j2101

A View From the Field

January. 2021

January 31

So January is over already. Good riddance. I do not like insurrections.

I was in bed before midnight last night, but I didn't sleep very well. I think it's too warm in the bedroom and I will fix that tonight.

I had big hopes for the day, so when I got up, I didn't spend very much time in the bathroom and I had a nice breakfast. The breakfast of choice lately is poached eggs and an English muffin. The plan was to go back to the morth end right after I ate and take a bath, but that never happened, so i have to do it before I go to bed tonight. I need to wash my hair, which seems to have gotten oilier than usual this week and I want to look OK for the doctor tomorrow. I'd rather read some more, but oh, well.

The weather was blah again. The high temperature was 32º and there was almost no wind. The humidity was pretty good, too. It was cloudy and dull, though.

Grayson and I have settled our differences and he got a lot of petting and he got to sleep on my lap for quite a while today. He is asleep on the cart right now. I was a bit concerned because he got something for breakfast that I thought he liked, but he hasn't eaten all of it, but he also got two other varieties of kibble, so maybe that was the reason. We'll see how things are tomorrow morning.

So that was my day and now it's a not very cold, dark night in the field. And January is over. Sigh.

January 30

I was too late last night, so I got up late. I didn't sleep well, for some reason, so I'm planning to go to bed soon. I have had a headache all day. So I didn't do anything.

The weather was blah, but at least it warmed up. The temperature was interesting. It bottomed out at 3º at midnight and then it rose rapidly. The high was 29º at noon. There was a little south wind, but not enough to account for the rise in temperature, so something else must have been happening. It was cloudy and dull all day.

Grayson made me very mad at him. I have been wearing a fleece jacket when I sit in the bathroom because the toilet is close enough to the window that it's cold there. He was lying on the floor when I took it off so I could get dressed, and he caught one sleeve in his claws and he wouldn't let go. In the course of trying to get him to unhook, he got me twice with his little needle-sharp claws, and in fact, he left a claw case in one spot. I had a bad time getting that one to stop bleeding. So he is not in good favor right now. I don't think he quite understands wny, even though I shouted at him. Bad kitty.

So that was sort of a day and now it's a dark, cloudy night in the field, but it's not as cold as it has been, thankfully.

January 29

I was a little less late, but I didn't get up until after noon anyway and all afternoon I felt like I could go back to sleep, so maybe I won't be so late tonight. I didn't do anything anyway. I was thinking about going to the post office, but I was too late, especially after I had an accident. I still have to get that under control.

The weather was actually not too bad. The high temperature was 24º and the wind was light. It started out from the north but it swung all the way around and is now from the southwest, but it's under 10 mph. It was cloudy this morning, but around 3:00, it began to clear up and we actually had some sunshine late in the day. If it stays this clear, I will have to reset the stop time of the camera. I like to leave it on until it gets dark.

Grayson did his thing. He got something he liked for breakfast and he ate it right up and he got to sit on me for a while. He got some of my dinner, too, although he didn't want all I gave him.

So that was my day, and now it's a partly cloudy (I think), cold night in the field.

January 28

Oh, I was late again, but I was reading and i wanted to get through the episode I was reading. I got up around noon, which wasn't enough sleep, so I'm tired now. I did avoid getting caught in the game trap, so I was able to spend the afternoon in the office.

The weather was variable. There were a few snow showers and a few peeks of sunshine. It's still frigid. The temperature got up to 17º after the wind began to shift and die down, but it was extremely cold. Mostly it was cloudy and dull, although there was a tiny bit of sunshine late in the afternoon. The cloud cover wasn't complete late in the day.

Grayson mostly behaved himself, although as usual, you would have thought he hadn't eaten in weeks before I put down his canned food. And to think, he wouldn't eat it five years ago!

I did actually do something. I brought a bunch of stuff in from the breezeway and I dried the load of underwear, so it wasn't a completely lost day.

Now it's a dark, frigid night in the field and maybe I can get to bed a bit earlier tonight.

January 27

i was earlier last night, but I didn't get up until noon. What I did, though, was to move a little faster, so I got to eat two meals for a change and I got some JD for the first time in a while. I don't drink alcohol when I'm only eating one meal.

I didn't do much. I finished the load of bottoms and they are in the dryer - hopefully dry - and started a load of underwear. I had my daily accident in the afternoon and I ran out of the underwear I usually wear, so it's time, although there are a few pairs of pants in the load of bottoms. The accident was my own fault, and I have to take myself in hand and move.

The weather was frigid. The temperature went down from midnight, and it was about 14º all day. There was a bit of wind from the north with gusts up to 24 mph, which means the wind chill was down around 0º. It was dark and dull and there were a few snow showers. It was a good day to hunker down.

I had a cat on my lap a lot, and he's been wandering around mewing a lot today. I don't know why. Right now he's asleep on the cart. I don't know what his problem has been.

I called the clinic and got an appointment for my wellness exam next summer, but it seems like I got tangled up in the NP's vacation, so I can't have it until a month later than I should. it has to be one day longer each year (government rules, you know) so the date is creeping forward slowly. Well, if anything happens, I should be able to see her in the meantime. I also got straight that there are blood tests before my appointment with the oncologist on Monday. They never put that stuff on the website, so every time I go, I have to call and ask and sometimes prompt the nurses to schedule them. Sigh.

So now it's a dark, frigid night in the field and I should go to bed.

