January 2021 - A Jumble of Joy?

I couldn't find a new thread, just the December thread.

Paul's mother has had an accident and has a severe compound fracture of the wrist. We're waiting to see if we have to bring her back here - I suspect a hospital admission and surgery is in the immediate future.

Not much in the way of joy following that call this morning, but the sitting room looks less like a jumble sale - by and large, the tidal wave of comics have been boxed up (including the ones we're going to get rid of). I can at least see the floor.

Good Evans! We're 2/3 way through the month!

>1 Maddz: I don’t know how old Paul’s mum is, but a compound fracture is always serious. Good wishes from Mrs H and me.

>1 Maddz: Oh dear. I'm sorry that it is bad news that's prompted you to start this thread. I hope that your m-i-l is receiving good care following her accident.

My news is bad too. I seem to have broken a tooth somehow so I'm going to have to visit the dentist. Because I haven't been in so long I've dropped off their books and so I will have to pay private prices, as opposed to the NHS subsidised rates.

In good news, my mum had her first Covid vaccination dose last week.

>1 Maddz: I am very sorry to hear that; broken wrists are not a light matter. My best wishes.

>4 Sakerfalcon: Similar problem here. I chipped a tooth back in November, but since then either myself or my dentist have been in Tier 4, so I have not been able to travel there.

I hope that you find a good alternative.

Sad news today: my best friend's mom died of Covid this morning. I've been friends with Chrissy since we were kids, and her mom was a bright light in my life for more than 30 years. Heaven has gained a glorious star.

>6 Darth-Heather: so sorry for your (and your friend’s) loss.

Just got back from the hospital - no visitors allowed, but we were able to drop stuff off for her. She's in surgery tomorrow, and we'll see after that. I reckon she'll be in for the rest of the week at least, then we hope she'll be able to come to us to recuperate. However, we have to clear the spare room properly first - the comics are sorted and boxed up (mostly), we just have to put things in the attic, put the curtain rail up, hang the curtains, and clean...

In other news, I heard that a colleague's father died of COVID at the weekend, and her mother is very ill too. Not good.

I broke a tooth before Christmas - had to have it out in the end. I now have a single tooth left in that section!

Sad to hear about broken bones, chipped teeth, and most of all >6 Darth-Heather: 's friend's mom.

Happy to hear about covid vaccinations - bring 'em on, the sooner the better.

There's more drama with my husband's parents. Last fall we moved his mom into her own supportive living apartment. She's happy and never wants to see her husband again, although she can't stop reciting all her grievances from 60 years of marriage. Due to Covid, she can have only 2 people visit, who have to be pre-approved with the front desk. The two are my husband and his brother. My Father-in-Law (still living alone in their house) wants to see her. He is not on the list, she doesn't want to see him, and he is making a big fuss about it, including talking about lawyers. Everyone is unhappy.

On the plus side, I made a minor home improvement that I'm still enjoying. I took the sliding doors off my bedroom closet and hung curtains instead, and I like it so much better. Plus I was able to use mainly material we have on hand, so I feel thrifty, too :)

>1 Maddz:, >6 Darth-Heather:, >9 tardis: So sorry to hear of your sorrows. Also those of you with tooth problems.

Margaret's surgery went well; Paul rang the ward before lunch and she wasn't out of theatre at that point, but when he rang mid-afternoon she was back on the ward and sleeping. They are pleased we are offering to bring her back to us (as it means they don't have to keep her in as long), but it won't be before the weekend. We've been told not ring again until Friday. With a little bit of luck they won't discharge her until early next week.

Boxes of stuff have now made their way to the attic, and the floor is 75% visible for the first time since we moved in. There's a few more things to go up; various small trolley suitcases for instance. Tomorrow's job is to finish off the room clearance, get the curtain rail up and the curtains hung, dust, hover and mop and start airing the mattress (must turn the radiator on!) The bed is Paul's old bed which hasn't been used for over 5 years. At least I have a mattress topper to fit; I will have to check what I have in the way of single bedding lurking in the linen cupboard (which is now accessible since the boxes of magazines went up to the attic).

Having a sad day. There was an injured deer in my front yard this morning. It was there for several hours after I noticed it, eventually moving across the road. (Using spoiler tags to cover up information that some may find disturbing) Finally the police came to deal with it (I understand the conservation officers were up the highway). The only thing they could do was to put it out of its misery. So sad. Afterwards I went out with a snow shovel to cover up the blood in the front yard. It looks like it may have been there most of the night. Probably hit by a vehicle near the house, and took shelter in my yard. Feeling very sad about it, but don't think I could have done anything more to help.

Edited to add - I did call it in as soon as I realized it was injured, and called again a couple of hours later after there was no response.

Aww, I'm so sorry NS. It's awful when wildlife suffer at our hands.

