June 13 through 18

[chochiyo_sama]

Monday, June 13

I had early morning appointments with Dr. Vita and the “diabetes educator.”  It was sprinkling when we left Ellendale, and when we a little over half way to Owatonna, it was raining and storming like crazy.  It was raining so hard that it was difficult to see out of the windshield.  Because of the way the medication gives me frequent, urgent, explosive diarrhea, I did not take my pills.  As a result, my blood pressure was really high.  The top number was over 200 and the bottom one was over 100. 

I explained about the diarrhea and also the fact that I hate going to the clinic and dealing with the medical people with every fiber of my being, so a high blood pressure reading was really nothing to lose your shit about.  She changed one of my blood pressure pills to a different amount and frequency.  It is more but only one a day.

She gave me a prescription to get a blood pressure monitor and told me to take it daily and make an appointment to see her in a week after taking it every day. 

I went to the diabetes educator next.  She didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know, but she gave me a new diabetes record book and told me to make an appointment to see her in three weeks.  This is why I hate going to the clinic.  Once they have their hooks in you they want you running to see them constantly.  I am not interested in that.  I want to see them as little as possible.

I wanted to get the damned blood pressure monitor right in the hospital which is attached to the clinic.  But Lily was tired and wanted to get home.  We did stop at the eye clinic where I picked up my new glasses and sunglasses.  From there we went to Subway where Lily was unable to figure out how to use the stupid outdoor ordering thing—despite the fact that I was telling her exactly what she needed to do.  I said just pull up to the window and TELL them the order and that you couldn’t get the ordering thing to work, but she blew right past it and parked on the other side and just went in.  She was unable to listen to me and remember what I wanted, so I said I would just get something from Taco Johns where they have a human to take the order instead of a machine.  I did ask her to get me a bottle of Diet Coke, but she could not even remember to do that.  There is no way she could have kept the specifics of my sandwich order.  She just tells them to put everything on her sub, and I only want a little mayo and tomatoes on my sandwich.  That’s it. 

So, we went on to Taco Johns where I got a beef burrito with sour cream.  It was gross.  The hamburger was dry and hard, as if it had burnt to the bottom of the pan and then was scraped off.  There was hardly any sour cream on it.  It was very disappointing.  I didn’t say anything to Lily about either issue.  I just wanted to go home.  I was tired and stressed.

I had a quiet afternoon and worked on catching up with my DW entries.

 

Tuesday, June 14

I got up early enough to clean the litterboxes, sweep the breezeway, and wash a large sinkful of dirty dishes before the physical therapy guy came to disenroll me from the program.  He took my  blood pressure which was 144/90—still high, but no where near as high as it was yesterday.  He gave me some advice for stuff to do on my own.

I didn’t do much after he left.

 

Wednesday, June 15

A sweet thunderstorm swept through during the night and it rained pretty hard during the day.  Hope and I exchanged texts, and she will be coming to clean tomorrow.  I am glad she has fully recovered from her bout of covid.  She did not suffer too much—said it was basically just a cold.

I spent the afternoon watching random TV shows. I watched Gleaming the Cube which I remember watching back in the day when I rented a VCR along with the VHS movies.  I did not remember any of the plot at all, but it turned out to be a pretty good show.  Christian Slater played an underachieving skateboarder jealous of the attention his parents lavished on his near perfect, high achieving adopted Vietnamese brother.  When Vinh is accidentally murdered, and is assumed he committed suicide, Brian sets off to find the truth.

A very young Tony Hawk plays a friend of Brian’s, and some pretty amazing skateboarding stunts are peppered throughout the movie.

 

Thursday, June 16

I got up at 7 am so I could strip my bed and wash and dry my bedding.  Before Hope  got here around 11 am, I also washed my bathroom rug and sorted and started washing my regular laundry, cleaned the laundry room litterbox, swept up the scattered litter, bagged up all the garbage and recycling and dragged it to the breezeway, cleaned all the old, nasty food out of the refrigerator, dragged the now insanely heavy kitchen garbage can to the doorway, put away the clean dishes, washed the dirty dishes, and wiped down the counters.

When I cleaned out the fridge, I saw that the milk was out dated.  I had not even OPENED that milk.  Sigh.  I buy healthy stuff and then I don’t use it.  Anyhow, when I took it out of the fridge to dump it, I saw something small and black swirling in it.  This thing was still factory sealed.  Guess what was sealed in with the milk.  You’ll NEVER guess.  It was a drowned lady bug/Asian beetle.  Ugh.  Now I am so glad I never drank any of that milk polluted with the essence of Asian Beetle.  Gross!

I was exhausted by the time I finished all of that.  The kitchen garbage was so heavy, I did not think Hope could lift it into the garbage bin.  So I called Jack to see if he would come and take it out and drag the bin to the curb.  He said he would.

