The Visit

 

My friend Lisa arrived a couple minutes after 1:30.  The sun was shining and warmer than I was expecting it to be.  I met her outside as I could see her driving up the driveway.  We came back into the house and I began showing her around.  First showed her Tiger who didn’t run away.   I showed her where sky was (he was under the blankets but also didn’t come out or run away.  We took a walk around and showed her the rest of the condos. 

For the next two hours we talked about a lot of things.  I shared some stuff about the family.  Stuff like the family dynamics etc.  I told her how Liz is treating me at times.  We had lunch around 2:30 and within that hour the sky turned dark, windy, and It began to thunder and rain. So around 3:30 Lisa Left for home. 

It was lovely time.  We promised to do it again and to keep in touch.  She messaged me and said she was home safely and that was just before 5.

I spent the rest of the afternoon doing odds and ends last of the laundry, and watching TV.  I went to bed early as was having leg cramps again and aches and pains in the arms again.  I know it’s from the ham and cheese.

When I got to bed Tiger was already here and eventually Sky came and eventually settled in.  I had fallen asleep a short time later.  I don’t know if I got up any more that night.  I usually do.

I learned this morning that during the storm yesterday three tornados came down north of here in places like Guilford, Sterling, Branford, Plainville, and Cheshire.  They are north of me and about 20-30 miles or more.  There were Lots of trees down and Power out in some places.   I checked in with those who live in the area and they seemed fine.

I was supposed to go to bingo this afternoon but got a text from Bob saying I don’t have to come in as they cancelled activities due to some outbreak.  I am glad because now I can sleep for a while until Liz comes.

Liz wanted to come yesterday but I told her I was having company.  So we tentatively said for today depending on how Liz felt this morning energy wise.  She sent me a text around lunch time saying she wasn’t sure because the kids came over to help clean the yard and only left a short while ago.  Her SIL Marion is coming for lunch.  So it all depends on how she is feeling.  It will be okay if she doesn’t because I am tired and not sure how the conversations I suspect we will have will end up.   Around 3 she called and was coming over afterwards.  I will tell you about that later.

I am contemplating on getting my office desk cleaned up so I don’t feel so embarrassed if I open the shades and people can see inside.

 

 

November 13, 2021

 

Good Morning everyone, its 42 degrees and sunny at the moment but will be changing later today as we are supposed to get rain, high winds, and perhaps hale.  As I just said to my brother via text that’s just great.  I am having a friend come for visit for lunch.

This week has been a fairly busy and somewhat wild week.  I was ending up not writing anything because I was too tired and pretty much going to bed early for most of the week.  I say most but there were  a few nights I tried to stay up late and work.

Last Sunday Sis and I had a rather uncomfortable discussion about finances.  She was insisting she look at them and I kept setting boundaries.  She came to the conclusion I was hiding stuff.  That I haven’t been doing as I promised getting the credit card balances down or staying on the budget.  That I must be “lying” about things to Debra or don’t tell Debra the whole story.  She qualified that statement with “Not really lying but we give ourselves permission” to do things.

She sent me a text the next day that I need to be vigilant on keeping up with the bill paying (and I told her a few times that I have been paying the bills, when she asked.  She asked a bunch of questions about how I was paying for the car whether it was with the credit card or what.  What state my bank account was at (over drawn).  Anyway, the veiled threat was I could lose everything, including the condo.  She said it wasn’t a threat but a real possibility.  Again I feel like I need to scream at her and say those are getting paid. 

She constantly challenges me in the wrong way.  IF I am baking or getting ready for parties: or planning on attending events.  Its either oh you could do this, or that.  Why don’t you get everyone a little gift?   Um hello?  You say I should not go spending on stuff yet you want me to get all this?  I told her I don’t buy extravagantly.  She thinks I should give my friend Dave a high-end gift.  It made me angry. 

When I told Debra all this she reminded me that. When Liz does this just say Hey thanks but I am going to do this or thanks I will think about it.  If Liz insists I can tell her no I don’t want to discuss finances, or review it monthly as Liz wants to according to her text.  I can tell her she is my sister, not my guardian, or care taker, or my mother. 

