Easter Sunday

I woke up this morning about 5 in pain. I ached all over, I thought I might throw up, then wondered if it was diarrhea. Nothing that easy, just pain. I came out in the front room & sat in the swivel rocker/recliner. I swiveled it away from the bright light from the network server & sat there dozing fitfully until Don got up, gave me some ibuprofen & I went back to bed.

Nick woke me up about noon to tell me that I wasn't needed in the library. Don had called & said it was "covered." Instead of going back to bed, I got up & put the roast on. I bought a 5 pound pork roast last night. Eddie has gone home, so I don't have to worry about having dinner ready & over by the time he has to be home. I'm using a recipe that is appearing in the Citizen this coming week, Coca-Cola brisket or something like that. They didn't have a brisket at the store last night, not that I would have been able to afford it anyway.

So, my new "project" for the month is to continue striving to make it to bed "on time." But I'm changing my bedtime to midnight. Also, I've been a FlyLady fan for a long time & the monthly habit for April is making your bed every day. That is something I've pretty much mastered. Even if I go back to bed in the middle of the day, even though people die in bed, I get up & remake the bed. I have a selfish reason for that. Our bed is "catland."

As you can see by the picture, our cats share the bed with me in the morning. Here I am working on a daily to-do list & Jae is practically on my lap; Prissy is on my right side, against my knee; Sammy, the yellow cat; Brackin, at the end; and Marsha, the gray cat sitting up.

Lent, Day 14

I was reading testimonials & emails from the inbox on my FlyLady email account. I have an email account just for FlyLady. Anyway, one of the subject lines caught my eye & I decided to read it instead of filing it somewhere. "Fighting Fatigue." That's what I do ALL the time.

Last night I was ready to turn out the light & go to bed at 11:30. I had done everything I needed to be in bed by 11:30 for the first time since I started this, but ... you knew there was a "but" didn't you? Sammy was laying in front of my pillow. He came in hurt tonight, he could barely limp. Brackin was down further, but both cats were on my side of the bed & I hated to move them. Finally, I scooted Sammy over a little bit & crawled in bed. I covered Sammy & moved my legs around Brackin. They both were purring, but I wasn't very comfortable. Finally, I put the CPAP mask on & went to sleep. I woke up when Don came to bed. He puts the cats in the laundry room when he goes to bed. So, I knew I could stretch out & be comfortable. I woke up at 9:35 again this morning. I got up after 10. What is this with 9:35??

Back to the FlyLady email on fighting fatigue. A FlyBaby from Pennsylvania had written in explaining Lent & she said:

My Lenten commitment this year is also related to FLYing. I've been doing part of your system but not all of it. I finally realized that the biggest hindrance for me is fatigue. I've never really committed to an evening routine, I stay up too late (my "me" time), and I'm always tired. I know my body, and my family, deserve better. You've said time and time again how important the evening routine is, but some of us are just stubborn, I guess.

So, for Lent I'm giving up going to bed late. And I'll build my evening routine (in babysteps!)

I guess I need to see what a FlyLady evening routine is. I obviously have one, don't we all? Mine just isn't written down.

Don-Mike came by on his way home. He had driven Nan's Am, his Trans Am, to work today & came over to say good-night & get his Mustang. He parks Nan's Am here, out by the old garage, & the Mustang is garaged at his house. When he bought the Trans Am I said it must be a keeper, it has a name. He bought it from a lady named Nannette & it was already named.

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.

Another busy day

Today was another Gingerbread Man Syndrome day. Another killer headache. It wasn't a migraine, but I can almost handle a migraine better than one that hurts all over the head. I was up at 7, but my head hurt so bad, I went back to bed. I knew I had to be to work by 9, & I also knew that if I went back to bed I wouldn't be to work at 9. I wasn't, but made it by 10. I'll have to go back in tomorrow or Thursday & finish today's work. Probably Thursday because tomorrow is doctor day in Logan.

I went to the home health/hospice conference again today. I made it in time for the first workshop. Last week I was an hour and a half late on Tuesday & Thursday & didn't even make the Wednesday evening session. The first workshop was on pain management. Mother's been having lots of pain & I thought that particular workshop would give me some help. I headed for the love seat as soon as I walked in the classroom because I knew I could lean my head back against the cushions. They kept asking me to sit up at the table. Since we were talking about pain management, I said my pain level was at a 4 & I had chosen to sit on the love seat. The presenter was one of the pharmacists in town & he FORGOT he was supposed to come. Now, I know they try not to play favorites, but they should have got someone besides this guy. He's not my pharmacist & I'm glad.

After the session was over at 4, I went to the library to renew a magazine that was due. I spent quite a bit of time talking about some opportunities for Nick with one of the librarians who has a severely handicapped daughter.

Then to the pharmacy & then to Mother's. She said she had sat in the recliner all day. I thought she was complaining that she had sat there all day & had no company. I guess I was still thinking about the conference. The second workshop was on food. Nikki, the hospital dietitian, was the presenter. She told how one woman was bedridden & had lain in bed for 11 hours with no human companionship & no food. Nikki had brought food with her. She brought soup, crackers, cookies, fruit cups & one parfait. She brought the parfait to show how you can make food look appetizing. The parfait was given to different people, but no one wanted to eat it in front of the other participants. Finally I said I would take it for my mother. My headache got quite a bit better after the delicious chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles.

I went back over to Mother's & took her a fruit cup, most of a cookie, I'd eaten part of it, & the parfait. For lunch I had run out to Burger King & bought us each a hamburger. I didn't get onion on it. I cut Mother's sandwich in half. She ate half for lunch & the rest for supper along with the fruit & part of the parfait. I have to admit I took the granola that was in a separate container on top of the parfait & ate it like cereal. I knew she wouldn't eat the granola. She didn't care for the parfait. It was plain yogurt & raspberries. The raspberries have seeds that get under her false teeth & she likes flavored yogurt.

Sammy got left out all night & came scurrying in this morning as soon as the door was opened with a black nose which I'm sure is dried blood, a ripped ear & blood on his throat. I tell you, the cat he fights with goes for the jugular. One time he just missed Sammy's jugular. I took him to the vet for that one because he was so sick. The vet told me to keep Sammy in at night. We've started locking the cat door & keeping them in. But last night, at 7, I let Sammy out. They usually come back in. I was in bed by midnight & Don must not have realized Sammy was out.

So, my plan for the Lenton season is to be in bed by 11:30. I'm afraid I'm setting myself up for failure, but I'll give it a valiant effort.