Hello! I've Been Gone for A While

Remember that room we were remodeling? Well, it's finally done. It was partially done for a few days now but there has been little touch ups that needed to be finished but I can say now without hesitation..'its' done"!
It's done and I'm exhausted. The construction mess on the patio had to be delt with and that is where I have been for the past two days. In order to clean up the patio, the little house storage area had to be cleaned. The husband had unloaded the office stuff willy nilly into the storage house. When I opened the door to take a look, I kept my gasps as quiet as possible. I'll deal with this later and "later" came today. The husband informed me it would take a week to clear it up. I work fast.
Gathering all the plastic tubs, I lined them up on the kitchen counter and labeled them. Electrical, Plumbing and another for paint and sanding. As I sorted, each container received it's share. I hauled those back to the storage house and arranged them on a shelf. Some things went directly into the big garbage container I had parked outside the door. Before long it was tidy and it was time to go next door to the part of the storage house that held all the tools.
Sawdust was inches thick on the work bench and the floor was littered with everything from tool boxes, opened and disorganized to the husbands work boots and hard hat. There was no room to walk. My first goal was making a path through this mess. The miter saws got picked up and placed on the work bench that had been cleared of the sawdust by using the leaf blower and me holding my breath while dust filled the air.
The tool boxes were heavy so they got slid across the floor to line the walls. Wood and drills and circular saws were joining the bigger tools on the work bench.

By this time I was staggering around in exhaustion. It was time to go in the house, get in some pajamas and take a long break. I couldn't go anymore even though more work needs to be done on that part of the storage house, tomorrow is another day.

Before heading into the house, I passed through the side gate into the front lawn where the husband was busy cleaning flower beds and planting flowers. I have been so busy in that office that I haven't taken the time to walk outside and admire the bright red flowers and the pink azaleas that have been blooming.
I'm looking forward to having a more restful weekend and to the following week. I have much to do but nothing that needs a 'rush' to do.
I'm tired. I'm exhausted. This has been a workout but one that I'm sure hasn't hurt me except for the hamstrings that are sore from climbing a ladder for a week.
I didn't need a gym pass to get exercise. I need to do more of this to built stamina and strength.

I'm done and I'm ready for some couch time!

Tape, Mud and Sand

I see daylight. From my seat on the sofa facing the windows to the front yard, I see the very beginnings of a daybreak on a Wednesday morning. I've been up since 0400 hrs. It just happens that way sometimes and today was one of those "get up early or lie in bed with thoughts racing through my brain on my chores to do today".
First stop was the kitchen to perk a pot of coffee and then to the laundry room to start the washing machine after unloading the wet clothes left there overnight to wash. Into the dryer they went and back to the washer to start another load. Housework done and it's time to head into the office and start sanding.

We are remodeling a room. The office looked tired and old. The ugly paneled walls that had been painted over many times were coming down. The room was never a quality finished room. I think it was an after thought on being a room that would be used as a liveable space. Originally it should have been a utility room entered from the carport via a door and used to store yard equipment or paints or brooms, etc. The builder flipped it around and put the entrance in the back off of the patio and finished it with some of the cheapest material possible. The best part is the 1/2 bath attached to that space. A toilet and sink grace it's own little space which makes it the handiest room when little guests are playing in the back yard and have to have a potty break. I can close off the rest of the rooms into the house and leave one door open when having an outdoor party. The little 1/2 bath is used by the visitors, both large and little.

For years we have talked about refinishing that room. In the past we had put up chair rail and wainscoting and new door casing and a fiberglass exterior door with floor to ceiling glass to let some light into a room without windows.

Last week the husband began demolition. As usual I thought this would be an easy job only to find out the ugly paneling had been installed before the ceiling so the paneling had to be wiggled out and down to get each piece out. Wainscoting and door trims had to be removed. Two days later we were on our way to buy sheetrock.
1/2 inch sheetrock is not a light haul. We wrestled sheetrock for two days. As it went up, I took note of all the cuts and seams in it. This was a big concern to me as I would be the one taping and mudding and sanding each seam to get a flawless finish before painting could be done.

There is no big rush, I remind myself. We are not on a schedule. The husband doesn't have to worry about being called out on a job. The oilfields have crashed which is why  we determined this would be the perfect time to get some projects done around here.

Three days after finishing the sheetrock installation, covered in white dust, I'm almost finished with the final sanding of all the walls. I see some light at the end of this tunnel. It will be a huge relief to finally have this room redone. It's past due.

