'Sup Dude?

 

My work buddy is getting used to me being on the couch with my laptop desk to accomplish the files, while petting him in between. When I can't find an extra hand between typing letters or syncing up the captioning to the film, he helps me find time during those moments by pushing his head under my hand with the, "You will pet me and love me," attitude. Not getting quite as much done in terms of work, but I do love being around my babies again. 

Speaking of work breaks, I took a few minutes out to scroll through Facebook to see (cough, cough), what I might be missing on the social media platform, and it actually paid off. I saw a video of my great granddaughter, Zyrah and had to take a moment to play it. My mother was able to catch her on camera as she said her new phrase:

In case you didn't catch it, her new line is, "'Sup, dude?" I laughed when I heard her blurt this out to the camera, as she sounds so much like her dad when she says it. I am loving the idea of having a great granddaughter in Zyrah, two in Arizona (Elena and Spencer), and then Jess is soon to have another little girl. Yes, it's another Z name, but just like Zyrah, I could not remember the name until she was born and there was a face put to that unique moniker. It's something close to Zaelynn. Not even sure of the spelling either. I will remember it when she is born, but until then, this is as good as it gets. 

Anyway, she is a two-year-old and yes, "terrible two's" fit the phase of emotional growth she is in now, or at least with mom and/or dad around. Dawn told me she watched her one day last week and heard, "Please," and "Thank you," come from her mouth all afternoon. She helped her grandmother Dawn pick up stuff and do tasks around the house. 

This is all great, but when Jess came with her to visit at Marina's while I was there, there was nothing sacred in the path of that terrible two hurricane. Not only did she grab things, but she would look right at us, smiling the entire time she was ripping things from their resting place. Once she was busted in her ornery antics, she would throw an imaginary fit by throwing herself face down on the floor and emitting the worst fake cry I've heard in a long time. You gotta love a two-year-old. We love her without question, and without control obviously. 

In time past, I used to wonder how I would feel about being known as "great grandma," but now I claim that title with pride. I adore all of my great grandchildren and know that I will love having the new one around me as well. Children bring such joy to life and the new addition will bring more joy, more love, and more special moments. 

We have yet to meet little Spencer. The last time I saw Keenan and his wife Katie, and little Elena, they were temporarily visiting everyone during a gender reveal for their new baby. Then again at our wedding that fell two days later. Both had to venture home once more following those two events, to return to work and their house, pets, and getting their kids back on a schedule. Katie is great at sending us photos and videos of the daily adventures of both girls, and for that we are grateful. 

I finished two files today. Terry did the grocery shopping, the checkbook balancing act, walking the dog, and smoked a couple of cigars in between. His day was just as exciting as mine, although this warm day is going without notice in my world. Terry said he enjoyed being out there. I had to roll to the front door, pry it open, and inhale as much of the air as possible. He was right. The sun was out in full force, even without turning up the heat too much on the planet. Gorgeous spring-type day. Typical spring tease in Oregon. Those days when you want to look at Mother Nature and shout, "Oh, don't tease." 

I chose to put the small chihuahua, Jasper, on his leash and open the front door. He is on a retractable leash, so this allows me to sit in the doorway in my wheelchair, while his little legs carry him out to the grass where he can use the bathroom and enjoy the air for a while. So far, so good. I put the brakes on before crossing the lip of the doorway to keep things safe. 

Speaking of spring, we have daylight savings time coming up next month. Nice, yeah? Oregon almost had the practice eliminated, but it's not there yet. The bill was decided to be put on hold so they can wait to see how states around them may proceed. The measure isn't entirely dead yet, so we remain in the pen with the rest of the sheep, trying to remove the annoying practice of every six months.  

Ugh. I hate doing this every time it comes up in March and November. I recall, as a kid, when daylight savings time first went into practice in Oregon. I didn't understand it, but it was explained to me that farmers could work through the day with daylight disappearing later in the evening during their harvest season. 

Eugene, at least in my neighborhood, didn't harvest anything besides filberts or hazelnuts, and possibly some plums or other smaller amounts of food coming from smaller orchards or gardens. Outside of the actual Eugene area, off in Santa Clara or the outskirts of the small suburbs, you could find larger farms and orchards. 

 Well, that's not entirely true. There were a couple of households that I'm certain they harvested their hidden pot crop when it was time. But marijuana was not grown as it is now. Not only was it hidden better, but the idea of going to jail was just not that popular. Most pot crops back in the day were grown indoors, where neighbors and police couldn't find them. The idea of daylight savings time was about as worthless for the growers of any food sources as it was for those growing marijuana in their bedroom closet. While I joke about it all, the absence of daylight savings won't hurt anything. Daylight and nighttime hours are just that, natural and flowing the way they should be. Each time we step in to correct something to fit it to our needs typically ends up being pretty lame. Humans get in their own way. 

