Sunday March 23rd 2025

G'day!

Joe, sounds like the visit is going well.

I can't do small towns.  I need a big city where I can be introverted but also has plenty to do.

I'm a well-seasoned traveler by now and have leaving the country down pretty well and don't have a lot of anxiety any more.  Lists are important unless I'm traveling in the states where I know I can get stuff and speak the language.  In Europe though English is widely spoken.  When were in Germany on a train talking someone told us we were on the wrong train based on what we were saying and gave us good directions in English.

Not much going on here.  Didn't sleep well per usual.  Went to hot yoga this morning and the grocery store.  Nothing much to do other than laundry.

Hope you have a good day!

I went for a walk yesterday with some friends.  

tmb ~ Can't read the signs, but get the gist. Nice blue skies, and no one wearing gloves or mittens, so it must've been a nice day!

Joe ~ The funniest thing last night, was that after posting about my 'relationship' with my mother-in-law (aka Nannie), she started talking about how glad she was to have me with her, helping her, as I seem very knowledgeable about what I was doing! It came on because.....as we came back from the errand to get my med refill, I decided to walk her in through the backyard, (ie not parking right at the back door to get her out of the car), and I made care that she didn't fall. Then the very moment she sat in her recliner, before I even raised the footrest, she asked if we were going to go out in the car now, and why wasn't it parked "out there" for her to get into? I carefully explained that we had JUST come back from being out in the car. It didn't seem to permeate her brain, so I distracted her by asking if she would like a light blanket over her, which turned out to be THE very thing, as she said "it really helped". I told her that one of the first things they emphasized in nursing school was to be able to "anticipate your patient's needs" (before they even know they need it). She said I did that very well. And then her subject of conversation went back to her #)&^* sleeves and how the turtleneck sleeves were attached to the body of the jersey (!) and she could pull the ends of the sleeves out so they showed at the end of her arms, under her sweater. { "See? See?" } But, she was happy with me for that moment. ? I give that a w00t and a half. ? 

Truthfully,  I do not care what she thinks of me at all. Same goes for my step-dgt, as they both complained a lot to my husband about me. When folks are of that mindset against someone there is no point in trying to do or say anything to try to convince them to change their mind, so I am freed of anything like trying to play to someone for their approval. (I'm HERE, so DEAL WITH IT!)  I am never mean to them, my 'fault' apparently, is merely being a Yankee, and not acting like a Southern woman should.

SiL came and bathed Nannie and took her away for the afternoon. I am lounging in bed with Momo. Maybe tomorrow I will awaken just engaged with helpful energy, and do some of the things that have been waiting for MONTHS (maybe years!) to be taken care of. But right now, Sunday is my day of rest. I really do want my energy back, but when I am feeling resentful, it isn't the time to push myself.

Anyway, it is coming up on 3PM. My across the street neighbor came to the front door to ask if I had any pantyhose he could have, to fix something with. I dunno what it was he was fixing, but I had to tell him that neither Nannie nor I wear pantyhose.  He may have to go out and buy some. They aren't terribly expensive (at least I don't think they are.... I haven't worn any since the day I was married!)

Brunch time for me, so I will go down to the kitchen to prowl around....

Yes, Stars it was a lovely day.  It got up to the low 40s. There were a couple of radicals there wearing shorts.  We have nearly 12 hours of daylight now and the snow is melting quickly.  Be careful walking in the shadows where the melt freezes to the ground.  

I know I irritated Gma at times. And it was mutual. But we didn't really dislike one another. Hubs' family was quite different from mine. Holiday dinner: the good china (my family) and paper plates (his). Sunday evening TV: 60 Minutes (mine) and America's Funniest Home Videos (his). Politics: Democrat (mine); Republican (his, even though his parents and brother were UAW members). Iced tea: unsweetened (add sugar at the table if you must)(mine), presweetened and very sweet (his). My mother probably had a point when she didn't want me to marry him. And I was homesick for my family which left me a bit intolerant of EVERYTHING being different. Oh well. 

Yesterday the med/surg nurse on duty said they would need help today so the plan was for me to split the shift with another nurse. I was taking the back half. I was pleased when they texted today at noon that they had discharged half the patients and I could stay home. 

I went with the boys to see the new Looney Tunes movie. There were some fun moments but overall I found it pretty stupid. It was nice to get out to the theater, though. 

Yup, it's been just as rainy as predicted. The dogs are needing a great deal of "encouragement" to go outside. We did some last minute shopping: new phone case for dh and ear buds, some paperbacks to read on the plane, stock up on food for the dogs, then stopped for a quick lunch. I had coconut cream pie, LOL. dairy, eggs, enriched flour, it was healthy, right? 

Nice pic, TMB. The sky is seldom that blue here. There always seems to be some haze, combo air pollution from north of the border or wood smoke from stoves. We live in sort of a catch basin of weather. It doesn't take much for an inversion to trap all the air yuck in our area. 

Tweety, I hope your home repairs can be finished soon! 

Joe, how nice to connect with your family. 

My MiL and I get along. Her one irritating habit is to talk about each family person's health issues. Perhaps as someone who had confidentiality drummed into me, I am uncomfortable having this shared with me. And I sure as shooting tell her nothing about me or my immediate family. If they want to share, fine. I can sense when she is probing, but I am blithely ignorant. 

j22 ~ Oh yes! Nannie's conversations in the years I've known her, more frequently than I ever cared to hear, was how this one has cancer, that one died of a heart attack, it was just ENDLESS, all the sick people she 'kept track of.' I had forgotten about that until I read your post. I think Nannie was/is totally freaked out by even the IDEA of death, because she was ALWAYS talking about all the church folks and their families and everyone's illnesses. Like there was nothing else in the world to talk about! Jeesh!