Procrastination is a way of life

Mother is watching "Little House on the Prairie & Caroline calls, "Charles! Supper'll be on in about an hour." And Charles responds, "Perfect!"

I'm definitely not perfect. Our supper will not be on in an hour.My cell phone just did it's reminder that Writer's Group will be in an hour. I don't want to go. I haven't fixed supper. In fact, I don't even have a clue as to what to fix. I have a headache that I've suffered with all day. I have procrastinated the day away. Now it's time to go somewhere, it's time to do something

Then, I discover I procrastinated the month away too. Sigh. I only made it to Day 13 on my list of things I am grateful for.

I dread Sunday because of church. I dread Monday because of work. I dread Tuesday & Thursday because I have to cook. I'm supposed to cook on Saturday, too, but somehow that hasn't become a dreaded day.

So. What's for supper?

To do list

I only have 2 items left on my to do list. But ... did a whole bunch of other stuff, took Mother for her hair appt., got eggs at the egg farm ... I came out to Mother swatting a fly inside the car. She never did get it. The flies are still thick as thieves there at the egg farm.

I used eggs in my supper tonight, Toffee Apple French Toast. It was really good tonight, even though I didn't get the toffee bits - too expensive. We like it better than Cinnamon Apple German Pancakes. It's more filling too.

I got Mother's coumadin & got it in her med box. I just remembered I didn't get any XS Tylenol, grrr. It's too late now.

Well, one more bill to pay & I'm off to bed.

Wednesday, Aug. 5

I posted this on Facebook earlier today:

Did 3 batches of laundry - Don-Mike's work uniforms. The dryer at their house doesn't work. Holli, tell your grandma her rental has a dryer problem. Mother doesn't dare. And those stupid apron ties wrapped around the drum & I was ready to commit Hari Kari, & rip their guts out.

It took almost half an hour to get that batch of clothes out of the washer. I wondered if I was going to break the agitator fins trying to get the clothes out. I even folded or hung those 3 batches of laundry, w00t w00t

Nick couldn't figure out how come it took so long to get lunch in the oven. I started explaining to him & Don-Mike came in & said the ties from the aprons wrapped around the agitator & the pants. Yup!!! He's been there, done that. I wondered how Mother gets them out of the washer when they do that. They're black & she can't see anyway. I was ready to come in, get a knife & just hack those darned aprons right up.

When I started this morning, there was a batch of my garments in the dryer that I took out & put on the bed. Now, before I can go to bed, I need to fold them. I also need to go to bed before Don does, so I can do that, or they'll get thrown in the chair or the hall, sigh.

I folded Nick's clothes & put them on his bed, along with a pair of denim shorts that are too big for me. I told him I only buy men's denim pants. They're the same size as the pants we are washing tonight. I folded mine & Don's shirts & pants & put them on our bed. But, I hung Don-Mike's clothes on a couple of pant hangers, took them out & laid them on the passenger seat of his truck. I hope he takes them in.

We have another batch of clothes in the washer tonight. Nick wanted his clothes washed. He told me when he found out I had washed blacks & reds (a red batch at my house includes pink & orange), I should've gone out & told him I needed his clothes. He was wearing a fluorescent orange shirt & black pants. I can just imagine the reaction I would have received. And believe me, it isn't pretty.

I also did a pretty thorough job of swishing & swiping the toilet. How can a toilet seat get so dirty in less than 24 hours??? I can understand the wash basin. That needs to be swiped every time the guys wash their hands. And how do they get black gunk on the mirror or the window over the sinks??? There's the floor too.

All, in all, it was a pretty productive day, for me. I didn't feel good this afternoon, kind of wobbly, but I knew if I gave up & laid down, I'd be down for hours, so I just kept plugging along. Don cooked supper tonight. I'm so glad. I don't think I could have done it.

Forgetfulness

I keep forgetting to look for our marriage certificate for the insurance. So many things get forgotten that I have to write a list, then I forget the list!!!

One thing I don't forget, though, is to check my "baby blogs," Jonah & Gwendolyn.

I've been doing some reading again. I read Summer on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber. All this years I have pronounced it Ma-com-ber. I ordered some Debbie Macomber books for Mother from the Idaho State Library for the Blind & she got A Cedar Cove Christmas today in the mail. I took it over to her & sat with her through the first chapter. I don't like the lady that reads it. I understand now how the reader can make or break a book. Anyway, the reader read through the Library of Congress information & the flap on the cover. She pronounces the author's name May-cumber, like cucumber only May instead of Ma

I left, went to the grocery store, bought groceries for tonight's supper & then, after Don cooked it, took some over to Mother.

When I got back there with supper, she had listened to the first side of the tape. There are 4 sides to listen to. It sounds like it is one I'll have to see if the library has & then I can read it silently.

Lent, Day 15

Gotta hurry on this if I'm going to be in bed in 15 minutes. Don-Mike just got home from work. He brought his supper with him. It smells good. I woke up in the night Wednesday hungry. Yet today I didn't eat until 5:30. By then I was so hungry, I almost ate my fingers. I had a hamburger at Burger King. I went to visit Mother & had some toast & tea with Mother. She still doesn't feel well, so I fixed her some tea. Anyone try pomegranate tea? Then I came home a little after 8 & Don had supper ready & I had 2 helpings. And now Don-Mike's supper smells good.

Bedtime last night was midnight, & then at 20 after 12 I remembered I hadn't put omeprazole in either med boxes, Don's or Nick's. So, I got up & put it in the boxes. Neither one of them would have known where to look nor even know that omeprazole is generic for prilosec. This morning Nick came in & woke me up to ask what the weird pill was in his med box. Yet, if it wasn't there, he would have come in & woke me up asking where his "one pill" was & I would be supposed to translate that into prilosec.

