CPAP Adventures – Part One.

Who else out there have a partner – spouse, significant other, friend w/benefits who snores?

I don’t mean a minor snort now and again. I mean lock the doors and windows, batten down the hatches, and hold on for dear life snoring. Yes, you know what I’m talking about.

My dad snored. At home, we all slept with our bedroom doors open, until we got in high school. You could hear Dad, but he worked most nights, so the family (and our mom) didn’t have that noise except two nights a week.

When the Babe and I first met, we were both in our 40s, and pretty fit and trim. He just quit smoking six months before. He didn’t gain weight until we really got together and he ate regularly scheduled meals – having dinner every night, either cooking or going out. Before me, he ate one meal at lunch, complete with gravy most days, bread, all the works. He and his buddy Doug (born the same day, two years apart) would lunch together every day. They were a pair! Lunch, complete with gravy, and Keno every day. It became a costly lunch in several ways.

Anyway, back to the CPAP. Does anyone else out there have a spouse (etc., from above) who can snore with a CPAP machine on? The Babe can. Even though he’s getting the extra air flow, he can still emit an earth shattering rumble. Is that normal? I don’t think so.

Every night, he leaves it off until I tell him, “You forgot your mask, Babe.” He mutters something like, “I think I can skip tonight.” I reply, “Nope, not if you’re sleeping with me.” He complies. Are we set? No.

Having two dogs, one elderly, they need to go outside a couple times a night. The Babe gets up as often, so he gets up with them. I’m awake at the ruckus, taking off the mask, waiting for it to stop blowing air, and the moving around. I don’t wake entirely, but know what’s happening.

Back to bed is stealing my covers until I protest, putting the mask back on, telling old dog to jump up, then it’s back to sleep.

Until last night. After one of the nightly visits to outside, I heard a “clunk.” Asked the Babe, “Did your CPAP fall off the nightstand?”

“NOPE!”

Next outside trip? The mask comes off, I hear a loud, constant rushing of air, along with gurgling. It never stopped. The Babe put it back on, the gurgling continued. He took it off. Semi-peaceful the rest of the night.

This morning? The Babe sheepishly said, “I guess I was in quite a fight with my CPAP last night. It did fall on the floor. When you overfill it, it gurgles.” When you drop it, water gets in the hose, too. Mystery solved.

CPAP fights. Who knew? Lots of things happen during the night while we sleep. It’s a deep, dark underworld out there. I have no clue where to get your tickets for it. I suppose it’s like the Fight Club, you don’t talk about it. So Shhhhh!

We’re officially at #934 readers. Help a girl out! Help me get to #1,000! I’m counting on you to get on my reader list by following me, and you’ll be notified whenever we publish another blog! And with all my big things coming, you’ll be the first to know! I appreciate you all so much, please know how I enjoy having you here. We’ll see each other tomorrow.

Faults v. Virtues

When you think of yourself, what comes to mind first?

“I could lose 30 pounds.”

“I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.”

“I’m a terrible Mom.”

As a child, we’re often taught not to talk about our abilities. “Don’t be conceited,” they tell us. “It’s not polite.” Especially for a girl. I remember reading in a Catholic Girl (was that the title? don’t remember for sure) Magazine, it was stressing the duty of the girl to remain “pure” in mind, body, and heart. Part of the duty was to praise the boyfriend, and be his lovely assistant in everything, to know their place. We didn’t hear “Good Job!” every time we did something. Some of us were told a “B” wasn’t good enough, it should have been an “A”.

Wow, that was the late 50s and early 60s for you. No more. We weren’t supposed to be smarter than the boys, or stronger, or better at doing anything. Wow. There are many very intelligent women, strong women, who are the best at what they do. How sad we were instructed to dumb ourselves down. How can we live fully is we pretend to be less than what we actually are?

I, for one, hadn’t a clue what I was going to do with the rest of my life after the kids grew up. I didn’t want to hover over them, after all, you have them to send them out into the world. I loved my kids to pieces, and knew I was happiest with them. I couldn’t keep having kids because I didn’t have a life plan.

Making the decision to go to community college was the best thing I ever did. Having a lot of interests made it a little harder to decide what to do. I decided on Medical Secretary. I earned a certificate, but found a job at ConAgra. Lots of on the job training by observing a huge business working. It was amazing.

I took many business classes and was finally offered a programmer trainee position if I completed a certification program for a year. I would have been crazy not to do it. It launched me way further than I could have imagined.

By learning I had value, talents, abilities, I experienced a lot of growth as a person and in my career. I finally knew I did a good job. While I think kids may not need constant praise, I believe some is needed. Too many wounded adults are walking the earth. Many others don’t realize they are. We need to learn to accept our virtues and talents. Otherwise we can be overwhelmed by our faults. Those two sentences from Robert G. Coleman leapt of the page at me this morning. So many of us spend time tabulating our faults. We need to tally our virtues. Take some time doing that today. Do it every day. Be fair. You will discover your worth.

