A Southern Kind of Cold

 

It's been a few weeks since I posted.  Dixie had a great birthday, and soon it will be Tony's turn.  For whatever reason, the month of January seems very long to me.  Could be because I'm working on the February issue of Cape Fear Voices and the March issue of the company newsletter.  

Covid has reared its ugly head again.  Three people at work tested positive for it.  Dawn, our weekday receptionist has a cruise planned starting tomorrow and she is still going, Covid or not.  She said her doctor gave her steroids and said she should be OK by Thursday.  I don't know....seems risky to me. 

I have been called into work once so far because of people being sick and I am working this weekend and the following Monday.  I have plenty of alcohol wipes and the first thing I do when I arrive is to wipe off the phone receiver, the number keys and the computer keyboard.  

We have only seen Donna and Bob a few times since they arrived from Cleveland.  The weather has been really cold so golfing was out of the question.  It was not Cleveland cold, but for sure, not southern cold.  "Cold" to people from the south is around 45 degrees.  We have had below freezing temps and Tony has been covering the plants outside.  Today should be better--in the upper 60's, I hope.  Tony and Bob are playing golf and Donna and I are doing lunch and then going to the Sandlewood shops to look around. 

Tony and I are doing what I refer to as "end of life" stuff.  We've been going through boxes that have been in our attic for 13 years and getting rid of stuff.  A few days ago, the box he brought down for me was full of memories.  I found two love letters from my late husband, Bill, that I actually forgot I had.  I have a ton of pictures of Jenna when she was a baby and a young child.  She looked happy then.  I hope she is happy now.  

Not much else going on.  I actually felt "written out," the other day.  Try as I might, I could not think of a topic for my Cape Fear Voices February issue.  I tried a few times to write something and nothing came out.  I hope this isn't a trend.  

That's all for now.  I hope all of you in the snowy weather get relief soon.  

Another Year Older

Today is Dixie's 11th birthday!  We are having a small party for her with just us and her Godparents.  Actually, as of February 24, Tony and Dixie will be the same age, 77!

She is just as goofy as when we brought her home.  She still sits with us on the lanai everyday and barks at 5:00 for her treat.  It's only fair, we meet out there for a glass of wine, she figures she should get a treat too.  

Donna and Bob got in a few days ago and are coming to our house to watch the Browns game tomorrow.  Tony has been in the kitchen cooking for both events and I think he is getting tired of it.  I don't blame him.  When it comes to cooking or cleaning toilets, I'll take the toilets!

We published the first issue of the newsletter at work on January 1, and I got a lot of nice comments about it.  I'm working on February right now and am having fun getting to meet people at work that I normally don't interact with.  

We are planning a Cleveland trip this year, but we will be smarter than last year and go during the summer so the kids aren't in school activities.  Jenna did send the yearly calendar, starring all of them and I can't believe how tall they are now.  Ben has his hair dyed black....not a fan!  And Sam looks exactly like Jenna.  Ellie and Zach are also getting bigger and it looks like they are having fun in school.  The pictures I have in my office are of them when they are any where from 18 months to 8 years old, so seeing Ben at age 17 was a shocker!  He has to be at least 6 foot 2 inches tall.  

It is cold and rainy today, but I shouldn't complain, at least it isn't snowing.  Leland is a lot like Cleveland, it can be cold and gloomy one day and the next, it's in the low 70's with plenty of sun.  It's just the summers I can take.  When it's 95 degrees at 9 in the morning, there just isn't any relief.  

Tony got me the Cher Show tickets for Christmas.  There are three singers that portray her at various stages of her career.  I can't wait.  The show is in February.  Our first venture to the theatre down here was to the opera and that was a hoot.  "Carmen" was a 50 year old heavy set woman and her lover was even worse.  It was the first time that I had seen people going to the opera in shorts and white socks. Anyway, this show should be much better. 

I am looking forward to the party this evening and singing to Dixie.  We don't know what we would do without her.  Happy Birthday, Goofy Dog!

 

Visiting

 

We went to Charlotte on Wednesday to see Tony, Marie and the boys.  They got a  new dog, Cheyanne.  She's a two year old Boxer and reminds us all of Tyson, Tony's first Boxer.  We took Dixie with us and when she and Cheyanne first met, all was well.  Then, suddenly, Cheyanne, started to growl and got Dixie in her mouth.  I'm not sure who was  more surprised, Dixie, Tony or me.  Tony Jr., managed to release Dixie and Cheyanne spent the rest of the day in her cage.  Dixie was OK, but apparently so traumatized, that she pooped on the kitchen floor.  

Other than that, it was a nice visit.  Coleton, who is 11, had some really good conversations with us about sports and school.  Anthony, was goofy as always and made us laugh.  Owen is speaking a lot better and is really into video games. He talks to the characters.

