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Monday, January 16, 2017

Almost like spring

Good morning, pixies! Our long cold snap has broken, and we are experiencing respite from the blizzards, and what a relief that is. My head feels functional for the first time in a week. Today, it is -15C (6F) outside, and while that is likely still ridiculously cold for everyone else (and was for me, a little more than a month ago), after that stretch of -40 (the point where Fahrenheit and Celsius meet), and without the driving winds, it feels like spring today. E and I were able to walk to school today. I walked back with my new friend, who lives down the street, and we stood outside and chatted for a few minutes, our faces fully uncovered, instead of running for shelter. We might go skating this afternoon, for the second day in a row. I'd better take advantage of it while we can: this week is supposed to involve a lot of melting and re-freezing, every day, which I suspect will turn the roads into skating rinks (and the skating rinks into puddles, I guess?).

How's your day going?

128 comments:

Queen of West Procrastination said...

I just got caught up on the last comments from yesterday, and so many hugs for Liz. I'm so sorry.

kathy a. said...

Liz, I'm so sorry about the loss of your friend. Fireplacing cancer.

QWP -- that still sounds awfully darned cold!

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Kathy: it really is! But at least it isn't dangerously cold. Weirdly, I'd rather have this (or ideally, this afternoon's temperature, which is going to be juuuust below freezing), because it's the ideal temperature for playing in the snow. Once you have the pile of snow we have, it's safer for kids to play in it when it's just below freezing than when it's melting, because wet cold is an easy way to get hypothermia.

esperanza said...

Yikes, that sounds cold to me, QWP! We had thunder and lightning and torrential downpours and tornadoes last night, so that was exciting. (Tornadoes actually weren't very close to here, but quite close to my parents' house).

The patient is grumpy. The nurse is getting that way. The Baboos are off from school. Deprived of their screens this morning, they made cardboard-box airplanes for their stuffed animals. I'm feeling proud of myself for said deprivation.

Liz, I'm so sorry about your friend. I remember when you knocked on her door and figured out the connection.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Tornadoes! Yikes, esperanza! And well done getting the baboos to entertain themselves without screens today, in the midst of Mr. E's grumpy recovery.

Sue said...

((((Liz))) I'm so sorry about your friend. xoxo

QWP, we've warmed up considerably here too. Yay! I'm glad your head is feeling better - much better on that front here as well.

Sorry about the grumpy patient, esperanza. :(

esperanza said...

Mr. E talked with the doctor's office a couple of times today regarding his headache pain level and the ineffectiveness of even the narcotics. The result of all that is that he's going in on Wednesday (ie, I'm driving him) so they can "suction" (ew) his sinuses. Then on Friday he goes back so they can abrade the scar tissue. (also ew). All of that is great, but....

W: I did not factor in TWO trips across the city this week. I will be scurrying to fit everything in my week, especially with the holiday today.

kathy a. said...

Ick and ow, Esperanza. That really sounds -- not fun. At.All. Do they have any suggestions for relief in the meantime? I have no real idea about this kind of thing.... xoxo

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Eeeee that sounds unpleasant, esperanza!

esperanza said...

Well, the hydr0c0d0ne isn't doing much, and it has ~ahem~ unpleasant side effects, so he's not excited about taking it. They suggest massive doses of 1buprofen, alternating with acetominophen. His primary care doctor has cautioned him about the latter, as she's not super pleased with his liver numbers. The ENT wants to treat the cause of the pain, rather than the pain itself, which makes all kinds of sense. I just wish he could do it tomorrow instead of Wednesday.

kathy a. said...

The Rx dose of ibuprofen (@dvil) is OK, even though it is more than a regular dose -- that is what my doc recommends for lesser problems, like arthritis in my back that is aggravated by walking much. Alternating with a regular dose of the other is usually OK post-srugically (e.g., after wisdom tooth removal; after my surgery last year), but understand the caution. STILL, big pain is a big problem!

Would it help to breathe steam, to help loosen things up in there? Apply ice packs externally for brief periods, maybe to numb and reduce swelling? Wednesday does seem a while off, when things are this painful. xoxo

esperanza said...

He can't tolerate the ice packs--too heavy, he says. We've tried frozen peas. Same thing. Not sure if hot showers are helping or not. He is doing saline rinses frequently, which offer slight relief, temporarily. Thanks for the ideas.

kathy a. said...

