The day has finally (almost) arrived. I've been in the process of having this surgery for some time now. Specifically, it's Blepharoplasty (BLEF-uh-roe-plas-tee), a type of surgery that repairs droopy eyelids and involves removing excess skin, muscle and fat. The nurse (I think she was an anesthesiologist) who phoned me this morning said my doctor had quite a reputation, then told me she does very good work.

On the way to this surgery I've had quite a few tests, and a Botox treatment (injections all the way around both eyes). The Botox already removed the constant jerking of muscles that were pulling down my eyelids so that I could barely squint - and opened both eyes better than I've experienced in years.

My friend (and neighbor) June has had this surgery and said there's no pain. I find that a bit hard to believe, but it sounds like good news to me!

My surgery just changed from being there at 11:00, to being there at 9:45. (Not sure why it bothers me not to be on the hour, but I guess it makes it more difficult to figure exactly when what will happen. Oh well.

I'll miss yet another acupuncture appointment tomorrow (I missed last Thursday, as well). I could have tried going in on Friday, but I prefer seeing Sheridan (and she doesn't work on Fridays). I scheduled Moxi (Moxibustion) for next Tuesday. That will be my third treatment (I had my second yesterday).

Moxi is fascinating for me! Since April 2018 and my chronic pain, I haven't been able to stand heat on or near the injury. (Yeah, I tend to call my postherpetic neuralgia an injury, as my nerves were injured by shingles.) Anyway, heat has even made me scream in pain On occasion (embarrassing, but true). I've been on cold showers year round. But Moxi is a different kind of heat. So soothing! I used to love hot baths and hot showers, but this beats both.

I'm going to do the garbage and recycling today, as who knows how I'll feel tomorrow (my normal day for doing it).

I'm in the middle of coloring my hair right now. That replaces simply showering and washing my hair before tomorrow. Can you imagine that they have to tell you to shower before surgery? Clean! Oh well...

Marilyn and I recently got hung up on the History Channel's series "The Curse of Oak Island" -- an amazing true treasure hunt! The new season just started last night (very exciting).

You can read more about Oak Island ;HERE. Very interesting stuff!

I think the series is mostly intended for men, but anyone who likes a good mystery will enjoy it, I think.

And that's it for now!

Honest, I still plan to blog more again. Here's hoping this entry finds you well and happy! More soon (fingers crossed).

Senator Elizabeth Warren was impressive tonight, too. I'm trying not to be political (as I've said before), but these two women have touched me. I loved her story about Francis Perkins.

Loving seeing HGTV's A Very Brady Renovation -- and tonight the remaining Brady cast (the six kids, anyway) are being interviewed, and they are very entertaining. Restoring that house -- actually making the real house resemble the sets we all knew -- is brilliant! Marilyn and I are watching (we're taping and then watching). They said six (maybe ten) million people are watching with us.

Filthy weather today, really filthy. Pouring rain, that I was out in, mind you. I'm not ready for winter. What happened to autumn? In fact, this is Portland! What happened to the end of summer???

Cupping this morning hurt like a bitch -- and she left me for 15 minutes, rather than the usual 10! Yikes. Then acupuncture. I was stunned when my damn noon alarm went off -- I expected to be done well before then.

I left in a hurry, got to the lobby where I donned my socks and shoes. Went to phone Marilyn and discovered I still had two needles in my right ear. Reached over and there were two in my left ear! I had to laugh. It wasn't Sheridan's fault, as I practically dashed out. Anyway, I nearly left without paying! Haha. Got a gigantic bottle of my herbals, then departed.

I went from there to Freddies to shop. Got the items I'd forgotten. Ironically, noe I need to go back again, as I have two prescriptions ready for pickup.

I spent some time working on June's project, but need to go to her place again. What I sent myself was missing the cover! I'm so stumped.

But I was too worn out to do much of anything. Cupping plus acupuncture is exhausting. I really need to rest after that...

Marilyn and I both fell asleep while trying to watch TV tonight. We're just hanging on right now. Her IBS-d has been acting up and she's pretty miserable. (My IBS-c isn't the best, either -- enough said.) What's odd is how absolutely healthy we're eating these days. Salads all the time, and many vegetarian foods...

My new -- old -- Fitbit is awesome! I bought a brand new Fitbit, then decided to see if I could get a new brand for my old one. I got a stunning gold leather one. I love it! Now Marilyn is using my new one. She's getting used to it, so we'll see how it works out.

I just walked out in the backyard in my nightclothes during a downpour to check our tarp. We'd be screwed if it came down! I got soaked, but all is well. I need to really check it out during daylight when it's dry...

Still playing away on our ukuleles. We love them and love playing.

Goodnight!

I can't figure out why I'm struggling so hard to get back to my blogging. You all know I love blogging, and writing in general. I used to blog every day, after all (regardless of how boring the content might be).

Before.

Before April of 2018. Before my severe shingles. Before I had encephalitis. Before Postherpetic Neuralgia and chronic pain.

Marilyn tells me often that she never goes a day without praising me to someone for my patience and my ability to stay positive and upbeat. What a wonderful thing for her to say to others!

I won't pretend it's been easy staving off depression. Sometimes I wish I could simply have one day without this pain. One day where I could think clearly without straining. A day where I could walk normally again.

This week I was at the office, welcoming Jessica back to work after her medical leave. We were happy to see each other, as we're more than co-workers: we're friends. Believe me, no matter how hard things are for me, I never forget how hard it is for others. I'm rather proud that I've never lost sight of the bigger picture. I'm one person, and many, many others are suffering. It's all around us. But it still sucks to fall way behind when our group walks out for Starbucks...

This was a very busy week.

I Uber-ed all over on Tuesday! Rode with Marilyn to work, took Uber to my acupuncture session. Headed home. Gathered my shopping bags and took Uber to Freddies (our normal one - Peninsula). Back home to quickly unpack the frozen food. Then grabbed the same Uber over to the other Freddies (Interstate) for additional shopping. I made spaghetti for dinner.

I was dismayed to miss Cupping on Tuesday, as I had plans for Thursday with Adeena and wanted to have the quickest possible appointment. I'm certain I set for Tuesday Cupping (I always want it on Tuesday), so somebody dropped the ball. But regardless, I was unwilling to miss it entirely.

My Cupping and acupuncture are serious stuff to me. During the time I've been sick (ever since April 2018), I've done a tremendous amount of research. Basically Western medicine has struggled to find some treatment for PHN (postherpetic neuralgia). They've tried a lot of things - including surgery! - unsuccessfully, I'm afraid.

