Briana is 14 now, so I wasn't sure she'd actually give me another year of wearing a costume - especially during a pandemic. But when we went to Spirit Halloween a while back, she spotted this costume and fell in love with it. It was a great deal and I had a nice coupon to go along with it too - score! She is planning to wear it to (safely) pass out Halloween candy this evening. It's going to be chilly, so she will probably be wearing a jacket over it - LOL!
And that boa? It was mine from when I was a teenager. No joke. It's freaking old. LOL!
How cool is that though?
She is such a gorgeous flapper girl...
And here are all her costumes through the years...
32 weeks are now behind us since coronavirus hit the state of Georgia. 32 weeks is a long time. And it's just over one week until voting day. Whew.
A couple of posts ago, I mistakenly typed that we've been dealing with this coronavirus pandemic in GA for 6 months. I actually meant to type 7 months. So, we've been at this for over 7 months now - and it still sucks. I just needed to point out my error.
So what's been going on in my world?
I know I posted a few photos already of the outside of our house all Halloween'd up, but Doug added a few more cool touches and I think the house looks amazing! Very spooky...
Halloween will be pretty much full steam ahead in my neck of the woods (cause you know - Georgia), so Doug has come up with a creative and safe way to pass out candy this year. More on that next post!
Bri's friend Meredith came over to visit yesterday afternoon. It was a rainy day - perfect for gaming...
A quick basement update...
We have mostly tile down in the basement, but the carpet guy came last week and installed carpeting on the stairs and in one room down there. Flooring is now done. We are now waiting on a cabinet and a countertop to be installed and some bathroom items (shower door, sink, etc) and then it will come down to wrapping up electric, HVAC and plumbing. This is all just a few weeks away from being finished. Then, we can work on getting it furnished. It is looking amazing down there. I'm SO ready for it to be done.
And now a Mei Mei update...
First - she is doing really well and eating property again. She's still a bit hairless, but I will deal with all that at a later date now.
You aren't even going to believe this story though...
Last week, I spoke to the
veterinarian who examined Mei the day I thought she was given the
wrong injection (I wrote her a long letter/complaint and she called me about it). She
actually owns a different veterinary practice several miles away (which is
where I decided to send the letter). I found out that her "soon to be ex" husband is the current owner of the practice where I had been bringing Mei (and I don't believe he
is a vet himself).
She explained that she only helps out this office on an extremely limited, contract basis. She assured me that Mei was not given the
wrong injection that day - she did give her the correct
anti-inflammatory shot. The office manager had told me wrong and charged me
incorrectly. The vet confirmed to me that Mei had been taken
off property that day and was brought to her office a few miles away to be examined. That is where Mei received the injection. I did not give permission for anyone to move her. I
actually noticed the evening I picked Mei up that a number of cats were being unloaded from a vehicle and brought to the back of the office - and I inquired about it to the office manager. She stood next to my car and lied straight
to my face and said those cats were all dental patients. I had no idea Mei was one of those
cats being unloaded off that vehicle. The vet said she had no idea the cats were brought to her office without consent (not sure I believe her or not). She called and
confronted her soon to be ex (owner of the practice) as soon as she got
my letter. He told her he wasn't going to follow up with me or deal with me, so she called me with her side of the story.
I don't believe this practice actually has a licensed vet on payroll currently. Clients are being forced to drop their pets off due to Covid and this practice is using the pandemic to shield to their unethical behavior.
So, I have now put in a complaint with the GA State Board of Veterinarian Medicine about the practice. It makes me sick that this happened. Now I think Mei may have stopped eating those few days due to the trauma of that crazy car ride.
I will never, ever step foot near that place again. And it is a shame, I had been a client of this practice for over 20 years through several different owners. It only started going downhill after this crappy owner bought the practice two years ago. I am going to keep trying to alert people about the lack of ethics of this place. I hope I can actually accomplish something.
I honestly don't know how people live with themselves when they know they are doing something so wrong. I was told that the office manager has Covid now. Karma, perhaps?
On a lighter note, I've been enjoying my back porches again now that the weather is more fall-like. I am really noticing the trees turning color...
The trees are so pretty in the autumn.
Now before I get started on the "not so good" stuff of my blog, I want to share that I had a lovely troll comment on my last post. On my little ole blog! LOL! I haven't had a negative comment on my blog in so many years. I am actually surprised it took this long for it to happen again - especially with how open I've been lately. It was short and not particularly sweet but completely harmless. Since I monitor all my comments before I approve and post them, the comment won't see the light of day. I deleted it after a bit of chuckle. I guess this person doesn't like the political stuff I've been putting out there and felt quite brave typing a snidecomment anonymously.
