A new week and a new attitude Monday August 12, 2025

[Harriet]

Bathroom cleaning - check
Declutter - check
Desk Day - resisting, maybe because I'm feeling as though there is no bandwidth for it. But HRH has made his two DPCs. I realized the bandwidth thing about myself when I had to go to another part of the house while he talked to those. I'm just not at that place right now.

Ramblin', yes it sounds like steroids. I think when I was taking them my circadian rhythm traveled full circle around the clock and landed, having lapped itself.

I am using my card file full time now

a good thing.

[blessedw2]

just came back from hospital - she looks worse for wear - but her numbers are better.
My brother is there now until 5 and the helper is here until 6 pm.

The G.I. team mom had before wanted to do a procedure tomorrow - it wasn't necessary and we said no - it would be her 4th time that they sweep out the tube to gallbladder but her liver and bilirubin numbers are very good. They didn't ask us and just set it up. It is now cancelled and the hospitalist thinks we are right.

cards puIled: I want to vacuum and then swish and swipe the first floor.
I am tired of heat.

waving at d harriet
waving at d lady
waving at everyone.

[Twins' Mom]

We're home! Dh did all the driving, so we made very very good time. I would not have driven his car so fast. The thing was, I took dramamine and was sleepy, but he was sleepy too so wanted me to stay awake to talk to him. Small irritations with trip - but we're home and it doesn't matter. Crystal River was beautiful, I'll post a photo from my Dropbox, but hot hot and rainy. Downtime all day on Saturday, which was fine. Yesterday was a boat ride around the bay and early dinner out but the heat was getting to me.

Yes, a new week. Need to get my act together!

I'll CUOP in a bit...

[Twins' Mom]

I'll join the "not sleeping well" crowd. I was overheated yesterday afternoon into evening and somehow it carried over into sleep. And I was needing to be up at 6 a.m. so I often sleep poorly under those conditions. I felt warm most of the night.

This a.m. we had breakfast with dh's dsis, whom we hadn't seen in several years. You might remember our often complaints that dh was still working and they would travel near, but then expect us to go to them on short notice. So we turned the tables - we were actually pretty close to them geographically but suggested Sunday a.m. brunch or early breakfast today so we could get on the road. Anyway, dh was clearly the bigger of the two.

Bw2, so sorry your dmom is hospitalized again but glad it was caught early. I completely understand about needing less complication for a few days, and a return to the card file.

RR, sounds so painful! Will the surgery take care of the recurring infections? I hope the bleeding stops soon and the steroids are short lived.

Ten years of home school, LadyM! Remember how much research and trial and error it took when you started? And now a senior! I'm glad that dd is getting the autism screening. May give you and her some insights.

And sorry for Harriet's poor sleep, too. The chance to stay home and do what was planned sounds lovely.

Waving to Nancy who was up in the night! What is in the night air? I think the full moon was Saturday p.m. - friends were commenting on the "king tide" and rain causing higher than usual tide and standing water.

[Nancy]

I have listened to audio book and did have a brief nap.
The burner was not on a high enough setting so eggs were soft boiled but still edible.
Gave one to ddoggo too. One more for Tomorrow.
I have never eaten a cold soft boiled egg before so that was new for me!

Read some in two other books today also.
Got my notes from the weekend in my notebook as well.
I had decided on the hot days I could do a reading retreat it's been lovely!

So glad I did catch up on tasks this weekend.
I worked on the dining table and it's looking better yea!
I have spiffed the kitchen counters & tossed the stuff I needed to go.
It's looking better.

[Harriet]

blessed, it sounds as if your family made a good call on cancelling. A case should be made to you prior to any decision, since decisions rest with you.

So glad your trip home was quick and safe, Twins', and you got to check in with family.

Oh, I am not much for eggs that are not cooked, cooked, cooked, Nancy. Lol! Just don't like the look, and often texture gives me the ickies. I am aware that many folks eat downright runny eggs and sometimes they are runny in accordance with the recipe. Bet the pup was wagging her tail over good fortune.

Like Nancy, I am finding entertainment from books in media on these hot days. Mysteries by Agatha Christie and similar, to keep the little grey cells happy. Now in the middle of Murder is Easy. I don't think these folks who dramatize them all read the same book, lol! But maybe that makes it all the more entertaining for someone who is not a purist, and I suppose I'm not. The Residence on Netflix (big recommendation from HRH) was not given a second season after all, but the mystery was complete in 8 episodes and had an Emmy nomination. The scuttlebutt was that it fell victim to Netflix itself, which was releasing shows too rapidly at the time and viewers were just spread too thin.

Considerably more cleaning done today than I expected, since I changed my mind on the Desk Day calls.

[Lady Maverick]

What a trip!

After an hour interview, DD14 received 4 preliminary diagnosis which they wll be doing followup testing to confirm -
1 - ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder)
2 - ADHD (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder)
3 - CPTSD (Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
4. DMDD (Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder)
DD14 shared more today about what she experienced before coming to live with us. She doesn’t remember everything, only bits and pieces. It’s traumatic for me to hear about it, and I can’t imagine how she is coping with it.
The front office was closed by the time our appointment was over so we don't know when the testing will be scheduled. They told us it will take 3-5 hours for the testing.

When we got out of that appointment it was raining HARD. We went across the street to a Crumbl store to get some sweets. We have heard of these cookies but never experienced them. I'm glad we got to try them, but we all agreed they are over hyped and not that good.
It was still downpouring with lots of lightning, so we decided to find a restaurant to wait out the storm. We had an amazing time at a fancy Italian restaurant. It was pricier than what we usually go for, but we all agreed it was worth it. DD14 said she's forever spoiled declaring their food was like fine art. She asked how can anyone eat fast food after eating that.

