“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 933 (Thursday) – just another day

Morning puddle.

It rained Wednesday night. It might have gone unnoticed, except for the puddle at the end of the driveway, which reflected the blue morning sky and a house across the street. 

The temperature hit 70 degrees today and there was great rejoicing at The BungaLowell remote office. Ok, maybe not “great” rejoicing. It was really more of a quiet acknowledgement. The wardrobe is already unpacked for fall/winter, so, despite the balmy weather, the day’s attire was a gray and teal plaid flannel shirt from the fall/winter “I mugged a lumberjack” collection. Meanwhile, the guy across the street was outside shirtless and others wore shorts.

Thinking I had an online project meeting, full hair and makeup was done so as not to frighten the other attendees, but when I logged in for work, the calendar was blissfully empty of obligations. The meeting is next week. No big deal, it was much needed practice. The lengthy remote time meant not bothering with makeup more often than not, and I’ve never quite gotten back into it since. 

The Munsters!

The after-work entertainment was supposed to be mowing the yard. It didn’t happen. There was some tooling around and trying to learn MailChimp. I stopped before I had a chance to screw things up too much more, then, it was The Munsters, a new movie on Netflix. It’s goofy and non-scary, and was perfect for the evening of mostly just another day. Now I want to go back and watch the episodes of the original series from decades ago. Month goals! 

“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 932 (Wednesday) – tired

Waaah, waaah, more of the same, whining and all. I’m chilly and tired and couldn’t get to sleep last night, then Winston needed to go out at 3:30 a.m. Basically it was just another night like too many other nights, but today came with an extra price. The morning felt extra rough and my butt dragged all day.

Spicy lunch for a gray day.

Lunch was the leftovers from Tuesday's supper – chicken with green peppers, onions, salsa, and queso. Instead of being wrapped in a warm corn tortilla like the previous night, today it was topped with chili cheese Fritos. It was a mildly spicy lunch on a gray and drizzly day. 

Winston devoured his supper with a gusto not seen in along time. It was the same food and embellishments as always – Hill’s Science Diet W/D formula, with homemade chicken broth and diced roasted chicken, but tonight he tucked into the bowl like he hadn’t eaten in a week. I hope the nighttime potty breaks and weird, wildly varying appetite aren’t signs of something else going on with his health and diabetes.

And now, it's time for an early retreat to bed. >>Yawn<<

“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 931 (Tuesday) – spooky basket

A couple months ago, a friend I met in Clarksville, TN who now lives elsewhere (as do I), proposed a “Spooky Basket” exchange. The idea was that participants would receive a name and address, and assemble a fall/spooky basket to send to that person. It sounded like fun and I was in.

Super fun Spooky Basket
received from Maryland.

My basket went to Spokane, Washington. It is a slightly random assortment including sugar skull salt and pepper shakers and a sugar skull tote bag, black kitchen towels and a “Home Spooky Home” towel, Halloween socks, décor including a skull, tinsel witch hat, hot cider packets, and pumpkin marshmallows and garland for cushioning. There may have been some other things, but I don’t recall. And with all the nonsense I regularly take pictures of, I neglected to take a picture of the outgoing Spooky Basket. Duh. 

Yesterday, I received a basket from Gaithersburg, Maryland. It is amazing. Coffee, cocoa, a travel cup, a skull dish, a skull and snake candle, a wooden box that looks like a book with candy and a nice note inside, plus cocoa, cocoa bombs, and chai. It was all packed with purple, orange, and black tissue paper in a rectangular basket decorated with ribbon and some charms. The basket is super thoughtful and very cool. 

It was fun creating a Spooky Basket and fun receiving one. And now I have two new friends of my friend to whom I can send holiday cards.

“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 930 (Monday) – monday all day

It was chilly, so the walk to the office was brisk. I went in early, and as a result, was caught in the high school pedestrian traffic. It felt like being a salmon swimming upstream while navigating for space on the sidewalk against the flow of adolescent energy.

Morning view from the desk.

Once safe at my desk, the view out the window was of the building across the street, bathed in sunshine, against clouds in a color like a gray wool flannel suit. This happens sometimes, and I find the effect fascinating. 

Work was stressful with a series of problems and issues. It felt like juggling balls of fire. All day. I was blessed with a raging headache within the first hour of the day, which then insisted on remaining my steadfast companion for the rest of the day. After work, it was the mad dash to get home to take care of Winston and then be back out into traffic to head to class.

By the time I got to Finnish language class, my brain was mush. Somehow, I survived it, but this stuff is hard. Vowel harmony, partitive, strong and weak something or other, the K-P-T rule where letters magically disappear or change to other letters. Oy!

The traffic driving home was light and the return trip from class is about 10 to 15 minutes quicker. The Emerson College radio station was playing some good stuff on both legs of the journey, which always helps. Kind of like the sunny cloudy view from the window.

“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 929 (Sunday) – sweater weather

Sweater boy.

Today was the day that I conceded defeat. Fall is all the way in, and winter won't be far behind. My base layers have already been worn and Winston is now into his sweater collection.

Summer was officially removed from the deck at The BungaLowell. The deck table umbrella was taken out of the stand, the glass table top was removed, and everything was set in the shed, along with the deck rug. The storm window was put back in place over the storm door, which involved acrobatics on a step stool and the front concrete stairs. I was a little worried it might result in a  call to 9-1-1, but there were no mishaps or  injuries. All of these tasks involved help to happen, so big thanks to Mom and StepDad for making the trip out. 

