Mixed Bag

Daughter’s extended home visit through this morning was good Wednesday-Saturday. Sunday things got tense. Monday morning...not good at all. It seems silly, but I have to get her Tuesday night so she can spend my birthday with us Wednesday. Then possibly back to her house Thursday, then back here Friday. It’s a lot of back and forth. If everyone could get along it could just be another extended home visit. If it goes south, she can’t stay the entire time. Besides, she should be going to day program and doing her chores at her house.

So the festivities start Wednesday with lunch. A short road trip on Route 66 to The Launching Pad in Wilmington, IL, home of the Gemini Giant. We’ve never been there, looks like fun. 

Friday my daughter will be at our village’s Proud American Days. Every year on the Friday of the event they close down for disabled/special needs people that are in area day programs. I think even the carnival rides are free. We can pick her up from there like we did last year, so not so much driving. Friday we will also have lunch or dinner at a sushi place we all enjoy. That’s as far as I know about the birthday festivities, other than going for my birthday freebies...Starbucks, Culver’s...I’ve got a list of at least a dozen birthday freebies. I won’t use them all, I never do. 

I also got the bubble wands for the family...and...I got a butterfly kite at Jewel! It was half price. I didn’t need another trip to Walmart. Yay!!!

I’ve recently participated in a couple of Blog Memes, which I enjoyed very much in the past. “Sunday Stealing” is my favorite. I’ve been looking for others to fill out the week, but an awful lot of them are dead links or people haven’t blogged in years. I’m probably bringing back “Turn Back Time Thursdays”.

Insomnia is kickin’ my butt. Sunday I didn’t fall asleep until past 5am. I did avoid day napping, so hopefully I can get back on track.

Still can’t find a buyer for the Odyssey, as is, needing the transmission rebuilt. Don’t have the $800+towing to have the work done by our mechanic. With the transmission repaired I’d be able to sell it for double my original asking price. That would definitely get me out of a sticky situation. 

Lola’s Diner cc.  2008-2019

It’s hotter than...

It’s forking hot. 🥵 Not a fan of this weather. I need a place to be on Friday that has air conditioning. My first thought was the library, but there is a concert event at the Commons and that means the library is closed. Walmart in Lockport was not much better than outside on Thursday. It was downright muggy inside.

The shopping cart rear ending incident is still wreaking  havoc on my lower back. Not a very happy camper. It’s really hard to try to not get sooo irritable. I’m trying super hard to model appropriate reactions to all the fights, arguments, and refusals that have made recent home visits highly tension filled. Been taking  the meds, no improvement on the headaches. 🤕 It’s a very small dose, so not likely to see an improvement any time soon.

My daughter had a podiatrist appointment Thursday so she stayed with us Wednesday night. We have the same doctor. Really nice guy. He’s taken care of all of her toe infections. Anyway, we’ve skipped stay overs since the 4th debacle. Tensions are high. After the appointment we all had a nice lunch out. It was part of my daughter’s birthday birthday birthday celebration for me for the rest of the month. If I had a $1 for every time she had mentioned my birthday, or “you know Mom” in the last week I would have no money worries. The “you know Mom” is her code for talking about whatever I’ve told her to drop for awhile. Right now it’s my birthday planning. It’s very sweet, but also kind of...maddening. 

After lunch we went next door to Dollar Tree. I try to like this place, but the locations near me never have the cool stuff. I’m looking for crafting stuff. Specifically vinyl rolls for my Cricut machine. In the past it was tapestry placemats for a holiday project. Anyway, some bubble wands caught my eye. We each picked a color and will be celebrating my birthday with lots of bubbles! And at least 1 kite that I still need to pick up. Shoot! That means another Walmart trip. Ugh! I feel like doing some childhood stuff this year. My spouse wanted water guns, but wow are they expensive! Not in my budget, or my daughter’s. 

After lunch dropped my spouse back home and headed to CVS and Meijer. Thank goodness we did Meijer today! They rearranged the ENTIRE grocery section. I am not exaggerating when I say we were there for 3 hours! I didn’t even buy much. No. Seriously! 

I thought I solved the ‘why am I getting my face badly sunburned every time I get in my Buick’. I went on an owner’s group for the Enclave and asked. I thought I was losing it. Someone else has to be experiencing this. Yup. I got several replies. The first was that the Enclave doesn’t have the blue band at the top of the windshield like my Pilot does. Kind of like sunglasses for your windshield. I learned all windshields have UV protection in the glass, but it’s apparently not that good for this model or model year. I don’t like using sunscreen on my face, mostly because it causes skin issues, but also because I never remember. Since I don’t carry a bag (I rarely do), I can’t carry it to reapply it and I don’t want it boiling in the glovebox. I wanted a lower maintenance solution. Someone replied that they cut a sheet of white paper and slid it between the sunroof and the fabric sunshade. I did one better. I got an extra gray pillowcase and had my spouse slide it between the glass and shade. It works quite well, but not when the sun is beating down through the driver’s side window. Back to applying sunscreen on my face.

