This week is dragging already, and it's Monday morning at 9:18 a.m.
On our agenda:
buy outfits for first day of school (Mean Mom is insisting that said outfits be worn more than once)
go to work with Mama for the last time of the summer (excitement levels are all equal on this one)
head to local swimming hole, to fulfill promise made at beginning of the summer
let everything else go until next week (the mess. And the clutter. And the mess.)
What's happening for you, whining pixies?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
85 comments:
The eclipse is coming! We are not near the path of totality, although daughter is pretty close. A good part of the sun will be blocked whre we live, though. Peak of the eclipse will be about 2 hours from now.
Not only that, but it's the first day of class. Eclipse party in the morning; contracts in the afternoon.
Esperanza, good luck with the baboos!
We get 85% of the eclipse, which is cool!
60% here, which unless you're paying very close attention, isn't that noticeable. The light looks as if it is overcast, but the sun is casting shadows. That's a little disorienting, but I noticed only because I was looking for it.
OK, thanks to a NASA tip, I took the colander outside to see the non-circle shadows. The Baboos humored me and pretended it was fun.
Very cool!! The light here looked like we were wearing sunglasses. Very amber, but with crisp shadows and bright sunny highlights on the cars. Visibly darker than usual.
Well, it was overcast here, so all that happened was it got gloomier, like a big storm was coming in. But NASA broadcast some great views -- the only downside being non-stop commentary, like during the Rose Parade. Or I guess, sports broadcasts.
There are some great photos of shadows on the book of visages!
W: My husband visited his sister yesterday, and it looks like she's doing a good bit worse than the last visit. She was crying, and he could not tell why -- her language is really unintelligible now. He brought magazines, which she usually really likes to look at; and books with pictures of cats; and she was uninterested. She can't walk by herself, and did not want to walk with him for support. He looked at her chart, and she's still on daily doses of some fairly heavy meds that were meant to tamp down rages and behavioral outbursts, and so he's wondering why -- wondering if that is contributing to her sadness and disinterest. Anyway, trying to set up a discussion with the director, have asked for a review of her meds. A good part of what's going on is just the decline as her disease progresses; but she might be more alert and less sad with a med adjustment.
W/AW: My daughter was nervous about her first class this afternoon, contracts, because it confuses her. I told her she's *supposed* to feel that way; that the subject is confusing to normal people, but the whole point is to learn how to think about this peculiar corner of law. And also, she did seem to get the points of the first two cases they had to read. Go, team! She's much happier with tomorrow's new class, civil procedure; the rules are a lot more clear.
Aw, hugs kathy a. Asking for a med review seems like a good step, even if it yields no changes. Her condition changes so rapidly that a frequent review should happen, especially with any psychiatric meds.
And I'm glad daughter thinks she will survive law school. I only vaguely know what you're even talking about. I've signed a contract a couple of times, but I have no idea what civil procedure means.
W: I put on a small pot of black beans to cook around 6:30 pm. I always cook pinto beans in the crock pot, so maybe I'm off, but I thought this little pot of beans would cook in a couple of hours. We are now at 3.5 hours and they are still crunchy, and I want to go to bed.
My week has had a rough beginning: my uncle has had cancer for about a decade now (an incurable sort that has been kept at bay with stem cell treatments until now). He's now on chemo that's at a last-ditch dosage, and he suddenly had to be rushed to the hospital this weekend. He's now in a palliative bed, and his family has been called to be with him. I'm basically busying myself, trying to think of anything else right now (he and my dad were childhood friends, who married sisters, and my aunt and uncle's kids were my only cousins until I was well into my teens).
(((QWP))) Thinking of you and your family
((( QWP )))
Selfish whine: we should be getting in the road, and heading out for a four-hour drive to a camping trip with my in-laws. I'm still in my jammies, acct my brain is just not wrapping itself around what else I need to be packing. I hate packing up and going somewhere remote right now. All I want to be doing is waiting by the phone for more news. There is nothing I can be doing here anyway (and nothing I can do to help, as my aunt and uncle live two hours north of here). But my heart and brain are not in the packing process today.
