Hi, there! I didn't realize there was a comment since I hadn't checked this since I wrote that last post. There will be often when something good or bad happens and I think of writing a post but rarely get around to it. Maybe more frequent writing means more errors. I'm just going to make sure this one gets posted so it'll probably be disjointed.
The Sheriff's Office stuff was a mistranslated. I've been working on taking my Agricultural Commissioner deputy exam lately. I took only oral exam December 2019, this last July and another in November and failed all three. I happened to schedule a Girl's Video Chat night when I found out my result this last Wednesday. They were amused at my alcoholic coping skills -- don't worry, it was only one beer and one wine since my biology doesn't allow me to partake in any more than that. I was really disappointed after this last one because I really thought I had it. I have two more chances at taking this exam before I have to start over with another written test.
Work is okay otherwise. I'm learning how to deal with my boss better. I'm also still working on my own personal lessons on loosening my attachments to anything with my job. Including my own pride in my work. I'm also hoping that things will get better with time here, too. Other than that, who thought this would ever happen?
 |
| Industrial Hemp! |
Ro says he hates school, but a Kindergarten friend of his also says she hates school. Her mom and I spend a lot of the time reminding the kids that this isn't normal and their teachers are doing the best they can. Ro's teacher has been great with driving all the way to B's mom's house to drop off any last minute class materials he needs to participate for class so we don't have to figure out a way to get to the school between 1-3 on a random Wednesday. It also gives Ro a chance to wave at her to remind him that his teacher is a real person. He's learning to sound out words on his own pretty well now and is decent at understanding Spanish. We do supplement with YouTube, Spanish illustrated books (like Dragones y Tacos), and Muzzy videos from the library. He had an assessment in the beginning of the year. It was a little scary since he had just started after summer break. He just had another one last week. I had explained to Ro that we had needed to practice during the weeks before for this test. On the day he took the assessment, he told me about it and admitted he forgot the names of the shapes that had more sides than a quadrilo. I told him it was fine since he know them in English either.
He still loves spiders, robots, firefighters, and Batman. His favorite show is Transformers Rescue Bots Academy and so I've already bought, wrapped, and hidden a transforming remote control batmobile and a Transformer rescue bot. He still has new blue shoes and new blue headphones coming in the mail. At the last community trash pickup, we got rid of his crib mattress, pack-n-play, and an old stroller that was really useful in airport terminals. Santa inspired me to buy him a twin-sized bed, Paw Patrol sheets, and dragon sheets the day after Thanksgiving. Finch really likes to curl up at the foot of his bed where she won't get kicked and Boose has his own bed on the floor in Ro's room. Boose doesn't jump up onto the furniture anymore either because he's gained too much weight or because he's just too old now. Ro has been falling asleep on his own at night in his own bed while listening to podcasts. His favorites are Molly of Denali, Circle Round, Brains On!, Wow in the World, and But Why?.
 |
| After living his best day |
Actually, today is Boosemas -- Boose's 13th birthday. I had scheduled regular annual visits for Boose and Finch at 12:51pm. I thought it would only take an hour, but Finch had lost weight since the last time we went. The vet thought it would be a good idea to do a senior panel. They ended up having trouble getting urine from Finch. The vet saw something while doing an ultrasound of her bladder, and so we couldn’t pass that part up.
 |
| Still my absolute favorite picture of Finch |
The vet tech brought Boose back outside to hang out with me and then, I realized I killed the car battery because I hadn't anticipated such a long wait. B has AAA, but, of course, he wasn’t there for a service. I remembered that our credit card offered something, but it didn’t cover a jump. I was still lucky they were able to get someone to the vet within 15 mins, and I could pay over the phone. So, the vet calls to discuss Finch as the roadside assistance person is trying to call me, but I was able to gesture to him since there were only two cars left in the lot. He ended up jumping the car with a portable jumper in less than five mins, and I didn’t have to hang up with the vet (though Boose was barking the whole time). $500 later (meds, panel, exams), I got Finch back and had a chance to drop off some groceries at Sharon's since she wasn't as far away. I was afraid to shut the car off afterwards, but I knew I also needed to pick up food for dinner.
