Silver Linings.

 The thing that I didn't tell you all is that when I went for my bloodwork the day before yesterday, I couldn't get it done. She had no orders on file. 

This morning, I got up once again and headed over to the hospital to get those darned labs done. I took the two papers I'd been given from the doctor's office. (Yes, Andrew, I was nicely dressed, wearing makeup, and my hair was neatly styled.) I signed in once again, and I ironically got the same registrar that I had the last time. I handed her the paperwork from the doctor. She said, "Well...these aren't orders. Either the patient has the orders, or the doctor puts them into our system. We don't have anything in the system." She got up. "Let me check one more place." I said, "You checked there two days ago, and I wasn't there either." She said, "I did, didn't I?" I said, "Well, I will have to call the doctor's office and find out what's going on. This needs to get straightened out. I have skipped coffee twice this week." She made a horrified sympathetic face. I said, "Well, fortunately, everyone has lived." She laughed and said, "THAT'S good news." I told her I'd see her next time, and off I went. 

Tim was waiting in the car with coffee, the good man.

By the way, remember that nicely dressed woman who seemingly jumped line? I figured it out today. The fourth registrar is for appointments. When you sign in to the kiosk, you list whether you are there for labs, imaging, or appointments. The appointments are handled at the fourth window. So that's one curiosity solved. I don't know whether anyone has bought the used lipstick though. 

Anyways, I called the doctor's office as we drove to Erie for Tim's appointment. The office person explained to me that the orders were in the system and all I had to do was come into the hospital, and the registrar would see them. "But that's my point," I said. "I went there on Tuesday, and they had nothing. I went back today carrying the instructions from the doctor that said what needed to be done. She said that she needed the actual orders and there is nothing in the system." 

Long pause. I was put on hold. 

He came back on and said that apparently my orders had been "lost", and that he would resubmit them. 

So. Tomorrow, I will skip breakfast and coffee once again. 

But every cloud has a silver lining. Because I did not have the blood work done, we ended up getting to Erie about a hour early. Tim asked what we should do until then. I suggested checking out a thrift store. He wasn't enthusiastic but he went with along with it. We walked in the door and after a quick look around, he said, "They don't have anything. I'll just sit here and wait." 

I had a look around and I found a banana hanger. Tim eats one half a banana on his cornflakes every morning, and the bananas sit in a bowl. This might help them last longer. So I picked it up.

I found two ghost stories for William, and the boy does love a good ghost story, so I picked them up as well. I walked on and saw this: 

The thing did not appear to have ever been used. The plastic cap was still over the prongs of the cord. The manuals were all there. We have two small airfryers, but this would allow me to cook a whole meal at once instead of batches. It was $9.99. 

I don't think that Tim was too impressed really, but we bought it. Just to use it, we had homemade frenchfries and I made fish sandwiches to go with. He was happy with supper. He was happier yet when he came out to price them on line. They run, new, from $149.99 to $299.99 (the high price is the price on the NuWave site.) 

"Holy cow!" he said, "you really have an eye for this stuff! I don't know how you do it!" He laughed all the way out to the livingroom. It made his day.

The Addict.

Drug addiction is a terrible thing. We know of an addict who needs help desperately. Can't hold down a job. Has no desire to. Felon, and proud of it, Rehab doesn't work. Homeless. No car. His relationships do not last because he's not looking for a partner. He's looking for someone to take care of him. Support him financially, feed his ego, feel sorry for him. I mean, I really could go on and on. He fancies himself quite charming, and I suppose initially it's easy to make that mistake, but once the charmer's in, all bets are off. 

And, let's be clear: he's a very dangerous man.

And yet...yet...from the outside looking in, I see a boy who grew up under the worst circumstances. The very worst and from the outside looking in, I find sympathy uncurling inside of me. I can't help it. I am a sap.

But I'm a smart sap, one who knows better than to let her heart rule her common sense. I've been down this path before. It leads to chaos. This addict dces not want to change his life. He is not my responsibility. 

I take a deep breath and save the sympathy for the feral cats. 

It's just a thing that's troubled me today. 

We worked on the wiring today. Tim has a therapy appointment in Erie tomorrow, but we hope to be back at the job Friday. We're hoping to be done with that part of things by the weekend.  Then on to the plumbing. 

