MADE A USABLE SPACE

Normal temperature.

I cleaned out some of my office today.  I decided to put some of my things away since my foster son will not be coming back anytime soon due to Covid-19.  I might as well put things back to the way they were.  That way my office can go back to a usable space and a decluttered space.  It makes me so happy to see it cleared out.  I have a way to go but it is much better.  I also got my work-horse printer working again.

I can now sit here and work and zoom.

Until tomorrow...

TOOK A NAP

My temperature is normal.

I was not feeling that good today so I took it easy today.  I don't think anything is wrong I just think the stress of this week and Lucky being sick has caught up to me.  I took a restful day.

Until tomorrow...

TEMPORARY TOOTH OKAY

I have started taking my temperature twice a day as a precaution since I left the house.  So far it is normal.

My temporary tooth is okay and I am getting used to it.  I ordered Vaseline in case it falls out and I have to put it back in.

I got the delivery of dog food so I can continue to feed Lucky.

Until tomorrow...

DENTAL EMERGENCY

Today I had to leave my house.

I was supposed to have my six month dental check up a few weeks after shelter-in-place.  Obviously that did not happen.  I have been taking very good care of my teeth for four months.

For about two months now my tooth has been feeling funny. Suddenly I could feel where my partial met my tooth.  This is not a good sign.  The bonding is supposed to be seamless.  The partial also had a filling which I think had chipped.  No matter what, I had a rough edge that kept rubbing against my tongue.  It was annoying and you know that anything annoying in your mouth you keep messing with.  I kept rubbing my tongue against the rough bit on my tooth. 

Then I bought a dental kit online to look at it closer.  It did not look good.  There was a black space between the partial and my tooth.  I knew that was not good.  I felt that sooner or later my partial was going to come off or my filling was going to crumble.  It was a waiting game until my tooth fell apart. 

Well, that time came and luckily my dentist made an emergency appointment for me.  She explained all the Covid procedures they had and told me they would make extra precautions for me. 

I didn't sleep at all last night.  I was SO worried about this and Lucky is not doing well.  I was up all night.

This morning I wanted to cancel the appointment but I didn't.  I had to get this done.  My usual way to get teeth fixed is that the tooth falls apart on a holiday weekend or the day before I left on a trip and I had to scramble to get it fixed.  During Covid there is no "scramble to get things fixed". 

I got myself ready to go an hour ahead of time.  I got my Covid bag ready.  Mask, gloves, face shield, door opener, and wipes.  I wore long pants, long sleeve shirt and a jacket.  I got in my car and drove directly there.  I parked in the garage and took the elevator to the lobby.  There some people got in and I got out.  I waited for the next elevator.  The door opener was SO helpful.  I used it to open the doors and push the elevator buttons.  I did not touch anything all the way from the car into the dentist office.

When I arrived there was another person in the lobby so I waited in the hallway for a few minutes until they moved him into a room.  Then they took me right into a room.  I was asked a series of questions most of which were answered with "I haven't been out of the house or near anyone in 136 days."   Then I was asked to take off my gloves and wash my hands and take off my mask and put on their mask.  Then they took an x-ray.  My dentist came in and she barely touched the partial and it popped off. 

There was SO much decay around the partial that I had to make a decision: 1) get a temporary now and get a whole crown in a few weeks or 2) just get the original partial cemented back in and hope it lasts until after Covid.  Since we all don't know how long Covid can go on and how bad it could get in the winter, I opted to get a temporary now and a crown in a few weeks.

My dentist cleaned it out and I have the temporary.  She has agreed in three weeks to put the new crown in and also arranged to have my teeth cleaned on the same visit.  That way I won't have to come back for a long time.  She is so great!  She also heard that I am having trouble finding tofu and she said if she remembers, she will pick up some tofu for me. 

I left their office and did the same thing again with my door opener, not touching anything and drove right home.  When I got home, I stripped and put my clothes in the washer and went right into the shower.  I am going to use my Coral UV machine for the first time to cleanse my keys and phone.  It is amazing.  I put my items in the machine and 10 minutes later they have been zapped and (supposedly) cleaned.  If nothing else, it makes me feel better.  I have to read if it will zap masks. 

I am now cleaned and de-infected (I hope) and have not caught Covid.  It has been suggested that I wait to have a Covid test until after the second appointment which is in three weeks unless I have symptoms. I hear it will take some time to get an appointment for a test anyway. 

What a day! 

Update on Lucky: the vet thinks Lucky may have hurt her leg or hips jumping on something so she is on a no jumping/stairs and bed rest prescription for a few days.   

Until tomorrow...

DAY 136 MY TOOTH IS FALLING APART

Day 136 since I left the house.

Late today I realized that the tooth that I have been babying is falling apart.  I called and my dentist fit me in for an emergency appointment.  On the phone with the receptionist I waffled about going in.  Should I wait until the tooth just falls apart?  What if it makes it another few months?  She made me realize that the situation will only get worse and these things always happen on a weekend or when the dentist is on a vacation week when I would have to wait in pain.  So I agreed that it was best to do it now and get it over with before the entire tooth collapses.  I know I could flick the partial off with my fingernail if I wanted.  That is not a good thing.  I have started chewing on my other side just in case.

