Day 268: on deep relaxation

I didn't have a Do Nothing Day today, but I came rather close. It felt luxurious and decadent.

I did more reading than I had "planned" to do. I was going to read a couple of articles but they turned out to be very long, though very entertaining. I am out of my regular Chai tea at the moment, so I snuck one of my mother's Constant Comment tea bags and enjoyed that with some of my reading. 

A few weeks ago Constant Comment tea was the topic of some discussion among my partners in blogging, and now I know why. It reminds me of one of my favorite teas, Lady Grey tea, but the orange and bergamot is not as sweet in Constant Comment. Still, a good tea and a nice change of pace.

When I finally got around to eating, I made myself some egg sandwich "sliders," basically dinner rolls cut in half, with some avocado tzatziki spread from Trader Joe's on one side (Himself bought it but I'm eating it, as it contains bits of onion and other things disagreeable to his digestive system), and some brie cheese spread on the other side, with just a dab of salsa on each bit of scrambled egg. They were delicious. I would later have a bit more cheese with some rice pilaf that Himself brought home last night.

I did convince myself to do a bit of work on the computer in the afternoon, and Himself joined me on a cat food run after he got home this evening and we both had a shower. It was Jaguar Weather, as I call it, very sunny and very warm today, and a bit more humid than usual for SoCal. Other than that, I took advantage of the empty agenda I had and Relaxed Deeply, getting a bit of that Staycation I had been craving. 

Tomorrow will be busy enough, with the paying of key bills and a Cardiac session, along with grocery shopping. He has his money; now I'm waiting on mine.

Day 267: on a nice slow day

If you're in the mood, honeydew + key lime yogurt (dairy-based or otherwise) = Divinely Inspired Bliss. Highly recommended.

Most of my paperwork is done. I need to consult with Himself on a point or two, do some writing on the computer, and copy a few documents. These last two parts will need to wait until I have a new ink cartridge for the printer, because we're all out of black ink.

I re-listened to a recording my friend Andrea made about finding magic in the hard parts of life, because yesterday wasn't as serene as I had thought it would be. I did a bit of Timed Journaling with the prompts. I realized that Caregiving, though an important part of my life, isn't the biggest part, nor the only part. I need to be reminded of that sometimes.

Looking forward to more Open Time tomorrow. I might not be vacationing in a semi-exotic local right now, but I'm getting the Respite I have been so desperately craving. :)

Day 266: on entering the last hundred days

This is the first day of the last hundred days of my year-long blogging project. I am totally pleased with myself that I have not missed a day, though I have tweaked the clock several times to make sure I fit into the parameters. I intend to continue this blog after the initial project comes to a graceful conclusion, though I don't think I will be posting every day. If nothing else, I will be taking weekends off, perhaps holidays as well, and I will think very hard about posting during a Mercury Retrograde period. ;)

As I enter these last hundred days, I am finally seeing some shifting in my attitude. I'm not quite ready to sing about the hills and the Sound of Music just yet, but I am not nearly as dense and Heavy as I was when I started. A lot of this I attribute to working out with Himself as he rehabilitates his heart. I seem to be getting as much out of the sessions as he is, if not a little more. Today Himself and I tackled the Stairmaster, after which my legs were hating on me for a few minutes. I rested and finished up my day on the hand bike, after which my arms started hating on me for a few minutes. The stiffness and soreness were short-lived, though, as I rested and drank my water. Once again, I got my Sparkle on (aka, broke a sweat).

I move my body and breathe in more oxygen. I move my body and start dropping some weight. Right now, I'm down some 15 pounds from when I first considered Intermittent Fasting a few months ago, and some 25 pounds from my heaviest point. Not eating as much for as long is also helping me regain some focus and some Serenity. I'm no longer trying to Eat My Emotions as fast as I could shovel food down my throat, and I'm making an effort to eat more nutritious things and cut back on those comfort foods. I stray outside the "fasting zone" on occasion, but I've so far managed to get back on track within the next day or so. Tomorrow in fact I'm going to have a fruit breakfast because I had a little extra today.

I am still hopeful that I will finish this blogging odyssey in a radically different place than when I started it; at the very least, I have begun Unsticking myself in significant ways. This weekend I have that paperwork that I will tackle for good before I move on to the next task. As Himself will be fulfilling some commitments in San Diego, this gives me some windows of opportunity to get some good work done. Though my words might be few and my posts brief, I will be checking in.

Here's to everyone having a nice restful weekend before we enter the July Fry...and Eclipse Season.

Day 265: on finding the solution

Today was finally Laundry Day for the entire family unit, as Himself chose to wash two loads (darks and lights) and I chose to wash one load (for the Queen Mother and myself). With the clothes washed and ready to be dried, the natural next step was to dry the laundry.

Small problem: Himself had some cash in his e-wallet, which we could use for grocery shopping (which we did), but in using his e-wallet to pay, he/we could not get cash back. This was our challenge because the laundromat by our home kicks it old school, as the popular vernacular goes, and needs real quarters, not e-cash, to power its dryers.

I had a solution ready to go: we gather our change, I get the last remaining dollar out of my account at the credit union, convert the change to quarters while we were at it, and we would each have enough cash to dry our load of laundry. The challenge came to convince Himself to go along with me; he had become so put out by the fact he could not get cash back from his e-wallet, he was ready just to fold up his tent and go home. I had to growl at him to go with my plan, which by the way, worked out perfectly.

Both of us can be very stubborn at times, as we both come by it naturally (his parents and my parents could also be said to have wide stubborn streaks in their spirits). Some other emotions came up around today's dryer adventures, so it occurred to me that this would be a good time to write about my control issues, and what I struggled to control, and what I really needed to let go of. While Himself attended a meeting (his therapy), I journaled and got a few things ready to burn in Fire Ceremony (my therapy).

We have since communicated and clarified our positions to each other, and talked our way through the feelings that came up today. Just as importantly, all of the laundry is clean and dry, folded up / hung up and put away.

Tomorrow is the next Cardiac session, so we will burn off any excess emotional energy that needs to be released. :)

Day 264: on single tasking

I chose to go with Himself to his Cardiac Rehab session today. We worked out for a little more than an hour; today I finally broke a sweat, or as I said to the staff, "I got my Sparkle on." ;) One thing I do know: I am not fond of the elliptical machine At All. I feel like I'm going to fall off of it at any moment. I think I'll stick with the recumbent version.

In moving my muscles, to paraphrase Julia Cameron once again, I am moving my mood. I suspect this is one of the reasons Life is not feeling quite so Heavy and Dim  these days. I am wanting to make this a priority in my life, at least for the next two months and a week (According to my calculations, he will finish with these sessions in the first week of September). I found that I didn't get "hangry" as I have in the past, and was able to get through assembling dinners - delayed by an hour and a half due to wending our way home through traffic - without wanting to lose my shit, pardon my French.

