Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Dr. M Update

Man what a long day! We got to the hospital at around 9:20 am & then his surgery was delayed for three hours. But the surgeon said that all went well, & when I left him last night he had eaten dinner & was watching the Braves game. Here is our day in screen grabs & the random photo (quality varies). (Also, editing on my iPad is a pain, so this will look a little awkward.) Not pictured: the cheese quesadilla I had for lunch.

















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Saturday, July 27, 2019

2019 Project 365 – Week Thirty


I’m working on this post a day early because we’ve reached D-Day! Tomorrow we’re heading to a hotel that’s located near the hospital (a little over an hour away), and then Monday at 9:30 Dr. M has his surgery. We’re both very excited & terrified. I don’t know about Dr. M, but I might weigh 200 pounds by the time this is done.  
Sunday, July 21st                                           
This project isn’t finished, but I needed to block it before I could move on to phase two.


Monday, July 22nd             
Dr. M had QUITE a day. He went to the hospital for his pre-op stuff, and then came home to find out that his dad’s air conditioner wasn’t working (he has a window unit). After pushing the 130 pound old unit out of the window, and a couple of false starts, he got this new one installed. He was so exhausted when he got home around 7:30. It’s hard because although there are people who would probably have helped, there weren’t really people that he could call (if that makes sense).


Meanwhile, I was stressing out waiting to see what kind of state Dr. M would be in when he got home. So this was dinner (that’s peanut butter & honey).


Tuesday, July 23rd                                               
Dr. M’s brunch - grits, runny egg & tomato. That looks good enough to eat!


Wednesday, July 24th                                                        
Dr. M saw a field full of zinnias today!


Thursday, July 25th                                                         
I put banana peppers on my turkey sandwich & it was FABULOUS. Took that sammie from bland to gourmet – ha!


In the meantime, Dr. M was prepping for life after surgery.


Friday, July 26th                                                        
I walked to a nearby yarn shop (it’s a quarter mile from the office!). I was just going to look around – really! No intention of buying a thing. $40 later… I blame the yarn dog.


A butterfly enjoying our wildflowers. They look a little worse for the wear, but the insects & birds don’t care – they still love them. The other day I surprised a couple of goldfinches who flew off when I opened the door to go to work.


Saturday, July 27th       
I got an invitation to go see The Lion King tonight, but instead I stayed home and chopped okra (I also cleaned the house and did laundry).


I’ll probably jump on the blog Monday & post a quick note to let you guys know how things went. Have a great week!



Sunday, July 21, 2019

2019 Project 365 – Week Twenty-nine


Well good people of the internet, you’d better fasten your seatbelts because if you’re not attached to your chair you might fall out when you fall asleep after reading this. Frankly, it was just too damned hot for picture-taking. What it was good for though, was ranting.
Sunday, July 14th                                          
Today was the third anniversary of when Dr. M found out that his position had been cut at Urbana University. This is what he had to say about it: Bastille Day, 2016. The faculty and staff reductions at UU were in full swing, and both formerly tenured faculty and longtime staff were being carted off to meet Madame le Guillotine in HR. I actually felt bad for the executioners. They were just doing their jobs, and that is not a snide comment. But I must say the sheer ignorance of life as an academic on display that day was appalling. The people offering “placement assistance” so obviously had never seen the stacks of rejection letters that are the norm for fledgling Ph.D.s, especially in Humanities, just trying to get a full-time gig. I had gotten my chance to be THE history professor, had given UU seven years of nearly year-round teaching, had earned tenure under the old system even though I had to defer my dream of publishing my manuscript, and had survived personal tragedy and unexpected mental and emotional struggles, all in an effort to be what UU needed. Dana and I had even joked that if we won the lottery we would make UU sustainable for our friends and future students. Alack. The blade sang as it fell...

Oh, and here is the picture I took when deciding whether or not to go to church. I decided not (I wasn’t feeling 100%). 


Monday, July 15th              
I saw this GINORMOUS moth at work on Monday. Its wing span was as wide as my foot! I wish I’d gotten my foot in the picture so you could see. Whoa!


Tuesday, July 16th                                              
New Feryl Designs jewelry. I might need some sort of help for my addiction. (She’s having a July sale – I can hook you up with the coupon code if you like!)


Wednesday, July 17th                                                        
I was eating lunch at my desk & reading my book when both of my worlds collided! Freaky!


Thursday, July 18th                                                         
Who needs to go to the fancy schmancy theater when you can watch movies from the comfort of your armchair? This is how Dr. M is trying to keep himself busy while waiting for surgery (July 29th!).  


Friday, July 19th                                                        
I posted this rant on Facebook on Thursday, but since there’s no picture for today I’m doing to post it here. It was in response to this article, about the crowds shouting “Send her back!” at a Trump rally in Greeneville, NC: I haven't been talking about this because I don't like controversy & I'm not really politically eloquent (and I also know that these are stunts to get liberal softies like me to lose it). But for heaven's sake (literally - what the heck Christians?). I don't want my silence to imply that I approve of our president telling congress members to "go back" to where they came from. They came from districts who elected & sent them forth to work for their interests. They're right where they belong. It also is clearly racist, and another strike against women. That's how we're making America great? Letting a man who objectifies and apparently dislikes women (except for one thing) guide our country? A man who clearly dislikes people of color? He is supposed to be the president for ALL of us. And I'm just so sad and angry that he's apparently the president that so many people wanted. And now I'm going to be late for work.

