Dad 560: Anticipation

(Looking forward to Saturday! Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Another bright sunny day turning into a darker cloudy day. Spring is definitely on its way! Hip Hip Hooray!

 

Still recovering from my toe loss on my right foot. Surgery area was a little swollen when I visited the wound center today. No more big bandages but still want the little bleeding that is present to stop. Started new antibiotics today! Hope it works. Will check with my doctor in five days.

 

Good news (I think) on visiting Mary Lou at the nursing home. Supposedly we will be able to meet with her on Saturday at 10:30 and actually be able to give her a hug. This is only to be done if a nursing home resident is fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Mary Lou completed her vaccinations a while back, and the experts that manage the home have agreed to actual "touch" visits. It will be the first time we can hug since March 13, 2020. IT IS ABOUT TIME! I believe the nursing home personnel were feeling some serious pressure! Or they were about to!

 

I completed my vaccinations yesterday!

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Getting Closer

I worked from home today so I could intersperse some phone calls. I managed to put in a full workday. As for the phone calls, things didn't go as I had planned but there was some unexpected progress.

The best news of the day: I scheduled a visit for Saturday morning for Dad and I to visit with Mom.  Only a half-hour, but there will be no plexiglass divider. This means we will be able to hug her!  Although things still aren't as "open" as I would like, this is a step in the right direction.

Right after I scheduled the Saturday visit, I got notification that I could make an appointment to get the first dose of the vaccine. I was going back and forth on whether to get it, but the sequence of events today helped me make up my mind.  Hopefully being fully vaccinated will help me when asking for more visitation freedom at the nursing home. Dad got his booster today, so he is now fully vaccinated.

Will go to the office to work tomorrow — the last day of March.  How did three months of this year go by already?!

R&R Weekend

Dad has been behaving! He is doing a good job staying off of his feet. Hopefully his toe (or lack thereof) will look marvelous when he has his follow-up appointment.

Lew and I had a brief window-visit with Mom this afternoon. Lew filled the birdfeeders outside her window while she and I blew kisses at each other. I think I woke her up from her nap, but she is always glad to see us. Dad hasn't been able to visit for a few days (toe), but she seems to understand why.

Other than doing laundry and catching up on my bills, I am intentionally having a weekend of R&R. For me that means organizing my LEGO collection, watching some programs, and reading. Zack's football team doesn't play this weekend, so I will probably watch a little bit of March Madness to scratch my sports itch.

A beautiful day today. I love Spring. 😊

Dad 559: Hail to The Chief

(Thank you, Lew, for taking care of the patient! Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Not the greatest spring day today, but not the worst. Right now it is 51° outside with no bright sun. The snow is gone. Please, no more storms!

 

I'm sitting here on the couch the day after my big right toe ("The Chief") was amputated. I have been taken care of very, very well by Lew. He drove me to and from my surgery. He also is doing all my cooking. He is making me follow the doctor's instructions by not letting me walk without my walker. I'm trying not to put pressure on the toe area.

 

I just watched Joe Biden's first presidential press conference. I don't recall any other presidential conferences in which presidents had a booklet with them for looking up answers. My opinion of his performance is a very low one; even got agreements by some of the TV commentators on several channels. A very boring hour.

 

Next Tuesday I will receive my second dose of the coronavirus vaccine (Moderna). Was set up for yesterday but had to reschedule. Stay tuned.

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Toe-Morrow

Dad (a.k.a. Derf) is planning to write his weekly post tomorrow.

Today he had part of his big toe removed (right foot). Everything went well, and now he needs to try to stay off his feet for a few days. Hopefully he will behave!

Six and a half toes remain....

Weary....

I'm tired.  I'm done with the pandemic.  May we please live normally?

Yesterday I pre-registered for the vaccine. Starting tomorrow, my age group is now eligible in Maine to receive the vaccine.  Once I am fully vaccinated I plan on visiting my mother and giving her a hug —  whether the nursing home is open for visitation or not. She is already vaccinated, so I don't know why I wouldn't be able to do this. What are we waiting for?!

Dad will have his second dose a week from tomorrow. (It got postponed from this Wednesday due to his toe-removal appointment that day.)  He wants to walk in and see Mom, too.  Maybe we will do it together and get arrested.  That would be a fun father/daughter experience!

Praying for this madness to end.

Spring!