Something affirming has happened. Tim has been saying that I look skinnier. I thought he was being polite. He knows that I'm dieting and exercising, and I figured that he was just trying to be encouraging. The scales show the pounds coming off, but so. very. slowly. I've noticed that my pants seem to fit more loosely, but I thought it was wishful thinking. 

Today, I got out a summer-weight tee shirt and slipped it on. I was so shocked. It is plain to see that I am thinner. Tim came into the bathroom while I was still dumbfounded at the discovery. He looked at me. I said, "I AM skinnier!" He said, "Well...yeah...I told you that you were..."

That's a great encouragement. 

Curious

 I needed to get some bloodwork done at the hospital. It was fasting bloodwork, so it was one of those things that needs to get knocked off early in the morning. I regularly skip breakfast, but skipping my coffee is haaaaaaaardddddd. (Also ill advised)

Anyways, I got a pair of sweats on, and a bulky sweater with easy to roll up sleeves. We were headed to the new build as soon as I was done, and so I was dressed to work. I signed in and I was 6th on the list which appeared on the monitors in the waiting area.

As I waited, a tall woman, perfectly groomed, perfectly dressed, high heels, leather coat, came in and signed in as well. Her name appeared at the bottom of the list. She took a seat across from me, and I started with that niggling sort of inadequate feeling. Plain-jane, dressed for a day working, no make up at all, hair neat, but not styled. I felt a bit awkward in my carhart sweatshirt (actually it was Tim's but I wear it for work). 

I always find myself wondering what it is like to be self assured and perfect. I am not those things. As I awkwardly watched the monitor and tried not to look awkward, I was much surprised to see that although she was at the bottom of the list, she was called to the registrar's office next. 

Obviously she was someone of importance. I wondered who she was, and why she would receive priority. I was so very curious about this. 

We worked at the new house today, on the wiring. Tomorrow we will work on it some more. 

I saw something that I have never, ever seen before. There is a local garage sale site. Yes. It is on facebook. I keep track of the kids and the grands, and the relatives, but I do not comment. I checked out the garage sale site, and I saw, much to my amazement that someone was selling used LIPSTICK!!!! It had only been used once she claimed, and she did not like the shade. She had 8 tubes she was selling for $4. 

Used lipstick! Once again, I'm very curious.

I Can See Clearly Now...

This is the south side of the house. Tim made a design change, deciding to put 3 windows on this side of the house.  So, these are the two windows that we put in the area that is our livingroom. The windows are short enough that a sofa can be slipped in under them. 

The narrow window is to the left of the door. He really wanted a window so that you could quickly see who was at the door. The door lies to the left of those two livingroom windows in the last picture. This little nook will hold a six foot log bench. Underneath it will be the boot tray and a wooden box to hold mittens and hats. There will be hooks installed in the corner to hang coats. 

This is my design feature. Can you guess what it is? 

I'll tell you. It is our computer area. I wanted a little window to provide light. It is tucked away in the little cubby between the outer wall and what will be, at some point, a walled in stairwell. Tim put his own special touch in that corner as well. 

This is my kitchen. That window will be above my kitchen sink. That second window, to the left is actually in a different room (well it will be once the plumbing and wiring is inspected, and we can get the insulation in and the drywall up). Anyways, that will be the pantry. It is big enough for the hoosier cabinet, and a couple of wheeled steel shelving units, the idea being that I want an easily cleanable space. It is where the vacuum and the broom and mop will be stored as well. 

So there you have it. Windows. 

Tomorrow, we will resume rough wiring. We hope to have that done by the end of the week. 

Then we will start on the plumbing. 

PS: I admitted it to Tim. He was right about the windows. I can see clearly now...and they make everything much brighter. 

Here's a shot for all you photograpers out there: 

What Now?

Well, I am sad to report that we have finished all the episodes of Antiques Roadtrip.

We got the last two windows framed in. It was cold and rainy outside. It will be changing to snow sometime tonight and snowing all day tomorrow. We decided to wait to actually cut out and install the windows until Monday.

Surprisingly, Tim is being very cautious about the coming bad weather. He has decreed that we need to stay home tomorrow. He's not sure he will even go to church. 

I imagine he'll find something to entertain himself. I have two new recipes to try. Beer fries (in the airfryer) and some molasses cookies. 