The packs for my kids after their wisdom teeth were small, maybe 1.5 x 2.5 inches. Would a really small baggie of frozen peas maybe work better, perhaps taped to size and not packed tightly?

Anonymous said...

esperanza- so sorry about mr E's pain! Perhaps some ice packs that coaches carry with them... the kind that you whack and then they are suddenly cold.... it's a chemical reaction and they tend to be very very light.... more so than ice or even peas. Just a thought. They have them at sporting goods stores. Wish you lived closer to me-- I'd drive some over.
Hope the (ugh) extra procedures fix the problem!

I recommend high doses of Netfl1x in the meantime.:) We have gotten completely sucked into a few shows recently which has been nice. For a sci-fi/ comic hero buff, we have been watching Fl@sh. My son also likes teh Arr0w. Love Tea Leoni in M@dam Secr3tary . Oh there's a bunch of things that might be a distraction?

So sorry!

--Neighbor Lady

esperanza said...

AW: I think he must have slept better last night (I've been in the living room, so he won't think he's bothering me. He's bothering me, but not as much as if I were in the bedroom). Anyway. He didn't come out to get water, warm up his saline rinse, get a snack, etc.

AW: Baboos are off to school this morning.

W: I have a lot to squeeze in to today before 3 PM.

Liz Miller said...

I went to sit shivah last night for my friend, and it was lovely. Her brother greeted me at the door and I explained how I knew her, and he said "She TOLD me about you! What a cool story! The world is so small!"

Other friends of mine live up the street from her and they were there, and it was really nice to be present.

Also, I brought potato leek soup I made over the weekend (and I put it in her husband's freezer for after all the funeral food is gone).

Sending hugs to Mr. E. My husband had that same surgery 21 years ago, and the recovery was no fun at all.

Sue said...

Ouch, esperanza. Sorry to hear about Mr. E's pain level. I'm glad he's seeing the doc tomorrow to look at resolving the cause of the pain, but yikes, that sounds perfectly awful. I hope you get All The Things done today! :)

Liz, your visit sounds lovely, as does the soup.

W: Okay, almost 20 years into this ministry gig and I've never come across this before. I'm on study leave this week, so I'm not at the church, but rather working at home with a large mountain of work planned. I checked the church answering machine last evening (long story...) and found a message from the sister of one of our members who has passed away.

She basically told me the service will be here in the church this Saturday afternoon. When I told her I wasn't available, she said it had to be that day because all the family had already bought plane tickets to get here.

She booked the plane tickets BEFORE she confirmed that the service could even take place.

Who the fireplace does that????!!!

I made it very clear that it was a huge inconvenience and I would have to change plans I had in place for months (true), but have yet to hear an apology.

Un-fireplacing-believable.

esperanza said...

U.G.H. People. U.G.H. I have no words, Sue.

kathy a. said...

Cluesticks, Sue, even if they are bereaved.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

WHAT. How is that a thing? What if there had already been a funeral or wedding booked at that time (not to mention the fact that the minister wasn't actually available then)??

kathy a. said...

The minister wasn't actually available then. She got bullied into changing plans, for something that could have been scheduled at a time convenient to all parties.

Sue said...

The women setting up the refreshments/coffee thing following the service had a better conversation with her this morning. Still no hint of an apology for being presumptuous about the date, place, or minister's availability, but at least she thanked them for their work.

Ugh. Just ugh.

kathy a. said...

Well, that's something.... (giant eye-roll...)

W: Anxious and sad about recent events, and an upcoming event of national importance. I'm trying to take it one issue at a time, and planning to take actions I can for each one -- but the fireplacing list of hideous issues is long, Pixies.

kathy a. said...

AW: There are allies! The CBO just offered an assessment of partial repeal of health care (ahead of the Event, and the threat to muzzle that office), and it tells the stark truth. The press, let her prosper! PP. ACLU. Gabby Giffords and Everytown. All the women's marches. There's probably a longer list, but this one is a start, anyway.

esperanza said...

If there isn't a nice check for you, Sue, when this is all over, I'm not sure I want to hear about it. My head might explode.

Trying not to think about Friday, kathy a.

Anonymous said...

