Contemplating options and other random thoughts.....

There are times when you need a rainbow unicorn butterfly kitty....

I really thought I would be posting something every day.....but as it turns out I just don't have that much writing in me.  I read yours everyday though.  It helps me get through the day, your blogs and my coffee.  I am very appreciative of the snarky, creative stuff that I read.  One of you listed a pro and con on the viral apocalypse that I thought I would take a stab at.

Let's do cons first, because I'd prefer to end on a more positive note :-)

~Well, I'd say one of the biggest cons is the fact that none, or most ? are earning considerably less money, or perhaps no money at all.  Some of us have filed unemployment, which may help us get through this period except that by the time you've spent 2 hours on their website you realize a monkey on crack probably could have done a better job designing theirs.  But I do feel bad for those that are processing all of those claims.  Could you imagine??  Or, worse yet, answer the phones.  That's one job I wouldn't want to do.

~You are stuck in close quarters with your spouse/kids/mother/father ( & etc) for many more hours in the day than you're used to.  It's like walking through a pond with a thousand snapping turtles.

~You get a sudden craving for something you don't have in the pantry or fridge and are forced to find an equivalent.  So, you want ice cream but settle for frozen peaches you've blended into a smoothie type thing.  

~You have to eat your own cooking.  Really, you're going to eat frozen dinners for weeks on end?  No matter how skilled or unskilled you are, you're going to want something that doesn't have freezer burn.  I'm not really sure fast food should be named food....I will have to think about that one.

~There is nothing left to do except organize, or clean, or laundry because you already finished all the unfinished crafty projects you had lying around.  TV has lost it's appeal.  We become manic for something to do that will satisfy your need to accomplish something fun.  

~We can't buy more crafts or projects because we're cutting way back on expenditures. 

Pros

~You start thinking that this "preview" of retirement isn't as bad as you thought it might be.  I've become addicted to my morning walks!  It's a miracle.....

~You leave off cleaning your desk, because hey! there is always tomorrow....or next week.

~You don't feel the need to wear makeup or jewelry or nice clothes.  Who cares?  Today I ran into one of our hygienists at Costco, and I didn't care about no makeup because I had a face mask on.  Lol

~You discover that your spouse has an ironic sense of humor that you never appreciated before, and, oh by the way, he talks to the dog.  A lot.  Which takes some of the conversational pressure off of you.  

~Sleeping in.  This is not guaranteed though.  Most mornings I wake up at the same time I do when I work, but the difference is I can lay in bed and browse my phone.  For like, an hour.  Or until the smell of coffee drifts up to your nose, because your spouse has to get up and feed the dog and always starts the coffee.

~Nearly everyone you encounter on your walk smiles, says good morning or at least waves a friendly greeting.  

~And the memes......

 

 

 Be safe, and check on your family, friends & neighbors!

Love, 365

Social aloofness.........

Shiprock, New Mexico.....

Today I took my walk early ~ I left the house at about 8:10 am or so.  Now, I am not a "morning exerciser".  I prefer late morning and later.  But the parks and walking paths around here are becoming too crowded.  So this morning I left early to avoid the crowds, which isn't like Chicago or New York by any means.  But, if you recall, Romeo counted over 100 people on his walk on Monday, which is about 70-80 more than he normally encounters.  

Luckily, it was chilly but the sun was shining.  The walk was so pleasant.  I am now, at least during the corona virus self-isolation/distancing issue, getting out before 8:30.  

Yesterday I didn't walk, and honestly I felt a bit depressed ~ probably because I did way too much sitting.  So, I'm going to make myself get out early with one caveat...if it's windy I will walk indoors on my stupid, boring, annoying treadmill.  I'll tell you, although I'm grateful to still have it, I really don't enjoy it that much.  

I also took a chance and went to the grocery store to pick up a few things.  To my great surprise, I found bread flour and regular flour, milk, eggs, etc.  Now I have plenty of bread flour, which I was getting low on.  Since I bake all of the bread we eat, it's no bueño to not have bread flour.  And Romeo bought white, bleached, "fortified" flour, which is total crap....well, at least to a baker it's crap.  Yesterday he made a white cake and I told him to use the flour HE bought, but did he?  No.  Ugh, on some things we're driving ourselves crazy.  It doesn't help that he is losing his hearing.  Every time I say something he always asks me to repeat it.  I guess now I will walk right up to him before I say anything.  ARGHHHHHH, he needs to get his hearing checked, but knowing the man like I do, he probably won't consistently wear his hearing aids (you know, the ones I'm sure they are going to recommend).  

