Good morning.

Tillie, I hope you and twinkles continue to improve. So angry that there is not medical care for you!

CM, what an awful thing. I too hope the man gets help.

Tatoulia, thank you for donating. I'm glad you are enjoying your bathroom!

Beautiful but cold day here. Frost killed the tomatoes this morning, so I need to go pick them all and make pickles and sauce.

I also need to make the applesauce - my hopes of getting a fourth apple variety were dashed this week)

And so of course I am sitting on the couch surfing the Internet.

The weeks are so hard. I just want to be lazy on the weekends. I can't seem to beat back the inertia.

Lowlights of the week -
fighting with dh - because of corona disagreements, his attempts to take charge of my mental health, and a lack of reserves on both our parts.
Dsil's mother diagnosed with cancer - 60% 5 year survival rate if caught at stage 1. Palliative care recommended at stage2 or later. They'll get stage information after the surgery she has scheduled.
The rabbit thing I did was building a nest box, but the rabbit wasn't pregnant. She's a previously owned rabbit without much history so could be too old or fixed. She's also a little fat.

Highlights -
We have made it through three weeks of school. I do not know of any covid cases in students or staff. I got three new students and only lost one.
I have lost three pounds since school started.
Dd told me that they are going to want me to watch Bean on Mondays sometimes starting in a few weeks if things are still going well.

My state set new case records on wednesday and Thursday, but came in between the two numbers yesterday.

The OCD that I don't officially have is starting to intrude on my life. (Dh actually praised me for not taking a shower immediately after getting home on Thursday.) Tape on my classroom floor might not be the best thing for me. I spend a lot of time making sure the table legs are exactly on the marks.

Also my skin is cracking. I need to get some really good lotion to keep in my school desk.

Having a strange evening...

The end of this week in general was good. Went shopping yesterday and the stores weren't crowded so it was peaceful for a change. Sometimes I'm just so annoyed when shopping especially by folks who are clueless or plain stupid about social distancing.

My roommate had work meetings yesterday and today so I was making a point to go out so I wouldn't be underfoot for her, and I wouldn't be distracted from my own thoughts by all the talking.

This evening I was browsing another website and saw a link to a breaking news story here, totally by some weird serendipity. It involved a local man, retired firefighter, who was arrested for plotting to kill our mayor. The guy was in my third grade class and I knew him through junior high, was Facebook friends with him, and went to hear him sing and play guitar at a wine bar a few years ago.

I had noticed he was getting rather weird a couple years ago or so. He was upset about masks. It's sad. Why masks ever had to get politicized - it's a moral and common sense issue, people. But at least this was discovered before something really bad could happen, and maybe he will get the mental health help he obviously needs.

2020, just stop it already.

Good Evening Everybody

Hi Tatoulia
Happy you are happy with the "new" bathroom.
😀

WTG! keeping up with the house!

Hope you are feeling better and can get a good night's sleep.
Did you have a good dinner that's easy on the tummy?
Take it easy for a few days.
Donating can be and is psychologically trying even when physically everything goes smoothly.
(((HUG)))

Twinkles is a little more active but still laying low & napping a lot.

I spent most of today in bed.
Did go out and water my flowers this afternoon.
Not been sleeping very well due to the discomfort (AKA pain).
Keep waking up through the night and taking short naps through the day.
But I am better than I was before.

Yesterday I did spend some time on the phone begging again for some medical financial help.
Was denied, again.

Today the food bank thrift shop had a huge sale.
Everything was 50% off and they filled a warehouse with items & called it a garage sale.
I stayed home and did not tell Steven about the event either.
Nothing I need and there is too much covid19 around here lately.
Win win 😀

I had today off and went this afternoon to donate platelets. It went significantly better this time! Very glad I did it.

SubC I am thrilled that the styrofoam will be recycled. I'm very glad for that.

Tillie do keep taking care of yourself. I see that twinkles has been having to do the same.

Cm I'm grateful you have a spare tire. That is crucial.

I've been greatly enjoying my new bathroom. I've been keeping up with house chores.

I'm running the dishwasher and in bed. I was suffering from nausea for the platelets. They were able to get a double dose of platelets and some plasma. That's a good feeling.

Good Morning

My Chrysanthemums are gorgeous.
The Ash trees are all golden yellow.
The Apricot tree is 50/50 green and golden apricot colored.
Asters still doing great.

Twinks definitely seems to be improving.
Will try to brush him a little on the cat window perch again.

Scooter is being exceptionally affectionate to me.

