For the amount of time I sit here in front of this computer, you’d think I’d be able to do some blogging more often… but alas, time continues to speed by here at Casa Krueger. I just keep forgetting to log in and just WRITE.
I’m not sure how it’s the end of July already… but here we are. A couple of my friends commented how 2020 is both the slowest year ever, where each week seems to be the length of a month, but also going by insanely quickly.
Overall – things are okay. Aside from the Big Elephant in the Room news, personal life has been a bit up and down this year. Both Erich and I are still fully employed. He’s still at the hospital, which is no longer designated COVID-only. I’ve been working from home since March, with no timeline even started for a return to our office. The next upcoming “event” is the beginning of 2nd grade for Max, and whether it will be in person or online. Personally – I’d much prefer online, even though it’s a lot more stress on me during the day. Safety is the more important thing.
We’ve had to put two of our cats down since the start of this COVID thing. The first, Jack, was totally unexpected since it was so sudden. We were unaware he’d developed a blood clot in his heart – and part of it broke off, lodging at the juncture where his major arteries branch off to his back legs, instantly paralyzing him. The prognosis was so dire and he was in such intense pain that the only humane thing was to say goodbye. He was only 8, and was the epitome of “Cat.” He was named Captain Awesome for a reason – full of cuddles, the social director, and also the arrogance that comes with being a confident cat. It REALLY rocked Erich and me, and truthfully probably prolonged our avoidance to do the second one, which we knew was coming for quite some time.
A couple weeks ago we said goodbye to Hoodsie, who had been suffering from wasting away for about a year. The vets had found no signs of cancer or infection, and leaned toward a diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Disease. Post-mortem, Erich has wondered if something was also wrong with his pancreas that just didn’t show up on his bloodwork. He was so thin, constantly starving, yet really unable to keep a lot of his food down or digest the stuff he did eat properly. We don’t know how old he was, truthfully. We know he was at least 15, based on his approximate age when we brought him in as a younger adult. We watched him blossom from a wary semi-feral stray to a loving housecat. I’m going to miss his 26 insane toes.
Out of respect for privacy, I won’t go into too much detail on the other sad news – but my brother was involved in a bad paragliding crash at the beginning of the month. He’s very, very lucky to be alive. Lots of bone breaks but no other organ injuries (especially his brain), and he had to have two surgeries within the first 24 hours… but he’s on the road to recovery and in good medical care. Scott and I have a very complicated relationship and are distant from one another, but I’m still worried about him – just from afar.
Otherwise, things are pretty good. I’m starting to write penpal letters again… slowly… after many months of just not being able to put pen to paper. I’ve been doing a LOT of stitching. I managed to finish one piece, Astrology Sampler, and started another, Pandemic by Long Dog. I’ll be getting some ornaments stitched in the next few weeks for various exchanges. I still haven’t been able to do any reading, but I’m accepting that I’m just not in that brain mode right now. Reading will eventually return.
Mom came up to visit for a week at the beginning of the month. She rented a house in Narangansett – about 20 minutes south of where we live. It’s known for being one of the beach escapes in Rhode Island. We had a lovely time. The house was a bit away from all of the craziness in the center of town, and so it was easy to isolate and just have a low-key week. We went to the beach a couple times when it was less crowded, did a little letterboxing out and about in town, and spent time at the house playing board games. My mom remarked it could be a nice yearly thing, and I agree with her. Just getting away for a few days to new scenery was very helpful to my mood.
I have been trying to remind myself of the good things that are coming out of this isolation from COVID. I’m having time with Max that I wouldn’t have been able to. Even if he drives me nuts at times (and I want to make Spongebob Squarepants disappear forever), I do genuinely love that I can give him more cuddles, take him to karate class, and do simple things like having LUNCH with him. I definitely do NOT miss my commute, and it will be hard to go back to it if and when we return to our previous job expectations. Having three hours and change extra per day is amazing. I can get some little stuff done around the house and have time to be productive on my own hobbies – or just slack and rest my brain, if that’s what I need to do. I’m enjoying working in a room surrounded by windows. I’ve watched the springtime blossom into summer right in front of me. It’s the most time I’ve spent in my sun room in 15 years – it’s much more practical as an office, honestly. It’s been the oddball room since we moved in, and it finally has a true purpose beyond “cat containment room.”
Max went in for his yearly checkup a couple weeks ago – my seven-year-old is now only a foot shorter than me. He’s growing like a weed. I’m not sure when this happened:
Definitely not a baby anymore! Not even a “little kid” anymore!
So yeah – I’m doing okay. Trying to go with the flow of things. Not really resenting being home at all, but missing some of the things we did before the pandemic. I know, though, in time life will somehow return in some form. I’m sure it won’t go back exactly to what it was… but when does life ever do that after a big life change?
We’ll keep rolling over here. I hope you’re doing the same.
Happy Sunday everyone,
Mel.
