2021: Think Positively for a Better Year!
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Positivity rate is over 10% in Maryland. DH is freaking. I was planning to have a Christmas lunch with volunteers tomorrow. We were disputing that. Then I went out to feed and saw a line of at least 40 people at urgent care and changed my mind. NEVER saw people out the door there until the last week (and I drive by every day). So it looks like we're going into lockdown again. I dug out the passwords for the grocery store deliveries. Oh, joy! NOT!0
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In the past day, 2 of my friends’ adult children have tested positive for it. Their moms are freaking out. The most recent one to test positive this morning had hosted a family birthday party last night for her 10 year old son, with grandparents and great grandmother in attendance. Hoping for the best, but definitely changing all of their Christmas plans.0
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In the past day, 2 of my friends’ adult children have tested positive for it. Their moms are freaking out. The most recent one to test positive this morning had hosted a family birthday party last night for her 10 year old son, with grandparents and great grandmother in attendance. Hoping for the best, but definitely changing all of their Christmas plans.
Oh, wow, that has to be terrifying for them.
I told the other volunteers they could go on without me, still on my dime, but I sense they were mostly relieved. I guess the word's getting around.0 -
Good afternoon. My adult attention deficit disorder has been kicking in. I get ready to post but then something else intervenes, and I forget about posting. I think I first tried about 3 hoursago, but finally became one with the laptop.
This week, two of my former students when I first began working, died suddenly. The wife of one just retired so they could have time enjoying travel and more without restrictions or obligations. Now, they will not be able to follow through with those plans.
I heard on the news that the life expectancy in the U.S. has declined two years to the age of 78. I consider myself lucky as I have surpassed that age but there are no guarantees about the future. I guess I just want to reinforce that although we think we will have an opportunity to follow through with future plans, there is no guarantee. We don't know when we will have the last conversations, phone call, text, etc. so we need to make the most of each contact so that there are no regrets.
I didn't decorate for Christmas but I did my best to daily do a color by number Christmas pic on a coloring app. Right now, I am enjoying some cookies a friend brought me, and I will enjoy the gift card when I have my cardiology appointment next Wednesday.
I hope each of you have a great holiday despite Covid. This thing will never end as long as people deny that it exists.0 -
Jean - so glad you checked in!
This has been a year of sadness, for sure.
And you are so right that denial is such a force in all this. Science deniers - be gone!!!!
I'm glad you got some Christmas into your life in the lead up to Saturday! Cookies sound good. I have 6 squirreled away (ordered them from Cheryl's when I ordered cookies for all the vets) that I'm going to enjoy this weekend.0 -
I've already thought of a couple things I probably would have run to the store today to get. DH keeps saying he'll live without. If last time is any indication, that seems to last only until he's actually faced with doing without. Certainly neither the cats nor the humans in this house will starve but still it's going to take some getting used to this being locked down again.0
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My0
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My new car was delivered this morning. We were loaded up and out the door 15 minutes later for our trip to Houston, which might not have been the best way to acquaint ourselves with all of the features our new ride has. We did make it safely to our destination and DH seems very pleased with everything so far. I won’t get a chance to drive it myself for at least 3 more weeks or longer due to my injury.
Jean, it was so good to hear from you! I’m glad you’re having a little Christmas cheer. I didn’t do any decorating or holiday baking either, due to my injury you make a very good point about how quickly your life can change, as I recently experienced.
Maryanne, hopefully whatever items are missing won’t be critical to e0 -
Won’t be critical to enjoying your holiday meal.
I apologize for the breaks in my posts. I’m trying to use my right hand more, but my pinky finger is still numb and not always responding to my movement commands. It seems to like to randomly hit the spot that makes it post, usually mid-sentence. So please bear with me until my pinky wakes up and decides to rejoin the rest of my hand.0 -
My new car was delivered this morning. We were loaded up and out the door 15 minutes later for our trip to Houston, which might not have been the best way to acquaint ourselves with all of the features our new ride has. We did make it safely to our destination and DH seems very pleased with everything so far. I won’t get a chance to drive it myself for at least 3 more weeks or longer due to my injury.
Jean, it was so good to hear from you! I’m glad you’re having a little Christmas cheer. I didn’t do any decorating or holiday baking either, due to my injury you make a very good point about how quickly your life can change, as I recently experienced.
Maryanne, hopefully whatever items are missing won’t be critical to e
The good news is we have a TON of paper goods and canned stuff, so we won't starve. LOL!