January 26

Best laid plans and all that. For various reasons I was only marginally earlier getting to bed, and since I slept for 11 hours again, I was very late getting up. I did manage to take myself in hand long enough to take a shower, but it was another one-meal day. I'm still losing weight fast. It has to be 50 years since I've weighed this little. If I ever get to go out more formally, I'll be interested to see how my clothes fit. Fortunately, I like things loose.

The weather was wintry. It snowed lightly off and on all day. The high temperature was almost steady at 19º again, although it warmed up a few degrees overnight. There was a brisk north wind with gusts up to 29 mph. It was dull and gray.

Grayson wanted to sleep beside me and sit on me and he is now asleep on the cart. Sometimes he gets his sweet-little-kitty look on his face that is so cute, but it never lasts too long. He got something he likes a lot to eat, and he sat down and ate most of it. I suppose it tastes better when it's fresh out of the can, even though it's sometimes cold.

So it was another truncated day and I'm going to try again to get to bed at a semi-reasonable hour. I have a couple of phone calls I need to make and they can only be done before about 4:30, so I have to get ambulatory before then. Now it's a cold, dark, snowy night in the field.

January 25

I wasn't any later than I have been lately, but I slept for 11 hours, so today has been more topsy-turvy than usual.

The weather was blah. It was dark and dreary. The high temperature was nearly steady at 19º and there was a north wind gusting up to 23 mph. No snow that I know of.

Grayson did his thing, although at one point, he put his paws on my lap like he wanted to jump up. He didn't, but I think he was trying to tell me it was time I did something. He has gotten to sit on me a couple of times.

That's all there was, and I hope to be marginally earlier tonight. It's a cold, dark night in the field.

January 24

i was ridiculously late last night, in part because I sat so long that I had a terrible accident when i finally did stand up. Ugh, what a mess! I got almost enough sleep, but I just sat for another ridiculous length of time.

I am happy to report that my hip is all right. I'm still having trouble with my knees - both of them - so I'm walking slowly, but most of the pain is gone. It has to be the temperature. I've been trying to bundle up as much as possible, and it seems to be helping.

The weather was so-so. It evidently snowed lightly all night, but it stopped by noon and there was even a few rays of sunshine this afternoon. The wind started out from the west, but this evening it shifted to the north with gusts up to 26 mph.

Grayson slept, mostly, but he kept coming in and looking at me and when I finally started to get ready to go eat, he chewed me out for making him wait so long for his canned food. He had to have some of my fish, of course. I think that slowly we're both getting used to no Louie.

So that was it, and now it's a cold, cloudy night in the field.

January 23

Today is my parents' 81st wedding anniversary.

I am having problems walking. My right hip is so sore that I can hardly put any weight on it, so I'm having to lean heavily on the cane and, if possible, something else as well. And the muscle problem on my left side is worse. Both of those things are temperature related, and it is frigid around here. It's a little warmer in the bedroom, but not a lot, when it's as cold and windy as it's been.

I thought I would go to bed without getting undressed last night, but that didn't work. Sweatshirt fleece doesn't slide on fuzzy sheets at all, and every time I tried to move my left side and my right knee as well as my hip were so sore that I couldn't move at all. I was so tired that I did go right to sleep, though. When I woke up for the first time, I got undressed and just wore a polar fleece jacket over my nightie for the rest of the night. I still had trouble moving around and turning over, but at least I could move.'''

I didn't do anything. When I got up and got to the bathroom, I was afraid to move, so I just sat. Actually, when I finally got dressed and did move, I wasn't quite as sore, which was nice.

The weather had moderated a bit. There was a little snow around midnight, but the winter weather advisory was a dud. Whatever they were seeing never happened. The temperature has finally risen to 23º and the wind is calm. It was dark and dull.

Grayson was patient with me, but when I did get up and start to get dressed, he started complaining. I knew why - his kibble bowl was empty as well as his canned food dish. I filled them both and he forgave me and sat on me for quite a while.

So that was another useless day and I must go to bed. I slept better last night than the night before, but I'm still not sleeping well. So I will go do.

Now it's a quiet, dark night in the field.

January 22

Now, where was I? I just hung up from a nice call from Mary Ann. So now all my friends know about Louie.

I was in bed by 11:00 last night, and I would have been earlier, except that I was moving very slowly. However, I was up about every two hours, so I didn't actually sleep very well. I got up around 9:30 but I am still moving very slowly. It is so cold around here that I was uncomfortable most of the say. The temperature in here is now up to 63º after having the space heater on since noon. This has got to slop.

We had a little more snow today, but not much. The high temperature was 17º, and the wind has finally died down. It was mostly dark and dreary, although there were a couple of peeks of sunshine. According to the Road Commission, from Wednesday morning to this morning, they had 12" of snow up at Delaware, and I think it's been about the same here.

Grayson is still trying to have things his way, but he did spend most of the afternoon asleep on my lap. In the middle of the night, he came trotting down to the bathroom chirping and he had a piece of lamb fat in his mouth. I took it away from him, but the next time I was up, he did the same thing, except that he guarded it so I couldn't grab it. I'm not sure how he managed to get up on the little spot on the cart. He is a snot.

So it was a nice, quiet day and now I must go to bed. It's a cold, dark night in the field.

January 21

I am so tired I have to do this now and go to bed. It's partly the weather and partly that I had a terrible time sleeping last night.

