July 13, 2020

Here are a few of the things we have done since July 4.

• The cover for our clothing in the closet project is finished.
• That includes getting everything put in a proper place
• Items we chose to part with have been delivered to Goodwill
• Time spent reading.
• Time spent mending and altering a couple of grandsons' shirts.
• Time spent on Marco Polo.
• Talking to my 3 sisters.
• Talking to my cousin who has joined in with us 4 sisters.  We long ago adopted this guy as our brother.  He is our aunt's oldest son.
• Rescuing Robbie the Robot Vacuum from various places.
• They go under the sofa without the skirt being raised but are afraid to come out with the skirt down.  Silly them
• Grabbed by the throw rug and Robbie retaliates by chewing on the rug.
• Caught in places too narrow or low for them.
• Between the wheels of the vintage record player stand.
• Between the legs of the metal stool.
• Between the legs of the hutch.
• Beneath the wooden skirt of the hutch.
• Between the footstool and leg of my chair.
• Sitting on the patio.
• Watching the chrysalis for a butterfly to emerge
• Discovering we miss the butterfly emerging.
• Watching the second caterpillar grow.
• "Lost" it.
• Found it. 
• Took photos of it.
• Lost again.
• Found it turned into a chrysalis hanging on the "rock collection" table.
• Moved table to inside apartment so we do not miss the emergence, we hope.
• Watching the volunteer plant/vine grow.
• Repeatedly examining the blossoms to determine what it is.
• Determined it is either cantaloupe, watermelon, cucumber or zucchini.
• May never know as bugs are attacking the vine.
• Taking pictures of the vine and its flowers.
• Feeding the birds.
• Sure there is food in the summer but we enjoy the visitors.
• Taking more pictures of birds.
• Playing with Hubby's weather station he was given on Father's Day.
• More like adjusting the location of the bamboo pole to which it is attached.
• Watching the wind turbine turn.
• Taking photos and making short movies.
• Noting the weather is too d@$n hot.
• 101.4 F, 38.5 C in the shade on our patio.
• Downtown airport recorded 108 F, 42.2 C.
• Cooking again without getting short of breath!
• Eating regular meals instead of full liquid diet.
• Still adjusting to bite size and lots and lots of chewing.
• Health care visits.
• Hubby going to rehab for the torn rotator cuff.
• Mammogram for me.
• Gastro and eye doctor visits for me this week
• Watching movies using the HBO Max streaming feature included with the upgraded internet.
• Spent about 15 hours on and off trying to connect the service to our Smart TV.
• Determined that TV needed to be a bit smarter.
• Or maybe the operators need to be a bit smarter.
• Stopped trying to connect TV and stress level went down 100 points.
• Use HDMI connection to my computer.
• Worked without a hitch.
• Could not shop while connected.
• Oh, and have we done some online shopping.
• New wire cutters for Hubby.
• Callus removal tool so I do not have to go to podiatrist to have them removed.
• New worm farm setup.
• Picture frame picture holder thingies.  
• Nose cushions for eyeglasses.
• Buttons for grandson's shirt.
• Groceries.  Cause I can eat real food now.
• Pizza and Cheese filled bread.  Real food eaten with small bites and slowly.
• New hand towels to replace the ones bought in 1984.  Really.
• Bath and Body Works 
• Shower Gel
• Body Cream
• Home fragrance Wallflower refills
• Bed, Bath and Beyond.
• Bed risers to raise the head of the bed.
• New drinking glasses cause ours are cracked.
• Replacement bottle brush cause ours is from when our 47 year old son was a baby.
• Replacement sink caddy cause ours keeps falling off, so irritating.
• Still shopping for love seat recliners.
• Several important gadgets for Hubby's radio hobby. 

As I look at the online shopping I figure part of the purchases are attempts to remove some irritations in our lives.  Eyeglasses digging into the side on my nose.  Hand towels that have had the edges resewn multiple times.  Those little projects that need just one thing to finish.  You see, one other thing happened since July 4.  Our son's family visited a close friend that withing days tested positive for Covid-19.  Now most of Son's family have been tested and are all negative.  Also, the friend's family members have tested negative.  I cannot eliminate the virus but I can finish framing that picture the lady gave us in 2008.  Yes, do what I can and let the rest take care of itself.  

Here are a few of the photos I made of things on the patio.  Enjoy and do stay safe and healthy.  Janice

Shappy 100 Pieces Frame Picture Turn Button and 100 Pieces Screws for Hanging Pictures, Black

July 4, 2020

Today is a pretty big day for the USA.  Folks will congregate to celebrate the day the founding fathers declared independence.  We will not be getting out among the folks.  Here are a few photos from a few years ago.  Everyone stay safe and healthy.  We are surely trying to do that as the numbers continue to rise here in Texas.  Now that the cows are out, so to speak, the governor has made it mandatory with a penality of fines to wear a mask in public.

We had curbside pickup for some articles for the closet project.  That worked smooth as could be.  Had curbside pickup for an order of groceries.  The grocery pickup was easy, too.  Have some barbecue brisket for our dinner and watermelon.  And that is how we are celebrating Independence Day.

Stay safe, stay healthy and be happy!

Janice

July 1, 2020

Been a bit busy over the last few days.  Where do I start or maybe pick back up on my not so exciting life.  Lucy was great company.  She even helped me check up on the chrysalis and caterpillar.  

