MrsDoF's Dear Ones

Today is a School Improvement Day, which means teachers must do some planning time in their buildings, while students, and us support staff have the day free. Cain’t argue with that!

At 8:15 am, I had a fried potato and cuppa tea for breakfast. Tried to have second cuppa and read the newspaper while out sitting on the porch, but the wind is blowing so much that I had to retrieve a page from the bushes!

Stripped the bed, sorted piles of laundry
had a shower, started the washer

then sat at the table and did a bunch of paperwork

Went off to run errands, first thing being putting the envelopes into the blue mailbox along the side of the post office building. Love that new set-up for drive-thru.
It has been open only a few months, but my peace in mind is paid for.

It being a day off, I wanted to go to a craft store. The latest 40% off coupon was melting in my wallet.  I ended up buying a nice cream color 3-ply sport weight, which will nicely match some skeins brought in as a donation to the activity center (and I called dibs on)
Once I get the blankie done, I’ll donate it back.

Then off to the DMV to buy license plate sticker. I had the papers and checkbook in my purse, and want to be sure to have the new one in place when I travel out of state for nephew’s wedding.

Well, the line for stickers was all the way across the room, out the door, and along the side of the building!  The last day of April is more important. Why would people wait until the very last day of the month to take care of being legal !?!  As you can tell, I worry about this kind of thing, since I’m a whole month ahead myself. I did not stick around, I was getting hungry.

As I left, I noticed a couple kids and a man waiting in a van in the parking lot. One waved to me out the window, so I said “Of course I know you!” and asked if they are liking having a day off school as much as I am. One boy said that waiting for Dad was hard. I told him the line was really really long, so I’m going to go another time. The other had a little electronic game to play.

On the way home, I stopped for a nice roast beef sandwich. Did not eat meat the last couple days, so I was kinda craving some.
Just a block from home, I spotted a lime green sign with a written address for a yard sale.  Turned out to be at a house where lives a family whose children went to elementary school with my sons. Standing in the sun chatting for a half hour, while my sandwich waited on the front seat of the car.

Ah well. Finally ate lunch at 2:20pm, feeling fine about it.

Laundry load #4 went into the washer. When it gets done in the dryer, I should be able to get the bed all made up again.

And now almost time for JEOPARDY! I’ve got a shades of green and blue baby hat on the peg loom to work on, too.

~~love and Huggs, Diane

Felt sick enough to make a trip to the Walk-In Medical Clinic last Saturday afternoon. Exam and Test came back positive for Strep germs. So I’ve been home being Sick for 3 days, missing church on Sunday, cancelled an already arranged TA Sub job for Monday (the position did get snapped up), and today of telling the system to leave me alone, I’m still sick and tired.

I sent out an e-mail message to my Dear Ones List, which is a nice way to get back some caring responses.
One gal says she learned she is her own carrier for Strep. This could be likely for me, I had rheumatic fever when I was a kid, so maybe the germs just use my body as a hideout until I think I’m in a good phase, then they jump in to make sure my schedule gets messed up.

My sister Denise tells me she doesn’t ever recall having a case of Strep, so she doesn’t know what I’m going through. She’s had other health troubles, such as a cyst on a tendon of her foot which required surgery and crutches, so I don’t begrudge her much. I don’t wish illness on anyone, and especially not one of my sisters who looks after our mom and her property, allowing me to live the comfortable distance of 2 states away, making the occasional phone call.

Side effects of antibiotics has—Inability for Concentration—on the list. I expected the nausea and other dismays of the digestive system, but my brain isn’t making connections quickly enough. It’s like I stand there an extra several seconds before my hands can do the task.
Cutting the girl cat’s pills in half was quite an event. The skin on all my fingers remains intact, but the effort to get ‘em done properly just wore me down and out.

Reading, yarn, blogging. I’ve tried with mixed success.
Taking naps is top contender for what keeps me occupied.

It ain’t easy being me being sick.
I’ll do my best to not burden anybody else.

~~love and Huggs, Diane

When I was a kid, we were allowed to ride the bus or walk downtown in pairs. I didn’t go alone, but usually a cousin or sister or girlfriend was available. We musta been 9 or 10 years old, riding the bus and it was okay! For a modern version, go read Free Range Kids gotta love that blog!