Now I'm all for farming and praise the farmers for their hard work to feed us all, and especially the farmers who give marijuana to the masses who need it as a medicating product. But do they really need to turn our daylight upside down? Don't get me wrong, I do love the later sunset and those extra summer hours of sunshine and warmth, but leave well enough alone. We still have the longer hours, naturally. Let it come as it may. The only thing changing will be when we observe those longer hours in the summer. And for those who enjoy Oregon winters, we will still have the same crappy rainy days to give us the green grass of Oregon. They will still be cold, damp, and dark by 5:00 PM. 

According to Bloomberg.com, there was a report written with study results that found only a 0.5% reduction in total electricity for each day in the extension. Most savings were found in the evenings, offsetting a modest increase in the morning hours when people use a tiny bit more electricity. Other studies discovered nothing or barely anything, as they struggled to find an impact at all. 

Oregon was on the right track in trying to eliminate the antiquated idea from our lifestyle, but it just didn't get the winning glory it needed to create that change. It was felt that with Oregon being the only state taking daylight savings out of the day who have the daylight savings strategy in place, but it would mess up tourists who may come to visit and may travel to surrounding states who still have the daylight savings time program in use. Get rid of it all across the US and let's get on with surviving with a natural source of light, the way it was supposed to be in the first place. , but then it would mess things up when tourists come into the state yet other states kept the time change. Get rid of it all across the US and nobody will have to worry about it. It's not rocket science for time's sake. 

Saturday February 24, 2024

Here it is Saturday already. The days seem to fly by, although during their flight, they also appear to be melding together. I cannot keep my days straight any longer. I do work still, but the entire injury thing really threw a monkey wrench in my whole project.   

Monday seems to flow into Wednesday. Thursday seems non-existent. I enjoy Fridays, so those I'm refusing to let go of. Saturday has disappeared into the ethers. Sunday? Sometimes I recall that sweet man has to return to work the following day, so they may stand out, but only in a sad way. With all of the days flowing together, the entire week blends into another, then another. I never know what day it is until I'm in front of the laptop trying to work, where I can see the date and time in the bottom corner of the screen. 

Today's agenda? Sitting on the couch, foot elevated, watching more TV. OMG, I have watched enough television to gag me. I enjoy shows when I'm on break from work as it really gets my mind diverted for a bit. But, to sit and watch it all day long, no. No bueno. My ass is going numb and probably widening at this point. My legs are throbbing, especially the foot and leg in the cast. My brain is oatmeal. I do think I have forgotten everything I have ever learned, from elementary school all the way through college. But I can tell you who the bleep someone married and that truly makes me shudder. I feel embarrassed that I know facts like that. 

Yes, I have fallen into the reality show nightmare. Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry has become the show du jour for mind numbing fun. There are so many crazies out there! What happened to the gene pool in the world? Yes, and I got hooked on the crap. Talk about dumbing down the world. It is easy to do when capturing and jailing the minds of those who have nothing better to do through the day. Yes, I work. But in between all the typing, I do take breaks. Work does keep me sane, thank goodness. Although when I'm doing police files or law files, I jump from one reality to another, with a sicko who may have murdered someone or raped someone in our reality. I do believe TV is better, just because I can turn it all off at the end of the day. Work is work and is daily, capturing the good and the bad in our world.  

Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry is interesting in a sick, psycho sort of way. If you're naturally paranoid, I would not recommend watching this show. I am giving you a warning before viewing it, including the show can cause paranoia and feelings of mistrust toward your spouse who may be sitting next to you. Put the cast iron skillet away! It's not worth it. Then you will be starring in an episode of the show. That's even worse. 

On the peaceful side of the planet, my daughter's husband returned from Mexico with their new baby. Daniel purchased a Xolo, or Mexican hairless dog during his visit with family. The puppy is cute, but does live up to the title of being hairless. He is completely naked. Today's journey will include purchasing some clothes for the little man and some coconut oil to rub on his skin. A fur coat may not be a bad idea. 

I would have that same worried look on my face if my bare butt was flapping in the chilly Oregon winter wind. Now these are the types of dogs you need to put clothing on. Not for the princess look, but to keep his poor naked ass covered. Coming from Mexico into Oregon? This dog will need a portable heater to keep him warm. 

I do love my new granddog, even though I haven't met him yet. He is so cute. The black spot on his scalp makes me think Mr. Swanky Pants might end up with the mohawk look. I could be wrong, but he is showing signs of hair on top of the head, or from the photos a darker spot on top of his head, possibly creating a mohawk. Can't wait to see how he grows into his adult body. 

Meanwhile, Trinket the cat is wondering why dad brought home an alien. If she is not allowed to destroy the wall in the house, the humans should not be allowed to bring home extraterrestrials. It's not fair. 