When Hope came, she was carrying a Fed Ex box which contained the new prescription from my doctor and two big bags from Woman Within.  Those idiots sent me a double order again—just like last time.  So, I will get two of everything for the price of one again.  Now I will have 40 pairs of new underwear.  LOL. She made my bed, swept and scrubbed all the floors, took out all the garbage (including the ungodly heavy kitchen garbage), broke down and took out some cardboard boxes, vacuumed the area rugs, carried some stuff to the basement, and cleaned and organized the whole office.  Before she started the office, I told her to keep an eye out for Lucas’s box of incense which he, Mom, and Kim accused me of destroying or disposing of when he could not find it when they moved out.  Not ten minutes later, she brought me a medium sized plastic tote filled with incense.  I squealed with excitement when I saw it as it has driven me crazy what could have happened to that thing.  I KNEW I never saw it or touched it.

I immediately called Mom and told her that Hope had found it.  It was apparently under the desk, shoved way back in there.  I am SURE Mom, Kim, and Lucas will be falling all over themselves to apologize to me for falsely accusing me of stealing or destroying or disposing of it.  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.  Yeah, right!  Like THAT would EVER happen.

When she finished the office, she asked if there was anything else.  She had only worked for four hours and usually she works for five.  So I told her if she wanted to, she could scrub out the inside of the refrigerator and the microwave.  She did that and also cleaned the stovetop, exterior of the fridge, and the kitchen sink.  My whole house looked so clean and shiny—well, except for the laundry/craft/sewing room.  That thing is a lost cause!

I actually paid her extra as she had done such an amazing job.  I also gave her one of the bulbs from the recessed lighting in the living room/hallway/breezeway as three of them are burned out and one is flickering.  I gave her extra money and asked if she would pick my up as many as that would cover before the next time she came since I will need more of them eventually. 

I also gave her two “beach bags” that I got free with my Woman Within order.  Her two older kids were at the pool, so they will love having their two new bags to carry their towels and stuff in.  I had several pizzas in my freezer that I had bought from kids’ fundraisers.  I just don’t like frozen pizzas, so I sent them home with Hope for her kids too.  Eventually, they would have got freezer burned and been thrown away if I didn’t give them away. 

While Hope was cleaning, I called in my grocery order.  I did not need much, but I did get a few things.  I am trying to do better with healthy eating. 

After Hope left, I called Tammy to tell her about the discovery of the incense, and Mom had already called her and told her and made the stupid comment, “We all thought she destroyed them or tossed them.”  Tammy struck back saying, “Why would she do that?  She is NOT a vindictive person.”

I don’t understand why my own mother thinks so poorly of me.  I have never been a person to destroy other people’s stuff just because I am unhappy with them.  KIM, on the other hand, has been pulling that shit since she was a child.

I am trying not to let this wreck my good mood over my lovely clean house.  But it is hard.

 

Friday, June 17

I slept in till about 10:30 am.  I started the day with a much needed and refreshing shower.  It made me feel so good to be clean!  Jack came over in the morning and put the battery charger on my car.  Yes, the battery was totally dead again.  He also dragged the very heavy garbage bin to the curb.  Hope had taken the recycling to the curb.  It goes on Tuesday, so it will sit there a while.

Lily called and told me she was in Walmart and asked if I needed anything.  So, I had her pick up a few things for me.  Fish oil pills, two bottles of Arthritis strength Tylenol, a bottle of Centrum multi-vitamins, a tube of Neosporin, graduation cards for Cora, Caleb, Tyrone, and Gracie, and a loaf of Italian bread.  Hope had brought me the plastic spoons I needed for feeding the cats soft food yesterday.  She picked them up from the dollar store on her way to my house.  Lily also brought me the last of the bread pudding she had made for her Wednesday supper club.  I like bread pudding.

I cleaned the breezeway litterboxes before Ross delivered the groceries.  He came while Lily was here giving me the stuff she brought to me.  I got all my groceries put away.  Lily has not had me get stuff for her from Schwan’s or Amazon or Chewy lately, but she has picked up quite a bit of stuff for me, so I owed her quite a bit.  Today I wrote her out a check so I could make us even again.  She was worried as it was over a hundred dollars, but I told her I have plenty of money to pay my bills and NOT to worry about it. 

Tammy came down today to take Mom to get her hair cut and take her to lunch and to help Jack and Kari clean and decorate the gun club for Cora’s graduation party.  That place is open to the public to rent for events.  It is really a nice place to host a party—one big room with a “bar” for setting up a buffet, picnic tables outside and a large lot for kids to run around and play in if there are any kids.  The gun range is closed when an event is scheduled so there is no random gun fire.  They love to have Kari and Jack rent the place since they give it a very thorough cleaning both before and after their event.  They clean EVERYTHING, including the toilets both before and after. 

Tammy stopped at my house on their way back to Mom’s where she intended to stay the night.  Bert was too paranoid about Cora testing positive for Covid earlier in the week, so he did not come.  The doctor had said that the party would be more than five days after her positive test, so that she could go to her own party as long as she felt good and wore a mask.  Happily, it turned out that the test Cora took today was negative.  She plans to wear a mask tomorrow anyhow, just to keep all her elderly family members safe.

Jack and Kari also stopped in so Jack could take the battery charger off my car.  It started up, and I considered taking it for a drive to be sure it was well charged, but I was too tired.  I settled in after everyone was gone and just rested.  I was shocked to see my aunt coming up the ramp at about 6 pm.  She had been at the cemetery watering the plants, and when she got home she could not find her phone.  She asked if I would call her phone so she could hear it if she was in her car. 

