luminousone Posted January 1, 2022 Author Share Posted January 1, 2022 The case rates are really going up in my county, as well as our state. I wonder what it is going to be like with school starting up next week… Link to comment
luminousone Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 It has been a while since I was last here. Life is just moving along. Work is busy but it is good to be in person (most of the time). Although I do miss being able to do my dishes, cook my lunch, do laundry, and be home for deliveries… And skipping the commute. Haven’t heard much from my older son since he left. But I think he might be able to move back to Oregon in 8 months, so then I might see him more. Younger son still calls me every week and we chat about his music and my work and health. (Which sounds so boring!) As far as my health, so far so good. Still in cancer treatments - pills and monthly shots. Dr says my bloodwork is looking pretty good. I go for my 24th treatment this month, which means it has been 2 years! Dr just put in authorization for another year of treatments. As far as COVID, I work closely with little students but we all wear masks. We have to fill out a contact tracing log every day and so far I have not been in close contact with anyone who has tested positive, so that’s good. Plus I’m vaxxed and boosted. My office mate’s housemate has COVID so she worked in another room last week to stay away from me, which I appreciate. Because it is possible that my meds make me immune compromised. And every time I get a virus (or vaccine) then my cancer blood values go up. Too much for my body to juggle I guess. Went for a 4 mile walk today. It was cloudy but I was hoping for some sunshine to break through. At least it wasn’t raining or snowing. I saw some blue herons, turkey vultures, a kingfisher, lots of geese and ducks. Also saw evidence of beavers but I’ve never seen one. And no foxes this year, although I suspect the dens are still there. Tomorrow- I have to food prep for the week. And do laundry. All that fun stuff. Plus, online church. After my walk today, I was too lazy and got nothing else done… Link to comment
Jibralta Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 8 hours ago, luminousone said: Also saw evidence of beavers but I’ve never seen one. Beavers are such nifty little creatures. Well, I guess they're not that little--some of them get to be over 70 lbs. But it's cool how they build dams and access their homes from underwater. They can wreak havoc with human neighborhoods, though. When I was surveying two summers ago, I ran into a guy who told me about how a beaver dam caused their area to flood. They brought in excavators and broke up the dam. I thought that was pretty unfair to the poor beavers!! I told the guy that I had just seen a beaver swimming downstream in the creek we were surveying. The guy looked alarmed lol. I had definitely seen a small, beaver-like mammal. But upon further reflection, I think it may have been a muskrat. It wasn't big enough to be a beaver. I found that out later, though. So the guy is probably still on high beaver alert lol. Link to comment
luminousone Posted February 8, 2022 Author Share Posted February 8, 2022 On 2/6/2022 at 3:49 AM, Jibralta said: Beavers are such nifty little creatures. Well, I guess they're not that little--some of them get to be over 70 lbs. But it's cool how they build dams and access their homes from underwater. They can wreak havoc with human neighborhoods, though. When I was surveying two summers ago, I ran into a guy who told me about how a beaver dam caused their area to flood. They brought in excavators and broke up the dam. I thought that was pretty unfair to the poor beavers!! I told the guy that I had just seen a beaver swimming downstream in the creek we were surveying. The guy looked alarmed lol. I had definitely seen a small, beaver-like mammal. But upon further reflection, I think it may have been a muskrat. It wasn't big enough to be a beaver. I found that out later, though. So the guy is probably still on high beaver alert lol. Yes! I have seen muskrats (or nutria) swimming and at first I thought it was a beaver but later I saw the long skinny tail of a nutria. The park I hike through has several young trees that have been gnawed, and a few gnawed down. In the creek and pond there are a few places that appear to be beaver dams. I just never see any, but for sure there is fresh evidence. The park stewards ave put protective chicken wire around the trees they want to keep. It would have been fun to see some fox pups, like I have in the past. But they also tend to be elusive. Link to comment
luminousone Posted February 22, 2022 Author Share Posted February 22, 2022 Well, so much for my older son moving closer to me! He just made an offer on a house in the Midwest. So he will go to the temperate climate of the Bay Area straight to snow (and mosquito!) country. We will see how he likes that… In other news - he and his buddies all signed up to be bone marrow donors when he was at university 10 years ago. He just found out he is a match for someone. He is going to first donate stem cells, then bone marrow if needed. He continues to surprise me. Younger son still has little voice, so he has stopped singing for now. I think it is a symptom of Omicron, because several of my coworkers had similar symptoms, and dizziness too. I had the day off today, which was so nice. I went and did some major grocery shopping for staples at a store that has great prices but is farther away and doesn’t have delivery. But I had time today, and a long list of staples that I get there every few months. Work was crazy last week - kids were hyped up on sugar and Super bowl and Valentines and full moon. Ugh. So may challenges. Hopefully this week will be better. Spring is around the corner, but not quite ready to arrive yet. It was in the 40s today, but is supposed to go below freezing overnight. It is currently raining- and although there is no snow in the forecast, I do wonder what the morning commute will be… I heard that parts of Portland got a bit of snow today… Link to comment