I got to bed about when I wanted to, and I went pretty much right to slee once the Tylenol cut in, but I kept waking up and having a terrible time getting to the bathroom and back, because of my hip. Early in the morning, I got that pain across between my hips that was so bad that I couldn't sleep.

I got up around 9:30 and had the usual problem walking around - until about half way through making my breakfast, when, suddenly, my hip was better. I don't know why that happens. I had taken some Tylenol, but it couldn't have cut in by then and that hasn't worked before anyway. I was still moving slow, but amazingly enough, I managed to get away when i wanted to.

Well, I didn't want to. It was snowing and blowing hard and the temperature was dropping and it was bad enough that I would have preferred to stay home. Probably I should have.

US-41 hadn't been plowed at all (this was at 1:30 in the afternoon) and between the snow that was down, the snow that was coming down and my eyes, I had a terrible time seeing where I was. I rode the center umble strip all the way to Phoenix. Most of the time, it was either a two- or three-track. Someplace south of Phoenix, I found a plow truck going the other direction. I had given myself enough time that I got to the hospital when I wanted to. It was a horrible drive.

I got my blood work and went up to the NP's office. They had just put me in a room when the nurse who is giving the COVID vaccinations showed up, and I've now had my first shot. I haven't had any reaction qt qll, which is a good thing.

Anyway, i had a talk with the NP and she is just waiting until I see the nephrologist. She made some slight adjustments to my meds and I am supposed to check my blood pressure...now if I can find that thing I got when I was on chemo...

There was over an inch of wet snow on my car when I got back to it, and I had to get gas. I didn't go to the one where I have the discount, because it was further away, and it was a good thing, ultimately. Unfortunately, the pump I was at was out of regular so I had to get the next grade, which is expensive, but at least I have gas. Then, I couldn't get my car door open. It had only closed partially, and I guess it was just that it needed more strength than I have anymore. Fortunately, I asked a nice young man who got out of the passenger side of another car, and not only did he get the door open, he helped me into my car.

I get into my car in a weird way and when It's slippery, I need someone to brace my left foot for a second or two while I only have one hand on the steering wheel. I almost dislocated my shoulder once and I don't want to do it again.

Anyway, then I started home. It was ugly. There must have been three or more inches of snow after I went down and it looked like the plow had gone right down the center of the road, so in a lot of places it was a sort of snowed-over two-track. Someplace north of Central, I encountered a plow going the other direction, but that didn't do me any good. It was a very slow trip home, since most of the time I couldn't go faster than 35 or 40 mph and sometimes 30. I got home right about 6:00 and oh, did I have to pee!

I sat a bit and then made my dinner before I came down to the office. Grayson was glad to see me, but he wanted my dinner and he's not happy that he didn't get any.

Last night was a hairy night. It blew hard from the north all night - and snowed. The temperature actually rose to 38º between midnight and 3:00 AM, so some of what came down was undoubtedly slush, which is why the tree was blocking the camera. Then the temperature started to drop but it kept on snowing, although it was only heavy enough to register at the weather station until about 6:00 AM this morning. Sometime between 4:00 and 5:00 AM, we had 61 mph wind gusts from the north. It was noisy. The temperature has continued to drop - it's 11º now - and the wind has continued to blow - 29 mph with 41 mph gusts from the north. I guess we're just lucky we didn't have this in December.

Grayson is asleep on the cart now, but he made a nuisance of himself while I was eating dinner. I didn't give him any because I knew he wouldn't eat it. He is still a sad little kitty. He was waiting when I came in, and I wonder if he thought I might bring Louie back. Well, I can't do that, so we'll both have to get used to it. I still find myself looking at the rug when I go into the bedroom, like I expect to see Louie there. It takes a while.

So that was my day and I'm exhausted, so I think I will go to bed right after I drink my water. It's a hairy, snowy, windy night in the field.

January 20

I guess I didn't upload last night's journal. Sorry about that. I don't remember when I got to bed, but it was a bit earlier than lately, and tonight will be earlier still, because I have an appointment in Laurium and I am having such problems with my knees and my right hip that I'm moving more slowly than usual - if at all. As a result, I just sat today.

I did get the bulletin out, although it was late.

The trouble is, when I finally got to the office, it was 52º in here, and that's almost too cold to do anything. The only place in the house that's reasonably warm is my bedroom and I don't want to try to live in there.

The problem is that the temperature outside got down to 10º at 8:00 AM and the wind had shifted around to the southwest, which means it was beating on the office. That did warm it up eventually, but later in the afternoon it was gusting up to 33 mph, which put the wind chill down in the single digits. It was dark and dreary and we had a bit of snow in the early afternoon. However, I was just looking at the snowfall statistics, and so far this winter, we've only had 73.4" for the entire season, which is less than we had just in January last year. The weather is so interesting.

Grayson is still very clingy. All the time I was in the bathroom, he was curled up right beside my feet and when I got dressed, he complained all the way to the kitchen until i gave him his canned food, then after I ate, he has spent most of the time curled up on my lap. Unfortunately, with my hips the way they are, it makes me twitchy when he sits on me, even though he doesn't weigh much. We are still in mourning mode

So that was my day and tomorrow i may find out how sick (or well) I am. It's a cold, dark night in the field.

January 19

I was later than I wanted to be, and I don't remember why. I got up before noon anyway and I actually didn't play any games this morning. It was still mid-afternoon before I began to make my phone calls.