Sue.... that is preposterous!
So sorry that you were forced to do that. Wish you could suddenly "be out of town". COuldn't your study leave that day take place in a library or coffee shop "out of town" ? I know, they're bereaved, but.... also incredibly rude. And, yeah, what if there had been a wedding???? or a different funeral?? yike!

AW: Daughter has been asked to sing with a small part of the singing group she is part of to kick off our local city's women's march on Saturday. They supposedly have 44,000 people registered so this is historic. Hope it will be a great event and send a strong message about equity and justice!

--Neighbor Lady



kathy a. said...

Go, Neighbor Girl!!

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Wow, NL! Both to the numbers and to your daughter singing in the kickoff!

I need a gold star for my day. I noticed that I had a long list of little, annoying tasks (mostly appointments that I had to phone and book, and that then force me to haul myself and child all over the city), and I slated today as the day when I sat down and faced all those annoying tasks at once. Does anyone else feel weary and stressed out when they face tasks (even if they're small) that have been put off for so long that they've become a continual source of stress? But I did it. I feel like a limp dishrag now, but I made all the phone calls today.

W: Making a lot of appointments at once means we now are facing a LOT of appointments. E has an eye appointment on Thursday morning, and a dentist appointment (her first real one!) on Friday afternoon, and then she and I have doctor checkups on Monday, and then that Friday we'll both get our hair cut. That's a lot of sitting still and rewards for E, over the next week and a half. And I'm nervous, because I found out that somehow my dentist's office has lost all of their nice hygienists since I went in a couple of months ago, and the only one they have right now is the one that I found to be too rough. I don't know how many times over the phone, "She is four, and we've just barely gotten to the place where it isn't a fight to brush her teeth, and this experience needs to be GENTLE." If this hygienist makes it hard to get E to the dentist in the future....

kathy a. said...

QWP, is there such a thing as a pediatric dentist near you? Honest, they are ever so much better with kids! Ours offered video games, and toys after, and videos on the ceiling, and the dentist himself wore aloha shirts. (I admit, not all ped dentists might meet that standard, but they are used to kids.)

kathy a. said...

* they and their trained staff!

esperanza said...

I am no help on the dentist question, since Sweet freaked the fireplace right out last time, at the pedi dentist. Orthodontist appointment tomorrow. She seems chill about that. Go figure.

kathy a. said...

((( Liz ))) I missed your comment about sitting shiva. So glad you went, and were known, and could remember her together, and that you left something for the freezer. xoxo

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Kathy, we do have a pediatric dentist nearby, but I read the reviews, and everyone was complaining that their insurance would get charged for a specialist that wasn't covered, because the pediatric dentist is a really specific kind of specialist? It was really confusing, and I honestly don't dare go to something that might end up being outside of our coverage (dental being something that isn't fully covered by Medicare, and is subject to private insurance plans). I know that my dentist bills our insurance directly, and so I'm rolling with that because it'll cost like $5 out of pocket. So, I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

I should clarify that both dentists at my practice are amazing, and I went there both because they direct bill insurance and because friends with kids raved about them. I'm just nervous about the hygienist.

Sue said...

Go Neighbor Girl! How exciting!!

Good work getting all the appointments made QWP. That's huge...I have a list of calls I need to make too, and I agree, it's exhausting having the list hanging over me. You've inspired me! I'll try to get on it this week.

Fingers crossed for a good hygienist appointment.

(((kathy a))) I'm sorry the anxiety list grows, but glad to hear about strong allies!

esperanza - said check had better land on my desk before the service. Grrr....what is the matter with people?????

esperanza said...

Oh, I missed Neighbor Girl's good news! And woo hoo on the march numbers in Neighbor Land.

QWP, your appointments whine made me remember to call for Mini's well child checkup. My math says she's about to turn 7, but my heart can't quite believe that.

W: Mr. E has been miserable all day.

kathy a. said...

Hope Mr. E feels better soon. A large sweetie in pain, that's the worst. (But the followup is tomorrow, right?)

QWP, wow about ped dentistry being a "specialty" of the sort that isn't covered. I mean... Not.Fair.

U.S. people who care about public education -- go tell your senators what you think about the ed secretary nominee! Won't have to look hard to find things to complain about. Do it fast, though.

