The quiet after the storms

 We had several nights with violent storms this past week.

Thankfully, there was no damage to our area, but the tornado that came through early one morning last week caused damage 5 blocks away.  That was too close for comfort, but all is well.

Once that last storm system moved through, we found ourselves suddenly in autumn!  It's been absolutely spectacular out for a couple of days now, with no end in sight!  Cool nights, and comfortable days.... ahhhh.

My favorite time of year is finally here.

Yesterday, I messaged our neighbors who moved away to ask about the little chiminea, and some metal tiki torches, that they left behind.  They invited us to go over and take them, so we did!

We might put the little chiminea on the concrete patio in the winter.  

If  we get a lot of snow, and can't get out to the brick patio, and the big chiminea, this will work for winter solstice.  

We also found a bag of pinion (I can't type a ~ over an n on my English language keyboard) wood that is cut small enough to fit into the little chiminea, and brought that home, too! 

While it's not likely that we will have another blizzard this winter, or that it would come at actual winter solstice, a girl can dream!

In other news, Dave has a new medication to add to his regime for anxiety, and it seems to be working pretty well.

He's not having nightmares, and he's seemingly happier.  It's hard to tell with him, though.

I am pleased that the pain I was having in my left hip and leg is much, much better than it was.  

You may recall that it started a few months ago, and I took a month off from the hormone blocker, but it didn't make enough of a difference so I started back on it before the month was up.

The source of the pain is still a mystery, but I suspect that I somehow injured myself, or put something out of place, doing some new yoga therapy exercises that were given to me in July.

Not sure, though...but I am SO glad that the deep, almost crippling pain is gone now.  It was odd how it was there before I'd get out of bed, would be excruciating early in the morning, but would go away by mid morning. 

In other news.....

There was not one word...not one moment of gratitude, or well wishing, from the person who left my company on Friday.  You know the one... I told you about her last week.

Another high ranking person had his last day on the same day.  I think there was a shake up at the top of the food chain, because, otherwise, why would they both  make their exits on the same day....  

Anyway, HE chose to retire, rather than go to another ambulance company, OR to our main competitor, and he sent out a sweetly worded, wonderful email to everyone.  It was touching and lovely.

But not her.  NOT ANGIE... who always treated us all with utter disdain, and would let doors slam in our faces if we were behind her in a hallway.  

I am SOOOO happy she's gone... What a weight has been lifted!

I just hope she doesn't have the power to build up that competitor to the point that it damages our company, or that she does something to try to unseat our CEO.  

She obviously was never forced to sign a non-compete, and is taking full advantage of that fact, and blabbing all over that she's going over to them.

Whatever.

In still other news, haha, today is another gorgeous one, and we are going to get the yard mowed, and the Halloween decorations out at last.

I didn't do it last weekend because of the violent weather, so I am far behind!!  

Aldi has inexpensive Jack O Lantern pumpkins, and we went yesterday to get ours.  They're lovely and big! Can't wait to have a real Halloween this year, after last year's UTTER disappointment from the ice storm.

First things first, though.... I am putting pork in the slow cooker for tacos carnitas!  Must get that going.

Have a lovely week!

Tornado watch?

 Yes, Oklahoma has TWO tornado seasons.... spring and fall.

Right now, it's clear, and windy, and headed to the upper 80s, but the front is supposed to come in the late afternoon.

We took our morning walk at the park, and Dave has a couple of errands to run.  

By this evening, we want to be ready for the possibility of violent weather, so this afternoon, we will put away the glass tiki torches, and drag some of the planters, and the grill, under the car port.

They're saying baseball sized hail could happen, and possibly tornadoes.

I freaking hate Oklahoma in so many ways.

I had hoped to start putting out Halloween decorations this weekend, but this wind is brutal, and with storms coming, I'm just going to wait.

This past week, I got another tattoo.  

When I was at the shop two weeks ago, for a touch up, the artist I discovered this summer told me that she is leaving for maternity leave (I hadn't noticed that she was pregnant until she pointed it out to me).  She added that she wants to move away from Oklahoma, and that this might well happen while she is off for the baby.

