Two crazy days
Man, the last 2 days have been a real rollercoaster.
First off: Tues morning was a BIG SUCCESS! I zipped out to BJs when they opened (I've been going during "senior hour" because of my immunosuppressing meds - I wouldn't argue if they were to say No, but so far they've been nice and let me in). Anyway - I was able to score paper towels AND toilet paper AND antibacterial household cleaner! Ok, it wasn't Lysol or Clorox, but still - it was a decent find. I then swung quickly by the Lowe's hardware store next door and snagged the last two broccoli seedlings they had, as well as one of the last red-leaf lettuce six-packs. (I confess to being slightly nervous that someone might break into my car and steal the TP/paper towels while I was buying the plants but, thankfully, nothing happened.). Then I went off to donate blood, where it's always anyone's guess as to whether I'll pass the hemoglobin test. But I passed and donated successfully - that's three in a row, whee!
Given the virus considerations, they had people wait *outside* with only a handful of people allowed inside - and only after they'd had their temperature taken. What was a little bit ridiculous was that they were still functioning with oral thermometers, which meant having to remove masks to get our temps taken, and we had to have them taken twice - first to get in the building, and then again as part of the official intake procedure. And THEN you have to take your mask off again for the snacks/drinks they make you do afterwards. How safe were we, exactly? I mean, I know they're doing their best, but still - I'm hoping the Red Cross manages to soon provide them all with forehead temperature scanners, to at least reduce the number of times you have to take off your mask.
I did my regular grocery shopping after the donation. I had to hit two stores; they had about 80% of what I needed at the first store, but I swung by another store for (most of) the rest. One of the weird things I couldn't find was ... yeast. My friend in Boston says it's absent up her way, too. I understand why flour and sugar are more scarce - more people stress-baking at home. But the number of bakers who are brave enough to work with yeast is smaller, so I'm surprised that's now one of the coveted items. I managed to find a 1-lb bag on Amazon, hopefully it'll work well enough.
The afternoon was quieter; in addition to fatigue from donating, I've also been tireder than usual. I think the general chronic stress is taking its toll. During spring break (last week) there were a couple of days I slept in until 9:30-10a, and I never sleep that late! But, anyway in the evening, I came back down from reading to Two (still our nightly ritual), only to discover Will had just demolished the brand-new bag of GF pretzels I'd JUST bought and had only eaten a couple of. I know people are stress-eating these days, but he KNOWS this is my stuff, and it's not like I can eat an entire bag of HIS snacks! So, anyway, I was pretty hacked off about that. I love my husband but sometimes he can be a completely dunderhead. :P
Then, there's Angel, the cat. He's the eldest of our 5 cats, approaching his 15th birthday. He's been prone to asthma and allergies for many years, but the last few days, you could see his breathing was getting labored - yet he wasn't wheezing, like a typical asthma/allergy attack would bring on. Karen, of course, completely freaked out, and even more so as she couldn't get a vet appointment for him until today, and not even with our regular vet - they're not doing appointments at all right now. He was bad enough last night Karen thought he might die on the spot, but he was still alive this morning, so off to the vet we went, hoping it wasn't going to be a one-way trip. (I drove, because there was no way I was letting her drive while she's crying and also needing to cuddle the cat.) Due to COVID19, they won't let any humans in - they came to collect Angel and took him in, and we had to wait in the car. Eventually they returned to say that the side-view Xray showed a lot of fluid in his chest, and almost no room for actual air in his lungs. Whether he had congestive heart failure, pneumonia or some other issue was hard to discern because they really wanted a supine xray, where they would get a clear view of *both* lungs, but he wouldn't let them do it and they didn't want to stress him further. Karen agreed to leave him behind for a few hours, so they could let him calm down a little and do both the xray and some bloodwork, and get those results back.
Finally, in late afternoon we were allowed to collect him. They can tell he has a massive chest infection but not of what because to aspirate or otherwise test some of the fluid out of his lungs would possibly push him past the breaking point, health-wise. They cautioned he was still very sick, but they gave him injected antibiotics, and want him back both Thurs and Fri for another shot (one per day) of said meds. Hopefully he can stabilize enough to test the fluid, but we'll see. And otherwise, we're just supposed to keep him fairly quiet and let him rest.