Well, that's enough bitching for today, right?  Well, except for this:

From #Shitology:

After all the stupid things that

I've done in my life, if I die

because I touched my face, 

I am going to be pissed.

Stay safe, stay home ~ don't forget to check on your friends and neighbors!

Love, 365 

Staying home........

Spring, making it's way to New Mexico....

This is a foot bridge over one of the major roads, on my walk route....

Two weeks ago at work we were given the news that beginning the next day !!!  we would be cutting back on what we are doing in the (dental) office.  No cleanings.  Emergency treatment only (broken tooth, severe pain, infection, etc).  That day we worked like crazy folks, calling to cancel/move appointments.  My work hours have gone from 34-36 hours to 12 or so.  Yesterday was my last day of work until April 8th.  I have 3 weeks of vacation time remaining.  One of my co-workers plans to take all of her pto time, then go on unemployment ~ and said she will not come in for those two days a week once she is on unemployment.  It's understandable.  I've been wondering if I should do the same.  But I'm one of those people that needs time to think about stuff.  Sometimes I need a long time to think about it........

I did start a silk ribbon embroidery project.  It's been years since I've put my hand to something like that.  

Romeo is going nuts.  He takes Sioux out every day, and has started incorporating a little running into his outing.  But on Monday he texted me (while at work) that he saw so many people in the park, he was curious so started counting them ~ and came up with over 100!  Normally you might see 20 or so people on the 3 mile route.  He decided to go earlier to avoid the majority.  

One of my friends posted on FB that her cats are becoming irritated that she's home all the time ~ I replied that on the other hand, dogs are celebrating, their people are home!  All the time!  Lol....

 And now, for the funnies....

Stay safe, y'all, and for goodness sake, stay at home!

Love, 365

Oh, New Mexico......

This photo, and the next few are pics of New Mexico's beauty, posted on Memories and Photos in New Mexico....I apologize that I don't have their names, nor did I write down where they were taken.  But their beauty is undeniable....

I am still having trouble with the unemployment web site, and cannot get through.  

My office is having a virtual meeting today at 10 am.....I assume we will be informed that we will be closed for another week or two.  New Mexico has over 83 confirmed cases ~ a testament to our low population, lack of big cities, a large rural community.  The weird part was that on Bing (who has a daily corona virus update) it listed 83 and then (+26).  Are they expecting there will be 26 more confirmed cases?  No explanation.  

Yesterday I went for a hike with a friend ~ we are lucky in that the Sandia Mountain foothills are right up the street from me, tons of open space ~ 5 miles later I was exhausted but felt better.  However, our impending meeting has made me anxious and nervous.  I hate watching the news, but feel if I don't watch at least some of it, I won't be aware of what's happening.  

I hope all of you are well, and taking care of each other......don't forget to check on your neighbors!

Love, 365

P.S. I was finally able to get in to the unemployment web site.....it's a miracle!

It's bad enough living next to a lunatic......

Actually it should read: out there.......

You know, we live in a pretty nice neighborhood.  Everyone keeps things kept up and looking nice.  Even my wacked out crazy ass neighbor's front yard looks ok from the street.  But when you creep up closer you notice a few oddities, like a lawn mower under their huge tree.  They don't have any grass.  

But first a quick review: 30-40ish son still lives with his mother, because he's mental.  He hasn't had a job since we moved here, 20 years ago.  As time goes on, his quirks get quirkier.  This past year he bought drums and has taken to practicing them out in the back yard.  Then he got a guitar.  Now he's playing music ~ you know, regular songs ~ and tries to play along with it. 

His poor mother has no friends.  Although she did manage to evict him once, that only lasted a year and he was back.  I think she feels as though she can't kick him out because he would have no where to go, and she has no backbone, so doesn't put her foot down when he does stuff that she has to know is not fun for us neighbors.

