ATTEMPTED BREAK-IN

Last night after I posted my blog post there was some excitement!  At about 12:15 am, my doorbell rang. The dogs went crazy, I jumped up from sleep disoriented.  I grabbed my cellphone and went upstairs.  Once I got upstairs I remembered that I have a security camera outside at my front door.  I turned the camera app on and looked at who was at the door.  I pressed the microphone and said to the person "what do you want?"  The person didn't answer.  I saw them walk away. Then I noticed the security light on the side entrance of my house when on.  The guy was at the door trying to get in.  I grabbed my landline and dialed 911.  The dispatcher took my information and told me to go into a room and lock the door.  He asked if my dogs would attack. I said one was in a cage but the other might.  The dogs were making a racket. 

The dispatcher stayed on the phone until the police arrived.  It felt like forever but it was probably a few minutes.  There were 4 police cars.  The guy had disappeared.  (I found out later the dogs scared him off.  Extra treats tomorrow!)  The police took my report (while I was in my pajamas) and then went off to find the guy. 

The guy is the same guy who has been terrorizing my neighborhood.  He was a squatter in the house under construction across the street.  I called the police on him a few times for that.  He tried to get into my neighbors house about two months ago.  He also tried my door then.  He is a meth user and supposedly violent.  He has serious mental health issues.

I went back to bed but could not fall asleep.  The police called me later to tell me that they found him and told him to stay away.  I know what you are thinking: why wasn't he arrested?  There was no damage to my door, I didn't actually see him doing anything, and he disappeared before the police arrived.  So there was no felony activity. 

It took me many hours to fall back to sleep,

Until tomorrow...

SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING

I have been waiting for people to return phone calls and emails for a few days so I decided that watched phones and emails don't happen.  So I went to the movies.  I went to see Spider-man: Homecoming! 

It was a good and funny movie.  It was better than I expected since I read a review that said it wasn't very good.  I was entertained for 2 hours.

Of course during the movie the emails and phone call that I was waiting for arrived.  I guess it is true what they say: watched water never boils!

Until tomorrow...

PAID FAMILY LEAVE

While I was home with my foster child I took Paid Family Leave (PFL).  It is a benefit that you can get that pays you to stay home with your new child.  I started the benefit and then when my foster placement stopped, I stopped the PFL.  I called the state and had them stop it before I went on vacation.  I thought all was well but alas, no.  I came back from vacation and there was a debit card with way too much money on it.  I called the state (always a long phone call where I sit on hold for 30 minutes) and found out the lady did not stop my PFL benefits and the state paid me for the whole 6 weeks not the 3 weeks that I was supposed to get paid.

Now I had to unravel that mess.  I now have a bunch of paperwork and have to write a letter stating it was not intentional fraud.  I have to hold onto the money so I can pay it back when the state gets around to sending me a bill.  At which time I have to go get a bank check to return the money.  This is so funny since it is a debit card.  Why not just take the money back???  Isn't that the point of a debit card?

That is what I have been working on since I got back from vacation.

Until tomorrow...

TACO NIGHT

Tonight I made tacos.  I had bought the taco shells to eat with someone else.  Since that person is no longer around, I had a hard time making the tacos.  It made me sad remembering the great dinner we were going to have making tacos.

Tonight I finally decided to move on.  I cooked the taco shells and made the tacos.  They were good.  I forgot how much I enjoy tacos.  I used a new product Daiya cheese slices.  I have always used the Daiya shredded cheese.  This week I bought the cheese slices and I am so happy.  I used them on sandwiches and now on refried beans.  (Daiya is a plant-based cheese alternative that is dairy free)

I am delightfully full.

Until tomorrow...

GAME OF THRONES FINALE WITH FRIENDS

It was a lovely day and I spent most of it in the backyard reading, having lunch and playing with the dogs.  Until I decided to download a new book.  I could not find my wifi.  What??  No wifi.  What has this world come to?

It turns out that thousands of homes were without electricity for hours.  I was one of them.  That means: no wifi, no TV, no fan (it was about 85 degrees outside and hot inside), no computer (the battery died), no iPad (the battery died), no kindle (I could not download the book), no hot water to take a shower since I have an on demand water heater and I could not get my car out of the garage.  What does one do?  I took a nap.

The electricity came on 1/2 hour before I had to leave to go to H's house for the finale of Game of Thrones.  So no shower.  Just enough time to feed and walk the dogs and throw myself together.