 She had told me that she still had a few appointment openings left for October, and that she would be gone by the end of the month.  SO, I started thinking about if I wanted to get one more before she "disappears." 

I've been thinking about this one for a long time, and decided to have her do it for me.  I'm done now, for a while!  HAHA!

This design is almost the same as one my niece has that represents me and my sister.  It's an owl feather (me) with snow leopard (sister) eyes superimposed.

My niece's feather is a slightly different shape and color, and her tattoo is much larger.   Mine is about six inches long, and two inches across at the widest point.  Hers is on her leg, mine is on my inner forearm.

So, yeah...this has been the summer of tattoos.  I am glad I had the opportunity to connect with this young artist, and I am happy for her new life with a baby, and hopefully an escape from Okie land.

We had a work team update meeting on Friday, via zoom,  The audio was pretty bad, so I couldn't hear very well, but it sounded like we are not moving the billing office into the new location any time soon.

This made me breathe a sigh of relief!

It also sounded like he said something about a "pay adjustment" coming down the pipe before the end of the year. I THOUGHT he said 15% across the board.... to bring us up to national scale at last.

WOW!!  I have NO idea if I heard it correctly, though, and the couple of co workers who I texted said they had a hard time hearing, too, so no one could confirm that he said 15%.

It's interesting that this is happening now, when, YEARS ago, the VP had promised to do the research and get us adjusted.  She never followed through, of course.

It's ironic that it is happening now, because, happily, she is leaving the company at the end of this coming week.  

I can't wait to see her go!  

She's the one who took away the sick time hours people donated to me during chemo, so that I could take the time off that I needed, and get paid for it, instead of losing income.  

After she revoked the donations (that the CEO instated on my behalf), I had to go pay period by pay period and wait to earn that hour or so myself, but it left me with NO room to relax in case I got sick from the treatment.

During a couple of incidents of severe winter weather, while I was in the first month of chemo, the CEO closed the offices and sent us home with pay... BUT...this bitch came through AFTER that, and said we could only leave it we had paid time to use.  The first time this happened, she looked right at me, and smiled.

Eventually, my direct boss intervened, and went to the Tulsa office, and sat down with the payroll person while I was on the phone.  She had some of the hours returned to me, but it was like pulling teeth, and I think she had to do it without letting on to the bitch who took them away. 

I don't use the word "hate" very often, but I hate that woman, and would love to see a boot mark on her ass as she walks out the door for the last time.

Why didn't I complain about her to HR?  SHE was HR.  There was no HR department, and she took it upon herself to be the last word on our department...which was how she was able to change the rules on us at a whim, which she did...often.

Why didn't I quit, then, or since?  I'm convinced no one will hire me...especially then, when I was bald and clearly a cancer patient.

SO, anyway.... We got a new CEO a couple of years ago, and we finally have an HR department as a result.  We also got a CEO who declared that HE is our boss, not Angie, and she's been in the background ever since, which has been DELIGHTFUL.  

I really have a feeling that he fired her, and that's why she's leaving now.

I hope so, anyway.

On that note, have a great week!  

Beautiful weekend

 After months of drought, the rain finally came back late last week, and overnight Friday into Saturday.  It cooled things down (it was still in the 90s in the afternoons last week), and was much needed by the plants and trees.

This weekend has been spectacular!!   Got some mums for the front porch, and started thinking about putting up Halloween decorations a little at a time.

We drained and cleaned the hot tub yesterday, and today, we're going to move the wood piles from under the car port to the wood box in the shed.  The pecan wood from the ice storm last year should be chiminea-ready now!

The ground was finally soft enough for us to put the metal tiki torches out around the brick patio.  It's been so dry that we weren't able to get them staked into the ground.  It was hard as rock.  In fact, the metal stake broke on the first one Dave tried to set into the ground back in July some time.  We use that torch on the little table that's out there, since they have flat bottoms, and are glass bottles, basically.

We're hoping to spend time out by the fire, with the torches going, as fall cools down.  It will be lovely.

Went early this morning to walk in a forest preserve (one of two in the entire OKC metro), and saw some deer.  The light was beautiful.  I love autumn, every aspect of it.