It is just to miserably hot. We need to stake our tomato plants and whatever else needs it, but it’s been too hot during the day, or too buggy at night.

Brother in law came over the other night bearing scrapping gifts. A looks like brand new fire pit with mosaic tile around the top and a double cover. And a like new basketball set, which is now on the patio next to the brand new one I bought 3 years ago that he started to assemble but never finished. Seriously? My son wants to shoot hoops for exercise. This needs to get done. 

Ok, last thing for this post. Pet peeve. Are you a member of the grammar police? I’m a card carrying member. I really try to make anything I write be grammatically correct and spellchecked. I don’t always succeed. I don’t have an editor. I read a lot of articles online. I pick and choose my news. It’s aggravating to me to see so many grammatical errors, spelling errors, and use of the wrong word in a sentence. Articles are often repetitive, having the main idea repeated several times throughout the articles. Do the writers think their audience has no attention span and can’t remember the topic after 2 paragraphs? I’m guessing the writers are well educated and paid well. Has all the media eliminated editors?

Lola’s Diner cc. 2008-2019

Tuesday 4 Dream Time - Have You Ever...

Here is this week's Tuesday 4 Meme of four questions. Please copy and paste the questions to your blog and use the Mister Linky Form for me to visit your blog. As always there will only be 4 questions to answer. I post them each Monday mornings at 5:00 AM EST for you. 

Only necessary rule is to link back to this site, thanks. 😊

To participate click here 

            ⬇️

Tuesday 4 Meme

Dream Time ~ Have You Ever...
1.   Danced At A Ball?
No. I have never danced at a ball. 

2.   Flown A Kite?

Yes. When I was a kid, and when my kids were grade school age. I keep seeing awesome kite displays in the stores. I may just pick one up for my birthday next week. For my 50th Birthday Party we ran through a sprinkler in my yard. Next week is 58, not a milestone birthday, but I want to do something from my childhood. Flying a kite sounds good and my 20 something kids will get a kick out of it.

3.   Strolled Hand In Hand Along The Seashore?

Nope. I think I’ve been to the seashore twice in FL, when I was a teen and then when I was a 20 something.

4.   Sat On A Park Bench People Watching?

Yes! I love, love, love people watching. When I worked by the Riverwalk I ate my brown bag lunch on a bench just off the path. I watched the ducks, bicyclists, walkers, runners, and the occasional rare siting of a kayak going down the river. I think I need to find a good people watching spot this week. I definitely need some chill and some laughs. It will likely be very brief because my back is still having sciatica issues from the grocery incident on Saturday. Maybe I could just go to Walmart and people watch from one of their benches inside. Free a/c and 50 cent Deja Blue from the vending machine.

Lola’s Diner cc. 2008-2019

Sunday Stealing

Sad sleepy survey rambles

Hi! I'm your host Bev Sykes of the blog "Funny the World". . Welcome to Sunday Stealing. This feature originated and published on WTIT: The Blog. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. (Past hosts include: Our first - Judd Corizan, Mr. L, Kwizgiver and

Bud)  Cheers to all of us thieves!

Questions from Sad Sleepy Survey Rambles

Have you ever been teased because of the things you like? Yes. When I was young I liked Donny Osmond. Apparently Donny wasn’t cool.

Do you hold grudges? Not in a very, very, very long time. It’s just such heavy negativity and not productive. I have way too many more important things to concern myself with.

Were there any classes you enjoyed because of the teacher? Social Studies. Not because the teacher was interesting, or good. The exact opposite. He was dull and boring and didn’t really pay attention to the shenanigans of a certain couple of class clowns. That would be Lola and Carl. We sat in the back and cut up the entire period. Eventually the teacher busted Carl. It was hilarious, just Carl! I was cutting it up as much, if not more than Carl. 

Was there a dress code at your school? No.

Have you ever been a bad friend? No. 

Has a friend ever replaced you with somebody else? All the time.

Have you ever disliked something just because it was popular? Yes. The first Star Wars movie. I just knew I wouldn’t like it because it was popular, and I was right.

Have you ever watched a movie just because it starred an actor you liked? Often.

