Saturday, December 17, 2022

Friday

Snow Pea Seedlings

I woke up relatively early for me (at 8:00 a.m.) and left the house at 9:00 a.m. for my 10:00 a.m. doctor's appointment.  The morning traffic was relatively light (they call it Friday light, here; many offices are closed on Fridays) and I got to the doctor's office early.  They called me in after a relatively short wait and I had my ultrasound scans done.  They are 'screening checks' according to my doctor to see how my heart is functioning.  The doctor's office will notify me when the report comes in.  

I was home again, a little after 11:00 a.m.  I made pancakes for brunch (ate them with seeni sambol).  Cousin V had called while I was at the doctor's office, so I called her back and spoke with her for a bit.  

Then, I went to the funeral.  The viewing started at 12:30 p.m., but, I had decided to go towards the end of the viewing period, so I was there around 12:45 p.m.  It was a closed casket, anyway, so there was nothing to view, as such.  I greeted one or two friends who were there, including A's cousin (who had been calling me, earlier, to find out the funeral arrangements and I refused to get involved in the family dramas), and sat with the friend who had sent me photos of the crocheted candles my mother had made and given to her with the message that she was remembering my mother as she decorated for Christmas.  The funeral Mass started at 1:00 p.m.  At the end, A's two daughters delivered a very moving eulogy, taking turns to remember their mother.  I teared up at that point and I noticed that my friend was also wiping away her tears.  

Afterwards, there were some refreshments served in the lobby of the church, before the journey to the cemetery for burial.  I made my excuses to the family at that point and came home.  I didn't feel up to attending the burial which was to take place at 3:00 p.m.

After I came home, I checked on my daughter.  She said she felt a little better, today.  Well enough to do a little crocheting in the afternoon!  She had heard back from her doctor, who had messaged her saying she was sorry my daughter had experienced an anxiety attack and had suggested my daughter make an appointment to be seen.  The doctor had also sent links to the resources available through the clinic for dealing with stress and anxiety and there was a questionnaire that my daughter had to fill out.  My daughter said she will fill out and send the questionnaire back, today.  She also tested herself and the test came back positive, still.  If she tests negative on the 10th day, then, she will plan to come home for the holidays.  If she tests positive, then, she might not come home as she doesn't want to risk being a carrier and infecting me.  

I had just finished chatting with my daughter when M arrived to tend to the garden.  While he worked in the garden, I vacuumed the family room and rearranged the furniture to make room for the Christmas tree.  M brought in the tree (an artificial, pre-lit tree that I've had for years) and set it up for me.  When I plugged it in, I noticed that some of the lights were not lighting, but, that's OK; I have some strands of multicolored lights that I can add (provided they still work!)  M also brought in the bin with the tree ornaments (the tree and the majority of the bins of decorations are stored in the garage).  I will start decorating the tree, tomorrow.

The snow pea seedlings in the photo were grown from a packet of seeds that M had given me for my birthday (along with that pint of birthday ice cream).  Today, I gave him one of the containers of pea seedlings for his own garden.  

Later in the evening, Aunt C called to check on me and my daughter.  

Dinner was a baked potato with the last of the sausage stir fry I had made.  I think I will do a bit of cooking, tomorrow.

Today, I am grateful for:
- Safe driving to the clinic and to the funeral and back
- Access to medical care and having medical insurance
- Memories of friend A and the opportunity to have been able to be with her during her last few days
- M's help with the garden and other household tasks
- Chatting with family and friends

Today's joyful activity - I'm not sure if attending a friend's funeral could be called a joyful activity, but, I am glad that I was able to attend the funeral and be there to support her daughters.  

Plans for tomorrow include decorating the Christmas tree and doing some cooking.  

How was your Friday?  What are your plans for the weekend?

20 comments:

  1. I continue to hope for your daughter's recovery and a negative test!
    I'm glad she is feeling better and was able to crochet.

    It's good you were able to attend your friend A's funeral. What a hard time for her girls, losing their mother and for her husband,
    How nice that you were able to sit beside your friend who just the other day surprised you with that text about the handmade Christmas items.
    That must've stayed with me - A day or so later I got a Christmas serving plate out to use. A friend had given me that plate 35 or more years ago. I decided (probably because of your post) to text her with a picture of the plate and she was so happy I did. We chatted back and forth and it was nice to catch up.
    So thank you for that nice blog post about your own experience of someone reaching out.

