Day 224 of Sheltering In

Third times the charm, right? Twice I’ve navigated away from this app, when I returned, I lost everything I had typed. Grrr.

Friday. Looks like my wife’s friend has a buyer for an item we’ve had for sale and no longer need. Scratch that. Sale delayed, which probably means no sale. I jinxed it. My fault. Going to have to find other means to pay for tires and a battery for the Buick. I thought I had replaced the battery when the Pilot’s failed and Pep Boy’s sent a tow truck at no charge to pick it up and replace it at no charge. (Pep Boy’s battery warranty isn’t prorated. No matter how long you’ve had the battery during the warranty period, they replace it for free.) I had to replace the battery on the Odyssey before we sold it because it failed right before we sold it. Since the Buick is a 2016 built in 2015, the battery could fail at any time. (I had an oil change 2 weeks ago and had my mechanic check out the Buick top to bottom and he discovered that.) Since we are down to 1 car (the Pilot has power steering issues again and is waiting to get into the shop) I want to be proactive and as soon as possible replace the battery and tires before they fail. 

My wife has the holiday bug and is playing Suzie Homemaker today. She’s shopping by herself to pick up items for her Mom’s cheesecake recipe. (She NEVER grocery shops by herself!) Today she’s  making one for her brother to bring to work. I’m staying OUT of the kitchen! She rarely bakes and when she does, she’s like a whirling dervish and we need to stay out of the way.

My daughter is on pest control. That means she is pestering me, trying to convince (control) me to doing a home visit now. I’ve told her the holidays, period. Yet she brings it up constantly. I get it. 224 days is a long time, however, her room is not yet ready. She’s also on me about her check request from the group home agency. She requested a check over a month ago. There are things she needs, like an eye exam and new glasses. The agency isn’t scheduling eye exams during the pandemic. I had an optometrist exam in July. Very safe, all CDC protocols adhered to.

Time to make the Halloween treat bags for my daughter’s group home. Laterz!

Lola’s Diner cc.  2008-2020

Days 220-223 of Sheltering In

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Monday I’m at the grocery store with my wife (she never goes, but I told her it would be like a date...the closest thing we’ve had to a date in awhile), my phone rings. It’s the new Director at the group home agency, calling to tell me he’s stepping down and taking a different position. Why the need to call all the parents? No one called last week when they announced his promotion to Director. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Since I had him on the phone...I ran through a bunch of questions. First, the Halloween parties. He told me they were canceled. (They were NOT, my daughter’s boyfriend won for best costume.) I asked about the apartments, do they have an anticipated opening date? No. Since he was moving out of the Director position, after being Asst Director, I asked if the incoming Director and Asst Director were aware that my daughter was promised one of the new apartments. The reply was yes. Looks like we may be moving her in January with the way it’s been delayed by the building dept and Covid-19. 

Tuesday, Wednesday. Wednesday my brother-in-law came over. He said last week he was done mowing for the year, yet he mowed the front lawn. I spent hours researching tire prices for the Buick. Wowser! Prices have gone up since 2018 for tires. No decision made, just researching online.

Thursday my brother-in-law was over again. This time to supervise my son on a project. He didn’t do, so I had to do it and made too many trips on the stairs which aggravated my sciatica. Fabulous! Then he took me to Lowe’s so I could buy a board and have it cut for the twin bed for when my daughter visits. I had my wife measure the wood on my son’s bed. (Not doing that again. How could she come up with L 63”, when a twin mattress is L 75”?) When I had the wood cut I had them cut another piece to extend the wood to 75”. I guess if 75” is correct, I’ll have to get creative with Duck Tape and maybe some hardware to attach the 2 pieces. When I went to checkout the wood scanned the wrong price. I took a photo of the price because this had happened to me before there. I had to throw a fit at the checkout and my brother-in-law kept telling the cashier to get a manager. Manager flew by, told her to adjust the price, and off he went. It shouldn’t take 2 hours in Lowe’s to get a sheet of plywood, get it cut and checkout, but it did. The wood has joined the washer and dryer in the garage because my son is nowhere near done with his project. Sunday my brother-in-law was supposed to come over with a friend to remove the old appliances. Now that’s not happening because “someone” didn’t do the prep that needs to be done first. (Don’t ask.) I’m not a happy camper. I’m going to have to go to the laundromat next week. We have been doing laundry at my father-in-law’s every Saturday. His wife’s washer and dryer are not the same capacity (not even close), so it takes forever to dry the clothes. I have winter bedding to wash, so that can’t be done there. One blanket would have to be washed separately and would take half the day to dry. So...trip to the laundromat next week. It’s going to have to be Monday. Tuesday I see the orthopedic doctor and find out if she’ll authorize more PT for my R shoulder and R knee. I bet they cancel. They’ve been canceling quite a few of my appointments. Hopefully I’m wrong.