So I'm heavily medicated for pain (I'm still in pain, but I'm functional with these meds). I take pain meds every six hours (6:00 a.m. | noon | 6:00 p.m. | midnight), with an alarm to remind me. I don't know what I'd do without "Strawberry Fields" playing to remind me. At least it's The Beatles, right? And one of my favorite songs. Otherwise it could really get annoying over months and months... Yes, I agree it would be good to get off opiods. But at this point I can't do it. Yes, I've tried. Repeatedly. But I'm thankful to be functional. Most people have no idea I'm in pain or on meds. I can still do my work for the festival, work on computers, use my iPad and iPhone (constantly!) and carry on conversations that make sense -- well, with some issues.

I'm the first to admit that my Encephalitis gave me some minor brain damage. I'm also the first to be thankful that Marilyn realized I had it and forced the emergency room doctors to check for it. Most people don't survive it, so I'm grateful to be alive. Grateful every single day. I might struggle to find words sometimes (especially when I'm fatigued), but who doesn't? Actually, this past week one very kind Uber driver was gently filling in words for me as we chatted! I'd told him my basic issues, and he should be doing therapy, I think! A lovely guy. But I find the world is full of lovely people. (With a few exceptions.)

As I type this I discover I can't put everything into chronological in my head. But I'll share what pops in...

My friend June has been working on a directory project for her church. Her struggle was to find a new way to make a smaller booklet, rather than large pages. She asked for my help. I reminded her that I'm no wiz with Word, but I'd give it a go. If you know me at all, you know I'll always try to reason out the steps, then share how it's done. The teacher in me will train until I die, I suspect! We made remarkable headway -- I hope to try and wrap it up this weekend. [September 6 was June's birthday. Marilyn took the four of us to dinner to celebrate (June, Jim, Marilyn and me). Jim had turkey, but we three girls enjoyed chicken fried steaks. (It's sort of a group joke how often we all order that!) June turned 86!]

I went to Walmart on Wednesday to buy supplements. Things are cheaper there, thankfully. Even so, it was around $100 to get everything! Ridiculous! But I hadn't had some of them for months, so it was time to go there, finally. Too bad none of these are covered by insurance, considering the doctor prescribes them!

Adeena's plans changed on Thursday, so we didn't get together -- yet again. It's something of a joke that we always make plans, but never end up following through. I guess it's a sign of how positive I am that I always believe we will see each other. But I understand how busy she is. I'm always hopeful things will improve in her life. She's frequently in my thoughts (and prayers). Adeena is a lovely young woman.

Speaking of lovely people, I think the world of Mikki, our new housekeeper. Marilyn decided I simply wasn't up to cleaning. She was very, very kind (gentle) with me, knowing I felt bad I couldn't manage this work. Marilyn told me she needed my energy in other places. Isn't that a wonderful thing to say? So I agreed and have tried not to suddenly start cleaning (I usually manage that, if not always).

Mikki cares for our sister Sue. Sue’s dementia continues to get worse, though she still has good days. Mikki also cleans for Candy while there. This gave Marilyn the idea of hiring her for our house! This is a pretty new arrangement. We've been struggling to find a day that works for both us and her. Currently we're trying Fridays. Mikki and I had a huge task in front of us: Continuing to remove the old grout in my bathtub, then replace this with Flexshot (the much improved newer product). The great thing is all the visiting we do. We chat and share and are really getting to know each other while working. Plus Mikki updates me on things at my sister's house with both Sue and Candy. (Which is how I know about Sue’s continuing failure with her dementia.)

We called ourselves 'crazy,' and laughed very hard as we worked. (Well, she did most all of the work, but I was there to help where I could.) And talking helped the project along. We ended up with a highly improved tub that looked whiter and cleaner. More importantly, it should be well-sealed now. We need some serious hours of drying, but I look forward to the eventual test!

Mikki is a woman who has faced it all and stayed positive. I can't begin to express how she has impressed both Marilyn and me. She's so strong! She's the single mother of two daughters. Her teen still resides with her, and home is no bowl of cherries for Mikki. It's not easy taking care of people and housecleaning all day, then coming home to a house that also needs work. She'd appreciate having her daughter step up and help out. When she does do things, like doing the dishes, Mikki will end up with only partly clean dishes in the dishwasher that her daughter puts into the cupboard!

Marilyn and I also hate that Mikki can't really take a vacation. Her recent 'vacation' was driving back for her (beloved) brother's memorial. (It was so hard for her losing him, as they were very close. And she has no men in her life she can depend on.) I was happy to hear she was taking the weekend off. Imagine the need to work all the time to be able to cover your rent and pay your bills, with a car that may or may not get you where you need to go. She's a tough one!

Mikki and I can be ourselves together and share anything, and do. We laugh and laugh. Sometimes we do bash men a bit (sorry, guys, but it's true!). You boys know you earn that from time to time. And some women have had it harder than others when it comes to trusting and leaning on men.

No, not me, I admit. I always seem to have some man helping me out. Good friends! I'm surrounded by them. Again, Mikki is a lovely person. I'm glad to know her.

Thursday's Cupping hurt like a bitch (I don't mean to offend, but that's really the best way to express it). Interesting note: Sheridan had told me the bruises you get with Cupping would grow fainter over time, which has proved to be true. But this week I was really playing tricks on myself to hang in there. No, I never even considered ringing the bell. I'm still me, guys, and I grit my teeth and endure.

This is the longest blog ever! Even from me, the person who is the famed long-winded (and boring) blogger!

Can't leave out going to the Clown Corps Awards Dinner, however. Many clowns (not in character or makeup), many family members and many pizzas -- plus many awards. Marilyn was presented with a jellybean gumball machine with a plaque, as the person who began this popular program. We all got jellybeans, plus baseball caps! Nice.

If you've stumbled across my blog and are looking for more information about PHN, I am very well-read on the subject. I'm glad to 'discuss' it in greater detail, or talk more about the medications and Eastern treatments. I also have a wonderful paper that discuses it that I even carry around in case someone wants to reads it. I was delighted to discover it after months of research efforts.

I'm know I'm not the only one dealing with PHN. I'd love to help people who are out there not knowing what to do.

Marilyn and I ate dinner at 10:00 again yesterday, as she worked extremely late (again). She was so tired after an extremely busy week. She's so hard working.

We made it to the weekend! Unfortunately Marilyn is having asthma today (no idea why). She's really suffering. I'm happy to say she's asleep right now. She needs the rest, anyway.

The anniversary of Abbey Road is fast approaching. Couldn't end a blog without mentioning The Beatles! I could do an equally long blog just about them, you know. Oh, and no mention here about ukuleles! Soon, I promise.

And so ends one of my longest blogs ever. (grin) Happy weekend, dear friends.

Okay, so first off, I'm bugged by all this 'new normal' stuff. You hear it way too much. I hardly want to consider applying it to my own life.