Working out was the only thing I managed to get done today, but that's okay. No one has an appointment tomorrow, so I can focus on the more domestic affairs, such as laundry and paperwork. Tomorrow I can feel a different sense of accomplishment. Today's was the satisfaction I had in moving my body, and listening to my body, and knowing when to push, and when to say I'd had enough.

I'm already noticing a difference in how my clothes are fitting. Tomorrow I will weigh myself and see where I am.

Day 263: on doing just enough

Today I woke up feeling a bit behind the 8-ball, which is more along the lines of how I expect to feel when I am in my Moontime. I still managed to pull myself together enough to help the Queen Mother take her weekly shower, then take my own shower and wash my hair (which badly needed it). While mom was showering, Himself went to his latest chiropractic appointment. Once everything was squared away, we went down to Jewish Family Services to hit up their Corner Market, aka the food pantry.

There was a lot of yummy vegetarian and vegan food present today; I tried very hard not to overload my cart, keeping my eyes in line with my stomach. I have enough now to make tasty salads to go along with my dinners, along with some bread to satisfy both Himself and myself. My one indulgence this time was a large squeezable jar of sweet pickle relish. What can I say, I miss pickles! We did pretty well, though at times I felt a bit rushed. I wanted to slow down a bit more and make sure I was making good choices. 

Afterward, I used the last of my cash to grab a few cans of cat food, and Himself used some cash out of his "electronic wallet" to grab a few shaving essentials - stuff that the food pantry does not carry. By the time we were all done, it was about 3:45pm, and there were accidents on the northbound I-15. Needless to say, we were a bit delayed arriving home. I called the Queen Mother to warn her beforehand.

Towards the end of the week we are expecting some more help, and I am hoping that between that and this latest pantry run, that will be the LAST of the help we need. If Himself's attorney is right, sometime between now and the end of August he should receive a judgment in his case, and we will see just how much cash he gets. Keeping our fingers crossed...

Depending on how fast I am flowing tomorrow, I might or might not go with Himself to his rehab appointment. If I don't, it will back to the pile of paperwork patiently waiting for me. Whatever else happens, I will be getting some good sleep tonight.

Day 262: on being slow and steady

Instead of waking up "weighed down," I woke up surprisingly energized and buoyant today. I didn't question why; I took the ball and strode forward with it. Running with the ball will abide till the end of the week. ;)

I deliberately paced myself, moving slowly and steadily through the day. I made headway in some of the paperwork I needed to get done. I finally rounded up all of the recycling in the kitchen - washing out glass jars and bottles, bagging empty cat food cans, putting together empty yogurt cups - and put everything in its place. I also started loading up the dishwasher. 

I even managed to cook myself some dinner: black beans, rice, a bit of salsa, one packet of chili sauce, and (ahem) four packets of ketchup. I wound up with something tasty, yet only had a little heat in it. It paired well with my salad. A few days ago I paired "chili" beans, basically pinto beans in a yummy tomato based sauce with added spices, with some of my remaining tri-color quinoa. I boosted up the iron content in my food to help fortify me in my Moontime; perhaps that's why I felt rather awake this morning.

Tonight I felt sociable, watching some TV with the Queen Mother: American Ninja Warrior along with the first half of the Spain vs. US women's soccer game. I watched the second half of the game with Himself. Not bad at all for a Monday, and a full bleeding Monday yet!

Tomorrow, though, I will have to leave the home while bleeding, but it should be okay. Just need to figure out how to work on the "administrative" tasks before me. I will, as always, do my best.

Day 261: on the calm before the storm

I am entering the Moontime this evening, and all indications are that it's going to be a doozy. What has been surfacing from the depths for me has been waves of Overwhelm ~ Too Much ~ Can't Do It All Anymore ~ Bone Deep Fatigue. For this next week at least, I truly need to Go Small, Micromove, focus on doing just One Thing, One Day at a Time.

I won't be going with Himself tomorrow to his Cardiac Rehab session; I will be fortunate to be out of bed for more than an hour at a stretch, methinks. It feels like a good time to tie off some loose ends for Shadow-Work, if I can avoid getting mired in the swamp of Stinking Thinking. 

I did go yesterday to the Rehab session, which was a bit shorter than before, with Himself's body putting up more of a fuss. We did get some good work in, though. Then he surprised me with a trip over to the beach for a little ocean time. It was most appreciated.

Today I managed to pull myself together, by degrees, and we made it back to the Support Group that comes together on Sundays, for the first time this month. We had a new person join us, who fit right in nicely. I shared primarily about our fumigation adventure, between helping the Queen Mother and how the cats fared (not well, but not horribly either). We shared longer than usual today, so were a bit later coming home than I had planned, but we got home in plenty of time for dinner.

I managed to get back into the mandalas tonight, continuing on one while starting another for the Solstice. I'm running a bit behind, true, but I plan on finishing by the end of the week, so I'll be timely enough.

Let the Red River rafting begin! 

Day 260: *unplugged*

Will post in depth tomorrow. Wanted to leave a few words here. All is well.

Day 259: on hope and hunting

The Hope comes from one of the phone calls I managed to make today, to the office of the Queen Mother's doctor. It had been two weeks since I had put in a request to get a letter from them to see if I could get mom onto the Working Disabled program. I had expected a "sorry, no can do" from the office; instead, they were going to remind the doctor to write the letter and let me know when it was done!

The possibility yet exists that I can bring a positive end to this - which would be really nice, since the State of California is no longer paying the Queen Mother's Medicare Part B, and they will be going back to taking it out of her Social Security payment. In theory, this would qualify her for the deluxe version of Medi-Cal, until the state started paying her Part B again. Then her Social Security payment would be over the limit, and she would be booted out. So the Part B would once again be taken out of her monthly payment, ad nauseum. Getting her enrolled in the Working Disabled program would get her out of the revolving door and get her the deluxe version of Medi-Cal without worrying about her income. So, keep your fingers crossed, y'all.

The Hunting part comes from our (too) industrious boy, Inkblot, who seems to be bound and determined to teach his poor starving parents to hunt, or at least provide nutritious meals for them. First he brings home a lizard, which made a beeline for the writing desk and promply hid behind it. Fortunately, I was able to coax it out from hiding with the extendable rod portion of a broken cat toy, and Himself boxed it up. I then took it around the corner, well away from our home, and released it. Save for missing a tail, it appeared to be just fine. 