Lola’s Diner cc.  2008-2020

Day 216-219 of Sheltering In

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Found out there are supposed to be 2 Halloween parties at the day program. Talent show and party. (Ugh!) Two houses combine Thursday, and two others on Friday. I also found out that there are only a couple day programs doing partial weeks, yet the Friday updates for the program leads you to believe that there are no day programs holding sessions. The Halloween parties...

”someone” reported them to the state. How can they have parties mixing houses when the Governor is dialing back to Phase 3 because of very high rate of COVID-19 infections? 

Thursday we decided last minute to bring dinner to my younger sister-in-law and my ex-friend. It was my ex-friend’s birthday and she’s been having a hard time accepting her younger brother’s opioid overdose death. She was very close to him. My younger sister-in-law has been complaining that she needs to get over it already. Seriously? Everyone grieves at their own speed. It’s like a freakin soap opera! We had a nice evening, even though we dared to talk politics for awhile.

Saturday we went to Indiana to pick up the washer and dryer. They are Maytag. The dryer is gas. Yay! After much heated discussion they were brought back to my house to be stored temporarily in the garage. For some reason my wife made arrangements with her Dad to store them in his garage. Why? His wife is a Nutjob and she has a couple relatives who are over all the time stealing things. Not that they’d steal them, but they could damage them. After waiting so long for them I don’t want to take a chance. Besides, I have plenty of room in the garage. Before we left, I directed my son to rearrange the snow blower, 2 walk behind lawnmowers, and my brother-in-law’s walk behind mower that he suddenly wants to store in my garage. No doubt because he doesn’t trust those people either. There was plenty of room. 

Why did they go in the garage? Because the broken appliances haven’t been removed yet. Supposedly they will be removed November 1st, which is a Sunday, so we’ll have to keep my father-in-law’s truck until Monday, the 2nd, so they can be taken to the scrapyard. In the meantime we need to either repair the bar sink sump pump we use for the washer, or buy a new one. I need to research that.

Last night was ridiculous! My sister-in-law was texting my wife for hours, ranting and raving about the Governor’s order. She was planning a MLM/Craft/

Book event at the restaurant my wife used to work at. She was angry because the order prevented the event from happening and she can’t afford to lose the approximately $300 she thinks she’d earn. Maybe if she’d get a job, instead of living in this dream world of book sales (very little), and sales from the several MLM’s she really doesn’t even work (outside of this planned event). She has not sold many books, as evidenced by the tiny number of reviews, and the bookseller constantly lowering the price. When she wasn’t complaining about the Governor’s order, she was calling the whole pandemic a hoax and how the order to wear a mask at stores infringes on her freedoms. 🤦🏻 She believes “her” God will protect her. How lucky is she? She orders her groceries and has them delivered. (Yes, on her budget.) Could it be that she’s actually afraid of COVID-19? I dunno. All I know is she had no right to get my wife all upset by texting her for hours.

Lola’s Diner cc.  2008-2020

Sunday Stealing-Halloween

Halloween 

1. What is your favorite spooky song? I don’t think I know any scary songs.

2. What do you want etched on your tombstone? I don't think it’s up to me. I mean, not like I could object to what my wife does. Right?

3. Who is your favorite horror movie villain? I would have to say...Freddy Krueger from the “Nightmare on Elm Street” movies. When they came out I was in my early 20’s. I liked that sort of movie then. I don’t care for horror movies now.

