Too Tired to Plan, Vivid Memories

 Sunday, I forgot to wear my mask when I went into The Pig for one thing. Now, I am afraid I may have contracted the corona virus. At least, now patients can be treated with regeneron like Trump was. 

I finally "found" the pork loin. I had put it in the freezer with carrots. I did not have to dig, just open the door. So, that was dinner Sunday night. On Monday night, Tommy will have a turkey leg and vegetables. This is NOT a huge leg like you might think. When I give him too much meat, he takes it from the bone and I throw it in a snack bag in the refrigerator and he makes a sandwich from it the next day. That would be Monday.

That leaves Tuesday and Wednesday night for plans. I will figure it out. The turkey leg might give him enough meat for the next night (Tuesday) with different vegetables. I can scramble an egg or eat one of the boiled ones plus vegetables. He hates eggs!

Monday, I may make the gravy from drippings. And, I might bake a pie or two. Tuesday, I will be busy. Wednesday, I can bake another pie or make the Stovetop dressing. Yeah, that is a hard job. There is still Jello Salad to be made. 

Tommy took a load of black clothes out to the washing machine this morning. Now, he needs to take a load of whites. I still am wobbly walking and cannot lift anything that heavy to walk. So, he willingly does it with no complaining. 

We were in the kitchen, washing and drying dishes, until my back gave out. So, now he is back and resting, too. When the second load of laundy is out of the dryer, then my sheets will go in. I'll be sorry when I have to hang and fold all this! 

I have sworn to myself that I am not going to overdo it with chores or Thanksgiving dinner chores. I may have already missed the mark of making it easy. 

And, I need to put color on my hair, a workout in itself! So, I will  be going back to wash dishes again right now. 

The weather is beautiful here, 58F and getting warmer before the day is over. And, it will be in the 70s for the rest of the week. The sun is shining, so there is not much to complain about. 

How is your weather? Hopefully, with less holiday travel there will be fewer deaths on the highway no matter the weather. 

I really miss going to my mother's house and being greeted by all the scents of food she had done or food that was cooking at Thanksgiving. Nowhere else since she died has smelled the same. When I cook all the same things with the same recipes, it still is not the scent of home. I can close my eyes and see her house, kitchen, sounds, and smells. Can you imagine your mother's home vividly? 

Critters, Decorations, Mask, Etc.

 Okay, the word from Amazon is that my Dawn original formula is on its way. I can hardly believe it after so many stores I visited were out. I also ordered a glove to use when I cut things like the onion when I sliced open my thumb. A nose-hair trimmer is in the order. I got the one with different attachment options, like a way to trim length of the sideburns. 

I asked Tommy if he wondered about me making plans for his birthday celebration. He said he thought I was just wanting to get everything planned early. He was quite amused that I thought it was this next week. He laughed for a long time. 

When I was in Publix and was at the milk coolers, I asked a man if he would mind handing me two half-galllons of milk. He obviously did not hear me, at least all of what I said. I repeated it. He gave me the milk and then explained his wife says he is hard of hearing. Then, he pulled his mask all the way down and leaned toward me. "Since I am hard of hearing it is perfectly legal for me to pull my mask off like this." ??? Does he hear through his mouth? I just said, "Oh, I see." and rolled away as fast as I could. 

Speaking of rolling, you know I use an electric cart, right? Well, one store has the carts set to go really fast. It is always a bit of a thrill and a daredevil experience going there. Usually, the electric carts are sooo slow, slow as molasses in December. Do you ever ride the carts or notice the lack of speed or the excess speed of the carts? 

Tommy carried my clothes to washing machine, then put them in the dryer, and went out for a third time to bring them in. So, they are folded. Well, these are the kitchen items--new dish towels, dirty ones, dishclothes and rag used to clean. Now, I can wash these less often with the new ones added to the rotation. They go into the washing machine every three or four days. I want to stretch that to once a week.

On Tuesday at 6 am ET, Dear Heart, a great movie, is coming on Turner Classic Movies (TCM). I know it is very early in the day, but maybe you can catch it later. Glen Ford stars in it. I love this movie! Oh, the song is one of my favorites, too. Do you know the song or movie? 

More about critters.

I put out mouse bait since I bought the wrong thing and had opened it. I don't know if rats will eat mouse poison. I now have a paper towel in the corner with all the critter snacks--potato, mouse poison, and Ratx. None of the Ratx was eaten last night or the mouse poison, just the potato. 

Last night, as I went into the kitchen, I thought I saw a tiny mouse running by the potato. Later, I saw it again. But, I could be wrong. I wonder if I want to see a mouse, and in the dark I do see a mouse. The one thing I do not see--a single mouse dropping. I will get a glue trap next time I go out since I forgot to get one. 

