Random A.D.D. Tuesday

Went to sleep late. Woke up early.

Arthritis really bothering my hands today. This is somewhat new for me and so, so frustrating. Numbness and pain at the same time. My fingers are so swollen it feels like they're going to burst out of the skin.

Not working today. I'm on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule that suits my situation well. I know y'all are tired of hearing this but I love my job. I love the way they accommodate people with all sorts of situations. And I love that sweet Miss Carol is making a birthday cake for me for next week. She asked what I wanted and I told her I loved her truffles that she gave me for Christmas and Valentine's Day. She said that was hard to make for the whole office so I told her I would be happy with a coconut cake or rhubarb pie. Coconut cake it is! I can't wait!

Yesterday we celebrated Donna's birthday with german chocolate cake. I ate my slice on the way home yesterday - not easy to drive and eat cake but I managed and it was so. good!

Haven't contacted the disability lawyer yet. On my to-do list for today but it makes me really anxious.

Have to run to the Pharm today to pick up and drop off. They knew me without me having to give my name on Sunday. Not sure if that's a good thing. I'm a bit of a minority here in Riverdale so I guess they don't have a lot of frequent fliers of my race. "Here comes that crazy white lady with cat fur all over her again." It strikes me that if I spent more time on the farm I would need less time at the pharm. The more I'm in the mountains, the better I can concentrate on that.

Trying to time it to go before my grandpuppy Sammy comes over for Doggie Daycare today. He's so depressed that the other dogs aren't here. I put him in the crate when I went to work yesterday and when I got home Pop had just gotten here. I asked if he had let Sammy out... he didn't even know Sammy was there and Sammy - who normally has this ear-piercing sharp bark when he's excited - didn't make a peep. Bless his heart. I do love my grandpuppy. He has just started cuddling me - he randomly comes up to me and lays his head on my shoulder - and I give him a little hug back and then he's down and back off to Tigger bounce his way through the house. He won't go out to potty without the other dogs and I fear that he's found himself a little wee-wee place somewhere indoor but I haven't seen a puddle anywhere.

I made one pot spaghetti last night. That process fascinates me and makes me wonder why I didn't think of it sooner. You just brown your ground beef, drain grease, add sauce, water and chicken broth. I know, chicken broth? Trust me, it's yummy. Once the sauce is boiling, you add the noodles and cook until the noodles are tender. I thought it was genius until Austin said, "you mean like making Hamburger Helper". Oh yeah. That's right. Same process.

I'm concerned with being a good steward of the money from my tax return. I need a nest egg to carry me through if there is a period of time with no income or medical expenses. I'm not good at asking for help even though the people in my life are very good at giving it.

I'm also trying to address all the foreseeable needs and that leads me to consider putting my little kitchenette in the basement. Mostly I just need to have the plumbing set up for a little sink, a microwave and a mini-fridge and some sort of cabinetry. I would just do a little cabinet and counter where the sink is and then maybe put some shelves above the counter to neatly stack dishes. Ideally we would have flooring that is more conducive to meals than my beautiful carpet (which I fear will be less so the longer that Austin makes my Whine Cellar his Love Nest) but really, for the time being, a little area rug could serve the same purpose without as much renovation involved. I think if I'm frugal, I can do this for less than a thousand dollars, the greatest expense likely to be the plumbing. The spot where we want to put the kitchenette is directly below the kitchen on the main floor so there's not a huge amount of plumbing but still...

As far as Austin and his roommate go... we have a lot of work ahead to transform them from teenagers to good tenants and neighbors. When we got to the house last Thursday, granted, unexpected, there were clean clothes in the dining area... dirty clothes in the pantry... both sides of the sink overflowing with dirty dishes... counters that were not wiped down... dishes in their bedroom... a little blind doggie that is not being adequately supervised... and the downstairs utility room has been converted to a smoking lounge. I feel like I spent my three days there "coaching" (nagging) about these things by saying little things like, "mawmaw really likes a clean kitchen... please clean it right after you finish eating" and "I would prefer not to see a bra in the dining room" and "the basement is your little apartment... please try not to leave a footprint upstairs"... "we don't appreciate finding dirty socks in the upstairs powder room or on the screened in porch".

Her mother wants to give her a puppy for her birthday. A puppy. On my beautiful new carpet and Grandma's gorgeous Tiffany blue rugs. I encouraged them to consult their "Landlord" before bringing a new puppy home. They called Pop while he was on the golf course. You could get Pop to agree to donating both kidneys while he's on the golf course. He'll agree to ANYTHING. At any rate... some of these things are due to age and not having clear boundaries... and some are just a lack of consideration. My parents worked hard to be able to have this house and I'll be danged if those kids are going to disrespect that, even if it causes tension between me and them. I'm ok with being the bad cop. We love Lulu and want to be able to give her a stable home environment, something she has not had much in her life. And I so greatly appreciate how kind she is to Austin. AND you all know how desperately I want to know that he is safe and sound. But there are limits.

I guess that was not so much random and more of a rant. I apologize. Just still fresh on my mind.

And ultimately, I think the kitchenette will need to wait. The idea is for me to be set up to not have to climb stairs much and to prepare for when I'm no longer able to climb stairs.

Mom is still at the mountain house. I believe she is homesick as this is the longest time (I think) that she has ever been away from this little house in Riverdale and the longest she has been away from Pop. He is going up there today after work and will commute from there in the morning so hopefully that will help. The homeowners association is having a work day on Saturday and they (mama and the dogs) will all come back to the 'dale after that.

I'm starting my new muscle relaxer today, baclofen. This is most commonly given to people with multiple sclerosis which makes me feel like it's more hard core than the flexeril I've been on for the past two years. Dr. Matt says it's less sedating but drugs.com says the side effects include drowsiness AND insomnia. I'm going to take it during the day today while I'm alone with no real responsibilities except letting Sammy out (which he won't do) and no real requirement to interact with anyone except my daughter-in-law. I'm still feeling a little drowsy from my meds last night - which is weird because I didn't take the ambien last night so you would think I would feel MORE awake. Again... I need more farm and less pharm in my life. So once that drowsiness wears off, I'm doping up.

So it's drug testing and nesting for me today. Hope y'all have a much more exciting Tuesday ahead of you! Love and hugs!