Helping Others When Hurricane Harvey hit a couple years ago, people got out and helped each other. How do you help your neighbors, when we are avoiding contamination? There are no "Shelter in Place" rules yet, but most are staying home and playing it safe. So today, I washed down the old canoe. I told my neighbor with a young son, that I was leaving it out by the lake. I thought they might like a break from being cooped up. I felt stupid after I offered. Who wants to mess with a possibly germ-y canoe? Plus, canoes can cause more stress than relief, if you don't know what you're doing. Offer Food So I made casseroles. Don't we share food at times of crisis? I offered food to a friend who had a fall over the weekend. I contacted another neighbor about dropping off a casserole. She's been dealing with intense work stress, due to the virus. Both said they were fine and had enough food. I felt silly. Why am I offering food, when we're all worried about spreading the virus? The casseroles looked a little scary, anyway. Solo Canoeing I asked Don if he wanted to get out in the canoe. It was a wedding gift from my siblings 40 years ago. Good memories. Don wasn't up for it, so I got out myself. It felt so peaceful and lovely, as I paddled around. I spotted baby ducks and that made me smile.
I didn't get a chance to help anyone else today. But, I helped me!
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Coronavirus Hair Hair salons are still open in the Houston area. But, things could be changing soon. My son and wife are now under shelter in place restrictions in Sacramento. My hair already looks like I've been sheltering at home for months. My long overdue appointment is next week, but I guess I should just go ahead and cancel. Luckily I have this nice little box in my bathroom cabinet. It doesn't work that well, but it's something. My hair is getting long and straggly. Ugh. But who cares about my hair? No one sees me, except Don. I'm not going anywhere, since Don is the one who cautiously does our grocery shopping. Luckily, Don is pretty tolerant of my hair issues... like when I had none. Best Barbers! In fact, if things get really ugly I could call upon Don, like I did over 3 years ago. We actually had fun, with what should have been the terrifying task. I had reached a point with chemo, when hair was falling out. It was time to take control. Don experimented with some scissors and created numerous sweet hairdos. Then he got out the razor. No Hair I'm so grateful to be well. My heart goes out to those who are dealing with chemo treatments, while they worry about Conronavirus. But I have been missing my bald days, just a bit. This picture is from when I had my head shaved after my last treatment... I wanted a blank slate and no straggly chemo hair.
Hmm? Now that's a thought. I can't go visit my barber A.D., but I could get Barber Don on the job again! It's tempting! I remember those glorious showers that involved no shampoo. No brushes, no hairdryers! I remember the fun of hair growing back in. If only I really knew how long we would be hunkering down at home. ???? Retreat to the Piano Actually, Don and I have had a few years to practice togetherness. Retirement. Before Covid, we shared the house and did our own thing, very well. But "our own thing" often involved leaving the house. Now, we hardly leave home. If I want to bang away at the piano, I have to "entertain" Don. Now the poor guy has to endure my daily piano therapy. My fingers fumble through sonatas and ancient pop tunes. I've found some old sheet music that brings back a few memories!Even with my lack of skills, it feels wonderful to play the neglected instrument. It sure needs tuning, though. Togetherness with Ukes So 2020, is the year I started playing piano again. It's also the year that the ukuleles came out of hiding. In 2016, Don and I played our ukuleles the day I got home from lumpectomy surgery. We played those crazy things together, over my months of treatment and recovery. Then they got dusty and they were forgotten.
I'm so glad that we have some instruments to help out, during these home days. The piano lets me escape by myself. (Don kindly puts up with the noise) And the ukuleles bring us back together. Gotta find a balance! Where is Everyone? This photo from yesterday, is from a walk in an adjoining neighborhood. But, my own street seems just as quiet, today. The schools have closed down and many are working from home now. Everyone is home, but no one seems to step outside. Inside It's oddly quiet inside the house too... when we turn off the news. Don and I are used to being alone in this house, so it's not that different. But when we started a new puzzle, I started thinking about the people who are actually quarantined alone, in their homes. That was pretty sad to think about.
Even the puzzle was oddly quiet and lonely, with its Solar System image. We decided to cut the silence with some podcasts. That was a nice change, except all the podcasts were about Coronavirus. No escape. Hard to Distract It's March 17th and I put on green to lift the gloomy feeling. I tried to let the silly holiday distract me, but the Covid news was always lurking, whether I was reading, playing piano, cleaning or sorting. I put coffee in my Irish cup this morning. After lunch, I went on a walk and enjoyed the bluebonnets. But seeing a few others out walking, I sensed that we all felt uncertain. No one knows what the rules are yet. Later, I talked to my friend in Chicago. She talked about walking 2 miles to vote, to avoid public transportation. She talked about her city, with no St. Pat's parade and no green river. I told her that a week ago, our Houston Rodeo had been shut down 11 days early. Embracing our Irish But by evening, I let go of the worry for a while. Don and I celebrated with green beverages and corned beef and cabbage. We blasted some Irish jig music and I got out my goofy dancing friend.
