Week in the Life - Thursday, April 28, 2023

 Thursday was one of my favorite days!

It was a lovely. Warmer than the other days.

I actually made a post on Instagram with my words and photos:

Here they are:

1. I've been starting my days with the Hallow podcast. Trying to expand my knowledge and spiritual journey.
2. A beautiful flower on my office desk. (Ever since Phil was diagnosed with Cancer, I have flowers delivered every other week). 
3. Workout stash at my office. Teaching a morning stretch class at 630am.
4 Traveled 1.5 hours to a  dermatologist doc appointment. I had a mole removed from the bridge of my nose the week prior. 
5. Shopped for toilet seats. Geeze. Did not measure beforehand. Will need a do-over. This is for the 'Baker House' we are fixing up as a rental. 

6. First car wash of the season! Fancy place in Ontario with attendants!

7. Kittens, 10 days old
8. Created a few fun stenciled card panels - a new favorite dish cloth was used as inspiration.
9. In the garden! Asparagus peaking it's head!
10. Evening walk with Tommie.

Not captured:
1. I made a garlic butter shrimp pasta dinner so Phil had something to eat when he got home, late, from golfing.
2. Fields got ditched!
3. Bought lots of blue and white flowers for the back deck. Looking forward to yard time!
4. Started a documentary about Judy Blume. Wow! I only read her 'Are you there God...' book. I'm adding Key West to my bucket, for several reasons. She is my new hero.

Week in the Life - Wednesday, April 26 2023

What were Wednesday's highlights?

Walked Tommie before work.

Walked with Sami and Duke during my lunchbreak

And, at work we had a hosted a public meeting in response the the outcry from neighbors of a house we bought intended as an Oxford House. To be honest, only two people were really upset. Which caused a whole community discussion. Especially on social media.  And of course one of those persons' was in the audience and he refused to sign in,  and he was so disruptive through out the meeting that it made my heart race! Ug...

The good? Total steps were: 7,745. My daily goal is 6,000.

Now, for Wednesday's photos:

Capturing Phil's morning route.
He sits in bed, with his coffee and computer 

Yes, it's Spring. Yes, it's going to be a beautiful day.
But this is how it starts! 26 degrees

See? Lovely day later. No shoes! These are our peonies... 
Sloowwwww growing

Morning capture of Sassie Kittie to the right of the door
She's actually on Tommie's old bed

Lunch time walk - never went this way on the path!

Lunch time walk with Duke and Sami Jo.
She is leash training him.
He's a big puppy!

From my morning walk with Tommie.
This is one of the ditches Phil burned yesterday

Morning walk with Tommie.
This photo was taken in our yard, facing East!

Lovely backyard!

The flower beds are ready for planting!

Our one bulb... 

If you look real hard, you can see Phil at the BBQ.
He is wearing his chemo ball pack.
This is our life. 

Week in the Life - Tuesday... April 25th, 2023

So, of all the days this past week (I started writing this later, on Friday), Tuesday was my 'strange' day.

It was strange in that I was having very odd muscle or vein spasms. They were 'throbbing'. I could 'feel' them, and see the pulsing in my arm. They started in my knee the week before, then moved to my left arm on Sunday, and then to left side of my neck, on Tuesday. That's when I panicked.  

I felt like something was wrong. And it was worse in the morning. I wasn't thinking clearly, and my head was tingling... similar stuff happens when I get a migraine. I did have a pain behind my left eye. 

I visited our office MA's, and they said it sounded like my circulation system was 'odd', like a pinched nerve somewhere. I wasn't having chest pains, so not a heart issue. 

So, I went to the Doctor, to get checked out. He couldn't find anything obvious. No pain, no bad headache, all my reflexes were good, etc. etc. etc. He ordered a Cat Scan, which still has not been scheduled by the hospital... Gotta love Rural Health Care. 

So far, no answers. And I now, am 'back' to me. 

It's as if I had some sort of episode. and, it was all on the left side of my body too. 

Makes me, well, freaked out. 

******

OK, so on to Tuesday.

Other highlights (as if the above wasn't enough):

• It was Phil's Chemo Day... this happens 1.5 hours away. Again, rural living. 
• Phil burned the borrow ditches along the highway when he got home.
• Well, the fire caught a wooden fence post - a railroad tie actually. And he did a few trips taking gallons of water to it. I wanted to help! So I loaded up two buckets in the back of my car. And yes, they did slosh around. Whatever 
• A neighbor called later, after we we cozy on the couch and watching a show, about the 'fire'. He had go out again... 
• Today was Johnnie's first birthday. Katie's 2nd child. Phil forgot to call her. Even though he was reminded a couple of times. Chemo brain. Or just plain 'I'm doing other things' brain. 

We are both having memory issues right now!

photos from the day.... 

Tuesday's Dinner was burritos. I cooked.
Love the message at the bottom of the Tillamook cheese bag!
To see these photos larger, just click on them

Drive home? Led Zeppelin 
(I just noticed my photos are in reverse!)