If I was a betting woman, I'd lay odds that this is, once again, overblown hype and that we will not get much of anything though. Enjoy your weekend, everyone. 

Carma!

 Yeah. I know that's not how you spell it, but...you watch someone acting the ass, and you just tell yourself, 'yeah...that will catch up with him/her', but there's a wicked part of you that wishes, just once, you could be a mouse in the corner to witness the come-uppance...but it never works out that way. 

Well...except when it does.

A vehicle came roaring down the street, revving his engine and making a general spectacle of himself. What is irksome is that it is a time when there are lots of kids walking home from the middle school, and the very last thing that we need is a driver acting foolish. 

He gunned his engine and...HIS EXHAUST SYSTEM FELL OFF! 

And that wicked part of myself rejoiced.

We were working down at the new build today. Tim decided that he wanted more windows. To avoid lost time, I simply agreed with him. It rankles me to watch rough wiring pulled out to install the 3 new windows. It just feels like a step backwards, and I hate steps backward. But. It is not just MY house. It is OUR house. So sometimes it is just time to shut up and go with the flow. 

So I was running the chop saw and Tim was hammering, and when I shut off the saw, I heard the radio saying '...voting on legislation that a woman's place is in the home..." and Tim and I looked at each other. 

"What?!!! Where the hell is THAT???" I said. 

Tim said, "That's just crazy!" 

It is, and we both thought it is ironic AND outrageous that the party who blocks raising minimum wage every. single. time. is now telling women that their place is in the home. We had absolutely no reason not to believe that some evangelical republican right wingers had introduced legislation like that. It won't pass. Most people cannot live on one pay check. 

I grabbed my phone to see which batshit crazy state had come up with that legislation, and was much relieved to read that it was in Ireland. And that they were voting to remove the outdated wording from their legislation. 

That gave us both a little laugh. We were relieved to hear it, but isn't it sad that our country is dancing backwards so quickly that we totally believed that it could be happening here?  

Anyways, it was a beautiful day today. The peepers are out. I heard them for the first time yesterday. 

When we came back home, guess what? I got out of the car to see Mangey running to me. Running! He is still pretty thin, but he came right to his bowl and waited patiently. I fed him and he ate every bit of it with a voracious appetite. That was such a happy end to the day. 

Still Here

 Boy, I really do like having a smart watch. The bout with the kidney stone on Sunday has made me more mindful of my water intake. I set my watch for 60 oz, and record it as I drink it throughout the day. I do at least 10,000 steps a day. I exercise for at least an hour a day. It's a lot like having a teeny tiny drill sargeant on my wrist. (Sure beats having a drill sargeant on my ass. Been there. Done that.) 

In any case, we got the 'new' car today. Tim is quite pleased with it. We were quite surprised that the car manuals are not all that helpful. We thought we were locked out of it, but we figured it out. We had to ask another Suburu owner how to open the gas tank. Turns out there is a lever on the floor. We were looking on the dash, where they are on the other vehicles we own. We've never had a car with BlueTooth before, so that will be a novel experience. Just as soon as I sit down with the book and figure it out. (Glasses will help a great deal, I think.)

I ran into a coworker. When I last saw her, she was struggling because she could not have children, and wanted them desperately. Now 5 years later, I saw her in the Walmart. She and her husband began taking in foster children, and have adopted a boy and a girl.  I commented that her life had changed considerably since I last saw her, and with the biggest smile, she held her little daughter close and said, "Yes, and I am so happy!" It went without saying. She exuded joy. 

Tim picked up William after school today, as a surprise. He didn't know that Grandpa had gotten a new car, so he was delighted to be the first 'guest' to ride in it. 

It's cold and it is rainy, but I didn't mind. I planted my tomatoes. Romas, beef steak, and one lone cherry tomato. The cherry tomato seeds are from Amish plants. They get huge and one is enough. We will be in cherry tomatoes for the season. 

Early day tomorrow. Ladies day. Mattie and two of her sisters. 

I've gotten behind on commenting. I am reading your blogs, but I can't comment on some of your blogs on my phone, and I have much less time on the computer this week. 

I looked for Mangey tonight. I made up my mind to bring him in and isolate him. I did not find him.