Lucky news: She is still taking the bacon medicine.  She is having issues with her back legs.  Tonight she didn't want to go down the stairs.  She is actually letting me carry her down the stairs.  If you know Lucky, you know she does not like to be carried unless she is sick or scared. 

Until tomorrow...

DAY 135 CONNECTED TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY

Day 135 since I left the house.

Today was a day talking to people.  I started the day talking to my foster son for 1.5 hours on zoom and then I met up with my Sunday Funday group and zoomed with them for 1.5 hours.  Then my mother called and we talked for a while.  Then my cousin called and we spoke for 45 mins.  I got off the phone around 3pm and started cooking my food for the week.

I made Green Bean and Potato Curry and Mediterranean Orzo Salad. These are not to be eaten together.  The curry is for dinner and the orzo salad is for lunches.  I am set for the week.

Then after cooking my brother called and we spoke.  It was a day of being connected to friends and family.

Until tomorrow...

DAY 134 PSYCH IS BACK

Day 134 since I left the house.

I participated in a webinar/zoom that spoke about California Edible Plants.  It was so interesting.  I had no idea that there were so many edible plants that you can plant in your backyard.  There are two more webinar/zooms in this series - Butterflies & Pollinators and Shade Gardening.  I am excited to learn more about gardening in my area. 

I watched a movie I have been waiting a long time to view.  I was an avid Psych TV show watcher. I never missed an episode in the eight seasons it was on TV.  In 2017 there was a Psych movie and due to the things going on in my life at the time, I missed viewing the movie.  It was rarely ever shown again and the few times it was shown I always missed it.

The Psych movie was on this week and now I have Hulu and it recorded it.  I was so excited!  This week Peacock TV rolled out the first of the 4 new Psych movies.  I wanted to see the first Psych movie and now I can view the Peacock TV movie Psych 2: Lassie Come Home.  Psych is back!!

Until tomorrow...

DAY 133 WALKED ANOTHER MILE

Day 133 since I left the house.

I walked a mile on the treadmill again.  I spoke to a family member and found out it was okay to plug the treadmill into an extension cord or a power strip. In fact he said it was best to plug into a power strip.  So I moved some things around and plugged it into a power strip and moved it into the place I originally wanted it.  Now I am much happier.  It is not in the walkway anymore and I can put things back the way they were.  I am going to move things around once my foster son's boxes are moved out.  They are taking up a lot of space in my garage.  I have so much stuff to deal with in my garage but until the rodent issue is taken care of and until the foster son's boxes are gone I am having a hard time.

Rodent update: I went down and one of the traps was sprung.  I didn't get close but I saw a tail.  I called the guy and he came over and (without coming close to me) he called me from the garage to tell me that the tail I saw was a nail.  There was no rodent.  The trap just sprung.  He did find another hole though.  Those rodents are relentless.  He filled it and reset the trap.

Lucky update: She is breathing better already. The bacon flavored medicine seems to be working.  She was not to keen on it the first day but she is lapping it up now.  She is barely leaving the silver in the bottom of her bowl.  She is a bacon convert. 

Until tomorrow...

DAY 132 FOOD DELIVERY

Day 132 since I left the house.

Today was a day of food delivery once again. I learned that beating the weekend rush is to my advantage. The times I have had food delivery on the weekend, the orders have a) taken longer, b) been rushed, c) had things missing and d) had things included that I didn't order.

In the middle of the week orders are more accurate and show up on-time. 

I order from two different locations since the main supermarket doesn't carry everything I need.  Lately it has been about 50/50 from each store.  I still can not find tofu or waxed beans or Ruffles potato chips. I have only gotten canned potatoes a few times.  I wish I had gotten more when I got a can.  Not that I love canned potatoes but I learned that in a pinch they do come in handy. 

I got my deliveries and now I am stocked up for a few weeks. 

Until tomorrow...

DAY 131 MAKING UP

Day 131 since I left the house.

Today was a day that was unexpected.  I had a phone call with an person I will call person A and I told them some information they didn't know.  They were completely shocked and immediately apologized.  I didn't expect it to go that way. 

Basically, I was told  person A said some not nice things about me.  I believed person B who told me because person B was a friend and very believable.  Why would they lie?  They were a friend.  Then person B became not a friend.  I realized person B lied to me about person A.  I tried to contact person A to talk to them but I never got a call back.  I thought person A was mad at me.

Months went by and today person A and I spoke. Person A didn't realize I called a few months ago and just missed the voicemail.  Person A was shocked by the lies I was told.  I apologized for my part in the situation.  Person A apologized for their part.  We made up.  We both feel betrayed by person B. 

The moral of the story is that people can betray and manipulate you and that is unfortunately life.  The important part is that you apologize for your part in the situation and move on.

Until tomorrow...

DAY 130 FAST CAR

Day 130 since I left the house.

I was thinking today of an old boyfriend in high school.  Well, not of the boyfriend buy of his very fast car.  It wasn't a pretty car.  In fact it was an ugly color (I bought a car in the same color years later.)  The color today would be called burnt copper or burnt orange or vermillion.  I don't think they had such a fancy name for it back in the 1970s and 1980s.  I would say it is a cross between pumpkin and rust on a color wheel.