My labs and doc visit went just fine.  I'm still on the every three months schedule for labs and doc.  In December, I will have scans, too.

Tomorrow at work, the billing system will be down for maintenance, but we still have to log in to our computers and take some kind of a class.  It won't take the whole day, though, and they're giving us the rest of the day off with pay.  That will be nice.

They've also got a full team update meeting scheduled for later in the week.  I bet we're going to find out that the new building still isn't ready to move in.  At least that is my sincere hope!

When I was there last Monday, I overheard that our department is definitely not moving soon.  Our part of the building is just studs and drywall.

YAY!!

Not much else to report.  Headed out to the yard to enjoy more of this gorgeous weather while it lasts! 

Have a good week!

Two more weeks

 We got the email last week that we are remaining working from home for two more weeks.

I will still have to go once a week, like usual, to pick up and drop off paperwork, and send faxes, etc.

They are saying that when we DO go back to the office, it will probably be to the new building.... Ugh.

While a new building has been much needed for at least a decade, the location of the new one is awful.

It's 45 minutes away, one way, and is in an unsafe area.  One of the reasons that the building had to be completely gutted and renovated was due to the amount of vandalism that took place while it was vacant.

Great!

Anyway, I am just happy for a couple more weeks' respite, and safety.  We have a zoom meeting tomorrow, so I would imagine there might be an update on the way.  We'll see.

Other people in my circle, who work elsewhere, are all being told they will be working from home until next year some time, to be sure everyone stays safe.  One friend in particular is going to work from home permanently, and she's even able to move to her dream location and not have to leave her job behind.

Dave is hoping they will let him just stay working from home permanently, because there's no reason for him to be in the building when all of his team is located in a different city.

It's ironic to me that I work for the AMBULANCE company in this city, and they are making us go back to in person working, despite the ever rising COVID numbers.

It's just ... stupid.

I wish I could get a different job, but I am pretty sure that a 59 year old cancer patient would not be a viable candidate for much.

I wish I could make a living doing something I love, but that's not a practical idea.  I was lucky enough to do it for a little while, many years ago, at least.

We got out and took our early walk at a park this morning.  It had been a while, since before vacation, so it was really nice to get out there.

We saw two hot air balloons on the way there, and as we arrived, they were landing somewhere nearby, so they were nice and low, so we could watch them for a few minutes.

You don't see that every day!

When my produce delivery came on Friday, I contacted our neighbors to the east to see if they wanted some okra.  In that conversation, I found out they are moving away.

While we get along just fine with them, their dogs are SO NOISY, and we won't miss that at all!

 Hopefully, whoever they rent the house out to will not have multiple dogs that are left out and bark all the time!

I am sad to see them go, as we have had a good rapport with them and keep an eye out for each other's places when we are out of town.  We watered their gardens for them when they were gone for three weeks earlier this year.

Turned out, that was the trip when they discovered a new opportunity, and started to plan how to take it.

Not much else to report. 

Off to make brunch. Have a stupendous week!

Back at Dragons' Roost

 Our week in Illinois was wonderful!  

We did every meet up/gathering as safely as possible, and got to see everyone we set out to see, with the bonus of meeting up with one of my best friends, Jessie, and her wife, Carla, in Springfield, IL on the first leg of the trip.

They were headed down state from Michigan, and we were headed up, so we met in the middle.

We saw a couple of things, ate a lot of things, and I felt SO at home, and relaxed.  

My brother in law and sister had their basement bathroom fixed, so that we could be as separated as possible during our stay at their house.

Other than family (and I have an extra tale to tell about family below),  I got to see my friends Jessie and Carla, Margaret (who ALSO came down from Michigan), Nancy, and Felicia and Priscilla (my dance sisters), and their husbands.

There were about 12 other people I WOULD have liked to have seen, but with COVID, we kept it at a bare minimum.

I finally got to go to Fullersburg Nature Preserve, where I used to hike EVERY Sunday, year round.  That was my church...and I had not been there since before we moved me to OKC.  I got  part of the time there by myself....and it was glorious. 