I think I've managed to remain very positive this past year, considering I'm now officially one year into dealing with constant, unrelenting pain (chronic pain). I never forget that I'm lucky to be alive (thanks to Marilyn).

I love my sister and her companionship, I love my family and friends, I love my cats, I love my home and I love my work. I'm grateful my brain damage was so minimal. I'm happy I have skills that are useful and that I'm continuing to learn new things, like playing the ukulele. I have a good life. I know that.

I know it's wrong of me to dwell on my chronic pain. There are so many others suffering so much worse than I do. And I'm so blessed. Plus I have so many things I enjoy and spend time on every day: The Beatles, music, reading, walking (and other exercise), watching TV, using my iPad, napping, calling and chatting with people, texting with people, writing, editing and on and on.

I guess I was really hopeful my postherpetic neuralgia would finally go away. I don't ask to be pain free. I've had pains of one kind or another most of my life. But no pain has been like this. I hardly ever try describing it. Bottom line: it's bad.

I'm not looking for sympathy, honestly. I don't expect others to understand, either. I really hope that most of my circle of friends will either never know this pain, or if currently in pain will have their pain go away. I guess I wish that none of us would have to deal with pain each and every day.

I don't want a new normal.

But I suppose I accept it, regardless. Today I accept that this pain may be with me forever. I am not going to cry. I refuse to feel sorry for myself. This is hard.

I just read a very enlightening article about chronic pain that said our medicines aren't working -- and they don't have a solution for chronic pain. They think that four out of ten women have chronic pain. (Yeah, it's mainly women who deal with it.) I'm certainly not alone. So why do I feel so abnormal compared to others? Anyway, that article basically suggests ways to cope with your new normal.

Me? I want to throw my head back and howl and then scream 'no' as loud as I can.

I'm supposed to let go of my old goals and discover new ones. In other words, give up, because you're never going to be physically capable of the things you used to do. Or the dreams you used to have.

I'm warned not to 'overdo.' So naturally I want to run up and down the stairs (and actually have recently at the office). I want to lift and carry heavy things -- I used to be so strong! If nothing else, I want to give myself the illusion that I'm BETTER. That I'll continue getting even better still. I know it's a lie, but I guess I want to keep pretending.

The fantasy is more appealing than reality.

I guess I'm getting pretty good at acting. But I wonder if my main audience is me! What I know for sure is that the pain is not at all better. I started to say I'll try anything to get rid of the pain, but that's not true. I take the pain cocktail I've been given -- the exact dose. I don't add any other pills. I do add some alcohol and cannabis from time to time. But really not that often.

The world doesn't revolve around me. I know that. Actually I'm trying hard to be kinder to others. I call my sister Sue nearly every day. Sometimes more than once. I try to text with my friend Shari daily. And call or see my friend June. Okay, I'd do that anyway, of course. But I want to be nice when I do it. And not forget it. Plus I try to be kind to strangers, too. And I even feel a responsibility to be kind to those I work with. I guess I have ended up like some kind of 'mother' at work, even though I used to fight that so hard.

Whatever else I've learned this past year, it has nothing to do with my age! Yeah, it's more common 'at my age.' However, it's starting to happen to 30-somethings, too. And chronic pain is rampant at all ages. So we can't blame my inclining years. Ugh. You can't stop aging (unless you die), so you just have to decide how you will age. I want to age a gracefully. Sounds good, right.

Nice! I'm having a psychedelic moment. Behind my gray and white keyboard, I'm seeing psychedelic colors. Very faint, but it's there. I've been having more moments like this again lately -- definitely one of the better things related to this experience. I'll hold on to it if I can. Sometime I'll try and explain what it's really like, aside from these colors. I wonder if I can? My mind feels expanded!

Finally (God, I'm sorry this is so long), I hope to try acupuncture before I give up on a solution to my pain. I think I have too much HOPE for acupuncture, really. I'm almost holding back, afraid for it to fail. What else is there? Well, I've tried everything else, really.

My new normal is waving at me from that hill over there. The Fool is standing beside it. I'll join them soon, I suppose.

I do want to create a blog. Not sure if it should be about shingles, postherpetic neuralgia, or chronic pain. But I feel like I have information to share.

Time to think about lying down. I'm really tripping now...

Today (Wednesday) ended up being a Snow Day for us. No, I am not kidding. It's nearly March, but we were home from work due to snow! Unheard of in Portland, Oegon. I realize it probably happens all the time in other parts of the country and the world, but it simply doesn't happen here.

I went back to sleep (if not to bed) after we'd been up checking it all out early in the morning. I had a lovely rest.

It was very cold, though we really had little snow. The concern for Portland Public Schools was ice, however. Fine by me...

Marilyn ended up doing plenty of work anyway, mostly via text messages. Later on I did work on my upstairs computer on the website. I set the page (CountyFest) to go Live at 7:30 this morning.

A good chunk of the day was spent on playing our ukuleles. I'm working on several things right now:
How to hold my ukulele (exactly how high and what direction)
Learning new chords (I should be including which ones!)
Chord transitions (especially with e minor)
How to make certain difficult chords (especially b minor right now)

We're learning "Shallow" (beautiful) and continuing with "Edelweiss," which we've loved since childhood. Ukulele Mike gave us an exercise for our left hand that is for strengthening the fingers. Very hard.

I talked to June, never wasable to reach sister Sue, texted with Shari and Adeena (I'll see her tomorrow -- and finally give her the gift I've had forever). Speaking of, I still have Mark's Christmas gift. He's been terribly ill and in and out of emergency!!! Both Marilyn and I are really worried about him.

I'm actually writing this at slightly past six in the morning. I guess the pain woke me, as I take pain meds at 6:00 every single morning. I beat the alarm today.

Right now the house is very quiet...

The annual Board Meeting is Thursday night. Adeena is picking me up!

---

It's now past nine! Why didn't this post?

Marilyn nd I went Jessica to see "Bohemian Rhapsody" tonight -- and we all LOVED it! We sang along, and cried and cheered. Just wonderful and moving. I'm so glad we went.

Before that Marilyn and I went over to June's house with our ukuleles and the three of us practiced playing. Really a good start, and loads of fun! Our best song was "Edelweiss" (from "The Sound of Music"). We were working on "Mack the Knife" and several other songs. (I honestly can't remember the other numbers right now.)

Both Marilyn and I slept in late. We ere tired after a long week (specially Marilyn!).

Thursday I was at the office. I took in treats for the staff for Valentine's Day -- which included the annual mini-balloons I get at the DollarTree. You have to smack it with your fist to activate it. Then they last for quite a long time -- sometimes until after the festival (which is months).

I found a previous entry that I never posted! Haha. I think I'll include it anyway...