I guess a struck a bit of a nerve, didn't I? Heh...
It won't stop me from speaking the truth, so it's all good. I'm just going to keep on keeping on...
So, here is my weekly coronavirus update...
What can I say. The whole US is on the rise again with the virus...
I guess I could call this the start of second wave, but numbers never went down enough here to really say the first wave ended. I'll just say it's the second wave anyway.
Way to go Georgia!!!
Gee - I thought we were "turning a corner" according to a certain someone. Not so much, huh?
And now, it's time for me to get a bit political (and you know the drill)...
I did not watch the last debate on Thursday night. It wasn't worth it to me. I already voted and am completely confident about how I voted. It wasn't worth the stress and frustration it all would have brought me.
I did watch some commentary after the debate. The thing I heard from the debate that upset me the most was regarding the 545 children separated from their parents at the border. These parents cannot be found now because of this administration's horrifying actions. And Tr@mp simply said that the kids are being well taken care of. First, that's a lie. But secondly, I have a daughter who lost her first family. I know first hand how that kind of trauma can affect a child. If you don't have any experience with it, then sit down and shut your mouth. Hearing Tr@mp not give two craps about those poor babies/kids and their mental health makes me sick to my stomach.
There is a little more than one more week until the election, and then we will find out what happens. I don't listen to polls anymore. They were so wrong last time. And I don't like the electoral college. It is no longer relevant in these modern times and it gives too much power to swing states. I'm just not sure which way this will all go in the end.
Before I wrap this post up, here is a special meme for my anonymous commenting friend...
But you do you boo.
In this time of coronavirus and how politically divided we all are, I definitely need this...
I think I've had this look on my face since March. LOL!
(This really made me laugh.)
Anyway, try to have a good week everyone. Or at least try to get through it in one piece.
It's been 31 weeks since coronavirus hit the state of Georgia. Wow - 31.
We are just a little over two weeks away from voting day in the U.S. I already voted absentee ballot and it's been accepted (I was able to check online). Early voting started here in GA as well. Even though voting day is Nov 3, we probably won't have a solid answer as to who won the election for a few extra weeks. I really pray it goes the way I hope it does.
So what has been going on with our family?
Well, we made the final decision for Bri to go to school virtually again next semester...
She's all signed up. Sadly, it's an all or nothing option. We have to decide in October what is best for our kids in January - during a constantly evolving pandemic. Makes total sense (whatever). And once we have committed to virtual, we cannot change our minds (at least with the public school system). So having to go on what is happening right now in our county (pretty much a reported case a day at Bri's high school even with hybrid), we are going virtual with Bri again. I pray Bri can resume "normal" life for 10th grade. Still not sure where that "normal" will be right now.
Bri has accepted it and seems to be ok with it. We are very grateful for that.
As for Mei Mei, she is doing SO much better...
As soon as she got those much needed meds, she's been eating normally again. She's actually hungrier now because of the appetite enhancer, so I think I need to cut back on that now. She's begging for food! I'd rather have her wanting food than not wanting it though. And there hasn't been any activity in the basement for a few days - which is frustrating for me but really good for Mei. She needed a nice break from the noise.
As for the basement, it's coming along still - a bit more slowly than I would like. There are a few things that still need to be done, but the contractors for those things aren't available right now due to other jobs. So we wait. Praying by mid-November it is done. I just can't pinpoint a time. I'm so ready for it to be done.
Doug is doing well. He's super busy at work per usual - which during a pandemic is a blessing. Except he's a bit too busy sometimes. He often works late into the night and sometimes weekends too. I know it's all part of being at a start-up, but I'm praying he gets a breather soon.
As for me, I'm still trying to hold it all together. I'm helping Bri with school when she needs it and I try to keep the house running smoothly. I still battle my anxieties each and every day - they didn't just go away when the pandemic hit. So I still deal with them and now pandemic life too. Believe me, I know I don't have it as hard/difficult as a lot of other people, but everything still weighs on me. I am only human.
I did do a simple Halloween craft the other day. I bought a black wreath and put on some pumpkins on it (pumpkins that were from some string lights that I had for a long time but eventually broke). So I repurposed them...
As of Friday morning, we hadn't gotten any real pumpkins yet. Doug surprised me that morning and said he could wrap up about 3:30PM (which is rare) and take a ride up to Ellijay with Bri and me to look at some. He wanted to go back to our favorite little general store to get them (and pick up some other goodies too.) I was totally open for a nice drive to get out of the house - the weather was really pretty.
