Of Habits, Hardships and Gifts by Konnie Enos

If you know me at all, you know that I plan ahead for any gift-giving events. I carefully budget each month so that I know I’ll have enough money for Christmas and still cover all birthdays then I start shopping for said gifts early.

Royce’s birthday is May 1^st and it’s not unusual for me to get both his birthday present and his Christmas gifts for the year by the end of February. Then I can focus on the next birthday I need gifts for. In this case, it’s ours. I generally manage to figure out what I’m getting Bonnie by the end of May and usually ship it to her in mid-June.

After that, I focus on my three daughters. First Kristina whose birthday is in August, then I quickly do Melinda and Clarissa. However, since I have to ship things to Clarissa, that also means I’m getting birthday and Christmas gifts for both my grandbabies and my son-in-law at the same time. I usually barely manage to ship that out just before hers, and my youngest grandbabies birthday in October.

By then I’ve done all necessary gift shopping for the year for everyone except Tony, Jerry, and our pets. But it’s already November and I hate shopping of any kind between Thanksgiving and Christmas (though admittedly online shopping now makes this less of a bother).

Though it isn’t unusual for me to be completely done with my gift shopping for the year by mid-November, and this covers birthdays that are in January and March of the next year (Jerry and oldest grandbaby).

This last year I wasn’t as proactive as I usually am and didn’t get Christmas gifts for Royce until I was also getting gifts for Jerry and Tony. I’d put off a great deal of my Christmas shopping because, for one reason or another, we’d had to use the money I was setting aside for gifts on other important things. I postponed all my gift buying as late as possible and got far fewer gifts for lack of money. I even made a few simply because I had yarn but not enough money.

This year, I started the year thinking more caution was called for because I’m not sure that some new catastrophe won’t befall our finances again. I’m thinking our heating issue also affects our air conditioning system and it’s going to be non-functional too. Meaning my gift money may well go toward either repairing our system or finding a temporary solution for the air conditioning as well, and we know fans won’t completely deal with it. So we’re thinking we might need a couple of portable air conditioners.

I’ve also had other things on my mind. Like prices going up for everything and we have a fixed income. Yes, we did just get a sizeable COLA but it’s based on past increases and since the costs are still rising, it certainly isn’t even keeping up with things. So while I’ve been setting the money aside for gifts, I’ve been wondering if I’m even going to be able to get Christmas gifts again this year.

However, I don’t spend that much on birthday gifts so I was reminding myself to figure out a gift for Royce. I just never got it done.

Last week, yeah late March, I realized it was already April and I had not even browsed for a gift to get Royce yet. I needed some ideas so I finally had a conversation with him about it. Even then I still postponed shopping for a few more days.

When I finally did get on Amazon, I figured I could also get stuff for Bonnie’s yearly gift box so hopefully, I could get it to her well in advance of our birthday. And it took me a while to figure out what I was getting.

After placing the order, I promptly forgot about it in favor of focusing on everything else on my to-do list. Because I’d so completely put it out of my mind, I was surprised when an Amazon package arrived for me on Monday.

Royce dropped it on my bed beside me and I asked him what it was. I then asked him to open it for me but he was already walking out the door and refused to turn back around to open it. It’s a good thing because that’s about when I realized his birthday present was probably in that box.

I got opened about when Royce decided he would help me with opening it and returned. I had to tell him what I assumed was in there and that he needed to leave again.

Yes, his gift was in the box.

Now I have some wrapping to do.

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.

Of Glasses and Collections by Bonnie Le Hamilton

Later today, I will finally get my new glasses. Now normally I wouldn’t be so excited about this, I get new glasses regularly, but this time I’ve been without glasses for more than a month!

You see, I had cataract surgery last month, and, because I had them fix my near vision (which I need to do my job and to write) instead of my far vision, it meant that I couldn’t see well enough to legally drive until I get those glasses.

I’m so tired of depending on friends for rides!

I can’t wait until I have new glasses. I can drive again!

I also haven’t been going to my weekly meeting at the library because I didn’t want to ask for that many rides. It was bad enough, I needed rides to get to and from work, church, and the store. I just couldn’t add to it. My friends have their own lives to live too.

