Motivated Monday PWYC

[Twins' Mom]

WTG on the planning ahead, Lucylee.

Dh came in all wound up at me. I turned my phone off earlier to "reboot" it because Fitbit was acting so weird. And forgot to turn it on. And the lawn service had a rock fly up and broke out the back window of my Honda Pilot. They rang doorbell, which doesn't ring anymore, but does call my phone, which was off. Then they called dh and he tried to call me and I didn't answer. He was pretty wound up by the time he got home and my name was mud. (And I was doing dental care and showering in the bathroom at the back of the house some of that time, so couldn't have heard the phone or doorbell anyway.)

The place the lawn service recommended had to order the glass, and couldn't do it until 3 Sept, and we're taking my car to the beach on Saturday. So he called around, found a place that could do it, and I'm there. He told me 45 min, she just said an hour or hour and a half. I cancelled dental appt, then called back and let them know I could possibly be there and would call them when I know.

Oy. I did have the presence of mind to grab my computer so I could use it. I guess I won't be whining about my motivation if I'm not home!

I told dh already that I'm not planning to cook because my mouth will be numb for at least some of the time.

[lucylee]

(((Twins)))

[Lady Maverick]

Homeschool is done.
I have approved DS16 driving an hour away to watch his girlfriend play volleyball. DS16 loves the challenge of finding his way there on the narrow 2 lane roads and then locating the gym in a town that he has never been to. Taking this type of trip seems to be one of the safer ways to feed his desire for independence.

DD13 fever is staying down without OTC meds. It is 99.7 so we are just letting time pass and hopefully her immune system will be able to get rid of this bug.

i need to cook something to add to the RTE stash. It seems one minute it is well stocked then the next time I check everything I made yesterday is almost gone.

[Harriet]

helia, hiya!

Maybe you can hang out with us some during your time off. Sounds like wonderful faraway travel. You and Twins' have that in common lately. I hope you enjoy writing the curriculum. I think my dd44 would characterize her work as mostly curriculum designing these days, although when I'm with her it seems to me her zoom meetings are too varied to figure out.

At 7:30 this a.m. my message to dr of last evening was answered with a phone call from a nurse I don't know, although she says she's at that practice. Such a pleasant person. Got a lot of info from me but that has been it. Haven't heard back about what anyone expects me to do. She had said not to be surprised if I was asked to come in for x-ray, but nothing yet.

Best wishes for LadyM's dd's quick recovery!

Something to pass along ? - Nurse discussed with me the return to advice of hot teas with honey. She says for so long that was just not at the top of anyone's list to recommend for respiratory symptoms, although we all remember "what our mothers told us". But now she sees it more and more as formal advice to be given to patients with coughs, stuffy heads, etc., and my doctor has also put it on his list of advice. She says teas or other beverages, but cautions that hot coffee would not "count" toward hydration to the same extent, so it's less ideal.

lucylee, it is not hard to get sleep schedule way off. I was getting better about it, but will tell you that this cough or whatever has disturbed some of my progress, too. You may have to start letting some alarm clock run your life or something. Dr. Neal Barnard says the time we need to hear a reminder alarm is an hour before the time we intended to put our head down on a pillow, not in the morning.

from here, fuzzy-headed Harriet starts getting all philosophically skippable... ..

lucylee and LadyM may not realize it, but I think touched on the same rather deep subject lately. What would deceased loved ones "want"? (wouldn't want us to have inherited burdens, etc.) I do think we need to bring our beliefs into this kind of personal contemplation. Do we believe the priorities of life continue into the new existence of those we're thinking about? Really? I guess what I mean is that giving our loved ones up to new existence also means that we have to accept they no longer necessarily think the same way about "shoulds", "oughts", preferences, even duties. Say there was a grandma who used to advise, "You really should read War and Peace sometime.", or "Everyone should learn to play piano". Would that very person, from a new vantage point, say that now? Isn't it true that even she, at the time, had zero idea what priorities she might speak, on a date that came "after her change", as an old church history book here once put it.

After her Promotion Sunday, I shared with dgdC that my dmother, her great-grandmother, used to work hard as SS superintendent to make Promotion Sunday meaningful, with certificates and even pins for those who hadn't missed a single week, and some pins were made so that they could hang on previous year pins. DgdC said about perfect attendance, "I doubt it will really be that important, though, will it." Someday I'll tell her that's almost exactly what my mother said later in life. (smile) But for now, Daddy is simply proud of his little girl's promotion, and that matters on a Sunday afternoon.

[Nancy]

I was all proud the TV was going and tech. stuff was working today not!
Dand I called and they did tech. thing on there end did not help.
I pruned roses during the 30 min. time it took.
Now I'm hot pricked bloody and frustrated.
Just b/c I sat down to catch the noon news drat!
Trying it again as I sip some thing cool.
-----
Later / called and learned that rates are jacked way up &
cable special is over sigh I am not paying over two hundred $ a mo.
for it & Internet. So going to be weaning off cable news political carp if I need something I"ll be
looking for shorter clips on yt.