We had burgers and got gifts and then headed home since Tony had to work on Thursday.  

We did a face time on Christmas day with David, Brenda and the girls.  That was fun.  Alex got a whoopie cushion for Christmas and showed us how it "farted."  

Brenda is going to send us a link to log into so we can actually see her in court this weekend.  She won't see us or  hear us, but we will be able to see her on the bench.  I can't wait.  I'm sure she will be as impressive as always. 

The first edition of the Carolina Dunes newsletter will be out in January.  I am the writer and editor.  I'm already working on February and having fun doing so. 

I work this weekend, the last 6:30 a.m. shift.  As of January 1, we go to 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., it doesn't seem like much of a change, but I will be able to sleep till 6 and not have to get up at 5 in the morning. 

We are having a birthday party for Dixie, she will be 11 on January 6. And then, it will be time for Donna and Bob to come down.  Our years have a cycle to them and we are comfortable with that. 

I'm not sure what the new year will bring, but I hope everyone stays healthy and happy. 

Christmas Parties

 

Well, it seems like everything is back to normal.  David and Brenda and the girls came in and cooked us a wonderful Thanksgiving meal.  There haven't been anymore riots at work and all in all, I have settled into a "same ole, same ole" routine--and don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. 

Tony's health remains good and he is active.  He played golf on Monday and is working at the golf course again.  So the sizeable blip on the radar screen of health concerns have subsided a bit.

And so now we enter into our Christmas cycle.  It will be small for us, as usual but we will just enjoy being together.  With Dixie, of course.  

Tony has started to clean out the attic and do other "get ready for end of life" stuff, but not in fear, and not in haste to go, but so me and the boys don't have to.  That is so like him to take care of us; no matter what.

Geez, that sounds creepy, but it isn't meant to be.  

The golf course where Tony works had their Christmas party on Monday--and so did the place where I work, so I missed it, but I think they had a good time.  On the 16th, we will attend the Cape Fear Voices Christmas party at a restaurant in downtown Wilmington, and of course, the Leland Magazine Christmas party is being held on the same day, but there's only so many parties you can go to!

The golf course party was beautiful.  They had it in the new clubhouse that they built and this was the first time I had been inside.  It is massive and first class, all the way.  There are several dining area, a huge, wrap around bar that is lit from underneath and all glass walls.  You can see the course and various ponds from anywhere in the place.  It was decorated to the hilt and we had a wonderful time. 

I am writing the facility newsletter now and getting paid extra to do it.  So I have three writing jobs that bring me fun, pleasure and money!  

Not much else going on.  I assume we will be taking our Charlotte Swegle's visit after Christmas and before you know it, Donna and Bob will be back down for two months. 

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. 

A Time of Fear

I admit, there are things that scare me.  Car accidents, medical bills, losing people I love.  All of that, but yesterday I was scared and it had nothing to do with all of the above. 

I work in a hospital that mainly takes care of teen agers with mental problems.  We have 7 units and they are all not open to visitors without a key.  At around 9:30 a.m., I heard screaming from residents of 3 of our units.  I listened to the walkie talkie but all of a sudden, it went silent. 

About 5 minutes later, one of our nurses came into the lobby and told me to activate the main door opening function.  When I did, 5 police people came running in, all in riot gear.  I quickly asked what was happening and was informed that the makings of a  riot were underway.  

It was a riot, indeed.  It started out as a  fight and escalated to things being broken, doors being kicked in and nurses being hurt.   In all, we had 13 police cars, 20 police personnel, and 2 sheriffs responding to our call.  They shut down the facility and restrained many of the residents.  

My role, as a front line person was to open the door for the police and then open the door to the units that were in distress.  I realized as I opened that door, that they were in riot gear and I was not.  It crossed my mind that there was a small level of danger here, but when all of this is happening, you just put that to the back of your mind.    

After it was all over, I heard members of the team calling out to front line nurses asking if they were OK.  If the nurse didn't answer right away, someone went looking for them.  

I could hear the children--they were angry, I'm not sure about what, but they were a force that had no name, just a mission--to cause as much damage as they could.  

Our front line nurses did what they could, one or two being slightly injured as a result.  Our CEO came in and led the police to the areas in chaos and the nurses were glad about that.  It gave them some level of comfort to know that they were not alone.  

It was over in an hour or so, but time seemed to stand still.  The "children" went back to being residents, the nurses went back to doing their job.  The police left in small groups and all was quiet.   

I went home and watched the 2nd half of a football  game.  I ate dinner.  I did a load of laundry.  But when I crawled into bed, I was shaking and afraid.  The "What If's" were consuming my mind.  It was a time of fear in the day and in my mind.  What has happened to the world that we now have to be afraid of children?  I wish I knew.  I wish I could fix it.  But I can't.  

