Day 308: on a firmer friday

Even though I set the wrong alarm to get up this morning, the Queen Mother served as an excellent alarm clock, and we got her to her Bone Density appointment on time. There was some paperwork I had to (help her) fill out, and a couple of items had to be guessed at, because she could not remember the dates and I was not yet present in this lifetime to know the answer.

The biggest challenge was getting her up on the table for the examination. The tech was very helpful, but stepstools and beds down as far as they can go are still not "mother-sized." Not only is she more petite than the average bear, but the havoc wreaked on her knees and ankles by the osteoarthritis, the rickets, and so forth, make it more and more difficult for her to get up onto the stepstool-then-table and back down again. The time may come in the near future when she has to be lifted up and down; at any rate, today we managed and came home fairly quickly afterward. We will be discussing all of the tests with Dr. M. next week.

Once back home, later meals and extended naps became the order of the day. She was rather wiped out from her medical "adventure" out of the house, and I was happy to nap as well. After a few hours, I went to Rite Aid to get some glucosamine for her joints (and got a sweet deal: buy one get one for $1. Yes please!), a refill of our large water jug, and a quick trip to Trader Joe's for some ice cream, which I forgot yesterday. While out, I also ducked in to our local grocer for some fresh white vinegar.

This week we have been having some ant challenges, as they found the contents of the trash can particularly tasty. I was able to pull myself together enough to see what I could use for a non-toxic repellent - and white vinegar, in a 50/50 mix with water, fit the bill. I had to get some new vinegar to replace what we had to throw out after our "Fumigation Staycation" a couple of months ago. I got an unused spray bottle, mixed the water and vinegar, and went to town. So far so good. I also went out into our patio and cleaned up the mess I had made getting all of the ants out of our house. Not only do I have an ant repellent, the mix works well in cleaning countertops too! Bonus round. :)

The Queen Mother is fine right now; she's watching an episode of the rebooted Magnum PI at this moment. For the most part, I had a better today than I did yesterday, with just one gnarly Heavy episode that dissipated on its own. As tomorrow is going to be a stay-at-home venture, I'm looking forward to a bit of huswifery and a homemade egg sandwich for breakfast, along with some more Self-Care.