Well, we had a nice routine going. That was until the Mamá had a stomach virus all weekend. Then Randy got sick and spent Monday afternoon and evening in bed. Then Bob came home sick Monday, tried to work Tuesday and came home at 10:00 a.m.. Then Marianne got a stomach virus and threw up at the Penguins game Tuesday night. Randy bounced back the fastest, taking a bike ride on Tuesday after school, albeit a short one. Mama is still on slightly shaky ground, her insides gurgling a lot. Bob went back to school on Wednesday, but spent the evening under an afghan with hot tea. Marianne will finally go back to work today. And I've been knocking on every piece of wood I can find, along with taking echinacea with orange juice several time a day.
I am beginning to wonder if my skipping a flu shot this year was a foolish move. I reasoned that since I wouldn't be exposed to all the little "angels" and their germs, I should be okay. So far, so good. Lunch with Patti yesterday at Kaya was wonderful, one of those things I enjoy about being retired. She has a one-year lead on me, so I look to her for wisdom about what's to come. She agreed that for a long time there is almost a euphoria about being able to get up each day and make one's own plans. It's not as if I don't have to consider anybody else, or even as if I have no obligations. It's just different, especially with the things we were required to do for the last few years.
I had lunch with Jay on Monday, partly to get some information about the Standardized Patient portrayals from an insider. He agreed that even teaching on the university level was very different when he retired from what it had been when he started. I related the story to him about the man in the class I taught after Dr. Burrett died. He hounded me about his grade, and eventually I began to feel that for a temporary part-time gig, I was putting way more thought and getting way more stress than it was worth. But on the college level, students tend to think if they've paid their money they're entitled to a grade.
It was good to talk with Jay, because we do actually have other things to talk about than the SP program or even theatre. He does some respectable cycling, and we compared notes on bike trails. He has also done the trail near Franklin, though he said he stopped at the tunnel because he didn't have a light. He is possibly interested in trying the trail in Maine that was written up in the most recent Rails to Trails magazine. How ironic that one of the few people who does decent distances and rides fairly frequently is even older than we are.
The routine continues to settle in, despite the contagion around me. I have kept faithfully to the yoga schedule, incorporating a new video which includes vinyasas, which are good on the days I don't run or cycle.. I feel better physically than I have in a while, something I attribute directly to the yoga. I have continued with projects around the house, and hope to be able to keep a handle on things during the holidays.
In the meantime, the elderly continue to crumble. Irene is still in rehab, and Bob talked with her yesterday while I took my mother's dinner to her. (We don't want her exposed to Bob and his respiratory illness). He said she seems quite disheartened. It's ironic, since she has had her share of adversity. It's just that before now, her challenges have been emotional. Her first husband died suddenly, her son did the same a few years ago, and then Dad battled Alzheimers. During that time, she had some minor things go wrong with her, and her hip replacement, but was always strong and able to hold her own. I'm going to recommend the Benedum Geriatric Center to her daughter, in case they need to get her psychological help.
Our local mayor's wife died this week after a years-long battle with cancer. I never met her, but she was liked by one and all. Everyone I talked to said was a truly nice person she was. It makes me wonder what people will say about me!
Still on my to-do list: tea with David Lewis, calling the Watershield people, calling the exterminator back, taking more time to write. Randy is at Mary's parents' house until after Thanksgiving. That week, all hell will break loose with the knee surgery and my first SP case portrayal. Wheee!!
No comments:
Post a Comment