Saturday, December 7, 2019

Friday Update

Dancer's vet called me this morning to ask how he was doing and to give me the test results.  His blood tests were normal for the most part and his urine test was normal.  However, there seems to be some signs that he might have hyperthyroidism.  She explained a couple of treatment options that are available and emailed me more information.  She said we could wait and test him again, in six months' time, and take it from there.  I've forwarded the emails to my daughter and we will discuss them after she's had time to read them.  Dancer is still a bit subdued, today, but, he's eating and starting to meow at me a bit more and is seated next to me, here, on the sofa, as I write this.

The second phone call I received this morning was from a friend, informing me that a mutual friend was in the hospital (ICU), after a stroke!  I would have liked to have gone to see her, today, but, I was unable to do so.  I plan to visit her tomorrow morning.

I went grocery shopping at the Armenian store, later in the morning.  I bought almost all the fresh produce I needed for the almsgiving - scallions and snowpea pods for the ricesticks dish; cucumber, tomatoes, and red onions for the salad; kale for the mallung; yogurt; papaya, apples, and fuyu persimmons for fruit; and two cans of condensed milk.  My total came to $15.60.  I wanted to buy a packet of shredded carrots, but, they didn't have them, and I still need to buy some regular milk, as well.

I came home and ate a sandwich for brunch (I had eaten a banana, earlier, before I went shopping).  Then, it was time to go to my appointment with the podiatrist.  I had to go downtown and it rained all the way there!  The freeway was practically at a standstill and it took me longer to drive to the appointment than I had anticipated.  I was so afraid I would be late, but, I got there right on time at 2:30 p.m.  It was a new podiatrist and he said everything was fine, but, my feet were very dry and recommended I applied lots of lotion.   I am to see him, again, in February.

The drive home was bumper to bumper, but, at least, the rain had ceased.

M was already here, tending to the garden, when I got home, a little after 4:30 p.m.  I made us some tea and we chatted for a bit.  Then, he helped me rearrange the furniture and take down the almsgiving dishes.  After he left, I washed the dishes and vacuumed.  Then, did a load of laundry (kitchen and bathroom rugs, Dancer's towels, etc.)

Remember the almsgiving preparations list I posted earlier?  Here's an update:

- Set the date/invite the monks/invite the participants - DONE
- Confirm the date with the monks - DONE
- Call and remind the invitees - DONE
- Make a tentative menu - DONE
- Shop for non-perishable groceries - DONE
- Cook and freeze the cashew curry - DONE
- Cook and freeze the garbanzo beans - DONE
- Cook and freeze the dhal - DONE
- Check supplies (non-grocery)/shop for items needed - DONE
- Go to the bank/Get donations ready - DONE
- Make the grocery shopping list - DONE
- Grocery shop for perishables - DONE
- Clean the house - dust, vacuum, bathrooms - MOSTLY DONE (need to mop my bathroom)
- Rearrange furniture to set up the seating area in the living room (M will help on Friday) - DONE
- Take down dishes used only for almsgiving and wash them - DONE
- Set out candles/incense sticks & holder; lighter/matches - DONE
- Set out items needed for the transfer of merit: teapot, cup, and water basin; fill teapot with water - DONE
- Set out new bottle of water for blessing; bowl to catch drips when blessed water is poured out - DONE

Saturday, Dec. 7 To Do List:
- Visit friend T in ICU
- Pharmacy for medication refill
- Any last minute grocery shopping (shredded carrots and milk)
- Clean out fridge
- Put out frozen items to thaw
- Pick up friend R
- Cook
- Mop my bathroom


Today, I am grateful for:
- Dancer's blood tests, etc. were mostly normal
- Safe drive to downtown and back
- Podiatrist visit went well
- M's help
- All what I was able to accomplish

How was your Friday?  What are your plans for Saturday?




22 comments:

  1. After a busy week, Saturday is relatively clear. So I am still in bed and plan to stay here for ages and get up late...