In other sibling news Brother J texted us to inform that the biopsy he had earlier in the week went well.  It was in his bladder.  However, the results not really great, its slow growing and non-invasive.  When Liz first heard this she said you didn’t say anything about it.   He didn’t say anything to me. 

In between all that, I have been trying to organize my budgets (making ledgers) and working, and getting ready for my friends visit this afternoon.

Right now the house is almost cleaned I have to wash the kitchen floor and then shower, and prepare lunch.

 

Got the results

 

Sometime after lunch I got the results of my test.  I checked in before I got the email alerting me they were posted.  These and all medical tests never can be in layman’s terms.  The gist is I basically don’t have it.  As usual they caution you about still taking precautions and stuff like that.

So I let Liz know, and the girls from the group know.  I hadn’t told J&J but I will another time.   Now the coffee visit with Liz is on for tomorrow.  So I did the grocery shopping this evening.

I took the time to order more litter.  I tried to change the item to a different brand but I was doing something wrong.  I was rushing through it and it was aggravating me.

Gillion just offered a Christmas/Holiday Movie night at her house in December.   It’s the first weekend of December.  Oh I wonder if I could bake something for that weekend.  It will be a week after Thanksgiving and I may have only the Board meeting to do.  I am a cohost and will be bringing wings.

I managed to get dusting done and went grocery shopping around 4; 30 5 pm.  I got a lot of stuff and I got some I didn’t need.  I ran into Susan from the Finding friends Group.  I also met this nice lady whom I kept running into in all the lanes.  It turns out we parked next to each other and had a nice chat.  I finally got home around 6.

I put the groceries away and fed the cats and ate the ice cream.  Later on I had open face grilled cheese.  It was a bad idea.  It didn’t sit well with me.

I spent the evening watching Polar Express.  I think it was a tad early for this but with all the Macy’s Christmas ads and JC Penny Christmas ads and the rest of them why should I be surprised.

Since I didn’t clear off my bed of the laundry, I decided to sleep on the couch.  So I am going to sleep now.

Interesting Day yesterday

 

Yesterday was J’s 71st birthday.  Now ask me if I did anything for his birthday?  That would be a   Whopping no.  What a wonderful sister I am.  I sent an ecard during the day; I did send him a text message.  I sent him HB on FB.

 

Several of my remote colleagues from administration including ML, MR, and the Clinical Operations team and credentialing all came in to clear out their desks.  This means the move is more real each day.  I caught up with a few of them.  TB became a Daddy in the past year or two. I guess he and his staff is moving to the building when we move upstairs.

 

Around 2:30 we got an alert there was a Bomb Threat on Campus.  Several buildings on the other side of town closer to the med school were evacuated because they may have had bombs in them.  Around quarter of five we then get message from the shuttle system saying the schedules and routes were altered because of the Bomb threat.  During this time I got texts wondering about our safety.  Since it was a mile away and on the other side of town we were fine.  I let them know about it.

 

Around 3 I got an email from one of the ladies from the Ladies guild.  She wasn’t feeling well on Wednesday and got tested and was tested positive for Covid.  So she emailed us to let us know.  After work I came home and got my insurance card and went to a covid Test.  It was at the same place I got the last one at.  I called Liz and left her a message.  She called back later.

 

I was in and out of there in 15 minutes and back home by 5.  I should get the results either later today or tomorrow. On the MyChart hospital system I told them I wasn’t feeling any symptoms but they said better to be safe than sorry.  However, I have to say I have been sneezing frequently this week and I never connected it to that.  I figured dust or the allergies. 

 

My neck was bothering me all day and I know that it was the way I slept on it the night before and so I took meds for it.  It still hurts now and I did take something for it but I will take more in a while.

 

Once I got home last night I fed the cats, ordered some dinner (that was a goof), and emptied the garbage and fell asleep on the couch watching TV.  I started watching the Star wars marathon.  Around 9 I went to bed.  I listened to the regular Friday night programs. Of course I had company in Sky.  Tiger did her own thing.

