Oregon Living 2021 – Blog #7 – Getting Back Out and About & Dealing With the Weather

Tuesday, January 26^th., 2021…… The weather forecast for today is possible snow. They say it could easily hit all of the lower elevations this time. But likely wouldn’t be too much or too long. But I didn’t have too much planned for today so I hung around the house most of the day and didn’t have to worry about the weather.  I got a call from Sandie and while we were talking, it started to snow!  It got so thick and heavy you couldn’t see 100 yards out. But, as soon as it hit the ground, it was water. Nothing stuck at all. I saw later on Facebook that my friends, Paul and Alice had posted a video and it was coming down pretty heavily there and they had a nice 4-5 inches on their car!  Funny because Dallas is around 350’ in elevation and the sign at our local airport says we are at 340’.  I got nothing and they got several inches! Go figure! I fixed some sandwiches for dinner which fit the bill and were fast and easy! I ended up the night watching tv until bedtime.       

Wednesday, January 27^th., 2021……  After walking Rylee, I visited with my sister for a while. She had brought Quincy over for a run with Rylee. It is still way too wet out there for any kind of activity and more rain is on the way. After they left, I headed out for a while. I wanted to go to Albany and hit The Home Depot. I was looking for another DeWalt tool. This time it was a 4 ½ inch saw which I had seen they had in stock the last time I was there. Not to be though and they couldn’t even place an order online because they were out of stock.  I ended up ordering this one on ebay.  I already have an order in for a DeWalt oscillating saw on ebay. I have a lesson learned to share also. I found a rebuilt DeWalt Chop Saw, which retails new for over $350.00, on a website for only $66.90. So, I ordered it via PayPal. That was a while back and it hasn’t come yet so I looked up the website. I found it is likely a scam and they are going for the credit card number. I’m glad I used PayPal so I’m covered. Lesson learned – if it sounds too good to be true – it probably is!

I heated a chicken pot pie for dinner and received a call from Frances and forgot to set the timer!  She said we were on the phone an hour by then so I knew dinner was done!  Whew! Later, I watched The Masked Dancer. They unmasked The Hammerhead.  I didn’t get Vinny Guadagnino, pretty much because I didn’t know who he was!  I did get another clue for The Sloth though. I think it is someone from Dancing With the Stars and had thought it might be Mark Balas or Derek Hough. But the new clue was 18. That was the only season on DWTS that Max won the trophy ball. So, now I’m thinking it’s Maxim Chemerkovskiy. I also think the Exotic Bird is a gymnast, maybe Simon Biles. That was a guess from one the judges but the others, like Oscar DeLahoya and Tara Lipinski I had before they did. We’ll see as they get eliminated. 

Thursday, January 28^th., 2021…… No rain and nice skies for a change (at least in the morning) so I made another trip out today, this time to the Home Depot in Corvallis. This was for sliding shelves for one of my kitchen cabinets. This would be the match to the ones I have for pots and pans, which I really like! 

Turns out they didn’t have any so I have to again go online to search for the right size. I made the last of my stuffed salmon for dinner so now I need to go back to Costco for another tray. I will need a list before I go.

Friday, January 29^th., 2021…… HAPPY BIRTHDAY RANDY!  I was up early (couldn’t sleep) and showered and dressed and had Rylee out early. The weather is nicer today with no rain in the forecast until later tonight. I went out and picked up a breakfast order I called in to Kevin’s and brought that and Starbucks coffee back home and ate.  A bit later, I called and talked with Randy for a while. I had sent him birthday money via Venmo and he said it came through with no problems. So far, I like using that to pay and receive monies. I did write a $10.00 check (co-pay) to my acupuncturist today but I will check to see if they use Venmo. I can only go to see Bonnie once a month now as my insurance has changed a little this year. But that’s ok because that works for me. I originally went there for treatment for my lack of smell, which she’s not done much to help improve so far.  I don’t always have a headache which she works on each time so we can stretch these appointments out now, I think.  I received the oscillating saw in the mail today and went out and stuck in a battery. I like it!  Can’t wait for the saw to come in! Getting the saw made me open up my checkbook and my spreadsheet to log in everything. I have found that I don’t balance my checkbook anymore but still find it useful to log in all of the monies in and out in the checkbook register. My re-occurring bills get moved over to the spreadsheet so I can use that for tracking almost everything if need be.  I spent the rest of the day hanging around watching tv. I have been binge-watching reruns of Friends on TBS. I always loved that show!  Nascar, Formula 1, Barrett Jackson and Indy Car are getting closer to their season openers and that excites me. Can’t wait!

