One Too Many Doctor Visits!

In the two Dorrell households and the Proctor household there, at this point, have been six medical "appointments"...five were planned. The sixth just happened a few minutes ago in Melany's household. Wade's mother just fell...the ambulance has come to pick her up and the rest of the household is just waiting to find out what injury/ies she might have. She is at the hospital and they have made her comfortable and she isn't in pain. They are waiting for a doctor to examine her and order X-rays. She was in the midst of getting ready to move into an assisted living residence on Monday. I have a feeling that her move may be put on hold. Al this just goes to show us that we just don't know from one moment to the next what is going to happen in our lives. This morning Woody had an appointment with TN Oncology for labs only today. They made him stay since they were concerned with his red blood count. Well, for Woody, his count was up quite a bit from the last time...so that was good. When he got home, Isaac and Joseph were here. They stayed here while the rest of the family went in various directions. They came over with a packed lunch and their "screens!" They did do screens for a while, but then made their way into the toy closet and had quite a good time with the pirate ship and pirate island and several other toys. They hardly ever get into the toy closet these days so it was a "good thing" to entertain them during their stay over here. While they played quietly in the living room, Woody and I waited for a call from Dr. O, Woody's Nephrologist. We managed to answer the borrowed phone (not used to iPhones) and get the link clicked on to make a video appointment happen. This time Dr. O did talk to Woody. On the other two phone appointments that Woody has had a nurse practitioner talked with him. Woody is getting quite close to dialysis and the doctor wants him to have the catheter placed in his abdomen. Getting this procedure done doesn't mean that he will start dialysis immediately, but he will just be prepared for when the inevitable happens. The doctor was going to check the labs that Woody had done this morning and then compare to last week's labs and make some decisions from there. I guess we will be hearing about an appointment to have the outpatient procedure done. The doctor who will do that procedure, I taught at Montessori many years ago—small town living! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Tuesday Confusion!

Today has been a day of changes which ends up spelling confusion to me! First Woody's nephrology office called to change Woody's appointment from Thursday to tomorrow. Which seemed like a good thing at least at first. Nathan wasn't going to be here on Thursday which would mean leaving me one of their phones so we could telemed the appointment. I was dreading that because we don't have an iPhone type gadget so I really don't know even how to answer one much less answer through an app, etc. So I was glad when they called to move the appointment to tomorrow. Woody has an oncology appointment early in the morning and the kidney doctor is mid morning...on that should work out. Melany had planned to come visit with Erin on Friday and pick up a cheesecake from Abigail. Well, Melany found out they were having company on Friday. So she decided to put off the trip here till next week. But...when I went next door to rearrange the cheesecake pick up time with Abigail, I found out that the teenagers are going hiking with the church youth group tomorrow morning and Nathan and Kathy were planning to do something in Murfreesboro while they hiked so they could drop off the cheesecake at Melany's house. And, could I have Isaac and Joseph come over here while they were gone? Oh, wait...the phone doctor appt.?!? Well, they will leave a phone with us so we can still have the appointment! So we are back to the way it would have been if the appointment had been on Thursday...back to me figuring out how to use a phone I have never used before! Totally confused?!? Well, I am! Guess it is best to just go with the flow and whatever happens whenever will be what happens!! Woody is working on writing up a "story" about Elijah's time on a coach pitch team. He has been choosing photos that he wants to use. So this afternoon after lunch I helped him resize them. He also has Joy and Esther doing some little illustrations to put in this story. I delivered a rough draft to Joy this afternoon so they can see where their drawings can fit. Woody has spent quite some time working on this. He wants to give it to Elijah as a memory of his time on a coach pitch team. It's too hot to do much of anything. One load of wash done and put away...garbage can taken to the road...choose from what I cooked over the weekend and yesterday for meals. I sat down next door for a little while and watched a couple of games being played. We have both read. I finished another book and am working on four other e-books and one "real" book. One of these days I will get thoroughly confused with storylines! But I figure it is a challenge for my brain to keep them straight...a challenge for my mind! Woody has started on a new book. Good ways to pass the time on hot summer days! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Monday Mania

