, like don't-let-this-happen-to-you inspiration.

What's coming up this week? I don't have that much going on just yet. Jill the Artist has a workshop on Thursday afternoon that I'd like to attend. It's at 4:00 my time, so hopefully I can leave the office a little early, but if not, Jill records her workshops so I can watch it later. I'd like to go to Trader Joe's this week. It's been awhile and I'm out of some staples like mac & cheese, rice, and tuna. Actually, I made a list today and it is big. Sunday is Easter. It isn't a big event at our house. If the weather is nice, I'd like to go for a quick bike ride. The forecast looks like it might be soggy all week, though. Oh yeah, and it's time for my seasonal clothing swap. Sweater weather is over! I'll keep a few lighter weight sweaters out for days like today, but the heavy sweaters get to go in storage for a few months. YAY!

To finish off the weekend, here is some art I made this week. Jill's prompt was to use black and white, and make something with color as the main thing. I'm not sure I really followed the instructions, but I had a lot of thoughts, so I made four things:

It was fun. I've been really into zen-type doodles lately, like the one in the lower right-hand corner. I'll pick a few to show you next time. I have them in a separate little sketch book. 

Okay, that's it! Have a good week. Be safe out there!

xoxo

#2867 one thing at a time

I have a sticker that looks a little different from this one, but has the same words. I think it's funny, and I thought I embodied those sentiments, but it turns out, I don't. My cousin Sonia,  well, this could be her life's slogan. While she was here, she would get up, go to the bathroom, and stumble down the stairs looking for coffee. The first day she was here, I was up first and had a pot made, so she could just sit and drink it peacefully. The second morning, I slept a little later, so she was already up when I got downstairs. She looked at me frantically, grabbed my arms, and sort of yelled, "Where is the coffee?!" I introduced her to the magic and speed of the K-cup, and she was okay every morning after that. Truly, she would have to have a coffee before any other thing happened. I kind of admired her dedication to the mantra.

Another thing I noticed about Sonia's breakfast routine was what she ate, when left to her own devices. She would get a coffee, then prepare a slice of toast, sprinkled with a bit of olive oil, and top it with a slice of cheese (we had havarti, the King of Cheese, on hand.) She would also have a glass of orange juice, and a piece of fruit. Sonia sat at the table, her plate filled with the cheese toast and fruit, and she would peacefully eat, always chatting away with me and MT. There were no other distractions. She didn't mess with her phone. She didn't read a book or magazine. She enjoyed her food and drink, took her time, and only when she was finished was she ready to get on with the day. 

Maybe this sounds strange, but I have been thinking about distractions during meals a lot lately. My favorite influencer, Shannon at This French Life, is doing a cool series this month and next that she is calling the Joie de Vivre journey. She began the series three weeks ago, and has a ten-week series planned.  Check it out on Instagram (thisfrench.life). She posts pretty videos on weekdays for the series. She's also doing a series about locations from the book All the Light We Cannot See, a series currently on Netflix based on the book by Anthony Doerr. 

Anyway, Day 2 of the Joie de Vivre journey was about mindful eating. The prompt was about making better food choices, but in my mind, I combined it with the Day 1 prompt about setting boundaries. Wait for it...I'm about to tie it all together.

Friends, I did something this morning that I rarely do: I ate breakfast without an interruption. I know that sounds weird, but usually, while I eat any meal at home, I multi-task. I read. Sometimes I write. I often throw a toy for Stella. I eat and I drink and I do something else.  Today, though, I simply savored my meal. I had a coffee and a slice of gingerbread from Starbucks, along with a glass of oj. I put the bread on a plate, and just sat there while I ate and drank. I steadfastly avoided looking through that pile of mail that was staring at me. I refused to pull my phone out of my purse to continue reading a new book I just started. I ignored Stella when she repeatedly woofed at me and nudged her frisbee in my direction. 

It's not that I shut down my mind. I thought about what I was doing. I enjoyed the flavor and the tenderness of the gingerbread. I noted the warmth and flavors of the latte. The tangy sweetness of the orange juice played off the other two items nicely. I didn't have a piece of fruit; all we have are bananas in the house, and I am not there yet. I thought about what I wanted to accomplish today, and if I would make it through the day without a nap (more on that in a minute.) I looked around my house and made mental notes of what needed to be cleaned up, thrown away, or put away. When the meal was finished, I was totally satisfied and quite full. It was nice. I think I'll keep working on making mealtime a one-activity event a habit.

