2023 Life Logs, Day 274: Happy Birthday to Heather
Date: Saturday, September 30, 2023
Weather: Overcast, Rainy Day Again; High 65, Low 61 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

Happy Birthday, Heather, my firstborn. One of my favorite photos of her was taken in the summer of 1977 when she was carrying a huge zucchini that she picked in our Minnesota garden. She was taking her job very seriously. By the time she was two, Mark and I constantly marveled at how she seemed to be able to make more sensible decisions than we did. She was like a little adult. And now she IS an adult with two teenagers and one pre-teen. How did that happen? The forty-eight years have flown by. Heather, I hope you had a wonderful day.

Heather got a special present this morning when Ollie tested negative for Covid. I didn’t get to see her today as I am still isolating, making sure I get no more exposures to Covid, as my friend Lynne Kirwin is arriving tomorrow. Since I am still testing negative and haven’t been around other people for days, I don’t think she’ll get Covid from me. I can’t wait to have her here visiting for a few days.

2023 Life Logs, Day 273: Granola Day
Date: Friday, September 29, 2023
Weather: Overcast, Rainy Day; High 63, Low 60 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

Other than all of the other things that happen in a day in the life, today was granola day. I love making granola and today I made a huge batch for my daughter. Her birthday is tomorrow and my granola is one of my gifts to her. I also struggled with my back today. Yesterday I walked more than I have for weeks and maybe I was paying for that today. For whatever reason, the back pain was back. So, I backed off and walked only a quarter of a mile. Hopefully tomorrow things will be back where they were before I pushed too hard.

2023 Life Logs, Day 272: Taking Care of Business
Date: Thursday, September 28, 2023
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 63, Low 55 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

I devoted my day to taking care of business—took another Lego set to Ollie to help fill his Covid days, took car in for an oil change and tire rotation, went to the Farmer’s Market to buy veggies, spent an enormous amount of time on my computer dealing with fall scheduling, took time to have lunch outside in the sunshine, took the longest walk with Shadow that I have been able to do for weeks, spent time on the phone with doctors.. I’m sure there was more, but this was basically my day. I was thrilled that I could walk with Shadow for the first time in weeks and that is due to the arthritis medication I started taking over the weekend. The reason for calls to doctors was in an effort to get a prescription to continue this.

I am still testing negative for Covid. Ollie is really no better, but at least he is no worse. Tomorrow the clouds and rain return, so it will be a day working on the endless list of inside projects.

2023 Life Logs, Day 271: Dealing with Realities
Date: Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Weather: Mostly Sunny, Warmer; High 64, Low 52 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

Last week when I called my back pain management doctor, I was told the first appointment was November 6. I took it but asked to be put on the cancellation list. I got a call yesterday saying there was an appointment this morning, so I took it. But after meeting with the doctor, the reality is that the steroid injections don’t really help and that means I either take medication to keep the pain in control in the hope that things get better, or I have surgery. But today the doctor encouraged me to continue taking the medication that I started taking over the weekend and get my primary care to prescribe more. In desperation, I started taking a medication that my orthopedic doctor prescribed for knee pain after my knee replacement in 2019. I remembered that I still had a few pills and since taking this medication on Saturday, the pain has become totally manageable. It is not a forever solution, but the doctor today said that it buys some time to let the herniated disks heal. And sitting around because of severe pain is not going to help. I need to be active, out walking, and the arthritis medication I have allows that to happen. But back to the reality thing, the herniated disks might heal, but not the arthritis and other issues. At some point, I might have to have surgery, but I am not there yet.

The other reality that hit me hard today is that we all have to sit by helplessly while Ollie struggles with Covid. He is isolated in one part of the house and Heather said it is killing her to not be able to snuggle with him. I tried to think of a way to help and remembered that I had a Lego set Ollie and I had bought for a rainy summer day, but never used it. I took it over, left it on the porch, and then I went to Walmart to see if they had other sets that he might be able to build once he is feeling better. I sent a text to Heather asking her to share the text with Ollie to get his input on which sets he might be interested in. He called me earlier today to thank me for the first set and I could tell by talking to him just how bad he felt. He called again tonight to tell me which additional set he would like, and he said he felt a little better. I am hoping things turn around for him tomorrow, but he really felt so bad today he couldn’t even build with Legos. The worst thing about Covid is the isolation. It is bad enough for adults, but for an eleven-year-old, it seems almost cruel. But that is the reality of Covid.

2023 Life Logs, Day 270: Make Plans, Then Life Happens
Date: Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Weather: Rain Early, Clearing Late Day; High 60, Low 49 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

It is my very good friend Lynne Kirwin who always says, “Make plans, then life happens.” Well, that certainly was a truism today. Lynne was driving from Michigan to here when I had to call her to tell her that I have been exposed to Covid. Did she want to continue on? This morning I got a text from Heather saying that Ollie had just tested positive for Covid. I was there with the whole family last evening for dinner, so we were all exposed. I called Lynne to let her know. She was already three hours into her drive but decided to divert and stop in Nyack, New York, to spend tonight and decide whether to travel on. We talked this this evening, and she is going to stay there until Sunday and then reassess her plans to continue on to here. I have been so looking forward to her visit and hope that it works out that she can come for next week.

I went to my wine group gathering tonightbecause I tested negative and doubt that I could possibly be contagious at this point. But starting tomorrow, I will isolate and hope that no symptoms present themselves. If I am still testing negative on Sunday, Lynne thinks she will travel on to here to spend the text week. Let’s hope this all works out.