We had chosen to upgrade our internet to fiber network since the apartment with AT&T had upgraded a couple of years ago.  What was supposed to be just a two hour install turned into a 6 day endurance test for three different techs.  The access point is in our closet.  That meant we had everything off of one shelf piled in our bedroom on a cart for the entire 6 days.

The final install was on Saturday.  Lucy was not happy with the unknown person being in our apartment. She actually growled and barked.  The tech was there more than three hours.  As the tech said, "I've never seen this type of problem before."  Of course not, you are in the Adcock Zone.  We get rain on our vacations and weird things happen.  Anyway Tech was there long enough to make friends with Lucy.  He, also, wanted to see the caterpillar and chrysalis. 

At some point Hubby and I managed to get the cart unloaded onto the shelves, again.  Moved a few items to different locations and all was back in order.  

Seems events, order of events and exactly when something happened is getting fuzzy.  Is it each day being so much like the last?  Or maybe it is events sort of piling up on top of each other.  When ever it was all the boxes, suitcases, tubs of clothing were back on the shelves.  Project complete.

Lucy's dad was to pick her up on Sunday.  His car would not start so we took Lucy home.  

On Monday I had a followup appointment with the ENT.  I arrived and I was a day early.  Seems I had mistaken my husband's PT appointment for mine.  I called Hubby on the way home to ask if his appointment could be the 10 AM appointment.  No, not till one was the answer but he called to make sure.  The appointment was at 10 AM.  

I returned home, and changed into a more comfortable outfit for the day.  Hubby was still at his appointment and running a couple of errands.  We were not due to go to Son's house for pet care till evening.  I had just settled in with my computer when I heard a noise.  Something had fallen.  I checked the utility room.  All good.  Then I went to the closet.  I could hardly get the door open  The rearrangement had caused an entire shelf to pull out of the wall.  90 % of our clothing, tubs of pictures and clothing, extra bedding were all in a heap on the floor. No helpful cart as Hubby had it with him on his errands.   I spent the next hour moving the all the stuff off the floor and out of the closet.  Most of the stuff is piled about 3 feet deep in an area behind my chair in the living area.  Maintenance request was sent to the office.  I sat down again. 

Monday night we brought DJ to our apartment to spend the night.  I had an appointment with the ENT doctor on Tuesday, really I did.  Of course my calendar said 11:15.  The reminder text had 10:15 so would need to call to confirm the time.  Hubby, DJ and I settled into our bed for the night.  DJ seemed a bit anxious about something.  She roamed for a few minutes then came to bed and really settled in for the night.  

As per usual at 6 AM Robbie announced their intent to "start smart vacuuming".  DJ promptly awoke and began growling and barking.  She finally calmed down and we both just laid in bed while Robbie cleaned the bedroom and bathroom floors.  Back to the the living area to do the that area.  Before long I thought I smelled my bad breath.  Or maybe DJ had passed gas.  Oh, no.  I smelled dog poop.  Yes, DJ had tried to tell me earlier that she needed to go out.  Now Robbie had found how she took care of the problem.  

I stopped Robbie in his tracks before the cream colored carpet in the bedroom became a poopy mess.  Only a small area had poo.  The living area was a bit different.  And poor Robbie was a total disaster.  First I cleaned the concrete floor in the living area.  I managed to not even gag as I cleaned the 2.5 meter smear of poo.  That done I moved to cleaning Robbie.  That took almost 2 hours.  Oh, what a mess.  Just as I finished Robbie and was beginning one more mopping of the living area with a clean mop cover, Hubby awoke.  He offered to mop.  I let him with I worked on the area of carpet where Robbie had wiped their wheels and brushes.

Thank the cleaning industry for Pine-Sol, Oxiclean and Clorox spray.  It took over 2 hours to get everything cleaned but I managed to get it done.  We opened the doors to add additional air movement out of our apartment.   No time to sit down as there was the now confirmed 10:15 AM appointment.  Shower, dress and head out to the doctor leaving Hubby to enjoy the smells of the 'incident' and the cleaning products. 

And by the way I do not recommend a poop morning as a good way to start any day.  Most especially your wedding anniversary.  However, Hubby noted to Son and DIL that we like to have memorable anniversary days.  One year we were in Williamsburg, VA.  On our 40th we visited the hospital where Hubby had been so critically ill.  We went to thank the folks that had worked so hard to save Hubby's life.  2008 we were at the end of our trip into Canada and the US Rockies.  In 2017 we were in France cruising the river ways.  Last year we were in Charleston, South Carolina.  This 53 anniversary will certainly be one for the books even though it was a staycation year. 

As for the shelf that broke loose from the wall, that has been repaired on Monday.  Not a single anchor of the shelf had been in a stud.  Every anchor was just attached to drywall.  No wonder it pulled lose and fell.  The clothing is still in the living room on Wednesday night.  Thankfully none of the poo mess made it to the clothing.  See there are bright spots even in the worst of times.  The clothing may get hung up on Friday cause there is more sheet rock dust to clean off surfaces.  I am only good to get about one thing done each day.   And Thursday will be the last of the DJ, Lyla and Norman care days.  

Oh, yes.  Hubby went to his Wednesday PT appointment at 10 as noted on the calendar.  The appointment was really at 1:00.  Next week has only one medical related appointment.  It is mammogram time.  The following week will be another challenge to keep things straight.  A PT and doctor visits for Hubby.  Two doctor visits for me.  My visits are followup to the surgery and/or visits I postponed until after the surgery recovery was well on its way.  Stay tuned for the next few weeks of the boring life of Jan and Hubby.

Be safe and stay healthy,

Janice