Self deprecation can be funny, we need to laugh at ourselves. Taken too far, it’s not good. It’s only recognizing part of ourselves. We need to recognize all that we are in order to become all we can. Don’t let your faults define you and your legacy. Start today. Appreciate yourself. And make it a habit.

Have a beautiful day. It’s lovely outside in the shade. Going to check the plants now. Be safe. See you tomorrow.

(Mumbling) Monday?

It could have been. It very easily could have been. Instead, I forgave myself for being human. For sometimes forgetting where I’ve put things. It’s happened a couple times. The first time, I found what I was looking for by simply moving something else. Like magic! There it was.

The second time wasn’t as magical. I emptied the middle desk drawer in the Babe’s office, and for the life of me, I couldn’t find our Safe Deposit Keys. Oh boy, this will be expensive. Not good. I proceeded to beat myself up, which was old behavior. I could feel my normal good mood start to ebb. It’s going to be rain all day, don’t need it to be in a bad mood! NO! I called the Babe.

He immediately encouraged me. Don’t beat yourself up. It’s ok. Really? Well, yes. Yes it is. Not a big deal. I came in off the ledge. As we were talking, I mentioned some things we had at home that I would place back in the Safe Deposit Box. Passports. Other important papers. I went to the jewelry armoire and opened the bottom drawer. I removed the travel belt I received from a friend’s belongings after she died. It has two pockets. One pocket had the Passports. The other? It had the Bank Envelope with the Safe Deposit Box Keys in it. I thanked our friend Sharon Reidmann over and over for helping St. Anthony find my “lost” items. Whew! I can almost hear Sharon tell me, “You need to be neater.” True. I do. Working on it.

Note to self: Start writing down where we hide stuff. We’re getting to that age where we honestly may not remember everything as we used to. Better safe than sorry! My Catholic upbringing yielded a quick prayer to the Saint in charge of lost items. We Catholics have a Saint for everything. Thank goodness. Not sure who the Saint is for memory. Anyone?

Easter will be upon us in another couple weeks. Growing up Catholic, we learned about all the days surrounding Easter. Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and how we remembered each of them on their own special days. There was a lot of ritual connected with them, and somehow, I miss all that. My older brother was an altar boy, I was a choir girl, and our presence was expected at all these ceremonies. We were there, front and center.

Two years in a row, my mother became deathly ill, and we went to stay at our Grandma Jewell’s, while Mom was in the hospital. First time, on Palm Sunday, she had a bad gall bladder attack. She had surgery the next day, and was hospitalized for over a week. The Second time, she was hospitalized and put in traction for her back. Bed rest and traction, along with muscle relaxers ruled her life for another week. She repeatedly counted the tiles in the ceiling. She truly thought she’d go insane.

We attended Grandma’s Church for all the services on those special days. We must have been out of school, but I truly don’t recall getting the whole week off, usually we had school Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and were out Thursday and Friday. Grandpa had already passed away, so I know he wasn’t available to take us to school. I’ll have to check on those details.

When the third year rolled around, we were wondering what would cause Mom to be hospitalized that year? It became sort of a joke, wondering what would happen next. Nothing ever did. Good thing, Dad was lost without her to keep the house running smoothly. She did a good job.

As I remain grateful for finding my lost item, thank you for reading today. Take it easy on yourself first. Then a deep breath and calm down. You will find what is lost, even if it’s yourself! Thank you for reading. I appreciate it more than you know. Find some brightness in this gloomy day. The grass will need mowing if the rain keeps up! Take care of each other out there. Be Kind. Be Safe. Be Courteous. See you tomorrow!

Morning, Sunshine!

The weeks I have “homework” due for a conference with Sam, my book coach, I need to be working on the next homework in the four days before the Zoom meeting. I need to be refining my story, editing my next words, and have a head start before the meeting, a couple days of goofing off, then frantic activity. Remind me next time, ok?

I’m actually going to work on a quilt after this blog posts. Then tomorrow, I can get going on Chapter 3. My character Katie is going to be a busy girl, discovering her self-worth and finding her voice. It’s a lifetime of work, all condensed down to mere pages. I need to choose words carefully, make sure each one is the best I can find. I’m learning so much.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I adore sunflowers. I need to find my sunflower wreath for our front door, I think it’s in a storage bin in the basement. If it’s too mushed, I’ll just get a new one. It’s time for one, probably. One in, one out. Have you seen how many people are downsizing, getting rid of clutter, things they don’t use, finding out they don’t love most of their stuff. We’re doing our best. I’m the holder on, probably. The Babe lets go much easier than I do. I must say though, when we emptied his house before we got married, besides the new furniture he bought, he didn’t have many clothes at all, the ex took everything of value. It was a sad situation. I’m glad those years are so far behind. We’ve been over some mountains together. Lots of challenges.