His car was a souped up Camaro with a Corvette engine.  He had it tuned so it made that thump, thump, thump noise when it idled.  He would drag race it some times.  It was so loud I could not sneak in when I came home late because my mother could hear the car coming around the corner.  Thump, thump, thump.

The best part was he let me drive it!  He didn't let anyone drive his car but he let me!  I loved that car.  Maybe I liked that car more than I liked him.  I didn't have a car back then so being able to use his car when he was at work for 8 hours was a dream.  I had to be careful because it was so fast.  I never got a ticket in that car!  I got one speeding ticket and one warning in my mother's car.  Those are the only speeding violations I have ever gotten. 

Anyway, I was watching a TV show today and it had all these fast cars on an episode.  It reminded me of that car and how much I loved driving it.

Until tomorrow...

DAY 129 ROCKETBOOK PANDA PLANNER

Day 129 since I left the house.

I have been a huge supporter of Rocketbook Notebooks.  If you don't know what they are, they are great! 

I have hated to always had little pieces of paper laying around.  In my work as a consultant, I am always taking notes for this client and that client.  I have meetings and webinars and to do lists.  I am not that great taking notes on a computer because I like to write things down a lot of time because I get distracted. 

I went looking for a way to write things down with a method that would allow me to have it digitally.  There are a few ways that are SUPER expensive and then I found Rocketbook.  With Rocketbook I write the notes down (with a special pen) in the Rocketbook notebook and then using their app, I take a picture and the .pdf gets saved in the folder I instruct it to.  It is accessible on my phone, computer and anywhere I log in to that platform. 

Once the notes have been saved, I can wet the special cloth and wipe the page clean.  Rocketbooks are made out of a special material that allows them to be wiped clean and reused.  Each page can be used many, many times. 

It took a little while to get used to but I caught on quickly and fell in love.  I use it whenever possible for meeting notes, webinar notes, and things I want to save. 

Today I got the newest Rocketbook addition the Panda Planner.  Now, I know I use an electronic calendar for my day to day planning.  I have been looking for some sort of long term planning.  Some sort of goal planner.  Some sort of planner that does more than mark what I do day to day.  The Panda Planner fit my needs.  I can make a plan and then wipe it clean and make another plan.  I am looking forward to setting some goals and plans.

I spoke to the formulary vet pharmacy today.  I found out they can make Lucky's medicine with flavors!  I was joking when I said to them, "can you make it taste like liver? She hates all medicine."  She said yes.  I asked what other flavors can you do?  She listed off about 10 flavors (chicken, liver, turkey, beef, bacon, vanilla, vanilla something and more).  I chose bacon.  What dog will turn down bacon?  I am not sure Lucky has ever had bacon so she may like it or hate it.  I think she will like it.  Let's hope the bacon flavor helps her take the medicine.  Now that I know her medicine can come in flavors, I am never going to get her medicine without flavors again.  I am a bit upset with myself now that I just got her steroid medicine for the next 3 months.  I would have gotten it in chicken flavor or something. 

Until tomorrow...

DAY 128 COOKING FOR THE WEEK

Day 128 since I left the house.

I spent my morning with my friends on zoom.  It is really nice to spend an hour or hour and one half each Sunday meeting up with friends.  This weekend I spoke with some friends and my cousin.  Good to catch up with folks.

I then cooked for the week.  I made chickpea mash for lunch this week.  Then I made chocolate chip cookies!  Then I made Zucchini and Potato Bake.  It is zucchini and potatoes chopped up and mixed with bread crumbs and spices and baked in the oven.  That will be a side dish for most of the week. 

My garage door alarm showed up today.  I have to install it this week.  Part of my increased security. 

Until tomorrow...

DAY 127 LUCKY TEST RESULTS ARE IN

Day 127 since I left the house.

I got the test results from Lucky's vet appointment.  She has an upper respiratory infection (that we knew) but it is a more serious infection and the antibiotics that she has been taking is not the correct one.  She has to get doxycycline and it only comes in pill form.  I have to get it made into liquid form so I can give it to her.  It will take a few days. Meanwhile I need to continue giving her the other antibiotic.  She is a bit better but the doctor says she will not get much better until she gets the correct antibiotic.  She says it is a common infection and is easily resolved once she is on the correct medicine.  That is a relief.

I watched the movie Gold.  It was good.  I heard such bad reviews about it that I was expecting a horrible movie.  It was pretty good.  I was disturbed by how Matthew McConaughey looked in the movie.  He is normally so handsome but he is so not handsome in this movie.

Until tomorrow...

DAY 126 WALKED ON THE TREADMILL

Day 126 since I left the house.

I walked on the treadmill today.  It works great.  I was worried at first but it was fine and I walked one mile in 30 minutes.  I had my music going and I kept at 3 miles per hour. 

Still no word about Lucky's test results.  I never know if this is a "no news is good news" type of thing.  I will call again tomorrow.

Until tomorrow...

