24 May 2024
Several of us met at Holley and Jim’s for a little food and a little wine before heading over to the funeral home. My cake seemed to be a hit. At least everyone had some.
At the funeral home, Mary’s sister Maureen was at the front and gave me a big hug and thanked me for visiting Mary when she was in the hospital. Up front near the closed casket, they had some family photos of the Dinnen clan and a television played photos of Mary’s life. It was very well done. I stayed longer than I anticipated – you know how I hate these things. Maureen understood about me not going to the funeral.
Sarah, Maureen’s nice was there and recognized me from the hospital visit. I swear if I get down and can’t do anything, I’m calling her as my advocate. She was fierce in making sure Mary had everything she needed when she needed it. She asked questions and didn’t let anyone brush her off. She would follow them down the hall probing and eliciting answers.
I headed home around 7:45 pm and I was wiped. I was so tired. I forgot to pull the garbage and yard waste cans out and needed to do that. Then I forgot that my continuous glucose monitor needed changing and did that. The first attempt failed and that means I need to do the paper work to send to Abbott labs – another pain. I finally managed to brush my teeth and crawl into bed around 9 pm.
Thanks to the sleeping pill (yes, I’m back on them) I didn’t get out of bed until almost 8 am. After my first coffee, cereal, second coffee and grapefruit, it was time to tackle the leaves on the side yard and clean the pool filter.
The harvest seems bigger this week. I was impressed with myself. I raked the leaves and put them in the yard waste bin, cleaned the pool filter, watered plants (we need rain) and cleaned the patio deck without stopping from exhaustion like last week. As I write, I’m adding water to the pool.
The bad news is hurricane season is looking to be a booger. The Sun-Sentinel had a front page article that the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts there’s an 85% chance of above normal activity this year. NOAA is predicting 17-25 named storms (average 14) with 8-13 (average 7) to become hurricanes and 4-7 to become major hurricanes of category 3 or higher status (average 3).
The real problem is from August to October, there his a 77% chance of La Niña affecting the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean which will reduce wind shear which can tame the biggest storms.
Next week is semi-calm. I have a blood draw for the endocrinologist as well as an ultrasound of my thyroid on Wednesday. On Thursday, I have PT with Shannon. I don’t have any real plans for Memorial Day. I certainly don’t want to get on the roads with the crazy traffic.
Oh! I made a decision about the boot. It’s a real pain to put on and take off and even with a shoe on the other foot, I have one hip joint higher than the other. I pulled out my hiking boots today with high tops that cover that part of the ankle very well. That way, I won’t be walking with uneven hips and I can continue my morning walks. It does look a little strange for me to walk around the house with hiking boots on but at least, if I stub my toe, it won’t hurt.
Stay tuned!
