STARTED DECORATING FOR CHRISTMAS

 There is lots of rain today. During a quick break in the rain I ran Lucky around the block. 

I started decorating for Christmas. I put the shiny silver Christmas tree up. I put some lights on it, I tested them first, and once I got them on the tree, part of the strand didn’t work. Ergh! 

The landscaper was supposed to come and bring dirt but it is raining. 

I received some Christmas gifts and wrapped them so they can be put in the mail first thing Monday. 

Then I started to not feel very good. Just tired and achy. I went to bed at 8pm. 

Until tomorrow…

WHAT A DAY!

 What a day! It started with the termite people coming. That was a bit of a fiasco because the inspector was not a good communicator and the guys that showed up to do the work were confused. The work was completed. 

Then the roofer came to look at the leak in my roof. He went up om the roof and found five small cracks that need to be patched. He has to wait until it stops raining. 

Then the landscaper arrived and worked for the rest of the day. The backyard will never look the same. 

I finally got to sit down around 6 pm. I was exhausted. But happy the backyard is finally getting started. 

Until tomorrow…

TWO DOCTORS

Today was a double doctor appointment day. First, I saw my gut doctor virtually. I had a good report there. Then I went to see the eye doctor. It was the first time in three years and it was getting harder to see in the mid range. My far away vision is getting better and my close up vision is getting worse. Another old age trick. 

Because I am about to start taking Plaquenel, I had a vision field test. I love doing that test. I call it the Pac Mac test. Then I had photos of my eye taken and some high tech scan of my eyes. I got a good report. 

Because they dilated my eyes, I came home and and rested for awhile (after walking Lucky) before starting work. 

I have to get to bed because tomorrow is a big day full of workers. 

Until tomorrow...

HANDYMAN VISIT

 I am a horrible cousin. I forgot to call my cousin for their birthday. We talk all the time. I knew it was their birthday but I didn’t want to call during work hours and then it slipped my mind. Then it was too late to call. I did text and post a Facebook post so I didn’t completely ghost them. I just felt badly. 

I had a handyman here today doing a bunch of work. He was here all day doing various tasks such as cleaning out my dryer duct, bracing my fireplace, fixing a wall, fixing a lock, moving stuff and taking junk to the dump. So much stuff got taken care of. 

While he was doing that, I was making appointments to get my car fixed, my car checked, and the termite guys coming. It was a busy day. 

Until tomorrow…

ST. NICHOLAS DAY

 I got a good report on Lucky. She went on a walk and she ran! It is her final day of the medicine and she no longer breathes with a snort from her stuffed nose. She is still sleepy but no longer stuffy. 

Today is St. Nicholas Day. In the United States, one custom associated with Saint Nicholas Day is children leaving their shoes in the foyer on Saint Nicholas Eve in hope that Saint Nicholas will place some coins on the soles.

The American Santa Clause, as well as the British Father Christmas, derive from Saint Nicholas. « Santa Claus » is itself derived in part from the Dutch Sinterklaas, the saint’s name in that language. However, the gift giving associated with these descendant figures is associated with Christmas Day rather than Saint Nicholas Day itself.

Until tomorrow…

BETTER RA APPOINTMENT

Today was my rheumatologist appointment. I have been preparing for this for a couple of weeks. I wrote a script to take with me so I could say what I wanted. 

I got up early and left my house in plenty of time so I wouldn't be late for my appointment. I arrived early so I had plenty of time to practice my script. When the doctor walked in and started talking, I stopped her and launched into my script. I explained that hearing her change my diagnosis after so many years was quite upsetting. 

She was super nice about it and clarified what she said last appointment. She did not change my diagnosis, she added to my diagnosis. That makes much more sense. My new diagn is RA and fibromyalgia. We are going to work on getting the RA portion under control first by putting me on Plaquenel again. I was on Plaquenel years ago. Overall the appointment went great. 

She wanted me to go to this place down the street to get my hands x-rayed.  I went and waited a while. Then I asked the front desk how long the wait was. It was way too long for me. I'll have to go another day. 