The rain slowed down so we started the drive home. During the first 40 miles we saw 3 wrecks. Then the rain got worse, and everyone was driving 40 mph below the speed limit, trying to avoid hydroplaning and stay on the road. We got off the interstate and found a parking lot to sit in and let the worst of the storm pass. We made it within 5 miles of our home before the heavy rains started again. We reduced our speed and caretully crept the rest of the way home.

[MysteryWoman]

Good evening, everybody!

Thanks for the verse, blessed! So glad the UTI was found quickly. It's shocking how much effect a simple infection can have in older folks. Do enjoy the relative peace and quiet while you can!

Slept better than most of you, I think, but I'm practically ready for bed now, and it's only 9:30 here. (My typical bedtime is more like 11.)

Happy New School Year to your kids, LadyM! I hope DD's appointment today went well.

Good for you, Harriet, on recognizing secondhand dread and rerouting your day accordingly.

Got some payroll done today, had an appointment, and got some long-procrastinated paperwork done. It needs to be notarized, so I wanted to have it ready to go when we went to the library in case they had a notary. They don't, so I will have to get in touch with a friend and see when she might be able to bring her seal home from work. This is for DD's unclaimed funds (custodial account that she couldn't access but was turned over to the state ). Claims for anything over a certain amount must be notarized, and her account had well over that amount! If it weren't so much of a hassle to switch banks, I would -- at least DD has her account at a different bank, so she won't have to give Bank X her business with the funds they denied her. If any of you have or are contemplating setting up custodial accounts for your grandkids, make sure to check your bank's policies on what happens to the funds when they come of age. Rather than having the funds simply become DD's property at 21, the bank wanted my mom to sign over the funds. By this point, Mom was bedridden and could neither speak nor write, and the bank would not accept my brother's power of attorney -- said he had to have a special one for the custodial account. Sorry for ranting. Just hoping we have this done soon and the state does not put up further hoops.

So the day was not wasted, even if I didn't get everything done that I would have liked to. Now I will head to bed and hope the heat does not keep me awake. Sweet dreams to all of you!

[Harriet]

LadyM, it seems your family got very complete answers so far and can look forward to even more information from the testing, so that's wonderful for dd14's reassurance. She is being heard. Thank goodness you got home safe through that awful weather.

Mystery, you've been doing a great job of taking up for your dd, too. Thanks for the sleeping wishes - we all seem to need 'em!

It may have been a blessing that our phone rang twice while I was trying to nap a bit today. I think the insistence, even though HRH was catching the calls, was enough to remind me that I didn't want to zonk out completely and ruin another night by having schedule topsy-turvy. I will ponder whether I need an OTC pain pill again tonight and try to get it now rather than allowing sleep to be disturbed.

Tomorrow 3 priorities will be
Desk Day calls including one appt to make for Nov.
riding out with HRH for his errands.
final scrubbing in the master bathroom.

Thanks for the chat about school years starting. I checked and discovered that dgson15's new school begins on the 14th and that is really need-to-know for us. Will have to ask about hours, though - they simply don't seem to list it anywhere online.

[lucylee]

Tonight's post won't be as long... I am falling asleep at the keyboard. And I did not have a long nap today either -- may have slept 15-20 minutes.

Good to see blessed having a little bit quieter day -- hope your dmom feels better soon.

(((LadyM & DD))) It sounds like testing went well and DD will have the answers she's been seeking. I'm so sorry for all she has been through, but again, giving thanks that she has you and LordM in her life. It's probably not an exaggeration to say you two have probably saved her life.

DS woke me up around 8:30 or so, calling to tell me the carpenter friend was coming with his crew of two other men to clean out the insulation in the crawlspace and check for mold, repair plastic ground cover, etc... per the termite man's instructions.
I took a quick shower and was ready in plenty of time to greet them. They stayed under the floor most of the day, but I still felt like I was "on call" so I got absolutely nothing done in the house.
BTW -- the termite man priced this at approx $3000-$4000, right? These guys did the work for $950. Plus I bought large garbage bags, and DS and I will have to dispose of these -- probably 20-25 large contractor bags full of insulation in my backyard right now. SMH... $950 was a bit more than I wanted to pay, but it was sooo hot and these men were crawling around under the floor handling that mess just about all day long, with a break for lunch. They also put out rat poison I had bought, but they suspect squirrels are my problem. Sigh. Pest control lady told me that squirrels won't eat rat poison. Who knew?

Went to pick up dgd at school while DS took dgs to the dentist; then both dgrands stayed with me while DS and ddil went to the chiropractor.
Harriet, thanks for concern for ddil -- the chiropractor apparently helped her back, and her RIBS. He said she had twisted her ribs at the same time she pulled the muscle in her back.
DGS asked me to cook spaghetti... so I did and both dgrands ate with me.
Funny of the day:
DGD: I just want ONE scoop of spaghetti. I'm not really hungry for pasta today.
Also DGD, as DGS started helping himself: "Hey! Leave some for the rest of us!"
After we ate, they cleaned up their bedroom, I played a promised game of "Headache" with dgd, she cheated and won, and I took them home.

Cleaned up the kitchen... ran the dishwasher... tried to stay awake... going to bed.

I saw one shooting star last night... I'm not looking tonight. Have to get up at 7:00 to get dmom to the doctor tomorrow.
DS has appointment for CAT scan tomorrow morning.

PS — I guess this is as long as usual. I also spent 15-20 minutes spraying touch-up paint on my chairs. I think I’m going to be very pleased with this project when I finish.