~~

I haven't been feeling great for the past few days. On Wednesday, I had a flu shot at my doctor appointment. On Thursday, I felt run down and achy. I took the day off from work, and slept off and on most of the day. I went to work on Friday, and that evening, I got a covid shot. When I got up yesterday (Saturday), every one of my joints was aching and I was just tired. I took the big dogs for a walk in the neighborhood, had some coffee, read, and then took a nap. I was cold and unhappy about my condition. I slept. I laid on the couch wrapped up in a blanket. I came upstairs to use the bathroom, then got on my bed and fell asleep some more. My left arm, where the covid vax happened, has a bump and is warm. I was in bed by about 9:00 last night, and slept hard all night long. Today I feel okay. I still think I want to take a nap with my weighted blanket. 

First though, I'm taking time to do an art project that has been really fun. I'm not done with it yet, so I'll share it the next time I write. I also need to do the bookkeeping for all my entities (home, business, family), and I'll probably call that a day's work well done. 

I will share this little art project I did this week. The prompt was to draw some boxes, then fill them with little drawings. I am in a total hygge state of mind right now. You know hygge - a cozy comfiness that is perfect for this time of year when the days get shorter and colder. Here is my art:

I added some stickers, too, because why not? It was fun.

That's all I've got today! I need to go to bougie Harmons to get some coffee and finish today's art project, not to mention pay all those bills. 

Have a beautiful week. Do something fun and take the time to enjoy yourself.

xo

#2857 a whole bunch of stuff in seven days

The last time I wrote, I'd gone to see the Foo Fighters and had a little summer cold. Lots of things have happened since then.

Last weekend, on the 11th, I went to visit Mom and Lizzie in La Mirada. T and his girlfriend J came with me. On Saturday night, T and J went to see Drake in concert in LA. It was our birthday gift to T, some delayed gratification, but he was very happy. I'm pretty sure he was grateful that I got a ticket for J and that she was able to go with him. I was happy about it, too. I mean, I would have gone to the show with him if J hadn't come along, but I'm sure T was much happier seeing the show with J than with his mom. (heehee)

I got exactly what I wanted out of the weekend: time with Mom and Lizzie, time to relax, recover from some of the stress, and enjoy a bit of down time. Lizzie took me out on a nature walk in Coyote Hills and for a nice walk in a pretty park. We had coffee. We went to Seal Beach for a meal and a walk in the town and out on the pier. I was so glad to see the ocean and hear the waves. Everything was wonderful. 

We got back home on Monday evening. The flight was good, and I was glad to be home.

On Tuesday, MT and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary. 30 YEARS!!! To celebrate, we had dinner at Mazza, a groovy little restaurant in the 15th and 15th neighborhood. We both enjoyed the meal immensely. It was also fun to try a new place. For dessert, we went around the corner to Sweetaly Gelato. I had salted caramel and coffee gelato. Oof. So good.

On Wednesday, I was in bed by 8:30 pm, and I slept good and hard until my alarm went off at 5:00 am on Thursday morning. 

On Friday, I went to see a dermatologist for the first time ever. I had a spot on my chest that I've had for over 10 years. It wasn't growing or hurting, but it was beginning to weigh on my mind. Mom has had some spots removed, so her action made me want to take some action, too. The dermatologist took one look at my spot and told me it was probably basal cell skin cancer. I thought maybe he'd just take a sample, but no. He removed the spot. The worst part of it was the lidocaine injections, and then the irritation caused by the Band-Aid adhesive on my tender, sensitive skin. I'm not wearing a Band-Aid now because my skin is red and itchy where the adhesive was. You can see the outline of the Band-Aid. I bought some gauze and some medical tape. When I go to bed, I'll use that to protect the wound. 

Yesterday was Saturday, and it was a really cool, fun day. The book club I am in, #EkpesBookClub, had an in-person meeting here in Salt Lake! Ekpe no longer lives here; he lives in Atlanta where he is now an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks. He's going to be a great coach, I think. Anyway, he came back to town, and invited us to brunch at a nice Greek restaurant called Manoli's. It was wonderful to see him, and to see my book club friends, plus meet some of the clubbers for the first time. I thought it was so cool that clubbers came from Florida, Texas, and California! As a awesome bonus, the author of the book we read, Erin A. Craig, joined us for brunch. It was fun to sit around and listen to her stories and talk to her a little bit. 