What a PITA that you can't drive your new car. I couldn't drive for months after my wrist surgery but sounds like you may be back behind the wheel sooner.0 -
Won’t be critical to enjoying your holiday meal.
I apologize for the breaks in my posts. I’m trying to use my right hand more, but my pinky finger is still numb and not always responding to my movement commands. It seems to like to randomly hit the spot that makes it post, usually mid-sentence. So please bear with me until my pinky wakes up and decides to rejoin the rest of my hand.
No worries; we're just glad you're able to be with us!!0 -
I fed this morning. I'm back to those feeding trips being my sole contact with the outside world (at least until the next vet or doctor appointment). Oh, joy!
The next county over reinstated its indoor mask mandate requirement. Its a pretty affluent county. I doubt our county will reinstate but most people are still wearing masks and I doubt a mandate is more than symbolic. Of course it does give a business something to hang its hat on if it wants to enforce but there's no government enforcement.0 -
When DH had bypass surgery, the surgeon told him he couldn’t drive for 8 weeks. The danger was if the airbag went off and hit him in the chest, it would have broken hi sternum which had been cut for surgery. It needed to heal completely. I made him sit in the back seat with a cough pillow under the seatbelt. At his eight week checkup, he asked the surgeon when he could drive. The doctor was surprised he wasn’t already driving. DH said he was told no driving for 8 weeks. The doctor seemed surprised that DH followed drs orders. He said most people didn’t listen and started driving sooner. The doctor didn’t know DH had me making sure he followed orders. Giving DH credit, he never complained about the backseat. The only thing different now is he sits in the front passenger seat and I drive. If he gets to the car first, he hops in the passenger seat. He’ll drive if I ask him to but he’s perfectly happy being the passenger.0
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Wow. Just wow. A health care system that may break?
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/24/us/doctors-patients-threats-coronavirus-treatments/index.html0 -
Merry Christmas my friends! However you are celebrating,I hope you enjoy the day.0
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Merry Christmas!
I was going to lounge around a little and then feed but we're expecting rain so I got up and got going!
I'm going to experiment today cooking a turkey breast and a turkey thigh and see if I can skip the big production of a whole turkey. I have more than one thigh but think I'll only cook one today to see how it comes out. I can always cook another one tomorrow!
Enjoy the day!0 -
I hope he eventually considers adopting another dog. It’s too soon to mention the idea. Meanwhile, my sister is probably in her final days. She’s declined a lot in the last week and I’m not even sure she recognizes me. She’s non verbal now so there’s no way to know. I think a quick death is preferable to this. Quick is hard on the family but she’s clearly suffering.0
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I hope he eventually considers adopting another dog. It’s too soon to mention the idea. Meanwhile, my sister is probably in her final days. She’s declined a lot in the last week and I’m not even sure she recognizes me. She’s non verbal now so there’s no way to know. I think a quick death is preferable to this. Quick is hard on the family but she’s clearly suffering.
I think you're right. With everything we can do, we can't seem to provide folks who are dying with enough palliative care to eliminate, or at least mostly mitigate, their suffering.0 -
Greetings! I hope each of you had a good Christmas. I didn't have anything out of the norm to eat except a fruit cake from Walmart. Not a quality one, but it met the need for a Christmas-touch item.
I see the cardiologist again on Wednesday as a follow up to the cardioversion which did not last. I keep records of everything so I can attribute the heart issue to Covid, as it can affect heart functioning, etc. Now, it will be a battle to get things back where I went years with heart in rhythm and at a low heart rate. It was 132 this morning, and the resting rate has almost doubled.
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Jean, I’m so sorry to hear about your heart issues. I hope they are able to figure out what needs to be done to get it back in rhythm and slow it down. COVID really did a number on you!
Helene, I’m so sorry for what you are going through with your sister. These last days are so difficult for all of you as you suffer with your sister. My father had a very lengthy stage similar to your sister’s before he died 3 weeks before Christmas. In many ways it was as hard for us as it was for him. We were blessed with a doctor who was caring for him who was very generous with the pain medications, so we knew he wasn’t suffering, but it was very hard to watch. This was in 1967 before hospice was a thing, so he was in the hospital for his last 3 months. I was 14 and remember visiting him every night but probably the last 3 weeks or more before he passed he stopped recognizing us. That might have been due in part to the drugs as well as the cancer. As hard as it is to see them pass, once they reach this stage it is a blessing when it’s over, IMO. My prayers go out to all of you.0 -
Greetings! I hope each of you had a good Christmas. I didn't have anything out of the norm to eat except a fruit cake from Walmart. Not a quality one, but it met the need for a Christmas-touch item.