((QWP))
QWP -- I assume you eventually got on the road, and yes, that is so hard to do. Know you have sent love. Your uncle's family is going to need a lot of love over time; there may be nothing you can do now, but things you can do later. Telling your fond memories will be important to them. Sending you love, too. xoxo
Esperanza, good argument for the slow-cooker method! But I hope you just put the beans away, and decided to give them more time today. Crunchy beans be-gone!
My SIL apparently alternates between sleepy/weepy and very anxious/agitated. But the director is all on board with a med review, and trying to ramp down one med in particular. I've written to the neuro who diagnosed SIL for any further guidance or suggestions she might have.
The dang beans cooked for four hours yesterday, sat overnight, an additional hour this morning. I turned them off when we left this morning (they were still not done), but the soaking in the warm water must have helped, because after only about 30 additional minutes, they were ready. Never again. Crockpot, I am sorry I was unfaithful.
Oh, a funny story from our cave adventure today: the cave was used as a speakeasy during the 1920s. Our tour guide explained all that, then asked "And where do you think the sheriff was during these parties?" Mini pipes up immediately: "at the party." How did I raise such a cynical second grader?!?
(She was correct)
Mini for the win!
That sure sounds like a lot of work for beans, but I suspect the crockpot will be forgiving, in this as in all things.
W/AW: A big U website devoted to my SIL's illness just went off the map. I called, and it turned out they "re-designed," put it in a new place without so much as a re-direct. So, I complained (nicely) and explained what useful things were missing; and then did that again with a member of my SIL's diagnostic team, from that U. Fingers crossed that the good parts get restored! I passed out those good links like candy at the support group; got motivated when someone else wanted to refer and couldn't find the links.
Good work on advocating for the website, kathy!
Sorry to hear your sil is struggling even more than usual. A med review does seem to be in order. Yay about your daughter's first adventures at law school.
(((QWP))) I'm so sorry about your uncle.
esperanza, that's a lot of commitment and time for beans. Back to the crockpot it is!
AW: After a very long, very tough two weeks, dad is no longer in critical care. Still on dialysis, still not mobile, not eating much, at times confused, but better nonetheless.
((( Sue ))) Very glad to hear of progress with your Dad! What a rough time it's been... Sending love for the next part, too. xoxoxo
Glad your dad is making progress, Sue!
Sorry your SIL is deteriorating, Kathy, glad they're checking her meds. Glad you're advocating for the website.
My mind is blown, there's another person with my First Name and my maiden name. I thought I had been the only one in the world.
Thanks for the update, Sue. I know this has been draining for all of you.
Another Liz? Never!
W: I know it's because school is so close I can taste it, but I could really use a few minutes to myself.
Our schools start up tomorrow.
Ours start Monday.
W: Also, Harvey (tropical storm in the Gulf) is headed in our general direction. We aren't predicted to be in the thick of it, but we'll sure be cooped up in rain for the whole weekend.
UGH.
Do you have crafts you can do together? Set up backpacks for Monday? Put together lunches for the week? Put pretty covers on notebooks?
I fear that Esperanza might still be suffering Post Traumatic Craft Excitement from the last round. Still, "there are no mess-ups in art" and "show me when you're done" might be useful. :)
Y'all know I'm past prime on lunch packing skillz, right? We never had a full week plan for lunches. BUT, we had categories of OK foods -- fruit, sandwiches or equivalent, stuff that could go in wide-mouth thermoses, snacks, drinks -- and laid in a good supply of those things. My kids (OF COURSE) had different preferences -- only one liked yogurt; the other considered only applesauce to be an acceptable fruit; etc. YMMV. But making lists might take up some rain time, and the lunch fairy might find them useful.
True, that.