It was nice of H to include me in the GOT finale dinner and viewing.

Until tomorrow...

80/40

I went out in the sun to a rally today.  I put on sunscreen, wore a hat and brought water.  It was super hot outside.  I wore long pants and a short sleeved shirt.  It was really crowed and hot at the rally.  I was there for about 1.5 hours when I started feeling weird.  My head started feeling light.  I felt like I could not stand up anymore.  I went to find shade but I think I was too late.

Even in the shade I could barely stand up.  I squatted down and drank a bunch of water.  I felt better.  Then I stood up and I felt woozy.  I decided I better go home.  I walked a few steps and was a bit unsure I would not faint.  But I kept walking and I started to feel better with a bit of a breeze.

I got on the bus and came home.  I felt much better once I got home.  Once I cooled down I took my blood pressure and it was 80/40.  I read that is really low.  I can't imagine what it was at the rally.  I am glad I came home and cooled off.  I felt better after a bit and after I ate. 

Until tomorrow...

ULTRASOUND

Today was the day I got my ultrasound of my heart.  It was super interesting.  I had him make it so I could watch.  You know I love a medical procedure.

He showed me the 4 chambers of the heart and the ventricals.  I saw and heard my heart beat.  I saw it beating in all the chambers.  It was cool.  I saw my EKG.

He said it all looked normal.  That was good.  I am supposed to get the official report next week.

Until tomorrow...

NEW RA DOC

I went to see my new RA doc today.  See this 😁  That means I am happy.

First he spent almost an hour with me.  He listened.  He asked questions.  He didn't just take what the previous doctor's said and believe it.  He sent me for tests.  He asked me about having Methotrexate lung.  He asked me if I have ever seen a pulmonologist to get it checked out.  He said that even if I could breath fine after I went off the methotrexate the drug can leave lasting results years later.  He wants to check it out.

He wants me to cut back on the prednisone and see how I do.  I said I would try it.  I am not thrilled but I will try it.  I am increasing Plaquenil to see if they even out.

I am pleased with my new doctor.

Until tomorrow...

GIVING LUCKY MEDICINE

Every time Lucky gets sick or has some thing medically happen, I have to give Lucky medicine.  It is such a trauma for me.  It is hard for her but a trauma for me.

Lucky hates taking medicine.  She stands in the corner and gets up on all fours and bares her teeth with a growl.  It would scare most people.  She would probably bite you if you came close to her.  She is scared and sick, this is not a good combination.  In fact last time she had her teeth removed they sent her home with a bandage and it took me and my brave neighbor to get it off of her.  I had to hold her head while she was growling under my arm with her scratching me while he cut the bandage off her other arm.  My neighbor was so brave.

This time I made them take the bandage off and keep her an extra hour.  That way I didn't have to do it.  I just had to give her the medicine which is traumatic enough.  I had two liquid medicines that needed to be squirted into her mouth.  Her growling, teeth-barring mouth.  Fun.  She was as good as she can be about it for about 3-4 days.  Then it got hard.  I tried to put it on different things and give it to her.  Listen with Lucky you do what you can and wish for the best when it comes to medicines.

It was funny when the tech gave me the medicines.  He told me no dog turns down the medicine because it tastes like honey.  Ha.  Meet Lucky.  The other medicine tastes like some type of meat.  Yeah.  No.  He hasn't met Lucky.  It doesn't matter to her.  She can sniff out medicine anywhere.  She is a little devil.

Until tomorrow...

LUCKY GETS DENTAL WORK

Poor little Lucky had to go to the dentist today.  She had a level 2 dental appointment.  Level 1 is the lowest and Level 3 is the highest.  Lucky has had a Level 3 before.  Today we were not expecting her dental work to be too bad.

I dropped her off at 7 am after skipping her breakfast.  The dentist called me about 4.5 hours later and said they were done.  Lucky did really good.  They had to remove 6 teeth.  They were all small teeth except one molar.  Yes, I hear you say, 6 teeth.  She already had 12 teeth removed over the years so this was not too bad.  At least these were little teeth.  While she was under the anesthesia they also cut her nails.

They kept her in recovery until 5pm.  I asked that they take off her bandage.  Last time I had to take off her bandage, she had a meltdown and I had to get a neighbor to assist me.  She was so scared.

She was groggy on her way home.

She went right to sleep when she got home.  At 8 pm I made my baby some rice and chicken and she ate it up. I then had to give her the medication.  It is never easy with Lucky.  Even with chicken flavored medicine, she still would not let me squirt it in her mouth.