Today took the cake.  Last year he had a small motor bike ~ not a dirt bike, but sort of like a mix between a vespa and a kids motorbike.  Apparently he had quite the accident on it and was laid up for awhile, but today he was revving the engine and riding it around their tiny little backyard.  And here I had hoped that the damned thing was totaled.  He did used to be a mechanic, so I guess he repaired it.  But honestly!  In the back yard?  

We will never be able to sell this house as long as those two nut jobs are living next door.  It's a good thing we didn't have that in mind, although that was my thought as I was trying to watch tv with all that racket going on.  Romeo said he has made complaints before and the city did nothing, but I'm going to try again.  

Hope you have better neighbors than I do.

Love, 365

Governmental agencies that make isolation even more aggravating.....

Sioux, and the black blob is Brodie.......

Hello friends!  Well, I've just had all kinds of fun today.  Actually, part of it was fun, we took Sioux out for a walk....but it was colder than I anticipated so we only went out for about a mile or so.  My hands were both sweaty and cold, it was odd.  She does love to go out, Romeo made her a super long leash that lets her run (albeit in circles kind of like a horse running in a corral).  After that I ate some avocado toast, which I love and is a good thing because right now we have 8 avocados that need to be eaten.  I have the sourdough starter refreshing to make bread tomorrow, because what we have will be gone later today.  

I think I mentioned before how thankful I was that my medicare insurance started on January 1, and 7 days later I fell playing racquetball and broke my left arm.  What I didn't know until December was that I need to pay for Part B, which comes to about $144 a month.  Which is sure cheaper than any other insurance I could get!  But why they want me to pay 3 months in advance is a mystery to me.  I'm sure it's to make things easier for them.  At any rate, I called them on Wednesday to discuss setting up "easy pay" so that they will simply deduct it from my account on a monthly basis.  But.  And there's always a but!  I will still be required to pay the 3 months premium in order to set up easy pay.  The rep I spoke to said she couldn't recommend I pay one month at a time, but she didn't say I couldn't.  So, after much deliberation (due to the uncertainty of finances at this time) I decided I would just pay one month at a time, making certain it is there by the 20th.  Well, except for this time, which gets there on the 25th.  Why do they have to add anxiety when we are all already experiencing so much apprehension?  I guess that's the government for ya.  

I also decided I would work on applying for unemployment, as apparently they are allowing us to file if our hours have been cut due to COVID-19.  The last time I was on their website was over 5 years ago.  I had deleted (drat!) my login/password about a year ago from my password program, thinking I wouldn't be needing it again.  So I figured I would create a new account, but NO they won't let you do that.  To get help with that I have to call them ~ the last 3 times I tried to call they were/are/will be so busy they tell me to call back later.  Who knows how long it will take me to get through.....

So, other than doing a little walking on the treadmill and some reading, and occasionally calling  the unemployment office, I guess I'm done with productivity until tomorrow.

Don't forget to check on the people around you!

Love, 365

Our undiscovered country......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fOqE8ToGEY

If you haven't seen this video, & it doesn't play, just download the address.  Go ahead, I'll wait....hahaha.

Apparently this is the work of someone who has been in self quarantine for a couple of hours.  

I, unfortunately am not that creative.  I've been reading blogs and walking on my treadmill ~ I have a self imposed goal of walking on it at least twice for 30 minutes today, and going with Romeo to walk the dog.  Who is happy that everyone is home, and can take her on multiple walks a day.  I wasn't quite ready at the first one, but we'll go out around 2 pm or so for another.  

Yesterday, at the morning staff meeting, we were informed that our office is "closed"/"open".  We have cancelled all hygiene appointments and all non-essential dental treatment.  But the doctors are there, doing crowns and root canals and extractions.  Today the doctor I work for didn't really have enough treatment to warrant going in, so we're off until Tuesday.  We moved a lot of essential treatment to yesterday, which had us there until 6 pm.  We have patients scheduled for Tuesday, where we will work on the schedule for the rest of the week, answer phones and see emergency patients.  The other dentist is there today, and one of my co-workers texted me that one of their patients wasn't feeling well, and had recently traveled to New York.  Sheesh.  I don't know if they worked on her or not, but they should have given her a mask and sent her home.  I hope that's what they did.  