The weather - the local river is up by over 3m (10ft) and still rising, people are being evacuated, I'm fine and far enough uphill not to concern us. In the last hour the rain's turned to snow and a solid inch plus has already settled onto what is sodden ground. Tomorrow could be interesting, but I'll sleep first and worry later.

Well, Margaret is now installed in the spare room. Despite the ward telling us not to ring until today, Margaret got discharged yesterday. Cue a frantic scramble to get the room ready enough to inhabit - including a call out to the plumber to fix the radiator (we don't use the room, so it was off). Things are still a bit messy, but liveable.

We collected her at 5 pm, and got her back to us by 8 pm. This included clearing all the perishables and short shelf foods from her house, and packing sufficient clothing for several weeks. We think she'll be with us until Easter - she gets re-plastered in about 10 days time now, then she'll have another 6 weeks.

I am now exhausted, and taking another day off work. I will have to rethink my leave plans - I had sufficient leave to work 4 day weeks until year end, and still carry over 5 days; but some weeks I had to be in for a meeting, so I had 2 days on top. That's been used up, my reporting schedule has changed, so I'm going to cancel the remaining days, and re-book. I will have to book a day to take Margaret to the clinic for the follow-up appointment, and probably another day when her plaster comes off, then time to get her back home again.

>12 NorthernStar: *hugs*
>15 Maddz: May you all settle in well and not "rub" each other the wrong way. It can be a tough adjustment. *hugs for you, too.*

Yikes. My heartfelt condolences and sympathy to all of you. Was I foolish to think 2021 was going to be kinder?

I think covid killed my husband, even though he didn't have it.

>18 Meredy: I'm so sorry. Do you mean the extra stress was responsible, or just how Covid pretty much destroyed all normal activity?

I mean that the hospital was overwhelmed here in the middle of one of the hottest covid areas, attention to an old, frail guy with COPD and complications was not what it should have been, and I honestly think that, consciously or not, they wanted the bed.

Oh no that's awful. Can't even comprehend your frustration or anger. Wish there was something I could do or that he had a better outcome.

>20 Meredy: Sounds like what happened to us with Margaret - admitted Tuesday, in theatre Wednesday, discharged Thursday. The original plan was to keep her in until today at the least - after her surgery, they told us to call back today. We were very surprised when she called us yesterday morning and said the idea was to discharge her in the afternoon, even though she was still on oxygen at that point.

Well, she's with us and being looked after and I fully expect her to stay until Easter. She's still rather sleepy, but she's up and moving about. The only problem is being effectively one-handed; and it would be her dominant hand in plaster.

>20 Meredy: I'm so sorry.

>22 Maddz: Easter is a long way away. Hope at goes smoothly.

Hugs to everyone dealing with problems, especially to Meredy. So hard to think that the outcome might have been different in more normal times.

An update to >12 NorthernStar: - At dusk that afternoon I had a call from a neighbour to say that a lynx was in my front yard. I went to look, and sure enough, there it was, right near the front steps. I went for my cell phone to get a picture and at first couldn't see it when I got back. It was in the corner between the new deck I am building and the fence. I did manage to get a couple of pictures when it came back under the tree, but the light was very bad. It seemed to be sniffing out all the places where the deer had bled. It then sat for a short time near the sidewalk, walked along the sidewalk, across the road, right past a group of 4 or 5 standing at the end of a neighbours driveway, and up the driveway and through the yard where the deer was brought out.

The next day I had a better look at the traces left behind, and it seems likely that the deer was injured in the bush behind the neighbours fences, probably by the lynx, and them came out to my yard as a safer space.

I think our little town is finally getting hit by Covid. Up until the end of December there had only been 17 cases reported since March. Between January 6-10 there were 40. That may not seem like a lot to those of you in bigger towns and cities, but I am in a very small, isolated town.

>20 Meredy: I am so very sorry. I hadn't heard that you lost your husband, my online time has been sporadic at best.

I am going to go ahead and announce this, even though it is rather early and there are possible complications, but we need some joy in this year. My son and his wife told us in November that they are expecting our first grandchild in early July. We are very happy and pleased. My husband said I shouldn't be too happy because things might happen since it is early days. My response; why should I let fear rob me of even a few days of joy? Bad things can always happen, but I'm not going to look for them, and I'm going to enjoy the moment and hope for the best. If there is grief in the future (and there always is) I will deal with it then. Today, I have a healthy grandbaby about the size of a pear, forming and developing in its mother's womb. That is JOY!

Congrats, MrsLee. I am so happy for you!

>24 NorthernStar: :o(

>25 MrsLee: exciting news!

>26 clamairy: & >27 NorthernStar: Thank you. :)

Mark and I have been choosing new activities to do together based on a letter of the alphabet for several years now. This year the letter is "E." E is not easy.

However, we did manage to come up with 8 words to inspire us to try new things this year.
Estuary
Ebbtide - The similarity of these two words is not lost on us, but it was somewhat of an argument (which I won) about the meaning of the word "estuary" which resulted in both of them being set aside as sacred words which could not be crossed off the list. I am looking forward to seeing a lot of water birds, egrets? This year.
Eleemosynary
Estate Planning
Eagle Lake A body of water near us, my folks used to take my siblings and I camping there.
Eggrolls
Ebook
Experiment

>28 MrsLee: Etymology?