luminousone Posted February 22, 2022 Author Share Posted February 22, 2022 Forgot to say that my cat brought in a rat last week. I thought it was dead, but I ushered him outside. I went to bring in my garbage can and he dropped the rat in my driveway, which then started running toward my leg for safety and boy did I scream! And then I worried that my neighbor would think I was being assaulted, so I loudly yelled “bad kitty” so they wouldn’t call the police… The rat got away. Link to comment
Jibralta Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 I wonder why cats bring these gifts? I've never heard of dogs doing it--at least not voluntarily! Link to comment
luminousone Posted March 7, 2022 Author Share Posted March 7, 2022 On 2/22/2022 at 12:01 AM, Jibralta said: I wonder why cats bring these gifts? I've never heard of dogs doing it--at least not voluntarily! I’m sure there is a reason. Big cats live in prides and the hunters bring their kill back to share with the group, so it is a natural instinct for domesticated cats. I’m not sure about dogs though. Link to comment
luminousone Posted March 7, 2022 Author Share Posted March 7, 2022 I’m really ready for spring break but I have to wait a few weeks. Link to comment
luminousone Posted April 17, 2022 Author Share Posted April 17, 2022 Time to update. Work is intensely busy - I turned in a few weeks of overtime hours, but the project is beginning to slow down now. My assistant remarked that if I ever left, she would decline to do that part of my position, haha! Spring is upon us - one week we had sunny hot weather up to 78° on a Thursday, and snow the following Monday. In Portland, they had enough wet sloppy snow that toppled trees and made a mess of traffic. Where I live, the snow did not stick. But - it was cold enough this week that snow has stuck in the neighboring hills. And my friend said that the snowpack is at 100% on Mt Hood, which will help with the drought conditions of the past few years. it is pretty to see the snow up in the surrounding hills. On my walks through the park, we are now seeing lilacs, delphinium, fruit trees, and wildflowers in bloom. I looked for the fawn lilies I usually see there but I don’t see them this year. But- the past month we have seen a fox curled up in the grass! So that was cool. Last week there were two other foxes nearby, chasing each other. They weren’t there today - too cold and rainy. We saw a nutria, though, and a few herons. Speaking of wildlife, I heard a noise in the middle of the night, only to discover a young possum in my laundry room. Ugh! I was able to shove it out to the garage with an Amazon box over it, and I hoped it would find its way out the cat door. It did come in for 3 nights in a row to eat the dry cat food, but it hasn’t been in for a week. My cat doesn’t seem to be too bothered by it, and it didn’t seem phased by my cat. Turns out that my neighbor with dementia likes to feed stray ‘cats’ in her backyard, and that includes the possum and my cat, according to her caregiver, haha. Anyhow, I just don’t want wild animals in my house! Maybe I will close off the cat door - but my cat is one that will not be contained. Ugh. Talked with my older son who is moving to Minnesota in a month. Younger son is still making his music in his dad’s attic. We’ll see how long that lasts. Nothing else exciting. My assistant counted out only 9 weeks left of school, so we are in the home stretch! It has been a tough, tough year, but also so needed and so rewarding. The state said schools can be mask optional. Our school has delayed that transition, but will open that option up at the end of April. I’ll still wear mine though. Case rates are rising a bit with the latest variant. Link to comment
Jibralta Posted April 17, 2022 Share Posted April 17, 2022 8 hours ago, luminousone said: My cat doesn’t seem to be too bothered by it, and it didn’t seem phased by my cat. Turns out that my neighbor with dementia likes to feed stray ‘cats’ in her backyard, and that includes the possum and my cat, according to her caregiver, haha. Cats are funny. My aunt used to feed deer and racoons slices of bread from her back door. They'd come in droves every evening. She did it for years and years, for generations of animals. She learned to tell them all apart, knew who was the child or grandchild of who. One night, my aunt and uncle went out for something and left the back door open with the screen closed. When the racoons came to the house and didn't find her, they slid open the screen door and made a bee's line to the kitchen, where they opened the bread drawer and feasted on the bread. My aunt had two housecats at the time. One of them hid when the racoons entered the house. The other cat found the cat food bag in the kitchen pantry and joined the racoons on the raid 🤣 2 Link to comment
luminousone Posted April 20, 2022 Author Share Posted April 20, 2022 On 4/17/2022 at 6:38 AM, Jibralta said: Cats are funny. My aunt used to feed deer and racoons slices of bread from her back door. They'd come in droves every evening. She did it for years and years, for generations of animals. She learned to tell them all apart, knew who was the child or grandchild of who. One night, my aunt and uncle went out for something and left the back door open with the screen closed. When the racoons came to the house and didn't find her, they slid open the screen door and made a bee's line to the kitchen, where they opened the bread drawer and feasted on the bread. My aunt had two housecats at the time. One of them hid when the racoons entered the house. The other cat found the cat food bag in the kitchen pantry and joined the racoons on the raid 🤣 That is too funny! Link to comment
luminousone Posted April 20, 2022 Author Share Posted April 20, 2022 Well, the possum hasn’t come in for a week. I’m sure it will be back at some point, but it must be getting food elsewhere. Link to comment