I should explain that this is the household favorite cat. He is very laid back and he purrs for EVERYONE. If you even LOOK at him he purrs. He'll purr for the VET. (He and Jade hate each other, though - they both want to be top banana. Still - Jade will defend him if another cat tries to pick on him. Nobody beats on my sibling but me, and all that.)
Will and Rob were both sniffling and Karen of course was very weepy at the thought that he might be done for, and they're all crossing all their fingers that he pulls through. The kids and I will be sad if he goes, of course, because he's generally a lovely cat, but we're not quite as emotionally attached. So, anyway - that's been a stressful issue the last few days, and more so for today. All we can do now is wait.
The other bad thing today is we got word that MiniPlu's prom (scheduled for 6 June) has officially been cancelled. We knew there was a good chance, but having it officially decided is heartbreaking. The administrators are trying to assure the seniors they're doing everything they can to make sure they'll be celebrated in SOME way, but having a "virtual" awards night and a car-parade to celebrate Senior Decision Day (when kids celebrate where they're going to college/uni - parents decorate their cars, kids wear their college tshirts, etc) - it's just not the same. And we still don't know what graduation will look like. MiniPlu says she still wants her cap and gown even if graduation is cancelled but it's hard not to feel resentful for being asked to shell out money for an outfit she'll never get to wear. :P. (I'm still hoping we can find an alternative fun activity for her friends over the summer, where they can wear their prom dresses and have a backyard hangout or something.)
So, yeah, it's been a couple of up-and-down days.
This quarantine meme covers some topics I've already addressed but, eh, what the heck. It's a meme. Gacked from hamsterwoman:
1. So, how are things with your job? Do you still have a job?
Nope, I don’t have a job. It’s not like I’ve been furloughed, but there’s absolutely no need for a substitute teacher or a library volunteer when everyone is working from home. I miss it. I have started looking into possible online Master of Library Science programs, though.
2. What's it like in your neighborhood? Are people wearing masks in your area?
Masks are now required for going into stores or other public buildings. We don’t really need them for going for a walk, though - it’s a quiet, contained neighborhood (no through-traffic) with wide streets so if you see someone coming on the sidewalk, you can just cross the street to give yourself enough space. I do sometimes feel like it’s one giant game of chicken and that I’m always the one crossing the street but, eh, it’s not worth arguing about.
3. How are your parents dealing with all this? How long did it take for them to start taking this seriously?
My mother takes it very seriously. She hasn’t left the house except to go for short walks since mid-March. Other people are doing her shopping for her. She was making masks long before it was announced they might be helpful after all. At this point she’s made more than 100 masks for friends, family, church members, and the local medical community (to wear over their recycled N95s).
My father, of course, has no idea there’s a pandemic going on (he’ll watch the news and then forget it the moment the TV is off again), but he lives alone in a quiet area and doesn’t drive anymore, so his life has changed not one whit. I’m sure his groceries aren’t getting wiped down but I’m also not stressing it. His time will come when it comes, whenever that is.
4. Besides job/economy/virus, tell me something you're worried about.
I’m worried about the food supply chain. I’m worried about the emotional fallout if MiniPlu doesn’t get prom or graduation or (even worse) doesn’t get to go to college this fall because it will still be online learning then. Or does that all fall under “job/economy/virus”? Uh ... I’m worried about Two’s future - I always am. He doesn’t understand how much he needs to care about his efforts.
5. Tell me about something you're really enjoying right now.
Any opportunity to be by myself for a little bit. Running outside with the dog (as long as the dog isn’t pulling like crazy). All the spring flowers.
6. Tell me about something that changed for the better. Or something you changed that wasn't actually a forced change.
Well, it was a forced change, but I’m loving the virtual Paint Nites, which are cheaper and vastly more plentiful and accessible to me than local, in-person Paint Nites. I love that Keukenhof is doing virtual tours so I get to see it when I normally wouldn’t have.