When we came home from our meetings tonight, we discovered the second critter he had brought in: an adult mourning dove. I went to bag it up, thinking it was dead, but lo - not only was it alive, it could still fly, which it did straight into the bathroom mirror when Himself tried to gather it up! I grabbed an old shoebox, and Himself wrapped it up in a small towel and put it in the box. It is currently safe and secure on top of the dryer in the washer/dryer alcove, which has a door that can be closed. The cats might smell the dove, but they have no idea where it is. The Humane Society is going to stop by to pick it up tomorrow morning. We were planning to get up a bit early anyway to drive down to Scripps La Jolla for a Cardiac Rehab (workout) session.

I found myself a bit more shaken up than I expected I would be, with the dove still alive and injured. I smudged the bathroom with a bit of white sage (after checking to make sure the smoke wouldn't be toxic to the cats; it's not) due to the smell, and started to feel better. Maybe I needed to smudge myself as well!

I was going to say that it was an unremarkable day, critter corraling aside, but that was before I remembered the husky dog that was wandering around on a busy road as we came home from Wal-Mart with a bag full of cat food. Fortunately, two gentlemen in front of us managed to guide the husky out of the way of the traffic. They were calling the number on the dog's collar to see if they could get in touch with its owner. Himself had called the non-emergency police line, and they had gotten in touch with Highway Patrol to send someone out. As the dog was on Eastbound 78, technically he was on a highway. 

Then there was the heavy mist/drizzle in San Diego this evening. It's the Summer Solstice in these parts, and it's basically raining. What der Flerbdy-Flooben?! The skies are scheduled to clear up next week, and we might actually have Summer-like temperatures again. We will see if we have our "July Fry" as usual this year.

Okay, now I'm done. For real. I'm going to help the Queen Mother into bed, then hit the hay myself.

Day 258: on teamwork and timing

The next appointment on the agenda was with the special Cardiac dietician at Scripps La Jolla. Himself had an opportunity to discuss with the dietician the special challenges of having a heart healthy diet while missing much of his colon. The big takeaways were to 1) watch the total saturated fat and sodium, and 2) move dat body.

That's exactly what we did afterwards, when we moved over to the workout part of the center and went through the exercises. They encourage spouses to work out with the Cardiac patients to help keep them motivated - and by the way, reap their own benefits from working out. There were four machines altogether that we used: a recumbent version of an elliptical, a stationary bike, a hand bike (where you use your arms to "pedal" along instead of your legs, and a treadmill. For the record, I walked on the treadmill about half a mile faster than Himself did.

Once Himself had been all checked over and checked out, we went over to the VA Medical Center for a "surprise" trip. Himself needed to pick up some paperwork to fill out in order to be reimbursed for Travel to and from Scripps La Jolla. While we were there, we filled a special blue receptacle with medications that had either expired or were no longer being taken. 

A quick trip to downtown San Diego followed, where Himself had a quick discussion with the attorney handling his personal injury case. We drove to the Embarcadero for a quick pit stop; I took a bit of video of the southern bay and posted it on my Messenger. Then we headed home through the traffic, driving out from under the stubborn marine layer and finding clear blue sky as we headed inland.

Our final pit stop was at Trader Joe's, to grab some of the things we had been unable to get the day before. Since we finally got home about 5:20, there was no way I was going to be able to make the Caregiver Support Group at 5:30, since I hadn't had dinner yet! I wasn't as bummed about it as I had been in the past, most likely because of the endorphins that were still buzzing around in my body from the workout earlier.

The most interesting item of news came this morning from Himself's attorney: his case at the Board of Veteran's Appeals was once more before a judge, and they were expecting a decision to be reached in 1-2 months. I am tempted to let everything slide and wait for money to arrive, but I've made that error before, and I really can't afford to do it again. So while that sounds nice, I won't be holding my breath, and I will be moving forward with my action plan in the meantime. Perhaps, though, that "next" summit isn't so tall after all.

Other than getting some more cat food tomorrow, we don't have a huge agenda during the day. I'm hoping to get a nap in at some point before heading out for our Friday meetings. That would be lovely. :) 

Day 257: on mixing and (minor) miracles

We started the day early with a run to our local recycling center to turn in Himself's fizzy flavored water bottles. I gave the cashier three pennies so she could give me eleven dollars; not bad for a full bin and two bags! This provided some much needed cash for later grocery shopping.

From there, we went down to the VA Medical Center to participate in their Cancer Survivor Mixer, complete with information tables, a snack bar, and some nice swag for the veterans. Since I journal a lot, I'm always on the lookout for pens, and I like the ones that have a rubber grip to them, as I tend to grip my pens quite firmly. I scored a couple of them today.

Himself had an opportunity to say hello to some of the doctors, nurses, and techs who we had met at the start of his cancer experience, but the most opportune meeting with with the Social Worker. She gave us a list of resources to look through (including some key Financial ones) and advised Himself to be re-evaluated for Aid and Attendance - a monthly stipend for Veterans to hire someone to help care for them. In this case, I would be the Paid Caregiver. We have some new leads to research! :)

Once the mixer was over, we went to his eye appointment. We were there at least an hour before we were actually seen, as the joint was apparently jumping quite a bit. He did not want to get his pupils dilated, as he was complaining of a bit of sinus pressure behind his eyes, and he was concerned that if he went through with the dilation, the extra light would trigger a migraine. So we scheduled a follow-up appointment in September. A relatively quick trip to the Pharmacy followed, to collect some new moisturizing eye drops, as Himself's eyes were diagnosed as "very dry" (using the scientific term) ;)

As it became apparent that he would not have time to work out at the Cardiac Treatment Center today, since it was after three when we were finally done, and we had to consider traffic, we chose to go home instead. We made a couple of stops en route, at Target (for the Queen Mother's hot dogs) and Trader Joe's (for other necessities). I chose to use food we had been saving at home over buying more at TJ's, so the actual total was a wee bit less than I had calculated. Yay me.

Everyone was rather hungry by the time we got home, so the getting of the cat food was postponed till after dinner, which was okay. I was not able to find all of the flavors they liked, which would have ordinarily bummed me out, but today was actually a good thing, for again, I spent less money than expected. Yay me.

Tomorrow Himself has an appointment with the Cardiac Center's dietician, to see if he can get advice on what to eat as a semicolon, aka someone who had a great deal of his colon removed due to cancer. There is also a Caregiver Support Group  in the evening, and damn skippy I will be attending!

It occurred to me earlier this evening: slowly but surely, I am working my way out of the rut once more and inching my way forward. Things are ever so slightly lighter than they were even at the start of the month. To quote a bit of literature that I read on the daily: "Slowly, new persons emerge. Change is Taking Place."

