Ethan’s Journey

Work is a lot. I knew it would be. I wish our software doesn’t break every day. Some day…..maybe? Moe was bugging me to go out and sunbathe at about 7:15 am this morning. He was out the majority of the day. I took him for a lap around the field. He jumped in the pond again. He also got a hose bath again. He will now be put on a leash prior to re-entering the yard. Dumb dog! He is very clean! Paul was pissed because the did some weed whacking in an area where there is poison ivy. His allergy is pretty sensitive. He saw that it looked like poison ivy, but still did weed whacking sending the poisoning to aerosol form.  He then asked questions. He didn’t like the answer. He even tried to tell me I was wrong and that it wasn’t poison ivy.  Any amount of denial won’t prevent someone from poison ivy onset. He had choice and colorful words after I confirmed that it in fact was poison ivy. He immediately showered and foreshadowed that his eyes would be swollen shut in the morning. Paul...

 Cousins weekend is over. The Diiulio’s (not us) have left the state. Paul and I caught up on yard work today. I was able to try out my mini chainsaw and cut up branches for kindling. I collected 4 bags worth so far.  We had a tree fall in our back yard a while back. Paul cut up the big pieces and I told him I would pick away at the smaller branches. We can use it for our campfires in our back yard or for more kindling this year. Ethan worked a bit in the garage. He took several rests. Yesterday morning he had to go to the lab. He signed in and had to wait for the 7 people ahead of him. He typically has several blood tests. They check his two rejection medication doses, CBC, chemistry panel to look at his organ function, some kidney related tests, electrolyte levels, tryglycerides, thyroid level, ferritin/ iron level to help assess kidney function. And more. He has an elevation in his potassium again. He has been so careful with avoiding potato’s, bananas, and potassium rich f...

 We had breakfast and headed over to the in-laws. Avery, Julie and I took a lengthy walk and it was quite humid and warm out. We spent the afternoon poolside at cousin Chadd’s house. It is right across the street. The tunes were on, we were listening to music and chatting away. Avery, Julie and I did our Target run. We picked up some hair essentials and sun screen.  We ordered a bunch of pizza and wings. We gathered for a picnic and ate together. Yum! We had some cake for dessert to celebrate Marcus’s birthday. We watched in real time, the 6 year old go from pre cake, no sugar state to a wound up Tasmanian Devil from the sugar. He started oversharing, telling us he pooped his pants on a roller coaster. I told him that Paul does the same thing…..you know, so he wouldn’t feel embarrassed by sharing that information. He looked at Paul and you could tell his 6 year old wheels were turning with many questions to answer. He chose wisely and didn’t ask any further questions. Ethan ar...

 I am pretty sure I got into the poison ivy. But t is that time of year. I don’t have the rash yet but am itchy all over. Even the inside of my ear is itchy.  I spent several days in the garden. It is my own fault.  I googled what the purpose of it is on this earth. It seems everything has a purpose.  Poison ivy apparently provides food to wildlife and birds in the winter (and summer). It also prevents erosion because it pretty much grows every which way. Really? There isn’t a plant that does those things that is less itchy? I headed over to spend time with my in-laws. Avery arrived late afternoon. We all worked together to make dinner. We tried to keep it as easy as possible. After dinner, the cousins were across the street. We all filtered outside. There were 6 teens plus Avery and the 6 year old….who was in his glory. Little Luca. He saw the big kids playing corn hole, badminton, bocce and throwing the football around. Luca said that it looks like a family carniva...

 Do you stand in the shower facing the shower or back to the shower? I assumed everyone had their back to the shower. I read an article today saying that there is a fair split for face towards the shower head vs. facing anway from the shower head and spinners….that just rotate between the two. There is no right or wrong answer. I did admit I kinda of laughed when I thought about “spinners”. I pictured a spinner as a little ballerina on a music box slowly twirling the entire time. I never really thought about it before. I keep my back to the shower (except when washing my face). Then I put my face into the hot water to rinse off the soap! I was able to work outside today. I had the dogs out with me. We all enjoy it. Heather and Jason came to visit. They bought our 4 wheeler and Paul is so happy it found a good home. It was nice to visit with them. We see them again next weekend. Looking forward to cousins weekend this weekend. So glad tomorrow is Friday!