There was also a visit to the family home, and I got to sit under the tree where I built my first  altar, even though I had no idea that it was an altar when I was a little girl....it was just my special place to hide.  I brought home two spruce cones, and a stick....

As usual, being back home, where everything is so clean and well-maintained,  really made me realize how much I dislike Oklahoma.  OH well... here I am, for the duration.

There was only one close call on the highway, and it was in Oklahoma (big effing surprise), when a semi almost plowed into us on the last leg of the journey this afternoon.  He wanted to get over, and didn't care one whit that we were already in the lane next to him.

This event put me into a FULL blown panic attack, with sobbing, hyperventilating, and the feeling that my ribs were closing in.  It was LOVELY!!

I actually couldn't speak until we got to the house.

Anyway, it was so good for my soul to be with my family.... to see them all, face to face, and to spend time with them.  

This includes my extra tale to tell.... we made a day trip to Iowa City to see my one remaining elder, Aunt Janet, the sister of my dad.  

She's the only one left of her generation of the family, and is 93 years old.  After my dad passed, she used to come to Illinois to visit us (check on us?) every year, between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Her visits to see us were SO precious to us!!

But... I moved away, and had to miss the last few of those treks that she made, before she was unable to travel like that anymore.

So, our drive to Iowa was a VERY special side trip!!  

We went out for lunch, and to explore the beautiful Iowa countryside.

And....I gave her the journals that her mother wrote between 1909 and 1914.... which she said she didn't even know existed.

It made my heart swell with joy to place them in her hands... and to see the wonder on her face when she opened one, and saw her own mother's youthful handwriting for the first time.... I can't describe it.

...but that's a different story for a different time.

I'll be honest.  Last year, I thought my nuclear family might never see each other again.  Not all of us, together.

I thought it was possible - or even LIKELY- that one of us, or more than one of us, would get COVID-- and die.  

I, honestly, figured it would be me that would die, or Dave....and that I would never get to Chicagoland again, since I hate flying, and can't imagine myself driving up there alone.

I did really well at managing my emotions, though, as I am a very emotional person.  

I did not weep (well, except when Jessie and I saw each other for the first time).. and I mean WEEP, until we passed over the state line back into Missouri on the way back yesterday (don't take the near death panic attack into consideration, as it is unrelated).

While the "arch" is my "gateway to Illinois" on the way UP, it's my exit from Illinois on the way back... a symbolic "leaving behind" of all the people, and places, and things that I love about... home.

And, frankly, Illinois will always be home.  

Always. 

Counting down

 In one week from today, we will be with my family. Hopefully.

This weekend, we got the lawn mowed, and I am working on cleaning in the house, so that our dear friend who is going to stay here while we are gone, has a pleasant environment to enjoy.

She calls our house her sanctuary, and I want to be sure this continues for her.

So, given the fact that we still have much to do today, we skipped our morning hike in a park, and will focus on what needs to be done.

Details like the kitchen backsplash, which gets overlooked 90% of the time, the bathroom floor, cat "comfort stations" (including the automatic feeders and fountains), and the dust...oh, the dust.... will be dealt with today.

Other tasks, like scrubbing the bath tub, and mopping the floors, will happen during the evenings this coming week.

On the night before we leave, I will vacuum, change the sheets, and put out fresh towels.  Dave will refresh the cat fountains and litter boxes again, and we will make sure all is in order.

Something that concerns us about our visit with family is that they have been ... doing stuff.  

We have been isolating as much as possible, but they've been going to group gatherings, and concerts, and baseball games.... 

Granted, the COVID numbers up there are nothing like they are here, but ... there's still COVID!  

We took the incentive of being able to go up there, and have been staying away from others as much as possible in order to stay safe before traveling.

They have not been doing this, in anticipation of our arrival....so we are a bit worried.

Be that as it may, we have a package of N95 masks we are taking with us, and we will insist that anyone who comes close to us wear one.

Sigh.  If ANYONE in the family comes up with a positive test in the next 5 days, we will scrap the plans and stay home.

Anyway....today, I am also going to do some pickling.  The two beets that actually grew in my container "garden" are ready to harvest.  I'm also making pickled red onions...one jar for our friend, and one to take up to Illinois.