It isn't easy to make a 24 hour transition from utter chaos to practically nothing to do.  I certainly don't want to sit and watch tv all day.  I've lost a tiny bit of weight on my diet & exersize program and I don't want to gain it all back on my first day of self imposed exile from the world!  

On Monday I paused our gym membership ~ I hear they are going to close anyway ~ which was a hard decision to make.  Here I am, I have plenty of time to really hit it at the gym....but I'm not going.  They don't provide anti-microbial wipes, they are only for "cleaning".  They do offer hand sanitizer, but it's really just too much to expose myself to.  Most of my racquetball friends are still going.  To each their own, right?  But, Romeo is 70.  I don't want him to expose himself to that, nor do I.  I don't have enough vacation/personal leave time to get sick.  

Who knows if this two week shut down will be enough.  We may find ourselves shut down for longer.  I'll be registering for unemployment later today too, won't that be fun?

Take care and be safe. 

Love, 365

The shower and the *&H^%$# virus.....

No wine for me, but beer works!

All of my habits are nearly back to normal.  I can do my own hair.  I don't need the handicapped chair in the shower anymore.  I still need the shower brush (wow, my back doesn't itch anymore, those are wonderful), and the handy little paddle for putting lotion on my back.  

But ever since my accident, I've been showering in the evening.  Mostly it was a necessity because it took too long, and I didn't want to have to get up that early.  This morning was the first time I showered in the morning since January 8th.  Last night my sister called and we chatted so long I decided to go for it in the morning.  

In retrospect, it was probably not a good idea to take my first morning shower the week after the time change....I could barely get myself out of bed.  Plus, I think I've become accustomed to that extra half hour of sleep.  The other coincidence was that I had my physical yesterday, where they gave me a pneumonia vaccine shot.  In the other arm of course, which was also a mistake.  Now both arms hurt to put pressure on, and I didn't really feel so hot.  

But I am now a firm believer in evening showers.  It's worth it for the extra 1/2 hour of snooze time. :-)

****************************

I have reached maximum saturation on news reports on the Covid 19 virus.  Although I appreciate the updates on a purely planning level ~ for instance I am putting off my Texas trip until things have settled down, unless our office is shut down for a week or so..then we'll just drive there ~ the hysteria that is occurring because of it is simply another example of how reactive people are.  Stupidly.  A couple of people in my office have gone to lengths to go out and buy those things that are flying off the shelves.  Not that they need them, but simply because everyone else is doing it.  Sigh.  

Be safe.

Love, 365

Thank you James Joyce......

James Joyce was Irish....that explains a lot :-)

His genius: "you're getting on my nerves" ~ an expression that will likely never go out of style.

I'm willing to bet y'all know what's coming......yeah, it's Ms Loud again, comin at ya with her big ol' boots, smiling while trampling on my last nerve. The very last one.....

Which began right off the bat on our first day of work this week, pretty much at 8am.  Timing is everything, right?  She then had the audacity to continue trampling through for the entire week.  By Thursday afternoon I was looking for 5pm to come along so she would go home, not to be seen again until next Tuesday.  ARGHHHHH  

You've heard the recommendation of our medical professionals on preventing the spread of infection of the good ol' corona virus, right?  DON'T TOUCH YOUR FACE

oops

oops again....

In 2015 someone did a study on how often we touch our faces (I know, what a waste of money, right?) and it turns out that in one single hour, the average is 24 times.  Mostly of our eyes, nose and mouth.  I was listening to a radio program where they were talking about avoiding touching your face....this was while I was rubbing my eye, and the itchy nose.  They even admitted that it's nearly impossible to just stop touching it.  They recommended you become aware of how often you do it, which when I paid attention was pretty terrifying.  Now they are calling the virus COVID-19.  I don't know~ are they trying to make it sound more horrible?  A later radio broadcast featured a physician discussing how the corona virus doesn't transmit as easily as say, the flu.  

Although it is nice to have a break from the childishness of the current political situation, I think the media is fueling fear of the illness.  I have been unwittingly drawn into it, wavering on when I should go to Texas to visit the family.  I had planned on going in May.  Now I wonder if I should just wait until August........