DAY 125 CHROMECAST ARRIVED

Day 125 since I left the house.

Today my Chromecast arrived.  I opened it, tried it and it is really cool.  I am not sure it is worth the $25 I paid for it but it is fun.  I got it so I can watch my free PeacockTV Premium on my TV and not on my phone.  Chromecast broadcasts your phone onto your TV.   I was so excited to be able to see the shows I wanted to see from PeacockTV on an actual TV and not on my phone.  I don't think I would be happy watching a full movie on my phone.

I also got the garage door open notifier.  Basically I install it on my garage door and it notifies me if the garage door does not close or opens again.  I heard about this from a friend a while ago and finally got around to buying it.  Ever since the houses in my neighborhood have been broken into, I have been super security conscious. 

Lucky had a rough night and morning.  I think she had a rough time coming out of the anesthesia.  She finally ate dinner and I could give her some medicine.  I get the final test results tomorrow but she seems okay.  She is still making the breathing noises. 

Until tomorrow...

DAY 124 LUCKY MADE IT THROUGH ANESTHESIA

Day 124 since I left the house.

I sent Lucky to the vet early in the morning with the dog  walker.  I spent the day worrying about her.  I had a number of work things to keep me busy but it was stressful.  I didn't hear about her until 2pm and I was so anxious.  She made it through the anesthesia and all the tests were negative.  They did one more test after she woke up where they tested her breathing.  They checked and there was nothing stuck in her nose or throat.  There were no tumors or lumps.  They sent the x-rays out to pathology and I will hear on Friday.  They think that she has a upper respiratory infection and the antibiotics just didn't get it or the antibiotics were not strong enough.  So they sent her home with stronger antibiotics. I just have to get them down her throat.  She was dopey from the drugs and did not want to eat. I hope she sleeps eventually.

I wanted to walk on the treadmill but I am still sore from putting it together.  Plus I was so busy with back to back zoom calls. 

I signed up for PeacockTV.  Because I have an Android phone I get PeacockTV Premium for free for three months.  I found out that I can get a Chromecast to broadcast it on the TV.  My favorite TV show from a few years ago Psych has a new movie on the new PeacockTV.  They announced there will be at least 3 movies.  I can't wait.

Until tomorrow...

DAY 123 DAY OF DELIVERIES

Day 123 since I left the house.

Today was a day of deliveries.  I got my last delivery of PPE.  It was my face shields.  So far I have masks, gloves, and face shield.  I have my door opener/elevator button pusher. If I have to go out in the future to go to the doctor's office or hospital, I am ready. Then when I get home, I now have a UV machine that I can put my cellphone, keys, and other items to zap them.  It is supposedly the best way to clean them.  I ran it today to get it ready and try it out.

Then my phone arrived.  I haven't opened it yet.  It is sitting in the quarantine zone.  I can open it tomorrow.  I don't think I have any time tomorrow to deal with it so it may wait a day or two. 

Tomorrow is the day Lucky goes to the vet and is being put under anesthesia.  I have my fingers crossed that it will all go according to plan.  She can't have anymore cookies tonight because she is going under early tomorrow.

I was so sore head-to-toe from putting together the treadmill that I could not even think about using it today.  I had a hard time getting up from the bed and couch my muscles ached so much!  I need to give it a couple of days to heal.

Until tomorrow...

DAY 122 MY TREADMILL ARRIVED

Day 122 since I left the house.

My treadmill arrived bright and early this morning.  Fed Ex dropped it on the sidewalk and took off.  No signing or how do you do.  Just plopped it on the sidewalk and left. 

I masked and gloved up and ran downstairs to make sure it was not leaning on the garage and then ran back inside to open the garage door.  I then leaned it on it's side (not to easily since it weighs probably over 200 pounds) and pushed it to my exercise area.  Luckily it is easy to push cardboard on cement.  I did have my hand truck handy but didn't need it. 

Once I got it to the exercise area, I opened the box and pulled out all the packing and such and found the directions such as they were.   The first direction was to lift the treadmill out of  the box with two people.  Well, that was not going to happen.  I had to assemble the treadmill on the box bottom since it was too heavy to lift.

The directions said to have this mysterious "other person" hold the top part of the treadmill up while putting in the bottom screws.  I had to improvise. As you can see I used a heavy box and a storage container with a heavy box inside to hold the top of the treadmill standing in place.

Then the directions were incomplete and did not tell me that certain bolts needed nuts until after I had put on another part.  Parts were put on and taken off.  Parts were tightened, un-tightened, re-tightened.  Parts were moved and adjusted and readjusted.  It reminded me of putting up a Christmas tree by myself.  I can do it but it takes lots of adjusting and re-doing to get it right. 

It took me about an hour but I got it put together. But then I needed to find electricity to plug it in.  I knew there was an outlet in a certain area but I really wanted the treadmill in another area so I looked and looked but I could not find another outlet.  I remember during my construction the contractors telling me there were outlets in new construction every X number of feet.  I have a house from the 1920s so I am lucky to have electrical outlets in a room!  I have one room that has one electrical outlet and it is not a bathroom!  But this part of the house is new construction and I think there is another outlet somewhere, I just have to find it.  Meantime, I have the treadmill in a place I don't really want it to be because it is in a walkway and not quite in my exercise area.  I do have a lot of work to do in the garage to get it cleared out and organized.