We found three nice pumpkins at the store, picked up some other goodies and then went over to our favorite BBQ joint (with the pigs on the hill) for some takeout. The restaurant was quite empty when we got there, but we still opted to eat in the car because it was a Friday evening and we knew it could get more crowded...
It was delicious as usual. After I ate, I got out of the car and took my time looking at all the pigs on the hill...
Doug and I bought Bri a pig back in 2014 - she wanted one with her name on it SO badly. I had to follow up with the restaurant back then to make sure it got done, but it did!
She has had her name up on that silly hill for six years...
It's been moved around a little bit on the grounds, but I managed to find it once again. The sign has faded so badly, but it's still there. For fun, I asked Bri if she wanted to take a picture with it this year and I got a big fat "no" to that question. Heh. Not too surprised, but I still took a pic of it.
Our week wasn't extremely eventful overall, but it was much welcomed after the scare with Mei Mei.
Well, I guess it's time to switch to the "not so good" part of my weekly post...
Coronavirus update...
Over 1500 cases yesterday. It's nice, high and steady still. I just don't even know what to say anymore.
As for politics, I don't have too much to say today. I didn't watch the town halls, though I did listen to some of the commentary afterward.
This is pretty much how they went...
Honestly, I don't even know why there is going to be one more debate. It's just a waste of time (just like the supreme court justice hearing). I guarantee you almost everyone in this nation has his/her mind made up by now.
And I am still so tired.
I know I've said it before, but I am so incredibly tired. I'm tired of this pandemic that so many republican leaders made worse by trying to ignore it. I'm tired of people who don't think this virus is a "big deal." I'm tired of people not wearing masks. I'm tired of people still having parties and gathering in large groups - during a pandemic.
I'm tired of looking at Tr@mp's face and hearing his loud obnoxious voice. I'm tired of his asinine superspreader rallies...
I'm tired of his nasty attitude, his conspiracy theories, his lack of knowledge, his lying and his bullying.
I want a better future for my daughter...
I told Briana to NEVER EVER allow any man to speak to her in this way. NEVER.
I know I have done my part to help stop the spread of this virus - and I'm proud of that. I can't falter now. But, it is so difficult doing it in a place where so many other people don't take it seriously enough.
And THAT it why I'm so tired.
All I can do now is wait and hope. Hope for change. Hope for a better future. Hope for a vaccine. Hope my family stays healthy. Hope this four year nightmare will come to an end - and if it doesn't, hope for the strength to somehow get through it.
Well, I think I'm going to end my post here. I don't feel like ending on a super positive note today, so I won't. Just feeling a bit bummed right now. I'm going to embrace the melancholy...
Try to have a good week everyone. Be back next week.
It's been 30 weeks since coronavirus hit the state of Georgia. Briana's last day of being in a school physically was March 13. And today is October 13. We've been living this "new normal" for 7 months now. Some days can be quite tough - not gonna lie. It's so difficult to wrap around how different life is nowadays (at least for my family).
But we keep hanging in there...
Last Tuesday, I decided to bring Mei over to the vet again to get another shot of the inflammatory med she received back in August to help with her over licking. After being told on the phone that I could wait for her to get the shot and bring her right home, I was forced to leave her at the vet office because no one was there in the morning to administer it to her. I waited all day to get her back. I picked her up and when I got home, I realized a different med (an antibiotic shot) was administered to her without my permission. I confronted the office manager about it and she said she would ask the vet why. I never heard back from her and I wrote an e-mail telling the practice that I was not going to return.
This past weekend, I realized Mei wasn't eating or drinking properly. I was worried Mei was experiencing a side effect of a med I didn't even authorize her to have. There is no doubt it was due to the injection. I jumped on the phone and contacted a different practice yesterday to get her checked out.
After waiting all afternoon in the parking lot as she was examined, I heard good news. This is what I wrote on FB...
"Mei's
blood work looked good. She had some blood in her urine so she had an
x-ray. No bladder stones but bladder was a bit inflamed. My vet said it
could be due to stress. I'm thinking her over licking (more than usual)
and inflamed bladder might be due to the stress of the basement being
finished. As for the loss of appetite, the vet thought the injection may
have made Mei a bit nauseous. I came home with anti-nausea meds,
appetite enhancer and some pain meds in case her bladder is bothering
her. I gave her everything last night. And now she is eating!!! She ate
most of the dry food I left out for her last night, some tuna fish this
morning (with a pill) and drank water this morning too! I think she's
been nauseous! The new vet is awesome. I couldn't meet her in person,
but she called me periodically with updates and took her time explaining
things to me. So far, things are looking up!!! And Mei has a pep in her
step this morning!"