AW: I started pricing this and that for wedding rentals, just looking at standard items, and some of it is hilarious! For example, *renting* the shade of white that hints of lavender, we're talking $20 per table, vs. el cheapo white at $11 per (which is itself ridiculous, considering one could buy the same thing for less). It is quite possible we will get creative. Don't know why that cheers me up, but it does.

Anonymous said...

Kathy-- creativity is wonderful! And makes things more memorable anyway! :)
QWP-- so impressive about tackling the list of tasks!!!
esperanza-- Hope Mr. E's appointments today provide relief quickly!!
--NL

esperanza said...

Yeeaaah, I have a long list of complaints against the Education Secretary Nominee. I have a long list of complaints against public education, actually, but none of them match up with her list.

esperanza said...

I'm not one to get all conspiracy theory, but I am using teh g00gle, and it's not letting me access the list of senate phone numbers, nor email addresses.

And yes Mr. E's follow up is today.

esperanza said...

I can't get to anything on senate.gov

Voicemail boxes are full. Not that my two senators would listen to me anyway :(

Liz Miller said...

Yeah, looks like Senate.gov crashed.

Liz Miller said...

House website is still up. Try calling your member of Congress to ask for a direct email address for your senator. You will almost certainly get a member of their staff. Good. Tell them you are actually calling for them since they will most likely have the information you need. Explain that the website with the normal contact form is down and that time is of the essence.

If your congress critter is a Republican, imply that you are one too if you think it will help you get the information.

Liz Miller said...

The site is back up.

kathy a. said...

I just learned that the P elect once referred to himself as the Hemingway of Twitter. Apparently, he thought he was complimenting himself. (My teacher forced me to read all of Hemingway's novels for an honors paper, and I concluded that he wrote essentially the same story every time, but in different extremely manly settings.)

We're beginning another series of storms, set to run until next week. My beloved bought a sump pump and a long hose to drain stuff to someplace, but I think he won't be installing this weekend.

esperanza said...

Back from procedure for Mr. E. It's all fine, just the swelling is causing the pressure headaches.

Rainy and gloomy here. Blech.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

I hope that the swelling goes down soon, esperanza. Poor Mr. E.

Well done, pixies who are working to contact their officials about these appointment hearings. The horror regarding the Education secretary nominee is overshadowing our concerns about potential education cuts that are looming here.

kathy a. said...

Ouch, Mr. E! Fingers crossed for relief soon.

I've contacted my senators about 2 nominees (Education and EPA), and have 3 more currently on my list (Sec. State; HHS; commerce). Also wrote them and my rep. earlier about preserving the ACA, medicare, medicaid, and VA health benefits.

Am sure there will be more concerns to write about, but so much is happening at once that it is hard to keep track. Which was probably the grand plan. More contacts after a little sanity break...

kathy a. said...

Oh, I also sent my views on the AG nominee, who is a complete jackass. IMO. Honestly, lot to keep track of.

kathy a. said...

Also forgot Sec. of Defense, nicknamed "mad dog," who passed a committee today.

Sorry for veering to the political, but there's a lot on my mind, and I don't think letting things this big run their course is a solution I can live with right now.

Liz Miller said...

Filling out paperwork. They need my employment history going back alllllll the way. Fortunately, I knew I kept a detailed list from the last time I filled out this same sort of paperwork.

And I knew exactly where it was, too.

Except it wasn't there. Looked in the other place it might be. Not there either.

I was about to tear the house apart when I found it. In a box of Nearby University files. Because the job that needed this paperwork was right after that.

I'm scanning it. And keeping it in the "No. Really. Don't box me up" set of files.

Sue said...

I hope Mr. E starts to feel better soon, esperanza.

The other day I was flipping through channels and heard the P elect's screechy blonde "counselor" say, "Mr. T is a master communicator and an amazing writer." How do these people say these things with a straight face????

W: I don't think I mentioned earlier in the week that our office admin had a fall at home on the weekend. Poor thing - it sounds really awful. She mangled up the tendons in her knee and had surgery Tuesday. She'll be off work for awhile. (If I told you this already, forgive me. I'm whining on the run today as I have to go and meet with the family from heck)

Anyway, our personnel committee chair is not answering emails or texts (he's famous for ignoring things he doesn't want to deal with) but one person on the committee is stepping up.

AW: She is going to take care of getting an office replacement for the next two weeks.

The Chair of our Board is on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean. Last evening I found myself feeling genuinely annoyed that he didn't take me with him. :)

kathy a. said...