After brunch, we went to The King's English Bookshop for an Author's Talk in which Ekpe asked Erin questions, and she responded. The bookshop is a Salt Lake institution, and independent bookstore on 15th and 15th, just a couple doors up from Mazza. It's freaking charming! They have a groovy little patio where the author conversations happen. Erin then signed books and posed for ussies and our book club took a group photo, which I don't have yet, but I hope that Ekpe will post it soon. We chatted and hung out and basically were delighted with all of it. I also bought a book and a couple of stickers while I was there. Here are some pics:

at brunch

Ekpe and Erin at The King's English

that's Erin Craig and me!

that's me and Ekpe Udoh!

Here are some of my book club friends! 

In the photo above, five of the women came from other states to have book club fun. The woman with black hair right in the front is Staci - she lives here in SLC. Behind her on the right is me, of course, then Kaitlyn, Colleen (mother and daughter from California), Sarah from Florida, Whitney from I don't know where, (I thought she lived here!), and Jan from Texas. That man in the background is Erin's husband. 

Oh yeah, and after all of that fun, I had to have some quiet time to myself, so I went to Sweetaly and got some gelato. This time I got coconut and pineapple. It was good, but the salted caramel and coffee was better. 

Today I spent most of the day at Red Butte Garden. I did the docent thing from 9:30 to 1:00, then I recorded blooms until around 3:00. I usually record blooms on Thursday, but it was raining that day, so I had to postpone. 

It's been a busy week!

This week, MT and I will be going back to Dixon. We'll leave on Thursday afternoon and come home on Sunday. I'm going to finalize setting up the trust with the bank, and MT is going to install a couple of new toilets at the house. Other than that, I will take Mac to the vet on Wednesday, and I will work my face off for The Company. 

I was glad to have this weekend of fun for myself. 

Have a great week. Stay safe!

#2856 three things: a summer cold, Foo Fighters, and a little break

1. A summer cold. It seems like every summer, I catch a cold. It is usually minor and I get over fairly quickly. This year, the cold began on Sunday in the form of a sore throat when I woke up that morning. I drank orange juice and let myself rest that afternoon. On Monday, the sore throat was still there, and the sneezing started. That night I volunteered at a concert at the Garden. (Amos Lee. He was really good.) I was doing recycling, so I left the venue around 10:45 and got home around 11:15. I took some cold medicine and got to bed by midnight. I overslept the next morning by a little bit, probably because I still had the cold meds working and I didn't have enough sleep. I popped some Dayquil and headed to work. The sore throat wasn't as bad, but my head was stuffed up, and my left ear was popping all day. That night, I went to see the Foo Fighters in concert - more on that coming up next. On Wednesday I was totally spent. I was fortunate to work from home that day, so I made it through with a nap at lunchtime. Last night, which was Wednesday, I got to bed by 8:30, fully loaded with Nyquil (two capsules) and slept in the guest room very soundly, with occasional wake-ups to cough, blow my nose, or use the bathroom. This morning, I made the decision to stay home from work. Thursday is all-staff-in-the-office day, so you either go in or take a sick day or a vacation day. I took the sick day. I glugged a bunch of orange juice, loaded up on cold meds and took it easy. I wrote and drew and read and napped. I feel so much better tonight. I can breathe through my nose 90 percent of the time, I haven't coughed, and my ears aren't popping. I also feel alert and functional. I even cooked dinner. I needed that rest.

2. The Foo Fighters. MT and I really like the Foo Fighters. We had tickets to see them play last year, but sadly, their drummer, Taylor Hawkins, died. The tour was understandably cancelled. We were so excited when they announced this year's tour, and I was happy to get tickets. The show was at USANA Amphitheater, my least favorite venue in the city. The venue is nice and the parking is fine, but the entry and exit from the parking is the absolute worst. We were in line for 20 to 30 minutes to park, then sitting in the parking lot for another 30 minutes or so to exit the parking lot. I took a snoozle after the show in the truck. Another thing that sucks about USANA is the price of the beers. We had four beers, two each, and it cost over $80. Simple math: $20 per beer. WTH?

Enough about that...let's talk about the band. They were very good, and the show was lots of fun. The thing that sticks in my memory is how many men were there, like pairs and groups of men. I was sitting next to a couple of dudes, and they were sitting next to a couple of dudes. There was a group of four young dudes behind us, and a pair of dudes in front of us. The coolest thing is that all of these dudes were singing their hearts out, top of their lungs to every song. The dude three dudes down from me seemed to be having some kind of religious experience. He was a big guy with a big black beard and his hands were clasped or waving around in the air as he bellowed out all the words. It was awesome! 