Oregon Living 2021 – Blog #6 – Out of Lockdown & Movin On!

 

Friday, January 22^nd., 2021……  Day 8  Wow, this is bad!  Nothing to do and no one to do it with. I haven’t heard from too many folks so that makes it even worse. I still take Rylee out for our morning walk and we are out so early that no one is out with us to run into.  I finished up the photo scanning project I started many months ago. What’s left now is all of the pictures on our computers that I need to go through and add to the powerpoint. The freezer is almost cleaned out!  I thought about making potatoes for dinner but when I went to pull some out from that drawer, I found that they were all soft and squishy!  I cleaned up that mess and decided to make tater tots instead. I also pulled out 6 hamburger patties and took those out to the grill to cook. I ate two of them with the tots and some muffins I got from the freezer. Leftovers for tomorrow… I watched more tv until calling it a night. I usually do pretty well during the days but this place is way too quiet at night!  I lay in bed and start thinking about things and that makes me too antsy and I can’t stay in bed. You would think that it would get better in time….. 

Saturday, January 23^rd., 2021……  Day 9   Another day with no communication. I heard from Treasa and we talked for a good long time. Sorry T!  But it makes me feel better to be talking with people. Earlier I made due with one of my burgers and some toast for breakfast and later ate another burger and the tots for dinner. I found more info on my race schedules online and finished getting that worked into a spreadsheet and printed so the binder is done now.      

Sunday, January 24^th., 2021……  Day 10 Last day!  I have been filling out that covid questionnaire every day now. But given that it’s Sunday, I don’t know if I will hear from anyone with follow up questions.  I plan to stay home today just to make sure I have been a good boy and did the full ten days. Ok, that didn’t happen!  I made it through my walk and then took off and got some breakfast from Jack in the Box and coffee from 7-11.  I came back home though and watched football and paid some bills. I did go back out to Taco Bell to get dinner.  Another day in the life of a dull boy!    

Monday, January 25^th., 2021……  HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTA!

Also HAPPY BELATED (Jan 10) BIRTHDAY SANDIE!!  I'm sorry I forgot. Covid does that I guess! 

After walking Rylee, I wanted to go off to Walmart to restock my fridge and cupboards. I think I succeeded in getting almost everything out of both freezers that needed to be eaten. There were some items that I wouldn’t ever eat (like some Atkins frozen meals) so those were dumped. Anyway, I got everything stocked back up so I’m good for a few weeks now. Teri and I have been texting back and forth a few times during my lockdown.  She says she feels it’s not working out for us and I agreed so we won’t be seeing each other anymore. But we’re still friends and I enjoyed our time together.

I haven’t heard back from the doctor so I sent a message that I opted out of getting any further questionnaires and they responded that the form is standard practice for covid patients. Still no follow up call or instructions.

The weather has been off and on for the last few days. We get cold sunny days and then we get warmer rainy days. Go figure!  I still don’t have the desire to go out to the shop these days. I also have the irrigation valve and pipes to repair but haven’t got to those yet either. Maybe when we get a few days of sunshine and warmer temps. The starter batteries on my motorhome have gone down again. These are brand new batteries!  I know that there is a draw somewhere but I haven’t gone out there either so that will have to wait too. The gravel project around and in the carport is still half done. I need another round of grass killer in one area but I need to wait until it’s dried out for it to be effective. Then I can cover that and the rest of the area with more rock.

 

More projects, but hey, I’ve got the time now! Where else am I going!  Later, I made myself some lunch and then later, for dinner, I pulled out a couple of potatoes and sliced them and fried them and made some creamed corn and ate the last two hamburger patties. I watched tv and then headed off to bed after an exhausting day. 

Oregon Living 2021 – Blog #5 – Not Much Going On…

 

Monday, January 18^th., 2021……  Day 4  Still no symptoms. My doctor’s office has been sending me a daily questionnaire via their database system (mychart). The questions are about coughing, fever, and such. My answers are still the same. No symptoms. Fingers crossed!  With each day, I find myself feeling tied down. But I know better than to take off, even for just a drive. The weather here is rather chilly so I don’t feel like going outside, even to the shop, so I have been doing absolutely nothing.  I guess I could clean house…. But, you know, Not! There’s always time for that!  Saturday, I received a metal sign that I had ordered that I really liked.