Liz, glad you found it!

Sue -- sorry about your secretary. At least SOMEONE on the personnel committee is doing something about getting a replacement....

esperanza said...

Good work, Liz! My dad once applied for a s3cur1ty clearance, for a different job within his company. Holy cow, the paperwork. And he was quite boring--not many moves, not many jobs, etc.

Sue, sorry about the secretary, and the hands-off personnel chair. Grr.

AW: Y'all, I think I waited too long to get back to work. I keep having fulfilling days at the church.

W: There is this person. In the house. Constantly. I know he's ready to feel better and get back to work, but I am super ready to have my space back. He likes it dark and noisy (tv, white noise, usually both). I like it sunny and quiet.



kathy a. said...

Yay, about work being so good, Esperanza!

Sympathy about the other thing.

esperanza said...

AW: well, we have some improvement. He has moved from the bedroom (watching tv) to the office (watching YouTube). And he got out and bought himself some lunch (in the drivethrough, as is his wont even when he's well).

kathy a. said...

Progress, baby! Glad he got out, and no doubt he got comfort food. All good.

If I do roasted baby potatoes, brussels sprouts, and pancetta, that's kind of all the major food groups, right?

Done all the senator contacts about Ed, SecState, HHS, Commerce, EPA, AG, Defense, Treasury, and Energy. Still have some senator / rep contacts about issues for later: russian interference; giving away government land (BLM); PP; and this hideous idea to allow more gun silencers for "hearing protection" of the shooters. (What could possibly go wrong with that?) Am running out of space on my post-it reminder of stuff... But hey, I have nothing else planned for tomorrow, except avoiding the news.

kathy a. said...

Note: I'm between major projects. This flood of news was set up so *nobody* would have time to respond to each thing. So, just do what you can if you are so moved. xoxo

Liz Miller said...

Yes, it really was set up for just that.

Paperwork done. Peed in a cup. Settling in to wait.

Folks, I am almost loathe to write this. This job? Which I think I will enjoy? They offered me more money than I asked for. This has never happened before in the existence of the universe.

kathy a. said...

WOOT, Liz! That means they know where you fit in their scale of pay, and they really want you. xoxo

esperanza said...

Yay, Liz!

Yes, they're trying to overwhelm the people who think with too many things to think about. Fireplacers.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

NICE, Liz! Congratulations!

Kathy, this is exactly what they're doing, and if it's this horrifying to watch from north of the border (where we're only marginally affected), I can't imagine how it is for the US pixies.

Sue: I'm sorry to hear about your admin being injured. I'm glad that someone finally came through to take care of filling the absence.

Whiiiine: so fireplacing tired. E's eye appointment took an hour and a half, including eye drops (poor kid) and redoing the tests with drops. We just narrowly avoided glasses this time: pupil coordination issues and a touch of nearsightedness. (That's the same as Sweet, right, esperanza?) I'm REALLY crossing my fingers that it's better in four to six months: this is something that's supposed to develop by age 4, but it might be another thing where things are slower because she was premature. And so we wait. (And oh goodness, I forgot how clingy they are after eye drops, with the blurred vision. She was one year old, the last time she had those.)

Sue said...

Yay Liz!! Congratulations!!!

Sue said...

QWP, sorry about the exhaustion. :(

I'm glad the return to work has been so good esperanza!

esperanza said...

QWP, Sweet's fun is astigmatism and a touch of farsightedness. Farsightedness could totally be preemie issues, because otherwise she would be inheriting my severe nearsightedness. I refused to consent to the drops and the blow-the-air-in-your-eye thing, because I wanted it to be a pleasant experience.

I'm not sure about the coordination thing.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Oh, I that was you guys, esperanza! Who was it that had a prism in their glasses? (Wait, was that Kathy a, when she was a kid? I feel like we all discussed glasses prisms at some point.)

kathy a. said...

No! I didn't get glasses until I was in college, although clearly I needed them before. (And I love them so much.) Can't remember the prism glasses story, sorry. But 4 is very young, don't stress on it! xoxo



esperanza said...

I remember the prism discussion, vaguely.

Anonymous said...

QWP-- I do remember that, but not who it was.
Glad you are enjoying returning to work esperanza.
Yay liz!
:)NL

Liz Miller said...

