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Monday, April 30, 2018

(End of) April Showers Edition

It is cold and rainy outside today, and I am absolutely thrilled. You see, we had an incredibly long winter, with piles of snow, and a really slow melt, and that left my city covered in snow mold. For the past week, the city has been dusty and windy, and every time I went outside, I came inside with no voice. I had a cold that I just couldn't shake. E was miserable as well (I suspect that a lot of her recent motion sickness issues are similar to the dizziness that my sister and I have been experiencing, thanks to our ears and sinuses).

But, last night, it started raining. And it's still raining today. The whole city is being washed clean. And I woke up with clear sinuses, and with my voice returned. I can get up suddenly without dizziness. I have never been happier to wake up to a cold, dark, drizzly morning.

How are things where you are?

72 comments:

Queen of West Procrastination said...

I'll start! I'm feeling SUPER GUILTY because my bestie stayed with us for the weekend, and now she's caught that cold that's been going through our house, and she's feeling miserable, and has to fly to Australia in two days. I did this to her!

esperanza said...

Snow mold? I learn something new all the time at WW. I suppose our snow doesn't stick around long enough to get moldy.

W: Sweet's sleep and behavior at school are equally bad, meds or no meds. Sigh. Special ed teacher and I are working on a theory that bad sleep = grumpy Sweet, so we're going to keep track of each.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

So many hugs, esperanza. I hope you're able to work out some sort of system/treatment that helps Sweet. I'm glad that there's such good support at school for her.

And yes, there's a fungus grows under the snow, and can kill lawns, as well as irritate allergies and asthma, when winter goes for a very long time.

kathy a. said...

Ack! Snow mold! Ick. QWP, glad the rain came and is clearing things up, anyway.

Esperanza -- yes, keeping track of sleep and grumpies makes a lot of sense! And, anything else going on that might be frustrating or upsetting to her. Just a quick daily note about mood, sleep, anything else happening that day might be very helpful; there may be more than one variable going on. xoxo

W/AW: My beloved noticed the water heater is leaking at the bottom, and the plumber guy came over and said yeah, and also leaking some at the top. He took measurements, declared the basic plumbing hookup stuff to be fine, and thinks they can replace the darned thing tomorrow! Somebody will call to schedule. They have water heaters in stock at the shop.

W: Went to the post office because I have a package to mail. The line was forever, was not moving, and then some important piece of postal equipment jammed, which took the full attention of both clerks. Decided to bail, and try again another time.

AW: Sunshine! Nice temps! Clyde went to day care, yay, which should wear him right out. Leftovers for dinner: broiled salmon, pilaf, broc. All to the good.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

My child is convinced that it's still warm outside, and is insisting on going outside to play wearing only a dress and no pants. It's 9C/49F outside today. (It doesn't help that Mr. Q is grilling hotdogs in a short-sleeved shirt, but he's a human furnace.) I guess she'll let us know, loudly, if she gets too cold. (Actually, I just went outside without a jacket, and it feels pleasant. Maybe the temperature has risen since the sun came out. But esperanza would 100% be wearing a winter coat. Just as I would 100% die of heat exhaustion on any average day in her city.)

AW: I'm getting ready to buy and plant a sour cherry tree! Even on this coolish day, that really, really makes it feel like springtime.

esperanza said...

I would definitely be wearing a winter coat. But, you win on cherry trees; they don't produce fruit here :(

Noticing the water heater leak while it is small is a *very good thing* kathy a.

My post office secret: If I can avoid it, I never go to PO in large city where we live, where there is guaranteed to be a long, slowly moving line. I go in little town where my church is located. No line.

kathy a. said...

Planting a tree definitely sounds like Spring!

The plumber spent maybe 5 minutes here, measured things, said there's another leak on the top as well. And, I got a call scheduling installation of a new one Wed. morning!

Then I scored a time at the post office with no line!

Then I got a hot dog right by the PO, because I forgot lunch, and so what if this is not the healthiest thing?

And, Clyde came home, happy and tired. We await the arrival of the Dog Man.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Kathy, did my hot dog supper cause you to have a hot dog? And what a productive day, including having good post office timing!

