Happy Birthday, Aidan!

Wishing the happiest of birthdays to our grandson Aidan, who turns 17 today! I can hardly believe he’s so grown up! This past year he got a job and a driver’s license and I just want time to slow down. He’s a great kid who gets along with everyone, has a positive attitude, a sense of humor, a kind heart, and lots of talents. I can’t wait to see what his future holds! We love you, Aidan! ❤️🎂🎁💥🎈🎉❤️

My back is feeling better but I woke up today with the worst headache ever and major dizziness. After staying in bed half the day worrying about Coronavirus, I’ve diagnosed myself with a severe vertigo episode. 🤣 No fever, no cough and I’ve been in the house for two weeks except for one trip to the store. I’m sure my husband thinks I am a big hypochondriac. Anyhoo, I was cheered up by a cute card from my friend Tammy and a birthday call with grandson Aidan. Had some grapes, spied on Ajax sleeping on my side of the bed, did a little knitting, and Rich made us a pizza on the rest of our naan. Feeling better tonight. How are all y’all? ❤️

Happy Birthday, Bonnie!

Happy birthday to my daughter Bonnie! She’s smart, hilarious, creative, kind, and caring, making a difference in her students’ lives while being a great mom to her own three sweeties. We always have interesting conversations and attempt to solve the world’s problems. 😊 We love you, Bonnie! ❤️🎂💥🎁🎈🎉❤️

Unfortunately, I spent most of the day in bed and on the couch. I slept well and then woke up at 6 with crazy dizziness. I went to the bathroom, holding onto the furniture and walls. Got back in bed, still dizzy, and began shaking uncontrollably with chills. It really freaked me out. I tried to lie still and let it pass but eventually around 7 I woke Rich up and told him I was worried that I had the damned virus.  He took my temp and it was fine, brought me some water, and I tried to go back to sleep.  After a bit, I got up and laid on the couch on the heating pad as my back was still hurting badly. I started to think that maybe it IS a kidney stone but I am not sure. The dizziness has diminished over the day but I still don’t feel great. I guess if I am not better tomorrow, I will call my doc, though I am trying not to bother her right now.  Just wish I knew what was going on!  We’ve basically been in our house for over two weeks now, except for one trip to the grocery store a week ago where we wore gloves and wiped everything down. SO I feel we should be safe, but who knows??!! I’m feeling a little congested tonight so that doesn’t help my anxiety.

Stay safe and healthy out there, people!

On the Couch

I managed to do something to my back yesterday, not sure what. I was cleaning up around the house, putting things away, not doing anything heavy. I did move all the dining room chairs and got down on my hands and knees to clean up some cat barf under the table. LOL There was lots of cat hair so I wiped down the chairs and went to get the vacuum cleaner. Before I could start vacuuming, I started getting a bunch of updates from Instacart so I abandoned the vacuum for awhile.

Instacart is another story. We decided to get our groceries delivered after Rich’s last experience with the crowd at Senior Shopping Hour. I looked at various stores to see who might have toilet paper and Costco was listing it as available. We have a Costco account so I put TP and Tylenol in my cart, since I’ve read that Tylenol is the recommended med for treating the symptoms of the virus at home.  Costco was out of most everything else I wanted so I moved on to Albertson’s and ordered about 16 more items. Checked out and it said soonest delivery would be Wednesday. No big deal because nothing is urgent for us at this point.

Then suddenly I got a message from Instacart saying someone was shopping for me at Costco. What happened to Wednesday I do not know! Of course, right off the bat, I was notified “No TP.” I felt sorry for the shopper who went all the way to Costco only to get me some Tylenol.

Meanwhile someone else began shopping at Albertson’s. Again, what happened to Wednesday? This is when I kept getting notifications that various items were not there and the shopper was either substituting something else or refunding my  money on those items without a suitable sub. It seemed like a big hassle and I felt bad for my “shoppers.” I told Rich this is another example of income inequality when we can sit at home and pay for someone to expose themselves and do our shopping for us.

Somewhere during this escapade my back suddenly began hurting really badly but I went ahead and vacuumed, though I probably shouldn’t have. After that, I had to lie down on the couch. Of course my mind went a little crazy remembering that “severe backache” has been an early sign of the coronavirus for some people. The Instacart worker left our Tylenol on the front porch and rang the bell; later someone else left all of our other bags RIGHT against the front door where we could hardly get it open. LOL Rich sprayed everything down and brought the food and supplies in. After awhile he brought me a Tylenol and after another little while we also had a margarita. Usually I am super careful with meds and don’t even like to take anything, much less mix it with alcohol! What was I thinking? We ate dinner and then I was suddenly super drowsy so I dozed off and on on the couch. I really just thought I was tired from not sleeping much lately and also from the margarita because I am a lightweight and don’t drink much. 🙂

Eventually I woke up enough for us to watch a movie “Just Mercy,” which I highly recommend if you have not seen it. It’s about Bryan Stevenson, the attorney who has worked on death row cases for 30 years, and one of his first cases. He is also the guy who founded the lynching museum we visited last year. Very inspiring and also infuriating when the system is exposed for what it is.

