Keeping It Going in Alabama: Another Quick Week

Friday, August 2, 2019

Another Quick Week

It was busy and fun with beautiful blue sky and even a few hot days. I turned the fan on last night for the first time, but just opening the windows gave me a cool breeze to sleep by. I woke up to pouring rain this morning, which was much needed, but it kept me from my planned walk to the library until around 11:00.

I passed by the garden yesterday on my way home and took these pictures. It's getting pretty dry but still doing okay. I thought about stopping to water it, but my energy was just about gone by 4:00. Now I'm glad I didn't.

Emily took the day off today, so I got a free day! So exciting. Too bad she's grounded with this:

Speaking of the garden that's her leg after multiple wasp stings on Wednesday while working on weeding. She toughed it out until last night when it got so painful she couldn't sleep. I recommended going to the emergency room ASAP. She didn't ignore me but wasn't planning on going today, so we did some research and figured out she was okay as long as she didn't have anaphylaxis symptoms or a fever, so we trotted out all the home remedies. She was already icing it and had taken Benadryl, but I found a few home remedies involving an onion, apple cider vinegar, tea bags. I'm not sure if she tried any, but I took over some old Aspercreme I had in a box here and something else for treating staph. While I was exploring old medicines, I threw away an antibiotic cream for dogs and horses. I don't even know why we had that. We did have one dog injury years ago. It scares me for anything like this to happen after reading about so many strange infections lately that happen for no good reason.

I haven't heard anything else, so maybe she's sleeping and the swelling is going down. She worked all day yesterday, mostly on her feet, and then went shopping afterwards, so she needs some down time.

In spite of my wonky left Achilles tendon, which I'm not going to post a picture of, I walked to the library and back when it stopped raining. It's not painful, just "different" than the right one. Stiff and thicker. My personal physical therapist doesn't know why it's that way, but we are working on finding out. She gave me some stretches, which I'm actually doing three times a day because it's just kind of leaning against a wall.

I picked up some books for the girls about going back to school even though it's more than a month away and had 4 books waiting for me in the hold area.

The one I'm reading now, Drawing Home by Jamie Brenner is slow reading and just not wonderful but interesting enough to keep me reading a little every day. I'm going to have to step it up because this is what's waiting for me.

I'm not sure where the ideas from some of them came but probably from recommendations or ones I've been wanting to read. That H. G. Wells book - I just don't know why I got that - again, a recommendation on books you should read before you die, I guess. I keep it in my bag and pull it out at the park or when I'm stuck somewhere with nothing to do.

We've gone somewhere every day this week, but I have very few pictures.

I got a mammogram followup on Monday. I have to go every 6 months for extra surveillance, and I don't mind doing that as long someone is keeping an eye on things. I'm usually pretty upbeat about my health, and I didn't even think about hearing bad news until I got called back in for extra views. That got me a little worried, and when I was sitting there alone waiting to hear from the doctor and that waiting room music was playing, all the old memories of all the times waiting to hear things from Mike's doctors came back to me and made me a little tearful. I almost went over and unplugged that speaker, but I didn't.

I did get good news and a nice feeling of relief and fixed myself a cup of coffee from the corner coffee table as a reward.

I considered going into that pretty gift shop across the hall, but I knew if I spent any money, it would take away my good feelings, so I went straight home. These flowers were prettier on the way out than on the way in.

What a coincidence. Just a second ago, I got a call from Swedish Imaging where I had the mammogram done. It was a hard call to answer! But it was just someone wanting my Medicare number for my insurance.

No pictures but a lovely Tuesday morning at the Fall City Library watcing a puppet show about Pegasus and Orion (Old Ryan, according to Kate) and all the other constellations. The girls were thrilled by the huge Pegasus that the guy flew past us several times and let us pet. It was a one-man show, and it was hilarious, probably funnier to the adults than the kids because of a few inside jokes. After the show, he showed us how the special effects worked and how the puppets were put together.

We ate lunch and then walked to the local library and the little Wood park, and that was a nice outing.

I had ordered the girls a few things from the Gap for school, and Graysen loved this sweater so much she insisted on wearing it even though the temps were in the high 70s.

So much energy, and I was certainly ready for a nap by the time we got home.

Wednesday we drove to North Bend to meet up with their new friends Lily and Coralee and their grandmother Penelope. They were really excited to see each other and Graysen and Katherine ran to meet them and so much hugging, although they've only seen each other four times.

They ate lunch and then immediately went to play in the park. They played long and hard and loudly for 2 hours, just coming back to report falls and boys chasing them with pine bark and to get more water. Penelope and I found that we are so much alike, and we had no trouble finding things to talk about. She's from Texas but is staying here for the summer to help with her grandchildren while they remodel their house in West Seattle, but she's just been asked to move there and keep her girls 3 days a week. So much in common - but so far away. After this summer, it will be just really hard for us to get together. Hopefully we can find a few times to get the girls together before they move back.

Yesterday we ended our week with a playdate for Katherine with Makena at Steller Park just up from their house. Makena is just the sweetest child, and the girls love her. She has two brothers so loves getting some girl playing time. Katie, her mom stayed awhile and visited. She's really so nice. I see why Emily likes her so much. I got to (awkwardly) hold a 7-week-old baby. So easy to forget how! Those little miniature feet!

There was more laughter and fun upstairs and popsicles outside before I headed home.