Esperanza, is it too hot for cherry trees there? That's so strange, because it's too cold for real cherry trees here (we can only grow special sour cherry trees, related to ones from Russia). Normal cherry trees must need a really narrow temperature range!

kathy a. said...

No! I got this hot dog all on my own, before I knew of your hot dog fest. It's only an item because I'm trying to be more heart healthy, and about the most I can say about the hot dog is that it's probably not so bad as a Big Mac...

kathy a. said...

The main sacrifice, though, (since my doctor's big lecture on cholesterol, and my age) has been cheese. My favorite food. My cholesterol was never high before last fall; so I blame leftover son's wedding cheese, augmented by moving daughter away cheese. And maybe that's actually true...

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Oh, cheese! That would be so hard. Have you also increased your physical activity? My mom started walking on the treadmill (in addition to long walks outside when it's nice out), after her own cholesterol lecture from her doctor, and managed to bring her levels down.

esperanza said...

QWP, I don't know. I've never seen one here at all. I don't know if the trees themselves won't grow, or they won't make fruit and therefore people don't plant them. I would assume it's too hot in the summer and/or not cold enough in the winter. Peaches, for instance, which do grow here, require a certain number of "chilling hours" (below 40F) before they will bloom and subsequently produce fruit. I don't know if cherries are similar or not. I suppose G00gle might tell me, but I'm lazy right now.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Now I'm reading about your region and cherry trees! Just like my region, there are an increasing number of new variants coming out, to handle the harsh climates (in opposite directions), and in both places, sour cherries (but different variants) grow better than sweet! I also learned a lot about making sure I amend my clay soil before planting, because oddly enough, our cities have the same soil.

Sue said...

Greetings Pixies!

I'm back from my church nerd extravaganza. It was so much fun! Great speakers, good food, and lots of terrific conversation. Plenty of people time, too, so I hardly left the house when I got home on Thursday. Instead I hunkered down with good books, Netflix, hubby, and cats.

Now - back to work.

Now I want a hot dog. :)

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Sue! I'm so glad that your church need event went well, and that you had some time to yourself afterwards.

You guys, E is getting preschool graduation pictures taken today. Tiny caps and gowns and everything. It's going to be very cute today.

kathy a. said...

Hi, Sue! Glad you had a good trip, and were able to hunker down after for the traditional introvert recovery time. ;)

Oh, the cuteness, QWP!

kathy a. said...

The news, it continues to make me so tired....

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Always so exhausting! Hugs.

esperanza said...

AW: Daisy the puppy went to the groomer today, so the house was empty and quiet. I decided to take a nap. It lasted three hours. I feel so much better.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

I love three-hour naps so much! I'm glad you felt better after it (and not weird and disoriented, like I frequently do).

AW: I did my cousin's taxes for her today, because I had the time and she's preparing for an international trip (I was supposed to do them on the weekend but was very sick, but it wasn't a big deal, because we knew she was getting money back, and there's only a penalty if you owe money), and she sent me a gift card as a thank you! And I used it immediately to order a shiny new toaster, to replace the one that I gave Mr. Q for Christmas, the year before we got married (he was teaching in a small town, and for some reason he didn't initially have a toaster in his place). It turns out that was a very long time ago, in appliance years, and that thing has long since lost the knob that adjusts doneness, and lately it's been making a bit of a burnt smell that smells more like wiring than crumbs. I'm so excited about how pretty the new one is.

esperanza said...

I will admit that it took me until an hour past my bedtime to fall asleep last night. But my math says that's still a two hour gain on my sleep deficit. I'll take it.

Fun toaster fact: I'm using a toaster oven that belonged either to my grandmother or great aunt (they had matching ones, and we don't know which is which). It is at least 40 years old, and it is my favorite small appliance.

Sue said...

Yay for school graduation pics! And the new toaster!

esperanza, I agree, you are up by two hours on the sleep deficit. We had a toaster oven years ago, but I gave it to a friend when we lost significant counter space in one of our moves. Yours falls into the "they don't make 'em like they used to" category.

kathy - ugh, the news. I can't even...

AW: Our eldest son is visiting this weekend!

