due South Slash

Happy Thanksgiving (a day late) to those of you living in the U.S. Happy Thursday to everyone else.

I slept late this morning (7am again), even though Pip got up early due to coughing. (When it’s not a work day, I don’t have to worry about getting Grant back in the house, which means I can stay in bed.)

I put together a tossed salad for Thanksgiving in the morning. My other contributions to the meal were: a cabbage salad, a loaf of banana bread, and butter cookies. (Since I had to make a GF dessert, I figured it had to be something Pip liked, so we decided on butter cookies, as they’re his favorite.)

ETA: How could I forget to mention this!! There was only one pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving Dinner. *g*

I did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, emptied the dishwasher, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter.

I finished the new Inspector Gamache book.

Temps started out at 34(F) (at 7am; it was a couple degrees cooler when Pip got up) and reached 41.2, that I saw. The forecast said it was supposed to hit 50, but I never saw that. It was overcast most of the day again.


Mom Update:

Mom ended up agreeing to go to my sister’s for Thanksgiving. ( more back here )

We were up early again because Pip had a coughing fit and couldn’t get back to sleep: 4:10am. I did not want to get up early again, and yet. At least it gave me more time to get stuff done.

I hit Price Chopper while I was downtown and stopped at Dunkin’ Donuts (because mom wants to take a treat to the clinic today, her second-to-last day!!).

I drove mom to her appointment, hand-washed dishes, emptied the dishwasher and ran another load, went for a couple walks with Pip and the dogs, baked chicken for the dogs’ meals, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter. I also made banana bread! One loaf is for Thanksgiving, one is for Sister A’s b-day, and the other is for us to enjoy! We had baked haddock for supper and still-warm banana bread was my evening snack.

Started a new Andy Carpenter book! Walt Disney's Animal Kingdom (or whatever it's called these days) was my evening background tv.

Temps started out at 32.7(F) and reached 50.0. It was overcast all day.


ETA: I forgot to mention the new developments in the Pumpkin Pie Fiasco! ( cutting for length )


Mom Update:

Mom was not feeling well again. ( more back here )

I got up early today. Or rather, on time. I forgot that we didn’t have to get up at 5am today, so I got up a few minutes ahead of the non-existent alarm to go to the bathroom and feed the cat, then I was like, crap! By then my brain was working enough that I knew I wouldn’t get back to sleep, so I stayed up.

I hit Walmart and Agway while I was downtown, then later Stewart’s on the way home from mom’s. I also stopped at the vet’s to get Ti’s special dog food and the library to pick up a book.

I drove mom to her treatment, hand-washed dishes, went for a couple walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and showered. Last night’s roast chicken dinner was so good (we both loved it) that we had leftovers for supper tonight.

I read more fanfic and watched Tracker. Dr. Pol was my background tv in the evening.

Temps started out at 36.3(F) and reached 45.3. There was some sun in the afternoon, but it was still cool.


Mom Update:

Mom was not feeling well today. ( more back here )

We slept late this morning (7am *g*). My excuse was that I didn’t sleep well during the night. In the middle of the night I woke up experiencing some unpleasant symptoms of gastric paralysis, which I haven’t had but once since I switched from Ozempic to Trulicity. I felt off all morning and took several naps. I finally felt better after my noontime nap, when I got up at 1:30pm to put supper in the oven. I didn’t eat anything until supper, just drank water, but I did, thankfully, start to feel hungry.

Symptoms, for my own information

I woke up in the middle of the night experiencing sour burbs, gas, and the feeling that I might have to vomit. Every time I woke up I had these experiences. The sour burps continued all morning. I did not vomit, but I did have diarrhea all morning. I also had no appetite and zero interest in eating, and was super tired. Enough that I laid down between chores and took three separate ‘naps’.

I did three loads of laundry, hand-washed dishes, ran a load in the dishwasher, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and changed kitty litter. I roasted a chicken for supper, which was delicious and I was thankfully hungry enough to eat and enjoy.

I read fanfic and watched Mistletoe Murders. Zoo North Carolina was my evening background tv.

Temps started out at 32.7(F) and reached 41.2. We had snow in the morning when the temps were still in the 30s, then some rain when it hit 40s, then back to snow. Nothing heavy that accumulated, thankfully.


Mom Update:

Mom sounded good today. She had a friend visiting when I called her, so we didn’t talk long. Sister A took her to her treatment today. (I thought it was strange that they’d schedule a Sunday treatment, but apparently they didn’t want to skip a few days to get her final treatment in. (If they only did M, T, W this week, she’d have to wait until M next week for her final treatment.) She’s really looking forward to her last day!

I had a pedicure this morning; I chose another deep red polish. I also hit Walmart and CVS while I was downtown, both for mom.

I did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, went for a couple walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter. We went out for supper so I didn’t have to cook! \o/

(The plan was to try the buffet at a new-ish local place, and we both ended up ordering off the menu. Though Pip is determined we’ll do the buffet next time. We both got the cheeseburger, and by the time I got home the roof of my mouth felt like I had sores on it, a sure sign I’ve ingested garlic. I didn’t taste it, but I figured the burger must’ve been seasoned with garlic, and later Pip confirmed because he’d had a ‘side-effect’, too. Which means I’ll be rinsing my mouth with salt water for a couple of days.)

