Oh, the paranoia......

Oh, what a crazy day!  One of our hygienists called in sick for today ~ mostly she complained about a headache.  One of the symptoms of COVID.

Today, one of the four of us that works on the business side of the desk told us she was having stomach upset and diarrhea (cause you know, that's always something you want to share).  We told her to go home and rest.  Just found out that she is not coming in tomorrow either.

Around lunch time one of our dental assistants said she was feeling dizzy, and might have a migraine.  I gave her a couple of meclizine's and she went home. 

So, here it is, noon, and about a quarter of the staff is gone.  It was crazy busy, but we made it through.  Tomorrow another of the business staff is going to be late because she's also a property manager and is filing paper to evict a tenant.  She won't be long though, the last time she was in the office by 9am. 

For peace of mind, our office manager asked all 3 to get tested.  So, probably safe to assume that none of these people will be in until maybe Tuesday.  I just want to be transported to a warm sunny beach, where I could lay on the beach and drink cold beer for four days.

Now, I feel fairly confident that our hygienist is suffering from stress, and the fact that she became dehydrated....with all the personal protective equipment (ppe in case you didn't know the acronym) it is hard for them to drink enough ~ plus there's the consideration of having to go pee all the time.  She was tested before she came back to work (which was May 18th, so she's worked a total of 5 days over the last 8 days), and I thought the incubation period was at least a week, but apparently it's 2 to 14 days.  So, maybe?  My business desk co-worker is most definitely paranoid.  But when she gets sick she's nearly always out a week.  And as terrible as I feel about saying this, I think our dental assistant is making up her dizziness complaint and jumping on the bandwagon.  But, I could (and sincerely hope) that I'm just a mean bitch who isn't looking forward to the next few days.......

Hopefully all 3 will have negative results.  I also found out today that if you work in the health field that they can process your test and have a result in 24 hours...there's a bright patch on the horizon.

Oh, I wish I could retire now.......

Love, 365

Memorial Day is more than a day off from work......

Monday we celebrate Memorial Day.  We give thanks to all of those who have made great or ultimate sacrifices for all of us at home. 

Thank you for your service to us.........

Love, 365

We made it! (through the first "full" week back to work).......

I love Marigolds, they're just happy little flowers.....

We survived!  We went back to work this week, the only difference was we opened at 50% of our normal patient load.  Everyone must wear a mask ~ I was surprised that we had two patients that came in without one.  There's always two in a crowd?  I don't think that's right, lol.  We have also asked everyone to call when they are in the parking lot, but we had a bit of an issue with the patients that come at 8am.  We don't turn off our voice mail until after our morning meeting, and generally don't get the messages for 5 or even 10 minutes, because we have patients walking in.  One man became quite irritated with us because we weren't answering the phone at 7:50 when he arrived.  He didn't have a mask either.  He was a pill the whole time he was in the office, and we were super happy when he was done!  

Otherwise we adjusted to all this new stuff, and managed to get through the week.  The hygienists are adjusting to being without their beloved cavitron (the water jet that helps clean off tartar and stuff).  But they have to wear so much gear that the office feels like an ice box.  They are hot and uncomfortable.  I have to wear a mask (just one, where they are wearing two) and I chafe at that.  I don't know how they do it.  

Considering how many people have lost their jobs because the business shut down I am feeling blessed to have work.  Even though I sometimes complain about it....:-)

My hollyhocks continue to bloom....

As you can see, it is huge this year!  

Snapped a pic of some flowers while on my walk yesterday....lots of wild flowers blooming right now!

And with all those wild flowers and trees my allergies are in over-drive.  So I'm walking inside today.  I woke up this morning with itchy itchy eyes.   

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Love, 365

Dream a little dream......

Last night was as any other night ~ same routine.  Lock up, brush teeth and face, apply copious amounts of moisturizer, turn on the humidifier, read a little then off to dreamland.  Only that's not what happened.

Something woke me (could have been the dog) and I went to use the restroom, drink a tiny bit of water...sometimes I make a mental guess at the time and check to see how far off I am.  It was 11:55 or so, just before midnight.  I quietly returned to bed, made myself comfortable, closed my eyes. 

Nope.