Thanks to having made soup last weekend, there were containers to pull from the freezer. A hot lunch of cabbage and kielbasa soup was dined upon. 

Stories were shared. Mom has a lone, random stalk of corn that magically appeared in the front yard and we laughed about putting up a scarecrow to protect it. Delivery trucks from Prime vans to freight trucks arrive at the farm where StepDad works, and despite the pavement ending and the road narrowing to a mere path, they continue onward beyond the building. I googled the address and the problem was right there on the map – with the location pin long past the end of the actual road, where the farmhouse stood ages ago, before it was moved down the hill. The mystery of “why” seems to be solved. Now, for a solution to notify the trucks to stop at the building.

Supper.

Supper involved cooking penne pasta with sauce and meatballs. The colder weather is terrific for inspiring cooking. After supper, I caved and turned on the heat, but at least I made it into October. It was 46 degrees outside and 63 in the house, and my fingers were so cold and shriveled that my cell wouldn't recognize my fingerprint anymore. Apparently, my fingerprints and biometrics have some  limitations. 

According to the weather app on my phone, it will be 39 degrees around 4:00 a.m. and 38 degrees at 6:00 when it's time to get up for the day. Brrrr. The house temperature increases a few degrees during the day, but it won't warm up by itself tonight. 

“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 928 (Saturday) – chillin with plans

October has arrived. I did not say “Rabbit, Rabbit” first thing this morning, mostly because I don’t understand it and think it’s dumb, but I probably think it’s dumb because I don’t understand it. My first words were “Oh, Winnie, it’s 8:00! How did we sleep so late today? You’re a good boy letting Mumma sleep,” while simultaneously thinking “It’s probably because you had me up at 3:30 and now that's two hours of coffee, news, and word games lost.”

Despite the delayed start, the day began with the best of intentions. Multiple local and regional Facebook events had been flagged as “interested.” There was a walking tour, a Blacksmith Festival with a Renaissance component, an artist open house, an art show reception, and an Octoberfest at the local brewery.

It was chilly, and when I got up, I pulled on jeans with my pajama top and threw on a sweatshirt with smears of “French Bulldog” black paint from when I painted the basement stair risers at my house in Tennessee. The intent was to choose one or more of the events, change into appropriate outdoor or indoor attire, and be gone from the house on an adventure. 

The reality was I never left the house. Maybe if I had properly dressed. Maybe if it hadn’t been so chilly. Maybe if I wasn’t using the freshly diagnosed vitamin D deficiency as the latest excuse to justify being tired/lazy. Maybe, maybe.

The day wasn’t a total waste, however. From the couch command post with a laptop on the lap and the cell phone nearby, very important plans were being set in motion. It has been far too long (since 2017), and lately, it feels especially important to have something big and exciting to look forward to.

The passport renewed last year will finally be used. And now there can be six months of anticipation and growing excitement. Six months of learning some phrases in yet another new foreign language. Six months of planning a travel wardrobe for an amazing European destination. Six months of researching and planning museums and day trips and wine and eating like locals. Rome, you better get ready, because my friends and I are coming. Yay!!!

“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 927 (Friday) – sales and tasks

The drive to work started early and the route taken was the one that goes through the university traffic and past the Post Office and the high school. The reason for the route was to stop at the Post Office, which, according to the website, opens at 7:30. Before 8:00, I entered the quiet, dim, near dungeon-like space of the Father Morrisette location.

A small woman in a red turban stood in line with a box strapped to a rolling cart. Several feet further back, stood a man, then me with my package. There was nobody in an official capacity in sight for a couple minutes until a woman appeared from the back room. By then, there were six of us in line. She tapped her fingers on a keyboard with what seemed like a bit of drama, raised her head to look at the line and said, “Computer is still down.” Technology. It’s great when it works.

I left. The box had been sitting on my dining room table for a week, and it would have to wait a bit longer. Just beyond the Post Office is the high school and past that is the parking garage, and I was at my desk early. 

Quick sale score!

Around 2:00, I bolted from my desk and made a dash for the Post Office. The timing was treacherous, as the high school releases a swarm of students to waiting buses and parental autos at around 2:30. The transportation convoy was already lining up.

The Post Office was functional, the line was short, and I was out of there in record time. This allowed time to go to CVS for the prescription. A call had come in that it was ready. The pick up was as speedy as the postal drop off, and a few minutes was taken to grab some of the multivitamins and the lower dosage D3 that will be needed in nine weeks after the high dose regimen. The buy one get one free special was still in effect. 

On the way to the register, I ducked down an aisle to look for candy, but found the Nature Valley granola bars I like instead. And they were on sale for $1.99, a price not seen for about four years. Talk about good luck. 

In just a bit over 30 minutes, there was the quick walk to and from the garage, two errands, and a great sale. It was the most productive break since CVS left downtown. Back at the desk, the first 50,000 vitamin D dose was taken. And away we go on the vitamin adventure. I also realized there was a $2.00 coupon on the pharmacy receipt that could have used on the other items. Now, I'm tempted to go back and stock up big on vitamins and granola bars and use the coupon.