Try to Stay Healthy, Physical Fitness, Don't Want to Catch No Disease

 I have two health related things to discuss today.

First, I had my breast ultrasound on Tuesday, and I got the results back today. I got the all-clear. Yea! It will be 5 years since my lumpectomy in August, and I'm very happy that I haven't had any issues with my breasts since...Except those associated with the changes from perimenopause. Sigh.

The second is that, according to Iowa regulations, I am now eligible for a Covid vaccination. You just have to have a BMI of 25 or higher, and you can get one here. I've never been so excited to be overweight in my life. Double sigh.

Since there is no place that has the vaccine around here, I have a friend who told me about this thing on Twitter that notifies you what places have the vaccine, as soon as it's announced. A lot of the places are far away from me, and I can't justify driving 5 hours out and 5 hours back to NW Iowa just to get the vaccine. 

Since I don't have Twitter, this friend texted me a bunch of sites right as they were posted. Most of them were pretty far away, but there was a Hy-Vee in Ottumwa, which is just an hour and a half away from me. I went to the website and chose this Saturday, in the middle of the day for my appointment. Then it gave me a couple of pages of general information it wanted from me. After I filled it all out, it told me there were no longer vaccines available at their site. Crap! Of course, if you want a different time, it doesn't save the information you added. You just have to answer those two pages of questions all over again. Double crap! My friend told me that the trick was to get really fast at answering those questions, and to choose the latest date they offer. I still haven't gotten lucky with it, but I'll keep trying.

Word on the street, is that Iowa is getting 200,000 more doses in the next couple of weeks. Also, they are going to open up the vaccine for anyone who wants it on April 9th. It sounds like I might get REALLY good at answering a questionnaire over and over again...

Here's hoping an easy vaccine acquisition to all of you in the next couple of months. I know I can't wait for mine. Yea science!

Guys With Nametags Walking Down the Aisles, Rows of Garden Hoses That Go On For Miles and Miles

 So, the cats weren't super happy with me taking over their sunny window with my seedlings. Archie would jump into the pots and smoosh the soil with his very heavy body. Gus was pulling up the seedlings. I'm assuming, since it's Gus, that he wanted to eat them.

We decided the plants needed some protection, so on Saturday I headed to Ace Hardware to get some chicken wire. If you've ever been to an Iowa hardware store, you know the best time to go is during the day, during the week. That's when guys with names like Orville, and Floyd work. They are generally retired and this job is their social life, and they have probably used every tool in that store and know where everything is. You can even say you need a "thingy" to do a certain task, and they will know exactly what you're talking about and take you right to it. Sure, you might get an eye-roll out of it, but that's a small price to pay for efficient service.

On Saturday, Orville and Floyd are off and are replaced by people with names like, Logan, Ashlynn, and Braden. People with those names are just there because their parents made them get a job, and when you ask them how much anything is, they have to pull out a book, and look for a VERY long time and then tell you, "I asked them the price, and they never gave it to me, and I can't find it in this stupid book, and I don't even really want to BE here anyway." So, then you tell them that it's okay. You'll just get it at another store, and they thank you. 

When I was at the hardware store looking for the chicken wire, and not seeing one person who might be able to help me, I laughed to myself about how when I was a younger, punk rock looking chick, a salesperson would run up to me the minute I entered a store and very pointedly ask me if they could help me, as a reminder that they had their eye on me. Now, I'm apparently so old, and dowdy and non-threatening, that I could probably grab things off the shelves and stuff them down my shirt without even a how-do-you-do from the employees. 

Anyway, I grabbed my chicken wire, and a bag of peat moss, and had to go to Hy-Vee to get the fire wood,, since "Ashlynn" was too traumatized to do a price check for me. That's okay. I needed groceries anyway.

 On a less old-lady-cranky-pants note, we were able to successfully protect our seedlings from the cats. It isn't pretty, but it will only be another month or two, and then the cats can have their sunny South facing window back. I will also remember to head to the hardware store on a weekend from now on.

Just Move On Up, Toward Your Destination. Though You May Find, From Time to Time, Complication

Salud! to spring. Last weekend and most of this week has been wonderful. It was up to seventy degrees for a few days. We made the best of it on Saturday and went on a fun social ride with our friends. We rode about 28 miles, and stopped in the town of Hills to enjoy their beer garden. It has probably been a year and a half since I've been there.

When we got back to town, we headed to Shakespeare's for dinner. The snow finally melted off of their patio, so we could eat outside and best of all, they have their Lent menu up, which means tons of different seafood options. It's my favorite time of the year to eat at Sheaksepeare's.

Sunday was still pretty warm, but super windy. John and I just did a 25 mile ride. I was exhausted from working out way more than twice what I have been  during my Winter of migraines, and the wind was a bit much for me. So, we rode home and I got to work on planning this year's garden.