Everybody keep doing everything possible to stay safe & healthy.
I am so pleased we all got our flu shots.
(((HUG)))

Good Afternoon Everybody

Hi Subclinical
Sorry about that mandatory school photo.
One more tradition that could have been set to the side for now.

From what I have been seeing, covid19 cases are rising scary fast all over the world.
They are much higher here now and we have had a total of 4 deaths since the beginning, two very recently.

True , the trash and waste of resources are alarming but we have no other options right now.
Open windows and doors is the best way to keep the air clear, virus seriously diluted.
I refuse to buy a box of disposable masks to use. A washable cloth mask is the best way for everybody to go.
Plus now they are being sold at most stores (two masks)for far less than a box of disposable.
Many people have been making them for friends and to sell too.

We can't do anything about the gowns and booties, etc. the hospital staff use.
Disposable "one use" items really are the most sanitary.

WTG! for the daily yoga!
Keep doing whatever you can for YOU (((HUG)))

That's fantastic you now have a place for that nasty bulky Styrofoam.

Hi Tatoulia
Twinks...
Yesterday he spent the entire day on my chest of drawers in my room.
Last night I brought him out and gave him some lovings and canned food.
He is out here with me today but still laying low.
He was on the window sill cat perch today and I was able to run his brush over him a little.

Hi CriticalMass
YEA!!! HAPPY DANCE! you now have a spare tire that you can use!

WTG! for decluttering some catalogs and receipts!

Hope you are getting the bed Kitty. 😀

Still moving very slowly.
Glad I cooked but the gentle exercise has set me back a bit.
But I have enough food and water that I can stay home for at least another week.
Housework is not being done, winterizing is not being done.
No garden clean up, no window washing.
But the cats are fed several times a day and their box is being scooped.
So my priorities are covered. 😉

Good morning.

CM, yay for your tire!

My state set a new record for cases again yesterday.

Wear your masks people!

118 more days of school.

This is insane.

We still have the windows open. The building is pouring heat out. The environmental impact of this thing is also a nightmare. Those few weeks of low traffic and clear skies can't balance the piles of disposable PPE and extra energy use for remote things and ventilation.

My stress level is pretty high. Yesterday I had to take my mask off (outside, far from people, at a location yards away from the spaces we normally use) to have my school picture taken. I was not happy. I do not take my mask off at school. I do not touch my mask at school. I get it in place in the car, and I take it off in the car. I do not eat lunch at school.

And Dh is still planning for us to go see ds over thanksgiving break. In a state with a major outbreak in a county with rates over 10 times what ours are. I have to not think about that or ds or I will lose my mind.

I am doing yoga in the morning every weekday.

A good thing - my county just opened a drop site for styrofoam packaging. Not the thin kind food comes in, but the big pieces that are molded to fit items for shipping. I have a bunch of that to clear out of the studio barn. I will get that on the list.

Quick check in. Tillie how is Twinkles?

Glad we are all immunized for the flu.

I did the thing! The thing that was on my to-do list. Went to the tire place with my spare tire which I've been needing to do for forever. The rim he had sold me last year didn't fit flush enough so that time some months ago when the AAA guy tried to change it he couldn't get it to go on.

Tire guy called but a new rim would be an expensive special order. But he has dealt with this before, and there was an edge around the hole in the center that was the cause of it not fitting. He ground off the edge, painted it, and tried it out and it fit! And he didn't charge me!

It feels so good to tie up another loose end I'd been procrastinating on.

Also helped roommate with her greenhouse winterizing. And in the morning I'd flipped through some catalogs and put them in recycling, and found another little cache of old receipts that could be tossed.

So, a good day. It got up to 86 but tomorrow sometime we are going to be shifting to more fall temps. But not too cold. Hopefully cool enough to get a bed kitty...

Good Morning Everybody

WAY TO GO! Subclinical 😀
Good luck with all your plans for today.

Hi CriticalMass
WTG! for Badger projects!!!
So thankful a solution has been found for Roommate.

Will write more when I can. 🙂

Yay for happy bunnies and hospital solutions!

And yay for everyone getting poked!

Tillie, I am hoping all comes out well for the kitties. It's nice to think of you cozy in bed with a nice little meat pie.

All will be happy to know I got my priorities in order this morning. Before I left for school I fleshed out the lesson plans, started a load of dishes, and made more chocolate sauce.

Now I am home, showered, fed, and have a wash in.

I will do chores and put things in order for tomorrow because Wednesday is always a rush, then wash in the dryer and off to bed.