 Man, today I kept thinking it was Thursday…..June 11 th. Nope, June 3 rd…AND a Wednesday! The dogs get their teeth cleaned next Thursday. Thankfully I realized it before i took them anywhere. My lunch group cancelled and rescheduled for next week. In keeping with the element of surprise today, I called Avery spontaneously and asked if she wanted to meet me at Goodwill for some thrifting. We spent some time there and then went to dinner….and sat outside for ice cream! It was a great unplanned evening. I came home to find Ethan and Paul working on his mower!

​Today I had to bring Moe in for his bloodwork. Drugs really help this go smoothly. I was able to ask him to sit and lay down. I restrained him while a coworker drew his blood. I was shoving tiny snacks in his lips so he would focus on his crunchy mouth surprises and it worked. Each time gets a little better. Moe needed bloodwork for his dental cleanings on Thursday. Penny is getting her teeth cleaned as well. We will be a commercial for dental hygiene….well…maybe after I get my crown next week. I am in the process of navigating things in my new role which keeps life interesting. I did more gardening tonight while Paul was mowing. Little bits at a time keeps my back happy. Ethan and Paul had a nice conversation this evening. Ethan was sharing his ideas with Paul about what he needs to do to his new mower and how he thinks he should approach it. Paul chimes in with things he may or may not have thought about. This is huge progress since 2022 and 2023.  HUGE PROGRESS! Kendall is set ...

 I went to the pharmacy today to pick up my medication. Turns out I might also need a prescription for something that makes me less of a jerk! Do they make pills for that? The lady next to me was a stage 5 yapper. The worst kind of yapper! She was yapping about her health problems, yapping about her Covid vaccine from 2020 (6 years ago lady….find a new topic) yapping about her cardiologist, yapping about A-Fib…….blood pressure medication, the weather, her summer plans….yap yap yap! The person behind the counter was so polite and answered the questions she asked. I really thing she is just fond of her own voice! Why did her yapping annoy me? I felt like a jerk because I was inwardly annoyed. She was just being a conversationalist….I just found her to be nails on a chalk board. Shut! Up! Lady! Later this evening I told Paul about the pharmacy lady! I told him “this is why I am better off working from home! It is not safe for the public for me to be out of the house!”  Other than...

​ Jiminy and Ethan have a special bond. This morning I saw Jiminy “guarding” Ethan. He was going to pick a fight with anyone that tried to hurt Ethan. Isn’t he threatening? Jiminy is just perfect! I did some yard work today. I exercised what my Mom does. Do a little bit and rest. Do a little bit and more rest. It helped preserved my back. I will be shocked if I don’t get poison ivy. I had the dogs out all day. I saw snakes with Ethan. I saw a baby fawn in the neighbors yard. Ethan showed me a pile of bones he found while mowing. It appeared to be an adolescent deer. 1/2 the spine and back legs were in one spot. The other half of the spine and skull were in the bushes.  We suspect it got hit by a car and then the wildlife took care of the clean up. The dogs were out the majority of the day again today and they loved it. Jiminy found a spot in the sun near Penny. They were doing dog stuff. Laying on the warm porch and napping rent free. Another beautiful day. I pulled out a lot of ne...