Are there actors/musicians you have met? Yes. A lesbian folk artist. She makes a point to greet members of the audience after the show, sign autographs, and give out hugs. For awhile she toured very frequently in Chicago and I went to every show and bookstore performance.

Do you ever judge people based on the music they listen to? Not so much anymore. I think the music of the 70’s-90’s was so different it was easier to form stereotypes.

What about your top five music albums? Queen-can’t remember which album, I copied it onto an 

8-track tape and sketched the album cover; Fleetwood Mac Rumours; Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon; Head East Live; Billie Holiday The Best of Billie Holiday.

Do you remember the first album you ever owned? Fleetwood Mac Rumours record album. Elton John Rock of the Westies cassette.

Do you still use an mp3 player, or just your phone? Phone.

Do you like Elton John? Yes, always. My first cassette was Elton John’s Rock of the Westies.

Have any celebrity deaths hit you hard? Which one(s)? Robin Williams. Phil Hartman. He was so funny and his career seemed so promising. 

Lola’s Diner cc. 2008-2019

Is it possible to not complain about anything for a day?

In these 2 cases I feel justified. 

Let’s start with the most recent. My daughter texts me to tell me she fell through the porch at her group home. Text. Fell. Through. Porch. Text! Seriously, text! I made her call me ASAP. Her voice was quiet (which it NEVER is.) And she sounded shaken. I ended up driving over there at 9pm and I dragged my spouse along. Wow! Someone was cranky! Anyway, spouse took a bunch of photos and I took several videos of the damaged area. My daughter AND 2 housemates have fallen through this area of the porch, today. No medical attention was offered to my daughter or her housemates. They were not even offered ice! Not even sure if they have fallen more than today. Anyway, the board is cracked in several places and is no longer nailed or screwed to the joists below. If you step on it (which is necessary because of its location and the location of the door that opens onto the porch) the board flips up and foot goes down below the porch. If another person were standing on the step the board would smack them in the face.

We arrived at 9:30pm. My daughter had told me that staff made a report, however, since it was serious enough to make a report (which it is) one would think that area would be blocked off, covered with a scrap of wood, or in some way marked to warn people. Nope. Nada. Nothing. We will be monitoring this. What fun! I just spent an entire week trying to get them to give my daughter 2 prescriptions, prescribed the week before. So tired of these games. I really feel for the other clients who do not have family advocating and insuring their loved one receives their medications as prescribed.

I really didn’t want to remove the ice from my back and get out of bed to check out the above incident, but I had to. I was rear ended. At Meijer. In the checkout lane. By a lady who lunches. Of course. She was obviously in a hurry to get back to whatever was more important. There were 4 feet of clearance to my right to allow people to get by the checkout lanes. The woman straight up rammed the back of the electric cart I was seated in. HARD. Either she is blind as fork, or she was on her cell phone not paying attention. She rammed me, I yelled “what do you think you’re doing?” She comes around on the right, where she should have gone in the first place, slaps me on the shoulder twice and says “oh I’m so sorry” and then takes off to cut in line 3 lanes over. Yes! Cut in line. Needless to say the people she tried to cut didn’t allow it because they saw what happened because I called attention to it, and because you don’t cut the line at checkout!

I came home, shooting pain, sciatica, and my balance is more off than usual. Started ice packs as soon as I got home. Why do people have to be so careless and incredibly rude? I was waiting in the checkout lane just like everyone else, except for this woman who obviously felt she was more important and entitled than all the rest of us waiting. Did she think if she took me out she could take my place in line?

I need to re-think what time of day to shop. I went then because my daughter wanted to shop. We had free lunch at the car dealer. BBQ. Then went to Meijer. This is the 2nd time I’ve been rammed into at a grocery store. I’m tired of being assaulted at the grocery store. 

Lola’s Diner cc. 2008-2019

This and that

Went to the doctor yesterday. A1C same as last visit. Doctor was happy and he encouraged me. He knows what’s going on. We talked about my headaches and memory issues. He told me to bring them up with my neurologist next month. He thinks my headaches are tension headaches. Imagine that! He doesn’t think diabetes is causing them. I always make sure I’m hydrated and never leave the house without taking water to go. I even pack a cooler if we’re running errands. Sparkling water and ice packs, protein bars, and a pouch of frosting just in case. He prescribed something that might offer some relief until I talk to the neurologist. I have to titrate it up so it builds in my system, so it could be weeks before I notice an improvement, but at least it’s something.

