2021 Diary: Business as Usual

2/23/2021: Up at 6 AM, after many dreams. Prayers and Bible.  Cartoons and caught up diary. Now take medicine. Took with a moon pie.

A little before 8 AM went out to wait. Started to bring the recycle bin in, but just at that moment the trashmen drove up and Andy came down the driveway. He waited and took the trash bins up, then Kam came out. Waited with Kam for bus, then finally took the recycle bin in.

At 9 AM I went to FD and got a few things like paper towels, chicken soup, peach slices, and Vitamin C gummies. Cleaned up, swept, opened the house, then started listening to Corey Olsen on YT from the beginning of his analysis of LOTR. Made an order for HEB and Thursday.

At 1 PM I went out and collected Kam and had a turkey and cheese sandwich. About 3 PM I started on the cabbage fry. Finished at 4:30 PM. Kam helped me and talked much about his philological studies; the boy does have a flair for comparing words and figuring out their relationships. If only we could turn that into some career!

At 7 PM I went in to clean up and made Kam liverwurst and cream cheese sandwiches for his supper. S&A came home, and Susan cautioned me about the sparsity of bread we had. I should have bought a loaf at FD! Rosary at 8 PM.

Spent the evening writing a post for NOT and then a few pages for Autumn Festival, which I then sent to John. It’s now almost 10 PM and reading (Russian fairy tales) and bedtime approach.

 

2/24/2021: Where is the year going? Almost a sixth gone already. Up at 5 AM and knew I wasn’t sleeping anymore, so watched Dragnet, and wouldn’t you know it, it was one of the few I’d actually seen. “My Three Sons” on now, which I can only tolerate. Put on my shoes and began prayers, then Bible.

Cartoons, Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup with Ritz Crackers, medicine, then wrote a short bridge between Yad and the Harvest Feast section. It’s now 7:26 AM.

Writing and researching on McQueeney School, then posting. It’s now 9:05 AM. Posted it, then laid down for a while. Up about 11:45 AM, started listening to Corey Olsen Ep. 5 a little after 12.

Kam came home a little after 1 PM as usual. I was getting ready to make stuffed peppers when Andy called me and said they wanted lasagna and bread sticks tonight. Put those in the oven about 3 PM and they were ready at 4:50 PM. The plumber came over later and worked on the washer and the sink. I finally went in at about 8:30 PM (after he was finally done) and got my share of lasagna and washed up. I listened to more Olsen, then stopped at 9:30 PM or so. Time for rosary, then bed. Legs still giving me the pip, the right leg now more so.

 

2/25/2021: Up at 6:10 AM or so; that seems to be my default time for now. Prayers and Bible. Shower and cartoons. Went out with Kam at 8 AM, to a light misty precipitation. After Susan left, I headed out to FD; got masking tape, a belt of many holes, a 2-liter Diet Coke, some Spam, hot dog buns, some chips and dip, and a Tijuana Mama hot sausage. Got home, started listening to Corey Olsen, the “Tolkien Professor”, and ate Spam dogs and chips and dip while drinking soda. Energized, I began working on the window, taping it up, throwing away the shredded curtain, sweeping up a couple of cupfuls of caterpillars, and moving the medieval flag to cover the window.  It gives the house a new feel, airier, especially around the kitchen.

At 1 PM went out and let Kam in and started preparing the stuffed bell peppers. Went in about 2 PM, then went out at 3 PM to pop everything into the oven. The groceries arrived about 3:15 PM. Took them to my house, then waited until 4:15 PM, when I sauced the peppers and fed the pets. At 4:45 PM finished cooking and took my meal out. Gave S&A some Vitamin C gummies. 5:04 PM and time to eat.

Went in at 5:30 PM and told Susan about the groceries Kam had brought home. She said Andy would be a little late. More listening to TP (Tolkien Professor – Corey Olsen LOTRO) and dipping into METV until 8:20 PM when I went in to wash up. Bed about 9:30 PM.

 

2/26/2021: Woke up about 3 AM and knew I was awake. Prayers and Bible.  Caught up diary. Set alarm clock. Mean to do a few chores like straighten the kitchen drawer and maybe I’ll get sleepy again. With all the preliminaries done perhaps I’ll be able to dedicate myself to finishing AF today. Wrote and posted on NOT about my first day of school. Now 4:30 AM and ready to try to sleep.

Up at 6 AM and watched cartoons. At 7 AM I made ramen (with onions and bell pepper from yesterday), wrote notes for the end of AF, took medicine.

Went out a little before 8 AM and talked to Andy briefly about getting the stuff for a cake for Susan’s birthday (March 2). Waited with Kam for bus, then went in. Ordered cake making stuff, egg rolls, and Big Red from HEB. Listened to TP and ate deviled ham with ritz crackers. It’s now 9:40 AM and I think I may lay down a while. Still can’t get over how different the house looks with just a few changes of window arrangements. I’ve radically moved the furniture several times without this effect.

