Monday, January 5, 2026

Greetings all

The sun is out for the moment and nothing is on fire. Croaking season continues meaning the mating season for the pacific tree frogs. At night it is positively a roar from the small pond down the street. In a bit I will be going out and about to pick up and deliver payroll and look at financials and maybe get some art made.

Paula you really have a bad bug - maybe need drugs? Wishing you warmth and recovery. Sounds like Florida is a *****illy. Agreed you need steam.

You too CC. I so wish there was a way to speed up recovery but wishing ain't getting.

Liz that hutch looks great and you have placed the right accessories on it. Very functional as well as attractive.

The whirlwind of studio remodeling continues. The staff is reworking the glaze area and it is much roomier and more functional. It was really a cobbled together bunch of funky spaces and now seems more open. Love it.

Not sure what is for dinner. Will have to contemplate that.

I see on facebook that my niece is showing her border terrier in agility - the puppy she got from me. It is so cute and seems to be getting the idea.

We continue to watch Black Rabbit and it is pretty intense. Good show. No aliens.

Diane S

I think hearing the frogs would be cool. Perhaps not if I lived right there! I camped once right next to a turkey vulture rookery. All the noise and all the poop! Yuck!

I love the sound of tree frogs. Couldn't figure out what was singing the first time I heard them.

Sounds like someone has a good eye for space utilization in the studio. That's a great skill to have in-house.

These viruses sound so brutal! CC, I worry about you and the dry air making it worse. And do you have decongestants etc? Maybe you need the big guns that have to prescribed. Paula, maybe you also need some prescription help. When I was sick last February among other things, I took prednisone and it really helped. By this time, I worry too, that either of you might be getting a secondary infection.

Yesterday night I celebrated being retired and not having to face back to school after break Monday. What a relief. The first day back after winter break may be even tougher than the first day of school. You're staring down a calendar full of cold and still dark days, but you've also got finals and other pressures. A few 3 day weekends, but no major time off until spring break.

I was happy to go have coffee with DH on this Monday, and talk about what is left to complete on the to do travel list. We appear to be in good shape. Then my brother texted me that my Mom is in extreme pain, and can't stand up, and even my Dad has finally admitted she needs more help. She consistently refuses pain medication, but now she is taking Dilaudid in pill form every 4 hours. Hospice is looking for respite care placement, but there doesn't seem to be much available. These new developments seem very ominous. Dilaudid is the end of life pain killer of choice. It's significantly stronger than morphine or even oxy. Respite care is a two week opportunity, but is someone who is crying and screaming whenever they're moved likely to be stabilized and returned home? On the other hand, my Mom's been at death's door multiple times since her cancer diagnosis 15 years ago. She was offered Hospice 10 years ago, and clearly, she wasn't within 6 months of dying. But this feels different. So today we are still going to Brazil, but who knows about tomorrow.

And now I just got a notice on my phone that an ice storm is headed our way, from 9pm tonight until noon on Tuesday. I'm supposed to pick BFF up at the airport at 8:30am Tuesday morning. Travel advice from the warning: no travel Tuesday morning if possible. Sigh. Well, it might not turn out to be so crazy, or, if it is, BFFs flight might get changed. Snow we can deal with, ice is a whole nother thing.

Positive thoughts: I don't have to worry about whether school is cancelled or not tomorrow. : )

I hope your Mom's health doesn't derail your trip! At least knowing before you leave instead of having to come right back would be better. Do you have trip insurance? I never get it but more and more I'm thinking it is a wise move!

Praying the ice storm missed you. You are right, snow is no fun but ice is horrible!

You might be right about a secondary infection. If I don't improve significantly in the next 2 days, I'll go to an urgent care. Steroids do do wonders!

We bought insurance that provides good coverage for medical issues, but it does come with some trip cancellation reimbursement too. Some things can still be cancelled without penalty, like the air bnb, so I think there would be enough left to cover the non refundable stuff.

DB just texted there is no respite care available, so he and my SIL are spending the nights until there is.

Good that you have the insurance. I haven't typically bought it but I did for the upcoming year and probably will continue to do so after what happened with SIL in Spain last year.

Good suggestion! My dad had a humidifier down in his room, so I set that up in the living room. I've been taking the "good" behind the pharmacy counter Sudafed and Mucinex, but it's an effort to breathe with all this gunk! Maybe the humidifier will loosen it. It's too bad the steam shower generator is broken, because that would be ideal. I need to get that fixed...

Claudia said if I'm not better tomorrow, she's going to make me call my doctor again.

I hope your mom stabilizes and they can get her pain under control. It would be a shame after all your careful planning and looking forward to it if your trip was derailed.

Agree with Claudia - steroids may be needed.

DD so sorry to hear of your Mom's pain and difficulty. Can hospice help locate in home care? Blessings for your brother. And you don't need an ice storm. Good chance BFF's flight will change. Is there an airport shuttle? Sending good energy. ds