 Ethan was up and out of the house by 6:30 this morning. He was helping out at Cars and Coffee by the Little Speed Shop! The people there have been so kind to Ethan over the past several years. He has a special place in his heart for them! He returned home and his buddy came over for the entire day. It was nice to watch them do young 20’s men things. Shooting BB guns at a target, working on things in the garage, trying out the go-cart in the field…it got stuck so they had to tow it. Ethan mowed what will be his new back yard. I was surprised he did that. He shared it was to combat having ticks near his “house”. Smart thinking.  He and his buddy worked on fireworks….well mostly Ethan did as he is very cautious and does NOT want anyone to get hurt. He has the chemistry figured out and enjoys the process. I told him he should go become certified so he can run firework displays for towns, companies and such. I did meal prep of 52 meals. I utilized crockpots so it didn’t really tak...

 I was able to get a bunch done at work. I was hyper focused and my lists had lists to keep me on task! I met a friend for a late lunch. We sat outside at the restaurant for a couple hours enjoying a nice chat and the sunshine and beautiful weather. It was a good visit.  I did my grocery pick up, stopped at the liquor store to get Paul’s wine. Chatted with Kendall, who works there.  Paul was on his way to check out a car for Kendall. It was in Syracuse. He got hung up in traffic and called me to vent about it. He had some colorful language (not judging because mine can be worse in a traffic situation). He was worried that he was going to be late to meet up with the seller. I hate that kind of stress. I am sure there is a more official description, but I call it “time stress”. When you don’t want to be late, but you are running late. That feeling of anxiety that twirls in the air. I would rather be 30 minutes early than 5 minutes late. I feel like my time is as valuable as...

  Our solar powered security system was on duty today. 1/3 was sleeping on the job. Paul and I went to calling hours this evening. One of Paul’s Dad’s cousins passed away. He was 88 years old. He was sick. He had been on dialysis for a few years and his body was tired. We watched the pictures displayed of this man. Many of the pictures had Paul’s Dad in them. Every single picture this man was smiling. He was known as the man that always smiles. Paul shared some fond memories of him. We expressed condolences to all the appropriate people. I did enjoy hearing memories that were shared.   Paul and I differ in our techniques to get someone’s attention. This calling hours was more relaxed and didn’t have a line. Of course the grieving wife is someone you would want to seek out.  Paul wanted to stand politely behind her. I was encouraging him to be more aggressive to be in her sight line. Once she finishes a conversation, we could step in next. We tried it Paul’s way after...

 I started inching a little bit more towards my new role today. Just trying to get my ducks in a row. I am excited and have some things I would like to bring to the table. I am keeping a list of ideas to help others on my team and received a really nice compliment from one of my coworkers from another territory. That always warms the heart. I found out that said coworker will be in town next week. I reached out to set up a coffee date with her to pick her brain on some work situations. I was able to work outside for a bit today. I always enjoy that. It allows the dogs to have outside time. They are lazy sun-loving dogs that enjoy a nice, warm nap. After work, Sarah came over and we caught up on each other’s lives. I told her all about my trip. She shared what she has been up to. We exchanged many hard laughs. She has plans to bring her camper up to camp for a few weeks. I look forward to that! I received my secondary work schedule at the vet’s office today. I am hoping they are abl...

 I am still preparing the application for Ethan’s Medicaid renewal. It is so long. I did some printing of documents this evening. I think I will be ready to send it in tomorrow. Can’t wait to have that checked off the list! I started preparing for my territory change at work. Luckily I have worked with a lot of the hospitals in the past. It is still a lot to take on. I started to make my reports for easier visibility. I am bracing for the whirl wind to start. I will have a large number of requisitions -hopefully only for a few months. I had some friends over for lunch. We gathered on the patio and shared what is new with life. Loved it!!!! Scheduled another one for next week. I had to run errands this afternoon. Paul went to look at a car for Kendall. It wasn’t as nice as Paul had hoped. We are still exploring other options. Paul and I sat in our rocking chairs on the porch this evening. The dogs were in and out of the house all day. 