This is a place that takes good care of children in need.  It changes lives.  Why should the nurses and front line staff experience a time of fear?  All good questions, but questions that could be asked about so many things happening in the world. 

We should never reach for violence first.  But, we do.  We should never aim to hurt others.  But we do.  When will it stop?  When will we live and let live?

As Time Goes By

Every time I look at the last time I posted here, I am amazed by the time that has gone by.   The year is almost over and I don't remember half of it.   I think that much of that has to do with Tony's heart thing that started in August.  He just went for a TEE test, which is basically swallowing a small camera (he was put under) to see if there were blood clots behind his heart. I remember having this test right after I had my stroke and believe me, the recovery was not fun.  I had a sore throat for days.  But, Tony seems to have sailed right through it.  No clots, they just had to shock him back into rhythm.  

David, Brenda and the girls will be here for Thanksgiving.  Brenda is cooking this year.  We will be decorating the tree right after dinner so I am looking forward to that.  I got two new ornaments for them to put on the tree.  David and Tony will be playing golf.  I'm not excited about that, but his doctor said OK, so I am keeping my concern to myself (well, for the most part, anyway.)

I am picking up shifts at work.  I love the money, but not the time.  My usual shift is every other Saturday and Sunday from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.   Due to staff shortages, they need night coverage which goes till 11:00 p.m.  I told them I couldn't do that, but if it would help, I could cover from 2:30 till 9:30.  We will see.

I am slowly getting used to not having my own car.  I stopped using the seat belt in Tony's car when I drive.  I hate seat belts.  I keep thinking that I'll have an accident and the damn thing will decapitate me.   I can't get used to the rear camera.  I know it's there and I use it when I drive into the garage to see if I have cleared the door, but when I am out, I don't even think about it.   I never had one, so I don't rely on it.  I haven't used the GPS in it either, but I think that will be coming shortly. 

The weather has been getting more and more chilly.  The evenings are crisp and such a relief from those 98+ degree days.  I even watched a Christmas movie on TV the other night.  Must be the weather!

I have started to work on the Cape Fear Voices Awards Banquet again.  It will be April 20 next year.  We've hired the food vendor and the entertainment and we know where we are having it.  So the big stuff is done.  I wrote a story about going home in October that has been very well received.  It is in the top 5 for this month and I received several very nice comments about it.  One man said it was like reading a movie!!  

Dixie will be 11 in January (the 6th) but shows no signs of slowing down.  Oh yeah, she's sleeping more during the day, but can still "toe bite" me and give me a run for my money.  We are so lucky to have her.  She and Tony are still very connected.  He texted me at 3:16 today that he was leaving work.  I told him I knew that because Dixie had been in the laundry room, in front of the garage door barking since 3:10, so I know she was looking for him.   Good that he speaks dog and she speaks daddy.  

Not much else going on.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving shared by family and friends. 

 

Back Home

Our trip to Cleveland was both fun and sad.  We did not get to see Jenna's kids and that just broke my heart.  In all of the letters we have sent back and forth this year, all of the kids have said that they couldn't wait  until we visited and could see them.   It just didn't work out from a scheduling perspective.  Maybe next year. 

Our Neighbor lunch was a fun time.  Only one person couldn't make it this year.   We went to Fast Eddie's in Parma.  Good food and a separate room for us to eat in.  We all looked older, but still had a good time.  

Staying with Sarah and Steven was fun.  They got a new dog, Ollie, and he was a bundle of energy.  

And so, we are home.  Tony has gone to two heart appointments and everything seems to be OK, although they said he had two AFIB episodes since he has had the pacemaker in.    He went back to work on Thursday, but it was pouring rain so 80% of the golfers cancelled and he came home soaking wet.  

I am working this weekend and next since I was off to go to Cleveland.  I have also started to work on the Awards Banquet for Cape Fear Voices and Teen Scene for next year (CFVTS.org.)  The theme is Stary, Stary Night.  It's a lot of work, but I enjoy doing it.  Gerald is more active this year than last and that will help. 

We have had to turn on the fireplace in the mornings as it has been 47 or so degrees.  It's nice to have it on for a bit and then turn it off as the day gets going.  I can't believe it's almost the end of the year. 

David and Brenda and family will be here again for Thanksgiving.  That will be nice.  We will decorate the Christmas tree on the lanai again this year with the girls.  That, too, is a lot of work, but it's so much fun to watch them putting ornaments on and watching for the lights.  David and Tony hope to play golf while they are here.  According to Tony's doctors, he can do that now.  For awhile, he was not able to raise his left arm over his head or lift anything heavy.  The swelling hasn't totally gone yet, but he is pleased with the healing process.

I am adjusting to life with one car.  It's not the same as having my Toyota, but I get from point A to B when I need to.    

So, that's life in our fast lane.  Not so fast anymore, but comfortable.  I miss seeing the kids this year, but hopefully, 2024 will be different.