Just need to talk to my friends (200)

Good morning from mom's kitchen window. It's supposed to be a lovely day but I'm chilly at the moment. I'd bump up the heat, but mom's been "running warm" on prednisone and is more comfortable when the house is cooler. I'm in the front of the house a little more than a car length from the sidewalk so the dogwalkers get to admire my ridiculous ensemble— an LLBean Scotch-plaid bathrobe in blue with a tan houndstooth Thinsulate vest. It's a look.

Jerilynn— I love me some Persil but DS and DH have sensitive skin and it's just not practical to wash my stuff separately unless it's something that has special care instructions.

My mom would envy you your trip to Publix. When she lived in FL it was her "happy place". In the weeks leading up to mom's crisis hospitalization for autoimmune hepatitis, whenever I called to check in on them and she didn't answer I'd call dad to ask how she was, and he would often tell me she was at Publix or the pool. He even told the police that when I asked for a well-check when nobody answered for 2 days. He lied, of course, she was too weak to get out of bed. Because the story about Publix/pool tracked, it was about 10 days before I got concerned.

Mint— DH did feel kind of poorly after his TDap but he also got the RSV jab and was fighting off the cold I caught, so it's hard to say. When I got it a while back, I just recall the tender injection site for 2 days.

When I have something that needs soaking for dirt or odors, I often add either borax or washing soda to the detergent. When DS was in scouts and marching band his clothes were disgusting. Teen-boy stink is real. He still gets pretty grimy— a hot summer day riding behind a coal fired locomotive in a white dress short is also a laundry challenge that requires borax/washing soda and a 24-hour soak.

Judith— I am more of a mid-boomer suburban girl. I did live in Philadelphia as a toddler, I attended college in the city and did a semester living in London but I'm back in the small town that became the 'burbs now. I do go into the city pretty often. My bestie is a dyed-in-the-wool city girl. She lived in an inner ring suburb during her first marriage but bounced back within the city limits when she married her second husband who was a judge in municipal court and required to live in the city. She's very "city". Once when I was driving my son somewhere, she called me (on Bluetooth) in a panic because she was driving through Lancaster County to a quilt store and saw some cows lying down. She asked me, in a panic, if that meant they were all going to die. My son laughed so hard Coke came out his nose. Ironically, her new house is near the city's agricultural high school. Every once in a while, livestock will get loose in the neighborhood which she finds exciting.

David— Mom would agree with you on the first shower thing. After 10 days on the telemetry unit with one sponge bath, she enjoyed her first shower immensely.

Lorita— You were wise to call ahead. It's so frustrating when you make a trip to do something and it ends up a waste of your time and gas.

Ron— I'm sorry the recovery is slow. Same here, unfortunately.

Your fear of your pants falling down reminds me of something that happened to DH recently. DS, DH and I went to the county courthouse to renew our passports. We just missed the window to do so online. There were metal detectors and guards at the entrance. One was a trainee. DS went first and was putting his belt back on while the trainer was showing the newbie how to use the wand (my artificial knee set off the scanner). Meanwhile DH had removed his metal and was waiting to walk through when his jeans dropped to his mid-thigh. DS and I lost it. DH has always been very tall and fairly thin, but he's recently lost weight on the advice of his cardiologist. He's probably a 36 or 37" waist, but he needs a 36" inseam at least and those can be hard to find.

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Mom Update.

She seemed a little better. Her O2 on 2 liters is still 88-92 at rest. She's a very dysfunctional breather, so I've been spending more time on the deep breathing work with her. When she's focused on something, sometimes she holds her breath. I've found that putting on mindless TV or comedy useful in distracting her.

I was able to swap out the minivan for a cheaper subcompact: Chevy Spark— pretty barebones but I'm saving mom $40/day. I stopped home for a bit and got more clothes as I think I'll be here at least through Monday evening.

My BFF dropped me off meals for mom. There were 6 servings of no-salt added homemade manicotti, 4 of mushroom spinach cannelloni, and some roast turkey and sweet potatoes. Plus, no-salt cookies. She also brought an assortment of cookies for my family. Alas, the visiting nurse ran late, so I didn't get to visit and thank her properly.

DS came by in the afternoon, at my request, to cut down her perennials and pull out the annuals. He missed the peonies but it saves me having to do all of it with my lousy knee. I was able to send him home with the cookies, so he was pretty happy.

My niece and her bestie came for dinner and pitched in to entertain mom and help with some chores I hadn't gotten to. We got the guest room de-furred so I was able to sleep there last night. I accidently trapped the cat under the bed when I put the Roomba in there and closed the door. She is not a fan. The carpet looks great but the cat glared at me all night. My niece also swapped out the porch decor from spring/summer to fall; I'll dig out her fall garden stakes and Halloween cat tomorrow.

Niece is coming back with her husband to make a late lunch for mom. While they're here, DS is picking me up and we'll have a nice lunch on the river. I can't wait.

HB