An Update on This and That

Work was an absolute bear this week, starting at 8 on Monday morning and going all week, and do you know what did not help me cope with that?

Getting my fucking period, after 2-3 years (depending on what you count), and after over a year on hormone therapy, WTAF, body. 

Hormones suck and bodies are the worst.

Waking up this morning with cramps and debilitating backache was not fun (seriously, I could hardly stand up and walk). However, to look on the bright side:

• first of all, I slept until 10, thank you eye mask, I haven't slept that late in forever
• second, I didn't have a single thing on the schedule, nothing that HAD to be done today
• finally, codeine helped take the back pain down to manageable

One thing that helped me cope this week was having some time off to look forward to. Two things, actually:

• We get next Friday off, for 4th of July, and I took the following Monday as a vacation day, so 4-day weekend
• Later in July, I'm going to Key West for a few days with friends, and my intentions are to rest and relax as much as possible. I am so looking forward to the down time. More on that to come.

Another happy thing that happened today is that the canvas photo print I ordered of Maggie arrived. And as the photo I picked doesn't have an obvious up or down, I have to decide which way to hang it:

I mean, you could argue for any of them, right?

Anyway, that's enough for me: time to go back to slouch on the couch. What a day.

_____ a Day

I started a daily journaling practice back in 2020: I got a 5-year book and every day, I would write a few sentences about what happened that day. I enjoyed how it made me think about the day, and after the first year, it was fun to see what I had being doing a year ago that day, then two years, and so on.

The journal would have been finished this October (I started it on a random day when it came), but back in February, when Maggie was having health problems, thinking about the day became something I didn't want to do, and I gave it up. No regrets there, it happened and I'm not kicking myself. Life is messy, and often doesn't fit into plans.

I read a book recently in which one of the main characters is telling the other about how, in therapy when he was a kid, the therapist had him start writing a daily journal, but only a simple one: every day, he wrote about one good thing that happened that day. Sometimes it was a big thing and some days, he had to scrape to come up with anything, but he found it to be a good practice.

This idea bounced around in my head for a bit, and this weekend, I picked up a blank book and started it. 

I was amused to see this option in the blank books, which honestly is a lesson I could stand to be reminded of:

But I like the one I got. It feels good in my hand, and the elastic to hold the pen is handy too. My rules (that are more like guidelines, or intentions):

• I am going to try hard to come up with at least one every day.
• I won't kick myself if I miss or skip a day.
• I will allow myself to add bonus good things.
• I will allow for negative-bad-things; not getting a flat tire counts as a good thing.

Do you do anything gratitude-y like this? Do you find it helps you on bad days?

Pomegranate Seeds

Thanks to this blog, I can say that it was around 15 years ago when I started eating frozen pomegranate seeds, which I found at Trader Joe's, though I don't seem to have written about the (inevitable with TJs) tragedy of when they stopped carrying them. Earlier this year, though, when I started making smoothies, I was checking on the frozen fruit options at Walmart and look what they had!

So I got a bag, and found that they were just as delicious and refreshing as I remembered them being. 

The next time I looked, Walmart was out of them. And then again. Oh nooooo.

When they were back, I bought three bags, because yeah, one wasn't cutting it for long. And as the third bag was dipped into this week, I looked at Walmart again today, and this happened.

It may have been all they had, but certainly it was all I could reach: they're on the top shelf. But that will hold me for a bit.

(When I started drafting this post on Friday, I titled it "Pomegranate Seeds, the Literal and the Metaphorical"--but the joke's on me tonight, as I don't remember what metaphor I was thinking of. Perhaps it will come to me.)

A Thought on Competency

Mom is doing better, in a manner far slower and less linear than she would like, but better. She doesn't need the walker in the house anymore, and just the cane when we go out. And we've gone out not just to doctor's appointments and the like, but out to dinner a few times, which is a very good sign!

As she gets better, there is less that I have to be the one to do around the house, the way it was when she was still so wobbly. And sometimes I have to remind myself of that, something I do know but can lose sight of, that she should do the things she can do. Even if she may do something that makes me a little jumpy, given her recent history. 