My HEB order arrived about 10 minutes before Kam was home at 1:15 PM. Started frying taters at 2 PM and was only finished about 7 PM. Andy called about 3 PM to make squash. Went in about 4 PM to start the fish and squash. Fish done by 4:45 PM. Took S&A’s taters in at 5:45 PM. Checked my Covid-19 card and seen my second shot is on March 5. Washed up a little after 7:20 PM. Rosary at 8 PM. Now 9 PM and I feel ready to hit the hay. I’ve put off writing (real writing) on AF.

 

2/27/2021: Woke up a little after 7 AM, in time to miss the Popeye cartoons and I didn’t care to watch MGM cartoons. Prayers and Bible. Ate peaches, then chicken noodle soup with Ritz crackers. Spent much time with the “First Grade Reading List” and was surprised to find I could find pictures of most of them, and especially delighted to find the one with “The Straw Ox”. Made some spring rolls. More listening to LOTRO, then Andy brought me a couple of tacos. Laid down for a nap about 11 AM.

Up sometime in the midafternoon, continued TP LOTRO. Able to write 3 paragraphs of AF. More spring rolls. Took some trash out. The day is overcast but warm, and rather windy. It’s now 4 PM.

It’s now 11:30 PM. I’ve been watching a show given by the Signum University on FB for children, about “The Hobbit”. It covers two chapters per hour. I’ve had no supper per se but I’ve been sipping Big Red Zero and eating prunes. Although the day has been warm, I have felt shivery, so at sunset I closed the windows and put the heater on, although it will be about 60 degrees all night. The internet connection just went off, so I am starting my rosary. My legs are hurting, and I am just out of my metformin, so I am pondering if I will go to church tomorrow or not. I’ve set my clock for 6 AM anyway, so we’ll see how I feel in the morning.

Well. It’s 2 AM now and I’ve finished the series. I don’t really feel sleepy and my right leg hurts like the billy-o.

 

2/28/2021: Awake again about 6:30 AM. Leg a little better, but not much. Prayers and read the readings for the day out of the missalette. For breakfast had liverwurst and cream cheese on Ritz crackers. Watched some Phineas and Ferb and Duck Tales. Listened to more LOTR TP. At 1 PM Andy brought out some leftovers. Made some spaghetti using chopped spinach and mushrooms. Wrote a few paragraphs on AF and then reread PWOGR [The Peculiar Wooing of General Roth], which I was more impressed with than I remembered. Laid down for a nap then up again about 4 PM. Took out some recycling. Day warm but looks like rain clouds gathering.

I settled down, put on my sweater because I was shivering and plugged in the heater. I started my rosary, then Andy brought me the ends of some burritos. Ate, finished rosary, then looked at some Sunday animations. Meh. Can I sleep?

 

3/1/2021: After a night of pain and intermittent sleep, I was up about 5:45 AM. Prayers, getting dressed, cartoons. At 7:30 AM took my wash out and started it, then at 8 AM stood with Kam waiting for the bus. The weather is windy and cold and overcast, but no rain as such. Listening to more of LOTRO TP and briefly slept. At 9:20 AM went in and boiled eggs and changed wash. Made a liverwurst and cream cheese sandwich and got a jug of water. Now almost 10:30 AM. Got clothes in and listened to GGACP.

Went in about 12:30 PM and made cucumber salad, then Kam came home. More LOTRO TP. Went in at 4 PM and made couscous and fish. More LOTRO. In about 7:45 PM and washed up and made Kam’s supper. Raccoon on porch. Now 8:25 PM. Rosary. Bed about 10 PM.

 

3/2/2012: Susan’s Birthday. Awake at 6 AM. Prayers. Cartoons. Ordered medicine from HEB. Had soup with leftover couscous. Over at 8 AM to wait with Kameron for the bus. Weather clear and sunny, but a bit windy/cool. Went at 9 AM to buy butter and a birthday card from FD and ended up also getting Easter candy. Home and baked the pineapple upside-down cake for Susan’s birthday and made out the card. Back in and listening to LOTRO TP and had 2 cans of ravioli. Ready at 1 PM to let Kam in.

Went in about 3 PM to peel carrots and potatoes and cut onions and lettuce (no mushrooms this week). Put sausages in the oven. About 4 PM the exterminator turns up, then Andy, and they do that, penning the dogs up. I go in about 4:30 PM, eating my supper. A little before 7 PM Andy comes in to get me, and I go in and we sing Happy Birthday and we have cake. A pleasant little interlude altogether. S tells me KT&R are coming tomorrow. I clean up early, then spend much of the evening with LOTRO TP (we have finally got to Bree) and waiting for Kam to call for his supper, which he never does. Rosary, then fall asleep.

Notes

Susan's birthday, coming as it does at the beginning of the month, always kind of surprises me. And February, short as it is, seems to make for short entries.