4. Have you ever seen a ghost? Not “seen”. Every once in awhile when I’m in bed I’ll feel like a cat is rubbing against my feet. This happens when the bedroom door is closed and all 3 of our cats are downstairs. I’ve taken it to mean it’s my 2nd cat, Sophie. She would rub against my feet and sometimes bite my toes.

5. Do you prefer gore, thrillers or supernatural movies? I don’t care for any of them, but if I had to pick, I’d pick supernatural.

6. What is your favorite scary book? I’d probably say a Stephen King book.

7. Have you ever had a tarot card reading? Was it accurate? Yes/Nooo! My wife (fiancé at the time) and I had readings at a fair. They were total and complete bs. I can’t remember my wife’s, other than I had to try really hard to not laugh. Mine, the woman said I might finally be having a man come into my life in that coming year and he might marry me. WRONG! I really wanted to just say it, that she just read my fiancé’s card, that everything she said was bs, but we didn’t feel comfortable outing ourselves at that fair. If she was at all observant she would have seen our identical engagement rings. Anyone know any friends with identical engagement rings? Not a good reader at all.

8. Are you superstitious?  Sometimes. At times I deliberately would do things that people are superstitious of. Like...my first cat was a black cat. She crossed my path all the time. Lol! I did a lot of remodeling and redecorating at my old house, so it was common for me to have a ladder out. I’d walk under it every now and then just for snicks and grins.

9. Have you ever used a voodoo doll? No.

10. Have you ever participated in a seance? No. 

11. Have you ever heard voices when no one was around except you? No. This is really bizarre and creepy. Both my adult children have experienced this, as well as an ex. Most of the time the voices are very scary. Sometimes they can be familiar. When my ex was first hospitalized with a break he said he saw and heard his big brother, and a couple of dead relatives. I was driving one of my kids to be hospitalized to adjust medications. They (one of my kids, I don’t want to specify which kid) told me they saw their grandma and grandma was talking to them. I asked where they saw her. They pointed to the passenger side of the windshield. Freaked me the fork out!

12. What is your favorite Halloween candy? Heath Bars. Those weren’t a very common Halloween Candy when I was a kid. So I’d say...Almond Joy when I was a kid. My sister hated coconut, so I had my candy doubled!

13. What was your most memorable Halloween costume? I don’t know if I should say. 

Most people would probably think it was crude, uncouth, and gross...unless you’re a lesbian or a guy. So if you don’t want to be grossed out, skip to #14.

>

>

>

>

>

>

I wore scrubs and created a box that I cut a hole in for my head, lined the inside with aluminum foil, cut a breast rack out of cardboard and attached it at the open end of the box. Then I made a sign “Free Mammograms”. The box went over my head. If you’ve read this far and can’t picture this in your mind (yeah right!), Google “Free Mammograms” Images and you’ll see examples of what it looked like. I had my photo taken, but have no idea where it is.

Rude, crude, uncouth, gross. But I won 2nd place at an all lesbian Halloween party! I won a Starbucks gift card. I was also suddenly the life of the party because everyone had to check out my costume...close up. I had 1 girl following me around all night, sitting on my lap asking for her free mammogram. For the record I gave no free mammograms and spent the entire evening trying to dodge her. My friend who held the party kept bursting into laughter every time she looked at me. She thought it was hilarious! Several times I got her attention and mouthed the words “help me!” She wouldn’t help me!!! We still laugh about that night.

14. Do you like going through haunted houses (not real ones)? I’ve been to 2. The first one I didn’t like...it was scary! It was at the Wisconsin Dells. The 2nd one was...weird. I went with this girl I was seeing to Michigan to meet up with others in our group to go to a haunted house there. She broke up with me on the drive there, but then was terrified in parts of the haunted house and held me close, in almost a death grip. We ended up being ‘not broke up’...for awhile. She would do that periodically. Break up at the beginning of the date, then ‘not broke up’ by the end of the night. Side note:  We eventually did break up for good and we don’t speak because her girlfriend wanted to kill me. She threatened me 3 times. All 3 she was preparing food with a knife and mouthed words to the effect of ‘I know how to use a knife. If you touch her or look at her I will kill you.’ We obviously couldn’t remain friends. This is where they got all the friends in the group and I got 1.