Okay so here are some rainy day, final weekend before school ideas:
Fordon's elementary and middle schools had everyone bring in supplies, but they were used communally by the class (except for scissors? I think?), so things like labelling your own stuff on the last weekend didn't work great...but!
If the girls bring their own lunches, can you have them decorate brown bags that can hold snacks in their lunch boxes?
If you're up to it, can you take them to the grocery store to purchase some fun items to go in their lunches?
If they've got new backpacks/jackets/gloves, can you have them write their names or initials on the inside labels?
Would they like to write notes to their teachers?
Hi everyone. The camping trip, up until now, has been a pleasant distraction. I know that I would have just been pacing around, waiting for news, if I'd stayed home. But I just found out that my uncle passed away this evening. At least we were already planning on heading home tomorrow. But I wish I was home, and not having to spend another night in a tent tonight. (I'm also bracing myself for that news to hit social media. It's going to be rough news for a lot of people.)
Big hugs, QWP. Can you stay away from social media for the next few days? No need to take on others' grief when you are experiencing your own.
((( QWP ))) I'm so sorry about the loss of your uncle. And Esperanza is wise, about not needing to absorb the grief of others, too, before you are ready. xoxoxo
The state supreme court is issuing a decision very important to my work in half an hour. I hate the waiting around....
(((Kathy)))
(((QWP))) Thinking of you and your family. So very sorry for your loss.
Muffin Man is officially a sophomore in high school. Today (A day) is Art II, English Honors 10, Art (Drawing and Painting)*, Study Hall. Tomorrow (B day) is AP World History, Math Analytics, Research Chemistry, and ASL II.
*The second art class is why he took Health/Phys Ed/Driver's Ed over the summer.
There is no other Liz but our Liz - but it's cool to find people with your name. I once sat next to a young woman with my first name and maiden name on a plane. It turns out we're distant relatives!
Sorry about the coming storm, esperanza. I hope you don't get too much of its rain/wind/damage. Great ideas here already for crafty time-filling activities for a few days indoors.
((((QWP))) I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. xoxoxo
((kathy))) Waiting is hard. :( I hope the result is what you're hoping for.
W: Very difficult visit with my dad this morning. He was uncharacteristically crabby with me, insisting that I move him from the chair back to the bed. The nurse was called and dad was told he had another half hour in the chair as part of his physio/recovery. Nurse left, he b*tched at me for awhile, then ignored me. Then step-mom shows up and he's all rainbows and unicorns. Wtf?
Still the Worst Fireplacing Vacation Ever.
Also some interesting family dynamics around scheduling visits so there is always someone with him at meal times to encourage him to eat (doesn't work, he's as stubborn as ever), and to keep him company. NOTE: No medical staff person has indicated that a constant presence is necessary for him. I suspect, in fact, that the physio, ot, etc could do their job better without one of us there.
In any case, I'm taking a few days off. Stick a fork in me - I am done.
(((Sue))) You are totally justified in being DONE.
XOXO
((( Sue ))) Sorry about Mr. Crabcakes, and family dynamics to boot. xoxoxo
Congrats to all the back to schoolers! And wow, Liz -- guess we know what MM's interested in, no?
The decision did not turn out as I hoped, except for one part. I'm feeling kind of distressed about the other parts. Ugh. (Essentially unbloggable, except the angst.)
Oh, AW! They are tapering down the most problematic of SIL's meds, with the intent to get her off of it entirely!
((((QWP)))) So sorry for your loss.
((((Sue)))) Sorry this has been so hard. Glad you are taking some time to keep yourself healthy too.
Good luck with the rain esperanza!!
Unlike many of the other pixies, I am not happy about the start of school. I wish for about two more weeks of summer break!
I go back to teacher inservice days on Monday, and the students arrive Wed. My own kids start Wed too. We are not ready.
--Neighbor Lady
Neighbor Lady, can you DM me on FB? A highschool friend of mine who is an author of YA books is gonna be in MA (to see his son in college) and wants to do school visits while he's there.