Anyway, I was thinking about a chore I had during summers back then. There was a certain day of the week ?Friday? when Mom did not have to go to her job at the shoe store until Noon. So she would write checks, put them into envelopes, leave them on the table with a note telling me to “pay the bills”.  A few times, I had to drag all my sisters with me, or else they would stay and play at a neighbor’s house, but usually it was my friend Irene or my cousin Marie who would be with me. Sometimes, they had to do the same thing.

So we would walk downtown and stop in different buildings.
Phone Gas Water Electric Insurance Furniture

a couple bills got paid at a bank, at different windows
I loved the bank, it was air-conditioned.

After the new library was built, I was in 5th grade when it opened, the library was air-conditioned also, so we would find a reason to stop in, usually to go to the bathroom.

When I was in 7^th grade, a gate was put across the little hall to the restrooms, and the key had to be on request from the desk clerk. That put quite a halt to the junior high kids goofing off during lunch hours, but also sure put a squelch on having a nice little rest before heading home again.

Reason I’m thinking of this is today, a lovely Spring day when the bank sign says the temperature is 79^oF, I decided I would pay the bills in person rather than trying to find proper stamps. I have very few up-to-date stamps in the folder, we have to add and over cents quite often.

After a meeting at church this morning, I sat at the breakfast nook table, wrote checks, paper clipped to paper sections with account numbers, then worked out my travel route, trying to do only right turns.

First stop Post Office, to mail off a couple packs, and to buy FOREVER stamps. Then to insurance to pay the homeowner’s policy, dentist to pay the overdue bill because I maxed out our dental benefits last year (2 root canals and 4 crowns co$t $money plenty!! a bit of fun (one cotton skein on Clearance) at Hobby Lobby, set up appt for air-conditioner maintenance, water bill into drop box in front of city hall, credit union, crochet hook request at the only dealer store in the county (because 2 crochet hooks broken in a month have me somewhat pissed off and I think there is a life-time warranty on ADDI brand)

As I was driving up Main Street towards home, I realized that half a chicken thigh and a slice of rye toast at 11:30^am was not enough food to tide over my tummy much longer.

So I pulled into McDs. Ordered a burger and frappe.
Impulse $7.12 spent because LUNCH not on list.
But those were some good eats, prolly cuz I was truly hungry, not eating as routine.

What was that 7 stops? in and out of the car, walking across parking lots, or around the corner down the street.  No way would I have tried that when I had youngsters in car seats. Kids sure can be a burden.

I feel like I got something done today. Even if there is a basket full of folded towels which need to be arranged in the linen closet, and looks like 4 of Husband’s work shirts are waiting near the ironing board.

This evening is a recital on campus, I’m so there…
Youngest son Chris will play guitar as part of the combo.

~~love and Huggs, Diane
ps I just remembered that I meant to check a different grocery store near the credit union to find my favorite Fragrance Free H E laundry detergent! Darn it all, there’s barely enough for 3 loads left in the jug 😡

Home again. I’ve lost track of days off, what with Spring Break in there. I do know that I’m at home more often than at TA Sub jobs ever since Mahalia got her diagnosis of diabetes.
This morning, she got her insulin shot and ate just fine, then at about 8am (when both humans would normally be at work) I heard her near the front door wanting out. I wasn’t fast enough, she heaved up everything inside. Not sure if it’s a routine hairball problem, or her thyroid medicine dose needs adjusted. So sad that a cat can’t talk about which part hurts the worst.

Anyway, being at home today is fine with me, since I have a cold making my head miserable, and the cough medicine wreaks havoc with my innards.  I’m weak and weary, needing to sit still for several minutes after changing and washing out the litter box. Swallowing is getting more difficult by the hour, so I’ll have to decide if I want to bother going to the clinic for a strep test.
The co-pay is raised to $20, and I can think of a couple other things I want to do with $20 rather than have a voodoo MD tell me to wait-and-see.

This is the third day of stuffy head, and not any better.
Waiting ain’t enough by now.

It’s for folks like me that general, open, low cost health care is needed. Working only part-time, trying to take care of small matters before they become big. If my spouse did not have a great job with benefits, I would be in dire straits. $20 co-pay for an office visit is considered good benefits now. I remember when $25 was the total bill for my son’s school physical, and that was hard to come by, since we did not have health insurance back then.

Single folks who are barely making rent and groceries…. well, I say a prayer every day for my youngest son’s health and finances. I don’t see how he can work any harder, he already has 2 jobs, and finishing college classes without a student loan.

I’m too sick to be thinking clearly, and the typing mistakes are also making me frustrated, so I should go while the gettin is good.

~~love, Diane
no Huggs today, germ zone