I was wide awake.  So I lay there for awhile, listening to the sound of the humidifier, the occasional sound of a motorcycle race down the road that was repaved this weekend.  I could tell I was wasting my time.  Sleep didn't just allude.  It went on vacation.

I quietly gathered my kindle and pillow and crept downstairs to the sofa, grabbed a blanket and then went around turning off the night lights and the porch light (which is brighter than the sun, I swear I hate that bulb ~ of course it is an LED so it will last forever.  I may have to replace it when Romeo is out and about).  Romeo is really a fan of night lights downstairs, which I admit makes it easy to navigate in the dark of night.  I believe I turned off 3, plus the porch light.  I settle in, adjusting the pillow, snuggling under the blanket, moving the hair away from my neck (which tickles and bugs). 

This is where having an e-book with a built-in light is so handy.  I was on the last book in a series, a really fun read by Shannon Mayer (who is a very prolific fantasy writer ~ the Elemental series), and on the last 1/3 of the final bit of the story.  It was a very satisfying read, although the end was a bit sad, since ~ well, I won't say although I doubt any of you are reading it.  A few tears rolled down my cheeks, I wiped them away and switched off the kindle and turned to close my eyes.  Determined to sleep now.  I didn't check, but it was probably 1:30 - 2:00 am by then. 

Finally fell asleep to the song of crickets.

Love, 365

3 days to go.........

Abó ruins in Mountanair, NM

Was planning on walking my 3-5 miles today, but after yesterday my eyes are so itchy I nixed that idea ~ I guess I'll put some more miles on my treadmill.  I really need to get those allergy eye drops this weekend.  Spring is now morphing into summer temps, and the garden is doing well, and my marble sized tomato is now doubled in size.  I have noticed the loss of a few of the flowers, probably due to chilly mornings.  I certainly hope I have a lot of fresh home grown tomatoes, but if I only get 10, I'll be happy!

A shout out and brag on Romeo's abilities...this is the desk he built me, probably 14 years ago....

 He also made the letter holder with the bear...there is a drawer just below the desktop too.

 The hutch........

I love these little drawers...

 Garden marigolds......

 I love the texture of the Hollyhock flower buds...

They are starting to bloom too!

Have you noticed that baking bread has become the thing to do during this quarantine?  I recently began following a facebook site "perfect sourdough" ~ there's just no end to the posts.  It has flooded my feed.  If you search for sourdough on you tube, there are tons of how-to videos!  Bread baking at home is suddenly popular.  I wonder how long that will last when everyone is back to work?  

Well, it's time to get to work, still working on completing a few goals before Tuesday rolls around...

Love, 365

Rant and roll..........

View from the tram ride on the Sandia Mountains.....

I am still working on finishing up projects here at home before we return to work full time in a week.  Today I took all of the winter clothes from my master bedroom closet and moved it to the walk in closet in one of the other bedrooms.  One disappointment in this house is that there is no walk in closet in the master, but both of the other bedrooms do.  It's a small project....one small step at a time!  

Bad news on the refrigerator cleaning, it really ought to be done once every 4 to 6 months.  Other than maintenance cleaning, I've never done it that often.  I did put a reminder in my calendar to do it anyway.  I'll try to snag Romeo's help for the next one.

I have taken everything off of my desk and cleaned it too.  That took longer than the 2 hours for the fridge, but I took lots of breaks.   I still have a bit of a stack of papers but it's really not that big a deal.
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We had our "training" session at work today.  Let me tell you, I would quit right now if I could, it started off rather overwhelming and just went down hill on an icy slope from there.  I left feeling totally stressed out.  The first week back ~ next week ~ will be the worst, because we'll be tweaking the system as we go.  I get why clinical staff should change clothes, but I think admin. staff shouldn't have to.  Oh, and one of the bosses suggested we bring our clothes in a pillow case.  I'll feel like a hobo :-)  It's true though, if I were in a position to retire right now, I would do it.  So, I had my little melt-down at home, and as usual, Romeo had no clue how to deal with it.  Men can be so useless......

Well, I'm not thinking about it for now (Hello, Scarlett O'Hara!) and plan to enjoy my weekend as best I can. 

Love, 365

Happy Mother's Day!

To all of you Mom's out there, Happy Mother's Day to you!

Love, 365

Time to finish those projects.........