                                    
I will be putting that up somewhere for sure!   Like I already said, I have been working to clean out the freezer. I have had some interesting combinations of meals but that’s what it will take to get everything eaten.    

Tuesday, January 19^th., 2021……  Day 5  Doing well. I had Rylee out in the cold. Did I mention it was cold?  My thermometer showed it at 32º when I walked her at 7:30am!  I’m wearing my sweat pants for that for sure! Again, not much going on. Tv and playing with the dog – that’s my life for the next week!   

Wednesday, January 20^th., 2021……  Day 6  No changes. The sun is out but it’s still too cold to go out and do anything this morning. I may venture out this afternoon and work in the shop. We’ll see. Meanwhile, I watched the inauguration and then ran the vacuum and cleaned up the dust bunnies all around the house. Later, I watched the Tuesday supercross race in Houston and then after dinner, watched The Masked Dancer. I missed out on The Cricket. I didn’t guess Brian McKnight.

Thursday, January 21^st., 2021…… Day 7 Another really boring day. I haven’t had any contact with a single person since the last trip out to Walgreens. I have been living with all of the freezer food and canned food and bagged and boxed items in the house. I am still ok but will run out soon. No problem with Rylee’s food and treats. I have been binge-watching Friends and have caught up on almost all of the taped shows. I still have several movies that I have saved that I can watch.   

Oregon Living 2021 – Blog #4 – Dealing With Covid

 

Thursday, January 14^th., 2021……  Doing ok today. Feeling well. I walked and fed Rylee and then went to Starbucks to get coffee. I heard back from the doctor and have an appointment at 11:50 this morning for a covid test. The doctor’s office told me I had to quarantine for either 10 or 14 days starting after the test, depending on the results being positive or negative.  Bummer.  I thought it was from exposure, which is already six days!

I drove there and got that nasty swab up my nose!  But it wasn’t too bad and I was back home in a few minutes.  

Sis called me to say that Butch has also tested positive. He has type II diabetes so he has some special concerns. None of us have had any covid shots to date. I’m told that if you test positive, you have to wait at least 30 days after recovery to be able to get the vaccines.      

Friday, January 15^th., 2021…… Weather here is cloudy and yucky. But not too much rain. I   received an order from ebay today. I ordered four hubcaps (inserts for the wheels really) and I got those installed today.

 

Later in the afternoon, I finally received my call from Lebanon Hospital – I tested positive for covid. I now have a ten-day quarantine, starting from yesterday morning. So, today is officially Day 1 of a 10-day lockdown.  I also heard from my doctor and also the CDC, with advice and questions about how I was doing and what to expect. I talked with Frances, who confirmed what I had heard - she thinks I will now have a 30-day period to get through before I can get the vaccine. I also heard that you have between a 30-to-90-day immunity, but I don’t think everyone is on the same page at this stage of the game. Either way, I plan to hunker down and ride this out. I had to drive to Walgreens but went through the drive-up window. Since I was out, I took butthead for a car ride and got a selfie waiting at the drive-up window….

Later, back at home, I looked through my groceries around the house. I have more than enough to eat for a few days but will eventually get an order together for Walmart delivery. Sis does it often so I will make sure I get her help on my first order. Before I do that, I will at least get to the freezer clean-out project I haven’t done yet. That will let me know what, if any, frozen food I need.

Saturday, January 16^th., 2021……  Day 2 of lockdown.  No change in my health. Other than a headache when I woke up, I still have no symptoms. Penny said she is feeling better. No word on the others. I spent the day watching football, auctions, and supercross so I stayed interested. I fixed stuffed salmon for dinner and had Rylee out a few times to run (and get dirty in the mud!). Heck of a day! 

Sunday, January 17^th., 2021…… Day 3 of lockdown.  Still no issues. I am taking my temperature regularly but it is right at 97.6 almost all of the time. Janice says she had chills and body aches and I had felt chilly on Saturday night a week ago but nothing since then. Here’s another crazy rumor – they say that people with asthma have lessor symptoms than those who don’t. Tammy (my mail lady) had it and so did her husband. She was pretty sick and lost smell and taste and he has asthma and he had no symptoms through the whole 10-14 days! If that’s true, it would be the first good thing to come to us asthmatics!  Go figure!  I spent another day hanging around the house just watching football and my taped Mecum auctions. I fixed tamales for a light dinner and settled in to tv until bedtime. I did take some Tylenol PM for a headache and to help me sleep.    

