Okay. I don’t have trigeminal neuralgia. That’s a good thing. But, I have some as yet undefined respiratory virus crap. If I didn’t live in a place with draconian Covid quarantine rules, I would be rooting for Covid. Because, last time I had Covid, Paxlovid helped me a lot. Quickly. I am thinking it’s a sinus infection. And it started when I was still in Kona.
Gratitude
Grateful that if I have to be sick that I am at home and have some homemade soup in the freezer. And a box of oatmeal. And plenty of tea and coffee. Also, books to read. And 3 splendid old Terry Brooks audiobooks narrated by Dick Hill.
There is nothing I need to do. Nowhere I need to go. It’s OK.
Pretty soon I will start wondering when the sun comes back in my windows. Bet the orchids would like some rays too.
Gratitude
Grateful it was nice enough for a little outdoor walk. A big walk wasn’t required. I got all my weekly steps and cardio in. Today was just a mental health stroll.
Made a lap through the Kauai trip photos. Found this fine gecko.
It didn’t even snow. Just cold rain. But, I got out before it got bad for a little walkabout. And, it’s not like I have to go anywhere.
Gratitude
Today grateful for hot shower with good enough water pressure, coffee, oatmeal raisin cookies, and a heating pad for my vintage recliner. And there is mac&cheese on the menu tonight.
The Old Bat isn’t very perky. I hadn’t been sleeping great and have lots of sinus pain plus an overdose of GERD. It ain’t Covid. It’s just old age. And why exactly did I think that a beer, pickle, and hotdog followed up with a big coffee was a good idea for dinner last night? Except for the sinus crap, I brought most of my troubles on myself.
Carlton and EmmyDee Wedding – 1950sChuck and Peg – Wedding 1960sPeg and Carlton Wedding – Jan 5, 1994
We finally got it right. And, Jan 5, 1973, is Carlton’s AA anniversary. So he has 51 years today. That matters. The AA triangle is on his wedding ring.
It was a do-nothing winter day for the old bat. Not going to apologize for that. Knocked a few things off my Shit2Do list. Got an outdoor walk. Didn’t kill anyone. That’s enough.
January 3, 2024. Summer is over. For roses and old women. But, we hang on.
Did some work today. It’s always reassuring that I can remember how to log into the systems.
The Twilight Zone
At the New Year’s Eve dinner, it was suggested that we should optimistically project how many more years we expected to live and act accordingly. I MOST optimistically give myself five years. If I am lucky I’ll see 2029. 2029 seems impossibly far away. But 5 years MAX seems far too short.
I am working on this. It’s a mind game. I have 5 more summers. How am I going to use them? I have 260 more Friday Happy Hours. 60 more months to enjoy. When do I stop rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic?
After wrapping up work. I went for a “brisk” walk. And had cake for lunch. (5 years = 1,867 lunches) It was carrot cake. I have a friend who says “Carrot cake is a vegetable”. That’s what friends are for.
Wonder what I’ll do with the Wild Child Garden Box this year.
The first “normal” day since leaving Hawai’i.
Dr Google and I diagnosed a problem I have had for 30 years. I always considered it a sinus issue. Since it frequently showed up when I was having a sinus infection. Trigeminal Neuralgia. I was able to diagnose it this time because the pain is worse than usual. And, I don’t have a sinus infection. So, what am I going to do with this information? Well, mostly I stopped treating the symptoms with ibuprofen and sudaphed. And, I will report my findings to my doctor. But, I have zero interest in the drug regimen or possible surgery at my age. Unless it gets a lot worse. Trigeminal Neuralgia isn’t going to kill me.
Had breakfast with friends, a nice walk, did some bookkeeping, just a regular old lady day.
Started 2024 with a resolution and a trek to the bagel store.
The Twilight Zone
2024 Resolution: One Thing At A Time. Just do one thing. And if possible, do it to completion. And this extends to every activity. No more walking down the stairs while putting on mittens. I caught myself doing that this morning. The result could have been catastrophic. One Thing At A Time.
Brunched lavishly with the accidental family. After years of complaining about the brunch bagels I finally learned to BYOB.
Alexa is just now giving her 2nd reminder about dinner. Guess I should spring into action.
I tossed on some flashy accessories and went down to a very nice dinner with five friends. I had the least attractive choice on the menu. “Edamame & Sriracha-Lemongrass Dumpling Lotus Roots, Ginger Dumpling Sauce”. I figured that it would survive its time on the steam table with the least damage. It was good. Free wine again. That always helps.
Gratitude
For me, personally, 2023 was a damn good year. Thank you.
And another year ends without a good robotic cat. Come on people. It can’t be that hard.
This would have been early 1992. This is totally Carlton. Walk right up to the edge of the Grand Canyon for a better look. In plain old street shoes. Oh, and there’s ice.
Carlton didn’t do Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Birthdays etc. But, he did remember anniversaries. And, December 30 is the day that he considered our anniversary. 45 years ago. Spent some happy time today looking at Carlton photos. I have a lot of them.
My sinuses are acting up. It started in Hawai’i and 5 days of travel in really dry planes and trains didn’t help one bit. I fear I used my sinus issue as a reason to do very little today.
I did a factory reset on my watch. It has been flakey for the last couple of months. And now it only lasts about 12 hours even in battery-saving mode. If this doesn’t fix it, it’s outta here. Not going to waste any more time fussing with it. I would like it to last another year. But, if it doesn’t. It doesn’t. I might not last another year either.
I may have mentioned that the food leaves much to be desired. I really am trying to not complain. It won’t get any better until people stop moving in because the food is so bad. But, just saying… this is one of the weekly “specials”.
Well, Carlton would call this contempt prior to investigation. I should order it for dinner today. It might be fabulous. And, in any case, it’s free wine night.
I return and they have to throw on an additional bartender!
A welcome home walrus to remind me of my time as a member of the Walrus Group in the Arctic.
My friends have keys to the Old Bat Cave. They put cookies and soup in my freezer when I am gone. And my menagerie of tiny pottery critters was expanded to include a great walrus.
Gift from a friend who really understands me.
My collection of outrageous earrings reached a new level of kitsch.
Blooming Orchid #1Blooming Orchid #2
I have 6 orchid plants. When I left for Hawai’i there was one bloom stalk. And two of the orchids were on notice. If they didn’t bloom this year they were going to be compost. My friend took great care of them. When I returned yesterday two were blooming and the other four had flower stalks.
The Twilight Zone
I can not begin to tell you how important friends are to me in my old age. Friends make it all bearable. And we each know how hard it will be when…
For the record. The food here is hideous. But we had a great dinner. Friends brought wine and fudge. That helped.