My doc gave me permission to stop taking the hormone blocker for a month.  It's been a week now, and the pain has been less debilitating.  I still feel it in the evening, and it's still at its worst when I first get up in the morning....but there IS an improvement.

I worked really hard yesterday, mowing the back yard in the heat, and vacuuming the whole house....and the pain was only slightly annoying last night, and this morning, I barely felt it.  We will see how the day goes, with more work around the house to be done.

That's about all I have to report this week.  Given the fact that we will (hopefully) be gone the next two Sundays, there won't be any blog posts.

Enjoy your Labor Day holiday, and the next couple of weeks. Please stay safe, be smart, and I'll update you in a couple of weeks! 

Summer's return

 We're in the midst of another heat wave, here.  This one is supposed to last longer than the previous ones.

We had rain last night, so the high humidity will make sure it's oppressive outside in the afternoon.  The dew point is 73.

As a result of all of this rain and heat, we had to pay someone to mow the back yard again.  It's so frustrating!  

Also, my herb garden is completely overrun by grass and weeds, because I have not been able to get out there to clean it up.

This morning, we got up and went walking at a park, and then went to Costco, and came home to make brunch.

Then, we realized that there was one more errand to do (we can get that yummy locally produced goat milk yogurt at Urban Agrarian, which carries all organic and locally produced meats, dairy, and produce), so Dave went and did it, and I stayed home and did some reading.

Now the Cubs game is on the radio, and I am trying to decide if I want to go through all of my clothes and get a bag ready to donate.

Sigh... stuff to do when house bound because of the heat....ugh...

This week's biggest news is that my boss called me on Tuesday, and told me that I am to resume working from home full time due to the Delta variant of Covid.  I am being asked to NOT return to working one day a week at the office until the 20th, and ONLY THEN if the spike is over.

I will go back to making a visit to the office once a week to send faxes, and pick up / drop off paperwork.

Then, by the end of the week, we had an email that EVERYONE in our department is returning to work from home full time immediately.  They are being asked to do this for two weeks, instead of four, but I am higher risk than anyone else. 

I suspect that this is because two of my direct co workers, who work in the same rooms that all of us do,  now have the Delta variant.

My decision to stay away from in-person dance classes is turning out to be the right thing, too.  One of the dancers in my class has the Delta variant.

It's getting WAY too close to home, which is why we are staying home 99% of the time.  Any errands that we do have to do ourselves (like Costco), we wear KN95 masks, and are extremely vigilant about staying far from others.

I've recently ordered some new to me clothes from an on line thrift store, and some actually new clothes from Kohl's clearance pages.

I've submitted a request to my doctor, via my nurse, to take another month break from the hormone blocker.

We'll be going on vacation soon, and I want to be able to enjoy our trip without the pain I have been dealing with.

When I couldn't walk in December, and we stopped the hormone blocker for all of January, all of my pain went away...so I am hoping that happens again, if he says yes.

My nurse said he would most likely give the OKAY, since, even though we did it earlier in the year, my scans still came back looking great.

I am wondering if we can rotate the different hormone blockers, with an occasional month off to get over the side effect, since they ALL give me pain in different ways, and different areas of my body.

Anyway, other than getting a few new pieces of clothing before vacation, I also was determined to get a professional hair cut before we leave.

It took trying five different places to find one that a) follows safety protocols, and b) could fit me in before the trip.

The place I had really wanted to go, because they made the news due to their strict safety protocol, could not get me in until October.... probably because they were on the news!

Be that as it may, I got my hair cut yesterday, for the first time since February of 2020, at the salon at the ULTA store.  

Everyone was in masks, and I wore my KN95, so I felt pretty safe.  My stylist was the only person in the area with me, and the area was big and open, at the back of the store.

It felt so good to get that stupid top layer cut again.... it weighs everything down so much...being absolutely straight, while the rest of my hair has a beautiful spiral wave to it.

He also cut off some of the length, just to make it lighter, and more flattering with my facial shape.

Nothing much else to report.  

Wishing everyone a good week!