Sometimes there is a gnat or two around the commode. Tommy said there were two flying in the bowl above the water and he managed to shoot both down without even trying. He said they flew right into the stream to their death, committing suicide. Killer! 

He took down the Halloween decorations from outdoors. All that is left is for me to put it all away. 

Sunday night, I asked Tommy to look for something in the dining room and to put the box of potatoes in there. Ten minutes later, he was still making noise that I could not figure out. So, a few minutes later, I went to see how it was going--you know, the placing of the box of potatoes. 

He was putting food items on the shelves! So, lots more is on shelves and not organized at all now.  It will get done eventually. I still need to carry to the bedroom storage some of the items he put on the shelves. At least they are up where I can see the items and not have to bend! 

I think tomorrow will be so stressful that I may have a heart attack. The doctor who is going to place the stent still has not called back! I am annoyed. 

Okay, It's about 3 pm, and I still have things to do: put away Halloween decorations, put away folded items from dryer, cook chicken and ground beef. THEN, I can start rest of dinner and freeze a few meals for later. Are your Halloween decorations down inside and out?

Are you as stressed about the election as I am? I have promised myself I will not raise my voice at the TV. I never scream or yell, just talk more loudly. Tommy never worries or frets about the election, so I have to worry and fret for two.

(once again, the comments are a mile below. just keep scrolling)

How My Mask Is Affecting My Face

 Obviously, I do not wear a mask for long periods of time, just when I go into a store or talk to someone outside the car window. However, the mask is not kind to my skin. 

Like most masks, mine has a metal strip to conform to my nose/face. I did get a second type of mask that had a metal strip that barely bent and would not bend around my nose near the tip or side. So, I only wore masks with the better metal strip. 

When I put on the mask, I press the metal strip around my nose right at the place just before the nose flares a bit. It makes a very snug fit and very little air get in or out around the edges of the mask. 

However, the place where nose is narrower just before the flare is being hurt. I use my dominant hand and my index finger must be very powerful. I developed a place that hurt and was red. This went on for few weeks. Then, the red went away and it felt like a scab developed as the skin had a little thick place on it. 

I was worried that it could be a skin cancer. But, I was not concerned enough to go to the dermatologist since it had recently been red and painful. Plus, now the thick place (scab?) seems smaller. 

Plus, my jawline is very rough. sort of like it needs to be exfoliated every day. The mask does fit here. 

Maybe it is the type fabric in the blue faced and white-lined surgical-like mask. I wonder if a cloth mask would be less rough on my skin. The feel is okay for me. 

Can you tell any difference in your face since wearing a mask? 

  

Baby and Little Child in Masks, in the Car

Tommy often tells me interesting things that happen while he is waiting in the car for me to venture into a store. Some days, he tells me about the cloud formations.  Sometimes, he tells me about bird shenanigans and we sit and watch.

He told me about a little boy about three- or four-years-old. The child was standing outside the car with his mask on, waiting for his mother who was getting something out of the car. The little boy had a mask on which he slowly moved upward on his face until it was over his eyes. Then, he slowly turned his head side to side as though to be sure he could see nothing now. Well, I thought it was so funny.

As i went into the store, i saw a mother in a mask carrying a baby about eight- or nine-months old, a tiny baby, not a toddler. The baby had on a mask and was not worried by it. He left it alone instead of pulling it off. I think his mother practiced and praised him. I was impressed. Officials say not to put a mask on a baby, but I think this was a situation where the mother was present and in control and would not let the baby suffocate.

Tommy stays busy in the car. He sorts things in the console, putting in new inserts with coupons, taking out the expired ones. I have a huge bag from Publix that I carry to the car when we leave the house. It has bottles of water, oj crackers, mail I should have left in the house, and so many things it is hard to describe....scissors, face cream, huge cannister of wipes.

He goes though the bag and finds things that need to be taken care of. By the way, I gave him permission to look in my bag, so he is not just plundering my stuff. He also finds grocery ads that have expired. He is helpful not annoying when he gets in this bag. I am always grateful.

Often he takes my mail or free magazines and reads. He read the Athens college catalog and was recounting historical facts. He never opens bank statements, but opens junk mail and reads the pitch.

Other days, he eats the pb crackers i have opened or a bottle of oj where I took one sip. Sometimes, he listens to sports talk radio which i hate.

Have you seen babies wearing masks? Do you have someone who can amuse him or herself in the car without being bored or exasperated by the wait?

Tommy in a Facemask

On Tuesday I was headed into Publix. Tommy had to go to the bathroom, but so did I. I could not find another face mask, so we were going to have to share one. He said he would just use a tshirt. I had asked him to put a couple of his hundred old tshirts in the car in case we needed a rag.