Day 256: on lenses and lightening up

The cats ate very well late last night, and what's more, they kept the food down! I did a happy dance when I woke up this morning, right after I called the vet to cancel their appointments. The fumigation stressed them out more than I thought, so if possible, we're going to hire a cat / house sitter whenever we need to be away for an extended period of time.

The happy dance was tempered a bit because the right lens of my glasses kept popping out of the frame. Relying on one good eye to see the world was marginally better than having one focused eye vs. one blurry eye, which threatened to give me a headache really quick, so I wound up wrapping an old grocery receipt around the frame so I only needed to worry about the one good eye.

To add a bit of spice to the morning, Inkblot brought in a fledgling mourning dove (I believe), which I managed to separate from the cat and put in a safe place to fly off - except it didn't fly off. An hour and a half later, it was still sitting in the same spot. Fortunately, we have a wildlife rescue through the San Diego Humane Society, and there was a vet close by that gladly accepted the fledgling. Hopefully it can be rehabilitated.

I got to the eye doctor after Himself's chiropractic appointment, and the wayward lens was popped back into place and secured. It was nice to be able to see again! Himself dropped me off at home before heading down to San Diego for a Board Meeting of the Club he is a volunteer at, he's the Secretary of said Board.

At that point, I had a choice: veg out or take out the trash, because it was smelling like an open (raw) sewer. I took out the trash, which led to some recycling, which led to some tidying up around the recycling area. It looks like tomorrow will be a good day to recycle the empty plastic bottles of flavored fizzy water that have built up, so we will see if we can pencil that in for tomorrow. (Himself loves his flavored fizzy water; I suppose I should be happy he drinks it as much as he does, or he wouldn't get hydrated at all!)

I also took the time to sit down and look at the set of to-do lists I had made up for each room of the house, along with the two patios we have. They didn't need any updating; they just need doing. Additionally, I sat down and got out of my head and onto paper what "adminstrative" tasks need to be done (and prioritized them), along with what needed to be tackled in the patio, which is equal parts jungle and junkyard. That is going to be tackled piecemeal, as I feel up to it and as weather permits. (I'm not so much concerned about rain as I am about heat, since the hottest months of the year are just around the corner. I may be a Jaguar, but I'm not stupid.)

It wasn't until I had turned that corner today and stopped to look back that I realized just how Heavy my Depression had been. It had really settled in late Sunday night, had been exacerbated by my Monday headache, and didn't really dissipate till this afternoon. The old tape of What's the Use? and Why Bother? had been running through my head. and it wasn't until I chose to get active and take out the trash and recycling that it finally loosened it's grip.

Good thing I worked it out of my system, because we seem to be in a holding pattern in DC: the staff at the Board of Veteran's Appeals is once again getting ready to submit Himself's case to a judge. Apparently they had to Drop Everything and convert about 1500 pages of medical evidence into a suitable PDF after Himself's attorney submitted it as an "addendum."  Why they didn't do this previously, I have no idea. Basically, the mists finally parted - to reveal yet another mountain to climb at the summit of the one we had just finished climbing. We have no firm timetable, though Himself's attorney believes the case will be resolved "in less than a year."

This is why both of us are going to start seeking out sources of financial aid. Himself will cover the Veteran's side of the coin, and I'm going to cover the Disabled Senior side of the coin. Our error in judgment was in Waiting Until the Money Came, and it's now become super apparent that we can no longer wait. We need to take action ourselves, NOW. Hopefully the final action won't be bankruptcy.

Tomorrow will be a full day, between recycling and a trip to the VA Medical Center in La Jolla, with a possible trip to Scripps afterwards. With all of these appointments and errands, I don't think I could actually fit a job into my schedule. This is my full time work now: the job of Caregiver.

Day 255: on cats and cardiac rehab

We made the error of not calling the vet's place before bundling up the cats in their carriers and driving over to the office this morning, as they were full and had no same-day appointments available. Fortunately, the cats can be seen tomorrow morning, and that's what I plan to do. The vet tech suggested we go get some Sheba food and some chicken baby food - both of which got big Hard No's from the cats. They did, however, nibble on their regular food, which is good. Now the trick is to see if they keep said food down in their bellies the entire night!

Himself called the Cardiac Rehab folks, once we had returned from our ultimately futile foray to Target, to check on the time of his appointment. It's a good thing that he did, because he was due to be seen two hours before the time we had in the calendar! We actually made it there a bit early, which is a good thing, because trying to figure out where to park was a bit challenging. He parked in the "ER only" parking lot; I wound up reparking in the "normal" parking lot.

He filled out some paperwork and was given a folder with schedules. They made him walk for about six minutes to measure his heart rate and oxygen saturation. He even did a bit of exercise. A highlight is that I will be able to work out with him for $10 per month. The VA is going to cover 36 sessions over six months' time, though if he goes three times per week, he will work through his sessions in about three months. We'll see how things work out.

We got back home just in time for dinner. I got the Queen Mother's dinner together, Himself fixed his dinner, then I fixed my dinner. We're due for another grocery shopping run in a day or two, so we will need to pool our resources. I think we'll be okay.

I had a low-level headache for much of the day, and the Queen Mother was in one of her blah moods, so I was not the most diplomatic of Libras today. I'm hoping tomorrow will be better.

Day 254: on keeping the keel even

Another one of those "mixed bag" days...

On one side of the ledger I can put the unpacking of the kitchen "preservation" bags and reorganizing the pantry cupboards on the stove side of the kitchen. Somehow I actually freed up some space and arranged things more logically. I have a few lingering organizational thoughts about the top right cupboard, but that can wait till later in the week. 

On the other side of the ledger I need to put the cats. They are drinking and using the litter box just fine, but they are still not eating very well, and they were vomiting overnight - so much fun to wake up to! We're not taking any chances with them; so we're going to stop by our veteran-friendly veteranarian first thing tomorrow. Himself's first cardiac rehab appointment isn't until mid-afternoon, so that should still work out.

On this side of the ledger, the Queen Mother has been in a bit of a mood today. If the cats stay outside too long, she panics. As they aren't well, she panics. If she's not wanting immediate answers to her questions, she makes comments about things we discussed earlier in the day, or yesterday. I have to keep reminding myself: It's not her, it's her disease, and her mind is Simplifying, breaking down past and future to function merely in the Now. I'm beginning to wonder if she's starting to experience the events in her day "as if for the first time," and I'm thinking of treating her and her questions as if that were truth. This approach might just save the last bits of my sanity.

On that side of the ledger, I read the next chapter of It's Okay if You're Not Okay, which happened to be about Letting Go of What You Can't Control, and Remembering God/dess IS In Control, complete with an analysis of the Biblical story of Joseph. While my spiritual path is rather different from the author's, and of her intended readers', I am familiar enough with Joseph's story to understand her point, and more, take comfort from it. Although things aren't unfolding as fast as we'd like them to, or even necessarily as we need them to, we have been watched over and provided for by our Higher Power throughout all of these travails as we climb for the summit of our mountain. In reading over the exercises at the end of the chapter, I'm seeing a Fire Ceremony on the Solstice, yes indeedy!