It makes me think of a situation in a book I read, where one character is asking another why he "let" a third character (an 80-something woman living on her own) do something that was potentially dangerous.

From: Wayward, by Mary Calmes

So that's the thing: as long as she is competent, she gets to decide things. It's a good reminder for me.

Please Continue to Hold

Blogging recently is just one item on my list of things that I need to do and fully intend to do but yet somehow just haven't done (see also: cut my fingernails so I can get my contact lenses out easily). 

And I will get there, sometime, I'm sure. But in the meantime, please enjoy this, which a friend brought to my attention when he saw it and thought of me:

Out of My Sports Comfort Zone

A surprising number of people over the years have thought that because I'm a hockey fan, I'm a sports fan, and that really isn't true. My dad watched football and basketball as well as hockey, but I imprinted on the Bruins like a baby duck, ignoring all else.

However, a friend of mine invited some people to come to a soccer game, and I decided to go along for the fun of the outing. The local team, FC Naples, is in a minor pro league, and is new to the area.

I drove up with one of the group, and we noticed a lot of smoke not that far from the arena. We weren't sure if it was a controlled burn or not, but we did see helicopters go by periodically with water bags, so it looked like they were trying to put it out. Happily for us, the smoke never got close enough to be a problem.

The weather was hot and humid, but there were some clouds as well as smoke cover, so at least the sunlight wasn't always too much.

Apparently my guess that this meant "fortune favors the bold" was correct! Fun phrase to put over a climbing wall.

We walked around the pitch before the game; it was lovely, but also very very hot, and very very buggy. Damned no-see-ums, get out of my eyelashes!

I was very glad that not only were we not at ground level, but our tickets actually included both inside and outside seating. That air conditioning was such a blessing!

The rest of the pictures I took were of warm-ups.

The game itself was fun. I did find some of the ways soccer is different from hockey to be confusing, but that's not a surprise, is it? (Seriously, though, their offsides is weird.)

We got to talk to a young man who watched part of the game in that area, who it turns out was the team's number-two goalie. He got a red card in the last game and had to sit this one out! He was very nice, and explained some things to us. 

Later on, a couple of young girls, maybe 11 or 12, were also explaining things to us: they both play soccer themselves, so they were a font of knowledge.

And our team won! Which of course made things even more fun. I'm not signing up for season tickets, but it was a very entertaining evening.

A Moment of Belonging

I had to go to a doctor's appointment this morning, and while it was nothing serious and it went fine, I still decided to treat myself on the way home and stopped in at a local bakery (they make a really good caramel latte). 

While I was in line, a woman I know through the Newcomers club came over to say hi, and ask about how Mom is doing, which was really nice. 

Then when she went back to her table, the woman in line behind me said, don't I know you from Newcomers, and I kind of recognized her too, and it turns out that we're going to the same event on Sunday. 

More to come about that, but I just wanted to remember this little moment of belonging here, and how nice it felt.

A Lazy Knitter's Way Out

I wanted to wind yarn to start a new project (because no, none of the projects I have going were crying out to be picked up again now), but I was too lazy to pull the swift and ball-winder out from under all the assorted crap piled in the corner.

So I took a look around and made it work another way.

The arms of the chair were the perfect size. And before you knew it, there was a tidy ball of yarn ready to go.

And after an evening hanging out with knitting friends, I had this.

Much more to come! In time.

Enjoying a Good Deed

Sometimes I'm lucky enough to get to do something that is technically a "good deed" but also benefits me, and today was one of those days, as I joined the regular beach clean-up on my local beach. They do it monthly, I think, but 8 AM on a Saturday is a time I would often prefer to be sleeping in. This time, though, I'd arranged to meet up with some friends, so it was time to set the alarm and go.

The weather was warm and humid, and the walk over was pretty, as it often is.

It's a beautiful beach.

We walked around for probably an hour, doing some talking in between picking up cigarette butts (ewww*) and bottle tops. We aren't supposed to be picking up anything natural, just man-made, but I did pick up a bunch of orange peels and a lemon wedge, figuring that they may be natural, but having them on the sand biodegrading for months isn't. 
*We discussed how doing this made us think both that people are pretty cool, because look at the crowd of people doing this, and also people suck, because look at the crap they drop in the sand.