Once I found the outlet, I turned it on and it ran!  These days you don't always expect things to work when you buy them, do you?  I am always skeptical when I make purchases.  I hear all about people having things not work or having to return them.  I was so happy when it turned on and it worked.  I just ran it for a second because at this point I had worked up quite a sweat.  It was a workout just getting this thing in the house, putting it together and plugged in.  I was exhausted and sweaty.  I wanted to sit down and drink some water. 

I received some other deliveries today but I will write about them tomorrow.  I am done for today!

Until tomorrow...

DAY 121 MORE STRUCTURE

Day 121 since I left the house.

All sorts of news.  First the treadmill is being delivered early and will arrive tomorrow.  I am so excited!

My phone is arriving tomorrow too!  It will be such a fun day!  I haven't backed up my old phone yet so I won't get to activate my new phone yet.

I got my delivery of snacks.  I ordered more chips.  I have enough chips to last through August!

I was on my weekly friends zoom when my friend S called to say her boyfriend broke up with her.  I was so sad for her.  I quickly got off my call and talked with her for 1.5 hours.  It is so sad to do this during Covid. 

I participated in another author talk today.  It was really interesting.  It was the author of the book Home Baked.  Her mother was the queen of marijuana brownies in San Francisco before marijuana was legal.  She helped so many people with AIDS.  There was another woman on the zoom who's mother was a number's runner in Detroit in the Black community.  It was interesting how their lives were so similar.  I am reading Home Baked and just bought the other book The World According to Fannie Davis. 

Then I started cooking.  I made the pasta in between the morning activities so it would cool.  Then I made a summer pasta with veggies and a vinaigrette with lemon, Dijon mustard, oil, and honey (agave).  Then I made a recipe I made before One-pot Curried Cauliflower with Couscous and Chickpeas.  I have food for the week.

I decided to make my weeks more structured.  I got out the schedules I used with my foster son.  I have a weekly meal plan and monthly fitness plan.  I laid out my meal plan and tried to lay out a fitness plan but I am waiting to see if the treadmill does actually show up and how hard it is to put together.  I think the structure is going to be good.

Until tomorrow...

DAY 120 AUTHORS AND BOOKS

Day 120 since I left the house.

I participated in an author talk about the Native American Indian occupation of Alcatraz in the 1969 - 1971.  It was interesting hearing from adults who were there as children and adults who were there as 20 and 30 year olds.   There were a lot of pictures and stories. 

My new way of listening to these author talks is to do something else while I listen.  I worked on my puzzle while I listened.  I got a section of the top left hand corner finished. 

Lucky did not sleep well last night at all.  She slept in Happi's old bed until 2 am when her "snoring" or not breathing was keeping me awake so I made her get up in bed with me.  I have found that when I wedge something under her head she sleeps better because her breathing is easier.  Think about it this way: when you have a stuffed up nose and you lie down, it is hard to breathe but if you put two pillows under your head you can breathe easier.  That is what I am doing for her.  I am also trying very hard to give her the cough medicine but she hates it. She spits it out and froths at the mouth when I give her even 1 ml of the medicine.  I am supposed to give her 6 ml. 

I enjoyed sitting in the backyard to listen to my audiobook for a little bit of time.  I am enjoying the backyard so much. I am really starting to rethink what I can do to make it better and more enjoyable.

Until tomorrow...

DAY 119 VIEWED MORE THAN 190,000 TIMES!

Day 119 since I left the house.

Yesterday I passed my 190,000 blog view.  I have been waiting for that number to change for a while.  My blog has been viewed more than 190,000 times!  That is incredible.  All since May 8, 2011.  Nine years.  I can't believe it has been that long.  It has become so much a part of my day and week that it would be weird not to do it each day. 

I bought a new phone!!!!  I am so excited and I hope I like my new phone.  I bought it over the phone with a nice guy named Dave.  He helped me choose a phone and buy it.  I think I will like it since it is an upgrade from my current phone.  It has a stylus!  I haven't had a stylus since my Palm Pilot. I loved that Palm.  I find you don't use the stylus as much as you think you will.  Anyway, I bought a Moto G Stylus in Indigo Blue.  I wanted black but they only had blue.  It will have a case on it so I won't have to see it is blue.   I am excited to get it and hope everything goes okay with the transfer remotely.  I have to backup my current phone photos before it arrives.  I backup the photos periodically but have not done it in awhile.  I also need to a make sure everything is backed up on the phone.  I will be happy when I don't have to charge it once a day and can take photos again. It is time.  I have had this phone for a long time and I really wear it out with work. 

I got the first of my Covid-19 protection items.  I got my door openers.  If you don't know what that is.  Here is that I am talking about.  It helps to open doors without touching them.  I am not sure who thought of this or designed it but it is nifty.  I think the design has left a lot to be desired but it seems like it would work.  I got one and I am ready if I need to go out.  The only thing it is not good at is elevator buttons that are temperature based.  Honestly I am not very good at them either since I have Raynaud's syndrome.  My hands are frequently so cold I can't make the floor I want light up. 