So back into the Flow of Life we go, post-fumigation. Good thoughts for the cats would be appreciated as we figure out how best to help them de-stress. 

Day 253: on cleaning up

I have Inkblot snoozing beside me and Pippa asleep on the Queen Mother's bed. Last night they snuggled together for the first time in a while, so I know they felt relief that the "ordeal" was over.

I have spent the day with my devices off and moved through it with an easy pace. I washed two loads of laundry - one of clothes, the other of blankets, and took everything to the nearby laudromat to dry out. Our beloved dryer, which has been in the condo almost since the day we moved in, was on its last legs prior to the fumigation, and finally gave up the ghost sometime during the fumigation, we think. 

At any rate, one dollar buys about half an hour of drying time, and the dryer actually works! We came home with dry clothes and blankets, but had to rush back to the laundromat because I couldn't find my keys when we stopped to get the mail. Somehow the keys had fallen out of my purse into the laundry cart; fortunately they were still there, untouched. Once retrieved, I got the day's mail and came home to prepare dinner.

Besides hanging up my clothes, I "rotated my wardrobe," moving the Winter clothes to the side and bringing forward the Summer clothes in my closet. I think this is the latest date I have rotated, as usually I need more Summery clothes in May, sometimes even in April. I made a mental note.

Yesterday we put away the things that belong in the bathrooms and unbagged everything that had been patiently waiting in the fridge and freezer; tomorrow I tackle the rest of the bags in the kitchen. Himself will be down in San Diego pretty much all day tomorrow, so I will be able to pace myself again quite nicely. Then I need to sit down to sort mail and plan out the next week. I also want to see about finishing up the latest mandala I've been coloring.

Day 252: on being back home!

This will be somewhat brief, as I am very tired right now...

We took full advantage of the free breakfast at the motel this morning; I brought some cereal and tea to the Queen Mother, and Himself and I feasted on waffles. (The thought of having waffles four mornings in a row would have appealed to me forty years ago; now, not so much!) Then we took two trips to schlep everything back to the condo, and opened up some of the windows. Moving back in the day after it was certified as "okay" made all the difference. Neither one of us had a reaction at all. :)

On the third and final trip, the Queen Mother accompanied us out to Petsmart, where we picked up a pair of grateful cats, then headed directly home. I broke out the "people tuna," which they didn't eat right away, as they were more concerned with checking out all the smells. Eventually, they settled down enough to eat, first the tuna, then a can of regular cat food.

We had to do a bit of grocery shopping to restock some essentials, but we settled down soon enough for our own dinner, followed by our regular Friday night meeting. Although I wasn't sure if I had enough oomph to go, I'm glad I did.

I will expound more tomorrow evening. For now, good night from SoCal. :)

Day 251: on finally decompressing

Today finally matched my expectations about how I had envisioned this "staycation" to be like. My mind was relaxing on Tuesday, then jumped back into Overwhelm on Wednesday. Without any outside commitments today, I was able to sink into the relaxed pace and enjoy myself (at least until my lower back started kvetching).

I have reorganized the various bags we brought with us: Our Bathroom, the Queen Mother's Bathroom, the Kitchen. It wasn't as complex as I first thought it would be, which is good. I also did a Timed Writing exercise that I had been putting off for a whlle, considering my What If's. I only came up with two this time around, but I tucked this into the back of my brain in case I needed to use it again later. 

We will be doing some packing up tonight, as tomorrow will be another early morning and we have much to do after breakfast: a bit of vacuuming and opening up the windows, schlepping things back to the house, then bringing home the Queen Mother and the cats. (We didn't get any calls from Petsmart today, so I will take that as No News Is Good News). We actually visited the home today, and I am very glad that we are taking this extra night away: within about five minutes of being inside, I could feel tightening in my front sinuses and a tickle in the back of my throat...and if I could feel these things, the cats would feel even worse. So yes, one more night away, with the central fan on at home. I do have my house keys back. :)

The "forced adventure" is almost over, and we will be easing back into more normal routines tomorrow and through the weekend. I will share more thoughts about everything in my next entry.

Day 250: on still dealing with life

I knew today was going to be busy, but not quite as crazy as this...!

I helped the Queen Mother get dressed and served her breakfast, then Himself and I went to a local restaurant, Pegah's, for our breakfast. Before we left, we got a phone call from Petsmart: the cats were not just unhappy, but they have apparently gone on a full hunger strike! Their in-house vet took a look at them (at no charge to us, fortunately), and determined they weren't constipated or in significant physical distress. Still, they wanted to know if we wanted to administer subcutaneous fluids. I advised them we would be in touch.

After we finished with breakfast, we chose to go over to Petsmart ourselves and inquire after the cats. It turns out the situation was not as serious as we had been led to believe, but they were still not happy campers. We spent some quality time with them, calming them down as best we could, though they both turned up their noses at the special "highly palatable" food we had been given to see if they would eat. Inkblot even started eyeing the door handle as though he was calculating how high to jump to grasp it just enough to yank it down and open the door! I went in to Petsmart wearing a black top; I emerged with it almost white due to shed cat fur. ;)

Though we were beginning to consider leaving the motel early and just going home as soon as the fumigation was complete, the vet confirmed our belief that one extra day would be much better for them, as their respiratory systems are much more sensitive than ours. So until Friday morning they will stay, and then we will take them over to Mohnacky Animal Hospital for evaluation. Once we explained our situation to them, they were gracious enough to offer to examine them for free.

We checked in quickly with the Queen Mother, then headed down to the VA Medical Center. Himself rescheduled his eye appointment one more time, to a day next week when we will be at the VA anyway. We did manage to renew some of his medications at the Pharmacy. Then we stopped at a dispensary to pick up some CBD oil to keep those nasty little gastro-intestinal polyps at bay. Finally there were stops at Trader Joe's for the Queen Mother's dinner, and Carl's Jr. for our dinners. I have become a big fan of their Beyond Star veggie burger; I'm also waiting to sink my teeth into an Impossible Whopper when it's introduced in San Diego County. (It's just been introduced in San Francisco.)

I prepared dinner for the Queen Mother, then ate my dinner with her. She said she had "gotten bored with reading" and looked through her suitcase in the other room, pulling out a few things that she had not been using. I have been helping her work the remote so she can watch TV (she's currently watching a Blue Bloods marathon, as she loves most cop shows), and I have been resting in the bedroom. Although she wants to go home badly, she wants to take the motel toilet and shower with her, since she likes them better. ;)

Tonight I'm going to add up our receipts so far to see how much money we really have left. Tomorrow I might actually get a full day of relaxing in! We shall see...