I guess today's "mania" was cooking mania. I decided that it would be good to make a couple of main dish salads. I wanted one that Woody can't have and then wanted to make one that would work with Woody's diet. It has taken most of the day for me to accomplish getting them made. I had to make homemade mayonnaise for Woody's and since I don't buy canned soups any more, I needed to make cream of celery soup for mine. There was lots of veggie dicing. While I was dicing for one salad, if the other had the same veggie in it, I diced for that one, too. I also had to boil eggs and cook rice...anyway...it took a good portion of the day and a good many dishes! At one point I didn't have any measuring cups clean. I loaded the dishwasher and still had lots more to wash that didn't fit in. After I blog, I guess I will have lots to put away...the ones that finished a little while ago in the dishwasher and the ones that I wished by hand...all should be dry and ready to put away when I go back downstairs. Woody chose to wait to eat supper till he finished a book so he still hasn't eaten. Today he ran a couple of errands. He delivered church literature to several of his Deacon families and also picked up a couple of prescriptions for me at the pharmacy. The rest of the day he has spent inside reading, working crossword puzzles and watching TV. I think that squirrel count is at 46...might be 47. I just know that Elijah is closing in on 50! He told me that he hasn't spent any of his squirrel earnings. He has something in mind that he is saving for. Graham finished his second day at his new job, pin setter and tech person at the local bowling alley. I think that he is enjoying working there...at least he wants to talk about his job so for a 17-year-old guy that is a pretty good indication that he is happy with his employment at the present! Hopefully it is just the type of job for a college student. We'll see how it goes once his Motlow classes begin. Sounds like the hours are perfect to be able to juggle both college classes and work hours. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

The Larder is Fuller

Well, the larder may be fuller than it wasbefore I went to Kroger, but that didn't mean that I ended up cooking any of it as I was too tired after making the trip to the store and getting it put all away! So we ate on leftovers for lunch and supper. Maybe I'll be more inspired to cook something tomorrow! That trip to the store seems to take something out of me...especially in this heat! It has been hot again today, but it didn't feel as hot, at least to me, because the humidity was down some today. It made it much easier to breathe! After I got all the groceries put away and ate lunch, I came upstairs to do a little reading...well...not much reading got done, but I did get in a good nap! Woody has stayed home today. He enjoyed sitting out on the front porch for a while this afternoon. I continue to enjoy going through the cookbooks that the Hasty's brought yesterday. As I go through them, I am reminded of times in the past when Woody and I would go to a really nice bookstore in the Nashville area (some will remember Davis Kid Booksellers). I would enjoy spending time in the cookbook section looking for a new cookbook to add to my cookbook collection. I feel like I am browsing through a cookbook section as there are so many to go through! I have copied one recipe into my iPad recipe app. I found a cheesecake cookbook that I took over to Abigail. I figured it would give her some more ideas of kinds of cheesecakes she might add to her repertoire. I've talked to several friends today...enough to run down the battery on both my cordless phones! It was good to catch up. These days we miss getting together to just talk due to all the quarentining so the phone comes in handy to let us socialize! Nice to talk with friends! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Who Were Those Masked Visitors?

For some reason today has seemed like Saturday all day long. When I stopped to take my before supper medicine, I opened that Saturday opening and then realized that it was really Friday. I guess all this staying at home has my brain totally confused as to what day it is...guess three plus months mainly at home has turned each day closer and closer to being the same. While it was cool in the early morning, I went outside and watered the patio herb/veggie/flower planters. I knew that it is supposed to be very hot for the next several days on into next week. So I want to keep on top of keeping the plants well watered. I harvested a few more grape tomatoes. Then I cleaned up the front porch...vacuumed off the pillows...ridding them of kitty fur! I fixed breakfast for Woody and me. Woody usually fixes his own breakfast, but today I was around and he hadn't had breakfast yet so I made French toast. Before 10am Woody left to run errands with his friend and he didn't return until after 2pm. Not long after he left, I got a call from the public library that a book that I had put on hold was ready for me to pick up. I set a time to get it. Then worked on getting the ingredients out to make zucchini bread. I was going to try a new recipe...chocolate zucchini bread. But Woody said that he would eat some zucchini bread if I made it so I switched back to our tried-and-true zucchini bread recipe (Woody doesn't like chocolate)...adding some of Nathan and Kathy's fresh blueberries. By the time I got everything ready, it was time to go pick up the book at the library. When I got back, I put all the ingredients together and popped them into the oven to bake for 1-1/2 hours. They came out of the oven about the time that our masked visitors arrived and Woody got back from running errands. Our visitors were Doyle and Linda Hasty. They stopped by to pick up a special order cake/cheese cake from Abigail and visited over here with us for a while before they headed off with their speciality strawberry cake/cheesecake and some zucchini bread. I understand that the blog picture of Elijah's birthday cake sold them on ordering a cake from Abigail for Doyle's birthday. Doyle and Woody sat on the front porch and talked and sipped fresh squeezed limeade. Linda and I decided to stay stayed inside where it was cool and sipped limeade and enjoyed a piece of warm from the oven zucchini bread and caught up with each other. it's the first time that we have visited in person for any length of time since we all began sheltering at home back in March. They had been by to drop off some things...but we called that just a drive-by visit! They brought us several boxes of books that Doyle had gotten at an estate sale...lots of cookbooks to peruse! I so far have looked at a cookbook with 500 meatball recipes in it and at the moment on my lap have a cookbook that just has potato recipes. After I look and capture some recipes, I will pass them next door for them to check out. The lady of the household must have loved to cook...or at least read about cooking! We are now settling in for another quiet Friday evening. I guess I need to start thinking about want I will need to get at the grocery store tomorrow...it's been two weeks since I went. I didn't think that I would like having such a long time between food shopping trips, but it is working out very well. I thought Melany and Erin were coming this weekend and I was able to come up with a meal even at this end of the two weeks. But in the end they aren't coming until next week...so whether that meal plan will still happen remains to be seen! But now it's time to start plans for being able to eat for the next two weeks! Most of the plans will depend on what is on the store shelves tomorrow...so part of the planning happens at the store! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

