Pandemic, Social Distancing and Shelter in Place

My coworker snores.

Sunday, March 15th

John and I went to Kroger this a.m. After reading facebook posts yesterday from around the
U.S. I was expecting empty shelves and stressed shoppers. The only totally empty thing I saw
was the meat counter. And a butcher was packaging up some meat in the back for people.
I did not look for hand sanitizer or TP. I did hear a lady mention there was no ground beef.
There were no crazy people. Except for yours truly of course. 

I think I embarrassed John with the way I piled stuff in  the cart, but I started to feel stressed in
the store. Crazy! I was doing a tally in my head of how many meals I could make and what I
needed to fill out meals. Plus there were good things on mega sale still in stock, so I would
have bought a lot of certain things anyway. All that stocking up stuff gets in your head. And
eating out does not appeal at all. I need to stop reading the prepping stuff and focus on the
real, true story. My main motivating factor is limiting trips to the store so as to not bring anything
home to Mom. 

And then I came home and touched things and forgot to wash my hands. Good lord! 

I like normal. Chaos is not my thing. And It isn’t even here yet.

I watched Panic in Year Zero, Night of the LIving Dead, and the Andromeda Strain.
The current strain is not alien. There are no zombies. Right? 

Friday, March 20

Last night my friend sent me a text she had gotten from an acquaintance (which turned out
to be untrue), which I’m not going to repeat, and that, along with potential bad weather last
night, made me more nervous about my supplies. If the power goes out a good bit of my
pandemic supplies will be in jeopardy. More canned/shelf stable things would make me feel
better. Everything gets in my head. No Walmart pick up dates for days, no Amazon pantry.
Despite my intent to avoid the stores, yesterday on my lunch hour I drove by Jewel, WalMart,
Stock & Field, Menards . . . all packed except for Dollar General. Parking lot was strangely
deserted. I thought maybe they were out of stock on things, that would be the reason, but no,
they had some of the canned/pantry goods I was wanting. There was only one other shopper
in the store besides me, weird. I asked the clerk how they had avoided the madness and she
said it has been crazy up until that morning. Maybe the miserable, rainy weather helped.
Canned/shelf stable food worked like an anti-anxiety drug. You never know how life is gonna
go. Craziness.

Thursday, March 26, 2109

Back to present day . . . Joe's birthday today, 59! I made a cake. Joe still going on
unauthorized outings, but at least he is going less . . . I think. I think a Mallaney cousin shares
Joe's birthday, but mom is napping and I can't remember who it is, so Happy Birthday! We are
getting pizza tonight, Joe's choice. Nice not to have to cook, but I'm not entirely sure eating out
is safe.

I put a bra on and wet down my wild hair yesterday and went into the office for a bit yesterday
and then last night my friend walked by and I saw her and we maintained proper social distance
and had a nice visit. I was on my bed propped up on a pillow sort of with my head in the window
and she was standing outside. I got the giggles thinking about how it looked from outside . . .
someone standing between two houses, talking to herself? LOLOL So I talked to 3 live people
yesterday who are not in my family and it was very nice! Make that 4, I also talked to the nice girl
at the drive through at the bank while I made a deposit for work and picked up some dirty germy cash for Mom.

Mom watches too much news. Of course she does not have the internet to amuse and terrify
her. I turn on the TV in the morning and Seinfeld is on, then Friends. I have so much available,
and so far this is what I watch. Interesting. Except I throw in the occasional pandemic/killer virus
movie. Now I can have even more Seinfeld funnies to share with my young coworkers that they
don't know what I am talking about. It is amusing how many work situations parallel Seinfeld
episodes. Sometimes being the oldest one in the office is fun. Sigh. I miss my coworkers. I sure
got lucky there. Co-working from home is just not the same.

Our fridge is full, we never have this much food at one time. So imagine my shock when I
opened the door the other day and the light did not come on! While I was standing there, in
shock ,it kicked on, whew, it was just the bulb. Some timing on that bulb burning out, right!
Amazon to the rescue! But now I read how you are supposed to sanitize everything, from
Amazon and the grocery store and everywhere, ewwww. That is life now, like it or not.

My friends and I keep saying stuff like did you ever think you would see something like this in
2020, or in your lifetime, or in the USA?

Stay safe and well.