The tshirt was not in bad shape, just horrible dingy. He did not try to figure out how to put it on straight. He just picked it from the floor in the back seat and wrapped it crazily around his face and tied it. I laughed hard at the sight he was. I suppose he had about six or more layers over his mouth and nose. I was happy to see he was protected.

I left a Lysol Wipe on the console so he could grab it and use it before he got back into the car or touched anything. He is careful about 99% of the time.

Last week, I asked him why he had so many tshirts and button shirts. I knew he was not a person who bought a lot of clothing. He said his cousin gained weight and gave him the shirts. Now, I know. One day a few months ago, he said he ought to give them away. I have a better idea--cut napkins from them! He would use them and consider them a good thing. I can hem them. Since I have no fabric, I can use them for facemasks.

While in Cullman, we went to my friend's junk store. She was not there as she had fallen out of her chair twice in one day. So, I am not sure what is the problem. Hopefully, she will not catch Covid19. But, her face is "messed up" as her son told me. Never fear, I was not going inside.

Do you have an unusual face covering? Or, have you seen any?

Out of Town, Doctor Visit

Last night, I did sleep well and had no chest pains at all. 

We went to Cullman today in the mistaken idea that I had an appointment. It was not a lost effort. We went to the church where we drive up and have meals handed through the window. Usually, we tell them four meals. Today, we asked if six lunches were too much. Six was fine. 

She handed us two huge bags with 6 pint containers with chili with soup characteristics. It was like chili with corn and small potato dices. Tommy came across two green peas and I quit eating. He said there were pinto beans, but i never saw one. 

There were salads with lettuce, grape tomatoes and two slices of cucumber on top. I have Tommy my cucumber. 

For some reason there were 10 packs with knife, fork, spoon, napkin, salt, pepper.  Also, little packages of salad dressing, four sandwich bags with cheap cookies that are like Oreos. 

So, I know what we are having for dinner tonight. Tommy does not mind, thankfully, for him...lol. Whew. We went to the lake to eat and watch the ducks and geese. It was very pleasant and warm today. 

We went to a food bank that was closed with a sign-in sheet outside the door. No one was allowed in. There was no meat today, but all good stuff. I chose an apple pie from the desserts. Only the person doing the loading was near us. 

I got three quarts of strawberries from Publix for $5 and bananas. I stepped in another store that was as busy as a holiday. They said it have been more crowded than today for the last five days. 

While in town I took two things to Belk to return. AND, bought two things. Still, these will be used and cost less.  One is a Christmas present. I also got something for Tommy. Ice scraper in a long sleeve to keep hands from the ice and snow were originally $25, marked down to $5. 

He put his hand in and told me how he liked it because he could hold the scraper and not get wet and cold. He was more enthusiastic than usual when i give him something. 

I only have one mask, but I will reused it. I am sneezing and coughing from allergies, so i can keep other people from becoming ill. No, i did not sneeze in the mask or cough while wearing it. One commenter said the mask was to keep your illness from spreading. But, i will continue to wear it. I know i got four, but do not know where the other three are. 

These are the ones given away by CVS during a wellness month or something. I was surprised they offered these for so long, maybe a month. But, every time i went in, i got another. (See? Why does Blogger not capitalize the "i"?

Can you stand to read more and about the endocrinologist visit? 

On Monday, I went to the endocrinologist and he may have solved my problems. I have thyroiditis. Taking levothyroxin has caused my levels to rise or fall, forget which, but it is good. So, now i have to take a higher dose one day and a lower dose the next. The lower dose is what i was on. He did not say it was Hashimoto's. I wonder. This is the cause of the swollen ankles. About my swollen ankles--he said they were not too bad. ??? 

Anyway, my Vitamin D was horrifically low last summer. Now, i take 50,000 IU of D once a week. This can make my heart act up. So, i may have worse palpitations in the beginning. 

Last week, the cardiologist said my veins were fine and heart was okay. That the swollen feet could be from low thyroid. 

So, maybe this is all going to turn out to solve some of my health problems. I awake most days and can hardly get out of bed. Something has got to happen. I hurt all over. Hopefully, other doctors can fix this pain and exhaustion. But, i know some of it is the lack of thyroid hormone. 

Tomorrow, I hope to figure out my soft palate problem or be pointed in the right direction for help. The two ENTs were dismissive and uninterested in talking about it. I will never go back to that office. 

Oh, A1C was 5.8 and the doctor said I was not diabetic. ??? Then, he said I was producing insulin and I could use it all up now or save some for later. He is funny yet to the point.