The Weekend

It's been kind of quiet overall, and I didn't end up going anywhere for the 4th due to some unruly endometriosis and diabetes. I was sad to miss out on tubing the river- haven't done that since 2007. It's alright though, because I was amazingly productive instead. I'm really happy with what I got done, and it was my hope to do that much over these four days off.

I did have some fun- I played tennis, walked with a friend, did yoga with my coworker, and went disc golfing with my neighbor. That was a lot of fun, even if it got super windy almost as soon as we got there. The course is near the softball fields where I played last year, and the course was maintained, but still very desert-y. It was dry and crunchy (it is definitely fire season) and the ground was moving with tiny bugs. I could not tell what they were, and I'm hoping that was normal and we are not having some horrible infestation. That all sounds miserable, but it really wasn't.

My neighbor, Derek, brought an extra disc for me and explained the course. It's basically golf but with much less equipment, and it's easy to play. The wind made it ridiculous, and a lot of sensible throws were thwarted. I started throwing as low as I could, trying to avoid catching the gusts, but it was a lot harder than it sounds. The sixth basket was along the fence and down into a gully, and the fairway was one of the highest, most exposed points on the course, making it a recipe for how to lose a disc. I threw right, knowing the wind would take it left, but the wind was coming up off the whole hill and that frisbee just SAILED... way left and right over the fence and into the tall weeds by the highway. I immediately started walking towards the fence but Derek ran past me and said he'd get it. We found a spot where the fence was pulled up- where countless other disc golfers must have crawled under- and he started searching. The weeds were so high that I couldn't see to help, even being on much higher ground, so I crawled under the fence and went to help. I found it after about 20 minutes. We spent some time brushing off the bugs and the foxtails and resumed. I refused to throw next to the fence again, but he said we'd just say my first shot landed near his. We didn't keep track, but he thought we were pretty evenly matched.

Now that you're wondering, my neighbor is 27, so don't get excited.

We played 9 holes and talked about going back for the games held once a month- you sign up and are randomly matched with another player to play the course in teams of two. It's something like 5 or 10 bucks to play- $1 goes to maintain the course, the winning team gets the rest. Sounds like fun, right?

So yeah, all was not lost this weekend, though it was not as full as I'd hoped. Today is my first regular day off after our switch to the 9 hour schedule and honestly, it doesn't feel like I am at work too long. I like that I can get more done and I'm there anyway- might as well crank it out. So for my first day off, I went to get the pedicure my students bought for me, then got a yummy breakfast at Squeeze In. This was the third pedicure I've had in my life, and I think I need to do that more often. They are foot wizards.

Next up is to collect and organize before I start a slew of errands, including thrift donations, buying dog food, hitting the post office, finding shelf pegs, returns/exchanges, and 2 doctors appointments, all in sandals to show off my beautiful feet.

Later will be tennis in the heat and leftovers from this ready to eat chunk of carnitas I found at Trader Joe's. Awesommmmmmme. I'm hoping to spend some time tonight on a new puzzle, but I'm still organizing the dining room area with it's new cubby format. I'll have the rest of the evenings this week, yeah, but I'm on a roll.

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th. :)

Riley update

Riley is feeling MUCH better. I called the vet on Tuesday morning and left several messages until I got to speak with one Riley saw. They are really good, but super busy. He listened to all my concerns and asked questions- I didn't feel rushed at all. He prescribed another couple medications, and I called back on Thursday with a status report. She seems back to her old self and I am very happy. She does not understand why I keep carrying her up and down the stairs, but the vet said one month, so tough. I put out puppy pads and she finally used them starting Friday, and several times since. I'm sure once she's back on her regular schedule and not on pain pills, we'll both be happy to have her do that outside, but I'll keep one out in case.

Looking at her now, I see why the vet wasn't talking about putting her down. She's ok- just old. A friend told me about a scale that exists to measure a dog's quality of life- you rate things like appetite and energy level and so on and put the number on the calendar so you have a measurable way to see trends. She said her vet told her you'd rather be a week too early than a minute too late. That is a scary, scary thought. Sunday through Tuesday were awful days, and several times I thought about calling someone to help me, especially when I had to do something that hurt her. I would have had help in a minute had I asked, but each time, I just closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I'd ask if it was for her or for me, and then I'd let that breath out and proceed. Thanks to the mindfulness class and Kate's reminders, I worked hard to try to stay present and minimize the hurt- to think about my state of mind and what I was projecting to her. And we got through it. Kate said she thought this was good preparation for what is to come, and I do feel a little more confident. I know where my line is, I know what's too much for her, and nobody is going to be able to make that call but me. Now I know that I can, and I have an idea of how hard that will be.