Oh, NL, I understand why you might want a little more summer!
W: forecasts keep getting worse, every time there is an update.
W: Expect me to lose my marbles completely if they end up canceling school on Monday.
Esperanza, better to expect that they will and be pleasantly surprised if they don't.
Are you in the possible evacuation path?
I'm sorry the decision wasn't entirely what you had hoped for, kathy. Some good parts help, though.
NL, I wish I could conjure up more summer for you!
esperanza, I hope all goes well for you, but Liz has a point. Might not hurt to plan for Monday at home.
NL, sorry the summer is one more time not ending appropriately...
Esperanza, wishing you luck! And now might be a good time to lay in supplies. Just sayin'.
I've slipped into the super-cranky zone, and just yelled at one of those robot-dialed "Ma'am, we aren't selling anything" callers lacking caller ID, the ones who call daily despite my number being on the do not call list. On the line I use exclusively for work. Should have done the usual pick-up, hang-up. Giving myself a time out for yelling.
Time outs are good, kathy a. Sorry things went awry.
We are not in the evacuation zone--that is at least 200 miles away. As each report gets more and more severe, I'm just going to assume that Monday will also be at home. We have milk, plenty of bottled water, food, and toilet paper. We're going to fill up a bathtub or two, for flushing purposes. I can foresee us losing electricity as well as the possibility of municipal water treatment operations getting flooded, though I have no idea where those are located here. Cars are gassed up.
So, here's what makes me kinda lose it, for obvious reasons: evacuating/helicoptering NICU babies out of hospitals on the coast.
Oh wow, esperanza. That is heart-wrenching.
We're home! And I've showered, and all things considered, I'm glad that I had that peaceful respite. (We stopped at a hobby farm in the way home, which has a has a restaurant and general store, and they were doing goat yoga with baby goats when we arrived).
So far, social media has been quite bearable. I think everyone recognizes that my uncle was really reserved about having everything out there on the internet, and is keeping things low-key. (A few people have posted pictures from weddings that he officiated, which is lovely.)
((( esperanza )))
((( QWP )))
They're actually evacuating everyone from hospitals, it sounds like. There is one that is literally across the street from the seawall on the bay. I'm not sure who thought it would be smart to put a hospital there in the first place.
Those evacuations sound like a great idea, before things might get dire. Yeah, that sounds like really crappy planning, putting a hospital right by the sea.
AW: Just had an awkward discussion with my beloved about these totally awful framed animal pictures that he put in our daughter's former room, because I hate them. And he started laughing; said they were in his mom's place, and he didn't know why he saved them after she died (maybe he was under a lot of stess, is my guess, but he put them in there to tease me. So our hearts beat as one on the subject of donating them as soon as possible.
(((Esperanza)))
((kathy))) sorry the decision did not go your way.
And, too funny about the animal prints. Glad you see eye to eye.
qwp-- goat yoga is totally intriguing.
Liz-- I am not on FB, but I will try to email you when I get to a computer later on.
esperanza, will be thinking of you!
--Neighbor Lady
((((esperanza))))
(((QWP)))
So many hugs to both of you. xoxoxo
kathy, I'm glad the animal print matter ended well. :)
Thanks, NL!!!
Latest update is that we are in the 6-12" of rain from now through Tuesday. That seems manageable. However, we've also been newly included in the Tropical Storm Warning, which mean TS force winds within the next 36 hours. That does not seem so fun, and probably increases the chances of power outage.
I've gotten the laundry done, because who wants to be wearing dirty underwear in a hurricane? We have food. It may not be to our collective liking, but we have food.
Mr. E is going to go get a full propane tank for the grill.
Really, it's the folks to our south and east who are going to be hit very hard.
Batteries, flashlights, candles, bribes? Just checking. ;) 6-12" sounds like an awful lot of rain in a short time. Can't imagine the larger numbers they're estimating for other locations.