------
Rested
had dinner
moved the branches I cut off by the trailer on the front side yard on the other side of the house.
S2slippers.

[helia]

Oh my, Harriet, I hope you feel better soon. Do you need to get an X Ray? How is dd26? (Dd25? - I remember her bday is in August). Did she marry that nice young man?
Twins, my dd26 had the exact same thing happen to her car. She was at a coffee shop, and had just gotten into her car to drive home when the lawn service's mower threw a rock that broke her back driver's side window. We were all SO grateful the rock didn't hit her. It ended up being quick and easy to replace; the mowing company apologized profusely and paid the bill. Hoping you also heal quickly.
I love and hate tech, nancy. It's great when it works. Hoping your cool drink revives your spirits.
Wow, ds16 has a girlfriend, LadyM! I hope dd13 feels better soon. They're growing up. What is RTE?
Your meals sound delish, CathyS! WTG working hard so you have a day off!
((lucylee)), did you find some motivation?
RRose, WTG with the curtains! Maybe you could share some of your motivation!

I'm back from the grocery store and taking a break. I did do a bit of payroll before I went; there was communications happening; I took a look at what needed to be done and told the team the parts I would tackle.

Do you do lists?
Is Kathryn in Canada still around?

It's 90* here, which is sweltering for Michiganders. I'm going to close windows and turn on the a/c next.

Done:
- Dr. appt.
- most of morning routine - still need to make the bed
- ran dw - need to unload before dinner
- gassed car
- lunch -- of course!
- qt + other reading
- payroll communications
- menu plan + groc. list for the week
- grocery store
- everything put away

[Lady Maverick]

What is RTE?

Ready To Eat. Keeping food available for the teens.

I wasn't thrilled about DS16 having a girlfriend but so far it is more positive than negative. She is a good influence on him and has high standards and goals set for herself. I couldn't stop them from seeing each other if I tried so I might as well not attempt to fight it. They just celebrated their 3-month anniversary. I try not to think about how broken hearted they will be when/if their relationship & friendship ends.

DS16 and I made more baby step progress on the 4 room trading spaces project. He wants to do it all at once, but I want to do it in small steps that include decluttering and deep cleaning. Having 3 bathrooms in transition makes it more challenging. I am telling myself that once the bathtub/shower is replaced this weekend then it will be easier to make progress.

[Harriet]

((Nancy)) heal fast! Yes, yt can fill in blanks well, technologically.

I have been good about OTC meds and cream. Obedient patient.

An email today asking for Kathryn's email address, from someone to whom ya'll may, possibly, think it is okay for me to give out e-addresses. blessedw2!!! She has been in a tangle of attempts to get back to us but is confident that Kathryn can be intrepid and find her in there. She says she did not mean to get lost, her dh continues to be helped by a trac and is healthy, and she misses us! I have her email now, and have written it down in three places until she comes back to us fully.

Yes, helia, Kathryn is adventuring in the wilds, enjoying cabin life including with grands, and checking in with us to tell us stories about it all. She does at times have some internet troubles. Her dd's family arrived the 20th to be with her, so I'm sure they are having fun. I think she expects to be a city dweller again Sept 1 or shortly thereafter.

helia, I've been coughing just about long enough, and the nurse this a.m. really thought that might be a possibility, but so far dr has not scheduled it. lots of good advice and keep taking OTC meds. I've had a parade of variety diagnoses lately because of significant rash and other symptoms, which I've chatted about in J and C. I'm not sure it is over yet, lol, but recent specialist believes I had an especially poisonous insect bite that became the gift that kept on giving.

Dd26's outdoor wedding in June was lovely. I spent 8 months making them a quilt - photos in June A, C, and N. They purchased a house about 30 to 45 minutes away depending upon traffic. Nothing any closer to us or to dsonil's parents could be afforded, and it's not a great commute to their workplaces either, but okay. It has an oversized garage in which she has space for a studio. Dsonil has a studio in a small extra bedroom because he does videos and digital art. We get to see them most weekends, not all.

LadyM - the work in bathroom will be done this weekend? I know you will be relieved. One thing off your mind.

Ramblin', how is the leg?

[lucylee]

I DID find that motivation, helia. I'll list my ta-das in a minute.

I'm sorry DD is feeling under the weather, LadyM. Something is definitely going around here. Dcousin (who is baking my birthday cake, BTW) is not feeling too great -- but she assured me she had no fever and tested negative for Covid. I haven't tested, but I told her I had coughed till I was about out of my mind. Coughing was contributing to serious headaches, but that seems to have improved, and after the first couple days, runny nose cleared up. So I'm much better off than I was a few days ago. DDIL was feeling kinda "iffy" over the weekend also, but she was at the game tonight and went on to work. I'm sure she tested negative for Covid. She tests everyone who sniffles in their household, except DS who refuses!