Anyway, this afternoon I’ll be able to go to that meeting again.

I’ll also be able to go to the store whenever I want and visit my sister-in-law on Saturdays without begging for rides. Which will be very nice. This past Saturday I couldn’t find a ride to visit her.

At least we won’t have that issue for Easter!

And yes I’ll spend part of Easter weekend with my sister-in-law. If Konnie lived closer, I would spend it with her. Across town is a whole lot closer than Vegas!

And right now, my foot is falling asleep because Patches is on it. At least my bed is big enough for both of us since he likes it a lot. Though he gets testy when I chase him off my spot.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve entered the room to find him sprawled inches away from my pillow and I have no intention of traipsing all the way around to the other side. That’s just too much work.

I guess I can get testy too.

Anyway, Easter is almost here, and I haven’t done any shopping for it. I haven’t had the money, time, or a ride for it. Not that I’d buy much, I shouldn’t have a whole lot of candy, but I love jelly beans.

Last year around Easter time I found out there are knickknacks that depict the empty tomb, and man, I want one! I still don’t have one, but it would be nice.

I do have the Christus, a couple of Christ at Gethsemane, and one of Christ with the children, and of course, well over a hundred of his birth, but I don’t have anything about Easter. Does anybody want to get me one?

Which gets me thinking about characters and what they might collect.

I have one story where the female lead collects figurines and teddy bears (the stuffed kind), and another where the female lead collects both teddy bear figurines and toys.

And if you are asking, I don’t collect those things.

I guess I could have one where a character collects gnomes because my sister-in-law does. Actually, she collects gnomes, angels, and clocks. And just recently she started collecting tiny pink pigs. She’s also got some squirrels.

To each his own. We all have our quirks.

I really should have a male who collects something. I do have a male supporting character who collects movies on video. Like a whole ton of movies.

Books are another thing a character could collect. I certainly do.

The last time I bought some books my aide said, “Don’t you have enough already?”

My answer? “Never!”

Sorry, I love books. And I honestly think my books outnumber my Nativities, but I could be wrong. It’s a close call.

Though I’m not all that sure what guys would collect.

I do have one male lead with a collection of model cars, but he is a mechanic, that’s kind of a given.

I know Konnie has a male character with a collection of spaceships (it is a sci-fi). So model airplanes would work too. And I’ve heard of men, particularly sailors having model ships, so that would work too.

And of course, there are those baseball cards they could collect. I believe there are cards to collect in Pokémon too, but that could be any gender collecting those.

Really any gender would collect most of those.

Though I guess it would be kind of weird for a man to collect knickknacks or figurines.

If a character was rich, maybe he could collect cars, either in general or from a certain category. I could see a guy collecting muscle cars or maybe luxury cars. I could also see someone collecting cars from the 1920s or 30s, which would be really cool, I could go for that.

Anyway, happy writing everyone.

Of Cold, Viruses, and Other Annoyances By Konnie Enos

 

Right now I’m not feeling well at all. I got so sick I finally went to the doctor. He prescribed antibiotics and within twenty-four hours I was feeling better. Sort of. I no longer have a sore throat.

I looked over the paperwork they gave me to see if they’d given me any recommendations for self-care that would help with my remaining symptoms. I saw that they’d tested me for covid, influenza, pneumonia, and strep. I don’t have any of those.

He did mention bronchitis. Being an asthmatic, bronchitis isn’t a good thing because it means your bronchial tubes are swelling shut. The doctor told me to take my nebulizer for the coughing, which I hadn’t been doing and put me on antibiotics.

Having been there many times before I figured I’d be feeling better within a day. And I was. All signs of a sore throat had gone away. However, now I do have a cough. I also still have a stuffy/runny nose, congestion, sneezing (lots of sneezing), and quite annoyingly a decided lack of appetite.

So I’m still very sick and quite sure I had not only a bacterial infection but a viral one. I’m working on my self-care. Plenty of rest, fluids, and regular doses of albuterol, plus I haven’t been skipping using my C-pap. I figure forcing air into my lungs every night has to be helping even if it is only a little bit.