W: I have a gazillion things on the work and home front to get done before Friday morning when he arrives.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

And I'll bet that it's working significantly better than mine! My parents also have a bunch of small appliances that are still in good condition, because of the lack of planned obsolescence.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

My comment was directed at esperanza, since Sue and I posted simultaneously.

Hooray for the impending visit with your son, Sue! Sending extra pixie dust for the work that has to happen before then.

W/AW: E is still sick, and woke up incredibly cranky, but determined to go to swimming lessons today. I wanted to miss them, because I'm worried about how she usually ends up with an ear infection when she swims at this stage of this sort of cold. (Not to mention coughing all over the other kids!) But then she realised that she didn't want to remove her knee bandaid, and decided we should stay home after all. So...a win? But one that means she's still being incredibly dramatic about the scraped knee she got on Friday. (I try to tell her it's almost better, and that it doesn't even need to be covered anymore, and she starts weeping.)

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Oh! We have a miraculous boo-boo recovery! I was just realising that E's cold is much better than I first thought, meaning that the knee bandaid was the only reason E wanted to stay home. But then I got a message from a friend, offering that she and her kids could meet up with us for lunch, at a fast food place near the pool. Suddenly E's knee is all better, and she's okay with removing the bandaid!

kathy a. said...

Miraculous recovery!

The plumber guy's here, the old water heater is draining, and the dog has some complaints about not being allowed to help... The guy thinks the new water heater he brought might not fit in that space, so he'll go back in a bit and pick up a different model. (The shop's pretty close.)

kathy a. said...

Pet update: The guy went to pick up another water heater. The dog went to watch cartoons in the dog room, but started barking as soon as the guy came back; back outside for him. One of the cats decided to come out of her hiding place in the back bedroom, and now she's hiding in the front room -- tried to retrieve her, and ended up slightly mauled. So then I brilliantly went to wash my hands -- got the soap on, then realized the water is off, so I rinsed with bubble water from the fridge. The cat is holding out, staying behind the reading chair. I just don't want her darting out the door when he's going back and forth, but he said he'll close the door.

kathy a. said...

4.5 hours later, ta da! A shiny new water heater! The cat's still hiding, just in case.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Hooray for the new water heater! It sounds like it went pretty well, all things considered.

AW/W: so, E cried through about a quarter of the lesson (every time she had to put her head underwater), and is having a lot of trouble relaxing enough to float, and the instructor doesn't so much teach as just say "You do this, and you do this" without explaining how. But E is determined to keep going, and she keeps trying and trying. And she had an excellent lunch out with friends.

I'm a little worried that this experience will ruin swimming for her. But I've made it clear that we can always choose to try again later, and she insists she wants to keep going. So, I will keep taking her, even though it sometimes feels like she's being tortured via swimming lessons.

kathy a. said...

QWP -- It sounds like E is hanging in there, anyway -- so, that's great! A good "get back on that horse" attitude. A lot of kids have trouble with the floating (I assume, back float?), because they don't really believe yet that their bodies are buoyant enough.

If you don't mind swimming with her sometimes, she can start trying with your hands right under her back (under shoulders and waist, pushing up on the waist to teach the right position), until she feels more comfortable. The trick for a back float is arching her back -- and that's not very instinctive, because people tend to curl toward a fetal position when they feel scared.

kathy a. said...

(My parents were both competitive swimmers in college, and I started lessons at age 2. Then took all the Red Cross classes, through Junior Lifeguard; and helped teach swimming to littles, sometimes.)

Queen of West Procrastination said...

I've been trying to explain to her about arching her back! She's in such a panic when the instructor tells her to do something (he kind of rushes through things, like he's a coach running drills), that she hasn't really be thinking about method. Mr. Q and I are talking about having Mr. Q take her swimming, to help her relax in the water.

kathy a. said...

She could also practice in the bathtub, a small safe familiar place! Maybe fill the tub a little deeper than usual. I'd still do an assist with parental hands, until she gets the hang of it.

Drill sergeant is not exactly the right attitude for a teacher of young swimmers trying something new! I can see that working for "kick kick kick" while holding the side of the pool, but not this.

esperanza said...

Kathy a, I may need remedial lessons. I have never ever ever been able to float on my back. My butt sinks.

kathy a. said...