Until tomorrow...

STARTED CHRISTMAS DECORATING

 Today went by in a blink. It started with me bringing Christmas decorations upstairs. I only brought the light things upstairs and I am hoping my handyman will carry the heavy bins upstairs. I am going to purge. 

Then I got a message that my free VR game is going to expire if I didn't claim it today so I had to figure out how to claim and install it. Once I did that, I watched a VR documentary on blindness. It was very interesting and educational. There were many parts that I closed my eyes to feel what it would be like to not have sight. At one point it added sound from a playground one sound at a time. It is amazing how much we hearing folk take the amount of sound in our daily lives for granted. I learned when you can't see, those sounds are so frightening and some are threatening. A car door closing is a scary sound. 

Using my VR game was all a way to avoid doing work. I had to finish invoicing clients, my most hated task. I am trying to get better at it so I don't get behind. I finished this evening. 

I had to make dinner for the week and decided to try a quick curry. It is okay but I should have stuck with my regular curry. I put broccoli, sweet potatoes and chard in the curry. 

I had to get ready for my rheumatoid arthritis doctor appointment tomorrow morning. I have my script of what I want to say to her about my last appointment. Wish me luck!

Until tomorrow...

ANOTHER COLD AND RAINY DAY

 It rained again today. It is SO cold again today. Those two things are miserable together. Lucky does not want to go for walks. I finally got her out between rainstorms and she only wanted to go around the corner before she ran (and I mean ran!) back home. She is also not too happy about her new coat. I think she is happy she has it on when she is out in the cold but she doesn't like putting it on. 

Update on Lucky: she is growling more which I am taking as she is feeling better. When she was not feeling well she never growled. Now she is much more feisty! Back to normal.

I did almost my entire Christmas shopping today. I had some ideas of what I wanted to buy for some folks but I had to research for others. I think I have some fun presents.

Until tomorrow...

DO YOU HAVE A CAR HUSBAND?

 Today I made the decision that starting in 2023 I am going to a four-day work week. I have been on a trial for the past few months and I quite enjoy it. I feel more productive and like having one day to do administrative tasks. I do handle emergencies if they come up and if I am working on special project, I have time to work on it uninterrupted.

As a favor, my neighbor came by to check my oil and antifreeze. He works on old cars. He said my oil and water were low. I have no fluids at my house because I always go to my "car husband". A car husband is a bit like a "work husband". My car husband works at my dealership and is my friend. I have known him for way too many years (hint: this car is 20 years old and I had another car before this one) and he has always checked my oil and antifreeze and put air in my tires. I know that sounds spoiled but if you had someone who (such as a car husband) who did these things for free, would you do them yourself? When my neighbor told me I needed to drive to a store and buy oil and antifreeze, I called my car husband and he said to drive over. He dealt with it in 15 minutes. Then he put air in my tires. I just stood there and chatted with him. I know spoiled. 

When I was younger I had a very inexpensive car and I did everything myself. I even bled my own brakes (with help). I was a wiz with duct tape! I feel like I did my time! 

Until tomorrow...

MISSING A FRIEND

 The landscaper came by to double check everything. I put a string around where I thought the pavers should go. It was helpful so we are now on the same page. He gave me an estimate and we agreed on a start date. He said it could be done by Christmas but I looked at the weather report and I think that is optimistic. I think by New Year's is more realistic. 

Lucky's new coat:

 Today reminds me of a friend that passed away. His name is Joe and he was a very good friend. Unfortunately he got a brain tumor and died at a young age. Today would have been his birthday. He found out he had a brain tumor during 9/11 when he was in Russia.  He fainted and he didn't know why. Because of the flight bans, he was stuck in Russia for many days. He saw a doctor in Russia but the medical system is not as advanced as the USA. He was told things were bad but he didn't know how bad until he got back the USA. He didn't live much more than 1.5 years from that diagnosis. I miss him to this day. 

Until tomorrow...