Diary 2020: October 15 -21

2020 Diary

10/15/2020: Up about 4:10 AM. Prayers, Bible. Started clearing out cabinets in anticipation of a new plan: if I live long enough, to start stockpiling long-lasting staples like Spam and ramen, so I’ll always have something to nibble on. The cleaning entailed moving stuff around and compacting a few things without making the house seem crowded again. I think it succeeded pretty well. The cabinets under the bookshelves in the kitchen are now empty, as well as two shelves in the cabinet over the microwave. Bring on the food! [This plan never happened.] It’s now 5:41 AM. Maybe I’ll lay down again and see if I can sleep a little more.

Laid down for not quite an hour, then up again. Put all the Morg materials together in anticipation of stitching them into a single document. Ramen and eggs at 9 AM, then reading (and finishing up) “The Light That Failed” by 11 AM. In between the dr.’s office called, and I explained my financial situation, so no appointment just yet. It doesn’t break my heart. Started taking my medicine again.

Said Rosary at 12:30 PM, then went in and got leftover rice/broccoli/mushrooms. Dithered and dallied reading Kipling, playing DQ8, and trying to nap until 4 PM, when I went in, fed pets, made spaghetti and salad, then came back, and ate supper. Still no word from the boys, and I grow more and more obsessed with the idea of cleaning and cataloging the ‘attic’. Will go in at 8 PM to clean up. Bed about 10 PM.

 

10/16/2020: Up about 5 AM. Prayers, Bible. It had got cooler overnight. Started working on gathering images and sorting through the comic books, to make posts on NOT for representative samples, as it would be too tedious to go through them all. [Which I have since done.] Went in at 9 AM for ramen/eggs/bread, then again about 10 AM for ramen/bread. The day was cool and overcast, never more than 71 degrees, and breezy, perfect weather. House open all day.

Posted the comics in four sections. In the interstices of the day read Kipling and played DQ8. At 2:30 PM started frying potatoes, which was simpler and easier with the house set up like it is now. Also made corn on the cob for S&A, then the fish (an extra piece today, hurray!). Cleaned up at 7:30 PM. Watched Andy Griffith Show, then Gomer Pyle, then Green Acres. Rosary a little after 9 PM, then bed at 9:30 PM.

 

10/17/2020: Despite my best efforts, I knew I was awake at 3:50 AM, so got up and caught up Diary. What shall I do today? I am almost at the end of nooks to clean out and catalogue. Of course, I have tons of computer files I could rearrange. Yesterday’s panicked hunt for Eekus [the comic from Ghost Manor] proves that. I think yearningly of the attic bins and wish I had a spry assistant to help me, if only for a few hours. I’ve started to feel little zings on the right side of my skull. Sinuses, or what? Well, on to prayers and Bible.

After my devotions, I did start on my files and folders, and a more involved and interesting task there is not. There are folders within folders within folders and getting everything straightened out and filed correctly looks to be a formidable task. I ate a ramen for breakfast, took my medicine, and went to work. About 7 AM I began to feel sleepy again, so laid down a bit and slept until 9:20 AM. Weather outside is cool, overcast, and a little drippy, but it’s hard to tell if that’s rain or just condensation. Back to the files.

Went in at 12:20 PM to get eggs and ramen. Worked on Files. Stopped at 2 PM. Playing a little DQ8. Went back to Files, when Susan and Kaitlyn showed up at about 4 PM, needing my keys to get in the house. Visited a bit. Got bananas about 5:30 PM. Watched “A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” on EWTN, then “A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing II: The Gender Agenda” until 11 PM. Rosary. I have so far to go with the Files, and it is infinitely engaging, but I think I must go to bed soon. OK, I stopped about 1 AM. Time to wind down to bed. But I was up playing until 3 AM.

 

10/18/2020: Exactly 2 weeks of October left. Up at 6:40 AM. Prayers, shower, then Bible. On to YouTube Mass.

Afterwards had pretzels pounded in the mortar so I could take my medicine; polished off the tea. Worked on the Files. About 9 AM did a revolution (only 1; the old knee is painful). Went in at 12:30 PM and got 1 ramen. Got a jug of water. Did another revolution. Filling in this time with the Files and Kipling and DQ8. Rosary from 5:10 PM to 5:30 PM, then went out for another revolution, just in time to talk to S&A. Posted a couple items on NOT, but the Files are what engaging me. Watched an episode of Duck Tales [the new iteration] at 6 PM. Got 2 ramen for supper. Mostly worked on Files. Finishing a big one at 11:30 or so, then read Kipling and dropped off at when?

 

10/19/2020: Awake again at 2:30 AM. Made some posts on NOT an FB, then tried to sleep again. Up definitely about 6 AM, head full of plans. Prayers, Bible, and moving the DVDs off the shelves. Moved couch. I’m setting up a temporary arrangement in preparation for cleaning out the attic. I expect to live with it, maybe until the weekend. Dressed and went to go vote at 7 AM, getting it out of the way. Already about 7 or 8 people there. Covid-19 procedures in place, with social distancing and cotton swabs to use on the touch screens. Home by 7:24 AM, civic duty done, and put my new ‘I Voted’ sticker on my Kindle, over the old one. Stripped my shirt and sanitized my hands already outside. Continue with my arranging and normal Monday procedures. Went in at 9 AM, started my wash, and boiled eggs and made egg salad, making my ramen as I did so. Came in at 10 AM, watched a little Ichabod and Mr. Toad, e-mailed John, changed my wash, then laid down at about 11 AM, feeling pretty tired. Susan and Andy came over at 11:40 AM, excitedly bearing two checks from SSI, one for $2349 (for the amount due since my claim in May) and another for $261 (for part of the month?). My happiness is somewhat muted by being tired, and the thought of all that must now be done to curate that money. The cosmic ballet … continues. Good part is Andy (seeing my rearrangements) has agreed to help me get the bins out of the attic.

