Lent, Day 8

Thursdays are supposed to be my day. I had plans, big plans to pay bills, declutter & sew. Ummm, the best-laid plans of mice & men often go awry. Robert Burns sure had that right, even women's plans go awry, LOL.

I was sitting at the computer in my nightclothes this morning, working on Mother's bills when she called. She wanted the bath bench so she could take a bath. The home health aide was there, but Mother didn't think she could get down in the tub. I had not taken the bath bench over for a couple of reasons. One is that it was filthy, we've been using it for a shelf to put over the heat vent in the bathroom & we put the garbage can on top of it & a couple of other things, so I didn't want to lose that. Another thing is that the home health aides have been promising to bring in a bath bench & I thought it would be better than the one we have. It is metal & cold on your bum when you sit on it. It isn't wide enough for me. Mother's lost so much weight though, that I'm sure she had no trouble sitting between the handles. Mother bought it for Daddy & he was so tiny & frail, he had no trouble sitting between the handles.

I jumped & ran. I didn't even bother getting dressed. Then while I was still there, Arlene Wanner called. She couldn't remember Dr. Otrusinik's nurses name. He has 2, but I told her the names of the girls that were in the office yesterday. Arlene was coming out from having her protime taken, while we were waiting to have Mother's taken. She said she was bad, she'd write little notes on envelopes & then lose them. I told her I had a little book she could have. I'd come right home & take it over to her. Nick called on my cell phone while I was talking to Arlene on Mother's landline.

Nick was bored & wanted to go for a "little" ride. I told him I had promised Arlene I'd go over & I did. We programmed her cell phone so she can have one-touch dialing. Mother had told Arlene that I had programmed her cell phone so that she could just push one number & call people.

Anyway, Nick & I decided we'd see how far we could get up Logan Canyon. But first we had lunch at Big J's, paid the storage bill & then went to Logan & bought an adjustable bath stool for Mother. We got to the top of Logan Sinks & got stuck just off the road heading into the parking lot to the restrooms. The road had been slushy, but we still needed that restroom. He walked back into the restroom because we couldn't get into the parking lot. I didn't think I could make it that far. He backed onto the highway, flipped a U-ie & headed on out of there.

We stopped at Wal*Mart for the bathroom for me. I got a huge round pan for Mufasa from the pet dept. The dripper pan that Lynette had brought with him from Glendale is almost as flat as a pancake. The clerk asked me if I was going to bake a cake. Awfully big cake. I said no I was going to feed a dog. She said they just used a pie tin for their dog. I said that I'd been using a dripper pan, but the dog weighed almost 200 lb., & had stepped on it so many times, it wasn't holding food. I started getting a migraine in Wal*Mart, so I bought some ibuprofen as well.

Don met us after work & we went to Lynn's Audio & to Lowe's. I sat in the car, but Nick & Don went in. They bought a fluorescent light for over the stove, came home & Don changed the light & cleaned the cover. Nick used alcohol to take the dirt & grease off the fixture. OMG, I can see. I've been asking for a light for that fixture for months. Don-Mike turned it on & was so surprised. He said he was blinded by the light, LOL.

I had told Mother we'd go to Relief Society tonight if she felt like it. I called her to tell her I didn't feel like going, but she didn't answer the phone, either phone. So I got in the car & drove over to see if she was ok & to tell her I didn't feel like going. She was back getting ready to go. Even though she didn't feel like going, she had decided she'd go. I felt guilty that I didn't feel like going. I don't dare tell her I have a migraine. I told her when I had the last one. Arlene told me she is worried that I have another brain tumor. So, I just told her I thought I'd had too much sugar today. I probably have, but it was the migraine that did me in.

I got to bed at 1 again last night. I turned the computer off at 11:55. I woke up at 8:35 this morning & wrote myself a note, filled both sides of a 3x5 card of things I was going to do today. I had such grandiose plans & I lost the card. I wish I knew where I had put it.

Lent, Day 5

One of my obsessions is online word search puzzles. I had trouble with a clue tonight, 1994 Disney movie. So, I clicked for a hint, L, K. I could've kicked myself. Lion King, Mufasa! Of course! We rolled our car up Logan Canyon that March because I HAD TO HAVE The Lion King on the first day it was released on video. The weather was fine in Rich County, Utah, but as we started up the mountain it was snowing. The roads were snow covered, but they had just sanded a corner & it was slushy. We hit the slush, spun out of control & rolled down the hill. It was right at the top of the Logan Sinks.