I just love that adorable face and beautiful eyes! I also thought he looked very stylish in his beautiful blue hoodie. Good choice, Brandy. Good choice. 

So our weekend is another quiet one, which I enjoy on some occasions. This weekend is a good one for doing some housework. Yes, I am cleaning. I was able to get some rags from the laundry room, wet them down, and scrub a few places on the walls around the house that had pet nasties in a couple of spots. You know, those nasty critter sneezes on the wall or for whatever reason they lick the wall (yeah, don't ask), or maybe they eat and then touch their lips to the wall. Once again, don't ask. But the messes happen. I also had the usual dirty hand marks on the doorframes, as you can find in most homes between cleanings. 

Another task on the list was to do the dishes. Those were finished earlier this morning. Now it's time for me to get out the Crosswave and do a vacuuming and mopping duty across these nasty floors. We'll see how well that works out for me.

 I did mop the laundry room floor with bleach water this morning. The litter box is in that room and it is a well traveled floor, so it was in need of a good bleach scrubbing. The ability to mop was rather easy from the chair. I was quite proud of the job I did on the linoleum. I hate the thought of using my new Crosswave on the laundry room floor without a good sweeping first. It would suck up all the litter and possibly plug the vacuum portion of the machine. 

We will see how well that works out for me. I do have a bit of laundry to tackle today too, and that isn't too difficult. Locking my wheels, I can load the clothes from a sitting position, stand on one foot to load soap into their designated cups, and then reach across the top of the washer to start the cycle. All while on that one foot. 

 Once washed, I stand, hang onto the washer, and load the wet clothes into the dryer. It does take patience, but it's working and I can accomplish small tasks like these during the day. It makes me feel like I can do little things around the home without being completely dependent on others. This way Terry doesn't have to do every little thing for me and I can move around to keep myself mobile, sane, and keep the blood flowing. He asked many times over if he could help me with various tasks and he received the same reply each time, "No, I got this." Now he sits within view and waits for me to ask for help if I need some. 

Remember the posts about procrastination? Yes, the bookshelf still sits untouched in the office and like that bookshelf, today's plan of using the Crosswave has yet to happen. I'm sitting in my purple Minnie Mouse pajamas, playing Bingo of all things Bingo in my opinion is one of the most boring contests known to man. There is absolutely no skill needed to play. I would still like to do the floors, don't get me wrong, but doesn't it make better sense to wait until Terry is at work tomorrow? Plus, I could miss out on that winning number.  

On the other hand, it does make more sense to do it today simply because he will be around should I need help with the dirty tank or the clean solution tank, or when I am running the self-clean mode. So no need to end the exciting, edge-of-my-seat game of Bingo Bliss then, is there?

But for now, I'm writing the blog post, because after all, that needs to be done right this second. It is of the utmost importance, naturally. Then begins the work. I do need to run some clothes and couch covers through the washer too. Yeah. Not sure how much of all that is happening. Last night I washed my hair in the sink and took a long sponge bath. That exhausted me. 

All that standing on one foot stuff is getting old. Real old. Geriatric even. I think that idea is actually mummified it's getting so up there in age. One foot usage is so frustrating, including the act of going pee. Not to get personal, but it takes me quite a bit of motion, braking, rolling wheels, and the like just to pee. 

Terry and I joke about having to head out to the commode right after peeing the last time, just because of the time it consumes to get there and ready myself, transfer, get pants down while steadying my body, pivoting, and finally plopping down on the seat. Ridiculous.  

But for now, right this second, counting the times the cast tape was put around my leg is quite enough. Then Bingo is really draining me. Hey, it's Sunday. Oh, don't judge. Next up is another game of online Canasta, and then counting the Minnie Mouse heads on my britches. Awesome day. Keeping the mind sharp! I am so proud. 

I do wish I had this view today. My daughters and I went to Heceta Beach in Florence, Oregon and they hiked the trail up to the lighthouse. On the way down, Brandy was able to capture this view. I love this photo! This was all done a few years back. Just thinking about the beach today and wishing I was there. Maybe Terry and I can venture out to Bandon again after I'm healed and can walk on both feet again.

Anyway, sweet man took off for the store. We are having his one and only dish he can cook, spaghetti. I love spaghetti. So that's a thing. Next up, we are going to sit and listen to an album embedded on CD. Not rap. Not country, but good old fashioned rock 'n roll. Yes, the notes from the 80's and around that time. The good old days. Back in the day, however you want to say it. We had such a great time last night, listening to our favorite songs, laughing, and feeling confident in our relationship once again. 

I will leave this post right here. Our week is complete, or almost complete once again. Until our next post, take care of yourselves. Be kind and let your light shine! Your light can light the path of other travelers.