So I hope my gal is on the mend now. Fingers crossed...
I feel horribly that the basement being finished may be adding to Mei's stress level (she is pretty high strung on a normal day). The good news is that things are really moving along now. I'm hoping in the next three weeks or so it will be completed. I do have pictures - but I think I will do a "big reveal" in a few weeks.
I also took Briana to her wellness checkup last week...
Everything looks great. She is officially 5'4". If she grows one more inch, she'll be as tall as me.
Briana also finished her first 9 weeks of school...
She has all "A's" in all her classes - despite things being so different for her right now. I'm really proud.
Last week, I decorated the inside of the house for Halloween and Doug did the outside on Sunday...
It's looking pretty spooky around here.
And, I made an apple pie early last week with some of the apples we picked from the orchard...
I got a thumbs up from the family!
Ok - now it's time for the not so fun stuff.
Coronavirus update ~ another day, another almost 1800 cases in Georgia on Friday. Yay us. Sigh...
Not much else to say about that I guess.
It's time now for me to get political (you know the drill)...
Well, last week we all went to "loony town" in the world of Tr@mp.
I wasn't sure what was going to happen if/once Tr@mp caught coronavirus (which was only a matter of time). I wasn't sure how he would handle it (or not handle it). 35 people in his orbit got sick...
He was completely unhinged (even more than usual). He was pumped full of meds. He got so freaked out that he was going to look "weak" in the eyes of his base when he had to go to the hospital that he went above and beyond to "prove" how sick he wasn't. And I do believe he was quite sick - just not deathly sick.
Last week was just nuts...
Incessant, incoherent tweeting, calling into talk shows while coughing to prove he was "fine," exposing the people who work for him to the virus by taking unnecessary, dangerous car rides and forcing photo/video ops as he walked back into the White House, having absolutely no empathy for those families who have lost loved ones to this virus, threatening to end stimulus talks and then changing his mind (after he tanked the stock market), planning huge maskless rallies (even before he tested negative), blaming the governor of Michigan for her own foiled kidnapping plot (after making statements like "L!berate Michigan" and "St@nd Back and Stand By") - pure insanity.
Now it looks like he's back out on the road - continuing his "super spreader" mentality. He got over the virus with a lot of extra help - help that a lot of "regular" people couldn't get earlier this year and still can't get today. And not only is he back, he's gloating about it and still downplaying it. It's horrifying to me...
To those who have lost loved ones to this virus, I am sorry. I am saying it because our president refuses to do so (and admit his part in it).
I really want to get off this horrific political ride so badly. It's hard for me to go about my day sometimes knowing there is an unhinged, immoral bully in charge of making big decisions
for our country. It is difficult for me to post a lot of positivity or pictures of "normal" life on social media knowing our
country could be in for 4 more years of this type of madness. I'm trying
to keep some sort of positivity/normalcy for my kid, but in the back of my mind, I
can't help thinking how serious life is right now.
I was going to talk more in depth about the VP debate, but I'm kind of spent now. It went about how I expected it to. I think P@nce was extremely condescending, pretty much avoided answering every question asked of him and totally ignored the moderator. I think H@rris did pretty well, but she dodged a few questions too. At least it was more civil than the nightmare debate the week before. The whole "fly on the head" thing was pretty funny. Flies do tend to gravitate toward things that are full of - well, you know.
So for my self preservation, I am going to severely limit my time watching and reading the news up until the election. I won't watch the sham of a hearing for the soon-to-be new justice of the Supreme Court. I will turn off or mute the TV when political commercials come on. I absolutely refuse to watch any coverage of these ridiculous rallies the president holds. I placed my vote and now all I can do is wait and hope.
And also for self preservation, I'm trying to find things to keep my mind busy. I decided to binge watch all six seasons of $chitt's Creek because I heard such good things about it...
I wondered if the show was worth all the hype and all the Emmys it won. It is totally worth the hype. I absolutely loved it. Each season got better and better. I laughed and I cried. It is all about love, growth, inclusivity and acceptance. Things that seem to be severely lacking in today's world.
So that is all I have for now. Hopefully Mei Mei will continue to feel better, and I can then breathe a sigh of relief. And I want to say a quick hello to another first time commenter from the UK who commented on my post last week. Thank you so much for reading my little ole blog!