Even though my garden looked like the photo above last Sunday, most of that snow is finally gone almost a week later, and I'm going to try and plant some early season stuff like beets and lettuce and sugar snap peas this weekend. Yea!

I also finally got my seedlings planted. I decided to plant some kale this year, which turned into too much kale, so I'll be looking for people to take some of those seedlings. I planted two different kinds of tomatoes this year - Brandywine, and Beefsteak. We'll see how it all goes, and if Gus can learn to leave the seedlings alone. He already walked on some of the containers. I just hope he doesn't decide to eat them.

I was able to eat lunch and then work outside on the porch a couple of afternoons this week. It was heavenly. Since hardly anyone has come into the office, we were told we could work from home full time again. We're not sure when they'll have us all back into the office again. I'm assuming once we all have the chance to get vaccinated. I'm hoping that can be soon for me. So many people I know have had at least their first vaccination now. My mother-in-law "got" to shop for herself at an actual grocery store on Thursday. She loved having that freedom. Last January, who knew we'd think grocery shopping was some big freedom. I know I'm going to appreciate the hell out of it when I get vaccinated and can finally eat inside at a restaurant and go on a trip. Yea!

 Gus is going crazy now that he can go outside whenever he wants to, and the stupid humans finally made it warm out there for him. He got to do his favorite thing on Tuesday night, which is sit on his dad's lap out on the porch while we enjoyed our beverages.

I'm trying not to be too hopeful, because you never know what can happen, but right now it's warming up, and people are getting vaccinated, and life is getting closer to how it was. Is it possible that we may actually be able to take a deep breath, and exhale? Man, I hope so.

A Celebration, Mr Blue Sly's up There Waitin', And Today is the Day We've Waited for

Well, kids. this is historical (for me) (maybe), but I haven't had a migraine, and I've only taken Advil once in nine days. I can't even remember the last time that happened. My body, in particular, my kidneys feel so much better. I have no idea how long this will last, but I intend to appreciate the hell out of it, and see what I can get done while it does.

 

 

This weekend is supposed to be even warmer than last weekend. I'm hoping to ride outside as much as possible. Last Saturday was so nice, I almost forgot how great it was to ride outside. Our toes got a little cold, but it was totally worth it for a forty mile ride outside to North Liberty and back.

 

Without the migraine, I also got another Saturday project done. I've been trying at least once a week to clean and organize the hell out of one room in the house. Last Saturday I chose the dormer room. As you recall, when I first bought this house, the dormer room had ugly brown carpet, but that was okay, since Stinky lived up there and she was a slob, and that ugly brown carpet was just going to have used Snapple bottles stuck to it anyway. After she finally got her own place, I did an overhaul of the space. I pulled up said ugly brown carpet, and found old wide plank board underneath. They had the lumber yard name stamped on them and were pretty rough. I just sanded them down and painted them a light French Gray, and then we used John's old mid century chairs and his army chest, and some of his mom's family's lovely antiques and put a few futons up there in case people came to visit, and we had our eclectic, funky studio/reading room/kitten sanctuary. Of course, now that Stinky lives in Des Moines, but comes back here on weekends to work in the O. R., she's using the room again. So far, now that she's older, we haven't had to worry about the Snapple bottles...At least, so far.

 

 

 

I know I whined about how much weight I've gained during Covid/Perimenopause, so now that it's getting warmer and I'm faced with how pasty and fat I'm getting, I'm trying to be better about eating better and exercising more. Last Saturday for lunch, we had some left over quinoa enchilada bake, so I heated it up, split the one large helping into two, added some spinach salad from the night before and topped it with avocado, fresh jalapenos, and black olives, and we had pineapple chunks for dessert It was really good, and the portions were smaller, and it almost kept me from getting too hungry during our 40 mile bike ride.

Since it got up to 48 degrees, we decided to ride the Lone Tree Loop. It is a 40 mile, mostly flat bike ride that goes from Iowa City, through the country, and then through Lone Tree (where John's dad's family is from), and back to Iowa City. I love that ride, especially when I'm heavier and not happy to pull all this extra weight up hills. 

When we got back to town, we were going to try to go to Shakespeare's to eat and have a beer. We won't eat inside because we're old and don't want to catch the Covid. They hadn't cleared the snow off of their beer garden. We tried Big Grove next and they were ridiculously packed.

We decided to get some beer and fire wood, and order pizza from The Wedge. It turned out to be way better than going to a beer garden to eat, and so much cheaper.

As you all know, I lllllooooovvvve a fire.

 We ended the evening watching the Snow Moon rise over the trees as the fire died out. We packed a lot into that one day. I'm hoping tomorrow is even half as much fun.