Until tomorrow...

DAY 118 GOOD NEWS ALL AROUND

Day 118 since I left the house.

Last night I decided I had enough.  Back in March or April I ordered a thermometer (along with 1/2 the country) and it didn't arrive on the date it was supposed to.  I waited and waited and waited.  I finally sent an email and a week later I got a response (only after Amazon sent an email also) saying the boxes were help up at the boarder.  Can I wait?  I replied no I can not and I want my refund.  That was May 4th.  I went and ordered another thermometer that arrived in two weeks before the thermometer held up at the boarder.

The thermometer held up arrived even though I cancelled it.  I accepted it only because I was getting so many packages at that point that I had them all dropped at my door and waited at least 24 hours before opening the packages.  When I opened it and found the cancelled thermometer, I was annoyed.  Now I would have to return it and deal with it.  I immediately contacted Amazon and let the seller know that the thermometer know that it arrived and I wanted to return it.  I got a return slip and sent it back.  They got it on June 23rd.  I still have not gotten my refund.  I am so annoyed.  I called Amazon tonight and asked why?  The lady said there is no reason why I should not have my money back by now.  She said she would escalate it so I would get my money from Amazon and they would go after the seller since I put my claim in on May 4th.  I hope I get my money back soon.  It is a bit of money and I would like to see it again. 

I also found out that my treadmill was not shipped UPS but Fed Ex instead and it will be arriving a week earlier!  Bazinga!  I am so thrilled to hear this news. 

Until tomorrow...

DAY 117 LUCKY'S COUGH MEDICINE

Day 117 since I left the house.

Today the children's cough syrup showed up for Lucky.  It was children's cherry flavored cough syrup.  I was supposed to give her 6ml.  I had her already to give her the medicine and I barely got 1 ml in her mouth.  She HATED it!  She spit it out and turned her head so most of the medicine went right along the side of her head.  It went right on her cheek.  She was spitting it out all over the deck.  I had to wash the deck when we were done. 

Now hours later she is so sleepy.  I guess that little bit worked.  I hope it helps her congestion.  She is better but she is still stuffy and snoring.  I hope she is better.  I don't want to have to give her this medicine too long.  I hate torturing her with medicine she hates.

Until tomorrow...

DAY 116 TAXES ARE ALMOST COMPLETE

Day 116 since I left the house.

I did the Orencia shot last night.  It isn't a magic pill.  I don't feel magically better.  But I don't feel worse.

It is getting close to tax day and I have been working to get that done after the big debacle with my tax preparer.  It is close to being completed and sent in.  It is all fixed from years past.  It is a good feeling knowing such a huge project is done even if I didn't have do most of the heavy lifting.  Just digging out my old tax returns was a job in itself.  Then pulling out all the construction costs from years ago.  Lord!  It was a task.  Thank goodness I am so freaking organized and I keep stuff FOREVER!  Sometimes keeping stuff for a long time works to your benefit.  Well, it is done now.

Until tomorrow...

DAY 115 GOING BACK ON ORENCIA

Day 115 since I left the house.

Charlie Daniels passed away.  I used to love to listen to the song "Devil Went Down to Georgia".  I didn't agree with his politics but I loved that song!

I am able to see one of my doctor's again.  The Insurance-company-who-must-not-be-named has decided that after telling me I am blocked from any more appointments, I am able to see him again.  I guess they decided that during this stressful time it is better to have people seeing their doctors than not seeing them. 

I saw my primary doctor over video chat today.  I told him about my weird rash on my wrist about a month ago.  He thinks it was some sort of vasculitis.  It would mean my rheumatoid arthritis may have moved on to another form of the disease.  Until I read about it I didn't realize this is not great news.  He strongly suggested that I go back on the Orencia.  We had a very long discussion about why I should continue with the current medicine I am taking (4.5 mg of steroids) and start taking Orencia.  He said that I am being very careful and even if I were to get Covid-19, with the current information he thinks I would have a better chance of fighting it if I were taking Orencia than if I were only taking the steroids.  I just tried to explain why but I could not remember what he said.  It had to do with suppressing the immune system and currently the medication given to Covid-19 patients is a medication to suppress the immune system.  Anyway, I am going to listen to him and start taking Orencia.

My primary also said I am doing the smartest thing for a person in my position.  He said I am smart to stay inside if I am able since I am immune suppressed and at high-risk for getting Covid-19.  I asked about antibody tests and he said to wait until they are better.  They are still not accurate enough to make sense for me to get one.  That is it with the numbers rising (not in my immediate area) in my state, I am in my home for the duration.

I read an article about items that we should have for Covid-19 and the future.  I bought two of them.  I got a thing to open doors and press elevator buttons (that the ones that are the temperature type).  That way you don't have to open doors with your hands.  Let's see if I will remember to use it.  I also bought a UV light machine that will clean your keys, phone, watch, mask, etc.  The idea being you put it near the front door and when you come in, you pop them in the machine and it cleans them while you take off your clothes and change to your "indoor" clothes.  Just getting ready for the day I do venture out.