I had the prisms. Mild lazy eye, astigmatism, and near-sightedness.

I did eye exercises, too. But the whole kit and caboodle was when I was older, like age 7? 8? thru age 10.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Liz! Thank you for clarifying that. My cousin still has prisms in her glasses, because she has something else that isn't lazy eye, and can't really be fixed with exercises.

Esperanza: I was meaning to say that it's wonderful to hear how satisfying your return to work has been so far.

esperanza said...

W: the other side of the work AW, combined with the parenting and nursing and household management...I'm exhausted.

kathy a. said...

((( Esperanza )))

AW: Diced baby potatoes, quartered brussel sprouts, pancetta, mushrooms, garlic/onion/spices. Yum. Especially with sour cream.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Hugs for esperanza. That's a lot.

Kathy, please send some this way.

kathy a. said...

How the fireplace are we supposed to get through tomorrow? I will definitely need to find some new dish to cook, and spend a lot of time on n3tfl1x. xoxo

Queen of West Procrastination said...

I'm spending the morning helping a friend bake (his grandma's recipe) cookies for his grandma's funeral, and spending the afternoon at the dentist. I'll pop in here, but I'm going to be avoiding internet and TV that isn't N3tfl1x or British real estate shows. Hugs, pixies. This Canadian is here to support you.

kathy a. said...

Cookies! What a great idea!

esperanza said...

Yup. I'm helping out a friend this morning, too.

Liz Miller said...

I'm going to get through the day being weepy.

Sue said...

Another Canadian wave of support to all the US pixies. I'm at home today getting the service ready for tomorrow's memorial. The woman who died gave me such a great gift early in my ministry with this church. She had just returned from the Holy land and she handed me a small cola bottle (with arabic writing on it). It was filled with somewhat yucky looking water and taped securely at the top.

It was water from the Jordan River and she brought it back so I could tell the children about the river and show them the actual thing. She said to keep it and use it as I saw fit.

The water lasted just over 8 years. Every time we had a baptism, I would tell the story of where it came from, talk about Jesus' baptism, and add a drop, just a drop, from the bottle. Parents still tell me how profound that drop of water was to them.

I think I'll tell that story.

kathy a. said...

Weepy is about right...

Sue, what a lovely memory.

kathy a. said...

A friend not in this group said she is using The Crown as an antidote! So am I. (As suggested previously by some friends here.)

We have rain and gloom, which fits the circumstances. My 2 goals for today are kick-ass mac and cheese, and either brownies or cookies.

xoxo

Liz Miller said...

Sue, that's a lovely story.

kathy a. said...

Daughter has another law school acceptance. AND, she sent me penguin photos. I am so lucky.

Liz Miller said...

<3

esperanza said...

Hooray for Daughter!

W: I remember 2009. I sat on the couch with a year-old Sweet, and cried happy and amazed tears. I told her it was a very important day.

kathy a. said...

The cat with a claw problem has decided it is snuggle on mama time. My bra sometimes suffers in the process, since she sits in front of my keyboard near some of my female equipment, poking her cold little nose into my elbow, but purrs are good.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Hey there, dear pixies. I hope you are all well today. So many hugs for everyone. (And applauding Kathy's daughter, with her two law school acceptances!)

A small AW: even though yesterday's eye appointment was more stressful than expected, today's dentist appointment went really well. And now we're having a nice, quiet afternoon, as E colours in her new colouring book (her reward for getting through all these appointments)

esperanza said...

AW? W? We have a neighborhood dog who scrambled up to our door as the Baboos were coming in from the bus. Her people have been called. We posted her photo on the neighborhood facebook group. She's tiny (a Yorkie, I think) and very friendly. The Baboos are beside themselves with excitement. I'm afraid my "no dog" policy is doomed.

Anonymous said...

Yay for the law school acceptance, Kathy!
__NL
daughter made brownies with a layer of oreos in the middle. delish.
i am in black. She is in a "Get Vocal" tshirt from her choir.
We are getting through.

kathy a. said...

No Dog policies have a way of crumbling when a dog shows up. Been there, have the t-shirt. Have the third dog in the after-story....

W: My husband's fabulous aunt just died. I loved her so much; had a chance to really spend time with her during the many weeks I had to spend nearby for a work thing. And we talked a lot when her sister, my MIL, was sick. I miss her. xoxo

Liz Miller said...