About 12:30 PM I go in and make cucumber salad. Spend much of the afternoon thinking about how to proceed, reading the materials, and pondering. John calls me about 3 PM, and we discuss it, and what Amy thinks. She knows much about banking, and her advice carries weight. Go in and start cooking at 4 PM (fish patties and couscous) and come back a little before 5 PM. A little after 6 PM Kameron comes in and at his request I play some Kingdom Hearts, which I have grown rusty at. I go in about 7:30 PM to wash up, and Susan further discusses my situation, proposing that I attach either John or herself to the account, to act for me in an emergency; I believe this is wise. About 8 PM I feel overcome with weariness and plug in the AC; it has grown warm and muggy. I drop off asleep. Awake at 9:30 PM, pray Rosary, and caught up diary. The guest house looks strange with the desk and DVDs out from under the attic. I don’t feel as elated as I thought I would with finally getting some benefits, though I am grateful. I seem mostly to be thinking about what I still need to do. Perhaps when I get it all settled and first taste the groceries that I buy I will be more celebratory. It’s now only 10 PM, and it feels like one of the longer days of my life, starting with voting (and how far away that seems now!) and full of thinking and facing the future.

 

10/20/2020: Wow. Just looked back and saw I was so distracted I completely skipped writing up today. The usual stuff happened, except that time crawled very slowly.  Mostly worried and planned about how to set up bank account and going back and forth about that. Worked on Files (finishing a big one) and playing DQ8 and helped Kam with his homework (he has to finish up that Puzzle Piece assignment). The day ended up with Amy starting to pen up an account for me at RFBCU.

 

10/21/2020: Woke up about 4 AM from a dream, wrote it up, then prayers and Bible. More Files. At 9 AM went in for ramen, and then leftover cabbage. About 10 AM hear from Amy she needs a scan of my SS card, so when Susan comes home from lunch, I arrange that. About 1 AM I go in for leftover sausage. Kam’s continued homework hangs in the air. Here it’s almost 3 PM, and I’m still waiting for the scans; probably mail delay, and not Susan’s fault.  E-mail to John:

“I have seldom known two days to pass so slowly. Ever since I got the good news, time has seemed to crawl along, I suppose partly because of anticipation, and partly because occupied with concern over things I need to do. It seems that 'real life' has asserted itself again, as opposed to those occupations I used to fill my time with. 

“Not that I've stopped everything. The great clean-up continues in a minor way, as I also await Andy helping me get the bins down, as he has promised. That will probably be on the weekend; I also anticipate it impatiently.  I continue to work on the Files and draw closer to completing work on them. I want to be done with that.  When all is said and done, I hope to able to settle into a more comfortable routine heading into the holidays. 

“But for four days now (including the weekend, which I took as a break) I have done no writing work, not even stitching the Morg materials together, as I had planned. I intend to make a concerted effort today to pick things up again.

"Also of course I'm affected by Babellian pessimism; every time something positive happens, I expect the world to slap back hard, or at least to take something away in return or it not to be as wonderful as I had hoped.  They had only just started to pay me to take care of Mom for maybe a year when she suddenly passed away. Still, even though it is the fatal month of October in the middle of a plague year, I dare to be cautiously optimistic."

Making sauerkraut, sausage, and dumplings for supper. Did Rosary about 2 PM, I guess. Helped Kam with his homework at 3 PM, Susan finally sent a scan of my social about 3:40 PM that I sent on to Amy, made supper at 4 PM and finished at 5 PM. The dumplings turned out pretty good. Files. Kam came out at 9 PM and we spent until 11 PM finishing up his SMART project. Now I’m ready to wind down.

NOTES

So, it’s been five years, and I feel ready for another look in the Attic. Such a task seems even more problematic now.  If I do somehow manage it, I’m going to have to make a more detailed catalog of the bins so I can satisfy my forgetful mind. Out of sight? Out of mind! And sometimes it drives me out of my mind.

Here is the scanty list I eventually made. I’m sure more ‘stuff’ has been added since. What interests me most is that Medium Blue Bin with Mediocre Action Figures. I’m sure there’s some stuff I would now feel justified in tossing.

Attic List

Square Blue Bin: Foot massager, sunglasses, blood pressure machine, blood sugar machines, old PS2, old CD player, other junk.

Black Bin: Weebles Tree House, King Kong bank.

Black Bin: Uninteresting toys (mostly plastic ‘set building stuff’.)

Green Bin: Simpsons sets, old computer keyboard, computer mouse.

Grey File Case: Old tattered comics, not great, but memories I find hard to throw away.

Dark Blue Bin: LOTR set-builders from Kenny (for that smaller format).

Medium Blue Bin: Mediocre action figures, bendies, and so on. Still, some good things.

Light Blue Bin: Mediocre old toys from Loop Drive, not great, but memories.

The Old Hoppy Horse.