For more substantial people, it can help to spread out flat with the back arched -- arms out, back arched, chest up, face above water (but not the whole head). Deep breaths, and relax. Humans have lots of air in their lungs; and the organs and fattier parts are buoyant. Muscular parts might sink some, and that's OK.

kathy a. said...

There are a bunch of you-tubes about floating on your back. A great one (that is unfortunately really long) features an instructor starting 4 adult students out with their hands on the side of the pool, then having them lean back -- so they are still anchored, but can start getting that floating sensation. When the students feel ready, they might let go for a minute, with her at their side, and in water shallow enough that they can still stand. And so on. Baby steps!

Queen of West Procrastination said...

All of this talk makes me want to go swimming and just float on my back. It's been too long since I made the time for swimming. (I'm a reasonable swimmer on my back, but not so much on my front.)

Sue said...

Yay for the new water heater, kathy a!!!

Also, kathy wins for the best on-land/online swimming lessons ever!

Queen of West Procrastination said...

I love these on-land/online swimming lessons!

Okay, I am confused by the Postal Service of the Country where most of the Pixies Live. I ordered a stuffed penguin from a store in said country, a couple of weeks ago. It's being shipped (the US part of the journey) by You Ess Pee Ess. I'm following the tracking. On April 25, Pinga was in Massachusetts. Since then, for three days in a row, I got "in transit to the next facility" messages, and then no updates until yesterday, when I learned it was just processed in an international shipping facility in Queens, NY. How did Pinga take a week to get between two spots that would take 2 hours and 30 minutes to drive? Someone could have walked her to Queens in 2 days, according to G00gle maps. Where has she been, for all this time? This is so confusing, compared to C@nad@ Post. (Not that they aren't sometimes slow! But at least I can figure out the logic when things are slow. Maybe Pinga has been sitting in Queens for a week, and they just took this long to process her?)

kathy a. said...

QWP, maybe they used a lower cost shipping rate? I don't know.

esperanza said...

QWP, this is one of many things in our country that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. May Pinga arrive in a timely manner, once she is safely across the border.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

I can't really give many details, because it is too much in the news right now, but this is a placeholder angry complaint regarding the behaviour of a certain local public official, who I originally supported, and who is making very much of an a$$ of himself, and who is likely going to make it so that my party loses this constituency in the next election. I'm. So. Mad.

kathy a. said...

We commiserate with all jackass politician complaints, and figure our Northern Pixies put up with a fair amount of atmospheric angst from our direction...

Thank you! I forgot how much I liked helping little people get comfortable with water and swimming. ;)

esperanza said...

kathy, I think the "tubby parts float, muscular parts sink" was my trouble as a child, and then once I couldn't make it work as a child, I gave up and/or didn't have the muscle memory to make it work as an adult. As my muscular parts are becoming overcome by tubby parts (I am and always have been pear-shaped, but the muscle-to-tubby ratio is shifting), I think I might have more luck. I'll give it a try this summer with your hints.

kathy a. said...

I think it also takes patience and not feeling terrified to learn the posture. Can't get muscle memory if you don't feel safe enough to learn it...

I'm wimpy on the athletic front, and always tend toward scardy-catness -- so, I must have had great teachers. Never too late to learn, either! This is one of those low-impact activities that would probably be great for me to get back to.

esperanza said...

Well, I can swim mediocrely (that should so be a word), so I don't see any real danger in it, besides me looking silly at the YMCA.

kathy a. said...

I suspect the Y people are all about building on what you've got already. Just sayin'.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

You know, my sister took a remedial swimming class for adults, and had an absolute blast. She said it was pretty funny waiting for her class, along with the tiny tots who were there for theirs.

AW: I walked to a coffee shop, and met up with a friend of mine, who I haven't seen in quite a while (both of us busy schedules; she's a newlywed; she's also a busy new professor). It was such a pleasant way to spend the preschool break. And, as an added bonus, she was the best possible person with whom to vent about the recent political buffoonery (as we are both connected to the buffoon in the same way). We're also making fun summer plans, since her summer is relatively low key.