Kathleen ☘

March Madness

2020 St. Paddy's Day Shirt for Kay! I will rock this shirt  . . . I'm just not sure where . . .  

No news is good news! Life is quiet right now . . . except for all the chaos going on in the world!

Mom is doing well. John invited us over for lunch last weekend. He has invited us before over the last few months but Mom either was tired, or didn't sleep well, or just didn't feel up to the trip when the day came. And honestly, getting Mom out voluntarily in the winter is hard! Well, last Saturday she surprised us all and we had a nice visit and lunch over at John's. Always nice to see his weird and amusing kitties. Mom hadn't been out for ages, except to routine doctor's appointments, so it felt good to get her out.  She did very well. And some fresh air can do wonders for you.

Joe is well too, and takes excellent care of Mom. I wish he'd quit the ciggies, but gosh, that is so hard.

I had been sort of polling my friends and co-workers, to see if they were "Deniers" or "Preppers" (Reddit terms), and I think most of them were Deniers until very recently. I made jokes to my friends that I was ready, I had picked up some chocolate chips and some vodka, but in reality I fell somewhere in between, and had started picking up a few extra things weeks ago when doing my regular shopping. Then one night I was looking at photos of people's stockpiles on Reddit, and got a little nervous, so I placed a pick-up order at Walmart and did an Amazon pantry order, so I was spared any last minute grocery trips the last few days. I wanted to have some easy heat and eat things on hand just in case we do get sick. I suppose a real "prepper" would be amused by my pantry, but it sure makes me feel better. And I already had a good supply of paper goods on hand so I have not contributed to the TP shortage! I really feel for the people who do not have the means or transport to lay by some extra things without undue hardship.  I am one of the lucky ones, I know.

Mom and I were laughing about the freezer. We all like soup, and there were cheap hams at Jewel a few weeks back, so I grabbed a couple, so then over a few weeks I ended up with nice meaty ham bones. Soup freezes so well I made extra, so I have split pea soup, ham and beans, and 15 bean soup in there.  Too bad Bernie is gone, he would love all that bean soup! LOL Now there is no room in freezer for any freezer pandemic (junk food) goodies because of all the healthy soups and chunks of ham.  And NOBODY is in the mood for more bean soup! It will taste good again soon, I'm sure. And too bad if it doesn't, we are eating it anyway!

I feel eventually we will all be housebound for a while and, while I am dreading it, my biggest fear is bringing something home to Mom, so I will probably be relieved when it happens. It will be a problem for Joe to stay home, he likes to get out a few times a day, but even he is starting to acknowledge that he will have to change his ways for a while.

I have plenty of food for Finnegan too. I would not want to stress him out. When I left today he was sprawled in the middle of mom's bed taking up a tremendous amount of room and she was contorting herself so as to not disturb him! Amuses me to no end.

I am at John's this weekend and was hoping to pick up some weekend deals at Kroger, but now I'm not even sure I want to go there. They probably don't have any mega sales goodies left anyway. I might be done with grocery stores for a while. The parking lot was a little scary today. I have an interesting list, including sauerkraut and rye bread . . . luckily I picked up corned beef before things got too crazy! Bernie's favorite. March 9th was Mom and Dad's 61st anniversary.

Stay safe and well. It is coming near, cases in Springfield today. If anybody needs any TP or a can of beans (or bean soup!) just whistle! ☘

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Halloween!

61 degrees on Christmas, what the heck? Nice to air the house out for sure. John was home for a dinner, it was a very pleasant day. I went to feed the stray cats after he left and gosh nobody around. Washed my car and filled up my gas tank. Didn't even comb my hair and nobody saw me . . . I hope! lol 

Where have I been? I don't even know.

Mom had her 82nd birthday in November. She is doing well. Doesn't get up enough for my liking but it is what it is. Dad would have been 100 on December the 12th!

Finn got an abscess, $100 at the vet. And he weighs 23#. Oh dear.

Kay had a cyst, an infected cyst on her neck. $700 at the dermatologist and antibiotics for a month. Lucky Kay only had to pay one-third of that. Boy howdy. I'm not going to give you Kay's weight. But Finn and I really do have big bones.

Had a weekend at John's a couple of weeks ago, came home on Sunday afternoon and the big gate at the end of the driveway was open. Weird. Then I get to patio and I notice that the gate facing the street is wide open too. Weird. It was wicked cold weather, nobody had any business being outside. I don't like the gates open. Finn will think he is all safe in his own back yard and get his ass kicked by that cute thug across the street, Blackie, or that banger, Tanner, two houses down. (I secretly love them both, but the vet bills over the year really add up man!)