luminousone Posted April 20, 2022 Author Share Posted April 20, 2022 My coworker’s son got COVID and now she is absent today. Yesterday she was at work, but she worried so much about possibly exposing me so she worked away from our shared office. Hope she didn’t get it too, but she was out today, and has a sub for tomorrow… Link to comment
luminousone Posted April 20, 2022 Author Share Posted April 20, 2022 Jib, your story about the raccoons and deer reminded me of my grandfather. I probably already told this on here, but I will tell it again. My dad’s father loved feeding his neighborhood squirrels. Whenever we (grandkids) visited, he would show us how he fed them from his hand. He used peanuts to feed them. One year he even planted peanuts in his garden to see if he could grow more to feed them. (He was unsuccessful as critters got to them). This is my dad’s father. Somehow I think my dad (his son) didn’t know about feeding the squirrels. My parents had a bird feeder, and my dad was always trying to chase off the squirrels. And then they infiltrated into the basement and attic, so they had to call pest control. So he HATED those squirrels! Anyhow, it was years after my grandpa had died. But they were so completely opposite on that! Link to comment
luminousone Posted May 7, 2022 Author Share Posted May 7, 2022 My oldest son is moving to the Midwest next week. He bought a duplex and will live in one side and he has rented the other side out to an organization that is sponsoring an Afghan refugee family. They have already moved in.They don’t speak English but they speak a dialect very close to Pashto, so my sister gave him some websites so he can practice and learn. He is excited. He is moving from the Bay Area, with its temperate weather all year around. Being in the northern Midwest will be a huge adjustment. But I’m happy for him. He will continue to work from home. Link to comment
luminousone Posted May 7, 2022 Author Share Posted May 7, 2022 Just now, luminousone said: My oldest son is moving to the Midwest next week. He bought a duplex and will live in one side and he has rented the other side out to an organization that is sponsoring an Afghan refugee family. They have already moved in.They don’t speak English but they speak a dialect very close to Pashto, so my sister gave him some websites so he can practice and learn. He is excited. He is moving from the Bay Area, with its temperate weather all year around. Being in the northern Midwest will be a huge adjustment. But I’m happy for him. He will continue to work from home. A few posts back I mentioned that my office mate might have gotten COVID. And she did. She’s been pretty wiped out by it. She finally came back on Monday, but she still has quite the cough. Link to comment
Jibralta Posted May 7, 2022 Share Posted May 7, 2022 2 hours ago, luminousone said: My oldest son is moving to the Midwest next week. He bought a duplex and will live in one side and he has rented the other side out to an organization that is sponsoring an Afghan refugee family. They have already moved in.They don’t speak English but they speak a dialect very close to Pashto, so my sister gave him some websites so he can practice and learn. He is excited. Exciting! Link to comment
luminousone Posted May 19, 2022 Author Share Posted May 19, 2022 On 5/9/2022 at 11:04 AM, Seraphim said: Your son sounds so sweet . ❤️ He is sweet natured, for sure. He is also a very unusual person and probably difficult to live with, as he has severe ADHD. He is creative, and so he doesn’t follow social rules, necessarily. But the sweet nature is there. Link to comment
luminousone Posted May 19, 2022 Author Share Posted May 19, 2022 My son flew out to his new place last Saturday. His stuff will get there next week. I have not checked in with him since Sat night. I’ll probably call this weekend. Link to comment
luminousone Posted May 19, 2022 Author Share Posted May 19, 2022 I was out sick for a few days but went back today. Neg for COVID, so no worries there. This afternoon I had a four hour training on Zoom, and then I left work early to go to the doctor for my monthly appointment and shots. Link to comment
luminousone Posted June 20, 2022 Author Share Posted June 20, 2022 School is out for the summer, although I may go in for a few more hours to organize things to make room for some supplies and materials that will come in August. I went to Portland this weekend to see some friends I hadn’t seen for several years, and we had so much fun! I stayed with my friend J, and we went hiking today. Her home is nestled in next to some marsh lands and a pond, so there is a lot of wildlife around. Very peaceful. This morning I woke up to birdsong. 2 Link to comment
Seraphim Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 Miss you and wondering how you are . Link to comment
luminousone Posted January 14, 2023 Author Share Posted January 14, 2023 On 12/7/2022 at 10:14 AM, Seraphim said: Miss you and wondering how you are . Hay Sera! I have not been here in so long but I’m fine and I hope all is well with you.! I’m working in person this year again, and now the school year is almost halfway through. I have been super tired from the cancer medication but otherwise the treatments are effective at keeping the cancer at bay. I’ve been back at church in person too and I’m teaching Sunday School. But I still wear a mask at work and church because I am immune compromised with my treatments. I still walk on Saturdays with my friend and her dog. Her dog is getting older so the pace is slower these days. But that works for me these days too. Not much else going on - my oldest does love his home in Minneapolis and I went out there for a few days last summer to see him and to meet up with a few of my siblings. It was fun Younger son is still doing his music thing and is living in his dad’s attic still. Link to comment
Recommended Posts