I learned my lesson. I no longer have to have a video the first day it is out. Now, Harry Potter books are another story. I've never had to drive very far to get one though.

I got to bed at midnight last night & woke up at 8:35 this morning. It took me a half hour to get up. Nick asked me how I was, I said I was tired. He said I need to wake up earlier. I said it didn't matter what time I woke up or got up, I am always tired. I woke up early on Sunday & drug myself out of bed. All day I wanted to lay down & take a nap. Nick laid down to take a nap the other night & woke up at 2 a.m. Saturday I got up late & was still tired. Maybe we'll find an answer when I have my blood test on Wednesday.

I had a bad start to my morning. I finally got up at 9:05 & went to work. I got up to the railroad tracks & turned onto the highway going into town (northwest) & saw a big orange tabby cat cowering in the gutter on the southwest side of the highway. He looked me in the eye. I thought it might be Sammy, but I was sure I had seen him just before I left home. I turned around & went back, parked behind the cat with my flashers on. I got out & it started hissing at me & trying to run. It's back leg was all bloody & dragging. It ran out into the highway & here's cars & trucks coming. I found that if I didn't approach it, it wouldn't try to run. Big county dump trucks would slow down & just drive by, I was so upset. I could see the cat running under one of them & getting killed right in front of my eyes. I stood my ground though, they were going to have to kill me to get to the stupid cat.

A man came along in a pickup, pulled up behind me & grabbed some leather gloves & pulled those on. I had a flash of sanity. What was I doing trying to approach a scared injured cat with no gloves, no place to put it if I did catch it? He asked me if it was my cat. I told him no & he told me to get in my car & go. I said I was going to take him to the vet. He said he would. He chased the cat off the highway into Saxton's used car lot, where the A&W used to be, if that means anything to anybody. I swung north onto First East, turned west onto Third South to see if I could see the cat & what the man was doing. I couldn't see the cat, but the man was talking to Doug Saxton. They probably thought I hit the cat. If he did catch the cat, he probably took it to the vet & had it euthanized.

I thought I'd come home tonight & see the cat dead on the highway, trying to cross the highway again to get home.

It reminded me of the time when Don's mom hit a truck that had dropped it's transmission in the middle of the freeway in Ogden. She was out in the middle of the freeway directing traffic. I asked her why she was doing that & she said nobody was going to hit her car. When the police came, they called an ambulance & had her taken to McKay-Dee Hospital. She gave them mine & Don's phone number & Don-Mike answered the phone. I took the phone & they said it was the Utah Highway Patrol & my MIL Ruth Bartholomew, or something like that, was in the hospital. I said I didn't believe it was really the UHP because my MIL's name was not Ruth in the first place nor was it Bartholomew. I was ready to hang up on them, but I heard the dispatcher talking to the UHP, saying I said my MIL's name was not Ruth & I was pronouncing the last name differently. So, I asked what kind of car she was driving. I had to concede it was my MIL when I heard the UHP saying she was driving a blue Pontiac Phoenix with Idaho 2B 314 license plates.

When I got off the phone Don-Mike said they asked for Don or RaNae. He said he could have talked to them, his name was Don. I told him I was glad he let me talk to them.

I almost had a 12 hour day today, probably more like 11 hours. I got there after 9 & left before 9.

Before I could get dressed I had to pick up the mess that I've been trying to declutter since Wednesday. It has been in front of the middle of the vanity & I piled it in front of the vanity drawers last week. So, in order to get to my underwear drawer, I piled everything back on the bed, sigh.

When I went into the bathroom this morning to get dressed, every towel on the shelf had been pulled off & was piled in a wet heap in front of the toilet. The clothes I had draped on the side of the tub last night to put on this morning were at the bottom of the heap. Nick had taken a bath. This happens EVERY time he takes a bath. I will be so glad to get the new part of the house finished & he can take a shower. I don't know that the number of towels he uses will diminish, but ......

I draped the clothes back on the tub along with most of the towels. I dread going in the bathroom tonight, I haven't been there yet. I KNOW they will still be there. If someone hasn't already tossed them into the tub, I will. I have to work again in the morning so I won't get them in the washer & the towels will lay there & mildew.