I did a Paint Nite (Paint Afternoon) today, but will save those pics for a separate post, as this has already gotten too long. :P
First off: Tues morning was a BIG SUCCESS! I zipped out to BJs when they opened (I've been going during "senior hour" because of my immunosuppressing meds - I wouldn't argue if they were to say No, but so far they've been nice and let me in). Anyway - I was able to score paper towels AND toilet paper AND antibacterial household cleaner! Ok, it wasn't Lysol or Clorox, but still - it was a decent find. I then swung quickly by the Lowe's hardware store next door and snagged the last two broccoli seedlings they had, as well as one of the last red-leaf lettuce six-packs. (I confess to being slightly nervous that someone might break into my car and steal the TP/paper towels while I was buying the plants but, thankfully, nothing happened.). Then I went off to donate blood, where it's always anyone's guess as to whether I'll pass the hemoglobin test. But I passed and donated successfully - that's three in a row, whee!
Given the virus considerations, they had people wait *outside* with only a handful of people allowed inside - and only after they'd had their temperature taken. What was a little bit ridiculous was that they were still functioning with oral thermometers, which meant having to remove masks to get our temps taken, and we had to have them taken twice - first to get in the building, and then again as part of the official intake procedure. And THEN you have to take your mask off again for the snacks/drinks they make you do afterwards. How safe were we, exactly? I mean, I know they're doing their best, but still - I'm hoping the Red Cross manages to soon provide them all with forehead temperature scanners, to at least reduce the number of times you have to take off your mask.
I did my regular grocery shopping after the donation. I had to hit two stores; they had about 80% of what I needed at the first store, but I swung by another store for (most of) the rest. One of the weird things I couldn't find was ... yeast. My friend in Boston says it's absent up her way, too. I understand why flour and sugar are more scarce - more people stress-baking at home. But the number of bakers who are brave enough to work with yeast is smaller, so I'm surprised that's now one of the coveted items. I managed to find a 1-lb bag on Amazon, hopefully it'll work well enough.
The afternoon was quieter; in addition to fatigue from donating, I've also been tireder than usual. I think the general chronic stress is taking its toll. During spring break (last week) there were a couple of days I slept in until 9:30-10a, and I never sleep that late! But, anyway in the evening, I came back down from reading to Two (still our nightly ritual), only to discover Will had just demolished the brand-new bag of GF pretzels I'd JUST bought and had only eaten a couple of. I know people are stress-eating these days, but he KNOWS this is my stuff, and it's not like I can eat an entire bag of HIS snacks! So, anyway, I was pretty hacked off about that. I love my husband but sometimes he can be a completely dunderhead. :P
Then, there's Angel, the cat. He's the eldest of our 5 cats, approaching his 15th birthday. He's been prone to asthma and allergies for many years, but the last few days, you could see his breathing was getting labored - yet he wasn't wheezing, like a typical asthma/allergy attack would bring on. Karen, of course, completely freaked out, and even more so as she couldn't get a vet appointment for him until today, and not even with our regular vet - they're not doing appointments at all right now. He was bad enough last night Karen thought he might die on the spot, but he was still alive this morning, so off to the vet we went, hoping it wasn't going to be a one-way trip. (I drove, because there was no way I was letting her drive while she's crying and also needing to cuddle the cat.) Due to COVID19, they won't let any humans in - they came to collect Angel and took him in, and we had to wait in the car. Eventually they returned to say that the side-view Xray showed a lot of fluid in his chest, and almost no room for actual air in his lungs. Whether he had congestive heart failure, pneumonia or some other issue was hard to discern because they really wanted a supine xray, where they would get a clear view of *both* lungs, but he wouldn't let them do it and they didn't want to stress him further. Karen agreed to leave him behind for a few hours, so they could let him calm down a little and do both the xray and some bloodwork, and get those results back.
Finally, in late afternoon we were allowed to collect him. They can tell he has a massive chest infection but not of what because to aspirate or otherwise test some of the fluid out of his lungs would possibly push him past the breaking point, health-wise. They cautioned he was still very sick, but they gave him injected antibiotics, and want him back both Thurs and Fri for another shot (one per day) of said meds. Hopefully he can stabilize enough to test the fluid, but we'll see. And otherwise, we're just supposed to keep him fairly quiet and let him rest.
