FACETIME WITH MY FAMILY

I got to Facetime with my niece and nephew today.  It was great!  They told me all about their day.  They showed me some work they have been working on.  At one point I was just looking at their fireplace and I could hear voices but I could not see any bodies.  My dog Lucky saw their dog Matisse but dogs don't see screens so it was more fun for us than for the dogs. 

The first thing I was asked was how sad I was that Happi died?  I know it is the type of things kids ask and I know they mean well but it took the air out of me.  I miss her every day.  I sometimes go downstairs to get her and forget she isn't here anymore.  I asked them if they were sad about Happi and my niece said she was sad she never got to meet Happi in person.  I am sad about that too.  My nephew was here when my sister-in-law was pregnant with him.  I remember Happi jumping on their bed.  She was a little devil and always wanted to jump on beds.  She loved to run in circles (always to the right or she would tip over!) on a bed like she was on fire!  She would mess up all the sheets and blankets. 

We talked about all sorts of things.  My nephew told me about a project he was working on.  It was way above my pay grade and he is just a little guy.  I wouldn't be surprised if he was one of the guys that forecasts baseball players performance.  Like in that movie Moneyball where he uses statistical data to analyze and place value on the players he picks for the team.  

I had a great time spending time with them over video.  It was like being there.   This week I have video chatted with my sister-in-law in NJ and these guys.  It is fun catching up and seeing what folks are up to.

Women's Month person (last day): Ruth Bader Ginsberg (RBG) is an American lawyer and jurist who is an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Ginsburg was appointed by President Bill Clinton and took the oath of office on August 10, 1993. She is the second female justice (after Sandra Day O'Connor) of four to be confirmed to the court (along with Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, who are still serving).  Ginsburg became more forceful with her dissents, which were noted by legal observers and in popular culture. She is generally viewed as belonging to the liberal wing of the court. Ginsburg has received attention in American popular culture for her fiery liberal dissents and refusal to step down; she has been dubbed "The Notorious R.B.G." in reference to the late rapper known as "The Notorious B.I.G.". A Lego mini-figurine of Ginsburg is shown within a brief segment of The Lego Movie 2.

Until tomorrow...

NOT A WHOLE LOT HAS CHANGED IN MY DAY

I can't believe March is almost over.  It seemed to go so fast.  Granted I had a lot of things happen but still it seemed to zoom by.

I know a lot of people have had their lives horribly interrupted and things are so different now that they are staying inside the majority of their time.  I hear people talking about going stir crazy.

This shelter-in-place is not much different than my normal life.  I work from home most days so I am home a lot.  I spend a lot of my time speaking to people on the phone, through my computer and on email or text.  Outside of the shelter-in-place, occasionally I go to a clients office for a few hours for a meeting or to do work but I am not part of their team.

Of course I miss running errands and taking Lucky for a walk.  I also need a haircut badly!  My backyard was supposed to be cleared out right before Happi passed on but my gardener's dog got sick and she had to cancel and we never got to reschedule before Covid-19 hit.  Now it looks like a jungle and Lucky will only venture into parts that are not overgrown.  Lucky needs her shots but that will have to wait until the crisis is over.  No vets office is giving shots now; emergency visits only.  But these things will get done in time. 

I am also monitoring my food.  I have a bag of potato chips I am waiting for the right moment to open.  I only have so much bread and once that is gone, well, I may be able to get a neighbor to buy some more or I may not, so I have to ration the baked goods.   I have wraps for when the bread is gone but they are not as good or filling.  Just like I have English muffin-type things for breakfast but once they are gone it will be oatmeal until this ends.  I was going to buy some peanut butter but what cost $9 two weeks ago now cost $23.  I will go without peanut butter. 

Overall, not a lot has changed on the day to day for me.  I get up and work (sometimes in my PJs) and then the day is over.  I am so happy when I get to talk or Facetime with a friend or family member.   I want to hear how their days are in this changing time.

Just a funny picture of Lucy.  She wanted to be the Queen of the Dog Walker's car.  Don't worry the car was stopped.

Women's Month person: Helen Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. The story of Keller and her teacher, Anne Sullivan, was made famous by Keller's autobiography, The Story of My Life, and its adaptations for film and stage, The Miracle Worker.

Until tomorrow...

VACUUMING PART II

I finished the vacuuming of the entire house.  It was such a project.  The house had not been vacuumed for months since Happi didn't like the sound of the vacuum because it hurt her ears.  She would scream when the vacuum ran so I switched to sweeping the floors towards the end of her life.  Shockingly the floors were not as bad as I thought they would be.  I guess sweeping is pretty good at getting up dirt and dog hair.


I have been watching this PBS drama titled the Drake Detective .  I am really enjoying it.

Women's Month person: Rosie the Riveter was the star of a campaign aimed at recruiting female workers for defense industries during World War II, and she became perhaps the most iconic image of working women. American women entered the workforce in unprecedented numbers during the war, as widespread male enlistment left gaping holes in the industrial labor force.

Until tomorrow...

VACUUMING DAY 1

I finally felt well enough to start doing some cleaning around the house.  The house needed to be vacuumed so badly.  I started upstairs and vacuumed the dining room and living room.  I did the hallway and the kitchen.  Then I was exhausted and called it a day.

I worked on my puzzle a little bit and then cleaned up the kitchen. I have to take things slow.