See the guy with with big black beard and the black cap?!

The band played for two and half hours or so, no breaks, just all the music. Dave Grohl screams and shreds that guitar and he is a freaking legend. The new drummer is really good, and the rest of the band is tight and talented. It is just hard to take your eyes off Dave. His energy is amazing.

3. A little break. Tomorrow I get to go to southern California to visit Mama and Lizzie. I saw Lizzie last month, of course, but I haven't seem Mama since May. I am looking forward to this quick weekend trip. I've had so much going on in July and I had to suck it up and be a grown up and it was hard. I want to sit on my mom's couch and read and lounge and relax. I hope that's not too much to ask :)

Take care of yourselves! Rock on!!

#2757 Saturday with Sandy

I missed writing on Thursday because I was volunteering at a Red Butte Garden concert. The artist was Maren Morris. She put on a good show. She is a big voice in a small body (she’s 5’1”). My favorite song of hers is “My Church”. 

Anyway, it was fun. It was a long-ass day. I left home at 6:30 am and got home at 11:30 pm with not much of a break between paid work and volunteer work. I was feeling pretty tired on Friday, let me tell you. I did get a good night’s sleep on Friday, so today I was feeling pretty perky today.

It was a busy Saturday. I got my car inspected and registered. I recorded blooms at the Garden. It was the first time I’ve recorded blooms in a month. The last time I was there to record was July 20. I went on vacation from the 22nd to the 25th, and I promptly got sick. The first two weeks of August were kind of a blur. I thought about going up there yesterday, Friday, but as I mentioned, I wasn’t up to it. I’m glad I went this morning, though. 

There is a day every summer that I feel a change in the weather is coming. Today was that day. It doesn’t mean we still won’t have hot days ahead, but there was a hint that the cooler weather really will come. The temperatures today were in the 70s. There was a bit of rain. I noticed some trees starting to change colors, just on the top branches, but still. The biggest sign that change is coming? I saw pumpkin spice creamer at the grocery store. 

Book club was fun today. We are reading What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline. The author joined our discussion, which is always fun. She was great about giving some insights to her research for the book, and was generous and kind with her comments to the group. I have enjoyed the book so far. I have some theories about what may happen, so I’m eager to keep reading. 

Here’s a curious thing: the other two books I’m reading both have twins as main characters. Has that ever happened to you? You’re reading a couple of completely different books, and there is a curious similarity between them? 

I took a nap after book club. I intended to sleep about 30 minutes. It was more like 90 minutes. I still get super-tired. Like when I was looking at flowers today, I had to sit down a couple of times to take a little rest. Also when I was at the Garden, I talked to a bunch of people. One couple wanted me to tell them the best way to walk around the Garden and what to look for. Another couple wondered what I was doing and why. A man told me all about how much he loves the Garden and that he comes up to walk around every week. A few people asked me to identify plants for them. I talked to a mom and a daughter about figs, baguettes and goat cheese. I took some photos, too. These two are my favorites:

I hope y’all had a wonderful Saturday. Rest and relax tomorrow, if you can.

#2754 ready for the weekend

First of all, I’m feeling a lot better today. I have made it two days in a row without needing to take a nap at any point. I have been moving and thinking a little more slowly than I’d like. I haven’t taken the dogs for a walk since Tuesday. It wasn’t a good experience. They acted as they normally do, rambunctious and excited, and it plumb wore me out. When I got home, I was pale and sweaty, and not breathing very easy. It freaked me out, and I haven’t been out with the girls since. Maybe tomorrow or Sunday.

I had some plans for this weekend. I was scheduled to volunteer at the Bonnie Raitt concert at Red Butte on Saturday night, then I had my regular docent gig on Sunday morning. I cancelled both of those assignments. I made the decision yesterday morning, and I’m still glad I did it, even though I feel better today. That’s actually exactly why I’m still glad I did it, because I do feel better, and I want to keep feeling better and better. I was really looking forward to seeing and hearing Bonnie Raitt, though, so I’m kinda bummed out about it. That’s two shows I was looking forward to that I have missed because of The Virus. Oh well. There are a few more shows that I have on the schedule this year. Hopefully I’ll be okay to work at the Maren Morris show next week.