I should explain that this is the household favorite cat. He is very laid back and he purrs for EVERYONE. If you even LOOK at him he purrs. He'll purr for the VET. (He and Jade hate each other, though - they both want to be top banana. Still - Jade will defend him if another cat tries to pick on him. Nobody beats on my sibling but me, and all that.)
Will and Rob were both sniffling and Karen of course was very weepy at the thought that he might be done for, and they're all crossing all their fingers that he pulls through. The kids and I will be sad if he goes, of course, because he's generally a lovely cat, but we're not quite as emotionally attached. So, anyway - that's been a stressful issue the last few days, and more so for today. All we can do now is wait.
The other bad thing today is we got word that MiniPlu's prom (scheduled for 6 June) has officially been cancelled. We knew there was a good chance, but having it officially decided is heartbreaking. The administrators are trying to assure the seniors they're doing everything they can to make sure they'll be celebrated in SOME way, but having a "virtual" awards night and a car-parade to celebrate Senior Decision Day (when kids celebrate where they're going to college/uni - parents decorate their cars, kids wear their college tshirts, etc) - it's just not the same. And we still don't know what graduation will look like. MiniPlu says she still wants her cap and gown even if graduation is cancelled but it's hard not to feel resentful for being asked to shell out money for an outfit she'll never get to wear. :P. (I'm still hoping we can find an alternative fun activity for her friends over the summer, where they can wear their prom dresses and have a backyard hangout or something.)
So, yeah, it's been a couple of up-and-down days.
This quarantine meme covers some topics I've already addressed but, eh, what the heck. It's a meme. Gacked from hamsterwoman:
1. So, how are things with your job? Do you still have a job?
Nope, I don’t have a job. It’s not like I’ve been furloughed, but there’s absolutely no need for a substitute teacher or a library volunteer when everyone is working from home. I miss it. I have started looking into possible online Master of Library Science programs, though.
2. What's it like in your neighborhood? Are people wearing masks in your area?
Masks are now required for going into stores or other public buildings. We don’t really need them for going for a walk, though - it’s a quiet, contained neighborhood (no through-traffic) with wide streets so if you see someone coming on the sidewalk, you can just cross the street to give yourself enough space. I do sometimes feel like it’s one giant game of chicken and that I’m always the one crossing the street but, eh, it’s not worth arguing about.
3. How are your parents dealing with all this? How long did it take for them to start taking this seriously?
My mother takes it very seriously. She hasn’t left the house except to go for short walks since mid-March. Other people are doing her shopping for her. She was making masks long before it was announced they might be helpful after all. At this point she’s made more than 100 masks for friends, family, church members, and the local medical community (to wear over their recycled N95s).
My father, of course, has no idea there’s a pandemic going on (he’ll watch the news and then forget it the moment the TV is off again), but he lives alone in a quiet area and doesn’t drive anymore, so his life has changed not one whit. I’m sure his groceries aren’t getting wiped down but I’m also not stressing it. His time will come when it comes, whenever that is.
4. Besides job/economy/virus, tell me something you're worried about.
I’m worried about the food supply chain. I’m worried about the emotional fallout if MiniPlu doesn’t get prom or graduation or (even worse) doesn’t get to go to college this fall because it will still be online learning then. Or does that all fall under “job/economy/virus”? Uh ... I’m worried about Two’s future - I always am. He doesn’t understand how much he needs to care about his efforts.
5. Tell me about something you're really enjoying right now.
Any opportunity to be by myself for a little bit. Running outside with the dog (as long as the dog isn’t pulling like crazy). All the spring flowers.
6. Tell me about something that changed for the better. Or something you changed that wasn't actually a forced change.
Well, it was a forced change, but I’m loving the virtual Paint Nites, which are cheaper and vastly more plentiful and accessible to me than local, in-person Paint Nites. I love that Keukenhof is doing virtual tours so I get to see it when I normally wouldn’t have.
I did a Paint Nite (Paint Afternoon) today, but will save those pics for a separate post, as this has already gotten too long. :P