Day 249: on the "fumigation staycation"

Himself actually woke up early, voluntarily! He has challenges with sound sleep away from home, and his brain kicked in to Fully Awake mode right after 7am. Mine kicked on about 7:25.

As we rose early, we chose to take advantage of the free hot breakfast offered by the motel, which consisted of cereal, bread to toast, mini muffins and cinnamon rolls, apples, and make-your-own waffles. Coffee, hot water for tea, and juice (apple and orange) were also offered. We made our own waffles, but the thought of eating waffles for four consecutive mornings was not appealing, especially when paired with live testimony about the status of Latin American Migrant Children on the TV in the room. We agreed to break our fast elsewhere tomorrow.

Once we had full bellies, we drove back to our condo, grabbed a few last minute things, and waited for the fumigators to arrive. They were scheduled to show up between 10:00 and noon; a few minutes after ten, they showed up. I handed them the house keys, Himself and I said a few quick prayers under our breath, then we headed back to the motel. Our unofficial staycation had begun. I tended to the Queen Mother's breakfast when we returned, which she enjoyed with the daily paper.

Since Himself and I woke up way earlier than usual, we visited a Subway to get some sandwiches for lunch; I perused the paper while I ate mine. I got a double chocolate cookie for the Queen Mother, which she enjoyed immensely.  I also finally got a shower in, after which I felt like an entirely new person. It also helped that today was a bit cooler than yesterday.

I accompanied Hiimself out to a meeting, and we had dinner before we came home. We swung by the condo once more to walk the perimeter of our buiilding, then returned to the motel. The Queen Mother is getting ready for bed as I type.

Tomorrrow features another trip to the VA Medical Center in La Jolla for Hiimself's eye appointment, which has already been rescheduled twice. Witth a few other things to take care of, it will be a bit before we return, so we will grab dinner on the way home. Life continues on...

Day 248: on the neverending day of schlepping

I'm checking in from our motel room, twelve hours or so after we first woke up. Much of the day has been spent packing perishable foods in the special bags, figuring out what to take along with us (which is probably ten times too much), and hauling seemingly endless bags and a pair of suitcases and a wheelchair and a portable commode from Point A to Point B. Of course it would have to be during the hottest day of the year so far! It felt like Murphy's Law was definitely in play in that regard.

Before the grand haul, we took the cats over the special "pet hotel" in Petsmart. We gave the staff their food and said goodbye as they were whisked back to their own Kitty Cottage. Pippa once again protested all the way, while Inkblot was calm for most of the trip, until he realized there was a Doggie Daycare nearby, with a lot of dogs present. Then he started growling and expressing his displeasure, but he was soon whisked back to the cat section to be with his sister. We won't be able to visit them, but that's probably for the best, as that would only confuse them all the more.

We stopped at the Mexican restaurant next door to the facility and gratefully had dinner between the first and second trips to the house. We will be headed back tomorrow morning to hand off a set of house keys to the fumigators so they can gain the necessary access to the house.  Himself is already vowing to stop by frequently to keep an eye on events.

I will definitely be sleeping soundly tonight. 

Day 247: on the important business

Himself and I awoke earlier than usual to pop the cats into their carriers and drive over to the Humane Society today to take advantage of their Sunday Vaccination clinics, where we can get their shots for $10 a pop. As they needed their FVRCP vaccines and their Rabies vaccines, that waS $40 total - perfect for folks on a budget like us. Pippa was none too happy with the experience, vocalizing her displeasure all the way down and back; Inkblot, in contrast, barely made a peep. I'm not sure whether he took comfort from his sister's presence, or whether he might actually be getting used to riding in a car. :o

I'm glad we got up and moving when we did: the clinic is on a first-come, first-served basis, and they cut off their intake at 75 critters. We wound up at the "tail end" of the line at numbers 67 & 68. The cats have been hating on us ever since they got home, being friendly for mealtime but not much else. Starting tomorrow, they will be really hating on us once we drop them off at PetSmart! That's where the post-fumigation can of people tuna will come in. ;)

The other miracle of the day came when I tidied up in front of our bed in our bedroom. I managed to get rid of a whole bunch of magazines that I was initially saving for collaging, but popped into the recycling bin instead. There will always be more magazines to peruse and harvest images from! I'm very proud of myself right now for managing to Let Go where I had Clung Tightly before. We also dropped off some clothes and shoes at the Goodwill up the street, as I'm on a bit of a mission to empty out all plastic bags before we leave for a week. I don't want any of the noxious gas to be left behind, waiting for a chance to shoot up any unsuspecting nostrils.

Side note: I have tried in the past to sell clothes before, but the amount I received for my wardrobe castoffs didn't even cover the gas money used to transport them. Unless you're a fashion- forward size two through size six, don't bother; just donate instead. Besides, I found myself holding onto the bags while waiting till the "perfect moment" to sell them, and that meant they were just sitting around doing nothing while I was occupied by Life. I'm working on Just Letting Stuff Go instead of waiting for that Perfect Moment to Sell and Make Money. In the end, I'm remembering it's more about clearing out space and less about gaining pocket money.

Tonight and tomorrow is the packing of all the food we are not taking with us into the special bags. Tomorrow is the day we depart onto our "forced" Fumigation Staycation. I choose to believe I am doing the best I can do, and will just leave the rest for when we return home.

Day 246: on further romping

Outside of our master bedroom there is what we call the "ventricle." It's not a full patio, but a small place of privacy outside of the bedroom door. It has a couple of hedge bushes and a bouganvillea bush which can provide further privacy. The foliage can also grow quite explosively and rapidly during seasons of significant rainfall, which we had this past spring.

Today I armed myself with clippers and tacked the jungle outside our door. Not counting breaks, I spent about an hour and a half first chopping down all the excessive growth, then using our handy wheeled trash can to haul the clippings out to the closest (and emptiest) dumpster. I took a picture when I was done and sent it to Himself.

Afterwards, I took a nice long shower, then prepared dinner. I found myself napping briefly after dinner, but I woke up to take a lap around the complex to make my activity goals for the day, along with getting the mail. I love the long warm Summer days, even when I have to tackle pruning. The temperatures are finally hitting their seasonal average - it was 81 today, and forecast to be in the high 80's at the start of the workweek - but the secret is the lower levels of humidity in the SoCal air. Comparatively speaking, it's a dry heat; anyone tired of the East Coast humidity is welcome to come and stay for awhile.

Plenty to do tomorrow, so I will stop here and assemble our second cat carrier.