Bloom recording has also fallen by the wayside the past couple of weeks. There was no way I had the stamina to walk around for 60 - 90 minutes in the heat looking at blooms, even though it is by far my favorite thing to do. Again, I’m hopeful that I can get back to it next week. 

MT is going to Idaho tomorrow and probably spending the night, so I basically have all the time to myself this weekend. Yes, T will be here, but he pretty much stays in his own space, and then he goes to work. My only planned outing will be to go to Petsmart to replace an old Kong, and to go to the bakery to get a sugar donut. I’ve been craving a sugar donut for about a week and I just want to eat the damn thing already. Other than that, I’m staying home. I’ve got two good books to read. I might watch something on Netflix. I’ll nap. I do want to do some laundry. Oof…so much laundry! Slow and steady with lots of resting. That’s my plan.

Have a great weekend! Take care of yourselves. 

Here’s a little rainbow that I spied from my deck yesterday:

#2753 a little setback

I had a heckuva time getting out of bed this morning. I set my alarm back a whole hour, and it still wasn’t enough. I grabbed a couple of little naps in the morning, then slept through lunch. I made it through the afternoon, then slept again as soon as I logged off from work. I haven’t ever felt this tired and dull-witted.

It’s around 8:20, and I’ve decided to call it a night and try again tomorrow. 

Damn you, Covid!

#2751 Saturday with Sandy

Today is my first day out of isolation. The cough is pretty much gone, as is most of the stuffiness in my head, as well as the headache. YAY! The fatigue and body aches remain, but to a lesser degree. The dogs woke me up around 8:00 this morning, so I fed them, but I was not ready to be awake. I needed more sleep, so I came back to bed and slept for a couple more hours. I took a nice, long shower, then came downstairs (FREEDOM!!) and made myself a cup of tea and a piece of toast and read for a little while. Then I had to go lay down on my bed. That’s kind of been the pattern of the day.

The temperature today has been so pleasant - in the mid 70s. We even had rain! I’ve had the windows open in the house to let in the fresh air, and it felt so good. I would really love if the temperatures stayed in the 70s and 80s, but that’s probably a lot to ask for since it is only early August. 

Tomorrow I plan to stay home and continue with my recovery. Although I hate being sick, I do like the slower pace. July was busy, fun, but busy. Finding my balance between fun and rest is my goal this month. 

#2750 3 things: my Covid experience

 

Today is the fourth day since I tested positive for Covid, and my sixth day of actual illness. Here are the three things that I’ve noticed have affected me the most. 

1. Fatigue. I don’t know when I have ever felt so tired from doing so little. Brushing my teeth literally causes me to have to sit down for a few minutes to catch my breath and rest. Coming up the stairs needs a few minutes to laying down time. I wiped some dust off a little table in my room, and I thought I’d have to take a nap. I haven’t had to sleep as much today as I have the past couple of days, but I have had to lie down often. Even sitting up for a period of time is tiring. 

2. Aches. My whole body aches. My back, in particular, is a mess. I think part of it is being prone so frequently, but even when I walk around, it never seems to loosen up properly. My metal knees don’t creak and crack, but they are stiff. My neck is tender and doesn’t swivel properly. Don’t even get me started on the headaches. Waking up with a headache might just be one of the worst ways to start a day EVER. Probably if I drank more water, it would be helpful, but I’m sleeping/laying down a lot and you don’t really drink when you are in that state. Whenever I think about it, though, I reach over for a drink. I always have a glass of water near me. 

3. Dizziness. I don’t know if this is a common symptom for people, but I have been dizzy since this virus came to visit. When I get up, I have to take a second to let the dizziness pass by or I stumble. When I bend down to get something, I must get back up slowly to avoid that head rush. Even last night, when I was lying in bed being still, it felt like the bed was moving in circles, kinda like when you’re drunk and the bed spins? Yeah, like that, but there was no alcohol involved. 

*BONUS thing: the stuffy head and the cough. I am constantly blowing my nose. The cough is less frequent, but it has been strong and persistent today. The cough woke me up this morning and I know it contributed to the headache. Actually, this morning’s headache was pretty mild. It has been worse this afternoon. It took awhile for the Tylenol to kick in and tone it down. 

I don’t know if I’m posting this for sympathy or for informational purposes. Probably both. I know it could be a lot worse, but let me assure you, this week has been NO FUN. 

Wear a mask! Wash your hands! Don’t be like me!