This is from sometime in January:

I just came from visiting with Gladys and Bruce (way down the street). I took them their holiday popcorn, which they were both glad to get. Gladys said that Bruce loves popcorn! We ended up having an hour visit. Maybe my longest one so far, but I didn't time seeing Barbara just across the street (she might have been longer). I saw Barbara yesterday.

I also went to see John (who is in quite the frightening neck brace after his accident and surgery). He says he's doing okay. I bet he's doing okay the way I'm doing okay. I could see that in his eyes! I only spent around 15 minutes there, but it was nice to chat. I haven't really talked to him since his accident.

I think Marilyn was unsure how these popcorn gifts go over, but I've really had people be enthusiastic. And I'm not talking about that 'being nice' kind of response. She should be proud of her involvement and how much our neighbor friends appreciate the gesture (and the popcorn! Ha!).

I was getting ready to head to Gladys' house and discovered my damn Fitbit was dead!!! That's a long walk and I wanted the steps!!!

And so ends that piece of blog from January.

I really do want to get back to blogging -- which I keep typing, I know. But it's true. I just can't seem to wrap my head around it since my brain issue last April...

It's the same thing with reading. I've lost interest terribly.

I'm giving myself plenty of time to get back to it.

Well, it's 12:30-ish, so I'll end for now. More about our ukuleles soon.

Love you all and wishing you well!

We took a day off today. Marilyn really needed the rest, but I guess I did, too. I didn't sleep well last night, so I ended up sleeping in until noon! I slept downstairs, because I was worried about Marilyn. But I have to wonder if I would have awakened if she needed me...

We did get a bunch of rest and sleep, anyway, throughout the day.

This evening we tried DoorDash for the first time. We ordered from Red Robin through them and got our order with no problems. Very convenient when you really don't feel like going out.

Some people complain about the fees, but they seem reasonable to us. They have to make money to stay in business!

"Dracula's Daughter" was on Svengoolie. That's a good movie. It was actually the sequel to "Dracula."

As for the Australian Open...Tsitsipas beat Federer. What a disappointment. Ashleigh Barty beat Maria Sharapova (we've always been Maria fans, but weren't really pulling against the Australian girl). Rafa Nadal beat Tomas Berdych in three straight sets. (We're big Nadal fans.) Simona Halep took out Venus Williams, and will now face Serena.

Sister Sue called today, back from her visit to see her son Larry and his family.

I was texting with both Shari and June...

Johnny seems better today. Maybe he was dealing with a fur ball. They really make him miserable.

We both really need manicures and pedicures. We hope to do that tomorrow.

Sweet dreams, all.

For the record, it's currently 2:46 a.m. -- night for Friday in my mind, but actually Saturday -- very early. I just watched an episode of "Hart to Hart" with Johnnie (our cat) upstairs. Marilyn, Colin (Kitty) and Henry (Tudor cat) were all downstairs watching tennis. I started watching while making popcorn for a late snack. If you're surprised I would eat so late, I'd mention my many recent low blood sugars...

Thursday, 17 January:
(Yesterday)
I had meant to post a second entry, but never got it. Just a few random details that come to mind.

I was pleased that I got the garbage and recycling done really early in the day. Nice to do it when it's light out.

Scooped out and added to the catboxes. Still really liking the new litter!

Jokes abound about the 'crazy cat lady' (thanks to plumber John). That should give us fodder for some time.

Marilyn called me around 7:00 p.m. -- she was really too busy to talk to me during the work day. She said she tought she could finish in an hour. She called back at 8:30 p.m. She was home by around 9:00. She works harder than anyone I know... Anyway, she got the PowerPoint done for Friday's early morning meeting.

We ate sautéed veggies for dinner. Really delicious!

Friday, 18 January:
(Today)
I'm probably forgot things for Thursday. I'm very tired and become much more forgetful when I'm tired.

I spent some time in the morning with Johnnie, who was sick. (sigh) He didn't even want to eat, he felt so bad. He threw up, and wouldn't come out in the house. He just wanted to lie and rest or sleep.

I worked with Angel on the Clown page on the website. Because of email issues (the Exchange is a mess!) this took hours. It's frustrating having Kris out sick, poor guy. I really wanted to phone him...

After that, I borrowed Marilyn's ukulele so I could try it out. I was practicing my strumming. I'm supposed to get my ukulele this weekend. I'm very excited!

Finally got myself to color my hair. I've been using Schwarzkopf for some time. But this is my first time using Ultime Hair Color. I really think I like it. It seemed to cover my extreme white roots, anyway. My hair is also shiny and healthy looking, and feels great to the touch!

Since my Postherpetic Neuralgia, showering alone is really difficult. And coloring my hair is more so. It's tiring and painful. But I think I did a good job (and pushed through).

After that I did eat a couple eggs. I've been trying to eat regularly to help dealing with my blood sugar. I'm monitoring it constantly.

Then I vacuumed the stairs and family room. I was planning to vacuum, but couldn't decide after doing my hair. But I decided I'd at least give it a go!

While resting, I phoned June. She had a bit of an iPad mess, so I went over there. We two worked out a few things together, then I headed back home.

I had stupidly put dishes to wash. I need to do it early in the day, as Marilyn is really allergic to the smell of the dishwashing liquid, which stinks up half the house. I had a window open and the range filter running to no avail.

Marilyn was supposed to come home early, so I dashed down to vacuum her bedroom and walk-in closet. She came home while I was finishing up.

I made chili for dinner.

I guess that's all to share. I'm dead beat, but wide awake. Listening to Marilyn sleep, as I've been worried about her recently.

I can't decide if I should sleep here (not as comfortable as a bed), or go sleep in my bedroom with Johnnie. I'm not as worried tonight about him, as he seems better now (coming out of his room, and eating). But I remain worried about Marilyn... (sigh) I think I'll go check on Johnnie and then come back...

Goodnight, friends.

I'm tired. In fact, I fell asleep and just woke (it's after 2:00 a.m.). We were supposed to have popcorn at 10:30, but I slept through it...

I wanted to actually share some photos in this entry, but my upload failed, yet again. Frustrating. (sigh) So much for that idea.

Watching Australian Open tennis. Some impressive play!

Worked at least half the day on Festival things. A lot of website, including the official charity for 2019. I did a mock page, based on the Press Release Rich and I are to load tomorrow night. (Odd time to go Live.) Plus the short version of their description from Twitter. Them made a header banner that can stay until they give me the genuine article. Odd that they gave us Social Media info which required going to each site and searching! I did taht to locate the actual URLs, which I then shared around. Who wants to run to Facebook and hunt for the actual page? Or the same for Twitter and Instagram? No idea what they were thinking...

Rafa's playing now...