Day 245: on calming down

Today Himself and I went out to get a new cat carrier. Though the original plan was to get one more Inkblot-sized, we got one that was nicely Pippa-sized. If I have learned one thing through this whole process, it's to take advantage of the resources offered to us and not to quibble too much about specifics. Flexibility is key!

While we were out, we stopped by the motel and managed to check out one of the suites: it's big enough for the three of us, has decent privacy, and has a sofa bed at the perfect height for the Queen Mother. There is a Mexican restaurant a dozen or so steps away, and the motel also offers its own free hot breakfast daily. Nice!

The one downside is that they don't accommodate pets, but no worries there either: we have combined Plans A and B, wherein a good friend will cover the boarding of the cats at a Petsmart in town. They asked us lovely questions: would you like us to feed them with your food or our food? Would they like some fresh catnip toys? (Our food and some catnip toys, please and thank you. Inkblot tends to rip the toys apart, as catnip makes him a wee bit too excited.) They won't be happy away from us, but at least they will have a boutique experience, and a can of people tuna awaiting them when we're all reunited at home. ;)

We're feeling much better about everything after checking out the motel for ourselves, and with everything covered, can now focus on the bagging of the food we won't be taking with us (as the fridge in the suite is very small) and the trimming of the bouganvillea. 

I am noticing the handiwork of Goddess in all of this, making sure every piece of the puzzle has come together smoothly, even if the pieces didn't look like I expected them to. I am also noticing that I am still easily frazzled and thrown off-stride. Though I can recover quicker these days than I could in the past, I am still hoping for/desiring some Extended Downtime in the near future.

Tomorrow I will be refocusing on the homestead, as Himself tends to his business in San Diego. It's a bit of a bummer that he won't be around, but it can't be helped.

Day 244: on staying close to home

Our sanctuary-from-fumigation plans are coming together. It turns out we are going to be staying at the same place we went to all the way back in 2001, when we previously had to be fumigated. Himself has confirmed with the VFW that they will be paying for our lodging, which is a big weight off of our shoulders. Though the motel ownership has changed several times over the years, they still don't accept pets, but we have a Plan A and a Plan B for the cats, so I'm pretty sure they will be in good hands for the few days we'll be away.

The Queen Mother slept much of the day today, brought down by her Mystery Ailment of Nausea and Dizziness. I keep an eye on her when she's like this in case she does vomit; should that happen, we will be paying a visit to Urgent Care, but so far so good. I suspect that she internalizes stress even more than I do, and rather than express it, bottles it up so tightly that it oozes out as physical illness. I think some geriatric psychiatry would be in order sooner rather than later. 

Between keeping an eye on the Queen Mother and keeping tabs on Himself and the phone calls, I didn't get as much done as I had planned. I find sometimes that it's hard for me to get going, especially when I'm on the verge of diving down the rabbit hole of overwhelm. At one point I was wondering why we were trying to fix something that wasn't necessarily broken, and building up some resentment over it, but it looks like we're going to get a better deal in the end. 

We definitely need to make a run to Petco tomorrow, hopefully before Himself's chiropractic appointment. If the Queen Mother feels better, a meeting would be a good idea as well. All efforts are still being concentrated on preparing for the fumigation; prayers for a easy time would be most appreciated!

Day 243: on romping in the patio

Today's focus was to trim the pepper tree in the patio away from the house. It seemed more intimidating than it actually turned out to be - you see, this tree has been cut back to the trunk several times, and within a year has grown crazy big again. With all of the Spring Rains, it grew crazier bigger than usual. It turns out, however, with the removal of a few choice branches, 90% of the work has been done. There are a few branches yet to be removed, and a bit trimmed off the top of a branch close to the unit, but we are pretty well there.

We emptied out our wheeled green trash can and put three loads' worth of foliage in it, then hauled each load out to the dumpsters. Actually, Himself did most of the cutting, I did most of the loading, and we hauled the trash can out together.

The reason we were playing out in the patio was because the fumigators need all the plants trimmed back from the unit by about a foot, otherwise they will get cranky and possibly charge us for the work they would have to do. (Yes, it's ass-backwards, but these are trying times.) The biggest challenge in trimming back the pepper tree is trying not to annoy the bees that are pollinating the current generation of flowers on said tree right now. We inadvertently came close a couple of times, but they settled down as we went about our business. I'm pretty sure this means they aren't the infamous "Killer Bees" that wreak havoc on unsuspecting humans.

There is a bigger challenge looming, though, in the form of the bouganvillea bush outside our bedroom door. Unlike the pepper tree, that plant has long nasty thorns that will gouge you if you're not careful. We will be much more careful around it.

For the record, both plants survived the fumigation that we underwent in 2001, even though the bouganvillea looked like it had given up the ghost. Hardy plants, we have!

Tomorrow we are most likely taking a breather from patio work, as I have to get a second carrier for Inkblot, and see if we can find him a harness. I also have a Union meeting I am planning to attend in the afternoon/evening, as they are going to be talking about possible changes to the IHSS program that are being considered on the Federal Level. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" seems to be lost on our Politicians these days...

Anyway, I feel like I will be investing some more time in pruning and such in the patio post-fumigation, when it might be a bit easier to tend to the plants.

Day 242: on returning to calmer waters

I went to the credit union today and sorted everything out. I have some paperwork to fill out for a wee bit of help - which will be moot when Himself's cases are settled - and I will see what I can get done prior to the fumigation. I will see if I can get this squared away by the end of this week.

On the other side of the coin, we are postponing a trip to an estate planner, as we don't have the funds yet, and more to the point, aren't sure when they are going to arrive. Once we have the funds, then we can shop around and see who to go with.,

In the meantime, I have successfully instituted a few new routines to help with some structure and form in my day: to start the day, I wash out the necessary breakfast bowls, and the pot for my tea water if I need to, then fill the pot partway with water and put it on to boil. I then read some daily literature and work my morning prayers while everyone else wakes up or showers. By the time the tea water has boiled and the tea has steeped, Himself and the Queen Mother are taken care of, and I can settle down with my Morning Pages and write to my heart's content.

Sometime after dinner, while Himself is attending to business and the Queen Mother is attending to the news, I put on my shoes and walk around the condo for a couple of laps. It takes me about half an hour, helps with my daily activity and step-count totals, and I am noticing I can work through things in my mind as I move my body, so that's a win-win.

At the end of the day, after I have put the Queen Mother to bed, I inform Himself that I am going to meditate, so that he doesn't inadvertently interrupt me while I'm zenning out. I have a certain technique that I use, and I have been using a special bundle that I put together for Caregiving as my focus. I am finding some inspiration coming through, and I have also noticed I'm getting better sleep. What's also helping in that regard is shutting all devices off at 11pm, to assist further in quieting my mind.

