Ado Annie

Hubs' ex-wife (mother of my stepkids) died yesterday. I think I had told y'all that she had stage 4 lung cancer. Only 63. Depending on what the kids and her husband decide about her service, either Hubs will fly up there for that or we will plan to go spend time with the kids and grands later this year. We have made a lot of funeral trips back to Indiana. Today is overcast though so far no rain. The clouds have kept the temp down but we're still expected to get up to 102 by late afternoon. The church was opening a cooling center because there was a heat warning but since that has been lifted the decision was made to shut it down for today. My weekend plans involve continuing the work on Twin A's room. I've been working through the laundry we collected from it last week and both guys seriously need to weed out things they can't or won't wear. I also hope to finish the book I'm reading which was recommended by a friend. It is The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett, who wrote The Help. This author is really good at conveying a sense of injustice (enough to justify a poop pie, I guess 💩) so we'll see where this goes. I learned that apparently the clinic where we've all gone for years does not respond to requests from the pharmacy for refills. That explains a lot but why we didn't know this before now I don't understand. Sometimes I do think about switching to a provider closer to home (this clinic is 18 miles away -- was very close to the place we were renting before my mother died and we moved here to take care of Dad).

I think it's only fair to extend the same kind of wariness to the health care provider as they do to you, Stars. dianah, I agree with you about computers! I got an email alert from Capital One that I expect is legitimate telling me that my email address is found on "the dark web" and I should, at the least, change my password. I did that on the laptop, then went to reset the saved password on my phone and got it wrong. A series of errors led to my account being locked with no way to retrieve it except call AOL and -- here's the kicker -- PAY them for a support contract, essentially. I think it's pure extortion. I can cancel this little "support plan" at any time and, believe me, I will. I would just dump AOL after all these years and use another email service (there are still free ones, right?) except that there are some important things that are tied to that email address and making that change would be a lengthy and difficult process. How old did you say Bleu is, Joe? Past the stage where his appetite could just be a growth spurt?

Joe, I'm glad work is back to normal at least for now. Your weather sounds more pleasant than ours (pretty sure the bank said 111 when I drove past it; my phone says 108). 🥵 Glad you had a good trip, dianah. Stars, I am just beside myself that your life is being disrupted again. I'm making plans for my trip to Phoenix in early October (risk management conference). Have not been willing to maintain the low-carb thing lately even though I do think it was having some positive effects. I'll try again tomorrow.

Rain! Actually water falling from the sky! It was brief but at least measurable. I realize that our family and friends in Indiana might not see it as the miracle we do right now. 😟 The high temp for tomorrow is forecast to be only 97 but the next day the temps go back over 100 and stay there.

Got a lot of trash out of Twin A's bedroom. It was really bad. He promises it won't get like this again and I told him that will be a condition of living here. Not that I would really throw him out without really good reason, but he does need to accept some responsibility. This house never seemed so small when we would all visit my parents here but it sure feels that way trying to accommodate 4 adults all the time. And of course for the past 5 years it was FIVE adults. Stars, your BIL sounds a bit like my dad was before my mother got sick. He didn't wander so much but he would not remember where they were.

I've agreed to "help" Twin A clean his room this weekend. Yes, he is a 31-year-old man. But I want that room clean and somewhat organized before he starts another semester of school. And I really want it painted but I need Hubs to organize that and he is still occupied with my cousin's car. Enjoy your travels, J22!

Looking back at that post, maybe it was the reference to "boat people" -- by which I meant people who own sailboats and keep them at that lake.

I got that with my last post, too. No idea what triggered it. But it was very quickly cleared and posted.

Solved one mystery at work and was relieved it was as easy to fix as it was. Hubs brought the boat back from the lake today after reading comments from other boat people that the water level was so low they were unable to use the ramp to get their boats in/out of the lake. He didn't have a problem but I guess decided that since there is no relief in sight for the low water level that it was time. He replaced the shower head in our bathroom over the weekend but grumbled that the bracket that holds the hand-held shower head wasn't included so we'd have to use the old, broken one until he could go find one to buy. This morning, while hunting for shoes to wear to work, I found said bracket in its little plastic package under the bed. He must have dropped it and not realized it. Is it time to worry about Hubs' brain? Just kidding, I think!! I started on more cleaning and organizing in my office yesterday. For some reason that always creates a bigger mess before anything gets better.

We enjoyed watching The Orville. I had forgotten about it, though. These days Twin B has us watching "Rascal Does Not Dream..." when we all get together to watch something. I was sure we would get a reasonable amount of rain Friday (all the signs were there) but nope, only a few drops.

I'm sorry for your loss, Tweety. Glad you were able to be there and that she had hospice care. I was able to submit a reply with my phone!