Well, today has really been a blessing, and an amazing improvement on yesterday!

Maybe you could share your version with us here? I'm interested in how to make something like that ahead, as it might heat up nicely in the convection oven in wintertime. I'm a tweaker of recipes so it doesn't have to be as precise as Martha Stewart for me to figure it out. In fact, I'd probably want to make different types - maybe pizza, BBQ, etc.

Good Morning Everybody

Hi CriticalMass
Hope a good solution comes up for transporting Roommate to & from the hospital.
I understand (((HUG)))
Whenever Steven is at the big hospital in Reno I have to drive all that distance to pick him up and it is traumatic.

YES! get that flu shot!!! 😀

Still not sure if Twinkles is alright. He spent all yesterday sleeping/pouting on a towel in the corner of the bathroom.
Still has not cleaned all the dirt off on his fur.
Have not seen any of the other participants since the fight either.
The yard is full of big chunks/fluffs of fur.

Hi Tatoulia
Hope your hands can now get a break from all the excessive washing.

Steaming should get that curtain seam to relax.
You bathroom sounds lovely, do you like it???

Good luck finding the exactly perfect kitchen mat.

Hi Subclinical
Come on, your house always takes a big hit when school starts back up.
Get the priorities done and you are doing great.
WTG! for yoga and hot cereal!

Can you do the drive up for hay and straw like you did for the feed?
More chocolate sauce sounds like a priority too.

Good luck with whatever you get to today. (((HUG)))

This is wonderful...
I can rest in bed all day AND have good things to eat.
The kitchen is completely clean.
Yes, I am a bit achy but it was worth it.
Will water some garden flowers this afternoon.

Good morning.

Thank you Tatoulia,
But I don't feel like I am doing great, I feel like I am barely getting by.

I try not to focus on the stuff I didn't do, but this weekend I didn't move my roosters, set up my garlic bed, or plant my garlic. The stalls are getting very bad, boy bunny needs grooming, and I have no straw or hay bought for winter yet. The fridge is full of milk and the chocolate sauce jar is nearly empty.

I have bare bones plans for today and none for tomorrow. And I am starting the week with a messy fallen behind house.

I am very happy for you that your painting is done and your shower curtain is up! I am going to need reassuring that the vinyl rug isn't going to be a slipping risk.

CM, November 10 is along time. Some people would say that gives you plenty of time to figure something out, so I hope you do, but I know for me it would be "now this is going to throw me off for nearly a month." I'm sorry for the disruption.

Tillie, I am delighted with the thought of all your little meat pies. Please just leave the bed out for a while. It's not worth the discomfort. And it is fall. A lovely time to curl up in bed in the afternoons. Hopefully you and the kitties are all ok this morning.

Dh and I drove up to the courthouse and voted yesterday. It wasn't too bad.

Trying to end on a positive note - did yoga and cooked hot cereal for breakfast this morning.

CM I am grateful that there is a good amount of time for a solution regarding driving to the surgery. Stay focused on a solution and not the problem. You've been doing a lot lately and I want you to remember to breathe. The badger was here all day, so I apologize for monopolizing the animal.

I have my shower curtain up. One of the seams might be a bit buckled. It's hard to tell. It needs to be steamed so I'll find my steamer this week and steam it out. I took the vinyl rug from my kitchen and put in the bathroom and it looks great. So I'll get a new vinyl rug for the kitchen. I'll have to take a day off to go out to the place that sells them. Nice little boutique that isn't open on sundays. And this coming Saturday I'm going to a friend's house. The same one I always see in the city. We will walk out in the suburbs by her house this time.

Have started to put my hallway back together. But not finished.

I'm a bit broke after this weekend. The paint was expensive. The painter was not. But he was here three days.

Off to bed. Would love to take tomorrow off just to get a day off. Which is crazy talk, of course.

Tillie your meat pies sound absolutely delicious! And I bet your place smells so nice. I'm sorry you had such trouble with the bed and your poor sore body. Also that was an awful lot of cat activity outside.

SubC you are doing great. You amaze me,

Goodnight, all. My poor hands are rough from excessive and obsessive washing.

I'm glad I got my flu shot. We used to get them at work, I sometimes got at work, other times at the pharmacy. I think last year I got the flu shot with my first dose of shingles so naturally that was a big day.

Hope the cats are okay and that breaking up the catfight didn't make your pain worse again.