 

I had these grand plans to get all the less noisy work done early in the morning when I woke up this morning and all I managed to do is laundry, and wash clean most of the bathroom.  Since I am not going anywhere today it will be a quiet day.

 

I just need to finish the cleaning first.

 

Have a great Saturday.

 

 

Thankful Thursday 11-4-21

 

I haven’t done one of these in a long time.

1.       I am thankful for my family. 

2.      I am thankful for my kitties. 

3.      I am Thankful for my job

4.      I am thankful for my home

5.      I am thankful for my friends

6.      I am thankful my health  is status quo

7.      I am thankful for the community service groups I am in.

I just couldn’t’ make time to write at all yesterday but that’s not a bad thing either.  I had a good time at the party on election night.  I didn’t get home until after 10 and went to bed by 11.  The reason it took me longer to get home I was admiring the area around the Housatonic river.  There is a brewery there and it’s literally on the riverbanks and has a marina nearby for the locals (I think).  There was a road that made it easier to get back to the main road (Bridgeport Ave) and it just felt like a different world.  Even though it was dark it seemed lovely.

Wednesday was just busy with the scanning.  DG needed reassurance on how to do some of the mail gain. It’s okay.  She also needed directions to the clinic for a booster shot so I showed her where it was.  Truthfully she seems to be unsure of herself a lot more lately.  I don’t know why.

I made it to the Ladies Guild and am now their spiritual/inspirational reading/prayers and this was what I read last night.  We don’t have a meeting next week because of the Auction in a couple of weeks.  I am not going to that either because of finances and its right before Thanksgiving.  However I have started looking for Decembers.

The meeting was to discuss the fundraisers we have going right now and for the rest of the season.  The Auction is one and making Lawn Angels is the other.    There are a couple of other things we are doing but I was so tired and the acoustics in the hall were not that great as a result I couldn’t hear it all.

I left before the meeting was over and headed home.  Thirty minutes later I think I was in bed. Not before I had to clean the bathroom a little.  One of them left me a mess and huge puddle.  I cleaned it up more this morning.   Each of the cats came to sleep with me for a bit.  Sky stayed the longest.

Today was an early start with feeding the cats, and trying to catch up on writing and reading all before going to work.  I did a quick floor cleaning in the bathroom and washed down the bottom of the litterbox.  I was hoping to get it all done tonight but the energy level was shot down.

I have been taking the Merritt Pkwy into work and it was great but it does take a bit of time to get to the Merritt from the house.  I need to start leaving perhaps even earlier than usual.  I just have to remember the route on the way home.

When I did come home I picked up the mail it was junk.  Someone was looking to sell property specifically what I am living in. it will be shredded in due time. 

When I got inside the house I checked the bathroom it was good.  I was hopeful that it would be alright for the night.  It wasn’t.  I found poo on the floor after they ate their dinner.  I was all set to go clean it from top to bottom but that burst of energy dissipated once I cooked and had dinner.  I have checked it a few times and cleaned out the box for the night and haven’t had any additional missteps.  Last I looked Tiger was finally finishing her dinner and sky is currently curled up on the pillow next to me. 

I cleaned the kitchen up and straighten one of the cabinets that have the plastic containers in it.  At least they won’t be falling down on me anytime soon. I have the laundry going and should be done shortly.  I plan on doing laundry again on Sunday.

My cousin Judy set up another Cousin chat on Zoom for the 18^th of this month.  I am so looking forward to it.  I so want to tell them I was at Jim’s wedding but it’s not my story to tell.  I hope Jim will be there and he can tell them.

I have had my tea and I hope it counteracts the coffee I had earlier and allows me to sleep. 

 

BTW, it’s getting colder these days.  It’s been in the thirties this week and we had frost.  The temperatures haven’t gotten above 60 at all this week.  I am going to have to get some of that de-ice for the car. 