This hurricane looks so nasty. Hoping everything is ready to go on local relief, shelters, etc. xoxo
Empty your ice trays into plastic bags and keep them in the freezer. Refill the ice trays. Do this as many rounds as you can. That way, you can fill an ice chest with ice to keep your refrigerator stuff cold if you lose power.
Fill one tub with water for flushing, another with water for drinking, fill your washing machine with water for washing.
And for rinsing the laundry, just hang the clothes on the line once the winds die down. ;) Just kidding, I think.
The ice cube idea is genius!
That ice cube bag is a really good one, Liz! Esperanza, I hope you all are safe and dry through this hurricane.
Old Skool? Whine: I thought I'd been holding it together pretty well (although apparently I've been a bit intense about house work). But then I decided to made pickles today, and two out of the canning jars broke in the canner, and my cucumber yield is nothing like I thought it would be (because of drought and the invasion of pumpkin plants), and I'm just not handling the disappointment. I'm apparently channeling my grief into pickles today.
((( QWP ))) It's Ok to cope by doing what feels right. And you will get some pickles out of the deal. But I'm sorry the rest of the program didn't go as intended. And that you are missing your uncle. xoxo
(((QWP)))
(((esperanza))) It sounds like you're well-prepared. What a massive storm it is. Cat 4 now. The ice cube idea is a great one, Liz!
I'm pretty worried about the hurricane, even for places inland and not expected to have *as much* rain. xoxox
Just checking in. We're fine. Less than 1/4" rain so far. Reports from the coast are not good, and the spaghetti plots of where it's headed look just like a plate of spaghetti.
Thank you for checking in, esperanza. This is all so scary!
We finally have an agreed provider for the DV assessment. Someone who seems qualified.
QOWP, my grandma makes some amazing pumpkin pickles (sweet, with pumpkin pie spices, so yummy).
PK, I'm glad there's some forward progress.
Fine here this morning. Rain and wind so far, but nothing more than we would get in a thunderstorm. Power and internet and water all fine.
That's good news, pk. I hope the assessment yields good results.
esperanza, I'm glad you still have power and water. What a storm this is!!!
PK, sounds like a step forward.
Esperanza, glad you are missing the worst of it.
W: Pardoning that sheriff, the one who violated court orders and intentionally discriminated? Appalling.
Another check in. Just after 8 PM here. According to our neighbor, who posts rain gauge updates every few hours on our fb group (he does it all the time, not just in hurricanes), we've had 7" of rain since it started sometime in the night. Still raining, hard. We've had tropical storm force winds for several hours, and I had no idea how maddening that could be. I am pessimistic about the stability of our backyard fence, and about the possibility of school really starting on Monday. It's supposed to rain like this through Wednesday. So far, the streets in our neighborhood are draining. Power, internet, water all staying steady.
Photos from the coast are awful. Not just the structural damage, but the trees are all stripped of leaves. It looks like winter. I hadn't ever noticed that before in hurricane coverage.
We are all bored. One would think that sitting around the house all day might lead one to get some housework done, but that was not the case today. My congregation has canceled services tomorrow, as have most of our neighbors. But Mr. E's are still on, for now.
I'm glad you're all still safe, and I hope your fence holds up to the winds, esperanza.
P_k, I'm glad there's forward progress.
Oh, Esperanza. Glad the power is holding, and the drains, but yikes about the wind and continued rain.
Hurricane Hugo(1989) hit Charleston about a year after we left -- our stuff was still stored there, and my friends all had terrible updates, just about everybody had trees down. I remember going back a few years later and just being struck by entire groves of trees that had their tops snapped off. xoxo
Things OK?
I hope everything is okay this morning esperanza. xoxo
Noon, Saturday update: We're still fine. A section of fence blew down, but it was already leaning/wobbly, and that seems pretty minor, in the grand scheme of things.
It rained till about 3:00 this morning, and we were under a flash flood warning. Even so, the street was still draining, and water is draining off of the yard. A little bit of water seems to be seeping into the garage. Rain started again around 10:00, but isn't too heavy. We are at 9" so far. Wind is gusty rather than constant.
