Adventures in Texas......

No crying but some choice words.....

I have already mentioned that it is oppressively hot and humid.....almost like taking a shower with your clothes on.  Might be more fun than a seriously cold shower.  I am speaking from experience 😟 

The first time I was unaware that if one person is taking a shower (at my sister's house) then the other shower  only becomes tepid ~ on the cold side.  I managed.  It wasn't the most fun.  But this morning I decided I would get my shower done early, turned on the faucet and nothing....no hot water.....not even close to hot water.......

So, I thought, well, I'm ready, I have my lovely shower cap on.  Let's see how this goes.  Oh.  I didn't really cuss or use real words, but mumbled and grumbled while I did my best to take a really quick one, only hitting the important parts.  But wow, when that cold water hit my upper back, I almost jumped out. 

Turns out that there was a lot of wind here yesterday while we were in Austin and it blew out the pilot light. 

I couldn't even yell out, it was too early and I figured I would wake everyone up with my screaming 😱

So now that's 2 cold showers I've had since I arrived!!

Have a lovely day....

Love, 365

Broiling in Texas........

Garden flowers......

I made the drive to Texas without much trouble....except for driving through El Paso, where those people are just crazy.  I think I'm going to change my route to avoid it on my trip back.  Ugh.  I'm sorry, but that is one ugly town.

It is very dry here, but yesterday there were showers that helped cool things down a little bit, but the humidity!  I am not acclimated to that anymore.  I love my hot and dry much better than hot and steamy.  Since we aren't allowed inside the assisted living facility, we have to visit with Mom through the window.  The screens are fairly dark, making it hard for us to see inside, although I think they can see us ok.  Those visits don't last very long, it is just so blasted hot.  Still, it is good to see her and see that she seems comfortable.  On the negative side, she is refusing physical therapy (which has always been a problem).  Her caregiver ~ who is staying with her at the assisted living ~ thinks it's due to her dementia, but my sis and I think it's more due to stubbornness. 

My Mom is a lifelong sewist (someone who sews).  She made us clothes, and later began embroidery, crochet, and eventually found her love of quilting.  She has made many quilts over the years.  When they moved her to assisted living, I was not happy that Mom insisted that she wanted all of her quilts there.  I was worried about theft ~ they are valuable, and very nicely done.  To our surprise, she asked my sister and I to come and she would decide which quilts she would keep there, and which ones she would let us take.  We now have the majority of them, but she wasn't up to letting them all go yet.  Then we had to find a way to fairly divide the quilts between the two of us.  Which could be bad, because there are a few that we both loved!  We divided them into sizes, which luckily enough was stacks of equal number.  At one point, when the choice was simply impossible, we flipped a coin and one of us called it and then made their choice.  We did bargain a little bit ~ one quilt she really wanted, so I asked for one of our Grandmother's clocks that I always coveted, along with the quilt that wasn't quite as popular.....this all seems so stupid, but the quilts mean so much to us.  We've thrown out tons of photos, but the quilts ~ that was emotional. 

Actually it's all emotional.  To stand in the living room and Mom is not there ~ that got to me.  To realize she won't ever step foot in her house of 52 years.  Never look out to watch the birds, or ask us to water a plant, or change out the wreath by the door (yes, she had a wreath  by the door for every season).  Saturday was really difficult for me.  Sunday was a little bit better, but when my boys came I noticed my youngest was very quiet.  He texted me later to let me know he was having a tough time with it, which made me so sad!  We are all struggling not only with emptying and selling the house, but Mom's refusal to do anything to improve her health.  My sister gets the worst of it because she lives here and can actually do something, whereas all I can do is call or text.  I just do my best to deal with my guilt that I am not around to help much.

Well, wasn't this cheerful! 

Have a great week!

Love, 365

The very last nerve....................

I thought this photo of the comet Neowise.  Sorry, but that's a dumb name.

Ms Loud spent all 4 days of working last week to drive me insane.  I am not kidding, I lost my mind last week.  I swear, she was doing it on purpose.  Now I get three wonderful weeks without her in my life.  Yay me.

This coming Thursday I will be leaving to drive to Texas.  Yeah, you heard right!  I haven't had enough Covid, so I decided to go to a hot spot. 