Spring is here!

Ken's Place opened yesterday for the season. They've been busy, which is great to see.

March Madness is happening. I'm so glad for the players. It was disappointing when the tournament got cancelled last year due to Covid-19.

Zack's football team (University of Maine Black Bears) had a nice win today.

I sort of finished my big organizing project here at home. I will still tackle some things, but nothing as major as what I've already done. I am looking forward to enjoying some R&R now!

Happy Spring to all!

Dad 558: More Toe News

(Dad writes today. He is keeping his foot doctor busy! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! A beautiful day as Spring is in the air. Could get a little snow Friday. Then next week is supposed to be like today, only better and warmer!

 

I'm still trying to save my big toe on my right foot. Went to the wound clinic today for another checkup. After my MRI last Friday, a little infection was found in my toe. I believe my foot doctor will take off the top half of my toe. I'll find out in the next few days. If it gets cut off it will have to be after next Wednesday. That is the day I get my second Moderna vaccine. I'll keep you posted.

 

{ Interlude }

 

I was just interrupted by a phone call from my foot doctor. He is going to take the toe off next Wednesday. So I have to check with the vaccine people, which I will do right now. Tune in next week to find out how everything went.

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Exponential Growth

The title of today's post is descriptive of my work load.

Whenever I make a dent in my work, there is even more work coming in to take its place.

I know e-mail is a marvelous invention and very convenient, but the volume is getting out of control. I could easily spend half of my workday just dealing with e-mail.  Yikes!

I just need to keep saying to myself, "Job security, Tracy. Job security."

😬😏

Sports, Sports, and More Sports

I did fit in some time to get some chores done, but this weekend was dominated by sports.

I didn't participate in the sporting events; I was just a spectator. And the spectating was done via television or online streaming.

Lew and I watched bowling Friday night on FloSports. It was match play to determine the five doubles teams to make today's (Sunday's) TV show. Very exciting and came down to the last frame to determine the final team to make the show.

Yesterday we watched the University of Maine Black Bears win their first home football game of the season. It was fun to watch a winning effort, and it came right down to the end of the 4th quarter. Good win, Black Bears!

Then late afternoon/early evening yesterday we watched coach Zachariah's last basketball game of the season. Debbie and Glen came up to watch, too. Just like Friday night bowling and U.Maine football, this one came right down to the final moments of the game. Debbie's analysis of the outcome: "They could have won!" Not quite as good as a win, but a good effort just the same! 😊

Even though we were losing an hour with the time change, Lew and I stayed up late to watch more bowling. We had DVR'd yesterday's show for the individual championship. And the winner was decided when?  You guessed it... in the final frame!

Today's doubles bowling show was exciting, too, although the final match was a done deal with a couple frames to go. There will be more bowling over the next three days for the "animal patterns" championships!

In the midst of all of the above, Lew has been keeping up with the golf tournament. I think Dad has also had some car racing on.

So it was a very full weekend. I now am ready to do some "competitive napping!"

Hopeful News

Did you see the news?  Nursing homes should be opening up for visitation!  And hugs should be allowed!

Still need to get the Maine CDC and Genesis (the parent company of Mom's nursing home) to change their guidelines.

But I am hopeful.

If they don't open up, then there are many of us that will speak up loud and strong.  We are through being patient.  A year is long enough!

Yes, I am hopeful.

Dad 557: Rockets Basketball

(Many thanks to my niece Kelsey for letting me know when her husband's team is playing. Dad writes today.... Enjoy! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Almost a little like Spring today. We will take it!

 

Third week in a row that I have had an inside meeting with Mary Lou. Tracy visited her mother with me yesterday. Will try to visit her every week as long as I can. Will keep you posted.

 

Over the last few weeks I have watched some basketball games on television. No, I am not a fan of the professional athletes that are overpaid and think they are the know-it-all persons on the earth. (Especially the great basketball players.) Instead I have been watching my grandson (by marriage) as he coaches his first varsity high school basketball team. I've been able to see seven or eight Rock Falls, Illinois games on various apps. Of course, my daughter Tracy sets me up to stream the games as I am not great with technology. Hope I have a couple more games to watch. Go, Zachariah!

 

I am trying to save my big toe on my right foot. I go to my foot doctor about every week, and today and next week I go to the wound clinic. Don't want to lose the big toe!