The Valles Caldera near Jemez Springs, New Mexico...

We have received our official notice that we will return to work in 9 days.  Well, for the doc I work for.  The other doc starts on 5/11.  It's just the luck of the draw.  And I think those docs are chomping at the bit to get back to earning money.  We have COVID training on Wednesday.  It starts at 8am, and who knows how long it will take ~ I anticipate 3 to 4 hours.

So, now that I know we are going back to 8 - 5, I really need to finish up those projects I had listed.  Not on paper, no that's not how I do things!  It's all in my head.  One of those projects was cleaning the fridge.  I don't know how long it's been since I've done the "take out everything" type of cleaning.  There's the maintenance type which is wiping up a spill, cleaning up a shelf when you notice there are a few crumbs or a ring from a bottle.  But the really BIG cleaning....a year?  Maybe closer to two.  Why have I waited so long?  It's a giant pain the patootie.  Right?  

Now, Romeo made mention of cleaning the fridge, but he throws out projects like that all the time.  It doesn't mean he's going to do it.  Sometimes it's likely a suggestion that is directed at me, but he doesn't say "Hey, is it time you clean the fridge?".  No, nothing that obvious ~ or helpful.  I could have replied, "Sure, and you can help me!".  Which is probably why he's not that obvious :-)  

At first all was going well.  Nothing I didn't expect.  But after removing the crisper drawers I saw it ~ Mt Vesuvius of a red chile spill.  Oh, My, God it was awful.

In New Mexico, red and green chile is part of the culture of some of the best food ever.  Green chile is a pain to peel and put in bags and freeze, because you're putting away at least a bushel.  Mostly it's two bushels.  Red chile is different, because you rehydrate the dried pods by simmering.  Once it's cooled, you put it in a blender until it's as smooth as it's going to get.  Then you strain that, so that at the end, you have a smooth red chile sauce that's fantastic in enchiladas, or tacos, or poured over eggs......there are endless possibilities.  And when you do this process, you wear your ugliest and oldest clothing and dish cloths, because you can't get that stain out.  It's kind of a red/orangey color.  Some folks I know have a tee shirt that they haul out every time they make the sauce....no use creating another ugly shirt.

So, back to the Mt Vesuvius thing.  Someone ~ it really doesn't matter who, but I can tell you it wasn't me, because I would have cleaned it immediately ~ spilled quite a bit of sauce in the back of the fridge.  They cleaned everything they could see.  Unfortunately there was a whole lot more they couldn't see.  It took forever, because it had dried, leaving puddles, and glued the glass to some of the shelves, so I had to soak them as best I could until I could get them off of the shelf supports.  

About 2 hours later, the fridge is white and sparkly again.  I guess I'll have to put a reminder in my calendar so I don't let it go so long again.  

I sure hope my other projects don't follow suit!  

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

My Mom is home from the hospital, and after a little temperature scare, is doing well.  I did not realize that your temperature can go up if you are dehydrated.  Interesting.

Love, 365

PS: I think I mentioned that my appeal to back date my unemployment was successful, but it's going to put a wrench in the upcoming weeks unemployment money.  I have regrets, but the machine is in motion now, and there's no stopping it.  Sigh.

Ready, set, go............

Yesterday we learned that we will start back full time on 5/18.  I am actually returning on 5/19 because we alternate Monday and Friday and that is not our scheduled Monday.  Sweet.  There's a big but there though.......because our hygienists will not be allowed to use the cavitron, which is a water tool they use to blast out all the tartar and plaque off your teeth.  Some people like it because they don't like the hand scaling procedure (you know, pick, pick, pick).  I have had both, and personally don't really care.  I think it depends on the skill of the hygienist.   The cavitron is a favorite of many hygienists, especially those that have been in the business for a long time and have arthritis in their hands and wrists.  In fact, one hygienist posted on FB that she has decided to retire, because she just can't hand scale anymore.  And we have two hygienists that have been doing this job for over 25 years.