Kay: "Joe, why are the gates in back open?"
Joe: "I don't know."
Kay: "Did you open them?"
Joe: "I don't know."
Kay: "What do you mean you don't know! Did you open the gates in the last two days!!?"
Joe: "Oh . . . maybe it was the guy that was here Saturday night."

Kay is confused. Come to find out 2:00 a.m. Sunday, Joe hears the (unlocked) back door open. He calls out "What are you doing here?", figuring it is me, who else could it be? Mom is in bed, and at first she thinks she hears voices in driveway. Then she realizes it is Joe talking to someone in kitchen. Seems a man came in back door, claiming he was looking for a party. A party at 2:00 a.m. in a totally dark house? I mean, come on. I've been to a lot of parties, but gosh. He apologized and left. I ask if they called the police. No, because he was here. I said where did he go when he left? Nobody watched. Did he knock before he came in? Nobody knows. Joe says he was friendly and thinks it was an honest mistake. If I blunder into someone's house at 2:00 a.m. I gotta remember that . . . be friendly Kay. OK. I have many other thoughts, but the first one is LOCK THE DAMN DOOR!   The address he claimed he was looking for is close and some younger people have moved in there, so maybe it was legit. Or maybe we are The Most Gullible People in America. Not sure! LOL   I can't help imagine what I would have done if I had discovered a stranger in the house at 2:00 a.m.? Hopefully we will never know!

I had trouble getting in the Christmas spirit this year. Not sure why. I barely decorated, lol even less than usual!  I know we are all missing people and it helps to remember what you do still have. Grateful Mom is home, and I'm looking forward to a New Year.

Peace.

Kay

Home

Mother is home. Now she has visits with a nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist and a bath aide. Busy busy! LOL  Very nice of Medicare though. That pesky UTI is cleared up, hopefully we can keep it that way.

Dane County Farmer's Market today, it was lovely as usual. Had some good chow around Madison too.

The Welcome Home Committee.

John's birthday (late)  meal at Erin's Snug Irish Pub in Madison. Delicious. 

The reuben and loaded colcanon was delicious, as was Johns Friday fish special. John even had a beer. Well . . . part of a beer, a Spotted Cow. It goes without saying that I had beer. I am my father's daughter after all. 

Farmer's Market bounty. Missing from photo . . . a buttermilk doughnut, a rhubarb breakfast bar, and a pecan pie bar. 

Misdemeanor theft from John's absentee neightbor. 

Fingers crossed for a good home stretch with mom, and good health for all!

Kay

September

New addition to the homestead. Will make getting Mom in and out a lot easier . . . and less scary. Finnegan likes it. He thinks we put it in so he can sit on that rail and rule the neighborhood. I used to feel sad when I would see a new ramp at a house, now I think it means someone gets to stay home a while longer, a good thing! I gotta say, still a little sad though.  We will be able to get Mom outside more now, the fresh air will do her good.

Mom is still at rehab at Park Pointe, but I suspect she will be home soon. Her UTI is cleared up and she is feeling better. Therapy is going OK, arm is still painful, but not sure there is much that can be done about that at mom's age. We shall see. It will be good to have her back at home.

Nothing else new, starting fall yard work and looking forward to consistent fall temps. These 90 degree days with high humidity are for the birdies.

Kay :)