Roommate got the call from the surgery scheduling today. It's to be November 10th. There is a concern for me because the place is unexpectedly far away, not just across town but in the bedroom community town beyond. I don't know about driving that with my agoraphobia.

It's too complicated to explain further at this time. I'm just hoping perhaps there'll be a workable solution wherein maybe some of her family could help with that part while I mind the homestead and the animals. Well, at least we know the date, and I called a support friend who also deals with agoraphobia. That calmed me enough that I feel like I can let go and sleep on it tonight and be okay with not knowing what's going to happen.

I'll get the flu shot tomorrow. The badger project went by the wayside with all the flurry of her scheduling but I'll get to it asap.

My house smells so good.
Smells like "home".
Home cooking is really the best smell.
Now I have a stash of yummy things to eat.
So tired of having had to resort to quick easy meals that lacked any hominess. 🙂

So far, so good.
Have the meatball stuff all mixed up and shaped into balls.
Bought Bridgford frozen bread dough cause kneading a batch of dough is out of the question right now.
Waiting on the dough to double then I will wrap them up & start baking.

Also, the kitchen is all clean!!!
Kept up with all the dishes and wiping the counter too.
YEA!!! Me ;D

Steven let Twinkles out without me knowing this morning.
Jack was out there and Twinkles hates Jack so I would never have let him out.

Well, Twinkles started a fight with Jack, the neighbor's little black girl kitty came over to join in.
I had to run out and break up a 3 cat cat fight and carefully catch Twinkles and get him inside.
Had to scruff him.
Only time will tell if anyone was injured, their eyes all looked alright.
Stupid territorial Twinkie. >:(

Good Morning Everybody
"Clink!"

Hi Tatoulia
WAY TO GO!!! for getting your flu jab!!! 😀
Just one less little thing to worry about.

Relieved the painter is not having problems with that paint and that it is covering well.
I never buy the expensive paint or the cheapest paint.
The medium priced paint has always worked well for me and can be washed later too.
YEA! for a new toilet seat. 😀

So frustrating when the tv remote takes off and hides.
So great you were able to go up and visit with Mom and Kitty Sister. (((HUG)))

Hope sleep made that headache go away.

Hi CriticalMass
Happy you and the computer have come to some kind of an agreement and are able to work together ;D

I went through my cupboards and found you some more...
🦡🦡🦡🦡🦡🦡

Hi Subclinical
Wonderful you had some good Family time! 😀
I bet you got some pictures too.
Lovely times to remember.

Good luck getting school stuff done.

Remaking my bed was very difficult & painful last night.
But I got it done with fresh linens & all.
Spending the entire day without laying down really made me hurt.
So I won't be doing that again soon.
Sitting still hurts.

Today I plan to cook.
I will make these things that I love so much.
Small meatball size bits of hamburger, shredded carrots, garlic, onion, black pepper, basil & oregano all wrapped up in bread dough and baked till golden brown.
These are a Fall favorite of mine and I used to carry them Deer hunting cause they are small, hand size and fit in my pocket.
I always make a lot of them and they freeze very well so I would have plenty of them to eat for a while.
Wish me well and that I can do this big project! 😀

Here you go CM. 🦡🦡🦡🦡🦡

Those should be enough to get you started.

Tatoulia, I'm glad the painting is going well.

Tillie I hope you got your bed back last night. I want everyone to gave a comfortable place to sleep! No am glad you gave chrysanthemums.

I had fresh sheets on my bed, and Dh decided it's time for the big down comforter. 🙂

Bean didn't take home a pumpkin, he just looked. His other Grammy (we spell it differently) got him three pumpkins in different colors and sizes for his porch last week. Next year he can walk around and choose his own. I have a bunch of little pie pumpkins for him to eat. I'll take them over when he is bigger.

We fixed him up with a little lion headband costume for Halloween. He was super cute!

What he liked best were the chimes on my trees and the Christmas lights on the dining porch. (White icicle, I leave them up year round)

Dd2 took home a pumpkin. She and her bf decided to stay over in the barn, so we had a lovely evening campfire with them, but I got very tired and behinder on my plans. Yesterday I almost finished the things I had planned to have done on Saturday.

Today I need to make sure I'm ready for the school week.

Hi all,

Thinking of you Tillie, and your boy. 💞

Computer and I were getting along until yesterday evening when I started having problems but then I figured out what to do. I'm going to have to strike a compromise between what my brain wants to do organizing the computer as a system, and what the software will allow me to do.