At least fruit flies are not too hard to get rid of. Congrats on getting the deep-clean done. Hope dianah's cat gets over the vomiting with no long-term problems. It appears we are finally going to get some rain. There is thunder. There are dark clouds. The temp has dropped from 99 to 85. I forced myself to get through a task at work that has been plaguing me. The other night we all went to see the latest Spiderman movie. I liked it. No plans for the weekend other than a leadership meeting after church Sunday. Hubs should go check on the boat again since we have it at Lake Hefner. The docks are not floating docks so when the water level drops you've got to keep an eye on things so the boat doesn't end up hanging from its moorings. Twin B is on vacation this weekend with no plans but to have a break from the job. I get it.

All of the hospital A/C units are working as of today, so there's that!

"Tired and annoyed" sounds like me on most days lately! 😆 I was mildly confused reading about Tinker yesterday, but figured I was wrong in thinking she was a girl. I'm sure she enjoys the added warmth of her outfit, and doesn't care about the color or ruffles. But I definitely understand why it isn't your first choice. I hope Tweety and Waffles can be comfortable until the A/C is fixed, and that the wait won't be long. Not a lot to talk about here. And that's OK.

I hope all is going well with the new cat, Joe. We love our orange cat, Sam. He's a big, gentle guy and very timid with strangers but very affectionate with us. What color are your kitty's eyes? Sam has amber eyes. Oatmeal/dried cherry cookies do sound good. I tried another lower-carb recipe - basically mixing melted bittersweet chocolate, unsweetened coconut, and pecans. Very tasty but because I couldn't resist over-indulging, probably not the best idea for me. Saturday Twin A and I volunteered with others from our church to hand out backpacks at the community's "Back-to-School Bash." I think it's coordinated by one of the larger churches but they get lots of community involvement. There were about 600 backpacks, filled with a few school supply items, given away and there were various activities for the kids, and drawings for some items... including several new bicycles. There were a couple of times that an ambulance came out to the gathering -- I'm guessing because someone got overcome by the heat. There was a decent breeze, and we had a pop-up canopy for shelter from the sun. "Staff" came around frequently offering bottles of water. So we were OK, but I can see how someone could get "not OK" pretty easily. Sunday Hubs and I finally made it back to church. He had been "taking a break" rather deliberately since he spends so much time helping my cousin with that car. Which really means he does most of the work (which doesn't bother him but does make him tired). Me, I just hate getting up in the morning and enjoy days that I don't have to. Stars, I hope the drama settles down a little or maybe isn't quite as dramatic as your friend makes it sound, and that she feels better after talking it over.

We are only "abnormally dry" right now, drought-wise but that's still pretty dry. There was a smattering of raindrops on my windshield when I left for work this morning, and some small potential for rain throughout the day but it is still projected to be 103 by mid afternoon.

Yes, Tweety, we moved into this building on my 60th birthday (November 2022). I guess since it was a city project and had to go through a bidding process and low bidder usually wins, we get to deal with the lack of... um ... ruggedness of the A/C systems. Every Summer when it finally gets "Oklahoma hot" instead of normal hot, it seems we go through this. Current estimates for the arrival of the second critical part look like Monday.

Yikes, Stars, don't give them any ideas (urine sample, DNA swab, etc.) -- before you know it, it will be required! The uneven A/C continues to haunt both hospital and home. I covered M/S for a couple of hours yesterday until night shift came in. The patient, who has COPD, was in a room that we measured at 81 degrees. That was with a portable A/C unit and a large fan in the room. Meanwhile, my office is currently 70.1 and I am wearing a sweater. Kudos to your ds for tackling the room and gaming area, J22! Wish that would happen around my house. I tried a new treat recipe last night that used bittersweet choc chips, unsweetened coconut, and pecans. They are tasty but at 8g carbs per serving must be limited. My employer is providing pizza today for employee appreciation. Maybe I will just scrape off the toppings and eat that, not the crust. ☹️

I am aghast at how much money you will need to get a Florida drivers license, Stars. I hope the dog feels better. How did they diagnose the ACL injury (just curious)? Feta cheese was indeed a tasty addition to the salad. Tweety, Hubs and I really need to get some of that end-of-life planning and organization done. It has been HOT here with temps over 100 for several days. Our pastor is trying to have the church be a "cooling center" on days when there are heat warnings. We did open one day and didn't have anyone come in to cool off. I guess our ancestors had to just deal with it and with the health effects. Even when I was young, most people didn't have central heat/air. Our schools were not air-conditioned. My parents had central heat/air installed in our house when I was maybe 14. Before that, we had a floor furnace in the living room and 2 window unit A/Cs -- one in my parents' bedroom (on the west side of the house, and my dad sometimes worked night shifts and needed to sleep during the day) and one in the living room. Many friends and family didn't have A/C. Some used those "swamp coolers." Speaking of air conditioning, the hospital is still coping with one of the units being down. Parts were ordered, they arrived, the people who came to do the repair realized they needed more parts, which were ordered... So I still have the loud fan outside my office. My office is still cooler than I would like. With the fans blowing cooled air down the med/surg wing it is really not uncomfortable there, either.