I see the cardiologist again on Wednesday as a follow up to the cardioversion which did not last. I keep records of everything so I can attribute the heart issue to Covid, as it can affect heart functioning, etc. Now, it will be a battle to get things back where I went years with heart in rhythm and at a low heart rate. It was 132 this morning, and the resting rate has almost doubled.
Sending the best thoughts that the cardiologist can get your heart back on track!! What a PITA that COVID could impact that.
P.S. chuckling about the fruit cake....0 -
Jean, I’m so sorry to hear about your heart issues. I hope they are able to figure out what needs to be done to get it back in rhythm and slow it down. COVID really did a number on you!
Helene, I’m so sorry for what you are going through with your sister. These last days are so difficult for all of you as you suffer with your sister. My father had a very lengthy stage similar to your sister’s before he died 3 weeks before Christmas. In many ways it was as hard for us as it was for him. We were blessed with a doctor who was caring for him who was very generous with the pain medications, so we knew he wasn’t suffering, but it was very hard to watch. This was in 1967 before hospice was a thing, so he was in the hospital for his last 3 months. I was 14 and remember visiting him every night but probably the last 3 weeks or more before he passed he stopped recognizing us. That might have been due in part to the drugs as well as the cancer. As hard as it is to see them pass, once they reach this stage it is a blessing when it’s over, IMO. My prayers go out to all of you.
I spent a lot of time explaining to people as Sharon was dying that the huge doses of morphine she was on were the semi-legal way that doctors do euthanasia. I've personally got zero problem with it. At least she got to be at home with her son and grandchildren and her cats although I'm not sure how much she was aware of them.
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We have sleet here this morning. North of the city it's snowing.
Our one microwave died Christmas day (the convenient one in the kitchen) so Amazon is bringing a new one today. I feel guilty every time I order from Amazon but if we're going to be locked down, it's really convenient - I give them that.
The turkey parts came out pretty well. Took longer to get to the temperature on the meat thermometer than the recipe I had said but I'd started a little early so no problem!
Anyway, now I have quite a bit of turkey. LOL!
I spent most of the weekend doing CROM paperwork while DH watched football. Not the Christmases of yore that's for sure.0 -
New York Times, voted one of the runners-up for best metropolitan diary items:
Iago’s Plot
Dear Diary:
It was some years ago, and we had four front-row, center-balcony seats for a Metropolitan Opera performance of “Othello.” A young couple who weren’t familiar with the opera accepted an invitation to join us.
During the taxi ride from the restaurant where we had dinner to Lincoln Center, we unraveled the plot for our companions. With four passengers in the cab, I sat in the front seat and narrated to the rear.
The cab’s arrival at the Met coincided with my recounting of Iago’s plot of the concealed handkerchief. I tried to hand the fare to the driver as we prepared to get out. He stopped me.
“No one is leaving until I hear the end,” he said.
— Vern Schramm0 -
It is a rainy, dreary day which makes it feel cooler than the 55 degrees right now; however, it is far better than the cold of winter.
My father died of pancreatic cancer. It was not easy on the family; hospice was not available then and he died in the hospital. I'm not sure I wouldn't prefer the hospital after seeing what extended at home care has done to some people.
I looked at the title of this thread for 2021. I guess I was thinking 2021 would be a much better year than 2020. As long as the naysayers and anti-vaxxers influence people to avoid vaccinations, we will never get rid of Covid. It will keep mutating and affecting us. The long-term effects of Covid even when a light case are just coming to be realized. It has a knack of affecting the nerves of various systems, so people may end up with blurry vision, heart issues, etc.0 -
My sister passed last night. It was a blessing as she was clearly suffering. She was semi conscious and non verbal this visit. I don’t think she realized I was there but we were able to be with BIL. He was a wonderful caregiver to her. We’ll stay with him a couple more days before heading home. When he’s ready, we’ll have him come over to visit us.0
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Oh, Helene, so sorry for you and your BIL but glad your sister is no longer suffering.0
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Jean -between the vaccination nuttiness and the climate change deniers, I'm not sure there's a lot of hope left for humanity and planet earth. Sad to say! We have the tools but too many people are too self-centered to use them/let them be used.0