Saturday, July 20th       
I had to laugh when I posted this picture on Facebook yesterday – my caption was that it was “a dry shampoo no makeup kind of day. Too bad I can’t carry this insta filter with me to the grocery store!” Folks apparently missed the part where I didn’t really look like this (for example, I have no idea how to make my lashes look like that). It was just the Instagram filter making me look all glamorous – in reality I should maybe have not left the house. Ha!


Here’s hoping for cooler temps, less ranting, and lovelier pictures this coming week!



Sunday, July 14, 2019

2019 Project 365 – Week Twenty-eight


Once again, I’m writing my post while watching the Braves play. The score is nuthin nuthin, but this week it seems less fraught. As in, at the end of the day I just want someone to score & I’m not sure I care who.
Sunday, July 7th                                          
We have some little sunflowers growing at church. Makes me smile.


Monday, July 8th              
And then Dr. M saw sunflowers too!



I took my mandalas to the office. I have a few other things for the walls so they may move around some, but I like them here for now.


Tuesday, July 9th                                              
Around the yard.


Wednesday, July 10th                                                        
Butterfly on the Anise Hyssop.


Thursday, July 11th                                                         
Dr. M witnessed The Bug that Ate Mountain View! I was really worried for that white car.


That evening I made Mexican Street Corn (a WW recipe) with corn that my dad had picked for me the day before. It was SO GOOD ya’ll! Oh man.


Friday, July 12th                                                        
No picture!

Saturday, July 13th       
This is the only picture for today – a truly horrible one of me reacting to the gruesome audiobook I was listening to. (It’s actually a really good book, but there are zombies & vampires & the writer is a bit graphic.) I think my eyes look Mad-Eye Moody-esque here. Alarming!


Well, it’s the top of the 8th & Freddie Freeman just hit a three run homer, so I shall wrap this post up & get some dinner. Have a great week everyone!



Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Ruminations of a Hirsute Woman




If I had known, back in 2004, that I would require so many different products and strategies to deal with a small rectangular space above my upper lip, would I have opted to have electrolysis instead of lasik surgery on my eyes? Let’s consider:
  • I was blind as a bat, and now I can see to drive without glasses.
  • However, after about 5 years I had to start using reading glasses, even for the computer, and since I got tired of putting glasses on & taking them off, I wear glasses about 99% of the time.

In sum, instead of wearing contact lenses, I now wear glasses.

On the other hand, had I known that I would be as hairy as someone’s elderly aunt (none of mine, mind you, just someone else’s), would I have saved that money and used it for permanent hair removal?

Probably not. I’m pretty much a present moment person and at that particular moment I wanted to be able to see.

Life is complicated and full of difficult decisions. I guess I’ll stand behind the ones I’ve made, even if that means extra mustache maintenance now.

Sunday, July 7, 2019

2019 Project 365 – Week Twenty-seven


I’m writing this post while watching the Braves - just trying to keep myself from chewing my fingernails (note: I don’t usually chew my fingernails – I’m using hyperbole to show how nerve-wracking this is). Oof.
Sunday, June 30th                                          
We sang patriotic songs at the nursing center this morning.


Then, as I mentioned last week, I went shopping with my sister-in-law. Both of us are a bit height challenged, but even so, these garments were ridiculous!


Monday, July 1st              
Flowers!



Tuesday, July 2nd                                              
Your garden-variety squirrel bird.


Wednesday, July 3rd                                                        
Our morning glories are getting ready to take over the world.


Thursday, July 4th                                                         
Dr. M had this to say on the 4th: Washing away our sins? There was a time when flags were rarely flown and greatly respected. As a youth, I was taught NEVER to leave a flag out in the rain. In this age of conspicuous consumption, flags have become ubiquitous and careworn. There is a moral in this. Too often our people are treated like our flags...left out to rot! My grandfather, Preacher Friday, treated the people around him with the same dignity and respect he taught me to treat the flag. Would that we as a nation could relearn this lesson!


I started crocheting my mandalas to hoops. There might have been some cursing involved.


Friday, July 5th                                                        
Made dinner for Dr. M. I think it’s finally time to admit that I do actually cook, and that it’s often quite edible. I’m not the chef that Dr. M is, but we aren’t starving while he’s incapacitated.


Saturday, July 6th       
My father-in-law’s hydrangea – gorgeous!


These crazy things are FINALLY done. Woo hoo! They were so much fun to make (except for the hoop business – that was a PITA).


OK, the Braves won by the skin of their teeth. I think I can move on with my life now. Have a great week everyone!



2024 Project 365 – Week Eleven

This week at work was brain intensive which means I’ve spent the weekend trying to use as few brain cells as possible. That might affect the...