I had a lazy weekend but did attempt a couple of new recipes -- including dianah's salad! I might try adding some feta cheese to it, just because I like cheese. But it is good. I'm on the hunt for easy weeknight meals that will keep everyone more or less happy. Don't know if I told you about the zucchini "boats" I made last week but they were tasty, stuffed with an egg and cheese mixture. Finished the book I was reading and tried to start reading The Sound and the Fury. I had never read Faulkner and decided to try so a couple of weeks ago I read As I Lay Dying and eventually got used to his stream-of-consciousness style and made it through the book but I'm sure there are things I simply did not get out of it that others might. I don't know if I have the patience to continue with this one or not. The cousin that Hubs has been helping refurbish his old car gave Hubs a 10-inch (?) telescope and Hubs has been playing around with that. The "deals" he finds usually end up costing us money. And the boys bought a pretty good telescope when they went to Black Mesa for their 30th birthday. The ASHRM conference is in Phoenix in early October, and afterward I plan to spend a couple of days with my college bestie. She and her husband have entertained me a couple of times and we've visited the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, a cliff dwelling, the big meteor crater. Plus Hubs and I went to the Musical Instrument Museum. She says to pick something I want to see/do so I need to do some research, I guess.

I'm baaack. As you can imagine, it has been a busy time being back in the office this week. The visit with Hubs' friend (I mean, he's my friend, too, but they've been friends a very long time) and his grandson was brief and pleasant. They had their morning of sailing. I finally kicked it in gear and made real progress on the house so it looked pretty good when they were here. We purchased new curtains for the living room and I think they look nice. Also purchased an umbrella for our patio table and I like it. The house does still smell like that darn cat. I'm excited about Joe's new cat! We like our black cat, enough to put up with his territorial marking issues. I still have a lot to do around the house and will tackle that phase next. A belated happy birthday to Stars! Sorry you took a tumble but glad there was no serious damage. dianah, I'm going to have to try that salad. It sounds good. And low-carb. That blood draw that I came in to do last week showed an increase in my LDL but my HDL and triglycerides are still really good. And my A1C was 5.6, which was an improvement. Guess I'll keep doing the low-carb diet. But I must confess that yesterday I didn't. My book club met in the evening and there were yummy salads (including a fruit salad) and COOKIES. I can't always say no to cookies!

Stars, that is a good movie. My book club had read the book, and I "made" Hubs watch the movie with me. He liked it, too. Glad Little Doggy is doing well. Hello, all! I'm officially off for the week, which means I might not reply frequently since the app won't cooperate on my phone. I'm still reading. My home laptop is so slow. We have a desktop, too, that I hardly ever think of using but it is also slow, just not as slow as my laptop. Yesterday we drove to the lake and took the boat out but only under motor-power, didn't put the sails up. It was a cooler day (only upper 80s) after the T-storm that blew through Saturday night. I slept so much better Thurs/Fri/Sat nights. Last night wasn't bad but I did have a little trouble sleeping. I think that magnesium supplement makes a difference.

Hooray, Stars! Glad you're getting started getting settled in. Coffee is a must. There are some not-too-bad instant coffees so all you would need is hot water. I've read enough to decide that my headache/tense shoulders and jaws/extreme insomnia are due to the keto diet. And "they say" those symptoms should ease up. I didn't really experience them at first but this last week has been hard. Maybe because I ate all that good stuff over the 4th and had to go through getting into ketosis again. I don't know. Could be emotional, too, though. I was very anxious about meeting the mayor last night to talk about his campaign against the hospital. I'm feeling less tense today. Not that it went all that well... I thought this meeting was a chance for me to explain my position, but that's not how it started out. And I made it clear that that was what was going to happen and I don't think he liked it much. But he seemed to listen and take heed of one or two of my points. After 37 minutes he said he had to go because he had another commitment. I hate feeling emotional when I'm trying to explain myself. I have this really strong sense of injustice. He listens to all the stories from unhappy people and believes it all. I, of course, can't tell him why some (most) of those stories are bull-hockey.

Safe travels, Stars!

Tweety, I misplace things frequently. Just yesterday Twin A needed to leave for work but no one knew where the car key was. Once we established that the last time the car was driven, he and I went to Taco Bell, I decided to check the pocket of my pants in the laundry hamper. Tada! Yesterday my day started with a complaining family-member-of-a-patient and didn't get better from there. I discussed my work frustrations with Hubs and Twin A when I got home. Then Facebook started suggesting therapy/counseling. LOL I made more mini-frittatas last night, this time using spinach and parmesan. I've been disappointed with a lot of the low-carb recipes I've found but eggs and cheese are pretty good. There's a quick bread I want to try. Last I knew Hubs was planning to meet a friend at the lake for a quick sail late this afternoon so the boys and I are on our own for dinner.