>29 -pilgrim-: Crossed off. Doesn't mean we can't do it, just means we don't make a concerted effort at it.

Congratulations, embryonic grandma!!

And I could get into eggroll research, I think. :)

>31 Marissa_Doyle: LOL, thanks. We are looking forward to the eggroll researches as well!

I have 5 groups on LT that I follow (other than official groups). Of the 5, 3 are looking for new administrators! As you can tell, I tend to stick with the quieter groups. :) I have volunteered for 2 of them. Hope I'm not biting off more than I can chew, but the thing is, they are groups about a specific series of books which is complete, author is dead and so the group activity is sporadic at best. The third is the Cookbooker's group which I didn't realize had lost its active admin. So far, none of them have suffered much from lack of attention.

>25 MrsLee: Great news!

Congratulations MrsL!

>25 MrsLee: Happy for your news. And thank you for your condolences. Caring support and sympathy mean so much. I thank everyone here for that.

Egyptology would probably get me through a whole year.

>35 Meredy: I had Egyptology on the list, but Mark crossed it off.

>28 MrsLee:, >29 -pilgrim-: Entomology? Embryology? (to follow the progress of the new addition to the family)

Eland? The most nearly farm-able African antelope and good eating, but the problem is that they can clear an 8-foot fence from a standing start without even breathing heavily.

The etymology of echidna is interesting, as are their reproductive organs. Not sure that it would sustain interest for an entire year though. Also they are unlikely to clear an 8-foot fence, unless thrown.

>38 hfglen: Same problem with kangaroos.

>39 MrAndrew: Echidnas would go under. They can dig amazingly fast. I watched one once bury itself in the ground beside a road in northern New South Wales—it just seemed to sink into the red dirt.

So much news to catch up on since I last stopped by.

Meredy, I am so sorry to hear about your loss. I hope that there are people to support you during this time.

Maddz, I hope Margaret settles in and makes a steady improvement. Also that having her as a guest doesn't cause either you or her stress.

NorthernStar, that is very sad about the deer, but amazing to see the lynx.

And MrsLee, many congratulations on your grandchild-to-be! That is wonderful news. In fact it is Extremely Exciting.

I went to the dentist last Friday and was relieved to learn that I haven't done much damage at all. However I do need treatment and it will be expensive.

We had a telephone call from our older son and his girlfriend today. They wanted to let us know they have gotten engaged.

I wanted to share this bit of January Joy with you all.

Awww, that's sweet.

>41 Sakerfalcon: Thanks! I do hope your dental woes are solved soon.

>42 pgmcc: Wonderful!

>42 pgmcc: Congrats!

>42 pgmcc: And 2021 is already miles ahead of 2020 just out of the gate. :)

>42 pgmcc: Congrats!

Just saw this thread today.

Meredy, so sorry for your loss.

Maddz, I hope all goes well with you MIL.

Mrs. Lee, congratulations! And I think Eating Excellent Entrées should be added to your list. :)

NorthernStar, bummer about the deer. But it would be cool to see a lynx! And sorry Covid is hitting your town.

I've on my third day of in-person instruction with all of my kids. On day 2, 2 of them went home with fevers (twins so same household). They can not come back until Feb. 6. I don't know if they have to get tested. I'm just soooo tired! All the uncertainty and stress is taking its toll. I'm counting down to spring break.

I did get my first vaccine shot. I get my next one on Feb. 21.

Ohh, baby! Lucky MrsLee. Best wishes for health of the whole family!

Since 1982 (or possibly '83) we've held a party in January for our oldest friends, the ones we've known since our days in the now-defunct Edmonton Science Fiction and Comic Arts Society. The party predates 1982, but the people who founded it graduated from university and moved away, so I took it over. It's called 12th Night, although not held on the actual 12th Night, but it's an excuse to get dressed up and socialize at a cold and dark time of year. And because in the beginning we were mostly impoverished students and/or recent graduates, it's pot luck and BYOB. For the latest 10 or 15 of those years, one couple (later just the husband, after she sadly died), have sent us flowers on the day of the party. Of course, in 2021 there's no way we could have the party, which made me sad.

Anyway, today my friend sent flowers anyway. *sniff*

>49 tardis: You have a sweet friend. What a lovely gesture!

>49 tardis: That is a lovely tradition.

>49 tardis: This is a good friend, we need more of this.

>42 pgmcc: Congratulations! What lovely news!

>49 tardis: That is a great tradition. Hopefully next year you will have an extra special party to make up for missing this year.

I realised that this will be the first year in many that I won't be able to spend Shrove Tuesday eating pancakes with my friend and my goddaughter. It has been an annual date for about 8-10 years now.