That was amusing. The 800 number for my bank still had yesterday's message on it, so I had to look up their ;local number. That one was easy to fix: it turns out I was missing an upper case letter in my logon ID because I had scrawled it into my little black book and I couldn't tell what case it was. Oh. My transfer from PayPal is in progress. Oh.

Then I called the clinic to talk to the nurse who is doing the vaccinations, and I am getting mine on THursday while I am seeing the NP. That was easy. The second dose will be on February 11.

So after about 8:00 PM, I called Debbie and we had our usual two-hour conversation. She was sorry to hear about Louie and she admitted that when she had to put her last cat down, she was sick for days afterward and it almost prevented her from taking her current one because she couldn't face the idea she might have to do the same again. I know the feeling. It's harder If you have only one cat. I got my first cat in 1975 and my second in 1975 and since then, I've never been without at least one cat. Grayson would do better with a companion cat, but I'm not going to push that. We'll see what happens. Only once have I actively gotten a cat and that was a near disaster (Jasmine), so I'm not about to do it again.

Anyway, it was good to talk to somebody.

The weather was snowy. It snowed off and on all day but lightly enough that I don't think there was much accumulation. Ir was another one of those days when the temperature went down from the middle of the night - 22º then, to 13º now. The wind was from the north as high as 20 mph with gusts up to 28 mph. It was dull and gray.

Grayson spent most of the afternoon on my lap, although he would get up and go way and come back and whine until I let him back on my lap. He has been very vocal since there are only two of us. He is still trying to train me to do what he wants and I am still resisting. He can be a real snot when he wants to be.

So that was my day and now it's a very cold, dark, snowy night in the field.

January 18 - MLK Day

I was late again, but I got up around 12:30 anyway. It was bath day and I got that done. One reason I didn't do it yesterday is that I was very creaky and it was better today.

The weather was sort of nasty. I think it snowed all day, but the camera never woke up, so I'm not sure about that. It seemed to be snowing all the time I was up. The high temperature was 28º and it was almost steady all day. The wind was calm until about 4:00 PM, when it shifted north and picked up to about 22 mph, with gusts up to 29 mph. It was a little less dark for most of the afternoon.

Grayson has become very clingy, which isn't surprising. He wants to be around me most of the time, so when I'm at the north end, he mostly hangs out in the bathroom and when I'm in the office, he is mostly on the cart. He is getting really vocal about having canned food, too. I keep wondering if he has worms.

So that was another very quiet day and now it's a cold, dark, snowy night in the field.

January 17

It was a totally lost day, so I don't have anything to report.

The weather was blah. The temperature went down slowly from 28º at midnight as the wind went down and shifted totally north. It was dull and dreary again.

All the time I was sitting, Grayson was sleeping on the rug beside me, except when he went to get a drink or a little kibble. He began complaining after a few hours, because he wanted canned food and all he had is kibble. I think he's eating a lot, but when my other cats ate mostly canned food, they were eating two cans a day. I will have to try that and see if it bulks him up a little. He can make the saddest whiny sound when he isn't getting what he wants. Well, I started it, so I've now gotten him eating what I want him to and I'll just have to deal with it.

It's a dark, cold, cloudy night in the field and as soon as the Brahms ends, I will be off to bed.

January 16

I was so tired and depressed last night that not only did I properly mourn Louie, I didn't want to move at all, so it was late when I got to bed. I slept so hard and so long that when I woke up for the first time, I was having an accident. I made it to the pot before it got really bad, but it was messy. I was up a couple more times, but I didn't get up for good until about 2:00 PM and I'm hoping to get back to bed early tonight.

I will miss Louie. He had his faults - he didn't like Grayson very well - but he was a very sweet, laid-back guy, once he got over his fears and I had ample evidence that he loved me very much. I hope I returned it enough, but I don't have the regrets I've had about some of my other cats. I gave him a good, stable, quiet home and I think he appreciated it. I will miss that great white lump who liked to sleep right across the door to the bathroom. I did drip on him once and I was always afraid that I was going to fall as I stepped over him and land on him and squash him. Thankfully, that never happened.

He was 12 or 13 years old, and he was so overweight, I figured he would have a stroke some day. Fortunately for both of us, there were only three or four. I would not have wanted to see him suffer any more than I think he did. Goodbye, Louie.

I am still so sad and depressed that I didn't do anything or eat much. Maybe tomorrow I can begin to get back to something a bit more normal.

The weather was bad enough that I was glad it didn't happen yesterday. The temperature went down from the high yesterday to 29º now and there was a strong northeast wind that gusted up to 30 mph. When I woke up the first time it was light, there was new snow on the roof and there was apparently more around noon. It was dark and dreary. I'm sorry about the camera. It hung up around 10:00 and I didn't get down to the office until after it had shut down for the day. I hope it will wake up tomorrow.

Grayson is still upset, just like I am. He is spending a lot of his time around me and every so often, he will meow a few times. Louie may not have liked him, but he liked Louie.

So now it's a cold, dark, windy night in the field and I need to go to bed.

January 15

Louie is dead.

I was afraid of this when he had the problem with his hind legs last weekend. When I found him behind the bathroom door, trying to get out, I knew the end was near He died around 4:30, on the floor beside my bed. Poor Louie. After his last convulsion, I did rub his tummy and got a little purr out of him, so I think he died knowing his mama loved him.