Oregon Living 2021 – Blog #3 – Dealing With the Rain and Covid Testing

        

 

Saturday, January 9^th., 2021……  This morning I slept in a bit. It wasn’t raining so it was chilly outside (34º).  I had Rylee out and walked and fed, then came in a worked on my last post and got it published. I hung around the house for the first part of the morning. Cherrelyn had already washed all of the pots and pans and loaded the dishwasher (thanks, Sweetie!) so all I had to do was run it and then put the rest of the handwashed dishes and pans away. I left about 9:45am for my appointment in Corvallis at Olufson Jewelers to pick up my St. Christopher medal which was done. It turned out really nice. Cost ($50.) more than I expected but I would have paid more because of the sentimental value and I’m glad I can wear it again. 

After I got back, I cleaned up a bit from the party, and then settled in and relaxed for the day. Teri said she was feeling better but I wanted her to rest at home so we didn’t plan anything today. I had a nice lunch so I only heated up some steak cubes for dinner and watched tv until bedtime.       

Sunday, January 10^th., 2021……  I was up early and showered and had Rylee out and walked and fed before 7:30am. It sprinkled a bit while we were out and I went ahead and changed my shoes because I got them wet when I ventured in the deep grass to pick up after butthead. I texted Teri. She was just getting up and said she was doing a little better. I asked but she said she didn’t need anything. I want her to rest today. I got breakfast and coffee and came back home and ate. I decided that I would finish up on my workbook with all of the scheduled races and events for the year. I buy a spiral notebook for each year and affix the race schedules to the pages. Here are a few pages from last year….

I watched the three remaining playoff games today. That was about it. I fixed the rest of the steak and had the last of the lobster and a baked potato for dinner. I was able to get Rylee out for a while today since it turned into a sunny afternoon. She ate her dinner and crashed on the couch while I watched football.    

Monday, January 11^th., 2021……  Today was my acupuncture appointment. I took off after walking and feeding Rylee and headed over to Corvallis. After my stick and poke, I headed over to Lowes and checked out their DeWalt saws. Yes, I am looking for another tool! Sis called me and said she is not feeling well. She has a call in to the doctor to go get a covid test. She said Cherrelyn is feeling bad too.  She also said she will be calling Butch and Janice to see how they are. Jeremiah and Kayla are fine. I am feeling ok. After my acupuncture I always feel relaxed so I was doing ok. Until later, when I felt achy. I spent the rest of the day hanging around the house, just in case. Penny went in to the drive-thru testing facility and went back home to rest.    

Tuesday, January 12^th., 2021…… Wow, was it windy last night!  We had gusts that hit the back porch and I knew I would find branches out in the field this morning!  The rains have stopped and I got Rylee out and walked without any problems. I am feeling fine but sis called and told me she was still feeling bad. She has lost her sense of taste. I stayed in and relaxed all day just to be safe. I have an appetite and can still taste so hopefully I’m good.  

Wednesday, January 13^th., 2021…… Penny’s and Janice’s tests came back positive.  Cherrelyn is still not feeling well. Butch is going in today for his test. I am ok but have still been taking it easy, hanging around home all day. She has convinced me to call my doctor, which I did. They asked me questions about exposure and got all the timeframes. I didn’t isolate completely but I haven’t seen anyone except the folks at Starbucks but that’s all through plexiglass so I haven’t really had any contact with anyone since Friday. So, it’s been four days already. Didn’t hear back from them today.  I had a chicken bake for dinner and watched The Masked Dancer before calling it a night. I first thought Miss Moth was Omarosa and saw a clue that she went to BYU, so I googled Elizabeth Smart and knew it was her. So far, I am three for three! I think The Sloth is either Mark Balas or Derek Hough from Dancing with the Stars.  I think Cotton Candy is Tara Lipinski because of the red lips clue in her package. We’ll see. I think The Zebra is Oscar DeLahoya, The Tulip is Dorothy Hamil, The Hammerhead is Carrot Top, and The Cricket is Ian Zerling.  I’m not sure about The Exotic Bird. I’m thinking she is Lisa Leslie because of her height. Still watching for more clues.     