I Think It's Thursday?

The days seem to be muddling together. Today hasn't had anything happen that "says" it is Thursday. Our pastor does a Thursday Bible study at noon...but didn't have one today...so nothing has happened to distinguish Thursday from any other day! It continues to be very hot and humid. I did do a little church library business today...I wrote a memorial book letter this morning and got it in the mailbox to be picked up by the mailman. I decided today was the day to squeeze limes and see if there was enough juice to make the base for limeade. I decided that it was "meant" for me to make the base as there was exactly the amount of juice that the recipe called for. I made a I made a simple syrup base and it is in the fridge ready to make glasses of limeade. I did have a glass and it tasted very good and refreshing. I decided that it ws time to harvest the two ichiban eggplants that had grown to a good size. This is a slender Japanese eggplant. I made a recipe that was meant for this type of eggplant...we had that as a side dish tonight. Tasted pretty good. I don't know if we will have any more of these eggplants or not...no evidence of any more at the moment. Our little grape tomatoes are ripening. I have harvested a few of those and eaten several. Isaac and Joseph also like to harvest those and pop one in their mouths. Nathan and Kathy's blueberry bushes are really producing...the bushes are so tall that it is hard for them to harvest them without a ladder! Woody has stayed inside today...avoiding the excessive heat, I guess. He has read, done crossword puzzles, watched a bit of TV and just sAt around keeping cool...though the heat doesn't bother him as much as it does me. I'm heading down now to finish cleaning up the kitchen mess...waiting for the kitchen to cool down a bit. I mainly hang out upstairs these days since Woody can't stand to have the AC on downstairs. I did work a bit on some sewing designs this afternoon...still looking for the one that I will put on a t-shirt. I guess I have too many designs since I keep looking for the perfect one! Melany has been waiting to hear what is in store for her school for the coming school year. It looks like they will be returning and all will be a ring masks. I think that I understand Tullahoma schools are planning to also return...not sure about masks there. Nashville said that their schools will be virtual till at least Labor Day. So all different plans for schools across our state. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

It's Wednesday...again

Seems like we just turn around and the middle of the week is upon us again. My routine for Wednesday is to have a church library "meeting" with Donna via phone. We had a nice visit and did talk a little about the library. I've spent some time helping Abigail set up for her little preschool that she is planning to have with 3 or 4 little children from church A couple of days each week. We carried a bunch of my school equipment over there yesterday and then today one of the mamas had some more equipment for her to use. We got it set up. Isaac and Joseph were funny enjoying it all...what we had worked with for so many years. They have graduated from using most of this but still enjoy it. Woody has spent the day inside...doing some work with the laptop and, of course, has done his crossword puzzles and read and watched a bit of TV. I did a little cleaning. I made Sweet and Sour Pork for supper...now I have the mess to clean up. I headed next door to help Abigail after supper so am just now back home to do the clean up. Elijah's birthday present did arrive today and I think that he felt it was worth the wait...a little remote control drone. He had it flying around in their house when I was over there. Oh...and, the squirrel count seems to have slowed down. He hasn't gotten any the last couple of days. The count is now 43...I think. He told me rather wide eyed the other day that he had almost caught 50! We had another pop-up storm this afternoon. The last couple of days we have had at least a little rain in the afternoon which has let me not have to water the patio garden planters. Our herbs are growing great as are our few veggies. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!