I’ve also barely left my bed for a week now. I’ve canceled and/or rescheduled multiple appointments and forgone running errands that can simply wait. I mean I could use that skein of navy-blue yarn. Though it’s not like it’s a desperate thing. Yes, I’d like to finish it before the end of the year but I still have plenty of time to do it.

Now still being very sick while on antibiotics has never happened to me before so yesterday I started wondering what viral infections, that weren’t any of the ones the doctors tested me for, could give me the symptoms I’m still having.

I think Jerry hit the nail on the head last night.

RSV.

RSV is a deceptive little virus. For most people, it’s just a little cold. You get a few days of sniffles, maybe a little cough. No big deal.

But I know it is a big deal because it very nearly killed my baby twenty-one years ago. Believe me, you never forget watching a code blue called on a loved one, especially when it’s your less than a year-old baby. Generally, doctors say that babies under six months or premature are the most at risk. Though asthma is also a risk factor. This might be why Royce was diagnosed with it at a lot younger age than the rest of my kids.

I am also very much aware that RSV isn’t only deadly to babies. As a general rule, any chronic health condition that affects the lung (asthma, COPD) or the heart (CHF) or a weakened immune system (such as cancer treatment) puts you at greater risk.

Yeah, I have asthma. I’m also at risk for Congestive Heart Failure because of my overlying health and my family history of it.

I also know how RSV is treated. You treat the symptoms. Which I’ve been doing. You know, rest, fluids, nebulizing treatments, and oxygen. Thanks to my underlying health conditions, I can do all that at home. (a C-pap forces air into your lungs.)

So now it is just a waiting game to see how long I’m fighting this infection and I’m hoping it doesn’t require another doctor’s visit. I’m also hoping I’ll have enough energy, and brainpower to work on my writing while I’m stuck here in bed.

Of course, there is one more thing I can do to ensure I get better.

A blessing.

Jerry has already offered me one so that is something I will do as soon as I’m done with this post.

On top of all of that, my vision has been giving me issues. I’ve already seen my eye doctor and he has already diagnosed the problem and how to fix it. The doctor says the treatment should fix the main issue I’m having and then he can get me a new prescription. It’s just going to take a few weeks to get the treatment set up.

Fun.

Though I suppose it could be worse. At least I do most things on a screen where I can increase the magnification so it’s easier to read. If this had happened before the computer age, I’d have had a big problem with it.

So that’s where I’m at. How are you doing?

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.

Late Night Calls and Being Cranky by Bonnie Le Hamilton

 

Last Tuesday, at some point, I panicked thinking it was my turn to post. I went so far as to check who had written our last post. Thankfully, it was me, so no worries. Konnie usually has her post done early and generally also reminds me when I have the post. I have no idea why I panicked, because Konnie usually reminds me, usually on Tuesday night, but oh well.

On this occasion, I had nothing to worry about and went about my evening. Everything was fine and quiet until after I turned out the lights were just starting to doze off when my phone started dinging.

Now I must point out that my phone is set on “do not disturb” from around nine in the evening until I get up in the morning; however, it has a feature that certain people I select can get through in an emergency, no matter the time.

At this moment, I’m rethinking putting Konnie on that list.

The thing is, she normally checks the clock before she calls, or texts, me. Had she realized what the time was in my time zone, she’d have known not to send me a text that late.

And honestly, if she’d stuck with just one text, I wouldn’t have complained, but she didn’t. After the third text, I sent her a text asking if she knew what time it was.

All I wanted to do was get some sleep without my phone dinging in my ear at regular intervals.

By the way, it was past my normal bedtime by about a half hour, and Konnie knows when it is.

FYI, after 9 (Mountain Time) it had better be an emergency or you send me one text, and one text only, or else I will get testy.

For that matter, I get testy when anyone tries to wake me up, for any reason. Not like our brother, Bryan, but still, don’t wake me up! Of course, with Bryan, trying to wake him up was like taking your life into your hands.

Many eons ago, when we first went to live with our dad and stepmom, our stepmom asked me to wake up Bryon who was still asleep, and it was nearly noon (It was summer); I told her in no uncertain terms that if she wanted him awake she could do it.