My break is over and it's time to get back to sanding. I should be done before the husband makes it out of bed this morning and by that time I should be ready for a nap!

If I Don't...............

My winter routine: One eye open and with blurred vision, I try to focus on the cable box at the foot of my bed. Initially I can make out blurred blue. Eventually the blue shimmies and shakes and settles into numbers that my brain can translate into the time. It's time to roll out of bed from my Restoril induced sleep. I've had my six hours of unconsciousness.

Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, my feet find the shaggy green throw rug as I rock forward, the momentum carrying me to a standing position. I let this stance register to the rest of my body that it will be moving soon.
Quietly I wobble around the end of the bed and aim toward the door. I wouldn't want to wake the husband and ruin his 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I can exit the bedroom door without a sound. I've had a lot of practice at doing this. I'm very familiar with my bedroom. Do not attempt this with any hopes of success in motel rooms. I've had to crawl out using my iPhone flashlight accessory to navigate the unfamiliar room, the suitcases and the shoes left abandoned in the rush to relax after a long day of driving.

I got this. I'm well on my way down the "T" shaped hallway and into the kitchen. Rote like, I put on a pot of coffee and retreat to the bathroom. Morning absolutions finished, I slip through the pocket door and into the living room, grasp the remote control and delve into the morning news. A few minutes of news, I break for the coffee pot, morning meds and more news.
The husband will remain in bed until ten-ish which totally endears himself to me. I don't need conversation and the stress of having to be nice to anyone at this hour. It's good enough to just sip and watch the news channel though comprehension in full will take another cup of coffee.
Soon I will tidy up the kitchen and make the bed after the husband appears. And that's just about the total of my days activities!
My excuses? It's cold outside. I'll do something when it warms up.
If I don't get a plan and a goal for some daily activity ....if I don't..........

Does Anyone Believe

So much in the news to talk about and what do most people remember? BC Brown (Bobbi Christina) and her medical condition. Does anyone still believe that this young lady is alive? Found face down in a bathtub full of water, no heartbeat nor breath, she was probably clinically dead but unpronounced when they found her. The paramedics arrived and did CPR until they could get her to a hospital where she was put on a ventilator. I've been expecting for days, the family to finally accept the fact that she isn't coming back and allow the doctors to remove her from the ventilator.

I remember watching the news reports when Michael Jackson was found and transported to the hospital. He was already gone too but it took hours and hours for the hospital to announce his death.

..and the other big story is the death of Kayla, the aid worker killed in Syria. I've noted this before but will again on this blog. She voluntarily went to a country that was a known  antagonist of the USA. After being captured, her family thought she should be rescued by the USA by either trading a prisoner/terrorist or by ransom of money they requested.
My feelings on this? If you voluntarily go into a country at war, you do it without expectations of being rescued by the US government. In addition, maybe they should be required to sign a formal paper releasing the USA from any responsibilities in your rescue should you be captured.

I feel the same about those climbing mountains that need rescued and endangering the helicopter pilots and the rescue squads that have to go get them. Before leaving on that trek, they should be required to have a rescue team "on call" should they become stranded on that mountain and require their services and of course at the expense of the climber.

There are plenty of places here in the USA that could use aids to help the children, the homeless and the ones in dire need of health care. Why go to a hostile country?

I started this post almost a week ago and am just now getting back to it. Since I started this post, BC has now had a tracheotomy done and reattached to a ventilator. Intubation is done on a temporary basis. The airway is accessed through the mouth and hooked to a ventilator. This is temporary; a trach is long term. Apparently her family is insisting on keeping her breathing.

And on the health beat around here, the husband has not been felling up to par. I believe he has a case of the nasty stuff going around here right now. Aching, nauseated and tired, he has spent the week stretched out on the sofa beneath a fuzzy blanket, awake watching TV or quietly snoozing. I've tiptoed around the house letting him dictate when I cook or clean. Rest is the best medicine usually.

Myself? I'm feeling scandalously fine. I skated through my 3 month check up with the oncologist. My tumor markers were not increased at least for now. I questioned the Nurse Practioner if I could have the mediport removed. Her answer was not comforting. She 'suggested' I might want to keep it in for a while longer which translates to "you're gonna need it for chemo again'. She didn't have to bluntly say this; it was there non the less.

We are in a run of frigid temperatures for the deep south. Frigid to us is temperatures somewhere in the 40's. We have no desire to go anywhere and we haven't for the past week. The husband because of being ill and me because there wasn't really a need for me to leave the cozy warmth of my house.