#2737 weekend wrap up

I didn't write here on Friday. Let's see, I went to RBG to record blooms. So many things are blooming now, it took over 90 minutes to get through the Children's Garden. After, I sat at a table in the Courtyard going through my notes and my photos, then sending what I didn't recognize to Jason the Curator. The dude knows so much about plants, it boggles my mind. Botanists. That's what they do. 

I picked up burgers for dinner, then suddenly it was 8:30 and time to talk to Mamacita. An hour later, it was time to pick T up from work, then it was bedtime. 

Yesterday, Saturday, was my day to do what I wanted, for the most part. In the morning, I went downtown in search of a pastry from my fav French patisserie. Sadly, the man in front of me in line got the last four Kouign Amman in the place, so I left empty-handed this time. From there I ran a few errands, like stopping at Petsmart to get Harley a new collar and to pick up a couple of new Kongs. Two of the six we had were splitting apart, so it was time to replace them. I sent a couple of books to Lizzie, dropped off a library book, then stopped to get fish and chips from the food truck that was in the neighborhood.  YUM!

The one appointment I had was to volunteer as a greeter for a wedding at the Garden. I haven't done a wedding for awhile. I had the 4:00 - 7:00 shift, and it was nice. The weather was good and the people were friendly. The volunteer I worked with was really nice. I hadn't met her before, so I enjoyed hearing from someone new. 

Today I had my regular docent shift at the Garden in the morning. My first RBG friend, Joann, was docenting (a new word I made up!) with me. It was good to catch up with her because I hadn't chatted with her for awhile. As usual, it was busy in the Garden. It was a gorgeous morning, though just a little warm and not much of a breeze. 

After my shift, I went to the grocery store. Our fridge and cupboards were woefully bare since I hadn't been to the store for awhile. I didn't go last weekend, because I was sick. During the week, I picked up the bare minimum of things we needed to get by, but we needed "staples". Now we are good for a bit. 

MT and I have been enjoying simple sandwiches for our meals. Similar to the sandwiches we liked in Italy, we get good rolls and good quality salami. I like to rub tomato on the bread, then slice avocado, add a bit of salt and pepper, then the salami. MT puts tomato slices on his sandwich along with the avocado and salami. Simple, flavorful, and satisfying. 

Speaking of MT, his finger is healing, I guess. I haven't seen it because he mostly keeps it bandaged, and I like it that way. He did tell me it is about the "grossest looking wound" he has ever had. That's saying something because he's had some gnarly wounds. There was that one time a piece of petrified marmot poop (or maybe a rock) smashed his big toe and the toe kind of exploded. That was nasty. He says the finger is worse than that, though. Ew. 

I'm feeling a lot better. I do still cough on occasion, and I wish that cough would go away. The other night, I was in bed and began to cough. I twisted my body to reach for my cup of water, and coughed so hard I think I pulled something in my side. Pathetic. That pulled whatever makes coughing dang painful. Other than that, I'm good.

T is doing ok. He's been working a lot. Today is his day off and he spent the day with his friends. I like that.

Can you believe this is the last week of June already? This week I am looking forward to volunteering at the Trombone Shorty concert at Red Butte Garden on Wednesday. On Friday, MT and I are going to see Chris Stapleton in concert at USANA Amphitheater. The concert is the kickoff to the Fourth of July weekend. I would like to buy some flowers to plant in the pots on the deck and maybe go for a bike ride, if MT is up for it. We'll see what happens.

I hope you had a great weekend! 

 

#2736 it’s always something

The good news is that I am feeling much better. Yes, Mama, I am current on my flu shot. I wound up taking the day off work yesterday. I sat on the couch and watched TV, then I sat out on the deck, reading and playing with the dogs. After the past year and a half of taking it pretty easy, I realize that I want to continue to take it a bit easier. I like the slower pace.

The bad news was that MT cut his thumb and forefinger with a chop saw today. I took him to urgent care where he got five stitches on his finger. The doctor said there is a good chance that he will lose a “divot” on that finger, and maybe the fingernail (which will grow back). It could have been worse. When he called and told me he’d cut his finger, I had an image of a dangling fingertip. It was nothing like that, but it was pretty bloody and kinda gross.

I was with him when the doctor came in to clean the wound and stitch him up. I was trying to avoid hearing too much medical talk and seeing what was happening over there. I probably read the same page of my book five times. The doctor offered to let me see the wound and the part of the finger that MT will likely lose. I passed on that. I was there strictly for moral support and to listen to the after-care instructions. 