I've been gradually making an effort to reconnect with my friends, with whom I haven't been as faithful about keeping touch (and then I've been careful, at the end of get togethers, to make plans for the next time), and it's made things lovely.

Anonymous said...

Yay QWP!!!!
Love the friend meet ups!

Hmmm, this conversation is making me think that I might float *much* better these days! LOL

Yay for new water heaters!

Sue, hope you have a lovely visit with your son!

w/AW: Neighbor Boy has patella tendonitis making his knee hurt, and has pulled a quad. He is on his school track team, so needed to branch out into events that don't involve sprinting (sprinting is what he likes...). So, today he tried shot put and javelin. Apparently, he is good at the javelin! Who knew??!!

:) Neighbor Lady

p.s. Thinking we haven't heard from p(k) and KLee in a while.. if you are out there reading, here's sending some love your ways!

esperanza said...

Hi, NL! Good to see you! I hope NB improves quickly. Both of those things sound painful. And I'm pretty sure I would injure myself or others if I tried either shot put or javelin.

AW: Weird City transportation announced (among other things) that kids up through 12th grade can ride the bus for free all summer! More inducements for Baboo Adventures in Weird City!

kathy a. said...

Hi, NL!! So good to see you. Sorry about NB's injury, but glad he's finding some other areas in his sport while he heals. Hope all else is well with you and yours!

Esperanza -- Bonanza with the bus lines!

p_k said...

Hi, thanks so much for thinking of me (and to Kathy A for letting me know)

I just finished compiling and organizing, writing up and printing about 1,000 pages of answers to interrogatories and 189 pages of filings for the settlement conferece. So exhausting. Settlement conference is next week. My mom is going with me, which I'm so thankful for. Settlement conference scares me. I don't make decisions well or tend to think clearly under pressure anyway, and it's wise when adding PTSD, having to negotiate with certain persons, and the fact that these are permanent binding, life - altering decisions.

I'm afraid I'll agree to something I shouldn't or not agree to something I should.

H is asking that I be ordered to sell my family home that my siblings and parents and I built when I was a kid and that over 75% of the equity in was a gift from my parents and give him more than half.

Just to give a feel for the types of proposals /negotiations he's making... I told him, and gave him the evidence, that federal banking rules /standards require that income from support can't be used to qualify for a mortgage loan unless it's guaranteed to continue for at least 3 years from the date the loan is obtained.

So he is proposing to pay substantial spousal support at the current amount until... Drumroll please... Three years from last month. Thus effectively guaranteeing that I can't qualify for a mortgage. And, at an amount that won't be enough to meet income requirements to qualify to rent a 3-bedroom apartment at fair market value in our county. So, he is asking that I be ordered to sell the house and move, but that support be set so that I cannot possibly qualify to either rent or buy another home that could reasonably accommodate myself and 4 children.

The court ordered DV assessment has been going on for 8 months now and still hasn't been completed, but H and his attorney filed papers to set for trial and compel a settlement conference to attempt to finalize things anyway.

p_k said...

That should say it's worse when adding PTSD, not wise.

p_k said...

Oh, also the documents had to be provided in duplicate hard copies, so double all that printing, hand - numbering and organizing .

Anonymous said...

oh my, p_k.
I am so very sorry. So glad your mother is going with you! Also, since your mother is going with you, she can help make clear the family home/equity gift stuff. Smart move on your part!

I know you will handle it beautifully, and be that much closer to moving forward.
So many hugs to you!

I don't understand why judges etc don't immediately call BS on all of his manipulations. Here's hoping that the shifts in public opinion that have happened due to #MET00 result in your judges etc. being less tolerant of his actions.

Sending so much love for you and the girls.

--Neighbor lady

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Oh, PK, thank you for updating us, and I'm sorry that things are still so awful. I know that STBX has forced this settlement conference, and is asking for so many unreasonable things, but within the conference, is there room for you to push back against the unreasonable demands and call these out as manipulations? So many hugs.

kathy a. said...

(((( PK ))))) Yikes, that's a lot of paper and stress! Keeping my fingers firmly crossed. STBX is a jerk; hopefully, that will come across to the judge.

This is just a settlement conference, though (not a trial) -- arranged in the hope that the parties can come to an agreement. It's not uncommon for judges to suggest that one side or another get real, so hopefully STBX will get some messages along those lines. xoxo

kathy a. said...

