News...

If you missed it today

They'll tell it again tomorrow.

Woe is us. 

(6-8-3 not 5-7-5)

Reality adjustment...

Going out anywhere for any reason can very
easily slap you upside the head with what's
going on in your world. It isn't TVLand.

Carol was scheduled for her usual every three 
weeks Herceptin treatment. I've gone with her
more often than not. Today included.

Akron is not a huge city but it comes with its
fair share of traffic, road construction, delays, etc.
Today was spooky.
It took us less than ten minutes to take the normal
15-20 minute route to the hospital oncology building.
And the parking garage had dozens of empty spaces
available. So we arrived more than forty-five minutes
early for her appointment.

The next shocker was finding out that the only people
allowed in the building are the patients.
They had a small table with hand sanitizer set up in
the hallway just inside the entrance. A nurse wearing
a mask and gloves was there and asked which one of us
had an appointment. Of course Carol answered and the
nurse looked at me and told me I'd have to wait outside.
Everything in town is shut down so there was nowhere
to go...other than back to the car. Which is where I sat
for the next two hours. Did I bring a book? Noooooo.

We did end up with good news, though.
Her last echocardiogram showed a nice improvement in heart
function since the previous test. From 49% to 55%.

And, almost as good? I scored some toilet paper at Walgreen's.
Who's yer Mama?

Can you hear the quiet?...

Sister Ann came home from work Friday and
looked a little shaken. They laid off a dozen people
from first shift. Thankfully, not her. She won't find 
out until Monday how many from second shift got
the boot.

She works in a lab for a company that tests oils
and such from transformers. Many of their customers
are in New York, California, Connecticut and other
states that are shutting down. Thus, a drop in
their business.

There is no union so they don't have to lay off by
seniority. Ann has worked there over 20 years but
a co-worker with 30 years was one of the ones let go. 
They've started checking everyone's temperatures
before they come in to work and they adjusted the
work schedules so there is no overlap between shifts.

Our brother in Cinncy is a salesman for a manufacturer
and is working two or three days a week from home.
Several of his customers stopped allowing "outsiders"
into their facilities, so a lot of his work is done by phone
or computer face-time.
His daughter has been working from home for two
weeks... for the Council on Aging.
His son works for Northrup-Grumman writing
software and is now also working from home except
when he is working on classified gov't jobs. 

Everyone is grateful to still have jobs but it feels like
they're all walking on eggshells hoping the other
shoe doesn't drop.

Carol is starting to get cabin fever because she can't
go to church. Liturgies are cancelled. She needs to 
avoid people because of her shakey immune system
anyway, so I'll probably be doing any shopping for her.
She's been staying busy at home doing her laundry
and sanitizing the bath and kitchen.

I'm trying not to worry but sometimes I catch myself
wondering how long this whole situation is going to last.
We are close enough to the interstate(s) that we could
hear the traffic when sitting on the porch. Now? 
Barely noticeable. 

It's just so surreal. It feels like the world is disappearing.  

More changes every day...

For Ohio, all schools closed at least three weeks,
no groups larger than 100 so some churches are
going with techno-preaching or nothing.
All bars and restaurants closed except for take-out.
Sports are gone...pro, college, high school.  
The number of confirmed cases of the virus are
doubling every day and spreading across the state. 
Gas was down to $1.78 yesterday. Race tracks and
casinos are shut down.
Football Hall of Fame is closed along with the Rock Hall
and all museums. McDonald's is doing drive-thru
only, closed their dining rooms.

We were going to go out for my birthday lunch on
Saturday but changed plans to ordering pizza
and renting movies. (If you haven't seen
"The Good Liar" and "Harriet" I highly recommend both.)

All three of us sisters have spent the past two weeks
passing a head cold back and forth. I was lucky enough
to get it twice. Copious amounts of sneezing and sniffling.
Hopefully, we're done with it but still taking the
recommended precautions to avoid anything worse.
We're all in the vulnerable age group and of course
Carol has the compromised immune system, so other than
Ann going to work and an occasional grocery run,
we're pretty much old lady home bodies.

I'd like to say everyone is going to be fine soon but reality
is probably that we have a long road to go before we can
even start to relax.
Be safe and smart, my friends.

the Accidental Thief...

I didn't mean to.

Grocery shopping this week included three bottles of
hand sanitizer. Or so I thought.

After paying for my purchases, I noticed a bottle of
the hand sanitizer, like the three I bought, sitting on
the little shelf  at the end of the conveyor belt.

I thought to myself , "hmmmm, either the bag boy forgot
to pack one or the cashier thought I might want one in my
purse." Right? It could happen. That's what they do when
I buy a Snickers bar.

I innocently picked up the bottle and put it in one of the many
grocery bags in my cart and pushed the cart outside to my car.
No alarms. No one chasing me.

Unload the grocery bags at home and I count FOUR bottles
of sanitizer, not three. I'm puzzled but not alarmed. I look at
the store receipt and count THREE sanitizers. 
I'm still puzzled but I finish putting away everything except
I leave the bottles on the kitchen counter.

A short time later, Carol came to me with a grin on her face
and one of the bottles in her hand. "Did you see what you took?"
On one side of the bottle, in big letters, was "STORE". 

Shit.

I was going to take it back yesterday, but the weather 
was crappy and I didn't feel like driving in wet snow the size 
of dinner plates. 
Besides, what would I say when I got there?
Would they just chalk it up to a senile old woman having a
brain fart?
Would they laugh out loud or have me arrested? 
I've never been arrested. Would prefer to keep it that way.

WWYD?

(what would ya'll do?)

hello, March...

Life is too short to be glad a month is gone, but...
February was overwhelming in many ways so I'm
welcoming March even though we know that life
brings what life brings no matter how prepared
we think/hope we are.

Being my sister's advocate/caregiver is almost a
full-time job. I do not regret being here for her in
any way. Unfortunately, though, sometimes I feel
overwhelmed and then I start to have a little pity-
part for myself in my head. I've had to cancel plans
for myself numerous times because what she needs 
takes priority over what I'd like or need to do for 
myself. I worry about doing something wrong or
making a mistake that would have a negative impact
on her medical or financial situation. She just isn't
able to handle much without help. So here I am. 

And then I feel guilty about stressing because, really,
she's been fighting cancer every day for eight years 
...and I'm not. I'm pretty sure I would have made a
lousy mother.

Anyway. Somebody tell me to shut up and stop whining.

I am glad that March has so far been prettier than February.
Lots more sunshine and much less snow. I know it's
only been five days but it still helps brighten my mood
to think Winter might be seriously winding down and
Spring is almost in sight.

Plus, my birthday is on Friday the 13th this year and that
always makes me chuckle to think how many silly people
worry about all those old superstitions and let them ruin
a perfectly good day.

Plus Plus, I almost share a birthday with my blog friend, Joe.
I do believe his birthday is March 20. I wish him a great day.

Now I think I'll spend some time thinking about what's
still good in my life and ponder on that for a while.