Oregon Living 2021 – Blog #2 – Happy Birthday Penny!

Tuesday, January 5th., 2021…… I have been working with Cherrelyn these past few days putting together a surprise birthday party for my sister. So, I have been coordinating with the folks coming and also went out trying to gather up stuff for decorations.  I found some streamers at the Dollar Tree but they didn’t have much else. I need a party store. I got back home and fixed dinner and watched tv until bedtime.        

Wednesday, January 6th., 2021……  The weather is off and on again. One day it’s sunny and nice, the next it’s cloudy and/or rainy. I got Rylee out with a minimum of drizzle and then left for the morning.  Today I drove to Albany and hit Hobby Lobby. I needed some party decorations. I found a few and then stopped by Walmart and got some groceries including the potatoes for the dinner. Once I got that all home and put away, I fed butthead and made a chicken pie and settled in for the night. Tonight, was The Masked Dancer. I have a few guesses for the dancers and the one I was feeling comfortable on was The Ice Cube. I guessed Bill Nye and was right! I don’t think I will get the others that easy, but right now I’m two for two!      

Thursday, January 7th., 2021……  This morning I was up early and had Rylee out and walked and fed and then took off. I wanted to hit Costco but stopped off at Starbucks and got coffee and dropped one off with Teri, who had her first client of the day. I drove to Albany and went through the Jack in the Box drive-thru and took that to the Costco parking lot to eat. After that I went in and got my items. I bought a box of lobsters, a big bag of scallops, and a package of six ribeyes. Don’t ask!  While I was in the store, I got a text from Cherrelyn that Penny was leaving to go to Costco!  Good thing I had a head start on her so I was able to get done and out before she showed up!  I got all of that home and stored away, and rested for a bit. I texted Teri and she came over after her last client of the day. She brought the salad fixins for tomorrow and we put those away and then we drove out to Sweet Home and went to The Point for ‘linner’. She had chicken strips and I chose their bbq brisket sandwich. Wow, was that good! After we ate, we came back to my place and opened up the party stuff and started putting it out. I only need to do the streamers tomorrow. I skipped on dinner and snacked on a pear and watched tv until bedtime 

Friday, January 8th., 2021……  HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIS!  Again, I was up and out early. I didn't go anywhere today though. Today was clean-up day. I made the bed and dusted and vacuumed the house and got the potatoes cleaned and wrapped and in the oven. I cleaned the bathroom and the kitchen and rested for a while. I finished watching Wonder Woman 1984 and then started hanging streamers. I went out and started the bbq and cleaned the grates. I got a call later in the afternoon from Teri. She said she wasn't feeling well and would have to pass on the party.  Bummer. I hope she feels better. Butch was first to arrive, followed by Janice and then Jeremiah and Kayla. I asked Janice to put Teri’s salad together so that was done.  Cherrelyn and Penny got there shortly after that. SURPRISE! She had no idea!  I so much enjoyed the look of surprise when she walked through the door!  It was priceless. You usually don't fool her that often. Cherrelyn got the lobster and scallops going. I heated up the potatoes and then went out and got the steaks started. We had a very nice meal! The party ended up going for a while. But everyone was ok to drive home and I rested and watched a little bit of tv before calling it a night. Fun day!      

  

Oregon Living 2021 – Blog #1 – Happy New Year!

 

Friday, January 1^st., 2021……  Happy New Year!  I was up early after a really good night’s sleep! I showered and got both the dogs out for their walk/run. On days when I have both dogs, I take them out to the back field and the side field. Boy, is it wet out there!  I had to rinse Rylee off because she found her drag strip and was white on top and brown on the bottom after running through it a couple of times!  And to think back to yesterday, I actually had given some thought about giving her a bath! I came in and fed them and then made my coffee and ate breakfast. I usually on New Year’s Day start my morning early with the Rose Parade. But not this time….

Oh well.  I did absolutely nothing all day. Never left the house – just hung around and watched bowl games plus some episodes of the ‘Las Vegas’ marathon show that I have been taping. They are playing, back-to-back-to-back, every one of the episodes, non-stop on E. I always liked that show. I heard from Sandie and also from both Stan and Ed during the course of the day. I made some mac and cheese and then ate the last of the ham for dinner. I actually napped today so I knew I would be staying up late which I did. 