And Harriet, I do appreciate your input and thoughts re: our loved ones in Heaven and their perspective on life down here.
DS said the same thing, sort of. He said, "Do you really think that Daddy is sitting around in Heaven thinking, 'Why isn't she taking these kids to the ballgame? When she gets up here, I'm going to tell her that she really should have done better about that. She needs to be doing this/that...'" He said, like you, that nothing in Heaven is like it is here on earth, and football games are not his priority anymore. He also said that if the situation were reversed, and dh had been left alone, there would be NO WAY on earth that he would have taken the two dgrands to a ballgame by himself. DS said, "I don't even want to take them both by myself! I might take dgs on my own, but no way would I take both of them."

But. The fact remains that DS and DDIL think it is perfectly fine to ask dbil and his fiance to take dgs to the one game dgs is hoping to see, when DS/DDIL will not be able to go. This just makes me sooo nervous, because I think they are imposing on dbil/fiance and that they will not want to deal with DGS for Saturday/Sunday without any of us there, and then it will just be awkward for them to refuse, and they will wonder why on earth I can't just pull it together and go.
The fiance has mentioned to me that she knows it will be difficult for me, emotionally, going to games without dh, but I think she thought I would be going at least some of the time. I don't think she thought it was a big hurdle for me to drive the 3.5 hours each way on my own.
She has been widowed for 6 or 7 years, at least, I think, so has adjusted to being on her own, I guess.
And I think dbil thought I would be able to do that drive on my own; like I said, his daughter managed it for four years.

So -- I just feel like a big baby, if I don't get up early on Saturday and get dgs to that game, and then probably drive home on Sunday.
That would be the same time table as dbil, and would sound kinda silly that we were taking two cars the same route/destination, wouldn't it? Could we all just ride with dbil and his fiance... well, maybe... of course that would make me nervous too... cause y'all know... travel anxiety. And if DDIL were to be working that weekend, we'd need to take dgd with us... and if blind cousin wanted to see that game, that would crowd us a bit more... but that's a lot of IFs, isn't it???
And I'm afraid they might bring it up at my party tomorrow night. It's a month till that game, and we don't even know what time it will be played. If it is a 6:30 game, I could probably manage it... but if it is an 11:00 a.m. or 2:30 game... I don't think I could. It's a 3.5 hour drive, but on game day, one should allow probably another couple of hours. For traffic, and to get into the stadium before kickoff, you know.
SEE HOW I AM SPINNING OVER ALL OF THIS??? Just thinking about this makes me kinda nauseated.

In the midst of all this, I almost feel angry that dh has left me with all this... and then I start crying because I know dh didn't WANT to leave me... dh wanted more than anything to live to do all these things with the dgrands.

OKAY... my PODA, before I completely forget how productive I have been today, when my mind wasn't spinning away from me...
* Finally s2s around noon, Bible reading, etc.
* Put sheets in the washer
* Talked to dmom on phone
* Courthouse -- took care of car/truck titles
* Post office -- paid two bills
* Talked to DS on phone
* Agriculture office -- dropped off a form I needed to sign
* Wmart -- groceries
* Supper at chicken restaurant drive through
* Bank, changed two 100s into 20s
* Dropped off utility bill at that office
* Home -- finished eating, put cold stuff in refrigerator
* Went to ballgame (we won)
* Took DS/dgrands' home, stopped at Subway for dgs
* Home, remembered to put sheets in the dryer
-- still need to finish putting away groceries

[Harriet]

I napped. It was inevitable. It reached up and grabbed me and pulled me down onto the bed. I have no regrets. But that's why I'm sitting here now, an off-schedule person.

What I do regret - slept through the best time to call and ask about first day of school for ds' children, so I've left them alone until tomorrow.

lucylee, nurse seemed surprised I hadn't had a headache, but I haven't. Do have that feeling that cough "wracks" my body, though - it can become impressive. IMO, there is no viral explanation - not a single person in my family has had this. HRH has other problems, sure, but goes along blissfully without a single sniffle or cough. I think something allergic to me lashed out and started drainage and eventually, here I am, bronchially challenged.

About your dbrotheril, might it not be healthy and meaningful for him to forge a more personal relationship with the children, have a memory of "that time I took you and your sister/brother to the game and ... ..", that sort of thing? It's not all a chore - some of it is the relational bonding. As far as his fiancée, well, if she's going to be Aunt someone, she'll have a memory to share in future, too. As far as what someone in the generation younger than you was able to do - so what, much easier for them.

Tomorrow I will NEED to discover from pharmacy whether anything has been called in for me.
Also it is trash but not recycling day.
Also the small bathroom is in NEED of attention.