Obviously, I didn't get much sleep last night. I did my morning stuff before I called the vet and discovered that I could take him in any time before 5:00 PM. So I began to start to get ready to go. I had an accident, because I wanted to get some stuff before I went into the bedroom, and after I did that, I just sat. I did not want to do anything.

I rolled him into a towel, but he was so heavy I had to drag him down the hall and out into the breezeway. Getting him into the carrier was easier than I thought, except that he was still stiff, but then I had to get the carrier to the car and into it. Somehow, I managed, but my shoulders hurt, not to mention my knees.

I chose the vet I did because they are in charge of the crematorium for this region. They seemed nice, but they don't have the best reputation. I think if I had a sick cat, I'd go to the other one.

They are down in Houghton and it took me an hour and a quarter to get there. It's 50 miles. I didn't have to get out of the car, but I did a lot of waiting. Someone came and took the carrier away and a long time later, they returned it. I was sort of surprised that they gave me back my towel. When DC died, they didn't. Then it was home again, in the middle of the rush hour traffic. Apparently a lot more people are working here than in some parts of the country.

The thing that annoyed me was that in spite of the clinic's rules, there was a guy outside talking to a woman, and while she was wearing a mask, he wasn't, and they were maybe 12" apart. That isn't how it's supposed to be.

I got home around 5:30. Poor Grayson has been wandering around mewing at me ever since. He might not understand "dead" but he does understand "not there anymore." But then I took Louie away and didn't bring him back.

It was an ugly day to be driving around the Keweenaw, but it was warmer than they predicted. The high temperature here was 38º, and it was above freezing everywhere when I was out. The problem was the drizzle, which was all over, too. It was ugly. The wind was from the east, but it didn't get strong until just recently, with gusts up to 28 mph.

So that was my day. I am not hungry, and I can't eat most of the dinner I made for myself. I expect to go to bed soon and sleep long and hard. I thought about calling my friends, but I decided I didn't want to talk about it until after I had written this.

So it's a sort of warm, windy night in the field, and I'm off to bed as soon as I finish my JD.

January 14

Oh, I am tired and I hurt! I got 11 hours of sleep last night and I felt OK when I got up. At least my knees felt better, although I had some twinges in my back. So I had breakfast and did only a bit of surfing, but I had to get rid of the cooler.

Grayson almost went out when I put it out the door, but instead, he got bopped in the nose with my cane, which got rid of him. The cooler is huge, but it's very light when empty and the dry ice is gone. So I was able to pick it up by the skin. They need to put some kind of handles on those things.

Anyway, with that and everything else, I was a bit later getting away than I wanted to be (a lot later). I stopped at the post office to get the mail Ron should have brought along yesterday and then I was gone. The roads are either damp or dry and there wasn't any traffic in my direction, so I made good time getting to Calumet. Pat's parking lot was nearly empty, too, so I got a good spot - the closest handicap spot to the store.

Well. So I got right about to aisle 4 when I started to have an accident. I was afraid I might, because I didn't do anything before I left home. I made it to the pot before I soiled anything but my incontinent pad - almost a miracle - and I actually didn't have too much trouble getting up. But things went downhill from there. Even though I know that store, there was a lot of walking and I was exhausted before i got to the eggs and draging my fanny by the time I checked out.

Someone from the store was going to help me to my car, but when we went into the lobby, were a bunch of teenage kids with a big sign saying "We would like to help you to your car. NHS. No donations" So I had them do it. A couple of very efficient girls got me unloaded in no time at all. I guess "NHS" means National Honor Society. I was a Merit Scholar when I graduated high school, but in those days, groups like NHS were out, and I didn't join things anyway.

The only difficulty was that there was a strong east wind, and it wasn't very warm, so before I got into my car, my back had seized up and it was very sore. It took me at least 45 minutes to unload the car, and I just about made it up the steps and into the house before I sat down for an hour and a half in the powder room. That got me to at least get the frozen stuff in and into the freezer and nuke what I bought for dinner.

Have you ever noticed that things that tasted good the first or second time you had them stop tasting so good, even though you don't eat them very often? I have that trouble a lot these days. This stuff is in a bowl and all you have to do is nuke it, which I like, but otherwise, it's very ordinary. I won't spend my money on it again. If the stuff they sell at Pat's deli to warm up is any indicator, the typical diet in the Copper Country is worse than boring.

I've been sitting for a while now, and my back feels better. I should put the heating pad on it, but instead, I'm planning to go to bed real soon.

The weather was blah. the high temperature was 36º and there was that south wind, gusting up to 23 mph here. Down in Calumet, the high was only 35º and the wind was from the east (gee, I really do know my directions in Pat's parking lot!) gusting up to 24 mph. That puts the wind chill down around 25º when I was out, and I didn't have my parka. No wonder I hurt. It was mostly cloudy and dull, although when I went down, the clouds were thing enough that the sun was bothering me.

Except for Grayson's attempt to escape, I think the guys probably slept all day. I've noticed that Louie looks like he's getting fatter every day. Poor Louie. I have a problem, though. Grayson needs to eat, and it isn't possible to feed one without the other. Well, it will work out the way it's supposed to.

So that was my day and I'm exhausted. It's a dark, cloudy night in the field.

January 13

I had a terrible night last night. I hurt all over, enough to keep me awake by itself, and all night it felt like someone was driving an ice pick into my left knee. It wasn't until after 6;00 AM that I actually got to sleep and I didn't get up unitl after noon. I don't know what brought that on.