I love that the weather is finally warmer! Wearing no sleeves and my fun shoes.
At work I wear a sweater over my shirt. 

Doctor's Office

During lunch on Monday I got a great salad from a favorite coffee shop!
I didn't get a photo of the salad. 
This is from their IG account. 

My daily grind. This is my work calendar for the week.  
I leave home at 6am, and get back about 4:30 pm.
Typically. Depends on meetings, etc. 

And my personal calendar to jot those crazy thoughts
I get throughout the day. I was documenting the health stuff on one side,
Sami's wedding stuff on the other side

My fun shoes! Pink Rothy's
So happy to have exposed skin again, meaning,
not living in Smartwool sox or boots

Phil has been working on our yard
Look how lovely it is!
I cleaned out the flower beds. 
They are on my 'to do' list!

Week in the Life: Monday, April 24

 

Finally, our first warm weather since October 

Morning Walk with Tommie

At work - Coffee Coral drink at lunch, a
nd my wall calendar with everything

I made a breakfast burrito for Phil - early in the morning
to make sure he ate something other than a sticky bun

It's Week in the Life with Ali Edwards. 

Monday's story is really about Phil, but you don't see it here, other than the burrito. 

And really, this entire next story is about what lead up to the burrito. Which was last week.

Phil has been running himself ragged, by not eating a real breakfast, then 'working' hard, then crashing, then being hangry. He pushed himself all last week by hosting 3 hunters from Canada, and hiking each day. Oh, I did help with dinners btw for Monday and Tuesday. Up real early to make lasagna sauce, before putting in my own 9 hour day at work. Then came home to cook, two nights, grocery shop, etc. And on Wed. I had to go to the dermatologist 1.5 hours away, come home, and they went out to a nice dinner - but Phil talked me out of them bringing me back a to-go dinner, because 'we will be hanging out and by the time we get back it will be too late for you to eat'. Which was true, but I could have ate it the next day.

Anyway, after the hunters left, then Phil had golf night Thursday. And then Friday he started helping Logan with the Baker House floor install. Followed by dinner in La Grande with his daughter and her husband.

So Friday night he finally came home, tired, and upset, from another 'talk' .

He also had a bad dream about seeing a lot of people he hasn't seen in a while, and then flying off. As in dying.

Saturday and Sunday? He worked hard again at the Baker House. He just wanted to do nothing. But Logan could only work on the weekend. This was their agreement. He was hiring Logan to put in the floor. I took them lunch on Saturday and I called him on Sunday to see if I needed to make him lunch. He declined. It was 1pm. He said he would snack when he got home and eat at the concert venue that night. 

Well, he did NOT like the food menu, and decided it was better not to eat. Like a toddler. 

He was pissy. Pissy about 'who is this Haley Hendrick'?  He was hangry and tired and by god, was he going to let me know it by pouting the whole damn time from the time we left to basically when we got home. He refused my offer to stop at a restaurant to eat before the concert, he refused to let me cook him something before we left. He preferred to pout. 

So, Monday morning, I got up earlier than my 4:30 am and made him a burrito to make SURE he ate a decent breakfast.  

So, unfortunately, that is Monday's story. 

My Monday? I felt the weight of entire week on my shoulders.

I tried to release most of it with my Monday morning walk with Tommie. 

Week in the Life - Monday August 17th, 2015

New Dress

My yard, after I mowed it and cleaned up the mess from Friday's Windstorm

And the smoke in the background

Smoke is interfering with my view

(This will be the most detailed post because it explains the daily stuff)

Explanation:  Ali Edwards, the same gal who sponsors 'One Little Word' is doing  'Week in the Life' event this week. I am playing along. I captured photos and am posting everything after the fact.
The idea is to capture your own life, for one week, and create an album.
And, share your story.  Your own story.

Monday..
The Daily Routine
Up at 4 or 5. Typical for me.  I am wired for mornings. Everyone knows it.  Kids. Coworkers. Friends.  I am the one who irritates everyone with my morning sunshine.  I love mornings.  Nights?  Bed for me.  9pm. Otherwise I am mean, irritable and cranky.  Like most people are in the mornings.

Coffee. With cream. Real cream as in 1/2 and 1/2.  I have a Kureg.  A Valentine's Gift.  I miss my old French Press routine. I dig it out every now and then.  Sometimes I do laundry, dishes, stretches.  Make my breakfast/lunch bag to go. Kids are usually at their dad's Monday mornings, but they were with me from our weekend back to school shopping/'nails on chalkboard because I hate shopping' trip to Boise.  So, I made them their breakfast (fruit/yogurt, eggs/bacon), woke them and told them I was leaving for my walk.  They have to leave at 6:15 to get to the ranch.  Sami drives. 

