Monday, April 29, 2013

Week 17 - My Echoing Home


Well, I did wake up with a cold on Monday morning so started the week under the weather. I took a Claritin D, which dried me up and masked my symptoms, but I still felt crappy. I muddled through the day with a foggy head and then went straight home. I was considering skipping knitting (yes, I felt that bad) and so got into sweats when I got home. But after puttering for a bit, I decided I might as well go so went to the library in sweats. Yikes! I’m glad I went though. Better to sit with friends feeling crappy than alone.

I had a dentist appointment first thing Tuesday which was only possible because I could breath. Whoever invented Claritin D should be knighted. I stopped at Wal-Mart on the way in and bought more undies and a pair of black pants for the trip. Not exactly what I was looking for but they’d do. I taught that afternoon so the day was over in a flash. I went straight home and packed up everything on the floor of my closet. The cleaning lady was coming for the last time on Wednesday and I’d asked her to pay extra attention to the floors, especially in the bedroom, in preparation for the floor refinish.

Well, I went to bed at the regular time but was wide awake at 3:15. After trying everything I could think of to fall back asleep, I got up and went through all the paper on my desk. I went back to bed and read for awhile but didn’t ever fall back asleep. I felt so awful that I may have called in sick if the cleaning lady hadn’t been coming so I left her a note saying to call when she was done and headed to work, stopping for extra caffeine at Starbuck’s on the way in. Well, by the time she called at 10:30, the caffeine had kicked in and I was doing OK. At lunch I continued the pre-trip errands, dropping a bag at Goodwill, returning a shirt at the mall and picking up a couple of laundry baskets for more packing up. I can’t say the afternoon went quickly but I was still there so that was something. I did manage to pack up everything in my closet that I wouldn’t be packing or wearing in the next week and was showered and in bed by 9:15.

I felt human again on Thursday morning, which was a good thing because I was training again. I had lunch with Dodie and then book club after work. I hadn’t reread the book but had read some summaries online to refresh my memory and we had a good discussion. I went to bed early again because Friday was Spring Affair.

I had my first lunch with Layton in a month and had fun hearing about his trip. I left work at 3:30 to head to the pre-sale at Spring Affair. I had a list from Andrea but would be spending my free $12 for volunteering impulse shopping. I grabbed things here and there (mostly old favorites) and then Lorri and I went to HyVee for dinner before heading back for our shifts. Well, my 4 hour shift, which was only 3.5 hours, was killer for my knee. After standing and walking on concrete for that long, my knee was super stiff. I’m sure the cortisone shot was the reason it didn’t hurt but I was so ready to sit. After stopping at Nora’s to pick up a bag of clothes for Anne Marie, I headed home for a shower and bed.

The weekend was all about, you guessed it, packing. Billy and Amanda showed up with a friend and they worked in the yard for a few hours. I had spent the morning working in the house (all the linens and curtains in the front of the house were down, washed (4 loads) and hanging on the line), thinking I’d relax in the afternoon, but I couldn’t sit while they were working so I baked cookies and called that productive. By the end of the day, the thicket of Wahoo trees was gone (I had them leave one) and they’d finished raking the lawn. They’d be coming back on Sunday for mowing and perennials beds.

Sunday brought more laundry (clothes this time) and actual packing, moving all the furniture in the front room and sweeping/washing the floors and doing a final neatize in the house. It was after 4:00 and still no sign of Billy. I called the last number he’d called me from, which ended up being my next door neighbor Judith’s cell phone. Since I’d met Billy through her, I told her he hadn’t shown and my frustration must have come through. A few minutes later, she was dropping him at my door. He was full of apologies, as usual, but I gave him a load of grief and went to get gas for the mower. I was in a pissy mood and red in the face. He mowed the front yard and stopped. I had to tell him to mow the back. What the hell is wrong with kids today? If there’s a motivated one out there, I can’t find him/her. But he promised he’d mow while I’m away and Judith offered to keep the money for him (paying him ahead didn’t work last time) so there’s a chance he’ll actually show up. Sheesh!

So, by the end of the day, I was feeling OK about things. The front room and spare bedroom were completely ready for the floors and I’d started in my bedroom. My suitcases were aired out and I’d started packing and my knee was doing OK. I’d be flying in four days but had decided to take all day Thursday off to take some of the stress out of last minute prep. Plus the spring weather was finally here and I was able to leave the windows open at night for the first time this spring. With spring so delayed, I’d be missing some of my favorite blooms – forsythia, tulips and Korean spice viburnum. Maybe I’ll see some in Ireland? I live in hope.

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