I found myself eyeing Depression before I went to the credit union, but that it dissipated considerably after my visit. I realized that I've become very good at stinking thinking, if not outright catastrophizing, and that I need to retrain myself to accentuate the positive again. I'll see what I can do!

Now I move back to preparing for our Involuntary Staycation... ;)

Day 241: on a whitewater ride

Stepping back into the normal flow of Life these days...

Yesterday was a good day to finish cleaning up the kitchen. Today was a good day to pay some bills, which I did. We are now current on some things, almost so on others. I was feeling pretty good about the flow until I got today's mail. There was a monkey wrench contained therein: a "love note" from our credit union kindly asking for the past due amount on our Home Equity Line of Credit if we did not want them to consider foreclosing on our condo.

We had opened up this HELOC in 2015 to get our bills under control, ironically enough. It worked until Himself was diagnosed with colon cancer, and the Odyssey began. Even so, the wheels didn't start to wobble too badly until the end of last year/start of this year, when it all started to become Too Much financially, and we had to start making Significant Choices...all because we are (still!) waiting to see how the bureaucratic side of the Veteran's Administration is going to resolve Himself's carpal-tunnel claim (They agreed that he had it in his right hand, but he has it documented in both of his hands - and he is left-handed!).

To my credit, I didn't panic or break down. My first thought, in fact, was along the lines of, Well this is bloody inconvenient, especially since our main focus is on the upcoming fumigation next week. My second thought was to see what we could work out with the credit union; after all, we've worked out solutions for every other obstacle that's crossed our path. The truth is, though, if we don't hear from someone in DC by the end of this month, things are really going to start hurting. I'm saying that I'm saving up my panic till month's end, and am only half-joking in this.

In other news, we made it to City Hall, and the kind staff looked at us cross-eyed when we asked them about Public Records. They don't have them there; perhaps at the County office? I know for sure that office really don't have anything to offer, so I will need to wait to see what the Queen Mother's doctor's office has to say. It is terribly ironic that I can look up the marriage record of my paternal great-grandfather from the start of the 20th Century but cannot seem to find any note about mom becoming officially "disabled" some twenty years ago! 

I am still hoping to get some pruning done tomorrow, even though it looks like both Himself and I are going to be making a few phone calls. The summit of the mountain is so close, yet so far, in the latest glimpse through the mists.

Day 240: on how we met

As today is our official Meet-iversary date, here is the story behind it...

One of my friends was (and still is) a facilitator of what is called Cuddle Parties. In a nutshell: a Cuddle Party is an event where people get together and rediscover the power of Loving Touch. There is no sex involved, and everyone stays fully clothed, although pajamas are often the outfit of choice. There is also a strict set of rules for folks to adhere to in order to keep the space Safe for everyone.

I had attended several Cuddle Parties previously, and had experienced some major breakthroughs as a result. I had taken a breather to better process my experiences, and was toying with the idea of attending this particular Party for a number of reasons: I was about to start training to be a supervisor at the answering service I was working at, and my elderly cat who was with us at that time was starting to decline in health. (She would actually pass away later that month.) I was feeling I could use some Deep Human Sharing, but was it worth attending?

I received my sign when she requested a ride to the venue where the Party was going to take place, and she would comp her "chauffer" in return. I had the day free, my car had a full tank of gas, so why not? I navigated my way through the Friday commute down to where she lived (which I believe was the least friendly condo complex ever - only three guest parking spaces outside the complex itself!) and then out to the coast. Shortly after we arrived, a gentleman arrived on a bicycle and came in as one of the participants.

The prospective Cuddlers made their/our introductions, we went over the rules, and then broke up into small groups or pairs and took turns in asking for what we wanted. At some point, the gent who had arrived on the bicycle came up to me and asked if we could do some eye-gazing, which is staring intensely into each other's eyes for a period of time. I had a reputation for having a "cat's stare," and I've had other men look away from me after a few moments because they had gotten too uncomfortable. So I brought out my Cat's Stare - and he matched it. We would up eye-gazing for thirty minutes. That's how I met Himself.

At the end of the evening, we exchanged phone numbers and email addresses. I dove into to my training at the start of the following week; at the end of the week I received an email from him: I've been trying to text you, but you haven't answered. Did I do something wrong?

I called his number and apologized: the number I had given him was not a cell phone, it was my landline, and therefore could not receive texts!

He then asked me if I liked long walks on the beach. This is one of the biggest dating cliches ever...and yes, I do like long walks on the beach.

This led to our first date: at a Ruby's restaurant at the end of the pier in Oceanside. At one point, I asked him if he wanted to see "to the Center of the Universe," as I have a fairly strong prescription for my glasses. We exchanged glasses; not only was his prescription rather close to mine, but he said he could see better through my glasses!

After dinner, we took that long walk on the beach. The rest is history.

He will tell you it was love at first Cat-Stare. I needed a bit more convincing.

Here is the kicker: At the start of May of that year, on Beltane, I had stood sobbing in the middle of a circle towards the end of a powerful retreat and declared to the Universe, in no uncertain terms, my readiness to meet my Beloved. The Cuddle Party took place exactly 33 days later. Trippy, eh?

Everyone thinks we've been together longer than seven years. Even the Queen Mother remarked upon this yesterday. What we might lack in "quantity" we have more than made up in "quality."

So there you have it. :)

Day 239: on attending to pleasurable business

Today was an Out and About day, taking full advantage of the nicer weather we are having.

First, we returned to the synagogue for the semi-annual congregational meeting. It's not a big congregation, but it's an enthusiatic one. Fortunately, Himself sat on his hands today and didn't take on any more commitments! We soaked in a little Community Time schmoozing before and after the meeting.

On the way home, we stopped in at one of the stores of our cable company. We thought we would be in for a bit of a wait, as it was plenty busy, until I saw the little "Pay here" machines at the other end of the store, being completely ignored. With a little help from a friendly customer service representative, we paid the cable bill and went our merry way.

I had a snack and got dinner assembled for the Queen Mother, then Himself and I headed down to San Diego for his regular Saturday night meeting. We got there a bit early since he is the Coffeemaker, one of the two Very Important Positions, the other being Secretary. He celebrated a milestone this evening with another Community.

Post-meeting, we went out to dinner with some of our friends, both to continue Himself's celebration, and also to celebrate our 7th Meet-iversary. Himself and I first met seven years ago tomorrow, but since we're keeping an eye on the cashola, we chose to consolidate reasons to celebrate, and had one special dinner tonight. If I remember tomorrow, I will share the story of how we met. :)

We came home with full bellies and happy hearts. Tomorrow he tends to business outside the home, and I tend to business inside the home.