Saturday, January 2^nd., 2021……  Not much planned for today. Rain is in the forecast for the weekend and all of next week, so I can’t get excited about any projects for a while. After our walk, I went out and got breakfast and coffee. I came back and turned on the tv to watch football. Oregon was playing in a bowl game today (they got beat). Even though the Oregon State (Beavers) are closer in Corvallis than the University of Oregon (Ducks) in Eugene, there are plenty of UofO fans all in this area. They will always wear their team colors when games like this are happening.  You should see it when they play each other. They used to call that the ‘Civil War’ but had to remove all of those references because….

I did several loads of laundry but that was about it. I found on Facebook Marketplace a guy that had mirrored closet doors for sale and contacted him. He was in Eugene and I was all set to go pick up one for my garage. I want a large mirror on a hinge on the wall so I can look at its reflection to see cars, deliveries, etc., in the driveway. But it turns out the folks before me got there first and took all of them so no trip today. Later, I ordered a pizza and went and picked it up. Later, my neighbor, Paul came over and knocked on the door. He was on his roof looking for a leak and he said he heard water running and looked my way. Turns out that a pvc pipe going to the island flower bed out by the street had broken off right before the shutoff valve.

 

I think I remember knocking into it with the mower during mowing season, but who knows!  I had a raging river adding to the rain runoff going into the drainage ditch! Anyway, there is a shutoff in the garage for all of the irrigation pipes away from the house, so shutting it off was simple. I usually do this in winter but forgot!  I will have to go shopping for a new valve and fittings and pvc glue but that can wait until next week. I finished the evening watching tv until bedtime.     

Sunday, January 3^rd., 2021……  We got a nice break in the weather this morning. When I got up and showered and out, the sun was actually coming up with very few clouds. That won’t last though, so I took advantage of it and went out and got breakfast and coffee. Teri and I made plans for a late lunch and I left for that around 1:30pm. I picked her up and we drove over to Albany and went to Burgerville.  Penny, Lydia and I went there when we first moved here and we didn’t think too much of it then and I hadn’t been back since, but I was willing to give it another try.  I ordered the blue cheese burger and waffle fries and Teri had the pepper bacon burger with regular fries. We drove down the street to the Costco parking lot and ate. We both thought the burgers were ok and I liked my fries but she didn’t like hers. We headed in to Costco and she checked out the computers and I picked up a few things I had on my list and we headed back. I dropped her off and came home and rested and watched football for the rest of the day and into the evening. I snacked on some cheese and crackers because I wasn’t that hungry.    

Monday, January 4^th., 2021……  This morning I was up and showered and dressed but didn’t go out with butthead right away. It was a steady light rain so I waited until it went to a drizzle and then went out. I got about 100 yards up the road when the skies let loose!  We both got soaked!  I dried Rylee off inside the garage and changed out of everything before I even came in the house. It was the first time in a long time that I can remember getting this wet up here! Once I was back in dry shoes and clothes, I was in for the day. Of course, the rains let up and the sun came out for a few minutes.  Go figure!  I did answer an ad on Marketplace for a car trailer. The guy was in Sandy, which is 100 miles away from me. So, I asked if it was still available and also some questions before I ventured up to see it. Turns out the ad was on MP for just a little over 4 hours and he said it was sold already!    Later, I got a text that Teri was done with clients and I could go for a haircut. I asked if she ate and brought her some of my pizza for a quick lunch. After I left there, I drove to Bi-Mart but remembered that Tuesdays were their special days when member’s numbers are posted with special prizes, so I will wait until then to go back. Later, I let Rylee out a couple of times and found that I needed a new towel each time just to wipe the mud off of her muddy paws!  I spent some time yesterday going through my checkbook to annotate all of our medical and dental expenses and today I charted them in a spreadsheet. This is for tax purposes so I needed to get it done. I collected up all of my now-dry clothes from the garage and got them in the hamper, fixed a light dinner, and then settled in for the night watching tv programs. I have free HBO Max (thru Directv) so I have Wonder Woman 1984 already downloaded. Problem is I can’t cast it to any of my tvs without ‘Chromecast’, so I have already gone to ebay and ordered one. So, I will wait for that (but might decide to just watch it on my phone).      