But I guess it will work out. It feels better than the Linux. That was a learning experience. I don't entirely regret it, and maybe at some point I'll want to learn Linux just so I could use it if I had to. Right now, though, I have lots of catching up to do on what the glitches were slowing me up with.

Today at church I learned we will getting a new pastor, not merely an administrator, in about 3 weeks. That made me very happy and reassured to hear.

I think I'll get my flu shot Tuesday afternoon, after quilting.

Tomorrow there is a project I'm still procrastinating on. I need Badger. A whole army of Badgers. More later.

WTG Tillie for making up your bed today!

Painter did the second primer coat this AM and then came back four hours later and did the first top coat. He's decided to do second top coat tmr and also do the trim and door tmr. The paint is working well for him. That said, never again will I buy this overpriced expensive paint. The saturation of the color is beautiful. I had a different color picked out for my hallways and I?ve found the Benjamin Moore equivalent. I'll need to take a break from any of this for a few weeks. Money-wise and time-wise.

So in the four hours between coats, I went for a walk and GOT MY FLU SHOT and ran other errands. Poor mom can't find her tv remote and went the whole day without her tv. She's now found it. She doesn't sound well but I was unexpectedly able to sneak up last night and spent some good time with her and kitty cat.

I bought a new toilet seat today. I asked the painter to put on for me.

So I was going to put the grommets in my new shower curtain tonight but then BF wanted my company done we hung out at work together and got a pizza. It was terrific being with him.

I have a headache. Going to bed now.

I want to hear about Bean and the pumpkin patch.

Cm I am thinking of you!!!

Good Afternoon Everyone

Today, for the second time since I got laid up
I was able to roll up all my bedding and make up the couch!!!
YEA! 😀

Just hope I can reverse the process tonight at bedtime. ;p

Washed my sheets & pillow cases.
Let Twinkles & Scooter go out in the yard.
Half an hour later Scooter came back inside but Twinkles is still out.

Really need to wash dishes but not so sure I will be able to today.
Still need to water garden plants and shower & shampoo today.

The Chrysanthemums are gorgeous.
The Asters are brightly colored and very proud.

Hey Peeps 🐾

Hi Subclinical
YEA! for 2 weeks of school down!
So very sorry that "adult" has been acting so very irresponsibly. >:(

The hospital and hospital thrift shop here have started carrying various sizes of disposable face masks so there are masks specifically for small people now.

I hope you have had a WONDERFUL day today!!!
So, how did your pumpkin patch do this year!
What pumpkin did Bean go home with! 💕

WAY TO GO!!! Tatoulia!!! 🎆🎠🎨
YEA! for getting the bathroom painting started!
Very curious as to why they consider that paint to be so difficult.
I have never had paint that was hard to work with.
?

Please make a firm commitment to get your flu shot sometime this next week.
Remember we have to wait about two weeks before it really starts to protect us.

So relieved Miss Kitty is liking her new potty.
Looks really don't matter with something as necessary as a proper litter box, one that keeps things contained and the cat uses faithfully.
Maybe throw a pashmina shawl over the top to pretty it up a bit.

Bet the tea towels look sweet covering up the open space. 🙂

YEA! for doing papers and cleaning while the painter painted!

I watered the Lilac hedge, grass and trees today.
Then I remembered that I forgot to brush my teeth, wash my face or brush my hair all day.
So not like me. 😕
Will post this and do that...

Today the wind blew around a lot of Fall leaves.
The Ash trees are mostly all yellow now.
There were toad stools in the grass so I picked them and threw them away.

Spent some time with Twinkles & Scooter & Jack & Cowgirl Kitty.

Ok two coats of ceiling paint, one coat of primer done. He'll come back early tmr for one more coat of primer then go home, come back in four hours for the top coat. Then on Monday he'll do the second top coat. Hopefully that's all it will need.

Next weekend he'll do the trim and doors, then I need to pick out color for the cabinet. I also have decided to leave the door off the cabinet, (we'd taken off the door to put in litter box; it's covered by a tea towel on a tension rod). The cat is having trouble negotiating the box and is peeing straight out. However, she acclimated to her covered litter box like a champ. I will find a place to hid it, maybe in the office area. It's huge so "hide" isn't possible; however, there is no odor coming from it. My house was stunning due to her cat pee issues. I'll figure out a hiding place.

I have some very sweet hand embroidered tea towels that I suspect would look very sweet instead of putting the door bavk on. I'll check it out and see what needs to be done. In the meantime, either tonight or tmr I have to put the grommets in my shower curtain.