Until tomorrow...

DAY 114 VIDEO CHAT WITH MY NIECE

Day 114 since I left the house.

Today I had my weekly video chat with my group of friends.  Many of them I really didn't know before Covid-19 but I feel like they are my friends now.  They have welcomed me into their group and they remind me so much of a group of friends I had in high school.  I was not in any particular "clique" I was sort of a floater.  I floated between groups.  But there was this hodge podge group of people from different group (band, drama, outcasts, partiers) that hung out and I sort of hung out with them sometimes.  This group on the video chat reminds me of that group.  One person is a nurse, another is taxi driver, another an airline pilot another retired, one lives in LA, another in Minneapolis and a bunch in my city.   

Then I video chatted with my niece.  She is 8 years old and loves to sing.  We have been video chatting about every two weeks for a couple of months now.  Today she wanted to have me on video chat but I mostly saw the ceiling or the wall.   She decided we were going to make up a story.  It was a story about her frog that fell down a hole.  She had to decide what items to put in our backpacks and then climb over a iron fence that was 30 feet high.  We used a bungee cord and I ricochet over the fence.  Then we went to the part of the fence that became a rock wall and climbed down.  Then we went to the hole and it was 500 feet deep.  The rope we had was 50 feet long and we had 40 of them.  So we had enough rope and they all had hooks at one end.  We hooked the rope at the top of the hole and started to climb down.  We tied the ropes together. We got to the first ledge and took a break.  My niece brought snacks in her backpack.  She also brought a battery powered microwave.  She brought chicken noodle soup in a thermos, two types of spaghetti (one with no meat sauce) and drinks. We decided to heat up the spaghetti and eat it.  When we were done, my niece brought out her hose to wash the dishes.  Yes, she also had a hose in her backpack.  There was a place to hook up the hose to water.  Her backpack suddenly became the size of a house. At that point, my dog Lucky joined us by coming down the rope.  Then my bird Sunny flew down to add to the party.  We continued to climb down with one slip to the bottom.  Once we got down to 500 feet, we found the frog.  My niece went in the house and got the shrink-ray gun and two gliders. She put the frog in the house. She then shrunk the house so Sunny the bird could fly up carrying the house.  I put Lucky in my backpack and we both got on our gliders and flew up the 500 feet to the top of the hole to safety.  We then carried everything over the fence and she used the un-shrink-ray to make the house the original size again.  Her frog was saved.  The end.

I am exhausted again.  What a great imagination!!  I had a great time helping her come up with this story but she did most of the work. 

Until tomorrow...

DAY 113 COOKED POTATOES ON JULY 4TH

Day 113 since I left the house.

First I have to write about little Lucky. Over the past two weeks Lucky has been snoring. Prior to the last two weeks she didn’t really snore. At first I thought she was getting older so she is snoring. Happi snored more when she got older. But it happened sort of sudden not gradual. Then Wednesday night she sounded like she could hardly breathe; like her nose was clogged. Plus she kept waking up each time she couldn’t breathe; sometimes standing up. She barely slept, I barely slept. As someone said it was kinda like sleep apnea. 

I called the vet first thing Friday morning and got her in to see a doctor thanks to my dog walker who took her over and dropped her off. The doctor is pretty sure she has a cold in her upper respiratory area. Basically her nose is stuffed up and since dogs breathe through their noses when they sleep it keeps waking her up. That is why suddenly she is snoring. Lucky got a shot of antibiotics and the dog walker came and took her to the park. She is acting great. Lots of energy other than when she tries to fall asleep in certain positions then she can’t breathe. I figured out that if her head is propped up on a pillow she is much better so last night I let (I never let her do this) sleep under the covers so she could prop her head up on the comforter. It worked so we might do it again tonight. I just don’t want her to get used to it.  Right now I am looking at her trying to sleep sitting up. It’s sad and funny. 

I made a recipe from the Netflix show Nadiya’s Time to Eat. I love that show and hope it comes back. It is a BBC show. The recipe is Crispy Roast Potatoes. So part of her shtick is to use items you have in your cupboard to make quick meals for your family. Part of my shtick is to take those ideas and make them my own. This recipe was a fish dinner. I took the potato part and I am going to use it today with my grilled hot dogs for July 4th. I was unable to find the recipe online so I had to watch the episode again and figure it out. Basically it includes canned potatoes, sun dried tomatoes, basalmic vinegar throw it in a pan and bake it.  It all sounded so easy. Until I could not get the top off the basalmic vinegar. Then it became a construction project. 

The security ring on the top of the Balsamic vinegar was stuck on to the top.  It would not break off.  I tried a multitude of things to break it off including a rubber thing, scissors, screwdriver (of course this punctured my finger as we all knew it would), pliers, wrench and whatever that big silver thing is.  The winner was:

  Here are the potatoes pre-cooking.  I can't wait until they are done and I can eat them.

The recipe called for whole potatoes cut in half but I was only able to scarcely find cut potatoes. 

The finished product.  They taste great!  Now I have to wait until dinner time and I heat up my curry romanesco cauliflower and barbecue hot dogs.  Voila! 