I picked up one thing to bring home:

It may have been early for me to be up and out on a day off, but it was a pretty nice start to the day.

That Kind of Tired

You know the kind of tired where you've been doing okay, coping and getting things done and getting through, but then one more thing goes wrong and your body just goes, nope, I'm done? I hit that today.

Mom got home from rehab on Tuesday, and we're dealing with the unfortunately familiar merry-go-round of in-home healthcare visits and so on, on top of the usual groceries/meals/dishes/laundry/condo checks/mail/work, fine fine. Coping along.

Yesterday, the OT who visited suggested a half bed rail would help Mom getting out of bed, so today I ran over to the local church that collects various medical supplies like walkers and wheelchairs to loan out, and picked one up. It was partly assembled, and when I got it home, I tried to put it together the rest of the way. And I know how, I can see how it should go, but the second "leg" of the thing has two parts that have to click together, and the holes are juuuuuuuuust not quite lining up, no matter what I do. 

I'm that kind of tired. My hands hurt from fighting it. For tonight, I give up. But it's so frustrating.

Edited to add: today the PT person was here to evaluate Mom, and he was able to get it to lock in. Whew!

The Mom Situation

After I wrote last month that Mom hurt her back, and that she was getting better but really slowly, I didn't update more because that's where we were for a week or two: getting better, slowly, slowly. But last Wednesday she fell, the poor thing, and was off to the hospital again. It's really just one thing after another for her, the last few years, isn't it?

She had a big bump on her head and a black eye, and it turns out also broke her clavicle and scapula*, and a few ribs, all on the right side (already her bad side due to the shoulder surgery that went wrong a few years ago). 
*That's the collarbone and shoulder blade, for those of us who had to look the words up to be sure.

She was in the hospital for a few days, and then moved to rehab over the weekend, so they can work on her overall strength (on the left, and lower body) and balance until the right side is up to being worked on. The good news is that she's at the same place she was ~18 months ago, after hip surgery, and at the time she felt it was a good experience, as such things go, so hopefully this time again they will be able to help her. We don't know yet how long she'll be there, or what will be next. 

While I am very sorry she fell and hurt more things, I will admit that in a way, I am enjoying this period of time where I am not responsible for knowing what to do, if that makes sense. She is being well taken care of, and I don't have to worry that I'm doing something wrong or missing something important. Nursing is not something I'm good at, and I appreciate that she's in good hands for now.

On Friday night, I went in to the hospital to visit her after work, and took myself out to dinner after (so that I could go buy groceries without being so hungry I bought All The Food). Down here, "season" is finally over, the hordes of snowbirds and other tourists have vastly diminished, and it meant that I could walk into a restaurant that a month or two ago would have been crammed at 6 on a Friday night, and be seated immediately.

I got a fried rice dish with chicken and pineapple, and you can't fault the presentation:

It even had an umbrella!

On my way back to the car, I was overcome by the glorious scent of these flowers. I don't know what they are, but they smelled fabulous.

And looked good too. It was a beautiful night.

Anyway, now, I'm trying to accomplish things, whether it's laundry or dishes, or bringing things to Mom, or talking to medical people about her, or just getting things done that need doing. Which might be paying bills, or doing condo checks, or even things for my own sanity.

For instance, I have a few knit items that I've been meaning to wash and block, so I finally did the first one. This is the Swell shawl, knit in Mary Ann yarn from Wonderland (colorway "8 That first magical kiss," which is a colorburst/assigned pooling colorway with dusky pink/lavender as the main color, and bursts of blue and purple). Here it is laid out before its soak:

And then pinned out wet. It grew!

It wanted to curl up there at the top (aka the right corner), so I let it. I look forward to it being dry, so I can see how it falls. And then it will be on to the next!

Really Coming and Going

Each time I notice the new plate on my car (or even think of it, honestly), I smile.

It goes so well with this sticker in particular.

And of course with the front plate.