 My cold is hanging on but much better than it was.  Today we departed from camp. We have plans the next few weekends. Paul may end up going up alone. I have been away the past 3 weekends and need a breather before the next batch of weekends. I finally was able to clean up our screened in porch and make it more inviting for the summer. Sometimes I sit out there to work. I vacuumed up the winter grossness and wiped things down. I had some friends over for a lunch on the patio! It was so good to catch up with them. I was scrambling to complete Ethan’s paperwork for Medicaid. I have to print some things out, look up a few numbers and fill out the 12 pages of questions to see if he is eligible. I am hoping it gets renewed. Paul is helping Kendall find a new to them car. We want to make sure the car is sound for Kendall. Paul went to go look at a car today and it was not a good option. I finally went over to see the progress on the barndominium. I am so glad there has been progress...

 The weather was alright this morning. I took the dogs for a long walk. By mid-morning we had some wind. It came time  to get out our snacks. We eat well at camp. We typically skip lunch and sample everyone’s snacks instead. The snacks were great!  We had a day fire all day! The women built the fire and kept it going all day. We chatted and had a happy hours. The “s” was purposeful in that last sentence. There were blankets involved at the fire and we rotated dogs near the fire to stay warm.  We had the tunes on. We mentioned that we were thankful it wasn’t raining. Dinner was chili to warm us up, with lots of yummy sides and desserts. Andy found one of the “gifts” I left for him to find. After dinner, we went down the lakeshore for cards against humanity at the neighbors house. It was a lot of silly fun!  Happy Birthday Marcus!!!!!!!

 The weather was quite tolerable this morning. The men were able to get the docks in. That is step one to having a great summer. Paul looked hilarious. The dogs got a lengthy walk off leash. Moe and Penny found mud and needed a visit to the lake. It was mostly feet and underbelly’s, but still very much unwanted in our camper. Moe was being silly with his rawhide. He was carrying it around like a cigar. I picked up some steppingstones that were sitting n different shapes. They came with their own paints. Diane and I painted away blissfully while the men did men things. Lois joined us for the activity as well. At some point I will seal them. I started a day fire we enjoyed. Jiminy stayed warm. He enjoyed a day fire nap. We had dinner together.. it was established it would be a cottage night. We went Nextdoor and listened to tunes, enjoyed adult beverages and stayed dry. The prank war…..which isn’t really about pranks, it’s more about hiding fun things to find, has begun. I have been ...

 It’s Friday going into a holiday weekend. Woo hoo! I woke up early, packed up some of the dogs and Paul drove us to his work. I worked in the front room with some dogs until he was done with work and we traveled up to camp.  The ride was full of bumpy NY roads, Paul’s foul language about other drivers and some frustration of people, doing people things littered the air. We arrived to camp and Paul backed into our pad. The truck ended up getting stuck and sinking about 3 ft deep. As Paul verbally processed the situation, I allocated the dogs and myself to a safe space.  Finally things were situated, leveled, and put in their place for the summer.  Paul and I shared a large sandwich that we got for dinner. We sat around the fire as some shore friends came over to say hello. The gang is back. I really enjoy the sense of community! Tomorrow we will say hello to those that we didn’t get a chance to visit with today! Jiminy fell asleep by the fire. Pure bliss!

 I am Typhoid Mary! I have a cold from traveling. All the people that sneezed and coughed into the air embedded their germs on me.  Now no one wants to be around me at our house. Ethan is understandable. I am staying away from him, excessively washing my hands, wiping down knobs, drawers and handles with Lysol… Paul and I have been sleeping apart the past few nights to have him avoid me as much as possible. Now Paul doesn’t want me in the same car. Boo hoo for me. The dogs don’t care that I am coughing and snotty. I have graduated from Kleenex to a roll of toilet paper to blow my nose. It lasts longer. Luckily we have soft toilet paper. I am gross! 😷  I took the dogs to get their dentals. I pulled into the parking lot and parked. Another car pulled in shortly after and parked perpendicular to me. The driver pulled in to their spot. They backed up to try to fix their lousy parking job. BAM! Backed right into my car. Luckily, my car is in hospice. It only has about another...