But I did make a pumpkin pie! (My s-i-l asked me to make a GF dessert for Thanksgiving, and pumpkin pie is the first thing I thought of, but Pip’s other sister is making a pumpkin pie. I have to think of something else, but since I was still in the mood for a pumpkin pie, I made one just for us.)

I read more fanfic and watched some HGTV programs. Zoo North Carolina was my background show.

Temps started out at 32.4(F) and reached 49.7. It was overcast all day.


Mom Update:

Mom sounded good when I talked to her. Treatment was same old-same old, food settled fine, and she was watching Mama’s family when I called. *g*

I had a chiropractic appointment this morning. I hit Price Chopper again while I was downtown. (Pip needed bananas for the garage and I wanted a chuck roast that didn’t look like it was already going bad, like the single chuck roast in the meat cooler yesterday when I was there.)

I took mom’s vehicle up to the garage before her appointment because I’ve been hearing a strange noise. When I mentioned it to Pip, he was worried it might be the wheel bearing and wanted to test drive it. The bad news is, it is the wheel bearing. The good news is, it’s in its ‘infancy’ (Pip’s actual word, lol), so we can still drive her car. (She finds it difficult to get in and out of mine and sister S’s, for different reasons; mine is too low, hers is too high (she drives a pick-up).) He’s checking into wheel bearings and we’ll schedule something in the next couple of weeks. For someone who has been mostly house-bound since June, she’s spending an awful lot on this vehicle.

I drove mom to her treatment, hand-washed dishes, went for a couple walks with Pip and the dogs, browned ground beef to make lasagna tomorrow, scooped kitty litter, and showered. I did find a nice chuck roast and put it in the crock pot when I got home from downtown (before I went to pick up mom’s vehicle). It was quite yummy.

I read fanfic and drank egg nog. Zoo North Carolina was my background tv in the evening.

Temps started out at 19.4(F) (BRR!!) and reached 39.7. There was some blue sky peeking out behind the clouds and even a little bit of sun!


Mom Update:

Mom was doing okay today. ( more back here )

I hit Price Chopper and the Pharmacy while I was downtown and Stewart’s on the way home from mom’s. I heard ‘(My Angel is a) Centerfold’ while I was at BK. It was certainly a blast from the past and I immediately wondered just exactly what kind of playlist they’ve chosen?!! o_O It’s certainly a choice.

I drove mom to her treatment, did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, emptied the dishwasher and ran another load, went for a couple walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter. I made the meatloaf for supper before I picked mom up and stuck it in the fridge. I serve it with mashed potatoes and green beans. Always. Don’t ask me to change this! Also, it was really good.

I baked some cookies from frozen cookie dough that I bought for a school fundraiser. I also filled some wishes at Holiday Wishes, which made me feel good. I read fanfic and started an actual book.

Temps started out at 34.2(F) and reached 37.0.


Mom Update:

Mom was doing okay today. She’s admitted that she’s getting more tired and weak, which the person doing her treatment said was to be expected. She didn’t have any issues eating.

I got her mail, wrote out checks (her hands still shake pretty badly) and put them back in the mailbox; filled pill organizers, and did dishes for her.

I hit Walmart while I was downtown and the bank drive-thru on the way home.

I forgot to mention that I went through the McD’s drive-thru on Saturday (Pip wanted hash browns). I asked if the heat was working and was told that it was. So I went there this morning. Dear readers, the heat was not working. I chatted with some people who were there (about the heat not working) and then went to BK. Such a disappointment. Oh well, if I’m honest, the sandwiches are better at BK, but I like the atmosphere at McD’s better for writing.

I did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter. I remembered to pick up a GC for mom (her friend’s b-day) and even stopped at the post office to put the card in the mail for her. I made kielbasa and baby carrots for supper. (I got ground beef out of the freezer so I could make meatloaf tomorrow.)

I watched Tracker and read some fanfic. There was more Dr. Pol for background tv.

Temps started out at 26.2(F) and reached 38, according to Pip. I never saw it get that high. There was more wind, which sucks. I have to dress with even more layers when there’s wind because it goes right through.


Mom Update:

Mom sounded good when I talked to her in the evening. She was watching Mama’s Family. *g* She said her treatment went well and she didn’t have any issues eating. I’ll be able to see for myself tomorrow (today now).

I DVR’d and watched some more Hallmark Christmas movies since the last post; some were okay, but some were pretty good.


1. Believe in Christmas: This movie was cute, but I don’t have any interest in watching it again. I only DVR’d it because John Reardon and Megan Ory where in it. I liked the friendship between Beatrice and Emelia. I also thought it was neat that Kevin Hanchard (who plays Superintendent Joe Donovan on Hudson & Rex) was also in the movie. The ‘miscommunication’ bit is my least favorite of every Hallmark movie, especially when the miscommunication is brought on by something really stupid, but at least this one was resolved quickly. I did shake my head when Beatrice found the angel that had been missing for five years under a piece of furniture, as if the owners of a B&B haven’t vacuumed under that piece of furniture in five years. o_O


( 4 more back here )

Here’s my tree, for those that are interested in checking it out!

I’m going through the other trees, but please link me to yours if you’d like so I can be sure not to miss it!!