She tried asking Konnie and our big sister Jacki (AKA Dictionary) to wake him; they also refused. She got really mad at us asking what was so hard about going upstairs and waking up our brother. I told her to go ahead and try to wake him up, just try it.

She stomped upstairs muttering about the three of us being obstinate; we watched and waited. We knew what was going to happen; we grew up with him. It didn’t take her long to come charging back downstairs, but we never got a chance to ask her if she’d learned her lesson when she went straight to the cupboard and got out one of Dad’s extra-large glasses. Now those were Dad’s glasses, we didn’t use them at all. She filled it with ice and water and then returned upstairs.

We followed and watched as she leaned over the bed,  making sure she kept her torso and legs out of his strike zone, and tipped the glass just enough that water was about to come out of it and called his name.

He did open his eyes, and I can’t remember if that first drop hit him or not, but I’ve never seen him move so fast! One second he was lying down and the next he was in the far corner saying, “I’m up! I’m up!”

Let me tell you, by summer's end our stepmother could stand in his doorway, call his name, and he’d be in the far corner pronto. Though, if I recall correctly, he did get soaked at least once.

After that, we never had any problem with getting him up in the morning. Even a few years later when our stepmom was working graveyards and thereby came home after we needed to get up. There was at least once when I tried to wake him, calling from the doorway – way out of his strike zone, and he ignored me, I said, “Fine, Mom should be home soon, I’ll just let her deal with waking you.”

Boom! He was in the far corner.

And maybe I should put that into a story sometime.

Just so you know, Bryon would kick and punch anyone who tried to wake him.  We, his sisters, may be older, but we weren’t taller.

Anyway, happy writing everyone!

Of Early Morning Calls and Sparking Muses by Konnie Enos

 Well, that’s a crappy start to the day. Getting a phone call at six o’clock in the morning is never pleasant. It makes you think there is some major issue somewhere. And I knew this call wasn’t from a family member because I set the ringtone for family members differently than the standard one.

Let me explain.

On Saturday I received a couple of bills from a medical provider in my area. Because of my insurance, I should never be billed, but occasionally someone messes something up and doesn’t bill correctly or somehow submits it wrong. In most cases I can get them to correct the error and take care of the bill however that usually includes fighting with the employee I end up talking to about how I do NOT owe them anything, it’s covered.

I was not looking forward to that phone call but made the effort while I studied the bills. I found it was an error with my insurance before I ever got an employee on the phone. Fortunately, she was excellent at her job and immediately found the issue was with my insurance. We worked together to straighten out the error.

Somehow they’d gotten my primary insurance mixed up with the member ID number of my secondary insurance and I’m not sure they had the ID number on my secondary at all. It took a few, but it was an easy fix.

With the issue fully resolved, I completely put it out of my mind. Instead of focusing on things I still needed to take care of. Like the bills that needed to be paid, the appointments family members needed to get to, or the service the car was due for.

Then there’s yesterday. At some point in the morning, I remember thinking I’d have to spend time that day doing finances and writing my post. I did manage a tiny bit to update my checkbook register but did not finish the task. Between interruptions and distractions, I also did not write anything. I somehow forgot it was Tuesday. Or more likely spaced that I had to write the post for this morning.

Then, late enough in the evening to consider retiring for the day, I got a splitting headache so bad I could not focus on my computer screen. Writing anything was out of the question even if I’d had an idea to write on, which I didn’t. I was seriously considering just going to bed when I remembered that I had a post to write.

I took some Tylenol, which helped a little, but eventually texted Bonnie to warn her that I might have an issue getting a post up. She was not happy with me because apparently I had either not comprehended how late it was or had failed to calculate the time difference. Based on her reply, I’m assuming my message woke her up.

At this point, I decided that sleep was going to help more than medicine so I took the steps needed to shut off my tech and get ready for bed. Though I added the step of resetting my wake-up alarm an hour earlier so I’d have time to figure out a post before it was due.