I did, but the phone was not there.  Lily was very upset as she thought she may have set it down on her parents’ gravestone while she was watering the plants.  So, I called Mom and Tammy to see if they wanted to come along and help look for the phone, since I would just be going along for moral support as I am not able to walk through the cemetery. 

The drive around the cemetery had been freshly tarred, so we would have had to walk a long way.  And walking just isn’t my best attribute.  Tammy said they would drive separately since my car might cut out and then we’d all be trapped there. 

It took me a while to put on my shoes and bra and get myself into the car to drive Lily to the cemetery.  She was absolutely exhausted and looked ready to drop.  By the time we were halfway to Geneva to the cemetery, Tammy called and said that they had the phone.  It was on my grandparents’ stone.  However, Lily insisted on walking that long drive to finish watering her son’s and my dad’s flowers so they would not die.  Tammy helped her. 

When that was done, Mom and Tammy went home, and Lily and I went to DQ in Blooming Prairie where we got hamburgers and malts for our supper.  I was totally tired and burnt out and so was poor Lily.  Needless to say, I collapsed into my bed as soon as I could.

That’s about it for today. 

 

Saturday, June 18

I was able to get up early enough to fill my pill caddy, call in a couple of prescriptions, and wash a load of clothes before picking up Mom and Lily for the graduation party.  We got there by 11:30 so I could a good parking space close to the door.  It was a nice party—Cora chose all of the menu items:  macaroni and cheese, meat balls in gravy, frosted brownies, scotcheroos, fresh strawberries, grapes, and watermelon, coffee and peach iced tea.  The frosted brownies were way too sweet for me, but everything else was good. 

Kim came to the party with her friend Jean, but she walked past my table to the farthest table from it and Mom got up and went and sat with her.  Lily sat with me, and her friends Doug and Julie sat with us as did Andy Lerberg who is universally known as the nicest man in Ellendale.  When Andy left, Dale Bishman (a life-long friend of my Dad) and a friend of his whom he called “Uncle Sam” as apparently he dresses up like Uncle Sam for all the parades in the local area.  Dale and my Dad had been in each other’s weddings and had been friends all through high school.  His kids and our family’s kids were almost all the same ages.  Dale occasionally got up and wandered around to talk to other guests, but he always came back to sit by me and tell me how much like my dad I am—by which he meant that I am smart, funny, loyal, and kind.  It must have really pissed my mother off to hear all those compliments to me.  Haha.  Kim left very quickly.  I didn’t even see her go.  Tammy had brought the incense to the party and passed it off to Kim.  She never acknowledged it at all.  She did say hi to me when she passed the table, but that’s it.

We left the party at about 2:30 pm.  I was really stiff from sitting on a hard chair for all that time and could barely hobble out to the car.  I had a horrible time getting my foot up into my car as it is a high bodied car.  When we got back to Ellendale, we picked up Lily’s gas cans and Mom’s gas cans for their lawn mowers.  Erik was in the driveway when we got to Mom’s and I asked if he would ride along so that he could help them fill their cans as I didn’t know if I could get back into the car.  Unlike Kim’s lazy spawn, Erik was happy to help.  My gas was down to 1/8^th of a tank, so I had him fill my tank too. 

Erik even rode along to Lily’s to carry her gas cans to the shed.  When I took Mom home, she just hopped out of the car and scampered into the house without a good bye or a thank you.  I cannot think of any reason she would be pissed at me, but obviously she is.     

Comments

[the_godiva]

I've got white coat syndrome too. Or at least I've developed it over the years. I have to take my blood pressure at home too, only I had to buy my own machine.

Everyone thinks your life revolves around them. It's like in school when the teacher gives you a to of homework every day assuming they are the only ones. I'll take the pills and try to keep up with the blood pressure monitor but my life isn't going to revolve around them. When we were having the discussion about the cholesterol the doctor asked me what if I have a heart attack. (There isn't any proof that statins prevent heart attacks.) I said "Then I'll die." And he looked at me funny. I explained my position and he eventually found me one that seems to work and doesn't have the side effects so I'm taking it. But if it ceases to work or a side effect arises, then I'll stop taking it. We are still at odds over the colonoscopy.

After 60 years my Mother still can't remember that I do not like my pie or cake a lá mode. I am reminded of FuckingShitForBrains who, even with a shopping list, had to go back to the store twice and still forgot on item.

Lily really needs to seriously consider that senior living center. Any progress on that?

I remember Gleaming the Cube now that you described it. It was an OK movie. Good for its time.

So, you cleaned the house before the cleaning lady came. Just like my Mother.

How long is it between the times you drive? If the battery is going dead every few days you need it replaced. If it was sitting for a while but keeps the charge now, then you just need to drive it a bit more often and on the freeway.

Your Mother is pissed because once again you proved you were right (about the incense) and she was wrong. She'll get over it as soon as she dredges up some other slight to berate you about. Because, as you know, you can never win.