Anyway, I was still thinking I might go down to Calumet, but my Schwan's order was due to come today and I wanted to get that. I had told Ron about it, and it turned out that he had UPS put it in his car, so he delivered it to my door, but he put it in the house, so I had to put it away right away. I didn't get everything I should have, but I now have some nice things to eat again. And they keep pushing back the snow, so I have another good day to go to Calumet. I didn't feel all that good anyway.

The weather today was amazing for January in the Keweenaw. The high temperature was 39º! There was some wind around the middle of the day with gusts up to 25 mph from the north. In the early morning I woke up and saw a couple of stars, but it was cloudy until around noon, when it cleared up, and we had sunshine this afternoon. It was so nice.

Nothing to report about the cats. They did their thing. Grayson told me when Ron came, but I didn't understand him.

So that was my day and now I really need to go to bed. It's a dark and maybe partly cloudy night in the field.

January 12

I was so late that I didn't get out today. In fact, I didn't get up until after 2:00 PM, although I was up for three quarters of an hour when they called from the NP's office. That turned out well. They rescheduled my appointment for the 21st, so I can get all my blood work done and see the NP on the same day, without having blood work twice.

Otherwise, I didn't do anything. I have another good weather day to go shopping, although I'll have to fit it in around getting my packages. I think I can do that.

THe weather was dark and dreary but otherwise nondescript. The high temperature ws 34º and there was no wind. It was very humid, though, so I hurt.

I didn't see much of the cats. They got something they liked out of a can, and it's mostly gone.

Now it's a dark, cloudy night in the field and I must go to bed.

January 11

l was a little earlier last night and i got up around noon - after he third spam phone call. That wasn't enough sleep and I'm tired now, but i need to finish my drink.

I didn't do much today. I went to the post office and warned Ron that I will be getting the Schwan's order, but I missed the UPS guy. Actually, he was parked at the store, and I should have stopped and asked him if he had anything for me, because he did, but I didn't. Sigh. I'm not completely sure where he's leaving packages anyway. It used to be at the store, but I thought last summer they agreed he would leave them at the post office. We'll see who has them.

The weather wa dull and gray, not too warm - high of only 32º - and very humid. I hurt all over. I took some Tylenol, which helped for a while, but it wore off too late to take any more. So I hurt and I'm moving especially slowly.

The cats were happy because they got some new canned food they liked and I filled the bowl with their favorite dry food. Now that Louie seems to be doing OK, I'm worried about Grayson. He has gotten very thin. He's still eating, in fact, eating a lot. I wonder if he has worms. I had another cat who had a tapeworm, but we got rid of it quickly. I dont see any evidence around his anus, but he is getting very thin. Sigh. It's always someting.

In the mail were two generous donations from people who did not put their address on the envelopes. i wish they would, so I could thank them personally, so I will have to do it this way. I appreciate your support more than I can say. Maybe I'll be able to pay my winter taxes.

So it's a very dark, humid night in the field and I'm off to bed...2:00 again, I'm sure.

January 10

Well, I almost inverted last night. It was a combination of having to clean up after an accident and having to watch a cat for a while. So it was very late when I got up, and then I started reading a very interesting, but very long, article about a hacker. That was frustrating, because I got down to the last few paragraphs and the screen went blank, and when I went back to Google, of course the card was gone, so I had to search for it in order to read the end. That meant It was late when I took my bath and today I had to cut my fingernails, which took time, too.

I filled the north end pill dispensers and I realized why I thought what I've been taking looked strange: something was missing. It came a while ago, but I forgot I had run out of it, so it was still in the box in the breezeway. So before I did anything else, I had to go out there, move some boxes so I could walk around and open the box with the pills in it. I needed a couple other things from out there, too, so when I got everything inside, I was hurting.

I went down to the office to sit and rest and while I was there, Mary Ann called. We had a nice long conversation. I haven't talked to anybody for quite a while and I need to do that every so often. I miss our Thursday evenings together and our Sunday mornings at church.

The weather was so-so. The high temperature was 34º and there wasn't much wind. There was some sunshine, but there were also some ominous gray clouds out over the lake. I guess we're supposed to get some snow overnight.

Oh, the cats. When I went up to the north end last night, Louie was lying on the rug like he usually does. He wanted to get up, probably to come up to me, but when he tried, his hind legs wouldn't work at first, so he had to sit down again. The next time he tried it, it was a little better, but he couldn't put any weight on his right leg, so he sat down again for a while. Finally, he got up and walked around and seemed to be all right, but I was worried about him. Mary Ann and I suggested that he had been lying on his legs wrong and they went to sleep. I don't know if that happens to cats, but I don't see why it shouldn't, and of course, he is so heavy that it might happen. He seems fine now, though. Grayson is fine, although he is not very happy with the cuisine today. He got some of my fish and that made him happy.

So that was a sort of truncated, weird day and I just realized that it's after 1:00 AM, so I can go to bed any time. It's a dark and I think cloudy night in the field.

January 9

I just don't seem to be able to get to bed before 2:00 AM. I'm going to try again tonight and see if it works.

So i was late getting up and I frittered away the whole afternoon, so I don't have anything to report.

The weather was blah. It was dark and dreary. Between 8:00 and 11;00 AM we had a bit of snow - not very much to look at, but it registered at the weather station. I'm beginning to think that the reason it frequently doesn't register is the wind. Since what comes down is flakes and i doubt the opening in the gauge is very wide, the wind probably blows it away. One day I must ask the NWS office in Marquette if that's the cae. The high temperature was 34º and the wind was from the north at under 10 mph. Blah.