Happy St. Patrick's Day! Selfish Worries We were supposed to go on a road trip with friends tomorrow. But the schools have decided to close and our friends will need to babysit their grandkids. This is getting serious. Families are really struggling to figure things out. Don and I are lucky that we are retired and don't have kids at home. I'm selfishly feeling sad that it's looking less likely that we'll be traveling soon. Our kids and spouses live far away and we had plans to see them in March and May. We had a big trip planned for Italy in October. That's a long way off... but a scary thought at the moment. Paint Instead So instead of travel planning, I started painting Scott's old bedroom. It will look much nicer when the kids come home for Christmas. Fingers crossed. I listened to Italian tapes while I worked. If our October trip is postponed, I'll just have more time to work on the language!
Ciao! Volunteering I'm worried about senior folks, in the centers where I volunteer. I last met with my groups on March 3, when I was told to be sure I was well and to make sure I washed my hands. I miss them and I worry about them. When will I get to volunteer again? My Dad I'm worried about my dad. He's 91, living in an assisted living facility in Missouri. I can't visit him, even if it were easy to get there. His center is on lockdown. No visitors allowed.
I'm glad for phones and postal service. Me? What I really don't like is when the news reminds me about those vulnerable people over the age of 60! Man, I hate that. I'm 62! I am part of that group of people everyone is worried about! But I feel better and stronger than I did when I was 59 and going through chemo. I can get up and run in the morning and tackle long put off house chores! I'm so very glad that I am not going through these Covid times, along with cancer. All of a Sudden We've been hearing about Coronavirus since January. But early on, the worries were far away in China, then Italy... It seems like things shifted overnight. On February 29, the first death occurred in Washington. Now, two weeks later, the grocery stores are full of panicked customers, buying up milk, bread and hand sanitizer. Don and I watch the news and try to figure out how much to worry. We communicate with our kids and all our siblings, in 7 different states. None of us know where this is going, so we just keep in touch. Our family text threads share concern and humor, too. Pet photos make us laugh. Even grocery store pics, like my brother's from Idaho, lead to jokes. We laugh about the hoarding insanity. Why is everyone so worried about toilet paper? So Familiar We've seen this kind of shopping madness, before hurricanes. But this is different. Are we worried about being sick or not being able to get food? Are we worried that we'll be told to isolate at home, like in Italy? Mostly I think we're worried about having so little control over this unknown future. At least I kind of know how to do the hunkering down thing. I did a fair amount of that, when, I started this blog for cancer. But, what else do I need besides Don and food, if we're stuck at home?
Flowers! Don and I made a trip to the hardware store. Now if we choose to weather out this storm at home, my pots won't be full of dead plants! Ahhh! Much better. From Cancer to Coronavirus! I said good-bye to the Not So Happy blog, at the end of 2018. After 200 posts, griping about Cancer, I was ready to move on. Now, it's March 2020... Friday the 13th in fact. It's time to complain, again. This time I'm not stressed about breast cancer, or treatments. I need to vent about another ugly illness, that I don't even have. Today, Coronavirus was declared a National Emergency. Why Does This Feel Familiar? This feels similar, to how I felt in May of 2016, when my world turned upside down. This time, it's not just My upside down world. We're all sharing this together. Many of the feelings then and now are the same. So many unknowns. Lack of control. Isolation. Routines and plans altered... Spring in Texas So I'll start venting about this new thing, that starts with the letter C. I'll start the numbers over. Complaint #1 - I don't much care for that letter C anymore. As I did in the past, I'll attempt to end each post with a positive.
Thank goodness it's spring. March in Texas is beautiful. Don and I may be hunkering down at home, but we can leave the TV and news and step outside. So grateful that we are able to do that. |
Not-So-Happy List
Cancer, Covid & Coronary... I started this complaining list/blog, in May 2016. I posted 200 gripes about my breast CANCER and then I was done. On March 13, 2020, I started venting all over again, when another disease (starting with a C) interfered with my life. This time it was the invasion of COVID and it affected every person. I ranted for a year, until I got my COVID vaccine in March 2021. CORONARY Artery Disease was the reason I restarted this blog on September 26, 2021. This time it was my hubby Don, who was dealing with a worry that started with the letter "C". Coronavirus and Cancer, Coronary Artery Disease! All are evil, but none can totally get me down... if I vent! I usually end up feeling a little more positive at the end of each post! Navigating This Mess! The most recent post is at the top, from coronary posts in 2022, back to cancer posts in 2016. To find past posts, look below the "Archives" section, to find "Categories". Archives
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