Going for coffee with my daughter tomorrow. Going to discuss my theory about her behavior. Gonna make her “straighten up and fly right”, as my Dad used to say. I had no idea what that meant when I was a kid, cuz I was the “good kid”. Really! 

I NEED some new shows to binge watch or new movies. I am running out of stuff that appeals to me. You would think with Netflix, Hulu, and Prime that wouldn’t be an issue. I don’t care for horror movies or series. Don’t care for “period” pieces. And can’t read subtitles, so Mafia Dolls and at least 6 other series I tried to start are foreign films, series. 

And...my birthday is coming up. How do I know this? Cuz my daughter brings it up at least twice every day! It’s not that it bothers me because of my age, it’s because I am always expected to come up with what to do and what I want for my birthday. Can’t I just once not be the event planner and gift suggester? I don’t really mean “event”, it’s just my immediate family. It would be more accurate to say “what to do”. I don’t have a clue, but even though we’ve done it before, running through the sprinkler sounds like fun. Ok, not running, more like strolling slowly with my cane.

I think Drummer Boy’s house is off the market. It wasn’t in the For Sales in the Zillow report I just read. I don’t know if that means it’s off the market or if a contract is pending. In other neighborhood news, the new neighbor, the one who’s son drives a whooptie car (they bought Mr. Friendly’s house from the frat boys who rehabbed it) waved to my spouse on Sunday. I wave nearly every time I see them. Crickets. Whateves! Maybe an unfriendly neighbor or more accurately, one who doesn’t acknowledge anyone’s existence, is a good neighbor? Not going to be threatened with a Donnybrook on the front lawn if you don’t acknowledge each other’s existence. Right? What’s to not like or disagree with the other? Nothing, because there is no communication.

Is crime going crazy where you are? For the last 6 months our area has been hit hard with car break ins, car theft, home burglary, home invasion, and smash and grab at local businesses. 10 businesses over 2 days were hit, cinderblock through the front door. 

Lola’s Diner cc  2008-2019

Funk...not funky

I’ve been in a funk since July 4th and it’s just been downhill since then. Still in my jammies, still in bed.

My daughter had to work the 4th, probably a good thing considering how things went every day until Sunday when she had to work again.

My daughter’s behavior is less than stellar. I think all this bad behavior comes from issues at her group home that are out of her control...bad, threatening behavior of a housemate, losing another counselor (no continuity of care), and threats from staff about daily room inspections. They have also threatened room inspections when my daughter isn’t home which is invasion of privacy. I get it. She feels like everything around her is out of her control, so she does what she can control...the bad behaviors on a home visit and the attention she gets even though it’s negative attention. 

My headaches have headaches. I am incredibly stressed out. Right now, even though my daughter went back to her group home and my spouse went to lunch with a friend, I am in tears.

It’s also bothering me that my sister won’t listen to reason. She’s now type 2 diabetic and her blood sugar is out of  control. She thinks just because she works 2 jobs she only has time for drive thru food. Atkins has frozen dinners, they are low carb. No time to pop one in the microwave oven? Her 2nd job is at a grocery store, she seriously can’t pick out Atkins frozen dinners? She had a doctor appointment Friday and never let me know how it went. She was expecting a medication change. I had to contact her. She has no insurance and will not spend money on prescriptions. She said the stuff I am on is too expensive. Most of what I take have manufacturer deals that bring the cost to as low as $5. So because she wants only cheap meds her doctor prescribed a medication that she should not take because she is allergic to sulfa. So her doctor has her on the lowest dose and she has to take part of the pill, continue to increase if no she has no allergic reaction. I just don’t get it. Why would you risk it?

Moving on, I’m still out of sorts because a trip to WI for the State Fair is not happening. Even if the road construction weren’t a huge issue, how will we all get along? On the one hand I think it could be a good thing, get everyone out of the environment where there is fighting. On the other...it’s a toss up. Not bring my daughter to WI? I would never hear the end of it from both kids. Maybe a trip would be a good thing, but if not the WI State Fair, then what?

Any suggestions for something like WI State Fair, but closer that would have close handicap parking, mostly blacktop even terrain, and scooters for rental? I checked, WI State Fair has all that. Will County Fair grounds in Peotone, and the fair in Sandwich are mostly uneven gravel and too dangerous for my spouse. A friend had Joan Jett tickets she was giving away free because of her upcoming surgery and recovery and my spouse declined because the terrain where the concert is at is hilly and uneven. She is fearful because her new knees are out of whack she could have a bad fall. 

I guess I better get dressed, show my face, and go pick up stuff that’s ready at the pharmacy. Oh what fun!

Lola’s Diner cc 2008-2019