 

Election Day 2021

 

Today is the day where we vote in or reelect people running our local municipalities At least here in Connecticut that’s what’s going here; I can’t begin to think of the other states. I tried to look it up but I don’t have the time to research it.   I got up early and headed to my new Poll location and got to meet some of the candidates from the 5^th district.  I have seen the ones who are on the DTC at the zoom meetings and such but that’s it.  A few of the other Republicans I knew of from Awards night at the High Schools.  Anyway, going in was easy and voting wasn’t bad either.  I thought there would be an issue with my license because it still had my old address on the front and the new one on the back but there wasn’t. 

Members of the DTC party will be meeting at   Bridge House in Devon.  It will also have zoom connections as well.  I wasn’t going to go there but made a commitment to attend so I will go after work.   This will make for a long day.

I actually didn’t do very much this year again for the election.  I volunteered for the sign making at the beginning of October, and the two of the three phone banks and attended the monthly DTC meetings via zoom.  I didn’t attend any Kick off parties, or fundraisers for the candidates, or the lit drops they usually have.  OF course I will be at the restaurant tonight.  I am pretty confident that our current Mayor will win his re-election bid.  I feel he has done very well.

Work has been busy for me.  WE have been doing lots of scanning, and progress with the new tasks of scanning appeals.  It’s not that hard actually.  When we have it I do it in the morning.  I was glad to be done with the back log of Attorney documents for scanning.  In the afternoon I have been focusing on the refund backlog (scanning). 

I have also been helping out Mary the Admin assistant with odds and ends.  I have to make a few more mail tray tags for the mail room.  I think this all has to do with moving eventually to the third floor.

The ratified contract was to have been signed between the union and the University this week but I haven’t heard anything yet.  I am sure they will let us know.  They have been sending out emails about the ratification and what it entails.  Actually we didn’t have our committee meeting it was cancelled at the last minute.

We received an email reminding us to wear our masks while in the building as someone apparently reported that masks weren’t being warn.  We pretty much know who wasn’t wearing the mask but who reported us could have been anyone.  I went over in my head remembering if at any time I didn’t’ have my mask on and maybe once.

I was pleased to read that the property manager or board is going to contact the school board or city and ask them to move the bus stop that is at the end of our drive way.  I have been thinking I would say something but I am guessing others have.  When parents drop their kids off or are waiting for the bus to arrive they take up room.  It makes the driveway narrower than it is.  With winter approaching, it will make navigation a little tricky. 

As expected we didn’t have trick or treaters in the complex.  I even checked with a few of the neighbors and they said no.  

Because the weekend was a crazy one and I was exhausted the house cleaning was half done.  I got as far as the bathroom, and part of the kitchen and some vacuuming.  The rest will be done closer to the weekend.  I hope. 

I need to bring in the patio furniture (the table can stay outside) soon.  Unfortunately there has been a large spider (dubbed Charlotte) and its babies making their home with the umbrella and I am willing to live and let live.   I thought the storm on Saturday would take care of it but I don’t think it did.  I am just going to have to put on my big girl persona and deal with it I guess.

Last week and the week before I got the insurance (not bills or statements) but the thing they send out before the bills that tell you what it covered and what not.  Well I am a little anxious (when am I not these days?) about this.  They are both due in December.  I am hoping to build up the savings a little more before then.    I have to worry about the taxes later.

I am doing okay with everything else.  Just wish I would not use the credit card as much as I have been lately.  It’s mostly for food (meals out).  I seem to be doing it a lot lately.  I just have to reign in a little more the next few weeks.

I had a great time last weekend at the pumpkin Spice and everything nice Brunch.  I got to see people I haven’t seen in a while one was a girl from the game meetup. I got to see Erica who has been working hard.  There were many others who were new or have been around for years but haven’t been to all the activities.  I think I read there were 32 of us.  We even got to meet Cyn’s aunt who has moved in with her.

I don’t know if I had told you that a couple of weeks ago this woman who came to the Wednesday meetup at the diner and it turned ugly.  After Cyn had vented that her aunt was lauding our former President’s accomplishments this woman named Sue lit into screaming and yelling at her.  Cyn tried to apologize and just was obnoxious. I am glad I wasn’t there. 

When you attend a meetup for the first time you read the room.   You don’t cause arguments or problems or scene or whatever you want to call it.  The witch even had the nerve to follow Cyn outside to further the discussion.  A few days later the woman left the group. 