We hadn’t tried Trelio yet, but I already got the okay from B to order — whenever that would be. I called ahead and asked if they would do curbside because I was worried about getting home if I turned the car off and the response was “Of course! Order online to process the payment. Just call us when you get here!” So, I did, and they kept their word on the curbside. I didn’t even realize the chocolate cake until we got home. Also for the record: I didn’t order the chocolate cake, and it was delicious. It's amazing how supported you can feel by a restaurant you've never been to before. Looking back, it could have been a lot worse. Our vet group is always very thorough with the animals (to where we never feel like there was something missing with the appointment), the roadside service was done by the time it was time for Finch to come out, and I didn't have to shut the car off to pick up takeout from a local restaurant. Actually, I was able to keep the car running for about an hour after the jump, and it starts fine now. Everything ended as a win.
Sharon had brush with another bleeding ulcer. They gave her two units of blood before she started feeling better. She's feeling really down about not being able to do Christmas with any family or friends. Her niece was told by her employer that she was not allowed to leave the County until after this whole virus thing is over. Fresno County has had at least three vaccine drop-offs for hospitals and senior care centers though, and so I'm trying to keep up her spirits with a postponed dinner since, really, in order for us to visit, only she would need to get vaccinated. So far, we're all still testing negative -- even the Washington people.
| What a way to get news. |
Ev didn't elaborate on what happened. She texted me about it on Grandpa's birthday. She just said that Ricardo had been seeing a therapist for over a year and she called it quits. She divorced in May and had been living with Mom ever since -- so, really they both had been keeping it from me. I don't really talk to either of them much. Mom has decided to teach me Malaysian through texting, but we haven't done much other than talking about the weather. It's been variable enough to be enough to talk about. Ro video chats with Mom once every few weeks. Ev sometimes joins in but Mom says she spends a lot of time at her flight school friend(s)' houses. Mom says she took a plane down to quickly do a training in SF but still hadn't been working. Flight attendants are still scrambling for trips to avoid working only part time, and so she's been able to keep trading them out.
Anna is also having issues with her marriage in TX. She loves her job, but she's worried about possibly getting laid off. Her managers are paying her lip service to get her onto a project based in Long Beach and she likes the idea of it to be closer to her parents. Her husband had quit his job in WI to be able to move with her to TX right after they got married. He is doing an online PhD program with a school in AL but hasn't kept a job since, and she's the only keeping up with their bills. They're starting to resent each other over it, he doesn't want to do marriage counseling to prove he's making an effort, and she wants to stay with another girlfriend until their lease is over.
It's interesting talking to B about the others' relationships. He's disappointed in the everyone for not working harder. I understand his sentiment after what we went through. We're still not perfect (I'm still hinting to B that I want a cargo bike), but it's easier to let the stupid stuff go, and I think we have a better idea of how/when to ask for help from each other. I'm trying to cheerlead Anna through her stuff since she's losing hope. I haven't made a move to talk to Ev about her stuff because there's a really good chance I won't tell her what she wants to hear.
In the meantime, I've been keeping up pretty well socially. I've been doing a Facebook message group with my high school friends Matt, Ashley, Beth, Shannon, and Jessica. I have my work friends, a craft group, and church. I join in with Anna and her TX friends for beer and bingo on Wednesdays. Beth introduced me to her AZ book club when my Fresno one dropped off the planet. I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep the TX and AZ fun when COVID is over, but it's neat to do things I probably wouldn't be doing otherwise.
Halloween turned out well with our social-distanced candy table where I set up king-sized candy bars and a motion detecting pumpkin head from Target. We pretty much have a candy exchange with our neighbors and many people set up tables and grab bins. Ro and I got a late start on trick-or-treating, and so we got to hear others complement the table able say that they should do king-sized candies next year. I didn’t let Ro knock on any doors, but he didn’t let that stop him from having a good time. We did miss out on having B with us since he worked for two weeks in a row on the election. We’re all so happy the election is over.
B has been keeping up with church, but declined a reinstatement to the church board. He and Ro take milkshakes to Grandpa Ron every now and then. We did a social-distanced birthday party with him and Aunt Diane the Saturday before Thanksgiving on his ranch-style porch and then did a social-distanced Thanksgiving with him at Grandma Wanda's house. Ro has video chats with his daycare friends. We had actually gone canoeing with them the day after my birthday. The pictures might still be on the Rivertree Volunteers Facebook page. It should be open to the public to look at. These video chats are refreshing to all of us to compare notes on distance learning. If the kids both hate it (since the other kid is doing hers in English), then we're both probably doing okay.
Comments
Post a Comment