 Today I was slammed at work. One of those days when I took two steps forward and 4 steps back. Everyone has had those days. I made lots of notes to try to stay on task. I still didn’t finish my work, it will be there tomorrow. I had a few errands to run.  The field is finally drying out. FINALY!!!!!  I actually was able to walk a lap today. I didn’t bring any dogs with me because I didn’t want any chance of dirty dogs. I wasn’t sure how soggy things were. By next week all the dogs will be able to go! I have plans to get them walking over the weekend. I am hoping to tire everyone out including myself. I chatted with a good friend this evening. She had me cracking up. It was a friendship that we don’t talk a lot but pick up right where we left off. We have been friends for over 25 years. Why does that make me sound so old? Tomorrow I drop Jiminy and Ferguson, the more fragile dogs, for their dental cleanings under anesthesia. They had their blood work, they got their anti-...

​I have to fill out pages of forms for Ethan’s Medicaid review. He is evaluated every year. It’s another stress added to his pile. Today he said “I am so sick of worrying about my health.” I told him that I can’t even imagine what he must go through. Because I can’t.  I can’t imagine my 23 year old self trying to be disciplined about my diet, my medications, my health, my trajectory of life…..I had it pretty easy at 23 in comparison. We had some progress on project Barndominium. There were dump trucks, mini bulldozers and a plumbing inspector- Paul and his buddy did the plumbing last night. The plumbing passed inspection! Yay! Apparently one of the dump trucks got stuck and that was a process. Avery swung by after her externship. She went with me to get groceries. We put them away together (just like old times) and then we went to dinner. It was such a nice visit. She even showed me her official badge! She has been busy with safety training.  It was such a wonderful gift to sp...

 Ok the jet lag has officially hit! Super tired today and sluggish. Maybe this a by-product of going back to work. But likely jet lag.  Ethan had me hit the ground running with a cardiac MRI. They only do these two places in Rochester. He chose to stay away from the hospital (smart move) because that is “where the sick people are”. Makes sense, and he isn’t wrong. We drove to the location and the took him back. I told him they likely would have me sit in the waiting room but at any point, he could request I join as his “advocate” if he felt like he wanted me in with him during the questioning. He asked what he should do about his GFR because he was supposed to get contrast. I told him to insist they make sure it is over 30 which is the cut off for kidney damage. I feel like he can handle this. This test is being done because they noticed subtle changes on his “squeeze test” during his echo. A squeeze test is an evaluation of the way the muscles are pumping blood. It measures t...

I woke up super early, around 5:30 am. Paul was not in the bed, indicating I was snoring, even though I tell him I don’t snore (I sure do). He had gone on the couch for some peace so I could saw wood. He came upstairs to sleep while I started all my overdue chores. All the dogs got their bath. They were a bit ripe.  I washed sheets, mopped,  vacuumed and even did a meal prep.  ​I slept good last night but running slow today. By 5:00 Paul was frustrated with my crankiness. Little Jiminy came over for snuggles after dinner. Jiminy was unbothered by my crankiness! He is so perfect!

​ We walked to the coffee shop and ordered some delicious breakfast. I got fancy and got a cappuccino. I was not upset with my choice. We had about an hour after we got back from breakfast before getting to the airport. We sat in the lounge area which was great. It had fancy couches and fancy lights. It was relaxing. We then had the front desk call a cab. We did this so that we didn’t get ripped off. Thankfully the cab took us door to door because it was pouring. Copenhagen was crying on us because we were leaving. It was probably tears of joy….but we won’t talk about that. We got to the airport and shuffled along through security at a snails pace. People were being annoying and not paying attention. I thought there should be a bouncer so that they could bounce the people that stood in line for an hour to the back of the line for not paying attention. You put your things in the tray and walk through the machine. Why is this so difficult. The lady next to me was flipping out because my ...