So, after my alarm woke me up, I wisely got right up and went to the bathroom, no hitting snooze. While I was in there, my phone started ringing and woke Jerry up. He did not find it quickly enough to answer it.

Now, as I said, I knew it wasn’t a family member, and being the senior citizen I am, I’ve grown up with the idea that you do not call people before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. People of my generation tend to think that means there is an emergency when you call outside of those hours.

So needless to say, we’re a bit panicked about who called and why.

I looked at the call log. It was an unsaved number, but clearly a business. I could think of no reason for a business to call at that hour and had to assume they were a call center or something and didn’t comprehend the time difference. Though I still had no idea what company it was from. I wasn’t about to call back at that hour.

They left a voice message.

It was some guy returning my call from Saturday! You know, the one I’d already resolved and completely forgotten about!

I would be a lot more upset if it had woken me up but still, there was no reason for them to call me back, let alone at that hour.

So yeah, a crappy start to the day, but at least it sparked my muse.

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.

Update: I was wrong, It was a medical bill, just a different one. Though it was still an insurance issue. This time I just had to update my secondary insurance. But seriously? Six o’clock?

Showing My Age by Bonnie Le Hamilton

 

Just recently I found an article online listing 27 movies that others insist everyone else forgets about. I honestly thought when I opened the article I’d know quite a lot of them, but that wasn’t the case. In fact, the first one I had even heard of was #4 and the second one I’d heard of was #8. The movies I’d heard of were numbers 4, 8, 10, 11, 19, 20, 21, & 27.

The thing is, I can name movies that I’ve watched and really liked that people I’ve talked to have never heard of which were not on that list.

By the way, the three on that list that I had watched, would not be on my list of movies other people seem to need to remember.

Movies I know of that it seems everyone else has forgotten are some old (or maybe not so old) westerns like “El Dorado,” “War Wagon,” “Silverado,” “The Searchers,” and “Angel and the Badman.” (Yes, I know most of those are John Wayne movies. Give me a break, I still have Tom’s collection of John Wayne movies.)

Or like “The Quiet Man” and “War Games.” (Yeah, another John Wayne movie there. Though I might point out my action/adventure-loving husband didn’t like “The Quiet Man” and “Angel and the Badman” quite as much as I do. Give me a break, those two are all about romance.)

On the sci-fi list are things like Battle Beyond the Stars (starring Richard Thomas no less) and The Last Star Fighter. (Two of my all-time favorite science fiction movies.)

And how about “No Deposit, No Return”? That is a hilarious movie, but I can’t find many who have heard of it. And who here has heard of “The Gnome Mobile” or “North Avenue Irregulars”? I’d love to own “No Deposit, No Return.” I want to see it again. I wouldn’t mind getting “North Avenue Irregulars” either. I have “The Gnome Mobile.”

And do you remember “Savana Smiles”? I loved that movie! That would be great to have in my collection as well.

The three I’ve seen from that list are #20 “Tremors” (Who hasn’t heard of that one?), #21 “Baby Boom” (How could anyone forget that one?), and #27 “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” (Now come on! With all the big names in that one how can you forget it!).

Or maybe I’m just showing my age, the oldest movie on that list came out in 1979, and of the ones that came out between 1979 and 1991, I hadn’t heard of only one of the two ’91 movies. The rest were newer than that, and I stopped going to movie theaters sometime in the ‘90s. And well, when it comes to “The Best Little Whorehouse,” maybe kids today haven’t heard of half of the big names in that show, but back when I was young when it came out, those names were huge.

And by kids, I mean anyone twenty-four or more years younger than me. And yes, my nieces and nephews remind me all the time that they are not kids. I beg to differ; if I remember when you were born, you’re a kid.

Okay, that doesn’t really work, because I remember when my brothers Ben and Dan were born, but they are less than twenty years younger than me. In fact, Konnie and I were seventeen when Dan (the younger one) was born and thirteen when Ben was born. We also have a niece that was born when we were eighteen. I view all three of them as adults. I just had a bit of difficulty when Dan mentioned that his oldest child got her driver's license.

I used to change Ben’s and Dan’s diapers for crying out loud! And don’t even bring up that Konnie’s a grandmother twice over.