Walk. Leave at 6:00 am for 30 minutes in the hood.  A new neighbor phoned me last week - her husband told her he sees me walking in the mornings - she asked if she could join me.  Not sure if I am digging having her invade my space.  I work with people all day long - sometimes people that are mean and nasty and high maintenance.  I find myself just wanting peace and quiet.  No conversation or problem solving life issues.  I just want to fall into the landscape, talk to God. We will see how long this lasts.

Leave at 7 am - Did you do the math?  I get ready in 30 minutes.  Shower, dress, and any primping. Commute from Haines, Oregon to La Grande, Oregon.  Thirty three miles over a mountain pass - in the summer.  Good this time of year, not good during the winter, takes an hour or longer. 

Wearing?  One of my new dresses. I shopped for myself as well.  Jake did not like the dress - he called it my old lady dress.  I got lots of compliments.  So there. Humph. 

Workday:
Smoke Call:  8:30 am - 9:30 am.   Oregon is on fire.  One of my job duties is Emergency Preparedness for the Public Health Department.  I 'got' the smoke duties dumped on me last week.     Keep in mind I am not a nurse, or anything of that sort.  But I am taking this new duty seriously.  Every day.  Including weekends. I am on the call. Then make press releases, radio ads, etc.  It is consuming.  Oh.  And our air sucks right now.  The photos above are from one of our better days (it got a whole lot worse over the upcoming weekend).

Facilitate a Meeting: 10:30 am - 1:00 pm. Including setup time. A preconception health grant project. I coordinate the meetings, communicate with the work-group, actually facilitate the meeting, take notes, etc.  Create outreach materials, collect and disseminate the project data. Bla bla bla.  It's exhausting.

LUNCH!  Best part of the day.   1:00 - 2:00 pm. Met two friends from Boise down at Mamacita's for lunch.  Outdoors in the smoke.  They were on their way back from a trip in Washington.  Great people. 

Team Meeting:  2-4.  Work stuff.

4-5:  Get stuff done!  Seriously.  After a day of meetings I find myself wondering what I have to show for it.

Fiveish: Hit the road back home.  6pm Mow the lawn. Takes an hour.  Admire my work.

7:30ish. Eat something I find in the refrigerator.  Monday nights are usually my TV nights.  I don't even remember what I ate.  Left over spaghetti?  Chips and salsa? When I am alone I tend to graze on anything.

In bed no doubt around 8:30 or 9:00.  Read and call it a night.
Tired.  It was a long day.  Lots of adrenaline tied to the facilitation and I hit the wall later in the day.

A Week In the Life - Photo Collage! Wed/Thurs

Look What I Made!

I am so dang excited! I created this photo collage in PSE3, thanks to the fabulous Jennifer McGuire who posted a tutorial back on Sept. 20th! I had it 'starred' in my Google reader for something to come back to when I had time (I have lots of things in that folder!)... So, there I was, checking out my goodies, and seized the moment! I still need help with getting those images to line up right.. My 'snap tool' is not snapping right... Oh Snap!

Most of these photos are from yesterday and today. along with my last Thursday self portrait and the card from Sunday! Just various pieces of my routine, life, days for Ali's A Week In The Life project. Here is the description of each photo, from left to right, top to bottom:

1. Desktop XM - On the Oprah channel for me. My other faves are Rock and Roll
2. View from my desk
3. Sweet little Angel that Dawn gave me last Christmas. I look at this gal when I need a good shot of sweet blessings.
4. Pumpkin Kitty (who, arrived before Toes left.. Very interesting timing)
5. Another view from my desk
6. Another view of my desk work area
7. Pack of tumbling puppies
8. Another view of my desk! Guess I am here quite a lot!
9. Sami's fish that she forgets to feed.
   
10. Cute little puppy
11. The pile of ribbon I found downstairs in the laundry room on Tuesday. Pumpkin stole some of my ribbon off the floor by my craft area... Little thief.
12. Sami's room. She seems to be the more 'life in a tussle' gal.
13. My favorite tree.. Fall is here.
14. Sami and her new goat Rose. Sami and her Dad went and got this latest addition to the zoo yesterday afternoon... Gads...
    
15. My favorite boots! I love the stars, and the green inside the boots and the blue!
    
16. My crafty desk top.
17. Morning routine. Make coffee, cut up fruit for kids
18. My morning sanity... I light a pumpkin scented candle and do my stretches and sip some coffee... I call this my Zen moment.
19. My perpetual calendar next to the Portmerion Clock. I did turn it to today (after flipping through four days that I missed!).
20. More of my craft area
21. Another shot of the fruit - which came off of our trees
22. My mobile office survival kit: XM, water, cell phone
23. Self Portrait
24. A card I made last Sunday for SOF over at 2peas... The only darn thing I've had a chance to make for the week long event! OH well...
    

*************

So, now back to work and the rest of the day.... I have markets tomorrow and Saturday, and the kids last soccer game is tonight! We woke to 27 degrees, and the high is going to be about 44. Also, a rain and or snow storm is on the way.. Not sure if the game will actually happen or the weekend markets!

Oh well - and that is my typical Week in the Life!