The guys slept, of course. I didn't think they would eat all their canned food from yesterday, but they did, so they got some more and it seems to be going, too. When I start to open the cans, you would think they hadn't eaten in days they get do excited. But then, I guess I spend a lot of time thinking about food, too. I wish it was as easy to feed me.

So that was a very quiet and truncated day and I hope to be off to bed soon. It's a not very cold, dark, cloudy night in the field.

January 8

I slept much better last night, because it was cooler in the bedroom. Not cold, mind you, but cool enough that I didn't have any hot flashes. I didn't get to bed until around 2:00 AM, so I didn't get up until noon. Of course, I was up several times in between, including getting awakened by an accident (not too bad) so I didn't get a full 10 hours, but enough.

I didn't do anything.

The weather was actually rather nice, and I should have stuck my nose outside. the high temperature was 37º and for most of the day there wasn't much wind. It's gotten up to 12 mph from the north now. The skies began to clear around noon, and there was actually some sunshine this afternoon, which was nice to see. It's been so warm that the ice is all gone from the harbor.

The guys got some of their favorite canned food today, and I guess they are finally getting fed up, because some was still there tonight. It will certainly be gone by morning. Louie got some loving when I got up and Grayson got to sit on my lap for a few minutes tonight. He got some of my fish, too.

So that was another very quiet day and now it's a partly cloudy (I think) sort of warmish night in the field.

January 7

Ugh. It was not a good night. In part, it was because of the day's events and my bad blood test, but that wasn't all. The last time we had cold weather, I cranked up the heat in the bedroom and it was so hot I kept waking up all hot. When I checked, it was 79º in there, which is too warm. When it's under 20º and the wind is from the north, I need to pour heat into that room, but not the way things have been lately. Anyway, eventually, I hit the reset and by morning, it was comfortable.

So i was late getting up and I didn't do anything. I was between phones - of course - when the nurse called, but I called right back and we had a good conversation. They are going to refer me to a nephrologist, but whether it will be here or in Marquette, I don't know yet. If it's Marquette, I probably won't go until at least mid-April, but evidently they are so stacked up that it could be then anyway. The alternative is Wausau and I told them I can't afford that. since it would involve motels and food and all that.

So otherwise, I didn't do anything.

The weather was just about the same as it has been. The high temperature was 34º and there was almost no wind. The humidity has gotten down to a more reasonable level - around 72%, so I don't hurt quite as much.

when I finally got to the kitchen and brought in some of the cat food, the guys informed mat they were HUNGRY - wow, were they hungry! So I fillled two bowls with their favorite kibble and then I gave them some of the new canned food, which also went over very well. Louie is sometimes a bit suspicious, but Grayson will eat just about anything. Anyway, the bowls are licked clean now. I hardly have to wash them at all these days. Tomorrow it's fish. Oh, they do eat well!

Tonight I had a burger and Grayson had to have some, but not very much. It tasted good to me, too.

So now as soon as the Mozart finished, I'll be off to bed. It's another dark, not very cold night in the field. So - when is the snow coming?

January 6 - The Epiphany of Our Lord

I cried. I haven't cried like that since 9/11. I love my country and democracy and freedom and the rule of law - and I cried. I'm teary right now.

I don't normally talk about politics to anyone, but today requires more than that. I cried.

And thank God, enough of our lawmakers also believe in our country, democracy, freedom and the rule of law that I have some hope we will make it through today - and the rest of January.

I also got some bad news from my blood test, but I'll wait to talk about that until I've talked to the NP.

I didn't sleep well, and I didn't find out why until I looked at my pill dispenser and realized that I hadn't taken my pills last night. So I didn't want to go anywhere, but I did want that blood test. I had to get gas, but I didn't shop. That was probably a mistake, since my Schwan's order won't be here until next week, but I just couldn't.

the weather was probably partly to blame, although most of it was no doubt that I didn't get enough sleep last night. It has been extremely humid for the past few days - over 95% - and while it was slightly less humid today, it was still over 80%. The high temperature was 38º, at least here, although it was a bit cooler in town. It was very dark and dreary, but I actually prefer to drive at times like that.

THe guys got canned food they don't like as well as everything else they've been eating lately, but maybe they're getting fed up, too. My Chewy order is out in the breezeway, so now we have lots of things to eat. I will try something new on them tomorrow. Grayson got to sit on me for a while before dinner and he thought he wanted some of my dinner, but I knew he wouldn't eat that, so he didn't get any. When I got home, Louie was lying in front of the basement door, for some strange reason, but he soon went back to the north end.

That's where i'm going, too. I am really tired tonight. It's a dark, cloudy, but not very cold, night in the field.

And I cried.

January 5

I wasn't quite as late last night, but I wasn't early and I got up later than I planned because around 5:00 I woke up and spent an hour and a half reading. Having internet access at the north end is not always a good thing. I will have to go to the hospital tomorrow for my blood test, although it's not critical and I could go Thursday, too. we'll see how it goes. I don't want to go at all, but of course, I need to keep track of the potassium. And I need to do some shopping.

The weather was nondescript. The high temperature was 37º and there was no wind. It was cloudy. Blah.