I have two beautiful kimonos we’re hanging in our entryway. Our neighbor gave one to me for watching their daughter while they traveled back home, to China itself. It was a nice surprise. The other one is very old. Dad brought it back from his stint in Korea. I believe they went by boat in those days. A total of over 6,000 miles. How long and boring that had to be. I doubt he cared, though. He was going home to his wife and baby son. I have bamboo to hang them from, and need to press the kimonos (carefully) before hanging them up. They should be beautiful. Photos to follow!

I’m hoping to spend time outdoors this afternoon, as it’s going to be a beautiful day. All week will. Some lows may even be below 50 degrees. I’m not ready for that as of yet. The flowers are not nearly finished up yet, either. I have a new hooded sweatshirt to wear, that I’m eager to share with you, but I’ll save the surprise for the first day I need it. It will be selfie worthy. In the meantime, please have a great day. Know I appreciate your time, and hope you enjoyed it. I’ll be back again tomorrow, and will see you then. Be safe out there.

TRULY Tuesday.

I’m convinced it really is. You see, I pulled a classic “I’m worried I’ll get busy and forget to pick up Gavin” move. I set the alarm on my phone to go off at 9:15 a.m., sure I’d have plenty of time to pick him up and drop Addison off at dance. Except I totally blew off the fact on Tuesday, we don’t get him until 12:45 p.m. Wow. I put Goldie in her kennel, drove halfway there, and thought, “WHOA!!”

Photo by Thomas on Pexels.com

How crazy is that? Turning around, I called the Babe. He confirmed it was indeed later. Whew! Just glad I didn’t get to the house to have my sanity questioned. Instead, I decided it was so funny I had to share it. We’ve all done such things. Better than being late, right?? I have to laugh. Feel free to laugh with me, if not at me. I won’t be offended.

I think the more you can laugh at yourself, the easier life is. Young or old, once we realize humans make mistakes and it’s no big deal, we can relax so much. Perfection is not a trait of we humans. Regular people who make little mistakes, just as I did. Now, if I continued and it became obvious there was more at work than simple forgetfulness, that would be time to get a doctor involved.

So, believe it or not, I had a great session already today with my new Scene/Point plotting. I have a lot of major points plotted out for my character Katie in her quest to become free of traditional and unsaid prisons by which she is shackled. It’s an awakening story. It explains her feeling like she doesn’t fit in, like there has to be more to life than being a servant to a husband, and how her kids were better off not living under their father’s rule. Now, I can examine the emotional response she has to all of these events. Thanks, Sam, I’m getting it!

Does anyone watch Yellowstone? I am really liking this season. So much I might buy Seasons 1 & 2 to watch again. I noticed they were On Demand just before Season 3 started. Now, they’re not available. There are indeed a couple movies I have on DVD; Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, no need to explain that one; Field of Dreams, came out just after my dad died; and Bull Durham, I think that is such a great story, how the older woman realizes she doesn’t want the young guy anymore, she wants a real man. WARNING: LANGUAGE!! NSFW. What a great scene this is.

OK, I hesitated because of the language, sorry if it offended anyone. But the point wasn’t the language, it was the rest of the speech that was important. Baseball players are famous for superstitions. Bull Durham plays off of that. It’s definitely not a family film, but one for grownups.

No Wonder I’m Tired! All This Writing!

Writing, like anything else we try to learn, eventually starts to “click.” Some parts don’t make sense until after you “get there.” It’s been that way with quilting, sewing garments, driving a car, taking care of a baby, or playing a musical instrument. Sometimes, as humans, we grow impatient and abandon something before it clicks or you get there. It’s so sad when that happens! Yes, sometimes something isn’t really for you, but how do you know until all your avenues are exhausted?

Money can be a big stumbling block when someone wants to self-publish. It is expensive. You have total control except for how many books you’ll sell. I am leaning that way, and some things just fell into place. Our cleaning girls quit for different lines of work. Our garbage collection is now paid for by the SID. And we’re cancelling Direct TV soon as our contract is up. All those things add up to $381 a month. Add in my stimulus money, and it’s nearly $6K for a year. Those things just happened at the right time, so far, I’m not having to rob the cookie jar in order to finance my dream. I believe these things are God’s way of saying, “Go ahead. This is the way to go.”

I’m looking forward to sharing the journey with all of you. Thank you for reading every day, it means a lot we now have 108 followers. No, one is not my mom. She will never have a computer, much less internet, so that’s a given. It’s ok, we’re in good company, and I’ll meet you again tomorrow, right here. Be Kind. Be Courteous. Be Respectful. Please, we’re all living this one day at a time. Let’s be good humans to each other. Wear your mask. Remember, I can’t meet my new grandson until this dang virus is over! Wash your hands, too!

Let’s Remember This and Be Courteous.