After brushing my teeth, I reached for the Tylenol bottle to take another one before bed. Much to my surprise, we are actually the owners of a  huge bottle of Tylenol PM! No wonder I was so drowsy earlier. I can’t believe I ordered that by accident and it will take us forever to use up that big ass bottle.  🙂  At that point, I decided I probably didn’t need another one so I went on to bed and actually slept really well till 7 AM for a change. I woke up this morning, rolled over and went back to sleep till 9. It felt really good to get enough rest, thank you Tylenol PM.

I was hoping my backache would be gone this morning but it has persisted all day. I have halfway thought maybe I have another kidney stone but it doesn’t feel  exactly the same as my previous two. But who knows! I haven’t done much today but laid around, did a few little chores and corresponded with a few people. I am really hopeful it will be gone tomorrow!

I’ve been trying to take a few photos of our day but there wasn’t much going this Sunday. Our flowers are starting to bloom out front, and we had some chocolate croissants for a treat tonight. That made things a little better after hearing that Dallas Co continues to have an increasing number of coronavirus cases and we’re putting in a makeshift hospital next. That in itself is enough to give me anxiety, especially because our County Judge noted that we do not have enough doctors to staff the extra hospital.

Stay healthy, y’all.

Homemade Comfort Food

Getting Through It

Tried to fill up my day today. Did an online yoga class with Silver Sneakers, worked on two of my Great Courses classes: Visual Literacy and How to Play Chess. 😊 Talked with two of the girls and four of the grandkids. Did the usual chores. Emailed/texted a few people. Rich made dinner and Ajax did his funny thing of putting his paws on Rich’s knee to beg for people food. 🤣 I read two of Jack’s favorite books on video and sent them to him. Rich mowed the lawn and I went for a little neighborhood walk.

Sarah sent me back the sweetest video from Jack, thanking me for reading his books to him, saying he loves and misses us. Then he went on to say he wanted to have a sleepover at our house tomorrow so we “could have some fun together.”  I admit it made me cry. Sure do love that kid and miss having him here with us. I hope we can have a sleepover soon but I know it’s probably unlikely.

My friend Tammy called tonight and we caught up on news. She is in OR taking care of her elderly stepfather, away from her grown kids in Seattle and her husband in Alaska. I know it is tough on her. She’s funny, though, and we had some laughs despite all.

Connections, laughter, and keeping my brain occupied are what’s helping me through. How about you?

Sleeping In

I was awake half the night, got up around 8 AM and put out some cards for the mailman, went back to bed, slept till 1 PM! I can’t believe I slept so late but maybe I needed a big, long respite from everything in my brain. Did not accomplish much today. and felt pretty blah.  But Rich made a nice dinner of “deconstructed” moussaka and we went for a walk afterwards. The grandkids’ favorite nearby park is closed so people won’t congregate. Kinda sad to see that sign, thinking about all of the fun we’ve had at our small neighborhood playground. But I was glad to get out and breathe in the fresh air. I think my lungs needed it.

Coronovirus Diaries: Day Something or Other

Had oatmeal and berries with some lovely Oolong tea and attended an online exercise class this morning. Had ice cream and homemade donut holes tonight. That’s how we roll in the middle of a quarantine when we don’t even know what day it is.

Senior Citizens’ Shopping Hour

Rich got up at 6:30 AM to be at the store at 7 for the special senior shopping time. I was still tired and eventually got back to sleep, waking up again at 8:16 with a start. I was a little concerned that he was not home yet, but right then I heard the car door slam so I think I must have heard the sound of the car approaching and that’s what woke me up. I’d been having a weird dream that Rich and I were walking around downtown somewhere (didn’t seem like Dallas) and decided to go into a bar for a drink. Of course everything is shut down right now but that didn’t matter in my dream. It was crowded and we had a hard time finding a place to sit. As soon as we sat down, more people joined our table and I told them we couldn’t be so close together. They didn’t care and said it was no big deal so we got up to move. This scene repeated itself several times and eventually we left without a drink.

I met Rich on the porch and we sprayed down all of the boxed and packaged food and put them in clean bags from the house. Yes, we are a little paranoid. We put all of the produce in a clean bag and I threw the grocery bags into the dumpster. I filled the kitchen sink with soapy water (did you know that soap kills the virus much more efficiently than sanitizer?) and put the fruits and vegetables in to soak while Rich put his clothes in the washer and got into the shower. By the time he finished showering, I had washed all the produce and put all of the food away, then threw my clothes in the washer too and took my shower. I swear, if we get this danged virus, I am gonna be really upset!

