death in the family

 My oldest uncle died this morning.  I got a text this morning at 10:30 a.m. from my youngest and last surviving uncle, Robert, "Uncle Ronnie died this morning”. 

I phoned Robert immediately. He was at Ron & Joyce's house, waiting for the funeral director to arrive at the house. Ron had just passed. I asked what happened and Robert told me that Ron had pancreatic cancer and his health had been in decline for several years. Still, his death came quicker than they expected. He was lucky enough to be in hospice care at home. We talked until the funeral home van pulled up in the driveway. I texted all of the Perry family that I had a phone number for. Now, I am waiting until someone is able to let me know about any funeral/memorial plans that will be made. Looks like I have another trip to Georgia is in the near future. 

more dental trouble

I went to have a dental cleaning last Wednesday and my mouth is still sore and healing.

My gums are really beaten up. I'll probably need more periodontal surgery soon to correct the latest damage and I still have several,  perhaps permanent,  numb spots on my mouth, face, and scalp from the last surgery. 

Meanwhile,  I'm told this is just a normal part of growing old. 

In other news,  MonsterMustDie is still coughing constantly and refusing to make a doctor's appointment or take anything for the cough. He just says it's only a cold and no doctor would see him for a cough if he called them, which he won't do. 

He's still coughing

 MonsterMustDie has no fever but he still has a very troubling cough. I want him to see his doctor tomorrow just to make sure this respiratory infection does not develop into bronchitis or another stroke. I can't force him to see a doctor but I really want him to. 

negative

MonsterMustDie's Covid test is negative.  We'll test again in a couple of days or if he has a fever later. For now, it looks like it's just fall allergies. 

MEGAWEEN 2022

We were able to make a long weekend trip to Atlanta to visit friends and to attend the fabulous Halloween party hosted by friends in our old neighborhood.  

MonsterMustDie had a vaccine booster the week before and refused to be masked all weekend.  Today, he got home from work and told me he's come down with something and feels awful.  I could beat him for refusing to take any precautions. 

sharing too much

I have one new coworker who is working with a Covid infection today at the dress shop.  I heard her casually discussing it with Michael, a retired military man who works there.

This, minutes after he told me his sister works in a place where no one wears masks now, as if to suggest we shouldn't wear them here. 

Two weeks ago, I showed MonsterMustDie some LED remote-controlled candles I planned to use for Halloween decor on the dining table and the fireplace mantle. A week ago, he saw me get them in the mail from Amazon and set them up with new batteries, which he helped me install in all of them. Tonight, he came up to me looking kinda scared and told me to keep an eye on those candles I had lit in the living room because he didn't want them to be a fire hazard. I had to remind him that they were just LEDs, on a timer, that he had seen me set up a week ago. Fortunately, he wasn't upset by his memory loss (I am) and he just said "Oh, really? They look great." and that was that. He just sat on the couch and went back to watching Dracula with Klaus Kinski on Netflix.  

mime of mine

 I think out loud a lot. It is a symptom of loneliness, I suppose. I'm used to being alone most of the time. When I talk to myself, sometimes if someone near me might ask who I'm talking to and my answer is, honestly, anyone who is listening. Sometimes it's asking for assistance on something when I know the people near me are actually busy with their own stuff and I really hope they will overhear me and offer to help or at least volunteer an answer to a question. I am used to not being listened to so I don't dare communicate directly a lot of the time. 

Now, I find myself occasionally gesturing to myself as well. 

I need to get a life. 

always something

Argh!  I cut my thumb on a pair of old scissors. I was assisting an elderly woman with some tags on a shirt she had purchased and was wearing out. I was trying not to clip her hair or the shirt she had on, which her son had just bought for her to wear out to eat. It was unavoidable, as much as I tried to be careful, but I'll be angry about it all day.

insomnia

Could not sleep last night. At nearly 3 AM, I decided to take a sleep aid and I slept until 10 AM this morning. Last night's restlessness was probably a result of anxiety over the thought that I have wasted the last seven years of my life here alone, essentially,  without any livelihood or community.  Other than K & B and one pal at the dress shop, I really don't have any friends here and I'm too different from the culture here. The unpredictable schedule at the dress shop prevents me from any hobbies or classes I might try to take but it's the only work I can get here. I do not have freedom of movement at the house to really set up anything there so my days are spent staring out from a static position at the store or pacing inside the house. 