15. If someone dared you to spend the night in a haunted house (a real one) would you do it? I may have already done it. We had a 4-H sleepover at creepy cabins by the lake when I was in junior high school. I don’t know if I was more scared of it actually being haunted, or more scared of the girls who were playing scary pranks...or...were they really pranks? 

Lola’s Diner cc.  2008-2020

Days 202-215 of Sheltering In

Thursday, October 8 through Wednesday, October 21. Been a long time. No one is doing well. I’m betting that’s true for a lot of people. My daughter has been having symptoms. Not horrible, scary symptoms, but they are symptoms that she’s not doing well. The nutjob housemate got a job at Wally World. So that’s good, less time at the group home, but she is still arguing, fighting, and all around causing trouble.

Missed my orthopedic appointment because I was sick. (Not COVID-19.) Now I can’t get in til mid November.

We are supposed to be getting a FREE washer and dryer from my wife’s best friend’s Mom’s, sister in Indiana. The machines are about a year old and only used by the one person, so they are basically new. They are Whirlpool, which is my go to brand. The washer is not a front loader 😕, but it is the type that has no traditional agitator. We don’t know about the dryer, but I’m 🤞that it’s gas. If not, we will make do. 

The county we live in has rolled back to Phase 3 due to increased coronavirus infections. That means no indoor dining. Several restaurants have already announced on Facebook that they will NOT stop indoor dining. What happens when a patron gets the coronavirus, or becomes a carrier and spreads it? What happens if an employee becomes infected, or a carrier? Is workmen’s comp going to pay the claim? Or will they refuse because the restaurant did not follow the IDPH order?  Or what happens if no one gets it or becomes a carrier and the restaurant has a kitchen fire? Will their insurance refuse to pay the claim because they did not follow the IDPH order? I’m just saying, even if the county or individual cities didn’t pull liquor licenses or business licenses, what about their insurance? There was one business that was interviewed by a local paper. He said he would likely comply. He had kept his outdoor dining tent up, so he’s already set up. They had a small wedding there over the weekend. He also said that his restaurants did ok with the initial takeout only order, then the outdoor dining order. 

Lola’s Diner cc.  2008-2020

Sunday Stealing-Peachristy

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!

 

 

Stolen from Peachristy

1. What kinds of things do you like to write?
Journals, blogs. I wish I could write my own poetry. My son is a very prolific poetry writer, but I’m the only person who has the patience to “decode” his writing. If I spend the time to really look at what he’s written I can edit it, and it’s beautiful. I always ask my son to review my edits to insure I got it right.

2. What is your favorite genre of movie?
Romantic Comedy. 

3. Your favorite song?
I don’t know that I have a favorite, there are so many I like. Bohemian Rhapsody is one of many favorites. It’s my son’s favorite and I get a kick out of getting him to join me in our version of carpool karaoke.

4. During what situation do your eyes shine the brightest?
Probably seeing my kids happy.

5. Summer or Winter?
Winter. I don’t like the heat.

6. What do you do when you are angry?
Stew. And grumble. Like I am right now.

7, Sleep with lights on or off?
Either. I prefer the lights off to keep the electric bill down, but I have difficulty falling asleep. If I manage to fall asleep with the lights on, I just turn them off when I get up for the bathroom.

8. Are you ok with eating alone in a restaurant?
I am. Of course not now during the pandemic. I don’t think I’ll feel comfortable dining inside at a restaurant for quite some time. When I was single, before kids, I dined out by myself all the time. I moved to Chicago not knowing anyone, so it was either dine out or get carry out, and staying in a 1 bedroom apartment all the time wouldn’t be a good thing.