I had additional work, including setting up the Community Calendar so events can fill out an application to apply to appear there. That went well. Rich has been waiting on me, so it was about time I got to it!

I also got a bunch done at home.

I found our decorative wreath from the beach. We've had it home for ages to fix it. It fell down at our beach house and broke. But today I noticed it hanging in the garage and decided I wanted it on the inside of our front door. It's made of AMAZING driftwood that's been carefully nailed together. The colors are incredible. The part that 'broke' was this inner circle or sea shells, and it was just a couple that fell off. (The wreath was accidentally hung wrong, and it came crashing down at some point. The shells are glued on, so they can come loose.)

I pulled off a bunch off glue with a needle nose plier, discovering that once that was done you don't actually mind the few missing shells. It's really about the wood, in my mind. And it's perfect on our front door!

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We have some green and blue elements in our room (obviously all our green doors), so this works nicely, I think. Anyway, I felt it was a good use of my time.

I also (finally!!!) took down the Christmas lights.



I hung these on our Critter Cafe this year (Marilyn's idea). They turned out cute. June (our friend and neighbor) was heartbroken when I turned them off last week. It's been so cold here I was reluctant to risk being outside to do the work, because of my long-lasting cold, having been warned repeatedly about how it could get worse.

Check this out! I wenck and added these photos! Got to share them after all.

Anyway, little wonder I was worn out, with both mental tasks, plus physical ones! A full and busy day...

Poor sister Sue! I warned her yesterday that I was working today. Yet she called me repeatedly today. I had to keep putting her off, being tied up. I'll try and phone her tomorrow...

I'm usually very good about it, calling her every day, and usually several times a day. I understand she's lonely, poor thing. (Even though she can't really remember what's said...)

We had chili for dinner, which we both love! Great when it's cold.

It's now after 3:00 a.m. Marilyn has been tired. We were going to get to bed early tonight. But the tennis really does beckon!

I've found it's easier all the time to balance spending time with the three cats. I still want to try to get them used to each other, but have been too busy to care much. I take turns letting Johnnie and Colin upstairs. Henry can't manage the stairs much these days, so doesn't mind staying down. (However, when he 'knocks' at the door to come up, I put Johnnie in his bedroom and let Henry up, of course!) I think Colin and Johnnie mostly accept this, so it's fine. I enjoy having both keep me company while I'm working. It's interesting that Johnnie is such a loud talker that people think he's Henry over the phone! Haha.

June's TMJ is much better. But now she has a cold, poor thing.

Our friend Shari went for blood work last week and has an appointment Thursday about her kidney function.

Thursday I have the plumber coming. Tomorrow I need to clean out under the sinks...

I have more website work tomorrow. And I need to phone Kris about some IT matters...

I tried a (dumb) test today. My alarm didn't go off at noon. So at 1:00 p.m. I realized I hadn't taken my pain meds. I wasn't feeling that bad, so I thought I'd try waiting and see if I was getting better. (This isn't the first time I've tried this.) And by 2:30 I was dying. So I quickly took my pills. I just keep thinking (and hoping) that I'll suddenly feel normal again. I guess that's how all people with chronic pain feel... All these many months later (since last April), I jus can't believe I'm in this pain, and not improving.

Marilyn said tonight she thinks I'm better. Maybe. Or maybe I just cope better. Today I noticed I was walking bad again when late on my meds. I've been so proud about how normal I seem walking now. I suppose that's mostly an illusion... Haha.

Well, I need to go to bed. Take care, my dear family and friends! Watch out for ill health. And have sweet dreams!

Marilyn was feeling better, so she went back to work today -- quite early, actually. I got up just before she headed up, and stayed up after that. I had intended to go back to bed, but you know how it goes...

I took down the Christmas tree several days ago, but I hadn't gotten to the rest of the decorations. I had started taking things down in the living room, ut I only got part way done.

Then I got sick, and didn't feel like tackling things. Marilyn was home sick Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, so I didn't want to do the rest. It all goes under the stairs to store, accessed via the laundry room, right off the family room. When Marilyn was sleeping on the family room sofa, I really didn't want to risk bothering her.

But much of the time we were doing what we do when the two of us are sick and home together: watching a bunch of TV. We'll frequently watch a bunch of movies, and this time was the same! Here's a partial list of what we saw:

The 2014 movie "Cut Bank" was really excellent -- I'd highly recommend it.

We enjoyed the 2009 film "

Yesterday?

Background: I've had a Sebaceous breast cyst on my right breast for far more than a year. I used to ask about it all the time, but Leslie didn't find it serious. It started out like a spider bite, but grew over time. Anyway, this past wekend it went nuts and became HUGE. Hard and quite painful. We were thinking we could open it ourselves, but fortunately didn't try.

Thankfully got a same-day appointment at 2:15. It was quite the thing to treat! Using huge needles and a scalpel to cut it open, plus tweeters to pull out the remaining gland. Wow, did it hurt. I had to apologize for cursing at one point! Thankfully Marilyn was there beside. I thought I'd faint at one point. And I was bucking like a stallion! Yikes. But I was glad I decided to just get it done with.

Basically my tit was cut open yesterday, and it was painful and icky. Not like when you open a boil at all. Not wet and not pus -- something hard. Plus blood, of course.

After that we went to get a manicure! Last night we went to Jubitz Cinema at the Jubitz Truck Stop with Jessica. She'd never seen a movie there before. We saw "The Girl in the Spider's Web." It's one of the Lisbeth Salander stories. No popcorn -- their popcorn machine was on the fritz! We had to go into the store and get cheese popcorn. Geez. But at least I got a beer!

Today?

I had another appointment with Leslie. This time I got bursal injections in both of my hips. The last time I got these was two days before I broke out in shingles, back in April of this year!

We had planned to go to Costco, but are putting it off until tomorrow night (after work). We did run out briefly to Freddie's, though...

Hard to say tonight which pain is worse. The postherpetic neuralgia (shingles) is sore tonight. My chest hurts, but also itches. I'm on antibiotics for that. The hips hurt, but it's not horrible (I guess).

Anyway, this should wrap it up for 2018, I think! Hahaha!!!

Blogging in my (much cleaner) bedroom tonight. Marilyn and I have been seriously CLEANING our house x- every single room. (Including the laundry room and garage.) My bedroom has been the last to get any real attention. Partly because every time we clean ant other spot things come here. And partly because I needed to clean around Johnnie. This is a start, but there's far more to do in here...

There's more to do in the laundry room and garage, too, for that matter! But now we've done something in every room. Woo hoo!!!

Off to bed soon. I'm taking it easy again tomorrow (as I mostly did today). Except for garbage and recycling (preparing for Thursday), there's not much to do, anyway...