I would fiercely defend this group to anyone who would say “there isn’t a lot done with this group” or would question the methods.  We basically give each other advice or listen to each other’s problems or even accomplishments.  We try not to talk politics if we can.

We are supposed to meet at the diner tomorrow night and I am not sure I can as I have prior commitments.  I don’t know if we have anything else planned for the group.  Well except for the card games on the Sundays.  I am pretty sure there will be more Friday night excursions and a few holiday things.

The Hiking and walking with Friends group out of Manchester have been having activities on the last couple of weekends.  The one thing I have been waiting for.  Places Like West Hartford, Case Mountain, Beldon Wild life Area, and Glastonbury CT (all different areas).  I may have to take a weekend go where they are.

Walking with Buddy has had some fundraising events that don’t necessarily do with the walking and I haven’t made them.  Again it’s on weekends and I usually do housekeeping stuff and or the Finding friend’s activities.

I talked with Mama Roberta last night.  We spoke for an hour.  We talked about everything, including the current atmosphere out there in the world.  I told her about the activities in the meetup and some of her meetups.  She has got plans for the next month to visit her daughter and son in law.

In a couple of weeks my friend Lisa is coming in from Greenwich to visit.  I can’t wait for this. I am still trying to figure out a menu for our afternoon. 

The ladies Guild are meeting for the board meeting tomorrow night.  I still haven’t done much with the membership list.  I have to do it with Excel because I don’t have a PDF program.  I have been missing the last several meetings.  We have a fundraiser the annual Auction and dinner the weekend before Thanksgiving.  This meeting will be about other fundraisers, something like Angel things for Christmas time.

I did bingo last weekend and it went well.  Despite the fact they were having a possible outbreak testing.  I wasn’t sure if they were going to have bingo or not.  This annoyed me because even though I am vaccinated I still have family who are immune compromised (cousins, etc.).  I wish they would have called me to let me know.    It’s becoming evident that I need to either call out that weekend or come home early that Saturday after Thanksgiving.  I haven’t met the new Director.  She only works M-F.   I am getting the distinct impression the new boss is annoying Recreation Bob.

As I’m writing this Tiger is under the end table across from me.  She did sit with me on the couch for a little bit.  She has been eating her morning a different brand of canned food with no problem.  That means she is also taking her meds easily.  The turkey menu is in dark gravy instead of white.  It takes her longer to eat the kibble but I think she gets the medicine anyway. 

She continues to surprise me daily when she hops up on to the bed some nights and sleep.  She doesn’t always stay but it’s still great.  I have also found that she will cuddle with Sky on the couch, under the coffee table and on the bed.  I just never took pictures.  Something I will be regretting I am sure.

 

 

Sky, continues to sleep everywhere, top of the recliner, couch, and of course next to me at night.  He would put his head on the pillow or my shoulder sometimes.  Several times including this evening I have found him under the blankets on the bed.  He also curls up under the bed for a while.  He eats his food and sometimes if I don’t catch him he eats tigers.

I was happy to discover that one of them had an accident once today.  Let’s hope they can keep it up longer.

I saw my sister and BIL yesterday before my session with Debra.  My reason for going over there was to drop off money to her.  AT one point she wanted to let me know that I shouldn’t have shared something with her about my brother (sort of health related but more like age related) so she nagged me about.  I was rather annoyed with her about it and as I was going to my car I mumble and said you are not my mother.  When Liz called me tonight on the way home I thanked her instead.  We talked more about it and then we moved on to a more pleasant topic. 

Liz wanted me to know she went to the animal shelter to drop off some old sheets and blankets for the animals and she got to hold some really beautiful kittens.  She said she didn’t bring one home because she wanted to keep her husband more.

I have seen some sitings of my angel brother’s family on FB.  Niece is still up in Haddam performing, her brother John is living life in South Carolina, Rob? Yeah who knows?  SIL I am not sure.

Jim was working the polls yesterday.  I will find out soon how it went.  He has been disappointed with Politics both nationally and locally of late. 

Well I need to get to the restaurant.  Have a great night.