She is sound asleep until the morning.

Until tomorrow...

CHANGES

A day of mail, laundry, cleaning up.

I had a lot of time to think about changes in my life during my time away.  About whether I want to continue being a foster mom at this time.  I am going to stop being a foster mom for a while.  It was a decision I didn't take lightly.  Sometimes you have to do what is right for all parties involved.

We will see what the future holds.

Until tomorrow...

 

FLYING HOME

I got up at 3:45 am to get to the airport for my flight at 6:45 am.  The flight was a bit late but I had a movie to watch, plus I fell asleep.

I had a short flight on a 20 person flight to Philadelphia, then a 3 hour layover to the West Coast.  I tried to sleep on both flights.

I was so happy to get home after all those hours flying. The dogs are beyond happy.

Until tomorrow...

I WENT IN THE POOL

I got up early and went to see Rehoboth Beach today.  I wanted to walk around and get a T-shirt before I went home.  So many of my T-shirts are so big on me now I can't wear them.

It was so sunny I decided to visit the pool when I got back.  It was so hot, I actually got in the pool.  It was easy up to my knees.  Then it got hard.  I had to really work on getting in the water past my knees.  I really do not like getting in a pool when the water is cold.  By cold I mean any water colder than 89 degrees.  I like close to bath water.  I ended up sitting in a shallow part talking to a resident of the complex.

Until tomorrow...

GRANDPA MAC

Today was the day!  The day we went to Gramdpa Mac.  I have been waiting for this all week.  Grandpa Mac is a macaroni and cheese place that makes macaroni and cheese regular, gluten free and vegan.  I was so excited to get real vegan food this week.  The mac and cheese was awesome and we all had something to eat!

After dinner we went out on the boat.  We just got out on the bay when lightening struck.  We turned around and hightailed it back to the dock.  It was a wonderful thunder and lightening storm.  We don't  get them like this out West.

Until tomorrow...

FINALLY A SUNNY DAY

I spent most of the day at the pool today.  It was humid and sunny.  I didn't go IN the pool.  The water was too cold for me but I sat and read my book and ate lunch.

I also went around the complex and took photos of the wacky lawn art in the complex.  Frogs, birds, dogs and cats with golf clubs and hats.  Funny.

Until tomorrow...

THE LITTLE MERMAID

It is a horribly cloudy and rainy day today.  I finally got to the pool late in the afternoon for just a little bit before I had to get ready for dinner.  We went to Rehoboth Beach to a mac and cheese restaurant.  It was so small we could not fit inside to sit.  We had to come up with a Plan B on the fly. We ended up at a tapas place.  The food was good.

We went to a community theatre to see The Little Mermaid.  It was a fun presentation.

Until tomorrow...

ADULT COLORING BOOK

We took a boat ride today.  It was super nice but because the tide comes and goes to fast, we could not stay out too long.  I went home and ate lunch and came back and sat on the beach for a little while.

After I had my fill of the sand and wind, I came back to the pool and hung out around the pool.  Just reading and coloring in my adult coloring book.  I started doing it with the kid.  Now I want to finish some of the designs.

Until tomorrow...

SITTING BY THE POOL

Today is my first full day at the beach.  It is overcast and not so nice.  In the afternoon it got nicer and I went to the pool and sat and read.

I had to drive through the complex and got a bit lost but I found my way eventually.  I figured out that it all goes in a big circle eventually.

Until tomorrow...

FLYING TO THE EAST COAST

I got on a plane at the crack of dawn today.  Thanks to my friend H, I got a nice ride to the airport. I had to get up at 3am and the dogs were not happy.  I was out the door a few minutes late but I was at the airport in plenty of time.

I got to use my TSA pre for the first time and I was surprised how long the line was.  There was some hold up and the line was long and slow.  I was happy I didn't have to unpack my laptop and stuff so that moved things along.  I also got to keep my shoes on.

I got a nice surprise at the gate.  A customer service person called my name and asked me if I would mind swapping my middle seat for a window seat.  Well, uh, YES!   I was so happy.

I had two non-exciting flights.  What more can you ask for??

Until tomorrow...

PACKING

The whole day I am getting ready for my impending vacation.  Cleaning, packing, and organizing for the next week.  I had to get the house ready for the dog sitter staying at the house and get ready for me going on this trip.

Until tomorrow...

THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN MY 27TH ANNIVERSARY

I think this would have been my 27th wedding anniversary.  Seems weird to think I would have been married 27 years.

I am just getting ready for my impending trip by paying bills, going to the post office, the bank.

I have one more day and then I get on a plane.

Until tomorrow...

BRIGSBY BEAR

Today I went with some friends to see the movie Brigsby Bear.  I knew nothing about it when I went.  It was a quirky and interesting movie.  Okay, I will admit I dozed off a few times.  I have not been sleeping well lately and those recliner seats are SO comfortable.

The movie is about a boy who spends his time watching a show called Brigsby Bear.  He is obsessed with the show.  Some things happen and he decides to make a movie about the show.  I don't want to give away any details.  It is odd and funny and touching.

It was good to hang out with friends in the afternoon.

Until tomorrow...

FINALLY INVOICED

I finally got around to invoicing my clients for the last three months.  I really have to figure out the block for why I hate invoicing so much.  Once I got it finished I was so happy.  I actually took a nap.

Until tomorrow...

GETTING READY FOR TRIP

I am getting ready to go on my trip.  I had to clean the house because the dog sitter is staying here.  I had to get my work done.  Of course there is laundry so I can pack.

I also had to get the guest room put back as a guest room.  I moved the TV and cable back in the room.  I moved my foster child's belongings into the garage.

Until tomorrow...

A TRIP TO THE EAST COAST?

I am planning a trip to go see my parents in Delaware.  I have this urge to get out of town and go visit someone familiar.  Unfortunately my friend S is traveling in the Northeast or I would go to Florida and see her.  I decided to see my mom because she will not talk about any topics I don't want to talk about.

A lot has changed over the last week and I need to spend some time contemplating what to do.  Going to a place where no one will bring up any topics I don't want to talk about is good. Sometimes I need a place to think.  Go to a beach and read a book.  Sit by a pool and think.

Until tomorrow...

FRIENDS AND GAME OF THRONES

My friends M and H invited me over to watch Game of Thrones.  It was fun to watch GOT with some other people.  This is season 6 and I have never watched GOT with another person in six seasons.  We got pizza and watched the show.

I find it interesting watching the show with folks who know so much about it.  They remember so many facts about the past episodes.  I would so lose a trivia game!

Until tomorrow...

LUNCH IN THE BACKYARD AND GREEN DAY

Today my friends G and J came over to spend time with me and have lunch.  We decided to spend the day in the backyard since it was very nice.  We walked down and got sandwiches and chips and drank some lemonade that I made.  It was a pleasant day.

Then in the evening I went to see Green Day.  I bought these tickets months ago.  I was so excited to go to this concert when I bought these tickets.  I love Green Day and I never saw them in concert.  Okay, I saw them more than 20 years ago when they played in the Gay Pride parade in San Francisco.  I loved them then and that is when I got hooked. The concert was great.  I was just not in the mood to be at a concert.  I was alone (which I have gone to concerts alone before and I don't mind it) but today it was depressing.  It has been a hard week. 

Until tomorrow...

LUNCH WITH FRIENDS

I had lunch with my friends M and H.  We went down the street to a local place.  I wasn't very hungry but I wanted the company so I happily went.  It was good to catch up with them.

Until tomorrow...

GRIEF

There are a lot of reasons that we grieve.  When someone passes on, we grieve.  When someone leaves our life through a divorce or break up, we grieve.  When someone stops being our friend, we grieve.  When someone is removed from our lives, we grieve.

Grief is individual.  Some people take a short time to grieve.  Some people cry. Some people get angry.  Some folks take a long time to grieve.  There is no right or wrong way to grieve.

It is not up to anyone to tell another person how or how long to grieve.  When a heart breaks, it breaks.

My heart is broken.

Until tomorrow...

SAD DAY

Sometimes life throws you a tough situation.  Things don't go as planned.  You get disappointed because people don't act the way you expect them to act or want them to act.

You have to make decisions you never thought you would have to make that will change your life forever.  It ends up being a sad day.

Until tomorrow...

MELISSA ETHERIDGE MISSED

I was supposed to go to see Melissa Etheridge tonight but I needed to stay home.  The life of a foster mom.  I was going to go with my friend S.  I gave her my ticket and she gave it to her new girlfriend. They had a nice time at the concert.  Don't fret for me.  I have seen Melissa Etheridge in concert a few times and once even met her backstage.  I will be fine.

Until tomorrow...