I did talk to sister Sue for around an hour today. And had a long, lovely chat with my friend June, too. Marilyn had an extremely busy day at work.

It's time for Marilyn to get to the doctor now -- well past time, actually!

She is playing her ukulele at a Sing-along tomorrow. She's been working very hard, practicing almost every single day. Good for her!!!

More soon...

Sweet dreams, everybody!

If you were with me in yesterday's blog entry, you know I was discussing my sister Sue -- and how she has been failing. Yesterday was a BAD day.

Today? The exact opposite!

She was extremely aware, very on point and understood the word 'cognizant' with no prompting at all! We were laughing and just enjoying one another entirely. This was the Sue I've known for years and been so close to.

I guess I shouldn't give up yet, that's for sure!

Here's an interesting thing: She was talking quite a bit today about the robot cat we gave her. How she loves it and so on. But when she's having a bad day she doesn't even mention it. I wonder what that means? The whole idea with the robot cat is to help people dealing with dementia... Anyway, that's just an aside.

Marilyn finished NaNoWriMo!!! (woo hoo) I'm so proud of her!

For Marilyn to even attempt NaNo is amazing, considering what she goes through at work. But she's always amazing -- as you all have heard me say forever. Facts being facts!

Other quick notes for today...

I had talked to June yesterday and Jim had brought up a chair from the basement. She'd been admiring the Steelcase chairs Marilyn and I have in our office (models from back in 1998). She tried to find the same chair but couldn't. Anyway, Jim had found a chair in the basement and she'd been pleased with it. But today she said she didn't like it at all. I'm sorry to hear that! Anyway, she's getting rid of it.

Lamar was here this morning! He worked for a time, using power from the house. The noise was awful and the lights were dimming several times. Then he supposedly went after screws. Then he told me he was taking a lunch break. But he never did come back again.

At one point he'd told me he'd be done by 2:30 and to set an alarm so we could talk. But when he didn't show by 3:00 I knew that wasn't going to be the case...

The last I heard he said he'd be back first thing in the morning.

Okay. About that. For us, FIRST thing in the morning is probably between 6:00 and 9:00 a.m. Maybe 9:30. But when you hit 10:00 it's no longer first thing. And by 11:00 it's nearly noon. But he was here this morning between 10:30 and 11:00, so I guess he has a different idea of 'first thing in the morning.'

This sounds like me dealing with my IT assistants over the years. Kent, Kris and Donn have that 'IT' mindset when it comes to time, too. So I guess I kind of get it... Haha.

Right now Henry is yelling like mad. Why is that??? Okay, went and checked. He's got a hair tie in the kitchen and is having a 'moment' with it. Haha. Good for him.

I was so tired today! No clue why. I took it easy yesterday (for the most part). But twice I was just sitting in the living room and I fell asleep sitting up! So I finally have up late afternoon and went in to my bed and had a long nap with Johnnie.

When I woke up I realized I had wanted to color my hair! So I phoned and told Marilyn I was getting ready to do it. She had very kindly offered to dry it for me -- something she does now. What a wonderful thing to do! She makes it look so nice. And I just don't have the energy to manage it. I often just let it dry.

Anyway, she said she'd be home soon. Now I'm trying to hurry. Trying is the operative word! I can't find a 'hair towel' (the ones I use to color which are already stained from previous use) anywhere. I can't find hair color! When I do, it's not the correct color, but I decide I'll use it anyway. Then I have to set up my bathroom for coloring. Remove the rugs so they won't get stained, prepare the counter and so on. Finally as I hear Marilyn get home (!!!), I'm finally ready to start putting on the color!

I did my hair and Marilyn waited. Then she dried it for me. She's so patient with me.

Anyway, it turned out great! But it seems too long to both of us, so I need a haircut. I'll phone Kathy tomorrow...

My Gabapentin prescription is fixed -- did I mention that? It had been screwed up by 30 pills (too few), but is now good. Riteaid sent me a text to say it was 'too soon' to fill it. Um, duh, Riteaid! The new prescription wasn't a refill -- it was a total change in the amount of pills! Oh well.

No word from the damn electrician. June and I decided he must not need the work. Now I need to contact a different company. I want to go back in my blog and figure out why we changed from the old company. Maybe I'll just use them again, anyway...

I still didn't phone the vet. I need an appointment for Henry. I'm out of his pills and they won't give us more until he goes in (it's by law -- they have no choice).

I guess we'll head to bed soon...

Marilyn continues to read about encephalitis. She's been suggesting I have some times I 'rest' my brain. She was especially concerned after seeing the psychedelic movie yesterday, though I didn't feel any ill effects while there.

Anyway, today was my brain rest day. No television. Low lights. I didn't use my iPad all day long. No reading. I took it easy and also napped a bit.

I've been having trouble sleeping for the constant pain recently, so the rest was nice.

Marilyn got home around 7:30 -- she had a long day with no break. Some stressful meetings. Even had a work-related call on the way home (they never leave her alone!).

She had a rough, rough night. Barely slept. Came home exhausted.

But we had to go shopping -- ugh.

We went to two stores. Tons of shopping. I don't know how she does it. I sincerely don't.

I walk so bad these days. The shingles have me messed up -- but they'll never make me give up. I was really pushing to walk normal while shopping. And to lift and carry and so on.

Then some food -- we were both starving. Poor Marilyn never can eat. Sick all the time.

I got the damn piles of composting done -- what a nasty mess.

By the way, watermelon is DISGUSTING when it goes bad. I've dealt with it now twice recently, and I think I'm off it for now. Hahaha. There were old beans and some Chinese food from a deli and some bad cheese and just yuck. But I got rid of it all...

Cat boxes are clean. Recycling is out. Garbage is done. And I got through another week!!!

Now I've taken more pain meds and it's time for bed!

Tomorrow I'll try and see June (I have some clothes for her).

I did phone my clinic about my referral for the neurologist, but guess what? I didn't hear back. Surprise!!! Hahaha! Oh well.

Sweet dreams, friends.

I managed to talk to Donn about work for some time, in spite of not really feeling up to it. He doesn't seem to get 'I don't feel well and can't talk about that now,' so whatever...

Still feeling lousy. Still have stomach pain. Oh well.

I chatted with sister Sue a couple of times. She's excited about her upcoming cribbage trip (after Thanksgiving at the Mill). And briefly to my friend June.

And though I took it easy most of the day, I also managed to cook dinner.

Right now I need to go outside for the recycling and composting. Ugh. It's pouring down rain out there and VERY COLD. But that's how it is.

And to clean the cat boxes.

Then we're heading right to bed!

We have a very early morning tomorrow -- Toy Drive day!!!

Good night! Stay warm and sleep well.