Baboos and I took advantage of the lull and went to the grocery store to relieve my middle of the night fretting that we were going to run out of toilet paper.
Electricity blinked once, but we are still fine and our electric cooperative has been amazing about getting peoples' power back on quickly.
So far, so good, and we are so grateful to be better off than a lot of people. (Just for reference, we're about 200 miles away from Houston).
Glad things aren't too bad, Esperanza.
Houston sounds like a huge mess. One friend there is on high ground and OK, but there's a lot of low ground and the flooding is massive. If you are moved to donate for relief, some direct service charities are Red Cross, Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. Chime in if you have other leads.
Thanks, kathy a. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is my first recommendation (because they are my people). But, oddly enough, for they are not my people for lots of reasons, my second choice would be Texas Baptist Men. They are amazing at almost instantaneous response, and we are more long-term responders.
I think I've diagnosed part of my unease, and that is that I still don't feel completely at home in this new place. I don't know what the street looks like when it's flooding, or how much water is worrisome, or which streets to avoid. Those are all things I knew in our old town. Having said that, I'm impressed with our city's response, communication, and preparedness. And I really like our neighbors.
oh, and a slight funny in the midst of the unease: A friend had asked a couple of days ago if there was a similar run on bread and milk, as there is when other areas are expecting a snowstorm. The answer to that is yes. The only other thing that was missing at the grocery store? tortillas. It's the Texas twist on bread and milk!
Well, tortillas are delicious AND versatile!
Glad you have good neighbors. I grew up in earthquake country, and so the time or 2 there were hurricane threats while I lived in South Carolina, I was pretty freaked out -- just did what the friends and neighbors said to do.
There was such a severe shortage of decent tortillas in Charleston that my friend from Texas had her family send shipments -- for everyday use, but she had to ration them so they wouldn't run out before the next bunch arrived. ;)
I have to admit that I'm kind of a tortilla snob. My sister-in-law has tried to teach me to make them for years, but it's more an art than a science, and I haven't mastered it. But I have my favorite brands (different brands--one for flour, one for corn), and refuse to buy any others. :)
AW: Fine tonight. Only lightly raining and the wind is way better.
W: School is not starting tomorrow. Liz, you were right to encourage me to prepare myself for that possibility.
Glad you're doing OK, esperanza.
Communicating and dealing with STBX and having to coparenting and make joint decisions with him is so hard. Especially when he does things like make and carry out a decision about something we both are supposed to decide and pay for, and then tell me about it after the fact and act like I'm being ridiculous and unreasonable to expect him to talk to me *before* making and carrying out the decision, because it can all be undone and he'll just tell the kid she has to return the item if I don't approve or won't pay for half or whatever.
(((P_K))) That is so hard to navigate. Are the things he's getting for them items you don't think they are ready for (cellphones, etc) or items you'd prefer they not have (Nintendo DS, etc)?
If they are the former, it's hard, but I think you need to be the firm parent, and require that they be returned. If it's the latter, I think you should tell him that if he buys them without a discussion with you, he's responsible for the full cost, but it's up to him if they get returned or not. He wants to be the Fun Parent? He's got to pay for it.
(((Esperanza)))
Liz's advice, right there, is very wise. And STBX is really going for every angle with the parental alientation, isn't he, p_k? Every possible opportunity to make you the bad guy and himself the Fun Dad.
W: Teachers have their official first day back today, and so summer is officially over for Mr. Q. But it isn't over for E until the 12th (preschool goes back a little later than the big kids), other than an hour of orientation in a little more than a week. So, it's time for me to figure out what on earth to do with this kid for the next two weeks.
QWP, my suggestion is to ask E for a list of 3 things she wants to do before school starts, and do a similar list of things you'd like to do with her. And maybe the two of you can make treats to freeze for her lunchbox?
Post a Comment