I’m sitting here this morning, listening to a Bobwhite outside my bedroom window. Oh, how I enjoy the bird sounds of Spring! Of course, I enjoy birds and listening to their conversations all year round!

In my last post (I think) I mentioned CNN anchor, Jake Tapper, also a novelist who was asked about writing, “Where do you find the time?” To this he replied, “I write every day. Even if it’s just for 15 minutes. If you write 15 minutes a day for a week it adds up. Wherever I was I had a laptop and I worked on the book when I had free time. From April through August 2020 I had no commute. I worked from home. That was two hours I would normally have spent driving and parking. The 15 minutes a day rule really works, even if it turns out to be garbage, it takes you somewhere.” I paraphrased in my last post but this time I got the exact quote. Ever since I saw that interview, I have been trying to write for 15 minutes a day! That hasn’t worked out well now, has it? I’ve been trying to write this post all week!

I feel like things are slowly getting back to normal, somewhat anyway. Dad and I are fully vaccinated now. We have enjoyed lunch out several times and I got my hair cut at the salon. I’m so happy to not have that damn ponytail at the back of my head!

It’s pretty exhausting, getting back to our pre-pandemic routine. We just aren’t used to it after staying at home for so long. Sure, we went out for groceries now and then but that wasn’t often. And for the first 215 days of the pandemic, we never went anywhere! What I couldn’t find online and have shipped, my son or a friend would pick up for us. But, we got tired of staying home!

I’ve had appointments with a lymphedema therapist for the past few weeks. That’s exhausting enough, but it wasn’t half as exhausting as jumping through a couple dozen hoops and filling out about half a thousand forms to get financial aid because my insurance wouldn’t pay for it! I don’t have lymphedema, but it could very well turn into lymphedema if left untreated. The therapy is helping; it’s a gentle massage that helps move extra fluid from an area that is swollen. There’s much talking during this massage and it’s so relaxing that I wish she’d be quiet so I can go to sleep! I’ll keep going each week as long as my financial aid will allow.

After my appointment last week, Dad and I went to a Mexican restaurant for a very late lunch because we were starving to death. We were so tired because we’re not used to the long drives (country living, y’all – everything’s so far away) but our stomachs were conversing and planning a take-over! We stopped at a Mexican restaurant that we had eaten at many times before the pandemic. It wasn’t our favorite place but it sure as hell isn’t even on the list NOW. The food wasn’t that great and my refried beans were nearly WHITE! I’ve been eating at Mexican restaurants for many, many years and have never been served nearly WHITE refried beans! (Refried beans are typically made with pinto beans and they are not white!) I tasted their beans and they tasted like they should have but the color was off so I didn’t eat any more of them. Dad and I both got sick that evening, so something wasn’t right about their food! This week, we went to another old fave, Ruby Tuesday, and we weren’t very impressed with them either. The food was really good but there were flies everywhere and I knew why when I went to the Ladies Room. It smelled like pure sewage in there! The server told us they had a sewage problem. (No shit, Sherlock!) Seems to me, that if a food establishment is having sewage problems then they shouldn’t be open to the public, because after all, they are preparing food and people are there to enjoy a meal…not smell sewage!

2 weeks ago, I had a procedure done on my toe. Toe NAIL, I should say. Some of the nail had to be removed (and killed off) because of ingrown nail problems. I’m telling you, the shots in my toe were painful as fuck! It took 4 shots to numb my poor little BIG toe! After the procedure, I felt no more pain and haven’t since. I’m glad it’s over but it would have been nice to get it done months ago. Dad and I have avoided going to the doctor since March 2020. Thankfully, at our clinic they require masks and do a temp check on each person as they enter the door.

Saturday, we decided it was high time to get back to our pre-pandemic Saturday routine! We shopped for produce (and Dad’s wine) and hit the Dollar Tree. Afterward, we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Chico! We went about 2 weeks ago, and had a nice experience. They are very committed to keeping their patrons not only happy, but safe from Covid-19. There’s hand sanitizer as you enter, the tables are sanitized before people are being seated, paper menus are used, and you are asked to wear a mask until your drinks arrive at your table. I’m pleased with the tables/seating arrangements as they were never crowded together before and it’s no different now. I don’t feel someone’s breath on my neck and I don’t have to worry about someone bumping into me as I raise the fork to my mouth! It’s a very comfortable and welcoming atmosphere. We didn’t get sick after eating there, and there were no flies and no stink!

So, there’s my 15 minutes+ and I hope it’s not garbage! I’ll be busy for the next month or so getting ready for family to come. I have to clean and declutter – and it takes me a long time because of my mobility issues and pain. I may or may not have time for 15 minutes a day but I’ll sure try!

Until next time,