I worked on papers and I disinfected my kitchen while he was here. After he left, I disinfected my bathroom. He is a good worker. Doesn't talk at all. Very kind and very neat. I don't have an estimate, I'll get some cash tonight from the ATM and again tmr and hope I have enough in me when it's time to pay him. He's very honest and tends to undervalue his time.

He went to the paint store today to get the ceiling paint and he asked about the stuff I'm using for my walls. they were telling him how awful this British paint is to work with, and he told the guy, but these people are family. Very kind-the goodwill is all my BF's, not mine.

Pizza picnic sounds terrific! Enjoy your time!

Painter has been here. We know him. He's very quiet and meticulous. Very easy to work with. This paint will be the death of him. But he said he's glad to learn how to use it. But that one of his colleagues was telling him how hard it is to work with. So I won't be using it again. Plus it was very expensive. I know it's super finicky and I'm a bit mad at myself for agreeing to it. We will not use on the hallway.

So we shall live through the bathroom. He just finished the ceiling and then after his lunch he'll do the first coat of primer.

I have two gallons each of paint and primer. I know this project will kill his weekend. But I will pay him whatever it costs.

Thinking of you today Tillie.

CM, I'm crossing my fingers for your computer.

2 weeks of school down, 30 to go (we cut the year short because of the late start) so far so good and I am not sorry I did it yet.

All week I have been putting mask tightener straps on kids and reporting non-compliant masks and in one case a coworker who was pulling his mask down and speaking loudly enough to be heard in the hall through his closed classroom door - while waving his arms and walking around a room with students in it!

Our doors are supposed to be open. Doors and windows.

The kids have been really good.

My girls are arriving any minute for outdoor pizza picnicking and pumpkin picking (in my garden) with dil, Dd2's boyfriend, and best of all Bean.

I'm about to put bread in the oven and will put my mask on and take it straight out to porch to cool so the girls can each take a loaf home.

Car door!

I'm here. Paint arrived on Wednesday and painter coming tmr. I too need my flu shot. Will see if the pharmacy can give me tmr.

Oh Tillie I bet you remember the day your dear son was born. Time has a way of feeling like yesterday and 100 years ago, all at once. I'm so sorry you lost your boy. What a tragedy. I'm so sorry.

I'll write more tmr. Love you all.

Good Evening Everybody

Hi CriticalMass
Hope you are able to relax and enjoy your little bit of alone time.
Roommate won't be gone too long and you need to be rested up for when she returns.

Try pushing away any bad thoughts, replace them with good feeling images & sounds.

So glad your computer is back to being more useable for you! 😀

Please try to make a firm commitment to get your flu shot this next week.
It helps relieve a little bit of the fear of getting sick and we all need that tiny bit less of worry.

Got the garden watered.
Need to water grass and Lilacs tomorrow.
Tomorrow is supposed to be a very high wildfire danger day.
October 10th would be my son's birthday.

Happy Friday evening

The scheduler never called for my roommate's surgery so we are still in limbo.

I got my laptop back with Windows 10 on it and have been playing with it all afternoon. Have most of the features and programs installed and tweaked to my liking. It does seem to run more smoothly.

I hope this is all the computer messing about I'll need to do for awhile! I happened to have my old Microsoft Office disk from my previous laptop with extra licenses on it so was able to install that.

This week I had several things on my To Do list but haven't gotten but one or two of them done. It has been a time of feeling strung out emotionally when my surgery memories got triggered, and thinking about how we're going to plan all this, and whether with the cumulative stress of this 2020 annus horribilis I will be okay by myself here and not get nighttime anxiety.

But I always think I'm going to get that, and really in the last 2-3 years I have been able to deal and often enjoy the solitude, so hopefully I will be okay this time round as well. There are some really great long-play videos of relaxation music on YouTube - I recommend Peder B. Helland, he is a new discovery for me. Hard to be stressed listening to his soft piano and nature sounds.

Tillie, I wish too there was something more you could get for a health plan and be able to have surgery for those cysts and whatever else would help.

Tatoulia, I envy you being able to do cards; I've pretty much resigned myself to being too unsettled to get them in the mail. Times in recent years I've tried and then ended up tossing the cards. One card at a time for birthday or sympathy is doable, but holiday cards or general correspondence, forget it. I think it's nice and it's something you enjoy.

SubC, I hope school is going smoothly and that the relief of the negative test is still feeling good. And that your kids and their friends will be all right through their own struggles.

I'm glad we're all getting flu shots. That was on my list this week but didn't get done. Next week I hope.