The guys surprised me. I gave them a can of stuff they were turning up their noses at before - it was the only one they didn't eat all of - and they cleaned the bowls almost at once. Sheesh. Anyway, my Chewy order came today with lots of canned food in it, as well as lots of kibble, so we'll be eating well for some time. THen they went back to sleep with full tummies.

I haven't gotten the bulletin information yet. I think Pastor is having trouble getting back into the swing of things. Since I have to go out tomorrow, it will be tight, but Sue doesn't usually print until Friday, so there's a little time.

Now it's a coldish, dark night in the field.

January 4

Nothing to report again. I was too late and I didn't get enough sleep this time. i fooled around and took a bath and paid a couple of overdue bills and that was it.

The weather was so-so. it was clear through the night and this morning but it clouded up by 1:30. The high temperature was 37º and there was almost no wind. Apparently we had a snow shower between 8;00 and 9:00 PM.

The guys got canned food today again, and oh, my were they happy. So I guess they've told me what they want. As they get older, it's probably better for them anyway.

So that was all there was and now it's a dark, probably snowy night in the field.

January 3

So I inverted last night. I hope to be a bit earlier tonight, but you never can tell around here. I got my load of wash into the dryer and hung up the socks, and that was all I sid.

It was another beautiful day, sunny all day and warm. The temperature got up to 39º (!) and there was almost no wind. It didn't seem to melt any of the ice on the harbor, though. This has been a weird winter so far, mostly warm with very little snow. You can't predict from the past, but so far it's been amazing.

The guys were very patient with me and when i put down their canned food, they chowed down. It's almost all gone already. Unfortunately I waited too long to order more kibble, so there is only one kind left and they don't like it very well. This is an ideal time to try them on canned food every day, though, so I'll be doing that and I think more should be here by the end of the week.

So that was my very truncated day, and I won't be up long, I think. It's a clear, fairly warm night in the field.

January 2

I'm still losing track of time, but today it was more that i was so late getting to bed that I was late getting up. It isn't often lately that I sleep 3 hours or more between wakeups, but I did this morning. I was so late getting to bed that I was exhausted and while I got over 10 hours - minus the time in the bathroom, of course - that made me very late today. And it's late now, too, because I was so late getting up and I lost track of time again. I was reading and/or playing Bookworm and all of a sudden, it was midnight. Huh?

So I didn't do anything much except to start washing a load of bottoms, since I ran out of sweats. I will continue before I go to bed and dry them tomorrow.

Oh, yes, and I kept thinking today was Sunday. Three or four day weekends when the odd day is Friday discombobulate me.

THe weather was OK. It was cloudy until just before sunset. The high temperature was 32º, but that was overnight and it wasn't as warm during the day. There was a very light southwest wind for most of the day. Blah.

The guys slept. mostly. Grayson got to sit on me several times and he likes salmon. Buster discovered people food as he got older, too, so I guess it's something I'll have to deal with. One problem is that they are running out of the kind of kibble they like and it will be sometime next week before my order comes. They also have decided they like canned food, too, so I guess I'll have to indulge them/ Louie is getting fatter and fatter all the time, but Grayson isn't and the problem with two cats is that you have to feed them both the same.

So that was my odd hour day, and now it's a apparently a partly cloudy, cold night in the field.

January 1 - New Year's Day

Happy New Year, everyone!

The sad thing is that when I looked at December 2019, I wrote "May the new year be a much better one than the old one was!" Sigh. Well, it wasn't. But hope springs eternal and all hat, so maybe this year will actually be better than last. if we can get beyond the 6th, maybe it will be.

I was late last night, and I'm going to be later tonight. I don't remember why I was late, but it was close to 2:00 AM before I turned out the light. I didn't sleep well again. I hurt, and I was either hot or cold - or both at the same time. i do not know why I can be having a hot flash and my feet are still cold! Anyway, as usual, eventually I got to sleep and I dot up around 10:30. I have been losing track of time all day, though. I ate late, and since I expected to have a nice dinner tonight, I didn't eat much. Hah. After the talking stopped, I was reading, and I completely lost track of time, so I was shocked when I went to clean up after my accident and saw the clock reading 12:45. So instead of my nice dinner, I had something fast and OK.

On, one good thing did happen. I looked at my bank accounts to see if my pension had been deposited, and not only had it, there was another $600 in my account! When I did my taxes last summer, I gave the IRS my bank account number, and evidently they know what to do with it. I was - and still am - suspicious about giving them my account number, but it's turned out to be a good thing and I hope they won't have any data breaches.

It was a nice day, weather-wise. It was clear and sunny all day (!!). The high temperature was 30º and there wasn't much wind. I should have stuck my nose outside, but I didn't.

The guys were happy. They got canned food and since it was the kind with lots of gravy, I gave them two cans - and it's all gone. Of course, it's something they like a lot, but that makes me wonder if I gave them three cans, they'd eat all that up right away too. I put in an order to Chewy last night, because I am out of most of their dry food and getting out of some varieties of canned food. It should come next week.

I also broke down and ordered some See's candy. It's been a while since I've had any and it just got to me. They have a limited edition one that sounded good and they had Christmas assortments on sale, so... I would like to freeze some of it. I ordererd a lot of nuts, and after I ate some of them, I just don't want any more, so I should freeze those, too. We'll see.

So now it's 2021 and my wish for everyone is that it will be a much better year for all of us. It's a relatively warm, clear (I think) night in the field.

Last updated 02/01/21 11:07 PM