Tonight I watched a movie on Netflix called Love and Gelato. I read the book years ago, and the movie didn’t really have much in common with the book as I remember it, but it was still pretty cute. The best part was that it was filmed in Rome and in Florence. I loved seeing places that I had just seen a couple of months ago. There were also plenty of places that I had not seen. At the end, there is a beautiful view of the Roman skyline that made me catch my breath and get a little teary-eyed. I absolutely want to go back to Rome sooner than later. I have a good-sized list of things I’d like to do there. 

#2735 summer colds suck

I have missed two check-ins here; I have explanations.’

On the 16th, I volunteered at Red Butte Garden for a movie premier they hosted. The film was Esperanto by Teton Gravity Research.  I had a three hour shift that turned into a seven hour shift. It was more than I expected to work, but it was okay. I was really tired at work on Friday.

Saturday, the 18th, I was incapacitated. I slept through most of the day. On Friday night, I was talking to my mom, and I felt the cold coming on. I took some NyQuil and I slept great, but when I woke up, I was sick. Water, juice, NyQuil, sleep, repeat. 

It was just like that on Sunday, also. I skipped my docent gig. There was no way I could have stood out in the hot sun for four hours. I took at Covid test, and it was negative. 

Thankfully today I worked at home. My brain was in a fog. I had to take breaks to lay down, and I slept through my lunch hour. The minute I put my work stuff away, I came up to bed and slept for three hours straight, missing my call with Lizzie. I had a concert volunteer shift tonight, but I skipped that. There’s just no way. I’m hoping I feel well enough to go to a concert I paid for later this week.

The cough is now productive, sitting way down in my chest. It feels like it’s hard to get a good, deep breath. The headache has subsided since I woke up. My nose is just a little stuffy. I think I’ll take another Covid test tonight, just to be sure.

Isn’t it wild that now pretty much the first thing we think when we have a cold or any ailment, it seems, is that it’s Covid?

Take care of yourselves, friends!

#2693 three things: a follow up, dog news, and a family visit

1. Follow up. I wrote previously about the fall I took on Sunday, and here's a quick update. The bruise on my arm is still tender, although it is already starting to fade. It's about the size of my fist. I can feel the bump on my eyebrow bone, and I'm glad to say there is no bruise there. My right knee is the most painful spot. I don't see bruising there, and it doesn't hurt to walk or bend. When I run my hand over it, though, it is sensitive. I was just getting to where I could be on my knees for a brief time, but when I tried just now to be on my knees, the pain was too great in the right knee to be there for longer than about a second. The knee is metal, so I'm sure it is okay. It just needs to recover from the blunt force trauma I inflicted on it.

2. Doggy daycare. On Tuesday I took Mac and Harley to a doggy daycare in SLC. There were two reasons for the visit. One, I need to board them while I'm on vacation, and this place is a boarding facility. Two, I believe that time at a doggy daycare every couple of weeks will release some of that extraordinary energy they have. They were only at the daycare for about two and a half hours on Tuesday, and that was enough that Harley slept the whole way home and Mac sat as quiet as a statue in the front seat. There was no begging for a walk that night. They ate their food, had a treat, and went to sleep. Why have I waited so long to find a doggy daycare?!? I think I'll drop them off again for a few hours next Tuesday.  Oh yeah, and I booked the boarding reservation, too!

3. A visit! Lizzie is coming to visit next week! We talked about her coming over this month, and now it's going to happen! I'm only going to be able to take one day off while she is here, but I work from home Monday and Wednesday, so even though I'll be working, we will be in the same place. I'm not sure what we'll do while she is here. I hope she is up for going to see The Lost City  because I've been looking forward to seeing it since I first saw the preview a couple of months ago. I don't know if she'll be down to watch the fun Victorian smut of Bridgerton, though,  LOL Whatever we do, it will be good. I love hanging out with my sister! 

#2686 intestinal distress

friendlystock.com

It was my intention to write here yesterday and today. Yesterday didn't work out though, because I went to bed very early since I felt poorly all day. I suffered from what I'm going to call intestinal distress. My heating pad was my best friend. I'm very glad to say that I feel a lot better today and have been able to eat more than just toast.

I don't want to take much time right now because it's after my bedtime, but I did want to check in real quick and say hi.

Talk to you soon!