(((((Kathy)))))

kathy a. said...

NL -- love your daughter!

kathy a. said...

This is a very mixed day. Daughter got a third acceptance, this one with a good scholarship also.

esperanza said...

Wow, daughter! That is no small feat! Well done!

esperanza said...

kathy a, somehow I missed the bit about your husband's aunt. I'm sorry :(

Queen of West Procrastination said...

What a mixed day of bad and good, Kathy! Congratulations to your daughter, and I'm so sorry about the loss of fabulous aunt.

NL, what a great daughter you have.

Anonymous said...

(((kathy))) So sorry about your aunt.
Yay for a third acceptance!


W:Can't sleep.... and set my alarm for an hour too early by accident! As much as I am excited about the march and think it is important, am also very nervous. Trying not to pass that through to the kids, but 70,ooo is a lot of people. And I know where Liz is going is going to be even bigger. (yay! and wow!)

Daughter was in tears yesterday, having recently been thinking a lot about MLK, and knowing what happened to him, got overwhlemed at the thought of being on stage in front of the crowd.
Calmed her down by reminding her what MLK fought for, and that the March on Washington changed history, and that it was peaceful (and that's a huge part of the point). But still.
Saw the pics of planes full of women heading to DC, and it's so inspiring!
This is my first big protest/march. Sorry if this whine sounds wimpy.

Liz, can't wait to hear about the DC march!

Prayers and empowering thoughts welcome today.
I remember what we're fighting for, and try to think "yes I can",
deep breath
--NL

Liz Miller said...

Yes, you can, NL. You're going to be with friends. They're just friends you may not have met yet. Every single person there is just one person. If you feel like it's way too many people, make eye contact with a few of them. Individuate them. That's what works for me.

Liz Miller said...

Kathy, congratulations to my your daughter!!!

kathy a. said...

NL, hoping it is wonderful for you and NG! And for all the other marchers, everywhere, of which there appear to be an abundance! Looking forward to hearing all the reports. So far, on the book of visages, have seen reports from friends about marches in DC, NYC, Houston, Little Rock, Memphis, Los Angeles, Oakland, and probably other places I'm forgetting. Making me feel better, despite what happened yesterday.

There aren't any arrangements yet for my fab aunt-in-law. Her daughter is thinking her mom should be buried in the family plot with her parents and brother and sister. The plot is some hundreds of miles from where anybody lives any more, but at least when she gets to figuring the details, my husband can help with that.

Our old dog has 2 infected teeth that need to come out next week. :(

kathy a. said...

And -- daughter just got into a 4th law school, with an even bigger scholarship offer. What an up and down week.

esperanza said...

kathy a, she is on a roll! How many applications did she send out?

kathy a. said...

She sent 5. We truly expected to hear nothing this soon.

esperanza said...

So she's 4 out of 5 so far! Wow!

kathy a. said...

I feel like braggy mommy, and really, this is all on her. Think she'll do great, starting a few years out from college and having some life experience. She's thought things through; has a better sense of direction. Really think that made a lot of difference in how they are viewing her apps.

esperanza said...

you are totally entitled to a braggy mommy moment.

esperanza said...

Feeling like a slug today, mostly because I'm not marching. So here's what I've done instead
* checked fb and tw1tt3r approximately once for every woman marching, worldwide
* written most of a sermon. I'm down to the "so what" part.
* ordered some new tennis shoes because walking 3 miles in mine yesterday made my toe joint hurt, and they are torn on the top and slick on the bottom.
* ordered pictures, sent Mr. E to pick them up, and assisted Mini with her "All About Me" poster
* cared for a semi-sick Mini
* left Sweet to her own devices, as is her wish
* made turkey-rice soup from the turkey carcass leftover from Thanksgiving
* made breakfast and lunch for me and Sweet. Mini's not eating much.


I still have lots of things I need to get to, and I'm totally distracted. But there's soup.

esperanza said...

Y'all, biggest march in Texas ever. Right here in Austin.

kathy a. said...

Go, Esperanza! And wow, Austin! oxox

Liz Miller said...

March was awesome.

W: mm found out tonight that someone he thought was a friend, isn't. Fortunately, his best friend proved that she is still his best friend.

esperanza said...

Hugs to MM. And a hug to his best friend, too.