I kind of forgot to go to the dentist for quite a while -- had to cancel an appointment, then the whole thing fell off the map for me. BUT, my teeth are doing well! Only a small lecture about my gums.

Because I have never once had a relaxing dental visit, I treated myself to a small burrito from a favorite shop nearby (used to be a go-to lunch spot, when I worked over there). Mmmmmm.

esperanza said...

PK, thanks for checking in. I think of you often, and I'm sorry SBTX continues to be a pain (in all kinds of ways).

Rainy day here has made me lazy. Thunderstorms, so even if I were inclined to walk the dog in the rain, it wouldn't be smart. Daisy is unamused with these developments.

esperanza said...

AW: Each Babbo wanted to tell me all about her day at school--good, bad, and ugly. Which is wonderful. I know it won't last forever.

W: Which is wonderful, except that this occurred (in both cases) while Baboo was sitting on the potty, being odoriferous.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Ha! Esperanza, I really don't know what it is about chatty potty time.

kathy a. said...

Having thoroughly considered the matter, "chatty potty time" is better when they are doing their business than when *you* are trying to do your business. That is all.

esperanza said...

Marginally so

Queen of West Procrastination said...

For those following the cross-continent adventure of Pinga, the Replacement Penguin: her current tracking status finally says "Canada"! (And her previous one says that she cleared customs.) I doubt that whatever provider does the rest of the trip will provide further status updates (I presume she's now in Ontario, because she was last in New York, and every shipped thing I order spends a bunch of time in ON), but E and I did a little cheer about Pinga's progress.

AW/W: I'm spending the afternoon taking E to a play date at an indoor bounce house complex on a Saturday.

Sue said...

So many hugs and love to you pk. I'm so glad your mother is going with you - that will be a big help.

Hi NL!!

Must dash, pixies. We've got a full day of Doing All the Things today - visiting with MIL, preparing for tonight's feast (don't worry, I'll stay out of the kitchen - I'm doing the market run), and I still have a sermon to finish.

hugs, pixies!

kathy a. said...

Have a great time with your son, Sue! Hope the visit with MIL goes OK. Expect the sermon will get there, one way or another.

esperanza said...

AW: went to a really enjoyable retirement party for a colleague (small # of people, gently directed conversation)

W: the food was terrible! It was 10AM-noon, and there was chips, salsa, and guacamole. OK, Cinco de Mayo, Big Red State, I get it. And one of those eggy breakfast casseroles, but done in the crockpot, and it got all curdled. And squash??? And fruit salad, which would have been fine except I'm allergic to melons.

esperanza said...

That was Old Skool worthy. Really whiny #firstworldproblems.

kathy a. said...

Old Skool to Esperanza! I mean, curdled crockpot eggy thing?

Queen of West Procrastination said...

It is a fantastic Old Skool whine. I'm shuddering at the concept of the curdled crockpot eggs.

AW: I survived the Saturday afternoon at the bounce place.
W: I had an ear-ringing headache for hours afterwards.
AW: E was so good the whole time! (We had trouble when we went a year ago, and she knows I've been hesitant to take her after that.) She took breaks, and made sure not to overdo it. She made sure I always knew where she was. She stopped and came home easily when it was time to stop. It was so much easier than last time.

esperanza said...

Wow, that is great (E's improvement, not the headache)!! She is really growing up quickly.

We had a double meltdown tonight. I had agreed to a "sleepover" in Mini's room for both Baboos. They had it all set up. At bedtime, Mini suddenly reneged on the deal. Sweet fell apart. Then Mini fell apart. Then Mini calmed down and decided she wanted to do the sleepover after all. Mean Mama said no. Then Mini fell apart all over again. Sigh. Maybe this can be a summertime activity.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Hugs, esperanza. Did I tell you about the time when E wanted to have a picnic supper in the living room, and then had a meltdown at bedtime, because she didn't feel like she'd had supper, because she hadn't eaten in the kitchen? (She wasn't hungry. She just cried because her routine was thrown off.) High fives to a fellow Mean Mama, making sure that everyone sleeps tonight.