Saturday

 We both slept in today. After a week of  haphazard somnolence, that was a welcome change. The girl has been busy climbing, everywhere. I went to place the laundry in the dryer and soon had a cat on my shoulder attempting to leap into the machine. Unsuccessful, she settled for a brief mosey into the microwave as I was wiping out the inside...I re-did the wipe and she decided to try the refrigerator top as a perch.

Thank you for all of the compliments regarding the school photo. One of you asked about salutations and my friend did say I signed it to her. I did not see the back and don't recall what I wrote. As for the "groovy" dress, I struggle to remember it as well though from the bit I could see, it had some favorite colors in it.

In the present, I did some dusting, wiping and hoovering and have begun a load of laundry and some meal preparation for the week. Mail has gone out and a small box of donation items is rapidly filling.

What did you do?

Happy weekend!

Juggling memories...

 The photo in my previous post is indeed a school picture, signed on the back and given to my friend who has kept it all these years. She even has more photos of me which she took herself. She also sent me a photo of herself during our school days but asked that I not publish it. We were in the final year of elementary school when my photo was taken. I was wearing a dress and we did indeed have a dress code. Skirts and dresses for girls and women, shirts and pants without wording, or graphics for boys and business attire for men. This changed slightly the following year when female teachers could at last wear pant suits to work. By the time high school rolled around, girls could wear jeans or pants to school. Shorts were for gym class and athletics, though I do recall having to wear them beneath some of my dresses in elementary school as I was growing and hem lines changed. Shorts were not to be seen beneath one's dress and mini skirts were not allowed.

The barettes in my photo were very like some that my friend had and kept. Since we shopped at the same commissary this was not unusual. I cannot remember the last time I wore a barette or put my hair up. These days I'm good if I can wash and go.

I think we would have found uniforms easier to deal with.

Cheers...

Nostalgia

 My longest known childhood friend now lives in the mid west. She is culling photos and other things in her home and has come across this:

I'm curious to know what she remembers if anything about this because I have no recollection of it at all or why I might be smiling. It is from the 1972-73 school year and may have been a school photo from the look of it but she did have her own camera at a certain point, too.

Unable to reach her today, I guess I'll just have to wonder for a bit...

Cream Tea and more...

 Mercy and I have been busy. She is so tired she's passed out in her stroller, still sleeps like she did as a tiny girl. I, on the other hand have been sleeping sporadically and it is beginning to show. My bedroom looks like a tip. I do keep the bathroom and kitchen clean and cleared but the front room and sleeping quarters resemble a garage--full of boxes and other things. Who keeps extra wheelchair tires in their sitting room??

Aside from a good sort out and some re-organization there, I plan on going through books, clothing, kitchen stuff and drawers in the rest of this flat. Part of my frustration is finding places to donate to once I'm done and getting the stuff removed without Tom, Dick or Harry traipsing through my place. 

On a happier note, the bills are paid, the laundry is done, the cat is content and we've plenty to eat since the groceries are in. I got the trash out and some of the recycling as well.

Because my birthday was a bust due to the recent hurricane, I treated myself to an end-of-month cream tea today and enjoyed it. The clotted cream was from Devonshire, the juice-only jam from France and the scones from a bakery. While that might not pass muster in the UK, it was all delicious and went down well with my tea and Wedgwood, an inheritance from my maternal grandmother.

Somewhere, I hear her laughing...

Cheers!

Here we are again...

 It appears that the latest variant of COVID has no effective vaccine yet and that the boosters given most recently are not effective against it. While people should be masking and keeping a good six feet apart in doors, no-one I know seems aware of this or appears to care and folks are once again being hospitalized. How long a new vaccine will take to appear on the horizon I don't know but the vaccines have themselves been problematic and not the perfect solution people craved in 2020 when hospitals were at their breaking points and lockdowns were implemented.

I've never stopped masking but now also add face shields, don't go into crowded places, and stay home unless doing so is unavoidable. If people want to label me anti-social or reclusive or whatever other word they choose, I don't give a flying monkeys' twat.

I've learned who my true friends are and are not through this and while many of them enjoy a wider range of activities, some, like myself, make different choices. As a preemie and a person with a disability who now uses a chair, I have long understood that my life span may be shorter than desired as all of the above can reduce it. Most of those older than I who were disabled have already died, so at the age of 65 I now have more dead friends than live ones. Throw in that I am an introvert who prefers solo time and activities, and you have someone who isn't going to be the life of the party and does not care. I prefer animals to people most of the time, anyway, and find novel ways to get my horse fix now and again.

Speaking of the beloved four-footed, mine has developed a new habit. She climbs on my lap, goes into the bathroom, gets up on the lid to the toilet tank and watches everything, getting down just in time for the flush. Once that occurs, she swipes my hand, attempts to climb the shower curtain and then runs from the room to jump out at my feet as I go by. This is great fun, in her eyes. I see pulled threads in the newly hung curtain...

Have a good night.

Tetanus, anyone?? UPDATE

 Blogger Birdie was right on the money about getting a tetanus injection. I attempted to call the hospital and get verification of an injection in 2015 following a cat bite but no-one called back, not surprisingly. I then contacted the E-R and the nurse with whom I spoke told me to go ahead and get another shot, that doing so at this stage would not harm me. I then called the nearest pharmacy and verified they gave tetanus injections. So, guess where the pet sitter and I will be going tomorrow morning after she sees to Mercy's pedicure??

Mercy got her pedicure and preventative. After further information from pet sitter's husband, who was an E-R nurse for more than a decade, I decided to wait on the shot because having had one in an emergency room in 2015 after an animal bite, I have a year before I need a tetanus booster. It was pointed out that COVID is once again surging here and that both the nurse and his wife feel I might face more potential problems from exposure to that. The wound is healing nicely with no sign of infection. It is covered and clean. I am going to ask for my medical record in writing as required.

Midweek

 It was 90 today with 93 percent humidity. The thick blanket of humidity, a parting gift of Debby, reminded me of my youth near the equator, though we had breezes and by my generation, air conditioning.

The humble abode has been looking a bit the worse for wear. I finally got around to cleaning the bathroom and while I was at it, applied rust remover to the bench in my shower in an effort to clean it up. A finger was injured in the process, so out came antibac soap, Neosporin and bandages. After a shower and clean pajamas, all is well. Trash will go out, laundry will be done and it will once again be tidy. The hand vac and Swiffer have both gotten a workout.

Road closures due to standing or rising waters have become common among my texts. I'm grateful to be dry and undamaged. As Mercy has strayed happily into the arms of Morpheus, so too will I, hopefully. I feel as though it has been days without a deep sleep.

Wishing you all a sweet night...

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Fine but tired...

 The rain was intermittent here and has stopped for now. Neither of us slept well so today is a slow, catch-your-breath kind of day involving a lot of gratitude and napping. Other areas were not so lucky. Thanks for all of the birthday and happy kitten wishes!

Ten months today

 

Birthday Song

 

Stormy weekend ahead...

 It is overcast and the weather man has predicted the coming of an intense tropical storm or possible hurricane across Florida this weekend. This system is expected to eventually work its way up the coast to the Carolinas where it may further intensify.

All of my outdoor items are inside, I am checking flashlights, charging phone and pulling out pet supplies. Cooking will be light today and tomorrow. Laundry is done and garbage is out. Sunday I will turn 65. There are no special plans other than staying in and hoping the power stays on...

Take Care and enjoy your weekend...