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

A Day Off... Sort Of

Last week I made plans to take today off from work. I had a 7:00 appointment this morning to have blood-work done (in anticipation of next week's routine check-up), and I decided it would be a good day to get other personal things done.

Lew drove me to my early morning appointment, after which we went to IHOP for breakfast. We got home around 8:15ish, and I got working on the paperwork/phone calls I had planned to complete. I finished all of that by 1:00 p.m.... Phew!

After lunch, Dad and I went up to see Mom. He was able to schedule a half-hour inside visit today (still with masks, partitions, supervision, etc.), and two visitors are allowed. So I took advantage of the opportunity. It was nice to be able to talk with Mom without having to stand outside in the cold!

I did a few more organizing-type things when we got home, and then I splurged by finishing a novel I had started reading a few days ago. It was a good way to wind down from the busy morning I'd had.

I enjoyed the break from my regular weekday routine. Back to work tomorrow!

Marching On

An interesting weekend of basketball, football, a dinner outing, and bowling!

Dad was able to watch two of Zachariah's basketball games. A win Friday night followed by a loss on Saturday night. Lew and I had dinner at some friends' home on Saturday, so Glen and Debbie watched the game with Dad and provided the technical support for streaming the game. 😊

Saturday afternoon we watched nephew Zack's college football game. He originally wasn't going to travel for the away game (a limited squad due to Covid), but he ended up going! He's pretty much on the sidelines this year as a red-shirt freshman, but we did get to see him go out on the field to help an injured teammate. As for the game itself.... Well, let's hope for a better outing for the Black Bears next Saturday.

Today Lew and I watched the finals of the national championship for junior bowlers. These teenagers already bowl at a professional level. They were exciting to watch.

The weekend wasn't all fun and games (pun intended). Did the usual chores of laundry and catching up on some paperwork. Also tackled a teensy-weensy bit of our decluttering project. (We'll get there.)

A great week to you all!

Basketball, Football, and Bowling... WI-FI!

 Lions, and tigers, and bears... oh, my!

Dad (a.k.a. Derf) has blogged about watching Zachariah's basketball team play. Zach is the coach. Dad is able to watch because of the modern wonder of live-streaming over the Internet. There were three games this week alone: two home games on YouTube and one away game on NFHS Network.

Nephew Zack's college football team starts a six-game season tomorrow. (Spring schedule instead of last Fall because of the pandemic.) The games will be live-streamed on FloSports, so I subscribed to the service for a year. We will be watching at noon tomorrow!

Because of the FloSports subscription, we also can watch qualifying rounds of PBA tournaments. When I say "we" I mean mostly Lew, since I am at work during the week when most of these rounds are bowled. (Tournament finals are usually aired on Fox or FS1, so we set our DVR to record those.)

Streaming.... It's a wonderful thing. Lew told me to mention the machinations that I go through to set up the streaming in our household. Apps and subscriptions and logins... somehow I make it happen.

Let's go, Maine Black Bears!

Dad 556: Cold, Cold, Cold

(Dad writes today. Enjoy! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Not a bad day today. Yesterday we had about the coldest day of the winter. The wind was around 50+ miles per hour. It was cold out. The coldest day of the year. Today reminded us of what is coming… Spring!

 

The doctor and I are trying to save my big toe on my right foot. I think that my foot problems are a result of being a diabetic. X-rays showed no bacteria in my big toe. So I'm taking oral antibiotics for a few days. My prediction is the toe is going. I hope not. I'll keep you posted.

 

I visited Mary Lou today for an inside visit. She was tired but she stayed for the full half-hour visit. She is doing well and is very social with the other residents and workers. I'm going to guess that we will be visiting and touching for the first time in about a year soon. It's been a long, long time!

 

Have been watching the high school basketball team from Rock Falls, Illinois. Bode's dad, Zachariah, coaches the team. Tracy sets me up to watch the streaming. Enjoyed all the games, but I enjoy it the most when he wins.

 

That's it.

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

A Very Cold and Windy Day

The title of my post says it all.... Today was a very cold and windy day.

Things I am thankful for:

• Heating oil for the house
• A warm bathrobe for the early morning (and evening!)
• Heated seats in my vehicle...
• ... and the remote starter
• Warm clothes
• Warm food
• Our bed's heated mattress pad, which I am going to use right now!

Be sure to stay warm!