Claudia — Page 548

Day One Hundred Twenty-Nine

July 20, 2020 at 9:24 am by Claudia

I woke up with a sore back (sleeping on a 25 year old sofa will do that to you) and a foggy brain. This unbelievably humid and hot stretch we’re in is having its way with me, as well. Mostly, I just feel exhausted with absolutely no energy. I’m on my second cup of coffee now, so fingers crossed that it finally kicks in.

Don was out of bed for several hours yesterday, then he took a long nap in the afternoon. Slowly but surely, he’s doing better, but we have to remember that it takes a while to get back to normal.

Two sad sacks here at the cottage this morning!

We have one more day of this heat advisory. Last night we had thunderstorms and rain – we needed it. That also means I don’t have to hand water the gardens, just the porch plants.

We sat together on the sofa in the den last night and watched some episodes of Frasier. We were laughing out loud a lot (that almost never happens with most sitcoms) and boy, was that laughter good for the soul – especially for Don. Laughter is healing.

We stayed in during the day with the a/c on and I looked at miniatures on Etsy. By the way, I tried the grout on some test stones and it was messy and didn’t work. I may just leave it as is, because I certainly don’t want to ruin all the work I put in on that ‘stone.’ I’ll definitely seal it with a matte sealer and then, I think, I’ll move on to the windows (not sure what to do with them) and the door. Then, inside. I have more than few choices for wallpaper, which I will have to narrow down. One, in particular, keeps calling me for the big room downstairs. It’s a bit bold, so I’m hesitant. I think I’ll try two different patterns in the space and see which one works best. But first, I’ll have to do the downstairs floor.

Basically, I’m playing around with furniture, thinking through spacing, ordering what will be the kitchen island, which will separate the two spaces, thinking about how to make two beams for the ceiling, trying to come up with something for the windows that is different than the stuff that came with the kit, which I don’t like at all. And – ongoing – trying to make the door fit in the opening of this dollhouse I found at the dump.

There’s a lot to do. First up, seal the stones, but I think I’ll have to wait until it’s less humid so I can do it outside.

Okay. I was going to go the store this morning but I’m too out of it, so that will be delayed until tomorrow.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Day One Hundred Twenty-Eight

July 19, 2020 at 9:37 am by Claudia

Things are slowly getting better here at the cottage. Don is still pretty weak, but he is staying downstairs for longer periods of time. We even watched a few episodes of Frasier last night. His sleep patterns are off, his dreams are very intense, and the weather we’re having doesn’t help. We’re under a heat advisory and an air quality advisory through tomorrow night. It’s extremely hot and humid here.

After I write this post, I’m going outside to water everything. We try to keep the a/c off as long as possible in the morning but I suspect I’ll turn it on soon.

We’re very grateful. It’s been a scary week but Don is improving and his eyes are clear and he’s had no fever for the past 24 hours. We’re both wiped out, for different reasons, so we’ll take it easy today.

I finished Death in La Fenice and have now started two books: Weather by Jenny Offill, which I bought several months ago – it seems a lifetime ago – from Oblong Books, and Let’s Just Say it Wasn’t Pretty by Diane Keaton, which I’ve had on my shelf for a few years. I pulled it out because Don and I were having a conversation about Keaton, about how much I have always loved her ever since the Annie Hall days. I love her wit, her style, her humor, her talent, and her determination to live life on her terms. I follow her on Pinterest – though I almost never go there these days – and on Instagram, where she has been doing wonderful videos during lockdown. If I could sit down and chat with anyone it would be Diane Keaton. I think of her as a long lost sister.

She recently did a video about wearing hats (I love hats) and I showed it Don, saying that I needed to get some hats like hers. After researching, I found a place in Hollywood that designs a lot of hats for her. The one I liked was $750.00. Gulp. I guess I’ll have to find a Claudia version that is much less expensive. And then there’s the pair of jeans she wears: wide leg, almost like the bellbottoms we used to wear way back when. They are so cool! I’d love them. On to the research: they’re from a company in Italy and they cost $650. Gulp again. I also love her house, which she highlighted in a book I used to have The House That Pinterest Built. Why I donated it to the library, I’ll never know. Anyway, it’s not my style, but it’s really fabulous; so unique, so her.

Though I can’t afford that hat and those jeans, I love her nonetheless. She inspires me. She’s down to earth. She sees the absurdities in life. And this book, which is a series of essays on beauty, perceived beauty, her family, children, friends, is so honest. She’s insecure just like the rest of us. She doesn’t like the shape of her eyes. Her forehead is too high. Her hair is too thin. She, like me, has to come to terms with aging, with things that cannot be changed, with negative self-talk, for want of a better word.

I will always be an adoring fan. And this book is a lovely read.

Okay, friends. Thank you again. I have to do some watering STAT.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Day One Hundred Twenty-Seven

July 18, 2020 at 9:13 am by Claudia

Phlox from the big garden bed. And a little spider.

Don is doing better. He’s still very weak, but he’s reading and watching the very old prehistoric television set that is in our bedroom. He slept a lot yesterday, still sweating out the toxins in his body. He’s been up this morning to have a cup of coffee, take a shower, and now he’s back in bed eating some oatmeal.

A very tense and scary few days here at the cottage, because, even though my instinct said it might be Lyme (I was the one who first suggested it), we are in the middle of a pandemic and there were moments when I was very fearful. I don’t need to say more than that about it, but I will say that when the antibiotic started to work, I was incredibly relieved.

By the way, several years ago when I contracted Lyme disease, I had to get a prescription for Doxycycline. My health insurance at the time didn’t cover the prescription cost. It was nearly $200 and we didn’t have much money but we had no choice but to pay for it. The price had skyrocketed for some reason – greed, most likely. I used to dispense Doxy when I worked at the animal hospital and it had never been that expensive. I don’t know it that’s still the case, but with Medicare, Don’s prescription the other day was just over $4.00.

Don has had Lyme twice before this bout. I’ve had it. Our dogs had it. We’re well aware of the symptoms and how to deal with it. It could have been the tick that Don saw. Or he could have had a bite that we never saw. I do think, and I’ve heard this from others, that Don might be more susceptible to even a minor tick bite given his past history. One of the most important centers for the study and treatment of Lyme Disease is in Florida, near Mere’s house, and she has worked with people who come there to be treated. When I had it, I had a fever and mild chills, but nothing like what Don has experienced every time he was diagnosed.

I’m grateful that he’s slowly improving. Thank goodness. I’m still sleeping downstairs because his sleep rhythms are off and he should feel free to move around without having to worry about me. Yesterday, I made a run to our local farm stand for vegetables and fruit, all of which we had run out of. And I’ve cooked dinner for the past three nights – you know things are bad when that happens.

Thank you for your kind wishes and all your prayers. We’re definitely seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

Rest in Peace, John Lewis. A true hero has left us. As he said, we have to make ‘good trouble.’ That is the way to honor his legacy.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Day One Hundred Twenty-Eight

Day One Hundred Twenty-Seven

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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