Anonymous said...

((((MM)))) and yay for a true best friend.

Wow-- esperanza, I am impressed with all you did yesterday! I am always impressed by homemade soup.

March was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!
SOOOO glad we did it! Neighbor Girl's choir changed the words on the last verse of America the Beaut1ful from "crown thy good with brotherhood" to "crown thy good with SISTERHOOD", and the crowd went wild! I think she will never forget that moment.

Overhwhelming at times,but very much felt like being surrounded by 175,000 friends. Gives me hope and energy.

--Neighbor lady

Anonymous said...

Kathy a-- I am so impressed with your daughter!!!!! Fabulous!!!!
--NL

kathy a. said...

So sorry that MM found out his friend was unfriendly; but glad for his best friend.

Yay, NG!

kathy a. said...

For Neighbor Lady: https://www.google.com/search?q=what+do+we+want?++evidence+based+science&tbm=isch&imgil=G1aRKmSSP8_QIM%253A%253B19eE1493fKCh1M%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.relativelyinteresting.com%25252Fwhen-do-we-want-evidence-based-change%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=G1aRKmSSP8_QIM%253A%252C19eE1493fKCh1M%252C_&usg=__MLUFkYy4z8ArdnGokDQFvD0SpT8%3D&biw=1600&bih=766&ved=0ahUKEwiWkJiYsNbRAhXHlFQKHdupAqAQyjcILg&ei=K_mEWNbOFsep0gLb04qACg#imgrc=G1aRKmSSP8_QIM%3A

Anonymous said...

Love it!! LOL

-NL

Sue said...

(((kathy a))) So sorry about your loss. Yay for your daughter!!!

Hugs and love to MM and NG.

I'm so glad the march was so amazing. I followed it all day yesterday!

AW: Funeral went well, the deceased was honoured well, lunch was shared... all good.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

So many hugs for MM. I went through the same, when I was just a little younger than he is, and it still hurts a little. I'm glad that he still has his best friend.

Sue: I'm so glad that the funeral went well. And now, the family had better pay you in a timely fashion, especially after all this.

We stayed home from church this morning. Mr. Q is sick, and I'm pretty run down. So much for that month and a half free from sickness! It was nice while it lasted (E and I keep teasing Mr. Q that he needs to keep his distance from us, because she and I were sick for the entirety of autumn, and we don't want to start back into it now).

esperanza said...

QWP, y'all have two vectors from different germ pools. I think you're doomed. :(

AW: Mini's mysterious almost-fever illness seems to be gone, leaving only her allergy attack to deal with. The winds have been crazy here (damaged roofs, fences, highway signs), which has stirred up all sorts of pollen.

W: She woke up at 3:45 last night, sneezing and coughing. She never went back to sleep, and neither did I. Why am I more tired than she is, then?

kathy a. said...

Esperanza -- you had things to do besides cartoons and resting? xoxo

esperanza said...

My new favorite sign from the Austin march. This is a Texas insult: "Trump likes store bought flour tortillas."

I'd bet money that the marcher holding the sign (a man, BTW) is from San Antonio.

esperanza said...

Oh, and yes, I had a couple of things to take care of today, besides cartoons.

Sue said...

Ugh - sorry for the sickness reports.

QWP - I was paid for the funeral. It's gone into my travel fund. :)

W: Dinner tonight with my in-laws was rough. MIL not doing so well tonight, though she did eat well. She tried to add to the conversation but couldn't find the words she was looking for, then she got frustrated. Between us all we did the gymnastics of helping her without seeming to help. It was tough for our son.

Fireplacing dementia.

esperanza said...

Seriously relieved you got paid for that funeral, Sue. Or the posse was going to ride.

Hugs for the MIL situation. Dementia is awful.

kathy a. said...

((( Sue ))) Yep, dementia sucks pretty badly. One of the hard parts (in addition to all the other hard parts) is that for many, just something not-big and happy can be a disorienting change. xoxoxo

Queen of West Procrastination said...

So many hugs, Sue.

I can't count the number of times that I've asked, "Why am I more tired than she is?"

Liz Miller said...

Sue, I'm sorry about your mother-in-law.
Kathy, I'm sorry about your sister-in-law, but also understand if it's a relief, too.

I'm sorry about all the sickness going around!!

No new whines here, just waiting.