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    1. Thank you, Debra. She called me around 4:00 a.m., this morning, saying that they just had an earthquake with the epicenter just a few miles from Berkeley! It happened on the Hayward fault which runs through Berkeley and under the UC Berkeley campus! It woke her up!
      Yes, I'm glad that I was able to attend A's funeral. Her daughters were wonderful!
      I'm glad you decided to text your friend with a picture of the plate she gave you. I think my friend started something with her sending that photo of the crocheted candle my mother had given her, because, I emailed my friend E the picture of the two ceramic figurines her mother had given me (the same picture I posted in Thursday's blog post). E hasn't replied to my email yet, but, I think she'll be pleased to see that I still have her mother's gift to me. :)

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  2. I'm glad that your daughter found a sympathetic doctor when she described her panic attack. I hope she tests negative after 10 days, but it is common to test positive for a while after that. Could she come for New Year's instead if that happens?

    The pea seedlings look good. Any ideas of luck with deterring the racoons?

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    1. Thank you, June. Yes, I know, her doctor had told her that, under most circumstances, her chances of being contagious after 10 days is minimal. But, since my daughter has a background in epidemiology, immunology, and biostatistics, she is being super cautious around me, since I'm at high risk for developing complications. If she comes down to visit next week, she'll be driving down with her friend. If she has to fly down, then, she wants to do more research about how likely is she to be a potential carrier after being exposed to more people at the airport and in flight.

      I haven't seen the raccoons in the past 24 hours, so, I am hopeful that they have moved on! We shall see.

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    2. You and she certainly want to be as cautious as you can be since you are at high risk.

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    3. Yes, we don't want to take any risks. But, I think it will all work out ok. :)

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  3. I think attending a funeral can be a joy, as you remember and celebrate your friend. You are wise to stay out of Friend As family conflicts. I'm glad your daughter is feeling better, and hope she will test negative in time to visit with you for the holidays. I hope you get lots of snow peas! I once grew what were labeled sweet pea flowers, from a garden center packet, but instead were snow peas! It didn't produce very many, but they were very good!

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    1. Yes, it was a celebration of her life and her positive outlook on life, no matter what her circumstances were.
      Thank you, Celie; I told my daughter that when the time was right, she'll be able to visit. We will take things as they come and if her visit has to be after the holidays, that's fine, too
      Oh, I too hope that there will be lots of snow peas! I love snow peas! I even saves some peas from this year's crop to see if I can grow them; but, I didn't know that M was going to bring me a packet of peas. Maybe I'll grow the peas I saved to have pea shoots for a stir fry or something. Sweet pea flowers are very pretty, aren't they? I hope you can find another packet that was not mislabeled and plant them next year. :)

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  4. I am grateful for blogging:) thanks for sharing.

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    1. Being able to blog is lovely, isn't it? It has given me an opportunity to make friends with some wonderful people. :) Thank you for reading and commenting. I've been exploring some of your other blogs about the wild berries, etc.

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    2. oh thanks! for me a good reason to look at my berry blog, and see if there are any errors, or berries missing.

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  5. What a busy day for you, with an appointment and then the funeral. I don't usually like to go too early for a viewing either, it is the service itself that I want to be a part of. I do hope your daughter will be able to come for Christmas. In the meantime you are getting well prepared with decorating.
    We had a spectacular snowfall overnight and our plow guy came and cleared the driveway so that I was able to go out for some shopping, and got back in a reasonable time. I phoned an old friend who lives locally that I don't see often, and we had a long chat and got caught up on news.

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    1. Yes, compared to the majority of my days, it was a busy day, wasn't it? I, too, thought that the service was the more important part.
      Thank you, Bushlady; I'm hoping that my daughter will be able to come home, but, we'll take things as they come. I don't want her to get too stressed about my risk of exposure, etc. However, just in case she does make it home, I want to have the place decorated and "holiday ready". :)
      You sure did get a breathtaking snowfall! I can't imagine going out in all that snow to do shopping! But, I'm glad you were able to do that and then, chat with your friend, afterwards. :)
      Hope you have a lovely rest of the weekend.

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  6. I’m so sorry to see that your friend passed away, I hope the fond memories of her will be of comfort to you. ♥️

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  7. I'm glad you were able to attend your doctor's appointment and hope the results of the scan are good. Also that you were able to attend A's funeral and found a friend to sit next to. How old was A, if you don't mind me asking please? I've always imagined her as being younger, maybe in her 50s.

    The seedlings are looking very healthy so hope they escape the attention of the racoons when they are planted out.

    Enjoy the rest of your seasonal decorating. xx

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    1. Thank you, Eileen. A was 64.
      I think the raccoons have moved on! I hope that they won't come back to eat my vegetables!

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  8. You have both been through a lot recently. I do hope your daughter will be able to make it home for Christmas. X

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    1. Thank you, Jules. My word of the year was "resilient" and that's what I'm trying to be!

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