Birthday gift

Karen is back from her extended trip to Chicago to help her mother. She and Bob got together with us last night at Casa WereMonster for my birthday.  It was great to hang out with them and have a little birthday dinner party. Karen cooked chicken parmesan for us here since their house is in the middle of a big renovation project.  

She and Bob gave me this dark fairies that she found during her time in Illinois. She was made by a local artist there whose name I do not have. She's a lovely dark pixie with her tiny bat companion. 

late summer

My trip to Ireland was good. I apologize for not blogging during it like I planned to. I wanted to have a travel blog to remember the trip but at the end of each day on a busy bus tour with my sister and her family,  I just chose to sleep.  

Now, Summer is finally fading and the potted moon flowers that nearly died the week I was in Ireland are blooming at night. 

scents

 The bedroom was a bit stuffy this morning so I decided to start a new scented candle I'd gotten as a gift.  The name of the scent was “Sanctuary” so it sounded relaxing - appropriate for the bedroom. A little while later, as I was checking my email, I could smell the candle all the way at the other end of the house in my office. It was not a good scent to me. It smelled like hospital waiting rooms or public bathrooms. I couldn't figure out where I'd smelled it before at first and then it struck me, as I was snuffing the candle and putting it away. It smelled exactly like sanitary napkins. 

Eau de Kotex. 

Although the gift was a sweet gesture, the candle is in the bin now. 

Tuesday Morning

 Couldn't sleep last night so I stayed in bed late. Got up around 10 a.m. and checked on the cat. Still no poop in the box. I was able to call the veterinarian's office this morning. The receptionist asked how old Ellie was and I told them she is at least 10 years old but, since she's a rescue kitty, we have no idea. She did not sound concerned. Maybe that's a good sign. I was able to get an appointment for 2:00 pm tomorrow. They said they would do senior blood work.  

Easter 2022

This weekend has had its ups and downs. I'm up late worrying about those around me and having an anxiety attack over my unfinished taxes. I do not know what my brother is doing with them.  I am depending on him to handle them for me this year and it occurs to me that we are past April 15 and I still haven't heard anything from him. 

Friday night, MonsterMustDie gave me a major scare. I worked closing shift at the dress shop and when I got home, he was asleep in an odd position in front of the TV. The movie he was watching, Encanto, (third time he's seen it) was over and he was snoring loudly. I got ready for bed, turned off the TV, and turned out unnecessary lights and then went to wake him up to send him to bed. By the time I returned to the loveseat where he'd fallen asleep, he was sitting up awake but talking gibberish. Nothing he said came out right or made any sense - the language part of his brain was disconnected. I couldn't decide if I needed to to call an ambulance in case he was having a stroke so I had him sit up with me for while until he seemed to regain his senses and was speaking normally. He was very angry with me for my concern - he was not aware of how he was talking and kept insisting he was fine. The problem was with me in his view and must not have been hearing him correctly or listening to him if I couldn't figure out what he was saying to me. I kept him up for a while and before he went to bed, he was speaking clearly. 

Ellie cat has not been doing so well this weekend either. She's off her food and has not been doing much in the litter box. Things don't seem to be working their way through like they should. I phoned the vet today but only got a busy signal, which was not surprising on the day after Easter. Holidays are tough on many pets that get into the wrong things and I'm sure they had a lot of emergencies. I will try to take her in to the vet tomorrow if I can get through to them. She is still nibbling slowly and drinking some water. 

Easter Sunday was okay. We had dinner with our friends in Greensboro. It was a nice meal of sauteed fresh mushrooms from the Farmers Market, along with angel hair pasta and skirt steak. I brought some Humboldt Fog and a baguette for snacks before the meal as well. However, the night before, they had gone to see Hamilton and she had a bad fall outside the venue after the play and was banged up with a contusion on one foot and something seriously injured (a pulled muscle?) in her hip. Stairs are a challenge for her but she is mending fast. They went to an emergency room and there are no broken bones. 

Tonight, we watched the latest episode of Moon Knight. MonsterMustDie did not remember that we both watched it together a few days ago and I just kept my mouth shut. I know that telling him that we already watched it once before just a couple of days ago would only make him mad and he would just insist I was wrong, so we watched it together and he made exactly the same comments that he made the first time he saw it - at least, he is consistent with his opinions. 

I feel like I'm lucky to be intact this week with so many around me falling apart this week. 

I do still have my periodontal surgery to look forward to next month.