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #98 – Getting Christmas Stuff Put Away and Getting Ready for New Years

 

Monday, December 28^th., 2020……  This morning I slept in later than I wanted and I was running late for my acupuncture session!  So, I showered and dressed and fed Rylee and then let her out to pee/poop and then took off. I made it in time.  Once we were done there, I stopped and got myself some breakfast and coffee at McDonalds and then drove back home via Albany. I wanted to stop at Harbor Freight and get a few things and I did that and then headed back home. Today was spent mostly on Christmas stuff. By the end of the day, I got everything boxed up and out on the porch. The red village ‘ladder’ is disassembled and is ready to go up in the alcove in the entryway. I will wait until tomorrow for all of that. Sis will be coming by and she will help me and then I will go over there and help her with storage. I fixed more ham and the rest of the scalloped potatoes and watched Monday Night Football and then a few taped shows before calling it a night.   

Tuesday, December 29^th., 2020……  I was up early this morning and out with Rylee before the sun was up! It is cold!  My two thermometers both showed it at 27º !!!  Yeah, that’s cold! The good thing was that the day was bright and sunny!  The frost on the grass dried up quickly and there was no standing water (except in the ditch by the road and also in Rylee’s drag strip out back) so no slippery roads or walkways to worry about. Sis was here with Q and left her for the day. She will come back later - when it warms up some more – to help me put away my Christmas stuff. I waited until about 11:15 and then texted her. It was still 34º outside so I put on a heavier jacket and some gloves and started hauling boxes off the back porch out to the shop garage and started to load them on the racks. Luckily, I took pics of how the boxes were stored away so I knew what went where. This is just one section!

 

Problem was I now have 4 new large totes for the new Christmas village houses that I had to pack. I got all the new items into 3 containers but stored the empty 4^th one ‘just in case’ for next year. Once we got all of those done, I moved the zero turn back into its place and then followed my sister back to her house to help with her storage. I still need to clean the house and then I can move furniture back to where it was and I’m done!  

Wednesday, December 30^th., 2020……  Rain is coming again. So, that means the temps are back up. This morning it was 43º when I walked Rylee. Later (around 8:00am) I drove up to Starbucks and met Teri for coffee. Of course, we have to drink it in the car nowadays but that’s ok. She had to get back for her 9:00am client and I stopped by Jack in the Box and got breakfast and headed back home. I spent a few minutes on the computer messaging my doctor with questions about covid and shingles vaccines and my osteoporosis infusion. I also called local jewelers to inquire about a silversmith reinforcing my St. Christopher medal that I have worn for the past 61 years. The hole for the chain is wearing thin and needs a little love. Of course, you now have to schedule an appointment to get things done nowadays. Mine is now Jan. 5^th but at least I know and can work with that. I hung around the house yesterday so today I took a drive to Albany and Lowes. I needed a couple of electrical connectors and wanted to stock up on rock salt bags. I also stopped by Habitat for Humanity to see if they had any carpet runners. This would go in the garage and help with the dog’s wet paw prints (and my wet shoe prints!).  I stopped at a Chinese place and picked up orange chicken and sweet and sour pork with fried rice for dinner. I got back about 3:00pm and ate and had some more pumpkin bread for dessert. I wasn’t tired and stayed up until about 10:40pm and watched tv before calling it a night. About 1:30am I woke up with acid reflux. It was the worst case I have ever had. My esophagus was on fire!  Caused me to cough about every ten seconds. I have learned that I need to stay upright and went back in the living room and propped up in my recliner and tried to sleep. I think it was another hour or so when I finally nodded off.        

Thursday, December 31^st., 2020……  NEW YEARS EVE!  I woke up feeling terrible. It took a long time for me to be able to get going. I did walk Rylee and then fixed breakfast but I hung out at the house all day. I even cancelled a haircut because I wasn’t up to it. Teri came over and saved the day with potato soup she had made. I ate everything so I knew I wasn’t sick – just worn out! Sis came over to drop off Quincy for a sleepover because her neighborhood celebrates New Years and it gets too loud for Q.  She drugged her up so she would at least be able to relax here. I ate a bit later with no chocolate or anything else that might cause a repeat. That wasn’t happening!  I heard from Jeff and Krista around 9:00pm – that was New Years in Florida – and we talked for some time and rang in the year together. Quincy was asleep in my closet and Rylee alerted when a few gunshots popped off a few times but it was fairly quiet other than that. I finally called it a night around 10:15 or so. I went right to sleep and didn’t hear any more noise at all. Happy New Year to all!