Truthfully, I won't have much contact with strangers.  Just family, who have all been careful.  My sister lives on a small ranch with neighbors that are so far away you have to meet them at the gas pump or the grocery store. 

So, I won't be around until the first part of August.  So, remember:

Wash your hands

Stay home as much as possible

Wear your mask

Love, 365

It's the little things that make you crazy........

A swallowtail visited my butterfly bush.....he/she(?) was about as large as my hand.

This was a tough week.  We are on week two of being short one person, which puts a strain on us all.  Because we don't close at lunch, we stagger it, which is fine except that Ms. Loud pretty much insists on taking lunch at noon.  That way, she can miss the craziness of all those patients checking out, and eat lunch at her desk (she runs errands or something when she leaves) in the down time of 1 to 2.  It's not that big a deal, but it annoys me.  The one day I planned on asking to go at noon she had a phone conference scheduled, so she took noon again.  It's a little thing ~ the little thing that drives others crazy after awhile.  And yes, of course she plans it! 

Our hygienist that I've written about before is now working a few days a week.  As I had always thought, it is not her UTI, it's not her sinus infection, it's not her blood pressure meds.  It is plain and simple anxiety ~ which is really not plain and simple at all.  We've had to employ the temp agency to provide us with a hygienist for nearly two months.  Last week our OM had a call from the agency that there is no one available on Wednesday.  She asked me my opinion on calling our hygienist and I said sure, go for it.  And she agreed to come.  But then, at 6:30 in the morning she called and said she couldn't do it.  The OM told her "you can let this control you, or you can take control of it", and she decided to come in.  Luckily (not for the practice) for her the first patient failed to come, giving her the opportunity to relax a little.  She made it through the day and the next, but did not offer to come on Friday.  I don't know what will happen next week.  We are just taking it day to day for now.  I get it.  It's stressful.  They have a ton of ppe to wear.  She's just not really up to it.  But I think it's wrong to keep the office in a perpetual state of uncertainty.  She needs to figure out what to do because we can't keep on this way ~ hiring temporary hygienists is very expensive.  I figured this out long ago when I had to hire someone at my old office, but I did see the bill last week.  Wow. 

In two weeks I will be in Texas.  After a bit of discussion with Romeo, I am driving my own instead of renting one.  My car doesn't even have 20,000 miles on it yet, so it's time to take a long road trip!  I had the oil changed and fluid levels checked and the tires rotated yesterday.   Unfortunately it is summer in Texas.  Somehow it seems as though I always end up in Texas when the weather SUCKS!!!  I still have plans to return in October if I still have enough paid time off.  The estate sale rep is meeting me on Tuesday, which gives my sister and I lots of time to take out what we and the grandkids want to keep.  So, as far as I know, all is set up and ready to go.  Murphy, please take a hike.  You know Murphy right?  Has his own Law and everything?  Die Murphy, die........

Lol....

Have a wonderful weekend!

Love, 365

Happy Birthday, America...........

Credit: https://i.huffpost.com/gen/1585786/images/o-GRAND-CANYON-RIVER-facebook.jpg

The United States of America will turn 244 years old on Saturday.  Not very old in the grand scheme of things. 

It is my home, my birthplace, and when I die, it will be the place I'm buried. I love this country.  I have always loved it, even when it made me cry. 

It is beautiful and hideous, all at the same time....

Slums of Detroit

Credit: http://www.mikerembis.com/images/Sarena2.jpg

We have freedom and oppression and discrimination and the opportunity to create our own idea of the "American Dream". 

We have politicians that inspire or embarrass and everything in between.  We have policies that never change with the times, or reflect the desires of the American people. 

Are there problems?  Sure.  There always have been and always will have.  It's like your Grandmother.  You love her, and she loves you.  But you don't take your girlfriend to meet her because she will drink and say things that mortify you, and all your childhood secrets will be exposed.....

We are the people of the United States of America.  We do our best to make it a great place to live, or we don't do enough to make sure that everyone has a fair shake.  It is an enigma wrapped in ugliness with a beautiful bow, spritzed with air freshener.  I still love my country.  I'd rather live here than anywhere else. 

Happy Birthday!

Love, 365