I think between Happi's last months and then getting pneumonia I exhausted myself.  In Happi's last months she only slept for a few hours before she got up and then a few more hours and she got up.  It went like that all night every night.  Then the decision to put her to sleep was extremely stressful and caused many sleepless nights.  Then I got pneumonia and that was stressful.  Now I feel like I am just exhausted.  I keep falling asleep at 11 am and at 3:30pm.  I guess I need more rest.

Women's Month person: Eleanor Roosevelt was the niece of one U.S. president, Theodore Roosevelt, and married a man who would become another, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Redefining the role of the first lady, she advocated for human and women's rights, held press conferences and penned her own column. After leaving the White House in 1945, Eleanor became chair of the U.N.'s Human Rights Commission. The groundbreaking first lady died in 1962 in New York City.

Until tomorrow...

BEST SANDWICH EVER

My neighbor brought me some tomatoes and now I can have tomatoes on my sandwich.  I decided to make "chickun" salad sandwich.  It was so delicious.  I didn't have any lettuce but I kept a piece of lettuce from my Thai food and put it on my sandwich.

Women's Month person: Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer with a career spanning nearly thirty years. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz music and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. She was known for her vocal delivery and improvisational skills.

Until tomorrow...

NEW PUZZLE

I am starting a new puzzle today.  I am excited to do this puzzle.  It has a lot more pieces but they are all regular puzzle pieces and not the weird shaped pieces like the Christmas puzzle.

I got this awesome card from the Veterinarian's office today.  It was a condolence card and inside was a surprise.  I guess when they took Happi away to put her IV in they also made an imprint of her paw print.  It was inside of the card.  It took my breath away when I opened the card.  My baby's paw print.

Women's Month person:  Julia Child was an American cooking teacher, author, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was The French Chef, which premiered in 1963.

 Until tomorrow...

CHRISTMAS PUZZLE

I worked today.  I worked a lot.  But I was on hold for a long time and during that time I worked on my puzzle.  I have been working on this puzzle since December.  There were a few things that sidetracked me: the holidays, trip to Florida, doing my taxes, my sweet dog Happi getting sick and passing, and me getting sick.  Today was the day I finally finished the puzzle.

This is where it was earlier today:

This is it finished:

Now I can start another one since we were just told the shelter-in-place was going to be prolonged until May.  Yippee!

Women's Month person: Jane Goodall is an English primatologist and anthropologist. Considered to be the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best known for her 60-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees since she first went to Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania in 1960. She is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and the Roots & Shoots programme, and she has worked extensively on conservation and animal welfare issues. She has served on the board of the Nonhuman Rights Project since its founding in 1996. In April 2002, she was named a UN Messenger of Peace. Dr. Goodall is also honorary member of the World Future Council.

Until tomorrow...

PUBLIC BROADCASTING SERVICE

I am starting to feel better.  I worked a bit today.  My client had an emergency and I tried to handle it for them.

I also started watching Little Women on PBS.  I found out that I could pay a fee and watch anything on PBS at any time.  It is great.  I can never catch the things I want to watch on PBS.  It isn't like HBO in real time but if a series is on PBS, it will be on the PBS app.  It may not have local programming.  I just always miss things like the three nights of Little Women.  Now I can watch it at my own time.  Especially now when I have lots of time.

Tonight is order food from a restaurant night.  I ordered Thai food to be delivered.  I wanted to support my local restaurants.  I want them to be around when this pandemic is over.

Women's Month person: Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell received a medical degree in 1849, she was the first female to join the Medical Register of the General Medical Council. She practiced as a physician and encouraged other women to pursue careers in medicine until her death in 1910.

Until tomorrow...

STILL TIRED

I am still tired.  My chest still hurts.  My cough seems to be going away.  I started working a bit. 

I made a batch of soup to last the week.  I needed to use the kale that came in my veggie box before it went bad.  It tasted good.

Women's Month person: Susan B. Anthony was an American women's rights activist who played a key role in the women's suffrage movement. Her involvement led to the 19th amendment, which gives women the right to vote.

Until tomorrow...

NO CORONAVIRUS

Today I got some unexpected news.

I woke up with my plan of having a Frozen Marathon.  Can you have a marathon with two movies?  Anyway, I was going to watch Frozen and Frozen II.  I will admit I watched Frozen when it first came out and hated it.  I was forced to watch Frozen again about a year ago with my foster son and I fell asleep.  I had a very low opinion of the movie but I promised someone I would watch the two movies today so I muscled through.

I actually enjoyed Frozen today.  Maybe enough time had gone by since the movie and music was shoved down our throats.

Frozen II on the other hand, I found a bit confusing.  Maybe it was because I fell asleep in the middle and woke up and had to rewind.  Maybe I need to watch it another time.  I don't know.  5th power.  Huh?!

In the middle of the movies I got the call.  I was surprised since I was told I wouldn't get the call for 3-7 days.  I am negative for Coronavirus.  Now this is going to sound weird but I am scared a bit.  If I had it and it was a mild case, I would have had it and been done with it.  Now I am weaker and my immune system is weaker.  I feel like I have to be even more careful.  The disease is spreading more and I am even more susceptible. I will be not be going outside for now.  Not to the post box, not to take out the trash, not to walk the dog.

Women's Month person: Dolly Parton is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, actress, author, businesswoman, and humanitarian, known primarily for her work in country music.

 Until tomorrow...