I had to charge the prilosec this afternoon at Preston Drug. It was only a couple of dollars more than at Wal-Mart though AND I could charge it.

I got up this morning, finally, at 10. Not sure when Nick came in, a little after 8 I think.

Rockets red glare

Francis Scott Key penned the national anthem in the "rockets red glare," as the battle raged around him. I am typing this as Don-Mike & Nick are yelling at each other. The battle is truly raging around me. I'm glad Mother is not here. This truly upsets her. I have my hearing aid turned off. I can still hear the raging. I am grateful I am deaf in one ear. It's times like this I wish I were deafer than I am.

Nick's zodiac sign is Taurus, the sign of the bull. He is bull-headed & right now he is a raging bull, LOL. Trying for lightheartedness. Don-Mike is Cancer, the twins or as the website I'm giving you the link for says, the crab. There is definitely 2 sides to this young man.

I took Mother to Instacare today after DUP. It was really funny. The medical assistant that took us back to the triage room looked SO familiar. I kept staring. I apologized & said that she looked so much like my cousin's daughter. She laughed & said, "That's because I am." It was Krystal, Jenni's oldest daughter, Luana's granddaughter. After Krystal left the room, Mother bemoaned the fact that she can't see. She asked me who she looked like, I said she looked just like her mother, even down to the dimples in her cheeks. Except she has dark brown hair & her mother is blonde.

They were all so nice there. The doctor was this cute little girl. I know, if she's a doctor, she's not a little girl. But such a sweetheart & petite. I said to Mother, I'd certainly go to her if she had her own practice.

Mother has been concerned that the lump on her thigh is a blood clot. Her leg is bruised all the way around her thigh & down into her calf today. The big lump is still there. So, I asked the doctor. She said no, it was a surface lump & where Mother is on coumadin, it wasn't likely to be a blood clot. I said that Mother's INR level has gotten so low that sometimes she's had TIA's, little strokes. They took Mother's protime & did some blood work. Her INR was high, 3.8; her hemoglobin was low because of all the blood she lost. They were concerned because Mother's protime was so high. I said it wasn't that high. Therapeutic level for Mother is between 2.5 & 3.5.

The doctor told me I should've taken her to the ER & had her leg stitched. I told her that I didn't take her to the ER because Mother doesn't like the doctor's up here. Her skin is so fragile that stitches won't stay in. I guess they could have used butterfly bandages, but I didn't think they'd believe me.

Anyway, they took x-rays of her chest. First time I had seen a chest x-ray of Mother. You could certainly see the wires they'd wired her chest shut with after the open heart surgery & the pacemaker & it's wires.

Instacare is in the same building as Dr. Carlson, Mother's primary care doctor. The Instacare doctor walked across the foyer & talked to Dr. C about her protime level & hemoglobin. He said that her cardiologist follows her protime. Dr. Larkin, I-care doc, said to have the INR rechecked Monday. We'll have it done Tuesday because that is the day that Mother has the CPAP followup with Dr. C. We have her INR checked before we go to Dr. C.

Nick's been on one all day & Don didn't make things any better when he authorized Don-Mike to be on the Verizon account & not Nick. grrrrrrrr.

I woke up late & prolly wouldn't have woke up when I did, if Nick had not awakened me. He asked me what time I needed to be to work. I said I needed to be there at 9. He said that it was 9. I jumped up, grabbed my clothes & was almost dressed when the editor of the newspaper called to see where I was. I told him as soon as I put my pants on & took my meds I'd be there. Then my supervisor wanted to know what my problem was. She's already warned me that it doesn't matter how long I've been there, I can be replaced, sigh. Well, I have news for her, when they replace me, they'll have to pay the new person more than I'm making! The last 2 people, that I know of, make more an hour than I do. The next time the government raises minimum wage, I'll finally get a raise. I mentioned that to the business manager & she said, "We'll see." I said, "No! I'll see. The next raise will make minimum wage more than I make an hour." She said, "Oh."

Then Don was huffy when I mentioned that the dog hadn't been fed. I told him that I had not done my weekly hard drive back up at work because I would have been later than I was picking Mother up for DUP. We go to lunch on DUP day, because the new DUP captain has ruled that there will be no lunches at meetings, only refreshments. And, of course, refreshments always means sugar. So, next month, when it's our turn, mine & Mother's, to have DUP at Mother's house, we will serve tomato soup in mugs & little triangle grilled cheese sandwiches, LOL.

Tuesday is not a day that Mother gets a home-delivered meal. And, like this morning, I'm usually running late & don't have anything to eat in the morning.

Right after DUP I'd taken Mother to Instacare, came home & taken long enough to heat Mother's supper up. I stopped at the grocery store & came home. Don got his outdoor stuff on & I told him to wait, I'd walk down with him. We walked out of the garage & I couldn't see because it was so dark. I mentioned a flashlight & he said he was ok. I said I wasn't. He huffily told me to go back & get a flashlight. I told him I'd be glad to when I dug myself out of the snowbank I'd fallen into.

Then, Nick decided he didn't like the soup I'd made tonight. I gave him 3 options that he could fix himself. Don-Mike told him there was garlic bread. I'd cut generous hunks of garlic bread - 2 soft inner pieces - which is what Don-Mike & Nick like.

So, I'd been running all day. I was grateful Don watered & fed the dog. He's done that for me the last 2 days. Tomorrow, I'll make a conscious effort to feed Mufasa earlier in the day, before the vet visit. Tomorrow is a vet appt for Prissy. If I had another cat carrier, I'd be able to take Sammy with & save an office visit. He has been in a fight & has a bad eye. I'll try for Friday afternoon for Sam.