2023 Life Logs, Day 269: Lunch in Newburyport, Dinner at the Goldstones
Date: Monday, September 25, 2023
Weather: Another Rainy Day; High 62, Low 57 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

My two days of doing nothing are over. This morning I drove two and a half hours to Newburyport, Massachusetts, to have lunch with friend Peppe Christianson and her sister Lynne’. It was a lovely lunch at the Tuscan Seafood Grille on the water and it was great to see Peppe again. I took Shadow with me in the car today, so he didn’t have to be alone all day. He did have wait in the car while we had lunch, but then we drove home, played fetch in the backyard, before I headed to Heather and Jed’s for dinner. I haven’t seen Heather since she returned from New York City on Friday, so we caught up on things and compared calendars for the next week. Tomorrow is an Early Release Day and each of the boys has a different afternoon schedule. I will fill in where needed and then go to my wine group gathering tomorrow evening. I thought it was tonight, but when I checked my calendar this morning, I saw that I had that wrong.

I will spend tomorrow getting ready for my friend Lynne Kirwin to arrive on Wednesday and hanging out with Ollie. It continued to rain today, but the rain should go away for at least a couple of days beginning tomorrow. I’m hoping for at least a partly sunny Tuesday.

2023 Life Logs, Day 268: Another Day Off
Date: Sunday, September 24, 2023The
Weather: Rainy Day; High 62, Low 59 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

The rainy weather and the situation with my back called for another day off. I really did almost nothing today except read and watch television. And I did book my trip to Puerto Rico to visit with Justin and family during the Thanksgiving week. I am excited about that.
Tomorrow I will join the real world again with a trip north and west of Boston to Newburyport to have lunch with my friend Peppe visiting from the Seattle area and her sister Lynne’. Then tomorrow evening my wine group is having our September get together.

2023 Life Logs, Day 267: A Day Off
Date: Saturday, September 23, 2023
Weather: Rainy Day; High 61, Low 59 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

Since I didn’t end up having guests this weekend, I simply took the day off today. My back has gotten worse and worse over the past two weeks, so I tried a little R&R today. I did find that it is much more comfortable for me to sleep on the sofa in the living room than in my bed. I decided to take a nap this afternoon on the sofa and I slept better than I have for weeks. I am going back to my bed tonight, but if I don’t sleep as well, I am going to be spending my nights on the sofa in the living room until my back is better.

2023 Life Logs, Day 266: Change of Plans
Date: Friday, September 22, 2023
Weather: Partly Cloudy; High 68, Low 56 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

First, I was going to have three guests this weekend, then two, now none. My friend Lynne is now arriving sometime this week, hopefully Wednesday. But my friend Peppe, and her sister Lynne’, are not coming at all. But a storm is coming, so tomorrow should be windy and rainy, and Sunday could be more of the same. On Monday, I will drive to Newburyport, on the coast just before you reach New Hampshire, to have lunch with Peppe and her sister before Peppe flies back to Seattle on Wednesday. So, instead of going into high gear to get ready for company, I spent part of my day slowing cleaning house. At 4 pm, I went to the high school to watch Jonah’s soccer game. Sam has either a cold or severe sinus issues and did not go to school today. He couldn’t play in the Varsity game, but he did go to watch.

I did some future trip planning today. I am contemplating going to Puerto Rico for Thanksgiving, and I have to make that decision quickly. Flights that were available earlier this week are already filled. My first task tomorrow will be to make a final decision and make flight reservations. I also need to make reservations for the next trip to North Carolina to see my sister.

In last night’s log was titled “Happy First Birthday to Shadow.” Well, it wasn’t his first birthday, it was his 4th. And I must add that he loves his new stuffy that Ollie and I bought for him. He spent a great deal of time today cuddling it.

2023 Life Logs, Day 265: Happy 4th Birthday to Shadow
Date: Thursday, September 21, 2023
Weather: Yet Another Beautiful Day; High 72, Low 55 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

Yeah! Today was a one meeting day, but I did have one more appointment, a visit to my chiropractor. I called his office early this morning begging for an appointment today. My back is giving me fits making it difficult to sleep or do anything else. The chiropractor tried to help but said there was very little he can do at this point. He suggests I go back to the pain management doctor and see if there is anything else he can do to help control the muscle spasms. He also recommended that I see my neurosurgeon again. All the neurosurgeon can do is recommend surgery, so I am hoping for some other miracle.

I spent the time between the chiropractor visit and the Newcomers-Encore Field Trip group meeting preparing for the meeting. Christina Brodie and I are the co-chairs, so I had to lead part of the meeting. We had a number of new people attending and came up with great list of field trips for this year.

Today was Shadow’s 4th birthday. Actually, yesterday was his birthday, but as I explained in last night’s log, Ollie wants to celebrate it on the 21st and Shadow has no complaint with that. Ollie rode his bike over after school and we then went shopping for birthday presents. We came home and gave Shadow a new stuffed animal to destroy and a very expensive Yak bone. Ollie presented him with his gifts and Shadow definitely prefers the bone. While Ollie was here, he cleaned up all the branches in the backyard left behind after the limb fell on Sunday morning. He is a great little worker.

The weather is slowing cooling down. The days have been warm, but the nighttime temps are now down in the 50’s. We have one more nice day and then the temperature drops and the rains come down. Not a great weekend for my friends to visit the Cape, but no complaints. This week has been spectacular.