Marilyn went back to WORK today. I didn't get up until she phoned me at 9:30, if you can believe that!!!

Thankfully her cough didn't seem that bad tonight. She's amazing.

As for me, I did get the garbage in the house taken out today. And some stale crackers for the crows.

I spent a lot of time on the phone. With my friend June, sister Sue (several calls), the furnace people and on and on.

I had a long chat with the office for our furnace company. And later with Rich, the repair guy. Sue ended up with the furnace OFF and not knowing what to do! But later in the day Candy texted me and all was well. She and Sue were fighting, though, and Sue was crying. I tried hard to comfort her. It's been hard lately, poor thing.

After a lot of messing about, I finally got videos from our Auction to Marilyn. Airdrop is NOT all that easy to use, regardless of what you may have heard (or read).

While things were going along, I did see two episodes of "Monk" I had never seen before -- and enjoyed both! I really like that show a lot. It speaks to me somehow and is another one of those 'comfort' TV shows that always makes me feel good.

Saturday we leave at noon for Seattle and the event Saturday night. It's a three-hour drive. We're supposed to have TERRIBLE weather all day long! Tons of pouring rain and high winds. Great. We're NOT looking forward to those driving conditions in the least...

The event begins at 5:30 and runs into the night. We'll see how we both feel as to how long we stay. We have a room at the Econo Lodge where we can get ready and sleep afterwards.

We have to be up very early to make it to our FUNERAL on Sunday, back in Portland!!!

Gowns for tomorrow's event. Uniforms for Sunday. That's a bitch-load of clothes to have to drag along. (sigh)

I guess we should head to bed soon.

Marilyn didn't get home until past 8:00 p.m. No surprise after she was out all week. She's always and forever swamped with work. She didn't have a single break all day long and not a bite of food until she got home.

Speaking of food, I weighed today and my weight was DOWN! I think I might have lost five pounds this week, believe it or not. Wow.

My blood sugar was 104 this morning. And after breakfast it was 130. Around 4:30 p.m. I had a low of 79 and was so wimpy and shaking. Awful. I guess I needed lunch. I haven't been eating lunch that much during the week -- and I wasn't hungry, so...

I brought it back with a burrito and a very small cookie -- no candy or huge amounts of sugary food, anyway! (The cookie was a tiny oatmeal cookie with very little sugar.)

So far I haven't used the second insulin Leslie gave me. At first I didn't have syringes -- which I just got today, by the way. Now I haven't been HIGH ENOUGH to use it! That's a good thing.

I hope I have a white blouse for Sunday (for my uniform). I wish I knew what I was wearing. I guess I can repeat the gown from the Rosarian ball and the Auction (the third time is the charm?). Oh well. I might have gotten another dress if we hadn't been sick and unable to get out. Who cares?

At least my manicure is lovely!!! (smile)

Sweet dreams! And good weather to all! And stay healthy, if you can! (I clearly won't be dancing tomorrow night! Hahaha.)

Byram HealthCare and Pacific Medical Group (my clinic) -- recent issues resolved. I guess insurance is just REALLY SLOW to pay. Well, a bill from a year ago last June (2016)? Yeah, that's a damn slow pay!

Started my day dealing with that. Then phoned sister Sue.

I had a long chat with my friend June.

I spent ages locating the jewels/gems I keep for craft projects. I used to do these a lot, many years back. But I still keep quite a collection.

Marilyn and I had to go out and find a different witch hat. We got a nice one! And she found shoes she might wear...

Spent time working on her crown...

We were at the office until 9:30 p.m.

Dinner was frozen burritos.

My blood sugar was good today.

Took out the recycling and garbage.

Can you tell how tired I am? This is pretty dull.

We're EXCITED about our costumes and the Auction.

Well, there's more. It will keep. Tomorrow is the big day. I need sleep right now.

Happy dreams!

Marilyn and I were late waking up! So Marilyn didn't get her shower before we headed out... She dropped me at Kathy's and I got my hair cut. And caught Kathy up on things with Sue and so on. (And met Penny, her next client.) The second she put my layers back in I got totally curly all over. Hahaha. I never need a permanent.

Marilyn was parked around the corner and we went to get Starbucks and decided to take a drive. We ended up back on Sauvie Island. Marilyn had suggested getting more red tomatoes, so we wanted to go to The Pumpkin Patch were we got the green tomatoes. We had walked around the animal barn, but not really checked out the 'grocery' area where all the produce for sale was.

We also went to the gift shop, which is VERY NICE! The buyers have picked a lot of wonderful items and Marilyn and I both bought several things. (Interesting aside: We each got a small gift for Wanda, thinking about yesterday...)

We bought a tiny pie, red tomatoes, zucchini, more plums, and two small pumpkins.

We got home and I called Sue about the tennis which was starting at 1:00. June called me, looking for sister Sue's number so she could phone her. And I talked to June briefly a bit later.

The situation with the wildfires? Grim. Things are expected to get worse. The ash is everywhere. I'm sneezing all the time...

We're praying for our many friends who live that way. And the nature that's being destroyed. And the situation in Florida is AWFUL!!! Worse by the minute. (sigh)

Rafa Nadal and Anderson both won today. They will meet in the Finals on Sunday.

I bought a wonderful little 'Rosary box' at The Pumpkin Patch gift shop. I found a small red bead rosary that was broken and fixed it -- it fits inside perfectly! How nice for beside my bed...

We had taken green tomatoes to Sue yesterday. She was talking about cooking them today. I'm not sure about that, as she rarely EVER cooks, except to use the microwave or heat up soup on the stove...

Tomorrow is the Ball. It starts at 5:00 (!!!). And runs to 10:30. Are you KIDDING me???!!! Five and a half hours long? Well, Marilyn and I will probably go for the dinner and not stay. (It makes me tired just thinking about it.) At least I got my hair cut before it. (I should color, but if I don't, I don't...)

We ordered chicken from Domino's. We really like the white chicken bites with jalapenos and pineapple. And it's incredible how fast you can get a couple of orders delivered!

Yesterday I was looking back for some information in my blog. I was so wishing that I'd kept it up better in past years. Sometimes I would barely write for weeks on end... I have few regrets, but I wish I had forced myself to blog more frequently!

Well, off to bed. Tomorrow will be a big day. Sleep well and stay safe, everyone.

First, a quick memory moment... Today is Dorothy's birthday -- the mother of my best friend, June. Dorothy left us in 2004, but I know we'll see her again one day. She was such a sweet lady.


I always think about Dorothy (and June) on this day... Marilyn did, too.

Marilyn and I went to the Cambia Portland Open today. IT WAS ANOTHER VERY HOT DAY. We were both dressed in shorts, needless to say.