The docs have decided to give them an extra 20 min for each patient (well they wanted 15, but our scheduling system works on 10 minute increments).   Which has made a scheduling nightmare for those of us who manage the it.  I'm just going to jump in and work one day at a time.  There's really not any other way to do it.  I'll take my chill pill, brace myself for angry and frustrated patients and move on.  Because there is one patient on each hygiene schedule a day that is going to be cancelled due to this scheduling snafu, unless someone cancels.  One of our docs said they were going to have the hygienists call their patients, but I knew almost immediately that he was giving me rainbows and unicorns.  We will be the ones that do it, they don't have time, we don't have enough phones, nor do we have any stations, unless they use their own cell phones.  Tell you what, no way would I call patients with my cell phone.  They would keep that number and then I would be stuck.

At least I have a week and a half before it begins.
******
My appeal to reverse the denial of backdating my unemployment claim was approved.  But I want you to take a good look at this:

 

Ineligible indefinitely not denied?????  What the heck?????

 If that's not a fine example of governmental gobbledygook, I don't know what is.  

Love, 365

More confusion, but good news!......

Took this while on a walk......

Hello everyone!  I have good news and very confusing news.  Apparently my Mom does not currently have COVID.  She has been tested twice while in the hospital, and the test results have come back negative both times.   So, what's up with the positive antibody test?  The nurse told me that there have been false positives.  However, she does have pneumonia.  So perhaps she was exposed minimally, and has developed antibodies. OR she never had COVID at all.  To say that we all aren't confused is rather an understatement.  However, regardless of what has happened, we are all extremely relieved and happy that she is in a stable condition, and with continued improvement she will likely be released before this weekend to go back home ~ unless her caregiver tests positive.  He had his test yesterday and we are waiting on the results.  I hope his test comes back negative, because otherwise Mom won't be able to go home, and will have to go to rehab for continued treatment while the caregiver recovers (if he does, but he isn't sick, so.......)  However, I know that there is a possibility that she might suddenly take a turn for the worse.  NO ONE KNOWS. 

What a relief.  My sister and I hope that *Jim has learned his lesson about being more careful at home, making sure to disinfect the groceries, and cancel the house cleaning services, and to tell his cousin not to come over.  You would think we wouldn't have to hope that he would "get it", right?  He's in his mid-70s.  Come on.....

In other news, it looks like we will be back to work full time by 5/18, unless our governor extends the stay at home order.  One of the docs is coming in this afternoon to put up the plexiglass barriers at the front desk area.  While he was there we asked what is the plan, and that's what he told us.  My co-worker and I are perfectly happy with 8 hours a week.......but when they start back, we go back.  It has been both great and annoying to be at home so much.  I've accomplished some projects I planned on, but I would like a little more time to complete some others.  Let's see what I can get done in the next week.  

Thank you for your well wishes and prayers for my Mom.  

Love, 365

It's happening..........

Mom at the top of the photo along with me and Son #1

I was watching our church live streaming service yesterday morning, when I received a call from my sister.  It seems Mom was at the ER with breathing problems, and was later admitted and confirmed that she has COVID-19.  Such a shock, and yet not.  Joe, Mom's caregiver, had not been practicing stringent measures.  She has been mostly home bound for years, has congestive heart failure, demetia, and end stage kidney disease.  They were still having the cleaning lady come on her regular schedule (once every 2 weeks), and didn't ask her to wear a mask ~ later I found out she travels, and probably cleans a lot of other homes.  Joe goes to a clinic for cancer treatments every couple of weeks, and has invited his cousin to come and visit too ~ again, probably not asking her to wear a mask.  I also believe that he felt all those measures were too much trouble, not that he wanted this to happen.

So far, she is stable and comfortable.  Mom has a DNR, so if the next step is a respirator, she won't get that.  This is her choice, and I respect her decision.  She is 86.  She wants what she wants.

To add to the stress, my sister was with Mom all day Friday while Joe was at the clinic.  So she is super pissed off that she has been exposed, and has also exposed her husband (remember the terrible leg break from the fall from a ladder? yep).  So, we are all very angry with Joe.  My main beef is that even though Mom didn't want to worry about it, it is up to all of the rest of us who care for her to make sure we are keeping her safe.  And sadly, that wasn't done.

I don't know what the next week or two will show.  Given my Mother's health issues, my sister and I feel it is unlikely she will survive the infection.  

All I want is to see my Mother again....to kiss her soft cheek.  To hold her hand and tell her I love her so very much.  

If you are a person who prays, please say one for my Mom, and all those who are infected.  Thank you.

Love, 365