Rich said he was not going back for the senior shopping hour again. The store was packed with lots of “old people” who were super slow and blocking the aisles. 🙂  Of course,  we are “old people” ourselves. 🙂  He said he would rather take his chances at any given time of day instead.  There is still no toilet paper, nor bleach and cleaning supplies, and he couldn’t get everything on our list but he came home with all the bread-like products, fruits and veg, some meats, snacks and ice cream. 🙂  SO we will be fine and will try to stay home for the next two weeks when things are only supposed to get worse in Dallas. I’m not happy that we are in the Texas hot spot with the most cases in the state. It’s not a crisis yet but if it follows the trajectory of most locations with the virus, it could get terrible soon.  Meanwhile Trump wants to get rid of precautions by Easter and TX Lt. Gov Patrick suggested that we older people might just want to sacrifice ourselves on the altar of the economy to get things moving again. (I thought the Republicans were the ones who used to worry about “death panels”).

It was kind of a blah day; I read a little, watched some news, messaged some family and friends, my mom called, Rich made us margaritas and then later a nice grain and veggie bowl for dinner.  We always watch Jeopardy after the national evening news and I enjoy it when I know an answer the contestants don’t. 🙂 We watched “The Green Book,” which we had not seen before.  Sarah posted a cute pic of herself and Miles playing tennis with the caption “recess for the teachers,” and Bonnie posted a video of herself and her sister in law changing a tire on the road to Amarillo. She said four truckers passed them by but “we don’t need no stinkin’ men!” I said “you go, girls!”  Susan texted to ask if we are locked down and said their corporate office was issuing them letters stating that they were essential workers and had to go to their job.

Stay safe out there.

 

 

A Good Night’s Sleep Makes all the Diff

I got up today feeling much better and not so anxious. Maybe yesterday I was just exhausted.  How’s everyone doing out there?

Did another Silver Sneakers workout on Facebook Live. Had some of the tea from my friend Susan. Did laundry. Swept up all the cat hair.  Loaded the dishwasher. Listened to music. Read a book. Did not do any of my classes, oops. But I did do a little knitting tonight. Emailed/texted/Messenger-ed a few friends. My sister called.

Sarah’s family FaceTimed us. It was so good to see all five of their faces and to hear about home/online school and catch up on news. They are staying home other than Sarah going to the grocery store so I am thankful about that.

Rich and I made a grocery list for tomorrow. He is going to shop during “Senior Citizen Hours” first thing in the AM. We are going to try to hunker down for a couple of weeks once we are stocked.

Sending peace, love, health and hope…pass it on.

 

 

 

Shelter in Place

Dallas County has essentially locked down as of tonight. No leaving the house except for essential activities. For us retirees, that includes medical needs, groceries, or taking a walk outside as long as we don’t congregate.  I think it’s about to be a shitstorm here.

I didn’t sleep well again last night. Rich got up early to watch the Sunday news shows and I was going to try to get some more rest but I ended up watching TV too and never went back to bed. He then made us a nice breakfast, or really brunch by then (see previous post), and after awhile we drove to the Uptown area and walked around for about an hour. There weren’t many people out so it was a good decision. The air seemed fresh in my lungs. I feel such a sense of dread just thinking about this virus. I can picture it bouncing around, bumping up against my cells, dividing and spreading. I don’t think I have it but I can feel it anyway. I feel like it wants to be in my lungs and would do anything to get there. I don’t want to think like this.

Bonnie called to check in and they are still at David’s family cabin in Angel Fire, staying mostly in the cabin but playing in the snow and sledding with the kids. She said they’re a bit stir crazy. They’ll go home on Wednesday and then get set up for home school for their students and their own kids. Susan checked in and said work was going okay and no one is ill, thankfully. Aidan is still working…I guess the McDonald’s in Clyde, TX hasn’t decided on take-out-only yet. I told her to tell him to be careful!! Texted with Sarah later and we were going to try to Face Time with the kids but she said they’d had a rough night and we’d try again tomorrow. Had my usual Sunday conversation with my mom and she’s okay in NJ.  All of these calls and discussions are typical and normal and yet not.

I’ve had a weird sense of impending doom all day and both of my arms hurt from my armpits all the way down. They feel odd and heavy but I am not out of breath or feverish so who knows what is causing this. I googled it and it could be any number of things or nothing so I guess I will ride it out unless it gets worse. Rich suggested maybe I swung my arms too much while walking at the lake yesterday. LOL Somehow I don’t think that’s it. Maybe I am just tired since I didn’t get a lot of sleep.  I tell myself it is anxiety and not real. I have never been a super anxious person, although I have previously registered myself as “a worrier” especially when it comes to loved ones. I know we have some control over our personal situations right now and I am working on using as much of that control as I can. At the same time, I feel like everything is way out of control.

On that uplifting note, I think I will try to go to bed.  Here are some pix from our walk today.  Sending peace, love, health and hope–pass it on. My friend Susan added “hope” and it feels right.