August

Well, the reunion nearly did Mom in! LOL We weren't sure she would even go, and we ended up being there for 3 hours, a long time for Mom when she hadn't been feeling great and hadn't been out of the house for a while. She really enjoyed it, seeing everyone, and she had a great appetite, who doesn't with all that great food!? That was on Saturday. On Sunday she was pretty tuckered. Come Monday night we were off to the ER, she was so weak. She has had a recurring UTI and the antibiotics just weren't knocking it back, and her bad elbow had become all red and bruised and swollen. She was pretty out of it. They ran a bag of IV antibiotics and fluids through her and prescribed a different antibiotic and x-rayed her elbow and sent her home.  She did perk up a little with the IV and the antibiotic, but we were disappointed they didn't keep her, we felt it was warranted. It was pouring rain and incredibly wet and humid and miserable when we left the hospital. Luckily mom stayed snug in my old softball rain poncho, Joe and I were drowned rats and I lost a shoe in a puddle. It was pretty comical really. I can curse probably just about as well as anybody in the world.  She had a follow up with her GP on Wednesday, but it was all downhill. Mom has never done well on antibiotics. I heard a noise in the night and found Mom on the floor. Scared me to death. She told me she didn't fall, but just slid off the bed. Come Friday and we were back to the ER. To our shock and chagrin they were going to send her home again. She was so weak and sick, she was scaring me. By the grace of I don't know what, I think my pleas to a sympathetic social worker, they ended up admitting her. She has had IV antibiotics for the past 3 days and today she was moved over to Park Pointe for rehab, same place she was before. I think it is just what she needs. She has not been looking or feeling good, and I couldn't persuade her (despite much bitching) to go to doc or exercise more or get out of bed more. Already at the hospital she has walked a little with a walker and spent several hours each day sitting up in a chair. I couldn't get her to do that stuff at home. Hopefully this stint will will get her well and stronger so we can enjoy a good trouble free spell at home. That is what we all hope for.

Not sure how long she will be there, don't know much of anything yet, except she is starting to look and feel better thank God!

Kay

June 2019

I tended to my garden this a.m. Pulled a lot of weeds and pruned my tomato plants. And gathered this goodness . . .

Baby romaine, radishes, broccoli, parsley, lemon balm, green onion, basil, chives and purslane (courtesy of mother nature). and a sweet banana pepper. And an orange lily. Then I made Saturday brunch . . .

I had a vision of making an herbalicious dressing out of lemon balm, parsley and basil, but the thought of dragging out the food processor did not appeal, so I just threw it all in my salad. I gotta say, it was awesome and interesting, lots of different notes. And a couple of brazil nuts for the selenium never huts! I need to stop buying those bags of triple cheddar cheese . . . too good!

I sure miss my pesky little helper out there in the garden. I worked much harder under her strict supervision. Midge had a lot of rules.

 I tried to get Finn to come out with me but he yawned and rolled over, so I guess he wasn't in the mood. I wish I knew how Finn would act with a kitten, because we are sure missing a busy, nosy, in your business female kitty around these parts. Don't get me wrong, I love a big strong tom, but a female cat is a different animal . . .

I'll pass on gardening this a.m. . . . 

While I am all grubby and dirty from the garden I'm heading out to the cemetery to decorate where mom's side of the fam is laid to rest, the cemetery where Dad loved to take rides. Bernie would have a conniption at this late date, sorry Dad, but the flowers were at John's house, oops, just got them last weekend. John put some flowers at the Seneca cemetery.

Somehow I turned 57 this month. What the hell. Some big ass huge envelope came to the house with a senior survey inside and I gave it to Mom. Much to her amusement the damn thing had my name on it!

Mom had a little bug but seems to be coming around.  Her color is coming back and her appetite, wow she can eat!  I make her faves of course, so that helps. She is looking forward to the high 80s coming next week - craziness! This cool weather has been awesome.

I need new tires or a new car and my air conditioner isn't cold enough and the heat isn't hot enough, so I have to take my car in. Boo hoo. Can't complain about my car though, it has been a gem, knock on wood. But it all sounds expensive.

I can't believe June is almost over. When you are 57 time flies man. A couple of my teacher friends retired, and I went to a fun retirement party for one of them last weekend put on by her kids. These are the kids who used to get hauled to tournaments every weekend every summer for years, the ones who Holly had to make a strict rule -  "Don't ever drink out of Aunt Kay's water jug!" (occasionally there might be vodka and lemonade in there), and what an awesome party it was. Kids no more, fine adults now. After the party I went to my friends Donna and Mark's house to have a drink in honor of their great dog, Sophi, she was worn out and went to heaven, and gosh I loved that dog like my own. Every time I saw her I asked "How is the prettiest girl in all the land!?" and she enjoyed many of my special doggy massage/rub downs and when I would stop I'd say OK that's enough, and she'd paw my hand and sweet talk me and get another rubdown, over and over lol and now I know she is fine again, but will miss her. Damn animals! I get attached to the ones who are not even my own. And somehow Donna's son, who was hauled to many a softball game and tourney himself, graduated from engineering school with honors and got a great job and how in the heck is he old enough for all that business! Yikes. Time flies.

I'm off . . .

Kathleen A.