So, I haven't decided yet.  I should just go ahead and book it since it's Southwest.  I've rescheduled flights before without penalty.  Ahhhhhhh, my indecision is driving me crazy.  And I'm not excited to spend time in a closed environment, breathing in everyone's crud.  Almost tempted to drive it.

Enjoy your weekend!

Love, 365

How time flies...........

I've watched this You Tube video a few times and find it hilarious.  Especially the lady on the sofa who keeps asking Alexa to turn up the heat.....reminds me of my Mom. :-). If the video doesn't play, put this URL into your browser:   https://youtu.be/YvT_gqs5ETk

We have a couple of Echo units, one is in the living room ~ where the typical question is what the weather forecast is for the next day or two, or when our favorite series will start up again with new episodes.  Or, if we are watching a history program we might ask Alexa a question or two.  Really, I have discovered they are a waste of money, although we do use the timer function when baking, and I play music when I'm doing a onerous task (like dishes or making Christmas cookies).  I've asked Alexa to tell me a joke a time or two.....but none of them (so far) were funny enough to repeat.  Ah, well.  

I have not been in my office for anything other than cleaning things up, and keeping my laptop charged for the past two weeks.  Romeo has had enough of me being sequestered in here to study and if I tell him I'm going to my office he will tempt me with a movie or a new episode of a series I watch.......I know what he's doing.  The funny thing is I'm not sure he realizes what he's doing ~ it's kind of sweet, but this morning I managed to get up here and write before y'all think I've passed on or decided not to blog anymore :-)

Update: my broken arm is so much better.  I was able to use my flat iron to curl my hair yesterday without too much trouble ~ well, except I wasn't able to do too much with the back of my head.  Soon I will be able to dry my own hair and use a new hair dryer/brush contraption I bought because I thought I could do my own hair with it with one arm ~ but no.  Nearly everything I use to style my hair requires the use of two arms, assuming you can raise both arms to above my head.  I confess that I have not been doing much of the physical therapy I was given, because it would make my arm ache for hours afterward.  So instead of doing it 3 times a day, I managed to do it once a day and then take an advil.  I still have another month to go before my next orthopedist appointment, where I am hoping he gives me the ok to play racquetball again. 

I am already tired of politics.  I haven't watched any of the debates ~ at least not on purpose.  I did see a few clips on the news, and was disgusted by their childishness.  Honestly.  There's not a single person I'm excited about voting for.  I am not a democrat, nor am I a republican.  And forget about independent, that's just a platform for politicians that simply don't want to compete against our two major parties.  The worst of it is still to come.  Maybe I'll take up knitting while listening to opera, lol.

I wish all of you a great week ahead.....
Love, 365

All you need is love...........

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!  We did not do much ~ Romeo asked if I wanted to go out to a restaurant ~ my reply ~ Are you crazy?  It's Valentine's Day and a Friday.......  So it was a quiet evening at home.  Really, the best kind.

I had taken Tuesday and Wednesday off, mostly because there was an event at the church and partly because I needed a break (ha ha, no pun intended).  What is it about having a week or two of vacation, and when you get back to work you wish the vacay had been just a few more days!  It's just never long enough, right?  And although I hear the call of retirement, I really must pay off my car first before I can consider that.  I plan to make some extra payments to hurry that along.

I received a statement from the orthopedist office for my first visit.  I could not believe that they charged $1200 for "treatment of a proximal humerus fracture" ~ they didn't do anything.  They didn't even take x-rays.  I didn't have to pay that, thankfully.  My copay was $50.  Still, it is very shocking.  My co-worker said if I hadn't had insurance they probably wouldn't have charged me that much, but I disagree.  This past week they took x-rays to check on healing, and he had me do some movements while he palpated the shoulder to check on mobility.  I shudder to see how much that bill will be.  Once again I am so thankful that all of this happened after I had insurance coverage, which I didn't have just a few days before.  :-0

But life is good, I have work, and my supportive and loving guy, and Sioux is keeping me company while I sit here and type with the sun streaming in the window. 

Have a great weekend.....Love, 365