Until tomorrow...

DAY 112 TREADMILL

Day 112 since I left the house.

I bought a treadmill.  I used to have a treadmill but it went away.  I have missed that treadmill since I was really the only one whoever used it.

I got this thought a about a month ago; why not buy a new treadmill.  I thought I could probably get a fairly good one pretty cheap.  I can't go outside yet to walk around and even though I have not gained any weight, I have lost muscle and I am getting flabby.  The bike is good but it is a recumbent bicycle that I bought when I was really achy and I was told it would be better.  I guess it is but now that my situation is different I kind of wish I had an upright bicycle to go faster.  I can't go fast on a recumbent bike.  It is not built for speed.  I still use it and can ride miles on it but I average about 11 miles per hour.  

So I thought treadmill!  If I buy a new treadmill it will be like walking.  I can put on some music and walk.  Treadmills these days come with earphone jacks, fans, the internet and all kinds of bells and whistles.  I don't need them.  I already have a TV with access to music and various channels down in my workout space.  I am happy with a basic treadmill.  One that runs so I can walk for miles.  The one thing this one doesn't have is the auto riser but to be honest I never used it on the other treadmill.  I am more of a distance walker than a person worried about going up and down hills.  Plus it folds up which is perfect.  It will arrive in two weeks.  That is if UPS gets it's act together by then.  I hear there are packages piled up at the UPS center.  Maybe I should have paid more to get it here faster?? 

Until tomorrow...

DAY 111 PACKAGE DELIVERY OF MASKS

Day 111 since I left the house.

It was such a nice day today I set up the umbrella on the picnic table.  I was going to try and work outside but that didn't workout.  I need to sweep and clean up from all the stuff that the wind has blown down.

I finally got my delivery of masks.  I ordered masks over a month ago.  Just plain three-ply masks.  But I need them for the future.  After my thermometer order debacle, I was nervous about ordering masks.  But I was careful to order from a place with good reviews and was Prime. That way if I had to send back or get my money back it wouldn't be a hassle like the thermometer.  I haven't opened the package because it is in my "package quarantine area" waiting until tomorrow to open when it is safe. 

Until tomorrow...

DAY 110 FOOD SHOPPING BEFORE THE HOLIDAY PANIC

Day 110 since I left the house.

Today I had food delivered to beat the holiday rush.  I figured people would be buying food soon for the 4th of July holiday weekend and I wanted to make sure I got a few items.  I really didn't need much but I NEEDED bread.  At the last shopping extravaganza the shopping person forgot to get my bread and as a mistake (or maybe not) I got three packs of "English" muffins.  So I have been toasting up the "English" muffins and putting my Tofurky and "cheese" on them for lunch.  It really isn't the same as having it on Jewish rye bread.  It is also a much smaller sandwich.  It leaves me hungry some days. 

I also wanted more ice cream.  What is the 4th of July without ice cream?  Although I went a bit wild and got WAY too many pints of ice cream.  What can I say? They were on sale and I buy more when they are a bargain.  I also like variety.  There were 5 different flavors this time and I wanted all of them.  Who doesn't like "Milk" & Cookies ice cream? Fudge Brownie?  PB & Cookies? Carmel Almond Brittle? Coffee Carmel Fudge?  And there are more flavors that I can't even get here.  I think about the years that I spent in my life with no ice cream and then only dairy free vanilla.  Now there are 15 vegan Ben & Jerry's flavors!  I am going for it every chance I get!  Especially during lock down!  If I can't live it up now, when can I?!   There is even a Netflix & Chill'd flavor.  It is a Peanut Butter Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert with Sweet & Salty Pretzel Swirls & Fudge Brownie.  Sounds amazing!

I also ran the Roomba.  I waited until Lucky went to the park and let it run.  I put the new battery in it a few days ago and let it charge up.  I forgot how much I loved my Roomba.  Happi was so scared of it in her final year, I couldn't run any type of vacuum because the noise hurt her ears.  She would run around screaming.  So the Roomba sat and the battery died.  Now with a new battery, it is zooming around again with renewed vigor!   I am even thinking of putting it back on a schedule for the days Lucky is away so I don't even have to think about it!  Tee hee.  I am weirdly excited about vacuuming. 

I found a dead animal.  Not my animal.  A rodent.  I didn't stop to see what it was and to be honest, I smelled it through my mask before I saw it.  I must have died last night.  Caught in the trap the Pest Guy laid.  I called the guy and he came over, no contact of course.  He was down there a while.  He moved things and made a ton of noise.  The animal made more holes in the wall between my house and the neighbors.  They are coming in from their backyard or garage.  The rodent made holes right next to where he cemented the holes last time.  The trap was right at the base of the hole from last time and I guess he poked his body out and BAMM!  So, the Pest Guy sealed up those holes and laid more traps.  I called the neighbor and told them.  It is a rental and I don't think much will happen.  The owner has moved on with his life.  There is nothing the rodents want in my garage I just think they want to poke around.  They don't seem to be getting into anything except getting out to go to the chickens.  Anyway, hopefully this will end soon.

Until tomorrow...