Dang, where have the years gone?

In other news, I haven’t worn my glasses in a week. Something I am still trying to get used to. I keep either trying to adjust my glasses or reaching to put them on. The only problem is, since having my cataracts removed from both eyes, my glasses are too strong. So, strong I can’t even see out of them.

I guess though, having cataracts removed proves I am not young anymore.

Yeah, I’m a senior citizen but barely so.

Maybe someday I should write a story with a main character my age. Which is disconcerting because when I started writing my oldest stories, I was that age! And I am still writing the same sorts of stories, but now my main characters are way younger than I am. I honestly have never come up with an idea where the main character is my age.

Anyway, happy writing everyone! 

Of Learning Things and Small Annoyances by Konnie Enos

 

Over this past week, I’ve learned a couple of things.

First of all, as our loyal readers know, I’m ambidextrous because my very first teacher was old-school about handiness. Since I usually write with my right hand, I’ve always assumed few people would notice I’m predominately left-handed. I’ve certainly never given it a second thought.

Until this week.

By the weird circumstance of just being me, I occasionally have some injury/ailment that baffles me. These issues are usually fleeting enough that trying to present them to a doctor is futile because once I decide to see the doctor, they’ll disappear on their own.

This week my injury has been something affecting my left thumb. For the most part, I can use it, but some motions are uncomfortable. You know, stuff like the pincher move. Even typing has proved problematic if I forget and use that thumb.

Since it hurts, I’ve been attempting to not use that hand, or at least my thumb.

Would you all now kindly attempt to strap yourself into a car without using your left thumb? How about picking up your laptop or full water bottle that is positioned on your left to the point you cannot reach them with your right hand without twisting your body or moving?

Yeah. It’s been an interesting week.

Then there is discovering all the things I automatically do with my left hand, even though I could do them right-handed. Like flipping the top of my water bottle open. I’ve had to remind myself several times this week not to do that.

So despite the fact I already knew I used both hands, I’ve been learning this week just how often and for how many things I use my left hand.

Now on to the second thing I’ve learned.

For background, on February 8^th the oldest of my husband’s brothers passed away. Please note, my husband’s siblings are all younger than he is, his brothers by several years.

This necessitated his traveling to Oregon to attend the funeral. Plus, he gets to spend time with our grandbabies. Before he left he’d asked me about how I’d handle him being gone. Basically, he wanted to know If I’d miss him.

It’s not like we haven’t been apart from time to time in our marriage. I mean he was in the navy, and he did go out to sea, while I was pregnant. And that’s not the only time we’ve ended up spending a month or more apart for whatever reason.

I am also perfectly capable of driving myself where I need to go and dealing with daily household stuff without him. (Okay, so yeah, I do rely on our kids a great deal, but they can do things I can’t. Like reaching the top shelf or the bottom of the washer.)

And yes, I don’t care for sleeping in this bed alone, but I’ve managed before, so I can do it again.

And things around here were just fine, almost normal.                                                         

Until I had to be the designated driver for Royce (who still doesn’t have a license). Until I had to be the one getting up in the middle of the night to let Mabel, and sometimes Xavier, out while also annoying Melinda for all the times I slept right through them asking to be let out because they never once came to my side and pawed at me like they do Jerry. (I do understand Melinda’s annoyance since those were the times Mabel relieved herself inside instead.) Until I was the only one who could get up every 12 hours at seven on the dot to feed fur babies. Until I had to argue with my sons to go feed Jerry’s dog because I’m not going there.

I mean he’s a big loveable fur ball and I know he’d never intentionally hurt me, but he can look me in the eye while standing on all four paws. I do not need the big oaf jumping on me in his excitement. And I think at least half his excitement is because he wants to play. So yeah, I’m not going there.

Originally Jerry wasn’t sure how long he’d stay in Oregon because he wanted to see his other siblings, and our daughter, while he was there. Totally understandable, but I was getting frustrated enough to think about asking him to come home as soon as possible.

Luckily, I didn’t have to.

He decided on his own it was time to come home. Now I just have to convince someone else to deal with airport traffic and pick him up, this afternoon!

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.