When I picked up the new plate, the woman mentioned that if my old plate was registered with any programs like Sunpass (the Florida toll payment system), to be sure to update it there. Since I only signed up for that for my rare trips to the east coast (we don't have toll roads anywhere I drive regularly), I'm not sure that would have occurred to me, so I'm glad she said so. I went online this weekend and updated it, which was a simple matter of deleting the record with the old plate and adding the new plate. Ta da:

It's like the batmobile, isn't it? 

Also, for the full image with the new plate, you can picture me driving along, windows down, cranking Imagine Dragons...it works for me.

Coming and Going

Guess what came?

My new license plate! 

The power screwdriver is charging, so I can put it on ASAP. Wave if you see me!

A Chair, At Last

Yes, over the weekend I finally just picked one of the office chairs at Staples, and now I don't feel like a little kid sitting at the grown-up table in my too-low chair. The height actually adjusts! It's funny how it doesn't look that much higher here than the old one, but it feels so different.

And if I find I'm leaning on the arms too much and borking my back sideways, I can make them go up, out of temptation's reach.

Phew, that's one thing off the to-do list, at least.

A Few Things

The news on Mom's health is that she is getting better, but much more slowly than she wants it to be going. Still, moving in the right direction is important. She saw her doctor yesterday and he said it's just going to take time.

A couple of images to share from the newspaper. For some reason, this one really made me laugh:

This photo, meanwhile...all about the cardinals, and no mention of the man whose uniform (I assume it's a uniform) looks rather like a court jester? Anyone know what that's about?

I went to the beach last night*, for the first time in a while, and although it wasn't the most spectacular sunset I've ever seen, it was pretty and very peaceful and I enjoyed being there.

*A friend had shared info on a "sunset sound bath" and I had to give that a try. I'm not sure I'm 100% a convert, but it was interesting, and very peaceful**; I would probably do it again.
**Though exactly how much of the peace was just being on the beach, listening to the waves, is hard to say.

A couple of unexpected-consequence things that have interested me recently:

• As I wrote about, I started making smoothies for myself recently, and now my mother, who really needs to be eating and drinking more, enjoys some when I make them. That's a win for both of us! (Though, whew, not so much a win when I drink too much of one at once and give myself brain freeze, ow.)
• I originally bought bendy straws for Mom to make it easier to drink when she was lying down--and then after I had the second half of the deep cleaning of my teeth, I was greatly relieved to be able to drink without things dripping down my face, while I waited (and waited) for the numbness to wear off. So for a while, we were both using them.

Have you had any moments like that, when things worked out well in completely unexpected ways?

Some Improvements/Updates

The first and most important improvement in terms of recent events is that Mom is starting to feel better. She's definitely not feeling well yet, but after the week we had, any degree of "better" is good. Phew!

I was back at the dentist this morning for the second half of the deep cleaning, which was very unpleasant with flashes of ow-ow-ow. Also, the hygienist applied some sort of fluoride treatment before I left that was sticky on my teeth, and that was just the icing on the cake of "I can't even feel my face, am I drooling" that lasted until mid-afternoon. Should you find yourself in a similar predicament, may I say that bendy straws are a lifesaver. Unless you enjoy dribbling drinks down your face.

Shoutout to my good friend Mary Ellen for this item, which I used like a stress ball through both appointments:

She made both these adorable things, and usually they are decorative, but the heart was also useful during my recent dental unpleasantness.

(Aren't they adorable, though, seriously?)

Also, just in general terms of dentistry, I always think of this Far Side cartoon when I'm at the dentist:

(You can buy a print of that one and others, btw.)

Next, it turns out that I missed my opportunity to update you on the banana situation on Wednesday, which the Sandra Boynton calendar tells me was the right day to do it:

Oh well, better late than never! I was able to get bananas on Sunday, so it looks like my Saturday visit was an aberration, not a new supply-chain problem. At least so far. My smoothie habit rejoices.

Final note that the bruise on my arm, from when I had bloodwork done on April 8, is not completely gone yet. This is why I say I have melodrama skin. It shows everything and hangs onto everything. Every papercut gets infected, and having a bruise for 10 days and counting is just a thing that happens. Silly skin.