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    1. Sounds like a wonderful plan to me, Angela! Enjoy your lie-in. :)

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  2. Very well done, your almsgiving list! Sorry about your friend...you just never know when our health will have problems. Poor kitty...hypothyroidism probably makes her tired. Andrea

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    1. Yes, Andrea, that's exactly what I thought - you never know what might happen when it comes to your health. This friend is still quite young, in her early forties!

      Thanks, I am very pleased with what I was able to get done on the almsgiving list! And Dancer seems to be almost back to normal, today.

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  3. Wow, you've done well getting through that huge to-do list.

    Not a complete all clear for Dancer but it seems to be a treatable condition if it is confirmed as hyperthyroidism.

    I'm sorry to hear about your friend.

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    1. I did well with the list, didn't I? I am glad I got the vacuuming done - for some reason, the cleaning part of preparations always seems to loom large!

      Yes, Dancer's health is a bit of a concern, but, he seems almost back to normal, today. He is getting older (11+ years), so, we need to anticipate various health problems, I guess.

      My friend is still in ICU; I called this morning to find out if there are any specific visiting hours and was told anytime during the day would be fine. I am still planning to go, a bit later this morning.

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  4. You did great at the Armenian store, only $15 for all that. Wow.

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    1. Thank you, Akasha. This particular Armenian store has some of the best prices on fresh produce. :)

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  5. It is such a worry when our furry family members are not as well as they could be. Thankfully it's all getting sorted.

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    1. Yes, it is a worry, but, he's doing OK, today. :)

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  6. Wow, you are so busy! I'm sorry to hear that your friend had a stroke. LA traffic can be so difficult. That's one of the reasons I started looking for a cabin in a small town. Glad you got home safely.

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    1. Yes, I've been keeping myself busy, haven't I? After the almsgiving is over, I can relax a bit, before I start preparing for Christmas and New Year's!

      The one thing I don't miss, now that I've retired, is the daily commute to downtown and back! I was on the 101, yesterday, and it was pretty bad!

      I visited my friend, this morning; she's not doing too well. It's a somber reminder that we never really know what the next hour will bring! She was supposed to go on a holiday, on Thursday; she had the stroke on Wednesday night.

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  7. So sorry to hear about your friend's stroke. You did well to get all those items at the Armenian Store. Glad you managed to make your appointment on time in spite of the traffic.

    I decided that I didn't want to face the town on a Saturday at this time of year and I had done some shopping yesterday, so today I stayed home cleaning and also filling up the bird feeders including the sunflower seeds which I didn't fill while away since they empty fast when the birds get at them. Now I see it is -10°C (14°F) so I should get some hungry customers in the morning.

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    1. Thank you, Bushlady. Wise decision to avoid town on a Saturday this month. Lots of holiday shoppers out and about during the weekend, no doubt. Oh, you will certainly have hungry customers waiting for you in the morning!

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  8. I hope you friend will recover soon.

    I spent Friday grading final exams, and spent today answering emails from students. (No, I’m not going to give extra credit assignments now, and I can’t add ‘just 6 points’ to their total. ) Sigh...

    I also vacuumed the fridge coils.

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    1. Thank you, Nil. We had a bit of a miracle, today, where my friend is concerned!

      Oh, my! Sounds like they are really pushing their luck where their grades are concerned!

      You had a busy day between the grading and vacuuming the fridge coils!

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  9. I'm relieved you've had an answer from the vets and I hope it is something which ca be managed fairly easily.
    I'm so sorry to read about your friend. X

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  10. One of my cats had hyperthyroidism and it was easy to treat. We had a cream that we wiped into his ear. No struggling with pills and the ear cream worked well for him for several years. I hope that you don't need to treat Dancer, but if you do, I wish you same luck we had.

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    1. Thank you for sharing this, Live and Learn. The vet didn't mention anything about a ear cream, but I will be sure to ask her about it. That sounds like a much easier treatment!

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  11. I'm very sorry about your friend. I hope she is able to make a recovery.

    I'm glad Dancer is feeling better.

    You've been so busy with your almsgiving preparations. As I type this probably everyone is gone and you are relaxing with your feet up.

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    1. Thank you, Debra. Yes, my friend is much better, today!

      And you are right - everyone has gone and I am relaxing (and trying to ignore the pile of washing up in the kitchen)!

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