9. Texting or calling?
Depends on who I’m contacting.

10. What’s your favorite thing about yourself?
My sense of humor.

11. How do you act when you’re scared?
Anxious. Heart beating in my ears.

12. When you look at the sky do you first look at the moon, or the stars?
Whichever I notice first. Where I live it’s quite easy to see the stars at night.

13. Do you approach strangers when you are lost?
No. Just because I recall my first job working at a gas station in the late ‘70’s, early ‘80’s. I inadvertently gave wrong directions and it wouldn’t occur to me until the person had driven off. I never purposely did it. I’d rather rely on my Navi in my Buick, or look it up in my phone. 

14. Tea or Coffee?
Coffee. Folger’s 1850. One of the light roasts. Only the 1850, not regular Folger’s. I started drinking coffee at 22 years old when my Mom passed away suddenly. I didn’t sleep for days and I had quite a bit of coffee that week. I just took up drinking coffee regularly after that. My Mom always said ‘coffee is for grownups’, so I figured since my Mom passed away I needed to be a grownup.

15. With sugar? Milk? Lemon? Anything else?
Black, unless I’m away from home and the coffee is too strong, then 1/2 and 1/2.

Lola’s Diner cc   2008-2020

 

Day 201 of Sheltering In

Wednesday. Podiatrist appointment was fairly quick. The doctor had to chit chat for awhile, ask how my daughter is (she also sees him). He caught me off guard when he came in. He reached out to fist bump my hand. Pre-coronavirus visits he always shook hand when he came in to the exam room. I wore Nitrile gloves, so I fist bumped him. I’m kind of paranoid about doctor offices, so I wear the Nitrile gloves just for those visits. Yes, I disposed of them in the trash can just outside the entrance when I left.

We did a little grocery shopping after, then CVS, then home. Such exciting lives we lead!

Big surprise! No moving out appliances tomorrow. My brother-in-law couldn’t get ahold of his buddy to help him. This really chaps my hide that this can’t get done Thursday. He claims the appliances are too heavy to move them alone. If my back and shoulders were well, I’d have had the darn things out of my basement months ago. I keep telling my wife that you let gravity or inertia do the work (is that the right word?). Set a blanket or rug in place on the stairs, then tilt the appliance so it’s lying on the stairs. Then you push. Pushing is much easier than lifting. You can have 2 people pushing from the bottom. This works. I moved twice without any movers. I moved a huge window air conditioner up 3 flights of stairs, by myself using this method, when I lived on the 3rd floor (no elevator) near Wrigley. Can’t tell either one of them how to do this. If those flipping things don’t get out of my basement, I am not calling for a furnace service call. And, I am not using those electric oil filled radiators again. My electric bill for the winter months was over $2,200. It was usually around $190-225/month. That over $2,200 is the total which includes the electric bill for the lights, appliances, etc. I can’t run up a bill like that again. Grrrrrrr! I am so angry right now because these dead appliances can’t be taken out Thursday. So my brother-in-law is coming over to mow the lawn. That means the front lawn, cuz that’s what he always does. I don’t like the way he mows it. The blade has to be lower. With the way he mows it, if it rains after he mows it, it will look like it wasn’t mowed a couple days later.  I talked to my neighbor after he got my generator working, about seeing if the craftsman rider was ok, or if my wife blew the transmission. If it’s ok, I want it put in my Troy Built Pony rider. They are both Briggs & Stratton motors. If it’s not ok then give me the details and I will search the Internet for the best price and see how that compares to the price where he would get it. The Pony is like brand new, but I had the engine seize the last time I used it, when I ran over storm debris that I didn’t see. That was 2007 after the tornado. My neighbor is back to avoiding me. Maybe he just doesn’t like me? I don’t care, I need a rider in working order and I’m not buying another one. We do need a rider, with the front yard, side yard, and backyard it’s quite a bit to mow. My brother-in-law uses a walk behind mower and it takes him over 5 hours to mow the front and side yards. That doesn’t include the backyard. Ok, go ahead, ask me. Why does it take that long? Because he has to keep mowing over the same areas. It’s not like he’s mowing a pattern like a baseball field, he’s just mowing vertical rows.🤷🏻‍♀️

Lola’s Diner cc.  2008-2020