It was our first-ever golf tournament (attending as spectators, to be specific). We got great parking, due to Marilyn's volunteer involvement yesterday (she knew exactly where to go!). So we didn't have far to walk from the car.

But if you've never attended a golf tournament, it's a ton of walking around, even as a spectator. I wish I'd taken more photos, but I wasn't sure if it was okay or not (cameras were not allowed).

We were actually following the leaders for some time, totally by accident! Stacy Lewis won the tournament, and gave her purse to Houston! What a wonderful thing to do.

We came home and watched more US Open tennis (we missed most of Maria Sharapova's match -- she lost, unfortunately). We saw Venus and Petra win, though!

It was a very hot day again. And Marilyn was still suffering from yesterday, which was very hard on her. It was great to get home, that's for sure...

So we took it easy after getting home. Just watching TV. Tennis and Mod Squad and so on.

We were doing the quiz at the History Channel website for ages. Usually we'd get 8 out of 10 right. A few times we did as poorly as 6 out of 10. And sometimes we'd get them all correct! But all in all we did pretty well.

We had delivery pizza for dinner -- with some very good chicken, believe it or not! In fact, we might just order the chicken in the future, we enjoyed it so much. (And we very rarely ever eat pizza.) But this was a treat, celebrating being on vacation.

We're not planning to do anything tomorrow except take it easy. I think that's a great idea.

Well, I think that covers today.

Sleep well, friends.

Marilyn got her hair done today but Summer, her hairdresser. While she was gone, I chatted with sister Sue, and my friend June -- and shared about my experience with my nurse practitioner yesterday. I had hoped that the further I got away from it, the better I would feel, but that hasn't proved true. I'm even more angry.

The last time I was there I was asking her about going back to running. Yet she perceives me as 'inactive'? Neither Marilyn nor I can understand that. She should see the muscles and cuts in both of my legs. And look at my biceps. My stomache is fat, yes. But parts of my body are not. I'm just saying. My recent steps:
Sunday: 3,328
Monday: 6,346
Tuesday: 1,325
Wednesday: 5,140
Thursday: 6,023
Friday: 5,764
Today: 3,688
Seven day (after midnight): 28,339
And I've been fighting some bug all week. No, it's not 10,000 steps a day -- and a lot of people think it should be, if you're actually to be considered 'active.' My personal goal has been 4,000 steps a day -- and great if I get more. The math? 4,000 times seven is 28,000 (if you average it out). Oh well.

Moving on, as once I shared with Sue and June and I had better things to think about.

When Marilyn got home, we decided to go shopping, and headed to the Lloyd Center. Marilyn found a lovely new purse, a cute polka dot dress and some under garments she really needed. I got a few items, including a key chain charger for cell phones that appears to be very cool. (I keep remembering when both Marilyn and I had our phones die at the U.S. Open in NYC. It turns out I got it for a great price, too. (It looks like a furry ball key chain.)

We stopped for Starbucks, then came home. We were both REALLY TIRED after last week. Marilyn was also feeling crummy: she had a stomach ache and headache. But mainly she was so tired...

We decided to take it EASY for the rest of the day.

And that's exactly what we did.

I did clean the cat boxes. And discovered someone stole the plastic crate I keep by the garage. I use it to hold the bag of kitty litter until it goes out in the trash. The stink means I can't keep it inside the garage. If I don't cover the bag, animals tear it open (I don't know why). WHY would someone steal that? I assume it's some homeless person in the neighborhood. I hunted up a clothes basket and used that, but I suppose someone will steal that, too...

We watched the usual shows on METV -- in between napping and fooling with our iPads.

At one point we both moved the contents of our purses into the new purses. That was fun! We're both pleased with how they're working out. How things fit and the pockets and so on.

Tomorrow we have a long memorial to attend for Ron (who recently passed). It's going to be hard. Marilyn was so close to him. I remember how he used to come to my old workplace years and years ago -- and always walked over to chat with me so warmly. (It drove the other woman in my department crazy, as she had a big crush on him. Hahaha.) Marilyn might speak -- Mark wants her to (our former President Mark, that is).

Got a text from Adeena today. She was at the coast and drove by our beach house and saw the huge rose on the porch. Her friends were there to get engaged, and she was taking photos for them.

Time for bed.

I look forward to actually carrying my new purse. It's really lovely. And Marilyn's is gorgeous -- a deep red. Perfect for autumn.

I hope all of you are doing well. I hope you never need to deal with ageism in the future. Nor need to face the unpleasantness of rude/thoughtless medical providers. SWEET dreams!

I bought myself a present today (smile): a Starbucks cup (officially 'drinkware'). It's copper on top and black on the bottom. THIS is it. That photo doesn't do it justice -- it's really lovely to look at! And I immediately had an iced Cascara Latte (with whole milk -- not coconut milk!). Yummy. That cup kept it COLD for hours! Also, mine was on sale for $22. (grin)

Marilyn had a very early morning meeting -- the start of her far more than a 12-hour day (YET AGAIN). That woman works SO DAMN HARD all year round. It's ridiculous how many hours she puts in during the summer!

Anyway, I rode in with her then went to our usual Starbucks near the office. Then on to the courthouse for my second day of jury duty.

Lucy joined me and we sat chatting for some time. We'd been told first thing there were THREE trials taking place that would near juries. Meanwhile we enjoyed talking.

At 10:00 they told us all three cases had settled and they released us -- our jury duty over for this time around. That was an early day!

I walked on down to the office and shortly after that Marilyn drove me home again (as she did yesterday). So nice of her!

My blood count today is SKY HIGH for whatever reason. I seem to be fighting a bug, but I just don't know. It's so annoying.

I was going to nap, but ended up chatting with June. Then we two went over to the Dollartree at the Lloyd Center and shopped for a bit. I got MANY styli there. I've bought them all over the place at varying prices, but these are genuinely the best! And when you wear one out you don't feel bad at only a dollar. Hahaha.

I had called in Henry's medication (his pills and the ointment for his eye). While we were there, I got a text these were ready. June was kind enough to take me by to get them...

Marilyn didn't get home until around 9:00 -- after going to work at 7:00! I don't know how she does it. She so strong willed.

We have ONE MORE really long day to go. And a bunch of stuff to get done this weekend, too, I'm afraid. More about that later on...

She has her labs (blood work and urine sample) in the morning, early. Then she takes sister Sue for her brain scan. Late in the day she'll take me to my doctor appointment with Leslie. I wonder what my labs will show???

I'm tired. I guess it's time for bed!

I did get the recycling done and out and the garbage out to the can in the garage, too. But I still need to do that cat boxes. But it's not 'real' garbage week, so I can do those tomorrow...

I hope Lucy keeps in touch via Facebook as she promised. I really like her!!!

Sweet dreams.