2024 Life Logs, Day 235: Fantastic Whale Watch
Date: Thursday, August 22, 2024
Weather: Beautiful Day; High Temp 70, Low 59 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview, Falmouth, MA
Perfect day. Fantastic whale watch with the Goldstones. So many whales frolicking in the water. Couldn’t have been better.
2024 Life Logs, Day 234: Still Juggling
Date: Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Weather: Sunny, Cool; High Temp 69, Low 56 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview, Falmouth, MA
I spent the day at Heather and Jed’s, just being the adult on the premises so kids could be kids. I was there “just in case”. Ollie had his friend Simon over to play. Just after noon, Sam went to work at Corner Cycle and Jonah got home from soccer practice. All I needed to do was make sure everybody ate lunch. So, I had a lot of time to get some Encore work done and just relax. Or so I thought I would get to relax. But just as I got to the relax part, I got a call from Autumn Care. The head nurse was informing me that based on the doctor’s decision yesterday that my sister cannot put weight on that right leg for another four weeks her Medicare Advantage will probably not pay for four more weeks of rehab. I’ve known this was a possibility, but I didn’t think it would happen this soon and that we would only get a 48-hour notice. I suddenly got the wake up call that I need to know way more about my sister’s Medicare Advantage plan and how to appeal a decision if I don’t agree. I drove home quickly to get my computer so I could look up her plan online. But just as I was starting to do the research, I got another call from Autumn care. This time they informed that my sister had been exposed to Covid last night from one of the aides. She tested negative and they will continue testing every other day until she is clear. But this meant I needed to start letting people know. I had to contact Home Helpers who sends the companions to be with Patsy on a daily basis, and I needed to let Brian and Tommy know as they drop in to see her often each week. I was too late as Brian had just left after being with Patsy for a couple of hours and Tommy arrived about the time I sent the text and didn’t see it until he left. Then it was time to take Ollie to his horseback riding lesson. Once we got there, I spent more time contacting people. And before I knew it, Ollie was riding by at the end of his lesson.
I have spent the evening watching the third night of the Democratic National Convention while familiarizing myself with the 291 page Evidence of Coverage booklet published by Blue Cross-Blue Shield of North Carolina for its Medicare Advantage members. Forty-one of those pages make up a Medical Benefits Chart that I need to memorize. And of the ten chapters in this booklet, one whole chapter answers questions like “What do you do if you have a problem or complaint with a coverage decision?” I need to commit those answers to memory as well so that when the time comes, I can be ready to go to bat for my sister.
But for the rest of the night, I am going to relax and watch the remainder of tonight’s speeches at the Democratic National Convention. And then tomorrow afternoon, all of the Goldstones and I are going on a whale watch. So, no juggling tomorrow. Just having fun.
2024 Life Logs, Day 233: Juggling Day Ends with a Supermoon Blue Moon
Date: Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Weather: Partly Cloudy, Cool; High Temp 72, Low 55 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview, Falmouth, MA
The Supermoon Blue Moon was fully illuminated yesterday, but just now as I walked by the sliders in my living room, my breath was taken away with its beauty. And how about that celebratory roll call at the DNC tonight? A well-known California DJ put together a playlist with a different song for every state. It was fabulous. But now to the juggling part of the day.
I got up and contacted Autumn Care where my sister is in rehab. She had a post-surgery follow-up appointment with her orthopedic surgeon, and I wanted to make sure things were still on track as there was an appointment yesterday that didn’t happen because the rehab failed to get her there. But this morning I was promised that they had that under control for today. Now I could change focus, so I thought. Shadow and I walked to the Goldstones to pick up my car and while there I checked in with Ollie. I was only there for a short time and then on to something else. Jed was working at home today, so at least Ollie wasn’t alone when I left. I then went to Coffee O to visit with Dena Brodie from my book group. After a lovely hour and a half visit, but the whole time was I texting back and forth between one of Patsy’s hired companions who was overseeing the installation of new cable tv in her assisted living apartment and tracking down some packages that have been sent there in Patsy’s absence. Then I was back to be with Ollie. We had planned to go to Hyannis to buy something called a third hand for his soldering projects, but he decided he would rather do some blacksmithing today. The boys have a portable forge run on propane that they can wheel into the driveway to work. While he did that, I finished hemming his shorts for school. We had lunch and sometime after that I heard from the companion of my sister who was now getting her ready for her afternoon doctor’s appointment. Again, I was texting back and forth and finally they got to the appointment. I thought I could relax. But I got a text saying that the rehab had not sent Patsy’s medical information with her to her appointment with the doctor. He was her surgeon, but this was the first office visit and without the medical information, they might not be able to continue with the appointment. I was asked to fill in the missing information. First, they wanted a copy of the Healthcare POA. I have that scanned into my computer, so I ran home to send it to the doctor’s office. But then they needed her medical health history, then they needed her prescription list. What is allergic to? For an hour, I was scanning documents into my computer and emailing them to the doctor’s office. Then back to check on Ollie. Then finally back home for the evening. Whew! All day long I felt like I was juggling balls in the air and was not quite But able to keep them all aloft.
But now I am ready to watch Doug Emhoff, Michelle Obama, and Barack Obama speak. That will be my happy place for today.
2024 Life Logs, Day 232: Looking Ahead to the Start of School
Date: Monday, August 19, 2024
Weather: Rain Until Late Afternoon; High Temp 74, Low 65 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview, Falmouth, MA
Yes, it is that time of year. The first day of school is only a couple of weeks from now, so today Ollie and I worked on getting ready. Sam and Jonah will be returning to high school, Sam as a senior. How did that happen? I find myself tearing up every time I think about it. But they are independent young men now and don’t need Oma’s help getting ready for school. Ollie, on the other hand, is moving from elementary school to middle school where things are done differently than in his past seven years. The middle school here has a dress code. Students cannot wear clothing that has any logo showing. So, today’s job was to go through the bins of clothing that Sam and Jonah have outgrown and pull out the pants and shirts that are Lawrence Middle School ‘approved’. We had to order a few shirts to supplement and hem some shorts that were a little too long. I need to finish the hemming tomorrow and that should get Ollie in good shape clothes wise.
Right now, I am watching the Democratic Convention while writing this. It is much more interesting than my day, so I will close and give the freedom convention my full attention. I can feel the energy right through the television.
2024 Life Logs, Day 231: Falmouth Road Race Day
Date: Sunday, August 18, 2024
Weather: A Little Rain Early, Overcast; High Temp 73, Low 66 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview, Falmouth, MA
By the time Shadow and I got to Lawrence Middle School this morning, the runners who gathered there very early had all been transported to Woods Hole and trucks were bringing back the porta potties from the other gathering places. And it was only 8:30. But by that time, the wheel-chair division of the race was starting in Woods Hole. Just after 10 am, I ventured out in my car to see how close to the Falmouth Heights Road section of the race I could get a parking spot. Cars were parked everywhere, but I was able to get close enough to walk a short distance to watch the runners for a bit. I will have to plan better next year. It is really not much fun to go by yourself so when hordes of people started walking back to town from the finish line, I high tailed it home. Heather, Jed, and Ollie rode their bikes to Falmouth Heights Beach and their volunteer work didn’t end until after noon. Riding their bikes home was a bit crazy. When there are more than 12,000 runners and thousands of spectators, I guess you have to expect it to be a bit crazy. But now that the Road Race is over and the tourist season is coming to a close, the traffic in town on a normal day be back to Falmouth normal.
I got another invite from Heather to come to dinner tonight. Sam was home tonight, so it was great to have the whole family together.
